@@retroandreissue well season 5 is just a selection of the same episodes with an annoying boy talking to a Prime puppet so I'd say just skip it...unless you want to recap before moving on.
@@retroandreissue well yeah, it's interesting to see the movie split into a five parter with Prime doing the narration at the beginning instead of Victor...Also, l feel like the Five Faces of Darkness episodes look better in the lower quality vhs recording that's available on here..the animation errors don't stand out half as much as they do on the dvd. But maybe that's just me ☺
@@retroandreissue by the way, for the first season in particular, there's loads more animation errors in the dvd/Hasbro YT channel versions than there was in the originally aired episodes. It really spoils the episodes.
You have no idea how refreshing it is to click on a video titled "retrospective" and it's actually a retrospective analysis and not a boring summary where the narrator reads wiki articles and occasionally makes snide comics. Bravo for including both analysis and biographical experience. Makes the video worth watching.
Great video! My head theory for why Megs keeps Starscream around, is because he secretly respects his ball bearings for directly challenging him. No other decepticons ever try to take over so defiantly. Megs is trying to groom a true warrior out of him. None of this is supported by the show of course, but i think its a fun idea.
That theory certainly applies to the TF: Armada version of both those characters. This clip from the show really shows it: m.ruclips.net/video/3F_kCtHi-E8/видео.html&pp=ygUuVHJhbnNmb3JtZXJzIGFybWFkYSBzdGFyc2NyZWFtIGZpZ2h0cyBtZWdhdHJvbg%3D%3D
I like the theory that Megs keeps him around as a reminder, a reminder to never get too complacent. If the likes of Starscream is always trying to steal his place no doubt other decepticons would try the same and may be more competent then Starscream is at it. So Starscream remains being around to remind Megatron that he always needs to watch his back.
That’s actually a pretty good theory especially if you go with the idea that Megatron WAS a gladiator bot on pre war Cybertron. A true warrior would respect a challenger.
The voice cast adds so much to the characters and Hasbro owes them so much. I have a hard time watching today but it still has its moments. Brawn snagging Meg’s fusion canon was a high point since he was the only toy I owned at that point.
I'm glad you brought up the question of why Megatron keeps Starscream around, and from watching various episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 is that Starscream seems to be the closest the Decepticons have to a "Wheeljack" or a "Ratchet" on their team. He seems to be the most technically-inclined Decepticon with an interest in technology beyond just immediate warfare. For example it's Starscream whom builds the Combaticons, has the technical know-how to revive Skyfire, and whom operates on Megatron when he is struck by a shard of Cosmic Rust-infected meteorite. So while Starscream may be untrustworthy he has shown on multiple occasions that he has applications outside of just fighting. On an unrelated note I find it funny how iconic Optimus having arm-mounted melee weapons has become thanks to the Micheal Bay Transformers movies, since they were clearly drawing inspiration from his Energon Axe from G1...A weapon he only ever used *once* in the More Than Meets The Eye 5-parter.
I think you may have missed one thing about the Dinobots. You asked why they were portrayed as being of low intelligence, and speculated about reasons for this needlessly. The actual reason is very clear in context of the series; Wheeljack explicitly states that he believed the best way to make them just like real dinosaurs, was to mimic a real dinosaur's intelligence compared to modern-day sentients, i.e. not very smart. He then regrets this decision when it's shown to be a liability half the time, but refuses to change them on the grounds they are sentient creatures with rights.
I love it cuz of the warm family vibes the autobots give out. The snowball fight, the TV show they were watching, heck, watching them speak, instead of sounding like serious war torn brothers in arms they sound like co workers in an office job! Lol that would be funny, a Transformers version of the office...
@@retroandreissueone other thing I’d raise. Why weren’t the Dino bots given a filth bot so they could conbine or why both Megs and prime could make laser weapons from their hands but never used.
@@Grant80 I'm glad they weren't..why are people so obsessed with the Dinobots combining. It defeats the whole point of having robotic Dinosaurs...They didn't need to combine, being robotic dinosaurs was what made them bad ass.
@@TF80soh my god, someone else with my opinion! The whole point of the Dionobots was each being big and powerful on their own, and having the same gimmick as 30 other guys takes that all away.
As someone who wasn’t born until way after the show aired, I can safely say that yeah, it holds up if you acknowledge when and why it was made. (Also I’m a sucker for that ‘80s hand drawn 2d style.)
I didn’t watch G1 on reruns because I was born in 91. Beast Wars was my introduction to Transformers. Watching G1, you can see the difference in writing between the two. Beast Wars had better writing, while G1 had better novelty.
The show is more than just a commercial, it’s the perfect sales pitch. Ironically, even though the show stumbles a bit in overarching story it serves as a masterclass in creating memorable and fun characters which just so happens to be the part that you can literally buy and take home with you!
I grew up watching G1 Transformers during the 80's and although I thought it was great, I always noticed there was continuity and scaling issues like in the first 5 episodes the Autobots could fly then later on they can't or how did Starscream have an Earth based alternate form when it was millions of years before they came to Earth or the biggest 2 errors of all, the orgins of the Constructions and Insecticons. Even though I thought about these I still loved the show
Very similar to me. I wonder why they didn't change Starscream's jet mode for the episode with Jetfire to one of the triangle seekers we see on Cybertron?
It was probably a time issue. They were pumping out episodes like crazy and in a short time frame. There were 16 episodes in the first season and then 49 (repeat 49!!!) in the second season. Something tells me they were likely working on the second season during the first season. Lol. Anyway, there probably wasn't enough time to work out those kinds of continuity details with that kind of output.
@@avenuePad That's a good point since Transformers were selling like hotcakes they're were probably under a lot of pressure to keep up. I know that the movie we in pre-production pretty early and that's one of the reasons later additions to the cast (like the Aerialbots) were absent
@@retroandreissue They probably just completely forgot, I bet they didn't even include that Cybertronian form in their character design models because it was just an episode 1 exclusive thing. Even then you see the robot forms are still unchanged in that episode and you can see the Earth mode parts in them even then, so it's just easier for the team to not have to design new models and draw those versus the ones they're already used to.
@@retroandreissue As far as them flying in the opening 3-parter, just consider them as wearing jetpacks, even though the Autobots weren't drawn wearing them in that story. If there were to be a new series set in the universe of the G1 series(a'la 'X-Men '97') that bridges the gap between Season 2 of the G1 series, and the G1 movie and there was a flashback to them flying in the story 'More Than Meets The Eye', they would surely be shown as having been wearing jetpacks.
I just rewatched some of the old season 1 G1 cartoons this week. Little here and there each night. Its nice to hear another adult fan on well-thought points on the series. I've always acknowledge and just blindly accepted (cause what else can one do) the animation errors and continuity, and still love it for all that. I grew up with it, collect thed comics, kept what toys I could then add to it when I got into my 20s.
I wish I'd kept my original toys (like most collectors do!) The only one I have left now is a beat up Prowl. I got back into collecting and that re-ignited my interest in the cartoon again (also re-reading all the original Marvel comics). Thanks for watching by the way!
@@retroandreissue I've been enjoying your channel great deal so keep it coming. I only had few TFs from my child-hood cause there was this . . . that shouldn't keep them due to not being that age anymore. I've bought quite few old G1 as adult taht I didn't have and enjoying new G1/Legacy toys.
@@SlashTheWeasel I'm still focused on Studio Series 86 but recently bought my first vintage - Pipes! But mainly so I can compare him to the Kingdom version for a vid. Found a really good vintage seller on eBay though so I'll probably pick up more in the future
@@retroandreissue I'm on Studio Series/Legacy G1 so I get it. Its little bit at time and when you can. And I got some in not the best shape while others are in good varying on price. I figure I'll never truly be done which is fine with me.
@@SlashTheWeasel No, I don't really have an end goal in sight either. I'd like to get some boxed vintage since they stopped doing the reissues but the prices are scary!
I think it’s still by far the best Transformers series. No other has the scope of characters, stories, and imagination G1 had. Every time they try to reinvent the wheel, they fall short.
@blammers Dreamwave comics did VERY well for VERY long time if you had a chance to check them out. They successfully conveyed the size, complexity and scale of the Cybertronians conflict.
Correction on what a story arc is: A story arc is not the same thing as a multi-parter. A story arc is an assortment of seperate stories that form an overarching narrative. For example, 'The Avalon World Tour' from 'Gargoyles'.
Actually the Technobots don't break canon with their creation, but it does take some reading between the lines. What I would argue is that when Grimlock gained super-intelligence in "Grimlock's New Brain", he actually gained a tiny portion of the spark of Unicron, through being hit with an energy burst which stemmed from the blood of Unicron, which I would argue had been infused with the energy of Unicron's spark. However it wasn't a direct infusion of Dark Energon, so it didn't cause Grimlock to be zombified. What happened was that the Technobots were initially each designed with a generalised AI, which each of the 6 Technobots had. However when Grimlock transferred the resonant energy from himself to Computron, it gave each of the 6 Technobots a proper spark. I think this can be somewhat deduced through the fact that Unicron's powers suggest that he is as capable of creating sparks as Primus is - especially when you consider that Scourge and Cyclonus weren't actually Thundercracker and Skywarp, but rather original sparks, inside the reformatted corpses of both Seekers.
That makes sense to me. I'm pretty sure Retro's idea that the Dinobots are dumb because they were made without Vector Sigma is fine, too. These don't feel like inconsistent cases. Honestly, the Technobots are better made by Smart Grimlock than by Vector Sigma anyway. Remember how like half the Aerialbots thought the Decepticons were pretty cool? Almost makes you wonder if Vector Sigma chose sides, lmao.
I was born in the 70s back in 84 this series was on a different level, before that we had Gobots it was kinda kiddy, Optimus Prime and the Autobots was must see TV. I just posed out Jazz, Wheeljack, and Blaster on my shelf. After 40 years still a fan, Got the complete G1 series on DVD, of course this is still worth watching, especially season 1 and 2.
As someone you regularly goes back and watches random episodes from all 3 seasons (I count The Return of Optimus and Rebirth as Season 3 honestly), I really enjoyed the retrospective on this. It's interesting to hear what a TF toy fan thinks of the cartoons. Much thanks!
Speaking as a fellow fan who is also clear-eyed about his nostalgia and struggles to take this stuff seriously despite loving it tremendously, I say yes please, do produce more retrospective videos!
I LOVED the first season with the Toei animation. The art quality sank when the producers switched to Akom to cut costs for the second, third and three-episode season of Rebirth.
@@philfitnesspt6139 The third season was the sole full season that followed the events of the animated film feature. The three Rebirth Headmasters episodes are largely considered to be the abbreviated fourth season before the series was cancelled.
Folks gotta keep in mind that unlike the comics, made by creators disciplined by Marvel's mainline universe to maintain continuity, the TV show which most fans lift up as king had no such discipline. Many problems weren't "retconnable." We just lived with it because our favorites we bought the toys of were setting it off on TV. Concepts were played with and quickly tossed aside. Partly because as Donald F. Glut said, writers only needed to knock scripts out fast so animators (like the infamous AKOM) could get to work. Even in comics, selling toys came first, meaning work in new characters before weaving plots with great ingredients. It took Beast Wars and fans growing up to become the creators to begin organizing it properly outside the comics.
An honest and authentic take. Thank you! I am currently watching through with my 12-year-old son. His sensibility are definitely more than mine were at his age. he laughs at some of the strange character choices, but he also does not notice the amount of inconsistencies in plot and especially animation errors. It’s really a joy to watch him watch it and even reconnect to his love of playing with toys, a physical act to play that is more and more lost on our screen bent culture. That’s what I think my take away has been. It is nice to reconnect with a virtual medium that is meant to connect you to the physical world and effectively does so.
Showing Dangermouse while talking about better cartoons was perfect. I loved DM so much. But it also illustrates that one was a show and one was a commercial.
I'm pretty much in lock step with you through your entire assessment of the show. 34:19 - When that War for Cybertron video game came out back in 2010 it took all the wonky, goofy, slanted, stuff and realigned it into something incredibly mature while maintaining the nostalgia and charm of the source material. For me it was the PERFECT updated digestible form of Transformers media we needed. The massive scale of that game and the pacing of the story just blew me away. The developers were huge G1 fans who all grew up and got dream jobs working on this game. The game really got down to the nitty gritty of war too. That game's story was so well written that there were moments I sympathized with Megatron's motivation and was actually rooting for him. If your inner child has a warm soft spot for the 80's cartoon, then your adult self should appreciate it. I've never seen anything come close to the multiplayer modes it ever since. I have yet to see any other iteration of the franchise retain so much G1 but still being on a more advanced mature level.
I loved the High Moon games also - of all the modern Transformers takes that's probably my favourite. My friend @DeltaTrion did a vid on the game recently which is worth checking out if you haven't seen it ruclips.net/video/Yf66aBienz0/видео.htmlsi=-n_aFYZyMFWPNRrG
I really enjoyed this video! I'm considerably younger than you appear to be however I find that I relate to a lot of the nostalgia based points that you mentioned. I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of your analysis on G1, and I enjoyed hearing about the other talking points you brought up throughout your retrospective. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts :) . I'll add my voice to the many that say "please continue this series!" because I truly would love to keep watching, especially at this video length!
I really enjoyed this and definitely relate as I have been doing the exact same thing recently. Season 2 is far better, especially near the end and I am doing s3 at the moment. So look forward to your next addition and comments.
Very good job! You broke it down well and I liked the fact that you're looking at this as an adult, having first enjoyed it as a child. Look forward to more of these
This was a great watch. Please do all the seasons and the movie too. I lowkey love season 3 so would love to see you do that. Thanks for the dedication!
I don't give a damn about what anybody else says to me the original gen 1 Transformers is always going to be worth watching because if you don't have the original you don't have anything else afterwards
This was amazing, brother! I'm definitely down for a Season 2 retrospective. I was (and still am) more a fan of the figures than the lore and media surrounding them.
Yeah, it's something I only realised after really starting this channel. Where does my actual interest lie? But I'm enjoying picking things about and thinking about them more in-depth. Glad you're interested in a season 2 vid!
I think however you learnt their character, be it comics or cartoon, goes along way towards playability and the enduring like of them. The Toy being part puzzle, part action figure and toy vehicle is enough for initial interest though.
@@iridescent6685 It's true! The two things are very much tied together - I would add the comics were also a big deal for me getting into the story (although it goes in quite different directions at times!)
Great video dude, as someone in the UK who grew up watching G1 (and yes I had the Vector Sigma VHS too haha) I went back when I started collecting 4yrs ago, starting with the new ones (Siege onwards) I had as a kid and now 150+ deep I've rewatched all G1 seasons + Japanese mini series after S4 I echo alot of what you said atleast regarding S1...defo do Season 2!!
I really enjoyed your video. G1 Transformers was such a huge influence on me as a kid (I've made my own review video on the G1 Megatron toy/character). I've got such good memories of watching the cartoon series. Not that I'm disagreeing, but I found S2 to have more duds in it than S1. To that end I really hope you'll cover S2 as I was fascinated by this video. Great stuff
I grew up in he 80’s, loved the tv show loved the toys no matter any faults anyone could find. The spots on a leopard are not a fault, just part of how it’s made. I will always love the toys and the show. The new transformers One movie only adds to the love! Great movie!
As someone who got into TF with the Bayverse movies as a kid, and am getting back into it now with TFOne, I’d love to see more of these and think I definitely need to go back and check this series myself.
I really enjoyed this video as it truly struck a cord in me. I watched the show and was a massive fan as a kid. I mainly had the mini bots but also Megatron. I was fortunate to have many of the season 3 and on figures once the movie came out. I basically only rented that movie or the pilot episodes as a kid and did that up until I was maybe 12. My love always stayed with me as an adult. I had a son at 18 and when I won custody I was able to get him to into Transformers which as a dad is one of the coolest things as he still has that love today. He started collecting Studio Series as they first came out and has a really great collection. In May of this year I decided to start collecting myself. I’m going for Masterpiece scale as I want close to the original characters as I can get. You seem to have the same sentiment towards Transformers as I have. I just rewatched all of seasons 1 & 2 recently. I completely agree with your take on the first season. The nostalgia is why I love the show so much but it can be a bit of chore to watch all in a binge I must admit. The silliness that occurs to me now in the show was definitely not noticed by me as a kid, and it does not take away from my enjoyment to this day. I do really appreciate your insight on Transformers and enjoy your videos as you give a take us middle aged folks who grew up with this have. It’s unique to combine the nostalgia of our childhood and how that relates to us as adults now. You do that in a way that’s entertaining yet insightful. I do hope you continue making these as I look forward to watching them as they come out.
Great video! I appreciate your efforts to do these season long retrospectives and hope you continue. I know there are better episodes later on, but--for me--this first season is the heart of Transformers. I got a lot of the toys in the early '80s; Transformers was perhaps my earliest fandom, before being overtaken by G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel superheroes, and other stuff. Bu I never *loved* the toys. Some of them were hard to transform, and some of them just looked... dumb (Ironhide!). I fell in love with the Autobots and Decepticons through the television show; this was how I imagined the characters; this is how I wanted them to look. That's why I only started collecting Transformers toys again a couple years ago when they started the War for Cybertron line and the characters looked a lot more cartoon accurate to me. Over the summer I did a podcast on "The Ultimate Doom" three-parter. It's probably my favorite Transformers story ever told, and at the crux of this planetary destruction threatened by Cybertron entering Earth's orbit is a very real, very human drama playing out between Spike and his father. I was just a kid when I saw it and Sparkplug turning evil and betraying his son rocked my world. The trauma Spike felt hit me in my soul because as a child I could think of nothing more horrifying than my parents rejecting me and calling me their enemy. "The Ultimate Doom" also had some of the best action sequences and dialogue by Brawn (my favorite) and Skyfire and Wheeljack. Because of my emotional tether to that story, I've always felt that the Transformers work best with a human POV character like Spike or Buster in the comics or Sam in the movies. Likewise, I've also always preferred stories with the Transformers set on Earth as opposed to Cybertron or other planets. For me--again, this all stems from being a little kid when this came out--the coolest aspect about the Autobots and Decepticons was the "robots in disguise" part; that they could change into the same cars and trucks we see on the road every day. Any ambulance could be Ratchet. Any jet could be Thundercracker. Without the Earth-based alt. modes, the transformation is just a cool mode of transportation, but it lacks the disguise element. Anyway, for all those reasons, as well as financial considerations, I've limited my Transformers collection to only the Autobots and Decepticons that appeared in season 1 of the cartoon (omitting the Dinobots, because that was too much and I missed the chance to get Grimlock the first time around and didn't want to overspend to get him on the secondary market). So the only figures I still need are the Constructicons, who are all coming out in 2025, and Windcharger, whenever they get around to him. I would like to update a few figures like a Studio 86 Megatron, and better versions of Sideswipe, Mirage, and Bluestreak, but those aren't priorities right now. Okay, like I said, great video. Thanks for going through these episodes and sharing your thoughts.
