Megastorm's Reckoning

« Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers ep 22 »
Megastorm thought he could save a buck by letting Thrust set his tongue piercing.
"Megastorm's Reckoning" メガストームの計算 () (Megastorm no Keisan)
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS, Ashi Productions
Airdate	26 August 1998
Writer	Kazuhiko Gōdo
Director	Kazuhiko Kikuchi
Animation studio	Ashi Productions
Continuity	Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Megastorm recruits the Seacons in his plan to attack the Maximals.

Synopsis

Hard to feel like you're on an even bargaining posture when you've got a shoulder cannon levelled at you.

At night, Megastorm meets with Halfshell on a cliff overlooking the sea. Megastorm offers an alliance between the Predacons and the Seacons to take down the Maximals, as they're a thorn in both their sides. Halfshell, however, demands payment, and Megastorm offers 1/10 of the Predacons' Angolmois Energy per Maximal, but Halfshell is a better negotiator, getting 1/8 per Maximal, and 3/8 for Lio Convoy himself. Back at the Galvaburg II, Megastorm boasts of his deal-making to Galvatron, but Starscream takes the wind out of his sails with basic math: 5 Maximals times 1/8 plus 3/8 for Lio Convoy equals 8/8, or the entirety of the Predacons' Angolmois Energy. Galvatron is irate at his brother's apparent idiocy, but Megastorm tries to talk his way out of it, explaining that he has a plan... and walks out frantically thinking of a solution to his mess.

How do you like them apples?

At the Seacons' photon sailer, the Seacons commend Halfshell for duping the Predacon, who is currently trying to conceive a way of getting out of the deal with the Seacons. Thrust and Dirge asking about the transmitters Megastorm plans to use to lure out the Maximals gives the Duke of Destruction an idea: plant explosives in them to destroy both the Seacons and the Maximals! The two Combatron jets drop the transmitters at select locations, attracting the attentions of Artemis and Moon, who as per usual are incapable of warning the Maximals of Megastorm's plot.

At the Maximal base, NAVI informs the crew that she has detected Angolmois Energy at multiple points throughout the area, and the Maximals split up to take care of all of them, with Lio Convoy taking the farthest one. In the ocean, Scuba investigates the area and runs into Halfshell, who starts blasting at the squid. Also underwater, Diver is attacked by Sea Phantom, who threatens to slice the frog to ribbons. On land, Apache finds the transmitter... and Terrormander, who immediately headbutts the Maximal. In the jungle, Scylla faces off with Tasmania Kid while Coelagon surprises Bighorn elsewhere.

And so, after hollowing out Sky-Byte...

Dirge and Thrust, with the controller for the explosives, wait at the last transmitter and prepare to blow up Lio Convoy themselves. However, when the commander actually shows up, the duo are surprised and lose the controller. While Lio Convoy investigates the transmitter, Dirge begins pressing random buttons, which inadvertently blows Megastorm (observing the fight between Halfshell and Scuba) out of the sea. Halfshell, untouched by the explosion, is baffled on what's happening and loses Scuba. Megastorm lands on the beach, where he is blown away by the explosion meant for Apache and Terrormander. Lio Convoy, losing interest in the transmitter, goes to see what Dirge and Thrust are up to, and the two blow up the transmitter nearby, fouling up their opportunity to get Lio Convoy. Realizing how badly they screwed up the plan, the two fly off.

Friendly mushroom! Giant mushy friend!!!

Megastorm stumbles through the forest, running into Bighorn and Coelagon and taking the blast meant for the two of them. He lands near Scylla and Tasmania Kid, unsurprisingly being blown away again by the bomb for them. The Maximals gather together and confront Megastorm at the beach where he landed, telling him his plan, whatever it was, failed. An arrogant Megastorm threatens to fight all of the Maximals right there and then when Sea Phantom comes running... with the last bomb. Both shoot off into the ocean.

At the Galvaburg II, Starscream takes delight in pointing out Megastorm's failure and sucks up to his commander. At the photon sailer, the Seacons still don't really understand the sequence of events that just took place other than one thing: Megastorm sure is clumsy. Elsewhere, the Maximals now finally realize how tough the Seacons are, and Lio Convoy warns his soldiers to prepare themselves for tough battles.

