Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Anime Review

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Suisei no Garugantia
Viz Media
Complete Collection - 2 discs
330 minutes - 13 episodes + 2 OVA episodes
$69.98 (2014) DVD/Blu-Ray 4 discs
$44.98 (2014) DVD only
ISBN 782009243571
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kazuya Murata
Studio - Production I.G

Synopsis: Humanity has left Earth behind and traveled to the stars, but conflict has followed them. The human race is in dire battle with a formidable alien species called the Hideauze (called the whale-squids).  The Galactic Alliance is sworn to eradicate the aliens to keep humanity safe, but the aliens have shown no quarter. Ensign Ledo is a Machine Caliber pilot during a massive assault on a Hideauze space stronghold. The human forces fall into disarray as the Hideauze unleash a powerful weapon. During the retreat Ledo and his battle suit "Chamber" are pulled into a wormhole.

The Galactic Alliance suffers a difficult defeat attacking the Hideauze home planet

Separated from the fleet and awakening on a strange planet covered in a seemingly endless ocean, Ledo discovers he has been in stasis for six months. A group of native scavengers have found him and taken him back to their floating city called the Gargantia.  He considers them primitives, but realizes he's been stranded light years from the fleet with no way to rejoin them.  He joins the ranks of the Gargantia in order to survive and mostly due to the brave, beautiful girl Amy who befriends him.

Chamber, controlled by Ledo, appears to the citizens of the Gargantia

Ledo's status on the Gargantia is elevated due to controlling Chamber who possesses tech light years beyond that of the natives' crude mech suits. They scavenge the underwater depths to find tech left behind by a lost civilization. A great mystery begins when Chamber alerts Ledo to the fact the ocean planet is actually humanity's birthplace - Earth! What caused humanity to leave this planet behind for the stars? The stakes become high when Ledo discovers a whale-squid lurking among the waters. What is their terrible secret and how did they find Earth? Ledo and Chamber are not alone on the planet and are headed for a desperate showdown for survival! Can even their formidable might save the Gargantia and the remnants of humanity?

Amy becomes Ledo's guide and first friend on the Gargantia

Pros: Really nice animation and character designs, some interesting science fiction plot concepts - especially the twist near the end of the series, very likable characters, the OVA episodes are included, Ledo's character development was well done, Chamber (the mecha Ledo pilots) is another good character, some very mild fan-service (particularly the pirate captain Lukkage)

Ledo struggles to find his place on the Gargantia and away from his mission

Cons: Characters are all fairly one-dimensional and simple, situations and plot devices are fairly simple, ending could have been more severe with heavier casualties - it tied up a little to neatly, fan-service seems out of place in this series which develops into a post-apocalyptic mystery, no second season = no more answers to dangling plot points at the end of the series

A diving suit is destroyed when a nest of whalesquids are disturbed

Mike Tells It Straight: Gargantia is an original release from Production I.G and directed by Kazuya Murata, best known for his work on Code Geass and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos movie. Story concept is done by Gen Orobuchi who is a well-known series creator and writer (nicknamed the Orobutcher for some of his darker series). He's best known for being the creator of Psycho-Pass and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. He also scripts the first and last episodes here.

Ledo and Chamber go wild when they discover whalesquids exist on Earth

I enjoyed watching Gargantia for the slick visuals and casual science fiction. The plot is a fairly straightforward riff on the 'stranger in a strange land' storyline crossed with the 'hero's journey'. The characters are definitely the strong point for the series. Ledo is a great main character who grew up in a sterile outer space society too busy churning out soldiers to fight a desperate battle with the Hideauze.  His immersion in Gargantia's emotional human society begins a journey of soul-searching and eventual transformation into a hero.

The pirate captain Lukkage and Pinion are captured by a mysterious cult fleet

The other Gargantia crewmembers were fun to watch and Amy was a plucky supporting character slash love interest for Ledo.  You can tell the chemistry between the two early on and especially when Amy's friends try to cozy up to the new alien boy.  Chamber is awesome as a mecha and as a character.  More than just a robot suit, it ('he') is a genuine character.

