TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: SEASON 1, PART
2 / THUNDERCATS - SEASON TWO, VOL. 2 (1985) / ULTRAMAN - SERIES ONE, VOL.
2
TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: SEASON 1, PART 2 (2002)
Movie:
  
Disc:
(Region 1)
Not the animated Transformers TV series about giant
robots beating the crap out of one another that ageing twentysomethingers
recall with nostalgic fondness, but rather a new show produced rather
recently (in 2002).
It is difficult to believe that anyone other than boys
under the age of 10 would be interested in Transformers Armada.
Plots are overcomplicated and simplistic at the same time, and while the
animation is okay-ish for this type of TV show, it is rather talky and
adults should steer clear of it as the voice-over talent tends to get a
bit grating.
This four disc set released by Rhino completes Season
One. (Not to be confused with the computer-generated
Transformers - Beast
Wars series, Armada is a traditionally 2-D animated series.)
THUNDERCATS - SEASON
TWO, VOL. 2 (1985)
Movie:
Disc:
(Region 1)
The same goes for
Thundercats -
a rather soulless mid-1980s Japanese animated TV series aimed purely at
selling action figurines to small boys recalled today with undue nostalgic
fondness by twentysomethingers who watched the show as kids.
The animation and
storylines are better than those for He-Man and
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles (two other major TV shows of the era intended for small boys), but
lacks the occasional tongue-in-cheek humor that made the Turtles more watchable.
Small boys will love it,
but it is doubtful anyone else will. Start at the beginning of the series
though to be properly introduced to all the characters and plots.
ULTRAMAN - SERIES ONE, VOL. 2
Movie:
Disc:
(Region 1)
Much more entertaining -
albeit in a "so bad, it's good" fashion
-
is this live action Japanese TV series from the late 1960s.
Expect loads of guys in
rubber monster suits and cardboard models and sets. Both the Japanese with
English subtitles and dubbed English soundtrack are great fun in the same
way Westerners snigger at Asians' poor command of English behind their
backs (by the way, just how good is your Japanese?) and in the way they
reflect the male chauvinist attitudes of the day.
Recommended if you're in
a Mystery Science Theater 3000 kinda mood (the cheesy theme song is a hoot
too) although there are portions of the disc when the English audio will
drop out and the audio will revert to the original Japanese dialog with
English subtitles.
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