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Transformers the Unicron Trilogy DVD Box set in Australia

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Armada. Energon. Cybertron.

These three shows defined Transformers in the first half of the 2000s. Starting out innocently enough in Transformers Armada with a scavenger hunt for power-boosting miniature Transformers, these shows expanded in scope to become an epic saga chronicling a full-on war against Unicron, and following his demise, the struggle to save the universe from a grand black hole that opened in the wake of his destruction that led to the first ever on-screen debut of his ancient rival, Primus, creator of the Transformers. Care of our friends over at Ozformers, we have learned that Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi will be offering an exclusive boxed set which will include every episode of all three shows in this, the Unicron Trilogy. It is due to hit Australian retail on June 8th.

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TCJJ Avatar
Chris McFeely

I don't agree with the decisions that were made for the Shout sets, but mate, "Squeezeplay" is absolutely a better, more evocative name for an evil crab robot than "Cancer," and neither is a good name for a little boy.

That's your opinion, but the name "Cancer" is from the astrological sign, Cancer the crab. Other Japanese fiction has used the name as well. After all, he IS a giant crab monster.
It's been a long time since I've watched Masterforce but off the top of my head, some of the associations with the the astrological sign (such as "tenacious", "intuitive" and "fruitful") could be associated with Cancer the Masterforce character. I'm just ripping this stuff from Wikipedia because I don't know jack about astrology, but something that sounds a bit like the character to me is this part: "Cancerians are said to be people of sensation and feeling. They tend to go by their own intuition as opposed to reasonable advice. They are highly spiritual beings but can be emotional and are usually very caring at times."

As far as what name sounds more evil, that really is up to the individual. I personally think "Squeezeplay" sounds like some kind of chew toy you'd give to a dog or some kind of kinky shit.

Chris McFeely Avatar
TCJJ

I only have the Madman sets so I'm not entirely sure about Victory but I know a lot of names were changed, especially for Headmasters. You know, because "Squeezeplay" sounds soooo much cooler than "Cancer".

I don't agree with the decisions that were made for the Shout sets, but mate, "Squeezeplay" is absolutely a better, more evocative name for an evil crab robot than "Cancer," and neither is a good name for a little boy.

lordmegatron64 Avatar
LeonSteamhawk

This better come stateside, Armada was the start of my love for Transformers! :D 

Same

LeonSteamhawk Avatar

This better come stateside, Armada was the start of my love for Transformers! :D 

ZapRowsdower Avatar
TCJJ

I can understand why the localise certain things but I agree that they don't often need to, or at least not to the extent they do. Nintendo Treehouse is a perfect example of how not to do localisation (then again, they rip out features and content whilst censoring everything else at the same time, so maybe that's an unfair example).

It's like plagiarism, imo. They're taking someone else's work and then "adding their own flair" or some such nonsense. They take waaaaaay too much credit for the little they do, and it all comes off as incredibly arrogant, imo. Just read one of Atlus games' localization blogs and you'll see what I mean – oh, the effort to rename a Shin Megami Tensei game! They work so hard and deserve rewards! :rolleyes2 

I guess it's simple of me to say, but why not translate things literally? Maybe they don't think of it as such, but you wouldn't do that to Shakespeare's works, would you? With Shakespeare's plays, much of the text is completely unintelligible old English!! But there we are in English class, reading a completely "untranslated" text. :rolleyes2  I guess Shakespeare is easier to understand than Japanese cartoons? :confused: 

Fenrys Avatar
TCJJ

I only have the Madman sets so I'm not entirely sure about Victory but I know a lot of names were changed, especially for Headmasters. You know, because "Squeezeplay" sounds soooo much cooler than "Cancer".

I can understand why the localise certain things but I agree that they don't often need to, or at least not to the extent they do. Nintendo Treehouse is a perfect example of how not to do localisation (then again, they rip out features and content whilst censoring everything else at the same time, so maybe that's an unfair example).

