Machinima‘s official Twitter account has given us a small update on their upcoming Transformers: Combiner Wars cartoon, namely that it will be airing this summer on go90 – finally letting us know a timeframe as to when it will be arriving. In addition, they’ve also provided a teaser image of Windblade, who has been said to play an important part in the show. Not a whole lot can be seen unfortunately, though it does give a small indication as to what the cartoon’s animation style will look like.
Hopefully we’ll be hearing more about the show soon at Botcon, but you can whet your appetites with the teaser after the break!
Update: TFW member Split Lip has brought us a brightened version of the image, letting us get a somewhat better look at Windblade.
l0te
I agree with you on most everything else, but her Japanese-inspired design had nothing to do with the poll. Fans were only able to pick her faction, gender, alt mode, weapon, colors, and one personality trait ("valiant"). She was still created by western designers, but fans DID NOT vote on her ridiculous appearance; that was all on the design team. I wager plenty of people who voted for her winning traits were disappointed with what they got.
Beastwarsfan95
Thank you, this was what I was getting at.
Haywired
You are saying, nothing in TF ever was written by a professional writers?
I don't think you understand terms "fanmade" or "fanfic".
Windblade's look and what was voted was so fanficy-y that:
a) – Scott had no way of using it "as is" in her books (because making her an actual Wapanese telepatic sword saint priestess bot in writing would be a bit too much, hence her characterisation takes absolutely zero clues from her look),
b) – playing some of her traints in NuRID in her initial episode basically turned her into a Magical Girl.
Slingshot
Yes, and various eras and characters of the Transformers brand aren't fanfic based.
Almost everyone in Transformers is borrowed from a fanfic, based on previously established fictional characters in other various series', or are based on cliches.
Lord Dcast
You know what, I give up. I've tried arguing my case but I just can't seem to get the point across. Nobody seems to listen to the evidence and optimism I attempt to provide.
Murasame
Wow. How intolerant we are.
Haywired
One miniseries, another miniseries, one Combiner hunters mini, two toys, a third one incoming, incoming machinima.
That's a bit oversaturated here, I'd say there was plenty of opportunities since the character was made. Didn't improve with time.
Of course this machinima is far too late anyway. Ideally it should be released along with the Combiner Wars.
Lord Dcast
They already did Elita as a warlord. Have you read Windblade after the original miniseries?
As for something not out of a fanfiction: her jet mode.
Furthermore, if you spend any time in the anime community, there's a difference between loving japan and being a Weeaboo. The designers don't try to force her to be Japanese in any way, only referencing it with her design. Also, I don't hear any Weeaboo speak like Drift.
Also, how can you say the people voting were Weeaboos? Have you checked how many people in the TF community are Weeaboos? It's surprisingly low. In fact, there are hardly as many Weeaboos as Filthy Frank would have you believe.
And as for legacy characters getting fleshed out, it can go either way. While I do like IDW Chromia, I really dislike Arcee being a psychopath. Prime did her better.
In the end, you may not like the character, but at least give Hasbro a chance to let her prove herself before labelling her something she's clearly not.
Nis Randers
I just hope they don't put the Windblade RiD Character in the one for Combiner Wars. I've read the Windblade Comics before and then I was so exited to see her in RiD and when the episode aired I was so dissapointed, because they changed her whole personality.
In my opinion characters are earning fame because they have a cool or complex character, which is the same in almost every universe. For Windblade I get a strong feeling that Hasbo just wants to push her in the "fav. Transformers of all time"-session like "OMG look at her! Like her! Love her!" I love her in the comics but she should stay there.
In an interview Kristy Wu said that "her personality there's a stoicism and honor that is important to her. That comes through in her design, as well." and I think it does.
When I hear the word honor I automatically combine that with the japanese culture and beeing a samurai. Honor is a strong word in the culture (f.e. for men the ritual of Seppuku or the Bushidō's virtues) and I wouldn't think of a Windblade stuck in a knight or cowboy costume.
Haywired
Windblade is a Weeaboo because she's created in voting mostly by western fans, not by Japanese toy designers.
That's what weeaboo or wapanese means – a wannabe, a staple of otaku culture. A someone who's not a Japanese, has no actual ties with Japan, but tries to be one despite having only a superficial outside appearance (if ever). Usually they're a laughing stock for Japanese as well.
I'm pretty sure a fair share of people voting for WB were actual weeabos which makes this label especially tasty for her.
