The Legend of Korra

[theeboredone]

There was a lot of wasted potential. Amon could have been much cooler as a character, but how he ended up being was pretty simplistic and lame. Also the deus ex machine finale was a cop out. Also the choreography was very wan compared to the first series. Also the zen tone of the first show was lost, and the industrial setting didn't really go to help set any new tone or precedent. A lot of the character archetypes are just "this is new sokka, but lame", or "this is a forced love interest".

Characters in general weren't characterized well, and what they did tell/ show us of their development made them out to be two dimensional or adynamic characters.

The episodes were for the most part pretty bad in pacing, themes, etc, though the explanation for that one is that the LoK team is made up of the sub episode writers of the original series, so while they made good one offs for Last Avatar, they make bad central episodes for Legend of Korra.

Past all of that, the original show was so good, and had so many pretty moments, and such masterful universe and tone, that Legend of Korra had too much to live up to, and largely failed in living up to it in any part.

A lot of your complaints in the first paragraph are more or less just you saying "I don't like it, because it's not like ATLA".

-Deus Ex's...LoK has theirs, but you really need to watch TLA again, because they had their share of Deus Ex's as well.
-Choreography took a hit, because the modernization and "peaceful" times means not everyone is fighting or doing kung fu. At first, I was disappointed as well, but outside of Korra and Tenzin, everyone else is going to be "street fighting". Once you accept the reality of the situation, then your expectations should be rationalized.
-Zen tone? Again, modernization.

Bryke made some crucial mistakes that could have solved a lot of character development issues. For starters, too many characters that they end up focusing on. The love triangle was stupid, and given how Asami was intended to be a villain at first, they should have stuck with that, because she has nothing to do going the rest of the way.

Overall, I don't think "mini series" are Bryke's strong points. Give them a 4 season format, and they will knock it out of the park though. It's a shame that LoK had to go from a mini series to a full 4 seasons.

 

[Spelt]

"I don't like it, because it's not like ATLA".

>This thread


Speaking of, why did I click on this thread? I knew I'd just be disappointed.

 

[GeZ]

A lot of your complaints in the first paragraph are more or less just you saying "I don't like it, because it's not like ATLA".

This isn't true, and I'll explain why.

The last airbender had its fair share of deus ex machina, but I fault it for that too. This isn't an exclusive complaint to it. It is a complaint of the heavy handedness of it in LoK.

The choreography wasn't just the fact that it was street fighting, the characters who did know fighting styles didn't move impressively. The police force consistently disappointed me in how lackluster their action scenes were, as well as the fights in the arenas, which were incredibly boring.

Zen doesn't have to be lost in a modern day civilization, but if they moved away from that, it'd be fine. I was excited for this show before it came out because I wanted to see how they explored the convention of the modern day in the avatar universe, but they didn't. Zen was replaced with nothing. There was no focus on any of the possible and interesting themes that they could have used. The equalists were such a cool force until the big reveal, which I won't spoil here. The conflict of benders vs non benders was ruined through that reveal though, making the entire thing fall flat.

I didn't dislike it because it wasn't The Last Airbender, I disliked it because the first season was incredibly weak as a show.

No comparison, rather it's objective distaste for poor plot construction/ character development/ use of twists.

@ Spelt it's also plausible that Legend of Korra let a lot of people down. Of course people will have expectations when it's a sequel series to something that was truly exceptional. It's the same way that Skyrim and Dark Souls 2 weren't terrible, but were the worst entries in their series, and that was a let down for people.

 

[theeboredone]

This isn't true, and I'll explain why.

The last airbender had its fair share of deus ex machina, but I fault it for that too. This isn't an exclusive complaint to it. It is a complaint of the heavy handedness of it in LoK.

The choreography wasn't just the fact that it was street fighting, the characters who did know fighting styles didn't move impressively. The police force consistently disappointed me in how lackluster their action scenes were, as well as the fights in the arenas, which were incredibly boring.

Zen doesn't have to be lost in a modern day civilization, but if they moved away from that, it'd be fine. I was excited for this show before it came out because I wanted to see how they explored the convention of the modern day in the avatar universe, but they didn't. Zen was replaced with nothing. There was no focus on any of the possible and interesting themes that they could have used. The equalists were such a cool force until the big reveal, which I won't spoil here. The conflict of benders vs non benders was ruined through that reveal though, making the entire thing fall flat.

