Animated Popularity

[jazzcomp]

Didn't interest me much but i've only seen a few episodes.

[klystron]

I must admit I didn't mind the cartoon. I didn't love it and cry endless tears when it was axed, but I didn't mind it. I'll pretty much sit thru whatever rubbish gets stamped with "Transformers" and churned out the entertainment factory, just because its Transformers, and I'll take the rubbish as opposed to the whole line/concept/brand being put to death.
The toys were a bit of a mixed bag for me. I never collected the line, but ended up with a few figures. Arcee was/still is the highlight for me. That figure is awesome and I love it. Prowl was also a winner. Rodimus was cool too, and Blackout looked good. (this is not a decisive list...)
However, Samurai Prowl was one of the worst I have ever bought, and my son's BBee literally fell apart.
I sort of got the impression that the quality and plastics were not as great as some of the other recent lines.

Without hijacking the thread, I will admit that I am enjoying Prime more than TFA.

[Hursticon]

For me, I honestly can't stand the art-style nor the Hanna-Barbera-esque human characters.
I didn't mind the narrative though and the characterisation of some of the more well known TF personalities was rather good IMO; especially that of Blitzwing whom I've come to absolutely adore!

The show is littered with nods and references to past TF series, with heavy nudges to Beast Wars which is what has probably lightened my opinion of the show since it's initial run.

However, figure-wise I'm not really interested in the line at all beyond what I have and what is on the way - including:

• Deluxe Soundwave
• Deluxe Blackarachnia
• Deluxe Waspinator
• Voyager Blitzwing

IMO, the best thing about this show is the actual Transformers and their character treatments with the Decepticons being the shining stars of the show; the line has/had potential if it had just moved away from the Kindy type art-style as well as the human characters & their stories.

It's a show that is well worth giving a go though and has much potential for a comic book continuation from where the Cartoon left off, but it certainly wont be everyone's cup of tea.
(I far prefer TF: Prime, that's for sure )




*I hope that wall was on topic, or at least helps someone.

[1orion2many]

I really disliked the JLA style cartoons and the human villians were some of the worst I've seen, I didn't mind the toyline though but I must admit I'm a little like Klystron, If it's TF related I'll watch it in the end

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I loved it, and really wish they'd done the fourth season. There were heaps of nods to previous TF series, generally strong characters (Animated Ratchet in particular is pretty much my favourite Autobot character to date) with nice 'twists' (i.e. the Constructicons wolf-whistling at passing convertibles) and usually string writing/storylines, the toys were a mixed bag but with far more strong figures than poor, and it was just well thought out in general. You could tell it was a series done by fans, for fans, while still being accessible to newcomers to the franchise.
Like just about everyone I was put off at first by the art style, albeit intrigued by how they could possibly manage to get the character designs into toys, but one day I was bored and started watching the opening three-parter and got hooked.

I'm quite enjoying Prime, the designs are interesting, the combat sequences are pretty good, and there are some good characters (Arcee is great, Starscream is pretty good though falls short of Animated Screamer IMO) but for me there's nothing quite like Animated. Reading what they had planned for S4 is almost painful.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I intially baulked at the concept image they released. However after sitting through the first season, I found I quite enjoyed it. Shame the first season had more meh episodes than good ones, but when the Decepticons were in it it really rocked. Season 2 and 3 were MUST WATCH! for me. I was hanging for the next episode.

The G1 throwback were cool, the Decepticons were super powerful and the Autobots were weake, but managed through teamwork. It also gave us a super awesome evil Megatron again, who had been missing since Beast Wars. It managed to make the HUman character cool (in the end...), gave us some Cybertron mode toys and ended too soon.

It gave us good a new characters, such as super grumpy Ratchet, my number 1 fave and my number 2 fave, Sentinel Prime as a Douche bag extraordanaire.

I also first thought the cartton JLA style looks was pretty horrid, but I was impressed with the toyline, afterall, here we had a figure that looks JUST like it does in the cartoon. And it looks like a cartoon character too!

Animated ended up being the first line for me to want to complete, which I have done, aside from "roadbuster Ultra Magnus" (no cartoon justification y'see).
Personally some top Figures for me :

Blurr, sleek, sexy and blue. Plus he can stand on one leg like he is running (in a style that is like Sonic the Hedgehog, who is also blue)

Lockdown, awesome Monster car mode and a really tall robot mode for mingling with the Decepticons.

Earth Megatron, 2 swords, big cannon, massive. What more do I need to say.
Ultra Magnus, so cool.

[i_amtrunks]

I think it was a moderately succesful line that did more than plug the gaps in and around the movie releases.

The sries started off well but floundered a bit in the first season, as others have said the Decepticons were the highlights, the voice acting and writing were very good. The Autobots were more bland but Ratchet always got the good lines. I think Animated was only my second or third must watch show of the time, due to Spectacular Spiderman!

