What would it take to get the takara shows (headmasters, masterforce, victory, zone) a release in america? UK and au both have it and america gets nothing. Is there anyway at all to get a r1 release? How about selling a try-out dvd on shouts website? You could include the first episode of all three shows. These shows need a R1 release.
Nope. Masterforce and victory are region 2. They will not play on american dvd players. Plus they are out of print and in pal. We need a region 1 release.
There was a region free dvd set of all 3 show released a few years back prior to the UK set. Unlike the UK release, these sets were dubbed in English back in the 80's, apparently for the Sinapore and Hong Kong English speaking audience.
I was actually speaking to someone about this the other day. Obviously, we have a very good relationship with Hasbro and would like to pursue additional titles from their library. Without any promises, of course, are the Takara collections something you'd like to see on DVD in the States? I have all three of Metrodome's volumes, which run the gamut of quality, in terms of both animation and all-around storytelling. So is this collection, which has never officially been available in the U.S., something most Transformers fans would like to see done right? Or is it something aimed only at the hardest core fans?
I've been patiently waiting/hoping that the Takara Transformer shows would be released here in the states ever since I found out that they existed about 8 years ago. So yes, if Shout sells them, I'll buy them.
I have to agree - seeing a release of these shows in the US would be pretty awesome.
That said, the elephant in the room is the audio track. Would Shout! Factory consider attempting to put together an English dub for these shows? Let's face it - there's a certain demographic that won't watch anything unless it's in English, after all, and these shows, barring fandubs and the occasional HORRIBLE dub, have never really gotten a proper English dub to my knowledge.
Given the shows, from what I recall, primarily feature new characters (or, characters portrayed very differently than their introduction in Rebirth in the US), what's the feasibility of doing a new dub BUT bringing back Cullen and Welker to reprise their brief roles as Soundwave/Galvatron/Optimus Prime? After all, the Japanese shows write out the characters played by the old VAs rather quickly for the most part.
I would definitely like to see the Japanese G1 shows be brought into the United States. Shout Factory did a splendid job with their re-release of the American G1 series, so it would be a huge token of their esteem to give the American Transformers fans the long-overdue release of the Japanese G1 series.
As an owner of shout's Matrix of Leadership Collector's Edition, I would be extremely interested in a US release of the Japanese series in any form. A new english dub would great, but I would also be extremely happy with subtitles as well.
Absolutely! I'd recommend prioritizing doing a version that retains the original Japanese soundtrack and simply has subtitles over a dub, but if an English dub is included, it would be preferable to create an all-new (and more accurate!) dub than the existing Star TV version.
Though if these were all in a boxset to accompany the Matrix... what should it look like, for that matter? I can't say I'm horribly familiar with the Japanese cartoons (and would buy those if released in North America in a boxset, like I got the awesome Matrix set).
Maybe store them as Powermaster/Headmaster themed items? Dunno.
Here is one more fan name to add to the list of people that want these shows to be released in America. I would LOVE getting some official releases of the show. The only one that I have ever seen part of was victory, and that is on VHS that a friend brought back from Japan in the early 90s. While I had mostly no clue what was going on because I do not speak Japanese and they were not subtitled, I loved that tape until it was almost unwatchable.
We need these shows here to complete our collections and I would buy them the day they hit the shelves in US stores.
Add me to the list of folks who'd be buying these on release day! I've only ever seen fan dubs of some of the episodes from these series, and as a die-hard Geewunner, I've been itching to see these done properly for years... at least since the internet came along and informed me that there was some Japanese-exclusive post-G1 material out there I'd never seen. :)
So yes, please do see what can be sone about bringing these shows over to our side of the pond.
I will preorder them in a heartbeat. I bought your Matrix DVD set and got rid of my Rhino DVDs as soon as it arrived. I have the UK DVDs for the Japanese series but can not watch them except on my region 2 set laptop dvd drive. I would love higher quality US released DVDs.
If you're looking at the other series, I will also buy, in a heartbeat, any US DVD releases of Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Micron Legend, Super Link, Galaxy Force, and Car Robots, IF they feature the original Japanese audio with Subtitles.
I would love to see these old shows. I tried to watch them on youtube but my computer is not that great so it's only so-so. I'd love to see them in some spiffy dvd box sets.
There can NEVER be enough Transformers (especially g1) cartoon goodness!
----- Original Post ----- by General Tekno at 2/1/2010 12:45:43 PM
That said, the elephant in the room is the audio track. Would Shout! Factory consider attempting to put together an English dub for these shows? Let's face it - there's a certain demographic that won't watch anything unless it's in English, after all, and these shows, barring fandubs and the occasional HORRIBLE dub, have never really gotten a proper English dub to my knowledge.
The above. I wouldn't be interested in importing (for me) a sub-only set, or a set with the horrible Malay dub, but a proper, fully-translated dub voiced by decent VAs (not concerned with original VAs) would interest me if it could be afforded...
I signed up specifically to answer this. Absolutely, without a doubt, I would be very interested in a US release of these series. Especially if they are done right. I believe most Transformers fans, who have never seen these (except possibly outside of the poorly dubbed version) would be VERY interested in these being released here.
I don't care if it was Dubbed or Subbed, (Though an English Dub would be awesome) I would snatch up any Japanese G1 era show made available in the states.Or for that matter Beast Wars the Second or Beast Wars Neo.
