The Energon Pub

Well, with the supposed end of the Transformers Animated series I would like to reflect on some of it's greatest moments. Oh, wait there were none.

Now before I begin, please note this is MY opinion, and I mean no disrespect to those of you who like the series.
Overall, when I first saw the show, I was horrified by what the Transformers had come to. It looks like the same artists who do Teen Titans with that curvy, very sleek and disfigured look. Optimus is demoted to an Autobot janitor, who get's bitched by Ultra Magnus? The mech designs leave much to be desired. The animation is just not Transformers. And I'm all for change, I'm not some anti-liberal Transformer fan who believes every series should be the same. But this strayed too much. Albeit, the show seems to have a good plot, and it captures a G1 feel oh so slighty. I often feel when I see the toys that I'm watching a Transforming Bionicle. The alt modes are very strange and poorly designed. Blitzwing gets the short end of the stick, as he sounds like Arnold Schwartzeneggar and has 3 annoying faces (one of which is obviously a Kremzeek face.) The headmaster guy pisses me of. He talks like a hormone-raged 13 year old and says outragously dorky phrases such as "total ownage noob." I swear I heard him say it in a couple of episodes. The Seekers are just failed clones of Starscream, rather than separate characters. Each has an annoying trait such as "Ramjet" is a pathological lier, Skywarp is conceited and narcassistic, Sunstorm (making his first show appearance as an actual character) is a suck up, so on and so forth. Everything in the show seems to be a caricature, with exagerated features such as super skinny legs, and ultra wide body, with very long peanut head. (Optimus, Starscream.) Or just ridiculousy, I mean ridiculousy overweight (Lugnut) characters. So much wrong with this show it's not even funny. Armada at least had normal looking bots and a decent plot. This is the only series of Transformers I've ever had a problem with. So that's my shmeel, feel free to disagree/agree with me. It's an open discussion.
TF Animated, if you're really gone, good riddance I won't miss you.

Rastamus Prime wrote:So that's my shmeel, feel free to disagree/agree with me. It's an open discussion.

Okay, I will.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Now before I begin, please note this is MY opinion, and I mean no disrespect to those of you who like the series.

Thank you.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Overall, when I first saw the show, I was horrified by what the Transformers had come to. It looks like the same artists who do Teen Titans with that curvy, very sleek and disfigured look.

No offense, but duh.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Optimus is demoted to an Autobot janitor, who get's bitched by Ultra Magnus?

Not a janitor, a technician. Janitors clean, Prime fixes. And this low position is partially Sentinel's fault (that jerk!).

Rastamus Prime wrote:I often feel when I see the toys that I'm watching a Transforming Bionicle.

Wouldn't that description better fit the Movie figures?

Rastamus Prime wrote:The alt modes are very strange and poorly designed.

Bright, colorful, simple, and somewhat futuristic doesn't always equal "poor".

Besides, a positive result fo these designs was one of the best cases of "show-accuracy = toy-accuracy" ever.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Blitzwing gets the short end of the stick, as he sounds like Arnold Schwartzeneggar and has 3 annoying faces (one of which is obviously a Kremzeek face.)

His split personality is part of the comedy, which I found helped make him quite hilarious. As for his German accent, nearly ever TF series has had a character or characters that had some sort of accented dialect.

Rastamus Prime wrote:The headmaster guy pisses me of. He talks like a hormone-raged 13 year old and says outragously dorky phrases such as "total ownage noob." I swear I heard him say it in a couple of episodes.

This I must agree with. He was annoying with his 1337-speak.

And yet, he still proved to be a decent threat to the Autobots. But at least he wasn't as bad a character as Professor Princess.

Rastamus Prime wrote:The Seekers are just failed clones of Starscream, rather than separate characters.

They're not supposed to actually be the Seekers, just look like them, as physical homages.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Each has an annoying trait such as "Ramjet" is a pathological lier, Skywarp is conceited and narcassistic, Sunstorm (making his first show appearance as an actual character) is a suck up, so on and so forth.

Again, it's part of the comedy. And, as of now, Ramjet is the official name of the Liar clone (so no more need for quotes).

Though, the names of each clone only exist in the toys. The fiction treats them as nothing more than "Starscream clones". And yet, Sunstorm's toy bio doesn't match his show personality, giving him a more "Enraged Starscream" personality instead of his correct "Sycophant Starscream" self.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Everything in the show seems to be a caricature, with exagerated features such as super skinny legs, and ultra wide body, with very long peanut head. (Optimus, Starscream.)

