Transformers - Takara - The Complete Collection [DVD]

First off, despite what a previous reviewer said, the box-set *is* what has been advertised - Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory are included in their entirety, but one of the Victory disks includes the previously unreleased Zone, making this a complete comprehensive package of all Japanese Transformers animated stories (with the exception of Scramble City. But is it any good?

For those unfamiliar with 'Transformers - Takara' here is the concept: The original ('Generation 1') animated series of Transformers was an immense success and was basically the foundation for all generations of Transformers to follow. However, all good things must come to an end and the series was cancelled with its fourth season. Fortunately, Transformers was more successful at that time in Japan than in the West and so they began to commission their own Japanese-exclusive animated series. They ignored the fourth season of Transformers: Generation 1 (mainly because it was too convoluted and took the series in a totally new direction) and so they came up with their own exclusive series based on the new toyline of the time, Headmasters, which was too convoluted and took the series in too much of a new direction...

Headmasters starts as reasonably familiar territory for fans of the original American series but swiftly takes the series beyond what they have previously been used to. A lot more alien territory is seen throughout this series, even more so than Season 3 of the original Gen. 1. Perhaps beneficially, the cast of Headmasters is widely the largest of the whole Transformers mythos. The main focus is on the four new Autobots - the Headmasters - and their leader, Fortress, but with them Wheelie, Daniel and Arcee continue to make appearances. However, there are hosts of cameos so numerous that virtually all characters from Gen. 1 who are still alive appear (and they are so numerous, some dead characters even appear! Chalk this up to animation gaffes...). It is this feeling of the wider Transformers universe that allows old fans to make the transition into the 'new, Japanese' way of doing things. However, it is also a slight detriment - a lot of the old characters (such as Optimus Prime) who are prominent and take up necessary space for newer characters to blossom are therefore written out, sometimes hastily, and not always in the best way. I won't spoil how these characters are written out - and no, they don't all die - but sometimes their exits are sudden and perhaps a little out of character.

I guess it's a 'lost in translation' thing, too, but not all of the characters either act consistent with previous portrayals, nor even consistent with their portrayals throughout the series. By the end of Headmasters, I couldn't really pinpoint the characters of the four Autobot Headmasters still, and due to the fact that they appear in every episode as the main characters, that is just shoddy writing. The stories are also reasonably predictable - the Decepticons hatch a scheme, the Headmasters get caught in it, they power up with some kind of secret Headmasters technique, they escape and beat the Decepticons. Even in the old Gen. 1 series, where each episode followed a different format, there was a lot of variety (due to using different characters), and it is a lack of variety Headmasters falls into. The series becomes a lot more interesting at the end, when Chromedome and Sixshot become more prominent, before a huge battle with an anticlimactic ending to seal the series. Overall, Headmasters is good as a sort of bookend to the original Transformers cast - who never really appear again - but fails as a standalone product. However, it works well as a transition for Masterforce.

Masterforce is the most alien of all of the older Transformers series. It is thoroughly Japanese and still divides fans now. The concept is simple - the Transformers on Earth are becoming more human, as Pretenders, but to face a new enemy - the ferocious Devil Z and his herald, Blackzarak - some humans must become more like Transformers. Led by the heroic Ginrai who pilots a replacement body for Optimus Prime, the new Autobots must face the machinations of Devil Z and his own human agents, personified in the Decepticon Overlord. To say the concept of Masterforce is admittedly shaky is an understatement. However, the execution is exceptional. Masterforce has well-handled animation - rich and dripping with excitement - and the stories are simply well-written. Characterisation is consistent and there are various story arcs which reach a dramatic epicenter at the conclusion of the series. Although the continuity to this story is fresh, it does belong to the previous stories and there are a few cameos from older characters from time to time (Fortress and Chromedome; Blackzarak is secretly the resurrected Scorponok - although only explained on the commentary; Ginrai is operating from an upgraded Optimus Prime body). All in all, Masterforce is better than it sounds.

