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Currentfilm.com Review: A Japanese series that was aired in the US on the WB channel from 2005-2006, "Transformers: Cyberton" is another series in the set that also includes "Transformers: Energon" and "Transformers: Armada". The series saw the Autobots venturing throughout the universe in search of a series of Cyber Planet keys, which may save their home planet, Cybertron, from being destroyed by a black hole that is wrecking the planet from a short distance away. Of course, it isn't that easy, and the evil Decepticons soon find out about the Autobots' mission and set out to find the keys on their own. With the keys having the power to unlock Cybertron and create the most powerful Transformer the world has known, the Autobots must race to keep the keys from falling into the wrong hands. The animation generally is just adequate (there's a fair amount of scenes where only mouths move and the rest of the image isn't animated or lights blink and the scene remains static), although it does have the hyperactive, quick cut style that I wish wouldn't have become so popular with children's programming these days. While there are certainly action scenes throughout the episodes, they are less effective due to the limited animation. Shows like this always do make me long for the shows that I grew up with, which offered a better balance of flash and story. While the animation could use some work, the acting thankfully is above average, with the performers all providing energetic, dramatic (well, for this sort of material) readings. Season 1 1. 1- 1 101 & 102 19 Sep 05 Fallen 2. 1- 2 103 20 Sep 05 Haven 3. 1- 3 104 2 Jul 05 Hidden 4. 1- 4 105 9 Jul 05 Landmine 5. 1- 5 106 16 Jul 05 Space 6. 1- 6 107 23 Jul 05 Rush 7. 1- 7 108 30 Jul 05 Speed 8. 1- 8 109 6 Aug 05 Collapse 9. 1- 9 110 13 Aug 05 Time 10. 1-10 111 20 Aug 05 Search 11. 1-11 112 27 Aug 05 Deep 12. 1-12 113 3 Sep 05 Ship 13. 1-13 114 10 Sep 05 Hero 14. 1-14 115 17 Sep 05 Race 15. 1-15 116 7 Oct 05 Detour 16. 1-16 117 10 Oct 05 Savage 17. 1-17 118 11 Oct 05 Sand 18. 1-18 119 12 Oct 05 Champions 19. 1-19 120 13 Oct 05 Ice 20. 1-20 121 14 Oct 05 Honor 21. 1-21 122 17 Oct 05 Primal 22. 1-22 123 18 Oct 05 Trust 23. 1-23 124 19 Oct 05 Trap 24. 1-24 125 20 Oct 05 Invasion 25. 1-25 126 21 Oct 05 Retreat 26. 1-26 127 24 Oct 05 Revelation 27. 1-27 128 11 Mar 06 Critical 28. 1-28 129 18 Mar 06 Assault 29. 1-29 130 25 Mar 06 Starscream 30. 1-30 131 1 Apr 06 United 31. 1-31 132 8 Apr 06 Cybertron 32. 1-32 133 15 Apr 06 Balance 33. 1-33 134 5 Sep 06 Darkness 34. 1-34 135 6 Sep 06 Memory 35. 1-35 136 7 Sep 06 Escape 36. 1-36 137 8 Sep 06 Family 37. 1-37 138 11 Sep 06 Titans 38. 1-38 139 12 Sep 06 Warp 39. 1-39 140 13 Sep 06 Giant 40. 1-40 141 14 Sep 06 Fury 41. 1-41 142 15 Sep 06 City 42. 1-42 143 18 Sep 06 Ambush 43. 1-43 144 19 Sep 06 Challenge 44. 1-44 145 20 Sep 06 Scourge 45. 1-45 146 21 Sep 06 Optimus 46. 1-46 147 22 Sep 06 Showdown 47. 1-47 148 25 Sep 06 Guardian 48. 1-48 149 26 Sep 06 Homecoming 49. 1-49 150 27 Sep 06 End 50. 1-50 151 28 Sep 06 Unfinished 51. 1-51 152 29 Sep 06 Beginning 52. 1-52 2 Oct 06 Inferno The DVD VIDEO: "Transformers: Cybertron" is presented by Paramount in the show's original full-frame aspect ratio. Sharpness and detail are reasonably good on this presentation, which showed off the basic animation about as well as it probably looked when originally broadcast. Although some minor dirt and specks are seen on occasion, a good majority of the shows looked clean and clear. Colors remained bright and nicely saturated, with no smearing or other issues. SOUND: The stereo sound offered clear sound effects, music and dialogue. However, as one might expect from a show like this, there wasn't much punch behind any of the effects. EXTRAS: Nothing. Final Thoughts: "Transformers: Cybertron" offers fine performances and a passable story, but the quick-cut presentation and limited animation does definitely take away from the overall experience. The DVD set offers very good video quality, fine audio quality and no supplements. Recommended for fans only. |