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- Remember much about the cartoon? - If so, what did you think of it?
I remember enough of the cartoon to enjoy it residing behind Rose-tinted glasses, as the cartoon really does not stand the test of time & I find myself remembering more key-moments from episodes than actual episodes in their entirety.
I think the thing I remember most fondly is the persistent battles that really did a good job of making it feel like a planetary civil-war was taking place, as the sheer volume of individual characters was insane but often you would only ever see those characters for a couple of episodes & then they'd disappear forever.
The character designs for the cartoon/s (I'm also referring to the Japanese series) were clearly heavily derived from their real-life toy counterparts, with some necessary liberalities often taken with certain areas/appendages that didn't appear to translate well to screen.
The voice acting of the casts are what I think are the longest lasting testament to G1 outside of the toys, as every subsequent iteration has retained some semblance of the original character deliveries that were defined with both Western & Eastern G1 cartoons.
- When did you first see it?
The 1st time I saw the G1 cartoon I was technically too young to remember it but my Mother tells me that when I was 2-3, Transformers was the cartoon that I 1st actively responded & paid attention to.
My childhood recollections predominantly derive from the late re-runs & G2 'Cybernetic Space-cube' series at ages 3 onward & I feverishly watched every episode I could, hired every VHS I could and generally hunted down everything Transformers I could get my hands on with my mighty allowance of $1.00 a month - The movie I ended up wearing out several VHS cassette tapes & to this day remains one of my fondest childhood memories.
- Is it recommended viewing for others?
If you've not seen the original Western G1 cartoon by now, you're truly not missing out on anything.
That said if one is curious enough, I would recommend seeing at least up to & including the '86 movie; The movie is the best executed 'episode' of the Western cartoon bar none & if you can stomach it, I would then consider watching the 3rd season.
I'd also highly recommend the Eastern/Japanese series:
-Headmasters
-Masterforce
-Victory/Zone
They're excellent series in their own right, if not a erring a little more along the Anime side of things; the voice acting is superb & are just as memorable as their Western counterpart.
When it really comes down to it though, I honestly would not recommend the original Western G1 cartoon (Other than the movie) to anyone as it has not aged well at all; the animation is horrible, the stories are cliché riddled & not particularly enjoyable as an adult at all and truly are little more than 24 minute toy commercials.
For me, I like to leave the cartoon to my memories & have now come to consider the Marvel G1 comics as my source for G1 narrative.
- If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.
This will not be occurring save for perhaps, specific story arcs; the cartoon is just far to hard to watch &/or stomach nowadays to the point where I literally do not enjoy it anymore - Only the 1986 'Transformers: The Movie' is rewatchable as it stands on its own above the rest of the Western cartoon.
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Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?
Was great as a kid and quite enjoyable now, especially the fun of the animation errors and inconsistency. I remember heaps as i watch it every couple years all the way through.
When did you first see it?
Early 90s
Is it recommended viewing for others?
Highly, as a transformers fan its a must watch, especially the up to and including the movie.
