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On July 15 2012 13:41 TwoToneTerran wrote:Show nested quote +On July 15 2012 13:21 Praetorial wrote:On July 15 2012 12:57 Zergneedsfood wrote:I doubt they have Korra abusing the avatar state for cheap laughs for the rest of the show. I think Korra is meant to be a dynamic character (as with most protagonists). Except she's not. There was no arc to season 1 because Korra literally stayed the same. She hasn't learned anything but how to master the Avatar State and apparently the only thing she's used it for is abuse it in a trivial game. The fact that the next season is about spirits probably tells a lot about how abuse Korra's use of the Avatar State is. She gets her bending back because shes the motherfucking Avatar! She kicks ass. She's got the entire history of Avatars to back her up. Amon's got nothing on that man. Right, this was another brainless moment. She gets her bending back because the plot has armor and requires it. It's also deus ex machina and comes out of nowhere. Also, it basically confirms Korra for being a static character who is only defined by her bending because apparently she loses all of her other characteristics the minute her bending is gone. It finally confirms that Korra doesn't learn anything because she literally gets everything she wants and solves every problem without a single negative lingering consequence. I would agree that sometimes the fire bending in particular seems ineffectual - but to be fair he was giving Asami a much easier fight, and mecha-tanks would seem fire resistant by their nature. So....Mako decided to go fight fire resistant tanks and leave Asami alone? This is just a small point, but even so it shows how dumb Mako is and how little he actually cares about Asami. You can't really say it was meant to be this way, but you might as well since people always tell the haters that all of the positives in the show are based off of "inferences". I think the show has TONS of potential. It's the first season - of course you aren't satisfied with how it ends, cause it's not the end its only the beginning :D! It did, and it didn't satisfy because in the 13 episodes of the "beginning", there were maybe two episodes that were enjoyable. Most people drop shows/anime by 3 episodes. Korra should be happy I'm still watching it. I think you have to remember that it IS a kids show. So some of the story will certainly seem childish. Difference between "kid's show" and "show that tries to be mature and fails at it". Let's not forget that ATLA was a "kid's show" but has sustained more fanfiction and community involvement than any other community I know of as far as television shows and anime go. It's a lot more vibrant even after a few years of inactivity from the creators. There's a reason for that: it's because the world is complicated and intelligent. I did think the Amon backstory was a little soap opera-ish. But so was the way the characters in TLA were bawling their eyes out for five minutes at a time every episode over the slightest things. Enough with the extended crying shots yo! When was this? I don't think this happened, but okay. "Deus ex machina" literally means a divine intervention that makes everything good. The avatar state is literally the power of the world condensing into a single individual. divine intervention? Check. The Avatar can warp reality. Make everything good? Check. Point being, when one of the most important plot devices is a deus ex machina, it ceases to have the english meaning and just becomes the Latin. That is not what Deus Ex Machina is.
"An unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation"
from Google
Is the Avatar state ever really unexpected?
But the Latin-god out of the machine-seems more appropriate.
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OK GUYS!
Quiz!
If you lived in the Avatar universe with Chimeric fauna (Buzzard Wasps, Platypus Bears, Catgators, Sabre-toothed Moose Lions, etc)
What would be your favorite pet?
What would be your favorite animal transport?
What would you call for Smithers to release (attack animal)?
What is the grossest animal?
What is the cutest animal?
What skull/head would be on the wall in the local pub?
(Omit if vegetarian)
What would make your favorite burger/sandwich meat?
What would be your favorite Leg o' Meat?
Finally - What animal would you be?
Use http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Fauna_in_the_World_of_Avatar and/or your own imagination!!
My Answers!
+ Show Spoiler +What would be your favorite pet? Tarantula Fish (For the novelty)
What would be your favorite animal transport? Falconmander
What would you call for Smithers to release? The Sabre-toothed Moose Lions of course.
