"Victory(1989) concludes the alternate continuity that the toy company Takara and the Toei studio created, featuring newTransformerscharacters and storylines geared to the Japanese market. Shout Factory is releasing the series for the first time in the United States: for decades, it was available to American fans only in dim conversions from other formats and bootleg copies. The final adventure introduces a lot of new characters, the most important of whom is Star Saber. The mightiest swordsman-robot in the galaxy, he fights with his glowing Saberblade. His allies include the Multiforce, three pairs of Cybertrons who can combine to form the greater entity Landcross. They're pitted against a cadre of new Destrons led by Deszaras (or Deathsaurus), who has been stealing the energy needed to free his gigantic fortress that Star Saber sealed in the Dark Nebula ages ago. His hopes rest on the enormous resources of Earth, which he schemes to capture. Fortunately, Star Saber and his Cybertron crew are there to defend the planet. In the two years sinceTransformers Japanese Collection: Headmastersdebuted, the designs for the robot-characters have grown more elaborate and sophisticated, reflecting the influence of Yoshiyuki Tomino'sGundam, which debuted in 1979. Many sequences take place against moving grids, rendered in simple computer animation. But the storytelling is still effortful and often unintentionally comic. Several of the Destrons ride apparently living dinosaurs through the vacuum of space, and the fighting poses the characters strike will remindotakuof theGekigangar 3spoof inMartian Successor Nadesico. For viewers who grew up on the originalTransformers,Victoryrepresents a blend of childhood nostalgia and new adventures. However, people without those memories may not be as entranced with the extremely limited animation, stolid direction, and on-the-nose dialogue. In Japanese only, with English subtitles. (Not rated; suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon robot vs. robot violence)--Charles Solomon(1. The Brave Hero of the Universe, Star Saber, 2. Sneak Attack! Dinoking, 3. Attack! Leozak, 4. Unite!! Multiforce, 5. Move Out, Rescue Team!  6. Infiltration… The Uranium Mine, 7. Explosion!! The Energy Base, 8. The Underground City of Terror, 9. The Clash of Two Heroes, 10. The New Warrior, Hellbat, 11. Attack the Shuttle Base!! 12. Tanker Hijack Operation, 13. The Chestforce Attack! 14. Rescue Jean!! 15. Mach and Tackle, 16. A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid, 17. Planet Micro: The Mysterious Warriors, 18. Get Back Guyhawk! 19. Form Liokaiser! 20. Transformer Warriors, Assembled, 21. The Resurrection of the Destron Fortress, 22. Battle Up of Wratch!! 23. Battle to the Death at the South Pole!! 24. Crisis! Ambush in the Desert, 25. A Deadly Battle, 26. The Death of Ginrai!! 27. Fight, Victory Leo!! 28. Awaken, Victory Leo! 29. The Victory Unification, 30. Jan, Defend the Campus!! 31. A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs, 32. The Death-Bringing Space Insects!! 33. Victory Saber, 34. The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves, 35. The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress, 36. Showdown! The Fortress vs. the Victory Unification, 37. Autobots Forever!)"