Loved your take on The Ultimate Doom! I think that's why Sparkplug was such a key feature in both the comic and cartoon - because really at that age your parents are still your best friends. Best friends that you admire and look up to - the idea of them turning on you is, as you say, traumatic. I have forgotten if I ever looked at vehicles on the road and wondered if they could be Autobots but I must have done. I loved cars as a kid and that was the route into Transformers for me. Please let me know the name of your podcast (links are turned off in RUclips comments but you could always email it - my email is on the about page).
@@retroandreissue I tell a joke based of this where a kid asks if something they see is a transformer. Their parent replies "that's just one of your run of the mill mechanical dinosaurs."
Late to the party here, but this is some really great analysis! I struggle with watching the cartoon as an adult except for the episodes I have the strongest nostalgic attachment to - the ones I had on VHS as a kid and watched over and over. Fire in the Sky was my favorite of the bunch, and I think the things you bring up in your video really hit on why: the global weather phenomenon giving the episode a snowy, unusual look, and the focus on character rather than the "Decepticons harvesting energy" formula. I didn't watch the entirety of the series until I was in my late 20's, and it very much felt like homework, as you described. Overall, I think the things that have aged the best in this series are the more technical parts of how it was put together: the painted backgrounds, the music/sound design, and the voice acting are all, in my opinion, still extremely impressive. Awesome video!
I love that Transformers, as a franchise, has evolved and expanded to satisfy many different tastes. There is merit and charm in watching episodic Saturday morning cartoons. Likewise the franchise has indulged in more character-driven and plot-driven entries. I have such a nostalgic outlook for G1 and I was.born in the 90s.
Great vid! 2 things that I notice now…. Starscream should be a tetra jet when he’s with sky fire. And…. After 4,000,000 years… cybertron was still doing ok… the lights were still on 😄
It's absolutely worth watching and even others speak of it in high regards. It does show its age, but the characters are really what carry it. Plus everything being condensed in 22 minutes sometimes helped with the pacing unlike other shows that became leading up to major arcs.
In this cartoon series the Transformers just hold a memory when it comes to space fantasy and adventure. The stories have this way with telling its adventure through familiar incidents that remind U of even historical events.
I just watched G1 Season 1 and 2 on Hasbro Pulse on RUclips. And it stood up to the time, it's a kid's show but some dialogue is very mature. I enjoyed re watching it and if you never have seen it , it's definitely worth the time. ❤
Fire in The Sky is one of my favorite G1 episodes. Though oddly enough despite really liking Skyfire I kind of wish he had stayed buried, since he doesn't do much past his debut episode, and if he stayed buried I think the episode would feel more profound.
I mean, I watched it as a kid, and if I watch the occasional ep it’s one of the stand outs I clearly remember as a kid because I want to be taken back to that place. So sure, they’re pretty rough round the edges, but 8 year old me didn’t care and that’s the lens I default with now though I very much agree as you said “it’s very much a show for 80’s kids”… It was very much “of its time” But stepping back from that, the into 3 parter was a great kids show that was decently put together even if we ignore the fact it was simply a 20 minute advertisement. Great retrospective.
I love how you can watch the G1 episodes free through various streaming services these days. I never did own the VHS collections, but I did accumulate multiple DVD box sets for some reason. Now I don't even have a DVD player to play them. BTW, it's the voice actors playing those classic roles. Brings back all the fond memories.
I had never watched transformers of 80s and barely familiar with this franchise. But because of Transformers one (which i watched 6 times already), I am really intrested in original cartoon and original lore. Thank you for the video
The question you pose in the title of your video might as well have been "Is oxygen still worth breathing?" G1 Transformers is as essential to sustaining the normal function of humans as our atmosphere is to keeping us alive...
i finished the series yesterday after putting it on hold for… a long time. as difficult as some episodes were, they really did succeed in making me want to spend a monstrously high amount of money on plastic robots! (im getting addicted to the franchise again please help) yeah i dont have anything to add, im just commenting because i really enjoyed this video. good work ❤
I recently watched the whole cartoon series and film. Loved the whole thing. Fun, nostalgic and made me want to start from the beginning again, which I have done. I laughed at all the dumb or bad stuff, laughed at all the fun bits, warm and fuzzy fun.
I definitely preferred Season 2 compared to Season 1. Although there were some goofy episodes, overall it was still much better and I liked what it did with the lore. Would love to see a breakdown of it.
I really enjoyed this video and totally agree that episodes where new characters are introduced are the best. I would love to see a video like this for season 2 and possibly even beyond to see your take on the random introduction of many more characters.
So many more get introduced in those later seasons so those episodes were something I was always looking forward to. I mean, all the Headmasters in Season 4! Thanks for letting me know you would like to see more - it will definitely help me decide what to do in the future
I was born in 76 and did most of my growing up fully inundated with 30 minute toy commercials, lol. The G1 cartoon is one of only a small handful of childhood cartoons I can still watch now and fully enjoy in the same way I did as a kid. G.I.Joe (Sunbow) is another one. I loved it and still do. I rewatch the 1986 movie every single year…not out of compulsion, but because I truly enjoy it.
All of my favorite episodes from G1 definitely come from season 2. Not many of the episodes from season 1 I really found too interesting, even the three-parter I didn't find interesting as a kid. I'd love to see you cover some of my favorite episodes in this style!
This was a fantastic video! I appreciate your capacity to articulate your love of the toys and IP, but not the blind defense of all things transformers. Foolishly thinking the movie was being played in the movie theater several mo the ago, I ended up seeing the first four episodes of season one. To be honest, I was rather bored! I love the toys and the feelings I felt as a kid watching these episodes after school. But seeing them now and not loving it doesn’t in the slightest spoil my nostalgia and fandom.
Great video I'll be interested in your reviews of the other seasons. Did you ever watch the Japanese episodes like Scramble City that weren't released over here ?
33:05 "The fiction was seasoning, but my imagination and the physical objects themselves was what I was interested in." I was the same with RiD2001 and Armada as a kid. I DID watch the animes when I could, but I didn't catch every episode. I had my own little universe with my toys and imagination, with whatever elements I remembered from the anime as inspiration for how to make the characters act. I DID actually watch all of Season 1 of G1 as a kid through the magic of DVDs.
I love this show so much. Always loved monster of the week stories aka megaton’s plans. Also love the comedy and have graphic they talk but use robot talk to get around it , like I’ll rip out your optics. Also in megatron’s master plan I know it’s dumb but when he says you never give up on people you love and they go mushy but true. I love that so much for some reason.
As a fellow transformers collector, it’s absolutely fine to be critical to G1 cartoons, ot has it’s up and down. And yes i want season 2 retrospective too
I didn't grow up with Transformers all that much. Watched bits on tv as a kid in the 80's, and owned a single Bumblebee figure. Never liked Megatron's voice, but love Frank Welker in other roles (specifically The Real Ghostbusters). After moving to Japan in 2005, I got interested in the pre-Transformers toys that Hasbro "borrowed" for Transformers, and fell in love with them. Recently saw Transformers One with my 12 year old son, and we both loved it - so I picked up the original animated film to watch together. While some of the animation was completely mind blowing, other scenes looked awkward and a lot of jokes fell flat. The death of Optimus Prime was still impactful, but to my son, aside from that, most of the film bored both of us. The editing and constant music is almost suffocating. Now I'm tempted to go back and watch the first few episodes to see how it compares, and really appreciate all the work you put into this video! Helped me decide.
IMO - the original backstory for pre-Transformers Microman & Microchange line (paired with Diaclone) is way more interesting, and makes more sense. HOWEVER, Transformers One changed my mind. I hope they continue the story, despite the poor box office turnouts.
I’m kind of in your boat on this. There are a few episodes I truly enjoy of the 3 US seasons (I don’t consider Rebirth a season 4, just a miniseries), but ‘maybe’ 10 or so of the 98 episodes. The figures are just the best and what’s been done in some of the more modern comics like IDW, etc, I think capture the original ideas better, likely as they were written for a more mature audience.
I'm from the UK as well, but despite loving Transformers as a kid and now again as an adult I never saw too much of the show, but for the life of me I can't remember why. I've always had the vague memory that the cartoon wasn't aired much, or not shown in the usual slots, making it hard to catch. I don't know, but there has to be some reason for it, since I would have watched it religiously if I could.
What does it say about me as a 2024 adult who was a 98's kid and still weirdly enjoy watching G1 on the side or while doing shores? I don't know, but that was a very interesting retrospective. I really like you headcannon-ing while watching the show, I think this is a big appeal of G1 in a way, revisiting and even knowing it's not that deep, there still a concept on those characters and possible world that could be very interesting to dig out, and it's what many TF media has been doing since.
G1 is one of those shows that I absolutely adore, but I understand that the majority of its charm comes purely from nostalgia rather than watchability. I worshipped this series as a kid LOL, I’ve probably rewatched it 3 times in total - but I also have to understand that not every transformers fan (as most came into the franchise from the bayverse movies) will find it enjoyable
I've heard a few people cite Prime as their favourite - it's one I plan to get to (I have this crazy idea to watch through all the series and do videos like this one about them all but that's such a massive project it's sort of a "soft target". Something to aim for having done years from now
For the sake of the feedback that you asked for, I'd love a deep dive into the rest of the series like this specifically because I'm NOT someone who grew up with Transformers. I always had friends who loved it, and finally as TF Prime was coming out I watched that, but this massive saga has always been something I've only ever been aware of via friends but which I've always intended to check out. This retrospective is the first thing that has actually convinced me that G1 may actually be worth watching as an outsider, and I would love to hear the rest of your opinions on the series.
