GI Joe Resolute

[GoktimusPrime]

However, this cartoon is not, in fact, aimed at the same demographic market.

Umm... yeah, that's the point. (-_-)

This cartoon demonstrates that Hasbro is willing to allow a cartoon to be made for adults based on one of their toylines which they are marketing at children. Transformers is also a Hasbro toyline which they market at children, hence I'd like to see a Transformers cartoon that is marketed at adult fans just as G.I. Joe Resolute is clearly marketed at adult Joe fans, and not primarily at the children who buy the toys.

Ever since the end of Beast Wars and Beast Machines, we've received nothing but kid-oriented cartoon series for Transformers - and the justification has long been the fact that Transformers is a brand/franchise that is primarily for children. Although Animated has recently improved, I was put off by Season 1 and parts of Season 2 due to the juvenile nature of the writing - and again, the rationale given was, "it's for kids." But G.I. Joe Resolute has now established a whole new precedent which I'm really hoping that Hasbro will follow up with Transformers.

We know that Season 3 will be the final season of Animated and that, for better or worse, Hasbro is wrapping that series up. So I'm personally hoping that Hasbro will follow up with the next TF series being more adult-focused like Resolute.

If not, I will happily settle for a half-adult focused series like Beast Wars (and like Clone Wars, although I reckon that's more of a creative decision from Lucasfilm not Hasbro). Of course, the last time Hasbro gave us a more adult-centric Transformers TV series we got Beast Machines, which ultimately failed for various reasons... but I think that following in the footsteps of G.I. Joe Resolute ought to do better than Beast Machines because it's starting a whole new fresh continuity, yet keeping true to the core nature of what makes G.I. Joe successful. Beast Machines' problem was that it was too ambitious and took Transformers to an entirely new level that wasn't popular with a lot of fans. It also suffered from some character-continuity issues (e.g. Rhinox suddenly becoming evil and Megatron suddenly being "good" for absolutely no apparent reason). But so long as Hasbro avoids those mistakes and learns from the strengths of G.I. Joe Resolute and applies it to Transformers, I don't see why it shouldn't be successful.

The show was rated TV-14V in the US because of its somewhat graphic depiction of violence. It's different from the cartoons of old where everyone used laserguns and the badguys just got stunned. Snake Eyes delivering killing blows and setting a trap using a dead/unconscious Cobra trooper is not the sort of thing you see in most kids cartoons.

It'd still pass for prime-time in Japan. Imagine if they did G.I. Joe or Transformers in a similar style as seen in the adult animé time slot (usually shown close to or after midnight) that they have there and produce stuff with the level of violence of Hellsing. (Advisory: Link points to video clip rated MA15+ by OFLC)