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Things Bionicle 2015 Should Look Out For


aldero

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Hello there, reader. This topic will basically be a list of my wants and concerns for the Bionicle 2015 line that is coming our way very soon. How is this any different to other posts of the exact same topic? Not much different, actually. But if you have dropped by to read my insignificant articles, you are probably still interested. So, without further ado, I'll tell you of some of the things I want and don't want to happen in this reinvigoration of Bionicle.

 

Number 1 - Don't give Bionicle a TV show.

 

After Tinseltown Toons animated the 2009 movie Bionicle: The Legend Reborn, LEGO have been hiring this company to make CGI television shows based off their toys. To date, Tinseltown Toons and LEGO have been paired for a few years now, and their animation style is both visually appealing and commercial worthy. So, why shouldn't LEGO let Tinseltown make yet another animated tie-in? My answer? The tone would ruin the toyline. Now, hear me out. The Hero Factory show hasn't really been anything like Bionicle, for several reasons, but one of them is the TV series. Tinseltown have to make these episodes with a much lighter and kid-friendly tone because they have to put it on Cartoon Network's channel guide. Cartoon Network aren't the kind of company that would air an episode of Breaking Bad on their channel, because they are a channel that provides entertainment for children. If we have learned anything in the past, Cartoon Network don't really want a show with adult themes, relatable emotions, and a coherent storyline on the air. Cough cough, Young Justice. Anyway, Bionicle doesn't deserve to be dumbed down for the sake of being a TV show on Cartoon Network.

 

Number 2 - Make another online game!

 

As we all know, most of the charm of early days Bionicle came from the beloved Mata Nui Online Game. It compelled us to explore a vast landscape and culture, among the mystery of the Makuta's influence, the tale of Mata Nui, and the danger of the Bohrok. Needless to say, this was an essential part of Bionicle's popularity. So, why not capitalise on this success and make another online game? From what we have seen of the line, it has the same potential that the island of Mata Nui did years ago, and Okoto would be the perfect place to explore. Kids and adults alike can interact with the world of Okoto, and it would really help to set the tone of this new line. LEGO, you might as well give Templar Studios another gig.

 

Number 3 - Give Okoto some personality.

 

A big part of making Okoto a vast landscape with a rich culture is, well, giving it a vast landscape and rich culture. I would personally like to see the Protectors be fleshed out, and that they aren't just sets put out to balance out the larger Master sets. I would like to see some of the Protectors have unique personalities, similar to the Matoran we met in MNOG, because they can't just be cardboard cutouts made to give the Masters applause. Also, give the Protectors something to do. If the Masters are taking care of every single problem on the island, then the Protectors aren't very important characters. In the 2001 storyline, the Matoran had to fight off the forces of Teridax's Rahi for hundreds of years until the Toa finally arrived on the island, and even when the Toa arrived and started fighting off the Rahi, the Matoran had still pitched in and fought against the Rahi and Bohrok swarms when the Toa were off dealing with Teridax. In conclusion, make the Protectors worthwhile characters.

 

Number 4 - Don't slavishly follow the original line's story.

 

From what we have seen, the new Bionicle line seems to have a story that holds a candle to the original story. , the Masters have the same names as the Toa Mata/Nuva, the villain is yet again called Makuta, and the Skull Spiders are essentially a mix of the Bohrok, as the spiders themselves can attach to the Protector's and Master's faces, and presumably control them, very much like the Krana, and the Visorak, as they are also spiders. But we are also offered a fresh new story with an interesting concept which can bring in newcomers. That is exactly what this new line needs. But there is a slippery slope with introducing new stories that are too similar to previous stories. Fans may be clamouring to see characters such as Karzahni, Artahka, Brutaka and Helryx make a return in this new line, but I personally don't want to buy sets that follow a story that would be a photocopy of a previously used script, as much as I love the characters I mentioned before.

 

So, that is pretty much all that I want to see in the Bionicle 2015 line. How about you? If you agree with me or want to murder me with a chopstick because I don't support your opinion, let me know! 

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If we have learned anything in the past, Cartoon Network don't really want a show with adult themes, relatable emotions, and a coherent storyline on the air. Cough cough, Young Justice.

I thought the reason for that was that the audience was mostly female when they wanted it to be mostly male.

 

I don't think a TV show would be as bad of an idea as you make it out to be. Also, the flaws in the HF show had far more to do with the story team and the writers of the episodes than Tinseltown Toons. (Then again, the animation studio is the same people responsible for the saddest attempt at a LEGO movie I've ever had the displeasure of watching and the infamous Foodfight!)

 

Judging by the numerous carvings and temples and such we've seen, I'm guessing Okoto will have no problems establishing a cultural identity.

 

Your other points seem fair, though I can't believe the mind-boggling number of people who call the Skull Spiders a rehash of the Visorak just because they're spiders.

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Yep, everything sounds great to me. I wouldn't want Lewa to be reduced to the bumbling fool Surge was in the HF series (or Kopaka for that matter). Cartoon Network cannot do this series justice (totally agree about your description).

 

I'm a little mixed on the online game. It could turn out really well, but only if it was done really well. Point-and-Click adventures like MNOLG are slowly phasing out, and the genre of the game was an essential part of its storytelling. MNOLG II tried to get more RPG elements in there, resulting in ridiculously long walks between zones and nigh-impossible skill challenges. I gave up before I even beat Onu-Koro. If you want a story like this to be told well, it can't be a shooter, it can't be an arcade game, and an RPG would have to be done well to get the point across (I've been watching a whole lot of RPG playthroughs from Markiplier. :D) Even a point-and-click might not hold the attention of kids nowadays (I know it takes a really good one for me to get into it).

