A journey through the JP Gen1 cartoon.

[griffin]

Ep 20 - Battle for the Defence of the False Planet

Galvatron's plundering of the Universe for energy continues. This time they head towards a pair of planets called Twin Star, and attack the inhabited planet, but fail to find any energy because it was being stored on the uninhabited planet. The Autobots help fight off the Decepticons while the planet's people evacuate to the uninhabited planet.

The wacky element of this episode - the four Autobot Headmasters keep swapping heads to allow Arcana/Brainstorm to get a message personally to Fortress/Cerebros, when a simple radio transmission would have been easier and quicker.

Physics just keeps getting crazier on this cartoon - we have two planets being joined by a walkway/conduit, for the people of one planet to evacuate to the other. And then when they detach, the planet drifts away like a lifeboat.

Another race that doesn't trust either side, until they are convinced by one of the Autobots.

Arcee is babysitting again. Not to mention, why take Daniel and Wheelie on this this dangerous mission in the first place, if they keep getting in the way and have to be rushed off to somewhere safe and protected?

Quite a few Autobots and Decepticons suddenly show up for the battle for dramatic effect. The impression was that just the Headmasters were travelling around the Universe inside Scorponok and Maximus, so I'm not sure where all the combiner teams suddenly came from.

And how stupid are the Decepticons for not checking out the other planet, or even using their 'technologically advanced' scanning systems to locate the energy stockpile.


Ep 21 - Find Scorponok's Weak Spot

While continuing their pursuit of the Decepticons, the Autobots arrive at a prison (possibly a prison-planet). The prisoners are lower class peasants that say they were sent there after a failed revolution. The Decepticons take the energy from the ruling class (Who don't seem to care), while the Autobots fight off the Decepticons and over-throw the ruling class for the peasants.


This is an episode that shows quite horrific human slaughter by the Decepticons. I was actually quite shocked to see them shooting the men in the backs while they were running away. This would not be allowed in a G-rated cartoon, and I don't think we've ever had that sort of brutality included in any US Transformers cartoon. We had some 'organics' deaths in the previous couple of episodes, but this was wholesale slaughter... it kinda darkens the mood of the cartoon, taking it in a disturbing direction.

The Autobots easily take the word of prisoners that they are being oppressed, despite them resorting to criminal acts within Battleship Maximus. And after being easily convinced that this is true, the Autobots then overthrow a ruling government of an alien world, based only on the testimony of hardened criminals.

We see another Battle Beast/Beastformer, who some how escaped the Decepticons' Planet Zarak.

Mid-way through the episode, the Autobots learn that the weak spot of Scorponok is the Decepticon Symbol (I guess on his chest), but then in the last quarter of the episode, the Autobots are desperately seeking the information from the Beastformer. Maybe it was a mis-translation that they knew already, or the sub-titler was just wanting to spoil the episode for the viewers. If I could understand Japanese, I'd know what really happened.

Two of the Autobot Headmasters run out of power, so the four join hands, sing a song, roast some marshmallows (okay, maybe not), and they're all fully recharged and ready to defeat the Decepticons.

[liegeprime]

It delivers the message that this is a war and that people sadly do die and leave loved ones behind to mourn for them.

Better get life insurance..... wouldnt wanna leave your love ones with the bills now

As Griffin mentioned why carry around stupid Daniel and annoying wheelie if they just get in the way anyhow.. they wanna be in the thick of it let em get a few bullets in their chassis (preferably in their heads though) and be done with it.Hmph Turns out Spike and Carly are such irresponsible parents really... no wonder Sparkplug up and at em or mebbe they dumped the old guy in some nursing home ( if you have Daniel as a grandson why wouldnt you agree)

[GoktimusPrime]

As Griffin mentioned why carry around stupid Daniel and annoying wheelie if they just get in the way

"He can stay and guard the base!" - The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime

Every time Wheelie and Daniel do something annoying in this show (which would be any time they appear on screen), just go read the BotCon comic detailing their incredibly unpleasant death. Arcee may have wept, but fans were cheering with joy. Too bad it was a heroic death though... poor Roadbuster and Nightbeat suffered horrific undignified deaths, but freakin' Wheelie and Daniel get to die as heroes. PAH!

[liegeprime]

It's only heroic if the ones left behind acknowledges it is..... Arcee does - (but I think she's just looney coz of the Headmaster process which clouds her proper judgement) while the rest of the Tf fandom doesnt = it isnt heroic then, majority rules!!!!

