Ah, I am in the presence of an AFOL. What's it like still being into lego?
It is toned down a bit much, and it's probably to match the audience. Every company's top priority is to make money. A good story is secondary. We have to keep in mind that ninjago, for everything it was, was also a series of half hour commercials for toys. The target audience to sell toys to has changed, and in turn the show has changed to match that.
It's interesting, but also a rough balance. I don't have as much dedication to build LEGO models as before since most of my time is on higher priorities like studying for school or saving money to buy food and pay the bills, but of course I still build when I can. I suppose being a mod in this forum has helped to keep maintain my LEGO passion. Being an adult also opens your eyes to new ideas, especially after being in school, and you start thinking about deeper ideas into why LEGO might make certain decisions I might not agree with.
I can agree on that. If Ninjago was a completely independent property away from LEGO, they would have a higher chance of the TV show lasting longer and the story being more consistent, but then everyone would wonder why there aren't any LEGO toys since the basis of Ninjago is still the LEGO minifigure.
Yeah. Lego is expensive. The cheap sets have gotten kinda lame recently and all the well-designed ones are the bigger and pricier ones.
I can't believe I had the same awful signature for nearly 8 years. Sorry for disappearing for 2 months, life happened for a bit.
It's interesting, but also a rough balance. I don't have as much dedication to build LEGO models as before since most of my time is on higher priorities like studying for school or saving money to buy food and pay the bills, but of course I still build when I can. I suppose being a mod in this forum has helped to keep maintain my LEGO passion. Being an adult also opens your eyes to new ideas, especially after being in school, and you start thinking about deeper ideas into why LEGO might make certain decisions I might not agree with.
I can agree on that. If Ninjago was a completely independent property away from LEGO, they would have a higher chance of the TV show lasting longer and the story being more consistent, but then everyone would wonder why there aren't any LEGO toys since the basis of Ninjago is still the LEGO minifigure.
Yeah. Lego is expensive. The cheap sets have gotten kinda lame recently and all the well-designed ones are the bigger and pricier ones.
I can agree on that as well. The smaller sets are only good for finding the minifigures and specific parts you want.
I agree with almost everything that's been said in this topic so far.
The Fire Chapter was lacking but it wasn't as bad as I thought it could be. And it was actually pretty enjoyable at some parts.
It was annoying that the ninja have to keep relearning the same stuff. Like the first and second time the ninja got lazy in earlier seasons it was funny, but after that it got old fast. What I really would like to see more of is the ninja struggling to survive and not have everything handed to them. Like in seson 2 when they got jobs, or season 3 when they were teachers, or season 5 with Wu's tea shop. Like where does Wu's money even come from? How do the ninja earn their keep? Also, unpopular opinion here, but I feel like Wu should have died a long time ago. I was actually ready for him to die back in season 1 when it was foreshadowed. And it seems like they have kept hinting at and playing around with his possible doom so much I'm just ready for him to be gone already. Also I liked Sensei Gramadon so much better, I was so ready for him to be the ninja's new sensei. So much potential for Sensei Garmadon was missed I feel. I mean I liked Wu before Misako came in, after that his character went down hill for me. I've never been a fan of Misako, however I actually like Misako if you compare her to her movie version. And I'm not even going to get started on the movie... But I'm honestly glad this season was better than it could have been, if they wanted to they could go full Ninjago Movie tone on us and not give a brick, but they don't and I'm greatful for that. But as someone who writes I also can't help but feel like the people making the show shouldn't be struggling with the inconsistency like they often do. Is it that hard to learn about characters and their world and how the characters act and the world rules and general tone? To me it seems easy enough. And they are getting paid to do it. It's probably hard to work with so many people and keep everything in line though... And there's probably push from people on the business side of things that make things harder for people on the creative side to stay consistent.
Now the Ice Chapter I really liked actually. It was awesome! The wolves, the creatures of the realm, the people of the realm, the bit darker tone. ( compared to The Fire Chapter) It was cool I guess you could say. However there was some things about The Ice Chapter that I still have a lot of questions about. Mostly relating to elemental powers and realm travel.