Which is a common practice in cartoons. For example, the shows within the DCAU.

As for the big chins, I don't see what's worng with a little originality in the lower jaw.

Rastamus Prime wrote:Or just ridiculousy, I mean ridiculousy overweight (Lugnut) characters.

Which bring back memories of G1 Omega Supreme's obese physique.

Rastamus Prime wrote:So much wrong with this show it's not even funny.

Sure it is! Remember the Wreck-Gar episodes?

Rastamus Prime wrote:Armada at least had normal looking bots and a decent plot.

Normal-looking bots: yes. Decent plot: ehh, by the time of the Unicron Battles (or maybe just a little before that) yeah.

Rastamus Prime wrote:This is the only series of Transformers I've ever had a problem with. TF Animated, if you're really gone, good riddance I won't miss you.

Ouch! That's harsh.

You're not alone in your opinion, Rastamus Prime. I vaguely recall some of the outrage in the fan community when the characters were revealed. Most of your criticisms stem from the art direction of the show, which is again, a fairly common attitude towards the show. I remember my own reaction was similar to your comparison to the Teen Titans, which I'm not a big fan of. You'll still hear people criticize TFA strictly for the art direction and that's an understandable opinion considering that the art style in TFA is a significant deviation from the more traditional blocky robot style.

I was won over by the generally good writing on the show and the fact that this was the first Transformers cartoon for several years that wasn't a Japanese produced show. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy anime, I'm a big fan actually, but the RiD and Unicron Trilogy shows are your standard mainstream anime, which is not much different than the standard quality cartoon from North America, which I don't care for. I don't hate them and I do enjoy parts of those shows but it's always a case of the pros and cons being in similar weight.

I place TFA in the same category as I do for the Beast Wars cartoon. They both have artistic direction that divides the fans but the story treatment is solid.

As far as the visuals, yeah, they're "cartoony" for sure but it could be worse. I've stuck with TFA for all 3 seasons so the style grew on me and it's the toys that I am truly impressed by. It's easy to dismiss the TFA toys due to the art style but the figures are largely successful in getting good likeness of character models in alt and bot modes. Some of the figures like Prowl and Oil Slick are very stylish yet no extraneous kibble is present in both modes. The fact that both are cyclebots makes it even more impressive in my eyes.

Now despite all of that, I would definitely have not minded a different art style for the show. Honestly, my perfect scenario for a Transformers cartoon would use art direction from Japanese animators who have experience in mecha heavy anime and writers from the "west" to come up with the scripts. That way we could have:

a) Strong robot and alt mode designs because if there's one thing anime and manga artists often excel at, it's industrial and mechanical designs.

and

b) Strong writing because, frankly, Japanese writers in the anime industry don't often impress me. The best writing I've encountered in anime/manga involves stories that are heavy in drama and that's not something I want in a Transformers cartoon. I'd like to have a good balance of drama, comedy, and action, which the writers of shows like BW and TFA have shown they can do. Anime typically ends up going over the deep end into either a sea of silliness or a dark and despairing melancholy.

It would be difficult(and costly) but could you imagine a Transformers cartoon that uses the Alternators/Binaltech and/or Alternity designs? The use of realistic and convincing alt modes with bot modes that are more mechanical would be pretty interesting to see in animated format.

Ultimately, TFA is a love it or hate it type of series for the fan community. It could be better for sure but it could have been far worse. Looking back at the history of fiction for Transformers, there's a lot to draw from and enjoy so there's going to be stuff there for all kinds of fans to embrace.

Convotron wrote:You're not alone in your opinion, Rastamus Prime. I vaguely recall some of the outrage in the fan community when the characters were revealed. Most of your criticisms stem from the art direction of the show, which is again, a fairly common attitude towards the show. I remember my own reaction was similar to your comparison to the Teen Titans, which I'm not a big fan of. You'll still hear people criticize TFA strictly for the art direction and that's an understandable opinion considering that the art style in TFA is a significant deviation from the more traditional blocky robot style.

I was won over by the generally good writing on the show and the fact that this was the first Transformers cartoon for several years that wasn't a Japanese produced show. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy anime, I'm a big fan actually, but the RiD and Unicron Trilogy shows are your standard mainstream anime, which is not much different than the standard quality cartoon from North America, which I don't care for. I don't hate them and I do enjoy parts of those shows but it's always a case of the pros and cons being in similar weight.

