Metamorphosis (Armada)
| This article is about the episode of Armada. For the Cloud story, see Metamorphosis (Cloud). |
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 Grindor phone home | ||||||
| "Metamorphosis" (Henshin) "Mimicry: Metamorphosis" | ||||||
| Production code | TF: A-02 | |||||
| Production company | TV Tokyo, NAS | |||||
| Airdate | August 23, 2002 (English) 17 January 2003 (Japanese) | |||||
| Writer | Ryō Motohira | |||||
| Director | Takashi Sano | |||||
| Animation studio | Actas Inc. | |||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy | |||||
Pursued by the Decepticons, Rad, Carlos, and Alexis find they have allies in the form of Optimus Prime and his Autobots.
Synopsis
"Aw, but I liked "Generations" more..."
Billy and Fred find that a cave-in has trapped them both underground. Above ground, the fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron continues. Rad, Carlos and Alexis attempt to flee with their new Mini-Con friend, only to be cut off by two new robots teleporting in: Starscream and Demolishor. As Demolishor reaches for Rad and Carlos, two more robots appear and the youngsters find themselves surrounded. Alexis begins to lead her friends away, but Starscream spots High Wire and moves to grab the Mini-Con. He's blocked by Hot Shot, however, and the pair grapple.
Alexis has enough time to spy the Autobot sigil on Hot Shot's shoulder before Rad announces they're heading for the caves. Before Demolishor can make a move to stop them, he's tackled by Red Alert and pummeled repeatedly, so that his optical sensor is damaged. Megatron scornfully calls him "a weakling", but a moment later he is knocked down to the ground by Optimus Prime. Optimus demands that they surrender, but Megatron suddenly disappears, promising that he will return again. The other two Decepticons quickly retreat via teleport, leaving three surprised Autobots. Optimus tells his troops they have to stop Megatron getting hold of the Mini-Cons. Hot Shot points out the Decepticons are using short-warp equipment and must have a base nearby, which leads Red Alert to suspect they're based on the Moon.
The Decepticons are indeed using the crashed Mini-Con spaceship as a base. The three Decepticons arrive there, waking Cyclonus who is taking a nap in a hallway. The latter immediately begins fawning over Megatron and is ignored. His inquiry over whether they found the Mini-Cons is met with glares, and Starscream suggests he could be put in charge of finding them. Megatron agrees but makes clear the price of failure.
Back in the caves, Rad thinks they're safe, but Alexis is sure the giant robots will come after them, or, more specifically, High Wire. None of the kids can understand High Wire's speech but they follow the Mini-Con into another chamber and a door slowly slides closed behind them. Rad and Carlos assure Alexis this is a good thing. The lights come up and the trio realise they're standing on the threshold of a spaceship. Rad is able to access the ship's computer, letting the kids learn about Megatron and Optimus Prime. Alexis recognises the Autobot symbol from earlier.
Up on the Moon, Megatron stands outside the ship musing over how he will find the Mini-Cons and spies a glint of light on the Moon's surface.
High Wire goes nuts, much to the confusion of the three children. He opens a wall panel, revealing two Mini-Con storage panels which Alexis and Carlos activate. The panels reveal an orange she-Mini-Con and a blue Mini-Con, who pair up with Alexis and Carlos respectively.
On the Moon, Megatron has found another storage panel, which he activates to reveal his old Mini-Con Leader-1. Megatron is filled with evil glee.
Fred and Billy finally manage to pull themselves out of the cave, only to panic at the sight of a giant footprint. Underground, Carlos and Alexis let the Mini-Cons scan their skateboard and scooter for alternate modes.
Back on the Moon, Megatron demands to know why Cyclonus was unable to detect a Mini-Con right under his nose. Cyclonus can offer no excuse, and Starscream's chuckle only enrages the Decepticon leader further. Megatron tells them to witness the power of his Mini-Con, prompting Leader-1 to show his fire power. The two Decepticons are frightened and astonished. Demolishor arrives to report with the news that two more Mini-Cons have been activated on Earth. Megatron puts Cyclonus in charge of the recovery team and gives his troops new alt-modes based on Earth vehicles. Starscream transforms into a supersonic jet-fighter, Demolishor can become a self-propelled gun, Cyclonus looks like a military helicopter, and Megatron himself transforms into a tank. They leave for Earth again.