I would be very interested in releases of all three shows!
My apologies for the separate thread post, I'm new here and didn't realize that the action I took wouldn't create a reply to this thread. Please delete the separate thread if possible!
Without a doubt I would buy these! I bought the Matrix set with no hesitation, and I've been wanting to see these since I first found out about them in the early 1990's.
It should be noted, especially if this topic has found its way over to other forums, that it was merely a question posted by myself and not any kind of hint or allusion to having the rights tied up. At the moment, we're not even discussing it with Hasbro. But I like to do my "polling," before going to the powers that be with legit suggestions for titles to be released. Please make it clear elsewhere that this is ONLY a matter of curiosity, at this point. Thanks, guys!
I would buy all three series if shout were to release them. It would be neat for shout to do an all japanese transformers boxset like the recent US g1 set if they released them.
I just registered to say yes, yes I would, without a shadow of a doubt, purchase the previously Japanese exclusive Transformers series. I love them for all their cheese and style.
----- Original Post ----- by B Ward at 2/1/2010 10:13:32 AM
I was actually speaking to someone about this the other day. Obviously, we have a very good relationship with Hasbro and would like to pursue additional titles from their library. Without any promises, of course, are the Takara collections something you'd like to see on DVD in the States? I have all three of Metrodome's volumes, which run the gamut of quality, in terms of both animation and all-around storytelling. So is this collection, which has never officially been available in the U.S., something most Transformers fans would like to see done right? Or is it something aimed only at the hardest core fans?
Let me know.
Brian "Know Thyself"
--Thales
I don't consider myself a hardcore fan. But having Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory would be a very nice thing. I have seen a lot of English dubbed shows and a lot of them just don't seem to be up to par nor do I favor them personally. I always prefer good quality subtitles (not "dubtitles" which are closed-caption subtitles for the dub) that is both consistent and correct. An example of inconsistency is the Street Fighter Alpha "movie" where Gouki (aka Akuma in US) is spoken in the Japanese language track yet the subtitle displays Akuma.
If you do intend on bringing out these three series to America, I only ask that you please keep the Japanese language intact as well as providing quality subtitles for fans like me.
Do this. Hardcore fans will be all over it, there will be some interest in it by Casual Fans, and the Anime Fans will be all over it as well. Kind of like Media Blasters when they released Golion after Voltron.
Yes, yes, and YES please. But the infamous Omni Productions English dubs for Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory really need to be redubbed prior to release, although it would be a nice bonus to include the original, hilariously-bad dub tracks.
Even as a purist when it comes to voices, I still would like to hear quality English dubs done for all the Takara-produced series that are equal to today's dub standards.
If Shout! can't spare the expense for new dubs, I would like to see US releases subtitled with the original Japanese dialog, but include the English audio as alternate audio tracks...however bad they may be just because they're so historically bad.
But as a TF fan, for me a "greater priority" would be an expanded, 2-disc commemorative edition of TFTM on both DVD and Blu-Ray. The 2006 Sony release was pretty decent, but still left me wanting more. And the UK has since gotten better releases than the US did, including a quality Blu-Ray transfer (or so I'm told).
And more importantly than TFTM, Transformers Animated is still missing a S3 release, and the entire series absolutely must be released in its original widescreen aspect ratio too. It's been reported that Paramount no longer has the distribution rights for the series.
I also would very much like to see the Saban-produced "Robots in Disguise" get a proper US release which includes both the original Japanese dialog with subtitles and the English dub. Once again, the UK has gotten the better end of the deal with DVD releases.
And ditto for the Japanese TF series like BW 2nd and BW Neo. A new quality dub would be great for either or both, but I would prefer subtitled.
I too would love to see a DVD release for each of the Japanese G1 Transformers. I saw the "english dubbed" versions first and later have come across them in their subtitled forms. Whether a new dub (highly recommended) or simply a subtitled version is released for these, count me in for buying them!
Ideally, I'd want the option of the original audio track with English subtitles, or the horrid ( but still fun ) bad English dub that's out there ( with the option of the superior English subs ), or even better a whole new sub done with volunteers ( like me, so it's cheap ) to at least get the translation correct.
I have the madmen sets. I've only been watching the Masterforce ones so far, and the subs seem excellent to me. At least there haven't been any obvious errors to someone who speaks zero Japanese. Not to mention, 3 interesting commentaries by Chris!
But that being said, I'd only consider buying the Shout ones if they remastered them. The tracking is shaky on them, there's all kinds of dirt/snow/fuzziness/something, the colors all feel muted, and some times there are some "ghost images" at times (not the intentional ones where they're trying to make it look slow-mo).
If anyone doesn't already own Madmen or Metrodome sets, and they do get a Shout! release, I can definitely recommend the Masterforce series. Headmasters is only interesting in that it "continues" the story of the G1 favorites, of course what it puts the Autobots through makes the devastation of AHM looks like nothing. Victory, I've tried to watch on the old VHS tapes 3 times, and each time I get less and less into it before just falling asleep during every episode. So yeah, check out Masterforce.
But for the non-hardcore, Headmasters will have the most appeal, but the dub as-is is really unusable, and I don't know how subs only would go over with the general audience.