Artemis & Moon II Report

Artemis and Moon remark on how tough and strong the Seacons were, but thankfully Megastorm's plan failed. Megastorm calls in to show his indignation and blames Dirge and Thrust for fouling up the scheme. Artemis asks him about the title of "Emperor of Destruction" and he answers that being the Emperor is like being number one in the universe and that he desires it for himself. Megastorm gets angry again at the duo for watching footage of his injuries, and a flustered Artemis ends the segment, promising to see the viewers in the next report.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Predacons	Seacons	Others
Bighorn (14) Lio Convoy (15) Apache (16) Tasmania Kid (17) NAVI (18) Scuba (19) Diver (20)	Megastorm (1) BB (3) Starscream (4) Galvatron (5) Thrust (6) Dirge (7)	Halfshell (2) Sea Phantom (8) Coelagon (9) Terrormander (10) Scylla (11)	Artemis (12) Moon (13) Assistant Ball (21)

Quotes

Bighorn: "Are you really an old man?"
Coelagon: "I'm 100,000 years old…. no, maybe it was 110,000 years old?"

—Bighorn and Coelagon exchange smack talk.

Notes

Continuity notes

Artemis and Moon are having a heart to head.

• Megastorm actually puts his headlights to use. He uses them to send a Morse code-like message to Halfshell out at sea.
• Galvatron will remind Megastorm of his idiocy in for the next two episodes.
• Artemis last attacked Moon in "Autorollers Roll Out!" by grabbing him by the ears. Here, she returns to using a tool, specifically a heart-shaped speaking trumpet, having broken her piko piko hammer the previous episode. Her next act of aggression occurs in "The Final Battle".
• The Predacons have gotten themselves a new submarine after destroying their old two in "The Lake Trap". This submarine gets destroyed in an explosion, but either the Predacons fix it or they have another one lying aroound, as the model gets later used in "The Final Battle".
• While running for his life, Tasmania Kid notes that Bighorn would've loved getting chased by Scylla. This refers to Bighorn's crush on Scylla he picked up the previous episode.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Halfshell uses his Shell Cannon against Scuba.
  • Sea Phantom tries to get Diver with Phantom Jaws, but misses.
  • He doesn't call his attack, but Terrormander seems to come at Apache with Manderbreak.
  • Scylla chases Tasmania Kid with a barrage of Skyulaser.
  • Coelagon uses Coelalock against Bighorn, though without naming his move. He has a good laugh about his dentures getting stuck on Bighorn's head.
  • Megastorm tries to hit Apache with a blast from his Lightwave Mega-Cannon, but he gets blown away by a bomb.

Real world references

• Tasmania Kid asks Scylla if she's at a disadvantage on land the way a kappa is. He follows it up be wondering what a kappa even is.

Continuity errors

• It's strange that the Seacons agree to be paid in only Angolmois Energy. Sure, it is the treasure they came to Gaia for, but since then they've gotten stranded due to damage to their ship and lack of materials to repair it. In the previous episode, they discussed that they could likely get materials from the Maximals or the Predacons, so why don't they at all demand materials here? In "Face the Setting Sun", they'll agree to work for cheaper than they're worth just to get the materials necessary to fix up their ship.
• Megastorm may be bad at math, but technically he did not promise the Seacons any Angolmois Energy. He just promised them an eighth of what the Predacons have without ever specifying what the Predacons have. Halfshell's negotiation skills are not to be commended if the payment he arranged can be anything and nothing.
• When and how and why did the Predacons get those group photos of the Seacons they're looking at on the screen?
• NAVI only mentions three energy readings despite that six traps are set up. There's one in the sea, which both Scuba and Diver are sent out to, but as later shown, while they both explore the seafloor, they do so in two different locations. Another reading's location is not specified beyond the coordinates, but as Lio Convoy says he'll go to the farthest one and this is the only not assigned, it follows that this is the beach. The third reading's location is in the jungle, which is where Tasmania Kid volunteers to go to. No mention is made of the two energy readings Bighorn and Apache go to.
• Why does Terrormander engage Apache in a fistfight? Any other time he fights one-on-one, he flies and uses ranged attack, only diving down if it is for a collision attack. The one other time he doesn't fly during battle is when he and Sea Phantom gun at the Jointrons in "Face the Setting Sun" which still guarantees a safe distance.
• Due to an explosion, Halfshell explicitly loses sight of Scuba, while another explosion gets Diver rid of Sea Phantom. It is not shown how the explosions near Apache and Tasmania Kid get them out of their fights with respectively Terrormander and Scylla, but it might be assumed they use it as a distraction like Scuba did. Bighorn, however, is still talking with Coelagon after the explosion and no mention is made of how he gets away. Based on Coelagon's state back on the pirate ship, Bighorn did not defeat him. On top of this, it's also very unlikely for Bighorn and Tasmania Kid to cross the distance from their respective fights in the jungle to Megastorm's injured form on the beach in the time given.

