Masterforce

[Deleted]

Never mind. You'll have to make it Masterforce Thursday for this week!

[legios]

"Birth of the Headmaster Juniors!"

So, Hawk did have a plan after all and - as the opening of the episode makes clear he was testing Cab and Shuta - to see if they were worthy of bearing the Masterforce....

This is another episode which underlines the serial nature of "Masterforce"'s story-telling. On one level this is the "origin story" episode, where Cab, Shuta and Minerva gain the ability to change into their superpowered forms, and also gain villians of their very own to oppose. On another level this isn't so much a stand-alone story as it is a turning point in their character arcs. Indeed, this is the episode where it becomes clear what the arc for these characters is as it sets up a theme for the show.

The theme of growing up had already been hinted at with the death of Shuta's father(and for that matter in the opening title song), but it is here that it comes to the fore a little. Hawk's observation that "It is important to learn things one at a time" is a very direct reference to the process of growing up and how it hopefully works.

Not only that but the Destron Headmaster Juniors serve as a nice "mirror image" of the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors just to make the point clearer. It forms a nice parallel of the relationship between the Cybertron and Destron Pretenders actually. Whereas the Pretenders are divided between those that are blending in as humans and those that appear as demons in order to frighten and rule humans, the Headmaster Juniors are effectively divided at this stage between "Good" adolescents and "Bad" ones. The Cybertron Headmasters are driven and, at heart, want to do good, whilst the Destron Headmasters are self-interested - and to put none too fine a point on it - delinquent. This direct parallelism is a nice touch I think - it adds to the theme of the Juniors having roles into which to grow.

It is also nice to see a heroic leader in a Transformers cartoon suggest that violence is not an end in itself, and in fact is something that it is preferable to avoid. Hawk's emphasis that the Headmaster Juniors have a responsibility to use their power to help their fellow humans first and foremost is a nice touch. As is Cab and Shuta's initial reaction to being given superpowers. Yes, it is a gender stereotype - but in honesty the first thing I would expect boys given superpowers to do would be to test how mighty they were by beating up random trees. In that respect it rings very true.

The Destron Headmasters aren't particularly developed as yet. They are more defined by being the opposite of the Cybertron's, but that gives them a bit of room to develop - and given the shows structure one shouldn't be surprised if we started to learn a bit more about them in due course.

Speaking of structure, we get interesting hints here about how the process of becoming a Headmaster Junior works - although there are clearly robotic bodies and technological aid involved it is suggested that the Masterforce is a thing in itself, something that people can be imbued with. There is an interesting distinction implied between the technology of the process of the Masterforce, but again we are left with as many questions as answers in some respects.

I'm running out of lunchtime now and should probably be getting back to work, (unless my watch alerts me that their are Destron's attacking of course.....), but there are another few things of note in this episode:-

We learn that the Cybertron Pretenders have not been idle over the centuries they have been on Earth. I like the sense we get of them serving as active watchmen, wandering the globe investigating mysterious events so as to safeguard the planet from the awakening of the Destron Pretenders.

This is the episode where they start to have a bit of fun with Hawk's straight-laced hero persona. They play up the idea of him as a surrogate dad a bit in this episode - distant, a bit harrassed and with the kids trying their hardest to impress him and win his respect. And in previous episodes we have had Hawk arriving majestically to save the day in mighty battle from the evil Destron's but here the same schtick is played as someone's dad turning up to stop a bully beating them up. We even get a quick snatch of heroic-sounding music when Hawk arrives. It seems very much the act of a show that isn't afraid to have a bit of fun with its characters and definitely brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Karl

[Deleted]

For me this episode is where the series really took off. From hereon in we get introductions from characters that form the main backbone of the story and get the start to a much larger story - that of human-controlled transformers fighting each other to either protect Earth or to destroy it whilst competing in a race to get the next transtector.

[The Doctor]

Episode, er, 5, kids. Someone point me to an episode guide. I forget, and am knackered.

-Ralph

[legios]

“Rage! Little Devils with no need for rules”

Synopsis: The Cybertron Headmaster Juniors are sent to America to train to improve their skills in wielding the Masterforce. In the meantime the Destron Headmasters set out to avenge Wilder's former humilation at the hands of a rival motorcycle gang, and then lead the gang on a rampage through an American city. Cab and Shuta aren't prepared to wait for the Cybertron Pretenders and dash off to confront the Destrons. Meanwhile Minerva must face her fear of combat if she is going to rescue an endangered young girl and her dog......”

This episode sees the focus swing very firmly towards the Headmaster Juniors. With the Cybertron and Destron Pretenders appearing in little more than cameos the focus is very much on both sets of young recruits. The story starts with two separate story strands that dovetail neatly together in the middle of the episode in time for everything to come together for the third act.

The first story strand is a bit of an exploration of the background of Wilder, the defacto leader of the Destron Headmaster Juniors. The idea that he was once the leader of a motorcycle gang actually makes a lot of sense. It explains the streak of senseless cruelty that seems to have made him ripe for recruitment by the Destron Pretenders, a streak of cruelty that he demonstrates quite strongly in this episode. Firstly he seems quite capable – both physically and in terms of intent – of beating the leader of the “Cool Guys” biker gang to a pulp. Indeed, if it wasn't for a momentary outbreak of cartoon physics his hurling him into a wall would likely have hospitalised him at best. Secondly, Wilder seems to be the most enthusiastic about hurting innocent bystanders and wreaking property damage – if he isn't blasting buildings to smithereens then he is kicking plucky little dogs to death. Wilder comes across as a genuinely unpleasant fellow, and therefore a fine villian for the Cybertron Juniors. Interestingly enough, there are hints of a sense of loyalty to his gang in Wilder. Although a prime part of his motivation is to avenge the insult that he suffered at the hands of the “Cool Guys” there is also a hint that he wants to wipe out the stain his gangs reputation suffered as a result of their defeat. Doesn't really excuse his act of extreme violence to an innocent dog though. Restitution is needed for that.
By contrast to Wilder the other two Destron Juniors seem less defined by outright villiany at present. Bullhorn seems like the classic henchman type, he seems to like a good fight and to follow orders without really giving much thought to them. Cancer, judging by this and the last episode, is a pint-sized version of a martial arts movie stereotype. In specific he is the arrogant Kung-Fu warrior whose pride in his fighting abilities means he wants to show them off at every possible opportunity – going out of his way to pick fights and to demonstrate his skills whenever he can.
It would be fair to say that the Destron Juniors don't have a huge amount of depth yet, but their character roles are starting to become clear and there is something in place on which to build characters, so focussing a chunk of this episode on Wilder does seem to have had some advantages.

The other story thread focuses, in turn, on the Cybertron Juniors. We see them unwittingly despatched to America for training under Diver, who turns out to be a bit of a bully as far as teaching goes. The relatively laidback Diver becomes more than a little growly with the Juniors, playing Cab and Shuta off against each other whilst being a little more reticent with Minerva and more willing to encourage than to berate her. Diver's phrasing is interesting at one point here actually. He talks about faith being necessary for the Masterforce. Here again the Masterforce is described as something other than strictly mechanistic. He seems to be indicating that in some way the Masterforce is fed by the users self-confidence and self-belief – their courage and their conviction being what drives it. It isn't being played particularly strongly at the moment, but it is an interesting tack for what you would think would be a very mechanistically themed setting – what with all the giant robots and whatnot.

