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

TO BUY and Recommendations:

The Simpsons Tribute to Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki has announced his retirement (once again) this past September 2013 and The Simpsons pay tribute to one of the greatest animators of our time!   He has retired before and rumors are already spinning as to the possibility of him returning for another project.  I wouldn't mind.



Absolutely love this homage!  I saw parts from My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service (gotta review that soon), and Princess Mononoke.  It seems they only included films he actually directed, but I didn't see anything from Laputa (Castle in the Sky).

Did I miss anything?  What did you see!?

Homer and his buddy accidentally step into the world of Spirited Away

 

Summer Wars Anime Movie Review

Summer Wars
Sama Wozu
Warner Home Video
Movie - 114 mins. - 2 disc
$29.98 (2013) Blu-Ray/DVD
$34.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$29.98 (2011) 2-disc
ISBN 704400094811
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Mamoru Hosoda
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Kenji Koiso is a hopeless high school nerd - when he's not spending endless hours as one in a million moderators of the online world of OZ then he's studying mathematics.  See, he's kind of a math genius, actually.  It makes having a social life next to impossible, but somehow he gets invited on a trip by his beautiful and outspoken classmate, Natsuki Shinohara.

Kenji and his buddy Takashi spend all their free time moderating for OZ

Natsuki's heading back home to see her family and celebrate the upcoming 90th birthday of her great-grandmother, Sakae Jinnouchi.  Great-grandma Sakae is one tough old bird and the matriarch of the Jinnouchi clan who can trace their ancestry back almost four centuries to feudal times.  The clan has a rich and defiant history as warriors, but has recently fallen into financial hard times due to fiscal mismanagement many years ago by the clan's patriarch.  The family has been trying to regain their former social and wealth status.

Kenji meets Natsuki's great-grandmother Sakae

When Natsuki introduces Kenji as her fiancee he absolutely loses it!  She talks him up as coming from a prestigious family, living in America for a year, and attending a quality university - none of which is true!  Poor Kenji is trapped in the Jinnouchi compound with Natsuki's whole family and trying to pretend he's her fiancee.  He's hopelessly fallen for Natsuki and will do anything she says at this point, but the pressure is almost too much to handle as he sits through family dinner.

Kenji meets the rest of Natsuki's family...as her fake fiancee!

Kenji is barely surviving his visit when he receives a mysterious text in the middle of the night.  It's a series of numbers and appears to be a math problem requiring the solution to the code.  He wakes up in the morning with only a faint recollection of working out the problem, but apparently all hell has broken loose in the online world of OZ.

The black sheep of the family - Uncle Wabisuke

OZ is a virtual reality world where users create avatars to navigate the world on their behalf.  OZ has become so popular that it's integrated into both social and governmental systems.  People can have entire lives within OZ including virtual careers, sporting events, relationships, and anything else you can think of.  Someone has cracked OZ's security barrier and is appropriately user accounts and tampering with the infrastructure of the world.  Things become serious when the hacker starts playing with utility services and traffic signals.

Kenji solves a mysterious numerical code sent to him during the night

Did Kenji accidentally hand someone the keys to OZ?  His account seems to have been hijacked and will the Feds come breaking down the door to find him?  If he was uncomfortable at the Jinnouchi's residence before then things have hit a whole new level of bad.  Natsuki's disowned uncle, Wabisuke, shows up and causes a big stink with the family.  What's his connection to all the strange happenings?  When the Jinnouchi's learn what's going on they kick into overdrive to try and solve the problem, but what can one real family do to save the unreal world of OZ?

