Here's what I think: You're right in every respect, this season was terrible, and I wish it had been done better. The best part about Hands of Time was the premise: there was huge potential in the idea of Time as an elemental power and its bearers as the villains. Unfortunately, for all the reasons you mentioned, that potential was squandered. The ninja weren't used well at all: Lloyd waffled between being a Sensei and a ninja and his arc never got anywhere; Jay was flat and got some terrible dialogue; Kai was weirdly brooding; Nya made a big deal out of being a ninja instead of Samurai X just so PIXAL could show up, despite becoming a ninja two seasons ago; Cole messed around with his random orange hands and then the writers basically forgot about him; and Zane was agonizingly portrayed as cringe-worthy comic relief before also being snubbed.
The villains were no better. The Vermillion were bland and unoriginal. Raggmunk and Blunck were so badly written I couldn't even laugh at how bad they were. Machia was--well, actually, Machia wasn't that bad, but any interest I could have had in her was decreased by association with the rest of the Vermillion. Acronix and Krux were massively disappointing. Acronix suffered from bad voice acting and bad dialogue and was too silly to be a main villain (not that I have a problem with comedic villains, but Acronix wasn't done well at all). Krux was slightly better but was at best a two-dimensional character, made worse by the annoyingly ongoing argument about technology between him and Acronix. Also, how he conveniently managed to obtain Vermillion eggs is beyond me.
Finally, the season's climax was unfulfilling and left me with the distinct impression that nothing really happened during the entire thing. The Time Blades came by, the ninja fought more snakes, and that was basically it. No character development, no meaningful action, nothing. Kai and Nya's parents were useless and that rendered the season moot, in my opinion.
This was one heavily flawed season. If LEGO picked one writer with a strong knowledge of Ninjago instead of a team of people who clearly weren't very familiar with it, it could have turned out great. I guess that Hands of Time suffered from some seriously troubled production.
One idea I had was making a sequel season focused on time travel. Maybe there could be a cliffhanger where the ninja fail to stop the Time Twins from travelling through time, and the next season is focused on undoing the damage. Since the recent seasons have more of a connected plot, it would make sense.
Honestly, that's something I like about season 8. It ended and was completely interconnected with season 9. I also enjoyed the Oni and Dragon plot. Overall, I think I like it mainly because of how much it set up for the plot. It added a lot of mystery, and (in my opinion) adding mystery really makes a show good.
This was one heavily flawed season. If LEGO picked one writer with a strong knowledge of Ninjago instead of a team of people who clearly weren't very familiar with it, it could have turned out great. I guess that Hands of Time suffered from some seriously troubled production.
One idea I had was making a sequel season focused on time travel. Maybe there could be a cliffhanger where the ninja fail to stop the Time Twins from travelling through time, and the next season is focused on undoing the damage. Since the recent seasons have more of a connected plot, it would make sense.
I'm not sure if a cliffhanger would be good or bad considering Hands of Time itself ended on a cliffhanger. It might appear too much like a "we're trying to redo this season correctly" sort of move. At the same time, that would be pretty interesting.
I meant that Hands of Time could have ended on a different sort of cliffhanger.
To be honest, I think the darker and edgier feel could have worked great for Sons of Garmadon. With the show running as long as it has, it makes sense to take things to the next level with more sophisticated storytelling and darker subject matter. However, the problems I brought up weigh it down. I don't truly hate Sons of Garmadon, I just find it to be overrated.
The only thing that was heartbreaking about the fight between Lloyd and Garmadon was that Garmadon was reduced to such an uninteresting villain. They either should have portrayed him like in Season 2, or not bring him back at all.
I think we must define sophisticated storytelling differently: I think it's far more sophisticated to handle dark subject matter with an inconspicuous touch than to stress it for the sake of making the story more gripping/dramatic. I might bring Possession to your attention. The premise of that season is inherently dark when you get down to it--Lloyd literally gets possessed by Morro and the ghosts are all cursed for eternity--but that point was never played up for the sake of making the show "dark." I prefer it this way because I just don't like blatant dark subject matter, but I suppose the SoG way of handling it could appeal to some people.
