For a blog on a BIONICLE fansite, my Bionicle-related entries have been slim. This one might be the precursor to more to come. Why? I'll tell you why.

I honestly haven't been this excited for sets since I got into Bionicle three years ago. Not since the box sets of 2003 have I wanted new ones so much. Granted, at that time my collection was beginning and thus very slim, so I had been wanting A LOT of sets, but a lot of them are just sitting around on my shelves now. The ones with the least mileage are the 2004 guys, and the one Visorak I own is squished in one of my drawers at home. Avak and his stiff rubber head just didn't do it for me, and if it hadn't been for my roommate I hadn't even considered owning Toa Hahli. I stopped caring about the sets and most of the storyline when the Inika came out (they'll always be Matoran to me. I can't think of them any other way). Instead I focused on trying to collect and play with the 2001-2003 sets. My heart just hasn't left Mata Nui. But the Barakki... I don't know what it was. It could've been the obvious-and-yet-so-orginal designs based off sea life, or the descriptions that GregF provided for us. But as soon as I set eyes on these underwater warlords, they had totally captured my interest all over again.

The Barakki are refreshingly new, fulfilling a lot of what Bionicle fans have been asking for. Six totally unique sets, as un-clonelike as we've seen in any canister set since the 2001 Toa. A return of bright colors and new colorschemes, new pieces and old pieces reused (liftarm in Ehlek, Rahkshi feet in Carapar, anyone?). Sure they don't in any way look like they have Kanohi, but they just look so cool otherwise that that can be forgiven. Those sharp little barbs and teeth are proper touches, and what I'm especially drawn to is how they've been designed resemble the animal each represents, but they're still stylized enough to look BIONICLE (Carapar bulked with armor and Mantax broadshouldered like a manta ray's hood, while Takadox and Ehlek are skinny and slick.)

They're not perfect either but I'm not in the mood to complain right now. I am putting Takadox on my Hannuka wishlist though. Glow-in-the-dark sealed the deal.

Mandibles! Gawsh.