One of the breast force members on the shout victory set switched names mid series, I think it was blacker. I don't really care with most characters if names get localized, light foot and getaway to me are basically the same, and neither sounds like a human name despite what masterforce would have you believe. One of the few I would have issue with would be if shout had called Ginrai Optimus prime. I think blacker is actually the only character on my copies of the shout dvds whose name is not consistent throughout the series

TCJJ Avatar
tigatron2002

The only naming issue I really took with the subs from shout for the Japanese was that one of the autobot in victory had two names in the subs, blacker I think

I only have the Madman sets so I'm not entirely sure about Victory but I know a lot of names were changed, especially for Headmasters. You know, because "Squeezeplay" sounds soooo much cooler than "Cancer".

ZapRowsdower

Thanks for the clarification! I think I got confused with the BW II subs and BW Neo subs (I lose track of all the shows iterations! :lol ).

Definitely would want to keep everything original. I absolutely hate it when they "correct" the Japanese culture to make it more Western. The results can be completely idiotic and bad. Keep the names, keep the weird jokes, just translate it. Is that hard? Is there a perverse need to inject your own humor or art into someone else's work, just because they're Japanese? :confused:  Yeah, I'm saying it: changing the material is RACIST! :lol 

I can understand why the localise certain things but I agree that they don't often need to, or at least not to the extent they do. Nintendo Treehouse is a perfect example of how not to do localisation (then again, they rip out features and content whilst censoring everything else at the same time, so maybe that's an unfair example).

ZapRowsdower Avatar
TCJJ

Neo only has Hong Kong subs if I remember correctly (at best, it has bad fansubs), and they were done with the VHS rips, so if you're desperate, you could watch those or mux the awful subs with the DVD RAWs, but the team who just finished fansubbing Beast Wars II last year has expressed interest in doing Neo. It might be sometime before they even start doing it though, but I think it's fair to say it will happen. They're not that hard to acquire (though obviously I'm not going to name any sites here), but for the older subs, they might take longer to download as less people will be seeding them now.

It'd definitely be nice if Beast Wars II and Neo could get official English releases because Japan got the DVD releases a while back so they just need to sub them. The only thing I'd be worried about is Hasbro forcing Shout! Factory to use the English names like they did for the Japanese G1 trilogy, which makes absolutely zero sense because what you see and hear is completely different, most of those characters don't even have modern toys, and the fans who are going to watch these arguably niche shows to begin with are more likely to want the originally-intended names (or, indeed, may be more familiar with the Japanese names for a lot of those characters as I tend to be).

Thanks for the clarification! I think I got confused with the BW II subs and BW Neo subs (I lose track of all the shows iterations! :lol ).

Definitely would want to keep everything original. I absolutely hate it when they "correct" the Japanese culture to make it more Western. The results can be completely idiotic and bad. Keep the names, keep the weird jokes, just translate it. Is that hard? Is there a perverse need to inject your own humor or art into someone else's work, just because they're Japanese? :confused:  Yeah, I'm saying it: changing the material is RACIST! :lol 

Fenrys Avatar
TCJJ

Neo only has Hong Kong subs if I remember correctly (at best, it has bad fansubs), and they were done with the VHS rips, so if you're desperate, you could watch those or mux the awful subs with the DVD RAWs, but the team who just finished fansubbing Beast Wars II last year has expressed interest in doing Neo. It might be sometime before they even start doing it though, but I think it's fair to say it will happen. They're not that hard to acquire (though obviously I'm not going to name any sites here), but for the older subs, they might take longer to download as less people will be seeding them now.

It'd definitely be nice if Beast Wars II and Neo could get official English releases because Japan got the DVD releases a while back so they just need to sub them. The only thing I'd be worried about is Hasbro forcing Shout! Factory to use the English names like they did for the Japanese G1 trilogy, which makes absolutely zero sense because what you see and hear is completely different, most of those characters don't even have modern toys, and the fans who are going to watch these arguably niche shows to begin with are more likely to want the originally-intended names (or, indeed, may be more familiar with the Japanese names for a lot of those characters as I tend to be).

The only naming issue I really took with the subs from shout for the Japanese was that one of the autobot in victory had two names in the subs, blacker I think

TCJJ Avatar
ZapRowsdower

Actually, I believe BW Neo has fansubs as well.