Meanwhile, the three kids have a good time with their Mini-friends. They race on the Mini-Cons through a forest, across water and up a cliff. But there they run unexpectedly right into Megatron and his troops. They try to run away but the Decepticons surround them, as does Megatron's triumphant laughter. It seems to Rad that it's all over for them... until Megatron is rammed into a rock wall by a large red-and-blue truck. Cyclonus and Starscream are so astonished that they simply remain poised in mid-air instead of doing anything. The truck pulls up by the three kids and asks them to get in; Alexis recognises the Autobot symbol on its side and jumps right in. Rad and Carlos are more hesitant, until Demolishor looms up behind them. The Decepticon attempts to stop the truck leaving and gets shot repeatedly in the face, then run over. Attempting to pursue, he's promptly rammed by a yellow sports car.
Safely out of danger, the truck lets them out and transforms into robot mode — it's Optimus Prime, naturally. Likewise Hot Shot and Red Alert appear in car mode and transform into robots. The kids observe the oncoming Decepticon forces, and Optimus combines with his trailer into super mode. Rad reflects that the Autobots might need his help while they're on Earth. The Autobots and Decepticons prepare to do battle.
Featured characters
((Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Mini-Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"What a weakling."
- —Megatron is not impressed at Demolishor being taken down by Red Alert.
Hot Shot: They're using short-warp equipment, so they must have a base set up somewhere near here.
Red Alert: (looking at the moon) They're up there.
- —200,000 miles is "near"?
"You had better not. If you do, I'll have you dismantled for scrap, then I'll launch what's left of you straight into the sun, understand?"
- —Megatron on what will happen if Cyclonus fails.
"So he really is from outer space! I bet he came from some distant galaxy a long time ago, to escape those big robots. Maybe they use small robots like him to increase their power or something. His ship must have crash landed on Earth and now they've tracked him down."
"Wow, you think so?"
"That's the only reason I can think of why those big robots would come after him."
- —Rad comes up with the most far-fetched, unbelievable explanation ever. Alexis is impressed.
"Hey, guess what? He understands me! He does, he really does!"
"Are you sure? This one's not reacting to anything I say. Aw, his batteries must be low. Maybe he needs to be recharged or something."
- —Alexis and Carlos on meeting their Mini-Cons.
"Shut your mouth, you worthless piece of junk!"
- —Megatron on Cyclonus' failure.
"Megatron! Uh... sir? What happened in here?"
- —Demolishor is surprised at Leader-1's redecorating.
Notes
Differences with Micron Legend
- Micron Legend opens the episode with a recap and narration of the Mini-Cons escaping to Earth. After the opening song, it cuts to where the English dub begins, with Optimus and Megaton facing off. The scene is silent until Rad finishes the narration by saying, "Now in retrospect...This is what started everything." In Armada, Rad recaps Megatron and Optimus appearing at the previous episode's end, mentioning that they're "bitter enemies from an ancient time." However, he can't possibly know that at this point, and how, unbeknownst to them, he and his friends were going to have a major role in the Transformers' battle. Both versions play different music during their respective recap scene.
- In Micron Legend, Billy asks what's happening outside, thinking there's another earthquake. After Fred starts crying, he tells him to stop since he doesn't want Rad and the others to hear him. Armada has Billy resign himself and Fred to their fate of being trapped in the cave, and he tells the crying Fred to get a grip.
- In Armada, Megatron and Alexis refer to Mini-Cons as plural although High Wire is the only one that's been seen so far. Micron Legend fixes it so that they refer to the singular Mini-Con.
- In Armada, when the kids and High Wire get surrounded, Carlos says they're in the middle of a showdown, but says it's no use trying to run in Micron Legend.
- Armada has Red Alert express concern for Optimus after the fight, but as is so often the case with Autobots in Japanese fiction, they're all business in Micron Legend, where Prime goes straight to talking about short-range warp equipment. The brief extension made to the conversation in Armada means that Hot Shot is given this line in the English version.
- In Micron Legend, our heroes have no idea where the Decepticons have gone, whereas, in Armada, Red Alert immediately figures the Decepticons have their base on the moon. This is a huge continuity error going forward in the English dub since the Autobots' lack of knowledge about the villains' base location factors into the plot on several occasions.
- The discussion the Decepticons have in the Mini-Con ship is entirely different across the two versions of the show. In Armada, Megatron wants to know if Starscream has had any luck finding Mini-Cons by scanning the planet. Starscream suggests Cyclonus would do a better job, prompting the crazy 'copter to take up the task reluctantly. In Micron Legend, on the other hand, the exchange is about how Cyclonus went to sleep instead of searching the ship for any Mini-Cons, this task being the reason he didn't accompany the others to Earth. Megatron tells him to get back to work but is far less threatening about it than in Armada since the Autobots don't know about the ship yet, and they can afford to take their time. The Japanese dub has Starscream telling Cyclonus to wipe some drool off his face and adds a sniffling sound to when Cyclonus wipes his face.