Of course, "new dubs" is a pipe dream, but if it was done then they'd be a definite buy. A HD transfer would also be tempting, but not really worthwhile.
Also, here's the thread over on TFW2005. Lots of interested parties, but then when it's not $5 a lot of those "definitely" back out.
I registered just to reply and put in my voice. YES, I would buy all existing Takara shows. Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory. For sure Car Robots. And what I personally would DIE to get are all the Beast Wars shows. So their Japanese dub of Beast Wars, Beast Wars: Metals, Beast Wars: Returns, and mostly, Beast Wars the Second and Beast Wars Neo. I would love subtitles for these. If The 2nd and Neo were turned into the next T.V. series, I would love an actual dub. But just for a DVD boxed set, I perfer subs.
So yes. I'm sure you'd make a profit.
EDIT: Also, on a side note, could we get the freaking English release of Robots on Disguise on DVD please? The U.K. has it, but the U.S. does not. ::sad panda::
On a personal note, I would love to see the Japanese exclusive series finally released here in the States though. I'd get them too just for the sake of comparing video and audio to the other versions that I have received over the years. I would strongly support Shout! releasing these sets just for the sake of making them easily accessible to everyone here in the U.S.
Ryan
----- Original Post -----
by gaastra at 2/1/2010 7:53:33 AM
Nope. Masterforce and victory are region 2. They will not play on american dvd players. Plus they are out of print and in pal. We need a region 1 release.
Oh, also note - while remastered video would be the minimum to get me to consider these sets (since I own the madmen sets), that BW Neo and BW II have had NO dvd releases that I know of, and I'd definitely be interested in those sets (with a good sub). Some other people over on TFW2005 have been voicing the same as well.
Definitely yes. Owning these three shows in R1 has been a dream of mine since I started collecting DVDs. And, as I'm sure you are about to discover, I'm not alone in this dream. So please please persue this. And, as an added note a lot of us would also love to have Japanese shows such as Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, and Car Robots. If these six series made it to DVD the US would finally have every single Transformers series on DVD (save the last season of TF Animated).
Im signing up for this forum just to say that I'd be VERY interested. I've always wanted a set like this, even as far as to consider a R2 DVD player from overseas.
I am honestly mixed. I would probably buy them just to get rid of R2 DVD player that does not work 100% of the time.
The question is would they be subtitled or english dubbed version?
Personally I would like to see RID first but that is just me.
MM
I would really be interested in this. Owning the Matrix of Leadership box set, and knowing the care you guys put into it really assure me this would be a definite buy. Cheers, and thanks for the work you've already put into the G1 box set.
I would buy the foreign Transformers shows ONLY if they kept the really really terrible English dub. I love the terrible English dub. It basically makes these terribly boring shows watchable.
Seriously, these episodes are awful. Only the crazy-flakes English dub can transform it into something enjoyable. --David Willis
www.shortpacked.com
www.tfwiki.net
I have to be honest, I don't care for them in the least. I'd rather see effort dedicated to US shows, given that Paramount has seemingly lost Transformers: Animated, and we've still got a season to go, I'd rather not see Transformers Animated end up like The Adventures of Pete and Pete. Plus Beast Wars could really use a better release for season 1, at the very least, although it is far more easily available.
i think its a good idea to bring those shows over here since the ones that are dub dont have sound right coz i watch some of those and i didnt like them.
Absolutely have been drooling to see what we MISSED when G1 went off the air and all the things that we could possibly have wanted back then that we didn't really get a chance for in the 80's!!! There has to be a Region 1 release, It's just NEEDED!!!!!!
I completely agree with what General Tekno said here. I honestly would rather the english dubs that exist be NOT included in such a set because I really think they are so bad that they will damage the true nature of these episodes. Ginrai is not Prime.
PLEASE bring back the original voice actors where applicable. The Headmasters series is really the only place where any previous voices would be needed. And I think the G1-loving crowd would be that much risher for the experience.
Peter Cullen not only reprising Prime, but this time reprising the role of G1 Prime? That is gold.
And Frank Welker back as Galvatron?
How could that not sell?
----- Original Post -----
by General Tekno at 2/1/2010 12:45:43 PM
I have to agree - seeing a release of these shows in the US would be pretty awesome.
That said, the elephant in the room is the audio track. Would Shout! Factory consider attempting to put together an English dub for these shows? Let's face it - there's a certain demographic that won't watch anything unless it's in English, after all, and these shows, barring fandubs and the occasional HORRIBLE dub, have never really gotten a proper English dub to my knowledge.
Given the shows, from what I recall, primarily feature new characters (or, characters portrayed very differently than their introduction in Rebirth in the US), what's the feasibility of doing a new dub BUT bringing back Cullen and Welker to reprise their brief roles as Soundwave/Galvatron/Optimus Prime? After all, the Japanese shows write out the characters played by the old VAs rather quickly for the most part.
Shortpacked:
"I would buy the foreign Transformers shows ONLY if they kept the really really terrible English dub. I love the terrible English dub. It basically makes these terribly boring shows watchable.
Seriously, these episodes are awful. Only the crazy-flakes English dub can transform it into something enjoyable."
Objectively: Bring em all! I'd love them all to be released here: Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory. (And Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo as well at that.) Just be great to have them available in the US.