The cult fleet rules with a Machine Caliber Striker which is very familiar to Ledo

The series does a great job balancing serious themes with lighthearted moments. Overall it stays on the light side and I think that serves it better than going too dark. Fans of Orobuchi may be disappointed with the ending if they're expecting a major bloodbath. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of heavy moments as the mysteries get revealed, but it's not overwhelming.

Striker is controlled by Ledo's superior Kugel who also was stranded on Earth 

The plot twists and characters keep you engaged throughout and it's a decent series.  I didn't think much of the series when I first watched it, but somehow it ended up in my collection.  I think the science fiction elements reminded me of why I got into anime in the first place and that's what I really liked.

Ledo finds a second home with Amy and the crew of the Gargantia

Psycho-Pass Anime Review

Psycho-Pass Season One
Saiko Pasu
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
550 mins - 22 episodes
$159.98 (2014) Blu-Ray
$64.98 (2014) Parts 1-2/ea.
ISBN 704400094309
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Katsuyuki Motohiro/Naoyoshi Shiotani
Studio - Production I.G

Synopsis: The year is 2113 and Japan has achieved a peaceful society through the use of an advanced technological system which predicts the probability of a person committing a crime through neural scanning.  The Sibyl System is unique and uses a crime coefficient to determine whether at any time a person will be likely to commit a serious crime.  Cymatic scanners are honeycombed throughout each city to read the 'Psycho-Pass' of citizens and detect latent criminals.  The Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division is in charge of hunting down these latent criminals to remove them from active society.  A non-cloudy Psycho-Pass is a badge of honor in this society and proves an individual is highly stable.

Akane (driving) is a rookie Inspector with Public Safety
and her partner is Ginoza

The Sibyl system also performs aptitude tests and determines the vocational ability of citizens.  Some are graded to menial labor while others with exceedingly clear Psycho-Pass scores are given prestigious jobs.  In this way a new class system governed by a computer system has emerged.  When the Criminal Investigation Division hunts latent criminals they are armed with a special handgun called a Dominator.  These weapons are linked directly to the Sibyl System and are able to read the crime coefficients of anyone they are pointed at.  When they are pointed at someone with an unacceptably high coefficient score then the system arms them with an appropriate sanction response.  These range from stun to complete annihilation for those given an extreme sanction order.  This is a society where you are punished for crimes you may someday commit and lawfully killed if the your crime coefficient is high enough.

Akane is paired with the Enforcer Masaoka who was an experienced
detective before being labelled a latent criminal by the Sibyl System

Latent criminals are typically apprehended and sent to rehabilitation facilities where they are treated to reduce their crime coefficients and eventually rejoin society.  The success rate is not very high and many find their Psyco-Pass scores going even higher.  Some latent criminals are drafted by the Criminal Investigation Division to become Enforcers who assist Inspectors in apprehending more latent criminals.  The Enforcers are still incarcerated at PSB headquarters and only allowed to move in public under the supervision of an Inspector.  Both Inspectors and Enforcers can carry Dominators.

The Dominator is a variable handgun settings ranging from
incapacitation to complete cellular annihilation 

Akane Tsunemori is a rookie Inspector with an incredibly low and stable Psycho-Pass.  She scored so high on the aptitude placements that she could choose any profession and chose the Criminal Investigation Division.  Her naivete as a rookie is highly apparent, but she is determined to do a good job.  Working with Enforcers for the first time is a shock.  She's never been around latent criminals and society assigns a massive stigma to them.  She's surprised to find they are just like regular people yet have high crime coefficients.  She works with Unit One and struggles with the moral questions posed by trusting in the Sibyl System.  What if it's not perfect?  Can it be fooled?  These questions haunt Akane as she gains more experience investigating crimes and dealing with latent criminals.

