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Transformers: The Manga, from Viz Media

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Transformers: The Manga, from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:01 pm

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It seems that Jim Sorenson's next book, Transformers: A Visual History, isn't the only new piece of Transformers print material coming from Viz Media. Viz has just Tweeted the announcement of Transformers: The Manga, Volume 1, a collection of the original Japanese manga from 1985, originally published by TV magazine, to be released in the United States later this Winter.

Note that the accompanying artwork included with the Tweet is actually a preexisting work. Originally, this artwork was the cover of a huge compendium released by Million Publishing back in 2002, which had compiled all of the 1985-1991 Transformers manga. Later, Million (under their new name Hero-X) rereleased this collection broken apart into seven individual volumes, split across each individual Japanese G1 series. The particular version of the art seen here in the Tweet is of Volume 1 of that split-apart series, which contained only the Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga and story pages.

It is presumed that Viz's releases will be an official English-translated release of Hero-X's seven volumes, but it is currently unknown what kind of English translation this will be (as in, how faithful it may be to the original Japanese version). After all, this is no ordinary Japanese manga series we're dealing with here. Rather, it is a Japanese manga of Japanese-original stories (and characters, in later installments) published as part of the Japanese release of an American property featuring (at first) American-original characters.

So, it remains to be seen if this will use such terminology as "Optimus Prime", "Autobot", "Decepticon", etc. or "Convoy", "Cybertron", "Destron", etc. Or if such Western Transformers phrases like "By the Allspark!", "Scrap!", "Stick it in neutral!" "Sweet Solus Prime!" etc. will be used over less specific phrases like "Oh no!", "Curses!", "Stop right there!", "Oh my goodness!" etc.

Here is the original Tweet - https://twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/1146868351236562947
Announcement: Transformers: The Manga Volume 1, rolls out this Winter. This collection of Generation 1 Transformers manga strips ran in Japan’s TV Magazine in the 1980’s and will be published in the United States for the first time!

Image
Last edited by Sabrblade on Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Viz Media Set To Release Transformers: The Manga

Postby ZeroWolf » Fri Jul 05, 2019 11:14 am

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Greetings Seibertronians! Thanks to fellow Seibertron users, ScottyP and Sabrblade, we've gotten wind of a release from Viz Media that many thought we'd never see...A release of the Japanese Transformers Manga!

The news was shared by Viz on their Twitter Feed, the message read as follows:

Viz Media wrote:Announcement: Transformers: The Manga Volume 1, rolls out this Winter. This collection of Generation 1 Transformers manga strips ran in Japan’s TV Magazine in the 1980’s and will be published in the United States for the first time!

Image



Also, Sabrblade goes a little more in-depth about this release and explains it, as well as saying where, the image they give, came from.

Sabrblade wrote:It seems that Jim Sorenson's next book, Transformers: A Visual History, isn't the only new piece of Transformers print material coming from Viz Media. Viz has just Tweeted the announcement of Transformers: The Manga, Volume 1, a collection of the original Japanese manga from 1985, originally published by TV magazine, to be released in the United States later this Winter.

Note that the accompanying artwork included with the Tweet is actually a preexisting work. Originally, this artwork was the cover of a huge compendium released by Million Publishing back in 2002, which had compiled all of the 1985-1991 Transformers manga. Later, Million (under their new name Hero-X) rereleased this collection broken apart into seven individual volumes, split across each individual Japanese G1 series. The particular version of the art seen here in the Tweet is of Volume 1 of that split-apart series, which contained only the Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga and story pages.

It is presumed that Viz's releases will be an official English-translated release of Hero-X's seven volumes, but it is currently unknown what kind of English translation this will be (as in, how faithful it may be to the original Japanese version). After all, this is no ordinary Japanese manga series we're dealing with here. Rather, it is a Japanese manga of Japanese-original stories (and characters, in later installments) published as part of the Japanese release of an American property featuring (at first) American-original characters.

So, it remains to be seen if this will use such terminology as "Optimus Prime", "Autobot", "Decepticon", etc. or "Convoy", "Cybertron", "Destron", etc. Or if such Western Transformers phrases like "By the Allspark!", "Scrap!", "Stick it in neutral!" "Sweet Solus Prime!" etc. will be used over less specific phrases like "Oh no!", "Curses!", "Stop right there!", "Oh my goodness!" etc.


