TF Views

I've actually watched this series through twice, once with an awful HK/Philipine english dub (still cringe at the memory of the trucker introducing himself as Optimus Prime), and years later with a fansub.

Hope this isn't spoiling it for you guys, but it kinda disappointed me a bit that the second half of the series effectively sidelined a lot of characters that showed up in the beginning and more or less rendered them all as background noise. It didn't ruin the overall storyline, but just felt a bit inconsistent.

Mini lecture time:
As for the chokon power thing, yea, it's (loosely) based on Asian mythology (primarily Chinese and japanese), about the forces governing creation and life. "Heaven energy" refers to the celestial powers of godly beings and deities that create life on the surface, manifested in weather, lightning and other natural occurences. "Earth energy" refers to the powers of ecology that support life, allowing plants to grow, gives running water and so forth. "Soul energy" refers to human lifeforce, and embodies the unlimited creativity and innovation that spring forth from human hands.

To put it loosely, "soul energy" may be considered the intermediary that interacts with and manpulates the other 2 forces, in that humans are considered the direct creations of the gods, and able to manipulate the earth to harvest and produce what we need.

The MasterForce story has it that Godmasters represent the ultimate synergy of humans and cybertronian transectors, and through that connection with the human counterparts, are imbued with the "soul energy" component that regular transformers lack, which in turn enables them to manipulate the other 2 "heaven" and "earth" energies more ably.

I've seen up to Episode 9 now, fell asleep during 10. Oh well! I also skipped the last two episodes focusing on development for Shuta and Tarzan Jr.

The thing with the Decepticon Headmasters' names is really starting to bug me! Most of the time they just call them by their American names (Squeezeplay is an especially bad name for a human) but every once in a while, it fudges up. I don't know what they called Wilder in the one episode, but it wasn't Fangry and it wasn't Wilder.

From the way the Godmasters are described, it almost seems like the fusion is more like the American comics concept of the Headmasters. Scorponok and Zarak began as separate entities, yeah, but over time they gradually became the same person. Their minds melded together, taking elements of each other. Hydra and Buster are described as taking "human hosts" and don't seem to have any recollection of their human lives from before they became Godmasters. This makes me wonder if it depends on the BURNING JUSTICE WILLPOWER of the human the Godmaster has bonded with; Buster and Hydra would obviously choose weak-willed hosts that they could control and deal with passively, while Ginrai's would likely want a host that was more independent.

The closest we ever see to something like this in the US is the situation where Hi-Q "becomes" Optimus Prime after Powermaster Prime's body is destroyed. Hi-Q had bonded with Prime so much that the two became the same person, with the same memories. I suspect the Godmaster process is actually very similar. The Transtector that Ginrai has "becomes" Ginrai in the same way that Hi-Q "became" Optimus Prime.

Mega and Giga are awesome! I don't know why, but I was suspecting more of the regular "businessman" Pretender types that we've been seeing with Metalhawk, Buster & Hydra, etc. Instead we get these awesome dudes who look like Rita Repulsa's minions. Sweet!

I still can't tell the difference between Buster & Hydra. I mean, I can easily go, this one's Darkwind and this one's Dreadwing, but I still don't know which one is which. They're never shown separately and usually are addressed as a group, so the only distinction I really have is "That one looks like Serpentor." I could just look it up, and I probably will, but y'know.

I think it's hilarious that the "WING CROSS!" combination is sometimes called "Darkwings" by Buster & Hydra. (And that's not one of Shout Factory's weird dubs; they shout it that way!) That makes no sense!

Ginrai's bit about seeing the Decepticon attacks before and wanting to get involved is great, because it shows he's got the potential to be heroic.

Some notes now that I've seen the eps:

They also retreat at the end of the episode for NO REASON! Seriously, they’re fighting the Autobots, and kicking their asses, and then they just…leave. It’s not even a “You suck, and we’re going to rub it in by leaving you without even finishing you off” moment either, they just up and say “Retreat! We’ll get you next time!”. I know that bad guys retreating for no reason is another one of those goofy self-defining Japanese TF traditions (Deathsaurus is *legendary* for it), but it’s just really blatant here.

I dunno; once the battle takes to the air, the two of them kind of get gangbanged by Autobot fire. There's more of them in the air than there are of Buster & Hydra (especially since they're combined).

This one has a…lengthy clip show at the beginning, disguised as the Autobots reviewing footage of the new Godmaster brothers, reviewing that footage IN SLOW MOTION, then repeatedly reiterating that the Godmasters are neither Pretenders nor Headmasters. Oy, I know that the Autobots know nothing about these guys, and they want to make that point, but they end up really hammering on it.

