Bionicle 2015 too rushed?

[Zidonaro]

If we had more media detailing the storyline, I guess I wouldn't bother If the animation was rushed.

[fishers64]

If we had more media detailing the storyline, I guess I wouldn't bother If the animation was rushed.

This. 

 

It's like saying that the Mata Nui Rising Video was enough to tell all of the intricacies of the 2008 story. Haha no.

[Madu Cabolo]

 

 

 

Anyway, back to Bionicle. I really do wish everything was taken more slowly and we had some complexity to the plot. It's not even the first month and the Toa already have their golden masks? The fears I had of this being a simplified story seem to be coming true...

The thing is, the story isn't simplified. There's plenty of important detail there, and there are mysteries and histories and all kinds of things. It just never has the time to focus on any of that for more than one episode, if that.

 

Any illusion of the 2001 story being more complex probably comes from the Toa collecting six masks each (most of those being off-screen anyway) as opposed to one.

Oh, but it is. Even the comics are all generic. We KNOW they have to get their golden masks now show us something ELSE,What's the LOSS? How did he gain control of all the other spiders? WHY is there a gold skull spider mask if it hasn't been seen in the animations?

Not to be offensive, but the answer seems pretty clear. Villain origins and things of that sort are all going to be revealed in the summer wave, because let's face it, in Bionicle the story only gets real in the summer wave.

 

This is what I'm thinking.

I'm pretty sure come summer, we'll have plenty of story to talk about.

Plus, has everyone forgotten about all the mask of time stuff, the six planets, and the cute little protector's "son" from episodes 2 and 3?  There's still a lot of stuff we don't know, which is probably crucial to the ultimate plot, whatever that is. 

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Setwise, I don't think its rushed. It's like 2001, except its switched. The Rahi sets- which had a large price range and all had functions- were released alongside the six Turaga. Later that year, the six Toa were released. The Manas were special so I don't count them. In 2015, the Toa sets were released alongside the Protectors, which are a lot like new Turaga. Later this year, five villain sets are being released, four of them coming alone and being unique. The 2001 Rahi sets came with two per, but there were three sets that came with the same Rahi: Nui-Rama, Nui Jaga and Tarakava. The Mauka and Kane-re were two seperate Rahi. Does this all make sense? 

 

TL; DR version.

 

2001 and 2015 sets and release dates are VERY similar. 2001- six elders (Turaga), four bad guy sets (Rahi) released all at once. Six Toa later that year and a special set. (The Manas) 2015- six elders (Protectors), six Toa released all at once. Four bad guys sets and a special set released later this year. (Slicer, Warrior, Basher, Scorpio + Grinder/Ekimu)

[Zidonaro]

Setwise, I don't think its rushed. It's like 2001, except its switched. The Rahi sets- which had a large price range and all had functions- were released alongside the six Turaga. Later that year, the six Toa were released. The Manas were special so I don't count them. In 2015, the Toa sets were released alongside the Protectors, which are a lot like new Turaga. Later this year, five villain sets are being released, four of them coming alone and being unique. The 2001 Rahi sets came with two per, but there were three sets that came with the same Rahi: Nui-Rama, Nui Jaga and Tarakava. The Mauka and Kane-re were two seperate Rahi. Does this all make sense? 

 

TL; DR version.

 

2001 and 2015 sets and release dates are VERY similar. 2001- six elders (Turaga), four bad guy sets (Rahi) released all at once. Six Toa later that year and a special set. (The Manas) 2015- six elders (Protectors), six Toa released all at once. Four bad guys sets and a special set released later this year. (Slicer, Warrior, Basher, Scorpio + Grinder/Ekimu)

 

The Toa were released in the summer ? Are you sure ? From what I know, all sets were released at the beginning of the year in Europe, and released in the USA in summer.

 

Also, Manas was a regular set.

[Lyichir]

Everyone keeps talking about hoping for "novels". I don't mean to rain on everyone's parade, but we'll be getting chapter books, if anything. The difference is mostly semantic but the point stands that the books we'll end up getting will be aimed at young readers and be short and digestible. We're not talking about Harry Potter or The Hobbit, here—these will most likely be eight to twelve pages per chapter, with about as many chapters altogether. If the books retell the same story as the animations, that means that each animation would likely be covered in a single chapter, and that the entire winter wave story would maybe take a single book (same for the summer wave, if it contains a similar number of episodes).

 

Lego chapter books are not homogenous, of course—while HF and Bionicle's chapter books were long-form stories divided into chapters, Ninjago and Chima's chapter books each tell several independent stories, with Ninjago's containing a short story and a longer story divided into chapters and Chima just telling three or four short stories. Also, Chima's chapter books were illustrated, and Ninjago's were as well in non-U.S. markets. Lego could take any one of those tacks for Bionicle's books.