What do you think of this news? Are you looking forward to these releases? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Skritz » Fri Jul 05, 2019 2:08 pm

Well that's neat and I wouldn't mind if the terminology is changed to the more familiar (and now brand-wide) words we know such as 'Optimus Prime' or 'Autobots'. However personally I hope the text tries to be as faithful as possible and not subject to malicious rewrite by the translation team.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Fri Jul 05, 2019 2:24 pm

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Skritz wrote:Well that's neat and I wouldn't mind if the terminology is changed to the more familiar (and now brand-wide) words we know such as 'Optimus Prime' or 'Autobots'. However personally I hope the text tries to be as faithful as possible and not subject to malicious rewrite by the translation team.
Indeed. We don't need things like "By the Allspark!" or "Sweet Solus Prime!" in Japanese G1 fiction from 1985 (especially since concepts like those didn't yet exist back then in any country or continuity).
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby ZeroWolf » Fri Jul 05, 2019 4:09 pm

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I'm okay with Convoy becoming Optimus Prime, but I hope they keep Ginrai and the Godmasters intact.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby datguy86 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 4:42 pm

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I'd personally prefer the original terms explained with a preface and glossary purely from a historical standpoint. However, I think marketing will win out here and the changes to current terms will be made.

Regardless, I look forward to this.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Skritz » Fri Jul 05, 2019 6:26 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
Skritz wrote:Well that's neat and I wouldn't mind if the terminology is changed to the more familiar (and now brand-wide) words we know such as 'Optimus Prime' or 'Autobots'. However personally I hope the text tries to be as faithful as possible and not subject to malicious rewrite by the translation team.
Indeed. We don't need things like "By the Allspark!" or "Sweet Solus Prime!" in Japanese G1 fiction from 1985 (especially since concepts like those didn't yet exist back then in any country or continuity).


Normally I'd be a sticker for accurate-as-possible translations. However, Transformers is an odd case: this isn't like an '80 or '90 manga/anime translation job which scrubbed away the original Japanese names to the point the international fanbase tend to prefer using those they grew up with. In the case of Transformers, the initial fiction was American before being Japanese (even if the toys came first, Diaclone had little to no fiction). As such, the names like 'Convoy' and 'Destron' are themselves product of international dub change, in this case the Japanese adaptating the American fiction.

But this also goes both way: once you leave the confines of G1 season 1 to 3, I do think the Japanese names should have precedence. Thus the likes of Gilmer should not be renamed 'Submarauder' or Cab being renamed 'Hosehead'.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Fri Jul 05, 2019 9:56 pm

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datguy86 wrote:I'd personally prefer the original terms explained with a preface and glossary purely from a historical standpoint.
Most English manga volumes have a Translation Notes section in the back of each volume that explains certain terms or phrases used in the translation to help readers to better understand them.

Skritz wrote:Normally I'd be a sticker for accurate-as-possible translations. However, Transformers is an odd case: this isn't like an '80 or '90 manga/anime translation job which scrubbed away the original Japanese names to the point the international fanbase tend to prefer using those they grew up with. In the case of Transformers, the initial fiction was American before being Japanese (even if the toys came first, Diaclone had little to no fiction). As such, the names like 'Convoy' and 'Destron' are themselves product of international dub change, in this case the Japanese adaptating the American fiction.

But this also goes both way: once you leave the confines of G1 season 1 to 3, I do think the Japanese names should have precedence. Thus the likes of Gilmer should not be renamed 'Submarauder' or Cab being renamed 'Hosehead'.
Great minds and all that jazz. ;)^
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Sun Jul 07, 2019 4:28 pm

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Preorder is up on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974710564/

Judging by the page count and the mention of "The Great Transformer War" (which was a manga series for Transformers 2010), this could be a volume containing the contents of both the first and second volumes that Hero-X released.

Originally serialized in Japan’s TV Magazine, these classic stories from the Generation 1 era of Transformers are now available in English for the first time!

The Autobots and Decepticons have been locked in a brutal civil war for eons, and now their battle has come to Earth! The Autobots seek peace and coexistence, while the Decepticons seek power and control. Earth and its populace are caught between the two as these mighty factions go head-to-head. Transformers took the world by storm shortly after their debut, and these previously uncollected stories were a vital part of that takeover!

