Tangaroa

 

 

I suppose that folks just don't want another giant robot surprise. Which I can kinda get, it's been done and won't have the same impact if redone.

 

For those fundamentally opposed to the original MU being a giant robot, I don't know. I thought it was rather brilliantly executed, subtly making it more and more obvious from year one (Onu-koro miners found a solid layer of protodermis under the island, believed to be under the entire island,had properties similar to ussal crab shells, and had that room covered by the sundial with the floating Hau and the word "       " floating over-top).

Seriously, looking back that was brilliant foreshadowing, 'cause after the reveal it's obvious that the layer of protodermis was Mata Nui's face!

 

Here, here! And you can see in the original story bible that there was a drawing of mata nuis face under the island.

 

Mah Gawd. 

 

 

The one thing I'd like to see here that wasn't in gen1 that hasn't already been done is a big spaceship thing the Toa fly around the Island in called the Toa-Mobile.           

 

And of course no more giant robots.

 

Are you implying I made that up. Because I didn't.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/d5ab9e7b6f61a81e94c0374297e957ad/tumblr_nd90qwrgWk1u14y3zo1_500.jpg

I suppose that folks just don't want another giant robot surprise. Which I can kinda get, it's been done and won't have the same impact if redone.

 

For those fundamentally opposed to the original MU being a giant robot, I don't know. I thought it was rather brilliantly executed, subtly making it more and more obvious from year one (Onu-koro miners found a solid layer of protodermis under the island, believed to be under the entire island,had properties similar to ussal crab shells, and had that room covered by the sundial with the floating Hau and the word "       " floating over-top).

Seriously, looking back that was brilliant foreshadowing, 'cause after the reveal it's obvious that the layer of protodermis was Mata Nui's face!

Here, here! And you can see in the original story bible that there was a drawing of mata nuis face under the island.

I used to really like the canonization of minor, trivial things, and I still feel like they can flesh things out if done well. But now I realize something- too much worldbuilding that distracts from the main story is frustrating because it robs creative fans from the opportunity of forming their own headcanons and extracanonical stories, or at least makes it feel more restricted.

I'm here to defend 2005 for one critical reason: it made Vakama's secrecy about Metru Nui make perfect sense. The main reasons usually given for lying to the Matoran are that he didn't want them trying to return, where Makuta might have captured them, and that he didn't want to remind them of a utopian home they might have never seen again. Both of these require flawed logic:

 

1) If Vakama wanted them to stay away from Metru Nui because it was dangerous, telling them why it was dangerous would have been the best way. Assuming that a Matoran could conceivable make the journey, not telling them about Metru Nui made it more likely for a curious Matoran to stumble upon it by mistake, unaware of the danger.

 

2) Telling them about Metru Nui would have made them feel sad about possibly never returning, but Vakama did tell them Mata Nui was struck down and might never reawaken.

 

No, Vakama was so hesitant because he personally fought against his five teammates to keep them imprisoned in spheres forever, possibly contributing to their size reduction when they finally were freed. Under those circumstances, I'd have lied, too. If we only had the 2004 story, the epic tale of the novice Toa Metru triumphing over Makuta, telling the Matoran about it would have only strengthened their morale. But the Great Rescue made it something Vakama was shameful about.

Couldn't he have just... told them about Metru Nui but left out the hordika bit?

Anyway I would say 2003 but the second half was really good so it kind of balances out.

 

Anyone support gender swapping?

For existing characters, no (Except for Tamaru, but as there are no Matoran in Gen2, I doubt she'll be showing up)

 

But if you mean mixing genders within tribes, or gender-swapping entire tribes, yes please

 

I would actually love to have seen at least two of the original toa genderswapped- it wouldn't be that much of a deal, market-wise, and storywise I honestly don't  think gender had much to do with their characters.

Anyway, I hope bionicle keeps its sense of immersion and mystery. That was what, I felt, was missing from some of the later years of Gen1 and all of Hero Factory. Don't get me wrong, I grew up with 07 onwards, but looking back I can recognize that that era suffered from trying to be too gritty, introducing too many plot elements too fast to explore, and doing in the wizard in a way that was interesting in concept but lacking in execution (I like the analogy that it was very "mainstream comic book").

Hero factory was also really superficial and RADICAL. Which I mean is fine for a toyline, but what made bionicle special was that you didn't just to "Cool!" as a kid- you also went "Wow!" Things were always a bit mythical, mysterious, and genre-blending. I think that's what fans complain about when they say something is "Childish;" let's face it, 2001 was pretty childish and simple, but it had a formula that worked.