From left - Shion, Kagari, Yayoi, Kogami, Akane, Ginoza, and Masaoka

Unit One is made up of:

• Akane Tsunemori - bright and shining new Inspector with an incredibly clear Psycho-Pass.  What will happen to her perfect mental state when exposed to latent criminals and those who have passed wholeheartedly to the dark side of human nature?
• Nobuchika Ginoza - senior Inspector to Akane and tasked with training her in dealing with the Enforcers and hunting latent criminals.  He treats the Enforcers as second class citizens and warns Akane to limit her association with them or risk clouding her Psycho-Pass.
• Shinya Kogami - intense, passionately driven and an adept detective.  He's obsessed with solving a particularly gruesome case from the past which caused his Psycho-Pass to become permanently clouded.  
• Tomomi Masaoka - an old school detective with skills to rival Kogami's and a prosthetic cyber-arm.  He's honest and becomes a mentor to Akane which makes her begin questioning the accuracy of the Sibyl System.  He describes the Enforcers as hunting dogs for the Inspectors.
• Shusei Kagari - a spirited young man who was determined to be a latent criminal at the age of 5.  He is good-natured and enjoys teasing Akane.  
• Yayoi Kunizuka - she is the calmest member of Unit One despite being a latent criminal.  
• Shion Karanomori - analyst and support for Unit One, she is also a latent criminal

Unit One is sent to investigate a series of murders at a drone factory
which is completely cut off from the outside world

Several new and disturbing crime trends have recently started and Unit One is very busy investigating them.  They include popular online avatars being taken over by a mysterious killer, a copycat serial killer with links to the case Kogami is still trying to solve, and the appearance of a technology which may be able to fool even the Sibyl System.  Who is Makishima and what are his links to these seemingly unrelated crimes?  Akane, Kogami, and the entire Unit One will be put to the ultimate test to determine whether the Sibyl System is truly foolproof.

Kogami fires his Dominator

Pros: Interesting premise based on psychological profiling to regulate society, great characters and their interactions, opening/ending theme songs are really good, animation quality is top notch, some major plot twists which build up to the first season ending, Makishima is a worthy opponent (loved all the literature quotes and references), the relationship between Tsunemori and Kogami is powerful, Tsunemori's trials and character development are strong by the end of the series, there's a second season

Akane talks with virtual celebrity Spooky Boogie

Cons: Only 22 episodes (typical TV series is 24 to 26), currently only an over-priced complete collection ('limited edition') available (this should change as an economical box set is released in the near future), ending was a bit too philosophical

Akane, Shion, and Yayoi discuss a case

Mike Tells It Straight: I'd heard good things online about Psycho-Pass and decided to check it out (definitely not buying the over-priced, limited edition complete collection that's out right now).  It was a great mix of sci-fi and crime detective stories.  The animation was good, soundtrack was excellent (opening/ending themes plus background music during episodes), mix of characters was interesting, and storyline progressed to a decent conclusion.  There were quite a few plot twists thrown in there which kept me guessing and I dug the philosophical topics the series presented.

Who is the enigmatic Makishima?

The premise of having a society run by a supercomputer that judges people on potential outcomes was novel.  Akane seemed like a weak character when she started out as a rookie, but really picked it up by the end of the series.  She gets put through the wringer big time.  The antagonist, Makishima, is a worthy foe and he was a great character (loved the literature quotes and references he mentioned).  The varying crimes Unit One investigated were curious and used a two-episode style (introduce the crime in the first episode and then resolve it in the second).  The second half of  the series focuses on the Sibyl System and apprehending Makishima.

The sudden appearance of this group of helmeted thugs spells disaster

It's a dark show at times with serial killers and gory deaths (the Dominators can literally blow people apart).  I thought the guns were a bit gimmicky, but they served a distinct purpose to the plot.  The characters were good although practically no development happened outside of Akane.  The pacing is great and I liked the moral questions posed (judging criminals before they have even committed a crime).  Some good suspense and drama with a distinct conclusion.  I heartily recommend this show and it's well done.  Sure, there's plenty to nit-pick with the plot and the ending could have been handled better, but I found the series engaging.  Looking forward to checking out the second season when it's released.

Is Akane truly cut out to be an Inspector?

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Space Pirate Captain Harlock Anime Movie Review

Harlock: Space Pirate
Uchu Kaizoku Kyaputen Harokku
Ketchup
Movie - 115 minutes
$20.99 (2015)
ISBN 037117040391
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shinji Aramaki
Studio - Toei Animation

Synopsis: In the far future humankind has spread throughout the galaxy and number 500 billion souls.  None of the worlds colonized by humans ever lived up to the standard of Earth and a mass migration back to the home planet sparked a devastating conflict called the "Homecoming War".  The Gaia Coalition, the human universal government, now holds the planet as sacred and forbidden for anyone to set foot on.  A group of space pirates headed by Captain Harlock refuse to leave the Earth alone and fight to regain it for access by the greater humanity.

