The Legend of Korra Series Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

[Wilahelm2]

I completely agree that the execution of many of the subplots were poorly done, especially the romantic ones in the first two seasons. The Spirit of Competition is my least favorite episode of the first season too. Comedy, like you said, is subjective but I do think the jokes were better in Avatar. Still all things being equal I do think they got better at all these elements in the later part of the show.

As for Mako and Korra,. Like I said before Korra always saw Mako as more of a prize and used him as a verbal punching bag for her own fears, insecurities, and frustrations. Mako avoided talking to Korra about uncomfortable emotional issues unless he had no choice and never really figured out how to talk to Korra without it coming off as him challenging her. Considering the type of person Korra is this was the absolute worst way to talk to her about anything. All it did was provoke her into challenging him back. In the end it wasn't a relationship but two stubborn people more concerned with establishing who was top dog rather then deal with their issues.

Asami, no doubt helped by years of watching her fathers business negotiations, always know how to talk to both Mako and Korra (and almost anyone else for that matter) in order to get them on her side. This isn't to say it was all an act or she was trying to manipulate them but Asami was just more of a people person and much more willing to be flexible with how she dealt with people and her problems. She's also much less stubborn and so is more willing to let thing slide then Mako or Korra tend to be.

Because Korra as a series ended strong and because the creators had a lot more behind the scenes issues to deal with compared to the original Avatar I tend to be a bit more forgiving of the flaws and missteps in the earlier seasons.

[aceina]

my big issue with aang as a main character is he was never wrong any time some one disagreed wit hhim they had to go through character development to agree with him

and let sbe blunt the spirit bending thing came out of no where just so aang could avoid killing ozai and as the comics have shown sparing ozai was a mistake

[Winter]

my big issue with aang as a main character is he was never wrong any time some one disagreed wit hhim they had to go through character development to agree with him

and let sbe blunt the spirit bending thing came out of no where just so aang could avoid killing ozai and as the comics have shown sparing ozai was a mistake

I really can't agree with that, Aang was a flawed character and he was wrong just as often as other characters. Just think of The Deserter, where Aang tried to learn Firebending sooner rather then later, his ego got the better of him because he thought he was right and as a result ended up burning Katara and was afraid to firebend for the longest time after that, holding it off as long as he could and even then he never really got the hang of it. And also in Bitter Works, Aang more passive nature got in the way of his learning how to Earthbend and the episode before that yelled at Toph when she blamed Appa and Aang told her to leave and he realized soon after that just how stupid that was.

Then there's his need to run away from a problem or him putting himself down whenever he fails. Aang is a flawed character when he makes mistakes he is called out on it. The difference between him and Korra is that her flaws are given more attention by her feeling that any mistake makes her unworthy of being the Avatar in her own eyes.

No one is harder on Korra then Korra is, even her enemies aren't as hard on her as she is. She feels that she has to not only live up to Aang's legacy given all the amazing things he did. This is why I like Korra more then Aang, while she stumbles in her quest to become what she sees as the Avatar she never truly gives up on that goal. Even after being poisoned and suffering PTSD she never gives up on herself and even one of her greatest enemies sees who she is and what she can become and sees that he was unable to truly break her.

Though I do agree that Aang learning to Energy is a complete Deus Ex Machina and Aang saying that he has never killed a living this is complete BS on the grounds that we saw him kill that Buzzard wasp in The Desert and came very close to killing the sandbenders in the very same episode. Though to be fair Korra has used Deus Ex Machinas as well, its kind of a tradition in Avatar.

So again I don't agree that Aang was never wrong and I feel he was just as flawed as Korra though the finally of TLOA did seem to be design to give him a easy way out of the dilemma.

[Wilahelm2]

its important to remember that Korra was created to be Aangs opposite. Their lives are a mirror of each other. A boy that needs to learn most of the other elements in order to fight to end a war. A girl that already knows most of the elements and works to keep the peace. Aang falls for Katara as soon as he meets her but doesn't tell her how he feels until over half a year later just before a major battle. Korra gradually falls for Asami after knowing her for years and once she realizes how she feels and the enemy has been beaten asks Asami to go on a private vacation with her.

Their flaws are also opposite. Aang tries to avoid conflict, Korra rushes towards it. Korra loves being the Avatar but fears failing as one. Aang is scared of being the Avatar and fears losing himself to the role. Aang deals with his problems by running from them and indulging in childish behavior. Korra deals with her problems suppressing them and lashing out. Each works to overcome their flaws and find healthier ways of dealing with their issues.

[Darmani]

In the context of the series as a whole, pro-bending wasn't overdone. In the context of what was at the time a limited run season of only 12 episodes? 5 episodes of that content was LOT and it definitely sticks out as something that maybe should have been cut back at a time when they thought it was going to be all they were getting.