But my point was mostly that most of these programs are a huge bother to find/download/acquire. It'd be nice to get an actual, physical release on an official level (for the fansub ones, especially).

tigatron2002

I'm pretty sure neo doesn't have a complete fan sub, which sucks because that and go are the only main series I've yet to watch

Neo only has Hong Kong subs if I remember correctly (at best, it has bad fansubs), and they were done with the VHS rips, so if you're desperate, you could watch those or mux the awful subs with the DVD RAWs, but the team who just finished fansubbing Beast Wars II last year has expressed interest in doing Neo. It might be sometime before they even start doing it though, but I think it's fair to say it will happen. They're not that hard to acquire (though obviously I'm not going to name any sites here), but for the older subs, they might take longer to download as less people will be seeding them now.

It'd definitely be nice if Beast Wars II and Neo could get official English releases because Japan got the DVD releases a while back so they just need to sub them. The only thing I'd be worried about is Hasbro forcing Shout! Factory to use the English names like they did for the Japanese G1 trilogy, which makes absolutely zero sense because what you see and hear is completely different, most of those characters don't even have modern toys, and the fans who are going to watch these arguably niche shows to begin with are more likely to want the originally-intended names (or, indeed, may be more familiar with the Japanese names for a lot of those characters as I tend to be).

AB83Rules Avatar

I bought all 3 DVD sets recently off of eBay, I loved this trilogy, even if Cybertron has little to do with the first 2. Still a good set to have IMO, I actually like Cybertron the most, I'm going through the series(s) again, starting with Armada, then Energon, finishing with Cybertron.

samisham Avatar
TCJJ

Hmm, it's been MANY years since I last saw Cybertron, but I was under the impression that they cut the actual marriage scene and just showed them together in their wedding outfits in the still image at the end. However, according to TFWiki, it was ONLY ever a still image in both versions instead of a full scene, and there were a bunch of them, not just one (though if I remember correctly, there was one final one that basically combined them all at the very end).

Mandela affect confirmed.

Toolala Avatar
ZapRowsdower

So you're watching the Unicron Trilogy in its original Japanese incarnation? :confused: 
I watched the entire thing recently, via Hasbro's Free TV channel on Roku. As long as you don't mind seeing Humera commercials over and over and over and over and over, it's not a bad way to go.

there are Fansubs for all three, I avoid dubs if I can since they are usually hot garbage. I'm kind of an elitist in that regard.

Fenrys Avatar

I'm pretty sure neo doesn't have a complete fan sub, which sucks because that and go are the only main series I've yet to watch

ZapRowsdower Avatar
tigatron2002

For Japanese series:
Headmasters has been released with subs
Masterforce has been released with subs
Victory has been released with subs
Zone has been released with subs
Beast wars 2 has a complete fan sub of good quality
Beast wars neo has no sub
Transformers go has subs

I think that's pretty much all the main series that are exclusive to japan and most have been translated and released, though not necessarily officially in the USA

Actually, I believe BW Neo has fansubs as well.

But my point was mostly that most of these programs are a huge bother to find/download/acquire. It'd be nice to get an actual, physical release on an official level (for the fansub ones, especially).

Toolala

I watched Micron Legend and Superlink 3 years ago and enjoyed my time mostly.
I tried watching Galaxy Force a month ago and only got through 3 episodes, my god, like half of every episode is just the transformation sequences. I couldn't really force myself to watch more. I will probably finish it one day.

So you're watching the Unicron Trilogy in its original Japanese incarnation? :confused: 
I watched the entire thing recently, via Hasbro's Free TV channel on Roku. As long as you don't mind seeing Humera commercials over and over and over and over and over, it's not a bad way to go.

Toolala Avatar
ZapRowsdower

WOW!!! :eek: 

Have any of you guys actually watched the Unicron Trilogy? :confused:  Recently? :puke: 

Take $50 and literally spend it on anything. ANYTHING. You'll feel less buyer's remorse. :eek: 

Why don't they translate the more obscure Japanese TF cartoons and release those? BW Neo, for example. Or maybe the newer PRIME BH exclusive cartoons? I feel there are a lot more deserving box sets than this Archer legacy garbage.

