william-james88 wrote:Sabr, would you like to write the entry for one of those characters?
I'm honored, but I dunno if I could find the time (the pandemic had made my life only busier and busier since my job is one of those "necessity" ones that requires us to stay open instead of making us work from home).
Plus, if I were to contribute to such a list, I think I'd be more suited to a "Top 5 Unsung Heroes" list rather than a "Top 5 Best Characters" list. When watching the show, I took notice of some characters besides the best ones who seemed to shine in their own ways but who are definitely not among the show's cream of the crop of characters.
One example would be Optimus. While seemingly the typical Prime on the surface, there were nuances to his performance that made him feel less like the stock archetype we've come to expect from modern Optimus Primes (serious, stoic, burdened with duty, no fun, always speaking grandiosely, etc.) and more like there was an Average Joe buried beneath his prestigious veneer (impatience, stage fright, introversion, a geek-like giddiness, actually being annoyed by some of his fellow Autobots, etc.). Such imperfections or aspects of ordinariness have been scarcely attributed to any Optimus prior to Cyberverse finally allowing its Optimus to have more sides to him than just "inspirational leader".
Another example of an Unsung Hero would be Cheetor. While he too seemed like just another Bumblebee/Hot Rod at first, and while his stock role of "MacGuffin's Guardian" made him also a potential Gary Stu (like how he could use the AllSpark to instantly fix whatever problem needed fixing at times in Season 2), our getting to know him more showed us that, despite his preordained role, he really doesn't know what his purpose is in life outside of said role, and actually struggles to fit in with the other Autobots. That one scene of him and Optimus having a quiet moment together in "Party Down" showed how Cheetor really isn't a people person, but would still like to open up to others more. Sure, he's already befriended Bee and Rod by this point, but they're young like him; he still feels like a stranger around the other older bots. But when he and Optimus step away from the party and just enjoy each other's company on the Ark's hull, that felt like the first real connection Cheetor had made with anyone outside of his comfort zone. And though it was brief, it was beautiful.
Of course, if you feel either of these would actually quality as a "Best Character" instead of an "Unsung Hero" (as I see them), I can edit either of these to apply to that "Best Character" category.
