The American Cartoon Series
Before we begin talking
about the
Japanese cartoons, it's essential that we understand the American
series. This is because (1) the Japanese series builds on the American
one, and (2) the Japanese series has some notable differences from the
American story. You can't dismiss the American cartoons outright, but
you can't follow it too closely, either.
The American Transformers
cartoon continuity is composed of the following parts:
-
Season 1 -
The very first
Transformers cartoon. Optimus Prime and the Autobots battle Megatron
and the Decepticons for the safety of Earth, Cybertron, and everything
else. The Autobots' closest ally is the human named Spike Witwicky.
-
Season 2 -
A continuation of
season 1. More Autobots and Decepticons join the fray, but essentally
it's the same struggle for the fate of the universe.
-
Transformers:
The Movie -
Taking place in the year 2005 A.D., this story is a pivotal point in
the Transformers continuity. A giant "monster planet" called Unicron is
introduced. Optimus Prime dies, and Megatron is reformed as Galvatron.
New characters appear, most notably the Autobots Hot Rod and Ultra
Magnus, and the Decepticons Cyclonus and Scourge. By the end of the
movie, Unicron is destroyed, Hot Rod is reformed as the Autobot leader,
Rodimus Prime, and the Decepticons have been vanquished from Cybertron.
-
Season 3 -
A continuation of
the events after the movie, with Galvatron leading the Decepticons
against Rodimus Prime and the Autobots. By the end of the third season,
Optimus Prime has been resurrected, and is restored to his old position
as the Leader of the Autobots. Rodimus Prime steps down and becomes Hot
Rod again.
-
Season
4/"Rebirth" - The
rarely-seen ending to the American cartoon series, a three-episode epic
that threatened to destroy the Earth by making the sun go nova. The
essental information to note here are that:
- The Transformers meet an alien race called
Nebulans,
- The Headmasters (Scorponok, Fortress
Maximus, etc.) and Targetmasters are introduced, and
- The planet Cybertron has been re-energized
with new energy.
-
Beast Wars -
Occurring
hundreds of years after the end of the Great War, this story chronicles
the adventures of the descendants of the Autobots and the Decepticons.
On a mysterious, primitive planet, Optimus Primal and a rag-tag crew of
Maximal explorers must stop the evil Megatron and his Predacons, whose
plans to conquer Cybertron escalate into a scheme to alter the course
of reality itself...!
Recycled Americana
Now that we're all clear
about the
American show, it's time to jump into the Japanese story. I'll mention
here that some of the Japanese names are different from their American
counterparts, or don't have American equivalents at all. These new
names will be marked when they are first
encountered.
Okay? Good. Now, clear your
mind, and we'll begin with...
Fight! Super Robot Life
Transformers (July 6, 1985 to November 7, 1986)
Check out the Super Robot
Life episode summaries here
This is the first Transformers cartoon series to appear in Japan. It's
essentally Season 1 and Season 2 of the American cartoons, redubbed
into Japanese. Some episodes were aired unmodified from their original
American productions, while other episodes consisted of scenes from
different shows mixed and matched into new stories. The end result is
the same, however: Convoy (Optimus Prime) leads the
Cybertrons (Autobots) against Megatron
and the Destrons (Decepticons), both on Earth and
on Seibertron (Cybertron).
Scramble City (1986)
This is a half-hour OAV (original animated video) that bridged the
transition from the "contemporary" era of Fight! Super Robot
Life Transformers
to the year 2006 A.D. It was made by combining original animated
footage with existing American cartoon clips into one fight-filled
festival. The large combiners (Superion, Menasor, Bruticus, Devastator,
and Defensor) played leading roles, while Dinosaurer
(Trypticon), Ultra Magnus, and Metroplex make brief appearances. The
name comes from the story's premise of "scramble power." Combiners like
Superion could rearrange their limbs (swapping an arm for a leg, for
instance) to gain advantage in battle.
Scramble City
is a source of considerable confusion for many Transformers fans
(myself included). This is largely because the Scramble City
story was never finished -- the OAV ends on a clifhanger, as Ultra
Magnus, Metroplex, and the Autobots watch in amazement as Dinosaurer
rises out of the ocean. A resolution to this story was never released,
though rumors abound of a "sequel" assembled from American cartoon
clips that ended with the deaths of Convoy and Megatron.
A second Scramble
City episode
was eventually made, but using stop-motion animation of the toys
themselves instead of cel animation. This story does not directly
follow the first Scramble City OAV, but served to
show Rodimus Convoy (Rodimus Prime) and Galvatron
becoming the leaders of the Cybertrons and Destrons. Eventually, the
beginning of the Headmasters
series in 1987 briefly explained Convoy's death/resurrection and
Megatron's transformation into Galvatron.
Transformers: 2010
(November 14, 1986 to June 26, 1987)
Check out the 2010 episode
summaries here
This is the same as Season 3 of the American cartoons. As with Fight!
Super Robot Life Transformers,
some of the shows were simply redubbed with Japanese voices, while
others were formed by mixing footage from several shows into new
stories. As with the American series, the series ends with the
resurrection of Convoy, while Rodimus Convoy becomes Hot
Rodimus (Hot Rod) again.