 

I guess my overall point is that if the books tell the main story like the animations do, then there's not much chance that they flesh the story out much more than that. The only way they could really have room to do so is if they tell independent stories, like Ninjago, Chima, and Hero Factory did—which wouldn't be a bad thing. But in essence that means that if you're expecting the kind of expanded story the original Bionicle's large number of sequential chapter books afforded it compared to the comics, that might be a little too much to hope for.

[Banana Gunz]

I do agree the story feels a little rushed with the videos and all that, but I'm mainly waiting for the books to come out. It's less about how fast I'm getting the story, but rather how detailed and interesting it is. I can say it's coming in a little too fast, but when you look at the amount of story we've recieved in those short videos, it's not much. They're very short and plain. To me, the full, real story won't be out till the novels are.

 

EDIT: Just read Lyichir's comment... well poopy.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Banana Gunz

[AESIR]

The story of BIONICLE 2015 has some white spots for me.

 

Who are the protectors?

 

Why don't they have names?

 

What kind of power do their masks have?

 

Why don't the toa really know who they are?

[believe victims]

Why don't the toa really know who they are?

 

To be fair, we didn't get much of an answer for this in G1 for years.

[Aanchir]

 

Setwise, I don't think its rushed. It's like 2001, except its switched. The Rahi sets- which had a large price range and all had functions- were released alongside the six Turaga. Later that year, the six Toa were released. The Manas were special so I don't count them. In 2015, the Toa sets were released alongside the Protectors, which are a lot like new Turaga. Later this year, five villain sets are being released, four of them coming alone and being unique. The 2001 Rahi sets came with two per, but there were three sets that came with the same Rahi: Nui-Rama, Nui Jaga and Tarakava. The Mauka and Kane-re were two seperate Rahi. Does this all make sense? 

 

TL; DR version.

 

2001 and 2015 sets and release dates are VERY similar. 2001- six elders (Turaga), four bad guy sets (Rahi) released all at once. Six Toa later that year and a special set. (The Manas) 2015- six elders (Protectors), six Toa released all at once. Four bad guys sets and a special set released later this year. (Slicer, Warrior, Basher, Scorpio + Grinder/Ekimu)

 

The Toa were released in the summer ? Are you sure ? From what I know, all sets were released at the beginning of the year in Europe, and released in the USA in summer.

 

Also, Manas was a regular set.

 

A lot of people seem to be confused about the 2001 release schedules, so let me try and clear things up. In Europe, the Toa were released in February and the Turaga were released in April. In the United States, the Turaga were released in June, the Toa in July. As far as I can tell, the Rahi were released in September worldwide (I have found both US and European catalogs listing a September release date).

[Vraiment]

Everyone keeps talking about hoping for "novels". I don't mean to rain on everyone's parade, but we'll be getting chapter books, if anything. The difference is mostly semantic but the point stands that the books we'll end up getting will be aimed at young readers and be short and digestible. We're not talking about Harry Potter or The Hobbit, here—these will most likely be eight to twelve pages per chapter, with about as many chapters altogether. If the books retell the same story as the animations, that means that each animation would likely be covered in a single chapter, and that the entire winter wave story would maybe take a single book (same for the summer wave, if it contains a similar number of episodes).

 

That means we will have more books like Cathy Hapka's?

[evil_jaga_genius]

I'll just say this is where fan-fiction comes in handy.  If TLG doesn't go in-depth with this, I'm hoping the fans will.  I have a few theories myself, but I think I'll keep my mouth shut for now.  Anyway, I think this is aptly called 'Generation 2'--I think most of the people who first stuck with Gen 1 were little kids, so as they got older, the story got deeper (and darker).  I hope the same kindof thing will happen with Gen 2, just with a new generation (literally) of fans.

 

As for it being rushed, yeah... a minute and a half video is simply not enough time to build up a good story.  So I think they're skipping from major scene to major scene, which leaves plenty of room for fans like us to fill in the plot holes.  Keep in mind I've only seen the first 4 episodes so I may not know what I'm talking about.

 

Someone mentioned the lack of a MNOG-style game too.  That would be fantastic, seeing as though MNOG filled in a lot of story and focused on the villagers instead of the heroic Toa.  And it looks like the fans are already doing that too...

[Xabla]

 

 

 

 

Anyway, back to Bionicle. I really do wish everything was taken more slowly and we had some complexity to the plot. It's not even the first month and the Toa already have their golden masks? The fears I had of this being a simplified story seem to be coming true...

The thing is, the story isn't simplified. There's plenty of important detail there, and there are mysteries and histories and all kinds of things. It just never has the time to focus on any of that for more than one episode, if that.