Realisticly: I'd buy a couple if they're "as is." In interests of honesty I own a region-free DVD player and the region free Headmasters and the Region 2 Masterforce boxes from the UK. If released "as is" (Japanese dialogue, English subs, and maybe the very funny-aweful Maylay dub) I would definately buy Victory which I've never seen and perhaps (depending on prices) Masterforce again to have it R1.
Ideally, dream-wise, what would it take to make me buy'emall? New English Dubs. I know that's probably a bigger production than is likely to realistically happen, but if you went for it THAT would make me (and probably a lot of other folks) puchase every single one.
When I see posts like these, where people talk about Shout! hiring voice actors (like Cullen and Welker) to create an English dub for the Takara episodes, I feel like I ought to jump in and point out that this is probably not going to happen. And least not by Shout! Factory...they are a DVD production house, not a "studio" in the traditional sense of the word of hiring actors and producing new material (other than supplemental extras, of course).
Recently Shout! had plans to release the '80s series Werewolf on DVD, and had to shelve those plans because two songs in episodes were too expensive to license the rights to. They couldn't replace the music because there were no separate tracks for the music and the dialogue, and the dialogue was too important to lose and the scenes too important to cut. The suggestion was made to hire actors (hopefully the original ones) to re-dub their lines for those scenes. Brian Ward quickly pointed out that this wasn't an option:
I'm afraid hiring the cast for re-looping is out of the question. For starters, certain members necessary specifically turned us down for interviews, let alone a complete performance. In addition, we simply couldn't afford that. I mean, it would require studio time (and a lot of it for ADR) and SAG rates for each performer. Then, lord forbid there be sound effects throughout the scene. We'd need foley artists, as well. We don't have the money for a full post production session on these titles. The studios wouldn't have even footed the bill for something like that.
I'm going to assume that hiring Peter Cullen and Frank Welker (or even less familiar names) to produce new English dubs for the Takara Transformers episodes would fall into the exact same category for Shout! Factory, don't you agree?
I also remember that somewhere (possibly on these very forums) Brian briefly mentioned that there had been scheduling challenges which occurred in getting as much of the voice cast of the original show together as possible to produce the extras for the Complete "Matrix" box set. Many of these people are still very busy, much-in-demand people! So that would be an issue, too, I suppose.
----- Original Post -----
by notpicard at 2/2/2010 4:31:49 AM
I completely agree with what General Tekno said here. I honestly would rather the english dubs that exist be NOT included in such a set because I really think they are so bad that they will damage the true nature of these episodes. Ginrai is not Prime.
PLEASE bring back the original voice actors where applicable. The Headmasters series is really the only place where any previous voices would be needed. And I think the G1-loving crowd would be that much risher for the experience.
Peter Cullen not only reprising Prime, but this time reprising the role of G1 Prime? That is gold.
And Frank Welker back as Galvatron?
How could that not sell?
----- Original Post -----
by General Tekno at 2/1/2010 12:45:43 PM
I have to agree - seeing a release of these shows in the US would be pretty awesome.
That said, the elephant in the room is the audio track. Would Shout! Factory consider attempting to put together an English dub for these shows? Let's face it - there's a certain demographic that won't watch anything unless it's in English, after all, and these shows, barring fandubs and the occasional HORRIBLE dub, have never really gotten a proper English dub to my knowledge.
Given the shows, from what I recall, primarily feature new characters (or, characters portrayed very differently than their introduction in Rebirth in the US), what's the feasibility of doing a new dub BUT bringing back Cullen and Welker to reprise their brief roles as Soundwave/Galvatron/Optimus Prime? After all, the Japanese shows write out the characters played by the old VAs rather quickly for the most part.
Yes. I love my Matrix set as well. I would buy all Japanese TF cartoon series, including Beast Wars. This would be awesome!!!!!! Especially if the shows were given English voice over treatment.
I am yet another person who joined this forum for the sole reason that I am interested in seeing official Region 1 releases of these DVDs. That being said, I did already go to the trouble of importing the UK releases for Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory, so in order for me to buy them for more than just convenience (e.g. not high priority), some extra content would be called for. The requested new dub for the series (which doesn't have to be brilliant, just better than what exists) would be an excellent step. I am also addicted to extra features and commentaries, so if a dub is entirely unworkable (or only works if we have to pay like $50 a season) then that is an easy way to get fans like me to re-buy it. Note that including a new, well written and performed English dub would mean I'd swallow a "premium" price point (though I'd have to save up for it).
Still, even an "as is" release that just includes the original audio, the horrible dub, etc. would still be something I'd eventually purchase if it were clocking in for the same price as the current releases. A little effort just pushes them higher up for priority, and a lot of effort just ensures they have priority. ;)
I also own the UK release of RiD, and while that doesn't need a new dub, including the Japanese dub (even if only for episodes that weren't heavily edited) easily makes me buy them over again. I never got any other Japanese only series, so Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo released over here are very enticing, and again if you want to go big with an English dub for them, become instant must haves (even if I find I don't like them XD). Again, extra commentaries and similar features are welcome.