Spoliers below
I was glad that Kai finally got his powers back. The Fire Marker thing was some attention I feel his character really needed in this season. Especially after getting the shortest straw in the early part of the season. Now does this confirm that powers will always return to their elemental master if they are still alive? I believe so, because the same thing happened to Skylor. Now the real question is: Are elemental powers something that comes from within the elemental masters themselves ( like something produced from them ) or is it like a weapon that can be taken away and never replaced? The reason I ask this is because according to Tommy the co creator elemental masters lose their powers when they have a child. This however brings up some problems like with Zane for example. And it was said in season 4 and 5 that sometimes elemental powers skip a generation. So I don't know if can take what Tommy said about that as canon. ( also the idea of them losing their powers when they have a kid is just depressing. I feel like it should be a choice and more noble then that. ) However that could explain why there is no current master of wind that is alive. But that could be because Morro chose to not give it away or because he was cursed. But then that brings up the question of what happens to elemental powers if the last master didn't have anyone to inherit it? Is that line of elemental masters ended there? Where do the powers go?
Then there's the thing with Nya trying to control ice. I like that she never really mastered it, but that it also kinda worked. It makes sense that elemental masters have a tiny bit of control over simalr elements. Although the question is where is a line drawn? How much control can elemental master have over another element? Does it affect the other elemental master who's element they are controlling with their own in any way? What's to stop a element like gravity or water from having to much control? Especially if they were holding the forbidden scroll?
Then we have realm travel. Was it ever explained why travelers tea wouldn't work? I don't think it was but we don't need to know everything. However the berries did work. So the berries are more powerful for realm travel? Why not just use those? Are there berries like that in Ninjago? Could it be easier to realm travel with those?
And then we have the episode where the Preeminent is unleashed on Ninjago again and Pixal has to stop her. Now this episode in itself makes little to no sense. Why? Because it's supposedly impossible to to reach the Departed Realm! Even more impossible then reaching the Never Realm. It makes no sense at all that they opened the Departed Realm so easily twice. So I have a theory: They never opened the Departed Realm, they actually unknowingly opened the actual Cursed Realm. We never saw where the Preeminent was coming out of. So it makes sense that she lived in some sort of realm, which I believe is the placeholder for the Cursed Realm since it's inhabitants lived within the Preeminent. A realm is space, and the Preeminent is body, so her body has to go somewhere. Also it never made sense how Nya supposedly destroyed an entire realm with just her true potential and then indirectly destroyed another. ( Djinjago ) She may have put both realms in a apocalypse-like state. But I doubt the space within the realms is gone. Then there's the question of where the ghosts went, Cursed Realm or Departed Realm? ( I'm assuming the djin went to the Departed Realm, RIP. )
Also I wondered if there was creation realms and destruction realms and there is!
I agree with almost everything that's been said in this topic so far.
... But as someone who writes I also can't help but feel like the people making the show shouldn't be struggling with the inconsistency like they often do. Is it that hard to learn about characters and their world and how the characters act and the world rules and general tone? To me it seems easy enough. And they are getting paid to do it. It's probably hard to work with so many people and keep everything in line though... And there's probably push from people on the business side of things that make things harder for people on the creative side to stay consistent.
* continued *
As far as consistency goes, I think it's just the business that part that makes it inconsistent. Ninjago is only going to last as long as it's making money, and I think even LEGO is surprised it's still performing very well especially after 8 or 9 years.
Back when Ninjago was supposed to finish at Season 2, the lore was pretty consistent since there were only two seasons worth of content. A year later when it was decided Ninjago would be back for Season 3, on short notice all of a sudden the writers need to think "How do we expand the Ninjago story that's already finished?" Every year afterward would simply be an expansion of the story and the lore with new characters villains and elemental systems, but with that comes inconsistency each new year.
The way to solve this problem is to plan the entirety of the Ninjago lore before you release it, making it very consistent, which means each year you reveal something that hasn't been shown before. The problem with that is that LEGO doesn't know if Ninjago is still going to be relevant years later as the audience grows up and entertainment tastes and trends change over time. If Ninjago didn't sell well in the beginning, then all that planning and investment was for nothing.