What is the grossest animal? Naked Mole Maggot
What is the cutest animal? Puppy Fauns are the cutest
What skull/head would be on the wall in the local pub? Cthulu Mastodon
(Omit if vegetarian)
What would make your favorite burger/sandwich meat? Ostrich Gnu
What would be your favorite Leg o' Meat? Rhinomantis
Finally - What animal would you be? Dolphinraptor
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On July 15 2012 12:57 Zergneedsfood wrote:Show nested quote +I doubt they have Korra abusing the avatar state for cheap laughs for the rest of the show. I think Korra is meant to be a dynamic character (as with most protagonists). Except she's not. There was no arc to season 1 because Korra literally stayed the same. She hasn't learned anything but how to master the Avatar State and apparently the only thing she's used it for is abuse it in a trivial game. The fact that the next season is about spirits probably tells a lot about how abuse Korra's use of the Avatar State is. Show nested quote +She gets her bending back because shes the motherfucking Avatar! She kicks ass. She's got the entire history of Avatars to back her up. Amon's got nothing on that man.
Right, this was another brainless moment. She gets her bending back because the plot has armor and requires it. It's also deus ex machina and comes out of nowhere. Also, it basically confirms Korra for being a static character who is only defined by her bending because apparently she loses all of her other characteristics the minute her bending is gone. It finally confirms that Korra doesn't learn anything because she literally gets everything she wants and solves every problem without a single negative lingering consequence.
Show nested quote +I would agree that sometimes the fire bending in particular seems ineffectual - but to be fair he was giving Asami a much easier fight, and mecha-tanks would seem fire resistant by their nature. So....Mako decided to go fight fire resistant tanks and leave Asami alone? This is just a small point, but even so it shows how dumb Mako is and how little he actually cares about Asami. You can't really say it was meant to be this way, but you might as well since people always tell the haters that all of the positives in the show are based off of "inferences". Show nested quote +I think the show has TONS of potential. It's the first season - of course you aren't satisfied with how it ends, cause it's not the end its only the beginning :D! It did, and it didn't satisfy because in the 13 episodes of the "beginning", there were maybe two episodes that were enjoyable. Most people drop shows/anime by 3 episodes. Korra should be happy I'm still watching it. Show nested quote +I think you have to remember that it IS a kids show. So some of the story will certainly seem childish. Difference between "kid's show" and "show that tries to be mature and fails at it". Let's not forget that ATLA was a "kid's show" but has sustained more fanfiction and community involvement than any other community I know of as far as television shows and anime go. It's a lot more vibrant even after a few years of inactivity from the creators. There's a reason for that: it's because the world is complicated and intelligent. Show nested quote +I did think the Amon backstory was a little soap opera-ish. But so was the way the characters in TLA were bawling their eyes out for five minutes at a time every episode over the slightest things. Enough with the extended crying shots yo! When was this? I don't think this happened, but okay.
Ok I'm going to go into the realms of theory to answer your first point, but you seem to like overanylisis.
From the first moment we see Korra, she shows that she sees herself as "Korra the Avatar" not Korra the person, when she introduces herself with "I'm the avatar and you have to deal with it". Throughout the series, this view by her is shown time and time again; from her initial idea that she would be able to dish out vigilante justice without retribution, to her dramatic reaction at not learning airbending.
But then, in the finale all of the aspects she uses to identify herself ( by which I mean her ability to bend earth air and water) are taken from her. The first thing she says when she is escaping from amon is "My bending" not anything about Mako or Amon. She does manage to airbend, which gives her a temporary feeling of confidence in herself, but this confidence is shattered when Katara reveils that Korra can no longer bend all four elements, and thus will never be "Korra the fully realized avater". With this revelation weighing on her heart, she spurn's Mako's advances, and tells him to leave, basicly stating that as she is no longer the avatar , there is no reason for him to like her. Then she travels to a cliff and stands right on the edge. It can be inferred that she is contemplating suicide( which is the "Lowest point" that aang refers to ; I mean, what can be lower then deciding that you no longer wish to live?), as she knows that, by doing so, a fully functional avatar would be born in the earth kingdom. In choosing to live (which provides a nice contrast to Tarrlock choosing to die) she accepts herself as "Korra the person" and in doing so finally connects to her Spiritual Self.
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On July 15 2012 13:47 Praetorial wrote:Show nested quote +On July 15 2012 13:41 TwoToneTerran wrote:On July 15 2012 13:21 Praetorial wrote:On July 15 2012 12:57 Zergneedsfood wrote:I doubt they have Korra abusing the avatar state for cheap laughs for the rest of the show. I think Korra is meant to be a dynamic character (as with most protagonists). Except she's not. There was no arc to season 1 because Korra literally stayed the same. She hasn't learned anything but how to master the Avatar State and apparently the only thing she's used it for is abuse it in a trivial game. The fact that the next season is about spirits probably tells a lot about how abuse Korra's use of the Avatar State is. She gets her bending back because shes the motherfucking Avatar! She kicks ass. She's got the entire history of Avatars to back her up. Amon's got nothing on that man. Right, this was another brainless moment. She gets her bending back because the plot has armor and requires it. It's also deus ex machina and comes out of nowhere. Also, it basically confirms Korra for being a static character who is only defined by her bending because apparently she loses all of her other characteristics the minute her bending is gone. It finally confirms that Korra doesn't learn anything because she literally gets everything she wants and solves every problem without a single negative lingering consequence. I would agree that sometimes the fire bending in particular seems ineffectual - but to be fair he was giving Asami a much easier fight, and mecha-tanks would seem fire resistant by their nature. So....Mako decided to go fight fire resistant tanks and leave Asami alone? This is just a small point, but even so it shows how dumb Mako is and how little he actually cares about Asami. You can't really say it was meant to be this way, but you might as well since people always tell the haters that all of the positives in the show are based off of "inferences". I think the show has TONS of potential. It's the first season - of course you aren't satisfied with how it ends, cause it's not the end its only the beginning :D! It did, and it didn't satisfy because in the 13 episodes of the "beginning", there were maybe two episodes that were enjoyable. Most people drop shows/anime by 3 episodes. Korra should be happy I'm still watching it. I think you have to remember that it IS a kids show. So some of the story will certainly seem childish. Difference between "kid's show" and "show that tries to be mature and fails at it". Let's not forget that ATLA was a "kid's show" but has sustained more fanfiction and community involvement than any other community I know of as far as television shows and anime go. It's a lot more vibrant even after a few years of inactivity from the creators. There's a reason for that: it's because the world is complicated and intelligent. I did think the Amon backstory was a little soap opera-ish. But so was the way the characters in TLA were bawling their eyes out for five minutes at a time every episode over the slightest things. Enough with the extended crying shots yo! When was this? I don't think this happened, but okay. "Deus ex machina" literally means a divine intervention that makes everything good. The avatar state is literally the power of the world condensing into a single individual. divine intervention? Check. The Avatar can warp reality. Make everything good? Check. Point being, when one of the most important plot devices is a deus ex machina, it ceases to have the english meaning and just becomes the Latin. That is not what Deus Ex Machina is. "An unexpected power or event saving a hopeless situation" from Google Is the Avatar state ever really unexpected? But the Latin-god out of the machine-seems more appropriate.
Doesn't matter. The Avatar State isn't the problem. It's the scene that's the problem. Not sure why people are justifying a scene that was just done poorly.
On July 15 2012 13:53 Funguuuuu wrote:Show nested quote +On July 15 2012 12:57 Zergneedsfood wrote:I doubt they have Korra abusing the avatar state for cheap laughs for the rest of the show. I think Korra is meant to be a dynamic character (as with most protagonists). Except she's not. There was no arc to season 1 because Korra literally stayed the same. She hasn't learned anything but how to master the Avatar State and apparently the only thing she's used it for is abuse it in a trivial game. The fact that the next season is about spirits probably tells a lot about how abuse Korra's use of the Avatar State is. She gets her bending back because shes the motherfucking Avatar! She kicks ass. She's got the entire history of Avatars to back her up. Amon's got nothing on that man.
Right, this was another brainless moment. She gets her bending back because the plot has armor and requires it. It's also deus ex machina and comes out of nowhere. Also, it basically confirms Korra for being a static character who is only defined by her bending because apparently she loses all of her other characteristics the minute her bending is gone. It finally confirms that Korra doesn't learn anything because she literally gets everything she wants and solves every problem without a single negative lingering consequence.