This plot thread is admittedly fairly basic stock piece of plotting. The theme that courage is at the heart of everything is a foundation of some of the oldest fiction. Likewise the emphasis on team-work is very typical of Japanese shows, both animated and live-action. It was a constant refrain in Headmasters and I don't think any of the Super Sentai series didn't have an episode whose moral was “together we are stronger”. What I like about the way it is handled in this episode is that there is a clear pay-off that feels that it makes sense within the story. Rather than a tacked on comment about learning to work together Divers observation that the Juniors have learned about courage and teamwork rings true. We get to see, both in training and in actual battle that the Cybertron Juniors don't do terribly well when they are on their own. However, once they get up off the mat and pool their talents we get to see them make a fair showing against the Destrons. Oh of course, I would admit that shoe-horning in Shuta's football skills is a little bit cheesy, but in a kids giant robot cartoon I can't see why they can't be excused a little bit of cheese every so often.

All told, I find this episode a good spotlight for the Headmaster Juniors, allowing them a bit of time out from under the shadow of the Pretenders. It gives them a bit of room to grow and some opportunity for character development.

Miscellanous bits:-

I do find it amusing that Hawk seems to have an almost pathological inability to be entirely straight with people. He half-misleads the Juniors into going to America for combat training – after specifically saying last episode that he didn't want them involved in combat..... Hawk could probably get the same results by just telling people his plans in a straight forward way. His slightly roundabout method of doing things is beginning to look very much like a character trait....

Blood has an interesting few lines in this episode. It would appear that the Destrons are actively seeking out people who want to join them. Perhaps they want to use them as expendable minions, but it is an interesting departure from the Sunbow series, where the Decepticons had little interest in humanity. It also makes for an interesting parallel with the respect in which the Cybertrons hold humanity

The interplay between the Cybertron Juniors is quite entertaining. They tease each other, tell terrible jokes and basically behave like youngsters do. The way that the characters bounce off each other continues to be a lot of fun.

Karl

[legios]

“Go, Go Shooter, showdown in the wasteland!”

In plot terms this is a fairly straightforward episode – Wilder's former biker gang have kidnapped Wilder's old friend because Wilder wants him to rejoin them, the Cybertron Juniors are asked by the kidnappees young sister to save him and being heroes they leap straight into action. Put in those bold terms it sounds a little like it might be a bit of a filler episode, and if you viewed it in terms of its surface plot you could be forgiven for thinking that. In actual fact there is quite a bit going on in this episode which contributes to ongoing plot-threads.

On the micro-level this episode confirms that the Cybertron Juniors have learned from their experiences of the previous episode. Here they demonstrate the teamwork that they learned in their previous encounter with the Destron Juniors, working in concert and with their eye on the goal of rescuing Mary's brother. Not only that but Minerva's newfound resolution about braving combat in order to help others seems still to be as strong as it was there. It is nice to see that change in them carried through, so that even if they aren't as combat-ready as the Destrons they are beginning to become greater than the sum of their parts.

This episode also continues the thread, started in last weeks episode, of fleshing out Wilder as a character. Whilst he may be a fairly stereotypical character – the villian with a twisted honour code – it isn't something we've really seen that much of in Transformers up to now. We learn here that Wilder was not always obsessed with gaining and using power – at one point he was much more interested in hanging out with his friends than with striking terror into the hearts of his enemies. Indeed, Wilder still wants his friends to be around him even now. His kidnap scheme is not motivated initially by a desire to harm his friend, instead he wants to reunite the old gang and let them share the power that he has gained from the Destrons. In fact, Wilder is acting from a kind of loyalty to his friends, and his anger seems to be drawn from a sense of betrayal and confusion as to why they wouldn't want to be a part of what he is planning. Wilder turning and lashing out at his friend is a disturbing moment in some ways – in a franchise that is usually fairly “safe” in terms of being focused on robot-on-robot violence this is a much more down-to-earth moment of brutality, and is actually a little bit unsettling.

On the macro-level this episode pulls back the curtain a bit and lets us see something of the broader plot of Masterforce begin to come into focus. Blood's little spiel at the start of the episode is actually quite an important piece of world-building for the series because it represents our first real glimpse that there is a metaphysical underpinning to the show. The discussion of energy flowing up from the Earth and down from the universe around it is very much in keeping with a lot of chinese metaphysical thought. Qi, a vital principle of living things is described by some sources as coming in “high” and “low” forms, one emanating from the land, wind and rocks and one from the heavens above, and causes life to be formed where the two forms meet and pool. It isn't much of a stretch to conclude that these -chokon energies that the Destrons are interested in are related in some way to the concept of Qi So the Destrons are not simply planning an assault on humanity, they are planning an assault on the fundamental nature of life on Earth itself. Not content with simply stealing energy they want to literally reshape the landscape of the planet on a spiritual level. I think it is fair to say that this is perhaps the most ambitious plan we have seen out of any group of Destrons yet.(In essence they are attempting to do something similar to what you might do when you have a proper Feng Shui master advise you on the construction of your house and the layout of your furniture and belongings – just on a mind-bogglingly vaster scale). It is also something I would suspect wouldn't find much favour if included in a western-originated Transformers series. The closest thing I can think of was the, rather half-baked and underdeveloped, pseudo-buhddist elements in Beast Machines regarding seeking balance. It is very much a story element that marks out Masterforce as being a product of a non-western culture far more than the gender-role stereotyping ever does, to my mind at least.

Before you ask, yes Blood does talk about three types of energy rather than two – this is were Masterforce begins to deviate a bit from the philosophical ideas that inform this plot thread (well, that and the giant transforming robots). Masterforce suggests that as well as the energy of Earth and of the Heavens there is a third type of energy, one generated by human beings as a part of their nature, and that this can be increased by stealing it from other people. This has an interesting congruence with the vague hints that we picked up from previous episodes about the Masterforce having a non-technological dimension to it, and being influenced by the individuals own strength of character. It also makes sense of some of Blood's abilities in earlier episodes – the energy he used to animate the corpses into the first Destroids would seem to be an example of this same ability to manipulate this mysterious Chokon power.

Sketchy it may be, but there is a sense of a distinct metaphysical background having been thought through for this series. Although it may only be addressed in the opening scene and not referred to in subsequent scenes.

I meant to comment previously on the sheer scale of the Destrons plans. What fascinates me here is the degree to which they are engaged in social-engineering. Whilst previous Destron forces have sought to destroy or enslave humanity we haven't really seen any of them attempt to use humanity as a tool to its own destruction to the same degree as we see here. Blood and his cohorts are actively recruiting humans to form an army to visit chaos on the world on their behalf and in the name of the Destrons. As Shuta observes they are actively inviting people to enslave themselves to the Destron cause by dangling a promise of power in front of them. It is a degree of manipulation and scheming that we haven't seen before and gives them a nicely sinister edge.

