Getting into Transformers?

>>15549649
If you don't want the original 80's stuff (which is crazy, because it's awesome) I'd stick to the current IDW comics, Animated, and Transformers Prime.

Beast Wars is arguably the best TF show, but it seems silly to watch it without having seen G1.

G1
The Animated Movie
Beast Wars
After that, just watch the Japan only stuff if you want more
People also say Animated is good but I've never seen it
Oh and the IDW comics are good sometimes
Read the old Marvel comics too, the plot is generally somewhat more in-depth than G1

>>15549667
I was intending to stick to the television stuff mainly, not really wanting to read comics since I've already got quite a few I'm working through. Beast Wars was the 3D animated one? I looked it up and saw that there's a Japanese follow up show that's an anime. Didn't know it went off the G21 continuity.

>>15549670
Thank you. I'll keep those in mind.

>>15549667
>seems silly to watch it without having seen G1.
Naaaaah, season 1 barely has anything to do with G1. You just need to know who is Megatron, Optimus Prime and Starscream for the rest of the show. Anyways, transformers isn't the franchise for people sperging over continuity because they either get cancelled abruptly or dgaf about it.

>>15549649
Most series are pretty damn standalone, so you'd be fine almost anywhere. To get a feel for the series recent stuff like Animated or Prime would be your best bet, Animated is a good mix of lighthearted and semi-serious, while Prime is mostly pretty intense and action-packed.

Beast Wars is great and can work on its own just fine, but does technically connect to G1 and includes some throwbacks as the show goes on. Also just by its nature it's very different from most of the franchise, with the characters turning into animals instead of vehicles. In most shows since that's been much less common.

>>15549676
>I was intending to stick to the television stuff mainly, not really wanting to read comics
That is a shame then, OP, because the comics are the best and most important works when it comes to story and art. The Transformers names and story were created by Marvel in the 80's, got their start in a comic, and the IDW comic today is one of the best on the stands.

>>15549699
Well if the comics are particularly good then I'll get to them after watching some of the shows. What's the comic reading order then? I went to Wikipedia and looked up all the animated Transformers works. So was G1 not really that silly? I only know of it through gifs of random things like the Transformers playing basketball.

>>15549676
>Beast Wars was the 3D animated one? I looked it up and saw that there's a Japanese follow up show that's an anime.
Japan had their own shows after BW yeah, Beast Wars II and Neo. They're pretty much entirely unrelated though, just using the name "Beast Wars" to get across "Transformers show with animals". They're supposedly alright, what you'd expect of kids anime.

Beast Wars did get an sequel in the west though, Beast Machines. It's a full-on continuation, same CG studio and voice talent, but was a bit controversial at the time for involving some more complex ideas and drastically altering a lot of character personalities. General consensus these days is it's a good show, but pretty poor sequel.

>>15549713
G1 is watchable if you can handle some 80's cheese, but it really sounds like you might be better off with something more modern to dip your toe in. G1 will still be around if you decide you like Transformers enough to watch more.

>>15549716
>>15549719
Alright guys, I appreciate all the help. Going to watch the movie as recommended and continue in from there.

>>15549649
I guess I'm the only one who unironically likes Armada.

I liked Armada. Fight me.

If you're ok with 3DCG, Beast Wars and Prime are worth a watch.

>>15549927

I won't, because I liked it too. Granted I haven't watched it since it originally aired when I was a kid. I just know Sideways and Starscream were the best characters by far.

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>>15549927
Armada - weak first half, awesome climax.
Energon - start strong then downhill.
Cybertron - average from start to finish.

>>15549713
This is the best reading list for the IDW comics I have found. Beware that there is a lot of content to catch up on.

http://www.howtolovecomics.com/2016/10/17/idws-transformers-reading-order/

>>15549736
What people haven't mentioned here yet is that the Japan-exclusive G1 shows have quite a different feel than the rest of G1. Well, Masterforce and Victory do, anyway, Headmasters is pretty much a straight continuation. Masterforce and Victory, on the other hand, are a hell of a lot like proto-Brave shows, but I actually like them even more than the Brave series because they have really strong villains. Definitely worth a look if you're into that kind of thing

>>15549713
G1 is often silly, but sometimes not. The first two seasons are pretty balanced in terms of action vs comedy, but while the third season makes an attempt at a more serious, dramatic storytelling, some of those post-movie episodes are just really fucking bad. They're pretty easy to tell apart though; if Daniel is the main character, it's going to be shit.

