shajaki wrote:I was thinking the other night about the MP line and it so far being totally comprised of G1 Season 1-4 characters (minus a few exceptions), and the fact that the line is main audience (or market rather) is Japan. Isn't that kinda messed up? How do they feel about us getting all the characters we love, and having the Japanese G1 community largely ignored?
And that's just the MP line. The reissues are in a far sadder state. At least they've gotten Starsaber and SoundBlaster out of it, but what Japanese only character has been reissued over the years? Very few....
So I wonder, do they feel like they're getting the short end of the stick?
shajaki wrote:I was thinking the other night about the MP line and it so far being totally comprised of G1 Season 1-4 characters (minus a few exceptions), and the fact that the line is main audience (or market rather) is Japan. Isn't that kinda messed up? How do they feel about us getting all the characters we love, and having the Japanese G1 community largely ignored?
And that's just the MP line. The reissues are in a far sadder state. At least they've gotten Starsaber and SoundBlaster out of it, but what Japanese only character has been reissued over the years? Very few....
So I wonder, do they feel like they're getting the short end of the stick?
Towline wrote:What worries me about Takara Tomy is that they are doing nothing to bring in younger fans into the transformer franchise. 99% of their transformer toys are from the 1989 characters. Hasbro is the only side of the pacific ocean that is doing all the heavy lifting with trying to get younger generations into the transformers franchise.
In an interview in Dengeki Hobby magazine, TakaraTomy designers Takashi Nakase and Hironori Kobayashi explained the reasons Microns played so heavily into the Japanese Prime line when it wasn't designed that way from the start:
Takashi Nakase: The biggest reason is that we wanted to raise the target age group. In past series, the target ages were small children and their fathers, but the age group which is actually able to enjoy transforming toys is 7 ~ 9 years old. We went back to the beginning and considered appropriate products for that age group, and came up with the concept of "customising". That is why Arms Microns need to be assembled from parts, and stickers are included to be put on the main figure - to give the feeling of "completing" the toy as one's own.
Hironori Kobayashi: We conducted a play session with children where they played freely with Movie series Transformers, mixed with various items such as Minicons, and found that they mostly enjoyed combining Minicons to make larger weapons or to customise the Transformers. We thought it might have some potential.
Model-making is huge in Japan for the 7-and-up crowd. Mega-huge.
I like that take on him. Got enough super heroes in the brand. I really like Victory's Star Saber characterization as well, for the record. About as American as you can get there Besides, it's probably just one of Tyrest's suits like the Magnus armor anyhow.Glarryg wrote:(also an American version of Star Saber that isn't a homicidal religious zealot).
This doesn't make any sense. Transformers Adventure, GO!, Q-Transformers, the Kabaya gum kits, trading/capsule toys, and even the Unicron Trilogy consisting of (essentially) three anime series are all Takara/Takara Tomy going after their younger market. Sure, there's no equivalent of Rescue Bots, but I think it remains to be seen whether or not that translates into new, older children and teenagers as fans. Heck, Transformers GO! took over for them after the second season of Prime and it is aimed at a far younger audience then Prime ever was, and as Will pointed out there was the inclusion of kits in the AM line.Towline wrote:What worries me about Takara Tomy is that they are doing nothing to bring in younger fans into the transformer franchise. 99% of their transformer toys are from the 1989 characters. Hasbro is the only side of the pacific ocean that is doing all the heavy lifting with trying to get younger generations into the transformers franchise.
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