@@retroandreissue really! It's hard to find others my age who share a love for g1! I personally feel that it is just an overflowing well of untapped potential!
I loved g1 as a kid. Use to watch it as much as i could but as an adult it's hard for me to rewatch in part becuse my mind keeps going well where did this guy come from, this char has no devellopment and other things. I love my memories of g1 and what g1 brought us such as Armada, Prime, power of the primes and beast wars.
My favorite episode from Gen 1 is the Club Kids episode because it was it was the first time the scene had been shown in fiction. new york Raves/clubs had people from all ages and styles just like that and I have to assume one of the writers were keyed into it.
Very insightful commentary, thanks for your thoughts. I would certainly be interested to see any follow ups (S2, 1986 movie, episode 3.. Marvel comics?) Only real criticism I would off is maybe spruce it up a bit more with other unique clips rather than reusing a fair amount of footage multiple times (it was far from heavy with it, but began to get pretty noticeable). I realize that's a "nice to have" as obviously it starts adding extra work on top of everything else & is kind of beside the point of a video like this. But, still! Also, I would say feel free to go a little more heavy-handed with the criticism, although at the end of the day so much of it is forgivable (animation errors and such, some canon inconsistencies). They have a pretty solid level of quality throughout, overall, and of course with the way these things were made back in the day, there was going to of course be some shortcomings here and there. Overall I am still very impressed with the craftsmanship of the show (everything up to S3 of course, and even then they did a good job considering the obviously reduced budget). With 2024 eyes it's a treat to look back at these older cartoons and just take in ALL the attention to detail that is omnipresent throughout the series. Everything looks really good, backgrounds are constantly unique and interesting, the characters are all very easy to read and well-rendered very consistently, there's plenty of "hero" shots (great eye candy that just looks cool). There are many reasons that this show has been considered to have held up as long as it has.
I have a headcanon as to the mixup in canon concerning vector sigma's creation of the cybertronians vs wheeljacks creation of the dinobots. So just as megatron was able to create the stunticons, wheeljack was also able to create the dinobots. So obviously, it appears that cybertronians can "reproduce" artificially (at least in this continuity), but vector sigma is the only one who can give these artificial life forms true sentience and character traits. But it seems that with the dinobots, judging by how sporadic, buggy, and primitive their behavior is compared to the rest of the cybertronians, I like to think that the dinobots were wheeljack's (or possibly any cybertronian in this case, depending on if any others like shockwave has ever attempted something like this before in cybertronian history) first attempt at creating fully sentient, artificially intelligent cybertronians, but just as with weeljack's many other inventions, they have a tendency to have lots of glitches, and, because he doesn't have the vast amount of intelligence or technological complexity like that of vector sigma, hence there is bound to be many imperfections with the dinobots' artificial sentience and intelligence, as the show clearly portrays in many episodes. But that's my 2 cents.
It makes sense and explains their very basic nature. I always thought on Vecta Sigma as containing some kind of elemental force that was beyond any Transformer to reproduce. Now that I think about it I wonder why they decided Vecta Sigma was needed at all - since they were just making things more difficult for themselves when it comes to adding new characters
I was there watching from the first time the three part special aired. Do I still remember the Saturday morning that Grimlock Slag and Sludge lumbered onto the scene, solidifying them in my mind as THE Dinobots. And to this day I consider Snarl and Swoop to be the ‘new guys’.
Season 2 and 3 also have a number of episodes that baby me thought he'd come up with in weird dreams. It was shocking to find out that the episode where Seaspray turns into a merperson was real and not some cracked out imagining of a five-year-old's sleeping brains.
Admittedly, for the most part, I was able to give logical answers to a lot of illogical G1 mistakes. With the Glitch bots (as I’ll referred to them) we can just assume that there was more bots either aboard the ark or they fell out of the ark as it crashed and were reactivated later. (This includes Bumper, Hauler, and the many seeker clones) As for The events surrounding Jetfire I always just assumed that Wheeljack and Sideswipe were left behind to dig him up. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not sure if they appeared in the episodes in between jetfire’s burial, and being dug up) As for the Dinobots I always assumed that they just used the sparks of the unrepairable autobots aboard the ark in order to make them but it had side effects including erasing their memories. It’s a little things like this that allow me to enjoy the show and all its inconsistencies by coming up with logical answers and explanations for mistakes. With that said, I still have my issues with G1 but mainly the fact characters like Sunstreaker, Hoist, Huffer, and (my favorite transformer of all time) Trailbreaker don’t get any character development in the show. And ones like Brawn, Beachcomber, Gears, and Grapple don’t get more than one episode of development.
I'm 41 years old and grew up with the cartoon on vhs and the toys in the late 80s cause my dad and his buddies collected them back then so I've always have been a transformers g1 fan. I still pop the g1 cartoon on on Saturday mornings on tubing to get my day started. My 11 year old son watches it with me and we both collected the g1 modernized toys that come out. It's still a great show and the 86 movie is still the best transformers movie to those day in my opinion 👍
Having watched all of the 80s show not long ago, I also found it a great source of comedy, both intentional and unintentional haha. I think assuming it's all unintentional would do the writers a disservice, there was plenty of goofs and gaffs I adore, especially come Season 2 with episodes like Triple Takeover, or the one where Optimus gets challenged by a Big Game Hunter. Seeing the Decepticon goons bumble about will never get old. I think the popular consciousness of G1 has been painted much more seriously, because of both the Marvel US/UK comics and the '86 Movie - they took the G1 setup into much more of a sci-fi drama direction, which led to people forgetting what the Sunbow show was like. (This reputation not helped by Beast Wars/Machines, or the G1 comics from the 21st Century, which primarily took inspiration from Marvel and The Movie. They're all wonderful of course lol, and have plenty of great jokes and lighthearted episodes themselves, but still serve to diminish the 80s show's original tone from memory). In fact, I'd say the Show and Comics both complemented each-other back then, despite being separate continuities: Marvel provided the elaborate on-going drama, massive stakes and world-building/lore, while Sunbow did an invaluable service in endearing you to the cast, giving each of them the memorably distinct personalities everyone remembers them for, to the point of entire dedicated spotlight episodes for many. I don't think that should be understated. I'd love to see your opinions on the G1 anime later, if you decide to continue this past Sunbow; I consider them wonderful examples of continuing the Sunbow show's comedic, character-focused spirit, while infusing it with some wonderfully flashy, late-80s Super-Robot mecha pulpiness, that would later evolve into the Brave/Yuusha franchise. Same goes for shows like Beast Wars Neo, Car Robots, and Galaxy Force. Seeing how wildly Transformers media varies is what makes the whole franchise so enticing to me. Being someone who grew up with Animated and the Bay Trilogy, hot off the heels of the Unicron Trilogy (plz watch them subbed if you ever get around to them), *Transformers* to me has always been defined by how deftly it can reinvent itself entirely, adopting not just different tones, settings, and casts, but outright different genres, and somehow make them its own. It's unlike nearly any other franchise I can come up with, in that regard.
Just watched the new movie Transformers One with my 11 year old son. He asked what happened after? So, we watched the first three episodes of G1. He loves it!
G1 is perfect! Lol, I know it’s not, but in my heart it will always be in the standard for me. As someone with OCD, the inconsistencies you mention drove me crazy as an 8-year old! I know it’s too much to expect perfect internal consistency in the storytelling, but for the few observant children out there, it would have been nice.
Couple things 1. It wasn’t just grim lock vs prime he had slag and sludge as well. 2. They picked spark plug because of his strong loyalty to the autobots. 3. The dinobots were dumb so they weren’t op and had a weakness
Accepting that the film is both a commercial and something that can be remembered fondly is a great take. G1 will always have so much charm to it
Indeed! I've got through G1 - do you think I should bother with the hacked together Season 5 or just move straight on to Beast Wars?
@@retroandreissue well season 5 is just a selection of the same episodes with an annoying boy talking to a Prime puppet so I'd say just skip it...unless you want to recap before moving on.
@@TF80s It might be fun to just document the fact it existed - and maybe a good opportunity for some comedy!
@@retroandreissue well yeah, it's interesting to see the movie split into a five parter with Prime doing the narration at the beginning instead of Victor...Also, l feel like the Five Faces of Darkness episodes look better in the lower quality vhs recording that's available on here..the animation errors don't stand out half as much as they do on the dvd. But maybe that's just me ☺
@@retroandreissue by the way, for the first season in particular, there's loads more animation errors in the dvd/Hasbro YT channel versions than there was in the originally aired episodes. It really spoils the episodes.
You have no idea how refreshing it is to click on a video titled "retrospective" and it's actually a retrospective analysis and not a boring summary where the narrator reads wiki articles and occasionally makes snide comics.
Bravo for including both analysis and biographical experience. Makes the video worth watching.
Great video! My head theory for why Megs keeps Starscream around, is because he secretly respects his ball bearings for directly challenging him. No other decepticons ever try to take over so defiantly. Megs is trying to groom a true warrior out of him. None of this is supported by the show of course, but i think its a fun idea.
I like that take!
That theory certainly applies to the TF: Armada version of both those characters. This clip from the show really shows it:
m.ruclips.net/video/3F_kCtHi-E8/видео.html&pp=ygUuVHJhbnNmb3JtZXJzIGFybWFkYSBzdGFyc2NyZWFtIGZpZ2h0cyBtZWdhdHJvbg%3D%3D
Kinda like Armada Starscream with less abuse.