Transformers: Headmasters
(July 3, 1987 to March 28, 1988)
Check out the Headmasters
episode summaries here
So far, you're probably unimpressed. "Okay, so the Japanese
Transformers cartoons were recycled American stuff. Why's everyone so
excited over them?"
Well, to be honest, no one
is. Only the die-hard purist American collectors are interested in
collecting Fight! Super Robot Life Transformers or Transformers:
2010, and the market for them is very small (the demand for Scramble
City
is a bit higher, simply because it has some new material that Americans
haven't seen already). It's what follows which gets the fans excited.
Transformers:
Headmasters is the start of Japan's original cartoons. This
story takes place in the year 2011, after Transformers: 2010.
An important thing to note here is that, in the Japanese cartoon
continuity, the American "Rebirth" series does not occur.
While Headmasters and Targetmasters show up, Nebulans do not.
Headmasters
starts with Galvatron
leading a new batch of Destrons to wage war on Seibertron, the Destron
Headmasters. The Cybertrons are rescued by the arrival of the Cybertron
Headmasters, led by Fortress (Cerebros, the head of
Fortress
Maximus). It is revealed that Fortress left Seibertron millions of
years ago in search of energy, and have finally managed to come home.
He explains that the Headmasters are from a planet called Master; the
human-sized robots who live there built themselves Transformers-sized
bodies. They can then transform themselves into the heads of the
robots, and have now joined the Cybertron-Destron war.
Lots of things happen in Headmasters.
Convoy dies (again), so Hot Rodimus resumes his leadership role as
Rodimus Convoy. Soundwave and Blaster fight each other, die, and are
resurrected as Soundblaster and Twincast,
respectively.
Seibertron is destroyed =( , so Rodimus Convoy leads a team to find a
new home world, and he leaves Fortress in charge. Mars is destroyed,
Ultra Magnus dies, and Galvatron is buried in an arctic avalanche.
Scorponok becomes the Leader of the Destrons, and eventually gets
himself a more powerful body called Megazarak.
After more
encounters, the Cybertrons foil a Destron plan to destroy the Earth,
Fortress kill Megazarak, and the Destrons are driven away from Earth.
Other major characters in Headmasters
are:
- Chromedome. Though Fortress eventually leads
the
Cybertrons, Chromedome is a dominant player throughout the series, and
often shares the leadership duties with Fortress.
- Raiden. This is a
Cybertron gestalt/combiner formed from six Trainbots: Suiken,
Getsuei, Yukikaze, Kaen, Shouki, and Seizan.
Their vehicle modes are trains.
- Rodimus Convoy. Though he only leads the
Cybertrons
for seven episodes, he's still interesting to watch here. Unlike the
uncertain, playful Rodimus Prime that American viewers are familiar
with, Rodimus Convoy is a sterner, more mature leader.
- Sixshot. He first appears as a Destron ninja
(and,
in fact, kills Ultra Magnus), and plays a major role as a Destron
subcommander. However, he eventually changes sides and helps the
Cybertrons.
- Wheelie and Daniel Witwicky. Fans who don't
like
these characters in their American portrayal won't like them here,
either. But they appear in a lot of episodes, and play fairly pivotal
roles (Daniel was a major factor in Sixshot's change of allegiance, for
instance). Wheelie's portrayal is also fairly different from what
American fans are accustomed to; in Headmasters,
he's often seen as a brash young punk, ready to argue with his elders
and his superiors over perceived faults.
Of the different Japanese
animated series, Headmasters
is considered the weakest by most viewers. The animation is not of the
high standards of most Japanese shows (there apears to be a conscious
effort to duplicate the simpler style of the American cartoon),
overemphasis of fighting over characterization, and too many stories
where the Cybertrons merely waited for the Destrons to do something.
Transformers: Hero
(1988)
This was a laserdisc
released in Japan after the end of Headmasters and
before the start of Transformers: Super God Masterforce.
It included summaries of the previous Japanese Transformers shows, a
trailer for Transformers: The Movie, and a preview
of the first four episodes of Masterforce. It is of
some interest to American fans as a novelty item.
Transformers: Super God
Masterforce
(April 12, 1988 to March 7, 1989)
Check out the Masterforce
episode summaries here
The next Japanese Transformers series was Transformers: Super
God Masterforce, and is much better than Headmasters.
Even though the Destrons have been driven off Earth, a small team of
Cybertron Pretenders have remained behind, just in case. Led by
Metalhawk ("Hawk" in his human
identity), the Pretenders live
among the humans, using their Pretender shells to assume human size and
appearance. The Cybertrons' caution is rewarded: Destron Pretenders
soon appear, led by a mysterious force called
Devil Z. The Cybertrons and Destrons
soon build up their forces, recruiting humans to become Junior
Headmasters and Godmasters (Powermasters).
Note that, aside from the
Pretenders and Devil Z, the main characters in Masterforce
are humans. The humans are given a pair of bracelets; by snapping them
together, an exo-suit appears. The human then transforms into a head or
an engine, combine with his transtector
(Transformer body),
then transform into a robot. A long-running plot throughout the series
was the discovery of these transtectors -- where did they come from,
and who hid them? It is eventually revealed that they were stolen by
Devil Z from a distant galaxy, who hid them on Earth so he could use
them for a later date to conquer the universe.