I didn't dislike it because it wasn't The Last Airbender, I disliked it because the first season was incredibly weak as a show.

No comparison, rather it's objective distaste for poor plot construction/ character development/ use of twists.

@ Spelt it's also plausible that Legend of Korra let a lot of people down. Of course people will have expectations when it's a sequel series to something that was truly exceptional. It's the same way that Skyrim and Dark Souls 2 weren't terrible, but were the worst entries in their series, and that was a let down for people.

I agree with everything you say, but I also feel like you are being too hard on some of these flaws as well. Book 2 will leave a bad taste in your mouth as well, but as I said before, Book 3 is considered one of the best books overall in the Avatar universe, and Book 4 still has its jury out. So I definitely recommend you see through it to the end.

Perhaps it's because I don't watch much TV to begin with, and I also focus more on a entertainment + story rather than the critical elements. Unless they are obviously sticking out to me like a sore thumb.

 

[GeZ]

I agree with everything you say, but I also feel like you are being too hard on some of these flaws as well. Book 2 will leave a bad taste in your mouth as well, but as I said before, Book 3 is considered one of the best books overall in the Avatar universe, and Book 4 still has its jury out. So I definitely recommend you see through it to the end.

Perhaps it's because I don't watch much TV to begin with, and I also focus more on a entertainment + story rather than the critical elements. Unless they are obviously sticking out to me like a sore thumb.

Well you've convinced me to try it man. I'll try to make it through season two without being too biased, and see what I can get out of the rest of it. I'm naturally critical, but I'll see if I can enjoy the ride. I'm not so much a stick in the mud that I can't let some stuff slide.

 

[Airgemini]

If anything at least watch up to the third book. Watch the trailer before starting it and then let the hype carry you through, haha.

One of my biggest personal complaints about the first two books was that I felt like it just had entirely too much overload with Waterbending/ Waterbenders. Love the art but they definitely overkilled it for me. Book 2 is pretty meh in general but Beginnings is definitely worth it and there are some cool fights that happen throughout Book 2. They made the characters less vapid which is good.

 

[Sedda]

guys the fact that Korra is about to end just 'hit' me

what am i gonna do

 

[Holder of the Heel]

Why would you put metal on yourself when your opponent is a metal bender?

 

[Knight Dude]

Why would you put metal on yourself when your opponent is a metal bender?

Well, both of them were Metal Benders anyway. And both were wearing armor too. I imagine having armor on in case of a stray shot hitting you would help in the heat of battle.

 

[Dreamy Luigi]

Oh my god, that was intense.

Seeing the Beifong sisters fight made me "Oh cool some action!"

Seeing Suyin vs. Kuvira made me "OOOOOH YES GET HER!"

And then Toph pretty much sweeping in with a earth wave and telling Kuvira she's a disgrace made me freak out, I think this was probably the best episode so far in the series, and there is still 3 left.

I'm really, really excited x:

 

[Airgemini]

I'll just say that the fight scene was extremely well done and gave me so much life. Glad the show is finally picking up its pace.

 

[FloatingMew]

Oh man that was awesome although my video stuttered a bit.

Why would you put metal on yourself when your opponent is a metal bender?

Why doesn't Su metal bend the metal shoulder pads on Kuvira and bring it around her neck, like the other episode where Kuvira did it?

 

[Dreamy Luigi]

I was on animeflavor and the annoying frame skips/lag/whatever you want to call it was annoying. 5 minutes in I refreshed and just used another one of their 3 video players, then had no issues.

 

[FloatingMew]

I was on animeflavor and the annoying frame skips/lag/whatever you want to call it was annoying. 5 minutes in I refreshed and just used another one of their 3 video players, then had no issues.

I was on Animehere and it did the same thing, although I didn't get the bright idea to change players until the Kuvira and Suyin fight.

 

[Knight Dude]

I just watch it at Nick's site. For the most part it works fine, for me anyway. Y'know, official release and all that.

Anyway, that last episode was good. I don't know if it was the best in the season, but the fight towards the end really was insane. I'm curious on how exactly they plan on beating Kuvira though.

 

[Carrill]

Wow... So Kuvira has just completely sold her soul in the latest episode, having aimed a laser death ray at her fiance knowing fully well the consequences. I wonder what's driving her at this point? She's gone so far that she's been disgraced by Toph even.

I'm hoping there will be some sort of shocking reveal surrounding her in the last two episodes because so far, everything regarding Kuvira has been what it seems. She's a power-hungry dictator with a super-weapon and now, she wants Republic City. At this point, she's a sociopath and she's bordering on one-dimensional territory. I'm hoping that there's a twist to her that's yet to be revealed.

 

[Sedda]

Kuvira confirmed just an evil *****.

This episode was a 100% complete set up to the finale. Don't really like it that much tbh, probably my least favorite of the season (even the clip show).

 

[theeboredone]

Wow... So Kuvira has just completely sold her soul in the latest episode, having aimed a laser death ray at her fiance knowing fully well the consequences. I wonder what's driving her at this point? She's gone so far that she's been disgraced by Toph even.

I'm hoping there will be some sort of shocking reveal surrounding her in the last two episodes because so far, everything regarding Kuvira has been what it seems. She's a power-hungry dictator with a super-weapon and now, she wants Republic City. At this point, she's a sociopath and she's bordering on one-dimensional territory. I'm hoping that there's a twist to her that's yet to be revealed.

At this point, the comparison is that power corrupts. Kuvira may have started with good intentions, but she has clearly gone on a power trip, and will not stop at anything, resorting to all of the things she has done. Taking places by force, using bandits, re-education camps, and now sacrificing her fiance. The end justifies the means...

Kuvira confirmed just an evil *****.

This episode was a 100% complete set up to the finale. Don't really like it that much tbh, probably my least favorite of the season (even the clip show).

The writing was just shoddy in some areas. Primarily the interrogation scene and how they got Bataar to talk. The other aspect was Wu all of a sudden stepping up. It's too late to show him be a true King, so I'm hoping he ends up in a more constitutional monarch role. Other then that, I thought it was a solid episode. No way was it worse than the clip episode, even if you grade it on a "budget curve".

Some good things:

-Mako still sucks at explaining things outside of police language. See his letter to Korra for example.
-Zhu Li and Varrick.
-Raiko keeping it real. First time I actually supported his decisions. His interaction with the three EK guardsmen were funny too.
-That mecha suit. Looks like that's where all that Zaofu platinum domes went.
-Meelo was "sidelined".
-Good setup to what should be a action packed finale.
-Kuvira "Letting go of your earthly tether" and using Bataar as a sacrifice.

So who do you guys think got injured in that blast? Obviously Korra is safe. Any speculation on deaths or big injuries? Mako was closest to the window, while Tenzin seemed to get a good brunt of it too. Bataar is also a candidate. The twins? Su? Personally, I'm up for any of them, but I hope it's not Mako. He hasn't had any good action, and I need to see some awesome firebending.

 

[Sedda]

it's hard to know who got hurt/killed based on analyzing any footage. people always try to do this too much and it turns out that they're wrong.

imo at least one of the Beifongs will have died/been terribly hurt in the explosion. Bataar jr will be ok, but this is what will make him turn against Kuvira.

Outside of the Beifongs, any other character dying could cause interesting shifts in the dynamic of the characters/world post show.
If tenzin dies, it's going to impact the airbenders obviously, but also all of the main characters in a deep way. If Mako dies, this would probably be used to further Wu's development, etc

 

[theeboredone]

Preview clip is up...let's just say the "who died/injured" question is answered.

 

[Knight Dude]

The new episode was pretty good for the most part. The big finale is coming up soon. Should be sick.

If I had to guess, Kuvira more or less pulled off a similar trick that Zaheer did when P'li kicked the bucket. "Release your Earthly Tether" and all that.

 

[Sedda]

it's hard to know who got hurt/killed based on analyzing any footage. people always try to do this too much and it turns out that they're wrong.

someday, ill learn to follow my own advice

 

[theeboredone]

someday, ill learn to follow my own advice

Since it's a preview clip, I guess I'll post SPOILERS...