I place TFA in the same category as I do for the Beast Wars cartoon. They both have artistic direction that divides the fans but the story treatment is solid.

As far as the visuals, yeah, they're "cartoony" for sure but it could be worse. I've stuck with TFA for all 3 seasons so the style grew on me and it's the toys that I am truly impressed by. It's easy to dismiss the TFA toys due to the art style but the figures are largely successful in getting good likeness of character models in alt and bot modes. Some of the figures like Prowl and Oil Slick are very stylish yet no extraneous kibble is present in both modes. The fact that both are cyclebots makes it even more impressive in my eyes.

Now despite all of that, I would definitely have not minded a different art style for the show. Honestly, my perfect scenario for a Transformers cartoon would use art direction from Japanese animators who have experience in mecha heavy anime and writers from the "west" to come up with the scripts. That way we could have:

a) Strong robot and alt mode designs because if there's one thing anime and manga artists often excel at, it's industrial and mechanical designs.

and

b) Strong writing because, frankly, Japanese writers in the anime industry don't often impress me. The best writing I've encountered in anime/manga involves stories that are heavy in drama and that's not something I want in a Transformers cartoon. I'd like to have a good balance of drama, comedy, and action, which the writers of shows like BW and TFA have shown they can do. Anime typically ends up going over the deep end into either a sea of silliness or a dark and despairing melancholy.

It would be difficult(and costly) but could you imagine a Transformers cartoon that uses the Alternators/Binaltech and/or Alternity designs? The use of realistic and convincing alt modes with bot modes that are more mechanical would be pretty interesting to see in animated format.

Ultimately, TFA is a love it or hate it type of series for the fan community. It could be better for sure but it could have been far worse. Looking back at the history of fiction for Transformers, there's a lot to draw from and enjoy so there's going to be stuff there for all kinds of fans to embrace.

Right on, I can see your points. I was never a fan of the Anime that the Unicron Triogy portrayed myself. I have to agree with you on Japanese writers. I've never ever like anime writing simply because it's two sporadic, and hard to follow. It's mainly a bunch of exagerated movement. To be honest, it's mainly the Animation I oppose and then the toys come full swing. In terms of kibble, I've personally never owned an Animated toy so I'd be hard pressed to tell you anything about lack of kibble. But if they perfected that, then it looks bright for the TFs in the future.

I respect your opinion, Rastamus, but all of your mono-paragraph objections basically fall under the category of 'aesthetics'. You like what you like. Nothing wrong with that, save the (I hope) realization that others are allowed to have different aesthetics without you thinking less of them. You can't be *right* in an aesthetics issue. Or wrong. You just hold on to your likes and dislikes.

I'm a little...intrigued that you go on this rant NOW. This is, I think, Old News. Did you just find out it was cancelled or something? Or is your hatred for this show dangerously pathological that you're still seething about it?

Me, I like story more than pretty for my eyeballs. Ideally I'd like to have both. But I thought the stories were solid--for what they were. Did they conform to your notion of canonicity? No. That's why we have DVDs. Go watch your favorite series. If all you want is G1 again, you'd be much better off watching your G1 DVDs (as I do) than even TRYING anything else.

TFA was reaching for a younger demographic than any previous Transformers series. Yeah, even G1. Watch a G1 episode with a 5 year old then watch a TFA episode with same child. They like TFA better. The toys reflect this--easier transformations, chunkier parts, etc. The average 5 year old would die of boredom before finishing a single episode of Armada or Beast Machines.

I know what you're going to say: see! it's aimed at babies and that's why it sucks. Not really. It was trying to infuse 'cute'--which is what is the basis, I suspect, of most of your objections--into storylines. The violence was lowered and cartoonish. But it also had an evolving storyline that unfolded sequentially over the seasons. Unlike, say, many early G1 episodes which can (and were) shown 'out of order' because, let's face it, they all end at the same place as the beginning--no one's really won or lost any ground.

HK, one word for you: Lugnut.

My feeling is, if you don't like it, then don't watch it. I watched an episode of Cybertron when it was on and didn't like it, so I didn't watch it and I watched a few episodes of Animated and ultimately decided I didn't like it and no longer watched it.

