Okay. My birthday was on Saturday and my mother convinced all three of my sisters to chip in and get me the series set to Cybertron. So I've been watching and I've noticed some corrections they've made.

The most obvious one is we all remember when Thundercracker had Starscream's voice. And in the episode Invasion where we first meet Evac, when he transforms, he originally said he had to back up Smokescreen (which was a mix up due to a last minute name change from Smokescreen to Crosswise), he now says the correct name.

Just thought I'd point this out and thought it was cool that they went back and corrected these errors (not that they were terrible).

damn it! its already out in stores..... arrgh!

so, do they have the original japanese or did they screw us over?

There are no special features, not even a marathon mode.

I watched it all last week, and I do have to say, seeing everything back to back, it was alot better than I remember it.

Yeah the stockfootage was way over used and without it, each episode could be cut down to about 8 minutes, but hey, thats Japan for ya, stockfootage, flashbacks, and 3 frame loops on fast action, and you have anime.

But beyond that, alot of the banter was pretty good, and the character development was very present. If you can look past the jerky mouth movements the CGI was very good too, the shading was dead on, and things like showing the eye mechanics undernearth the eye lenses is a fine bit of detailing. The story progressed nicely and on multiple levels as well.

As a once a week thing, or worse yet 6am, I couldn't take it, but all at once, and it's a pretty fun ride.

Just FYI, get it through Amazon over retail, you'll save $20

Thanks for the tip. I saw it in Target for like $35.

did they keep the mashed together episodes? i think there was two of them that took two full galaxy force episodes, chopped them in half, and made one cybertron ep out of them. the first cybertron episode is one of them.

and yea, thats how i watched most of galaxy force was back to back. so much better that way. i gotta wonder though, how could you stand that much thundercracker and jetfire? worst accents ever -_-

May get it.

Saw it for $45 CND at Walmart.

I just can't get past how much worse the CGI in a show made in 2005 is compared to one made in 1996. What the hell happened there?

Yes, they kept the mashed together episodes.

As for the accents for Jetfire and Thundercracker, well, it's nice to have a little variety compared to the usual American and sometimes British English spoken for most of the characters. And an Australian accented Transformer rocks IMO.

Heck, I even love the Brooklyn accents for the Animated Constructicons.

Not to mention, I don't understand a lick of Japanese and have no interest when I'm perfectly content to enjoying the program dubbed in English thanks.

Give me Armada/Energon/Cybertron over Micron Legend/Super Link/Galaxy Force any day. The general plot is still the same, it's just dubbed in English.



Well, they were done by two different production companies, and no less, in two different countries. Different styles is all.

Couldn't find Tiny Toons so I grabbed Cybertron instead. Heck 52 eps for 40 bucks aint bad.

Watched the first disk straight through. The mashed together eps are unfortunate as are the horrid intros/outros but other than that it's not nearly as bad a translation as I remembered it. Don't even mind the voices/accents. Gives the show character and the actors are obviously having a lot of fun with it.

GF however pwned mightily and I personally would have Preferred it with English subtitles. Most notable differences would be the kick ass intros/outros, and uncut episodes. The story may be the same with a few small variances but just that alone made GF so much better. Really too bad Hasbro had to Americanize it as badly as they did.

Animation looks about the same as Energon. Background 2D with the Transformers being CG and cel shaded. Doesn't look to outdated but definitely prefer the 2D approach Animated took. I find it hilarious how every Transformers character has been CG constructed and transforms just like the actual toy. Nothing new but the detailing is pretty impressive, screw holes, switches and all. Also noticed how a lot of the robot kibble is obvious in alt modes. It never stood out to me much before but now it looks just funny to see alt modes with exposed heads, hands, and chest pieces.

Not my favorite incarnation but having collected all the toys it's really cool to see them all in action again.

Also after the entire Armadverse this just reminds me how glad I am we got animated and not Armada part 4.

Something I don't get about people is when they get upset that a show is dubbed in English.

Now keep in mind that this is a US domestic head scratcher that I just don't get. I hear all these people saying "Yeah but you gotta hear it in Japanesse" Hell I've even seen people get exited about things like the 86 movie finaly getting a Japanesse dub, just so they could watch it that way!!!