Spoiler

Do you think it was a cop out, or someone should have gotten hurt? I mean, that blast has been decimating things to the point it can go through a mountain. We saw it destroy a military base and ships. I feel like someone should have gotten seriously hurt.

 

[theeboredone]

Double post

 

[Sedda]

Spoiler

Do you think it was a cop out, or someone should have gotten hurt? I mean, that blast has been decimating things to the point it can go through a mountain. We saw it destroy a military base and ships. I feel like someone should have gotten seriously hurt.

Spoiler

it's all about perspective. in some ways, im ok with nobody getting seriously injured, because one could say that it would be a cop out just to hurt one of them so that the plot can proceed. i would consider it a cop-out in regards to what you said, tho. if the rules established by the show are that the canon blast can go through mountains, then keep it consistent

 

[Aeon Lupin]

I really don't feel like this is quite the end. There just seems like everything is going to be rushed in the last episode. Not looking to forward to the finale.

 

[Sedda]

thats what worries me about the finale. the last episode we got felt like everything was rushed and everything that was done was done to make sure they got from point A to point B. this is what put me off about the book 1 finale, which was otherwise paced very well imo

 

[FloatingMew]

Is it going to be a two-episode finale?

 

[theeboredone]

Is it going to be a two-episode finale?

Yep. And apparently, they will limit the commercials to give each episode an extra 2 minutes.

 

[FloatingMew]

Yep. And apparently, they will limit the commercials to give each episode an extra 2 minutes.

Oh yes! Thanks!

 

[theeboredone]

For anyone who has Nicktoons, the episodes will be premiering at 9 Eastern Friday. Otherwise Midnight Eastern Thursday/Friday.

https://twitter.com/nickelodeontv

 

[theeboredone]

Just got done watching the finale. Overall, was pretty solid, though I didn't like how Korra didn't get her "decisive" victory. Also that ending was totally unnecessary and made me SMH. It was honestly shock value, and I'm saddened that Bryke went that route. Especially since there will be no more Avatar.

 

[Sedda]

i am actually 100% super happy with the finale and even the ending. i wasnt as satisffied with the action as resolved, but to be completely honest its because i imagined it in a completely different way, and that is not fair to the creators.

i loved it

SPOILERS

i thought that her relationship with asami has been the most "real" and consistent throughout the last two books, starting with Korra alone where Asami is the only one she writes letters to. (edit- when i say starting with "korra alone" i mean the ROMANTIC side of it)

it makes sense objectively

 

[Alacion]

Really pleased with the finale. Wish there was more avatar state action.

Never shipped Korrasami, but I support it completely.

Can't believe Avatar is done... it's been a good run. I'll miss it all

 

[theeboredone]

i am actually 100% super happy with the finale and even the ending. i wasnt as satisffied with the action as resolved, but to be completely honest its because i imagined it in a completely different way, and that is not fair to the creators.

i loved it

SPOILERS

i thought that her relationship with asami has been the most "real" and consistent throughout the last two books, starting with Korra alone where Asami is the only one she writes letters to. (edit- when i say starting with "korra alone" i mean the ROMANTIC side of it)

it makes sense objectively

There honestly wasn't much development for Korrasami to be viable as a romantic relationship. Book 3, their only "bonding" dialogues came in the beginning, and at the end. What makes it worse is that there were more Mako and Korra moments. Book 4 was weird, because Korra confided in Asami (despite there hardly being any evidence of them being that close), the "I like your hair" and then Asami was sidelined from Korra (it was Mako tagging along with Korra) until the last 3 minutes. IMO, Korra should have just been left alone and happy.

Also, ending was changed. I'm pretty sure Bryke caved into the pressure of the fanbase.

http://wruzicka-reblogs.tumblr.com/...y-didnt-hold-hands-in-the-early-animatic-that

 

[Sedda]

There honestly wasn't much development for Korrasami to be viable as a romantic relationship. Book 3, their only "bonding" dialogues came in the beginning, and at the end. What makes it worse is that there were more Mako and Korra moments. Book 4 was weird, because Korra confided in Asami (despite there hardly being any evidence of them being that close), the "I like your hair" and then Asami was sidelined from Korra (it was Mako tagging along with Korra) until the last 3 minutes. IMO, Korra should have just been left alone and happy.