However, the true gem of this collection is Victory. In some respects, it is as Japanese as Masterforce but in others, it is more classically Transformers than any of the other Takara episodes. Featuring the final battle between a group of Autobots - led by Star Saber - and their worst enemy, a clan of Decepticons called the Destrons, ruled by the insanely powerful Deszaras (Deathsaurus in English), the animation and storytelling is at its peak here. I'm running out of space in this review, but it has to be said that Victory is almost flawless - except for a few filler episodes of average quality - and remains easily the best non-Gen. 1 Transformers series... at least until Beast Wars arrives onto the scene and further divines Transfandom even further. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Just watch Victory to see how the Great War finally comes to a clashing halt... (and ignore Zone's place in continuity - it doesn't really fit, IMHO). Fantastic.

Overall, the set is only really for an older young people or an adult audience because the episodes generally aren't dubbed, they are only subbed. So if your child is raised only on the new movie or Gen. 1 and they aren't yet at the reading age or patience level to read a whole episode, then I'd say that this set probably isn't for you. Also, there are issues of dark content throughout Masterforce and a little throughout Victory which may be an issue for some children. However, don't let this put you off - this is still an excellent disk collection for those wanting to finish their Transformers Gen. 1 experience. The transfer is excellent quality on the episodes - it suffers less in most respects than the Gen. 1 episodes - and the audio, although Japanese, is still crisp. Again, it hasn't got new sound effects clogging it up... Adding to all of this, Zone is a nice addition as an extra - even if the video quality of the episode is *dire*, so be prepared for that - and the commentaries, whilst done by an amateur (a Transformers fan, Chris McFeely) and not by the series creators, is still informative... if a bit wordy (do we need to know about all the toylines and their individual names?).

Do I recommend Transformers - Takara? Yes, in fact I do. It is the perfect addition to completing your Transformers experience. If you can be patient and run Headmasters through to the end, you'll find Masterforce a completely new beast, with Victory providing some of the best Transformers action, *ever*. I'd buy this just for Victory, but seeing as you can buy that separately, I'd actually recommend this series just for completion sake. Either way, you shan't be disappointed.

As the title says, this set is god but Metrodome should have thought about this more clearily. This set is brilliant for those who haven't brought the Takara Collection yet, but for those who have and wanted to see Transformers Zone (which is featured on the 13th disk or rather the last Victory disk in this set only) you can't help but feel a little bit ripped off. They should have added Transformers Zone (which by the way has audio commentery from Transformers fan; Chris McFeely) on the last Victory disk on the seperate set, so that fans who brought the Victory set could at least see this OVA (Orginal Video Animation) for themselves, without resorting to buying this set as well like I did. Well the rest of the sets are the same as their orginal releases by Metrodome. Though Headmasters has the (dreaded) english dub plus episode scripts (DVD-ROM content), but also has the orginal Japanese version and English subtitles, the other two sets just have the Japanese version and English subtitles, and nothing else, apart from 3 audio commenteries per set by Chris McFeely. I think these sets in general could have been better, hopefully Metrodome should have lernt from this. But overall if you haven't brought the Takara Collection yet, then this set is actually better value then buying all 3 sets seperatily, plus you get Transformers Zone, so it is a bargain like it or not.

Not so long ago, This Transformers fan forked out roughly £25 each for the 3 boxset's contained in this bigger boxset! Now that leaves me feeling like I was scammed. And especially as they've included another exclusive episode not available on any other of the sets. What do they expect?! fans to fork out another £45 for one more episode? No thanks!

But on a less annoying note. These series are fantastic, and to anybody who owns the American G1 series, I highly recommend getting this set. Although you'll have to be cool with subtitles.

the best of these series is quite easily Masterforce, however this is the most "anime" transformers has ever been. Headmasters isn't without it's charm though, it's got quite a bit of continuity with the original G1 series, including a lot of characters you'll regocnise. Such as Arcee, and Rodimus Prime. Victory is another good series, but it's not my favourite.

and what's more, in this set you're getting Zone as well. Bargain!