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Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters
Genre | Anime & Manga |
Format | Multiple Formats, Box set, Animated, Full Screen, NTSC, Color |
Contributor | Hideyuki Hori, Ikuya Sawaki, Banjo Ginga, Katsutoshi Sasaki |
Language | Japanese |
Number Of Discs | 4 |
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Product Description
Product Description
Season 4 may have marked the end of the American series of Transformers [G1], but Japan had many more stories to tell! Transformers: Headmasters replaces the Gen One 4th season and begins one year after the end of Season 3. Optimus Prime lives again, the energy of the Matrix has been released, and peace reigns on Cybertron... but all that is about to change with the startling arrival of the newest bred of Transformers warrior the Headmasters!
Amazon.com
In 1987, the toy company Takara and the Toei studio began producing an alternate version of the popular product-based Transformers series featuring characters and story lines geared to the Japanese market. For decades, American mecha fans could only watch Headmasters in dim conversions from other formats and/or bootleg copies. Shout Factory is releasing the series for the first time in the United States. During this first season, the familiar Autobots and Decepticons are replaced by a new corps of robots who turn into tanks, helicopters, and other mechanical devices designed to please the core audience of elementary-school boys. However, the basic components of the story line remain the same: friendships are forged, battles are fought, allegiances shift, threats appear, situations grow dire, and good robots triumph over bad ones. For viewers who grew up on the original Transformers, Headmasters offers an enticing blend of nostalgia and new adventures. However, anyone who lacks those childhood memories may wonder what all the excitement is about. The animation is extremely limited, the Japanese voice actors chew the painted scenery endlessly, and the direction repeats many of the clichés of '80s Saturday morning kidvid. (Instead of creating transitions between scenes, the directors simply cut to a spinning logo, as their counterparts at Hanna-Barbera and Filmation did.) The designs of the robots, including the central cadre of Fortress Maximus, Brain Storm, Chromedome, Hardhead, and Highbrow, lack the dynamic sophistication of Yoshiyuki Tomino's Gundam, which debuted in 1979. When Transformers premiered, children's advocates and parents' groups denounced it as a thinly disguised commercial, created to sell toys to boys. Those boys have grown up, and men who want to revisit that part of their childhood will revel in the struggles of Fortress Maximus and his fellow warriors against their evil counterparts. (Not rated; suitable for ages 6 and older: cartoon robot vs. robot violence) --Charles Solomon
(1. Four Warriors from Outer Space, 2. The Mystery of Planet Master, 3. Behold the Birth of Double Prime, 4. The Autobot Cassette Operation, 5. Rebellion on Planet Beast, 6. Approach of the Demon Meteorite, 7. The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery, 8. Terror of the Six Shadows, 9. Planet Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1, 10. Planet Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2, 11. Zarak--The Shadow Emperor, 12. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts, 13. Head On, Fortress Maximus! 14. Explosion on Mars! Maximus Is in Danger! 15. Explosion on Mars! Scorponok Appears! 16. Return of the Immortal Emperor, 17. SOS from Planet Sandra, 18. Daniel Faces his Biggest Crisis Ever, 19. Fight to the Death on Planet Beehive, 20. Battle for Defense of the False Planet, 21. Find Scorponok's Weak Spot, 22. Head Formation of Friendship, 23. Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship, 24. The Death of Ultra Magnus, 25. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg, 26. I Risk My Life for Earth, 27. The Miracle Warriors--The Target Masters, Part 1, 28. The Miracle Warriors--The Target Masters, Part 2, 29. The Master Is in Danger, 30. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide, 31. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons, 32. My Friend, Sixshot! 33. Duel on the Asteroid, 34. The Final Showdown on Earth, Part 1, 35. The Final Showdown on Earth, Part 2)
Product details
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 7.05 ounces
- Item model number : 17370865
- Director : Katsutoshi Sasaki
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Box set, Animated, Full Screen, NTSC, Color
- Run time : 12 hours and 45 minutes
- Release date : July 5, 2011
- Actors : Ikuya Sawaki, Hideyuki Hori, Banjo Ginga
- Studio : Shout Factory
- ASIN : B004UFE2XM
- Number of discs : 4
- Best Sellers Rank: #10,755 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #116 in Anime (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Transformers Headmasters Trailer
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Transformers Headmasters Clip #1
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Transformers Headmasters Clip #2
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1. The great price and for the fact that it's not a bootleg.