I am pretty sure that any Transformers fan would of course LOVE TO SEE THESE SERIES RELEASED HERE IN THE US!! I have bought bad copies of VHS, DVD, and computer only copies of these shows with varying results from crappy to pretty good. And while Shout is at it how about the Beast Wars II and Neo series as well. I know that I will not have any problem with purchasing these sets even if it means that I have to eat cold cereal for weeks at a time!! In fact that would be great because then I could eat my cold cereal while watching these shows in much better quality then I have seen in the past so HELL YES I WOULD PURCHASE THESE!!! GET STARTED ALREADY!!!
Freedom is the right of all Sentient beings.......and quality copies of foreign Transformers shows as well!!!
I for one would be ecstatic if the Shout would release Headmasters, Victory & Masterforce finally in the states. Maybe I'm asking for too much as it'd be an ambitious feet to accomplish but if the original voice cast could gotten together to make new dubs, that would be even better! At the very least I would love a Headmasters release since it's the one mostly tied to G1 imho.
I would love to get a region 1 release of these shows... I do have the UK dvds but I can only play them on my computer dvd rom using VLC Player... Having these shows released in the US would be so much easier... I know for a fact that there is a high demand for this collection... Oh and seeing a redub with a new voice cast of these shows would be awesome...
PLEASE do everything you can to get us these series here in the U.S!!!! PLEASE! I would buy my usual 2 sets , 1 to keep sealed and 1 to watch and enjoy! ALL my friends would do the same! First time seen in U.S. G1 Transformers series, with Transformers popularity at its all time high....DVD GOLD! PLEASE!!!!
With the popularity of the franchise at an all time high, this could be an excellent move! Multiple countries have already released the three Japanese exclusive series on DVD, long time and younger fans search for these episodes everywhere, and it has never been done in the U.S. before. I am personally okay with only having the episodes with the Japanese audio track and new subtitles since it would be unrealistic to expect a new audio dub to replace the terrible Star TV dubs.
It would just be fantastic to finally be able to own not only the original Generation One series but to also own the Japanese exclusive continuation. I could think of no better company to do it also. Shout! Factory's work on the original series with the restoration, bonus content, and all around care for the property and the fans is encouraging. If there is a chance to get these episodes, release them with the same care, and put them out a great price, this fan's vote is to go for it!
We need these to be sold in America and be done in spoken English not English subtitles, it wasn't fair that England and Austrailia got the Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory when the United States is the country that makes more money for Takara and Hasbro. We should have gottin access to legit copies to own long ago but now they could fix all that with todays technology. Hope to see them on American shelves soon. There is another Transformers series to look into is Transformers Robots In Disguise, The 911 series should be brought to American shores too. It would be kinda nice to feel like America can have access to stuff once again and to feel like Americans once more.
I, personally, would love to see the Takara collections in a Region 1 release the caliber Shout! Factory has put out for other sets. I do own the Metrodome sets, but since I am limited to only being able to watch them on my computer's DVD drive, they don't exactly see a lot of play.
Of course, that is my opinion as a hardcore G1 Transfan but, unfortunately, I don't think there is really all that much of an awareness of these series to the general Transformers fan who might casually pick it up. Seeing as how the Takara series take place after the third season of Transformers, the window of opportunity for attracting consumers is fairly small, particularly with the conclusion of the season sets looming.
I don't think any Transformers fan would want the dub which was made for the episodes. I only watched portions of it out of morbid curiosity and to hear the most infamous pieces of dialogue.
----- Original Post -----
by B Ward at 2/1/2010 10:13:32 AM
I was actually speaking to someone about this the other day. Obviously, we have a very good relationship with Hasbro and would like to pursue additional titles from their library. Without any promises, of course, are the Takara collections something you'd like to see on DVD in the States? I have all three of Metrodome's volumes, which run the gamut of quality, in terms of both animation and all-around storytelling. So is this collection, which has never officially been available in the U.S., something most Transformers fans would like to see done right? Or is it something aimed only at the hardest core fans?
I already own the 3 Metrodome releases but I'd ditch them in a Heartbeat for REgion One Releases not to mention another 15 people I know that would buy them in a heartbeat.
On a side note would you use the Asian tracks that were used for the syndication in the Phillipenes or just go with the original Asain tracks with subtitles? Or in a pure dream how possible would it be for an American voice cast with some of the original voice actors lending thier voices for all new tracks, making it easier for Hasbro to syndicate the shows here in the states?
Thanks for your time
Rob
PS: I just signed up today when I heard about this & a friend told me about C.O.P.S. Vol. 2 & 3 being store exclusives.
I would definitely buy all three of these series. If they redub the shows with quality voice actors, I will pay double over a simple re-release of the original english dubbing.
Brain, please ask P.T. Shoutfactory to let you release this. We all want it. I have time and moneye and intition and a lot of other things waiting for this. Come one fatcats "On the 6th day the Lord created BRAIN WARD, and on the 7th he rested, cause making BRAIN WARD was exhausting"
You asked what dub they used. It was the star tv dub and they had japan with english subtitles. Zone only got subtitles. There is a zone and scramble city fandubs that you could use by the way.
I would LOVE to get at least Headmasters and Masterforce on DVD in north America. There's a whole TON of people over at TFW2005 who would love to see the Japanese cartoons released on DVD as well. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/289980-shout-factory-wants-know-if-we-want-takara-cartoon-dvd.html
yes bring it on, i would love to see these shows. i already have some discs of headmasters on the horrible monotone english dub. need them all, please make a decent dub.