 

Any illusion of the 2001 story being more complex probably comes from the Toa collecting six masks each (most of those being off-screen anyway) as opposed to one.

Oh, but it is. Even the comics are all generic. We KNOW they have to get their golden masks now show us something ELSE,What's the LOSS? How did he gain control of all the other spiders? WHY is there a gold skull spider mask if it hasn't been seen in the animations?

Not to be offensive, but the answer seems pretty clear. Villain origins and things of that sort are all going to be revealed in the summer wave, because let's face it, in Bionicle the story only gets real in the summer wave.

 

This is what I'm thinking.

I'm pretty sure come summer, we'll have plenty of story to talk about.

Plus, has everyone forgotten about all the mask of time stuff, the six planets, and the cute little protector's "son" from episodes 2 and 3?  There's still a lot of stuff we don't know, which is probably crucial to the ultimate plot, whatever that is. 

 

Like I said- There planning something big. Remember the Mata Nui robot that was planned since 2001?

[MIY]

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

[Jobber]

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

[MIY]

 

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

 

It's just my opinion. And it doesn't have to go into all the side stories and all that. 2006 was the perfect example of how I want the new Bionicle to return to.

[hiddenderek]

 

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

 

You can have a sophisticated storyline (and, maybe some character development here and there....)  while still being accessible to a wider audience. They just handled it badly towards the end.

[believe victims]

 

 

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

 

It's just my opinion. And it doesn't have to go into all the side stories and all that. 2006 was the perfect example of how I want the new Bionicle to return to.

 

2006 is a perfect example of what I never want Bionicle to come close to ever again.

[Blueblur21]

 

 

 

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

 

It's just my opinion. And it doesn't have to go into all the side stories and all that. 2006 was the perfect example of how I want the new Bionicle to return to.

 

2006 is a perfect example of what I never want Bionicle to come close to ever again.

 

2006 IS a perfect example. I really do hope LEGO nails it on the head like they did this year. If anything, 2005 was the worst year. 

[believe victims]

Ways 2015 is unlike 2006 for the better:

• no pretensions of gritty grimdarkness
• the island actually feels like an island instead of a farcical land of death
• no characters defined by how many people they've killed and how much disrespect for life they can casually throw into conversation
• villains aren't generic gangsters made specifically for appeal to edgy teens
• better promotional material in every way, shape, and form
• no forced cross-promotions with bands
• no hamfisting of pop songs when original songs are better
• actually feels like Bionicle

[UnderscoreChronix]

 

Ways 2015 is unlike 2006 for the better:

• no pretensions of gritty grimdarkness
• the island actually feels like an island instead of a farcical land of death
• no characters defined by how many people they've killed and how much disrespect for life they can casually throw into conversation
• villains aren't generic gangsters made specifically for appeal to edgy teens
• better promotional material in every way, shape, and form
• no forced cross-promotions with bands
• no hamfisting of pop songs when original songs are better
• actually feels like Bionicle

 

Yo Yo, Piraka!

[Hewkii8730]

No the story has started very similar feel to 2001 and it's cool

[RahiSpeak]

Lots of people have mentioned the rapid release of videos and attribute that to Gen2 feeling rushed. Really though, LEGO could release a new video every other week and that would not necessarily make for a rushed story. They are just 90-second videos after all. The problem is the content of those videos and the lack thereof anywhere else. Mysteries are good, but now we just have nothing to go off of. One of the great things about reading a good book is that you can take the little details the author provides and use them to infer about the world and the direction the story may take in the future. Unfortunately, there is nothing to infer from this story; there is nothing deeper than what we have. The story goes that on the island of Okoto things got bad (we don't know how bad or for how long), so six Protectors (who the heck are they?) summoned six Toa to fight hordes of enemies that are really too weak to pose a threat to a well-armed Protector. Regardless, they decide to search for some powerfull masks anyway (there is no description of the journey; it can be summed up in: they came, they saw... and they walked out with the mask). Oh, and somewhere in there these two brothers who used to make masks fought each other. That is all we get. There are no little details that we could take advantage of and add to the story; that's it. We don't even know anything at all about Okoto other than it has six regions.

 

I understand making the story more accessable to young kids, being the target demographic and all, but that doesn't mean that it has to be dumbed-down to that level. Think about BIONICLE in previous years; 2007 for example. There was a big story there for those who were interested, thus pulling in some older fans. The little ones (like me at the time) didn't need to know any of the intracacies; the Great Spirit is dying, the only thing that can save him is a mask that is for some reason at the bottom of the ocean. So, our intrepid heroes go down to get it and fight ugly monsters. Kind of like the story that we have for Gen2, but with extra stuff for the people who want it, which is what made it interesting.

