Transformers: Cybertron

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Latest robot series steps into the final frontier.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that, in robot form, each Transformer has some sort of built-in weapon, and shooting wars are commonplace. It's often difficult to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys, since they're all robots, and they change to and from various vehicles. The series is very much male-dominated -- the only recurring female role is Lori, one of the kids who befriend the Autobots.

  • Not applicable.
  • Although they're not obvious, characters exhibit some morals and social responsibilities. But violence is the "solution" to most conflicts.
  • Lack of female role models -- only one female character, period. It's sometimes difficult to tell the bad guys from the good guys.
  • Autobots engage in plenty of shooting wars, but as they're all mechanical, there's very little harm done.

What's the story?

TRANSFORMERS: CYBERTRON follows in the footsteps of Transformers: Armada and Transformers: Energon. Like its predecessors, it's both a TV show and a line of action figures by Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara. Unlike the others, however, Transformers: Cybertron takes viewers to the final frontier with plotlines that revolve around space travel. A black hole in space has threatened the existence of Transformers from the planet Cybertron, so they emigrate to Earth to seek refuge. There they befriend brothers Coby (voiced by Sam Vincent) and Bud (Ryan Hirakida) and their friend Lori (Sarah Edmondson), who help the mechanical newbies navigate their new home. The only way the gang can stop the spread of the black hole is to collect four Cyber Planet Keys, which are hidden on four different planets: Earth, Velocitron, Jungle Planet, and Gigantrion. The mission would be simple but for the fact that the Transformers' nemeses, the Decepticons, are also after the Keys for their own goal of domination. The race is on, and it leads to a galaxy-wide scavenger hunt as the characters work to identify the disguised Keys.


Is it any good?

 

Transformers: Cybertron features a decipherable plot, dynamic graphics, and multi-dimensional characters. As the three kids teach the Autobots about life on Earth, viewers see undertones of principles and lessons. In one episode, for example, Bud begs Autobot Scattershot (Richard Ian Cox) to bend the rules and take him into space. Once there, an accident sends them off-course and threatens Bud's oxygen supply, and it's only some quick-thinking help from another Transformer that gets them back to Earth. Bud learns that rules exist for a reason, and Scattershot finds that responsibility can come with a price if you're not ready for it.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how the Transformers use their individual abilities. What's unique about each of them? What are their special powers? What are some of kids' own abilities that make them proud?

  • If you could choose one thing to become at will, what would it be?
    Would you have any special powers? How would you use them to help
    others?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Not as good as Gen. 1 but okay
I like this series okay, but it's just not as good as the others. It's good as an anime series but it's just not Transformers. The only violence is R vs. R (robot vs. robot) and there are laser guns but nothing bad at all.

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Parent of 7, 7, and 10 year old
June 13, 2009
 
One of the best Transformers Ever seen!
Transformers: Cybertron, I believe, is one of the best series Hasbro has pulled out. It is what helped bring me back into Transformers in the first place. The computer graphics of the Transformers are excellent and it also provides a more cartoony side by drawing the human characters in. It has humor, some violence, but all in all, it's a great series to be watched by all!

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great show
This show is great, it's cool and fun to watch. I know commonsense THINKS it's hard for kids to distinguish one transformer to another, it's not. If your kids are fans of the Transformers, they will who the Autobots (good guys) and the Decepticons (bad guys) are. There are some laser guns, but it's not that much. Transformers is a great series and it teaches the value of teamwork.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Trasformers rule!!!
This series of transformers I think isn't the best so far but a good show on the whole. The story in the series is quite original but the one thing they fail to explain about the story is "how did Unicron get destroyed in the first place!" And one other thing, the vehicle modes in the series are so posed to be earth vehicles, but they're so futuristic compared to the earth vehicles that are actually on earth. Other than that good story good fighting in general, good characters, great use of transformation techniques(especially on Megatron) and in a nutshell: not bad transformers series.

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Kid, 13 years old
December 9, 2010
 
Autobots, Decepticons, GO!
This, is in my opinion, the best Transformers series. I know what your about to say. With so many Transformers series, such as Beast Wars and Armada, how can I say that? To me, this show put everything together. For those who like cars and speed, there was speed planet. For animal lovers, there was Jungle Planet. For those people who love Earth, there was Earth. And of course, for those who loved big, no, HUGE stuff, there was giant planet. Also, the show combined anime and 3D graphics. Still, one of the biggest plusses for me was the variety. This series definately had the most robots and action. An awesome series for any hardcore or softcore Transformers fan.

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Adult
March 22, 2009
 
Transformers: Cybertron AOWSOME SHOW
PERFERT SHOW FOR KIDS BY AGE 10 TO AGE 50

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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
 
A must see TV action series
There are Cyber Keys that boost the Transformers power as well as the Mini-Cons.

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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