Credulous
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 Hi ho Sideways! | ||||||
| "Credulous" (Ogori) "Pride: Arrogance" | ||||||
| Production code | TF: A-16 | |||||
| Production company | TV Tokyo, NAS | |||||
| Airdate | December 27, 2002 (English) 25 April 2003 (Japanese) | |||||
| Writer | Shōji Tonoike | |||||
| Director | Shigeki Hatayama, Satoru Kusuda | |||||
| Animation studio | Actas Inc. | |||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy | |||||
During a battle over a new Mini-Con, Hot Shot and Sideways are accidentally teleported to the Decepticon moonbase. Will they be able to survive by depending on each other?
Synopsis
At another battle for a precious Mini-Con, the Autobots and the Decepticons face each other, with Scavenger suspiciously absent. When Sideways and Hot Shot press forward, Starscream retreats, while Cyclonus and Demolishor also unenthusiastic about the notion of going against the Star Saber. With all the Decepticons literally running away (having apparently forgotten their alt modes), Prime and Smokescreen look for the Mini-Con.
At the battlefield, Sideways announces he's found the Mini-Con, causing him to be rushed by Megatron who sits on the bike. Megatron is able to grasp the Mini-Con, but Sideways in turn holds onto Megatron. And Hot Shot uses his hyperdrive to grab on to Sideways. Together, the three are all caught in Megatron's teleportation back to the Decepticon base. Scavenger, who was apparently passively monitoring the fight from a distance, considers the teleportation "An interesting turn of events." Prime and Smokescreen are left to look for their partner.
On the Moon, Megatron is unable to awaken the Mini-Con; finding the panel to be a fake, he crushes it into dust. Then Sideways reveals (via a retroactive foreshadowing flashback) to Hot Shot that this was all part of his plan to get Hot Shot inside of the Decepticon base so that he might eliminate the Decepticons. Cyclonus and Demolishor arrive and Megatron orders the battle to begin again.
Scavenger returns to the damaged Decepticon base. Sideways and Hot Shot take cover in a hallway and the Decepticons lead the two Autobots outside, revealing that the Decepticon base is on the moon. The duo follow the Decepticons knowing that they might be heading into a trap. Megatron's disembodied voice taunts Hot Shot. Soon, the couple are surrounded by shadowy figures, and when Hot Shot attempts to plow through one of them to get clear, he sees that one the shadows is Optimus Prime. Or is it?
After attempting to converse with a suspiciously hostile Optimus, Sideways points out that the Optimus Hot Shot is talking to isn't actually Optimus at all but actually a clever ruse. The two take cover in a Moon hole and the two agree to split up to defeat the holographic doppelgangers.
Megatron meanwhile announces that whomever can claim the Star Saber from Hot Shot is allowed to keep it. Hot Shot and Sideways finish off the holograms and Hot Shot briefly hops on Sideways' bike mode as the Decepticons begin their attack. Hot Shot leaps off of Sideways, cutting off Cyclonus's rotor, and knocking over Demolishor as he lands, ready to duel Starscream.
Starscream gains the upper hand against the exhausted Hot Shot, but Megatron reveals that he's taken Sideways prisoner and is ransoming him for the Star Saber. Hot Shot is conflicted, but concedes that it's his duty to save Sideways and gives up the sword. Megatron releases Sideways, but before he can claim the Star Saber, Hot Shot verbally commands the three Mini-Cons to separate and return.
At that moment, Sideways changes sides, knocking the Star Saber away from Hot Shot to Starscream. Sideways changes his head and logo, and Hot Shot emotionally laments how he was easily deceived. Cyclonus and Demolishor literally kick Hot Shot while he's down. Starscream is about to kill Hot Shot to earn the Star Saber, but Scavenger arrives and suggest that Hot Shot has had enough.
Back at the Autobot base, the Autobots and kids have been anxiously waiting. While Carlos, Billy, and Fred believed that Hot Shot would easily defeat the Decepticons, the rest of the Autobots weren't so optimistic. However they were forced in a passive position as they were unaware of the location of the Decepticon base. When Hot Shot arrives in brutal shape and falls offline, Red Alert rushes to provide aid.
Starscream celebrates his new sword, gloating that he is undeniably the most powerful warrior in the universe. This causes an enraged Megatron to destroy the monitor he was watching Starscream upon, eliciting a laugh from Sideways.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Mini-Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"I love that 'save the universe' stuff. Uh, I mean—way cool!"
- —Fred
"Meddling Matrix!"
- —Megatron, as he delivers a kick to Hot Shot's face
"Come on, Star Saber, it's time to shut down this user's past-due account!"
- —Lame computer metaphor courtesy of Hot Shot
"The sword's stayin' with me, pal. Now get your microprocessors out here!"
(laughs) "Want to play the hard way, do you? Well, suits me just fine. I'd love the chance to initialize your disc."
- —Hot Shot and Megatron compete with bad computer metaphors.
"Hyperdrive! Coming through! Drop or be dropped, scuzzy breath! [Charges at a hologram, which turns out to be Optimus. Laughs weakly.] Uh, Optimus! Heh heh, hope you didn't take it personally..."
- —Hot Shot
Demolishor: "Still reeling from the shock of it all, are you, now? Why don't I help bring you back to reality!" [begins stomping and kicking Hot Shot]
Cyclonus: "I'd be glad to lend a hand!"
Megatron: "[laughs evilly] Give the Autobot some special Decepticon attention."
- —The Decepticons, after taking Hot Shot's sword away
Megatron: "...Do me a little favor: I need you to put that punk out of his misery!"
Starscream: "Yes, sir."
