Revisiting Zone

Discussion in 'Transformers General Discussion' started by Mako Crab, Dec 26, 2007.

  1. Mako Crab

    Mako Crab Well-Known Member

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    Transformers Zone: part 1

    Transformers Zone part 2

    While I'm waiting for Transformers Animated to premier I decided to kill some time by looking back at Zone- yet another stand alone episode like Scramble City. This one was posted up on YouTube by the same guys that did the fandub for Scramble City, and even though they were put up a mere month apart, I have to say I like the voice work in this one more. Good job, guys! Getting better.

    Okay, here's the quick 'n' dirty plot:
    - The Decepticons (all 9 of them) have a new master: Violenjiger (Violent Jaguar?). He's sending his nine Decepticon gestalt general around the galaxy looking for the Autobots new Energon Z, or Zone energy.
    - The Decepticons tear up one planet and endanger some kid named Kain. Victory Saber shows up just in time to save the kid, but gets all exloded when the entire planet is destroyed. Ouch.
    - Aaaanyway, Kain and his flying rabbit sidekick are hanging out on Planet Zone with all the Autobots now and the rabbit, who I love by the way, is just hella' mad. He hates the purely technological planet and wants to see some flowers or something alive! Kain tells him to shut up. Nice, kid. Real nice. Man, I'd kill to see a Transformer with the flying rabbit for an alt mode. Hee hee!
    OMG! The Decepticon generals are back! They're attacking the big city on Zone and OMG! The city can transform just like Scramble City! The similarities are astounding. The Autobots put up a fight, but ultimately get their butts kicked. The Decepticons grab a giant capsule of Zone energy and take off.
    - Right about that time a couple other Autobots named Dai Atlus and Sonic Bomber drop in. They're about 50 times larger than all the other Autobots, so they must be the leaders. Oh, and they're carrying Victory Saber with them! He's alive!! Wait, he's alive? An entire planet exploding couldn't kill him. Cripes, man, what's it take to kill these things?? They're just machines; metal and circuits and whatever. Alright, so they throw Victory Saber in the med-bay and hook him up to some junk to keep him from dying. Then they run off after the Decepticons who are on their way to Earth.
    - Zarak pops up briefly to cause them trouble on their way. Heyyy, looking sharp.
    - They get to Earth and we get one long running battle with the highlight being when Sonic Bomber chases Devastator underground. Kind of a nice bit. Oh, forgot to mention; the Decepticons are after something called the Zodiac on Earth. Apparently combining the Zodiac with Zone energy will allow them to create an entire universe or maybe just a planet. It's not really clear.
    Fight, fight, fight. Autobots get the Zodiac back and suddenly they're all super-powered. Sonic Bomber combines with Dai Atlus for a bit and they start mowing down gestalts left and right.
    - While on Earth Kain and his rabbit meet another kid named Akira. They don't really do anything but hey- at least we have someone for the kids to relate to now. I guess. They're forgotten about for the rest of the show so it's not like introducing them was really necessary or anything.
    Anyway, the Decepticons are beat down in the worst way and Violenjiger is stuck in space without anyone to talk to now. Awww.
    The End!

    Right away you'll notice that the old gestalts from G1 are all being drawn really different here. I had to look twice a few times before I realized who some of them were. Menasor's looking sharp and Trypticon is just hilarious with his spiked club and rabid dog attitude. For the most part I think the new looks work. Pretty gutsy move redesigning them all like that. The Autobots are all background fodder. Really, the only ones you need to know are Victory Saber, Dai Atlus and Sonic Bomber. Who are all those other guys? Pfft! Who cares?

    Also noteworthy- it sounds like the original music is all in place here. At least, that's what I'm guessing. Sounds much better than the fandub of Scramble City with the TF:TM soundtrack rammed into it. I did notice that a lot of the mechanical sound effects used whenever someone transforms or something sound like they were lifted from RiD, but that's okay. It doesn't sound out of place here.
    The animation is nice. It's not mind-blowing or anything, but it looks nice and fluid. Some real good effects in there and overall just more eye-pleasing.

    There's not much story to speak of, but what little is there is still better than Scramble City's vacant, vapid, royal rumble. And hey, it has the distinction of being the very last G1 cartoon ever made. If I had to rank it, I'd probably give it a C. Scramble City would be an F-. :D 
     
  2. Takeshi357

    Takeshi357 "Research"

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    *cough* Galvatron in Headmasters, anyone?

    I wish Victory Saber had died. He's more irritating than Wheelie.

    Also, it's Dai Atlas.

    Yeah, it's best we forget that they're both boys and like holding hands while sitting together against the sunset...

    I thought their different looks had something to do with Violenjiger resurrecting them all, which means they all had died at one point or another. It kinda sucks seeing all those fan favorites return to the fray after such a long break only to see them getting dispatched in pretty graphic fashion to boot; seemed to be the big thing back then, bad guys are just cannon fodder for these superultramegacool autobu...er, bots. Predaking has the worst face design ever. Also note he has what seems to be an organic brain inside his head noggin.

    The theme song/s were apparently sang by the same guy who was in the Mazinger Z theme (which I have not personally heard).