 

Now sure, we didn't know all that much about the story for BIONICLE in 2001, but we did have MNOG. Because of that, there was at least someplace for the story to take place. Right now, the characters are just floating in empty space; it is a blank universe given the name "Okoto".

 

Ever see the movie Eragon? That certainly felt rushed, which makes sense considering the book was 600-pages. As a result, they had to cut out the ever important inbetween scenes and details; there was only enough time for the stuff that has a direct effect on the story. Had these scenes been kept, it may have run smoother. The BIONICLE clips we have now are the same in that we have jumped from one thing to the next with nothing of substance to chew over and carry us along with the story. The short videos are more on par with advertisements which are not meant to create a story, but are just meant to pull in the unknowledgable who want to know more. This is fine, but there is nothing else. Commercials don't have substance to them and it is the lack of depth that makes it feel rushed. Think about it; someone here must watch a TV-series that adds a new episode every weak. Each of these episodes can be anywhere from 30-minutes to an hour and yet despite each being longer than all nine BIONICLE episodes combined it doesn't feel rushed. They are not summaries but complete stories. If Shakespeare was to have his plays summarized in the way BIONICLE is now, we would have "these people loved each other, these people hate each other, and everyone died anyway". Summaries are fine, but everything feels rushed because that is all we have. We don't have a real story. I'd say it comes down to money, since those few BIONICLE geeks who actually care do not make up even a mentionable number of sales; so why bother?

[MIY]

 

Ways 2015 is unlike 2006 for the better:

• no pretensions of gritty grimdarkness
• the island actually feels like an island instead of a farcical land of death
• no characters defined by how many people they've killed and how much disrespect for life they can casually throw into conversation
• villains aren't generic gangsters made specifically for appeal to edgy teens
• better promotional material in every way, shape, and form
• no forced cross-promotions with bands
• no hamfisting of pop songs when original songs are better
• actually feels like Bionicle

 

Just because you want something doesn't make it better. It's all a matter of preference. If we feel like 2006 was a great year for Bionicle, then we are aloud to say so.

 

 

 

 

I for one really enjoyed the complex story of G1, it really emersed you into a different world all together. I hope it gets back to that eventually, I don't see why Lego can't tackle a dark and complex story line.

That's what caused G1 to flop in the very end. 

 

It's what been said millions of times.

 

It's just my opinion. And it doesn't have to go into all the side stories and all that. 2006 was the perfect example of how I want the new Bionicle to return to.

 

2006 is a perfect example of what I never want Bionicle to come close to ever again.

 

2006 IS a perfect example. I really do hope LEGO nails it on the head like they did this year. If anything, 2005 was the worst year. 

 

2005 was the worst year imo.

[Blueblur21]

 

Ways 2015 is unlike 2006 for the better:

• no pretensions of gritty grimdarkness
• the island actually feels like an island instead of a farcical land of death
• no characters defined by how many people they've killed and how much disrespect for life they can casually throw into conversation
• villains aren't generic gangsters made specifically for appeal to edgy teens
• better promotional material in every way, shape, and form
• no forced cross-promotions with bands
• no hamfisting of pop songs when original songs are better
• actually feels like Bionicle

 

• That was what set it apart from the years before it in Bionicle. Mata Nui was dying and everything was at stake. This was also the year I got into the series so I may have some bias to this part but 2006 generally had a strong story.
• You could say that about Okoto as well. Skull Spiders and Skull Warriors could replace the Piraka.
• Instead, the characters are one dimensional, with the sidekicks and villains having no personalities whatsoever.
• The Piraka were some of the best villains in the entire series. They were special and had great play features. Also, Bionicle Heroes turned the violent gangster thing on its head. Aside from that I loved the gangster theme. These guys were awesome and dark, like bad guys are supposed to be. The Inika were awesome as well and the ads alone made them my favorite Toa team. (Of the first generation.)
• 2006 didn't have the awful 90 second animations. instead, they had Hahli being a complete boss and running over bear traps.
• Free The Band was one of the coolest promotions ever. It got me into the AAR and they now have a permanent place on my iPod. 'Move Along' is enjoyed by my entire family. 
• Move Along is iconic and has been used in many different media since it was recorded. 2015's song is cool but it only lasts for so long. 
• Bionicle was ALWAYS Bionicle. 2006 was the tipping point into darker territory and they pulled it off fantastically.

[believe victims]

• You could say that about Okoto as well. Skull Spiders and Skull Warriors could replace the Piraka.

 

Okoto is nothing like Voya Nui. Barring the Skull Spiders and Skull enemies, Okoto actually feels like an actual island. Even without the terrible Piraka, Voya Nui had nothing that felt remotely realistic about its setting, instead going for over-the-top dark grittiness.