Not every show, even in the same continuum, is going to appeal to everyone, so there is no use to acting like any show should do so. However, there is no reason to celebrate the cancellation of a show like Animated because others did enjoy it and we don't know what, if anything, will come along to replace it.

Predaprince wrote:
Not every show, even in the same continuum, is going to appeal to everyone, so there is no use to acting like any show should do so. However, there is no reason to celebrate the cancellation of a show like Animated because others did enjoy it and we don't know what, if anything, will come along to replace it.

Thank you! Very well said!

HK, yeah, what he said.

hellkitty wrote:I'm a little...intrigued that you go on this rant NOW. This is, I think, Old News. Did you just find out it was cancelled or something? Or is your hatred for this show dangerously pathological that you're still seething about it?

To be fair, Rastamus only joined the forum a few weeks ago.

Rastamus Prime's DoB on Seibertron.com wrote:Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:08 pm

Now I definitely can see things from hellkitty and Predaprince's PoV, I'm a fan of TFA so I wholeheartedly support the show. However, I think that at least Rastamus didn't just throw up a hate-post on TFA. It could have easily been a "TFA sucks, goodbye m-fers!!!". He posted his reasons for his PoV and I don't think he did so in an unreasonable fashion. He was aware that his opinion wouldn't be popular and stated he meant no disrespect for fans of the show. He isn't celebrating the cancellation of TFA because it was enjoyed by others, he's celebrating the cancellation because he didn't enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with that.

I agree that if someone doesn't enjoy something, don't partake of it. At the same time, I'm catching up on the RiD and Unicron Trilogy shows and despite my dislike the mainstream anime production of the shows, I'm watching them because I want to get caught up on the Transformers fiction. I like some aspects of the cartoons, I strongly dislike others.If I had not watched TFA beyond the pilot, I wouldn't have become a fan of the show. I'll always give a chance to Transformers in any media, ride out the rough spots and see what positive aspects I can get out of it. But that's just me and I don't begrudge others for not watching something after the first taste of the show.

Rastamus doesn't like the art direction of TFA and some of the characterization and change of familiar roles such as UM being the Supreme Commander of the Autobots. No big deal, just his opinion, which he took time to elaborate upon. He may have presented his thoughts in a manner that are a bit on the harsh side at certain points but it seems he is getting a bit of flak unfairly for not liking something others like. He took the time read my stupid-long response(stupid long posts are a habit of mine...like this one) and was open minded enough to look at things from another perspective. He has my respect for that and that's something I always appreciate in forum activity because it can be a rarity in discussions involving subjects like TFA that can cause strong reactions.

As a slight aside directed to Rastamus, you should really check out the TFA toys at some point. Even though the art style isn't for you, I think you may find some interesting and well designed toys with pretty good transformation sequences. They're not too involved but there's an elegance in their lack of complexity.

This is a really good time for Transformers fans because all around, the toylines from the past few years have really made strides in improvement in designs. Everything from the Classics molds to the TFA line to current lines like Alternity really impress me.

I was pretty appalled when I first saw TFA designs.
But I warmed up to the show.

A lot of the human bad guys sucked, but a couple were decent and everything else I found to be enjoyable.
Especially cameos and winks, like the Kremzeek technical difficults screen. XD

I have said it before on this site and I'll say it again.
Show me giant transforming talking robots, and I am all over it.

But I do share hellkitty's curiosity... why bring this up NOW?
TFA is so far gone at this point we're all just waiting for whatever is next.

Siren Prime wrote:But I do share hellkitty's curiosity... why bring this up NOW?
TFA is so far gone at this point we're all just waiting for whatever is next.

As stated earlier, Rastamus is a newer forum member...he had joined 18 days ago.

Now is as good a time as any for someone to criticize TFA as it has had its run and it can be looked at in its entirety.

Convotron wrote:

Siren Prime wrote:But I do share hellkitty's curiosity... why bring this up NOW?
TFA is so far gone at this point we're all just waiting for whatever is next.

As stated earlier, Rastamus is a newer forum member...he had joined 18 days ago.

Now is as good a time as any for someone to criticize TFA as it has had its run and it can be looked at in its entirety.

Ah, I missed it. And yeah that's true.
Not the best TF show ever created, but I liked it. Better than I like TF Cybertron.