- Once they take cover in the caves, the kids worry about the Transformers coming after them in Armada, but want to tell people about them in Micron Legend. Moments later, rather than ask High Wire if the Transformers are after him as she does in Armada, Alexis decides against telling anyone about the Transformers since High Wire would be taken away and inquires if "Mini-Con" is his real name.
- In Micron Legend, Rad translates that High Wire leads him, Alexis, and Carlos into an elevator in the Mini-Con ship. When Alexis questions why only Rad can understand High Wire, Carlos says that it's probably because Rad is the one who found the Mini-Con. Then, in the spaceship, Rad claims that High Wire said he and other Mini-Cons escaped from Cybertron four million years ago.
- As we saw in the previous episode, Rad is consistently able to translate all of High Wire's sounds in Micron Legend, while in Armada, as will be anything but consistent, he cannot. A lot of the dialogue that's him initially speaking for High Wire is replaced with Rad guessing and deducing things on his own (making massive leaps of logic in the process), reading from another source, or just outright filler babble. This includes dialogue like the Mini-Cons' history and who and what the Autobots and Decepticons are. At this point in the Japanese dub, the kids only learn Megatron and Optimus's names, and High Wire says they can trust Prime to protect them. They don't learn about the Transformers' factions until the next episode.
- This extends to the other kids, too. In Micron Legend, Alexis expresses her amazement at understanding Sureshock, but in Armada, she's amazed at Sureshock's ability to understand her. Meanwhile, Carlos complains that Grindor is not reacting to him in Armada, while in Micron Legend, he repeats for the others what Grindor just told him: that the Mini-Cons have been waiting four million years for the kids to arrive. This enigmatic comment sets up a vital plot element that will be appropriately explained near the end of the series.
- When High Wire goes crazy in Armada, Rad reacts to High Wire's erraticness, and when Carlos and Alexis react, she asks, "What is it?". In Micron Legend, Rad translates the Mini-Con as saying he has friends on the ship, and Alexis asks, "Who's calling?" as she and Carlos react to Grindor and Sureshock, making their link with the Mini-Cons more explicit. After waking Grindor and Sureshock, Rad calls them the children's new comrades in Micron Legend but wonders if there are more Mini-Cons in Armada.
- When Billy and Fred exit the cave, Billy calls the imprint of Megatron's back "a giant footprint" in Armada. This is absent from Micron Legend.
- In Armada, Megatron recognizes Leader-1 when he emerges from his panel, saying that he used to be his partner in the past. It's less clear in Micron Legend; he seems to recognize the Mini-Con, but later episodes imply the Decepticons also make up names for the Mini-Cons when they free them. The later episode, "Prehistory," however, would confirm that Leader-1 was indeed partners with Megatron in the past and that it wasn't an Armada addition.
- And while we're talking about Megatron: As he looks at the Earth, he's not vowing to find the Mini-Cons in Micron Legend; he's just cursing Optimus Prime for going to Earth. Armada Megatron is quite calm and collected.
- While the kids merely whoop about how awesome their Mini-Cons are in Armada, in Micron Legend, Alexis expresses distress over Sureshock's alternate mode (presumably referencing the fact she has transformed into a moped, rather than the razor scooter she scanned). Rad and Carlos blame both Sureshock's age and her being asleep for so long. Before this in Micron Legend, Carlos shows Grindor his skateboard, already knowing the Mini-Cons can transform. Then Alexis tells Sureshock to scan her scooter.
- After Megatron reams Cyclonus out for missing Leader-1 in Micron Legend, Megatron's tirade is about demanding that Cyclonus refer to Leader-1 with the Japanese suffix "sama," to show respect for his leader's Mini-Con. As well as groveling, Cyclonus also asks what Leader-1 says, and Megatron quietly replies that he doesn't actually know yet. Armada completely changes the subject and has Cyclonus excuse his overloaded circuits and Megatron being tempted to melt him down for being an idiot.
- Micron Legend has Megatron say that he and Leader-1 will operate as planned although he can't understand the Mini-Con. Armada changes this to Megatron telling Leader-1 to show how strong he is to "motivate" the underling Decepticons.
- In Armada, while looking at the Decepticons' new vehicle modes, Demolisher wonders what Megatron has done, and he claims to have "modified" their alt-modes. In Micron Legend, Demolisher is impressed by the designs instead. Then Megatron says they will scan the vehicles since they're "the strongest military weaponry." He also doesn't mention the Mini-Cons increasing their strength in this scene.
- Armada adds a couple of lines to the otherwise silent scene in Micron Legend, where Optimus scans the semi-truck that will become his vehicle form.
- Micron Legend changes the children's dialogue during their Mini-Cons' "test drive." Alexis tells Sureshock to go faster. Carlos reminds Rad of his previous comment about Alexis not being an enthusiastic type, and Rad says that Alexis is only scary when she focuses on becoming President. Then Alexis points out the forest ahead.
- When the kids run into Megatron in Micron Legend, Rad says Megatron's name and notes the latter's tank mode after he transforms.
- After the rest of the 'Cons transform, Armada has Rad jump the gun and say the kids become surrounded moments before they are. This mistake is fixed in Micron Legend as Rad exclaims in shock at the sight of the Decepticons transforming, and he says, "We're surrounded!" at the proper time.
- In Armada, Demolisher begs for help after Hot Shot knocks him over, and then Cyclonus and Starscream ask Megatron to help them. Micron Legend makes Demolisher be all "woe is me" while Cyclonus and Starscream just say Megatron's name.
- In Micron Legend, Rad recognizes Optimus after he transforms. After Optimus enters his Super Mode, he doesn't address High Wire by name and instead says the Autobots will protect them (possibly referring to the Mini-Cons and the kids).
- Rad's closing narration in Micron Legend is about how the kids were excited as the Autobots surrounded them rather than scared. Armada takes a more lighthearted approach as Rad says he's ready to return the favor and help the Autobots after they save the kids again.
Animation and technical errors
- At multiple times throughout the episode, the whites of Carlos's eyes appear.
- The close-ups of Hot Shot and Prime's Autobot symbols look very pixelated.
- When Megatron threatens Cyclonus with what will happen should he fail his task, Megatron's mouth stays shut the entire time he is speaking.
- After being threatened by Megatron, Cyclonus' hand changes color from its standard dark gray to the same yellow as his forearms and hips.
- Megatron's first on-screen transformation includes different animation hiccups. The animation of his arms folding into his shoulders is layered incorrectly. The arms appear to fold on top of his shoulders rather than inside. As his animation model then moves his upper half outside the camera, his lower body is placed too low in the frame, showing that it's not attached to anything. Lastly, when his legs fold up, his crotch disappears for one frame.
- Going frame-by-frame, during the shot of Carlos, Grindor, Rad, and High Wire comically run towards the screen, Armada added an extra frame with an extreme close-up of Rad. Also, Carlos's mouth doesn't move when he says, "Run for it!".
- Optimus' faceplate is briefly miscolored yellow during his Super Mode transformation sequence.
Real-world references
- Leader-1 is named after Leader-1, leader of the Guardians from the GoBots cartoon and toyline.
Trivia
- The kanji 擬態 would normally be pronounced as "gitai," while "henshin" is the kanji 変身.
- When Starscream first appears, he shows an ability akin to heat vision to detect Mini-Cons amongst humans on the battlefield, accompanied by retracting eyelids. After obtaining his new Earth alt-mode, he never shows this skill again for the rest of the series.
- Pre-Earth mode Optimus is standing on a ledge above as a truck passes below. When he's finished scanning, the truck passes by, and we see Optimus again, already in his truck alt-mode. You will see this again.
- Alexis refers to the female Sureshock as male. Then again, she doesn't indicate understanding anything Sureshock says either, so it's not surprising she has no indication...
- This is the last time Mini-Cons are seen awakening in their Cybertronian forms and scanning Earth-based alternate modes, as in the future episode the ones that transform into minimized Earth vehicles have those modes applied as soon as they're awakened.
- High Wire, Sureshock, and Grindor are seen capable of crossing water in their alt-modes in this episode. However, we never see them do this again.
- In a true anime-like fashion, Demolisher's eye tears up a little bit as he struggles to hold back truck-mode Optimus.
Foreign localization
German
- Title: "Transformation!" ("Transformation!")
- Original airdate: 2 December 2003
Hungarian
- Title: "Átalakulás" ("Transformation")
Polish
- Title: "Przemiana" ("Metamorphosis")
Portuguese
- Title: "Metamorfose" ("Metamorphosis")
French
- Title: "Métamorphoses" ("Metamorphoses")
Korean
- Title: "변신하는 초로봇 생명체" ("Transforming First Robots Living Beings")
Home video releases
- DVD
2003 — Transformers: Micron Legend — Volume 1 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:01 (Universal)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Best Battles (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2005 — Transformers: Armada — Triple Collection (Universal)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Bumper Double DVD Collection (Universal)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