[griffin]

Ep 22 - Head Formation of Friendship

Planet Paradise is the next target of the Decepticons. Same thing happens though - they arrive, set a trap, fight, and are chased off by the Autobots, while the natives, Daniel, Wheelie and Arcee pad out the plot and cast.


This is yet another episode of the Decepticons out in the universe looking for energy, with the Autobots pursuing them. When they first left Earth in episode 17 it just seemed like a single episode plot device, but now that it is a multi-episode story arc, I kinda feel that it should have been mentioned or emphasised that they were leaving Earth for an extended period of time, especially since Earth has been the focal point of the Transformers since the beginning.

Chromedome and Hardhead are outside the battleship while in space, and Chromedome is worried about slipping and *falling* off. And then he does, but Hardhead grabs him. I can believe they are able to magnetise their feet to prevent themselves floating away into the zero gravity of space, but to fall off and *down* off a spaceship made me laugh.

The Monsterbots show up as being part of the Autobot crew, but were supposed to be on Planet Beast, and weren't recalled.

Doublecross is actually quite funny, with his two heads in beast mode, arguing with each other. I want to see more of him.

A big deal is made of the four Autobot Headmasters combining their energies to recharge Highbrow, as the title suggests, but this wasn't the first time they did it.

[GoktimusPrime]

Take note that in this episode Gorter (and later Papika as well) are able to ride inside the Trainbots establishing that the Trainbots are scaled for human-sized passengers. IIRC this will be contradicted later when full-sized Transformers are able to ride inside -- IIRC in "I Risk My Life For Earth" Chromedome rides inside

Doublecross is actually quite funny, with his two heads in beast mode, arguing with each other. I want to see more of him.

Yeah, he's pretty fun. Reminds me of Doubleheader in Anglophone G1 who I also find to be a fun character.

[griffin]

I'm pretty sure the Trainbots were carrying full size TFs in the early episodes.

[GoktimusPrime]

And yet the cabins and seats in Ep22 are clearly human sized. If the scale was consistent, then the inside of the Trainbots should be gigantic for Gorter and Papika (much like the tube car seats were huge for Spike and Carly in Desertion of the Dinobots). So sometimes the Trainbots are scaled for humans and other times they're scaled for Transformers. To be fair, inconsistent scale is hardly unique to this series.

[griffin]

Ep 23 - Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship

Galvatron is searching for Proton Energy on the Pirate Planet, but needs a map and a key to get to it. The Autobot and Decepticon Clones have the map, and Daniel inadvertently finds the key.


Oooo, Clones. We didn't get to see them much in the US Rebirth story, so this was an interesting episode. Talking in unison bugged me after a while though. And they are apparently not from Cybertron, but 'another planet'.

This planet plundering story arc continues, with the Autobots revealing that Galvatron has been to 13 planets so far, and has been successful in capturing energy from over half of them.

While they have the important job of tracking down the Decepticons and stopping their plans, Daniel tells Highbrow that he wants to have a closer look at a space-wreck, and Highbrow is happy to oblige.

The flashback of the Autobot Clones talking about the Decepticon Clones being turned by Galvatron suggests it happened some time ago, but Galvatron was only created about a year ago, and he's been really busy since then. It's possible, but it just feels like they are talking about something that happened years ago.

Twincast dragging off Highbrow like a lump of meat... so funny.

How irresponsible of Highbrow to load Daniel's gun with a live magazine and not telling him... the kid could have been playing with it later as a toy gun, and killed someone.

I keep thinking of the Seacons with the title of this episode, but gotta remind myself that it's the JP Beast Wars series that has Seacons as Pirates.

A fairly clever episode, with them needing a special key to get into the pyramid... and it was only Daniel's interest a space-wreck that gives it away.

Just like when Ultra Magnus tipped off the Decepticons in episode 17 of their plan B, this one has the plot device of Highbrow bringing the key to the planet before the Decepticons have been chased off. If they had held onto it until after the Decepticons had left, they could have entered the pyramid without interference. But then, if that happened, we wouldn't have the pivotal battle between the Clones, and between Scorponok and Fortress Maximus.

The ending doesn't make much sense though, as it suggests the energy is still inside the planet, which is why it was turned into a desert. But everyone leaves without searching more for it.


