Faber Remembers the Bohrok

[Hapori Tohu]

The Faber Files have recently been updated with a couple posts recalling the so-called-villains from Bionicle's second year. The <a href='http://faberfiles.blogspot.com/2014/03/blast-from-past.html' target='offsite'>first post</a> has a brief video of the Bohrok on a billboard in Times Square, New York back when Bionicle was huge. The <a href='http://faberfiles.blogspot.com/2014/03/if-you-wake-one-you-wake-them-all.html' target='offsite'>second post</a> talks about the idea behind one of the ads for the Bohrok campaign. It's some cool stuff - go check it out!

 

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[Aanchir]

2002 was definitely a great year for BIONICLE. The story media really started to find its groove, the Bohrok sets offered all kinds of play value, and the Toa Mata underwent their first upgrade/transformation. It was not the first time a constraction theme had continued for a second year (Throwbots/Slizer, to its credit, had three waves of four sets each). But it was still an amazing expansion for the theme, and it's no wonder 2002 was when BIONICLE sales reached their all-time peak.

 

2002 wasn't flawless, of course. There was no online game anywhere near as compelling as the original Mata Nui Online Game, and arguably there never would be another BIONICLE online game of that caliber. The new Krana collectibles didn't have the same exciting personality and usefulness as the Kanohi had previously, nor did the Kanohi Nuva offer the same compelling variety. And there were fewer large sets than in that initial year. Still, I think 2002 BIONICLE was in many ways a proving ground for BIONICLE's potential in later years.

 

These Faber Files updates are cool, even if they don't reveal quite as many thrilling new details as some of his pre-2001 concept art or other concept art that involves the secret nature of the Mata Nui robot. I hope that he continues to post BIONICLE concept and promotional art, as well as more written accounts of his time working on the theme!

[Wazdakka]

Is Faber saying in that tiny blurb that he and his associates actually stacked dozens of Bohrok cans on top of each other for the image?

[Hitoshura]

Yes, but it may have been photoshop for some of it from the look of it.

[Sir Kohran]

I'd like to skip the nostalgia and raise an issue that's bothered me about 2002 for quite a while. What did the Bohrok arc really add to the overall story? I can't help feeling the entire year was largely unnecessary. If the Toa and Matoran transformations and the invention of Kohlii were removed, it would surely be possible to go from the end of the MNOLG to the start of Mask of Light without really missing anything.

 

 

 

(Throwbots/Slizer, to its credit, had three waves of four sets each).

 

On this quite minor point, there were only two waves - the eight original sets released all at once in 1999, then the four Millenium sets released in 2000.

[emily]

As always, it's great to see more from Mr. Faber. That particular Bohrok nest image hasn't been seen before, I don't believe.

 

I'd like to skip the nostalgia and raise an issue that's bothered me about 2002 for quite a while. What did the Bohrok arc really add to the overall story? I can't help feeling the entire year was largely unnecessary. If the Toa and Matoran transformations and the invention of Kohlii were removed, it would surely be possible to go from the end of the MNOLG to the start of Mask of Light without really missing anything.

I thought that we got some nice development of the villager characters through Templar's animations. Hafu's selflessness and courage really truly come to light. Huki and Maku had their romantic little moment. Perhaps most importantly, Jala and Takua bond and become friends - that's critical to the Mask of Light plotline, even if both of them end up being depicted rather differently in the movie.

[Sir Kohran]

As always, it's great to see more from Mr. Faber. That particular Bohrok nest image hasn't been seen before, I don't believe.

 

I'd like to skip the nostalgia and raise an issue that's bothered me about 2002 for quite a while. What did the Bohrok arc really add to the overall story? I can't help feeling the entire year was largely unnecessary. If the Toa and Matoran transformations and the invention of Kohlii were removed, it would surely be possible to go from the end of the MNOLG to the start of Mask of Light without really missing anything.

I thought that we got some nice development of the villager characters through Templar's animations. Hafu's selflessness and courage really truly come to light. Huki and Maku had their romantic little moment. Perhaps most importantly, Jala and Takua bond and become friends - that's critical to the Mask of Light plotline, even if both of them end up being depicted rather differently in the movie.

 

I don't think the majority of the episodes hold up well at all. The narrative jumps abruptly from one village to another, the conversation scenes go on and on and on, multiple cliffhangers are left unresolved, and the lack of Toa or much real action is also disappointing. The final Ga-Koro segment is the only part I feel really works, simply because it avoids most of these flaws.

 

Interesting point about Jaller and Takua. Within the movie, their bond/friendship is actually rather tenuous - Takua selfishly attempts to pass his role off to Jaller and later abandons him. I actually think the problems that occur between the two in the movie would've made more sense had the two been randomly forced together, rather than supposedly best friends.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I would've loved to have seen that Bohrok billboard firsthand when it was up.

 

And I always thought it was the canisters were what the Bohrok were emerging from in the story. That's what made them so cool.