Otaku no Culture

The latest episodes of Ninjago Crystallized are really about “The Fifth Villain” joining the Crystal Council and perhaps breaking them up before things get worse. After the team’s prison breakout and evasion of Hounddog McBrag, they’re not ready to take a breather just yet. The team is back together to figure out who this person is after some silly Fugi-Dove moments. This episode moves very quickly, and the best takeaway is in giving this comic villain a chance at redemption.

Perhaps he’ll turn his back on crime and become a hero for justice! It’s hard to fathom what goes on in his mind, but I’m loving this character even more.

The Mechanic is proving to be quite the troublemaker. He’s a lot more versatile than previously thought because we see just how skilled he is with fashioning tech. Like Doc Ock from Spider-Man, his spare limbs have a mind of their own, and the Ninjago team are ill prepared to deal with him.

Although they could catch him and tie him up, to say he “levelled up” goes beyond showing how he escapes! He indeed is the next to be recruited, and he’s no doubt thrilled to join “The Council of the Crystal King.”

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Tags: Animation, Comedy, Commentary, Episode Analysis, LEGO Ninjago, Martial Arts

Spoiler Alert

After the Ninjago team’s prison breakout in the latest broadcast (my last running commentary can be read here), the gang is not only on the lam but also have to figure out who else will become a member of this Legion of Doom. But before they can do that, they’ll have to find someplace to hide out in. They can’t go home, and the only people who can help are P.I.X.A.L., Sensei Wu and Nya. In what makes these episodes perfect lays in three facts.

First, the running gag concerning how, P.I.X.A.L. can build the team new mecha (or costumes) in no time flat gets asked again and I surmise she made copies of herself. That’s the only logical explanation to answer this mystery.

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Tags: Animation, Comedy, Commentary, Episode Analysis, LEGO Ninjago, Martial Arts

Teletoon Canada
Saturday 9:00AM (PST)
Spoiler Alert

The next pair of episodes in Ninjago Crystallized shows the team given due process in court and serving time. But as the trailers have shown, they’ll be out in no time. In “Ninjago City vs the Ninja,” we watch the boys given due process before getting tossed away. Despite Dareth’s best attempts to convince Judge William Toughbutt otherwise, with a nice recap of everything they’ve done for the good of the populace, this representative of the law thinks otherwise.

In this episode, we examine the cost of rebuilding a city. From town to a young city, and later a metropolis, the technical advances between iterations have been noticeable throughout the 15-season run. Someone needs to be writing the paychecks, and we don’t know of any Bruce Wayne personality. There’s only two characters I can think of who are rich enough. One is Cyrus Borg and the other is Milton Dyer.

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Tags: Animation, Comedy, Commentary, Episode Analysis, LEGO Ninjago, Martial Arts

Teletoon Canada
Saturday 9:00AM (PST)

The fifth and sixth episodes of Ninjago Crystallized is all about showing how Nya transitions back to mortal form. However, she won’t be in ship shape to help with the ongoing investigation regarding the Vengestone just yet.

“Public Enemies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5!” focuses on the Ninjago team planning a heist, and there’s nothing spectacular to say regarding this chapter. The title says it all since the team is planning to steal Aspheera’s staff. It’s awaiting transportation to a new safe house. Without it, the serpent queen can’t restore Nya. The team makes a decision to go rogue since the mission is about saving one of their own.

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Tags: Animation, Comedy, Commentary, Episode Analysis, LEGO Ninjago, Martial Arts

Teletoon Canada
Saturday 9:00AM (PST)

The concern about the mysterious Vengestone buyer and why he’s smuggling a lot of this rock around becomes the focus in Ninjago’s latest pair of episodes. However, the team can’t decide on what to do next unless Nya is present to help soothe tensions within the team. They bicker over everything until she finally appears and reveals how they can help restore her. The only problem is that they’ll need the help of an enemy.

To save this heroine will be tough. It may come at a cost much later into the series. As for exactly what that’ll be will depend of this season is taking ideas from the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. I don’t believe this subplot will be of grave concern. So far, the story concerns finding out who is smuggling this rock and what his plans are for it.

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Tags: Animation, Comedy, Commentary, Episode Analysis, LEGO Ninjago, Martial Arts