Animation and technical errors

• While the Galvaburg II is parked, the tower on the stern is partially layered behind a rock and partially in front of it.
• Megastorm's headlights are missing in several shots aboard the Galvaburg II and when he gets blown away by the bomb near Bighorn and Coelagon.
• Megastorm's reaction to learning that he promised the Seacons all of the Predacons' Angolmois Energy is audibly one of shock, but visually he seems to be laughing as he's sporting a grin, holding a hand in front of his mouth, and shaking his shoulders. He also says "What?!" but his mouth doesn't move to make such a sound.
• There are six transmitters, but seven are depicted when Megastorm makes the decision to rig them with explosives.
• Tasmania Kid's lower arms are light brown when NAVI screams.
• Coelagon and Bighorn run up to each other and butt heads. Coelagon visibly clenches his teeth as the impact sends the both of them backwards. Yet when they've both recovered, Coelagon's dentures are stuck on Bighorn's head.
• In several shots, no spikes are drawn on the transmitters. This first occurs with the three transmitters carried by Thrust, then with the transmitter Dirge and Thrust are guarding, then with the transmitter that Lio Convoy sits down next to, then with the transmitter near Bighorn and Coelagon when it blows up, and lastly it happens with the transmitter stuck on Sea Phantom's dorsal fin.
• The model of the transmitters' controller is different when Dirge and Thrust argue over it. Instead of six buttons, it had nine, and its antenna is on the right rather than the left.
• As Lio Convoy speaks to Dirge and Thrust, some of his chin fur, which is supposed to be white, clips into the yellow of his mane.
• After asking Coelagon about his seniority, Bighorn's bison eyes are colored green.
• When Megastorm approaches Bighorn with raised fists, the protrusions from his lower arms are on opposite sides from his hands. On the right, the protrusion is against the back of his hand and on the left, it's against the palm.

Trivia

• This episode contains a transformation seen in no other episode, namely that of Scylla. The only other Seacon to transform in the cartoon is Halfshell, but his transformation is taken from God Neptune's combination sequence. Likewise, this is the only episode that sees a Seacon use their battle mode in battle.
• After retiring the piko piko hammer gag in "Mystery of the Ancient Ruins", this episode is the last time Artemis hits Moon, her implement of choice being a speaking trumpet.
• Somehow, Dirge and Thrust can push the buttons on a controller while it's presumably stored in their cockpit in machine mode.
• Coelagon claims to be either 100.000 or 110.000 years old, expressing confusion over which one it is. His various profiles state that he is 80.000 years old. It's possible he's older in the context of the cartoon, but it's also possible that this is supposed to add another layer to the joke that Coelagon doesn't know his own age. In "Showdown in the Sea", Halfshell reiterates the claim that Coelagon is 100.000 years old, but he could just be repeating Coelagon.
• BB says one thing other than "Roger!" to back up Starscream.
• Lio Convoy is back as the star of the commercial bumpers since "The Black Lio Convoy".

Home video releases

All releases listed are in Japanese audio unless otherwise noted.

VHS

1998 — Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers — ACT. 8 (Pioneer LDC)

DVD

2011 — Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers — DVD-BOX (Video Maker)