Logan is the latest recruit to join the Arcadia

Harlock captains the elusive vessel the Arcadia, known as a Deathshadow-Class ship, with his crew of space pirates.  They fight the Gaia Coalition at every chance and have garnered a mythical reputation after a full 100 years as rogues.  How is it possible that Harlock has captained the Arcadia for 100 years without aging?  Is the pirate ship a supernatural force in space?

The Arcadia is a seemingly unbeatable ship powered by dark matter engines

The main crew of the Arcadia are:

•  Kei Yuuki - beautiful and fierce female space pirate
• Yullian ("Yattaran") - tough-talking first mate who wields a powerful hammer during melee combat
• Mimay - member of the mysterious Nibelung alien race and expert at controlling the dark matter engines of the Arcadia
• Logan ("Yama") - the Arcadia's newest recruit, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Harlock (merely coincidental?), and understands the Captain's pursuit of interstellar freedom

The main crew of the Arcadia (from left) - Yullian, Mimay, Harlock,
Logan, and Kei

The Gaia Coalition have unleashed a task force to take down the Arcadia once and for all.  It's led by a man named Ezra who is wheelchair-bound.  What is Ezra's shocking link to Logan and who is Nami?  Harlock's plans are to retake the Earth, but why is he collecting massive detonators and placing them at key points in the galaxy?  The famed space pirate is much more than he seems and his mission far more sinister.  Will Logan fall under Harlock's spell and embrace the pirate's lifestyle?  Can the Earth survive another conflict?  Get ready for epic space battle as you've never seen it!

The Gaia Coalition's forces led by Isola hunt Harlock and his pirates

Pros: Beautiful full CG rendering with incredible detail, killer character designs which look retro-futuristic, exciting space battles with guns blazing, some really cool scenes and interactions, a lot of the mystery behind Harlock is presented (his link to the Arcadia), Harlock actually gets into the action and shows his stuff (instead of just sitting around), Japanese voice acting is top notch

Harlock captains from the bridge with Mimay by his side

Cons: CG character animation is incredibly stiff and unrealistic, plot is all over the place and kinda bad, character allegiances seem to switch back and forth pretty quickly, space pirates in their shiny battle suits are invincible one minute and then cannon fodder the next, Harlock never really has a personality and overall character development of the cast is weak, major wrench thrown into Harlock's motivations and backstory, they kept the cartoon-looking 'Mister Bird' (Tori-San), English dub is not great, subtitles take some liberties with names and meanings

Yullian offers some comedy relief to balance the stoic Harlock

Mike Tells It Straight: This film is based on the manga Space Pirate Captain Harlock by famed creator Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers, Galaxy Express 999, many more).  There was a 1970s anime television series (42 episodes) based on the manga and currently available with English subtitles.  This film originally shared the same title and I think it was changed for the domestic release to avoid copyright issues (a different company owns the licensing rights to the television series) or to at least differentiate it for the Western audience.  It's a visually stunning CG film with amazing textures and an exciting story.  Obviously a labor of love for the creators and contains serious artistic effort.

Kei is as tough as she is beautiful

Beautiful visuals aside I found the story to be rather haphazard.  The crew of the Arcadia don armored suits and are seemingly invincible when they board another vessel for hand-to-hand combat.  Then later in the series they get their asses handed to them in a similar situation.  It's inconsistent and there were several other instances which had me scratching my head (like the Gaia Coalition's 'grand cannon').  There's a major plot twist involving Harlock which really throws a wrench into his established character.  Either genius by the writers/director (for making this an original work) or abject suicide by alienating the established fan-base.  The body movements for the character animation weren't fluid (wrists are horribly awkward) which is a common problem with CG works (reminded me of the Final Fantasy CG movies).