 

 

 

• Instead, the characters are one dimensional, with the sidekicks and villains having no personalities whatsoever.

 

How are the Toa Okoto any more one-dimensional than Toa who, in most story media, are only defined by "witty" one-liners about how cool and awesome killing things is?

 

 

• The Piraka were some of the best villains in the entire series. They were special and had great play features. Also, Bionicle Heroes turned the violent gangster thing on its head. Aside from that I loved the gangster theme. These guys were awesome and dark, like bad guys are supposed to be. The Inika were awesome as well and the ads alone made them my favorite Toa team. (Of the first generation.)

Sorry, you lost me after you said you loved the same gangster theme that brought the Piraka Rap into existence. I bet that's, like, your favorite song. How is making the Piraka generic OW the EDGE gangsters a good thing?

 

I get it. You love dark, gritty things. Michael Bay is the best thing to happen to the Transformers and TMNT franchises, the more guns the better, smash all the lightbulbs until no one can see a thing, barbed wire, death is so cool and edgy, blah, blah, blah.

 

That's not what Bionicle is. That's not what made Bionicle great. Bionicle was a story about mystery and magic, where elemental heroes wearing mystical masks fight the forces of evil that seek to dominate a mythical island. It's a story like Avatar, where, if you saturate it in dark and gritty things, it will lose its magic, its charm, its uniqueness. It fades into all the dark, gritty media thrown in your face again and again and again as adult fans of franchises insist their tastes be pandered to, and nothing can be cool until everyone is killer and everything is deadly and there's dirt and grime and blood and guns and I'm just so SICK of it all.

 

I want a kids line that actually cares about kids, and making something fun. I want to see the vivid, beautiful landscapes of Okoto, with the Toa, true heroes, fighting the forces of evil without ever stooping into evil themselves. I don't want a gritty war; I want a legend..

[Jobber]

I mean, having a little grit here and there isn't a bad thing. More bare-knuckle fights would be epic. (i.e. knowing the Toa don't have to rely on their powers as much as their G1 incarnations did.)

I would love to see what the G2 Toa know about hand-to-combat. So far, only Tahu has been shown doing anything impressive. 

[MIY]

 

• You could say that about Okoto as well. Skull Spiders and Skull Warriors could replace the Piraka.

 

Okoto is nothing like Voya Nui. Barring the Skull Spiders and Skull enemies, Okoto actually feels like an actual island. Even without the terrible Piraka, Voya Nui had nothing that felt remotely realistic about its setting, instead going for over-the-top dark grittiness.

 

 

 

• Instead, the characters are one dimensional, with the sidekicks and villains having no personalities whatsoever.

 

How are the Toa Okoto any more one-dimensional than Toa who, in most story media, are only defined by "witty" one-liners about how cool and awesome killing things is?

 

 

• The Piraka were some of the best villains in the entire series. They were special and had great play features. Also, Bionicle Heroes turned the violent gangster thing on its head. Aside from that I loved the gangster theme. These guys were awesome and dark, like bad guys are supposed to be. The Inika were awesome as well and the ads alone made them my favorite Toa team. (Of the first generation.)

Sorry, you lost me after you said you loved the same gangster theme that brought the Piraka Rap into existence. I bet that's, like, your favorite song. How is making the Piraka generic OW the EDGE gangsters a good thing?

 

I get it. You love dark, gritty things. Michael Bay is the best thing to happen to the Transformers and TMNT franchises, the more guns the better, smash all the lightbulbs until no one can see a thing, barbed wire, death is so cool and edgy, blah, blah, blah.

 

That's not what Bionicle is. That's not what made Bionicle great. Bionicle was a story about mystery and magic, where elemental heroes wearing mystical masks fight the forces of evil that seek to dominate a mythical island. It's a story like Avatar, where, if you saturate it in dark and gritty things, it will lose its magic, its charm, its uniqueness. It fades into all the dark, gritty media thrown in your face again and again and again as adult fans of franchises insist their tastes be pandered to, and nothing can be cool until everyone is killer and everything is deadly and there's dirt and grime and blood and guns and I'm just so SICK of it all.

 

I want a kids line that actually cares about kids, and making something fun. I want to see the vivid, beautiful landscapes of Okoto, with the Toa, true heroes, fighting the forces of evil without ever stooping into evil themselves. I don't want a gritty war; I want a legend..

 

Geez, it's okay to have a different opinion, but you don't have to get so upset and start making assumptions about people.

Just because his opinion differents from yours doesn't mean it's wrong. It doesn't make yours wrong either. It's a matter of opinion, but you can't go around saying that 2006 Inika and Piraka weren't Bionicle, because last time I checked they were Bionicle. When I was a kid, I loved the Inika far more than the Nuva, so saying that it doesn't appeal to kids is just plain wrong.