Speaking of sinister things... The large sinister object in the Destron base makes a reappearance in this episode. Once again we see that the Destrons venerate and talk to it, but this time we discover that it talks back as well! Not only that but it appears to have distinct ideas of its own about how events should be progressing, and the power/authority to punish the Destron Pretenders when things do not transpire as it envisages. Clearly there is more to this thing than meets the eye, and secrets about it still to be revealed.......

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Outstanding review, Karl. I'd never thought so deeply about the Earth/Heaven/Soul Energies before.

God, I wish they would introduce stuff like the Decepticons' human 'social engineering' into the live-action movie series.

Martin

[The Doctor]

I think it's best they don't. I'm not sure I could handle it being converted into scrotum gags.

-Ralph

[legios]

Jul 1, 2009 21:33:34 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

Karl. I'd never thought so deeply about the Earth/Heaven/Soul Energies before.

By contrast, I have probably thought about it far too much......

I had meant to mention, both in this and the previous review, that making Wilder the leader of a motorcycle gang made him a rather topical figure in Japan at the time. Motorcycle gangs were a rising problem amongst Japanese youth (to a lesser extent they are still an issue today). A number of Japanese youth were quite attracted to the image of freedom and rebellion associated with cruising the open road on a motorcycle with your comrades. The result, inevitably, was the development of a new kind of anti-social behavior problem that it took the country a while to get to grips with. (Hence the appearance of biker gangs in the comic Akira, and to some extent the source of the Knight Sabers - the "noble outlaw" protagionists of Bumblebum Crisis.

Karl

[legios]

“Panic! Protect the Wild Animals”

So after a couple of episodes that were heavily Headmaster-focused, the Pretenders are well and truly back in the field. We get a quick burst of squaring off between the Destron and Cybertron Pretenders, before the Destrons blow-off the inevitable fight in favour of advancing their plans. (That's one of the things I like about the Destrons in this show, they have a reasonably developed ability to remember that beating up Cybertrons is not always the plan of the day, and to actually manage to hold to the actual plan even when the Cybertrons do show up. It makes them seem that bit more effective as villians that they don't go completely into head-less chicken mode when the heroes show up).

Indeed, the scheme that is presented in this episode is vey much aimed at advancing the broader plan that Blood outlined last episode. We learned there that the Destrons intend to disturb the balance of the natural energies of the Earth and so make live literally impossible for humanity. In this episode we begin to see them work towards that goal. The Destrons set out to set humanity at war with the animal kingdom – forcing them to declare war on nature, thus driving humanity progressively further out of balance with the planet that sustains them, until eventually they are forced to turn to the Destrons and offer worship to purchase safety from an enraged and unbalanced nature. It is a bold and far-reaching scheme, but which is a logical extension of the metaphysics that was laid down in the previous episode. I am pleased to see the show stick with these themes and use them to drive subsequent story developments – it is one of the ways that Masterforce is structured with a more long-term approach to its storytelling than a lot of Transformers series.

Of course, the Destrons evil plan is thwarted, but what is interesting is that battle isn't the primary solution to the problem. Of course, we get the obligatory giant robot fight – it wouldn't be a Transformers cartoon without one – with the Cybertron Pretenders carving their way through a mob of Seacon Mooks. But the turning point of the episode isn't a battle between Cybertron and Destron Pretenders – the Destron Pretenders effectively make themselve unassailable by planting themselves amongst the stampeding herd of elephants – a position in which the Cybertrons cannot engage them because their innate compassion leads them to holding their fire. Fortunately human compassion also provides the solution to the dilemna. The Destrons are looking to force humanity to do battle against nature, by sending animals to attack human settlements, creating a situation where the only way to save human lives might seem to be to take the lives of the animals. A fiendish plan that at first glance almost seems to be a no-win situation. But it is of course not so.

Human compassion provides another option. Inspired by Ricky-sans example in placing his own life between those of the villagers and the animals the Cybertrons put themselves on the line, defending the humans but also preserving the lives of the animals – which the episode has underlined through Minerva's determination to save an injured deer - are valuable in their own way. Ok, so the sight of the Cybertrons forming a scrum to stop a charging elephant herd may look somewhat ridiculous but it is quite effective, both in story terms – as it vindicates Hawk's insistence that the Headmaster Juniors concentrate on their rescue training and that there are important tasks other than battle – and in terms of being a rather uplifting message about the importance of compassion and that there are problems that are best solved by methods other than violence. (Also, it is ridiculous in a good, entertaining way somehow rather than being the kind of ridiculous that looks stupid.).

Karl

[Deleted]

Is this the episode where Shooter and Cab go a bit gaga at the sight of seeing Minerva in shorts and they start singing a song about something?

[The Doctor]

Mankind is your enemy! Your enemy!

-Ralph

[legios]

Jul 9, 2009 21:59:26 GMT @zudobug said:

Is this the episode where Shooter and Cab go a bit gaga at the sight of seeing Minerva in shorts and they start singing a song about something?

Yes, I guess it is. (Specifically they sing a song about a pretty girl driving about on the African plains - and Minerva responds by going in the huff and leaving them in the dust. Smooth operators they are not.).

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Another great review, Karl!

Martin

[legios]

“The Super Warriors! The Godmaster Brothers”

Well, some of that is rather unexpected.

We open with the Destron's summoned to attend their superiors who are displeased with their progress. Although it forces us to reconsider our understanding of previous episodes a little it doesn't seem entirely unexpected that the Destron Pretenders might have superiors – although they have been running things so far in retrospect they don't entirely seem to be sure and certain candidates for the top of the Destron food-chain. (Indeed, up until now we could even have reasonably concluded that they were a rogue unit operating their own agenda). What is more surprising is the identity of their superiors. Up until now we have observed the Destron Pretenders scheming to bring humanity under their heel as minions and worshippers, holding out the prospect that humans can become Destrons mostly as a method of manipulating them. But now we learn that the superiors who are calling them to account appear to be humans themselves! (In all fairness the Destron Pretenders don't entirely seem to know what to expect themselves so it is at least possible that they didn't actually realise to whom they were reporting.)

Mega and Giga seem to be figures out of time when they are introduced – attired as a medieval lady of means (with a hint of the witch about her look as well), and a barbaric warlord respectively they seem to have stepped out of a completely different era. They also prompt us to reconsider what we understand is the meaning of being a Destron (along with the titular Godmaster brothers, but I shall get to them in due course). There is no doubt that they consider themselves to be Destrons, but at the same time they don't appear to be robots from the planet Cybertron. Combining Giga and Mega's position in things with the fact that the Headmaster Juniors seem to be more and more treated as being full-fledged Destrons, and the Pretenders drive to recruit from the human race by trickery and force and it seems that the meaning of being a Destron in Masterforce is a little bit removed from being evil military robots built by the Quintessons. Instead the Destrons of Masterforce feel a bit more like a secret society or cult – they were tending in that direction already, but this episode reinforces it, conspiring in the shadows to seize power and drawing likeminded individuals to it as pawns and potential members.

