Every episode I've seen has been a real treat since the opening pilot, I have missed a few airings, but thanks to YTV's mini-marathon I got caught up. Unfortunately I missed Headmaster so I can't opine about that, but I can say this.

Animated has been a fresh change compared to the past four or five years of massive series based plot points. I missed some of Energon and Cybertron and got a little lost and it really ticks me off that neither of those series seems to be in the Release in Box Set Format for the Fans that actually want to BUY THEM!

At least with this Cartoon Network series I can safely bet that we'll see it released in Box Set format roughly five months after the first season is complete. Or at least I'm hopefull for that, because Animated is a series worth owning. From the first day I heard the new take on the classic theme and watched as the Autobots encountered their first Decepticons, rescued the Allspark and crash landed on Earth I have been well and truly hooked.
The human villains don't bug me in the slightest, if I can sit through multiple viewings of the infamous Lord Chumly episode of G1 fame I can stand five or ten minutes with Angry Archer, Princess whatever her name was and others. Even when the human villain takes up the relatively entire episode like Meltdown I can stand him, and you know why? No seriously, do you know why? Because I can't classify my feelings toward said episodes for the life of me, maybe it's the writing, the art style, the fact that I don't mind a break from the constant threat of the Decepticons...

I mean let's face it, without characters like Meltdown or the speeding super fast guy we'd just be facing another series where Plot A involves Decepticons causing havoc and Autobots have to stop it or Plot B Decepticons invent new super weapon and Autobots need to destroy it... After over twenty years of that same basic storyline wouldn't you think you'd prefer a change of pace? I mean how many more times will we be able to sit down and watch Autobots Vs. Decepticons fighting over the millionth source of Energon or Super Energon in some corner of the Globe/Space?

This new angle helps the writers in the long run because they don't have to constantly try and rehash the same old plots without looking like they're rehashing them? So there, that's my opinion.

I can understand how some people feel about the series, but to me this is a nice change of pace/breath of fresh air compared to the last four or five years of Anime based Soap Operas. Yep that's it. Unicron Trilogy = Soap Opera, Animated = Saturday Morning Sitcom.

 

The show is okay. I don't feel compelled to watch it week to week and the only reason I probably do is because I love Transformers so much. There is just no "WOW" factor for me, even after 15 episodes.

 

How about going to the source of the main story? A headless Megatron manipulating the world around him to regain what he lost?

Stuff like Soundwave and zoomy guy (I admit the concept sucked. Would have preferred a zoomy ROBOT, because that would be more in line with a show about Transformers) were bearable. But Angry Archer? Meltdown? F**ing PROFESSOR PRINCESS?? These are terribly conceived characters that shouldn't grace any animated show.

And please, stop comparing Animated to AEC. I think everyone knows those were bad. How about comparing it to modern, truly quality cartoons like Avatar, JLU, Teen Titans and Ben10? If you look at those, the production and writing quality of TFA is FAR from being in the same league.

 

I compare Transformers with Transformers, I see no reason to compare one show with a completely unrelated show because in my eyes any cartoon that peaks my interest and can hold me for longer then a year is of decent quality.

Also I never said A/E/C were bad, hell I liked the entire Unicron Trilogy and would very much like to get the entire run of Energon and Cybertron on DVD. The only reason I compared the past material with Animated was to make my point that we've all had our fill of the grand space opera that was Unicron Trilogy and so I am more then ready to tip my hat to what they're doing with Animated. Angry Archer/Professor Princess and Meltdown included, hell except for Meltdown the rest of those villains are like the flavor of the week, here in fifteen minutes and gone without a trace. I think some fans blow their appearances out of proportion, heck the episode of G1 I mentioned featuring Lord Chumly had that villain around for the entire thirty minutes. Talk about pointless. And lest we forget Mister Trask from Season Three and the Cobra Commander cameo episode Only Human, admittedly one of my favorites from the season, but more because of good ol' CC's cameo then the flaor of the week non-Decepticon/Quintesson affiliated villain.

But if you want to compare it to a different cartoon, well ok Justice League. The writing for that genre is completely different for Transformers, Transformers is and has always been a thirty minute animated toy commercial, Justice League, Teen Titans, The Batman, they may also have toy products, but the primary reason I believe those shows exist is so that DC can ship thier characters outside of the Comics medium to both old and young alike and give them more exposure since the kids aren't buying comics these days.

To expand upon my allusion from the first post...
Transformers: A/E/C, Animated, What Have you = Thirty Minute Toy Commercial, the writers are told to work in new characters so the kids will want to buy them.

Justice League/Ben10/The Batman/Teen Titans = Thirty Minute Action Adventure Boys Cartoon designed for enjoyment/excitement and on the side sell toys. The writers don't have to work in new characters because of a toy lineup pre-planned from the start. They have more leeway to create compelling stories that any aged viewer can enjoy. (True Beast Wars and a few rare exceptions have proved that the writers can be just as creative when given such limits, but honestly they are the abnormal rather then the norm.)

 

Outside of the animation in the past three episodes, I like Animated far better then G1. This is why I never watched G1 as a kid...

1. The animation was cheaply done, making me think it was only used to sell the toys. There were so many mistakes in that cartoon.

2. The continuity was scattershot. The robots (good or bad,) would seemingly have a weapon for every occasion but never use it again for the most part, outside of that one episode.

3. There is no strong story. Heck even Animated has more continuity (that's because those who wrote the new TMNT cartoon that started in 2003 is handling it,) which means they treat their viewers with some intelligence.

I like Animated because so far it hasn't always been about Decepticons. How cliche is each series, when the only bad guys are Decepticons?