Kenji's avatar gets hacked in the virtual world of OZ by 'Love Machine'

Pros: Great story with family as a central theme, Madhouse puts out some great animation and the virtual world of OZ is really detailed (the sheer number of the little avatars for people is staggering), excellent animation and lush backgrounds, nice combination of realism with fictional virtual reality

Fortunately Kenji's buddy Takashi gets him a new avatar to use

Cons: A lot of characters to keep track of, story jumps around a bit, can be corny at times (although meant to counter-balance the serious moments in the movie), plenty of suspension of disbelief with this one, slightly mature (there is a death)

King Kazma is a virtual fighter in OZ who takes on the hacker

Mike Tells It Straight: Summer Wars is an entertaining film with a lot of different elements - part near-future science-fiction with the virtual reality world of OZ, part slice-of-life family drama with the Jinnouchi clan, part boy-meets-girl romantic comedy with Kenji and Natsuki, and part thriller as both aspects collide in a countdown to save the real world from the virtual world.  It starts out slow as we're introduced to OZ and then Kenji heads to Natsuki's family home.

The hacker becomes a much tougher oppenent to rival even King Kazma

I found the characters to be likable and varied.  Each represents a specific age category - Kazuma is the teenage loner, Natsuki is the naive high school girl, Kenji is the bumbling high school boy, Wabisuke is the exiled rogue returning home, great grandma Sakae is the spunky oldster who still has some fight left in her, and the group goes on.  I think everyone could identify with at least one family member which gives this anime a broad appeal.  The little kids were out-of-control and manage to wreck everything with their wanton enthusiasm.

The Jinnouchi clan watches as Kazuma takes on Love Machine

The story is pure dramedy with Kenji being the main focus until the family organizes to take on Love Machine.  I liked a lot of the scenes and themes of the movie, but felt a lot of gags were thrown in to make if funnier.  I guess it's more comedy than serious drama.  The battles between Kazuma (as King Kazma) and Love Machine were really exciting and epic.  Madhouse brings great visuals and lots of detail to this film.  It was a lot different than I expected - somehow I was thinking another dimension filled with weird little creatures (the avatars pictured on the cover) were invading the real world and a group of people had to stop them.

Love Machine gets deeper into OZ and starts wreaking havoc on the real world

Overall I would recommend this film as a lighthearted comedy with a nice family theme.  The ending is well done and director Mamoru Hosoda follows up The Girl Who Leapt Through Time with another successful movie.  I think it has broad appeal to almost all ages (recommended for viewers 8+ due to 'a death' and old people probably don't know what a virtual reality world is) and is a heartwarming story.  It particularly reminded me of Eden of the East which was an interesting show.  Check it out!

The Jinnouchi clan (plus Kenji)

TO BUY and Recommendations:

IGPX Immortal Grand Prix Season Two Anime Review

IGPX Immortal Grand Prix Season Two
Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 3 discs
290 mins. - 13 episodes
$39.98 (2007)
$24.98 (2006) Vol. 1-7/ea.
ISBN 669198227882
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Mitsuru Hongo
Studio - Production I.G

Synopsis: In the year 2048 the ultimate race is the Immortal Grand Prix using giant high-performance robots!  The mecha race along a 60-mile track at speeds upwards of 350 miles per hour in teams of three.  Each team battles the other in order to finish the race and the fastest ones win.  Team Satomi returns after a successful rookie season in the highest IG-1 racing level and amidst a bevy of financial troubles.  The team is made up of Takeshi Jin (talented forward and avid kendo practitioner), Liz Ricarro (spirited tomboy and martial arts expert), Amy Stapleton (former child prodigy and empathic midfielder), and Amy's co-pilot Luca (a cat!).

The IGPX racetrack has an entire city built around it

Now a new team called White Snow joins the IG-1 league.  What is their secret agenda?  Team Satomi made a lot of enemies in their first season and everyone seems to be targeting them.  Alex, the ace pilot from Team Velshtein still considers Takeshi his chief rival.  Even Fantine from Team Skylark can't decide whether she likes Takeshi as a boyfriend or an opponent.  The poor guy is being crushed by an overwhelming pressure to succeed.  Takeshi is starting to crack under the psychological strain and lashing out at his teammates.