This episode isn't just about introducing Giga and Mega though. The primary purpose of this episode is to introduce the Godmaster(*) brothers, Hydra and Buster, and introduce the concept of Godmasters to the series. In this I would say that it does a rather good job. The series has already set up the Destron Pretenders as the primary villians – so far – and portrayed them as worthy opponents to the Cybertron Pretenders, so when the Godmaster brothers show themselves to be more than capable of outclassing the Destron Pretenders it does present them as a force to be reckoned with. (Far more actually than the rather cursory fight at the end against the Cybertrons – I think that they may be holding off for next episode to have them show their chops against the Cybertrons. It is an old, old method to have new characters made to seem impressive by having them beat-up an already established character but I think it is quite well handled here. I think there are two reasons that I like the way it plays out here. Firstly, I quite enjoy the fact that it is made a character point. The Destron Pretenders act as if their self-esteem has been insulted and immediately start looking for opportunities to regain face. It doesn't work of course, and once they have started down that path they can't really back down regardless of how much deeper the hole gets it. True it, and Giga and Mega's amused reaction to it, plays the Pretenders prehaps a little bit more for laughs than they have been so far. It does, however, come from the same kind of reaction that sent them on a rampage to Tokyo to call out Hawk for the slight of imprisoning them centuries ago so it is nice from the point of character continuity that they don't just take it lying down. The other reason I like the way this plays out is that it has proper roots in the series metaphysics. Several episodes we were first introduced to the various energies that the Destrons believe make up the Earth – Tenchokon, Jinchokon and Chichokon. So when the Godmaster brothers identify themselves as having Ten-Chi-Jin Power then it is no wonder that they are more powerful than the characters we have seen before. They are tapping the very fundamental forces of the universe with their abilities. It makes a cetain amount of sense in the context of the show that the ability to directly manipulate those forces (rather than the second-hand methods used by the Pretenders so far) would give them powers beyond those who don't have access to the fundamental forces. So rather than being more powerful simply because they are newer, the Godmasters represent a logical development from the things that the show has already told us. It gives a nice sense of progression and internal consistency to the narrative that I rather like.

We don't learn a lot about the Godmaster brothers as characters here. They seem to have a fair level of the “with great power comes great arrogance”, but that is arguably par for the course considering that they have likely spent quite a while being told by Giga and Mega that they are “hyperevolved beings” far better than either super-robots or humans. Other than that they are relatively blank slates, defined more by not being the Pretenders than anything they actually are. But then, the Destron Headmaster Juniors have only slowly been accumulating characterisation as episodes pass, so there is still room for the Godmasters to grow.

You'll notice that I haven't dwelt much on what the Cybertrons are up to in this episode. This is because they don't really do a great deal. This episode very much belongs to the Destrons, with the Cybertrons making what amounts to cameo appearances. The Headmaster Juniors get a little sub-plot about a hang-gliding competition, but this exists mostly to move them into position for the battle at the end of the episode. (A battle which feels a little bit like it is there on the basis of contractual obligation in some respects). The Pretenders make fleeting appearances, mostly just showing up to catch of glimpse of new Destrons so as to set up a bit of anticipation for a proper clash in due course. That said, there are some nice little flashes of characterisation. Hawk is revealed to be the workaholic that I certainly expected he would be, sitting at his monitors in his suit with tie properly knotted as he waits patiently in case of Destron activity. By contrast Diver takes the opportunity to goof off a little bit – dozing off in the sun with a book in front of his face. He may sometimes be a bit of a hard taskmaster when it comes to training, but there does seem to be a bit of a laidback streak to him as well. (I can't fault his taste in reading matter either – it appears to be “The Currents of Space”, one of Issac Asimov's novels from his heyday. Nice to see an alien space robot which an appreciation for the classics of the genre).

All in all, this is a pretty good character introduction episode, which not only manages to introduce new Destron characters into the series but also makes some interesting suggestions about the nature of what it is to be a Destron in this series, and also makes the traditional “new character is stronger than old character” trope make sense within the narrative frame of the series. Not bad going at all for twenty-five minutes really.

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I can't remember, does this episode manage to make it clear to the viewer that Giga and Mega aren't Pretenders?

Martin

[blueshift]

Good point, I wasn't really watching out for that, I don't think so. It never struck me that they were anyway.

Then again I seem to remember them ballsing up their intro as Godmasters too, but hey...

[Deleted]

I'll have to rewatch this episode again sometime. I vaguely recall it being one of the first episodes where the Masterforce story really got going.

[legios]

Jul 16, 2009 19:59:13 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

I can't remember, does this episode manage to make it clear to the viewer that Giga and Mega aren't Pretenders?
Martin

Not explicity no. But it seems to me that it is implicit in the episode that they are nearer to the Godmaster brothers than they are to the Pretenders. That has always been the impression that I have had.

Karl

[legios]

Apologies, other commitments have kept me from finishing my thoughts on this weeks episode until now. Judging by the grim look on MetalHawk's face I'd better make up for it by getting right to it, hadn't I?

“A fierce battle! The Cybertrons are in trouble!”

On one level, this is a fairly straight-forward story – the Destrons attack a tidal power station on a Pacific Island, the Cybertron Pretenders and Headmaster Juniors rally to stop them and after a hard battle are able to force the Destron Godmasters to retreat. Put that badly it doesn't seem like a terribly important episode, and indeed in terms of its individual story it probably doesn't stand out that much. Masterforce's episodes draw their real strength from the fact that they stand united as part of a greater whole. In another series this story might have been a fairly disposable story of good robots and bad robots fighting. It is that, but its contributions to the broader storyline give it additional layers that it would not have had if it had been required to stand alone.

This episode offers quite a lot of consolidation and elaboration of what we have already learned over the course of the series so far. We are reminded that the Godmasters can harness the three fundamental energies of the universe, and we get a further demonstration of the feats that this allows them to perform. In some ways the Godmasters are strikingly different in combat to the kinds of Transformers that we have seen before. They aren't shy about getting stuck in with their fists and feet certainly, and they are not averse to wielding laser guns with a fair facility, but their Ten-Chi-Jin power clearly gives them other options as well. They seem to be able to channel these energies directly by an exercise of will, striking at the Cybertron Pretenders and Headmaster Juniors with a kind of force that their opponents don't seem to have an acquaintance with or any real countermeasure to. This episode also changes our understanding of the Godmasters capabilities somewhat. Although the previous episode strongly suggested that they were all but impervious to the Cybertron's weaponry this episode reveals that this is far from the case. Rather than being invulnerable to harm the Godmasters seem to be as vulnerable as the next robot, but they possess the ability to reconstruct themselves at such incredible speed that they appear invulnerable. For practical purposes, in battle, there isn't that much difference between these two explanations but the Godmaster ability to regenerate has a distinctly different feel to the alternative and adds to the sense that they are something outside the normal run of things.