Yea Blitzwing sucks and I hate him so very, very much.
Also I think TFA was the absolute worst TF show ever and that Armada was definitively the best and most realistic TF show ever and I think it should continue to this very day. [/sarcasm]

Dead Metal wrote:Yea Blitzwing sucks and I hate him so very, very much.
Also I think TFA was the absolute worst TF show ever and that Armada was definitively the best and most realistic TF show ever and I think it should continue to this very day. [/sarcasm]

Don't...you...ever...EVER...speak poorly of Armada!!!

Good day to you, sir!

...

I said GOOD DAY!!!









Okay, seriously, I have high hopes for the next TF series. The success of the two live action films, the success of TFA, the fact that the toyline seems to still be strong(look at the number of waves we've gotten in the last year) and getting stronger, all adds up to motivation for The Powers That Be to continue their efforts to keep the momentum going. If we get another homegrown cartoon series, I think there is a strong chance we'll get another good product like TFA.

TFA was made at least in part to capitalize on the success of TF2007 and to tap into the newfound public awareness of Transformers in the general population. I think that was a large part of the reason why the artistic direction chosen was "youth friendly". The creators also tempered that "cartoony" style with more mature writing that most people do recognize, even critics of the series. It was a smart move because in the end it obviously won over a good portion of the TF enthusiast population while at the same time captured a new generation of TF fans.

My nieces, 5 and 6, were first introduced to Transformers through TFA and then went backwards to watch the G1 shows, the G1 movie and the other cartoons. The older one is adamant she will marry Optimus Prime when she groes up and the other has a crush on Bumblebee. Those darn crazy kids! BUT...those kids are going to be the next generation of fans and that's a good thing in my opinion. I'd rather have kids be hooked on Transformers than some other less desireable elements of popular culture these days...(hops off the soapbox)

Now TFA did put off quite a few longstanding TF fans? Definitely but not enough to alienate them from the universe of Transformers. Maybe the odd few would be so put off they give up Transformers but frankly, people with that kind of extreme attitude aren't the kind of fan I'd want to be associated with so good riddance to them. If they won't stick with something through the rougher times, they aren't true fans.

I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed at the new TFs that are protrayed in TFA, but after watching a few episodes on TV I changed my views. TFA actually has a pretty good storyline that doesn't always revolve around the Autobots and Decepticons (i.e. the human villains) like the old series does. The only complaint that I really have for this show, is why does it have to end with just 3 seasons? As for those that don't like Armada series, check out the original Japanese version not the English dub, which kinda ruins the storyline.

Well, many TV series, cartoon or not, work from season to season. The DC animated cartoons worked in a similar way. The commentary and behind the scenes parts of the Justice League and Justice League Animated DVDs show Bruce Timm and the other producers and directors saying on more than one occassion that they would create the season finale with no clear guarantee that they would have another season to work on so they would create the finale as a story arc that would tie things together in case they weren't renewed.

I don't know for a fact if that's what happened with TFA but I think they were in a similar spot where they work on a season and see if it's renewed and see where Hasbro wants to go with it. I do feel that season 3 felt rushed a bit towards the end. The finale felt very Star Wars-y with OP and Crew's return to Cybertron. It feels like I should be prepping for the next season to see what happens after the public ceremony of their triumph over the Decepticons.

It was a so so series in my opinion, the only saving grace was the G1 references in characters and other very small small areas. Other then that I certainly won't miss it.

Hell Kitty:

I'm a little...intrigued that you go on this rant NOW. This is, I think, Old News. Did you just find out it was cancelled or something? Or is your hatred for this show dangerously pathological that you're still seething about it?

It was never officially announced, it just dropped out. There was a long akward dissapearance of the show and that was it. The toys are still being sold so it's not TOTALLY gone.

THAT'S why I bring this up now. I shared an opinion, take it or leave it. I have no emotional hatred towards the show, I just shared why I didn't like it.

I have to agree as well. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and it just didn't deliver IMO. I don't anything they put out there will top the original G1 series from the 80s. I still have to watch the Energon series, Armada was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The minicons were a little annoying from time to time. Still nothing compared to G1 though. The only cartoon series from the 80s that they remade/reimaged that came out great was Masters of the Universe. I was very impressed with that and was upset to see it go off the air so soon. Back to Transformers, I think eventually they'll come up with something that will stick. Just give it some time.

