RE: Cyberverse cartoon clip reveal

This doesn't instill me with confidence and much like the toyline seems to be taking a step backwards for the target audience. The tone of the clip feels condescending to me - and as Trev pointed out well, the toys themselves are pretty condescending to kids as they are. The mecha designs, the animation and the way that they've made Bumblebee into an intellectually impaired semi-mute just feels condescending. Bumblebee having memory loss I can accept. Not sure why he can't talk again, but again, fine... TF Prime Soundwave was a mute but he evoked an incredibly powerful presence (and was often more potent because he didn't speak). And this is the same target audience that Transformers Prime and Transformers Robots In Disguise were targeting. Granted I felt that the tone of RiD was a notable step down from Prime, and this again is a continuing step down from RiD. But why is the show going backwards instead of forwards?

If we reflect back to our own childhoods in the 1980s, one thing that made Transformers stand out from say the Challenge of the Go-Bots was the different tones between the shows.

The Animation

The animation in Cyberverse looks like a modern update of the Hanna-Barbera style animation from Challenge of the Go-Bots, whereas the animation in Transformers Prime felt more like an update of G1 (and indeed Prime was the 2nd TF series to win an Emmy Award for its animation (the 1st being Beast Wars)). Sure, Prime's design aesthetics was a blend between "Cartoon Network" and Bayformers, but as far as the animation (not design) quality was concern, it was really top notch. I'd say Prime was the best animated Transformers series ever. Both Prime and RiD were animated by the Tokyo-based Polygon studios which has done animation work for a lot of anime, including Ghost In The Shell Innocence etc. Though I'd say RiD had a notably lower budget than Prime. I wonder if Cyberverse is still being animated in Japan or if Hasbro's doing it all in-house now. If it is being done in Japan then it must be done on a shoestring budget to produce what looks more to me like Flash animation. :/

Consider Bumblebee

RiD's not my favourite thing, but one thing that I did really, really like about it was how they tried to develop the character of Bumblebee. At the end of TF Prime Bumblebee regained his voice and had a sudden personality change into being a more mature character (kinda dumb for a Cosmic MacGuffin to change a character's personality, but G1 did the same thing with Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime ). In Prime's absence Bumblebee took command and in TF RiD we see Bumblebee step up again as Autobot leader. Even when Prime returned he didn't usurp Bumblebee and resume his role as leader. This was important and I'm glad that they didn't just return Optimus Prime to the status quo. I quite liked how RiD was not an "Optimus vs Megatron" show.

Forwards not backwards

The show needs to go forwards, not backwards. This was one thing that G1 did that many other 80s cartoons didn't (e.g. Challenge of the Go-Bots etc.). Because this is what the G1 cartoon basically gave us as kids:
* Season 1: Basic narrative of a limited cast of warring robots stationed on Earth.
* Season 2: Stories become more complex. The cast expands and some episodes explore various themes - e.g. The Gold Lagoon presents a powerful environmental message, and The God Gambit explores the effects between religious exploitation and society etc.
* Season 3: The story is no longer predominantly set on Earth. It is the future of 12 years ago and humanity has joined the Cybertronians in being a member of an intergalactic federation. The Decepticons are no longer the sole recurring threat to our heroes as they are forced to reconcile with the very origins of their species.
* Season 4: War and peace.

And we did see the current Aligned series take similar steps.
* Prime Season 1: The Autobots fight a covert war with the Decepticons on Earth. Dark Energon is a recurring theme which reveals the season finale that Earth is actually Unicron.
* Prime Season 2: The Earth had been seeded with ancient Cybertronian artifacts in the distant past. A quest ensues on both sides to acquire these artefacts, especially the Omega Keys which the Decepticons use in an attempt to Cyberform Earth.
* Prime Season 3: More dark secrets from the Cybertronians' past come back to haunt them with the rise of the Predacons. The war ends, Cybertron is restored and the Decepticon faction is disbanded.
* RiD Season 1: Bumblebee leads a small team of Autobots on Earth to recapture escaped Decepticon convicts. The story culminates in the arrival of The Fallen who had been manipulating members of the Earth-bound Decepticon Remnant.
* RiD Season 2: A Decepticon Remnant Coalition work towards establishing an Earth-based sanctuary. They are ultimately defeated and their slaves are emancipated.
* RiD Season 3: New threats emerge from the shadows as the Stunticons arrive forming their own gang, and Soundwave works to return from the Shadowzone. On Cybertron, a group of Decepticons disguised as Autobots have infiltrated Autobot command and have wrested control of Cybertron from the inside. Hail Hydra.

And note: all of these shows were aimed at kids. EVERY Transformers TV series has been aimed at kids. The difference is that good shows don't talk down to kids. Car Robot was very much aimed at a very young audience and there were many very silly moments but it wasn't condescending in tone (Beast Wars II on the other hand...).

Now granted we've only seen a short clip and maybe Cyberverse may surprise us yet when the show actually airs. I hope that my misgivings about the show do prove to be unwarranted. But the best way for a show to silence its critics is just by producing good, quality stories. This is what Beast Wars did. That show came along amidst a LOT of fan protest and outcry ("Trukk Not Munky!"), but it soon silenced its critics just being being really, really good! I dare Cyberverse to do the same.

Impress me.