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Date Posted: 10:53:31 08/26/02 Mon
Author: FawnDoo
Subject: Different receptions - RiD and Armada - my own thoughts
In reply to: Defiant 's message, "Spoilers?" on 12:03:29 08/25/02 Sun

"As a matter of fact, I haven't seen the boards this upset since the last episode of BM. What I don't get is why the response to RID's premire was generally positive so why is the response so negative now?"

To understand the relative success of RiD's premiere, I think you have to look at what came before it. A controversial show that changed the very fabric of a continuity taken far too seriously by some. I loved BM, but many didn't because it changed what was, to many, sacred points in the Transformers mythology. Added to that, BM year 3 was the fifth year of Beast-based Transformers on screen: you only need to look at how well the Vehicon toys sold in relation to their Maximal counterparts to see that people were starting to want vehicle-based TFs again.

Into this volatile mix comes RiD, which has several points in its favour:

1. The return of the "robots in disguise" aspect, where the robots change into forms that could reasonably pass as replica cars
2. The chance for fans to get some pretty damn cool toys that would have cost a lot more to import from Japan
3. A change of pace from the heavy, cerebral BM - a show that harked back to the days of G1, which we all look at with sentimental eyes

These factors are what I believe led to RiD being, at first, well received by the fans. As time went by, sure, people lost patience with the show, but the toys were always well received. People enjoyed the slightly lighter tone after two years of BM, which was a heavy show to get through. However, this might also explain why Armada is now getting a harsher rap. The fans have had their year of brain candy. They have had their year of a light show with no intellectual content. I believe that they now want something with a little more weight to it - along the lines of the Armada comic, which seems to have genuine potential to be a good story, with the Mini-cons being used as a device to put the reader in the middle of a war between two sides (unusual, because in the past the reader was usually put squarely on the side of the Autobots). You can have as much candy as you want, eventually you start to hanker for a good, solid meal - and I think this is why Armada is getting a harsh rap. People want a story with some weight to it, and if Armada is seen to go down the same road as RiD, it will thwart this desire.

I know Transformers is mainly a kids show, advertising kids toys. However, shows like the Simpsons are successful because they appeal to both children and adults - I watch that show with my brothers (who are 7) and we both laugh, but for different reasons. It is possible to write a show that works on different levels for different people, and I for one - and I believe many others - would like to see a Transformers show that makes you think again. Maybe not the deep philosophical musings of BM, but similarly not the childish "drumsticks can also be chicken" mentality of Tardy the Turtle (and those of you who have seen "Greg the Bunny" will get that reference). A middle ground can be reached, surely.

Or I might be wrong......maybe the future lies in our grooming this ability to make the brain fart.

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