Other Robot Shows

[Mako Crab]

Saw this new (?) cartoon the other day called Bolts and Blip. I watched it, but it wasn't really holding my interest. It kinda' reminded me of another CGI robot cartoon from a few years back, where all the robots where spherical and they'd roll all over the place. Can't remember the name of that one. And then there's CUBIX: Robots for Everyone, which I found painful to watch. Whoever was dubbing that show, decided that someone had to be talking every second of the way.

Just got me thinking why all these other robot shows are so short-lived, while Transformers maintains an iron grip on the robot genre. And what, if anything, could possibly compete with Transformers at their own game.

[Almighty Unicron]

Saw this new (?) cartoon the other day called Bolts and Blip. I watched it, but it wasn't really holding my interest. It kinda' reminded me of another CGI robot cartoon from a few years back, where all the robots where spherical and they'd roll all over the place. Can't remember the name of that one. And then there's CUBIX: Robots for Everyone, which I found painful to watch. Whoever was dubbing that show, decided that someone had to be talking every second of the way.

Just got me thinking why all these other robot shows are so short-lived, while Transformers maintains an iron grip on the robot genre. And what, if anything, could possibly compete with Transformers at their own game.

Most other robot shows don't have a massive toyline propping them up?

[Onslaught Six]

TF's success comes from a few different things. To start with, they're fully sentient, which gives them an edge over just about every other 'giant robot' show. It especially works in America where we don't have that whole "super guilt over nuclear weapons" thing that every single Gundam series is a metaphor for. (Maybe this is why Gundam doesn't do well in the US.) Most other "sentient robot" shows make it too much of a point to make the characters "mechanical" and robot-like, and even if they don't, there's usually only a handful of them at most--and if they are there, they're humanoid-sized with boring designs and motivations.

TF perseveres (at least in America) because of its core focus on characters. Every TF has their own motivations and characters and shit, which makes them the focus rather than a cast of human characters, like in Evangelion or something.

Eva and Gundam persevere in America though!

[Shockwave]

I think O6 is right, it's mostly the fact that the TFs themselves are the characters rather than being pilot driven mecha like Robotech or Voltron. It makes them more interesting and you can get better stories/writing from it.

[Mako Crab]

I concur on the boring designs. I don't know as though I 'd call them simple, because simple can work (Wall-E). But they often seem uninspired. Like the designs don't say anything about the character.

For example- these guys are from Bolts and Blip



Not really much to say about them.

[Tigermegatron]

In Japan,they have a lot more robot anime/cartoons that last longer than the ones in the USA do.

Bandai's USA Power ranger series in America is almost 20 years old. some of the Zords depending on the series do have AI,while others have some sorts of spirits.

In Japan the power rangers series started off around 1977,so this is longer lasting than TF is.

Voltron in America is long lasting as the original cartoon started off in 1984 & they often create a newer cartoon series every few years. the last one was from a few years ago. no doubt more will come. The Voltron lions have some sort of AI or animal sprits in them.

[Almighty Unicron]

One thing to consider about the difference between Power Rangers and its Japanese counterpart, Super Sentai, are the toy sales. In Japan, where giant robots are more common than superhero shows (Super Sentai is basically 50% of their superhero market), the mechs toys sell much better than the action figures, which are also usually presented as collectors' items with more slender frames and high possibility with little to no "action features".

In America, where we have had superheroes since the 30s and most superhero media has a buncha action figures, they sell much better than the mecha. Oftentimes, besides the main megazord, auxiliary zords are rarely imported. The action figures often have America-only sculpts which are less posable, more heavily muscular and usually have weapons with some kind of gimmick. The American public just isn't as into giant robots as the Japanese.

[Mako Crab]

I found the other one! The RollBots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kykNLEPxxU

Sentient, alien robots that transform.

[Almighty Unicron]

What, no love for Ziv Zoolander?

[Onslaught Six]

Pacific Rim didn't do too well in America (it lost out to Grown-Ups 2, for fuck's sake) but internationally it ripped everyone's asshole to shreds--as it should be. So hopefully that's a thing that might get a cartoon or at least some direct-to-DVD animated films or something. It's an amazing flick and is everything that anyone who likes robots should love.