I have to agree with hellkitty on the aesthetics bit, becuase for the most part, that's the quality that causes us to like or dislike something.
I'm essentially anti-Animated as well, and I'm kind of glad it's over so as to see what's coming next, but like Predaprince since I didn't care for it I just didn't watch it. I fully realize that TFs and toys/cartoons in general are designed for children, but whether or not I like something determines...whether or not I like something, I guess. If kids like it, great. If I don't then I have a problem with it. Not like a 'problem' like I'm going to over-complain or do something about it, but if I don't like it, that means I don't like it. Like Twilight, I think it really blows. But lots of people really, really love Twilight. Neither myself nor they are wrong, but their liking it in no fashion even begins to influence the way I feel about it.
I think what I'm trying to get at unsuccessfully is that just because the show and the toys were/are made for kids, I don't think that that should be used as a stick to wedge support out of anything. Like, I think the movies stink as well, and ROTF, god, I think that's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. If you or anyone else likes them, or LOVES, them, TERRIFIC. Honestly, my opinions are not ever meant to disuade anyone else, I just enjoy voicing my opinion about things. I am not interested if the TF movies are designed for people who know next to nothing about the franchise, I just want to see a movie I enjoy. I think most of this may be sounding hostile, and believe me, I don't mean it to be that way. I know Animated was a hit with the kiddies, and that's great, but it doesn't change the notion that I didnt like it. Rastamus didn't either.
Hellkitty, you're right in entirety. It is all about the aesthetics in this case, completely.

Aesthetics are definitely important and the fact of the matter is that animation is a visual medium. If someone doesn't like the visuals, no matter how good the other aspects of a cartoon are, it's going to be a significant hurdle to overcome.

I was able to overcome my initial doubt over the art style of the show and I've come to enjoy and appreciate it. I was in college the first year of TFA's airing and I had some friends in the animation program who enlightened me to the production side of animation. I'm a lifelong fan of cartoons but seeing things from the production side definitely allows me to appreciate the more unconventional styles.

I really like a good story and so that was the main factor in helping me roll with the TFA art style. The fact that other people didn't find enough beyond the art to help them like the show as I do is just fine and dandy to me. I don't get the way some fans take offense when others don't like what they like.

There is one good reason for why we shouldn't always like everything that has Transformers stamped on it...

Kiss Players

I don't know anything about this line of Transformers toys and fiction beyond some product photos and what tfwiki has written but that's more than enough, too much in fact, for me.

So as I've written before, things can get worse than TFA no matter how much one dislikes it.

Convotron wrote:There is one good reason for why we shouldn't always like everything that has Transformers stamped on it...

Kiss Players

I don't know anything about this line of Transformers toys and fiction beyond some product photos and what tfwiki has written but that's more than enough, too much in fact, for me.
.

There really isn't that much more to know about Kiss Play without endangering one's sanity. It's every bit as 'oh my GOD that is so WRONG' as you can probably imagine.

It fills a very odd market niche--that (I hope really small) market of old creepy men who like idea of prepubescent girls, tentacles and robosperm by the gallon. Allow me to perform the collective ritual

And even though it nauseates me and offends every furry fiber of my female feline feminist being, I have exposed myself to it BEFORE I made my decision. I didn't judge it from hearsay or just looking at a panel. I KNOW it's not for me. And even though I do think just a teeeeeeeeeeensy bit less of Kiss Play fans, it certainly has a right to exist. Someone is allowed to think it, fantasize about it, and even draw it if they like without my condemnation. They won't be getting my money, but that's not the same as getting my hatred or scorn.

And I've become, instead of enraged or thinking that Kiss Play fans are perverted sickos I want to kill, really fascinated by the phenomenon. WHO has this kink? Where did it come from? What other examples of this technoxenophilia exist in our society? So, instead of taking the easy way out and dancing on the Kiss Play grave, I've had my eyes opened to the fact that the world is a bigger and weirder place than I'd thought. It gave me a problem to figure out. Maybe the knee jerk haters would put their energy to better use trying to figure out what other people *see* in something they don't like.

HK, someone believed in the idea.

I have to admire you, HK, for educating yourself on KP before making a judgement. As for me, yeah, I think I know as much as I need to. I've got no hatred for it, more of a distinct desire to stay away from the line for the most part.

I will say one thing for the line, I do like the Autorooper/looper figure. The base mold it's retooled from, Meister, is cool, I like the Japanese police motif, and I like the quirky design choices like including a traffic cone gun that can use Kremzeek as a bullet.