I would agree that sometimes the fire bending in particular seems ineffectual - but to be fair he was giving Asami a much easier fight, and mecha-tanks would seem fire resistant by their nature. So....Mako decided to go fight fire resistant tanks and leave Asami alone? This is just a small point, but even so it shows how dumb Mako is and how little he actually cares about Asami. You can't really say it was meant to be this way, but you might as well since people always tell the haters that all of the positives in the show are based off of "inferences". I think the show has TONS of potential. It's the first season - of course you aren't satisfied with how it ends, cause it's not the end its only the beginning :D! It did, and it didn't satisfy because in the 13 episodes of the "beginning", there were maybe two episodes that were enjoyable. Most people drop shows/anime by 3 episodes. Korra should be happy I'm still watching it. I think you have to remember that it IS a kids show. So some of the story will certainly seem childish. Difference between "kid's show" and "show that tries to be mature and fails at it". Let's not forget that ATLA was a "kid's show" but has sustained more fanfiction and community involvement than any other community I know of as far as television shows and anime go. It's a lot more vibrant even after a few years of inactivity from the creators. There's a reason for that: it's because the world is complicated and intelligent. I did think the Amon backstory was a little soap opera-ish. But so was the way the characters in TLA were bawling their eyes out for five minutes at a time every episode over the slightest things. Enough with the extended crying shots yo! When was this? I don't think this happened, but okay. Ok I'm going to go into the realms of theory to answer your first point, but you seem to like overanylisis. From the first moment we see Korra, she shows that she sees herself as "Korra the Avatar" not Korra the person, when she introduces herself with "I'm the avatar and you have to deal with it". Throughout the series, this view by her is shown time and time again; from her initial idea that she would be able to dish out vigilante justice without retribution, to her dramatic reaction at not learning airbending. But then, in the finale all of the aspects she uses to identify herself ( by which I mean her ability to bend earth air and water) are taken from her. The first thing she says when she is escaping from amon is "My bending" not anything about Mako or Amon. She does manage to airbend, which gives her a temporary feeling of confidence in herself, but this confidence is shattered when Katara reveils that Korra can no longer bend all four elements, and thus will never be "Korra the fully realized avater". With this revelation weighing on her heart, she spurn's Mako's advances, and tells him to leave, basicly stating that as she is no longer the avatar , there is no reason for him to like her. Then she travels to a cliff and stands right on the edge. It can be inferred that she is contemplating suicide( which is the "Lowest point" that aang refers to ; I mean, what can be lower then deciding that you no longer wish to live?), as she knows that, by doing so, a fully functional avatar would be born in the earth kingdom. In choosing to live (which provides a nice contrast to Tarrlock choosing to die) she accepts herself as "Korra the person" and in doing so finally connects to her Spiritual Self.
Um...we know these things to be true, but that doesn't matter. First of all she doesn't really accept herself as a person because the only way she happens to get back into her happy mode is when she gets her bending back. Clearly there was no development there, where realizes that there's more to life than being able to harness a power that's supposedly oppressing tens of thousands of Equalists.
Second, thematically it was done poorly because the episodes were constructed in ways that gave alternate vibes about what Korra was trying to do and what kind of messages it wanted to display about Korra. Tack this on the poor pacing and terrible filler episode known as episode 5 and you get an even larger problem.
Third, even if we're to assume that everything you say is true, the problem with it all is that it was so poorly written and so poorly put together as an actual package that it doesn't really matter if it was an appropriate message. It was conveyed through people that I don't care about and the only people that were worth my time either got shafted by the writing or got an ending that less an unsatisfactory and killed what made said character good.
Yeah - Korra hasn't changed much - and obviously you've noticed it. Again. This was Season 1. You need to give Korra time to develop there are like 3 more so there is plenty of story for her to change even more. Also - do you think losing her bending might make her appreciate it more? She has acted very entitled for a lot of the show (I'm the AVATAR why doesn't this come easy???? I'm the AVATAR why won't you listen??? You can't do this I'm the AVATAR!!!). Do you think that the writers are stupid and just wrote their protagonist to be an entitled bitch? OR maybe they are setting you up to take a huge fall in the coming seasons when she learns to appreciate both her bending and the gravity of being the Avatar? Wouldn't you feel stupid for writing her off then?
Mako went to help fight the fire-resistant tanks because Tanks>Dudes and so you obviously put more dudes on the tanks than the other dudes. Even if he's not super-effective against them - he could assist by like protecting the rest of the team while they obliterate the Mecha-Tanks or blinding the Mecha-Tank drivers with flame rays. Also Asami has a tazer glove AND shes a main character so she already has a huge advantage over even 6 goons. While I might wish to stay and assist her - I would also realize that the Mecha-Tanks will require a lot more firepower in general so I would go see what I could do to help.
I guess it's all a matter of opinion because I enjoyed every episode. Maybe the show is not for you.
....This "you need time" argument is very reminiscent of a mentality of this website in general. It's honestly quite sad. You don't give a character 13 episodes to "change" or even go through an arc. Korra had no arc. It was just writing that got her from point A to point B instantaneously. Zuko went through at least two or three in the time span of Korra, and he wasn't even the main focus of the story. There's something wrong with that.
There's no use in talking about Mako. He's a boring useless guy.
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I wasn't justifying the way it was handled, but it was the furthest thing away from Deus ex Machina. Korra using the Avatar state and airbending, both things we know she is capable of but just lacked because of personal limitations, are not unexpected or random or anything that really encompasses what Deus ex Machina is. It was just poorly handled and came about with little character growth.
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On July 15 2012 12:25 Zergneedsfood wrote:Show nested quote +On July 15 2012 12:01 Arghmyliver wrote:On July 15 2012 11:29 Zergneedsfood wrote:On July 15 2012 10:43 Imerej wrote:
So I just finished the series as a big fan of the original. Didn't like it that much. It's a decent show but not as good as the last one. Maybe it will improve in the coming seasons just as the original did. My main gripes were that, bending really didn't feel like it had much substance in this show, it felt a lot more like a gimmick, the story was bland and simple, the writing wasn't very good, and the characters were boring and uninteresting. The only characters I liked were the old ones from TLA, and Amon before episode 11. I'm probably going to keep watching, but only because I like the universe and would love to see more of the old characters. This is basically it. I saw the previews for this next season. I'm not really excited by what they're talking about, so my prediction for watching the show while my brain is switched off is probably going to sail through like usual. Dude what are you talking about that was awesome. + Show Spoiler +Asami driving them around in a vintage sexy ass automobile wearing a tazer glove while Bolin earthbends from the back - including making a ramp for them to KAMIKAZE THEIR CAR INTO A GIANT ROBOT!???!?!?! And that scene with the + Show Spoiler +ex-police chief/Tenzin lover (what was her name) METALBENDING OFF HUGE CHUNKS OF GIANT METAL ZEPPELIN SKIN RENDING THEM APART AND BLOWING THEM THE FUCK UP WHILST STANDING ON TOP OF THEM!?!?!?!?!?
This is a kids show? Are you kidding me? I mean don't get me wrong, TLA was brilliantly amazing too - but personally, I can't wait to see Kora back to kick some major ass in Seas 2. Man this show is so good. Edit: + Show Spoiler +AND THE FART-BENDING SON OF TENZIN!?!!?!?! How could I forget! That was amazing. Uhhh, these are just examples of where all I need to do is turn off my brain to watch. There's no need to think too deeply about Korra because the plot and conflicts are too contrived for there to be any real meaningful discussion because things like character development are undercut and certain people are just too boring to actually talk about. Not to mention those scenes had obvious problems. So, what? Asami and the whole gang know that Tenzin is somehow in trouble. Did they read the script? Also, the scene after that, Mako leaves his girlfriend alone to fight five/six Equalists in order to help fight Mecha tanks, in which case he does absolutely nothing by flinging fire like a retard. The scene with Lin was good, but it basically foreshadowed the terri-bad ending where Korra gives back everyone's bending, she gets her bending back for no good reason, Amon ends up being an awful villain, and Korra doesn't learn anything from the experience. In other words, Korra isn't even an arc. It's a set of episodes where a girl does stuff and ends up winning without a single sacrifice to be had. Let's also not forget that in this next season, Korra's going to be abusing the Avatar State after its handed to her on a silver platter. Talk about a season where absolutely nothing happens. Korra gets a power up, but doesn't change, mature, grow, learn, or anything. Patience? Nah, I'm going to speed up my airbending training by abusing a legendary spiritual energy that can only be mastered by not having primitive instincts about winning. You see? Already, I'm thinking too hard about Korra and its getting me frustrated by how bad it was. Therefore, the only reasonable way to watch Korra is to just shut off your brain, because you can't like it otherwise. Also, Fartbending. Trained Equalists lose to little kids. That wasn't very entertaining. Show nested quote +On July 15 2012 12:21 Praetorial wrote:On July 15 2012 10:43 Imerej wrote:
So I just finished the series as a big fan of the original. Didn't like it that much. It's a decent show but not as good as the last one. Maybe it will improve in the coming seasons just as the original did. My main gripes were that, bending really didn't feel like it had much substance in this show, it felt a lot more like a gimmick, the story was bland and simple, the writing wasn't very good, and the characters were boring and uninteresting. The only characters I liked were the old ones from TLA, and Amon before episode 11. I'm probably going to keep watching, but only because I like the universe and would love to see more of the old characters. Old ones from TLA...three minutes of Katara, Aang with a new voice and a beard, three LINES of Toph, and a short Sokka speech? I think he means the people related to the oldies. Like Lin and Tenzin. Why would you care about Bolin, the guy who only gets fed comic relief lines and never gets any development? Why would you care about Mako, the useless dumb dude who never does anything useful? Or why would you care about Korra, the girl who cries when she doesn't have her bending because that's her only symbol or identify? The only person that you could reasonably care about Asami, but her situation is so bizarre it almost feels like forced teenage melodrama, not to mention that her relationship with Mako brings into question her intellect as far interest in appropriate men and human beings in general. Let's also not forget that Amon is a bad character that I ended up not caring about only because his arc got screwed by an obvious revelation and a terrible backstory that was last minute and poorly constructed (not to mention cliche as hell). Let's also not forget that Mako is apparently the only person that he respects. That's pretty lame.
I watched the series today and this is how I feel about the new series, except the last part was a bit harsh in my eyes.
The first thing I disliked was when Korra was introduced as a little child and could already bend 3 elements effortlessly.
I really enjoyed watching Aang mastering the elements and troubles and fears he had to overcome in order to learn them.
It wasn't that he just got stronger but also matured and the more power he got the bigger the sacrifices were (giving up on Katara in order to obtain the Avatar State).
And now, watching the legend of korra I just don't feel any development at all. And Korra getting miraculously her powers back and just getting into the avatar state like its nothing was just meh...
Also that metal bending and shooting lightning what was the shit in the former series became just another spammable power.
Either TLA was also like that back then and I just can't remember it that well, I just became too old for this or overall plot of the legend of Korra really deteriorated compared to TLA.
It's like watching Aang struggling against Azula, she corners him and is about to deal the finishing blow when all of the sudden Aang miraculously gets sharingan powers and a wormhole devours Azula. The End.
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The difference between the two is that Azula is actually a legitimate villain that leaves Aang with things he has to overcome. Amon takes Korra's bending away and she literally struggles with it for five minutes.
Azula kills Aang, and if it wasn't for Katara and her spirit water healing abilities, Aang would've been dead, along with the line of Avatars. She took away his Avatar State, took over Ba Sing Se, declared victory for the Fire Nation, and kept Aang in a state of unconscious for at least a few weeks.
There might have been problems with Azula in Book Three, where her development is a bit strange but otherwise interesting and great by the end, but she was such a more compelling villain because at least her character wasn't a cliche I-hate-father-so-I-become-bad-guy dude.
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Azula is undoubtedly the best character in the avatar series.
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On July 17 2012 11:17 coolcrimefighter wrote:
Azula is undoubtedly the best character in the avatar series.
Eh. Her collapse into insanity felt kinda forced.
But IROH...he was by far the best. He delivered the most emotionally rousing lines, like "and I'm going to play pai sho every day" in Sozin's Comet II.
Iroh was the wisest, funniest, most likable character in the series, bar none.
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On July 17 2012 11:17 coolcrimefighter wrote:
Azula is undoubtedly the best character in the avatar series.
*cough* Iroh *cough*
(not the new one)
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I would say Zuko is the best "character" in that he is the one that goes through the most developments and all that. Iroh is the favorite, but Zuko had a bit more to him imo. But I think those two in general are the best.
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The mini-story of Iroh's experiences in Ba Sing Se (during the mini-story episode) was definitely among the best. I'd say he's my favorite character as well.
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For a tiny taste of what's to come:
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Comic_Con_Legend_of_Korra_Book_2_Spirit_Details_New_Characters/33795088
I actually hoped (and perhaps I'm one of very few) that after the first book was over, we'd hear plans to have the coming 12 ep seasons just about as insular and 'complete' in their stories as what we've just seen. That they had to squeeze a few too many large events in to the last few episodes was, to me, the only downside to having a story that wraps itself up so nicely. Sure, any hopes of Korra catching the feeling of an epic pilgrimage that helped make Avatar so damn satisfying are all dashed now, but the blokes behind it did set out to make it as distinct a show as they could. This is certainly a different kettle of fish. So with news that they're definitely following the same 'formula', I gotta say I'm chuffed.
