Following a tantalising glimpse of an anime-style Transformers project, Studio Trigger (Delicious in Dungeon, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) has released a full look at the stylish makeover. A love letter to the long-running franchise through and through, the 40th-anniversary special features key characters across every generation, including fan-favourite Autobots like Optimus Prime, as heroes.
More notably, the short is helmed by Akira Amemiya, the creative force behind the Gridman reboot SSS.Gridman. The director served as both episode and animation director and also worked on storyboarding. Before that, he did a short animated tribute for Gridman as part of the Japan Animator Expo back in 2018.
The official YouTube link is unfortunately region-locked to Japan, which doesn’t come as a surprise. However, Studio Trigger has posted some screenshots on X/Twitter, showing off the Transformers robots in all their striking splendour. With Bump of Chicken’s song Mayday — originally released in 2007 — playing in the background, the animated special certainly pays a fitting and gorgeous homage to the franchise.
Transformers is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, with plenty of plans lined up for 2024 and beyond. Transformers One has opened in theatres, bringing the tragic relationship between Optimus and Megatron to the big screen. A Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie is also rolling out at Paramount, while hero shooter Overwatch 2 launched a Transformers tie-up in July. More recently, Takara Tomy announced an epic crossover featuring iconic franchises such as Transformers, Godzilla, Monster Hunter, Zoids, and Macross.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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