For the first time in the West, the Transformers manga series, originally serialized in Japan's TV Magazine has been translated for English speaking fans. The strip began in 1985, partnered with the cartoon series and helped to introduce a generation of Japanese fans to a novel reversal of fortune - an American take on a Japanese product!
The manga is a jarring experience for fans of Marvel's comics. It's very much geared to a younger audience, with the Autobots travelling to Japan and befriending the young Kenji, who becomes their partner when fighting the evil Decepticons.The stories are pretty simple affairs, with the Decepticons arriving in Japan to steal energy sources and the Autobots arriving to stop them. There's not much nuance here, with the dialogue being direct and devoid of much individuality or character. As is traditional with Japanese cartoons, many of the attacks are shouted as they're initiated, and often times the way in which characters interact are incredibly formal - not unusual for Japanese culture, but very jarring for us Western types!
One thing that does impress is the art - the level of detail is often incredible, with speed lines giving the pages a sense of urgency and motion that even the US comics sometimes struggled with. Ban Magami is clearly a talented artist, and although the stories are very simplistic, he lends them an air of excitement throug his eye for mechanical details and ability to storyboard action.
The book straddles seasons 1-3 of the cartoon series (and elements of 4) taking us all the way through the main "modern day" stories and then switching to the "future" 2006 characters about halfway through the book. As a cartoon-centric affair, the book never really dabbles with the sort of dystopic undertones that Marvel's comics managed, though one particular story about a dog loaded with Decepticon technology is a bit hard to take.
Once the stories are done, there's a large and comprehensive 74 page gallery showcasing the artwork used by the magazine to highlight certain story elements from the cartoon, as well as promotional materials.
Ultimately this is both an easy and difficult book to recommend. For a Transformers fan, this is a rare and beautifully presented glimpse into a major part of Transformers history, hitherto unavailable in the West. The embossed hardcover is just gorgeous on the bookshelf and even the content pages are lovingly rendered to reflect the original 80's branding. On the other hand, the stories are very simple, short and often quite daft. There's a lovable charm to the whole thing, but as literature it won't win any prizes.
I'm absolutely delighted to have this in my collection, and it reminds me in many ways of the black and white Marvel UK Earthforce strips introduced towards the end of the comic's run. An essential history lesson for lovers of transforming robots, early 80's Japanese culture or even just intriguing artwork of another era. Time travel writ large!
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