She's a Weeabot on a meta level – looks even more Japanese than Drift or Bludgeon, but has zero actual connections with the culture.
Also, voted by "most of fans" =/= "all fans" but now she's mercilessly shoved upon everything. It's also an assumption that social voting indeed constitutes for entire fandom – it has to be proved, yet.
Tell me one thing about WB that doesn't look like borrowed from a fanfic.
Or maybe legacy characxters could cease being generic if they had an actual work done to them instead of an entire spotlight being hug by this WB and so much energy devoted to developing miss milktoast?
…on the other hand, after IDW fleshed Chromia I almost wish them never again fleshing out any legacy fembot. Not unless they can ditch some writers. And I have suspicion that Elita will end as deranged.
Lord Dcast
Weeaboos aren't exclusive to anime and manga. I know food Weeaboos and culture Weeaboos who don't like anime.
But that being said, Windblade doesn't know about Japan in either continuity and doesn't identify as Japanese.
Drift on the other hand…
Slingshot
Not only that, but Windblade's design is based off a Japanese dress, I believe? If I'm correct, then there's no way Windblade can be a Weeaboo since the said dress was created centuries before Anime originated around the 1910's.
Lord Dcast
Take a look at this:
How the hell can Windblade be a Weeaboo if she's never been to Japan in any fiction?
Lord Dcast
You don't have to; just do some research to the the definition of Weeaboo. It's not as derogatory as you think. It's an actual term.
Beastwarsfan95
I don't read the comics so I don't know what a Camien is, but WB has a very weeabo cosplayer design.
Lord Dcast
Uh, Drift is more of a Weeabot ATM than Windblade with his appearances in TF4 and RID.
A Weeaboo is someone who disregards their own culture and identifies as Japanese. Since Windblade makes it a point to identify herself as Camien in IDW and shows no Weeaboo traits in RID, how is she a Weeaboo?
Beastwarsfan95
ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAAAAADDDDD!
Brilliant, simply brilliant.
Rey is a pretty bland character, if you ask me. And like WB is really just kinda there, being carried by the plot rather than driving it. WB suffers from this as well from what I have been told.
And I re-iterate my last point, why not make the COMBINER Wars show about a COMBINER rather than the Weeabot?
Lord Dcast
I thought her character was all right. Not exceptional, but still good.
You're right about the first bit, but as for Drift, isn't this the same? RID Windblade and IDW Windblade are completely different, and this is also a different Windblade because its clear it won't simply adapt the IDW comics. Aren't people complaining about her being in everything outside IDW?
Although I do agree with the last two bits.
Not really. She's more of the investigator type who actively tries to make Cybertron a better place, but she's way too weak and nice to stop herself being taken advantage of.
At least that's what I got.
And then there's a bunch of other comments discussing the same thing, so I'll just summarise.
Most of the fandom did in fact vote for her, and honestly I think people should try to give her a chance before shouting out how much you hate her. But yeah, the original toy is pretty bad, but hopefully the RID one will be better.
As for the legacy fembots, they may be waiting but honestly how much character did they have again? Elita one barely had any, Arcee was okay but she doesn't count as she had a great representation in Prime, and the other G1 Fembots were essentially cardboard cutouts that are barely remembered. Tell me ONE thing you can remember about Elita One that isn't generic.
Also, about the whole 'Mary Sue' trope thing, that doesn't make a difference. Whether WB is an MS or not isn't the point. A trope isn't bad, it's just when its an excuse does it become bad. Rey from Star Wars is technically more of a Mary Sue but is she a bad character? HELL NO! Meanwhile characters may not follow tropes but they end up bland and boring.
Autovolt 127
Think about it this way, Eventually Hasbro will get tired of Windblade and will retire her if she really doesn't generate anything.
She's most likely going to be in TF5 at some point, let's just see where this goes first.
Haywired
She's getting as much bashing as she warrants.
The irony is that she's getting this bashing precisely because she's overpromoted, not because of anything else. This isn't a backlash against the character, more against showing it everywhere when possible.
And yes, she's IS promoted as the poster child fembot, anyone with a working gray matter can see it. She was a first female figure since a very long time, then touted with a series made by a female creative team.
Unfortunately, Scott's hardly Gail Simone hence the end product is a bit on the "meh" side.
Why instead of this meh with WB nobody could come with something like Amanda Conner Power Girl or Harley Quinn except with female TFs? Something that is actually fun to read?