2. If this is the 'weakest' series of the Japanese "trilogy", then I hope Shout Factory releases the other two sets (Headmasters; Super God Masterforce; Victory), the storytelling and action is excellent.
3. Even for an 80's 'toon, and not remastered from its original film, it has held up brilliantly; much moreso than the U.S. counterparts in my opinion.
4. It doesn't belittle: adult wars - check; actual robot destruction/dismemberment and 'game over' - check; extremely mild language (I wouldn't even consider it profanity) - check.
It's basically what you wanted to see as a kid. I was hesitant to watch the release at first. It sat on my player for over a month. Not because it's a Japanese release and has no English Dubs -- I watch all of my anime with Subs, but because it's from the 80's. Don't get me wrong; I'm crazy about TF G1, mainly the 1st and 2nd seasons. After re-watching the 3rd and 4th seasons; good grief those did not age well -- the U.S. storytelling for the later seasons is mediocre; some plots and animation made my eyes roll. It was actually painful to watch; especially the distant planets and the attention focused moreso on the annoying characters (aliens and humans) rather than the robots.
The later U.S. releases remind me of the new live-action films. Love everything about the robots; highly dislike the annoying human characters (although the 1st movie still remains the most watchable). However, I don't mind a re-telling. I don't mind liberties. I enjoy a little shake-up.
The detail and animation of the Japanese "Rebirth" story, to me, is hands above the 4th season of the U.S. Whereas, in the U.S. cartoon... you might count 10-15 different 'bots; I basically lost count at 40 in the first episode of "Headmasters". I understand cartoons are the main push to sell the latest series of the toyline; but it's nice to see so many older 'bots in the Japanese cartoon. Also, the tape cassette wars and the amount of combiner 'bots in just the first 5 episodes is outstanding; I was shocked; it made me drivel. I could not stop watching the series, and the episodes fly by.
The cartoon action usually takes place in several locations and on several planets; there is a great voice-over/subtitles narrater to keep you up to track on the story and the whereabouts of the 'bots -- much more in depth than the U.S. cartoons (which did not take advantage of such tools and storytelling; and watered down adult themes); you'll know what I mean once viewing a few shows. It is action paced and I'll state it again, the animation and battles are noncomparable. I instantly wanted to watch the release again, which means an instant 'keeper' and 'winner' in my book. And I'm very picky. I wasn't born in the 80's, so I'm not a fan of CG 'toons such as Beast Wars/Machines, Energon, etc. So I heavily rely on these cel-shaded 'toon releases.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It won't hurt to add to your collection.
Without spoiling too much I thought the concept was just as cool as having the Humannoids as the head and as guns in Rebirth. The only difference is that the these robots are ones who left Cybertron during the Great War to live in peace. While on the planet they picked for their home they designed bigger robot bodies and then they became the heads of those bigger bodies. You will see a lot of new characters as well as some of the older characters from the first three seasons of The Transformers. Like Transformers: The Movie, this series is another transition from earlier characters to the focussing on the newest characters which were the newest toyline at the time.
All in all I have liked what I have seen of the series so far on sites like Youtube and can't wait to get this and see the entire series. With this release and the re-release of Beast Wars I hope Shout! Factory sticks with it and we get a region 1 release of the remaining Japanese series (Masterforce and Vitory for G1, Beast Wars Second and Beast Wars Neo for Beast Wars) as well as the one shot episode for Transfomers: Zone.
I recieved the DVD this week. Shipping was prompt, the only knock I give it is that it was not packaged too great. It was loosely put in an oversized envelope and look like it had been moving around in shipment. It seems Amazon is a little hit or miss anymore with their packing of the items for shipment. Other than that the set was fine, none of the plastic inside or out was broken, no loose DVDs inside and no scratches or anything on the DVDs.
As for the episodes, this is a lot better than finding and watching these on Youtube. The episodes were good to watch and the dialogue seems like it has a little more humor in some spots espcially when watching the antics of Daniel and Wheelie. I know some consider this the weakest link in the Japanese continuation of the series. To me this is just a very fun start to the Japanese contiuation and a must for any Transformers fan.
