Earthspark uses the new characters as a metaphor for mixed-race children growing up in land away from their parents' traditions and culture. To grow as their own person but not forget their roots. It has heart albeit the writing is sometimes boring and unfunny.
Character cameos were fun and appreciated. A lot of callbacks from different continuities in the franchise like the Swindle and Hardtop from Unicron Trilogy and Megatron and Tarantulas reminiscent of IDW. The obvious G1 comic appearances.
The old fans are sour cuz it's not the nonsensical saturday morning cartoon they grew up with where the "big bad" Megatron lost every episode. Megatron is a good guy now and one of the robots use they/them pronouns. Harmless stuff that's fleshed out in the show but it isn't what their rose tinted childhood lenses remember.
