Hello all! I am a relatively new Transformers fan, and I’d like to experience TFA! The personal barrier I’m running into however, is the voices. You see, I watched and enjoyed Transformers Prime first. The difference in voices, tone and style, between TFP and what I’ve been able to watch of the first episode of Animated makes me not want to watch it. The perfect solution to that is subtitles! I’d just put on English subs, turn down the volume, and go with it. I watch a lot of anime like that after all. The issue is that I can’t find a subtitled version. Why, the Shout Factory complete series set I bought doesn’t have any (unless I’m missing something)! Does anyone know of there’s another set with English subtitles, or if the individual disks have subs? Thank you for your help.
I think that the voice work is phenomenal and the performances in Animated are way more lively and memorable than the ones in Prime, you'd really be harming your overall enjoyment of the show by turning down the volume. You'd also be missing the great music and sound design too. It may take a little bit for you to adjust to the new voice cast, but it'll be worth it. Trust me!
I’m really, really stunned how you can’t stand the voice work. Especially since in TFA Optimus is more interesting and Bumblebee actually talks. Usually people complain about the art style. But to answer your questions, the Shout! Factory release might have a “hard of hearing” option. I’ve found subtitles are usually other languages, included for non-native speakers. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you try to watch it with the voice acting. Every actor delivers a very memorable performance, and a huge part of the story is listening to these actors being these characters to life in a believable manner.
You don't want to miss out on David Kaye's Optimus Prime voice. And yeah, the sound design is top-notch too.
