The First Ever Transformers Review. (Hilarious, but real.)

[FFN]

Hey, you found that on the TF wiki's Transformers timeline article, didn't you?

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_timeline

"Henshin Sentai Transformers" ("Transformation Squadron Transformers") sounds remarkably redundant in english.

[GoktimusPrime]

"The first title we came up with was Henshin Sentai Transformer ("Transformation Battle Squad Transformers"); it was very direct, but in my opinion it had a very weak impact, so it became Tatakae! Chou Robot Seimeitai Transformer ("Fight! Super Robot Life-form Transformers")." - Ono Koujin (Takara)

[Sky Shadow]

Hey, you found that on the TF wiki's Transformers timeline article, didn't you?

No, I remembered it from my alt.toys.transformers days. But that's a useful timeline nonetheless - I notice the list also mentions the first usenet post about the cartoon (which I found the other day while looking for the above one) and is also worth a read:

http://groups.google.com/group/net.c...e=source&hl=en

"Transformers-- When I first saw this show my reaction was enthusiastic
to say the least. "That's Japanese!" I could tell by the use of
dramatic angles, the slightly jerky motion of twelve frames per
second, and the "patented" use of shadow colors on human figures. My
enthusiasm for the art has not died down much, but I had never thought
much of the writing. The story centers around two research teams sent
out from the planet Cybertron to find energy. One team is the
Autobots (Good guys), and the other is the Decepticons (Bad guys).
Apparently all of the self aware machines on Cybertron can transform
from humaniod robot to a useful vehicle or weapon. Well, these two
teams happened to land on earth at the same time. The patriotic
Decepticons are trying to exploit earth in any way possible to get
energy to Cybertron. If they can supply Cybertron with enough energy,
it seems, they will be able to rule it. The Autobots are trying to
stop the Decepticons. Later the show degenerates to the point in
which the Decepticons are just trying to rule the earth, or defeat the
Autobots.

The characters are standard to anyone who has read comics. We
have the stout defender of truth, justice, and a good socket wrench:
Optimus Prime. There is the evil, scheming, He-who-schemes-and-runs-
away villain: Megatron. Don't forget the token human boy: Spike.
There are also plenty of other assorted stereotypes. These are played
by some familiar voices: Peter Cullen, and Michael Bell from the
Voltrons, Scattman Crothers of various prior performances (remember
the mailman in Chico and the Man?), and Casey Kasem from American Top
Forty on radio, American Top Ten on TV. He also played Mark on
Battle of the Planets, and Robin the Boy Wonder on Superfriends. (He
also played Shaggy on Scooby Doo. ed.)

The sound track is unimpressive. mostly a replay of the original
theme you've heard a thousand times on the commercials; and that one
riff they play each time a scene changes. It gets as annoying as the
chant between scenes of "He-Man".

The animation is still nice. It's more consistent than G.I. Joe
or Mask, and seems to be the top of the line for animation that is
storyboarded in America and sent to Japan. They don't do the more
impressive tricks Mighty Orbots or an original Japanese production
would have done, like a close in on a moving ship as it whizzes by
you, or circling the main character. What they do, however, they do
well.
This is not great television, far from it, but if you like to see
some nice animation, this isn't too bad.

As a foot note, I've noticed that they took out the credit that
tells who did the animation. I think that this is a crime. I truly
doubt that the people who watch would like to know more about the
script editors than the animators. I've seen several where it
credited Toei Doga for the animation.

Transformers rates a 4 on the Flanamation Scale."

Bill Flanagan, 6/10/1985.

[FFN]

Who were you on the ATT? Are you friends or blood enemies with the WIIGIIS? (ATT is before my time on the internet, and from what I understand, there were three types of people, enemies of the WIIGIIS, friends of the WIIGIIS and Raksha)

[Sky Shadow]

Who were you on the ATT? Are you friends or blood enemies with the WIIGIIS? (ATT is before my time on the internet, and from what I understand, there were three types of people, enemies of the WIIGIIS, friends of the WIIGIIS and Raksha)

Ah, well on ATT I went by the rather unlikely username of... Sky Shadow.

