DuplexBeGreat

I'm going to copy my post from TTV onto here, to express why I'm disappointed with the line's ending, or rather, how it was handled. There are some comments expressing gratitude that JtO managed to at least tie up the story cleanly given the limited budget and rushed ending. And I agree! Those two episodes of JtO were very enjoyable, certainly much better than any of the G1 movies. And the majority of G2's sets were a glorious way to see the characters of our childhood expressed through more modern and updated functions and designs. The reason that I feel betrayed and let down by the ending of G2 is not because we won't be getting more sets or story content, but because there is nothing left behind for us to cling on to. Look back at G1's ending. Yes, the Stars were an atrocity. Yes, we moaned (and are still moaning) about those unfinished online serials. So G1's ending had some rough edges. It was definitely rushed. But it left behind infinite potential for imagination, for creativity, for fanfics and MOCs and everything the community needed to survive. It left behind a whole planet full of diverse characters. Some were heroes, some were villains. Some had been around since '01, while others we had just met. Some could proudly claim to exist in physical form in the households of children around the world, while others were conceived in the mind of Greg Farshtey and existed only in words. We had MUians and Bara Magnans, strong warriors and humble villagers, Vortixx, Skakdi, Steltians, and Skrall. We had some greater evils like the Shadowed One's new collection of villains, and some lesser evils like Strakk, an outcast and a thug. Do you know why my profile picture is Ehlek? Look more closely. He's missing something. His spines. Ehlek was already a waterbreather before he was thrown into the Pit, so when the Barraki were mutated, his only change was to grow spines on his back. And when Mata Nui cured everyone and everything that had been twisted out of its natural shape, Ehlek was therefore the only Barraki to now be represented as a set. All the others had been returned to their original forms, and we don't know what they look like. So to me, Ehlek represents a perfect example of the potential for uniqueness and personality that every G1 Bionicle character has. He was just some random villain from '07, part of a team of six, just like always... and then Carapar died, and Takadox turned traitor, and they made an alliance with the Order, and then with the Shadowed One, and--- do you see what I'm getting at? G1's characters had the potential to be more than what the set design teams and marketing department wanted them to be. They could sell toys, make money, and still create a world for children (and adults) to explore and generate their own ideas in. G2, in contrast, leaves behind only a single island, populated by one species, with precisely thirteen at-large individual characters released as sets: the Protectors, the Creatures, and Ekimu, who isn't even his powered-up form anymore. The Toa are gone. Agil is gone (and it's not even clear why!). We have the names of exactly two non-set villagers: Harvali and Bingzak. There's a scarcity of villains, too: all of the villains to receive individual names and personalities are either trapped under rubble in a sealed-off cave (Kulta and Axato), or imprisoned by magic runes which they'll never escape from in the Mask Maker's Forge (Skull Basher), or dead (Lord of Skull Spiders and Umarak). Oh, wait, I guess that means Skull Slicer's still around. Great, except that he has never talked, he has no personality (we're not even sure if he's sentient), and all of the source information on him is conflicting or nonexistent. (Hook Blades fused to hands? Under the control of LoSS? And why does he have four arms?) And even if the villains that had personality, like Kulta and Umarak, were still around to cause trouble, or even if the Skull Spiders and Shadow Traps suddenly gained sentience and started crafting elaborate plots to assassinate Ekimu, at the end of the day, they're all two-dimensional, because every single villain in the series (after Umarak's transformation) was just a servant of the one Big Bad. No unique characters like Takadox or Roodaka or Malum, loyal only to themselves, willing to work for the villain if it will benefit them, but equally willing to stab him in the back just to make a quick profit. "But Duplex!", you say. "This means we can create the story ourselves! We can think of other islands, other hidden threats on Okoto, anything we want!" Guess what? We could do that with G1 too. We always could. With the vast planet of Spherus Magna and the hidden depths of the Matoran Universe, there was always the potential for a determined fanfic writer to create whatever they wanted, to find some undiscovered place where an undiscovered creature or species lurked. The rich roster of G1 characters and locations provided a backbone that fans could expand with their own ideas however they chose. And yes, there's nothing stopping you from doing that with the scraps that remain of G2 as well. But it's not the same. It never will be, and we all know it. I just went on Amazon and purchased, from various retailers, the remaining Protectors and Creatures that I don't have. Some, like Narmoto and Ketar, are in my opinion not very good sets, and I would not have bought them otherwise. But they're all we've got left. It's just sad that the failings of G2's story and worldbuilding are ultimately the same problems that leave us now, that the line has ended, with a bland, unfulfilling Okoto with limited creative potential.

Character development. IT'S HAPPENING.

Apparently the Mask of Control game has been updated with Summer content. Anyone mind playing it and uploading the story comics?

Just ordered my picks from this wave off of US S@H, no problems there. They still don't have images up for UtD or Quake Beast, but the sets are available for purchase regardless. Amazon, on the other hand... no such luck.

I think the second one had Izotor, actually.

I'm certain now that I'm not going to bother getting Quake Beast. There's just too many parts of the build that seem... experimental? Unfinished? Now, the combo model may change that. Once we start seeing people build the combo model, I may decide to get all the Beasts if the combo is worth it.

