I've been watching the cartoon series a lot these days, just to see what it was like and because my fiance never got a chance to see the old cartoons, and it got me thinking - G1 kinda sucks. After seeing all the stuff wrong with it, I asked myself why does everyone like this old cartoon? I mean look at what was wrong with it -

Inconsistent origins (I'm looking at you, Constructicons)
Content quality (animation and voice-work errors)
Horrible character portrayals (Beachcomber's a hippy? Tracks is gay? Wheelie exists?)
Inaccurate toy models (Ironhide and Ratchet mostly)
Lame episode plots (Almost all of episode 2)

It amounts to the same 1980's cartoon gargbage that had no real substance. So what makes it so special to where people would hate a good quality cartoon (Beast Wars, maybe) in comparison?

 

Nostalgia.

 

if only threads like this could end right there.

but nooooooooooo

 

um yeah nostalgia, its not supposed to be emmy winning tv you know  

 

Yeah plus thats what mostly everyone grew up with

 

Yep - nostalgia. Plus I always thought that for a 30 minute long toy commercial, G1 actually turned those toys into real characters. Something recent series haven't really been able to do well. The rebellious Dinobots, the cranky Gears, the pop culturist Jazz, mad scientist Wheeljack, southern tough guy with a heart of gold Ironhide, the always trying to prove himself underdog Bumblebee, the scheming and backstabbing nature of Starscream... even the epitomies of good and evil, Prime and Megatron. Sure the cartoon sucks - in the eyes of an adult, but it was gold in the eyes of this kid.

 

That's pretty much it. I don't like the cartoon personally, and I didn't find it particularly overwhelming back in 1984/85 either, but to each their own.

 

Nostalgia, plus I don't mind its corniness. For all the errors, silly plots, I just love it to death. The only thing for me Transformers related that comes even so close in enjoyment is Beast Wars/Beast Machines.

 

I like the toys and the Marvel comics, but I was never at all keen on the cartoon, to be honest.

 

Word.

It's also a generational thing in a way. I have no interest in BW or A/E/C etc... but not 'cause I'm slamming it, but because I had discovered girls post G1   ...

So yeah, it's nostalgia... as a7 yr. old you rarely thought about continuity errors or why Jazz still has a porsche hood for a chest long before he came to Earth. It's for kids and it was solely made to sell toys, don't think to hard on it. MMPR is corny too, but it was on while I was in high school. But for someone who grew up watching MMPR I'm sure they have a soft spot for it still.

 

Not to start a friggin' riot here or anything, but the same could easily be said about Beast Wars (and 90% of ALL cartoons, in general). Nothing is perfect and all have both their good and bad, so why must everyone continue this comparison with Beast Wars or whatever? As some have mentioned, nostalgia is a key reason that most people love G1. I'm 31, I grew up on it, I've had most of the toys (still do), and to this day I still enjoy watching it (even if there are some cheesy episodes here and there). Do I love Beast Wars as well? Yes. Do I think it was a better cartoon/series? No. That's my opinion and while I do believe that Beast Wars was well written and had great CGI work for its time, I just enjoy the old school stuff. If we're talking "inaccurate toy models", please look at ALL Transformers toylines. A LOT of them are inaccurate. The Diaclone toys existed before Transformers (the series) started and I'm sure they decided to give them a more proper robot mode so everyone wouldn't have wondered, "where the heck is his head?". Also, if we're talking about Wheelie (who we all know is the single-most hated Transformer PERIOD), I have to mention that Rattrap wasn't high up on my "favorites" list. It's all personal opinion and in the end, who gives a crap, right? We all like what we like because we have the ability to feel and think for ourselves. Most people who grew up with G1 will swear it's the best, while most who grew up with Beast Wars and anything after it, swear they are the best. Nostalgia plays a HUGE factor in this and the rest is just left up to personal opinion.

I may be one of the few, but even though I'm a die-hard G1 fan, I've enjoyed EVERY Transformers series that has been shown between here and Japan. I'm just happy to see ANY Transformers-related shows still on the air and I love and remember the good stuff that started it all.

 

It may have been "garbage" as you put it. But it still retains some luster to me as I never take it seriously.

I'll always have a soft spot for it.

 

You're looking at it the wrong way. You cannot judge it today and say there's too many things wrong. Why? Simple, think! It was an 80's cartoon and its 20+ years old. Its 2008 dude, you can't compare it because its in different era and it pretty much rocked during those days and it practically owned every kid that is why Transformers is still alive today. I'm pretty sure that the most number of TF fandoms are grown ups and not kids simply because kids are more hooked up on video games right now rather than toys.
Its still cool today because like a 501 Levis it never goes out of style. Like Chuck Taylors etc. etc.
Hope this helps.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate G1 at all. The cartoon hasn't held up as well as my memories of it, but I stil love the core concept. In fact, I'm writng a fanfic that takes place in the beginning of season 2, which I'm hoping to use to fix some of those inaccuracies I mentioned earlier.

I'm just wondering why and how it's held up as long as it has as the premeir transformers series that everyone wants remade. I mean, if it's just nostalgia, why do so many people want a G1 revival?

 

That's another thing. It's a CARTOON. I've never understood why people go so in-depth in their analysis of these things. They're great, they're full of cheesy dialogue, but they entertain and even teach in some cases. You have to remember, cartoons are aimed at kids. As a kid, you don't necessarily notice half of the goofy/dumb stuff until you are older. Looking back on it, yes there are problems. You will always look back on the things you loved as a kid and put more thought into it and scrutinize it a bit more. But back then, it was just a kick ass cartoon with some cool ass robots that turned into cars, trucks, jets, guns, etc.

 

Giant Robots, Trucks, Cars, Planes, Dinosaurs, EVEN BIGGER ROBOTS in a time where you had a bunch of army guys trying to catch guy in a blue suit and a silver face plate with no eye or nose holes and and bunch of cats fighting a mummy .... Transformers packed more of what I wanted into 30 mins.

 

"Inaccurate toy models (Ironhide and Ratchet mostly)"

They improved the looks of the characters greatly on the show. I'd say the differences are more a reason to knock the toyline than the cartoon, but oh well

 

I am only 17 so I wasn't around when G1 was out The first series I watched was BW but then I didn't even see a lot of that the first I watched consistently was Armada, and even though most people think Armada was crap. It's still going to stick in my head as my favorite because of the memories of sitting down everyday and watching Toonami to see it. It's what you grow up with that sticks in your heart, that's the reason all of us older people still love transformers.

 

I think there's more to it than just the pure nostalgia, there's something else there - I mean I used to LOVE Thundercats when I was a kid, but if I watch it now it's cringe-fest 2000. I don't get that with Transformers.

 

The characters (at least in my opinion) were just BAD ASS. Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Ironhide, Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack......the list goes on. I love a lot of the characters from the newer Transformers cartoons, but those guys were the epitome of "good and evil" and the series itself still holds up pretty damn well today. Season 2 of G1 is what really sticks out because that's when the storylines started to mesh better and they added more back story and history into the mix. It added more weight to an already great cartoon. G1 also had some of the best voice actors, so I think that also plays part in the whole nostalgia thing.