by Judge Deliberata » Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:51 pm
- Motto: "Innocent!"
- Weapon: Wrist-Launched Heat-Seeking Missiles
I cannot speak for Energon or Cybertron as I haven't seen them yet, but was Armada better than G1? I've been watching Armada this month for the first time from start to finish (I'm currently at the part where Starscream has switched sides), and I can safely say Heeeeeeeeeeeell no.
For one thing, G1 wasn't afraid to get a little bit dark and dirty, and delve into plots slightly more complex than the typical toon. I don't know what happened since Beast Wars, but it's like they got scared to talk to kids about anything more complicated than the subject of war itself, other than that it's a bad thing.
You had Megatron talking to Sean Berger about how the human race had been brainwashed by Autobot propaganda, and then one episode later, Soundwave is whipping humans and telling them to work faster. Meanwhile, Thrust is trying to crush a kid in a wheelchair. War's not a pretty thing; G1, and especially the movie, showed us that.
In other episodes, you had Starscream informing the audience where potassium nitrate was located - bird poop - and as a result we have a laugh and learn something. Not that Armada doesn't try to teach values to kids at all, but it seems so much more overt than G1 ever was. Hell, sometimes you have a character like Alexis at the very end narrating the "moral of the story". It really feels like a thirty minute Public Service Announcement combined with a toy commercial, more than any episodes like "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide" (equality FTW) ever did. And speaking of overtness, what with TF shows being giant toy commericals and all, that is very much the case with Armada. The transformations and power links all scream "GET YOUR PARENTS TO BUY YOU THIS TOY NOW". G1 really didn't do that too much - sure, season 2 episodes tended to have episodes centered on a specific character, but it all sure as hell felt more natural to me.
And the G1 fight scenes sure as hell looked better to me, be they hand-to-hand or gun-based. No one's a fan of Stormtrooper syndrome, but it's one thing when all those shots miss, another when a character is sitting there for five minutes getting hit by laser blasts, grunting and protecting his head and chest with his arms.
And Armada's hand-to-hand encounters are just awful. More often than not it's just one guy charging the next, and a quick cut to an elbow or fist to the face as the camera slowly pans across on that one animation frame - it really feels like they were trying to save money or something.
Armada's certainly fun to watch and all, but I'm feeling sorry for the kids who are having it bashed into their head every five minutes that FRED REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LIKES FOOD. I haven't felt this much hostility for a character since Orko. Spike, Chip & Carly were never this irritating. Stuck in the past nothing. G1, flaws and all, was still a better show.
"Innocent."
Have a nice day DO NOT VOTE FOR GWB
