The Energon Pub

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Transformers, Takara has released a video animated by Studio Trigger, directed by Amemiya Akira. The video uses the 2007 song “Mayday” by Bump of Chicken, who have several themed Transformers redecos, including one we see in this video. The video goes through all eras of Transformers, from G1 to Earthspark. You'll let us know which imagery you like best.

Just saw this in my YT suggestions. Just to put things in perspective. I don't know if its the bitterness of old age or what, but I am not often impressed. I haven't truly enjoyed a TF series since Prime ended. I haven't enjoyed a comic since DW ended. The toys for the last couple years have been ok, one or two individual pieces each year really are pretty cool, and the rest I get out of some sort of sense of completionism.

But THIS. This 3 minute video was beautiful. I was impressed. I was very happy with it. Ill definitely watch it again later, but many of my favorite characters weren't even in it, but I still thought it was absolutely awesome. Today THIS Brings me joy. Thank you Transformers for 40 years!

I wonder if seeing rainbow prime here will convince anyone to get it. I was already sold on his crazy colors, but it was cool to see him here.

I'll just repeat what I said this morning:

Glyph wrote:It's here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOfJT_Kwna8 (TakaraTomy channel - region-locked to JP )
https://x.com/TFShowUK/status/1834151040708456906 (Xitter repost)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjuGPjWkDSc (unofficial YT copy)

That was awesome! Absolutely chock full of references across the whole 40 years, and both longer and way cooler than I was expecting

Can't currently find an official unbroken source for it that's viewable outside of Japan - there's a YT copy above but nothing posted to the official sites / channels yet. Will update when I find one!

I was expecting fan service, but that went above & beyond in giving nods to nearly every aspect of the (JTF) franchise's history! I suspect fans will be poring over freeze frames for days to identify every reference and figure out the connections. Gave me Daicon III/IV vibes (but a bit less, y'know, Gainax) - really felt like a labour of love.

Higher quality version:



Something else to note about this video is that it only features things from motion picture media that has actually aired in Japan, so there's nothing from things like American comics (Marvel, BotCon, Dreamwave, IDW, or Skybound), Rescue Bots, Prime Season 3, Predacons Rising, RID 2015 Season 3, Machinima's Prime Wars Trilogy, Rescue Bots Academy, Cyberverse Season 3-4, BotBots, etc.

Also nothing from Transformers One since this video would have been in development before the first trailer was revealed back in April.

I loved everything about this. Gonna be going back to it for years. A+, 10/10

That was just awesome. Now I really want studio TRIGGER to make a full tf series.

Kamijou Touma wrote:That was just awesome. Now I really want studio TRIGGER to make a full tf series.

So does much of the fandom I'd imagine

Hasbros response: too expensive

That is why they fail....

o.supreme wrote:

Kamijou Touma wrote:That was just awesome. Now I really want studio TRIGGER to make a full tf series.

So does much of the fandom I'd imagine

Hasbros response: too expensive

That is why they fail....

All the recent TF toons look like low budget garbage. Hasbro really has no love for it anymore.

Very well done. After watching it on normal speed once, I naturally had to go back and watch it at half-speed with frequent pauses so I could soak up all the neat things in the collab.

Great visuals, the music could have been better. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch. Seeing the Bayformers in animated form made me giddy. And Fangry looking down at the dog hit me as well. Is that from Headmasters?

If it were to get English music and dialogue, I would like to see a series produced by Trigger. Anti-G1 fans won't like it, but Takara/Hasbro would do well to produce a series focusing on the 19 years between the end of season 2 in '86 and TF:TM's events taking place in '05.

Rodimus Prime wrote:And Fangry looking down at the dog hit me as well. Is that from Headmasters?

It's Wilder, from Masterforce - separate character from the US Fangry. This is from episode 5 and it's, uh, a moment.

Rodimus Prime wrote:If it were to get English music and dialogue, I would like to see a series produced by Trigger. Anti-G1 fans won't like it, but Takara/Hasbro would do well to produce a series focusing on the 19 years between the end of season 2 in '86 and TF:TM's events taking place in '05.

(with the caveat that I don't think it would ever happen, for multiple reasons:)
Hmm, I could go for an Ultimates-style retelling of the Japanese G1 series, and Trigger definitely seem to be fond of them. Or there's plenty of late-G1 comic stories that could be picked up...

Love seeing the franchise's numerous iterations get attention in this video instead of the usual Hasbro rinse-and-repeat G1 focus. If Studio Trigger does a new series, I'd love to see it have entirely new designs rather than being made for yet another G1-like animated series that'll get ripped apart like Prime Wars and Netflix WFC.

