Open Thoughts on "The Legend of Korra"

Hey, just revisiting the post that made me join the Patreon in the first place. According to ATLA, the avatar isn't supposed to learn of their role until they're SIXTEEN, and their training to master all four elements is intended to take YEARS. An exception was made for Aang specifically because of the threat of an upcoming war. His training had to be rushed, and even then it took the ENTIRE THREE SEASONS to accomplish, which occurred over SEVERAL MONTHS. In the very first scene of TLOK, Korra reveals herself as the avatar by bending three elements. With NO training. At the age of FOUR. This not only immediately contradicts what was established in ATLA, but kind of undermines a rather significant portion of it's narrative as well. This scene ends with Korra loudly exclaiming, "I'M THE AVATAR. DEAL WITH IT." And. BOY. Isn't that just the thesis for TLOK as a whole.

Fan Trades

Korea is a bad avatar

Annibeth Yango

S1 showed potential in both setting and characters, until they ham-fisted a conclusion (esp. for the Steve Blum villain) b/c they thought this was their one shot at the series. S2 had a neat backstory to the whole Avatar origin...but the rest was a torrent of terrible. S3 and 4 brought it back pretty hard--and I personally LOVED the villains in S3--but still made you wish S1 and 2 were better than they were. Goes to show that ideas-people also need to be GOOD WRITINGS-people too I guess.

psychogaze

I think that one thing that should be talked about more is yeah it's easy for a lesbian couple to be on screen but out side of that a cartoon with an openly gay guy who isn't just some characters dads have yet to come out and yeah everything else like being trans or any short of queer is pretty hard for any show to have rn

growlgrowl

One thing I like a lot of Korra are the villains ON PAPER. Each of them shows how extremesim is harmful even if the intentions are good. Equality turns into terrorism, remembering tradition turns into crazy theocracy (that's the weakest one), freedom turns into anarchy and order turns into fascism. I specially love how it's represented in season 3 and 4 through the elements each villain controls (air for freedom and earth for stability). Then again I'm talking about their concepts, the execution is very poor in some cases.

Kradolpher

"Don't shoot, we have Todd Haberkorn" had me dyyyyyying. I had to pause the video.

Every time I hear about Korra, I more and more get the picture of a master chef buying the finest ingredients and polishing his knives, readying his equipment, putting out the perfect Mise en place and then pelting each ingredient one by one into a mixing bowl, setting the resultant slurry on fire, and proclaiming "CUISINE!"

Jack Griggs

I think one of the worst things with Bolin is his arch in season 2, despite Varrick (who is very fun). They have the most sexist interaction ever - a character named after her physical trait (Ginger) is forcibly kissed by Bolin while restrained (YIKES), obviously uninterested in him, and off script. Then they have her "change her mind" about him once he becomes famous because apparently the only reason someone wouldn't be interested in Bolin is if they're a pretentious bitch. It's the most sexist thing and I hate it

Lydia Duncan

One of the reasons I chose to abridge Korra was so I could fix book 2. For a number of the facts that you stated. It had so much potential to be awesome! It should have been awesome! And there are parts I like, but ultimately it doesn’t make up for all the shortcomings.

Anthony Ray Morales

It didn't help that the creators didn't handle criticism well. They blamed the poor reception to the love triangle on shippers, and Bryan Konietzko famously dismissed any claims that the Korrasami ending was rushed or out-of-nowhere as viewers watching the show through a "hetero lens."

Kruh-Daze

I think people shit on Korra a bit too hard honestly. I won’t say the show is great or even near the level of Avatar but it’s still good. I think they were willing to take some bigger risks in places and I did appreciate that. I enjoy the show but totally get why others might not. As an aside, I do love these open thoughts and would love to hear just random open thoughts about whatever movies and games and such. :)

Mel Curtis

One of the few things I remember about liking from season 2 was Mako and Bolin’s ‘hallway fight’ against Unalaq. It might have been the only payoff from the pro bending, since it shows them just overrunning Unalaq with close and narrow quarter techniques. And then he beats them when they get outside. (I might remember wrong, it’s been a long time since I last watched it)

Ziggy

About the "They are bi" thing. You know that your argument is inherently flawed on that? People can date the opposite sex be happy and then figure out they are gay. Korra is confirmed by creators to be Bi. Thats an argument. "They dated man and ware happy" is not an argument. So that grated my gears a little

FiraDeviant

Oops lmao

JelloApocalypse

toph was a lie detector, korra didnt do it first

43:30 Lie detecting was one of Toph's major techniques, and expanding that to other characters is more of a 'Remember when Toph did this?' so that's a positive turned neutral/negative.

Stephen von Schulmann

I never got into Korra, though I enjoyed the hell out of Avatar and I'm really glad I didn't. You make being angry so interesting and engaging. Thank you.

The Ferret

Something I always found odd about the way Korra is written compared to Aang is that Aang in the original series is supposed to be the embodiment of his original element. Hes playful, loose, slippery, a bit easily distracted, but very resourceful and creative in a pinch. Korra’s original element is Water, but honestly the only correlation between her and water that I can see is that her character changes very drastically from season to season, which I could /maybe/ see as her being very emotionally fluid, but thats about all I can come up with to justify it. Furthermore, her hot headed and fighting nature in the first season seems to run completely counter to her element. I mostly feel that Korra’s writing potential here is limitless, but the writers chose the most boring directions to take with her initial character. Maybe instead of being a hot-headed punch girl, she could’ve been like a Spike Spiegel type of character, a person who’s mostly laid back, perhaps a bit aloof, but when it comes to her fighting style she has a great sense of control of her movements, and she’s very adaptable. If you put water in the cup, it becomes the cup, water can either flow, or it can crash . And perhaps as the series progresses, her sort of “whatever happens, happens” disposition is continually tested and she has to learn to apply this fluid adaptability to social situations, or even political ones. I feel like it’s a more interesting place to start with her than just “Yee haw, fuck the old men who taught me, I’m gonna cause problems on purpose.”

Justice Hainsworth

5:26 I do need to offer you a small correction: Republic City was meant to be based off of roaring 20’s Hong Kong as much as New York.

Ostentatiousnessness

Podcast by Jello about why Korra is hot piss? GET IN MY EARS!

Ostentatiousnessness

I mean it Defo isn't as good as avatar but aside from season 2 (which sucks) basically every character is my favourite and the villains (aside from season 2 and some of the villains in season 3 though their designs were Lovely) all have engaging plots that I Rlly enjoyed almost as much as atla. My only real issues w it are how Republic city is designed, season 2, and the way old team avatar ended up.

Ellis Joyce