Then there's the thing with Nya trying to control ice. I like that she never really mastered it, but that it also kinda worked. It makes sense that elemental masters have a tiny bit of control over simalr elements. Although the question is where is a line drawn? How much control can elemental master have over another element? Does it affect the other elemental master who's element they are controlling with their own in any way? What's to stop a element like gravity or water from having to much control? Especially if they were holding the forbidden scroll?
Then we have realm travel. Was it ever explained why travelers tea wouldn't work? I don't think it was but we don't need to know everything. However the berries did work. So the berries are more powerful for realm travel? Why not just use those? Are there berries like that in Ninjago? Could it be easier to realm travel with those?
And then we have the episode where the Preeminent is unleashed on Ninjago again and Pixal has to stop her. Now this episode in itself makes little to no sense. Why? Because it's supposedly impossible to to reach the Departed Realm! Even more impossible then reaching the Never Realm. It makes no sense at all that they opened the Departed Realm so easily twice. So I have a theory: They never opened the Departed Realm, they actually unknowingly opened the actual Cursed Realm. We never saw where the Preeminent was coming out of. So it makes sense that she lived in some sort of realm, which I believe is the placeholder for the Cursed Realm since it's inhabitants lived within the Preeminent. A realm is space, and the Preeminent is body, so her body has to go somewhere. Also it never made sense how Nya supposedly destroyed an entire realm with just her true potential and then indirectly destroyed another. ( Djinjago ) She may have put both realms in a apocalypse-like state. But I doubt the space within the realms is gone. Then there's the question of where the ghosts went, Cursed Realm or Departed Realm? ( I'm assuming the djin went to the Departed Realm, RIP. )
Also I wondered if there was creation realms and destruction realms and there is!
All of your questions and more make me want to write a fanfic simply for answering all those questions. XD
I agree with almost everything that's been said in this topic so far.
... But as someone who writes I also can't help but feel like the people making the show shouldn't be struggling with the inconsistency like they often do. Is it that hard to learn about characters and their world and how the characters act and the world rules and general tone? To me it seems easy enough. And they are getting paid to do it. It's probably hard to work with so many people and keep everything in line though... And there's probably push from people on the business side of things that make things harder for people on the creative side to stay consistent.
* continued *
As far as consistency goes, I think it's just the business that part that makes it inconsistent. Ninjago is only going to last as long as it's making money, and I think even LEGO is surprised it's still performing very well especially after 8 or 9 years.
Back when Ninjago was supposed to finish at Season 2, the lore was pretty consistent since there were only two seasons worth of content. A year later when it was decided Ninjago would be back for Season 3, on short notice all of a sudden the writers need to think "How do we expand the Ninjago story that's already finished?" Every year afterward would simply be an expansion of the story and the lore with new characters villains and elemental systems, but with that comes inconsistency each new year.
The way to solve this problem is to plan the entirety of the Ninjago lore before you release it, making it very consistent, which means each year you reveal something that hasn't been shown before. The problem with that is that LEGO doesn't know if Ninjago is still going to be relevant years later as the audience grows up and entertainment tastes and trends change over time. If Ninjago didn't sell well in the beginning, then all that planning and investment was for nothing.
Yeah that's true. It's hard when there's so much on the line. At least for the most part they have done quite a good job considering the circumstances.
Then there's the thing with Nya trying to control ice. I like that she never really mastered it, but that it also kinda worked. It makes sense that elemental masters have a tiny bit of control over simalr elements. Although the question is where is a line drawn? How much control can elemental master have over another element? Does it affect the other elemental master who's element they are controlling with their own in any way? What's to stop a element like gravity or water from having to much control? Especially if they were holding the forbidden scroll?
Then we have realm travel. Was it ever explained why travelers tea wouldn't work? I don't think it was but we don't need to know everything. However the berries did work. So the berries are more powerful for realm travel? Why not just use those? Are there berries like that in Ninjago? Could it be easier to realm travel with those?
