The sets brought together many of what I thought were the coolest features of Bionicle G1 sets over the years, along with new features I greatly enjoyed. The first wave of Toa in particular had gear functions and pop-off masks like the Toa Mata, dual-function weapons like the Toa Nuva, "energized" transparent limbs and 13 points of articulation like the Toa Inika, and diverse builds like the Toa Mahri. They also generally had higher piece counts than any previous Toa and used the CCBS, which I've loved for its style and versatility since it was first introduced in 2011.

The Protectors likewise had more articulation, more varied builds, and higher piece counts than any previous series of Bionicle villagers (even if you deduct each one's twelve ammo pieces), along with a new launcher that was more compact and easier to customize than any launcher before it, and which didn't even need specialized ammo. The villain designs that year were not as strong as the hero designs, in my opinion, but introduced some entirely new functions for Bionicle (in particular I loved Skull Basher's bashing function, which was reminiscent of the Rahkshi and Vahki functions but with more attack options and fewer specialized pieces).

I was not as fond of this year's Toa in terms of aesthetics or functions as last year's, but I loved the concept. I've been wanting a team of constraction heroes with their own animal companions for many years, and this year's Toa and elemental creatures finally delivered that. I thought the use of elemental energy crystals as a unifying motif for the new masks, armor, and weapons was brilliant, and felt a lot more mystical than many previous Bionicle character upgrades like the fleshy-looking masks of the Toa Nuva or the scuba gear of the Toa Mahri. The new masks were easily recognizable as the characters, but brought in other new cues from classic Bionicle like the Nuva symbols.

The elemental creatures, like the Protectors before them, had far more pieces than typical previous sets their size, along with creative designs and clever action features using great new gear pieces. The elemental beasts, by contrast, did a great job feeling less like embodiments of nature and more like freaks of nature, with ungainly, monstrous proportions. They carried on the elemental crystal motif in a more chaotic form, really reinforcing that they were made of the island's own elements turned against it. I loved both versions of Umarak, especially the sort of Ganondorf/Ganon dichotomy they had going on. Again, it was a very nicely handled transformation.

In terms of story, I loved that the story emphasized some of the most timeless plot elements of the classic story: an elemental world with elemental inhabitants, a mysterious island setting, elemental powers, mystical prophecies, a feud between two brothers, an ancient cataclysm, quests for magical masks, and a powerful evil seeking to control and corrupt the island and its inhabitants. I also liked that the Toa were a little goofier than their previous incarnations, and had more human character flaws besides just not getting along. I'm sad that we didn't get to experience more stories exploring those flaws and how they would learn to respect and appreciate each other's differences. The story generally did a good job maintaining a mythic fantasy tone rather than feeling like straight sci-fi.

Artistically, I loved the scenic backdrops of Okoto as portrayed by the box art, webisodes, graphic novels, and Netflix series. I also really enjoyed the episodic, cartoon style of the webisodes (though some of the liberties taken with the characters bugged me, namely Onua's height — I preferred his shorter stature in the sets). The Journey to One also had a pretty cool style for its characters that helped tone down some of their weaknesses in the sets (like the disproportionately long torsos on this year's Toa), and I have a Journey to One still featuring Gali and Akida as my desktop background.

And of course, in G2 we got a LOT of "behind-the-scenes" glimpses, which is the sort of thing that has always fascinated me. LEGO.com/Bionicle, LEGO.com/Club, and the LEGO Bionicle Facebook page shared lots of neat designer videos, interviews, and concept art. Even Bionicle MOCs created by LEGO designers were often shared as inspiration. The creators of the sets, the books, and The Journey to One even sat down for interviews with Bionicle fansites. That sort of openness is a lot rarer in many of the other LEGO themes I enjoy, like Ninjago, Nexo Knights, and Elves (you can get in touch with some of the creators of some of these themes on social media if you know their names, and some of the creators have made appearances at conventions, but the brands' own sites and social media profiles don't present so many behind-the-scenes insights).

As for things that stood out to me more negatively? Well, none of the G2 music really stood out as very distinctive, memorable, or iconic to me. The voice acting in The Journey to One was pretty weak, and there was never any sort of online or mobile game that felt really immersive or offered the sort of adventure or puzzle gameplay I tend to enjoy. The 2016 version of the website felt like a considerable downgrade from the 2015 version, losing a fair amount of supplementary info on the island and characters (though some of those sorts of details were later filled in with the new story section). I have plenty of nitpicks with individual sets, too. But my overall experience as a fan of Bionicle G2 was very positive.

Obviously, I understand that many people had different expectations, and they have every right to feel disappointed. But I feel like insulting the people who created Bionicle G2 and saying they didn't care or didn't try is going too far.