Beast Wars Second Chou Seimeitai Transformers

As a dedicated fan of the Transformers franchise for many years, I can confidently say that Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers (known as Beast Wars 2 in Japan) stands out as one of the more compelling entries in the vast Transformers universe. This series, a spinoff of the iconic Beast Wars, offers a fresh yet nostalgic take on the beloved saga, blending new characters and a unique setting with ties to the broader Transformers lore. Below, I’ll dive into the show’s premise, characters, art style, tone, and overall appeal, while expanding on why it’s a worthwhile watch for both newcomers and seasoned fans.

Setting and ... Context

Beast Wars II serves as a direct sequel to Beast Wars, set in the distant future of that timeline. It aligns with the Japanese G1 continuity, which includes series like The Heasters, Super-God Masterforce, Victory, and Zone. This distinguishes it from the Western G1 timeline, particularly ignoring the abbreviated Season 4 of the original Generation 1 series. For fans unfamiliar with the Japanese continuity, like “Cybertron” (used for Maximals in Japan) and “Destron” (the Japanese term for Predacons) might feel a bit foreign at first. However, one of the strengths of Beast Wars II is its accessibility—you don’t need to have watched Beast Wars or any other Transformers series to enjoy it. That said, some prior knowledge of the franchise enhances the experience, especially when it comes to understanding the significance of factions, ranks like “Convoy,” or the broader mythology surrounding Cybertron’s endless conflicts.

The story unfolds on Planet Gaia, a lush and vibrant world that serves as the primary battleground. The plot centers around a Maximal crew led by Lio Convoy (also known as Leo Prime), a noble and charismatic leader who holds the prestigious “Convoy” rank, a nod to Optimus Prime’s legacy. The Maximals have pursued the Predacon leader Galvatron—not to be confused with the G1 Decepticon of the same name—to Gaia, where he seeks to harness the mysterious and powerful Angolmois Energy. This energy source drives much of the conflict, as Galvatron’s ambitions threaten the balance of the planet and beyond. Adding a unique twist, two android observers named Artemis and Moon watch over the events on Gaia, offering commentary and occasional comedic relief. Their presence adds a meta layer to the narrative, almost like a Greek chorus, providing insights and quips that enhance the viewing experience.

Tone and Themes

While Beast Wars is known for its darker, more mature tone and complex character arcs, Beast Wars II leans into a lighter, more episodic approach. It’s not devoid of stakes—Galvatron’s schemes and the battles for Angolmois Energy carry weight—but the show balances action with humor and heart. Clever jokes and playful character interactions keep things engaging, making it feel approachable for younger audiences while still appealing to longtime fans. Themes of leadership, loyalty, and the cost of war echo throughout, though they’re presented in a less grim manner than in its predecessor. The show also touches on the idea of seeking peace, as seen with the Insectrons, a group of Cybertronians who fled their war-torn homeworld to escape the endless Maximal-Predacon conflict.

Art Style and Animation

The art style of Beast Wars II marks a significant departure from the 3D CGI animation of Beast Wars. Instead, it embraces traditional 2D animation with a distinctly “cartoony” aesthetic. The character designs are bold and colorful, with exaggerated features that emphasize personality—think wide-eyed expressions and dynamic poses. For some reason, the style occasionally evokes the vibe of Mobile Suit Gundam, perhaps due to the sleek mechanical designs or the way battles are choreographed. While it lacks the groundbreaking CGI polish of Beast Wars, the 2D animation has its own charm, offering fluid action sequences and vibrant environments. Planet Gaia, in particular, is rendered with lush forests, shimmering waters, and otherworldly landscapes that make every episode visually engaging.

Characters

The cast of Beast Wars II is a major highlight, with distinct personalities that shine through in both the Maximal and Predacon factions. Below is a deeper look at the key players:

Maximals

Lio Convoy (Leo Prime): The heart and soul of the team, Lio Convoy embodies the archetypal Transformers leader. Much like G1 Optimus Prime, he’s honorable, comionate, and serves as a father figure to his crew. His lion beast mode and commanding presence make him instantly iconic, and his resolve to protect Gaia drives the story forward.

Tasmanian Kid: A repaint of Beast Wars’ Snarl, this young Maximal is the reckless, energetic “Hot Shot” of the group (a nod to the Armada character archetype). His impulsive nature and youthful exuberance lead to both comedic moments and growth opportunities, making him a fan favorite.

Bighorn: A bull-themed Maximal with a fiery temper to match, Bighorn is the team’s hothead. His lack of strategic thinking often lands him in trouble, but his brute strength and loyalty make him indispensable. The bull motif is played up for humor, as he charges headfirst into situations—literally and figuratively.

Scuba: The cool-headed counterpart to Bighorn, Scuba is a squid-themed Maximal who exudes calm intelligence. His cleverness often saves the day, and his connection to his cousin Ikard adds a layer of personal stakes to his arc.