And then we have the episode where the Preeminent is unleashed on Ninjago again and Pixal has to stop her. Now this episode in itself makes little to no sense. Why? Because it's supposedly impossible to to reach the Departed Realm! Even more impossible then reaching the Never Realm. It makes no sense at all that they opened the Departed Realm so easily twice. So I have a theory: They never opened the Departed Realm, they actually unknowingly opened the actual Cursed Realm. We never saw where the Preeminent was coming out of. So it makes sense that she lived in some sort of realm, which I believe is the placeholder for the Cursed Realm since it's inhabitants lived within the Preeminent. A realm is space, and the Preeminent is body, so her body has to go somewhere. Also it never made sense how Nya supposedly destroyed an entire realm with just her true potential and then indirectly destroyed another. ( Djinjago ) She may have put both realms in a apocalypse-like state. But I doubt the space within the realms is gone. Then there's the question of where the ghosts went, Cursed Realm or Departed Realm? ( I'm assuming the djin went to the Departed Realm, RIP. )
Also I wondered if there was creation realms and destruction realms and there is!
All of your questions and more make me want to write a fanfic simply for answering all those questions. XD
As far as consistency goes, I think it's just the business that part that makes it inconsistent. Ninjago is only going to last as long as it's making money, and I think even LEGO is surprised it's still performing very well especially after 8 or 9 years.
Back when Ninjago was supposed to finish at Season 2, the lore was pretty consistent since there were only two seasons worth of content. A year later when it was decided Ninjago would be back for Season 3, on short notice all of a sudden the writers need to think "How do we expand the Ninjago story that's already finished?" Every year afterward would simply be an expansion of the story and the lore with new characters villains and elemental systems, but with that comes inconsistency each new year.
The way to solve this problem is to plan the entirety of the Ninjago lore before you release it, making it very consistent, which means each year you reveal something that hasn't been shown before. The problem with that is that LEGO doesn't know if Ninjago is still going to be relevant years later as the audience grows up and entertainment tastes and trends change over time. If Ninjago didn't sell well in the beginning, then all that planning and investment was for nothing.
Yeah that's true. It's hard when there's so much on the line. At least for the most part they have done quite a good job considering the circumstances.
Yeah. They did pretty well even with all of that, and I'm still surprised they've kept on going.
[...] Also, unpopular opinion here, but I feel like Wu should have died a long time ago. [...]
SAAAAAAME. He doesn't serve any value to the plot anymore, so he'd be the perfect one to kill off for the emotional element of a valuable character death while not hurting the story.
But as someone who writes I also can't help but feel like the people making the show shouldn't be struggling with the inconsistency like they often do. Is it that hard to learn about characters and their world and how the characters act and the world rules and general tone?
[...]
Well, not only has the show swapped main writers, but this season is by a completely different animation studio. So the change is reasonable, but I still agree it's not justifiable. If you're going to be a professional screenwriter, the least you could do is take pride in your work. Take the simple time to learn about the characters you're writing. Some fan-fictions treat the show's characters better than the actual writers.
And then we have the episode where the Preeminent is unleashed on Ninjago again and Pixal has to stop her.
[...]
Oh gosh. The only reason I don't strongly despise the episode is because it was so forgettable I didn't remember it just a day after I saw it. I always hate it when shows do this - take an OP villain and then just wave them away like they're nothing in a filler episode. ._.
[...] Also, unpopular opinion here, but I feel like Wu should have died a long time ago. [...]
SAAAAAAME. He doesn't serve any value to the plot anymore, so he'd be the perfect one to kill off for the emotional element of a valuable character death while not hurting the story.
But I'm honestly glad this season was better than it could have been, if they wanted to they could go full Ninjago Movie tone on us and not give a brick, but they don't and I'm greatful for that. But as someone who writes I also can't help but feel like the people making the show shouldn't be struggling with the inconsistency like they often do. Is it that hard to learn about characters and their world and how the characters act and the world rules and general tone? To me it seems easy enough. And they are getting paid to do it. It's probably hard to work with so many people and keep everything in line though... And there's probably push from people on the business side of things that make things harder for people on the creative side to stay consistent. 
However there was some things about The Ice Chapter that I still have a lot of questions about. Mostly relating to elemental powers and realm travel. ![[derp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/YqNTPqyQUocVMYXZgUAI.png)
He doesn't serve any value to the plot anymore, so he'd be the perfect one to kill off for the emotional element of a valuable character death while not hurting the story. 
He doesn't serve any value to the plot anymore, so he'd be the perfect one to kill off for the emotional element of a valuable character death while not hurting the story. 