It is also interesting to note that the Cybertron Pretenders seem as surprised by the existence of the Godmasters as do their human allies. Rather than knowing about them and their capabilities beforehand and merely revealing them to the audience at the dramatically appropriate moment – as we saw with the Headmaster Juniors – we see the Pretenders study the Godmasters and try to theorise about their nature and abilities. It is a nice narrative touch which puts the audience on the same footing as the characters, we are both learning things at the same time and proceeding from the same knowledge base.It also gives us a very nice character beat. When Cab demands to know why there aren't any Cybertron Godmasters Hawk seems almost at a loss for words. Up until now Hawk has been presented almost as a surrogate father figure for the Headmaster Juniors, so it is an interesting beat to see him confronted (as all fathers eventually are) with a question about why the world is the way it is that he just can't answer.

The episodes final battle, which ranges the majority of the Cybertrons against Hydra and Buster, who seem to be well-placed to hold their own certainly underlines the level of threat that they present. It also makes good on the implicit promise that we were given by the preceding episodes rather cursory battle – this episode delivers rather well on that promise of a proper set-to between the Cybertrons and the Godmasters.

The fall-out from the battle also reinforces a theme that has emerged in several previous episodes. When one of the Darkwing brothers wonders whether he is less powerful than the other Mega tells him in no uncertain terms that there is no difference in the level of power they have been given – it is just that he lacks the will to use it properly. This carries echoes of Hawk's explanation to the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors that “courage is important for the Masterforce”. The importance of self-belief and willpower and the way it can empower you is definitely being sustained as one of the running themes of the series. Speaking of themes, we have seen in previous episodes that the Cybertron Pretenders place a great value on humanity, seeing something special within them. We've seen in the Godmasters that the fusion of a human with a Transformer body can sometimes have startling results. Here we get an outright statement from Giga and Mega that humans are better suited to carry out the war on Earth than the Pretenders are. The importance of humanity to the unfolding events on has been an implicit theme right back to the opening episodes of the series, and something that sets it apart from other Transformers series where human characters are at best thrown in at the periphery for audience identification, but it is here that Masterforce makes sure that anyone who hasn't already caught on in brought up to speed on this theme. In a way this is the last bit of tidying up to the foundations and the structural framework, from here the series very much focusses on building the rest of the house proper.

Giga and Mega's choice of targets is interesting, suggesting that they intend to pursue the same basic goals that the Destron Pretenders were attempting but by somewhat different means. Whilst the Pretenders sought first to cause fear and alarm across the world, and then to turn the biosphere of the planet against humanity and vice-versa, Giga and Mega seem to have a plan that is more focused. Their end goals, of forcing humanity to turn to the Destrons as their saviours seem to be the same, but their way of going about it does seem somewhat different.

Mega's declaration that she wishes to conquer Asia first is interesting in two respects. Firstly, because it reflects Masterforce's tendency to bring the threat home to the audiences front door. Previous Transformers shows had presented the battles taking place in exotic locales such as America, Cybertron and far off in Outer Space. Masterforce by contrast often shows the Destrons attacking relatively nearby places like the island chains of the Pacific or even the Japanese islands themselves. It moves the threat squarely into the sort of places that the audience can be expected to be more familiar with. I find myself wondering whether it added an extra frisson to things for the audience watching the series on televison at the time. The other interesting thing about the choice of target is that it makes a great deal of sense from the point of view of the Destron goals. They could attack the high technology giant of America, but that wouldn't net them what they want. Given that the Destron want to bring people over to their side it make sense to go to where there are lots of people, by targeting Asia they stand to spread their influence over a number of countries with fairly large or high-density populations. It seems like a very sensible and considered move.

We don't just get plot and backstory elements expounded upon in this episode. We also get some rather nice character beats as well. I've already mentioned the rather effective scene between Cab and Hawk but the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors get some nice stuff in their own right. The school-based slapstick early on in the episode is quite entertaining, and whilst the episode does trot out the “look at the funny primitive folks” attitude to the Pacific Islanders that crops up a bit in Japanese popular culture it does manage to poke a little bit of fun at that attitude as well. We also get another demonstration that Minerva understands her fellow Headmaster Juniors very well indeed – with her shocking Cab out of his sulk to great comic effect.

The Destron Headmaster Juniors don't seem to want to be entirely left out either – with Cancer getting to remind us that he is the Martial Arts Bully of the series. This time we even get to see him demonstrate his secret “Dragon Fist” technique of which he is so proud. It is a staple of martial arts movies but played here a little less seriously than it might be.

Speaking of Destron characterisation, we get a little bit of an insight into the new Destrons here. Mega and Giga clearly don't always see eye-to-eye, as witnessed by their difference of opinion about the fate of the Destron secondary base. For a moment it seems that Giga is less than happy with the idea of Mega having turf to call her own, but the moment passes and he gives way. There is a sense that there isn't a hierachical relationship between Mega and Giga here, more of a partnership of equals.

They also seem to have a rather manipulative approach to their troops. Rather than issue orders to the Pretenders to divide the Cybertron forces they instead rely on the Pretenders rivalry with the Godmasters to draw them into the right place. It demonstrates an interesting attention to, and understanding of, what their troops are thinking and what motivates them. In that light one has to wonder about Mega's demonstrated maternal attitude to Cancer. She acts very much the part of the proud mother towards him (which in itself is a nice mirror of Hawk's paternal relationship with Shuta, Cab and Minerva) but how much of that is genuine and how much is a calculated method of earning his trust and loyalty? At this stage, I think, it is difficult to be certain.

“A fierce battle! The Cybertrons are in trouble!” could be written up as a fairly straight-forward episode - “The Cybertrons try to stop the Destrons destroying a power plant”, but like a lot of Masterforce's chapters there is quite a lot going on around and about that story which makes it another rather satisfying building block of the larger story of Masterforce.

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Episode #10: "A Hero is Chosen, and His Name is Ginrai!"

This is one of the most remarkable Transformers stories of all time. It is the episode in which the hero of the series makes his entry, but it is such an unlikely hero and such an offbeat way in which he joins the cast that it deserves special notice.

Think of _any_ other TF series, and recall the main hero, the leader of the Autobots/Cybertrons/Maximals, how he is portrayed, and how he is introduced. Name me any such hero - apart from Ginrai - who isn't an Optimus Prime clone personality-wise (with maybe slight differences in level of experience). They are all introduced as the Leader, and act the part.

Now consider Ginrai. He's just a human bloke, a truck driver, a Bomber Bill if you will. The title of the episode is a complete red herring as he is not chosen. He is just the guy who happens to get the job of driving a lorry carrying a dolphin to the centre where Waverider (in his human alter ego) works as a marine biologist. Two hours from his destination, his truck, which was on its last legs, breaks down. The garage he stops at offers to lend him a replacement to tow his trailer the rest of the way. The replacement happens to be a newborn Godmaster looking for a human master (or possibly trying to get to the Autobot that it senses at the marine centre). No-one arranged their meeting. Their paths just happened to cross.