Team Satomi struggles under the pressure of the IG-1
(from left) Amy Stapleton, Takeshi Jin, and Liz Ricarro

It's a perfect time for Team White Snow to strike using their computer hacker tactics.  Can even the talented chief mechanic, Mark Ramsey, keep them from messing with his prize mechs?  Just wait until Team Satomi faces White Snow on the racetrack - sparks will fly!  Does Team Satomi's coach, Andrei Rublev, still have a few tricks up his sleeve to save the day?  What is his mysterious connection to the famous Rocket G, former race champion who disappeared over a decade ago?  It's the final race to the finish and Team White Snow has an ultimate attack!

Team White Snow join the IG-1 and cause a major uproar

Pros: Good soundtrack, lots of mecha racing battles, animation is nice, decent CG graphics, Team Satomi have a cat co-pilot, the races/battles get kicked up a notch compared to the first season, likable characters, good voice acting, fair ending, broad appeal

Team Satomi battles Team White Snow!

Cons: Takeshi and the rest of Team Satomi turn into a bunch of whiners, the commercial break visuals (eyecatch) had really weak CG renderings, Team Satomi does far too well for a rather fresh team to the IG-1, final attach by Team White Snow as a bit silly

Fantine has doubts about her relationship with Takeshi

Mike Tells It Straight: The first season of IGPX was exciting as we meet the members of Team Satomi and their support cast while they compete as rookies against more experienced opponents.  It was fun to root for the underdogs, but things changed in the second season.  Now they're no longer rookies and have established themselves among the other teams.  Replacing the excitement of the first season we have a fractured team with Takeshi bowing under the pressure of fame.

Team Satomi faces Team Sledge Mamma

A lot of episodes are just Takeshi being a total pill and fighting with his teammates.  The only good thing which came out of this season was more intense mecha racing battles!  This time robots are smashed apart and pilots actually get injured.  The first season seemed pretty tame in comparison.  I thought Andrei's big reveal was well-played especially during the actual races.  The voice-acting continued to be top notch in the series (although I swear they changed up Fantine's voice).

Coach Andrei, owner Michiru Satomi, and assistant Jesse Martin
watch as Team Satomi flounders!

My expectations for the second season were high and I think the first season ending kind of blew it for the series.  They could have easily ended it right there without dragging out another season.  The ending for the series was still fairly decent and it's a good little show.  Definitely has broad appeal and can be watched by younger viewers.  This second season is ridiculously hard to buy at a reasonable price (as of this review) and I was incredibly lucky to find it after years of searching.  From the box cover art I expected things to get violent (red racing suits), but the show doesn't fall out of it's giant mecha racing theme.  It's not worth the inflated price and hopefully an affordable re-release will hit the market.

Can Team Satomi pull it together in time?

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Dan Doh!! The Super Shot! Anime Review

Dan Doh!! The Super Shot!
Dando
Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 6 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$49.98 (2008)
$79.98 (2006)
$29.98 (2005-06) Vol. 1-3/ea. (2-disc sets)
ISBN 669198262876
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hidetoshi Oomori
Studio - HoriPro/Tokyo Kids

Synopsis: Fifth grader Tadamichi "Dandoh" Aoba is a star baseball player, but gets into trouble with the principal and is introduced to the game of golf.  He considers it a challenge and ends up really enjoying the game.  Two of his friends, Yuka Sunada and Kohei Ooike, try golf with Dandoh.  They're all lucky enough to be students of former up-and-coming star professional golfer, Shinjo Mikiyasu.  His promising career was cut short after a tragic car accident.

From left (front): Yuka, Dandoh, Kohei 

Shinjo teaches the three friends to trust themselves and take chances.  They are only allowed to use a six iron club until they are ready for learning the rest of their clubs.  They enter their first tournament and must play difficult rounds with some harsh competitors.  Yuka must deal with a pair of cruel players in her group, but manages to overcome their taunts with help from Dandoh.  Kohei suffers from a lack of self-confidence despite being a more powerful hitter than Dandoh and excellent putter.