Convotron wrote:I will say one thing for the line, I do like the Autorooper/looper figure. The base mold it's retooled from, Meister, is cool, I like the Japanese police motif, and I like the quirky design choices like including a traffic cone gun that can use Kremzeek as a bullet.

And what's more is that the design for the Autroopers was incorporated into Animated as the Autotroopers. So, even one of the least-liked TF series got it's piece inserted into Animated.

DecepticonsAttack77 wrote:I have to agree as well. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and it just didn't deliver IMO. I don't anything they put out there will top the original G1 series from the 80s. I still have to watch the Energon series, Armada was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The minicons were a little annoying from time to time. Still nothing compared to G1 though. The only cartoon series from the 80s that they remade/reimaged that came out great was Masters of the Universe. I was very impressed with that and was upset to see it go off the air so soon. Back to Transformers, I think eventually they'll come up with something that will stick. Just give it some time.

I my self have never seen Energon. I used to love Armada, for the reason that it was a fun show, the characters were good, and it had a really good story. There were some really serious scenes, like the scene Wheeljack is forced to be abondoned by Hot Shot and when Starscream (Thundercracker) sacrifices himself it was really dramatic, for a series like that. And it delivered well beyond my expectations. My only actual complaint for that series was every time a tranformer transformed, they had to yell "Transform!" Which I thought was alittle hoaky.

Dagon wrote:I have to agree with hellkitty on the aesthetics bit, becuase for the most part, that's the quality that causes us to like or dislike something.
I'm essentially anti-Animated as well, and I'm kind of glad it's over so as to see what's coming next, but like Predaprince since I didn't care for it I just didn't watch it. I fully realize that TFs and toys/cartoons in general are designed for children, but whether or not I like something determines...whether or not I like something, I guess. If kids like it, great. If I don't then I have a problem with it. Not like a 'problem' like I'm going to over-complain or do something about it, but if I don't like it, that means I don't like it. Like Twilight, I think it really blows. But lots of people really, really love Twilight. Neither myself nor they are wrong, but their liking it in no fashion even begins to influence the way I feel about it.

Yea, no one here is right. I blatantly said it was how I feeled on the series. I was not posting a thread to start rallies and protest bad TV shows. I'm glad people enjoy it, it does not bother me in the least. As for Twilight, it's one of those things that has a large fanbase, which I really know nothing about, but just know I wouldn't enjoy at all. But on a positive note, it seems to be getting kids to read more (the book.)

I think what I'm trying to get at unsuccessfully is that just because the show and the toys were/are made for kids, I don't think that that should be used as a stick to wedge support out of anything. Like, I think the movies stink as well, and ROTF, god, I think that's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. If you or anyone else likes them, or LOVES, them, TERRIFIC. Honestly, my opinions are not ever meant to disuade anyone else, I just enjoy voicing my opinion about things. I am not interested if the TF movies are designed for people who know next to nothing about the franchise, I just want to see a movie I enjoy. I think most of this may be sounding hostile, and believe me, I don't mean it to be that way. I know Animated was a hit with the kiddies, and that's great, but it doesn't change the notion that I didnt like it. Rastamus didn't either.
Hellkitty, you're right in entirety. It is all about the aesthetics in this case, completely.

The live action moves, undeniably were terribly written. An as far as I'm concerned, that's factual. It's been known that Michael Bay uses nothing but special effects appeal in his movies, lots of explosions and violence. I failed to see a plot in the movie except "stare at Megan Fox, for about 1 hour, and the rest just throw in some transformers to keep the kids happy." Boom, plot revealed. I have to be honest, that's not opinion, that's fact. Getting back to Animated, exactly it was for kids.... Key word there. And that I have no complaints about. I have to admit, it's keeping the Transformers community alive, and maybe it's just a bench warmer for greater, better series. Only time will tell that. But as a show in itself, yea I stick by my words on that.

Sabrblade wrote:

Convotron wrote:I will say one thing for the line, I do like the Autorooper/looper figure. The base mold it's retooled from, Meister, is cool, I like the Japanese police motif, and I like the quirky design choices like including a traffic cone gun that can use Kremzeek as a bullet.

And what's more is that the design for the Autroopers was incorporated into Animated as the Autotroopers. So, even one of the least-liked TF series got it's piece inserted into Animated.

Wow, good thing it's an obscure nod for more casual fans.