I like the theory that Megs keeps him around as a reminder, a reminder to never get too complacent. If the likes of Starscream is always trying to steal his place no doubt other decepticons would try the same and may be more competent then Starscream is at it. So Starscream remains being around to remind Megatron that he always needs to watch his back.
That’s actually a pretty good theory especially if you go with the idea that Megatron WAS a gladiator bot on pre war Cybertron. A true warrior would respect a challenger.
The voice cast adds so much to the characters and Hasbro owes them so much. I have a hard time watching today but it still has its moments. Brawn snagging Meg’s fusion canon was a high point since he was the only toy I owned at that point.
I'm glad you brought up the question of why Megatron keeps Starscream around, and from watching various episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 is that Starscream seems to be the closest the Decepticons have to a "Wheeljack" or a "Ratchet" on their team. He seems to be the most technically-inclined Decepticon with an interest in technology beyond just immediate warfare.
For example it's Starscream whom builds the Combaticons, has the technical know-how to revive Skyfire, and whom operates on Megatron when he is struck by a shard of Cosmic Rust-infected meteorite.
So while Starscream may be untrustworthy he has shown on multiple occasions that he has applications outside of just fighting.
On an unrelated note I find it funny how iconic Optimus having arm-mounted melee weapons has become thanks to the Micheal Bay Transformers movies, since they were clearly drawing inspiration from his Energon Axe from G1...A weapon he only ever used *once* in the More Than Meets The Eye 5-parter.
I think you may have missed one thing about the Dinobots. You asked why they were portrayed as being of low intelligence, and speculated about reasons for this needlessly.
The actual reason is very clear in context of the series; Wheeljack explicitly states that he believed the best way to make them just like real dinosaurs, was to mimic a real dinosaur's intelligence compared to modern-day sentients, i.e. not very smart.
He then regrets this decision when it's shown to be a liability half the time, but refuses to change them on the grounds they are sentient creatures with rights.
I love it cuz of the warm family vibes the autobots give out. The snowball fight, the TV show they were watching, heck, watching them speak, instead of sounding like serious war torn brothers in arms they sound like co workers in an office job! Lol that would be funny, a Transformers version of the office...
I watch it regularly, almost daily.
Favourite episode?
@@retroandreissueone other thing I’d raise. Why weren’t the Dino bots given a filth bot so they
could conbine or why both Megs and prime could make laser weapons from their hands but never used.
@@Grant80 I'm glad they weren't..why are people so obsessed with the Dinobots combining. It defeats the whole point of having robotic Dinosaurs...They didn't need to combine, being robotic dinosaurs was what made them bad ass.
@@TF80soh my god, someone else with my opinion! The whole point of the Dionobots was each being big and powerful on their own, and having the same gimmick as 30 other guys takes that all away.
As someone who wasn’t born until way after the show aired, I can safely say that yeah, it holds up if you acknowledge when and why it was made.
(Also I’m a sucker for that ‘80s hand drawn 2d style.)
I didn’t watch G1 on reruns because I was born in 91. Beast Wars was my introduction to Transformers. Watching G1, you can see the difference in writing between the two. Beast Wars had better writing, while G1 had better novelty.
The show is more than just a commercial, it’s the perfect sales pitch.
Ironically, even though the show stumbles a bit in overarching story it serves as a masterclass in creating memorable and fun characters which just so happens to be the part that you can literally buy and take home with you!
I grew up watching G1 Transformers during the 80's and although I thought it was great, I always noticed there was continuity and scaling issues like in the first 5 episodes the Autobots could fly then later on they can't or how did Starscream have an Earth based alternate form when it was millions of years before they came to Earth or the biggest 2 errors of all, the orgins of the Constructions and Insecticons. Even though I thought about these I still loved the show
Very similar to me. I wonder why they didn't change Starscream's jet mode for the episode with Jetfire to one of the triangle seekers we see on Cybertron?
It was probably a time issue. They were pumping out episodes like crazy and in a short time frame. There were 16 episodes in the first season and then 49 (repeat 49!!!) in the second season. Something tells me they were likely working on the second season during the first season. Lol. Anyway, there probably wasn't enough time to work out those kinds of continuity details with that kind of output.
@@avenuePad That's a good point since Transformers were selling like hotcakes they're were probably under a lot of pressure to keep up. I know that the movie we in pre-production pretty early and that's one of the reasons later additions to the cast (like the Aerialbots) were absent
@@retroandreissue They probably just completely forgot, I bet they didn't even include that Cybertronian form in their character design models because it was just an episode 1 exclusive thing. Even then you see the robot forms are still unchanged in that episode and you can see the Earth mode parts in them even then, so it's just easier for the team to not have to design new models and draw those versus the ones they're already used to.
@@retroandreissue As far as them flying in the opening 3-parter, just consider them as wearing jetpacks, even though the Autobots weren't drawn wearing them in that story. If there were to be a new series set in the universe of the G1 series(a'la 'X-Men '97') that bridges the gap between Season 2 of the G1 series, and the G1 movie and there was a flashback to them flying in the story 'More Than Meets The Eye', they would surely be shown as having been wearing jetpacks.
7:41 the best way to treat it just assuming, as later media did, that the Insecticons are some different type of transformer than the rest
I just rewatched some of the old season 1 G1 cartoons this week. Little here and there each night. Its nice to hear another adult fan on well-thought points on the series. I've always acknowledge and just blindly accepted (cause what else can one do) the animation errors and continuity, and still love it for all that. I grew up with it, collect thed comics, kept what toys I could then add to it when I got into my 20s.
I wish I'd kept my original toys (like most collectors do!) The only one I have left now is a beat up Prowl. I got back into collecting and that re-ignited my interest in the cartoon again (also re-reading all the original Marvel comics). Thanks for watching by the way!
@@retroandreissue I've been enjoying your channel great deal so keep it coming. I only had few TFs from my child-hood cause there was this . . . that shouldn't keep them due to not being that age anymore. I've bought quite few old G1 as adult taht I didn't have and enjoying new G1/Legacy toys.
@@SlashTheWeasel I'm still focused on Studio Series 86 but recently bought my first vintage - Pipes! But mainly so I can compare him to the Kingdom version for a vid. Found a really good vintage seller on eBay though so I'll probably pick up more in the future
@@retroandreissue I'm on Studio Series/Legacy G1 so I get it. Its little bit at time and when you can. And I got some in not the best shape while others are in good varying on price. I figure I'll never truly be done which is fine with me.
@@SlashTheWeasel No, I don't really have an end goal in sight either. I'd like to get some boxed vintage since they stopped doing the reissues but the prices are scary!
The answe is YES, YES, YES!!!!! Everyone should watch and continue watching the G1 Transformers series of all time.
I think it’s still by far the best Transformers series. No other has the scope of characters, stories, and imagination G1 had. Every time they try to reinvent the wheel, they fall short.
Still my favorite,but beast wars was great and prime was pretty good as well.
@blammers Dreamwave comics did VERY well for VERY long time if you had a chance to check them out. They successfully conveyed the size, complexity and scale of the Cybertronians conflict.
@@durreallduncan4710 Dreamwave? Or did you mean IDW?
@blammers both but yes IDW...my bad
Definitely. Well to speak of that, the worse is just hyping up actions to put it on a blast for a rush for action thrills.
Correction on what a story arc is:
A story arc is not the same thing as a multi-parter. A story arc is an assortment of seperate stories that form an overarching narrative. For example, 'The Avalon World Tour' from 'Gargoyles'.
Actually the Technobots don't break canon with their creation, but it does take some reading between the lines. What I would argue is that when Grimlock gained super-intelligence in "Grimlock's New Brain", he actually gained a tiny portion of the spark of Unicron, through being hit with an energy burst which stemmed from the blood of Unicron, which I would argue had been infused with the energy of Unicron's spark. However it wasn't a direct infusion of Dark Energon, so it didn't cause Grimlock to be zombified. What happened was that the Technobots were initially each designed with a generalised AI, which each of the 6 Technobots had. However when Grimlock transferred the resonant energy from himself to Computron, it gave each of the 6 Technobots a proper spark. I think this can be somewhat deduced through the fact that Unicron's powers suggest that he is as capable of creating sparks as Primus is - especially when you consider that Scourge and Cyclonus weren't actually Thundercracker and Skywarp, but rather original sparks, inside the reformatted corpses of both Seekers.
That makes sense to me.
I'm pretty sure Retro's idea that the Dinobots are dumb because they were made without Vector Sigma is fine, too. These don't feel like inconsistent cases.
Honestly, the Technobots are better made by Smart Grimlock than by Vector Sigma anyway. Remember how like half the Aerialbots thought the Decepticons were pretty cool? Almost makes you wonder if Vector Sigma chose sides, lmao.
I was born in the 70s back in 84 this series was on a different level, before that we had Gobots it was kinda kiddy, Optimus Prime and the Autobots was must see TV. I just posed out Jazz, Wheeljack, and Blaster on my shelf. After 40 years still a fan, Got the complete G1 series on DVD, of course this is still worth watching, especially season 1 and 2.
This was a great retrospect and I can’t wait for season’s two three and four
Thanks for watching and for commenting! I really need people to do that so I know there's that interest for more - cheers
As someone you regularly goes back and watches random episodes from all 3 seasons (I count The Return of Optimus and Rebirth as Season 3 honestly), I really enjoyed the retrospective on this. It's interesting to hear what a TF toy fan thinks of the cartoons. Much thanks!