Ginrai finds the Godmaster bracelets in the glove compartment, puts them on out of curiosity, and his fate his sealed. Waverider tells him, "Sorry, mate, your truck's an alien super-robot lifeform and its just bonded itself to you for life." Ginrai promptly spits out his coke all over the dashboard and causes a road accident.

The truck then decides to start driving on its own and drives of a cliff, badly damaging itself and knocking Ginrai unconscious. Before Waverider can free the human driver, the Decepticon Godmasters arrive and we are treated to a fascinating dialogue between them and Waverider, which is writing of a quality that the Sunbow cartoon could only dream of: Waverider tells the Decepticons that the Autobot Pretenders came to Earth to live there in peace, and the Decepticons are trying to wreck this wonderful world. The Decepticon Godmasters laugh at him, point out that he will always be just pretending to be human, while they (the Decepticon Godmasters) _are_ humans - those very humans Waverider admires so much - and they have been raised up by the Decepticons to become gods. The entire series of Masterforce is about beings (robots and humans) who think the grass is greener on the other side and want to become something else - the Autobots to become human, the humans (Junior Headmasters on both sides, and Decepticon Godmasters) to become god-like robots. This is deep philosophy.

And then there's Ginrai, who _doesn't_ want to be anything but a truck driver - but who now finds he has been given powers and responsibilities without asking that he can't get rid of. He's not soldier material, he's not line manager material, he's just an easy-going truck driver who finds himself in the middle of something that scares the pants off him.

The episode even ends in an unconventional fashion, with the Optimus Prime truck cab magically healing itself and Ginrai, and the two beings merging and transforming into a robot we all recognise as Optimus Prime, but who has the mind of a human and hasn't a clue what the hell is going on. He levitates rocks simply through force of anger, and the Decepticon Powermasters, who could easily beat the confused newborn in a fight, don't know how to react to the discovery of a third one like themselves, and return to base for guidance.

Ginrai manages to return to human form, but his brain is a whirl and the episode ends with him not knowing what he's going to do about this thing that's happened to him. He certainly hasn't twigged yet to the fact that he won't be able to be a civilian any more or continue the life of freedom he enjoys leading. Picking sides hasn't yet crossed his mind since he has no aspirations to be on a side.

As if all that wasn't a rich enough storyline to pack into 20 minutes, we also have Giga and Mega, the humans who command the Decepticon Pretenders, informing the Decepticon Godmaster brothers that the god of the Decepticons (who we have yet to be properly introduced to) has foreseen that they have the potential to merge more fully with their robot partners and become more powerful than gods. Hydra (Darkwing) relishes this prospect without hesitation, and clearly has no attachment to his humanity. This plot thread won't come fully to fruition until episode #39, but it's clear that the plot of the entire series has been mapped out from the start.

This sort of episode makes the rest of TF animation look shallow as hell.

Martin

[dyrl]

Well - this just makes me thrilled to own Masterforce God Ginrai

I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that I don't care so much if the character is poseable or has gimmicks as much as if he is interesting

Pete

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Aug 1, 2009 7:41:26 GMT dyrl said:

I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that I don't care so much if the character is poseable or has gimmicks as much as if he is interesting

Hallelujah brother.

*high-fives Pete and bestows karma*

(No, I don't own God Ginrai but I wholeheartedly applaud the sentiment.)

Martin

[dyrl]

No, I don't own God Ginrai but I wholeheartedly applaud the sentiment.

Normally, this would be my cue to say something like "well, I just happen to have an MISB..."

But I don't

I only have one God Ginrai and he is mine and Japanese MIB!

Best of all... he is the one and only Transformer my girlfriend ever got me. It was at the beginning of our relationship, about 4 or 5 years ago. Back then, she was so head over heels in love with me, that when she saw that I collected Transformers, her reaction was "I wanna buy you a really special one!"

Since, then, I've gotten loads of other wonderful presents (most recent one being my watch), but no more Transformers... probably since she realized I have like zillions of them anyways

In any case - all the more why God Ginrai holds a special place in me heart

Pete

[legios]

I have to say that this is an episode that I have a great fondness for, there is so much going on here - both in terms of the advancement of the plot of the series and in exploring some of its themes that it sometimes amazes me that they managed to get it all into twenty-something minutes.

It is also quite striking that, after the big production of the previous episode this one has such a small principal cast. Apart from the short appearance by Mega and Giga at the start, there are really only four characters in play in this episode. I actually think that this is one of the episodes strengths - it allows a lot more time to establish Ginrai as a character because he isn't fighting for the spotlight with a gaggle of established characters. And a very interesting character he turns out to be. As Martin observes, Ginrai is anything but the noble leader type, instead he is a bit of a non-comformist who has left his home-country to pursue a dream of self-determination and independence. No wonder then, that he ended up living in America - often seen as the home of the untamed frontier and of the cowboy myth.

The breathing room that this episode has allows us to get a good idea of Ginrai's character. I do like the fact that he clearly has flaws as well as positive aspects to him. (The fact that one of his first thoughts is that he can use the strange phenomena associated with the truck to get a better deal on it is a moment of humanity that I find makes him more likeable than if he was completely noble about the whole thing). Not that he doesn't seem to have positive elements to him - his readiness to stand up for Diver in the final confrontation, even he doesn't really know what he is getting into the middle of, does seem to suggest he has a sense of loyalty and a willingness to repay a good turn done for him.

His conflictedness and confusion about what is happening to him is a nice touch in terms of characterisation as well. It gives him much more of a sense of being a real person than if he had ended the episode by immediately leaping into a new career as a superhero.

(Ginrai's actual "origin" reminds a little of that of the first Ultraman - he gains great power not by any concious choice, but just by being in the wrong place at the right time.)

There are some interesting parallels and dichotomies on show in this episode as well. Hydra and Buster, especially Hydra, seem very dedicated to the path they have chose and this makes for a strong contrast with the frankly somewhat confused Ginrai.

In a similar vein we have a parallel drawn between Diver and the Destron Godmasters. When watching this episode it seems that Diver is almost more comfortable when masquerading as a human than he is in his own Cybertronian form. It almost feels as if he would give up his power in order to gain true humanity, Whilst by contrast Hydra and Buster seem almost happy to trade their humanity for power. It is an interesting parallel that is being drawn, and one that adds a fascinating subtext to proceedings.

Not that this is the only idea that the episode wants to play with. The episode is at great pains to demonstrate that the Cybertron Pretenders respect for the nobility of humanity is far too simplistic. Humans are good, some of them, but others are far from noble whilst others are somewhere in the middle. It is far from a simplistic view of humanity, and it adds a layer of complexity to what the show has to say for itself.(As well as giving an extra layer to the verbal sparring between Hydra and Diver). It is a much more nuanced view of the subject than one might automatically expect to find in a franchise about good robots fighting bad robots, and I'd argue is another sign of Masterforce's ambition to tell a story that is that little bit more developed.

