The Energon Pub

cotss2012 wrote:How about RID/Armadaverse?

RiD's ownership is also a mess, since it was dubbed by Saban, who was bought by Disney, but then Saban returned and took back only Power Rangers from Disney, so now Disney still owns RiD.

Unicron Trilogy is a maybe, but they came out on DVD not too long ago.

I probably shouldn't drink and order DVDs, but I just ordered this set!


I can't wait; these are all new to me. I haven't seen any of these episodes except for a Headmaster episode or two.

These better be good - I hold you guys responsible!

Galvatron X wrote:I probably shouldn't drink and order DVDs, but I just ordered this set!


I can't wait; these are all new to me. I haven't seen any of these episodes except for a Headmaster episode or two.

These better be good - I hold you guys responsible!

Keep an open mind and you may enjoy them. Don't have too high expectations as these are from the 1980s, after all.

For me personally, I enjoyed all three. I liked The Headmasters a little better than G1, Masterforce I LOVED so much, and Victory I liked about the same as G1. But, these are but my own opinions, as many have differing one from mine.

The Headmasters often gets a lot of flak from fans calling it lousy and awful, but then one would have to say the same about G1 since it's about the same quality (except that The Headmasters has an actual overarching story and some drama elements that Westerners wouldn't see in a TF cartoon until Beast Wars).

Masterforce was, and probably is, the most drastically different of any TF series in that it was very human centric. However, once you watch it, you realize that that's what makes it so good. These humans are probably the best human characters of any TF series. Even the most annoying ones were useful and competent. But don't think that they take away the spotlight from the bots. In fact, the special relationship between the humans and the bots in this series is so unique that it genuinely enhances the series itself.Let's just say that this show had a lot of character put into it.

Victory is the one that "feels" the most like G1 again (despite The Headmasters being direct continuation of G1 seasons 3), in that its stories were episodic and mostly standalone for a while, much like the Saturday morning cartoon feel of the G1 cartoon. Though, it's second half picks things up to make the stakes higher and the story better.

Hope this helps.

Sabrblade wrote:

cotss2012 wrote:How about RID/Armadaverse?

RiD's ownership is also a mess, since it was dubbed by Saban, who was bought by Disney, but then Saban returned and took back only Power Rangers from Disney, so now Disney still owns RiD.

Speaking of which... when are we gonna get some Power Rangers on DVD, and not just the movies and the collection of ten random episodes from the first ten years? Although I don't consider anything past Zordon's death to be canon, I have to admit that Time Force was pretty decent, and I've heard good things about RPM.

Edit: Not that I have ever watched Power Rangers, or ever would...

Sabrblade wrote:Unicron Trilogy is a maybe, but they came out on DVD not too long ago.

Only Armada (at least in seasonal form), and only by Rhino.

cotss2012 wrote:Speaking of which... when are we gonna get some Power Rangers on DVD, and not just the movies and the collection of ten random episodes from the first ten years? Although I don't consider anything past Zordon's death to be canon, I have to admit that Time Force was pretty decent, and I've heard good things about RPM.

Edit: Not that I have ever watched Power Rangers, or ever would...

Well, all 19 seasons are on Netflix.

cotss2012 wrote:Only Armada (at least in seasonal form), and only by Rhino.

Sabrblade wrote:Hope this helps.

Yes, that definitely does. Thanks, man!



On a slightly-related note - I'm looking forward to seeing these in their native Japanese format (Japanese with English subtitles). I want to hear them as they were originally aired!

Galvatron X wrote:On a slightly-related note - I'm looking forward to seeing these in their native Japanese format (Japanese with English subtitles). I want to hear them as they they were originally aired!

Good man. Japanese with subs are the best, no, the only way to get the full experience of these Japanese-original creations.

Not to mention how there's no English voice track on these anyway, so.. yeah.

And even if there was it would be either that horrible Omni Productions dub or a fandub, niehter of which can fully capture the spirit of the original.

Sabrblade wrote:

I've always wondered what those were. Bootlegs? Foreign releases? No store that I'm aware of has ever actually had those in stock.

this would be interesting if they had it with English dialogue in addition to the original Japanese with subtitles...i mean really how hard would it be to dub it?

MechHaven wrote:this would be interesting if they had it with English dialogue in addition to the original Japanese with subtitles...i mean really how hard would it be to dub it?

Considering that English audiences would demand that the original voice actors reprise their roles, and that most of the original voice actors have been out of touch for the past 27 years (except Susan Blu, Judd Nelson, and a few others who reprised their roles for Animated), doing a PROPER dub could be insanely hard. Also, was Ultra Magnus in any of those series? I only ask because Robert Stack is kinda dead.

cotss2012 wrote:

MechHaven wrote:this would be interesting if they had it with English dialogue in addition to the original Japanese with subtitles...i mean really how hard would it be to dub it?

Considering that English audiences would demand that the original voice actors reprise their roles, and that most of the original voice actors have been out of touch for the past 27 years (except Susan Blu, Judd Nelson, and a few others who reprised their roles for Animated), doing a PROPER dub could be insanely hard. Also, was Ultra Magnus in any of those series? I only ask because Robert Stack is kinda dead.

you make a good point...but its an easy pass for me because my family are not foreign language friendly and as such i would never get to watch it. i cant be the only one out there in this boat either

cotss2012 wrote:I've always wondered what those were. Bootlegs? Foreign releases? No store that I'm aware of has ever actually had those in stock.