There were lots of
prominent characters in Masterforce.
Some of them were released in America under different names, but the
others were either exclusive to Japan or were only sold in Europe:
- Metalhawk. Leader of the
Cybertron
Pretenders. His toy was sold only in Japan; his name comes from the
fact that the robot inside his Pretender shell was made of metal.
- Lander, Diver, and Phoenix
(Landmine, Waverider, and Cloudburst). The other Cybertron Pretenders.
- Blood, Dowlos, and Gilmer
(Bombburst, Skullgrin, and Submarauder). The Destron Pretenders.
- King Poseidon (Piranacon).
In Masterforce,
the Seacons (except for the leader, Snaptrap) were mindless drones, who
attacked by the dozens and were destroyed like so much cannon fodder.
- Shuta, Cab, and Minerva
(Siren, Hosehead, and Nightbeat). The
Cybertron Junior Headmasters. They are three children who were friends
of the Cybertrons. Metalhawk gave them Headmaster bracelets so they
could help in supporting roles (saving bystanders, stopping fires,
etc.) while the Cybertrons fought the Destrons. Of course, they ended
up doing more than that.
- Wilder, Cancer, and Bullhorn
(Fangry, Squeezeplay, and Horri-bull).
The Destron Junior Headmasters. They are a gang of thugs who were
recruited by the Destrons to help wreak havoc. Cancer eventually was
befriended by the Cybertrons and helped them against the Destrons.
- Ginrai (Powermaster
Optimus Prime). A young
and brash truck driver, Ginrai was drawn into the war because he ended
up driving a semi-truck that was actually a transtector. He eventually
became the leader of the Cybertron Godmasters. In robot mode, he could
combine with his trailer to form God Ginrai, and
also combine with Godbomber, below. Note that, even though Ginrai looks
like Convoy, he is not
supposed to be Convoy. He just shares the same blue helmet, silver
faceplate, and red truck body as the famous leader, that's all.
Right...
- Godbomber. Originally
built as a second
support trailer for Ginrai, Godbomber could also transform into a
fighting robot drone. It could also combine with God Ginrai to form
Super God Ginrai, the most powerful
Cybertron warrior of Masterforce.
- Giga and Mega.
A husband-and-wife Destron team. They
started off as first lieutenants to Devil Z, but eventually acquire
transtectors of their own. Mega flies an SR-71 Blackbird, while Giga
drives a tank, and the two combine to form
Overlord.
- Browning. A little Destron
robot that transformed into a gun. He was given to Cancer as a
companion by Mega.
- Lightfoot, Ranger, and Road
King (Getaway, Joyride, and Slapdash). The Cybertron
Godmasters.
- Buster and Hydra
(Dreadwing and Darkwind). Two brothers working for the Destrons, they
can combine their transtectors to form Darkwing.
- Sixknight (recolored
Quickswitch). A
wandering Cybertron, he first appears by working for the Destrons, but
ends up playing a rogue element whose alliances are never too concrete.
- Doubleclouder
(Doubledealer). A human whose
transtector could assume two forms, either Cybertron or Destron. He
first appears as a spy for the Destrons, but eventually changes sides
and helps the Cybertrons.
- Black Zarak (recolored
Scorponok). He
originally appears on Earth to take command of the Destrons. After a
few campaigns, however, Devil Z possesses his body, and uses it against
the Cybertrons.
At the end of Masterforce,
the
surviving Cybertrons gain self-awareness and no longer need their human
hosts, so they leave to join their Cybertron allies. This series is a
long-time favorite with fans familiar with the Japanese series, both
for its beautiful animation and for its complex writing. But as good as
Masterforce was, it was soon
overshadowed by an even better show, Transformers: Victory...
Transformers: Victory
(March 14, 1989 to December 19, 1989)
Check out the Victory
episode summaries here
The pinnacle of the Japanese Transformers shows was Transformers:
Victory.
Whether it's because the characters and toys were never released
outside of Japan (thus keeping them fresh), or whether it's because of
the beautiful animation and rich storytelling involved, it's hard to
find a fan of the Japanese Transformers stories who does not rank this
among their favorites.
Set in 2025 A.D., Victory
introduces us to Star Saber, the mightiest
Cybertron warrior and the
greatest swordsman in the galaxy. The Destrons are continuing to invade
planets throughout the universe, so the Cybertrons have joined with the
humans to form the Space Defense Force, with Star Saber as its leader.
Leading the Destrons is
Deathsaurus, who has targeted Earth as
the next planet to plunder, which means much of Victory
takes place on our planet.
Unlike Masterforce,
there aren't too many mysteries in Victory.
The bulk of the series focuses on Deathsaurus' long-running campaign
against Earth and Star Saber -- much like the original Megatron vs.
Convoy conflict -- and perhaps it's that no-nonsense confrontation that
appeals to the fans. Planet Micro is briefly introduced, as the home
world for the Micromasters.
Victory
does introduce two new ideas to the toys, however. Though there's no
mention of the planet Master (from Headmasters),
the Cybertrons had Brainmasters. A small figure
goes into the chest of
the robot. Then, when the chest was closed, the figure rose into the
robot's head, forming its face. In contrast, the Destrons had
Breastforce -- each member had a
breastplate (hence the name)
that they wore. The plate could be removed and transformed into either
a weapon or an animal attack partner. And anyone who's seen the
Breastforcers fight know that you do not want to
snicker at the name...