The Autobots and their young friend Kenji stand tall against the Decepticons in an interplanetary conflict! Packed with thrilling Transformers tales, this hardcover collector’s volume contains classic stories such as “The Great Transformer War” and “Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers.”
Series: Transformers: The Manga
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (February 11, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1974710564
ISBN-13: 978-1974710560
"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"

Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
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Amazon Listing Found For Viz's Media Transformers Manga Collection

Postby ZeroWolf » Sun Jul 07, 2019 4:53 pm

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Greetings Seibertronians! Following on from this news here about the forthcoming Transformers: The Manga adaption from Viz Media (originally published in Japan in TV Magazine then collected by Million Publishing, who renamed themselves Hero-X later), fellow user, Sabrblade, has found an amazon listing for the first part of the collection!

Image
Note that this image is from the Hero-X release of the first collected volume and may not be indicative of what the Viz Media version will look like.

Here is the information from Amazon:

Originally serialized in Japan’s TV Magazine, these classic stories from the Generation 1 era of Transformers are now available in English for the first time!

The Autobots and Decepticons have been locked in a brutal civil war for eons, and now their battle has come to Earth! The Autobots seek peace and coexistence, while the Decepticons seek power and control. Earth and its populace are caught between the two as these mighty factions go head-to-head. Transformers took the world by storm shortly after their debut, and these previously uncollected stories were a vital part of that takeover!

The Autobots and their young friend Kenji stand tall against the Decepticons in an interplanetary conflict! Packed with thrilling Transformers tales, this hardcover collector’s volume contains classic stories such as “The Great Transformer War” and “Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers.”


Series: Transformers: The Manga
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (February 11, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1974710564
ISBN-13: 978-1974710560



Sabrblade also mentioned the possibility that, judging by the description and page count, that this collection would include the first two volumes of the Hero-X collection.

Will you be checking this out? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby triKlops » Sun Jul 07, 2019 5:35 pm

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PreOrdered as soon as i saw the link!
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Coptur » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:34 am

With the IDW stuff being very below standard (except the Ghostbuster crossover) i'm happy to see this being release.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby serre prime » Thu Jul 25, 2019 7:43 am

Take my money :)
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Wed Oct 30, 2019 1:02 pm

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Amazon preorder for Volume 2 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974711773/

At 344 pages, this would be a complete collection of all the TV magazine manga chapters for The Headmasters and Super-God Masterforce.
Last edited by Sabrblade on Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Seibertron » Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:59 pm

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Sabrblade wrote:Amazon preorder for Volume 2 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974711773/

At 344 pages, this would be a complete collection of The Headmasters and Super-God Masterforce.


When did part 1 come out?
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:01 pm

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Seibertron wrote:When did part 1 come out?
It hasn't yet. It's set for release in February.
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Transformers: The Manga Volume 2 Coming from Viz in May

Postby Emerje » Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:40 pm

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After the exciting announcement back in July that Viz Media would be releasing a collection titled Transformers: The Manga from Japan in English we now have news of Transformers: The Manga, Vol. 2 listed on Amazon! Thanks to a tip from Sabrblade we now know we can expect the next collection from TV Magazine to come in May with a massive 344 page count (compared to the first volume's 288). He speculates that this volume will contain stories covering Headmasters and Super God Masterforce.

The listing contains the follow descriptions:

Originally serialized in Japan’s TV Magazine, these classic stories from the Generation 1 era of Transformers are now available in English for the first time!

The Autobots and the Decepticons have been locked in a brutal civil war for eons, and now their battle has come to Earth! The Autobots seek peace and coexistence, while the Decepticons seek power and control. Earth and its populace are caught in the middle as these mighty factions go head-to-head. Transformers took the world by storm shortly after their debut, and these previously uncollected stories were a vital part of that takeover!

The interstellar conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons has taken over Earth! The Autobots and their allies are desperate to protect their newfound home from the predations of the Decepticons, but will the bravery of the Autobots be enough to stem the tide?


Volume 1 will be out in February 2020, both volumes have hardcovers and an MSRP of $24.99.

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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Ryrynz » Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:33 pm

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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby BW Megatron » Sat Feb 08, 2020 10:55 am

I just remembered this was coming out. Just pre-ordered the first volume, now due out in a month.
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:40 pm

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Two new updates.

