>>10035629Takara did redeco the BW toys to be more show accurate the second year they had the line so I think they understood adhering to the show. The first season was pretty popular there and I think they understood the need for show synergy. In some ways they took to the show better than the US did, and they did make that exclusive ravage based on the show as well.
Takara was a bit frustrated by the constraints of the BW's aesthetic being so slim, which is why you see them really push the concept when they could do their own stuff in BWII/ Neo. A lot of the concepts they drew up needed chunkier bodies. So you see stuff like big fat tanukis with an alarm clock, or a big untransforming giraffe head with a claw attached. I still suspect Galvatron was a design planned for a Japanese g1 or Brave series they recycled.
This all comes from the Toy Armada podcast Aaron Archer does, btw.
