Master Inika

That was a pretty good article. That source does make it clear how easy it is to get resurrection wrong and make it feel cheap and unearned. In particular, I think it is much easier to write an original story (and have more ability to establish the reader's expectations) that involves resurrection than it is to write fanfiction of an established lore that unnaturally resurrects characters who are just particularly popular. I don't feel as though you are really engaging with what we are saying here. Why would you revive all these characters? In what way would the stories be better? Having Black Widow, Iron Man, Matoro and the others die allows us to see how the other characters react to their deaths. Since people die in the real world, this is something the average viewer is interested in seeing fictional characters react to. People (usually) don't come back from the dead in the real world, so it's not as interesting to see fictional characters react to resurrections. I really can't imagine Matoro coming back in a way that does not cheapen his death in 2007.

I will pay anyone at LEGO any amount of money for that to not happen. I marked "maybe" on the survey because marking "no" made me feel too much like a sociopath. Here's how storytelling works, you are supposed to want the bad thing to not happen but recognize that that is how dramatic tension is formed. It'd be great for Luke if Ben Kenobi didn't get killed on the Death Star but that's because it's an allegory for growing from a boy into a man and losing your parents and other mentor figures when you feel like you're only beginning to truly appreciate them. The story would be "better" if Obi-Wan didn't die in the sense that the people in the story would feel happier, but it would be a much worse story (and probably not be remembered at all) because it would not be about emotions that the viewers could understand. Have you ever read/watched any media featuring a chosen one ever? I agree with @Nato G that the Red Star kind of ruined BIONICLE. I know that Greg a "zombies on a space station" story, and Greg has surprised me with his ability to make seemingly stupid story ideas work before, but on paper it just sounds weird. Virtually any death in BIONICLE being removed would also remove all our investment in why it happened. Matoro has to die for the story to be about humility and self-sacrifice, Mavrah has to die to show the danger of arrogantly trying to control nature, Sidorak has to die to show us how evil and detached Roodaka is, and Lesovikk's team has to die to turn Lesovikk into a grimdark atoner edgelord.

Personally, I believe that Hero Factory 2010 captured a lot of what made both late BIONICLE and early Hero Factory kind of bad. The quality of the pieces themselves still suffered from that weird molding issue from 2008, which made them stiff, disjointed and prone to breaking. Furthermore, the main good guy sets (the Heroes) were incredibly difficult to pose. Stormer, Stringer, and Bulk suffered from the bizarre choice to integrate their weapons directly into their arms, and the dual-wielding Heroes (Furno [sort of], Breez, and Surge) suffered from their arms being too long and it almost feeling like their hands were their elbows, with their weapons being their lower arms, if that makes sense. Imo, the villains for that year fared much better. They were more experimental and interesting to look at, though they still had pretty heavy problems. The only one I actually own is Corroder, and he's impossible to pose. Those Avtoran limbs stuck in an eternal 90-degree angle are forgivable when used in Avtoran-sized sets, but attached to both a bulky torso and bulky handpieces, they just make him feel cluttered. In the TV show, he's seen jumping around like an agile, quick-moving villain, and his aesthetic (in still images) looks quick, but to hold in your hand, he's just as difficult to maneuver as Corroder or Krekka. I personally feel like the Makuta Mistika suffered from a subtle rationing away of parts. One cannot help but notice that Krika has a canister-sized body but Avtoran-sized limbs, while Bitil has normal limbs but a tiny body. (Gorast, at least, has six Avtoran-sized limbs, evening her out somewhat.) The Makuta Mistika are beautiful to look at, especially compared to the overly industrial-looking Toa Mistika, but it was a harbinger of things to come that LEGO seemed to think we would not notice. Like Corroder, Krika uses 90-degree Avtoran joints, but Krika's lithe body and long, thin weapons makes it work. Krika's in-hand physicality is close enough to a child's imagination to imagine Krika stalking the Swamp of Secrets. The only play scenario I can see a kid playing out with Corroder is "Hero Factory vs. Arthritis." I have never held Rotor, the Drop Ship, the Furno Bike or Von Nebula, but they at least looked like a step in the right direction. Reusing the maskpiece of Hydraxon (a fairly obscure 2007 set) for the year's Big Bad was an interesting choice, especially as, in silver, it looks somewhat neutral (as a jailer's mask should), but it suffices in black as the mask of evil incarnate. HF 2010 offers many such glorious BIONICLE recolors, from Meltdown's yellow Kalmah tentacle to XPlode's recolored Krika blades and Von Nebula's black-and-blue Tridax pod (I am surprised no one ever attempted to integrate into a Vamprah revamp. Re-Vamprah, haha.) Rotor and Von Nebula (aside from VN's weird tiny arms, which the box artist didn't even try to hide) fit right in among the great titans of BIONICLE 2005 and 2006. The Drop Ship, while commendable, looks overengineered, suffering from much the same flaw as the Darth Vader constraction figure: too many tiny pieces going to recreate a basic and uninteresting shape, creating extra work for the builder without a feeling of vindication as more intricate models (like the Ussanui, the Jetrax T6, or the Malevolence) would offer. The HF vehicles (which never returned, apparently turning no particular profit) feel like serious step downs from BIONICLE. 2011, at least, allowed Hero Factory to develop its own identity. Whether it is better or worse than BIONICLE is for you to decide, but at least I can say with confidence that it was no longer simply a worse version of BIONICLE.

Agreed. Worse than Von Nebula, Fire Lord, Witch Doctor, and Black Phantom put together.

GALI: You look terrible, brother. KOPAKA: I had a poor sleep last night. TAHU: ... KOPAKA: If only one of us at some point in time acquired the power to make people immediately and deeply fall asleep by wearing a certain suit of armor. TAHU: I SAID I'M SORRY KOPAKA: Because they would sure be stupid to ever remove said armor

I picked the first option, just because I think it makes more sense for the Great Beings to make armor that grants the user specifically the powers permanently. Otherwise, the choice to take the armor off would be a pretty major one.

It was pretty epic. The ending too was emotional, even though I had no idea what was going on.

I think this is plenty horrifying. My favorite part is the hat; it took me a few seconds to realize it was actual LEGO.

Nice, I too noticed the resemblance between the Protector Mask and the Arthron. I especially like his utility belt. As for the Hahnah, I like how he simultaneously looks cute and also like a real crab.

My guess: matter

Interesting, personally I thought "Ride" did not really fit BIONICLE that well.

All Turaga have an "off" switch on their back, and during the Cataclysm he accidentally backed into a wall and flipped it. J/k. He probably died the same way earthquakes kill people in the real world, by physical trauma, compounded too by his advanced age.

That thing looks terrifying and beautiful. It looks like a fearsome Mahri Nui creature.

Sounds like that would just encourage spam.

Lol, that's hilarious. Would you approve of me writing a fanfic about that idea?

Happy Spooktober, fellow BZPers. This is a topic to discuss nostalgic Halloween memories and the holiday in general. I'm a Zillennial, so Halloween for me was really determined by pop culture. Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular and Billy & Mandy's Jacked-Up Halloween are my favorites and I usually watch them each every Halloween online now. As for costumes, I have been: Dracula, Toa Hordika Vakama, Tsar Nicholas II (the final Russian emperor), Boba Fett, and a giraffe hunter (as an inside joke because my friend was a giraffe that year). I finally splurged for a nice costume from a real costume store a few years ago and have been Obi-Wan Kenobi ever since. As for candy, I like Kit-Kats, York bars, and Skittles. Three Musketeers are okay, but Reese's Cups are overrated if you ask me. Even though my deteriorating dental health makes eating any of them a little less enjoyable now.

I guess that's a problem for future Master Inika to deal with. Thanks for the heads-up.

Thank you for your words. If I can track down the DVDs of the next seasons, I'll keep the series going. I purchased all the Ninjago DVDs I have so far in a bulk lot on eBay.

“The Surge” Wow! What a great episode. Honestly one of my biggest criticisms of Ninjago has been that Ninjago City just looks generic and not all that Lego. Metru Nui, locations in the Lego Star Wars episodes, even Makuhero City all make me want to play with Lego and make my own cities, but Ninjago City has always just been… meh. I LOVE New Ninjago City, though. The Blade Runner aesthetic works so well for it and gives Ninjago its own flavor that I find it’s really been lacking. I also like how the Overlord has been reworked into a more Makuta-like villain. I found his introduction in Season 2 rushed and unfocused, but here I feel like there is far more narrative consistency in terms of his character and what he can and cannot to. It honestly reminds me of what I liked about Reign of Shadows. You can’t defeat this guy, you can just escape to fight another day. The episode does a great job setting up the future episodes. I’m excited to see what comes next. Honestly, my only criticism is that Zane’s father dies off-screen. At first, I was a little confused and thought Cyrus Borg was Zane’s dad. But this is looking to be a very Zane-centric season, so hopefully we’ll explore later on how his passing has affected him. The absence of Misako and especially Garmadon is another criticism of mine. Reforming Garmadon has been such a big push so far, the fact he does not appear, nor is even mentioned in the season premier is a glaring omission for me. But Lloyd in general does not appear until the very end, so I will be forgiving for now. Zane and PIXAL’s interaction was cute. I felt like there was an opportunity when they are fleeing the city for PIXAL to try to convince Zane she was on their side and give him some conflict, but I am sure her femme fatale moment will come later. Honestly, having entered this season totally blind, I was surprised the conflict started so early. I found PIXAL so wholesome and endearing it was a little rushed how quickly she turned evil. But then again, she is a robot. Also… Nya with Cole? Drama! I’m surprised I’m saying this (probably because the scene does not overstay its welcome), but I am curious to see where they will take that plotline. “The Art of the Silent Fist” I’m glad Pixal had her femme fatale moment before actually turning good. Lol, the cameo from the Magician and Clown from Series 1 of the Collectible Minifigures was unexpected and funny. The Nya and Jay moment was tense. Not gonna lie, I’m surprised Nya would talk like that to him. Jay has been nothing but good to her. They’re handling the love triangle well, but I thought it was not properly set up. Much like the overarching plotline. The original Lloyd vs. Overlord battle was a confusing letdown, but I am thankful for the dynamic it set up for this season. Coming off of the heels of Bionicle, though, I’m just thankful for romantic content at all. OMG. Zane went to save Pixal instead of get the Techno Blade. He really is in love. I find it funny that the eponymous Art of the Silent Fist is just dodging. But it is an interesting angle for the reformed Garmadon. The fact that we get a good look at Sensei Garmadon at all is pretty impressive. Most franchises, like Star Wars, end with the Big Bad’s Heel–Face Turn. I think with Min-Droid being introduced in episode 2 and the techno-dragon overshadowing the nindroids as meaningful opposition, the nindroids have had the shortest transformation from Serious to Silly. Oh, so Zane just got the Techno Blade back offscreen. I thought they were building up to his saving her costing the ninja one of the blades. I guess they’re not going to go that route to keep the Techno Blades from being too much like the Fang Blades, but it still would have been a good plotline. (On the subject of the Techno Blades, the joke about them not actually being sharp was hilarious.) Whoa… after Pixal and Zane have their moment, Nya and Cole are the first ones to walk up behind him. That’s some pretty deep foreshadowing. At least, it might be. I don’t know yet. The final shot of Lloyd and Garmadon walking along the road is pretty beautiful. The animation definitely has more money behind it this season. I also like the moments with Lloyd and Garmadon together. After two whole seasons of them fighting, it’s cathartic to see a real wholesome dynamic between them. It feels earned and makes me feel rewarded for staying with the show long-term. (Kind of funny, but even though he says he dropped the “Lord” he’s still called “Lord Garmadon” in the end credits.) “Blackout” This was a good episode. The action and drama were both really great. I was both dreading and looking forward to the love triangle coming to a head. Jay is usually such a positive character, and to be honest Cole has gotten very little characterization since the pilot. Zane and Pixal continue to be cute, wholesome relationship goals. It’s funny that Garmadon is good and Wu is evil now. Garmadon and Lloyd was actually a very good and philosophical episode. I was not expecting such a meditation on how the people over-relied on technology being like Lloyd relying on his new powers. Not even BIONICLE broached that idea with its golden character, Takanuva. That would have been a fascinating idea, the Avohkii and his light powers as something he used as a crutch. It makes me wish the plotline of the Toa Nuva losing their powers had happened after Takua became Takanuva, somehow. The Ravture just doesn’t look like a LEGO animal to me. I find the way they animate non-LEGO animals super weird, especially because I think it could have been a cool small set. I miss the days of the early BIONICLE games, when designers and animators would use LEGO assets to essentially animate their own MOCs. The Ussal, I believe, was animated in MNOG before actually getting an official set form in 10023. The fact that the Serpentine’s identity is revealed in the credits as Pythor is kind of disappointing. I was honestly hoping it was Skales. “The Curse of the Golden Master” Wow, Skales got married and has a cute son and wife! That’s really wholesome. Skales continues to be my favorite character. When the Overlord says “Good,” the subtitles have it as “Lord.” I can’t help but notice how clean and tight the animation is. It’s really come a long way since 2011. How do I feel about the Serpentine’s reform? It doesn’t make any sense at all in the context of the story until this point, but I like the possibilities it opens up going forward. Skales and the other Serpentine are just so affable that I had trouble taking them as villains for most of Season 1 anyway. The idea that Lloyd could grow up to be power-hungry like Lord Garmadon is a poignant one. It’s interesting how, even reformed, Lord Garmadon still influences the show as an antagonist. It could be a good allegory for generational trauma for kids, too. I know as a kid, watching The Empire Strikes Back for the first time, I was bewildered by the idea that Luke could fall to the dark side, but seeing how frustrated he got quickly with Yoda made me realize it was not that ridiculous of an idea. Lloyd has much of the same traits as Luke and Anakin. He has a strong sense of justice, but he can also be impulsive and need excitement. And, like Luke, he sacrifices the greater good to save someone he cares about in the short term. I am excited for how this develops. “Enter the Digiverse” The subtitles get it wrong again when recapping the last episode. “Protect the young!” becomes “Protect the gun!” You know, you could view this season of Ninjago as just a wholesome, kid-friendly version of Blade Runner with Zane, Pixal, and Cyrus Borg as Deckard, Rachael, and Eldon Tyrell. I just realized that, with Pythor, General Cryptor, and corrupted Wu all together, the antagonists have more distinct characters than the Stone Army or the Serpentine did. It’s a shame they’re not playing off each other more, it presents some good comedic potential. As much as I enjoy the post-apocalyptic Ninjago citizens, having seen The Lego Movie Part 2 do it better limits my enjoyment somewhat. Lol, the Overlord’s “too big to fail” line was funny and period-appropriate. Surprisingly real for a Ninjago line. Overall, this episode feels like a mini-reboot (pun intended) of the story thus far. The new terms like “Digiverse” (which makes me laugh) and “Digital Overlord” are used, in my opinion, without proper introduction. Still, it is a solid episode with good action, pacing, and character moments. It reminds me of TRON: Legacy, which is always a good thing. Zane and Pixal continue to be my favorite ship on the show. “Codename: Arcturus” This is a really minor nitpick, but “over and out” isn’t actual radio speak. “Over” means you’re expecting to hear something back but “out” means you aren’t expecting to hear anything back, so it doesn’t make any sense to say. Oh, geez… are Nya and Cole/Jay just in an open relationship now? I knew they would drop that plotline for a few episodes when the world was at stake, but it just takes me by surprise seeing the three of them watching a movie together. It’s their personal business, I guess. Me, moments later: okay, it makes a little more sense. Still, Nya calls it a “double date,” even though that’s not what that means usually. That remixed Ninjago beat was sick. Calling back to that weird time-travel episode was a risk, but I think it justified itself. Crazy, wacky stuff happens every Ninjago battle. I never thought the Golden Weapons would be relevant again. It would be like the Toa having to go into space to retrieve Lehvak-Kal to stop Makuta from returning. Actually… *runs off to start writing fanfiction* At