Well, my question is to everyone that this has ever come up with, DO YOU SPEAK OR UNDERSTAND JAPANESSE?

The answer is always "no"

Which brings me to my second question, Then how the hell can you say it's better and the only way to watch a show, when you don't even know what they're saying? For all they know they can have Scourge telling Megatron that instead of battle they should plant flowers or something.

Give me a dub, even a crappy one that I can understand that way I don't have to worry about loosing my place if I have to move away from the TV for a bit. Subtitles are fine by me, and if the script is better, cool. But what aren't you doing something like playing a CD in the backround while you read along instead of listening to something you can't understand while having to read along which causes you to miss some cool stuff?

Also, I've yet to see one person learn a second language from doing this. Same goes for getting a Asian symbol tattoo and hoping it means what the tattooist sayes it does. Yeah, I know a guy who thought he had "Honor and Wisedom" on his arm which we latter learned said "Oriental Garden" when we got thier menu.

The Moral, do what's right for you, but remember it don't hurt to stick with what you know.

You know, to each their own, but it just seems pretentiously silly to me.

Nice rant.

Uh, I don't speak Japanese, but that's hardly reason to bash the original.

I also don't like subtitles but I can get through it because the show is that much better when it hasn't been Americanized and the original conception ripped apart.

There's no way I'd expect anyone to understand without having seen it first hand. Some animes work better dubbed and others not. It just depends on how the company approaches it.

Some anime dubs absolutely rock. Full Metal Alchemist for one and that's because the original show hasn't been tampered with or cut apart. The original intro/outro is there and the show hasn't been strip mined for younger audiences. Another good example is the first season release of all 50 whatever it is episodes of You're Under Arrest. I've watched it in both English/Japan and each is just as good as other.

My problem with Cybertron is it's not so much a horrible dub but horrible translation. Galaxy Force was never meant to be shoehorned into the Armadaverse, that was Hasbro's doing. The Japanese were done with Armada/Energon so Galaxy Force was supposed to be a who fresh story and one not involving Unicron. Sure the story's the same but if you've seen all 52 eps of what it was originally you'd almost have to agree it was a lot better show. Hasbro's tampering and mashing together of eps leaves an awful lot out and it's really unfortunate. Also the original intro/music was a lot better more exciting that the rap intro, which I incidently can't stand, they went with.

I'm no fanboy and I have no need for my 86 movie to be Japanese for whatever reason, it's just that if Hasbro or anyone does a dub I want it done right and Cybertron is far from it. I don't think anyone's upset it's not subtitled. People are upset because the original was a lot better as a whole before it got fuxxored up in the editing room.

In the case of Energon/Cybertron there is just no comparison to what was originally presented in Japan.

Believe me, I ment no offense what so ever in writing that, but there was also no way to come off that way.

You prefer what you prefer of course, I just don't get it. Why have sound that you can't understand, and proclaim it better then say subtitles with a good CD in the backround?

This has bugged me for years.

As for Cybertron as part of "The Unicron Trilogy" well, it's just one of many reasons why, even though I love Transformers, I hate Hasbro. To be honest, I just wish they'd stick to importing Takara product, and following up on projects like making figures for say the movies as example.

Leave Hasbro to their own devices, and they'll give you Animated. Hasbro should not be left alone or given matches.

Complete opposite of my opinion. Beast Wars and Animated were North American and I love them. Takara's dub of Beast Wars was horrendous, as was the animated Beast Wars. I've seen the subbed RiD, and bits of the Unicron Trilogy, and I didn't like them either. (Yeah, I know, Car Robots and Galaxy Force and Micron Legend and etc, but I don't like either incarnation so meh. Some cool toys though!)

Yes, the japanese originals are vastly different beasts. Yes, they are better than westernized versions.

But do I like them? Nope.

I'll cite cultural differences here, I guess. Different kinds of storytelling targeted at audiences that expect different things.

I do like some anime, and I much prefer subbed to dubbed. Specifically, fansubs.

I have a friend who's a linguist and speaks a few different languages and one of them is Japanese. We used to watch subbed stuff and he'd occasionally stop to point out little nuances or wordplay. Good fansub groups will add notes like that too, whereas the official subs won't.

Apart from that, why do I prefer subs?

Crappy voice acting. Seriously.

