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Transformers: Season Two Volume One (25th Anniversary Edition)
R1 - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (13th February 2010). |
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The Show
 Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 25 years, you’re likely aware that the “Transformers” brand is one of the most successfully marketed in entertainment. After starting off as a toy line in Japan, the series was purchased by Hasbro, who launched an endless assault comprised of more toys, cartoon series, comic books, commercials, feature films and ephemera than anyone would know what to do with. The first season of the cartoon series, which debuted in 1984, introduced kids to the world of the "Transformers," showcased the individuals fighting on both sides (Autobot or Decepticon) and laid the groundwork for everything else that has followed since. Season Two doesn’t break much new ground; it’s decidedly more of the same, albeit with a larger roster of robots. The success of the first season led executives to quickly order up enough episodes to satisfy syndication requirements, which was 65 episodes, thus the reason why season one had a mere 16 episodes compared with the gargantuan order of 49 for season two. But don’t expect any long-standing story arcs. Almost every episode acts as a standalone, 23 minute adventure aside from a few 2-parters. The idea was so that networks could broadcast the episodes in whichever order they wanted, and presumably because kids just wanted to see robots fighting, plot be damned. This is both a positive and negative. Without an overreaching arc of any sort, there isn’t much to keep anyone but hardcore fanboys from losing interest. On the other hand, the lack of a cohesive, linear plot means that you can throw on almost any episode from the season and not worry about what’s been going on before that point. Make no mistake this series existed solely to sell toys. Nothing more. Sure, the ad revenue generated from the series was surely icing on the cake, but once governmental regulations regarding television series for toys was loosened, the flood gates opened up for Hasbro to churn out what are essentially 23 minute commercials for new stuff. Robots come and go, often without a hint of where they’ve even originated from, simply because kids were going to want to buy them. Season two was the last of the “classic” lineup seen on TV. After the completion of this season, and the release (and box office failure) of the feature-length “Transformers: The Movie” (1986), the third season started off with an almost-all-new selection of robots. I enjoy watching some of these episodes as a form of nostalgic entertainment. Regardless of the quality on display here, the old adage proves correct in that they don’t make ‘em like they used to. I’m not a watcher of contemporary cartoons by any means, but I’ve yet to see a glimpse of anything made recently that could withstand the test of time that “Transformers” has. It seems like so much of what’s made today is designed to be cotton candy entertainment; pretty to look at, but melts away in an instant. It’s all so disposable. If I ever have kids, it’s more likely that I’d throw on some old 80’s cartoons than whatever else it is kids are into these days. This first half of season two contains 28 episodes spread out across 4 DVDs. The included episodes are as follows: - “Autobot Spike” - "The Immobilizer" - "Dinobot Island, Part I" - "Dinobot Island, Part II" - "Traitor " - "Enter the Nightbird " - "Changing Gears" - “A Prime Problem " - "Atlantis, Arise " - "Attack of the Autobots" - "Microbots" - "The Master Builder" - "The Insecticon Syndrome" - "Day of the Machines" - "Megatron's Master Plan, Part I" - "Megatron's Master Plan, Part II" - "Auto Berserk" - "City of Steel" - "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part I" - "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part II" - "Blaster Blues" - "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court" - "The God Gambit" - "The Core" - "Make Tracks" - "The Autobot Run" - "Golden Lagoon" - "Quest for Survival"
Video
Just like the first season, “Transformers: Season Two, Volume One” comes to DVD with some spiffy new 1.33:1 transfers that are likely the best anyone has ever seen the show look. There are still some hints of dirt and debris which must be inherent in the source material, but Shout! Factory has made it well-known that they went to great lengths to restore these episodes to their originally-intended visual presentation. For a cartoon series made over 25 years ago, the results here are nothing short of fantastic.
Audio
The audio is equally solid. The English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track does a more than adequate job of balancing the dialogue with the bombastic action and electronics-heavy score. It doesn’t contain any noticeable pops, hisses or clicks that I’ve come to accept after watching other classic cartoons on YouTube or through some other bootlegged means. Great care has been taken in giving fans the best possible auditory experience for this series, and it shows (hears?). There are no optional subtitles on these discs.
Extras
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Presumably, all extras relating to season two will surface on the second part of this set.
Packaging
The 4-disc set comes housed in an attractive, side-loading slipcover. The discs themselves are housed in thinpak cases, two per case. There is also a booklet with episode information listed within.
Overall
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