I mean, having a little grit here and there isn't a bad thing. More bare-knuckle fights would be epic. (i.e. knowing the Toa don't have to rely on their powers as much as their G1 incarnations did.)

 

I would love to see what the G2 Toa know about hand-to-combat. So far, only Tahu has been shown doing anything impressive. 

Don't forget Ekimu smacking Makuta across the face with a giant hammer.

Edited January 30, 2015 by MIY

[believe victims]

I'm not upset. I'm perfectly calm. I am, however, also passionate about the Bionicle reboot actually caring about the roots of the franchise instead of the rotten growths that developed later.

 

And to me, "being Bionicle" isn't just about having the Bionicle logo slapped onto the packaging. That's not what being Bionicle necessarily is. What I mean by "being Bionicle" is feeling like Bionicle, staying true to the things that made it great. That's something 2006 didn't do, at all.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Wally

[MIY]

I'm not upset. I'm perfectly calm. I am, however, also passionate about the Bionicle reboot actually caring about the roots of the franchise instead of the rotten growths that developed later.

 

And to me, "being Bionicle" isn't just about having the Bionicle logo slapped onto the packaging. That's not what being Bionicle necessarily is. What I mean by "being Bionicle" is feeling like Bionicle, staying true to the things that made it great. That's something 2006 didn't do, at all.

Exactly, to you. However for some it was their favorite year. I guess the only thing we can do is agree to disagree, because really, it's all a matter of opinion. You're right that the atmosphere did change, however for some it was a welcome change, for some, like yourself, it was a bad change.

[JMSOG]

I think lego planned well. very well. I'm satisfied with what they've done.

 

The issue is that problems arose when they tried to bring the media to us. We began getting rumors and leaks way back in (to my knowledge) march of 2014, with us even getting pictures as soon as june. This was followed by us at BZP URL guessing. They even leaked the question/answer/script from comiccon a few days before it happened. This was then followed by 6 months of storyline material leaking over the course of the first week.

 

Let's reassess the problem: Lego did a fairly fantastic job with the ideas and the execution of gen2. But somewhere, they have lost control of the rate at which the information gets to us. That's the true problem, not the substance of the story itself.

[Banana Gunz]

I'm not upset. I'm perfectly calm. I am, however, also passionate about the Bionicle reboot actually caring about the roots of the franchise instead of the rotten growths that developed later.

 

And to me, "being Bionicle" isn't just about having the Bionicle logo slapped onto the packaging. That's not what being Bionicle necessarily is. What I mean by "being Bionicle" is feeling like Bionicle, staying true to the things that made it great. That's something 2006 didn't do, at all.

 

Well, what Bionicle was to you isn't the same as what is was to others. I agree with you in a lot of parts, in fact most of the categories, but 2006 does deserve a little credit for trying to be different and appealing to another market. Sure, it is very true in my mind that it went over the edge, ending up with a sort of cheesy tone with how dark it tried to be, but it still was at least slightly appropriate for the dark turn of Mata-Nui dying. So while I do agree 2006 wasn't very similar to previous years that had defined Bionicle and made it what it was at that point, it was a different turn, and going in a different direction doesn't immediately make something bad. Execution is key.

[MrTripDub]

Bionicle 2015 seems to have no story right now, and it is ticking me off. What I loved most about Bionicle was the storyline, it was engaging and really brought out the sets for me. If there are books coming out soon, great, but a MNOG Okoto style would be better.

 

Referring to the last couple of posts, 2005 was bad, the transition to 2006 was bad, but the year itself was one of my favorites. The rag tag team with electified elemental powers taking their new found skills to a lifeless place led by gangsters. It was one of the most riveting hero-to-villain matchups ever, IMO, until 2008.

[Lyichir]

While it's a little off-topic, regarding 2006:

 

Frankly, I didn't mind the Piraka's gang motifs as expressed in their animations. I thought they were hilarious, like the Lego City mini-movies, and that they suffered more if you took them 100% seriously (0% fun). Similarly, I mildly liked the gritty, hardened criminals the Piraka were portrayed as in the books, at least when their characters were examined through more than just over-the-top callousness and one-liners (their supervillainous origin stories in Legacy of Evil were generally better at characterizing them than their ridiculous kick-the-dog moments in Island of Doom).

