War for Cybertron–Transformers begins new anime series this month on Netflix

It looks exactly like this is what all the big-budget live-action movies were leading toward: The ultimate destruction for Optimus Prime and the Autobots. In a new three-season anime series beginning on Netflix this month, Transformers: War for Cybertron gets underway in what’s built up to be like a battle for Gallifrey in the Doctor Who universe. Its first chapter, Siege, picks up at the end of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. In the first trailer, we hear the familiar sound of new Optimus Prime voice actor Jake Foushee echoing the longtime voice of Peter Cullen, who voiced the character from its inception through the tie-in video game for this new era. We hear despair for the future of the Autobots in his message. Fans of the five decades of Transformers toys and stories will soon learn his fate against Megatron, who stands ready to reboot them all.

Although it carries the same name, this anime series does not follow its video game counterpart. This will be an easy show to add to your viewing list as the entire first season consists of six 22-minute episodes. The second chapter, titled Earthrise, does not yet have a release date.

Showrunner F.J. Santo leads a cast of voice actors including Jason Marnocha (Megatron), Linsay Rousseau (Elita-1), Joe Zieja (Bumblebee), Rafael Goldstein (Ratchet), Keith Silverstein (Jetfire), Todd Haberkorn (Shockwave, Red Alert), and Frank Todaro (Starscream).

The animation is from Polygon Pictures (Godzilla). It features a mix of detailed CGI digital animation and more traditional imagery.

Here is the trailer for the first chapter of Transformers: War for Cybertron: