BIONICLE 2015 is basically like 2001 all over again. There are differences in the animation aesthetic and set design, obviously, but the simplified story with an emphasis on mask collection strongly harkens back to that year. I'd say that, so far, the line is less immsersive than in 2001, but that's just because we had the Mata Nui Online Game back then to beef up the world building.

Assuming the line continues into next year (which is probably a good assumption) I'd like the characters to remain on the island and explore other parts of it. I realize that's probably limiting in terms of introducing new heroes and villains into the story (and probably why there was so much island hopping in the original BIONICLE), but Okoto seems like a cool place and I'd hate for it to be underused.

I think that one defining quality that the early years of Bionicle had was the sense of mysticism. It was lost for the most part over the years, but 2015 definitely brings it back. That alone makes me happy with the reboot. As for your first question, people are always dissatisfied with new things if they deviate from what they're used to.

I'm hoping that we get more world building, specifically in terms of characters. Aside from the main characters, 2001 introduced lots of Matoran. I hope we get to know more of the villagers of Okoto.

-L

To me, 2015 BIONICLE feels fairly similar to 2001 in tone, but there are definitely some storytelling differences. Namely, a lot of my first exposure to the story in 2001 came through the comics, the first of which conveyed a lot of info in short order, compared to some of the story episodes we've seen. And the Mata Nui Online Game, which fed you information more slowly like the new story episodes are doing, was also interactive, whereas we haven't really gotten any interactive story media yet with the reboot (the mobile game is not really story-intensive at all).

I want G2 to give the main characters some real development, including learning to tolerate and help one another through their shortcomings. The Toa's new flaws present an opportunity for the characters to experience conflicts other than just having bad attitudes and not being able to get along. They will really have reasons to get frustrated with one another. But if they learn to acknowledge their own faults and depend on one another for support, I think they will be able to become a stronger team for it.

In general, I'd like the lessons of the Toa to be a little less repetitive than they were in the early years of G1. The first few years of BIONICLE felt a little bit moralistic in that they kept drilling in the exact same lessons about teamwork and the Toa kept going their separate ways regardless. It got tiresome, even more so than every single one of their major conflicts in those first few years taking place underground.

But the later years had the opposite problem, where despite all the moral ambiguity, the lessons about heroism didn't have much real-life applicability. Matoro learned that he was destined to make a great sacrifice, and he embraced that destiny, but what does that really teach us? It's extremely detached from any kind of situation a BIONICLE fan is likely to find himself in. I feel like Ninjago has done a better job working lessons into its episodes without them feeling moralistic or redundant.

Another thing I want G2 to do differently than G1 is to stick with the same main characters for longer. If Ninjago and Hero Factory can get five years of storytelling out of the same main characters, I see no reason why BIONICLE can't. After all, is Tahu really any less compelling than Furno or Kai?

That doesn't mean Tahu and company can never step out of the spotlight, but if they do, I want it to be for a clear and understandable reason, not just because they're not the characters on the toy store shelves anymore. Let the first chapter of their lives actually come to a satisfying close, instead of them putzing around in the background on uneventful side missions while they wait to become relevant again. They could perhaps even become mentors to the next generation of heroes.