Scavenger: "Stop right there. There's no need to finish him off."
- —Scavenger hints at his true nature.
Notes
Differences with Legends of the Microns
- In Armada, Hot Shot wonders to himself why Sideways is shooting at the other Autobots before realizing the hologram trick, where as in the original he stands still silently for few seconds.
- When Megatron angrily boasts to Sideways after being tackled by him, Sideways responds in mocking manner before revealing his darker side to him in Armada. Legends of the Microns has Sideways stay silent during this scene.
- In Legends of the Microns, as Hot Shot is yelling in frustration after Sideways' betrayal, he desperately tries to call the Star Saber Mini-Cons to return to him. This is a more direct link to the next shot where Starscream holds the shaking sword from separating.
Animation and technical errors
- The quality of animation at the beginning of the episode is very poor, but suddenly improves after the scene at the Autobot base.
- As Cyclonus fires his yellow arm projectiles, they turn red as soon as they eject. When they fly past Hot Shot and Sideways in the next shot, they're represented as glowing purple energy projectiles.
- At one point, Sideways is missing his handlebars. Hot Shot, who is riding him, is posed as if he is holding onto them.
- In the shot where Megatron fires a warning shot to the ground to keep Starscream from interfering with his negotiation with Hot Shot, Starscream is drawn without right hand.
Continuity notes
- A little bit of time seems to have passed since the last episode, as Hot Shot and Sideways have since become pretty close allies.
- The Decepticons keep referring to Sideways as a "virus". Boy, they don't know the half of it.
- It seems like Fred still hasn't learned anything, because he calls the Decepticons "Destructicons."
- When Sideways reveals himself to Megatron, partially hidden by a cloud of dust, his dialogue is rather baffling. After Megatron claims that no-one humiliates him, Sideways says in his normal voice, "That's not what I've been hearing!" Immediately after, however, he repeats this line, in a higher-pitched, unintelligent-sounding voice, as if he was mockingly repeating the sentence (which would mean he was... mocking himself?). Immediately thereafter, Crosswise appears from off-screen and becomes his Decepticon head. Any significance this may have between Sideways and his Mini-Cons is unclear. The line was not present in the Japanese version of the episode. In another scene, Sideways in vehicle mode speaks normally even though his rider is absent.
- Gadgets and powers:
- This is a rare instance where Cyclonus uses his arm cannons as missiles, a gimmick used on his toy.
- Sideways fires lasers from his tailpipes on his forearms.
- Hot Shot uses his "Hyperdrive" ability for the first time. This is where his foot chainsaws act as skates and allow him to move across the ground super fast.
- His foot chainsaws are used again to stop Starscream's sword.
- Sideways is seemingly large enough for a car-sized bot to ride.
- Megatron uses Leader-1 in his pistol configuration. He later has Leader-1 in this configuration Powerlinxed to his upper right shoulder.
- Sideways Powerlinx with Crosswise for the first time.
- However, the animation makes this transition somewhat odd, as Mirror is shown changing from one head to the other, whereas the last episode specifically depicted Mirror splitting in two before placing Rook on his head.
- Starscream Powerlinx with the Star Saber for the first time.
Continuity errors
- At the very beginning of the episode, the Decepticons diss Scavenger for not being in the battle, which is odd, given that he has been at the forefront of their battles in the past two episodes.
- Shortly after, the rock Megatron is standing behind is shot by three distinct lasers. The camera cuts to Sideways, who is only shooting two lasers, and no other gunners in sight. Then we see the Decepticons, being shot by four distinct lasers. Then comes another shot of Sideways, still with two lasers, but this time both Optimus and Smokescreen can be seen, just staring.
- Later, as the Decepticons retreat, they are shot at by four lasers. Once again, it's only Sideways.
- Hot Shot reacts with surprise when finding that the Decepticon base is on the Moon, but the Autobots already worked that out back in "Metamorphosis".
- Despite his several references to getting the Star Saber "back," Starscream has never actually been shown to have possessed it at any point prior to this episode.
- After Hot Shot slices off Cyclonus's propeller, Cyclonus either reattaches it, grows a new one, or lucks into a continuity error.
Trivia
- The kanji 慢心 would be pronounced as "manshin", while "ogori" is used for the kanji 驕り in this context.
- Amazingly, the entire scene where Megatron and Sideways fight over the fake Mini-Con panel is animated with both characters in compromising positions, with both voice actors David Kaye and Paul Dobson making mostly grunting sounds, a dream come true to fangirls of both characters and actors.
- If all the holograms are of the Autobots at the time, why isn't there a Sideways one?
- For some reason among the Autobot holograms there is a Demolishor one.
- This episode showcases narration from Alexis, rather than the normal narration from Rad.
- Credulous is a big word for a children's show. It's good to see the English language pushed along with selling toys.
- Cyclonus uses his rotors to fly whilst on the Moon. HELICOPTERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY.
- During the duel with Starscream, Hot Shot is shown panting. Even if a Transformer would need to do that for some reason, still, it's THE MOON.
- Hilariously, Optimus tells Red Alert that Hot Shot needs "tech support" when Hot Shot returns to the Autobot base injured.
Foreign localization
Hungarian
- Title: "Árulás" ("Treachery")
Polish
- Title: "Podstęp" ("Deceit")
French
- Title: "La trahison" ("The Treason")
Korean
- Title: "두얼굴의 더블페이스" ("Two-faced Doubleface")
Portuguese
- Title: "Crédulo" ("Credulous")
Home video releases
- DVD
2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 4 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2007 — Transformers: Armada — Le combat recommence... (TFou Vidéo) — French audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