Also, ending was changed. I'm pretty sure Bryke caved into the pressure of the fanbase.

http://wruzicka-reblogs.tumblr.com/...y-didnt-hold-hands-in-the-early-animatic-that

I disagree with this, but ill only address your last point.

First, though, I'd like to say that Korra's relationship with Asami has no effect on the story (or the one that was given focus anyway) so I dont think it matters at all, but anyway.

I think it's extremely unfair to say that Bryke "changed" it.

Changed it? They already had budget cuts. They had no money to change this. It would take to long for anything to be taken overseas to be CHANGED (outside of the already allocated budget) and they definitely didnt do it in America, where it would've cost way more.

As far as critiques of the writing go, I'm ok with that, because I know you always have good points about the show's writing and we have gone back and forth on here from time to time, but to say that they've appealed to the fans is really weak because there's no evidence (i dont consider that link evidence in any capacity).

The truth is that they started production simultaneously for books 3/4, which means that, at the very least, this was all written out Q3 of 2014 (it had been months since books 3 and 4 were greenlit). There's nothing to appeal to. They've said themselves that of course it's funny to look at that stuff, but they do whatever they want because it's their show. They care about these characters.

I don't like it when they're accused of fan service because they could be accused of that based on anything.

Katara/Toph/Zuko fight? FAN SERVICE. APPEALING TO THE FANS. Makorra in book 4? FAN SERVICE SOUND THE ALARM.
Korrasami? FAN SERVICE OMG WHY ARE THEY FOLLOWING REDDIT??

They don't care about reddit. they don't care about the boards online. They do whatever they want, and it's unfair to say that they've appealed to the fans. They used to say the same thing back when ATLA aired.

Like i said, it bares zero relevance to the plot, and I'm actually happy that the reveal was at the end, instead of them taking valuable time to justify the relationship throughout the season (btw season 4 is probably my favorite now in retrospect).

 

[Carrill]

I agree with the Korra and Asami ending actually making sense. Like Sedda said, Asami was the only person she wrote letters to in 'Korra Alone'. Asami was the only person she'd speak to during a time that she felt completely powerless. It makes a whole lot of sense that she'd develop a very deep attachment to her.

...I want to see a comic series similar to The Promise now. I want to see Korra and Asami's adventures in the Spirit World and I want to see how their relationship develops.

 

[theeboredone]

Thing is, while Korra did show her emotions mostly to Asami in Book 4, and Book 3 had a few meaningful interactions with them as well,I don't think there was enough there to justify a relationship. Friends? Sure. Best Friends? Maybe. Couple? Eh, what? It just felt rushed and almost as if they wanted to pair Korra with somebody, so they might as well go out with a "bang" so to speak.

What hurts their relationship more is that Asami was severly underused after Book 1, and it hurt her overall development. The writers seemed like they didn't know what to do with her and it showed a lot throughout the series. Even when one can make an argument that she became Korra's confidant, there just wasn't enough there as mentioned above to justify an actual relationship. Hell, Asami wasn't even present in multiple episodes, and disappeared towards the latter half as far as her interactions with Korra go. There definitely should have been a better build up to this.

I don't know, ending with Korra and Tenzin would have perfectly been fine with me. If Korra and Asami were to start a relationship, it's something that should've been saved for the comics assuming there is one.

And I do think that writer has some validity. Yes there were budget cuts, but that doesn't mean changes can't be made. They pretty much took out an entire episode. The writer even mentioned how "they didn't hold hands in the early animatic", meaning that they had gone that far into their production of the ending.

I think Bryke are terrific writers when it's pertaining to stories, villains, and moral issues. However, romance has never been their forte, and it showed throughout this whole series.

 

[Sedda]

I'd like to mention that the people you are talking about are most likely STORYBOARDING artists, and the situation seems to be that Bryke kept some of the original storyboarding secret from most people at the production, it was animated through the regular process in Korea and then brought back here.

They didn't change anything.

 

[Dreamy Luigi]

I don't disect plots so I'm more than happy with that finale. Glad Korrasami happened, proud of Bryke.