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Ok, so here's my conundrum. I grew up with and LOVE G1. I was six years old when the TV series and toys came out: Perfect, spot on target audience. By the time the G2 stuff started coming out, I was "Too old" to like toys and cartoons so I stopped paying attention to Transformers. Fast forward to 2007, I like most other kids of the 80's went to see Bayformers, and it was so-so, but did nothing to re-ignite my love of the franchise.

Fast forward to now. I randomly fell in love with toy collecting again, and Transformers in general. Re-watching G1 is great because of the nostalgia and cell-based animation, and since TF:Prime was the newest incarnation, I gave that a shot too; and loved it! So with both ends of the current series covered, I naturally want to get into everything that's transpired during my long hiatus. Beastwars complete series is on netflix! Perfect!

But..I just cant get past how much it shows it's age. The sound effects and CGI are straight out of Everquests era, and I just am unable to just enjoy it for what it is. So tell me; is beastwars the G1 of the generation after mine? Is it beloved because it was what people grew up with and their nostalgia glasses let them overlook the age of the series? I hear great things about it from just about everyone on every board, and don't want to miss out, but it's tough to get psyched up about.

Help!

I love Beast Wars. I grew up on G1 as well (even though I'm a few years younger than you) but quality-wise, I think the BW TV show blew G1 out of the water, both art and story wise. Toys? Not so much. The only BW toy I really liked was the original ultra-class Optimus Primal. But otherwise, Beast Wars is still my favorite series to this date, coming in 2nd overall to the original G1 US Marvel comic as my favorite TF story ever. I say keep watching, especially seasons 2 and 3 (LOTS of G1 references!) and see if it would either grow on you or the story helps you get over the parts you don't like. Personally, I think Beast Wars is as good as it gets in TF animated series, followed by TFA and Galaxy Force. TFP s good, but it couldn't hold my interest. So i say just keep with it for a while, season 1 is the weakest of the 3 seasons, but that's not saying it's bad. You say you love G1, then if the ending of season 2 doesn't make you love the series, nothing will. Except maybe the end of season 3.

For a lot of us that weren't around for the original 80s show, the Beast era is our "G1" I guess, myself included.

I think the thing that attracts Beast Wars the most is that it's different from G1. While The Transformers had some subgroups of beastformers here and there, everyone in Beast Wars was a beastformer! It was so unusual; so cool!

Also, the Beast Wars toys were the pioneers of ball joints and shellforming.

OK, I can definitely give it a shot, especially knowing that it develops more as the seasons progress!

Are there any series to wait until last to watch? I've heard Armada and Energon are pretty poor.

If you're willing to sit thru "Carnage in C Minor" and "B.O.T.", do yourself a favor and see "Code of Hero" and all three parts of "The Agenda."


Armada starts weak (like "skip the first dozen episodes" weak) but gets a lot stronger as it goes along, especially during the "Unicron Battles" arc.

Energon... just skip it. If you think Beast Wars has outdated CGI you do NOT want to see Energon's; there is exactly one facial expression: dull surprise. Everything else -- the writing, pacing, characterizations, story arcs, etc. -- is poorly done. Plot points lead nowhere, characters develop then mercilessly get wiped clean, all mentions of death are haphazardly cut out or replaced; just terrible.

jindrak wrote:OK, I can definitely give it a shot, especially knowing that it develops more as the seasons progress!

Are there any series to wait until last to watch? I've heard Armada and Energon are pretty poor.

RiD and Beast Machines were gutwrenchingly horrid.

Yeah, Armada took me back to G1 as well, I recommend it. Thought it starts slowly. Energon and Beast Machines SUCKED.

PrymeStriker wrote:

jindrak wrote:OK, I can definitely give it a shot, especially knowing that it develops more as the seasons progress!

Are there any series to wait until last to watch? I've heard Armada and Energon are pretty poor.

RiD and Beast Machines were gutwrenchingly horrid.

RiD was... But Beast Machines is a must-see-once for every tf fan. It's a lot darker than BW, and the ending is not optimal, but it is a good continuation of BW.

Quick update: I watched the first 3 or 4 episodes of BW and it is kinda growing on me. Oddly, I find the fact that the Predacons and Maximals are balanced 5 on 5 rather than the 10 to one odds the poor Autobots seem to suffer in every other series

jindrak wrote:Oddly, I find the fact that the Predacons and Maximals are balanced 5 on 5 rather than the 10 to one odds the poor Autobots seem to suffer in every other series

In the overall series, there a few more Predacons than Maximals. I don't remember how they kept the balance in each season, though. It's been a long time since I have seen Beast Wars.