    By the way, the Zone OVA seems to take place in a middle of things; taking a look at TFPulp, there's plenty of Zone-related story pages involving Victory Saber leading a bunch of Micromasters before the events of the OVA.
     
  3. Prisoner1138

    Prisoner1138 TFW2005 Supporter

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    Zone...

    It was basically an all japanese giant robot and monster show, that just so happened to have a transformer theme.

    Heck, at least one of those decepticon gestalts(which wasn't really a gestalt at that point) had an organic looking brain visible when being cut in half(I think it was predaking).

    As far as the audio is concerned in this fandub, it's not the original audio(aside from I believe the themesong), as the dubbers basically had to mute it and mix in stock sound effects for everything(as they didn't have a version with only the dialog cut).

    It's actually one of the better fandubs I've seen, but that isn't saying much. And the show itself was horrid.
     
  4. Nightrain

    Nightrain Senior Villain

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    Behold!

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Star Sabre James

    Star Sabre James The JUICE

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    It was supposed to be a full length series, but was canceled. The people decided to put what animation they had into a half hour episode. The story line was continued in a TV magazine.
     
  6. Mako Crab

    Mako Crab Well-Known Member

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    Mm. Just like Scramble City.
    And I swear, Predaking has the least scary face of any Transformer I've ever seen. He's right on par with that greeting drone at the start of the Armada comic. His eyes look like it came off a cloud from Mario Brothers. :p 
     
  7. Harlequin Daniel

    Harlequin Daniel Captain Grumpy

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    What exactly are we beholding?
     
  8. darksage78

    darksage78 Maximal

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    Is it the orange goo that's supposed to be the Brain?
     
  9. Lady Dragoon

    Lady Dragoon FOR THE HORRDEEEE!!!!!!!!

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    Man, that had to be one deadly spitting headache.

    (Please forgive me for what I just wrote? :D )
     
  10. chrizgrv

    chrizgrv lurker in the depths

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    ^Yep. I actually like zone. I have it subbed somewhere on my computer. I wish it would have continued.
     
  11. Nightrain

    Nightrain Senior Villain

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    The death of Transformers in Japan.
     
  12. Star Sabre James

    Star Sabre James The JUICE

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    That's Pretaking being chopped in half.
     
  13. Black Oracle

    Black Oracle Black Convoy's Dark Angel

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    That flying rabbit is freaky; I couldn't tell if Akira was meant to be a boy or girl?; what's up with the Decepticon generals wearing capes?; Dai Atlas' 'Z' sword looks impractical really; and the Zone power was just an excuse to give Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber a power light show. Aside from all that, the battle scenes weren't all that bad to watch.

    And is Violenjiger a Quintesson or what?
     
  14. Takeshi357

    Takeshi357 "Research"

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    Akira was a boy, and so was Kain.

    The capes, the Z-sword, Zone power...man, you haven't seen much anime, have you? :p 
     
  15. Mako Crab

    Mako Crab Well-Known Member

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    The Z sword is tragically lame. I can't believe I forgot to mention that! It's really sad when the Sailor Scouts have better weapons. Just check out Sailor Moon's tiara in action. That thing is crazy deadly!

    Even in her civvies, she's dangerous with that thing.
     
  16. E Nice

    E Nice Well-Known Member

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    As for the capes, Starscream was ahead of his time.
     
  17. DrSpengler

    DrSpengler The Real Ghostbuster

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    He's actually the culmination of thousands of angry Decepticon sparks who united and formed that freaky demon thing. It all gets explained in the Zone story pages from Comics Bom Bom that continued where the OVA left off.

    As for the Zone OVA itseld, I liked how good the animation was and the theme song has a cheesey addictive quality...but by and large it was pretty much your generic anime garbage with "Transformers" slapped on to it.
     
  18. MC Rap Throne

    MC Rap Throne unknown member

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    Zone is awesome.
     
  19. Dirge121

    Dirge121 I'll be your end of days

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    After watching it twice, I hate it.
    Apart from Devastator and Piranacon, I had no idea who any of the generals were.
    The whole things was needlessly rushed unless it was planned to be a one off.
    The Autobots all seemed to be using their God Mode cheats, and the Humans were even more pointless than that stupid rabbit thing.

    Its not my cup of tea.
     
  20. Backscatter

    Backscatter Autobot Brainmaster TFW2005 Supporter

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    At the time I was sorry the Destron Generals or even their accessories weren't released. Also funny, it wasn't until years later that I knew Akira was also a boy. Yeesh. G1 died slowly, although this was the last episode, the story did carry on in TV Mag. Learned some interesting things too. Metro Titan's guns were extreme frost weapons. Instant ice blizzard! Japan tried to save the Transformers. Star Convoy made his return with the help of the Zone energy, but as in the United States even TROOP wasn't enough to save G1. I thought the Transformers were done for. Glad I was wrong. But I still misss that era. It wasn't "G1" at the time, it was just "The Transformers".

    Anyway, I think this was a good fan dub and I liked the enhanced sound effects.

    I was also glad Victory Sabre didn't die and was very happy to see his return in the Robot Masters line.