Bionickel

I was pretty into the LEGO Sports lines, like soccer and basketball, not to mention Johnny Thunder, Alpha Team and Mindstorms.

I could see the argument if there were sets like "Housewife's Grocery Run" or "Linda the Secretary" (complete with a touchy, inappropriate male overlord), but I don't see that. Sure, one of them is a beautician, but you've also got an inventor, a veterinarian, a singer and a baker. Those are hardly sexist vocations. You could also point out that all of these girls are running their own businesses and/or careers rather than reporting to a higher-paid male, waiting tables or taking care of Bobby, Jr. Yes, they're girly. Yes, not every girl fits the cultural standard of "girly," we get that. But this isn't telling girls that they need to be pretty and get good at cooking so they can find Mr. Right, raise a family and never have a career. It's just exemplifying what a lot of girls (certainly not all), especially at a young age, actually like: animals, clothes, bright colors, etc. I don't see the problem.

1. "You are not the first Toa!" just about blew my mind. 2. Makuta battle in MNOLG. Such good dialogue. 3. The Rahi/Matoran showdown in MNOLG was too legit to quit.4. Onua versus Lewa in MNOLG. We all wanted it to happen. 5. Bahrag versus Exo-Toa. 6. Conversations with Kopeke.7. The formation of the Toa Kaita. 8. Explanation of the Krana. 9. Kopaka's first thoughts. 10. Mainly conversations with Kopeke, though.

I was taking a book off my bookshelf and Krika fell down on my head. I was pretty sure it was the end of the world.

Call me old school, but the Toa Kaita did it for me. The walking legs, Akamai's giant hand, the way everything was set up. I know it wasn't anything nearly as complex as the Kardas Dragon or Makuta Nui, but dang, those were satsifying to build and play with.

From a design perspective, I loved the Kaukau and Huna probably more than anything. They were both so weird: one was translucent, the other was elephantine. I also have a very special place in my heart for the Miru.

Back in '01, Lewa was boss. He didn't flit around saving bears and talking pansy treespeak; he was busy getting stuff done. He got infected twice, once by Makuta, once by the Bohrok, and he still fought with the same pride and dignity as the rest of his comrades. Lewa for life.

I don't know so much about wasted character, but the Toa Nuva during the Bohrok Kal period were significantly rushed. Can you imagine losing the very power that seems to define you as a Toa and then facing six creatures more powerful than anything you have yet experienced? Can you imagine the identity crisis, the sense of despair, the primal fear? My goodness, they could've been the most introspective, fascinating characters in the whole series. But then again, Bionicle was a "kids" toy. Sigh.

This is why I love this site. In reality, Bionicle didn't have a ton of wiggle-room to explore the dark complexities of Teridax's inner motives. To kids, Makuta is just evil, and portraying him any other way would seem confusing.I think Teridax ultimately became single-minded. He was entitled to Mata Nui's position; therefore, he had the right to blot out anyone and everyone that got in his way, even the Matoran themselves. I'm sure that he wound up being more evil than he ever wanted to be when he eventually took over Mata Nui and later Metru Nui, but I think old habits die hard. If you win an island with blood, you're going to keep an island with blood.

My top will always be hearing Lewa's voice in Mask of Light. I'm not totally against the idea of treespeak; it's kind of a neat idea, but in my mind, Lewa was this die-hard loner, wild, Bear Grylls kind of dude.In addition, I'm going to have to say Tamaru getting pretty much ignored after MNOLG. He was my absolute favorite Matoran, and it broke my little heart to see him not get any recognition later on. But then again, they probably would've done something I wouldn't have liked with him somewhere along the line, so maybe it's best that he's preserved in my memories.Those would be mine. I just have very specific feelings about the Le-Koran people.

I wasn't initially thrilled by the idea, but the way you kept moving me along through the story was really well-done. I could visualize what was happening, I could relate to it, and it reminded me of my own experiences. The part with the mask was definitely my favorite. A tad melodramatic, perhaps, but well-told. I enjoyed it.

"I Know It's Over" by Jeff Buckley

If they had the proper money to hire good voice actors and quality animators, I think Bionicle could be a super quality mini-series. I don't know about a perpetual TV show that piles situation after situation, villain after villain, but a mini-series with a definite, advancing story arc could be sweet. If nothing else, it'd be visually entertaining.

I think Bionicle, properly handled, could be a real nice way to attract an older audience back to the LEGO franchise. The older story (the comics, anyway) had a much broader age appeal, I think, than later storylines that decided witty dialogue and action were the most important thing. I was always drawn by the story, though. The sets themselves are probably a different story. And I'm not huge into Hero Factory.