Dandoh accidentally gets in trouble with the principal

Dandoh's positive attitude is infectious and he always plays fair.  All the players who first dislike him as someone they consider to be a naive kid end up admiring and even considering him their friend.  It's an amazing phenomena, but that's Dandoh!  He takes on impossible shots and learns from every mistake.

The three friends start practicing golf together

He meets hard-luck former pro Takuya Akano who washed out of the professional circuit by hitting another player.  Shinjo somehow talks Takuya into accepting Dandoh as his caddy and sends them to a professional tournament against some of the top golfers in the world.  Can Dandoh's youthful spirit revitalize the dispirited Takuya back into the game?

Takuya has a bad reputation among other golf professionals

Dandoh's mother abandoned his father, older sister, and him when he was very young over money problems.    He hides deep abandonment issues and hopes to someday catch the attention of his mother by winning at golf.  All the players who come into contact with Dandoh are changed by his amazing spirit.  His contemporaries, professional players, groundskeepers, and even officials can't help being enlivened after watching him play.

Yuka excels in the girls' junior competition

Dandoh plays in several juniors tournaments against a host of talented young golfers.  Can his positive energy compensate for his lack of experience?  Will he ever see his mother again and what about his disapproving father who doesn't want him to play golf?  Yuka and Kohei support their friend, but are amateurs themselves.  Witness the exciting journey of Dandoh as he learns to play golf!

Dandoh's father disapproves of him playing golf

Pros: Opening/ending theme music was surprisingly catchy (by Bullet 77), very positive message to work hard and have a good attitude, some minor sports drama during the tournaments, it tries to make golf more exciting

Dandoh's competition are very talented

Cons: Simplistic and childish, unrealistic, character designs are silly (Dandoh's blue spiky hair and some of the other golfers look goofy), makes golf look like a video game with power boosts for big shots, long series and slow-paced, dub voices and acting are pretty bad

Dandoh feels the pressure at a particularly difficult hole

Mike Tells It Straight: I like to play golf and Dan Doh!! piqued my interest as the only golf anime show I had ever heard of released in America.  I was expecting a cross between golf and Pokemon which was mostly true.  The character designs were pretty silly with Dandoh's spiky blue hair, his buddy Kohei's bleached-up bangs, and Takuya's dark green locks.  Whenever a player hit a really powerful drive the ball would make little sonic booms in the air (wish that effect happened in real life!).

Dandoh plans his next shot

Dandoh marks his ball by drawing a smiley face on it (and starts calling it Smiley Ball!), Kohei puts eyebrows on his ball, and Yuka draws eyes with eyelashes on hers.  The plot was pretty standard - kid is a great baseball player and then tries golf (if he played hockey it could have been Happy Gilmore!), his powerful swing makes him a natural long-ball driver, and he's an instant golf prodigy.  I wasn't expecting much from an obviously shounen (meant for younger viewers) and Dan Doh!! was not a surprise.  Just another typical sports anime.

Dandoh eyeballs a putt

The themes of the show are fair play, trying your best, and sticking up for your friends.  All good messages and obviously preachy.  Dan Doh!! is aimed squarely at young boys who like sports (maybe some young girls since Yuka is featured).  It's a fair effort, but nothing makes it stand out from other sports shows (maybe the opening/ending themes which are pretty catchy).  I mostly watched it in the background while doing other things and could still follow along perfectly well.  I guess if you want to introduce a kid to golf then this show might make it more exciting.  My 3-year-old daughter was entertained and loved the Smiley Ball (I made her one to play with)!  As far as I know Dan Doh!! is it if you're looking for golf anime.  

Let's go Smiley Ball!  Smiiiiiiile shot!!!

TO BUY and Recommendations: