Intro:
Get ready as the Autobots and Decepticons clash once more in the next twenty-five episodes of season two (if you are counting the episodes from the beginning of the series, then this set has episodes forty to sixty-four)! From traveling to different planets, to chasing around a creature made entirely of energy (known to all as Kremzeek), you can bet that this is going to be one wild ride!
Also be prepared for the arrivals of the Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots, Combaticons, Superion, Vector Sigma, Orion Pax, Alita 1, giant alien kids, Bruticus, Japan, an evil game hunter, and so much more! If you thought you knew the Transformers, wait till you see what part two has in store. There is a lot more action, excitement, betrayal, friendship, and the never ending battle to protect the Earth from the evil Decepticons. So get ready to see more than meets the eye!
Packaging: Front: There is a picture of Ironhide firing off into the distance, with the title of the series written below him. You can see the words, “THE PERFECT COLLECTION”, written at the top left. Out of all the box sets for this series released, this is the first one to have that written on the case.
Outer Spine: Again, the title of the series as well as what season and part this box set is, are written across the spine.
Back: The screenshots are set up in the same fashion as the first part of season two. There are twelve pictures in total and they are set up in three columns with four pictures in each one. To describe this easier, I will label the columns from left to right (as one, two, and three). The first and third columns have the exact same pictures as the first and third column from part one. Only the second column has four new screenshots, but the good news is that this time around, all of the pictures are from the box set they are representing. If you remember in my review of part one, all of the screenshots were taken from the second box set, which is why I’m stressing the importance of MAC getting it right this time.
Below the pictures are the DVD specs and once again there are some errors. The first one is that the episodes they have listed in this box set are twenty-seven to fifty-two. ACTUALLY, it is episodes twenty-five to forty-nine! The second problem is that they only list the audio option as 5.1 Dolby Digital, when there is also 2.0ch.
Outer Flaps: Both flaps only have the same text that was on the outer spine.
Inner left flap: Behind the left flap are discs one and two. The picture behind disc one is actually half of one big picture spanning across both discs. On the left side (and on the label of disc one) is the same picture of Ironhide that was on the front. Disc two features the Protectobot Hot Spot (who appeared in the episode B.O.T., which was on disc four). What is a little odd about the picture is that these two Autobots are allies, yet they are seen here firing at each other.
The title of the series is on every picture and label. The only difference between this text and the one that is located everywhere else on the case is that instead of saying “part 2”, it says the disc number. Nothing major, but I wanted to point that out.
Inner right flap: The picture behind disc three shows Swindle (a Combaticon), Menasor (the combination of all the Stunticons), and Astoria (the girl from the episode, The Girl Who Loved Powerglide. This episode was on disc two). The picture on disc four was a screenshot of Devcon (an Autobot bounty hunter that travels to different planets to destroy Decepticons. He appeared in the episode The Gambler, which was on disc one).
Video:
Just like with the previous volumes there are visible wears and tears, but the video is exceptional given its age. Also, the episodes were presented in full screen format. While watching the episodes on my computer, the picture looked a little grainy and blurry at some instances. On the TV, the picture was a lot smoother and better quality.
The only real problems I saw with the video were both on episode sixty-one. At 16m49s, there was a “quicker-than-blinking-an-eye” flash of a black screen in the middle of a scene. I had to rewind multiple times to make sure this flash was not a mind trick. The same flash happened again at 18m44. However, instead of it being black, the flash was of a scene involving the streets of a city. If you blink, you miss it, so it is not a big deal.
What I found comical was that there were little glitches involving the actual production of the episodes. The one that I saw was on episode forty-three at 01h27m41s. As the character is walking, half of him just disappears. This again occurs at 01h29m44s. See if you can spot it. It will make you laugh!
Audio:
The two options for the audio were: Surround 5.1 and Stereo 2.0. I am getting 5.1 soon, but as for now I was only able to listen with 2.0ch. It could just be my imagination, but at some parts, the audio sounded a bit muffled and a tad on the soft side. It was not at the point where I had to turn the volume way up, but a little more than normal. This could just be my equipment, but this is how it sounded to me.
Subtitles:
Even though there were no subtitles (since the episodes were only dubbed in English), there was still a spelling error! In episode fifty-four at 13m17s, there is a scene of a door with the word “close” on it. The spelling error is that they spelled it as “cllose”. But that was the original creators fault, not MACs.