Harlock unleashes his true power against the Gaia Coalition

One thing I liked in this film is the connection between Harlock and the Arcadia.  Both seem downright supernatural at times and each had some great action sequences to reinforce their otherworldly might.  Harlock is rarely seen in actual combat and it was refreshing (usually he's a chair jockey on the Arcadia's bridge).  The film is faithful to Matsumoto's work with classic scenes (Logan and Harlock with guns locked on each other).  The space battles were great and I really liked the plasma cannon fire lancing through the black void.  The Arcadia's dark matter effect (black smoke emanating from the ship) was pretty spooky and looked neat.

Mimay offers her advice to Harlock as he questions his motives

I'm not usually a fan of CG films (much prefer hand-drawn animation mixed with CG backgrounds/effects), but Harlock showcases the latest Japan has to offer.  It wasn't a critical success and garnered a lot of negative reviews from critics.  It cost $30 million and didn't make it back at the box office - that's a critical failure.  I'm kind of surprised it didn't do as well in Japan considering the fan-base, but there's hope the film will make it's budget with the DVD release.  Still a big disappointment after all the hype surrounding its release.

Kei talks to Harlock 

Love it or hate it, this film is a big budget version of Harlock.  It's visually stunning and has some great action sequences.  For these alone it's probably worth a watch.  The plot is filled with holes like swiss cheese, but what did you expect?  I could definitely see hardcore Harlock fans getting offended by some of the plot twists in the film.  Overall it's a passable sci-fi movie and has some cool space battles.

Logan and Harlock have a familiar standoff

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Knights of Sidonia Anime Review

Knights of Sidonia
Shidonia no Kishi
Netflix Original Series
300 mins. - 12 episodes
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kobun Shizuno
Studio - Polygon Pictures

Synopsis: In the distant future the Earth has been destroyed by a fearsome alien species called the Gauna.  It has been one thousand years since humanity became adrift in space on massive colony ships.  They travel the galaxy looking for a new home and trying to stay one step ahead of the Gauna.  The ships were spread out in hopes of being harder to track and to improve chances of finding a suitable planet.  One such ship is the Sidonia and it could quite possibly be the last human population in the universe.

Tanikaze Nagate trained in the underworld to be an expert Garde pilot

Human culture and science have evolved on the Sidonia.  To bolster and safeguard the population cloning has been accepted and even a third, asexual gender was developed which adapts to their partner.  All humans now photosynthesize to conserve resources aboard the ship and are only required to eat once a week.  Even anthropomorphic animals exist and participate in the workforce.  Everyone wears a belt with a clip to attach to safety rails throughout the interior buildings when the ship performs maneuvers.

The Sidonia is a massive ship build around a fragment of the Earth

The Gauna are large alien creatures which can survive in the vacuum of space.  They are highly self-sufficient and can self-propel through the airless void.  Their bodies consist of an impenetrable core surrounded by a malleable proto-mass called Ena which can be manipulated to different needs of the core.  They remain a mystery, but one thing is clear - they are a near-impossible enemy to defeat and have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.

The Gauna are a terrifying alien race which seem to be pursuing the human race

The Sidonia has not encountered a Gauna for almost a century after a hero from the last generation drove them off piloting a Garde Type 17 called the Tsugumori.  A special substance was discovered which could pierce a Gauna's core and destroy it.  Now nearly every able-bodied youth is trained to become a Garde pilot and defend the Sidonia.  Civil unrest has become more commonplace as protesters claim the Gauna are a hoax of the government.

The Sidonia is guided by the Immortal Council

Tanikaze Nagate was raised in the Underworld (the unpopulated areas of the Sidonia) by his grandfather, but is captured when venturing out to find food.  He has trained exhaustively on a simulator to be an expert pilot of the Garde Type 17, but has no social skills.  He is enlisted into the Guardian program to be a pilot when the Gauna reappear on his first assignment.  Now the Sidonia must send another generation of pilots to battle an impossible enemy for the survival of the human race.