Trust me though, I know how these writers of the new series act. I watch TMNT and once they get to the bulk of the story (in this case Megatron being found and getting his new body,) then the series starts getting darker, more violent, and more story driven. I bet the same thing happens with Animated.

As I said though, G1 sucks BIGTIME!!! Heck even the old TMNT cartoon treated its viewers with some maturity with jokes that people wouldn't even get until they were older.

I do like Animated though, and am glad to see not every episode being about Decepticon attack, Decepticon attack, Decepticon attack, episode, after episode, after episode.

Oh and Megatron Rising (or as Cox had it listed Metagon Rising,) was a seriously kick butt episode.

 

i really dont mind the animation the fight scenes are just to cool to pass off as junk and the character specifc episodes are awsome just remember the headmaster ep is the worst animated episode so far in my opinion

 

I've never seen so many fans totally miss the point, but this just keeps coming up time and time again so it's time to set the record straight.

Angry Archer, Professor Princess, Meltdown... they're comedic characters, get it? They're not meant to be taken seriously. They're just silly one-joke gags, and nothing more. They were conceived as gags to begin with, so calling them "poorly conceived" only reveals how badly you missed the joke.

Angry Archer was HELL-HAIRY-ASS!!!! Jeff Bennett revisiting his Lord Bravery role from Freakazoid!, which in turn was an homage to the nonsensical character sketches from Monty Python. I laughed through the whole first scene of that episode. And I hope Angry Archer keeps popping up in future episodes--he's a hoot.

And the character is also a spoof of none other than Hasbro TF designer Aaron Archer. See if you notice any resemblance in these pics:




And Professor Princess was a parody of Sailor Moon, The Powerpuff Girls, and My Little Pony all rolled into one. The name alone should tell you it's a gag.

I'll agree that Meltdown is poorly conceived, but with Sue Blu's casting choice for the character (an actor known for his comedic roles), combined with the ridiculous outfit, and his booty-shaking gag in his last appearance...haven't you asked yourself what's up with that? I mean, come on: the disco jumpsuit, wide 70's collar, and platform shoes? Yet again, it's a comedic character. I honestly hated Meltdown from the start because his origin was so weak and implausible, and he seemed a ripoff of Blight from "Batman Beyond". And he also shouldn't even be able to wear a costume over such a highly-corrosive form... hey, wait a minute...

Oh, I get it now... he's a comic villain!

Now, granted, Meltdown does need some fine-tuning to be more comical because the setup was so bad that it's like we're just now finding out that he's supposed to be a clown.

In short, just accept these one-dimensional comedic characters as gags. Just something to get a laugh.

But like they say, "If you have to explain the joke, it's not funny anymore."

Also, it might help to keep reminding yourself that it's a kids' show.

 

1-5 minutes of a silly cameo is a silly joke. A recurring character that keeps coming back like a bad batmite is taking it waaay beyond that.

Freakazoid did it right.

Doesn't mean it's got to be asinine.

 

BB was balls to the wall in G1???? What episodes where you watching? At least Animated's BB is ARMED and can fight.

 

The idea is whenever a Decepticon does show up, it's a serious event. Since the Autobots are the stars, they need something else to do while the Decepticon menace builds up. Whenever the Decepticons in G1 showed up or were behind something, it wasn't news. In Animated, when ONE Decep shows up, it's a can't miss episode. ONE Decepticon can carry a whole episode by himself.

It's the same principle when the Ninja Turtles fight the Foot Clan in Fox's latest cartoon. If they fought the Foot every episode, the Foot looks incompetant (unless they do a Beast Wars and have the villians win some episodes). Fans usually hate episodes that don't involve the Shredder or the Foot, and ignore them automatically thinking it won't be as good.

 

G1 bumblebee being "balls to the wall" LOLOLOLOL

wow. Some people really have some skewed views of G1, Animated Bumblebee is infinitely more competent than G1 bee.

 

Wait... you're saying that AA and PP as one-shots, and Meltdown being in two episodes is taking it too far? Gimmie a freakin break.

Did I not make myself clear when I said I didn't like Meltdown? But since we're finally learning that he's a lunatic, it makes him a lot more tolerable to me. Also, I'm grateful he showed up again if only for the reason that it gave us another episode with the Dinobots, and gave the animators an excuse to throw fans a bone with the Pretenders cameo.

I guess I'll just never understand why fans have to be so critical of a kids show. TFA isn't intended for adults so we should be grateful they even bother to stick in the G1 nods and homages and occasional double entendre so at least it makes it worth our while to watch it.

It's an amusing, entertaining show. I don't expect much of it, so it's a refreshing surprise when something cool happens or it makes me laugh out loud. It also makes me feel like a kid again watching it, and for that reason alone I'll make time to watch it faithfully.

Asinine is only in the eyes of the beholder.

 

did I seriously read somebody type g1 bumblebee as ball to the walls?

 

You did, seriously:

The only time G1 BB had his balls to the walls was when he was being pushed up or thrown against one.

 

And the funny thing is G1 bumblebee barley ever had a gun. Actually I don't honestly remember him with a gun or using one.

 

Toywise, only the pretender and action master had a gun. I think Goldbug was depicted on the cartoon and comic with a gun, not sure about pre-Goldbug BB.

 

Very first scene in MTMTE Part 1 if I recall correctly, and then occasionally throughout the cartoon series. But I agree I wouldn't associate him with being much of a contender from an armament standpoint.

 

I only remember 2 times that BB used a gun, once in MMTE and again in Autobot Run with that weather control thing.

 

seriously. the only reason people dont remember bumble as being lamer is due to wheelie taking the mantle post TFTM86. i love bumble - he in facts appears the most in my fanart - but arcee had more robotesticular fortitude than bumblebee.

bumbleballstothewalls lol