Speaking as a fellow fan who is also clear-eyed about his nostalgia and struggles to take this stuff seriously despite loving it tremendously, I say yes please, do produce more retrospective videos!
One factor that I noticed watching as an adult was the highly entertaining voice acting and puns and humor
I LOVED the first season with the Toei animation. The art quality sank when the producers switched to Akom to cut costs for the second, third and three-episode season of Rebirth.
You mean third season? As most of animation in second season is brilliant with certain exceptions but most 3rd isn't great.
@@philfitnesspt6139 The third season was the sole full season that followed the events of the animated film feature. The three Rebirth Headmasters episodes are largely considered to be the abbreviated fourth season before the series was cancelled.
Folks gotta keep in mind that unlike the comics, made by creators disciplined by Marvel's mainline universe to maintain continuity, the TV show which most fans lift up as king had no such discipline. Many problems weren't "retconnable." We just lived with it because our favorites we bought the toys of were setting it off on TV. Concepts were played with and quickly tossed aside. Partly because as Donald F. Glut said, writers only needed to knock scripts out fast so animators (like the infamous AKOM) could get to work. Even in comics, selling toys came first, meaning work in new characters before weaving plots with great ingredients. It took Beast Wars and fans growing up to become the creators to begin organizing it properly outside the comics.
An honest and authentic take. Thank you! I am currently watching through with my 12-year-old son. His sensibility are definitely more than mine were at his age. he laughs at some of the strange character choices, but he also does not notice the amount of inconsistencies in plot and especially animation errors. It’s really a joy to watch him watch it and even reconnect to his love of playing with toys, a physical act to play that is more and more lost on our screen bent culture. That’s what I think my take away has been. It is nice to reconnect with a virtual medium that is meant to connect you to the physical world and effectively does so.
Showing Dangermouse while talking about better cartoons was perfect. I loved DM so much. But it also illustrates that one was a show and one was a commercial.
I'm pretty much in lock step with you through your entire assessment of the show. 34:19 - When that War for Cybertron video game came out back in 2010 it took all the wonky, goofy, slanted, stuff and realigned it into something incredibly mature while maintaining the nostalgia and charm of the source material. For me it was the PERFECT updated digestible form of Transformers media we needed. The massive scale of that game and the pacing of the story just blew me away. The developers were huge G1 fans who all grew up and got dream jobs working on this game. The game really got down to the nitty gritty of war too. That game's story was so well written that there were moments I sympathized with Megatron's motivation and was actually rooting for him. If your inner child has a warm soft spot for the 80's cartoon, then your adult self should appreciate it. I've never seen anything come close to the multiplayer modes it ever since. I have yet to see any other iteration of the franchise retain so much G1 but still being on a more advanced mature level.
I loved the High Moon games also - of all the modern Transformers takes that's probably my favourite. My friend @DeltaTrion did a vid on the game recently which is worth checking out if you haven't seen it ruclips.net/video/Yf66aBienz0/видео.htmlsi=-n_aFYZyMFWPNRrG
@@retroandreissue I’ll definitely check it out! Thanks
Got the whole series on DVD . .still my favorite cartoon.
I really enjoyed this video! I'm considerably younger than you appear to be however I find that I relate to a lot of the nostalgia based points that you mentioned. I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of your analysis on G1, and I enjoyed hearing about the other talking points you brought up throughout your retrospective. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts :) . I'll add my voice to the many that say "please continue this series!" because I truly would love to keep watching, especially at this video length!
I really enjoyed this and definitely relate as I have been doing the exact same thing recently. Season 2 is far better, especially near the end and I am doing s3 at the moment. So look forward to your next addition and comments.
Very good job! You broke it down well and I liked the fact that you're looking at this as an adult, having first enjoyed it as a child. Look forward to more of these
It's the ONLY generation of transformers i like. And the reason the brand still exists.
Same
This was a great watch. Please do all the seasons and the movie too. I lowkey love season 3 so would love to see you do that. Thanks for the dedication!
I don't give a damn about what anybody else says to me the original gen 1 Transformers is always going to be worth watching because if you don't have the original you don't have anything else afterwards
This was amazing, brother! I'm definitely down for a Season 2 retrospective. I was (and still am) more a fan of the figures than the lore and media surrounding them.
Yeah, it's something I only realised after really starting this channel. Where does my actual interest lie? But I'm enjoying picking things about and thinking about them more in-depth. Glad you're interested in a season 2 vid!
@@retroandreissue Keep up the great work, my dude! Hope this video blows up! All the best ☺️
@@jasonsteel9335 Thanks for watching buddy!
I think however you learnt their character, be it comics or cartoon, goes along way towards playability and the enduring like of them. The Toy being part puzzle, part action figure and toy vehicle is enough for initial interest though.
@@iridescent6685 It's true! The two things are very much tied together - I would add the comics were also a big deal for me getting into the story (although it goes in quite different directions at times!)
Great video dude, as someone in the UK who grew up watching G1 (and yes I had the Vector Sigma VHS too haha) I went back when I started collecting 4yrs ago, starting with the new ones (Siege onwards) I had as a kid and now 150+ deep I've rewatched all G1 seasons + Japanese mini series after S4 I echo alot of what you said atleast regarding S1...defo do Season 2!!
After getting to the end of Season 4 I definitely want to see where the Japanese series took the Headmasters - thanks for watching bud!
@@retroandreissue brace yourself for the Japanese Headmasters' series...it's a chore..no a punishment 😉
Now that you mention it, yeah, I think the space bridge WAS my first encounter with the idea of teleportation
I’m 46 . I was 7 yr when this cartoon came out .
I really enjoyed your video. G1 Transformers was such a huge influence on me as a kid (I've made my own review video on the G1 Megatron toy/character). I've got such good memories of watching the cartoon series. Not that I'm disagreeing, but I found S2 to have more duds in it than S1. To that end I really hope you'll cover S2 as I was fascinated by this video.
Great stuff
Cant wait to see your thoughts on the movie!
I grew up in he 80’s, loved the tv show loved the toys no matter any faults anyone could find. The spots on a leopard are not a fault, just part of how it’s made. I will always love the toys and the show. The new transformers One movie only adds to the love! Great movie!
As someone who got into TF with the Bayverse movies as a kid, and am getting back into it now with TFOne, I’d love to see more of these and think I definitely need to go back and check this series myself.
I really enjoyed this video as it truly struck a cord in me. I watched the show and was a massive fan as a kid. I mainly had the mini bots but also Megatron. I was fortunate to have many of the season 3 and on figures once the movie came out. I basically only rented that movie or the pilot episodes as a kid and did that up until I was maybe 12. My love always stayed with me as an adult. I had a son at 18 and when I won custody I was able to get him to into Transformers which as a dad is one of the coolest things as he still has that love today. He started collecting Studio Series as they first came out and has a really great collection. In May of this year I decided to start collecting myself. I’m going for Masterpiece scale as I want close to the original characters as I can get.
You seem to have the same sentiment towards Transformers as I have. I just rewatched all of seasons 1 & 2 recently. I completely agree with your take on the first season. The nostalgia is why I love the show so much but it can be a bit of chore to watch all in a binge I must admit. The silliness that occurs to me now in the show was definitely not noticed by me as a kid, and it does not take away from my enjoyment to this day.
I do really appreciate your insight on Transformers and enjoy your videos as you give a take us middle aged folks who grew up with this have. It’s unique to combine the nostalgia of our childhood and how that relates to us as adults now. You do that in a way that’s entertaining yet insightful. I do hope you continue making these as I look forward to watching them as they come out.
Great video! I appreciate your efforts to do these season long retrospectives and hope you continue. I know there are better episodes later on, but--for me--this first season is the heart of Transformers. I got a lot of the toys in the early '80s; Transformers was perhaps my earliest fandom, before being overtaken by G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel superheroes, and other stuff. Bu I never *loved* the toys. Some of them were hard to transform, and some of them just looked... dumb (Ironhide!). I fell in love with the Autobots and Decepticons through the television show; this was how I imagined the characters; this is how I wanted them to look. That's why I only started collecting Transformers toys again a couple years ago when they started the War for Cybertron line and the characters looked a lot more cartoon accurate to me.
Over the summer I did a podcast on "The Ultimate Doom" three-parter. It's probably my favorite Transformers story ever told, and at the crux of this planetary destruction threatened by Cybertron entering Earth's orbit is a very real, very human drama playing out between Spike and his father. I was just a kid when I saw it and Sparkplug turning evil and betraying his son rocked my world. The trauma Spike felt hit me in my soul because as a child I could think of nothing more horrifying than my parents rejecting me and calling me their enemy. "The Ultimate Doom" also had some of the best action sequences and dialogue by Brawn (my favorite) and Skyfire and Wheeljack.
Because of my emotional tether to that story, I've always felt that the Transformers work best with a human POV character like Spike or Buster in the comics or Sam in the movies. Likewise, I've also always preferred stories with the Transformers set on Earth as opposed to Cybertron or other planets. For me--again, this all stems from being a little kid when this came out--the coolest aspect about the Autobots and Decepticons was the "robots in disguise" part; that they could change into the same cars and trucks we see on the road every day. Any ambulance could be Ratchet. Any jet could be Thundercracker. Without the Earth-based alt. modes, the transformation is just a cool mode of transportation, but it lacks the disguise element.
