Gephyrophillia | Page One #10

Originally Posted on 06/06/2002 by Jeff Harris

Okay, so I'm a day late. Sorry about that. How's everybody enjoying the cutesy hamster show that kicks off Toonami? So far, as expected, reaction to the series is mixed. Some think it's a cute, healthy diversion from the chaos and ultraviolence, not unlike actionless shows like Tenchi Muyo while others are ready to storm the halls of Cartoon Network with pitchforks, torches, and toothpicks to put those little hamster heads on. I'm not getting in the middle of the fray, so I'll divert my attention towards something else, like Transformers and G-Gundam.

The next chapter of the Transformers legacy is about to be unleashed sooner than you think. According to the official Transformers site, Transformers Armada premieres on Toonami on Friday, August 30 at 6:30 PM EST/PST and airing on Fridays until November when it gets a weekday strip at 4:30 PM. You have the familiar Autobots versus Decepticons war brewing, but a new force with no clear allegiance known as Mini-Cons enter the battlefield. Sure, they're tiny, but they make a huge impact on the storyline.

Transformers: Armada is one of two high-profile relaunches that will have their television home on Toonami. The other, a revamped Masters of the Universe, hasn't been scheduled by the network yet. Some sources say a preview will be seen in late July prior to a fall launch to tie in with the July launch of the new action figures, while others say that a September premiere a couple of weeks after the final season of Dragon Ball Z is inevitable. Until I find out something official, I'll keep my eyes wide open.

July 1 seems to be a target date for a pair of premieres, if you trust the grids. One of the shows is G.I. Joe, the popular 80s military cartoon at 1 AM EST/PST. It's not on Toonami, but it's really close to TMR not to be a part of the revolution. G.I. Joe was one of the ten most influential action shows to personify the 80's, and the third to actually premiere on Cartoon Network (Thundercats, Robotech, and Voltron came out of the 80s and were three pioneer Toonami shows, and two others, Transformers and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will be revamped later this year on Toonami). So, show your patriotism and watch a real American hero take over the TV dial.

Wait. Do they even MAKE TV dials anymore? I mean, everything's clicked now. But I digress.

At 5 PM, G Gundam, the first Toonami premiere of a Gundam series since last September, premieres. If you're expecting a cataclysmic battle between the forces Alliance and Zeon, you better watch Adult Swim instead (the one that started it all, Mobile Suit Gundam, settles into the 12:30 AM slot preceeding Gundam 0083), or, better yet, wait until the fall for Char's Counterstrike. The Earth is a wasteland, ravaged so bad, it's almost inhospitable. The nations of the planet have settled in space colonies. Instead of wars to determine who will control the council of nations, there is only one way to settle the dispute . . . a tournament?

Every four years, each nation sends a Gundam fighter to the Earth to participate in the tournament. The winning nation rules the council for the next four years. Neo-Japan's representative, a young man named Domon Kasshu, controls the Shining Gundam. However, he's less concerned with helping his country gain control of the council and more focused on finding this man that's on this tattered old photo he has. Domon encounters many warriors, some friend, some foes, and has to face a mysterious, demonic mobile suit known as the Devil Gundam. Who will come out of tournament victorious? What connections will be made? And what perils await the Gundams?

Sounds like fun.

I'll be back on this weekend for more things from the bridge. And try to stay cool in the warm summer, um, spring sun.

Until we are one, later.

Jeff Harris
Webmaster
June 6, 2002