Main players in Victory
were:
- Star Saber. The Cybertron
leader, and a Brainmaster. The Brainmaster figure could combine with a
small red jet to form Saber, and then combine once
more with the V-Star to form Star Saber.
- Victory Leo. In the middle
of the series, Super God Ginrai (from Masterforce)
was mortally wounded while saving Star Saber's life. He was reborn as
Victory Leo, a fierce lion-robot with random bouts of violence. He
could combine with Star Saber to form
Victory Saber.
- Deathsaurus. The Destron
leader, and a Breastforce member. He had two breastplates
(Tigerbreast and Eaglebreast),
which could be deployed separately or together.
- Blacker, Braver, and Laster.
Cybertron Brainmasters. They could also combine to form Road
Caesar. The Brainmaster cars were sold in Europe as
Motorvators, but without the parts to form Road Caesar.
- Liocaesar. A Destron
combiner, composed of Drillhorn, Gaihawk, Hellbat, Jaguar,
Killbison, and Leozak (leader). An
interesting note is that the episode "Liocaesar, Merge!" introduced a
seventh member, Deathcobra (also known as Cobra),
who was accidentally killed in the same episode...
- Multiforce. Six Cybertrons
who formed three robots -- Dashtacker, Wingwaver,
and Machtackle. Each robot was formed from two
vehicles; recombining the vehicles formed a new identity and a new
personality (e.g., Wingwaver could reform as Wavewing, or mix with
Machtackle to form Wingtackle and Machwaver). The Multiforce robots
could also combine to form Landcross.
- Dinoforce. These were six
Destron "cyborg dinosaurs," whose robot forms were hidden inside
"organtic" shells: Doryu, Gairyu, Goryu, Kakuryu, Rairyu,
and Yoryu. The robots could combine to form Dinoking,
though they were often played as comic
relief -- Goryu (the leader) yelling at Kakuryu (the triceratops) was a
common occurrence. The toys were sold in America as the Monster
Pretenders, but with monster shells instead of dinosaur ones.
- Jan. A human boy who was
orphaned as an infant. He was adopted by Star Saber and became a member
of the Cybertron team.
- Micromaster Rescue Patrol. Four Cybertrons,
composed of Holi, Fire, Pibo, and Boater
(Stakeout, Red Hot, Fixit, and Seawatch,
respectively). They provided rescue and support during battles, and
also acted as playmates for Jan.
- Countdown and Galaxy Shuttle.
Galaxy Shuttle
is a Cybertron space shuttle who's most often seen chauffering the
Cybertrons to a new crisis. Countdown was the Cybertron's base of
operations on Earth.
Matrix-Forever
(1990)
This was the Japanese
release of Transformers: The Movie. In essence, it
was the same as the American version, but with three differences:
-
The opening title
included a Star Wars-style scrolling text prologue,
setting the background for the story.
-
A few seconds of extra
footage were
added, including additional shots of Unicron eating Lithone, and the
transformation of Autobot City.
-
In traditional Japanese
style, the
first appearance of each character had his/her name listed in katakana
at the bottom of the screen.
A Japanese laserdisc
version of the movie was eventually released, and the changes can be
seen there.
Transformers: Zone
(1990-1991)
Check out the Zone episode
summaries here
Only a single 30-minute episode of Transformers: Zone
was ever created. It was released in Japan as an OAV (original animated
video), and the rest of the story was told in TV Magazine,
a Japanese publication for children that told weekly stories based on
television characters.
In Transformers:
Zone, a three-faced nebulous being called Violenjiger
has resurrected the "Nine Great Destron Generals" -- Devastator,
Menasor, Bruticus, Abominus, Dinosaurer, Predaking, Overlord, Black
Zarak, and King Poseidon -- and is leading them. Volenjiger is after
several gems containing something called "Zodiac Power." The first
scene of the first (and only) episode features the Destrons completely
destroying a planet to get one of those gems -- that's how determined
they are. Victory Saber (from Victory) is severely
wounded in the first attack, so the Cybertrons are led by Dai
Atlas, a Micromaster base.
Detailed information on Transformers:
Zone is scanty, because the issues of TV Magazine
which detail the entire story are hard to find. In general, however,
the series revolves around Dai Atlas leading the numerous Cybertron
Micromaster Patrols against Violenjiger and his forces. Violenjiger
himself can split into three robotic insects, and at the story's
climax, uses the spirits of the dead Destron Generals to turn himself
into a phoenix. Rumors persis that as many as five episodes of Zone
may have been produced, and the missing shows are in a storage vault
somewhere in Takara's Japanese headquarters.
Characters of note in Zone
were:
- Dai Atlas. Cybertron
leader, and a Powered Master. In toy terms, that means he's a motorized
Micromaster base.
- Road Fire and Sonic
Bomber. Cybertron
friends and lieutenants to Dai Atlas. Each one is also a Powered
Master, and either one can combine with Dai Atlas to form a larger
robot. The three can also combine together to form Big Powered.
- Kain and Emusa.