First, Volume 2's listing now has cover art - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974711773/

Second, there is now a new listing for Volume 3 that is said to contain the Victory manga, the single manga chapter of Zone, and the single manga chapter of The Battlestars. It is due for release on October 13, 2020 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974711781
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby triKlops » Wed Feb 12, 2020 9:09 am

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Just preordered Vol. 3; thanks for the link!
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Re: Transformers: The Manga - coming from Viz Media

Postby Pepsimus Prime » Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:36 am

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I Can't here about Transformers manga without thinking of Kiss Players.
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Cover art revealed for Viz Media's Transformers: The Manga Volume 2

Postby Seibertron » Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:13 pm

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Amazon.com has updated their listing of the upcoming Transformers: The Manga Volume 2 from Viz Media to include front and back covers. The new artwork is done in a comparable style to the artwork on Volume 1 (which also graced the full Japanese version from Million Publishing which came out in 2002). The featured characters include Black Zarak, Galvatron, Six Shot, Fortress (Cerebros), Overlord, Super Ginrai (Powermaster Optimus Prime ... well, not technically ...), and Chromedome. The artist is currently unknown. The book features English translations so now you can know what the Transformers are saying in all of those pretty pictures.

You can pre-order your copy of Viz Media's Transformers: The Manga Volume 2 now for $22.49 from Amazon.com. The book is currently scheduled to be released on May 12th, 2000. Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 is scheduled to be released tomorrow and can also be ordered through Amazon.com for $16.99 (which is a steal).




Image
Image


Transformers: The Manga Volume 2

Product details

Series: Transformers: The Manga (Book 2)
Hardcover: 344 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (May 12, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1974711773
ISBN-13: 978-1974711772
UNSPSC Code: 55101500
Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 7.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Originally serialized in Japan’s TV Magazine, these classic stories from the Generation 1 era of Transformers are now available in English for the first time!

The Autobots and the Decepticons have been locked in a brutal civil war for eons, and now their battle has come to Earth! The Autobots seek peace and coexistence, while the Decepticons seek power and control. Earth and its populace are caught in the middle as these mighty factions go head-to-head. Transformers took the world by storm shortly after their debut, and these previously uncollected stories were a vital part of that takeover!

The interstellar conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons has taken over Earth! The Autobots and their allies are desperate to protect their newfound home from the predations of the Decepticons, but will the bravery of the Autobots be enough to stem the tide?
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Check out Seibertron's review of Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 from Viz Media

Postby Seibertron » Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:45 pm

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For many years, the Transformers G1 Manga from Japan eluded Transformers fans. It was once the stuff of much desire and wild speculation. Around October 2002, Million Publishing (currently known as Hero-X), publishers of the popular Transformers Generations series of books, released the first ever compilation of the Generation One manga alongside a Lucky Draw Black Tracks. The manga compilation was titled "Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Comics".

This amazing book came into my personal collection courtesy of a purchase I made at OTFCC 2003. Within its many pages were some of the most incredible artwork of the Autobots and Decepticons drawn in such a unique style for someone used to the styles of the Marvel Transformers comic books and the original Sunbow Transformers cartoons. I have enjoyed looking at the beautiful renditions of the Transformers characters who were drawn in a familiar manga or anime style by the very talented Ban Magami, yet very distinct from other popular artistic renderings to which most Hasbro-market Transformers fans are accustomed. 

However, as sensational as the images of our favorite "robots in disguise" were to my eyes and my imagination, I had no damn idea what the heck was happening in the book. Well, other than what was actually shown, and even then it was sometimes challenging to understand what I was looking at due to the small black and white artwork. Needless to say, as much as I enjoyed looking at the back initially, it has spent the better part of the last 16 or so years in storage alongside my original Marvel Transformers comics and my prized (embarrassingly) KISS Players Manga collection. 

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Fast forward to March 11th, 2020. This is the day that Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 from Viz Media will be released at book and comic book stores nationwide. Special thanks to Viz Media for providing a sample copy of this book to Seibertron.com for review purposes. What makes this version unique, is that Masumi Kaneda's stories would finally be translated to English at very long last. After so much time, the stories of the Transformers G1 manga would at last be known to Transformers fans outside of Japan. 