Ep 24 - The Death of Ultra Magnus

The Decepticons have returned to their planet, Charr, and plan anew. Galvatron sends Sixshot to lead an attack on the Autobots, while Scorponok has his Headmasters searching for the Autobot Energy stores to improve his chances of deposing Galvatron. On Earth, Sixshot and Ultra Magnus fight to the death, with Sixshot revealing a seventh mode - the Wingwolf.


This would have to be the worst title in this series, as it spoils what happens in this episode.

The Autobot outpost has generic troops, which only seem to be meant as cannon fodder, and many are easily destroyed.

The Wingwolf mode of Sixshot looks and sounds like a fan-made mode, especially since he's supposed to be a six-changer. Giving him a seventh mode kinda defeats the purpose of calling him Sixshot.

Ultra Magnus doesn't turn grey like everyone else, which was only used for dramatic effect before anyway, so probably shouldn't be a definite indicator of death. And considering how indestructible characters are at times, and how some are easily rebuilt, it is hard to accept an actual (permanent) death of a character.

[GoktimusPrime]

Oooo, Clones. We didn't get to see them much in the US Rebirth story, so this was an interesting episode. Talking in unison bugged me after a while though. And they are apparently not from Cybertron, but 'another planet'.

Yeah, the talking in unison bugs me too; I much prefer Clone Wars where all the clones are different and unique despite being clones. But then I think that if I were to have seen this in 1987 then it would've probably seemed cool as the main gimmick with the clones was to have two identical robots who transformed into different alt modes. So not only do they look the same, but they think and talk the same. Rebirth more or less did the same thing with Fastlane and Cloudraker, only that they were a bit off synch ("Roger Dodger Optimus Prime! Roger Dodger Optimus Prime!") -- and Reflector was often portrayed in the same way.

The flashback of the Autobot Clones talking about the Decepticon Clones being turned by Galvatron suggests it happened some time ago, but Galvatron was only created about a year ago, and he's been really busy since then. It's possible, but it just feels like they are talking about something that happened years ago.

Galvatron could've time-jumped.

How irresponsible of Highbrow to load Daniel's gun with a live magazine and not telling him... the kid could have been playing with it later as a toy gun, and killed someone.

Or himself. Perhaps that was Highbrow's plan.

I keep thinking of the Seacons with the title of this episode, but gotta remind myself that it's the JP Beast Wars series that has Seacons as Pirates.

You'll get plenty of Seacon action of Masterforce (though they still be not pirates ya scurvee sea dawg!)

Ep 24 - The Death of Ultra Magnus

The Decepticons have returned to their planet, Charr, and plan anew. Galvatron sends Sixshot to lead an attack on the Autobots, while Scorponok has his Headmasters searching for the Autobot Energy stores to improve his chances of deposing Galvatron. On Earth, Sixshot and Ultra Magnus fight to the death, with Sixshot revealing a seventh mode - the Wingwolf.


This would have to be the worst title in this series, as it spoils what happens in this episode.

Indeed! I just really REALLY hate the way Ultra Magnus was defeated and killed. It was the typical lazy way of making one character (Sixshot) look powerful by making his opponent (Ultra Magnus) grossly incompetent. It reminds me of a lot of martial arts/self-defence demonstrations I see and reminds me why I dislike most demos. In order for a fighter to be shown as good, you need to have him fighting against a competent and highly skilled opponent because the fighter is only ever as good as his opponent. But in this case it's even worse than incompetence... it's like Ultra Magnus _wants_ to die.

Ultra Magnus just allowed himself to get shot, then gets up again giving Sixshot time to transform and shoot him again. This process repeats itself over and over again until Sixshot has attacked Ultra Magnus in all of his modes - and NO time during this fight does he attempt to retreat, counterattack or do anything other than stand up again to get hit. It's just an incredibly stupid fight scene. The first fight between Cheetor and Blackarachnia is just as bad, but at least it was brief. Ultra Magnus vs Sixshot is not only stupid, but it was a long and extensively dragged out fight too (thanks to Sixshot needing to defeat him in 7 modes). *sigh*

Ultra Magnus doesn't turn grey like everyone else, which was only used for dramatic effect before anyway, so probably shouldn't be a definite indicator of death. And considering how indestructible characters are at times, and how some are easily rebuilt, it is hard to accept an actual (permanent) death of a character.

The one thing I do like about this episode is that they actually showed the Autobots (and their allies) mourning for Ultra Magnus' loss and actually giving him a funeral. It was touching that they decided to bury him on Earth instead of in space or on another planet (e.g. Cybertron).