But to be more positive: I did enjoy the Unicron Trilogy more than ANY of Bay's movies! :thumb  :lol  Kicker may be annoying, but at least his parents don't drop by to insinuate masturbation in a "humorous" way. :sly:  And I can confirm there are no scenes with his parents getting high on brownies. No, no, those are "mature" scenes best left to Bay scripts! :thumb 

I watched Micron Legend and Superlink 3 years ago and enjoyed my time mostly.
I tried watching Galaxy Force a month ago and only got through 3 episodes, my god, like half of every episode is just the transformation sequences. I couldn't really force myself to watch more. I will probably finish it one day.

Fenrys Avatar
ZapRowsdower

WOW!!! :eek: 

Have any of you guys actually watched the Unicron Trilogy? :confused:  Recently? :puke: 

Take $50 and literally spend it on anything. ANYTHING. You'll feel less buyer's remorse. :eek: 

Why don't they translate the more obscure Japanese TF cartoons and release those? BW Neo, for example. Or maybe the newer PRIME BH exclusive cartoons? I feel there are a lot more deserving box sets than this Archer legacy garbage.

But to be more positive: I did enjoy the Unicron Trilogy more than ANY of Bay's movies! :thumb  :lol  Kicker may be annoying, but at least his parents don't drop by to insinuate masturbation in a "humorous" way. :sly:  And I can confirm there are no scenes with his parents getting high on brownies. No, no, those are "mature" scenes best left to Bay scripts! :thumb 

For Japanese series:
Headmasters has been released with subs
Masterforce has been released with subs
Victory has been released with subs
Zone has been released with subs
Beast wars 2 has a complete fan sub of good quality
Beast wars neo has no sub
Transformers go has subs

I think that's pretty much all the main series that are exclusive to japan and most have been translated and released, though not necessarily officially in the USA

ZapRowsdower Avatar
lordmegatron64

I REFUSE to call it the Unicron Trilogy. Armada and Energon are the ONLY series that are somewhat linked and even then there are TOO many continuity errors in Energon to link it to Armada properly. Cybertron was a fun show but it is in NO WAY linked to Armada or Energon.

I like the part where Cybertron Optimus is AMAZED he can link up with Leobreaker. "I've never heard of anything like this!" :eek:  Continuity!!! :D 

The Unicron Trilogy wiki is a must read for all the continuity and other errors throughout. These three cartoons are a literal train wreck! It's unfortunate, because they did have a lot of potential…

ZapRowsdower Avatar

WOW!!! :eek: 

Have any of you guys actually watched the Unicron Trilogy? :confused:  Recently? :puke: 

Take $50 and literally spend it on anything. ANYTHING. You'll feel less buyer's remorse. :eek: 

Why don't they translate the more obscure Japanese TF cartoons and release those? BW Neo, for example. Or maybe the newer PRIME BH exclusive cartoons? I feel there are a lot more deserving box sets than this Archer legacy garbage.

But to be more positive: I did enjoy the Unicron Trilogy more than ANY of Bay's movies! :thumb  :lol  Kicker may be annoying, but at least his parents don't drop by to insinuate masturbation in a "humorous" way. :sly:  And I can confirm there are no scenes with his parents getting high on brownies. No, no, those are "mature" scenes best left to Bay scripts! :thumb 

Purple Heart Avatar
TCJJ

I mentioned it previously in this thread, but it actually is linked to it in multiple ways, and was originally meant to be linked before Galaxy Force was even made but the Japanese team went against the plan and made it separate.

That's correct – Cybertron had it while Galaxy Force didn't, but again, it was planned to be part of a trilogy (and Takara later acknowledged it as such), but they canned that idea for Galaxy Force and the dub team was forced to rewrite some things to add the continuity back in (the black hole caused by Unicron being the primary one).

Madman is the Australian/New Zealand distributor. Shout! Factory is the North American distributor. They don't have any crossover for regional licensing there, so they can and do both simultaneously have the rights to the shows.

You know, speaking of Energon, I've never managed to finish watching it to this day. Even as a child, I couldn't stand it (but I enjoyed the toys, which is what kept me interested in Transformers until Cybertron showed up). I've tried watching it three or four times at this point and I just can't do it. I'm just going to watch Superlink instead (not that it's any better, but at least it'll be easier to ignore Kicker).

I see, thanks!

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