[preface: gwen/likeitswritteninthestars sent me so this isn't weird, kind of] but the transformers and war meta subject is honestly fascinating and honestly you have to explore it on a continuity-by-continuity basis? like bayformers? bayformers is by michael bay which says PLENTY about its thoughts on war, but in the same franchise you have the current IDW stuff, which repurposes the war as framework for this giant fuckfest of a ptsd character study of postwar rebuilding and purpose
[cont] but i mean, you've also got transformers animated, which claims to have a premise of being way past the war, but as it goes on you realize there's some pretty unsettling commentary on the use of war by bureaucrats and government as a means of control. and to go full meta, i guess the whole franchise cannot stand without war at all, because the autobots and decepticons need a reason to have guns and swords and hit each other? the toys and their toy war is the backbone of this empire
YEEEEEEEEEPPP and that’s a really cool point about the war being fundamental to Transformers even existing as a franchise, ooh (us vs. them at a most basic level hmmmmm)
SO YEAH definitely a franchise by franchise thing, but also the franchises are spread out over enough time that I think there’s a lot to be said for looking at the different attitudes and approaches over time (Also, the difference between a blockbuster film aimed at adults in 2007 vs a cartoon show aimed at kids in 2011) (CAN WE NOTE THAT THE KIDS SHOW HAS THE MORE NUANCED REPRESENTATION MOSTLY???? And part of that is a manifestation of the difference formatting and approaches to violence but sTILL) (THOUGH THEY DO KEEP DESTROYING HISTORICAL LOCATIONS I CAN’T EVEN)
BASICALLY WHAT I’M SAYING HERE IS THAT I NEED TO WATCH ALL THE THINGS (and finish TFP so I can go on the wiki without getting spoiled!!!!) and maybe figure out about all the different comic tie-ins and wHAT THE HECK THEY DO IN THE JAPANESE ADAPTATIONS BECAUSE IDK IF YOU CAN HAVE THE AMERICAN MILITARY RANDOMLY COMING IN TO HELP BUT HAVING THE JAPANESE MILITARY COME IN JUST WOULDN’T WORK VERY WELL AT ALL