I don't actually see how Sons of Garmadon overdid the darkness. Sure, things do get dark and intense, but there is still some humour to it, and it's not excessively grim. My issues with it really come from the villains and the ninja being made weaker.
-last edited on Jan 10, 2019 11:56:10 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Jan 10, 2019 11:53:32 GMT
Mockingbird and I finally got around to watching the pilot episodes and and first of "Rise of the Snakes". You people with more free time don't mind us, just slowly struggling to catch up. I will say, though, that it's really fun starting from the very beginning, especially when one remembers the many references to these episodes that popped up in SoG and Hunted. The story was so fresh, the characters so new, and the humor so funny. Plus, it's great to begin the episodes with the traditional "Weekend Whip" again.
And then we met Lloyd. . . little Lloyd, just a little, bratty kid, in his tiny black cloak. . . and the two thoughts that popped into my head were: "How old was Harumi at this time?", and "One day this little boy will meet Harumi. . ." O,O
I apologize for my thoughts I've just presented not being quite so pondering and intellectual as yours are, fantasius1111 .
Mockingbird and I finally got around to watching the pilot episodes and and first of "Rise of the Snakes". You people with more free time don't mind us, just slowly struggling to catch up. I will say, though, that it's really fun starting from the very beginning, especially when one remembers the many references to these episodes that popped up in SoG and Hunted. The story was so fresh, the characters so new, and the humor so funny. Plus, it's great to begin the episodes with the traditional "Weekend Whip" again.
And then we met Lloyd. . . little Lloyd, just a little, bratty kid, in his tiny black cloak. . . and the two thoughts that popped into my head were: "How old was Harumi at this time?", and "One day this little boy will meet Harumi. . ." O,O
I apologize for my thoughts I've just presented not being quite so pondering and intellectual as yours are, fantasius1111 .
Rise of the Snakes was...okay. I mean, it accomplished what it needed to do, it had a decent story despite some issues...and yeah. It was okay. Honestly, I don't think I have much interesting things to say about it.
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to watch through the pilots and Rise of the Snakes?
I'm not sure if a cliffhanger would be good or bad considering Hands of Time itself ended on a cliffhanger. It might appear too much like a "we're trying to redo this season correctly" sort of move. At the same time, that would be pretty interesting.
I meant that Hands of Time could have ended on a different sort of cliffhanger.
Apparently I'm oblivious, I completely missed that. =P
Mockingbird and I finally got around to watching the pilot episodes and and first of "Rise of the Snakes". You people with more free time don't mind us, just slowly struggling to catch up. I will say, though, that it's really fun starting from the very beginning, especially when one remembers the many references to these episodes that popped up in SoG and Hunted. The story was so fresh, the characters so new, and the humor so funny. Plus, it's great to begin the episodes with the traditional "Weekend Whip" again.
And then we met Lloyd. . . little Lloyd, just a little, bratty kid, in his tiny black cloak. . . and the two thoughts that popped into my head were: "How old was Harumi at this time?", and "One day this little boy will meet Harumi. . ." O,O
I apologize for my thoughts I've just presented not being quite so pondering and intellectual as yours are, fantasius1111 .
Rise of the Snakes was...okay. I mean, it accomplished what it needed to do, it had a decent story despite some issues...and yeah. It was okay. Honestly, I don't think I have much interesting things to say about it.
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to watch through the pilots and Rise of the Snakes?
Quite understandable. For you, not too good, but not too bad.
Mm, I think it took three days: one episode for each day. That's about all we had time for before school officially started for us.
Rise of the Snakes was...okay. I mean, it accomplished what it needed to do, it had a decent story despite some issues...and yeah. It was okay. Honestly, I don't think I have much interesting things to say about it.