Anyway, for all those reasons, as well as financial considerations, I've limited my Transformers collection to only the Autobots and Decepticons that appeared in season 1 of the cartoon (omitting the Dinobots, because that was too much and I missed the chance to get Grimlock the first time around and didn't want to overspend to get him on the secondary market). So the only figures I still need are the Constructicons, who are all coming out in 2025, and Windcharger, whenever they get around to him. I would like to update a few figures like a Studio 86 Megatron, and better versions of Sideswipe, Mirage, and Bluestreak, but those aren't priorities right now.
Okay, like I said, great video. Thanks for going through these episodes and sharing your thoughts.
Loved your take on The Ultimate Doom! I think that's why Sparkplug was such a key feature in both the comic and cartoon - because really at that age your parents are still your best friends. Best friends that you admire and look up to - the idea of them turning on you is, as you say, traumatic.
I have forgotten if I ever looked at vehicles on the road and wondered if they could be Autobots but I must have done. I loved cars as a kid and that was the route into Transformers for me. Please let me know the name of your podcast (links are turned off in RUclips comments but you could always email it - my email is on the about page).
@@retroandreissue Email sent.
@@retroandreissue I tell a joke based of this where a kid asks if something they see is a transformer. Their parent replies "that's just one of your run of the mill mechanical dinosaurs."
Late to the party here, but this is some really great analysis! I struggle with watching the cartoon as an adult except for the episodes I have the strongest nostalgic attachment to - the ones I had on VHS as a kid and watched over and over. Fire in the Sky was my favorite of the bunch, and I think the things you bring up in your video really hit on why: the global weather phenomenon giving the episode a snowy, unusual look, and the focus on character rather than the "Decepticons harvesting energy" formula.
I didn't watch the entirety of the series until I was in my late 20's, and it very much felt like homework, as you described. Overall, I think the things that have aged the best in this series are the more technical parts of how it was put together: the painted backgrounds, the music/sound design, and the voice acting are all, in my opinion, still extremely impressive.
Awesome video!
I've been watching episodes for the first time recently and I say absolutely yes. It's not high cinema that's for sure but it's very entertaining.
Awesome retrospective! Hope you go through the rest of the series
A very well done video essays. Subscribing. Great job dude. Looking forward to seeing what's next.
I love that Transformers, as a franchise, has evolved and expanded to satisfy many different tastes. There is merit and charm in watching episodic Saturday morning cartoons. Likewise the franchise has indulged in more character-driven and plot-driven entries.
I have such a nostalgic outlook for G1 and I was.born in the 90s.
Great vid! 2 things that I notice now…. Starscream should be a tetra jet when he’s with sky fire. And…. After 4,000,000 years… cybertron was still doing ok… the lights were still on 😄
It's absolutely worth watching and even others speak of it in high regards. It does show its age, but the characters are really what carry it. Plus everything being condensed in 22 minutes sometimes helped with the pacing unlike other shows that became leading up to major arcs.
In this cartoon series the Transformers just hold a memory when it comes to space fantasy and adventure. The stories have this way with telling its adventure through familiar incidents that remind U of even historical events.
I just watched G1 Season 1 and 2 on Hasbro Pulse on RUclips. And it stood up to the time, it's a kid's show but some dialogue is very mature. I enjoyed re watching it and if you never have seen it , it's definitely worth the time. ❤
Fire in The Sky is one of my favorite G1 episodes. Though oddly enough despite really liking Skyfire I kind of wish he had stayed buried, since he doesn't do much past his debut episode, and if he stayed buried I think the episode would feel more profound.
It's true - he shuttles people around a lot but doesn't have the same impact as say The Dinobots on the rest of the characters
That's due to the rights issues know not their fault and why he is thased out in season 2.
I mean, I watched it as a kid, and if I watch the occasional ep it’s one of the stand outs I clearly remember as a kid because I want to be taken back to that place. So sure, they’re pretty rough round the edges, but 8 year old me didn’t care and that’s the lens I default with now though I very much agree as you said “it’s very much a show for 80’s kids”… It was very much “of its time”
But stepping back from that, the into 3 parter was a great kids show that was decently put together even if we ignore the fact it was simply a 20 minute advertisement.
Great retrospective.
I love how you can watch the G1 episodes free through various streaming services these days. I never did own the VHS collections, but I did accumulate multiple DVD box sets for some reason. Now I don't even have a DVD player to play them. BTW, it's the voice actors playing those classic roles. Brings back all the fond memories.
I had never watched transformers of 80s and barely familiar with this franchise. But because of Transformers one (which i watched 6 times already), I am really intrested in original cartoon and original lore. Thank you for the video
I really hope you do season 2. This was really good, I recently rewatched Season 1 with my sons. I agree with a lot of what was said here
The question you pose in the title of your video might as well have been "Is oxygen still worth breathing?"
G1 Transformers is as essential to sustaining the normal function of humans as our atmosphere is to keeping us alive...
i finished the series yesterday after putting it on hold for… a long time. as difficult as some episodes were, they really did succeed in making me want to spend a monstrously high amount of money on plastic robots! (im getting addicted to the franchise again please help)
yeah i dont have anything to add, im just commenting because i really enjoyed this video. good work ❤
I recently watched the whole cartoon series and film. Loved the whole thing. Fun, nostalgic and made me want to start from the beginning again, which I have done. I laughed at all the dumb or bad stuff, laughed at all the fun bits, warm and fuzzy fun.
I definitely preferred Season 2 compared to Season 1. Although there were some goofy episodes, overall it was still much better and I liked what it did with the lore. Would love to see a breakdown of it.
I wish they reanimated the whole show even the movie
I really enjoyed this video and totally agree that episodes where new characters are introduced are the best. I would love to see a video like this for season 2 and possibly even beyond to see your take on the random introduction of many more characters.
So many more get introduced in those later seasons so those episodes were something I was always looking forward to. I mean, all the Headmasters in Season 4! Thanks for letting me know you would like to see more - it will definitely help me decide what to do in the future
I was born in 76 and did most of my growing up fully inundated with 30 minute toy commercials, lol. The G1 cartoon is one of only a small handful of childhood cartoons I can still watch now and fully enjoy in the same way I did as a kid. G.I.Joe (Sunbow) is another one. I loved it and still do. I rewatch the 1986 movie every single year…not out of compulsion, but because I truly enjoy it.
I am rewatching with my 4year old.
It's grwst seeing him be entranced just as we all were the first time around.
All of my favorite episodes from G1 definitely come from season 2. Not many of the episodes from season 1 I really found too interesting, even the three-parter I didn't find interesting as a kid. I'd love to see you cover some of my favorite episodes in this style!
This was a fantastic video! I appreciate your capacity to articulate your love of the toys and IP, but not the blind defense of all things transformers. Foolishly thinking the movie was being played in the movie theater several mo the ago, I ended up seeing the first four episodes of season one. To be honest, I was rather bored! I love the toys and the feelings I felt as a kid watching these episodes after school. But seeing them now and not loving it doesn’t in the slightest spoil my nostalgia and fandom.
Exactly the same with me! Thanks for for the feedback mate
Great video I'll be interested in your reviews of the other seasons.
Did you ever watch the Japanese episodes like Scramble City that weren't released over here ?
33:05 "The fiction was seasoning, but my imagination and the physical objects themselves was what I was interested in."
I was the same with RiD2001 and Armada as a kid. I DID watch the animes when I could, but I didn't catch every episode. I had my own little universe with my toys and imagination, with whatever elements I remembered from the anime as inspiration for how to make the characters act.
I DID actually watch all of Season 1 of G1 as a kid through the magic of DVDs.
I love this show so much. Always loved monster of the week stories aka megaton’s plans. Also love the comedy and have graphic they talk but use robot talk to get around it , like I’ll rip out your optics. Also in megatron’s master plan I know it’s dumb but when he says you never give up on people you love and they go mushy but true. I love that so much for some reason.
As a fellow transformers collector, it’s absolutely fine to be critical to G1 cartoons, ot has it’s up and down. And yes i want season 2 retrospective too
Thanks for commenting Olivia - good to know there is some interest in a follow up!
I didn't grow up with Transformers all that much. Watched bits on tv as a kid in the 80's, and owned a single Bumblebee figure. Never liked Megatron's voice, but love Frank Welker in other roles (specifically The Real Ghostbusters). After moving to Japan in 2005, I got interested in the pre-Transformers toys that Hasbro "borrowed" for Transformers, and fell in love with them. Recently saw Transformers One with my 12 year old son, and we both loved it - so I picked up the original animated film to watch together. While some of the animation was completely mind blowing, other scenes looked awkward and a lot of jokes fell flat. The death of Optimus Prime was still impactful, but to my son, aside from that, most of the film bored both of us. The editing and constant music is almost suffocating. Now I'm tempted to go back and watch the first few episodes to see how it compares, and really appreciate all the work you put into this video! Helped me decide.
IMO - the original backstory for pre-Transformers Microman & Microchange line (paired with Diaclone) is way more interesting, and makes more sense. HOWEVER, Transformers One changed my mind. I hope they continue the story, despite the poor box office turnouts.
Let's get on with Season 2
I’m kind of in your boat on this. There are a few episodes I truly enjoy of the 3 US seasons (I don’t consider Rebirth a season 4, just a miniseries), but ‘maybe’ 10 or so of the 98 episodes. The figures are just the best and what’s been done in some of the more modern comics like IDW, etc, I think capture the original ideas better, likely as they were written for a more mature audience.
I'm from the UK as well, but despite loving Transformers as a kid and now again as an adult I never saw too much of the show, but for the life of me I can't remember why. I've always had the vague memory that the cartoon wasn't aired much, or not shown in the usual slots, making it hard to catch. I don't know, but there has to be some reason for it, since I would have watched it religiously if I could.