first, “Enter the Digiverse” felt too much like a climactic finale. I was concerned the follow-up would feel too tacted-on. I’m pleased to report that the final two episodes are gearing up to really be something, though, plus it was a clever callback to Cole’s earlier “ninjas in space?” comment. I occasionally find myself wondering what Dareth or Misako are up to. The show has so many characters, though, that I understand we can’t check back up on everyone. Sometimes I wonder if the show used up its “wacky races” episode too early, because of how many characters there are for them to choose from now. When Garmadon became good, I was initially afraid he would essentially just become a second Sensei Wu. I am pleased with the degree of nuanced expressed by the writers, though. Even though he is good, he still has his own personality. He is more austere than Wu, more like a real Zen master would be. I find his and Wu’s interactions, demonstrating their different styles for training students, to be fascinating. It reminds me of the differences between Dume and Vakama. “The Void” The opening really shows off the skill of the animators. After a whimsical zero-gravity scene, Zane’s near-miss being lost in the vacuum of space does a really good job keeping the tension up. Even though he’s just a Lego minifig, I feel his fear of the vast emptiness. This is kind of hilarious, but the secret code to the extra spacesuits is “1234.” The entire ending chase sequence is just perfectly done. It’s engaging, consistent, and, most importantly, makes me want to buy my own LEGO Ninjago Space Rover at Toys R Us for only $29.99. The space bugs, too, look like they fit in the world. They do not actually look like Lego, but unlike some other elements of Ninjago fauna, like the falcon, still look like they belong in their world. General Cryptor is a character I feel has not been sufficiently explored. Unlike Samukai or even the Serpentine generals, I feel he does not have an identity beyond being just a larger version of the regular Nindroid. Only his appearance at the end of the battle, when he reappears to gloat against the ninja before leaving, gives him a bit of villainous grandiosity. I wish he had more moments of personality like this before. “The Titanium Ninja” Even though it’s so late in the season, it’s nice seeing Cryptor finally getting some characterization. For a robot, he sure is good at villainous taunting. The ship-building scene, I thought, would be a good look at the LEGO side of LEGO Ninjago, with the Arcturus breaking up into actual LEGO pieces. That didn’t happen, unfortunately. Even at this stage, Ninjago just doesn’t lean into its LEGO-ness as much as it can, even when the narrative hands it the opportunity to. I don’t know how funny I was supposed to find Pythor sacrificing himself for the Overlord, but I found it pretty funny. It was also weirdly noble of him. I’ve been waiting for him to double-cross the Overlord for a while. It is especially strange because in this same episode, it was Pythor’s idea to attack the citizens. Having him demonstrate genuine loyalty to the Overlord (and immediately be punished for it) sends a weird message. Zane’s sacrifice (and resurrection) were excellent. That entire sequence felt like, for this generation, what Matoro’s sacrifice was for us. But at the same time, I can’t help but feel like it was all too brief, over so quickly it did not have time to resonate emotionally. Matoro died and did not come back to life, not even on the Red Star. I knew Zane would return; however, I thought they would at least wait until the Season 4 premier to bring him back. It feels too much like the show is refusing to let such a gripping emotional moment really stick. The episode and season as a whole were very good. I would still say that Season 1 was my favorite, but this is probably an improvement over 2. Between the Digiverse, space, the love triangle, Pixal, plus Zane’s storyline (not to mention Garmadon and all the other characters), this season had a lot to juggle and I felt everything received the time and attention it deserved. (Except Misako. Nya and Pixal are not enough, Misako would have made a good addition to the Wu/Garmadon mentor team.) I’ll ask those who have been plugged in to Ninjago, how good is Season 4 and the rest? Should I continue this review series or switch to something else, like LEGO Super Heroes? I’m interested in what you, the readership, have to say. While I did enjoy watching this season, I do not necessarily feel that I must continue watching. Perhaps if I had watched it as a kid on TV every week, it would be different, but bingeing each season quickly does feel chaotic and rushed. I have heard mixed things about the later seasons, so I leave it to you to see where this review series goes next.