Kain is a native boy from the planet destroyed by the Destrons in the
first episode of Zone.
Emusa is his pet, a talking, flying "squirrel-bunny" (take a pink
bunny, then add a bushy white squirrel's tail and two small wings).
Rescued by the Cybertrons and becomes their friend.
- Akira. Another
child-friend of the
Cybertrons, he encounters them when his home planet is the second world
targeted by Violenjiger. He becomes a playmate for Kain, and the two of
them are often kidnapped by the Destrons throughout the series.
- Micromasters. Unlike in America, almost all of
the
Micromasters released in Japan were Cybertrons. In fact, it's worth
noting that almost all of the Transformers toys sold in Japan in 1990
were Cybertrons. This is because "bad guys" toys weren't selling in
Japan, so Takara shifted the focus of the toy line (and the show) to
match.
Speculation on why Zone
was never
produced as a full season will probably never ben answered, though the
declining popularity of Transformers in Japan at the time was
undoubtedly a factor. Even with only one episode, the animation in Zone
is considered to be the best of all of the Japanese series, though its
brevity keeps it from ever matching Transformers: Victory
for overall popularity.
Transformers: Return of
Convoy/Battlestars
(1991)
Like Transformers:
Zone, this story was told in the pages of TV
Magazine,
without an accompanying animated series. As the title indicates, a
major focus of this tale is the return of Convoy -- using Zone energy
(a plot device from Zone, natch), the great
Cybertron Leader is revived as Star Convoy, a large
halftrack missile carrier and Micromaster base. At around the same
time, an evil force called Dark Nova (who looks a
lot like Unicron) revives Megatron and rebuilds him into Super
Megatron, a flying cannon. Super Megatron goes out to destroy
Galvatron (last seen buried in ice in Transformers:
Headmasters), then attacks the Cybertrons.
In response, Star Convoy
teams up with his friends, Sky Garry and Grandus
(both of whom are also Micromaster bases). They destroy Super Megatron,
but he gets resurrected once more as Ultra Megatron.
The Cybertrons clobber Megatron once again; this time, Dark Nova merges
with Megatron to form Star Giant. The Cybertrons
destroy Star Giant anyway, and then Battlestars
ends.
Aside from the main
Cybertrons listed above, none of the characters in Battlestars
were released as toys. On the other hand, that may be a plus -- fans
agree that the characters looked better on the page than their toy
counterparts, with Super Megatron inspiring a fair bit of fan-created
artwork.
Transformers: Operation
Combination
(1991-1992)
Once again, the lack of
sufficient consumer interest relegated Transformers:
Operation Combination to the pages of TV Magazine.
Details about this story are almost non-existent; as best as can be
determined, the Destron Battle Gaea (recolored
Bruticus) is wreaking havoc on Earth, and the Cybertrons must stop him.
The heroes here are Guard City (recolored
Defensor), who lead the Micromaster Sixcombiners -- Sixbuilder,
Sixliner, Sixtrain, Sixturbo, and Sixwing.
Each Sixcombiner is composed of six Micromaster vehicles that combine
to form one large robot.
Though details are rare,
one can imagine
the basic plot: after a lot of running to and fro, the Cybertrons stop
Battle Gaea and save Earth once again. Of course, if someone has a
detailed description of this story, I'd like to hear from you...
Beast Wars: Super Lifeform
Transformers
(September 1997 to March 1998)
With the success of the
Beast Wars
toy line and cartoon in America, it was not surprising that the
franchise would be imported to Japan. Therefore, in the fall of 1997,
Takara began airing Japanese-dubbed episodes of the
Beast Wars
computer-animated cartoon in Japan.
The stories are mostly
identical to
their Western counterparts, aside from some differences in names, and a
more comical/jovial slant to the dialog. To briefly summarize, Megatron
and a team of Destron criminals have stolen a Golden Disc, and plan to
use its information to conquer their home planet of Seibertron. They
are intercepted by Convoy (Optimus Primal) and a
team of
Cybertron explorers, pursued through a space/time vortex, and become
stranded on a mysterious planet. While the two sides battle, they
assume beast forms to protect themselves from the planet's dangerously
overabundant energon fields.
Some of the Beast Warriors'
names have been changed for the Japanese series. The differences are:
Black Widow
-- Blackarachnia
Convoy -- Optimus Primal
Chiitasu -- Cheetor
Rattor/Rattle -- Rattrap
Scorpos -- Scorponok
Taransu -- Tarantulas
Waspittar -- Waspinator
While the American Beast
Wars series clearly specifies that Optimus Primal and
Megatron are not
latter-day versions of the original Optimus Prime and Megatron, the
Japanese episodes have so far been ambiguous on the topic. Though
Takara has contacted Japanese Transformers fans for information and
questions about the original series, they have also been mostly
apathethic about contradictions in the mythos.
Finally, one of the most
significant differences between the original Beast Wars
series and the Japanese translations is that Airazor is described as a male
character in Japan, albeit a slightly effeminate one. This is a
decision driven by the Japanese toy market; action figures for female
characters do not sell very well, and toys of female characters are
produced in smaller numbers to avoid overstock. Airazor's gender was
therefore changed in the series (and related merchandising and manga
publications) to improve sales.