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to watch through the pilots and Rise of the Snakes?
Quite understandable. For you, not too good, but not too bad.
Mm, I think it took three days: one episode for each day. That's about all we had time for before school officially started for us.
I just noticed that you only watched the first episode of Rise of the Snakes. Shouldn't you watch faster if you want to complete the series before the release of March of the Oni?
Post by fantasius1111 on Jan 11, 2019 17:46:54 GMT
I managed to finish the whole series before March of the Oni! Well, actually, not all of it. I skipped over Double Trouble because the episode was so pointless that the Bizarro Ninja didn't appear in the recap segment of the next episode. There were also 3 episodes of Skybound that I couldn't watch because I couldn't find high quality versions of them, which is why I haven't reviewed Skybound yet. Besides that, I've finished my rewatch of Hunted, and by extension, the whole series, so it's time for a review.
When I first saw Hunted, it came as such a pleasant surprise to me. I had been disappointed with Day of the Departed, Hands of Time, and Sons of Garmadon, partly due to the creators making them out to be way better than they really were. After all that, I didn't really expect Hunted to be much good. Then I saw it, and I was amazed. I've seen it again, and I was still amazed. Almost everything about this season, including the story, villains, and even little things were executed incredibly well, and I really don't get why so many people prefer Sons of Garmadon.
The way the story was told was really fresh. This time, there are two stories going alongside each other until the final episode arrives and ties it all together, and it worked really well for the season. There was less time to focus on worthless filler, and both stories moved at a much faster pace than they would have if they had seperate 10-episode seasons made for them. The writer even made sure to make both stories important. The Ninjago side might as well have been the Resistance doing random things to hold off against Garmadon until the other ninja returned, but a lot of important things happened. Two of the Oni Masks were destroyed, Mr E was destroyed, Harumi and Mistake both died, and the Elemental Masters returned.
In my Hands of Time review, I complained that the ninja felt like they got less competent and more weak, and the same goes here. Obviously, I'm talking about the removal of airjitzu and the elemental dragons. I know that they were removed for being too powerful, but that isn't a good excuse to me. They do have their limitations: airjitzu can only fly over short distances and isn't good for combat, and elemental dragons require a lot of elemental power and can't be summoned if the user is afraid. However, what really bothers me is that the writers don't even try to explain it. I know about Way of the Departed, but there should be an explanation in the show itself. Without one, it seems like the ninja just forgot about them, making them look incompetent.
In general, the ninja feel like they act incompetent just so that the plot can progress. They can't remember their own powers, they go on undercover missions that barely accomplish anything, and they surrender to the Sons of Garmadon quickly without putting up much of a fight. In the first episode, they start getting suspicious of Hutchins for absolutely no reason. When they find out that Zane is being used to lead them into a trap, they don't bother to investigate. Capping it all of, Lloyd ignores advice from his own friends and decides to face Garmadon all by himself.
Honestly, I don't get why this season gets so much praise. Sure, things get darker and more intense, but that means nothing because of all the problems with the writing. This season overall failed to live up to my expectations. As soon as I saw the San Diego Comic Con sneak peek, I was instantly won over by the writing, action, animation, and what the crew had to say about it. When it came out, though, I was seriously underwhelmed. If this review doesn't change your mind about this season, that's okay. That was never my goal. My only goal was to express why I think Sons of Garmadon is overrated.
PHEW, somebody feels like I do finally! The season wasn't that good in my opinion, either and not just because of the new designs.
Yeah, they could have at least explained something about why they act so dumb all of a sudden, especially Kai and Jay.
Oh yeah. Those dumb "missions" I think are just to make the episodes longer. And I know before that the ninja learned not to go alone (you know what I mean).
I don't like that Ninjago got so dark. IT'S A KID'S SHOW PEOPLE!!!!