 

I think the biggest problem with 2006 was that both of these angles were played to extremes—the promo material aping real-world gang culture, from rap mugshots to graffiti, and the books flanderizing the villains before they'd even had a chance to become interesting—and that the dissonance between the two ended up overwhelming the stronger points of the story and leading to oddities like a poetic, cryptic explanation of the Piraka's ultimate quest on a coffee mug in their gangsta pad. I guess my point is that 2006 wasn't ALL bad. It had some good elements, but those were mixed in with a lot of questionable writing and inexplicable media tie-ins that made the year as a whole a bit of a mess.

 

EDIT: Scott reminded me of one of the biggest improvements 2006 DID make to the story. For the first time, the team of "villain sets" was composed of individual characters with their own personalities. Mind you, those personalities weren't that diverse (the Barraki did better at that in 2007), but for the first time the Toa were up against a team of characters with a similar level of agency to themselves, rather than a swarm of drones. I think that was an important step, and while I understand that the new Bionicle doesn't need to take that step right away it's a milestone that should be kept in mind for the future.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Lyichir

[Aanchir]

While it's a little off-topic, regarding 2006:

 

Frankly, I didn't mind the Piraka's gang motifs as expressed in their animations. I thought they were hilarious, like the Lego City mini-movies, and that they suffered more if you took them 100% seriously (0% fun). Similarly, I mildly liked the gritty, hardened criminals the Piraka were portrayed as in the books, at least when their characters were examined through more than just over-the-top callousness and one-liners (their supervillainous origin stories in Legacy of Evil were generally better at characterizing them than their ridiculous kick-the-dog moments in Island of Doom).

 

I think the biggest problem with 2006 was that both of these angles were played to extremes—the promo material aping real-world gang culture, from rap mugshots to graffiti, and the books flanderizing the villains before they'd even had a chance to become interesting—and that the dissonance between the two ended up overwhelming the stronger points of the story and leading to oddities like a poetic, cryptic explanation of the Piraka's ultimate quest on a coffee mug in their gangsta pad. I guess my point is that 2006 wasn't ALL bad. It had some good elements, but those were mixed in with a lot of questionable writing and inexplicable media tie-ins that made the year as a whole a bit of a mess.

More on this note — 2006 actually did some really cool things that should not be neglected. The Piraka were some of the first BIONICLE villains who weren't just an army of drones or leaders in charge of an army of drones. The Matoran sets were easily the most creative and diverse series of small sets in the entire theme, and those characters had some memorable personalities. Axonn and Brutaka were creative set designs, the first BIONICLE titan sets with 13 poinst of articulation (not counting Sidorak's claws), and the first sets to implement extra suspension in the leg joints. They, too, had interesting story roles that could have been quite compelling even if you stripped away the superficial veneer of edginess from their story arc. The story regained some of its focus on myth and magic, what with the first mask quest in years and a series of Indiana Jones–like trials as the Toa and Piraka descended the 777 stairs.

 

My biggest beef with the 2006 BIONICLE story is that it had so darn much obfuscating trivia. Every Piraka had not just an elemental power, but also a vision power and an arbitrary third power. Other than the elemental color schemes, there were no visual or narrative cues to reinforce which character had which power. Later years got better about this — the 2007 and 2008 villains also had their share of unique powers, but their powers and personality traits were generally closely tied to that character's defining animal motif so it was easy to keep track of which character had poisonous stingers and was a master of camouflage (Mantax), or which character was a brute with extremely powerful armor (Carapar).

[Blueblur21]

I'm not upset. I'm perfectly calm. I am, however, also passionate about the Bionicle reboot actually caring about the roots of the franchise instead of the rotten growths that developed later.

 

And to me, "being Bionicle" isn't just about having the Bionicle logo slapped onto the packaging. That's not what being Bionicle necessarily is. What I mean by "being Bionicle" is feeling like Bionicle, staying true to the things that made it great. That's something 2006 didn't do, at all.

Oh yeah? Sorry to burst your bubble, but 2001 was the worst year for Bionicle. in fact, the story didn't start picking up until 2003. I never cared about the 'magic' or 'mystery'.  

 

2006 had all of that and more. Giant axe wielding monsters? Check. Lightning powers? Check. An important storyline that would shape the future of the series? Check.

 

'But wahh! It didn't have stupid online games and mask packs!'

 

Too bad. It didn't need any of that. It had awesome light up swords and rain drenched garages with the AAR backing the heroes as they assaulted the evil Piraka base. In fact, I regret not getting any of the Piraka now because back then I didn't have money.

 

And since you pointed it out, YES, I like 'gang culture' and dark and gritty stuff. What's wrong with that? It's better than some childish stick robots trying to fight rolling balls. 