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you want action? go watch fucking japs G1 its literal fighting robots show, not those weak ass cover then fire police fighting style in americunt mockery of life.

>>15553542
What if...what if he wants a *reason* to the action? What he wants there to be some kind of jeopardy to justify it, you know, make him care about the outcome?

Because you're still kinda right, but he should stay the fuck away from Victory.

>>15553663
Victory is much like original G1

>Decepticons start trying to steal Energon
>Autobots stop them

It's just this for most of the show

>>15549991
Damn this looks Obari as fuck

>>15549991
The hell, I thought Energon was all choppy CG?

>>15554613
They switched to traditional animation whenever a scene needed extra flair. I'm not even kidding.

>>15549649
Armada/Energon/Cybertron made me cry as a kid. There's a lot of tragedy especially with Alpha Q's storyline.

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>>15549649
>Are there particular shows that are liked or disliked as starting points?
Transformers Prime, Transformers Animated and Armada are really good starting points

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>>15549649
Just read Transformers vs GI Joe. It's the ultimate Transformers experience.

>>15549649
>>15554866
Transformers Prime is probably the best to start with. It has the least baggage and some of the best fights in the franchise. It's not a perfect show. Miko the human is uber annoying in the first season or two. Prime himself is quite taciturn. And a bunch of other bits and bobs, here and there. But overall, the show's stellar. I found a lot of the criticisms of the show from fans to be either because it didn't follow their fanfiction or because the fans have ADD, so they can't stand it when the show doesn't offer instant gratification. Just go into the show without expectations and enjoy the ride.

Animated is great but it depends on you already being a fan of the franchise. If you're not, then a huge amount of references are just going to go over your head. You'll also be super annoyed by two of the most prominent characters, Sari and Bumblebee. If you weren't already a fan or didn't go through a decade of awful shows leading up to this, it's not going to be worth it to you to tolerate through their antics. Once you've dipped your toes into the franchise though, Animated is truly a joy.

Armada was infamously bad. So I never watched it and therefore can't offer an opinion. Energon started off okay but gets progressively worse. By the 10th episode, it just becomes a steaming pile of ever rotting poo. Galaxy Force's okay. Kinda dull but also cool. Haven't seen Cybertron.

Beast Wars looked bad even when it first aired. It's a'ight. It's not as perfect as a lotta guys would have you think. Like Prime, it starts with a slow burn. The first season was eh, a decent but not particularly exceptional cartoon. It gets better though. And is quite beloved these days.

>>15555184
Beast Machines was solid unless you're a Beast Wars fan. Beast Machines was to Beast Wars what Beast Wars was to Generation 1. A blasphemy. Watch it with an open mind and a vague idea of the characters, and you'll be fine. Watch it expecting it to be just a new season of Beast Wars, and it'll probably piss you off.

Masterforce was okay. For a kids cartoon, it was pretty good and certainly better than Energon. Victory should be watched after Masterforce. It too was good for a Japanese kid show. Arguably better than Masterforce even.

In short, I'd recommend Prime, followed by Beast Wars and maybe Beast Machines after that, then Masterforce/Victory and finally Animated. Slip Rescue Bots and/or the new Robots in Disguise in there somewhere while you're at it.

Oh, and the 1986 Transformers animated movie. Again, the key is to watch with an open mind rather than coming in as if you're a youtube reaction douche or thinking you're some hoity toity critic.

>>15549649
Not Armada.

>>15554932
Wew

>>15549699
>comics are the best and most important works when it comes to story and art

I even like the comics but that's going a bit far.

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What do you think about Car Robots (RID 2001)?

>>15557694
The only good Transformers anime

>>15557694
I had a toy of it I bought cheap on clearance. Some blue car, the back bumper was the gun.
Not bad.

>>15557694
>nigger Prime

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>>15553477
I put the fucking update link in there for a reason

>>15557107
It's one hell of a trip and some of the best sequential art I've seen in years. "Weird" is a wholly inadequate way to describe it.

>>15557831
Does it transform into an Escalade?

>>15558511
It looks decent.