I just got to watching this show
I suppose you started at the beginning then. (well, duh) In that case, have patience, it starts off reeeaaally slow and has lots of filler, some of it pretty crappy, actually. Like Beast Wars, it starts to get better and better after a while, and by season 3, most of the childish silliness diminishes as the plot unravels itself, more and more mature moments pop up. Expect characters dying. For good.
Any episode with Lockdown or the ones dealing with Ratchet (the best developed character, IMO), for example, has been praised by the fans for their darker and deeper stories and great development of their main characters, so there are a few gems to be found between lighter stories.
But yeah, season 3 is where the show began to fully explore its potential, only a dozen episodes before its abrupt cancellation. This is unfortunate, as many of the more interesting Decepticons ended up being underused, and many plot threads were left hanging.
So give it a chance, I am sure there will be moments that you'd enjoy. If not for their plots, then at least because of the strong characters and continuity (another trait that makes it similar to Beast Wars). There are also episodes that are fun simply because of the throwback factor. Just remember it's a kids show, even more so than most of the previous TF cartoons have been. Bearing this in mind surely made me appreciate the moments of fanwank and matureness a great deal better. I guess knowing that the members of the production staff are fans themselves and have been generally nice towards the fandom from the start (most of all the art designer himself) helped me a lot in this.
As for the animation, it suffers from the same disease as G1, as it got gradually worse by the third season, but it thankfully got better for the season finale. Though if you enjoyed G1, it shouldn't be that big of a problem.
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Johnny_Lovegood
15 years ago
I have to agree, the drawings for this show sucked! It looks too much like all the crappy drawings that come out nowadays like Spongebob and shows like that. However, I just started watching season two in it's ok. I like the how Wreck-Gar was in it as well as the Constructicons. However, the Cons are more like morons. The best character for me was Blurr! He was a cool character but came to an end too soon.
The show did get better and the only thing I think fans liked this show so much was the fact that it used G1 character designs. That was what made me watch the sesond season, I didn't bother much with the first. Another thing I didnt' like was the power difference. I mean, five Autobots couldn't take down one Dicepticon and Ultramagnus got his butt whooped but Shockwave.
All in all, I think I'll watch the rest of season 3, but yeah, I agree with you, G1 and Beastwars are the best Transformers shows, I don't really care for Armada, Cybertron, and all those other Japanese Transformers shows, they kinda suck.
"Can I keep you?" Casper
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Vihktor-24
15 years ago
The show did get better and the only thing I think fans liked this show so much was the fact that it used G1 character designs.
Naturally, that's part of the reason, but I don't think you can attribute its success to only one factor. The animation, toys, writing, cast, stories, art, acting together made it the fan favorite series that it is. Not in all cases, of course, but none the less, one aspect can't achieve such an effect... unless its nostalgia, perhaps, but that doesn't come into play with this series, and won't for a long time.
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Jmwhitetiger2
15 years ago
Yah, Ill try some more out.
I just remember how in Beast Wars, if the plot wasn't that "deep" it was still very exciting. When someone went in for a blaster shot it would do some serious damage, and not just graze them. In, like, the 3rd or 4th episode in Animated you had Optimus and Starscream fighting, and Optimus lifts up his ax and I'm thinking "Here we goooooo...!!" anddddd....he barely hit him with it and half assed stuck it into his wing. That was one of those moments where I'm like "man, this show is so tame." If people end up getting killed down the road, and for good, then that is pretty cool. I'll never forget that Beast Wars where Dinobot got killed. Very mature for a cartoon show. And even when he came back later, that was another great episode where he remembered his honor and all that and basically commited suicide. Very cool.
I can admit that the toys for this show are really awesome, but I haven't actually bought any of them having not really watched the show.
What is the continuity in this supposed to be to G1? This is probably the oldest question in the book by now, but why did they show those "historical files" in the beginning? It would be kind of cool if this was intended on a sequel of sorts, and it tries to explain Ratchet, but then how is Starscream alive? How is Megatron back to being Megatron? Is that supposed to be Beast Wars Blackarachnia and Waspinator? I will admit it's a really interesting idea to have those shows combine down the road, I always wanted to see the G1 characters make reference to Beast Wars, but I don't understand if that was what they were trying to do here because of how sloppy it is.
I know G1's animation got worse, but it was still pretty detailed for the most part - in that 80's way. I can appreciate detail. Animated is so clean cut. Optimus is made up of, like, 8 or so rectangles. I dunno, I'll check out some more episodes.
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Vihktor-24
15 years ago
"man, this show is so tame."
In that case, I can only repeat my advice: give it time. And do remember that mature writing has more to it than killing off characters and brutal fights (that's not to say there won't be any).
Animated is so clean cut. Optimus is made up of, like, 8 or so rectangles.