From left - Midorikawa Yuhata, Shinatose Izana, Tanikaze Nagate,
Kunato Norio (background), Hoshijiro Shizuka, and Ren Honoka

Pros: Epic storyline as humanity teeters on the brink of total extinction, some exciting plot twists and reveals, Gauna are a fearsome enemy, character deaths are meaningful and tragic (Yoshiyuki Tomino would approve), killer opening theme and good ending theme, some actual science fiction with cool concepts (cloning, humans photosynthesizing), good series ending, suspenseful and made me want to watch each new episode immediately

Cons: Character animation looks awkward and artificial due to full CG rendering, characters and some mecha have too dark black flecks on them meant to look like weathering (too harsh, where's the color rendering?), looks kind of CG cheesy when a Gauna's body disintegrates after its core is destroyed, plot progresses a bit disjointedly and too many questions raised with few answered

Hiyama Lala is the bear lunch lady who takes Tanikaze under her wing

Mike Tells It Straight: Let's set the record straight - this series originally aired in Japan and was licensed by Netflix for broadcast distribution.  Netflix added a dub (for its various international audiences) and premiered it outside of Japan (the same way Funimation licenses anime series).  When I first saw the 'Netflix Original Series' label I thought they had produced the series and were moving into original animated content, but it's not true.  They're just cutting out the middleman (i.e. Funimation and other anime licensing companies) and doing the dub/sub themselves.  Netflix is a billion dollar company and depending on how successful this first series performs then they could become a player in the anime distribution game.  Could impact Funimation, the biggest anime licensing company, and possibly Cartoon Network, one of the bigger anime broadcasting channels.  Time will tell, but I think KoS was a good gamble.

Tanikaze gets in big trouble early on with the female pilots

While the series may only be available through streaming, rest assured it will eventually hit Blu-Ray/DVD soon (House of Cards did).  It was highly suspenseful and kept me enthralled to watch the next episode (binge watching fodder).  The series is based on the manga by Tsutomu Nihei (Blame!, NOiSE, Abara) and follows it very faithfully.  The manga is still ongoing and ending date is unknown.  In Abara, Nihei's protagonist is a Gauna who can form bone armor and weaponry from his body.  The Gauna in KoS appear to be a nod to this previous series.  Nihei is known for his futuristic storylines and unique art style which were both present.

Human cloning is now commonplace to bolster the population count

I found the series very enjoyable and had to watch the next episode to find out what happened next.  It was addictive and fun, but mildly disturbing as well.  The show is fairly mature and I don't recommend it for younger viewers.  The Gauna are a fearsome opponent and the pilots have a high mortality rate.  Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of Mobile Suit Gundam and well known for killing off the majority of the main cast in his works) would definitely approve.  The science fiction concepts were pretty cool - humans photosynthesizing is a first, clones, and a third gender (transgender).  The mecha designs were decent and CG rendering was great.  Loved the opening theme by Angela and good soundtrack.  Characterization was well done and suspense was killer.  Reminded me of Attack on Titan which is high praise.

Tanikaze is an expert Garde 17 pilot as seen by this simulation footage
- too bad the current generation of mecha is the
Garde 18 with significant interface changes!

What didn't work for me were the CG character renderings, these were mostly terrible.  Movements were unrealistic, jerky, and the only way to tell characters apart were their hairstyles.  The characters and mecha had these black marks on them which were meant to be weathering/wear, but were just harsh black lines and too simple.  The plot progressed in a non-linear fashion and more questions were posed than answered.  I guess it sets groundwork for future reveals which will probably be spectacular.  I've read many complaints about Tanikaze's bland personality and I can rationalize his demeanor as being caused by living underground his whole life.  I wasn't very happy to see a makeshift harem forming around him which is an anime genre I'm not really into.

Hoshijiro and Tanikaze are shipwrecked in space after a battle
- Hoshijiro photosynthesizes while Tanikaze nervously looks away

Despite its flaws KoS was an epic series and I was hooked from the first episode.  It's mature and carries a sense of urgency as humanity fights for survival and characters die.  A nice mix of science fiction and storytelling among many familiar anime themes.  Tanikaze is the epitome of a last, best hope (at least he trained for it and it's not just inherent to his being).  I rank it among the new breed of anime which strives to surprise and engage the viewer instead of carrying down the familiar path.  If you have Netflix and enjoy anime then give it a shot.  Looking forward to the second season when it gets released.