What does it say about me as a 2024 adult who was a 98's kid and still weirdly enjoy watching G1 on the side or while doing shores? I don't know, but that was a very interesting retrospective. I really like you headcannon-ing while watching the show, I think this is a big appeal of G1 in a way, revisiting and even knowing it's not that deep, there still a concept on those characters and possible world that could be very interesting to dig out, and it's what many TF media has been doing since.
G1 is one of those shows that I absolutely adore, but I understand that the majority of its charm comes purely from nostalgia rather than watchability. I worshipped this series as a kid LOL, I’ve probably rewatched it 3 times in total - but I also have to understand that not every transformers fan (as most came into the franchise from the bayverse movies) will find it enjoyable
Great video. Can't wait to hear why Webworld is the best episode of the show and why Galvatron is the greatest character ever.
Wheel chair guy being introduced and an episode called “roll for it” caught me off guard ngl 😂😂
Better than anything that came afterward. Prime though is a very close second..
I've heard a few people cite Prime as their favourite - it's one I plan to get to (I have this crazy idea to watch through all the series and do videos like this one about them all but that's such a massive project it's sort of a "soft target". Something to aim for having done years from now
For the sake of the feedback that you asked for, I'd love a deep dive into the rest of the series like this specifically because I'm NOT someone who grew up with Transformers. I always had friends who loved it, and finally as TF Prime was coming out I watched that, but this massive saga has always been something I've only ever been aware of via friends but which I've always intended to check out. This retrospective is the first thing that has actually convinced me that G1 may actually be worth watching as an outsider, and I would love to hear the rest of your opinions on the series.
Im 23 and still is my favorite series. And yes i have seen prime, but that takes the number 2 spot to this
I have a friend about your age who says exactly the same thing!
@@retroandreissue really! It's hard to find others my age who share a love for g1! I personally feel that it is just an overflowing well of untapped potential!
I loved g1 as a kid. Use to watch it as much as i could but as an adult it's hard for me to rewatch in part becuse my mind keeps going well where did this guy come from, this char has no devellopment and other things. I love my memories of g1 and what g1 brought us such as Armada, Prime, power of the primes and beast wars.
My favorite episode from Gen 1 is the Club Kids episode because it was it was the first time the scene had been shown in fiction. new york Raves/clubs had people from all ages and styles just like that and I have to assume one of the writers were keyed into it.
Very insightful commentary, thanks for your thoughts. I would certainly be interested to see any follow ups (S2, 1986 movie, episode 3.. Marvel comics?) Only real criticism I would off is maybe spruce it up a bit more with other unique clips rather than reusing a fair amount of footage multiple times (it was far from heavy with it, but began to get pretty noticeable). I realize that's a "nice to have" as obviously it starts adding extra work on top of everything else & is kind of beside the point of a video like this. But, still! Also, I would say feel free to go a little more heavy-handed with the criticism, although at the end of the day so much of it is forgivable (animation errors and such, some canon inconsistencies). They have a pretty solid level of quality throughout, overall, and of course with the way these things were made back in the day, there was going to of course be some shortcomings here and there. Overall I am still very impressed with the craftsmanship of the show (everything up to S3 of course, and even then they did a good job considering the obviously reduced budget). With 2024 eyes it's a treat to look back at these older cartoons and just take in ALL the attention to detail that is omnipresent throughout the series. Everything looks really good, backgrounds are constantly unique and interesting, the characters are all very easy to read and well-rendered very consistently, there's plenty of "hero" shots (great eye candy that just looks cool). There are many reasons that this show has been considered to have held up as long as it has.
I think Season one especially. Two has some great episodes, but the first season really laid the groundwork for the property as a whole.
I have a headcanon as to the mixup in canon concerning vector sigma's creation of the cybertronians vs wheeljacks creation of the dinobots. So just as megatron was able to create the stunticons, wheeljack was also able to create the dinobots. So obviously, it appears that cybertronians can "reproduce" artificially (at least in this continuity), but vector sigma is the only one who can give these artificial life forms true sentience and character traits. But it seems that with the dinobots, judging by how sporadic, buggy, and primitive their behavior is compared to the rest of the cybertronians, I like to think that the dinobots were wheeljack's (or possibly any cybertronian in this case, depending on if any others like shockwave has ever attempted something like this before in cybertronian history) first attempt at creating fully sentient, artificially intelligent cybertronians, but just as with weeljack's many other inventions, they have a tendency to have lots of glitches, and, because he doesn't have the vast amount of intelligence or technological complexity like that of vector sigma, hence there is bound to be many imperfections with the dinobots' artificial sentience and intelligence, as the show clearly portrays in many episodes. But that's my 2 cents.
It makes sense and explains their very basic nature. I always thought on Vecta Sigma as containing some kind of elemental force that was beyond any Transformer to reproduce. Now that I think about it I wonder why they decided Vecta Sigma was needed at all - since they were just making things more difficult for themselves when it comes to adding new characters
I was there watching from the first time the three part special aired. Do I still remember the Saturday morning that Grimlock Slag and Sludge lumbered onto the scene, solidifying them in my mind as THE Dinobots. And to this day I consider Snarl and Swoop to be the ‘new guys’.
Please continue with these reviews!
Season 2 and 3 also have a number of episodes that baby me thought he'd come up with in weird dreams. It was shocking to find out that the episode where Seaspray turns into a merperson was real and not some cracked out imagining of a five-year-old's sleeping brains.
Nice work on this. Do season two!!!!
Admittedly, for the most part, I was able to give logical answers to a lot of illogical G1 mistakes.
With the Glitch bots (as I’ll referred to them) we can just assume that there was more bots either aboard the ark or they fell out of the ark as it crashed and were reactivated later. (This includes Bumper, Hauler, and the many seeker clones)
As for The events surrounding Jetfire I always just assumed that Wheeljack and Sideswipe were left behind to dig him up. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not sure if they appeared in the episodes in between jetfire’s burial, and being dug up)
As for the Dinobots I always assumed that they just used the sparks of the unrepairable autobots aboard the ark in order to make them but it had side effects including erasing their memories.
It’s a little things like this that allow me to enjoy the show and all its inconsistencies by coming up with logical answers and explanations for mistakes.
With that said, I still have my issues with G1 but mainly the fact characters like Sunstreaker, Hoist, Huffer, and (my favorite transformer of all time) Trailbreaker don’t get any character development in the show.
And ones like Brawn, Beachcomber, Gears, and Grapple don’t get more than one episode of development.
I'm 41 years old and grew up with the cartoon on vhs and the toys in the late 80s cause my dad and his buddies collected them back then so I've always have been a transformers g1 fan. I still pop the g1 cartoon on on Saturday mornings on tubing to get my day started. My 11 year old son watches it with me and we both collected the g1 modernized toys that come out. It's still a great show and the 86 movie is still the best transformers movie to those day in my opinion 👍
Having watched all of the 80s show not long ago, I also found it a great source of comedy, both intentional and unintentional haha. I think assuming it's all unintentional would do the writers a disservice, there was plenty of goofs and gaffs I adore, especially come Season 2 with episodes like Triple Takeover, or the one where Optimus gets challenged by a Big Game Hunter. Seeing the Decepticon goons bumble about will never get old.
I think the popular consciousness of G1 has been painted much more seriously, because of both the Marvel US/UK comics and the '86 Movie - they took the G1 setup into much more of a sci-fi drama direction, which led to people forgetting what the Sunbow show was like. (This reputation not helped by Beast Wars/Machines, or the G1 comics from the 21st Century, which primarily took inspiration from Marvel and The Movie. They're all wonderful of course lol, and have plenty of great jokes and lighthearted episodes themselves, but still serve to diminish the 80s show's original tone from memory). In fact, I'd say the Show and Comics both complemented each-other back then, despite being separate continuities: Marvel provided the elaborate on-going drama, massive stakes and world-building/lore, while Sunbow did an invaluable service in endearing you to the cast, giving each of them the memorably distinct personalities everyone remembers them for, to the point of entire dedicated spotlight episodes for many. I don't think that should be understated.
I'd love to see your opinions on the G1 anime later, if you decide to continue this past Sunbow; I consider them wonderful examples of continuing the Sunbow show's comedic, character-focused spirit, while infusing it with some wonderfully flashy, late-80s Super-Robot mecha pulpiness, that would later evolve into the Brave/Yuusha franchise. Same goes for shows like Beast Wars Neo, Car Robots, and Galaxy Force.
Seeing how wildly Transformers media varies is what makes the whole franchise so enticing to me. Being someone who grew up with Animated and the Bay Trilogy, hot off the heels of the Unicron Trilogy (plz watch them subbed if you ever get around to them), *Transformers* to me has always been defined by how deftly it can reinvent itself entirely, adopting not just different tones, settings, and casts, but outright different genres, and somehow make them its own. It's unlike nearly any other franchise I can come up with, in that regard.
Just watched the new movie Transformers One with my 11 year old son. He asked what happened after? So, we watched the first three episodes of G1. He loves it!
G1 is perfect!
Lol, I know it’s not, but in my heart it will always be in the standard for me.
As someone with OCD, the inconsistencies you mention drove me crazy as an 8-year old! I know it’s too much to expect perfect internal consistency in the storytelling, but for the few observant children out there, it would have been nice.
Would love a continuation of your review. Btw, I have a source that has been detelecined if you need some footage.
Couple things 1. It wasn’t just grim lock vs prime he had slag and sludge as well. 2. They picked spark plug because of his strong loyalty to the autobots. 3. The dinobots were dumb so they weren’t op and had a weakness