This series picks up after Optimus Prime has come back and saved the world from the "hate virus" of previous episodes. Its set in the far distant future of 2011! The Decepticons are back and ready to kick some Autobot butt! This series focuses on the Headmasters as well as the other special combiner teams. For the first time the public gets to see all the combiner teams mixing it up in battle.
The opening and closing credit songs leave a lot to be desired but are basically standard Japanese anime songs. The animation is the same as the original series so that is great for fans. The story writing is bit more adult than the previous series but nothing that would turn off kids. The series is in Japanese but is subtitled. Though it was a bit jarring to hear Optimus Prime speaking in Japanese (Peter Cullen rules) you get use to it quickly and get to enjoy the show.
Transfans do not want to miss this one!
Top reviews from other countries
In the Japanese continuity we have Cybertron finally at peace after millions of years of war, that is until the banished Decepticons lead by Galvatron decide you attack once more with the aim of capturing Cybertrons master-computer, Vector Sigma, supported by a new breed of Transformers - the Headmasters!
The Autobots find themselves on the back foot against this powerful new enemy, that is until a team of allied Headmasters ride to their rescue. Their story goes that they were once Cybertronian citizens caught in the middle of the Autobot/Decepticon war, who decided to exodus the planet in order to seek peace elsewhere, eventually adapting their bodies to become Headmasters.
The level of animation and sound effects in the series is of a similar quality to that which was offered by the best of the original G1 animated series, and whilst the series does make a point of highlighting the adventures of Transformers who were generally didnt appear in the G1 series, or only appeared near to the end of it (such as the Headmasters, Technobots, Terrorcons, Sixshot etc), alot of old favourites such as Optimus Prime, Jazz, Sideswipe, Prowl, the Arielbots, Constructacons and Soundwave, also appear, as well as some Transformers never associated with the G1 franchise, such as the Trainbots.
The action is frantic and brutal in a way rarely seen in Western animation, indicative of a Japanese anime series. Fights are brutal, and there are a number of high-profile deaths of beloved Transformers throughout the series.
The only complaint I have about the series is that no modern English translation was provided. The series is Japanese language only, although English subtitles are availible, and in fairness wtching the episodes in subtitles does little to diminish the enjoyment. At the very least it is better than the dreadful English translation of the series I have seen on TV and the internet years ago, and the subtitles in this example also use the correct names for the Transformers, where as originally the likes of Optimus Prime were known as 'convoy', Blaster was 'Billy', and Spike Whitwicky as 'Sparkle'.
In any event, if you were a fan of the G1 series, then this DVD boxset is definately for you.
現在見返すと作画は大して変わらないものの作風が海外制作だった2010と大きく変わり同じキャラクターなのに声優もなぜか代わり、スポンサーの意向とは言え2010のキャラクターが10話あたりで降板するまでは一応初代と2010キャラ中心でフォートレス達はゲスト扱い、それ以降はメインとあまり例のない構成だと思います。
確かに本当に2010までのキャラ設定を見てるのか言いたくなるようなキャラの変貌ぶりに驚いたファンがいてもおかしくないと思います。
個人的には玩具ありきのトランスフォーマーなので2010キャラ降板以降も旧作の合体戦士などがたびたび登場し絵的には賑やかだったので嫌いではありません。でもさすがに最終回はあまりに唐突でなんだかなと思いましたが。
2010キャラ降板以降は基本的に1話完結でスピード感のある作品だと思うます。
後は終盤に登場したターゲットマスターなど放送期間の都合もありリーダーのブランカー以外はデストロン側も含め完全に背景でしかなかったように思います。それはほとんど出番のなかったツーインワンやクローンボット、クローントロンにも言えますが。キャラクターを使い切れておらずもったいないなと感じました。
ですがそれは後に様々なロボット作品を見たから言えることであって当時子供だった自分としては文句なくトランスフォーマーの魅力を感じられた作品でした。
国内版は再生産が今のところないので機会があれば視聴することを勧めます。
買いたい人はよく考えてから買いましょう。