Sure, I can't understand what a character is specifically saying unless I read the subtitles, but I know what that character is feeling. That's because most of the time the original actors can friggin EMOTE.

Listening to a crappy dub is like any other theatrical performance with unconvincing actors, I just can't get into it. Even if the action is there and the story is good, if the voices aren't convincing I won't like it.

Personal flaw of mine that keeps me from enjoying allot of shows? Yup. But it's there.

That being said, my fiancée prefers dubs. Even crappy ones.

The things I do for love.


Also, JustLokiPLVY is right about things getting torn up when they're westernized.





That... That's kinda messed up.

~Matt Booker

Look, Beast Wars kicks ass, no doubt about it, but that was writers looking to prove themselves, not Hasbro who initialy just wanted to continue with Optimus and Megatron being rehashes of their G1 selves, and actualy cared very little cause it to them it was the last circle around the drain. Hell, they even let newly acquired Kenner release the initial figures.

SO yeah, thanks Bob and Larry, Dave and Gary for the best writen TF series ever!

As for your statment, about your friend, if you can see and understand the subtlties, then ok, I can understand the prefrence. But if you don't understand it, then well, I give you your response to the last thing you quoted.

Either way, especialy the modern stuff, I don't like most anime(I still have the sign from BlockBuster from when it was called Japanamation). It realy doesn't apeal to me, although some shows do have merit. I just can't understand how not understanding it can make it better?

So with a final blow to this dead horse, I say what I have been for years...

More for you cause It's just not for me.

btw, that cartoon pretty much explains what happened when Fox got Vision of Escaflowne....

Hey did anyone else notice some of the Cybertron Plot was almost the same as in the movie?

I'm not saying it's an exact copy, far from it. But both had goverment agencies that are unknown to th public that kidnapped the kids families, then turned out to help everyone. Scientists wo are willing to believe the improbable. Decepticons hiden under ice. Cute brunettes...

I'm just saying, the write staff may have been inspired, if even slightly.

Nearly done. I'm actually surprised how much of the original made it in without being cut up because of either violence or tone.

The accents throughout are hilarious. I can't believe Hasbro made the giant planet guys Irish.

There is also a lot of 80s rock song references that are pretty easy to pick up.

Even 86 movie dialogue is popping up a bit nearing the end.

Best line is Soundwave's "He's trippin' because he got served"

Is it just me or does a lot of Cybertron feel like a parody of Dragonball Z with all the redundant battles/powering up? Cybertron almost proves more interesting when the characters aren't fighting. JMO.

Let's face it, translated shows will NEVER work as well with Transformers.

Other shows like Robotech and DBZ were good, but for some reason it just doesn't work well with TF's.

I think it's safe to say at this point that the best bet is for Hasbro to produce it's own separate shows for their own separate market and let the Japanese do the same.

The Japanese suffer from what I've come to call the DBZ syndrome. Where it's good, but suffers from too much needless repetition and simply takes way too long to tell a not all that complex story. They tend to drag things out too long while I think we'd rather keep things moving along at a more faster pace.

It doesn't help that the Japanese tend to preach a bit too much which does get annoying. Prime's "power of teamwork" speeches were starting to drive me nuts.

Out of all the Japanese produced shows, I thought Cybertron turned out the best. Even though it was technically crammed into the Armadaverse, there really wasn't all that much they went out the way for to connect them. The connection was implied for the most part.

I think the accents were actually the first step leading towards what we have with Animated now. It was an attempt to humanize the bots a little more. Animated just took it a few steps further.


After the first 15 or so episodes Cybertron really took off. It's a shame that it never got a fair chance to catch on with more viewers but that obviously didn't hurt the toy line. It was one of the 3 best shows we had to that point and a better toy line. So there will be nothing but fond memories of this for me!

Just to clarify the subbed vs. dubbed argument...

Ordinarily when people say they prefer the dubbed they 1) want to hear the show in its original language and 2) want to read the original script instead of the "Americanized" version. Most "quality" shows translate the Japanese track for the subtitles instead of using the english script, and sometimes there are big differences between two.

As for the "Why listen to it in a language you don't understand?" argument, people still listen to operas, right?