The Gauna find a way to demoralize the human pilots by
using the fallen Garde pilots against them

TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

The Transformers The Movie Review

The Transformers the Movie
Toransufoma
Kid Rhino/Sony Entertainment
Movie - 86 minutes - 1 disc
$21.99 (2006) 2-disc
$19.95 (2000)
ISBN 603497664429
English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Nelson Shin
Studio - Marvel Productions/Sunbow Productions/Toei Animation

Synopsis: The year is 2005 and the Transformers have been active on Earth for 20 years.  Over this span of time many intense battles have raged between the two Transformers factions.  The heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prime strive for peace while the violent Decepticons led by Megatron seek conquest.  Humanity has found friends among the Autobots who protect the Earth from the constant attempts by Megatron to pillage the natural energy resources of the planet.  Spike Witwicky and his father Spark Plug were the first humans to befriend Optimus Prime and his group.  Now Spike has a family of his own and his son Daniel is growing up among the amazing alien robots.

Spike's son Daniel fishes with Hot Rod

The evil Decepticons now rule Cybertron and the Autobots are preparing a massive assault to bring peace once again to their home planet.  They have built the sprawling Autobot City on Earth and turned both of Cybertron's moons into staging areas for their upcoming assault.  Many Autobots have relocated from Cybertron to Earth in order to prepare including the brash Hot Rod, veteran Kup, speedster Blurr, brave Springer, lithe Arcee, and powerful Ultra Magnus.  Hot Rod and Daniel have become particularly good friends.

Megatron brutally dispatches an Autobot

Out in space a massive artificial planet roams the galaxy devouring robot worlds and harvesting their resources to fuel its never-ending travels.  The planet is called Unicron and a scourge on the universe.  What happens when Unicron sets its sights on Cybertron?

The massive, planet-devouring Unicron prepares to feast

Megatron sees the perfect opportunity when a transport is sent from one of Cybertron's moons to Autobot City on Earth.  He and a massive force of Decepticons hijack the transport and kill the Autobots inside.  The stakes become real when Megatron leads a devastating assault on the unprepared Autobots with Optimus Prime off-world.  Both new and familiar Autobots must fight for their very lives in all-out war.  Will Optimus Prime and the Dinobots arrive before it's too late?

The Decepticons lay siege to Autobot City on Earth

What happens when a leader falls and the Autobots face their darkest hour?  Unicron is the most powerful (and malevolent) sentient creature in the universe, but why is it afraid of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership?  Journey across the galaxy as these questions are answered and more new faces (sometimes five-faces at once) join the fight.  A new generation of Transformers emerges, but will they save the day or arrive just in time to perish in Cybertron's extinction?

Optimus Prime and the Dinobots race back to Earth to save the day

Pros: Story is more mature than the television series (with one instance of cursing, several early character deaths), animation is better than the television series, voice acting is very well done (final voice role for Orson Welles as Unicron), many new characters introduced, relatively cohesive story progression to save Cybertron, soundtrack is classic '80s synth-metal, some great match ups (Dinobots vs. Devastator, Soundwave's and Blaster's cassettes mix it up), some light-hearted moments (like when Kup tells Grimlock to get his noodle out of his face!)

The Dinobots battle Devastator

Cons: Animation still has a lot of errors - perspective problems (Unicron's size fluctuates in comparison to other characters), incorrect colors (especially for similarly designed characters like the Seekers), 20th anniversary edition's widescreen format is actually full screen version with top and bottom cut off (i.e. some of the actual picture), sound quality is not great, some beloved characters die far too easily (a simple blast never killed anyone in the TV show), focuses more on new characters than the fan-favorites

"One shall stand, one shall fall!"

Mike Tells It Straight: This movie is the pinnacle of mainstream US animation from the 1980s and absolutely screams retro!  The soundtrack is a non-stop orgy of progressive synth-rock played by different bands, but sounding exactly the same (well, maybe Weird Al's Dare to Be Stupid sounds different).  Being a child of the '80s I have fond memories of this movie and it made an incredibly lasting impression.  I was right at the target demographic age, but not old enough yet to question the plot or see through the paper-thin corporate agenda of Hasbro.  See, this movie and the entire The Transformers television series were one big commercial to sell toys to male children.  They succeeded very well as the hundreds of versions of Optimus Prime in existence today can attest.

