Transformers: Animated Marathon

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:42 am

Hey, why not? It's all on YouTube, so let's do this thing!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:45 am

The intro (with non character-specific) G1 footage is a bit jarring. The series is not a sequel to G1. Rather, it's an homage to NEARLY EVERYTHING that has come before.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:47 am

The introduction is handled well. Their reasons for appearing on Earth are believable. The battle between the Autobots and Megatron is nothing nothing short of spectacular, and the movie-inspired "Megatron-as-the-basis-for-plenty-of-Earth-technology is handled VERY well!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:48 am

The idea of having the Autobots taken on Non-Decepticon threats on a regular basis is novel and workable. Especially since the Decepticons are presented as, maybe for the first time EVER, as a real threat.

LMFAO at Sari explaining where "new organics" come from.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:49 am

I am fully willing to put aside that the Transformers can learn all of Earth's languages from the Internet while remaining ignorant of other things. Why? Because the Internet is definitely something I'd definitely want to limit my access to.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:59 am

We should all do the classic show in a marathon. Together. Like a book club kinda thing.

But this time I'll be the one doing the drinking.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:10 am

spiderfrommars wrote:
But this time I'll be the one doing the drinking.

We don't have to take turns.

Can something be both light-hearted AND serious? I submit that TF:Animated accomplishes it in spades! In fact, I think that the light-hearted tone of TF Animated lends added gravitas to the serious moments of the series!

As is well demonstrated by Starscream attempting to kill everybody onboard a captured train car.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:17 am

Even in the early goings of the series, it's obvious that TF:Prime takes a LOT of inspiration from this series.

This MAY be my favorite animated incarnation of Starscream. It's self-referential without being fan-wanky. AND AWESOME!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:01 pm

For JUST a second, I thought that Optimus Prime may have died in at the end of the Season Premier 3-parter. And for that, TFA gets MAD props!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:05 pm

The Angry Archer seems to be based on Aaron Archer, the head of the Transformers brand at Hasbro. There are probably less than a few hundred people who would get that joke. And to those of us who do...HILARIOUS!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:12 pm

Remember when I said that Hunter, Jimmy, and Verity were the best humans in TF history? Nope. That honor is reserved for the Sumdak family.

I actually feel bad for Megatron! This is brilliant! Brilliant, I say!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:30 pm

I think it's kind of funny that, in Total Meltdown, the "lil guy" ****s himself HUGE.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:59 pm

I would love to know how Oil Slick became Meltdown. Or vice versa. I'll bet TFwiki could answer that question. But rather than check, i'll just assert my own theories, in the face of all-but-gospel answers!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:04 pm

Apparently, as of episode 6, the Transformers have been around for OVER TEN BILLION YEARS. WHOA!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:13 pm

Ok. So. In episode 6 (Blast from the Past) we get the introduction of the Dinobots. Although they're not all named until later, there are Grimlock (T-Rex), Swoop (Terradactyl), and Snarl (Triceratops). Although, in G1, Slag was the Triceratops, this Snarl's robot mode closely mirrors the G1 Snarl robot mode. This leaves only Sludge unaccounted for. Although, given the Dinobots' sporadic appearances in TFTM, this might actually be a conscious decision.

What of Slapper, I wonder...

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:19 pm

"My prospects are grim. Locked in this prison of lab."

"Grim...Lock... Grim...Lock... Me...Grimlock..."

"Then listen well, Grimlock. I am Megatron, your leader."

"Me...Grimlock...leader!"

****ing GREAT!!!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:23 pm

Cars and trucks EAT dinosaurs! Destroy cars and trucks!

This is seriously some upper-level brilliance going on here! This is the kind of show that I, Prof. Smooth, would have loved as a kid! The kind of love that would have fueled a life-long Transformers hobby!

WELL! ****ING! DONE!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:55 pm

Episode 7, the Thrill of the Hunt begins the whole "world building" aspect of Animated. It begins to go into the backstory of Ratchet (and Arcee). There is a LOT that comes from this. However, this is the first time it comes up.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:58 pm

Do we know when/if season 3 is coming out on DVD (ever?)?

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:58 pm

This is also the episode that debuts LOCKDOWN. It's also the episode that pretty much guarantees that I'll be buying a bunch more ANIMATED figures than I really wanted to...

Good thing almost every figure is on clearance at the moment.　Except for Arcee and Blackarachnia, which are 4,000 and 8,000 yen each. F***...!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:13 pm

More about Episode 7: This is some really powerful stuff.

"This was a MEDICAL tool. YOU used it as a WEAPON!"

DJ_Convoy · Post by **DJ_Convoy** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:54 pm

Is it wrong that I am a bit of a philistine when it comes to this show? I quite liked some of the voice actors (Tom Kenney as Starscream was wonderful) but everytime I tried the show, I couldn't get into it.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:18 pm

I enjoy it, but a huge amount of its charm is rooted in referencing what's gone before. A bit like Dreamwave's War & Peace except that it works.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:56 pm

I don't know that it's a HUGE part of its charm, but I do love all the little nods to previous series.

Episode 8: Nanosec

I loved the Final Fantasy: Advent Children-esque launch of Bumblebee into the atmosphere. Once again, the Megatron-head is used very well.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:11 am

After Beast Wars, I didn't think it was possible to sexualize Blackarachnia any further. But then you've got Animated Blackarachnia saying things like, "...you'd love to give me a face full of foam..." LoL. Kids didn't get that one. Adults got a chuckle.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:47 am

Episode 10 sees the debut of Soundwave! And he sounds like Soundwave!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:07 am

We're at episode 13 and the introduction of The Headmaster!

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:23 am

Episode 14 is my first reason to complain. Space barnacles have mutated and attached to something Cybertronian, creating a mindless/headless monster. The thing turns out to be the remains of Megatron's body, although that's not made clear until the next episode. Which is MEGATRON RISING.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:30 am

Whoa! Prime is being an unbelievable dick!

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:10 am

It is as far as I'm concerned. It makes up for 70% of the characters being utter twats.

Take for example the terrible terrible Wreck-Gar episode. It's one gag stretched over 20 minutes. That gag being "look - it's Wreck Gar! and he's voiced by Weird Al! and he's quoting Dare to be Stupid! haha, hilarious!"

It isn't funny and if you're new to the series as a whole, it's just ****.

[/GRUMPYBrend]