Transformer: Super Link

The second of the Unicron trilogy Transformers: Energon takes a different take on the Transformers.

This time both The Autobots and Decepticons have gain different powers to battle with in this series.

However Transformers Energon really does lack in a lot of things that made the Transformers loved for many years and this was release around the 20th anniversary of Transformers.

There were some good things about the series but the main thing I enjoy about Transformers Energon was the action figures. There were so many good figures so while there are some who might not have enjoy the show can't deny that the line did give us some very good action figures.

The show did feature emotional moments and dark moments which you can expect from Transformers but Energon took it a little bit to the limit which you have to see for yourself to better understand and appreciate.

There were however moments that make you go what were they thinking? if you're a huge fan of Transformers give this one a watch

Energon is as bad as Armada was, the voice acting again sucks because again they decided to make it in Japan and animate it before recording the voices.

Set 10 years after the end of Armada and has the now Adult versions of the 3 brats in Armada, but they must've all skipped puberty because they still sound like they're in their early teens like the where in Armada, Alpha Q (who has had not introduction as to who he is or how he came to be inside of Unicron, since he was not in the Armada series) is Energon's attempt to bring back The Quintessons from G1 and doing a very bad job of it, Alpha Q is a three headed alien inside a robot body which is linked to Unicron via something like an Umbilical cord, he activates a couple of Robot's inside of Unicron, Battle Ravage and Divebomb I believe to go to earth to collect Energon, in order to revive Unicron, Unicron is in a terrible shape apparently, again no explination is given as when we last saw Unicron in Armada he had Transformed back into his Planet mode, when Galvatron sacrificed himself to stop Unicron from comming back to life and Destroying Cybertron, Galvatron was sucked into Unicron, who then just Disappeared, but then appeared from behind a planet at the closing moments of the final Armada episode and looked to be perfectly fine...

The Animation is a mix between CGI and normal Cell Animation but the problem is where the Cell Animation is far superior to that of Armada's, the CGI looks badly done and really doesn't mix well with the other animation, for a start the robot's seem too bright, brighter than the cell animation, and when they move, it's like they move faster than you'd expect a 20 to 30 foot robot to move, the head turning also seems to have this problem, another problem with the CGI is like the previous 2 Transformers show from Japan they Transformers with mouth plates such as Optimus Prime and Tidal Wave, don't actually look like they're talking since their mouth plates don't move at all, unlike G1 where Optimus Prime and the other Transformers with mouth plates would move up and down when they spoke, or in Wheeljack and Warthpath's cases the side lights on the side of their heads would flash when they spoke.

The Problems I feel with Energon that have been brought over from Armada, re-writing the cartoon, the horrible voice effects for The Autobots and Decepticon (neither G1, Beast Wars or Beast Machines had horrible voice effects that made the voice actors sound like they're talking in the bathroom) the horribly lame Transforming sound from Armada (Superlink has the G1 Transforming sound, why can't Energon?) There are more annoying kids, and an even worse Intro and ending theme than Armada's was, Superlink has an awesome intro theme again vastly superior to what Energon has to offer...

In G1 they didn't dub the show, I'm pretty sure they recorded the voices before the show was actually animated and they sure didn't re-write the episodes from Japanese like they've done for the past three Transformers shows now, the story's where written in America for a western audiance.

What's the point of re-writing a story that's already been written? surely someone can translate it and the could just use the same story for the show, it'd be alot easier...

or better still why can't they just write the show in english like they did with G1, Beast Wars and dare I say Beast Machines, and have the voice acting recorded before animating it....

that way the voice acting would'nt be so terrible, they wouldn't need to re-write it and people older than 5 years might actually get into the show and stop hating every new TF series that comes out...

Take Beast Wars, it was animated using CGI by Mainframe in Canada, it had various differen't writers from the states writing the episodes, it had two great executive producers Bob Forward and Larry Ditillio who actually took the time to study the comics and the original cartoon to better prepare themselves for working on the show.

Is Transformers in such a bad state now that it's required to be written and animated in Japan before being sent over to the west I.E. Canada or The U.S to be badly re-written by talentless hacks who do a horrible job at re-writing it, and then is horribly dubbed by people who really prefer recording voices before the show is animated, but don't really like dubbing because it's such a hassle.

Hasbro seem to be that obsessed with saving money and being tight fisted nowadays they might as well do the same with the comics...

Sadly I just don't think that it is possible possible nowadays for Hasbro to bring out a Transformers series that can be watched by kids and adults, the way the series are made they might as well not bother making them at all, because they can't even get it right like they did with G1 and Beast Wars.

Take my advice if you are a true fan of the original G1 Transformers or a Beast Wars fan avoid this and watch Superlink insted, no horrible voice effects, no lame transforming sound, better intro/outro theme.

I honestly don't know why Hasbro have taken this path, this year is the 20th anniversarry of Transformers, but instead of doing a G1 Revival series with the remaining members of the original series,we get Energon, another lame, badly dubbed, re-written show from Japan.

Way to go Hasbro.

I have enjoyed this cartoon a lot and I think that it's basically the same cartoon only it's dubbed into english. It's not a bad little cartoon actually. I think all of you nitpickers need to lighten up. Energon or Super Link, or whatever the hell you want to call it, is just a new degree of Transformers. They have a rough and tumble female character instead of a female character who relies solely on her male counterparts to get her out of whatever jam she's in. Transformers:Energon is a welcomed change from all of the other series of Transformers shows from Japan that I've seen so far. More than marginal thumbs up from me.

As said already, Energon is a little better than Armada, which was a mess. However it could have been much better, nowhere near as good as the original show or Beast Wars. Some of the battles/action(more than Armada and much better quality-wise) are epic status- the highlights of the show by some distance-, the rise of Megatron was a good idea and is the best idea the show had, Megatron is still a cool villain and the voice acting from Garry Chalk, David Kaye and Scott McNeill is decent(though all three were better in Beast Wars, where all give some of their best ever voice acting. The animation is not as bad it is in Armada, but it is rather flat and scrappily put together with some overly-saturated CGI. The character designs take some getting used to, never really dug them personally. The music lacks urgency and atmosphere and the theme tune is at best forgettable. The writing is rather stilted and isn't that involving, not giving the voice actors much to do. Pretty much the same with the stories, which are both juvenile and dull, the best ideas they have read of too much of drawn-out-retreads and that is including the rise of Megatron. Not much characterisation to write home about either, the human characters are over-used and annoying, the lead human character is every bit as obnoxious as any of Armada's human characters combined, while with the exception of Megatron the robots lack personality. The voice acting on the whole- Kaye, Challk and McNeill excepted- is not great, as dry, emotionless and stilted as the writing, they also sound like they're recorded in a helium balloon. All in all, a marginal improvement but could have been so much better. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I Know Transformers: Energon/Superlink Is A Mess Because Of Crude CGI, Messy English Dub, Calling Characters Names Wrong, Autobots Downshift And Cliffjumper Switching Their Names Around, Stiff Facial Expressions, Error Laying Dialog, Animation Errors, Music Playing At Inappropriate Moments And Many More. But It's Not All That Bad. I Only Watched The Show For The Action And Humor. Transitioning Transformers From 2D Animation To CGI Is Actually A Good Idea. If You Hate The Show That's Fine. Everyone Has Their Opinions. Is This Show Worth Watching? To Me, Yes. Others No.