Toys R Us Japan have updated with product pages for the next four Transformers Go! releases. Coming this June are the three Autobot Samurai Kenzan, Jinbu and Ganou – who combine into three different giant robots based on who forms the upper body, torso and legs – along with the Predacon Gaidora, a Lazerback retool with a new head and new deco.
Stepper
Seriously,i like the Takara's Microman ever since from the ehobby Black Perceptor,they should really consider this.
Underwear
Well it's their preference that's all, nothing more to that. They just prefer piloted robots/mechas.
To each his own..
NathanS
I've heard a few theories.
A) A show about sentient robots, rather then a show about actual people is seen as overly silly and childish. Perhaps because of Astro Boy setting the mold that sentient robots are a children entertainment.
B) A preference for machines to be subservient to man.
And my own theory that since mech and super robot shows had been around and popular in Japan for awhile already people had gotten used to "Robots for fighting, people for drama." And it has a lot of cultural inertia behind it.
Nightrain
If it's such a problem then Takara should bring back Diaclone. We would still get awesome Transformers but they would be piloted.
Autovolt 127
I..I still can't grasp why they can't grasp that robots can be sentient?
clonemanager
damn.. these all look like some KO toys to me… easy pass.
NathanS
And hey, robots for fighting, people for drama is basically how the movies work, what a coincidence that's the one TF franchise at current with any pull in Japan.
daimchoc
Yggdrasil
The problem with the Japanese demographic is the fact that they simply don't get the concept of Transformers as sentinet-robots.
In mecha shows the main drama and story comes from the humans while the mecha suits are there for the flashy action scenes. The core idea of drama coming from the robots themselves is really alien to them.
That's why in the Unicron trilogy you had shit ton of kids that constantly took most of the screen time, because the Japanese writers can't write robots as characters.
Same goes for the constant over-use of the super modes and combining gimmicks, again there's always tons of that shit in mecha animes so they forced it into Transformers in order to make them more "mecha like" for their demographic.
[Wing_Saber-X]
you are comedy gold, you know that?!
theestampede
baby, those legs go all the way up
Underwear
Stepper bro if you read my post carefully I wasn't referring to the TF Go! combiners but was actually replying to this posting by member Maetel.
This was his post:
BraveMax
I don't think it has anything to do with things they didn't design. In fact, these are the only toys we've seen recently that might even suggest such a thing… And it seems much more likely that Hasbro just doesn't think they fit a design aesthetic or play pattern that would appeal to US kids.
You really like to jump the gun on confirming things, man.
No. There's no evidence these guys are piloted. The kids are probably just like the ones in the Prime TV show – random, barely involved kids.
Stepper
So these Samurai team mecha are confirm to be the piloted mecha type instead of sentient robot genre? I thought those human characters are just friends of the robot,nothing got to do with them piloting the robots or what.
Zress Tayasu
can someone remind me why hasbro is so bent on not releasing things that they didn't design lately? it seems almost petty/childish. especially given, as someone else mentioned, all the R&D and such is done without them having to spend on it, you'd think they'd jump at the chance for some easy cash.
Stepper
I do hope that Takara will come out gimmick similar to powermaster/head master but ever since Tomy has taken over Takara,i seriously doubt that will ever happen again,sad.
Sol Fury
We'll probably see more of him in a few months I think.
GaussGunner
Gaidora look veery nice!!!!
But where Doradora XD.
Maetel
takara should retry the powermaster/head master that can sit inside the vehicle gimmick then, too bad current price/engineering doesn't allow for tiny pilot inside any more
Underwear
Afaik the Japanese audience have a preference towards the piloted mecha genre rather than the sentient robot genre.
That's why if you noticed most of the anime featuring robots/mecha are mostly of the piloted mecha type (even apply to most Super Robots anime).