Transformers: Animated (Japanese release)
 

Hello.


In a reversal of the path which other Transformers series have taken across the Pacific, Transformers: Animated, which has already had its main broadcast run in the West, will be starting up in Japan from the 3rd of April onwards.


According to the ANN page, the first casting selections have been made - not least with Norio Wakamoto signed on as Megatron!

Also, Hiroki Takahashi will be Optimus Prime (or Convoy, as he is traditionally known in Japan), Daisuke Kishio will be Bumblebee, with Satomi Akesaka as Sari Sumdac.

Plus, over at TFW2005, word is that JAM Project will be performing the as-yet-unnamed new OP!


Might be interesting.

Sign me up for this one. Wakamoto is going to make one damn good Megatron. :p

Interestingly, he is a Transformers veteran already - he voiced Flame Convoy in Transformers: Galaxy Force.

(Who sounded far less interesting as Scourge in the TF: Cybertron dub, really.)

So wait. This is the old school transformers generation 1?

Not quite.

In the West, TFA was first broadcast in late 2007, and ran until summer 2009.


It's the first TF TV series since Galaxy Force ended in 2005 (in Japan), as well as the first to have been made in the West since Beast Machines wrapped up (back in 2000).

(There might be a new upcoming Western series on the way (reported as Transformers: Prime, in the absence of an officially confirmed name) but not much solid data as of yet. However, if TFA is successful in Japan, I'm hoping there might be an impetus to create a new TF anime series... but time will tell.)

More Transformers how many series are there of this

A few.


(It might be worth noting that some of the character designs in this series have gone on to have an influence in how some of the Transformers: War for Cybertron incarnations look.)

uhm you're quet a lot off to be honest,war on cybertron is mostly bassed on the transformers comics "the war within(ww dark ages) a series that was left uncomplete since comic publisher dreamwave went bankrupt)!

I'm well aware of the War Within series - I wish Age of Wrath had been finished, too.

(For those unfamiliar with the comics, there have been a fair few of those, too.)

However, certain character designs in War for Cybertron do look like they have been influenced by the Cybertronian modes of their Animated counterparts, more so than the versions seen back in War Within.

(Megatron is a good example. The hover tank-thing he turns into is way closer to his pre-Earth form TFA than it is to his tank-mode from War Within.)


Sticking with Animated (since the WfC thread is elsewhere) it's interesting that TakaraTomy's toy line for the series seems to go with a more metallic set of paint jobs - and Bulkhead for one has a very different colour scheme to what he had in the West (and in the show).

Unless they plan to have the character re-coloured in the show, too, I'm not quite sure why they didn't just stick with green...

Interesting to see a thread on the Japanese dub posted here. Was planning on eventually doing one, but glad to see someone had already went and done it. Also, regarding the Japanese themes, in addition to Jam Project handling the opening, Rey will be doing the ending song.

Anyways... You know, with some of the information that I've heard, there's been some word that Japan will get new animated footage. Reportly they're going to be also changing the series to be set in the line with the movie universe as well. How that'll work, I'm clueless. I guess we'll see.

I always found that peculiar that he was given a recolor on the toyline. While the color still resembles that of a green, it's more teal. However, Takara Tomy launched a video of his character (which curiously he'll be called Ironhide) and it appears he's still retaining the same color scheme for the Japanese release.

I have to say that idea really doesn't work for me.

While I can understand the idea of going for heavy cross-promotion out-of-universe, I'm not sold on the concept of forcing them together in-universe.

We'll see soon enough, I guess.


(By the way, where would be the best place to start a thread for the in-development new series Transformers: Prime? It looks like it'll be a while before it arrives in Japan - not least since it won't be out for a while in the West in the first place - but it's not entirely unreasonable to envision that happening once TFA's run is over.)

Who is seiyuu of Starcream? In English version of many Transformers like G1, Armada, Animated v.v..., voice of Starcream become the symbol of series :D.

Dunno yet - hopefully they will announce that detail soon, though.


EDIT: TFW2005 have a translation of a recent interview.

I'm also curious as to how well (or not) they'll execute this series into an anime one.

The redesign of the characters are meant to be children safe toys as I know.

A couple of updates, up on the TakaraTomy site.

You can tell when a Transformers series is inbound in Japan when they start up with the stop-motion toy-flogger ads!




It's still kind of odd hearing them say Decepticon and not Destron, though...

Some episode info and VA details.


I would have preferred if Junichi Suwabe was Rodimus, not Sentinel, considering the former's choice of weaponry...

(But then, in theory, he could still end up doubling as Rodimus anyway. Which would be great.)

It's getting kinda lonely in these Transformers threads...

I'm here and been following this thread. I've just had nothing to really say is all. Makes me wonder if anyone else is doing the same.

Regardless, one more week to go before the date falls upon us. Looking forward to the intro and outro themes.