One of the pictures for the Umarak set includes the red Hunter mask that comes with Ekimu. This is probably a mistake, but interesting nonetheless.

Mm, I hadn't considered Region names. I'm pretty sure they're titles, but I guess you're right that we still need confirmation.But given that we've yet to see the word "Kulta" outside of the Lego Magazine, we might never get confirmation...

The graphic novels aren't canon?

Ahem.

Setting aside the controversial and essentially unsolvable debate about the implications of OH SWEET MATA NUI G2 VAHI IS CANON, I'd like to point out some of the little details included in the Graphic Novel that, in my opinion, do an excellent job of worldbuilding our sparse G2 universe. Including, but not limited to: Small changes to the names developed by Ryder Windham, which don't seem too bad to me Confirmed proper titles for each Protector role, as separate from the two names we already have for each (Ex. Agarak is the old PoJ, Vizuna is the current PoJ, the title of the Protector of Jungle is "Jagiri") Moms. Inns. "Junior". A more "human" side to the Protectors! This is great! I mean, come on, Junior! That's adorable! Insight into the mask creation process, which also reveals some more information about the Creatures Pictures of dual-element masks! Also, random appearance of a "groundskeeper"--- further worldbuilding. BIOMECHANICAL BIRDS. AND THEY'RE CALLED TWEEPERS. Airships. A I R S H I P S . jfajklfjadklfjkljfklaj VAHI Capital. City. Holy crap, a capital city. Some fruit called "bonnotoboes". Amazing. "I'm sorry, my love." LOVE CONFIRMED Actual context for the buildup to Ekimu and Makuta's battle A realistic reason for Makuta to build the MoUP other than "waaah worship me" Very good story pacing in making the battle, the cataclysm, and the aftermath feel intense. I'm being heavily reminded of the climax in book 6 of the Bone graphic novel series.

As far as promoting the sets goes, Journey to One has done its job properly with me. I now have my eye on purchasing Pohatu and Ketar at the next opportunity thanks to their portrayal in the episodes, which is ironic considering they were definitely my least favorite prior to JtO.

Hopping on the "I finally got around to watching JtO weeks after it came out" bandwagon. Simply put, I loved it. I had low expectations and was blown away by how good it was. It left me feeling satisfied when I was finished, it transitioned mostly smoothly, and it didn't deviate too much from the character archetypes that we were given last year. So, point-by-point: - The art style grated on me a little at first, with the contrast between the characters and the background, but I grew to enjoy it over time. Gali's scene with the whirlpool looked somewhat subpar, but other than that no scenes stuck out to me as having poorly-designed background. - Voice acting felt slightly off-point for some of the characters, such as Kopaka, Ekimu, and especially Umarak, but none of the choices were totally bad. While I disagree with giving the millennia-old Umarak such a young voice, it didn't sound too bad when taken in the context of individual scenes. - Characterization, again, was mostly good. I was glad that Tahu was not given the spotlight--- the prologue narrator actually says that Tahu considers himself a leader, which felt rather gratifying. Kopaka's personality, as others have pointed out, seemed inconsistent. One moment he's the stoic, the next he's acting like a generic trigger-happy, fun-loving hero. His voice didn't help this either. I loved, absolutely loved the way that Lewa and Pohatu were handled. They were hands-down the stars of episodes 1 and 2, respectively, and played those roles very well. I find Lewa interesting because according to all his biographical product information he's supposed to be the "reckless, carefree, immature" stereotype, right? The prankster. Yet as with the 2015 animations, he keeps stealing the show in practically all categories. He single-handedly took out the Skull Scorpios last year, and now he's the one who gets to fight Umarak by himself--- and WINS! He played various comic roles last year, from Onua's foil to Captain Obvious, and made all of them work without ruining his character. And now JtO has taken that role and upped it to him oddly being the smart one, able to figure out some of the little puzzles in the labyrinth or relating to the Creatures before any of the other Toa. He just keeps getting better and better, and his Creature, Uxar, was frankly adorable. He stole Kopaka's place in my heart as my favorite Toa during the 2015 animations, and JtO has only further cemented him in that spot. And Pohatu! Man, he's almost the exact opposite of Lewa in my eyes. After last year's events, he was possibly my least favorite Toa--- and yet JtO took all of the negative aspects of his personality and turned them into realistic character flaws that made me cheer for him by the end of episode 2. I felt so sorry for Ketar, seeing it walking along behind the Toa while all the other Creatures were United. It became apparent very quickly that Umarak was going to target Pohatu and Ketar for their "weak link", and I was constantly praying that they would notice their errors and fix the problem before it was too late. But they didn't. The final scenes, where Umarak Unites with Ketar, grabs the Mask, and then fights with Pohatu, were nothing short of extraordinary, and it was in no small part thanks to the buildup of Pohatu's character as a flawed person who we so desperately wanted to see fixed. By the time the fight had started, I decided I could think of no better ending than for Umarak to force Pohatu to choose between the Mask and Ketar--- and I was not disappointed. Pohatu's character arc was handled amazingly well considering the short time that the writers had to flesh it out, and I give them full applause for it. - In case it hasn't been made clear, the fight scenes were all very cool, from the initial skirmish with the Skull minions, to Lewa's one-on-one with Umarak, to the Toa's fight with Umarak's spawn. Umarak's powers, though somewhat defying a reasonable suspension of disbelief, are good plot devices that don't feel too contrived, while the scripting made very good use of the Toa's elemental powers and weapons (with the exception of Pohatu consistently referring to his crystal blades despite only having one). - Atmosphere, pacing? Very well done. It didn't feel too rushed at all. Plenty of time was given to each important event, and each scene carried an appropriate amount of solemnity. - That last scene where Umarak transforms into the Destroyer? Amazing. Gave me chills. I love the setup for the Summer plotline, and especially the fact that Makuta actually used the word Destroyer. Overall, I am in love with Journey to One, and I can't wait for the next set of episodes. I feel very good about the future of Bionicle G2's story media.

