So 2007 was a big year for the Transformers franchise. Michael Bay’s Transformers came out, which become almost an annual thing now, and the day after Christmas, Cartoon Network launched Transformers Animated. The latest American/Japanese collaboration in the Transformers universe, Animated is a complete reboot of the franchise, although it does give a nod to the G1 events in the opening few minutes of the first episode. Actually the first three episodes are one of three separate story arcs throughout the series. We’re introduced to a young Optimus Prime who is not yet the powerful leader he eventually becomes, although he shows glimpses of this inherent ability early-on. With him on peaceful space bridge repair missions are Bumblebee, Prowl, Ratchet, and Bulkhead. Prowl, who was new to me, is one of the more interesting Autobots. He can phase himself out of the physical world for short periods, and is more of a lonewolf; seems to be somewhat inspired by the western idea of a Ninja. Bumblebee and Bulkhead are sort of comic relief characters; they’re not as ‘serious’ as Prowl or Optimus, but they have their place. Rachet’s character is interesting as he is presented as an old Bot who was around during the great Autobot/Deception wars.
The accidental discover of the Allspark during the opening minutes of the series sets the stage for what happens throughout the rest of the series. Rachet knows what it is, and Optimus remembers it from his study of history. Only moments after discovering it on an asteroid, a Decepticon ship is detected, and, as you would guess, Megatron is on the hunt for this most powerful artifact. Clearly the Decepticon threat was only quelled in the past, not eliminated. In order to gain the power he seeks, the combat-hardened Megatron, along with Starscream, Blitzwing, Lugnut, Blackarachnia, will go to any lengths to obtain the Allspark.
In the ensuing battle, the Allspark falls to earth, and Megatron is apparently destroyed in an act of betrayal I won’t spoil for you. The Bots enter a state of stasis, and their ship lands underwater near Detroit. A young Isaac Sumdac discovers the remains of Megatron that fell to Earth, and fifty years later, he’s a wealthy professor of robotics. His automatons provide services for humans, or “organics” as the Transformers call them. Upon awakening, the Autobots enter this near-future Detroit, quickly establishing themselves as peaceful and protectors of humans. Their best friend, Sari Sumdac (Isaac’s daughter) quickly befriends them, and, after “connecting” with the Allspark, a “key” she wears as a necklace has the ability to instantly heal the Autobots. Her character takes some getting used to, and even many episodes in I find myself annoyed with some of her traits and dialogue. That said, the remaining Decepticons have tracked the Allspark to Earth. Accordingly, these young Bots (except for Rachet) will earn their combat stripes against the battle-tested Decepticons, while simultaneously dealing with Earth’s own interesting villains, like Angry Archer, Slo-Mo, and Nanosec. The inclusion of these Earth villains is actually a breath of fresh air, as it breaks up the potential for the monotony of constant Autobot/Deception battles. Additionally, these villains are pretty interesting characters in their own right.
As with other Transformers animated series, the twenty-two minute episode length is great for a quick binge viewing session or to watch while exercising. The animation style is more ‘anime’ than other series’, even more so than Energon. I never quite liked it as much as the older Transformers animation style, but it’s not bad, just different. Presented in 1:78:1, the image quality looks great on an old standard TV or a 16:9, I actually watched the show on both. Sound quality is straight-forward stereo audio, but it sounds just fine, although it would have been nice to include subtitles. If you’re looking for Peter Cullen, you won’t hear him in this series, but that took a lot less time to “get over” than the animation style (and Sari’s character). Package and menu design and function is good and familiar; artwork for each disc has a different character featured. Speaking of features, there isn’t much, just a few audio commentaries on select episodes with folks like Marty Isenberg (Writer), David Kaye (voice of Optimus Prime) Director Matt Youngberg, and Designer Derrick Wyatt. This is more than other Shout! Transformer set releases, though.
With that, let’s transform and roll out…