I don't think many are expecting Frank Welker and Peter Cullen to do the voices (their characters aren't in it much anyways), but a good English dub with lesser known voice actors (or even just a good fan dub) would be beneficial. It would allow more mainstream marketing of the titles unless Shout! plans to just stick with the hardcore Transformers and anime crowd. Plus, maybe Hasbro would finance it if it meant they could show it on their new cable channel coming out in the future.
i also was not a member of the forum until i heard about this thread. i bought the G1 matrix collection and love it. you guys did an amazing job. and i would love to buy G1 japanese series from you also!!!!!!!!
Welcome to the forum, guys. Stick around and you'll hear more from me in the near future, I'm sure.
Also, look around at our store. If you like Transformers & G.I. Joe, I guarantee you're gonna find something else to your liking. I'm not saying you have to buy anything, but you'll at least get a broader picture of what it is we produce here.
Enjoy and, again, welcome. Thanks for the information, guys!
Ever since I came back to the US in Nov 1984, after spending three years in Germany (Air Force Brat), I became instantly hooked to this interesting concept I had never before seen back then. That being, The Transformers. Now, in 2010, I have a son of my own. And, as he gets older and understands things, I want for him to know more than what the US shows on TV, being only those series' that have debuted. He already has come to know G1 (courtesy of Rhino and Shout!, as well as the Sony release of the 1986 animated movie), Beast Wars and Beast Machines, Robots in Disguise, Armada, Energon, and Animated. And, of course, let's not forget both live Transformers films.
What I want to teach him is that if you are going to love something, then explore all parts. So, I vote yes on a release of the only-Japanese Transformers series'. After all, I have been a collector and fan of most anything Transformers and have been wanting to add these as well. So, I guess you can say I want them for both my collection and for my son's continued fandom.
YES! you guys should really put these out I would buy them all on sight! The english dubs are terrible, it would be REALLY nice to have them redone as well. But just releasing them with the original japanese voice overs and the really bad english dubs would be good enough for me. Don't forget about Zone too, I think it was only 1 episode and considered the very last in the G1 series.
I think you should do what the Sailor Moon DVDs do....offer people the choice between English dub, or Japanese with subtitles. It seems like the most economical balance that caters to both people who want it as "original" as possible and people who wish to be able to listen without reading. While a better quality dub would be nice, I don't know if it's cost-effective and certainly wouldn't want to miss out on the sets over an issue like that.
It would be great if these shows (and Zone) were finally released in North America! I'd definitely be interested in WATCHING them. I'd only BUY them, though, if a "dream dub" could be made with as many of the original voice actors as possible. Maybe I'm a snob, but as good as the Michael Bay movies are, I have trouble relating the Transformers characters in the films to the ones we watched growing up. Optimus is the only one who sounds like Optimus. A silver Sideswipe who doesn't even sound like Sideswipe is hard for me to swallow. He's supposed to be red!
For the new characters, Peter Cullen could play Ginrai and Victory Leo. Judd Nelson (or maybe Dick Gautier) could play Star Saber. Stan Jones could play Black Zarak. The Headmaster characters could be performed by the actors who played the Nebulans. In any case, the actors in the "dream dub" should at least make an effort to sound like the characters did in G1.
A dream dub would probably need the script revised to be more accessible for an American audience, such as was done with Star Blazers. (The subtitled versions I've seen looked "dumbed down" to me.) If a "dream dub" could be made, I'd volunteer to do that myself, free of charge.
A previous poster mentioned that Shout Factory does not have the resources to make something like this happen. I understand -- but it's nice to dream. :)
I'd be thrilled to see these hit R1, and I'm with @Shortpacked in that the dire, dire existing English dubs make them much more fun to watch. (Honestly, I skipped the R2 versions of Masterforce and Victory because I wasn't interested in having the shows without that dub. But the other Shout Factory! title I go for in a big way is MST3K, so perhaps I'm a bad Transformers fan type outlier who wants her comedy gold instead.)
(Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm *sure*.)
I would honestly have no interest whatsoever in a new English-language dub, unless it were somehow as bad as the old one or worse. If both could co-exist along with the original Japanese language track, that'd be fine by me -- the people who want a shiny new audio track can have that, and the people who want the scary crack can go there.
I would think that anyone who bought more than just Season 1 would probably buy these as well. Any "casual" fan would've stopped after the first set, so you could probably get a good prediction of the amount of copies you'll sell by taking a small percentage off of what the final G1 set sells for.
I would buy these for sure, and I already own the UK sets.
Headmasters features the original Japanese audio track with newly-created English subtitles, with the Omni Productions dub as a second option. Super-God Masterforce includes only the Japanese audio with subtitles, this time translated by Jordan L. Derber. Victory includes only the Japanese audio, with subs by Derber. I hope this helps.
To add my two-cents worth, the Japanese collection is something that Shout! could really make its mark on the fandom and have a lot of fun too. Unlike the Complete G1 collection which so many fans previously had in their collection in one form or another, this is something new to vast numbers of North American fans. I sure many of us would certainly leap over small buildings (or at least small children) to get our hands on a North American release.