[toa kopaka4372]

 

 

Okoto actually feels like an actual island

 Sorry, going to have to disagree with this. Voya Nui felt more like a real island and place than Okoto does at the moment, mostly because it actually had distinct landmarks and because we got some insight into the lives of the people who live there. Mount Valmai, the 777 stairs, the Green Belt, the Ice Ring, etc, and also the backstory about it being part of a larger landmass and about how a giant chunk of it sank beneath the waves. I'm sure Okoto will get some more fleshing out in due time, but for now it is an exceedingly bland location. Outside of the Temple of Time and the Ancient City, what do we know about it? Most of what we've seen is generic deserts, mountains, jungles, and so on. The place has no real personality, and that goes to the people living there as well. We know next to nothing about them, not even name. By comparison, 2006's villagers were far more compelling, with actual characterization. 

 

All of which leads to what I'm worried about the most, as expressed by other here as well: that we won't get more in-depth detail on this part of the story than what we've gotten. I can understand LEGO not wanting to make the story too complex, but this here is the exact opposite problem: there's too little. As mentioned above, Okoto isn't an actual setting. It's a colored backdrop and nothing more. The people who populate it are essentially non-existent. Who are they? Why should we care about them? What's their culture? What values do they believe in? We know literally nothing. 2001 leaves 2015 in the dust in terms of story. That year there was MNOG, which did some fantastic world building and gave us a reason to be invested in the conflict. It single-handedly made the BIONICLE universe feel like a real place, because it wasn't just about the mystical heroes being heroic. So far, 2015 has focused squarely on the Toa getting their masks, and even then it's essentially Tahu who has hogged all the focus. I'm hoping there's a lot more coming our way down the line, because if this is it for the next 6 months...well, that's pretty disappointing.

[believe victims]

And since you pointed it out, YES, I like 'gang culture' and dark and gritty stuff. What's wrong with that? It's better than some childish stick robots trying to fight rolling balls. 

 

 

>uses "childish" to insult a children's toy

 

 

it is my personal belief that any criticism of something aimed at children that resorts to calling it "childish" has lost all merit, because clearly the critic has lost sight of what it is they're trying to critique.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Wally

[Zidonaro]

Initially I hated 2006 because it eliminated all the things @Wally said, but over time I started to appreciate it and became one of my favorite years. But yeah, the edginess might not appeal to some people. It's actually interesting to notice that the "edgy" era of Bionicle began at the same time Bionicle's original head, Bob Thompson, left the company. Probably had something to do with his departure as well.

[Fry]

There's books reportedly coming in December. 

If I hear someone mention the word 'books' one more time, I am going to go insane. I don't mean to be offensive, but I have seen at least 10,000 people mention the Bionicle books. Remember that the target audience for Bionicle is boys from the ages of 6-12. The books (if any) will most likely be very cringe worthy and mind numbing.

 

I'm not upset. I'm perfectly calm. I am, however, also passionate about the Bionicle reboot actually caring about the roots of the franchise instead of the rotten growths that developed later.

 

And to me, "being Bionicle" isn't just about having the Bionicle logo slapped onto the packaging. That's not what being Bionicle necessarily is. What I mean by "being Bionicle" is feeling like Bionicle, staying true to the things that made it great. That's something 2006 didn't do, at all.

Oh yeah? Sorry to burst your bubble, but 2001 was the worst year for Bionicle. in fact, the story didn't start picking up until 2003. I never cared about the 'magic' or 'mystery'.  

 

2006 had all of that and more. Giant axe wielding monsters? Check. Lightning powers? Check. An important storyline that would shape the future of the series? Check.

 

'But wahh! It didn't have stupid online games and mask packs!'

 

Too bad. It didn't need any of that. It had awesome light up swords and rain drenched garages with the AAR backing the heroes as they assaulted the evil Piraka base. In fact, I regret not getting any of the Piraka now because back then I didn't have money.

 

And since you pointed it out, YES, I like 'gang culture' and dark and gritty stuff. What's wrong with that? It's better than some childish stick robots trying to fight rolling balls. 

 

Good for you. FYI, people are inclined to have their own opinions and disagreeing with them is not reason to start bashing on someone. Personally, I don't feel that the year that can be summed up in the words "Yo, yo, Pirika" is the best.

Also, why does everyone praise the 'darkness' of 2006? I'm sorry, but 2006 is a walk in the park when compared to stories such as A Clockwork Orange or the Lord of the Rings. 2006 was a wannabe gang attacking deformed villagers while a Toa team saved the day and (failed) getting the Ignika. LOTR is (basically) about the end of the world and the dominion of the dark lord Sauron. I don't think that I can get into A Clockwork Orange on BZPower.

 

My point is that 2006 to me never reflected the comments of many others. For example: "2006 was so great and dark" Why was it so great? "2006 was really dark" How was it dark? "It had the Pirika, and Mata-Nui was dying, and... did I mention that it was dark?"

Edited February 1, 2015 by Barad-dur