.. I don't like japanese transformer shows, as they do nothing but lame it out. They bastardized Black Aracnia in our BW story to make her beg for mercy in battle.. they made Airrazor a dude too.. whats wrong with having female transformers thats actually worth something? Are the japanese worried their wangs are gonna shrink even more because of it? Heck, for a nation thats obsessed with having lead female characters in cartoons and all of that, you'd think it wouldn't be that far of a stretch.. but, I digress.

I also don't like the way they tell their stories if it's directly from japan.. (Galaxy Force for example) .. when has a secondary character ever ammounted to anything other than trying to fight a battle and loose? Dragon Ball Z is my classic example of this. Even if Krilin was to some how kill Freeza, Freeza can't be dead because Goku wasn't the one who killed him. Optimus Prime has to kill Megatron in the end and save the day.. not poor little Scattershot. He might as well just not bother clocking in for work and stay home for the day.

- end rant

Finished in the early hours of the morning.

A bumpy start that ruins the first four or so episodes by mashing them all together but otherwise good.

I have to admit I was pretty impressed by Hasbro seeing this out to the very end. I was expecting it all to end after the black hole was closed but the final confrontation with Megatron made it in. Also I liked how the last episode with the interviews were all kept intact as were the original ending credit sequence.

I got the impression Hasbro knew they had messed up in the beginning and tried to make up for it by not forcing the Unicron bit and keep whole eps intact and the focus again on the black hole. It made me also kind of wonder why Hasbro had gone the Unicron arc in the first place if all it came down to was stopping the black hole.

The bonus episode "Inferno" was kind of surprising. The episode iwith the exception of a few scenes is basically everything that got ripped out of the second episode and reveals everything that happens before Prime and the Autobots meet up with the Kids and Vector Prime. It also reveals where Scattorshot scans his alt mode, a stationary billboard.

Dragon ball anything is IMO.

I don't dissagree with that. The problem with Cybertron's dub, is that it is not cohesive in some respects with the previous installments of the "Unicron Trilogy." Jetfire's voice in Cybertron was a drastic change, and just irritates me to no end.

Part of the problem with crappy voice acting in dubs is due to having to match words to the characters mouth. This severely limits what the actor can do, especially if they don't spend enough time in the recording booth to get it right.

Wasn't it a Nebulon accent or something? I remember getting a chuckle out of it when reading about it on transformers.wikia.com. Notice I said 'reading' about it. Not listening to the actual accent.



QFT

~Matt Booker

Because for one thing, you can tell when the acting is horrible or good. A lot of animes have crappy acting in their US version, but good or at least better voice acting in their Japanese version.

There are exceptions, of course(Fruits Basket has some of the worst Japanese acting i've seen so far, plus a lot of the voices just don't match the characters...).

I think the biggest problem subbed animes have is the subs themselves. Often times, the translation is too literal, or is purposefully not edited. It's also really distracting watching a sub that's filled with -tachi/-sama/-chan/-whatever. The only exception I have to that is when the anime itself takes place in japan/has japanese characters in it.

TV-Nihon, the group that did the Galaxy Force subbing is VERY bad at it. Characters who are supposedly American refer to Galaxy Convoy with -tachi/-sama. That's ridiculous.

I'm sure all of this has been said by now, but I felt like repeating what was possibly said.

Repetition is good.

IT'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

while we're discussing transformers cybertron i got a question

is it just me or does thundercracker come across as being a bit of a cross between bw quickstrike when it comes to his to how he talks

larry the cable guy when it comes to how he has that mock accent whenever he says get r done

and bw waspinator when it comes to his being the comedy relief character that gets smacked around shot at and blown out of the sky?

I bought this when i moved into my new apartment, BUT my EVILISHIOUS step mom put the FPA (parental) lock on my TV & i do not have the original remote SO i havent even WATCHED TV in over 2 weeks. .... *withdrawls*

But i always liked Cybertron and i have most of the series toys (especially the first characters & 'Thunderblast' - love girl bots and women heros/villians) so i was REALLY exited to watch this in full. Im still waiting though.

*owns it & waiting*

There's no way to remove the FPA or get around it somehow? Google is your friend.

~Matt Booker

Google made my DVD player region free with a six digit button code.
(Yeah, frak you world for not releasing Beast Wars Region 2)