Fulcrumfan91 Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 On for me there's not doubt about it. G2 is waaaaay better than G1...I actually dig the story being simpler. Means I can follow it from one source rather than having to read a bunch of books or website posts. Love the sets, they are so much better than pretty much any set from G2, aesthetically and functionally. Quote
Tazakk Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 I voted indifferent. I respect the set designs but most of them don't appeal to me aesthetically, and while I really liked the 2015 webisodes the rest of the story has been a disappointment for me. I know opinions like this can come off as sort of blind - with set design especially - so I want to emphasize that I actually think the new sets are better than the vast majority of comparable sets offered in G1. That being said, it's still not really the sort of design philosophy I came to Bionicle for. There's no accounting for taste, I guess. Quote
xboxtravis7992 Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 (edited) I like a lot of the G2 sets. 2015's Toa wave blew me out of the water and I collected them all. While I was at first underwhelmed by the Protectors; I now have four of them, plus Ekimu, a %95 finished custom Takua, and skeletal frames reserved for an eventual take on G2 Hahlii and Jaller. 2016 has had less highlights, but I have no doubt Umarak the Hunter is one of my favorite Bionicle characters of all time. But about the story... meh. I get why they chose a simplistic approach, and the 2015 webisodes were fun; even if they lacked depth. But JtO let me down big time. I also found the first graphic novel and it literally took me five minutes to skim read the whole thing, so I wasn't to impressed with it either. As I have said before, even if Bionicle gets canceled, it will be enough for me to continue the story in my mind and build MOCS for it, since I was highly impressed by the CCBS system when I first got my hands on it. Edited June 17, 2016 by xboxtravis7992 Quote
Mesonak Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 The sets are my favorite part about G2, no question. I think the CCBS system and the integration of functions into the sets makes the older-style figures, with the exception of Titans and vehicles, look pretty lackluster. That being said, G2's storytelling has been somewhat of a disappointment. There are aspects about its story that i enjoy, no question. I like the atmosphere, the tone, and some of the comedic moments, but overall I feel it's been a bit lacking. So I voted "Love sets, not story." Quote
Tarvaxx Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 I don't understand why some don't like JtO. I thought it was one of the better visual media to come from BIONICLE. It was certainly better than TLR and the third Miramax movie. Umarak's characterization was great, and for the most part the animation and artstyle was fantastic to look at. The only thing holding it back from being the best BIONICLE media ever released is the fact that they haven't turned it into a full-fledged 20-30 episode multi-seasoned show. Quote
JekPorkchops Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 Yeah they skimped through JtO's story a little too quickly. But my main problem is the stilted dialogue and the way those lines were delivered. It kinda took you out of everything and it lacked a sense of realism and tension. (Some scenes or segments with only awkward lines and no music as TTV pointed out didn't help either.) However, the art style is beautiful and the characterisations and the choices that were made by them felt natural. The rushed story could've been a nice story if it took its time. I found it to be okay in the end. Quote
xboxtravis7992 Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 Yeah they skimped through JtO's story a little too quickly. But my main problem is the stilted dialogue and the way those lines were delivered. It kinda took you out of everything and it lacked a sense of realism and tension. (Some scenes or segments with only awkward lines and no music as TTV pointed out didn't help either.) However, the art style is beautiful and the characterisations and the choices that were made by them felt natural. The rushed story could've been a nice story if it took its time. I found it to be okay in the end. Yes my number 1 complaint was the dialogue and predictable plot. The art style was gorgeous though, but that alone a good story doesn't make. Quote
Tarvaxx Posted June 17, 2016 Posted June 17, 2016 (edited) Yes my number 1 complaint was the dialogue and predictable plot. The art style was gorgeous though, but that alone a good story doesn't make. Predictable plot? The bad guy winning seems like a departure from HF and most LEGO themes. It seems your expectations might have been too high from my point of view. The plot itself was fine for a child's TV series that wasn't planned to have more than four episodes. It was a lot more interesting than some of HF's mini-movies (no disrespect to HF, of course). Edited June 17, 2016 by Tarvaxx Quote
JekPorkchops Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 The thing is, as standard as the HF episodes and the characters were, the characters sounded very normal and it was easier to immerse yourself into the story. Some of the characters even grew a little bit over the course of the show (until the Invasion from Below animation threw everything that had been established out of the window). HF was very predictable and the story was nothing special (also they left numerous plot lines unanswered) but they were kinda going for that 'cinematic' experience that the earlier Bionicle movies were going for, while JtO feels more like a cartoon. In the end, I find all four old Bionicle movies better than JtO. After those JtO and the best HF episode Breakout. Then the rest of HF. Also this feels like it belongs more in the story topic, but the points made to get me to write this post were made in this topic. Quote
Tarvaxx Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 No. TLR is universally panned by BIONICLE fans, and if you think it was better than JtO then you're heavily blinded by nostalgia. Quote
Mesonak Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 HF was very predictable and the story was nothing special (also they left numerous plot lines unanswered) but they were kinda going for that 'cinematic' experience that the earlier Bionicle movies were going for, while JtO feels more like a cartoon. I find myself agreeing with this. That being said, for the audience they're aiming JTO towards, I felt it was a pretty solid effort. All of the early BIONICLE films have equally comparable amounts of cheesy moments, poor dialogue, and corny jokes, so neither is better than the other in that regard. It's just that the movies felt like movies and JTO doesn't because, well, it's not a movie. It's an entirely different form of media and I think it did its job pretty okay for a first attempt. Quote
