1989 - Transformers: The Movie

Japanese Transformers: The Movie poster art

Transformers: The Movie ("Transformers the Movie: Mokushiroku Matrix yo Eien ni") was the Japanese version of Marvel/Sunbow's 1986 Transformers: The Movie. Released on August 9, 1989, it was essentially unchanged save for two minor differences:

1. The opening title included a Star Wars-style scrolling text prologue, setting the background for the story.

2. In traditional Japanese style, the first appearance of each character had his/her name listed in katakana at the bottom of the screen.

A laserdisc of the Japanese version of the movie was released; the changes can be seen there.

It is uncertain why Transformers: The Movie was released later in Japan than in the west. Some speculate the box-office failure of Transformers: The Movie was the reason; others say Takara feared the movie's wholesale slaughter of major characters would have hurt toy sales. In any case, even before its release, Japanese fans weren't left in the dark -- fan magazines included detailed descriptions of the movie's plot, and bootleg videotapes were available for those determined to find them.