"Transformers: Galaxy Force" (2005) TV series

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Hiroyuki Kakudo
Manabu Ono

Writers:

Manabu Ishikawa (writer)
Hiro Masaki (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation

Cast

Paul Dobson	...	Clocker / ... (4 episodes, 2005)
Kei Kobayashi	...	Coby's Mother (2 episodes, 2005)
Junichi Suwabe	...	Coby's Brother / ... (2 episodes, 2005)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Company:

Gonzo

Quotes:

Red Alert, Clocker: I don't know, Hotshot. Ever since we got here you've been disobeying orders. You knew Megatron wasn't fast enough to defeat Override. You jumped into that race and put your life in danger needlessly. Well, are you going to explain yourself?
Hotshot: It wasn't Megatron that I was thinking about. If we're going to get that cup we're going to have to beat Override sooner sooner or later.
Red Alert, Clocker: I don't know. I think you just jumped into that race just so you could prove that you're faster than Override.
Hotshot: No way! Look, Red Alert I'm going to go and talk to Override my own way. Okay?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of "Transformers: Cybertron" (2005)

Great series

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I must admit that I was a bit surprised to find only one comment here...and a misleading one at that, too. First of all, yes, there's some retread of the original saga, but it's been that way for most of the newer series. (Continuity was essentially reset in Car Robots [ Robots in Disguise ], Micron Legend [ Armada ] and now once more...Energon was the exception.) But there are new developments - unlike the previous series, the Galaxy Force Cybertrons [ Autobots ] do their darnedest to hide their presence instead of just walking out of the bushes and announcing that they're here to stay. The idea of giant alien robots is actually treated as being difficult to swallow, and only a few humans (mostly the kids who hang out with the Cybertrons) are aware that there's anything going on. This is made even more impressive when you consider that there are far more Transformers on Earth than in any previous series, having evacuated their home planet and disguised themselves as Terran machines. Very nice. Then, there's the kids, who are not half as annoying as I thought they would be. They stay out of the way for the most part, and sometimes they're downright useful.

Galaxy Convoy is a good leader, knowing his own strengths and weaknesses, delegating tasks but ultimately taking care of business himself; it's clear that he's not big on meaningless protocol, but he commands respect. Most of the characters - good and bad - have had their chances to grow. This isn't Beast Wars, but still pretty damn good.

As for the animation, one word: sweet. It takes some getting used to because the cel-shaded CGI is done by a different animation studio than the previous series, but it's all very well done, and the fight scenes successfully convey both power and elegance. (They might want to work on the explosions, but oh well, can't have everything.) All this is framed wonderfully with good music; there's a few recurring themes in the series itself, and the title and end song are both nicely done.

I'll give it an 8/10 (can't beat Beast Wars), and I really do hope that they won't screw it up in the translation.