However season 2 and 3 really lifted the show up a level or seven, littered with references and in jokes, it became more character driven (Megatron driven) and the Decepticons continued to shine. It seems that hasbro has a thing for killing off great shows in season 3, as Animated was going from strength to strength. At east the Earth based story was well wrapped up.

As for the toys, the stylised animation was a hard pill to swallow, I was another who was unsure of how well the designs would translate to figures.
Then (thanks to members here) I got my hands on some figures before they arrived in retail and I was hooked. Voyager Bulkhead was the first figure I got my hands on, and remains one of my favourite figures of any TF line, it was a fun and intuitive transformation that well represented the show character. And the goodies just kept coming, from a Grimlock that was more or less G1 grimmy again through to the well designed flip changer Bumblebee.

Overall it was a great series that improved as it aged and a toyline that supported the series with well designed toys that were only let down by dismal quality control (which occured across all tf lines at the time).

[GoktimusPrime]

IMO, the best thing about this show is the actual Transformers and their character treatments with the Decepticons being the shining stars of the show;

Except for those episodes where the stupid human villains were the antagonists. I can understand the desire to give the Autobots story complications that don't always revolve around the Deceps, but I don't think that the Headmaster, Angry Archer or Professor Princess <shudder> are necessarily the right way to go about it.

While the Decepticons were fun characters, I felt most of them lacked character depth and development. Ditto the Autobots. That's one of my biggest dislikes with Animated... a lack of sufficient character drive and development. Seasons 2 and 3 did improve on it in some parts (but not in other parts).

the line has/had potential if it had just moved away from the Kindy type art-style as well as the human characters & their stories.

"Kindy type art" <---I like that.

I'm also not a fan of the art style, but if the story is good I can overlook it. It's why I enjoy Star Wars Clone Wars... don't like their Kindy art either, but I like the stories. The recurring human villains just suck, and I'm glad they ditched them in Season 3.

It's a show that is well worth giving a go though and has much potential for a comic book continuation from where the Cartoon left off

It's already happening! "The Stunti-Con Job" is available now at all good comic book stores! (I picked up my copy just last Sunday ) -- I like how FP are releasing mass-retail reprints of their BotCon comics; makes the stories much more accessible to the public.

(I far prefer TF: Prime, that's for sure )

+1

You could tell it was a series done by fans, for fans, while still being accessible to newcomers to the franchise.

Yeah, but the fan-stuff was pretty superficial. It's not like Beast Wars where the story inter-connected with G1 and G2 and actually became part of that continuity family (and not just making a series of superficial references/homages).

As kup has often said - and I wholeheartedly agree - Beast Wars actually enhances your appreciation for G1 and G2 (because it actually expands on that universe). Animated has lots of G1 "Easter Eggs" -- which are very nice, but that's all they really are. They don't improve or worsen the way I look at G1.

It managed to make the HUman character cool (in the end...),

...who ultimately wasn't human.

Animated ended up being the first line for me to want to complete, which I have done, aside from "roadbuster Ultra Magnus" (no cartoon justification y'see).

Also just a repaint of an existing mould. And it wasn't even sold here IIRC. I'd still get a nice toy even if it didn't appear in the film; like Oilslick (he did eventually appear in the cartoon, but that was well after the toy had come out).

Lockdown, awesome Monster car mode and a really tall robot mode for mingling with the Decepticons.

The forearms and legs that pop off way too easily spoil it for me. I do like the character concept though... haven't seen a recurring bounty hunter character in Transformers since G1!

Earth Megatron, 2 swords, big cannon, massive.

Leader Class Animated Megatron is - IMO - one of the best Leaders made. Even with the restriction of an electronic sound gimmick it's pretty well designed.

And the goodies just kept coming, from a Grimlock that was more or less G1 grimmy

I was disappointed by the poorly concealed robot head in dino mode... and lack of decent weapon stowage in alt mode too. Otherwise I agree it's a pretty nice toy.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Yeah, but the fan-stuff was pretty superficial. It's not like Beast Wars where the story inter-connected with G1 and G2 and actually became part of that continuity family (and not just making a series of superficial references/homages).

The thing with that is that BW was/became part of the G1/2 continuity, whereas Animated is a different continuity.
I can understand why a hardcore TF fan like yourself would find it lacking, but for a casual fan such as myself seeing the various homages in Animated was my first exposure to a lot of the more obscure characters, and presented some nice takes/homages on existing characters. I wouldn't know who a lot of TF characters were (Grandus, Rosanna, the dino-cassettes) if they hadn't showed up in Animated and got me looking through the TFWiki.

I've said it before and I'll doubtless say it many times again: for me Transformers are light entertainment and an interesting thing to collect. For cartoon depth I'm more likely to look to something like Ghost in the Shell or Neon Genesis Evangelion than a Transformers series - though right now I'm going through Slayers mixed with the occasional Cutie Honey episode so I'm very much on the 'light' side of my entertainment cycle atm.

[Jinto]

Now here's something I could definitely get behind!

edit***
Wow, that's a huge image. Here's the link instead.