Here is a list of the known
Japanese episodes that have been shown to date, with their
corresponding original episode title:
- Debut of the Super Lifeforms, the
Transformers! (Beast Wars, Part 1)
- Take Down the Destrons! (Beast
Wars, Part 2)
- Cheetas' Crisis (The Web)
- Operation: Time-Bomb Transport!
(Equal Measures)
- Convoy Vanishes (Chain of Command)
- Explosion of the Mid-Air Mountains
(Power Surge)
- Tigatron, the Solitary Warrior
(Fallen Comrades)
- Kick of the Spider-Woman (Double
Jeopardy)
The title is a parody on Kiss of
the Spider Woman. The Japanese difference between the words
"kiss" and "kick" is one katakana.
- Terror of the New Weapon! (The
Probe)
- The Assassin Virus (Gorilla
Warfare)
- Goodbye, Rattor? (A Better
Mousetrap)
- Airazor, the Falcon Fighter (The
Spark)
- Deathmatch on the Floating Island, Part 1
(The Trigger, Part 1)
- Deathmatch on the Floating Island, Part 2
(The Trigger, Part 2)
- The Destrons Make Drama (Victory)
This is an inexact translation of "Make
Drama Da
Destron." "Make Drama" is a recent Japanese idiom that roughly means
"cause a major event." A more English-elegant translation may be "The
Major Destron Comeback," though it is less precise.
- Rhinox Runs Wild! (Dark Designs)
- Dinobot Becomes Twinned (Double
Dinobot)
- Inferno, the Ant Warrior from Hell
(Spider's Game)
- Revive, Beast Power! (Call of the
Wild)
- Round and Round in the Jungle (Dark Voyage)
- The Immortal Starscream (Posession)
- Stop the Sneeze (The Low Road)
- Farewell, Tigatron (Law of the Jungle)
- They're Coming! (Before the Storm)
- The Great King of Terror Arrives! (Other
Voices 1)
- To Protect the Peace (Other Voices 2)
Transformers: Beast Wars
Second
(April 1, 1998 to January 27, 1999)
After the end of the first
season of Beast Wars in Japan, Takara had a
problem: the second season of the American Beast Wars
show was not yet available for dubbing into Japanese. Even worse, the
second season was only thirteen episodes long, considered too short for
a weekly series.
In response, Takara
developed Transformers: Beast Wars Second, a
traditional cel-animated cartoon series that is serving as a "filler"
series in Japan. Once more episodes of the American Beast Wars
show are available, then Takara will return to the use of dubbed
computer-animated episodes. It is believed that this will occurr in
1999, after the second and third seasons of Beast Wars
have been produced (for a total of 26 episodes).
Beast Wars Second
occurs in parallel with Beast Wars,
with sidelong references to that show. The series takes place on the
planet Gaea, a world with a natural supply of Angorumoa energy. The
Destrons want to conquer the planet and turn it into a stronghold, but
are challenged by the Cybertrons, who are determined to protect the
world. On the way to Gaea, the Cybertrons' ship is shot down; they
eject and land safely, but discover that the planet's environment is
potentially lethal, and must fuse with the DNA of local life forms.
This sets up Beast Wars Second as a battle between
the organtic-formed Cybertrons and the mechanical-formed Destrons.
The characters of Beast
Wars Second are as follows:
- LioConvoy. Leader of the
Cybertron squad who must defend Gaea. A ponderously dull leader, there
are hints of a connection to Convoy of Beast Wars
(Optimus Primal). He transforms to a white lion, whose toy is exclusive
to Japan.
- Apache (B'Boom).
Second-in-command of the
Cybertrons. His personality changes with his mode, from an uptight
leader to a battle-mad berserker.
- Bighorn, Diver, Scuba, and
Tasmania Kid
(Bonecrusher, Spittor, Claw Jaw, and Snarl). The rest of the first team
of Cybertrons to arrive on Gaea. Bighorn is a tempermental brute, Diver
is a jokester, Scuba is a suave and brilliant ninja, and Tasmania Kid
is a confident hotshot.
- The Insectrons. A group of
robot warriors who
transform into giant insects. They began as neutrals to the war, but
eventually side with the Cybertrons' cause. Led by BigMos
(Transquito), the other members are Mantis, Scissorboy, Drill
Nuts, Powerhug, Tonbot (Manterror, Powerpinch, Drill Bit,
Retrax, Jetstorm), and the always-jovial Jointron brothers,
who can combine to form Tripredacus/Tripledacus.
- Galvatron. Leader of the
Destrons attacking
Gaea. He transforms to a drill-tank and a mechanical dragon, whose toy
is exclusive to Japan.
- Megastorm ("Generation 2"
tank Megatron).
Galvatron's younger brother, and second-in-command. MegaStorm wheedles
to Galvatron in order to remain in favor, but secretly plots to
overthrow him. Galvatron eventually uses a corrupted form of the
Angorumoa energy to remake them into a giant mechanical dinosaur, Gigastorm
(Trypticon).