It was great! I didn't know everyone in it. My best moment was of course, beast wars primal, prime and beast megatron holding megatron

o.supreme wrote:

Kamijou Touma wrote:That was just awesome. Now I really want studio TRIGGER to make a full tf series.

So does much of the fandom I'd imagine

Hasbros response: too expensive

That is why they fail....

It's just BS. How many Japanese anime is done this way nowadays? Sure, it's not peak but still plenty. And how many of them are still made mainly for the Japanese and next to no toys/presence outside of Japanese? Quite a bit. But a 40yo franchise with constant products output year-after-year with a global audience can't budget a production of this style (not talking about quality here, as much as I LOVE this PV, but it's not necessary "amazeballs way-batter-than-any-Gundam!" level that Trigger is capable of -- a little too much sliding still images than my expectation) and market the hell out of it and get toy sales that are several folds on ROI than, say, Earthspark's production budget v. its toylines' sales? I don't believe it.

It's just Hasbro being freaking cheap. We have 3 TF Haslabs that did gangbusters in funding numbers and they're based on JTF anime style. Back then American/Western kids weren't even as exposed to Japanese Anime as today.

We're having a sort of revival of '80s animation style w/ X-Men '97 & Tales of the TMNT right now. So it's time for Hasbro to get on it. Hope they did the right thing and Cyberworld will look similar to this PV.

Countdown until someone edits this to set it to The Touch

truegrit wrote:Countdown until someone edits this to set it to The Touch

I'd rather it be set to "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty.

truegrit wrote:Countdown until someone edits this to set it to The Touch

I saw on another source it set to Dare and it worked pretty well.

I have bookmarked this for future reference.

Starting the video off with Vector Prime is great touch symbolizing the 40 years. Seeing Starscream surrounded by other iterations of the character (including Waspinator) is neat. Having the junior Headmasters land on Ironhide from Energon/Superlink with Kicker/Kika on the Energon Saber at his side and then Sari coming into the scene was quite an interesting mix. Love the Transmetal II Megatron and the Optimal Optimus formations then having their Beast Machine faces overlay when they engage each other. Best part is seeing Megatron and Optimus shake hands with various human characters throughout the franchise looking on.

Well done.

Here is EVERYTHING seen in the video:

(Note: the few things I remain uncertain about are Italicized in parentheses with a question mark at the end)



Cybertron Vector Prime surrounded by clockworks.

G1 Planet Cybertron in space, with flashes of the Kronosphere, the Time Window, the Teleport Gate, the wall of a Quintesson banishment chamber, and the Dragon Mound.

Several Prime Vehicons engaged in trench warfare.

G1 Springer, Armada Jolt, G1 Sandstorm, Energon Bulkhead, Cybertron Evac, and Cybertron Jolt in a grassy field.

Energon Mirage, G1 Scourge, Cybertron Thunderblast, RiD 2001 Sky-Byte, and the Armada Sea Mini-Con team observing a wrecked BWII Galvaburg II.

RID 2015 Aerobolt, Beastformers White Leo, BWII Lio Junior, and G1 Steeljaw in the ruins of a building.

Cybertron Thundercracker, Animated Blitzwing, G1 Swindle, BM Tankor, Armada Powerlinx Demolishor Victory Kakuryu and BWII Megastorm.

A warzone on Junkion, with Junkyard carrying Greasestain on his back while Ashtray readies his weapon. Another Junkion stands by in the background.

G1 Ratchet lies battered on his side in vehicle mode, while G1 Jazz lies next to him upside-down in vehicle mode.

G1 Metroplex, Masterforce Grand Maximus, the BWII Yukikaze, G1 Broadside (with G1 Fireflight and (two other jets?) resting on his carrier mode), G1 Air Raid, G1 Skydive, G1 Silverbolt, and G1 Fortress Maximus.

A fallen Decepticon Warrior from "War Dawn".

Several destroyed Warriors and Dropkicks from "War Dawn", lying on a shoreline walked by the Rescue Patrol Team (Holi, Boater, Fire, and Pipo) from Victory, and Cyberverse Croaton.

Victory Holi looks up.

Masterforce Hydra and Buster with their Transtectors.

G1 Starscream, G1 Ion Storm, G1 Acid Storm, G1 Nova Storm, the Thunder Arrow from Victory, Victory Hellbat, Victory Leozack, Victory Guyhawk, Animated Blitzwing, Animated Blackout, Animated Lugnut, (a Prime Insecticon?), (Go! Dragotron?), (another Prime Insecticon?), four Jet Vehicons from Prime, BWII Gigastorm, G1 Trypticon, Armada Tidal Wave, G1 Scorponok, and the Nemesis from Prime.