Certainly, a cleaned up, subtitled version would be a nice touch for any collection. I don't believe, from a business perspective, that Shout! could go far wrong with such a release. Ideally, a release would feature a new English audio track, one that is faithful to the original story. The good news is that the focus on new Transformers, other than the early part of Headmasters, allows for a new cast to be assembled for such dialogue duties. That said, it would be amazing if Peter Cullen and Frank Welker back in the studio for the Optimus Prime, Galvatron and Soundwave portions of the early episodes (and don't forget Sue Blu as Arcee and Corey Burton as Spike). As for boxart, you could have a tech spec readout resembling the toy feature that appeared when a head was added to a Headmaster body, or a stylized "Pretender" shell.
I would love to see as many japanese tf's series as possible released,however I agree that "head masters" and "masterforce" have alot of really bad dub translations,I know that someone who posted above says that Shout isn't a producer so shout wouldn't do any dubbs,but I think that Hasbro should do something to fix the dubbs since it IS there product ,if they don't redo all the dubbs at least have someone who has a similar voice as the other voice actors go in the studio to fix the wrong names,aka Sparkle,Billy,Optimus prime/genrai etc.also "zone" would make a great bonus feature since it's only one episode,then after these 3 series then BW2 and NEO should be dubbed (by hasbro) and released..also I have a feeling that in the next couple years there's gong to be a whole BW's nostalgia type thing..Disney owns RID so I have a feeling that's one series we shouldn't hold our breathes for..
I would also like to put my vote in for having all 3 series done for us folks over here. Shout! did a great job with the original series, just thinking of that kind of treatment on these episodes would be Awesome!
I agree completely. There isn't even any need for supplemental material except, maybe, for isolated intro and closing credits, like Rhino did for Transformers on the bonus disc in the first season's set. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere way back when I first heard about the Japanese episodes in the late nineties that the credits are burned into the animation and, therefore, no creditless versions exist.
The real coup would be to include Scramble City, in its original form, considering only the animation was included on the 20th Anniversary edition of the movie.
I would buy the japaneze Transformers sets in a heart beat. It would be a win win for shout you would get the transformers fans buying the sets, and anime fans would pick it up too. Plus it would be an easy sell to whip out a a boxset just before the release of the next TF movie. Disney is releasing Xmen volume 5 and Iron Man the 90s animated series only a few days prior to the release of Iron Man. Many people bought xmen dvds on cartoon when wolverine came into theatres and when it came on blu ray and dvd.
I would absolutely buy the Headmasters series (even though it is the worst of the three) because it deals with toys that were released in the U.S. My unfamiliarity with the characters in Victory and Masterforce makes it inessential for me. Perhaps you could pitch releasing Headmasters and seeing how it does before going forward with the other two?
Also, let me second the suggestion than an isolated music track of the G1 score be included as a bonus feature. That was the one thing missing from the Matrix of Leadership set. The great score by Johnny Douglas and Robert J. Walsh is one of the often overlooked features of the G1 series.
I usually read this forum once in a while but have never posted.
I have all 3 of the Australian Madmen sets. I would gladly re purchase each one if Shout Factory decides to release these. I will hound my friends mercilessly until they also purchase them. This has been a dream of mine ever since the day I realized these shows existed.
I do not care if you don't re dub it, as long as you have subtitles. A new dub would clear up a lot of confusion though. Any special features at all are not necessary but would be appreciated.
PLEASE release these. Thank you for even discussing. I have waited for this day!
I'd buy them, but only if they had the original Japanese audio with removable Literal English Translation Subtitles (NOT English subtitles based on a dub a.k.a. "dubtitles"). If possible, I'd like the picture and audio quality to be equal to Toei's Japanese DVD releases, which I've heard looked a lot better than Metrodrome's PAL releases. Having the Omni dub would be a nice novelty, but I would NOT want it to the be only audio track.
Oh, and any chance of seeing Scramble City with its original audio track (it was on Sony's release of the G1 movie, but only with a commentary track)? Likewise, there was some alternate footage that was on Sony's G1 movie release that only had a commentary track, and I'd LOVE to see it released with its original audio somehow, someday, perhaps on a Shout! re-release of the movie?
I'd also buy the Beast Wars Japanese spin-offs (as well as the Beast Wars II movie), the original Japanese versions of Car Robots/Robots In Disguise and the Unicron Trilogy (Minicon Legend/Armada, Superlink/Energon and Galaxy Force/Cybertron), and if possible, season sets of Beast Wars, Beast Machines and Transformers Animated.
Even if this just an informal poll I would absolutely LOVE for the Japanese TF episodes be available out here for us to buy.
And if you are able to go through with this, may I please add on a request that if this did occur, to please include the one episode of TF that was only made in Japan bridging the first two seasons of the TV show with the movie?
The one that's on the TF Animated Movie DVD but for rights reasons has no audio except for fan commentary?
Hey Brian, I read on He-Man,org that you were considering the Takara Transformers.
I personally own the Metrodome complete set (The one that comes with Zone) and I would gladly double dip and buy an R1 release, BUT... only on the following conditions:
All regarding Headmasters
1. Do a new SUBTITLE track
Let's be honest.... Metrodome's subtitle track sucked. Lines mis-timed, mistranslated, and in one episode they even goofed and included subs from a completely different episode (which, in doing so, created a huge series spoiler!)