- B.B. and Starscream/Starscrem
(Dreadwing/Smokescreen ATB). A tag-team aerial assault force;
Starscream's high-pitched voice belies a dominating personality, while
B.B. is a quiet bruiser who does Starscream's bidding. (Note that
Starscream is not meant to be the same "Starscream"
character
from the 1984-1986 American animated series.) Originally, B.B. and
Starscream were separate attack jets that combined to form a stealth
bomber. However, Galvatron eventually uses a corrupted form of the
Angorumoa energy to remake them into cyborg-enhanced animals, Max
B. (Wolfang) and Hellscream (Cybershark).
- Dirge and Thrust
("Machine Wars"
Megaplex and Skywarp). A pair of wisecracking comedians, they are two
more of Galvatron's initial forces. Galvatron eventually uses a
corrupted form of the Angorumoa energy to remake them into
cyborg-enhanced animals, Thrustol (Dinobot) and DirgeGun
(Waspinator).
- Autocrusher, Autojetter,
Autolauncher, and Autostinger
(Autorollers). A team of Destron mercenaries, specializing in
construction and repair.
- The Seacons. A team of
intergalactic pirates who are also out to steal Gaea's Angorumoa
energy. The Seacon members are Halfshell, Coelagon, Scylla,
Sea Phantom, and Terrormander, who
combine to form GodNeptune (Piranacon).
- Artemis and Moon.
These are two
androids who watch the battles from Gaea's moon. Artemis is a girlish
robot, and Moon is a rabbit-like companion.
As alluded to earlier, the
plot of Beast Wars Second
focuses on the struggle between the Cybertrons and Destrons for control
of Gaea's Angorumoa energy. After assorted planet-bound campaigns,
Galvatron summons a planet-sized warship to Gaea and forcibly siphons
off the Angorumoa. In a final, epic battle -- with numerous deaths on
both sides, along with the destruction of the warship and Gaea's moon
-- the Cybertrons stop him. In the end, Lioconvoy manages to seal the
Angorumoa into capsules, then scatter them across the universe, keeping
it from ever being used for evil.
Japanese fan reaction to Beast
Wars Second was mixed at best -- Beast Wars Second
is even more comical and silly than the Japanese-dubbed Beast
wars
cartoon, ostensibly to help it appeal to younger viewers.
Unfortunately, this required simplistic plots and stereotypical
characters to support such a tone. Couple this with the uninspired
animation used in the series, and it is not a surprise to learn that
most of the older fans were not impressed with the show.
Beast Wars Special Super
Lifeform Transformers
(December 19, 1998)
Capitalizing on the
popularity of Beast Wars Second, Takara released in
December 1998 a Beast Wars
"movie special." This was not a "movie" in the traditional sense of the
term -- instead of a feature-length production, the special consisted
of three parts:
- A recap of the current Beast Wars
Second television show story,
- An original half-hour animated story, "Beast
Wars II: Lioconvoy Kiki Ippatsu!", and
- A Japanese-dubbed version of the Beast
Wars episode, "Bad Spark."
"Lioconvoy Kiki Ippatsu!"
begins when a
mysterious space ship crash-lands on Gaea. It contains a powerful
artifact called the Teleport Gate, which is retrieved by Galvatron
after he deceives the youngest Cybertron, LioJunior. Galvatron uses the
Gate to summon Majin-Zarak, an immense battle
station, and uses
it to attack the Cybertrons. While the other Cybertrons are being
attacked, Magnaboss activates the Gate and summons Convoy (Optimus
Primal) to rescue them. But while Convoy, Magnaboss, and Tasmania Kid
temporarily subdue Majin-Zarak, it soon transforms into a more powerful
bio-mechanical monster. To stop it, Convoy and LioConvoy unleash their
full powers, turning into Burning Convoy and Flash
LioConvoy,
then destroy Majin-Zarak together. Diver then reveals that repeated use
of the Gate will disrupt the space-time continuum; after using it to
send Convoy home, the Cybertrons destroy it.
"Bad Spark" was presented
almost
identical to its original form in the West. The single most notable
difference is that the episode began with Rhinox explaining to everyone
(with a series of clips from other episodes) how Convoy survived the
explosion at the end of "Other Voices," along with the arrival of the
new Fuzor and TransMetal characters. Comically, after Rhinox's
exposition, Convoy deadpans that all this was news to him...
All in all, Beast
Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers
was fairly well-received by Japanese fans. "Lioconvoy Kiki Ippatsu!"
was especially welcomed for offering writing and animation that was
significantly higher-quality than that used on the regular Beast
Wars Second series.
Transformers: Beast Wars
Neo
(February 1999 - September 1999)
Continuing to build on the
resurgent Transformers franchise, in February 1999
Takara premiered Beast Wars Neo, a direct sequel to
Beast Wars Second.
Although Lioconvoy managed to stop Galvatron's plans for exploiting the
powerful Angorumoa energy, the Destrons refused to be deterred. Rallied
by their new leader, the Destrons are attacking entire galactic
quadrants in a hunt for the scattered capsules of Angorumoa. In
response, the Cybertron elders appoint a powerful leader gather a team
of heroes and stop the Destrons' plans.
Where Beast Wars
Second offered a "nature versus machinery" theme, Beast
Wars Neo used a "mammals (Cybertrons) versus dinosaurs
(Destrons)" division. As with Beast Wars Second,
the characters and toys are a mix of previously-released American Beast
Wars toys and new designs.