What country are you in? Those were the official releases made by Paramount in 2008. I bought both from Target back when they were for sale.

MechHaven wrote:this would be interesting if they had it with English dialogue in addition to the original Japanese with subtitles...i mean really how hard would it be to dub it?

MUCH harder than you think.

For one, there do exist English dubs of these series, but they were dubbed in Malaysia and are beyond terrible, getting almost everyone's names wrong and using actors who had zero talent with little to no idea what they were doing with these series.

Giving them a proper dub wouldn't be feasible either because it would cost too much to do. It would be unprofitable. Not to mention how most would want the original voice cast to come back, when veteran voice actors are much more expensive than they were 20 years ago, which is why you don't see them doing much mainstream work anymore (no one can afford them).

Watching them in Japanese with English subs is the best way to see them.

MechHaven wrote:you make a good point...but its an easy pass for me because my family are not foreign language friendly and as such i would never get to watch it. i cant be the only one out there in this boat either

Why should that matter? They don't have to watch them with you. You can watch them on your own. Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing to watch something in a foreign language. Don't tell me they're against anything that isn't in English.

Sabrblade wrote:What country are you in?

The People's Soviet Socialist Republic of California.

cotss2012 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:What country are you in?

The People's Soviet Socialist Republic of California.

Never heard of it.

Really? I'm pretty sure that it's the same country where Michael Bay lives.

cotss2012 wrote:Really? I'm pretty sure that it's the same country where Michael Bay lives.

Read the smiley.

Aren't they going to release individual sets for Victory and Masterforce? This is really unfair to those of us who already bought Headmasters.

Julie85 wrote:Aren't they going to release individual sets for Victory and Masterforce? This is really unfair to those of us who already bought Headmasters.

Yes. They did this with G1 and Beast Wars too (releasing the complete set before finishing up the individual season sets, that is).

Sabrblade wrote:

cotss2012 wrote:I've always wondered what those were. Bootlegs? Foreign releases? No store that I'm aware of has ever actually had those in stock.

What country are you in? Those were the official releases made by Paramount in 2008. I bought both from Target back when they were for sale.

MechHaven wrote:this would be interesting if they had it with English dialogue in addition to the original Japanese with subtitles...i mean really how hard would it be to dub it?

MUCH harder than you think.

For one, there do exist English dubs of these series, but they were dubbed in Malaysia and are beyond terrible, getting almost everyone's names wrong and using actors who had zero talent with little to no idea what they were doing with these series.

Giving them a proper dub wouldn't be feasible either because it would cost too much to do. It would be unprofitable. Not to mention how most would want the original voice cast to come back, when veteran voice actors are much more expensive than they were 20 years ago, which is why you don't see them doing much mainstream work anymore (no one can afford them).

Watching them in Japanese with English subs is the best way to see them.

MechHaven wrote:you make a good point...but its an easy pass for me because my family are not foreign language friendly and as such i would never get to watch it. i cant be the only one out there in this boat either

Why should that matter? They don't have to watch them with you. You can watch them on your own. Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing to watch something in a foreign language. Don't tell me they're against anything that isn't in English.

not against, just not understanding. and i would think that an english dialogue version that was actually decent would see a much larger more mainstream release....i do not expect to see this set or any part of it in my local walmart. from a marketing standpoint, getting any item in major retailers stock increases the chances of larger profit. i really do not care if they could get the original g1 cast or not but i hate having to watch a show 3 times(1: read the dialogue, 2: watch the action, 3: put them together.) just to get all of it, and most people i know feel the same way...just seems to me that it would sell faster and more copies if they had english dub

MechHaven wrote:not against, just not understanding.

That's what the subtitles are for.

Plus, the more you watch, the more likely you might be to pick up the meanings of some Japanese words or phrases. I myself watched enough subbed anime to get an understanding of a few Japanese words/phrases, so it's cool when I can catch what they're saying ont he spot.

MechHaven wrote:and i would think that an english dialogue version that was actually decent would see a much larger more mainstream release....i do not expect to see this set or any part of it in my local walmart. from a marketing standpoint, getting any item in major retailers stock increases the chances of larger profit.

The current release of just The Headmasters series has been made available at all major retail chains (Wal-Mart, Target, Toys 'R' Us, Best Buy, Kmart, etc.). A lack of English hasn't stopped it from reaching mainstream markets, so it shouldn't stop this one either.

MechHaven wrote:i really do not care if they could get the original g1 cast or not but i hate having to watch a show 3 times(1: read the dialogue, 2: watch the action, 3: put them together.) just to get all of it, and most people i know feel the same way...

Three times? Dude, what action is there on the screen when they're speaking? Mouth movement? That's not much to look at. Most action goes unsubbed since it mostly consists of grunting, groaning, yelling, or other combat related noises. Exposition and action are almost always kept apart. And if someone does decide to speak during the action parts, it's usually during a frame in which there is little happening on screen for that moment. Or it's a short phrase like "Take this!", "Die!", or an attack's name called out in English (yes, the Japanese like slip English phrases into their dialogue).

It isn't a difficult feat to watch and read the screen at the same time, as there's usually a balance made between spoken dialogue and heavy action.

MechHaven wrote:just seems to me that it would sell faster and more copies if they had english dub

Well, maybe, but it just wasn't feasible, as they would have had to spend more money to dub it than what they had to just sub it and put it on DVD.