The reason I dislike the idea of us getting "Toa 3.0" next year is that it invalidates the 2016 sets, just as the 2015 sets have already been invalidated. The concepts represented by the older Toa are no longer a part of the story; they have been replaced by the 2017 sets, and now in order to have an "accurate" representation of the current story one must purchase the Toa all over again. For the third time.

Kinda makes me wonder if the Mask of Time that they keep hinting at is their fallback plan for storyline if they go beyond 3 years.

Yes, that's what I meant. The fact that the Skull Army is still relevant to the story is just incredible to me; I was afraid they'd be one-off villains, but this gives me hope for a bit more continuity.

Oh my god, these videos have me freaking out. In case no one else noticed... * Pohatu's video shows him fighting with what is unmistakably a Skull Warrior wearing a green Skull Spider. The implications of this are incredible. * Umarak also has a tail in Pohatu's video in addition to the oddities others have noticed. This is weird especially considering the Destroyer doesn't even seem to have a tail. * Gali attacks Akida, suggesting that the Creatures must be "tamed" before the Toa can unite with them * More Skull Warriors wearing blue and silver Spiders in Gali's video * Kopaka looks really cool btw * Silver Spider on a Skull Warrior in Onua's video. I'm noticing that all these Warriors' trans-neon orange parts are looking brown, as if faded. Perhaps this has some significance? They may have lost their power with Kulta's defeat, which is why the Spiders are needed to animate them * Umarak stalking Uxar... unity hype?

I've been in disagreement with this theory from before we had leaked images, and these new pictures only further suggest to me that they are anything but fusions. Nothing in their color schemes supports this theory (Storm Beast has trans-light blue but that's because it's Water obviously) and their humanoid builds with humanoid weapons don't imply that they were created from a bird and a scorpion, or an "ape-lizard" and a dragonfly (Really, look at Quake Beast and tell me there's a dragonfly hidden in that bulk. A GREEN dragonfly), or a rhino and a shark. The entire idea of "fused creatures" was originally born based on the seeming "element combinations" present in the names "Lava Beast" and "Storm Beast"--- but if you recall, that was before we even knew the name Quake Beast, and the connection is considerably weakened after that. There's no reason Lava can't simply mean Fire and Storm can't simply mean Water. This is an example of facts being imagined in order to support a pre-existing theory, not a theory being drawn based on known facts.

Hah, so it seems Ekimu's recolored Umarak mask does have some red blending after all! And here I thought that was all just image corruption in the leaks. I did like the gunmental color for the "corrupted" Toa masks that the leaks showed us more than this version, but I'm also interested in the story implications of--- well, I mean, those aren't golden masks. That means something. The Beasts all look fantastic. I'm loving Storm Beast's tail in particular. And wow, that bulk... there's no way I'm not getting Umarak the Destroyer now.

Well, they tried, and did a pretty good job of it, though it's not anything that we don't already know from leaks. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but Storm Beasts's fingers are the same piece as Skull Spider legs, no? The report claimed the fingers were new pieces... Also, it says Umarak the Destroyer has four fingers on each hand. Is it possible that the design was changed from what is seen in the leaks? Because if so that's actually pretty appealing.

Um. He's using an XL chest plate, has a new head arrangement, claws with gear functions, and an overall completely different aesthetic. That seems significantly different to me.

Ah, but the Mask is the very reason that I think it's Ekimu. Look closely at the ridges, then compare them to the ones on the leaked images of the Umarak the Destroyer set. There is little resemblance. The comic looks much more like the Mask of Creation to me.

... The one posted on the previous page that we're all discussing. http://i.4cdn.org/toy/1453333768450.png

Yeah, I was really surprised to see "Lizard" and "Ape-rhino". I guess I had sort of ingrained the Mole and Polar Bear ideas into my thinking based on the posts in this topic. And is it just me, or is that Ekimu at the end of the comic?

It bothers me how the comic shows Lewa failing to open the Labyrinth, only for Tahu to magically succeed by putting his hand on it. Either Tahu's somehow prophesied to be more special than the other Toa, or the media is simply showing favoritism toward him. Either way, not a good thing.