Year: 1985
Rated: G
Running Time: approx. 11 hours
SRP: $24.99
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 15, 2009

Feature: A-

If you never bothered your mind or eyes with the two Michael Bay Transformers films, then your are still pure of what the real Transformers once was, an epic chess match between two rival groups of robots set perfectly on the canvas of animation cels. The Shout! Factory is celebrating 25 years of the Transformers by releasing the DVDs in two ways. You can either plunk down the lettuce for the Matrix of Leadership box set that has a ton of extra Transformers memorabilia or you can get it el cheapo way by getting the individual season sets.

Season Two, Volume One collects the first 28 episodes of the follow up season. Everyone should be familiar with Optimus Prime and the Autobots doing battle with Megatron and the Decepticons. Good vs. Evil, More than Meets the Eye, Robots in Disguise and yadda-yadda you get it. Why I love this series so much and especially why I like this season even better than the first is how much has been built up and how the next wave of characters/toys were prominently featured in this season. No one here is saying they didn’t get enough of Soundwave, Hound, Bumblebee, and Starscream. But in this season the Dinobots, the Constructicons, Insecticons, all had recurring roles in this season. Autobots like Perceptor, Blaster, Cosmos, Beachcomber, Grapple, Hoist, Red Alert, Skids, Smokescreen, Warpath, and Powerglide weren’t just introduced, they had feature roles. Decepticons like the Triple Changer Astrotrain and Blitzwing, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust were more regular than the first wave of Decepticon jets. And need we be reminded of Omega Surpeme?

One of the biggest knocks I hear about the Transformers is how simplistic the stories were and for some reason that gave the filmmakers who made the live action film a free pass to have absolutely no story. There was quite a bit of complexity in the Decepticon plans and made for some memorable episodes even upon revisiting them for this review. Some of my favorite episodes include “Autobot Spike,” which was a modern retelling of Frankenstein, Dinobot Island where a Jurassic Park-like island is found and exploited for fossil fuels. “The Insecticon Syndrome” and “Quest for Survival” which shows the mistrust between the Decepticons and the Insecticons. The two part “Megatron’s Master Plan” had an elaborate scam that framed the Autobots who are then exiled. The “Master Builders” show the Contructicons preying on the weak mind of Hoist and Grapple to help build a solar energy tower. There were stories down in Atlantis, on another planet, and in another time. And one of the crazier two parters had the Dinobots going to Cybertron to retrieve Cybertoronium for the Autobots and Decepticons who are on the fritz. Instead Grimlock and the Dinobots ditch them all because he’s through taking orders.

A handful of these episodes had more meat on the bone than either film ever did. They just did, and there’s no sugar coating it. There was less emphasis on Spike and his romance with the Autobots. This was all about good vs. evil and both of them against those in between. Characters played each other, Decepticons were deceived by their own, Autobots had to acclimate the suddenly new robots that appeared out of nowhere like Blaster and his loud racket. The same went for the other side. But you understood that it was a way to get more out of your new action figure you just bought. Today there remains a story that was thought out, and the animation–despite its glitches–was rich. This is the golden age of the Transformers and the reason why people ever paid attention to it. Make sure future generations get to see it by passing this box set down and stories of computer love to your future generations of bot lovers.

Episode Listing
Disc 1
Autobot Spike
The Immobilizer
Dinobot Island, Part 1
Dinobot Islant Part 2
Traitor
Enter the Nightbird
Changing Gears

Disc 2 ?
A Prime Problem
Atlantis, Arise!
Attack of the Autobots
Microbots
The Master Builders
The Insecticon Builders
Day of the Machines

Disc 3
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 1
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 2
Auto Beserk
City of Steel
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
Blaster Blues

Disc 4
A Decepticon Raider in King
Arthur’s Court
The God Gambit
The Core
Make Tracks
The Autobot Run
The Golden Lagoon
Quest for Survival

Audio/Video: B/B
These are standard DVD presented in full frame 4:3 aspect ratio. Audio is 2.0 stereo.

Extras: D-
Nothing to speak of here because there are no extras. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure that keeps the price low but for those looking for something more won’t be satisfied by that. Being a 25th Anniversary, one would expect something added to these discs, but I know that they try to put all of the extra stuff for the extreme fans who buy the super Matrix of Leadership box set which contains all of the G1 episodes in one cool collective box set. There is a nicely designed episode guide booklet that’s included so there’s almost nothing as far as extras are concerned.