Something about the conversation felt weird to me so I rewatched it after I saw the ep, and then I figured it out--this is Formal Japanese Conversation. A lot of times when there's a Serious Discussion going on, in Japanese, they repeat a lot of shit. I read a fair amount of Nintendo's Iwata Asks which is where Nintendo's boss brings in people who worked on recent games or hardware and basically has a roundtable discussion with them about stuff. But as you read it, you might notice there's a fair amount of repeating information. I've chalked it up to weird Japanese culture shit.

OH MAN, I jumped ahead on the Wiki's summaries, and get this--two of the guys Hydra and Buster toast looking for Ginrai are named Dan and Couga. Dancougar! Jesus, remember that?

All in all, this show is starting to get better. Shuta and crew work better when they're not the focus of the show, and now that we're out of the opening stretch (we're 1/5 of the way!) the animation quality is starting to pick up. (Anime does that; makes the first few eps budget-concious and not so great, and then it gets better once it settles into a groove.) And that's part of why I like it! I'm enthused by a fresh, different take on TF that isn't always about what we usually see, with characters I've barely heard of. A series where dudes with names like Landmine and Waverider are stars? Damn.

(Incidentally, Cybertron Landmine is now way cooler for possibly being an homage to this guy!)

Onslaught Six wrote:From the way the Godmasters are described, it almost seems like the fusion is more like the American comics concept of the Headmasters.

Going by the original Japanese script, there isn't supposed to be any fusion going on. The powermaster transectors are non-sentient machines and require the "soul energy" from interfacing with a human to unlock the robot modes. In effect, the robot is an enhancement of the human's flesh form.

Later episodes delve more into the origins of the powermaster transectors, but I shan't spoil it. Actually I can't recall the details anyway, other than the fact that a human partner was somehow essential.

Onslaught Six wrote: I think it's hilarious that the "WING CROSS!" combination is sometimes called "Darkwings" by Buster & Hydra. (And that's not one of Shout Factory's weird dubs; they shout it that way!) That makes no sense!

The combined form is called Darkwings in the original Japanese dub. "Wing cross" is the name of the move/tactic that results in the combination. Best I can think of to explain the "Wing cross" is that it's like how Ryu and Ken in Street Fighter keep shouting out "Hadoken" and "Soryuken".

Onslaught Six wrote:I've seen up to Episode 9 now, fell asleep during 10. Oh well! I also skipped the last two episodes focusing on development for Shuta and Tarzan Jr.

Dude, watch these earlier in the day! Or get treated for whatever sleep apnea you’re apparently suffering from, whichever!

The thing with the Decepticon Headmasters' names is really starting to bug me! Most of the time they just call them by their American names (Squeezeplay is an especially bad name for a human) but every once in a while, it fudges up. I don't know what they called Wilder in the one episode, but it wasn't Fangry and it wasn't Wilder.

I didn’t catch that, but I do know they call Cancer ‘Plague’ randomly at one point.

I still can't tell the difference between Buster & Hydra. I mean, I can easily go, this one's Darkwind and this one's Dreadwing, but I still don't know which one is which. They're never shown separately and usually are addressed as a group, so the only distinction I really have is "That one looks like Serpentor." I could just look it up, and I probably will, but y'know.

Hydra is the older, more masculine brother with the glasses, Buster is the feminine younger one. Hydra has the snake-themed armor, Buster has the bird-themed armor. Hydra’s robot mode is taller and has a mouth, Buster’s is smaller and has that faceplate that does that cool sideways-opening thing when he talks (I love that! They easily could’ve cut corners and not animated anything, but they didn’t! Ditto for the way Gilmer’s gills move when he talks.). Honestly, I’d have more trouble telling you which of the American toys was Darkwing and which one was Dreadwind, let alone keeping which parts of their names are which straight (I’ll constantly mangle and call them Dreadwing and Darkwind). Hydra and Buster at least have names that sound phonetically unique, and that helps me keep them straight.

I think it's hilarious that the "WING CROSS!" combination is sometimes called "Darkwings" by Buster & Hydra. (And that's not one of Shout Factory's weird dubs; they shout it that way!) That makes no sense!

I think ‘Wing Cross’ is the move, or maneuver, as it were, while the combination itself is called ‘Dark Wings’. Still kind of odd, yeah.

I dunno; once the battle takes to the air, the two of them kind of get gangbanged by Autobot fire. There's more of them in the air than there are of Buster & Hydra (especially since they're combined).

This brings up one of the stupid(er) bits from Energon, in that cutting your fighting force in half is really not a sound battle strategy.