The book's presentation is top notch. It is a great addition to the collections of those who appreciate Transformers Generation 1 fiction in all of its forms, as well as the collections of those who collect Manga. As exhilarating as Magami's artwork can be to those of us who can't get enough of this style, the stories were slightly more juvenile than for which I was hoping (though highly suspected) after years of looking over these manga pages from the previous compilation. 

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However, I understand that this manga was intended for kids, as were the Marvel Transformers comics that have such a special place in my heart despite their many flaws. Despite the story's simplicity, I enjoyed the desired nostalgic rush as I plowed effortlessly through this book. Page after page, I sucked in as much eye candy as possible, which seemed to hit so many of the right spots, while finally being able to understand what was happening in the artwork which had been the stuff of wonder for so long.

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Surprisingly, Abby Lark's translations were pretty spot on. To be honest, I was expecting various flaws, misspellings, incorrect character names or factions or other problems that are unfortunately common with Transformers translations. However, that wasn't to be the case with this book. Lark seemed to know her Transformers very well. The subgroups and characters were all appropriately named and the translations were all sensical. There were few, if any, errors. I was pleasantly surprised by this and truly appreciated the amount of time and effort it took to get all of these things right. The translations used in this book for Convoy, Bumble, Metroflex, Cybertrons, Destrons, etc, are the more well-known American names such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Metroplex, Autobots and Decepticons respectively. This might bother some fans but is perfectly acceptable to most. It will be interesting to see how the translations are handled in Volume 2's Masterforce manga for various characters like Super Ginrai versus Powermaster Optimus Prime. 

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The last 74 pages of the page are dedicated to bringing some additional artwork into an "Illustration Works" gallery for your viewing pleasure. Many images within this gallery include promotional images for various episodes of the Fight Super Robot Lifeform Transformers cartoon through 2010 and the Headmasters series. In addition to this promotional artwork, there are some very detailed drawings of the alt modes for some characters like Jazz, Starscream, Wheelie, Springer, Arcee, Blurr, Scourge, and others. It is a very nice addition that I don't think was available in the original Japanese compilation (at least, not at this printed size) if I recall correctly.

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While not as large as the original Japanese version from Million Publishing, it is only volume 1 out of 3 volumes. Volume 2 will be released later in May 2020 and should contain the remaining Headmasters stories along with the Masterforce. Volume 3 will be released later this year which will contain Victory, Zone, and Battle Star stories (Sidenote: who wants a Super Megatron toy after all of these years???). With a $24.99 cover price per book, it still costs less for all 3 volumes from Viz Media than the $80 I spent for the original Japanese compilation at OTFCC 2003 (not to mention inflation), which makes these books from Viz an absolute steal in my opinion, especially with the nice hard covers. 

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In addition to traditional brick-and-mortar stores, you'll be able to find Viz Media's Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 at various online outlets such as Amazon.com and the Seibertron Store. Transformers: The Manga Volume 2 through is currently available for pre-order through Amazon.com.

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Transformers: The Manga's long sought after story is written by Masumi Kaneda, brought to life with artwork by the very talented Ban Magami, and made readable for those of us who can't read Japanese courtesy of Abby Lark, whose translations were seamlessly lettered and retouched into the original artwork by Brandon Bovia.

I would recommend this book for those of you who enjoy a nostalgic tug from the past and for those of you who enjoy Transformers Generation 1 fiction. If you're a die-hard Michael Bay Transformers Movie buff or only like comics with "deeper" meaning like some of the Transformers comics from IDW, than this might not be for you. If you can enjoy some of the lighter Transformers content intended for kids or just like awesome pics of cool lookin' Japanese styled robots, than this book is absolutely for you.

As for my rating? Well, by Primus, I am extremely biased and enjoy every page. It was a lot of fun to read through this book. I give it a loud and proud 4.5 Rodimus stars out of 5!

:bigrodimusstar: :bigrodimusstar: :bigrodimusstar: :bigrodimusstar: :bigrodimusstarhalf:


So what are you waiting for? Go get your copy today! In the meantime, join our discussion on our forums to further discuss Transformers: The Manga Volume 1!

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Re: Transformers: The Manga Volumes 1 and 2 from Viz Media

Postby Sabrblade » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:17 pm

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Gotta admit, from the looks of those pages, the official translation sure does look more refined than the old fan translation on TFArchive.

Looking forward to picking this up as well as Volume 2 and Volume 3.
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