It's all water under plenty of bridges now, but I would have fallen into the "enemy of Wiigii" category. At times, my Wiigiiesque 'enemies' would have included Hooper X, Recharge and Brian Kilby. Other Wiigiis like Walky, Sipher, Suspsy and I were all fairly neutral and pleasant towards each other. My friends were the likes of Derik Smith, Aaron F. Bourque, Merytneith, Zobovor, Jackpot and Iacon (we were the denizens of alt.toys.transformers.fanfic).

My enmity of Brian Kilby was so legendary in 2001 that an allegorical 'Funfic' was written about it (funfics were generally written under a double-pseudonym with deliberate spelling mistakes - presumably so it couldn't be traced back to the original author - and generally took the piss out of people at ATT.):

http://groups.google.com.au/group/al...ba29b173?hl=en

"SKY SHADOW: I will never do so because I WILL WIN! I AM AYSTRALIAN!"

Regarding Raksha, I once wrote some parody song lyrics about her newsgroup(alt.toys.transformers.classic.moderated) 's draconian adherance to only discussing Generation 1. It probably makes little sense these days, but the Raksha camp vehemently believed the Decepticon's ship was called the Star Drive (for hilarious reasons), that Nightbird was sentient and that Beasts were a travesty, thus Beast Wars Ravage didn't exist (but Machine Wars was okay):

*The G1 Connection.* (To the tune of *The Rainbow Connection* by Kermit the Frog.)

Why are there so many rules about posting
Upon ATTCM?
Surely the Nemesis was always the Nemesis
And not the Star Drive way back when.

It’s not that they don't understand any changes:
They know that Goldbug's Bumblebee.
Someday they'll find it,
The G1 connection:
The Prowls and the 'Screamers and me.

What is not classic about Beast Wars Ravage
When Machine Wars isn't OT?
G1 is great but that’s mainly nostalgia.
G1 never won an Emmy

(Though Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond
Was Trypticon in Season 3.)
Someday they'll find it,
The G1 connection:
The Prowls and the 'Screamers and me.

Some of us at ATT
Think ATTCM is crazy.

If things get quiet we can just mention Nightbird:
There's plenty to say about that.
Saying she's sentient is not that impressive:
I could say the same about my cat.

I just don't get those guys' personal canon
(Should that be 'continuity?')
Someday they'll find it,
The G1 connection:
The Prowls and the 'Screamers and me.
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la!

P.S. Raksha also believed that the Decepticons were the good guys, the Autobots were sexist, and that the Decepticons using humans as slaves was no different to us farming cows. Thus I wrote the following 'essay' considering the other option (the bizarre notion that the Autobots were in fact the good guys. Note that at the time I wrote this, I hadn't read the Victory manga [in which the Breastforce Decepticons have wives and girlfriends] so I assumed it was the Zone Decepticons with the female partners, not the Victory ones. The rest should all make sense):

http://groups.google.com.au/group/al...f0d92dbd32ca4d

[roller]

i love crazy people on the internet

[1orion2many]

i love crazy people on the internet

I thought you were the crazy people roller.

[dirge]

Ah Raksha. Amongst her many notable moments, I always loved the fact she manages to smuggle a boxed Fort Max into her house and keep it a secret from those living there for well over a year.

She's out of the fandom now, breeding animals and hiding from pretty much the entire fandom. I believe her love of snakes is still there, but her devotion to Soundwave has probably waned.

I'd more or less drifted away from ATT by the time the .fanfic newsgroup began - there were so many... less desirables... far too much noise. One of the downsides of the birth of AOL - US trailer trash speaking their minds in unmoderated cyberspace.

Sky Shadow, were you around in the days of Nixtr? I suspect only griffin will remember his fall.

[FFN]

Ah, well on ATT I went by the rather unlikely username of... Sky Shadow.

It's all water under plenty of bridges now, but I would have fallen into the "enemy of Wiigii" category. At times, my Wiigiiesque 'enemies' would have included Hooper X, Recharge and Brian Kilby. Other Wiigiis like Walky, Sipher, Suspsy and I were all fairly neutral and pleasant towards each other. My friends were the likes of Derik Smith, Aaron F. Bourque, Merytneith, Zobovor, Jackpot and Iacon (we were the denizens of alt.toys.transformers.fanfic)

Hey, some of those people are on the TFwiki. Derk and Jackpot are also regular wiki contributors

[Sky Shadow]

Hey, some of those people are on the TFwiki.

I know... I assumed that was why you asked about Wiigii.