OH MAN, I jumped ahead on the Wiki's summaries, and get this--two of the guys Hydra and Buster toast looking for Ginrai are named Dan and Couga. Dancougar! Jesus, remember that?

I caught that too (Ginrai repeats their names in that order a few times). I’ve never seen any of Dancougar, but I, uh, know of it.

Like Six, I don’t see it so much as conscripting, but the point you guys make does still stand: That it’s unbecoming of the Autobots to try to fit in and ‘go native’ with the humans when not only do they not really belong there, but this conflict that’s endangering the humans they so want to protect was brought there by them in the first place!

"Hey kids, join the Autobots. Engage is dangerous battles, risking your own lives and possibly those of others!"

It may not be conscription in the form of press-gangs. But, the good guys are recruiting kids. This makes the Autobots from the UT cartoons look positively responsible. (In the UT comics, the Prime tried to keep the kids away, and only conceded the point as a sop to the Minicons.)


Dom
-remembers when "GI Joe" tried to introduced a kid character in "Sigma-6".

BWprowl wrote:

Onslaught Six wrote:I've seen up to Episode 9 now, fell asleep during 10. Oh well! I also skipped the last two episodes focusing on development for Shuta and Tarzan Jr.

Dude, watch these earlier in the day! Or get treated for whatever sleep apnea you’re apparently suffering from, whichever!

Nah, I typically watch things at night and fall asleep during them. It's how I blew through Community--I'd watch two or three eps and doze off in the middle. (TV's sleep function is awesome!)

Hydra is the older, more masculine brother with the glasses, Buster is the feminine younger one. Hydra has the snake-themed armor, Buster has the bird-themed armor. Hydra’s robot mode is taller and has a mouth, Buster’s is smaller and has that faceplate that does that cool sideways-opening thing when he talks (I love that! They easily could’ve cut corners and not animated anything, but they didn’t! Ditto for the way Gilmer’s gills move when he talks.). Honestly, I’d have more trouble telling you which of the American toys was Darkwing and which one was Dreadwind, let alone keeping which parts of their names are which straight (I’ll constantly mangle and call them Dreadwing and Darkwind). Hydra and Buster at least have names that sound phonetically unique, and that helps me keep them straight.

Fuck me, I called them Dreadwing and Darkwind too. I know the Dread...guy is the one with the faceplate, that's about as far as I get. (And I only know this because he hosted the letters page in the comics.)

I think ‘Wing Cross’ is the move, or maneuver, as it were, while the combination itself is called ‘Dark Wings’. Still kind of odd, yeah.

Darkwings doesn't even make sense. It's...clearly some kind of mangling of Darkwing. Maybe intended to be Dreadwing. Who knows.

I caught that too (Ginrai repeats their names in that order a few times). I’ve never seen any of Dancougar, but I, uh, know of it.

I haven't either. All I remember is Gomess using them as the ultimate end to RID2.

I've seen five episodes now. I prefer the US names to the Japanese, but it makes sense that the three kids keep Minerva, Cab and whatever the other kid's robot name is since they're not Nightbeat, Hosehead or whatever. If nothing else, it shows that Hasbro or Shout Factory have gone through the story and only changed whatever actually makes sense when it comes to matching Hasbro's US product line. If the story dictates otherwise, they haven't. I know you'll probably disagree about Fangry or whoever, but it seems like a good compromise to me. It's still going to be strange to see Powermaster Prime as Ginrai though.

This barely feels like a Transformers show. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Autobot Pretenders look human half the time, and the kids are essentially piloting mecha. It was nice to get a cameo from Chromedome and an explanation that he sent the Transtectors, so there's an explicit link with Headmasters.

Nine episodes in now, and Ginrai will turn up next time. Man, it's bizarre seeing Buster and Hydra instead of Darkwind and Dreadwing. I like the way the story keeps escalating and doling out information a bit at a time. There's some continuity and character progression instead of strictly standalone episodes. Who are those two people in charge of the Decepticons though? Weird.

I'm not sure there's another series where such an emphasis has been placed on Decepticons recruiting humans into their ranks, and altering them so they're stronger. Of course, the Autobots have done the same. Furman hit on that a bit with Scorponok and Sunstreaker, so the idea's been mined for story potential a couple of times at least.

Who are those two people in charge of the Decepticons though? Weird.

Ah ha ha ha you'll fucking see.

Onslaught Six wrote:

Who are those two people in charge of the Decepticons though? Weird.

Ah ha ha ha you'll fucking see.

Oh sweet, someone who *hasn't* already spoiled who Mega and Giga are for themselves! This'll be fun.