It is interesting how well Hydra and Buster are defined here actually. One brother is very forthright about his search for power, and it is reflected in, and explains, the arrogance and self-confidence that he demonstrates. By contrast the other seems to be almost swept along in his wake - very much in his brothers shadow. It is a quite deftly established piece of characterisation and one with a nice ring of truth to it.

Another sign of Masterforces comfort with complexity is its willingness to ask us to reinterpret what we thought we knew from previous episodes. It has done this before, with the slow unveiling of Hawk's agenda regarding the Headmaster Juniors, and here we are asked to reevaluate what we thought we knew about the nature of Godmasters. One of the things I like about Masterforce is the way it handles unveiling new information like this. Here we are asked to reevalute our conclusions about what Godmasters are at the same time that Hydra and Buster are - a result of information that was witheld from both characters and audience.

The Destron god is another nice example of the way that Masterforce rations out background information carefully. In this case the ground work has been laid carefully so that when the God of the Destrons is first actually mentioned we have already been half expecting such a thing might exist. That is the mark of good structure - filling in the supporting background so that new ideas feel like logical elements of the story rather than coming at you from out of nowhere.

(I do like the way that we are given information here as well. It is packaged up as a bit of an info-dump certainly, but the way that it is delivered is rather good - we are left with just a little bit of uncertainty as to how literally to take some of it, and where poetic licence might begin, and also with a tiny lingering doubt about how far Giga and Mega are telling the truth as they know it - contrasted to the truth as they want Buster and Hydra to know it.)

From the episode synopses that one sees online, or in the DVD set this would seem like a small episode which is mainly concerned with introducing a new character. The fact that there is so much else being discussed in this episode is very impressive, as is the fact that the show manages some fairly well-rounded characterisation here.

This is actually one of the episodes I would show people if I wanted to explain to them why I like Masterforce so much - it demonstrates so many of the strengths and depths of the shows writing.

Karl
(Who will try and get back on the proper schedule as of this coming Wednesday, outside influences permitting)

[legios]

Episode#11: "Ginrai's Angry God On!":

As the title suggests, this is another episode that focuses on Ginrai - as the Cybertrons try to recruit Ginrai and the Destrons focus their attention on killing him before he can join the other side.

The episode shines for me in its characterisation of Ginrai. We get to see the character traits established in the last episode expanded on a little, and by the end of proceedings he is firmly established as a character. It does amuse me that, although he pitches it as a joke, he clearly does think for a moment about grabbing his fifteen minutes of fame on television from his strange new powers. It makes him reassuringly human that he considers it.

At the same time, there is something noble to him - he is loyal enough to his friends to put his life on the line to avenge their deaths. Just because he isn't one hundred percent pure and noble doesn't mean that there isn't hero material inside him waiting to get out.

Actually, Ginrai's journey from bystander to Cybertron warrior is being quite well mapped out here. He ended the previous episode somewhat confused about what was going on and, whilst he initially seems more relaxed about what has happened at the beginning of this episode, he clearly hasn't grasped the magnitude of the situation until the Destrons' evil is brought right to his doorstep. His initial noncommital response to the Cybertrons seems to boil down almost to "Yeah, the Destrons wreck stuff and things so I suppose they should probably be stopped so yeah, I'll help out from time to time". By the end of the episode though it has become a much more personal war, and their is somewhat of a darkened tinge to his character.

The happy-go-lucky Cowboy Trucker of the beginning of the episode has become a much grimmer figure. If he is becoming a hero, then it threatens to be a somewhat tarnished one. It is actually quite a bit of character development for twenty-five minutes, and it is quite convincingly executed. It is a testament to the strength of the characterisation in Masterforce that it works.

Speaking of grim - the Destrons in this episode are actually quite unnerving because of the clinical nature of their actions. The Godmasters, knowing they are looking for the driver of an articulated truck, just start killing truck drivers in what appears to be a process of elimination. There is something a little disturbing about the fact that the various people that they kill simply don't matter to them. It isn't that there is any sense of superiority per-se in the way they go about it - the dead people are just "folk who weren't Ginrai". I actually find that more disturbing than any of the Godmasters boasts about how they are "above humanity" or the like. Show is more effective than tell, and Masterforce does a good job of showing exactly what the Destron Godmasters are all about.

The fact that they go out of their way to make the deaths look like accidents is a little disturbing too. We have seen the Destron Pretenders leave a swathe of death and destruction in their wake before, but there is something that just seems a little bit more cold-blooded and calculated about this.

It is very much of a piece, too, with the casual way that Giga kills the crew of a maritime surveillance plane in the opening sequence. Several human lives reduced to nothing more than driving practice.

(On another level, Giga's use of the Deathball to practice his golf swing is a nice little pop-culture joke. In the period in which Masterforce was made golf was hugely popular in Japan - the number of driving ranges in the greater Tokyo area alone was enormous. So basically what the show seems to be saying to the audience is "The chief of the Destron Cult has the same hobby as your dad". Something about that amuses me - even as the actual result of his hobby is slightly disturbing).

As I have been writing this it has occured to me that this episode even continues the theme of the Cybertron Pretenders not being quite human however hard they try. Lander says that he doesn't drink, but collects wine. At this stage this does seem like it might be an affectation - that he is playing at doing what a human in his position does.

(Hawk however needs to try a little bit harder to get out of the base a bit. He passes for human fairly well, except in the social skills department. "I'm sorry that your friend died. Would we do as replacement friends?" is probably not the most tactful thing he could have said in the circumstances.)

Karl

[legios]

Episode #12 "A strange friendship. Cancer and Minerva"

We are treated to a few "firsts" in this episode - it is the first time that Ginrai visits the Cybertron base, and the first time in Masterforce that a Destron is properly defeated and captured. (Although why the Cybertrons don't capture all three of the Headmaster Juniors after Ginrai has thumped them into unconciousness I am unclear. Maybe they were too heavy for them to carry all three or something?)

The plot of the episode is, once again, fairly straightforward. Basically revolving around the Cybertrons capturing Cancer for a quick info-dump and then trying to use him to locate the Destron base. Not an innovative or startlingly new piece of storytelling, but it is well told and done with a bit of verve. (I do like the fact that the Cybertron's plan unravels almost immediately that Cancer is released. It helps to make the Destrons look that little bit smarter and more competent. As heroes are really only as good as their villians I have to welcome this).

The real meat of this episode is less in the plot, and more in the character development. They do a good job of extending Ginrai's character arc here. I like the fact that he begins the episode still struggling against the events that are overtaking him. His lashing out against Cancer feels very much like he is making the Headmaster a scapegoat for the things that has been going wrong in his life. It is a mark of this shows attention to its characters that it can get away with having Ginrai behave fairly harshly (comparatively) towards Cancer and still not have him entirely lose our sympathy. At the same time it is nice to see the somewhat more irrevent side of Ginrai emerge at the end of the episode. His moment of basically going "booga booga" to Bullhorn and Wilder brings a bit of a smile to my face.