Optimus Prime and Megatron have a truly epic showdown

Let's start by describing the origins of The Transformers toy line.  Japanese toy company Takara Tomy had two transforming toy lines which were licensed to Hasbro for release in the US.  Hasbro hired Marvel Comics to create the characters and story unifying the different transforming toys.  Hasbro launched their toy line in 1984, Marvel began publishing a comic book series based on the toys and the backstory they had created, and Marvel/Sunbow Productions began airing a television series which deviated from the original Marvel backstory.  It was an absolute blitz of The Transformers on mainstream American kids and they literally ate it up.  The exact same formula had worked for Hasbro/Marvel with the relaunch of the G.I. Joe franchise two years earlier.

"I'll rip out your optics!"

By 1986 a new wave of toys were being introduced to the line and two seasons had elapsed for the television series (some 70 or so episodes).  By popular demand a theatrical movie was created which would bridge the gap between the second and third seasons of the television series and introduce the new toy lineup.  Hasbro used the movie as an opportunity to get rid of the old lineup of characters (most famously the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime) and killed most of them off in the first third of the film.  I'm still reeling from the shock of Optimus Prime's death.  The sheer gravitas of it all presented in a children's cartoon was astounding for the time.  Prime was the hands-down favorite character in the franchise and seeing him pass was a bold move.  You won't see that happen again in a mainstream cartoon.  The other deaths (Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl et al) were not as grand as Prime's death and seemed utterly callous considering Hasbro's corporate motivation.

Optimus passes the Autobot Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus,
but it nearly gets dropped

The new characters had bright colors, futuristic themes, and I don't think they quite resonated with the audience who had grown accustomed to the original lineup.  They did have solid personalities and grew on me by the end of the movie.  The animation was a big step up from the television series, but still suffered from the same production flaws - incorrect coloring, constantly changing sizes of characters, and simplistic animation.  The plot was very straightforward and it felt like the movie was cut up into nicely segmented scenes for later airing on television (which it was).  It's an action movie with a pumping soundtrack that never really lets up.

Kup, Arcee, and Hot Rod must travel back to Cybertron

Where this movie excels and why I think it made such an impact is the age demographic shifted higher.  The television show was strictly for kids and characters shrugged off massive amounts of damage with no fatalities.  Each episode was highly formulaic with the Autobots eventually winning a battle against the Decepticons and a return to the status quo.  I believe the movie's creators considered the audience for a theatrical release to be older than the typical television viewer.  The story elements changed significantly.  The movie brought in a truly menacing villain (Unicron) who immediately devours a planet of sentient robots.  He's quickly established as an extinction-level threat who can obliterate the status quo.  Then Megatron slaughters a bunch of Autobots and Optimus Prime dies.  Many of the younger viewers of the television series may not have even understood what death meant before seeing the film.

Starscream crowns himself king in Megatron's absence

Now this movie blew me away as a kid when I had only watched the first two seasons of the television series (rushing home from school to catch it each afternoon).  It was a serious game-changer in my early viewing experience.  Optimus Prime died for God's sake and one of the characters even swore (Spike's infamous 'sh*t!' when Unicron eats one of Cybertron's moons).  The emotional impact of the movie coupled with the intense marketing propaganda of the show made a lasting impact on many viewers leading to an enduring franchise legacy some 20+ years later.

Megatron is reborn as Galvatron (left), the unwilling puppet of Unicron

Now let's talk about watching the film today.  The original viewers had only seen at most two seasons of the show when the movie hit.  It was a big deal.  The level of saturation of The Transformers is much higher these days after four live-action films.  Optimus Prime has almost a hundred different figure variations (even a gorilla - Optimus Primal) and several subsequent television series have followed the original Generation 1.  If you are unfamiliar with The Transformers then watching the animated movie first is ill-advised.  The emotional aspect will be entirely lost on you.  Sit through the first two seasons of the series and then watch the movie.  Understand the animation is not at the same level as today - it's hand drawn (which I actually prefer for character animation).  The nostalgia factor is high and the easily the biggest draw for this movie.  If it meant a lot to you as a kid then it will be a bittersweet reminder of those bygone days.  Enjoy it for what it is.  I prefer the Rhino version and hope it gets a quality Blu-Ray release someday.

Grimlock and his new friend, Wheelie, take on some Sharkticons

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