Also, one thing that personally bugged me was that neither the subs nor the dubs maintained individual character quirks, like Grimlock's "me Grimlock say..." or Wheelie's rhymes. Now, you can argue that this is an improvement, but personally I think it feels kinda weird watching these classic characters but seeing them behave differently than I know they do.
I was actually considering a fansub project for the sole express purpose of retranslating the show (actually just rewriting the Metrodome script) to put these quirks back in. I would still be willing to do it, if for some reason you're not.
2. Get different video masters
Metrodome's release (as well as Madman's, which was based on Metrodome's) used bad masters for Headmasters (wow, redundant). In addition to generally being low-quality, their release was missing things like the pre-title sequences (which were often just recaps, but other times contained important story information) and the commercial bumpers.
We really deserve better, and I personally do not see a point of buying an R1 release if it will just be the same as the R2 and R4 releases
Also, in general:
If you can, get Scramble City and Zone. I understand part of the problem is licensing issues, but it would be awesome if you could get them and really round out the package.
I think at lease getting the Headmasters dvd out would be a good way to get a feel for how the others would fair. I'm all for more Transformers and some of the stuff that came out of japan was pretty good. I'm not sure how you guys would handle a dub though, or if it would just be subbed
I would LOVE to see a US/NTSC release of these shows. However, they will need a lot of work. I was planning on importing the Madman DVD sets, and redoing the subs myself. Although the subs are a big improvement over the horrendous dubs everyone knows about, the existing subs still suck. With all the work you guys did on the G1 DVDs I'm sure you're capable of fixing all the glaring mistakes in the existing subs, (the main problem is there are a lot of literal translations of the japanese, particularly of names and terminology.)
Keep in mind also that over the years there has been a bit of a telephone game effect with Transformers. Long story short, it started with two toylines called Diaclones & Micromen that had a significant storyline & character names with them even though they had no animated series, and the toys were snatched up by Hasbro and converted into characters for Transformers. Since then the characters have gone back and forth between North America and Japan using different names and such ever since. (Optimus was originally Convoy over there and in Robots In Disguise,Armada,etc. different characters that used Convoy titles were named Optimus Prime for North America even though they were NOT Optimus in the Japanese versions at all.)
Personally I would prefer North American names, but within reason--let's not kid ourselves and call someone Optimus Prime who clearly is not.
Hey, I just saw this thread & did the same thing. To have the headmasters, masterforce, victory in R1 dvd set would be AWESOME !!!! PLEASE make them !!!!
Chalk up another vote for these getting a US release. I've watched a few bits and pieces on youtube over the years and have found them to be very interesting.
I haven't read the whole thread so I don't know if this was mentioned yet....this series has alot more pro's than con's, that being the 4th season of "Headmasters". 1st, they need to get as many original voices back on this, redub Soundwave/Galvatron/Blur's voice, etc. Call Blur, Blur again instead of Wally or Billy. Keep the score of this season, it was another unique soundtrack in between the scenes. More strengths, the battle "stills" that are even better in "Masterforce"
Now...the plot of this season was criticized by alot of people, but I thought it at least had a lot of decent continuity with things like the "power packs" and involving the "asteroid belt" & Mars. I have the UK DVD too, and it really doesn't seem to be fully remastered as much as even season 3. If the latest season 3 release does well, maybe it will be profitable to do these, and what's really going to sell this more, again, like I said before, the original voices need to be added, especially Soundwave & Galvatron, and even Zarak more like a Wizard of Oz voice.
You Shout people seem to be working this out at in a affordable way. But first thing's first, listen to what I posted, the original voices need to be added to really launch this, and then Masterforce & Zone with improved dubs. This whole series after the cancellation in US is dissed by pure anime fans, but I think you're starting to realize this might be a profitable venture afterall, but it's critical you redub this with quality voices, and just a little more remastering. Then you just might have a money maker on your hands because the season 3 Rhino DVD seems to sell for a lot of money still.
Also, another plus on this series, was the development of Daniel's character. A con was the awkward face turn of Sixshot, but still kind of interesting. Another con, the "friendship" power of the 4 Headmasters killing Galvatron scene was criticized a lot, but I thought appropriate after Sixshot killed Magnus which was a decent battle scene. There were a lot more Predacons & Terrorcons here, which a lot of old school fans wanted to see more of.
There was also interesting tension among the Autobots between the Targetmasters & Headmasters when they came and even between Chromedome & Highbrow.
I found it ironic, in the intro, Chromedome was covering "Hot Rod" where Optimus couldn't in the movie. That emphasizes how much the 4 Headmasters were the main warriors in this season.
Brian,
Produce Beast Wars Transformers on DVD in a complete series set with all 52 episodes in three seasons along with more special features of World Exclusive Creator Commentaries and interviews: Cast and crew including Story editors, voice actors, writers, directors and animators Episode guide booklets with comic inserts and essays Character profiles, Toy Galleries and Commercials Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Animatics and 3D Test shots Making of BEAST WARS documentary David Kaye (Megatron) and Garry Chalk (Optimus) Convention Panels with a remastered high def transfer. I am interested in Beast Wars Transformers. When will Hasbro and Shout! factory release Beast Wars Transformers on DVD in Complete Series Set? Is Beast Wars Transformers being worked on by Hasbro and Shout! Factory? I would like to hear an announcement on Beast Wars Transformers: The Complete Series DVD to be released. Thank you.
Jonny
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