As a long time transformer fan i can say that this is one of the better shows to watch in the transformer franchise
(this show is a spinoff of beast wars)

this show takes place after "beast wars" and follows the japanese g1 timeline which means that heasters masterforce and victory and zone are also in this timeline and ignores the season 4 of g1 "Beast Wars 2" is essentially a sequel to beast wars and you can watch this without watching any other transformer show beforehand unless you want to get into transformers you will probably not know what a "Cybertron" or "Destron" is despite ... having maximal and predacon symbols
Essentially this takes place in the very far future of beast wars
we follow our maximal crew lead by "Lio Convoy" also known as "Leo Prime" who has the "Convoy" Rank leading a small group of maximals who have pursued Galvatron (Not the g1 galvatron) to Planet Gaia , Galvatron wants to get some Angolmois Energy while the (im going to call them maximals but they are called cybertrons in japan) maximals fight on planet gaia two androids known as moon and artemis watch over them essentially they like give their comments and stuff
although not as dark as beast wars there are some clever jokes in it as well
so lets talk about the artstyle ,
i guess its kinda cartoony? different from the 3d animation used for beast wars but it also reminds me of gundam for some reason
Maximals
Characters Lio convoy is very much like g1 optimus friendly , honorable and a father figure
"Tasmanian kid" whom is a repaint of beast wars snarl is like the "Hot Shot" (referring to armada) of the show kinda reckless sometimes and kiddy
"Bighorn" a hot head because he is a bull.. and he isnt very smart
"Scuba" the calm , cool , clever bot who has a cousin by the name if Ikard
"Diver" a frog im not sure how to put it but his kind of nerdy? in a way
(more characters appear but i dont know if it counts as spoilers if i were to mention them)
Predacons
"Galvatron" i kind of find him alittle bland but he has his ambitions
"Megastorm" Galvatron's brother who looks up to him and hopes to become the next destron emperor and is a complete fool essentially he is like g1 starscream but not a complete douchebag
"Starscream" not the same starscream as the red and blue jet this starscream is loyal and calm with a black and purple colour scheme a repaint of G2 Smokescreen
"BB" Roger is the only thing he says i love him , his a repaint of g2 Dreadwing who also has black and purple for his colour scheme and he listens to every order starscream gives him and turns into a stealth bomber
"Dirge and Thrust" both of them are not the same as the g1 characters but share the same name and also turn into jets constantly competing with starscream and bb for galvatrons praise
i think im finished with this review theres also the "Insectrons" who fled Cybertron in order to find peace from the war
and Sick and tired of the endless wars plaguing Cybertron
overall story 7
theres also the movie and i watched this show twice
Art 10
Sound 10
Character 10
Enjoyment 10
Overall 9

Since there's no review available on MyAnimeList for the Beast Wars II anime that aired in Japan in 1998 and has been fansubbed since 2016 by Karyuudo Fansubs and can be found on Youtube, I really wanted to be the first to give my own nitpicks about the anime Beast Wars II (read aloud as Beast Wars Second) here on MyAnimeList. This is a spin-off of the Western cartoon Beast Wars: Transformers we probably all loved and aired around the time (Spring 1998) between Beast Wars and Beast Wars Transmetals aired in Japan.

*May contain minor spoilers - incase you aren't familiar with Transformers in ... general*

The planet Gaia, better known as what we can compair to our own very Earth is home to a powerful but unstable energy source known as Angolmois energy (you can pretty much compair it with lava in my opinion), which has come to attention of the Destrons (or Predacons if you’d prefer, you know the descendants of the Decepticons) being led by Galvatron (not to be confused with the G1 one). The Cybertrons (Maximals) are being led by Lio Convoy, whose mission is to stop Galvatron from extracting the Angolmois Energy and protect the planet Gaia from destruction. Lio Convoy is teamed up by Tasmanian Kid, Diver, Scuba, Big Horn and Apache, while Galvatron’s soldiers include Starscream (not the Starscream G1 one, but a complete other one according to the sourcebook that I own), BB, Dirge, Thrust, the Autorollers and his own younger brother Megastorm. Would Galvatron succeed his plan? Will the Cybertrons (Maximals) stop Galvatron and his team just in time?

Pretty much every Transformers fan knows up on this point “Japanese-made Transformers series” is not a good combination and it has it's good reasons. The fact that it's quite obvious the Transformers franchise only exists for purely one thing; 'to sell toys' (big suprise, huh?) and the Japanese also try to earn some money within the franchise in the form of much more show accurate toys made by TakaraTomy compaired the ones we have gotten by Hasbro. The show itself also aims for a much younger demographic than its Western much darker counterpart. Even though this anime is a fun watch if you really loved Beasts Wars or even the G1 Transformers cartoons. Even though it has a quite boring beginning and I was myself on the verge of dropping the show, but once the ball started rolling the show became much more enjoyable to watch even though with some quite outdated artstyle and re-used clips where our Transformer characters transforms, but once you get past that it's no problem.

The characters are quite enjoyable to watch, despite how childish Beast Wars II can get. I personally loved Scuba, Starscream, BB and the trons the most. The characters Artemis and Moon are two androids who watch over the planet Gaia, frequently commenting on the show’s events and are offering small factoid segments at the end of each episode and would serve almost no real purpose in the plot. The show also has 3 'recap episodes' and it's up to you to skip them if you want. ; this show is aimed for childern and is basicly one big toy ment just like any other Transformer show basicly is.

Despise it's flaws, I still enjoyed the show and I look forward in late 2018 when Karyuudo Fansubs will have scheduled the release the fansubbed sequal called 'Beast Wars Neo'.

Overal scores:
Story: 6/10 (Fine)
Art: 6/10 (Fine)
Sound: 6/10 (Fine)
Enjoyment: 7/10 (Good)
Overall: 7/10 (Good)

Recommed if you're a Transformers fan, especially a Beast Wars fan and when you can get past the childish approach of the show.