 

Yes, please give Okoto "personality." We've got nothing on the Protectors, and so far, it seems like they just cower behind their one hero with the magic mask until they get a new hero. Pathetic. We haven't even had any personality for the main Protector. Sure, it's still early to judge, as we haven't seen them in the series, but the Toa bios do not have me encouraged. Nor do the comics with Protectors getting taken down fairly easily.

 

And I agree about the story. This is a new line, with new design and a new setting. Sure, we've got some old characters, but old Bionicle is over, as much as many of us wouldn't like it to be. I want this new Bionicle to wow me all over again without leaning on the old. I want a new story, with new characters and adventures, but with just enough of the atmosphere for us to think that it is still Bionicle, and not something Lego tacked the name onto.

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After Tinseltown Toons animated the 2009 movie Bionicle: The Legend Reborn, LEGO have been hiring this company to make CGI television shows based off their toys. To date, Tinseltown Toons and LEGO have been paired for a few years now, and their animation style is both visually appealing and commercial worthy. So, why shouldn't LEGO let Tinseltown make yet another animated tie-in? My answer? The tone would ruin the toyline. Now, hear me out. The Hero Factory show hasn't really been anything like Bionicle, for several reasons, but one of them is the TV series. Tinseltown have to make these episodes with a much lighter and kid-friendly tone because they have to put it on Cartoon Network's channel guide. Cartoon Network aren't the kind of company that would air an episode of Breaking Bad on their channel, because they are a channel that provides entertainment for children. If we have learned anything in the past, Cartoon Network don't really want a show with adult themes, relatable emotions, and a coherent storyline on the air. Cough cough, Young Justice. Anyway, Bionicle doesn't deserve to be dumbed down for the sake of being a TV show on Cartoon Network.

 

I agree in general with what you're saying, but I mean...why would Cartoon Network air Breaking Bad? I mean, you say it's because it's entertainment for children but...So is Bionicle, you know? That's a really weird example to bring up, or at least the implications behind it are. There is no reason why something like Bionicle should even begin to reach the level of something like Breaking Bad. A show does not have to be really adult and serious to be good, especially if, you know, it is meant to be aimed at children.

 

If Bionicle were to get a tv show, the one series it should be looking at for inspiration is Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a series that managed to have a strong storyline and characters, while at the same time being rather comedic and maintaining a fairly lighthearted tone. It's a series loved by many, and I wouldn't ever describe it as adult. It didn't need to be adult to be good. And a series like this can certainly hold an audience. It wouldn't be dumbed down or talk down to its audience or anything, but it also wouldn't be adult or overly serious or edgy.

 

(Of course this little rant is obviously off the mark because you were talking about a tv show specifically in relation to Tinseltown, which is a fair concern, because their track record is not great (and really, every Lego show so far has been, at most, ok, so it's certainly fair to be wary). Still, the whole topic about what kind of tone makes a good story (especially with Bionicle) is hard for me to ignore)

 

also saying that cn has no series with adult themes and relatable emotions is totally ignoring adventure time and steven universe but then again i don't really expect much from bzp in this regard

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I mostly agree, but if you think kids' shows and/or Cartoon Network can't be enjoyable for all ages you are overdue to watch Over the Garden Wall, which you can do online for free right now. It's a perfect case study for a children's show that goes deep enough to be popular with adults. Avatar also seems like a good example, since it's pretty similar in subject, but I haven't watched it.

( The bunny slippers hiss and slither into the shadows. ) -Takuaka: Toa of Time

What if the Toa you know best were not destined to be? Interchange: The epic begins

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The Hero Factory miniseries wasn't on Cartoon Network in the United States. It was on Nickelodeon. Anyway, I think Ninjago has demonstrated that LEGO can manage to put an engaging story with great character development and beautiful music on Cartoon Network without difficulty. It's a lot more sophisticated on a storytelling level than Hero Factory ever was, while still being kid-friendly and selling loads of merchandise. Still, I do like that the new BIONICLE is starting with short webisodes rather than a televised cartoon, because it is very in tune with classic BIONICLE (which was a pioneer in using online storytelling as a marketing technique for a toyline).

 

Can't argue with number two, because I'd love a new point-and-click adventure game, especially if it works on mobile devices. That style of gameplay seems tailor-made for touch controls. Although I'm a bit worried that the LEGO Group would rather use a mobile-friendly action game to market an action figure theme than a less action-driven adventure game.

 

Number three sounds nice. Keep in mind that the Protectors' role is more akin to the Turaga on many levels than the Matoran. I do hope they all get distinct personalities, because even though the Turaga had unique personalities in their bios from the classic series, it was never conveyed all that well in the actual story media. We never saw Turaga Onewa settling disputes or Turaga Matau pulling practical jokes like they were supposedly known to do.

 

And I agree entirely with number four. I like what I've seen of the new BIONICLE story. It's good to start with the basics, the things that gave BIONICLE such a strong start, but from that point on, expansions to the story should focus on doing what is best for the new storyline, not on trying to recreate a storyline that is already over and done with. Occasional easter eggs and shout-outs to the old story are fine, but not if they mean retreading old ground just to satisfy the older audience's craving for nostalgia.

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I'm completely behind you on the idea for a new game.  Not only would it ensure popularity, but it would provide a venue to give the protectors more personality like you suggested.

 

I don't really have any other opinions on your other points, but I will murder you with a chopstick.

 

Hey, you offered.

 
 
                                             
 
                                
 
 
                                                                                    

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