Starscream flies with Kremzeek inside his cockpit, flanked by BWII Starscream, (Victory Leozack?), Animated Waspinator, and Armada Starscream.

Masterforce Wilder and his Transtector stand over the murdered Pis in a rainy ruined city.

Good guys galore: BW Neo NAVI, BW Neo Big Convoy with a Matrix Cannon, G1 Rodimus Prime with the G1 Matrix, G1 Optimus Prime, Victory Star Saber and Jan, BW Optimus Primal, RID 2015 Bumblebee with a Decepticon Hunter, Prime Optimus Prime, Masterforce God Ginrai, BWII Lio Convoy, Go! Kenzan, Cyberverse Optimus Prime, Zone Dai Atlas with the Zodiac, G1 Moonbase One, G1 Moonbase Two,Animated Optimus Prime, EarthSpark Optimus Prime, the G1 Ark, Energon Grindor and Kicker, Armada Optimus Prime, G1 Fortress Maximus, RID 2001 Optimus Prime, and Cybertron Optimus Prime.

Bad guy bosses: BW Neo Magmatron, G1 Megatron, BW Megatron, Cybertron Megatron with the Planet Map, Victory Deathsaurus, RID 2015 Megatronus, The G1 Nemesis, BWII Galvatron, RID 2001 Megatron, Cyberverse Megatron, Go! Guren Dragotron, Masterforce Overlord, EarthSpark Megatron, Zone Violengiguar, Armada Megatron armed with all three Mini-Con weapons (the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster), G1 Scorponok, Animated Megatron with Isaac Sumdac, and Prime Megatron with the dead Prime's arms and the Dark Star Saber.

Cybertron Megatron and Nemesis Breaker combine into Dark Claw Mode to fight BWII Lio Convoy's legendary Green Warrior form armed with BW Neo Magmatron's Magma Blade.

G1 Fortress Maximus, Victory Star Saber, Masterforce God Ginrai, RID 2015 Optimus Prime Supreme Mode and Cybertron Optimus Prime all bear their respective swords.

Cyberverse Optimus Prime, RiD 2001 Optimus Prime Battle Mode, BW Neo Big Convoy, Armada Optimus Prime Super Mode, and Energon Optimus Supreme all fire their weapons.

Prime Miko chills with her guitar on Prime Bulkhead.

Prime Bulkhead, Prime Bumblebee, Prime Arcee, Armada Laserbeak, Armada Alexis, Prime Miko, Armada Grindor, Prime Raf, Armada High Wire, Armada Rad, Prime Jack, Armada Carlos, Armada Sureshock, Armada Fred, and Armada Billy.

The Illumina II from Victory (piloted by Jan and Illumina), and the Cobybot from Cybertron (piloted by Coby and Lori).

RiD 2001 T-AI holding BWII Artemis's hammer, Q-Transformers Bumblebee, BWII Moon, Q-Transformers Optimus Prime, BWII Artemis, and Q-Transformers Lockdown.

Masterforce Goshooter, Masterforce Minerva, Masterforce Cab, Energon Energon Ironhide, Energon Kicker w/ the Energon Saber, and Animated Sari Sumdac, with Ocean City from Energon in the background.

Roses held by Akira from Zone.

Aligned Optimus Prime: Three Bodies Evolution (Prime Optimus Prime with the Forge of Solus Prime, Go! Hunter Optimus Prime with the Star Saber, and Go! Optimus Exprime.

Go! Optimus Exprime, Go! Gekisoumaru, and Go! Kenzan combine into DaiGekisou.

Tobio and Isami stand on the chestplate of DaiKenzan, along with both their grandfathers, Kotarō Fūma, Ryōma Sakamoto, Bokuden Tsukahara, Musashi Miyamoto, Sasuke Sarutobi, and Musashibō Benkei all from Go!, all stood atop DaiKenzan's shoulders.

Cybertron Bud, Cybertron Safeguard, Cybertron Vector Prime holding the Planet Map.

G1 Optimus Prime traveling through "the other side of the Matrix" seen in the BW episode "Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)". His colors shift between his normal colors, dead colors, and the Bump of Chicken colors, as the following images flash before him: His death from TFTM, the death of Transmetal 2 Dinobot from the BW episode "Nemesis Part 2", Terrorcon Cliffjumper from the Prime episode "Darkness Rising, Part 2", Armada Powerlinx Starscream's death (featuring the Zapmaster-colored Swindle) from the episode "Cramp", the death of Animated Prowl from "Endgame, Part II", and the death of God Ginrai (featuring Jan) from the Victory episode "Ginrai Dies!!"