The characters of Beast
Wars Neo are as follows:
- Big Convoy. Leader of the
Cybertrons, he
transforms into a wooly mammoth. He is a very powerful soldier, used to
working alone, but now burdened with leading a team of rookie
Cybertrons. Though relatively inexperienced as a leader, he combines a lassez-faire
attitude with strict discipline, much to the consternation of his
troops.
- Longrack. Longrack is a
giraffe, and serves as Big Convoy's lieutenant to the other Cybertrons.
- Corahda, Stampy, Break, Rockbuster,
and Randy.
Members of the Cybertron forces, all rookies placed under Big Convoy's
care. Corahda is a cobra, Stampy is a rabbit, Break is a penguin,
Rockbuster is a crab (Razorclaw), and Randy is a boar (Razorbeast).
- Magmatron. Leader of the
Destrons. Magmatron is actually a combiner formed from three separate
dinosaurs, Landsaurus, Airsaurus, and Seasaurus.
- Dead End. First Lieutenant
to Magmatron, Dead
End is a stereotypical grizzled, battle-hardened veteran. Dead End
transforms into an ammonite.
- Guiledart, Saberback, Sling,
Crazybolt, and Hydrar.
The other members of the Destron forces. Guiledart is a triceratops,
Saberback is a stegosaurus, Sling is a dimetrodon, Crazybolt is a
frillnecked lizard (Iguanus), and Hydrar is a pteranodon (Terrorsaur).
The story for Beast
Wars Neo
starts off relatively predictable: the Destrons are out scouring the
universe for capsules of Angorumoa energy, while the Cybertrons are
fighting to stop them from doing so. But matters are soon complicated
by a mysterious third faction, the Blentrons.
Composed of Drancron (Skyshadow), Elephaorta
(Torca), and Raatoraata (Injector), the Blentrons
succeed in stealing Angorumoa capsules from both Cybertrons and
Destrons alike.
Eventually, the
Transformers learn that the Blentrons are actually agents of the
planet-eating Chaos-bringer, Unicron! It turns out
that -- following the events of Transformers: The Movie
-- the Angorumoa energy is really Unicron's imprisoned life force, with
Gaea serving as his new "prison". Now freed, Unicron is sending the
Blentrons to collect it for him; once they have gathered enough
Angorumoa, he will live again and endanger the universe -- unless the
Cybertrons and Destrons can set their differences aside and stop their
common enemy once more...
Transformers: Beast Wars
Metals
(October 1999 - 2000)
After keeping fans in
suspense for eighteen months to the fate of the original Beast
Wars characters, Takara premiered Beast Wars Metals
in October 1999. This show is a direct continuation of the Japanese Beast
Wars series, and (once again) utilized dubbed-and-edited
episodes of the computer-animated television program from Mainframe.
For the most part, Beast
Wars Metals
seems to closely follow the Western series' plots and ideas, aside from
some story simplification and minor changes (Optimus Primal and
Megatron are now called Metals Lord Convoy and Metals
Lord Megatron, for example). The most unusual
change goes to Rattor (Rattrap) -- in an attempt to ride the tremendous
popularity of Pokemon, the new Metals
Rattor is now a high-pitched, whiny, squeaky-voiced brat,
borrowing lots of mannerisms from Pokemon's
Pikachu. In fact, tie-in manga (comic books) like Comics
Bom-Bom even draw him as a rotund metal mascot...!
Transformers: Car Robots
(2000)
With declining sales of Beast
Wars toys in Japan, Takara brought its Transformers franchise
back to its roots in the 2000 toy lineup. As the title indicates, Transformers:
Car Robots features the return of transforming cars and
vehicles to the Japanese toy market.
Details are sketchy at this
point, but
the basic plot has already been announced in various promotional
catalogs from Takara. The Destrons (now called Destrongers
for some reason) have decided to strike in the past. A strike team of
mecha-beasts, led by Gigatron, time-travel to Earth
in the year 2000, and plan to destroy the planet and alter the future.
They are challenged by Fire Convoy and his team of
Car Robots, who must stop the Destrons while remaining hidden from
Earth's human populace...
The characters of Transformers:
Car Robots already known are:
- Fire Convoy. Leader of the
Cybertrons, with
the rank of "Fire Commander". He transforms into a hook-and-ladder fire
engine; in the tradition of the original Convoy, the trailer can
transform into a battle station. Fire Convoy can also combine with the
trailer to form a super robot.
- Mach Alert, Speedbreaker,
and Wildride. The Cybertron Car Robots, these three
soldiers form the backbone of Fire Convoy's forces.
- Autofire, Counter-Arrow,
Eaglekiller, Ox, Wars, and X-Car. These
are the Spychangers, six Cybertron ninjas who combine speed and stealth
to thwart the Destrons. The team is led by Autofire;
the toys are repainted versions of the Transformers:
Generation 2 Go-bot race cars.
- Gigatron. The leader of
the Destron strike
team. A forceful and powerful leader, he has six staggering
transformations -- jet, bat, dragon, giant hand(!), ground car, and
robot.
- Gaskunk, Gelshark, Gildo,
and Goosher.
Gigatron's troops are the Destron Metal Beasts, mutated fusions of
animal and machine. The toys are restyled versions of western Beast
Wars Transmetal 2 toys.