I kinda like that cleaner, more streamlined look. Makes them seem less blocky, more balanced and agile. I also like how their distinct appearances give them so much personality, even when motionless. And less detail goes well with the simplified look. But hey, different tastes and such.
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Clifford_Starfox
15 years ago
What is the continuity in this supposed to be to G1?
Shouldn't it be obvious?
The continuity for Animated is entirely new.
Any nods to previous series are just those, nods. Nothing more.
It would be kind of cool if this was intended on a sequel of sorts, and it tries to explain Ratchet
Ummm, Ratchet was killed in the animated movie.
How is Megatron back to being Megatron?
Because he was always Megatron. This version of him never transformed into Galvatron because the character isn't the same as the G1 character.
Is that supposed to be Beast Wars Blackarachnia and Waspinator?
No..... they have completely different origins for this series.
but I don't understand if that was what they were trying to do here because of how sloppy it is.
It's not sloppy at all. It's a completely new continuity.
This should be obvious from the moment Optimus Prime is made clear to be a rookie and not Supreme Commander of the Autobots.
You think I am a devil, but only because I have lived in Hell
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Jmwhitetiger2
15 years ago
I don't think its really that clear. In the first episode they show footage of "the great war", from the historical files. Ok, so if they are historical files that means they were supposed to have happened, right? And Ratchet goes on to say he was in those historical files, fighting in the war. Seemed like a half-assed attempt at some continuity that they just gave up on a few episodes later.
I remember Ratchet dying in the movie, that's why I didnt understand the whole concept. Optimus Prime could of just been another person named Optimus, similiar to how Optimus Primal had that name or Scorponok was from G1.
Im not disagreeing with you that it's a nod, but that is a really confusing nod. It defies logic. What was that footage supposed to be then, in the world of Transformers: Animated? Like, it wasn't supposed to make any kind of sense from the get go?
But it would be cool if there was a show that was tied into G1 continuity, that had Beast Wars characters in it as well. Like an official sequel to G1 & Beast Wars would be awesome. I bet everyone would watch that if they knew that was the premise.
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Vihktor-24
15 years ago
Im not disagreeing with you that it's a nod, but that is a really confusing nod. It defies logic. What was that footage supposed to be then, in the world of Transformers: Animated? Like, it wasn't supposed to make any kind of sense from the get go?
It was meant to be what it was: a history tape. The fact that they used G1 footage doesn't mean a thing story-wise, it was pure fanwank. To any newcomer to the Transformers mythos, who would have no idea where the clips might have came from, I'm sure the footage would never cause even a moment of head-scratching.
It's like when Animated Wreck-Gar threw G1 Wreck-Gar's vehicle mode at Bumblebee -- it's a nod, a gag that would fly over the heads of a regular viewer, a fun gesture towards the more learned fans, but nothing more.
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Jmwhitetiger2
15 years ago
No, I'm sorry but those are two different concepts right there. Someone throwing a vehicle at someone else that happens to be similiar to a different show is a coincidence within the world of the new series. It exists as it's own thing, but fans get the in-joke. They show G1 footage, yes it's still an in-joke reference, but within the world of the new Transformers what is that supposed to be?? Besides the fact they try to explain Ratchet's back story with that footage. What was Ratchet fighting in all those years if it wasn't G1? See, it's just a mistake on their part.
I think your looking at this too much from a behind the scenes stand-point, and not something regarding the in-story continuity. Unless your admitting that it makes no sense at all, which is what I'm saying. Like for example, Freddy's claw makes a cameo in Evil Dead II, and its an in-joke that makes no damn sense within the continuity. Like why would that be there? Unless the cabin owner was a big Freddy fan or something. So if your saying the G1 "historical footage" reference was that kind of thing, then I agree. It makes no sense at all within the story.
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Vihktor-24
15 years ago
I admit, my example was a poor one. My point was that the G1 clips were only fanwank, like Wreck-Gar's old mode, like the countless other throwbacks, that don't need to be over-analyzed like this.
The Generation 1 footage shows nothing that would contradict later story events, not even the cameo of G1 Megatron (who, in this time-line, could be any other Decepticon or even an earlier form of Animated Megatron) and as it's already been said, is a simple history reel. No need to look into it any further.
Or, let me try to explain it in a different way.
Don't view the clips as G1 happenings. That's a totally different continuity and has no place in the Animated time-line. Consider them scenes taken out of Animated's history, and place no relevance on the fact that they used footage from the old cartoons. It's not an error, just a decision on the creators' part to use already existing material instead of animating completely new footage. Spares them time, money, and makes a small percentage of the audience (us fans) have fangasms.
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Jmwhitetiger2
15 years ago
Ok, yah I get what you mean now. So that was supposed to be footage of a different war within the Animated universe that just happens to look alot like G1 even though it's not.
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Vihktor-24
15 years ago
Pretty much. That's the official word on it, even though I don't know where it has been said, and so couldn't provide a link.
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