So, the thing is that Pit Mutagen isn’t really alive. I imagine it’s not something anyone is interested in getting anywhere near them, but at the same time, it’s not going anywhere, so I doubt anybody is actively trying to contain it. The only places where Pit Mutagen still exists are probably inside the Great Spirit Robot and deep in Aqua Magna. The GSR is probably forbidden for people to just explore, while the mutagen in Aqua Magna is an untied loose end, but someone would probably have to know exactly where the GSR was to find that part of the water again. And even then, it’s unlikely anyone would want to. Perhaps the new government put out a warning that it’s out there somewhere. If they have nothing else to deal with, they could send out teams in submarines with captive Rahi to test where the mutagen is still active, and cordon off that area.

I just revisited two classic season 1 episodes, "A Dog and Pony Show" and "Feeling Pinkie Keen." I have to say, and others might disagree, but the show holds up really well. I forgot how much I liked classic slice-of-life MLP. Huge world-changing adventures are fun, but it's so nice and chill for the ponies to just vibe with each other in fairly low-stakes conflicts.

Maybe it's just me, but I draw a hard distinction between lost media and unpublished media. For me, the lost media phenomenon happens when there's something you remember consuming as a child and, lo and behold, when you come back to revisit it, it's gone. For me, that applies to the Rhotuka Spinner Challenge, some old Goldfish commercials, and other things. I consider that different from doing research and discovering something meant for release that never was.

Has anyone ever studied/researched BIONICLE lost media? On the Lost Media Wiki, there are some mentions of BIONICLE, but they are of projects canceled before they could be officially published at all (The Legend of Mata Nui video game and the Invasion book specifically). There is a quite interesting article on a 2003 Takanuva/Makuta commercial as well. It always seemed to me that there must be some lost BIONICLE commercials. Specifically around 2007/8, I felt like I frequently saw on TV short commercials made from bits and pieces of the longer animations, sometimes with different dialogue, but I might be misremembering. The Rhotuka Spinner Challenge, an online game from 2005, is inaccessible even on formats like BlueMaxima's Flashpoint Archive because it was connected to LEGO.com to play with other users. (There was a LEGO tic-tac-toe online game that is lost for the same reason.) The BIONICLE community has always been pretty good about preserving its content, like through BioMedia Project and the Biological Chronicle. Hopefully, that will remain the case. On a related note, has anyone ever observed that BIONICLE is the only LEGO line to have been officially divided into years on the website? I recall in 2006, the BIONICLE website kept much of its previous games divided by year (2003 had MNOG II, 2004 had Stop the Morbuzakh, and 2005 had the aforementioned Rhotuka Spinner Challenge). I think this is the only instance of LEGO recognizing the years of its production, to my knowledge the LEGO Ninjago or Star Wars sites never did this.

Wow, this model (it feels weird to even call it a "model," like a toy you hold in your hands and play with) is phenomenal! This looks like something of the scale that Titan Mata Nui or a hypothetical GSR set could have been. He's imposing and powerful-looking. I can only imagine the building process. That timeline shows just how much spectacular work must have went into him. Honestly, I clicked expecting some kind of tooth-themed Makuta. If anything, this MOC's name is underwhelming next to its actual grandeur. You could have gotten away with calling it, "Truly Massive Makuta MOC" and it would have been deserved. Interesting, he reminded me of Gorm from the unappreciated classic theme Galidor.

Is it different from Fanta is the US/wherever you live normally?