Over the past three episodes they have done a very good job of establishing Ginrai as a character, and the fact that they have taken a fairly long route to bringing him into the fold as a fully-fledged Cybertron makes it, I think more satisfying when that moment does finally come. Rather than making a snap decision that he is going to become a hero because he has been given superpowers we get to see him struggle with his situation a little. They could have had him join up straight away at the end of his introductory episode, but the extra build-up to it makes it seem more natural when it does happen.

The other character that benefits a bit from this episode is Cancer. He has been, up until now a little bit undefined but he gets a bit of a chance to shine her. This episode really makes it quite difficult to entirely dislike Cancer. His clear incomprehension at Minerva's compassion is rather touching - it is clear that he simply isn't expecting anything of the sort, and is at a loss for how to react to it.

It doesn't feel like he is a Destron because he is innately evil, or obsessed with power. Instead he has seemed previously to be simply looking for a chance to show off how awesome his 'Fu is and indeed, when faced with a first-hand demonstration of the Destron way he balks at a young girl being used as a hostage. Certainly some of it comes from the fact that he has taken rather a shine to Minerva, but it is a glimmer of redeemability which adds a little bit of depth to the character.

It speaks well, additionally, of Minerva that she stands up to an angry Ginrai to offer a more compassionate perspective towards Cancer. And the shows writers certainly seem to share her outlook - more good arguably comes from it than either Ginrai's "bad cop" tactics or the plan to bug Cancer.

Miscellaneous other things that strike me about this episode:-

I do like the fact that the three new Master-Bracers appear somewhat mysteriously in Ginrai' Transtector, shortly after he has a dream which features quite a bit of foreshadowing. It is rather in keeping with the mystical strand that Masterforce has that it is somewhat unclear whether they were in the storage locker all along and Ginrai (and the audience) just missed them last time we saw in there, or whether they have simply appeared in the cab when we weren't looking.....

Another Masterforce exposition scene gives us a fresh example of the series delaying its explanation in due course. As well as relatively casually confirming that Giga and Mega are Godmasters an exposition scene sheds some light on their description of Godmasters as their "children". This is one of the things I like about Masterforce, it is prepared to make the audience wait for some of the information - and it credits that its audience will remember things from episode to episode and will be interested in putting the pieces together. It has a commitment to the long haul that makes it stand out as a bit different from the Transformers series that have gone before.

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Another good summary of another good episode their, Karl.

Martin

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Episode #13: "Friend or Foe?! The True Form of the Monster!!"

Not quite sure how the title of this episode is relevant to the story, but never mind. The first half is very low-key and subtle, focussing on Ginrai and the Junior Headmasters getting to know one another. What struck me most about it was the presence of Hawk on the periphery, quietly engineering the reconciliation between Minerva and Ginrai but taking a back seat role - himself staying away from the four humans' lunch in the forest, but watching their interaction. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but he seems to have a kind of sadness, being too aware that while he looks human he is not one, and should not insult those who know his true nature by trying to be one of them, or intrude on the human-human friendships. Perhaps he has already resolved to take a back seat in the battle against the Decepticons, knowing that it will be up to Ginrai and not him to determine the fate of the Earth in the coming escalation.

The second half of the episode shows us more of the nature of the Godmaster. Ginrai's Optimus Prime cab is not a mindless machine to control, like the Junior Headmasters and most other Japanese mecha. When in vehicle mode, i.e. not physically merged with its human master, it has a mind of its own. It can't speak, but it can drive, and override the human's wishes in where to go. In this case, it senses the presence of its trailer buried in a mysterious rock, and takes Ginrai to it.

The Decepticon Junior Headmasters also show more human qualities in this episode as they work together as a threesome - in stark contrast to the cold cruelty of Hydra and Buster, who seem determined to be less human than the Autobot Pretenders.

Martin

[legios]

Episode#13 Friend or Foe?! The true form of the monster!

Once again, we seem to be on similar wavelength as regards this issue. The team-bonding of the Headmaster Juniors and Ginrai is rather entertaining, as well as serving to cement their characters rather well. I'm not sure whether it is sadness or a sense of propriety that I get from Hawk in relation to his not showing up for the buffet. To some extent I read it as a sense that this is a moment strictly for the humans and that he feels it would be inappropriate for him to be there. I won't argue that it isn't clear that he wishes that he was able to mingle more fully with humans, but I think it is tinged with a certain amount of polite reserve as well.(Hawk also seems to me to be the worst of the Cybertron Pretenders at mingling with humans at the best of times).

I do like the dichotomy that is being created here between the Cybertrons and the Destrons – whilst Ginrai and the Autobot Juniors grow closer together, we see more clearly how different their Destron equivalents are from each other. The Destron Godmasters come across as obsessed with their own power, their desire to eliminate Ginrai as much a matter of destroying anyone that might challenge their supremacy as anything else. It seems as if the accumulation of power for its own sake is their goal, and that they are prepared to sacrifice anything else to get it. There is no sense that these are people with hobbies or interests apart from the gaining and use of Chokon power. It is interesting to watch them develop week by week – whilst other characters seem to be expanding somewhat, Hydra and Buster are narrowing down to very focused caricatures of human beings – which is very much the point that the series seems to be making about them the more they focus on power above all other things the less human they seem to be.

The Destron Juniors on the other hand are a completely different kettle of fish. Ginrai hits the nail on the head when he observes that they aren't so different from him, and aren't behaving that differently to how he would expect most young men who suddenely gained superpowers. Indeed, the Destron Juniors seem less interested in power for its own sake and more interested in using the power they have been given to obtain other things that are important to them. So Bullhorn sees it as – in an amusing opening skit - a an opportunity to get girls by virtue of having a giant mecha and superpowers (mind you, that would probably work better if his mecha was something sleek like a sports car or a fighter plane.....rather than a somewhat ugly looking bull thingy...). Whilst Wilder wants to be respected and – as the only role models he currently has are the Destrons – determines to be the best, most successful Destron warrior he can be in order to win their approbation. It makes them seem a lot more human than the Hydra brothers, and opens up the possibility of a certain amount of audience identification with the Juniors. Some of the Destrons maybe be approaching villian stereotype levels, but it is their own choices that are driving them that way and others are walking a different path. It is an interesting dynamic.

The mystery of Ginrai and his transtector is expanded somewhat in this episode. It has volition, even if it isn't capable of communicating it clearly has intentions of its own and the ability to carry them out. It is something that we haven't seen any sign of as yet in any of the other Transtectors, hinting that Ginrai's transtector is somehow different to the others. It also doesn't seem like a coincidence that the trailer is found buried under a mountain in Nagano - the very place that Ginrai was born - especially when we find out that he has been recently thinking about going back to visit the province where he was born. Somehow I doubt that it is entirely coincidental that the trailer was found buried in the mountainside at that precise moment. It seems more as if it wanted to be found, as if it new that this was the right time to emerge.

(The whole subplot with the strange mass in the tunnel puts me in mind of "Ultra Q" and "Ultraman", where construction sites are ideal places to unearth a buried giant monster. Not sure if it is a deliberate reference or whether it is coincidental though.)

Karl