One fan of the series put it like this. At the end of the series they made sure that they'd established all the rules and the culture of pro bending but they hadn't done so of the existing political system. Which is terrible when you're dealing with civil unrest that's congealed into the form of both a mafia and an insurrection. Or at least a coup or terrorists take over.

[Winter]

In the context of the series as a whole, pro-bending wasn't overdone. In the context of what was at the time a limited run season of only 12 episodes? 5 episodes of that content was LOT and it definitely sticks out as something that maybe should have been cut back at a time when they thought it was going to be all they were getting.

One fan of the series put it like this. At the end of the series they made sure that they'd established all the rules and the culture of pro bending but they hadn't done so of the existing political system. Which is terrible when you're dealing with civil unrest that's congealed into the form of both a mafia and an insurrection. Or at least a coup or terrorists take over.

And again contrast Air with Madoka Magica, which was also 12 episodes long. Ignore the themes and character arcs of the series and you are left with only three major plots, Kyubey trying to get Madoka to make a deal with him, Homura's attempting to protect Madoka from Kyubey and the arrival of Walpurgisnacht. Everything else in the series revolves around one of these plots one way or another and are resolved in quick succession. Each Magical Girl gets her own arc, each one lasting only three episodes long and all contribute to the main story, whether its Homura losing another ally in her fight to protect Madoka and defeat Walpurgisnacht or Kyubey using each of their deaths to try and manipulate Madoka into making a deal with him.

In contrast non of the plots in Air really have that much to do with one another and some take up more time then they need. In the end The Equalist are the main threat but they have less development then the Pro-Bending Tournament or Tarrlok's bid for power. We learn all the rules of Pro-bending and learn why Tarrlok does what he does but the poor treatment of non-benders is never really shown or just implied and we are never told why Amon sees bending as the cause of all things wrong in the world.

[GloatingSwine]

I think the series structure hurt LoK the most.

The original series was considerably more episodic, which meant that the overall series arc was accompanied by lots of smaller arcs which let the characters have progressive ups and downs and let them have small victories and defeats on the path to the season enders.

LoK on the other hand is almost completely serial, not episodic at all, which means that there are far less noticable ups and downs for the characters and no minor resolutions on the way to the season end.

(Also it took until season 3 to get a really good villain).

Thinking about it, the heavily serial lack of episodic content is possibly also responsible for the inevitable mid-season doldrums of all the Netflix Marvel shows, where the original Daredevil had some self contained episodes like the Kingpin backstory to shore up that middle and provide space for characters to develop away from the serialised plot.

[Winter]

On a side note I'm REALLY looking forward to when Chuck analyzes Korra and Asami's relationship, going over how the two grow close to one another and I hope that he adds one of his awesome music videos like he did for Kirk in Generations and Homura in Madoka Magica. And also I just hope to see him go into why Asami is a great character, for me I actually love her more then Uncle Iroh, who is also a great character.

[Wilahelm2]

More then Iroh, bold words . Careful, I've seen nerd fights start for less . seriously I do love Asami but I have to say I love Iroh a bit more. His section of Tales of Ba Sing Se still gets me choked up every time I see it. I do want to see a analysis of Korasami's development though. There was a lot after the series ended but it would be nice to see one now after some time has passed and we have all had time to process everything.

As my final 2 cents for probending, I think another reason why it doesn't bother me to much is that I found Spirits to be a such a disappointment that it made everything in the first season look better by comparison.

[Winter]

More then Iroh, bold words . Careful, I've seen nerd fights start for less . seriously I do love Asami but I have to say I love Iroh a bit more. His section of Tales of Ba Sing Se still gets me choked up every time I see it. I do want to see a analysis of Korasami's development though. There was a lot after the series ended but it would be nice to see one now after some time has passed and we have all had time to process everything.

As my final 2 cents for probending, I think another reason why it doesn't bother me to much is that I found Spirits to be a such a disappointment that it made everything in the first season look better by comparison.

Oh yeah, Iroh's tale is easily one of the most emotional moments in Avatar and like pretty much every fan under the sun there was much sqeeing when Iroh appeared before Korra in the Spirit world. I think the reason I like Asami a bit more then Iroh is that she seems to have a bit more character development then Iroh but in the grand scheme of things I would say that they are about equal. Their two of the kindest and wisest people in the series who are always there for anyone no matter their history. Iroh was always willing to sit down and have a cup of tea with those who considered him an enemy for no other reason then they looked like they needed to talk. And Asami was willing to work with those who had hurt her, (in Mako's case twice) and was willing to put the fact that they hurt her in the past and move on.

Iroh was always there for Zuko whenever he needed him even after Zuko effectively turned on him at the end of Earth and Asami was always there for Korra even after she had left for three years was just dropped off the face of the earth for six months. Both are willing to speak their minds and make those around them face some harsh truths when said people have seriously messed up.

Really Asami and Iroh are the ultimate class act and some of the best characters in the series and show that you don't need that much development or screen time to be a great character.