Chapter Breaks:
Each episode had six chapter breaks. As I’ve stated before, the Scene Index menu displays all six per episode and even has a title for each chapter.
Content:
The episode (twenty-five in total) count per disc is as follows: Discs 1-3 had seven episodes each and disc 4 had four.
Even though all the discs had the same content, disc one was the only one with an introduction cinematic. On disc one, there is a 0:19s introduction featuring a 3D Sound Wave. The camera just pans around him from the bottom up, until it backs away and you see his whole body as well as the Decepticon symbol. For the other three discs, the DVD starts up with Sound Wave already standing there. The options on the DVDs are: PLAY ALL EPISODES, SCENE INDEX, and AUDIO SETUP. The main menu has the opening theme song playing in the background for 01m20s before starting over again.
When you select Scene Index, there is a short cinematic of Sound Wave pressing a button on his shoulder that releases a tape. The tape flies to the screen and then the chapter menu is displayed. For each episode, the production number, title of the episode, and the six chapter breaks are displayed. For each chapter, there is a 0:10s clip that plays before starting over again. The opening theme song (without lyrics) is playing. The whole menu plays for 01m07s before it automatically goes right back to the cinematic of Sound Wave pressing the button and releasing the tape all over again.
After you select the Audio Setup, there is a short cinematic of the camera panning to the right to a rock with the options on it. After you choose which audio option you want to hear the episodes with, the first episode on the disc automatically begins (right after the opening credits that is).
For the remaining three discs, the menu loads as soon as you select a chapter. There is no small cinematic of any kind.
On disc four, there is a SPECIAL FEATURES option. The bonuses on the disc are two separate interviews. The two writers are:
Buzz Dixon – running time 18m28s – This man has been a writer for a lot of popular cartoon shows. Some of them include: Batman: The Animated Series, G.I. Joe, The Original Transformers, and more.
Flint Dille - running time 20m23s – He has worked with Buzz Dixon on: G.I. Joe, The Original Transformers, and more.
Both are interesting interviews and are worth a watch. Aside from those two interviews, there were no other extra features in this set. Oh well, the episodes are enough to make me happy!
Conclusion:
Time to see the movie! As you all know (and for those who do not), after season two was the release of the theatrical movie. All I can say is that my Transformers obsessed friend loves the movie, so I am looking forward to watching it this week.
I was very satisfied with this next batch of episodes. They featured new adventures on far away planets, the arrival of some new allies, as well as villains. My favorite episode was all about Starscream vs. Megatron. My only complaint was that there were NO appearances or even talk of the Dinobots. What was up with that? Hopefully I’ll see them again in the movie or in season three.
If you have been following the series up till now, don’t stop! It just gets better and is still a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED series to watch. For the most part, each episode stands alone, but there are a few where it helps to see a previous one to understand the story better!
So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this review and order The Original Transformers: Season 2 Part 2 today and see why Transformers have remained a classic for all these years!
Email me at jpolan@drew.edu if you have any problems, concerns, or comments.
Publisher: MAC Discs: 4 Episodes: 25 Price: $32.00
Reviewer: Polanator Reviewed On: 07/05/2004
Click on Image for Full Size
If he was summoned by that Decepticon signal, then maybe Sound Wave is Batman? Oh, and there are special features on the fourth disc!
As you can see, the chapter index menu allows you to select any one of the six chapters per episode. Each one even has its own title.
The pink Autobot is Elita-one. The old Autobot is Alpha Trion. What connection do they have to Prime's past?
Looks like someone could have used a spell checker back in the '80s.
The Aerialbots were created to fight against the Stunticons. And wait till you see Superion and Menasor!
Doesn't Orion Pax remind you of someone? Maybe....Spike? No, that's not it. I just can't put my finger on it.
Ewwww, cosmic rust. Now that's one reason I'm glad I'm not a robot. And it looks like Megatron wishes he wasn't either.
Can you believe that the Kremzeeks are going to threaten Japan? Maybe even a little Godzilla parody is in store!
Let's give it up for Omega Supreme and the Constructicons. They're on their way to the battle of the bands. But, aren't they enemies?
Where'd she go? This is one of those glitches I talk about in my review, but it has to do with the original production. So don't blame MAC.