Fulcrumfan91 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Mmmm I have to say the animations and JtO are much better than any of the films released in G1. Personal opinion. I did like the idea behind LoMN, but felt the execution was lacking. Metru Nui story arc was really awesome. Quote
xboxtravis7992 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Predictable plot? The bad guy winning seems like a departure from HF and most LEGO themes. It seems your expectations might have been too high from my point of view. The plot itself was fine for a child's TV series that wasn't planned to have more than four episodes. It was a lot more interesting than some of HF's mini-movies (no disrespect to HF, of course). But I'm not comparing JtO to previous Bionicle media; but to all media I enjoy. I know many kid aimed shows that have placed together a more entertaining story than JtO managed; from some classic action series (Star Wars: Clone Wars [both iterations], Samuraui Jack, etc.) to the different comedy series I enjoyed as a kid. The issue is not weather JtO is better than previous Bionicle films (which if that is the case I agree it trumps the Legend Reborn) but the comparison is how does JtO compare to other series. And the fact is on that comparison, I thought it was poorly done. And yes even though the bad guy won in the second episode; doesn't change the fact the plot was predictable. Episode One was yet another "Go on quest and find magic masks" story just like the 2015 story (made more glaring with Episode Zero being a recap of said 2015 story...). Only a few minutes into Episode Two I knew that Umarak was going to target Ketar; why? Just because Pohatu was being a jerk and a moral had to be pointed out. And before someone says "Its aimed at kids it was sufficient" as a justification for the story; look at a lot of kid aimed media Lego has produced recently;The Lego Movie, Star Wars Droid Tales; etc. They were funny for an adult to watch on their own; and highly entertaining. I am not saying Bionicle needs to be humorous like The Lego Movie was, but the action and plot need to be at least well thought out so both kids and adults can enjoy the show. And that is why I am disappointed in JtO. Quote
MrHerofan Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Well I had to rewatch JtO because the first time something felt off. I knew that if I rematched it I'd have different opinions and my views would change on the show. After seeing it again I put myself in my 10 year old selfs shoes and came to really enjoy it. The show does have some awkward moments in it, but I'm sure the originals had just as many problems if not more. The art style is okay in my opinion, at first I hated it, but after a while it has grown on me but I still wish it could be better. Overall though it's pretty good for a four episode show with a limited budget. They did what they could and it worked out. The small adventure of the toa searching for their masks did not bother me. Sure it was a little bi much after last year, but I still enjoyed it. Also it seems that this discussion is more for the story thread rather than the sets thread. Quote
MakutaDreadscythe Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 (edited) Somewhat off-topic as a not for naysayers of G2's building system. Recently dug up some of the G1 sets I kept in storage and even just having the pieces still in a box a lot of the joints have cracks and snaps ranging from mild to severe, even the pre-2007 joints. More a point of long-term durability than anything, though G2 isn't off the hook completely, those SP paws are cursed I swear, particularly in gold. Edited June 18, 2016 by MakutaDreadscythe Quote
JekPorkchops Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 I know that TLR was panned by the bonkle community but I quite liked it back then. I guess I am kinda blinded by nostalgia, but then again I like watching the original three movies too. They're not truly great but they have their charm. I Hate Everything's video about MoL pretty much sums up my thoughts on all of them. Quote
GK733 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 I know that TLR was panned by the bonkle community but I quite liked it back then. I guess I am kinda blinded by nostalgia, but then again I like watching the original three movies too. They're not truly great but they have their charm. I Hate Everything's video about MoL pretty much sums up my thoughts on all of them. I do like IHE and appreciate his points too, if you want to see the flaws you should approach it from the outsider's perspective, not a fan's, And IHE quite taps onto the fact that the amount of terminology makes it harder to follow.I personally hate how some of the depth has been dropped, not the terminology itself. My most gripe being with the mask powers which also restricts their canon use in different colors as they are tied to elements and not powers like shielding, strength or speed. This is also why some of the promos are as bland as "Tahu's mask" meaning it's design is always tied to Tahu and The element of Fire. I hate it, not only there's no mask packs but these things can't even exist in canon. I hope there's more promos coming, fully tr. neon green beast mask anyone? Quote
Leewan Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 I hope there's more promos coming, fully tr. neon green beast mask anyone? It would be a nice follow-up to the TNG Skull Scorpio mask, if there's an exclusive mask offered at the SDCC. A trans-purple MoCo would be nice too. Quote
avatarbrickman Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 (edited) ??? Where did you find this?? This is awesome! Way better than the official combiner. Edited June 18, 2016 by Leewan Removed pic from quote Quote
dimaks13 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Where did you find this?? This is awesome! Way better than the official combiner. It is from catalog. Quote
Shakar Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Alternate combo models? Now that's my jam! Looks more modular than the primary model, but it has some cool ideas, like Lava's head as an helmet. Quote
Hisstori Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 (edited) ??? That looks really funky. Edited June 18, 2016 by Leewan Removed pic from quote Quote
xboxtravis7992 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 That lava beast mask as a helmet makes him look like an old Russian soldier. Quote
Fulcrumfan91 Posted June 18, 2016 Posted June 18, 2016 Ooooh man that combo looks way more epic than the other one :P Quote
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