G1 Optimus Prime and BW Transmetal Optimus Primal turn into sparks that merge together into BW Optimal Optimus, while G1 Megatron and BW Transmetal Megatron become orange sparks (like how Beast Megatron's spark was orange in Beast Machines) that merge into BW Transmetal 2 Megatron. As they fight, images of BM Megatron and Optimus Primal flash before them.

Masterforce Megajet (piloted by Lady Mega) and Gigatank (piloted by Lord Giga) combine into Overlord, who fires missiles at Animated Wingblade Optimus Prime armed with the Magnus Hammer.

G1 Dirk Manus and Marissa Faireborn about to share a kiss.

The G1 Matrix of Leadership.

Armada Sparkplug holding up the Armada Matrix, G1 Rodimus Prime holding up the opened G1 Matrix, and Zone Dai Atlas holding up the Zodiac.

Movie Optimus Prime, Movie Ratchet, Movie Ironhide, Movie Bumblebee, and Movie Jazz.

Movie Bonecrusher, Movie Megatron, Movie Barricade, Movie Brawl, Movie Starscream, and Movie Blackout.

Movie Optimus Prime and Movie Megatron fight in homage to Panty and Stocking.

ROTB Optimus Primal close up.

ROTB group shot: Wheeljack, Arcee, Rhinox, Airazor, Bumblebee, Optimus Primal, Mirage, Cheetor, and Stratosphere.

G1 Optimus Prime and Megatron continue fighting until they stand before RID 2015 Denny Clay, RID 2015 Russell Clay, G1 Daniel Witwitcky, G1 Spike Witwicky, G1 Carly Witwicky, EarthSpark Alex Malto, EarthSpark Robby Malto, EarthSpark Dot Malto, EarthSpark Mo Malto, RiD 2001 Kiko Onishi, RiD 2001 Koji Onishi, and RiD 2001 Dr. Onishi.

The G1 leaders in front of the four families are replaced by EarthSpark Megatron and Optimus Prime, who shake hands in peace.

G1 Unicron's severed head floats in space.

G1 Planet Cybertron vibrates in space, with G1 Unicron's severed head emerging from behind it as the credits roll.

^Great Summation. Yeah my son and I did a frame-by-frame, and there was a LOT here. a few times we had to look up on TF wiki as to "who is that", especially Croaton on the beach with the Victory rescue team. Despite watching Cyberverse all the way through once, I remember very little about it because it just wasn't my thing.

I've seen a LOT of complaining from fans on other sites "this character wasn't in it" or "that character". Including 40 years of what has been released in Japan (which is most of the franchise but not all) would still be thousands of characters. There was a great bit of variety. But no way they could get them all. It did seem to focus heavily on heroic and evil leaders of the last 40 years, which was fine. made for some great visuals.

Some "Legacy" characters like OG Bumblebee, Soundwave, or any OG Dinobots not making it in didn't bother me. Heck my namesake and favorite character didn't make it in, Id love to see Omega Supreme animated by Trigger, (or any combiner for that matter) but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of this awesome video.

o.supreme wrote:Heck my namesake and favorite character didn't make it in, Id love to see Omega Supreme animated by Trigger, (or any combiner for that matter) but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of this awesome video.

At the very least, the body of his Energon namesake combined with Optimus did make it in.

Man, that video had so many deep cuts that I just was not expecting. We knew Studio Trigger was a bunch of big Transformers fans after they models a bunch of characters from SSSS.Gridman after Shattered Glass characters and designed several Flam Toys models, but they really went above and beyond here. I could tell from the preview we got that they were going to be blending different series together in some sort of big tribute, but nobody was prepared for this.

Sabrblade wrote:I'd rather it be set to "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty.

For me that song will forever belong to Digimon.



Emerje

Emerje wrote:Man, that video had so many deep cuts that I just was not expecting. We knew Studio Trigger was a bunch of big Transformers fans after they models a bunch of characters from SSSS.Gridman after Shattered Glass characters and designed several Flam Toys models, but they really went above and beyond here. I could tell from the preview we got that they were going to be blending different series together in some sort of big tribute, but nobody was prepared for this.

Sabrblade wrote:I'd rather it be set to "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty.

For me that song will forever belong to Digimon.

I'm still fond of Linkara's use of it in his History of Power Rangers RPM video:

Sabrblade wrote: (a Prime Insecticon?), (Go! Dragotron?), (another Prime Insecticon?), four Jet Vehicons from Prime, BWII Gigastorm, G1 Trypticon, Armada Tidal Wave, G1 Scorponok, and the Nemesis from Prime.

Thought those were Predaking, Darksteel, and Sky Lynx