Mockingbird and I finally got around to watching the pilot episodes and and first of "Rise of the Snakes". You people with more free time don't mind us, just slowly struggling to catch up. I will say, though, that it's really fun starting from the very beginning, especially when one remembers the many references to these episodes that popped up in SoG and Hunted. The story was so fresh, the characters so new, and the humor so funny. Plus, it's great to begin the episodes with the traditional "Weekend Whip" again.
And then we met Lloyd. . . little Lloyd, just a little, bratty kid, in his tiny black cloak. . . and the two thoughts that popped into my head were: "How old was Harumi at this time?", and "One day this little boy will meet Harumi. . ." O,O
I apologize for my thoughts I've just presented not being quite so pondering and intellectual as yours are, fantasius1111 .
Rise of the Snakes was...okay. I mean, it accomplished what it needed to do, it had a decent story despite some issues...and yeah. It was okay. Honestly, I don't think I have much interesting things to say about it.
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to watch through the pilots and Rise of the Snakes?
IMO, ROTS was the best season, but.... Really, man?
Post by fantasius1111 on Jan 11, 2019 18:08:46 GMT
(Continued from last post)
I love how this season makes things that seem irrelevant at first into being important later. Lloyd encouraging the citizens of Ninjago to fight back, the ninja in the Realm of Oni and Dragons learning how to use chains, and even a line from Harumi in the previous season saying that Garmadon was fueled by fighting, all became relevant in the finale. I liked those small details.
Green Destiny truely felt like the first finale where it took the efforts of everyone to save the day. Past finales would always rely on one character stealing the spotlight and stopping the threat all by his/her own. In Green Destiny, though, defeating Garmadon takes the efforts of the ninja, the Elemental Masters, Wu, the side characters, and even the background civilians. It was another thing that was different about this season, and it made the finale so much more satisfying.
Upon first watch, I did not care about Iron Baron, but as time went on, I started to appreciate him more. I mean, he is a generic power hungry villain, but like Master Chen, he's a really effective generic power hungry villain. He lies to and manipulates an entire clan of Dragon Hunters into doing his bidding, and literally doesn't stop going until he gets what he wants. He even goes as far as to go into Oni Land and risk blowing his own cover just to get the ninja. He keeps crossing the line and always getting away with it until the penultimate episode, and that made him an effective villain.
In fact, I think Iron Baron made the Dragon Hunters better characters. While the Sons of Garmadon were just goons for a higher power, the way the Dragon Hunters were manipulated all their lives gave them so much depth. I enjoyed seeing them onscreen, and I was interested in their characters. It's a shame they didn't get to do anything after they turned good.
Post by fantasius1111 on Jan 11, 2019 18:35:41 GMT
(Continued from last post)
The reveal of Heavy Metal as Faith shocked me, especially since it had no build-up, but then I saw what it was building up to. The big reveal that Iron Baron had been lying to his hunters to keep power worked so much better because of Faith. Her history with Iron Baron was needed to make it work, and it made for such a well written character.
Overall, I thought Hunted was an amazing season. It continued the mediocre story of Sons of Garmadon, but made it into an enjoyable and exciting story that could stand on it's own as well as setting up for what would come next.
Wow, what a ride. Not just Hunted, but the entire show. Even though I didn't enjoy every season, I thank the creators for their passion, and for doing their best to make this show more than just a big toy commercial. Now, I look forward to March of the Oni, and the future.
Finally, if you think I spoke too highly of this season, remember that this is my opinion, and it will not always align with yours. When you rewatch Hunted, say what you really think of the season. I'd be interested to know.
I will say, though, that it's really fun starting from the very beginning, especially when one remembers the many references to these episodes that popped up in SoG and Hunted. The story was so fresh, the characters so new, and the humor so funny. Plus, it's great to begin the episodes with the traditional "Weekend Whip" again. 
Well, actually, not all of it. I skipped over Double Trouble because the episode was so pointless that the Bizarro Ninja didn't appear in the recap segment of the next episode. 
Really, man?