They will be able to do a lot with this format; having different periods of time pass between seasons, letting background elements shift and change and come back to the fore. Trusting that they'll continue to deliver.
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I agree that the character development in LoK was fairly weak despite the fact that 13 episodes is enough time to create interesting characters. But what's with all this emphasis on change in this thread? A character can stay the same person throughout the entire series and still be great. Character development is creating a rich, nuanced and unique character, which can be facilitated by personality transformation (change). Iroh (original), like previous posters have mentioned, was a great character, but he didn't really change much and arguably didn't change at all. He just had more opportunities to play a more active role in the narrative as the series progressed (thus revealing aspects of his character).
In a show like the Sopranos, for example, most of the characters are pretty consistent with their previous selves throughout the entire 6 season series (or until they die), but the show is still all about character development, for which the plot is merely a vehicle. Seeing as how the characters in LoK are still adolescents, personality transformations seem like they should occur, but that doesn't have to be the case. Korra and gang are rather boring compared to their TLA counterparts, but they don't have to learn or lose anything in order to be interesting. They just need more dialogue and better writing. I think one problem with the first season was that most of the characters didn't have much screen time. But even if they did, I don't think the creators, who wrote the whole season on their own, would be able to construct characters as engaging as the original ones.
That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the series because of its animation, artwork, setting and connections to the original series--as well as the plot and even characters despite the fact that those aspects were somewhat contrived. I don't think a story is bad simply by virtue of being cliché and formulaic; it's only bad if it's only a rehashing of the same tired clichés and formulas and brings nothing new (like most superhero films, anime series, western animation, romantic comedies, sitcoms, etc.). LoK at the very least delivered a clever, detailed East-meets-West expansion of the Avatar universe with an initially engaging socio-political crisis and the potential to develop more thoughtful scenarios.
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But what's with all this emphasis on change in this thread? A character can stay the same person throughout the entire series and still be great. Character development is creating a rich, nuanced and unique character, which can be facilitated by personality transformation (change). Iroh (original), like previous posters have mentioned, was a great character, but he didn't really change much and arguably didn't change at all. He just had more opportunities to play a more active role in the narrative as the series progressed (thus revealing aspects of his character).
Because when you have a main character where the first three episodes kind of show that she's supposed to go through a personal transformation, people kind of want to see it. Instead we're left with an unsatisfactory story that can't even be qualified as a character arc, not to mention Korra really isn't that interesting now that we know she doesn't change at all.
In a show like the Sopranos, for example, most of the characters are pretty consistent with their previous selves throughout the entire 6 season series (or until they die), but the show is still all about character development, for which the plot is merely a vehicle. Seeing as how the characters in LoK are still adolescents, personality transformations seem like they should occur, but that doesn't have to be the case. Korra and gang are rather boring compared to their TLA counterparts, but they don't have to learn or lose anything in order to be interesting.
So how are they interesting? Mako is boring. Bolin gets fed comic relief lines exclusively and then gets tossed to the sidelines. Korra is pretty boring too and if it wasn't for the fact that she was the main character I'd have lost all interest in her all together and just turned my attention elsewhere.
That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the series because of its animation, artwork, setting and connections to the original series--as well as the plot and even characters despite the fact that those aspects were somewhat contrived.
Yes, this was good. I'll agree to this, except one scene Toph had six fingers.
I don't think a story is bad simply by virtue of being cliché and formulaic; it's only bad if it's only a rehashing of the same tired clichés and formulas and brings nothing new (like most superhero films, anime series, western animation, romantic comedies, sitcoms, etc.). LoK at the very least delivered a clever, detailed East-meets-West expansion of the Avatar universe with an initially engaging socio-political crisis and the potential to develop more thoughtful scenarios.
No. It tried to do that. It just happened to fail miserably. 
Mostly every character was given some kind of rehashed cliche story, and the detailed East-meets-West conflict was either so ambiguous or poorly constructed that you can't really call it clever since it wasn't even pulled off well. If the Equalist conflict had more legitimate substance to it, that'd be fine, but then they overloaded the show with bad things.
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Lalalaland34503 Posts
What scene/episode was that where Toph had 6 fingers? :D
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On July 22 2012 04:51 Firebolt145 wrote:
What scene/episode was that where Toph had 6 fingers? :D
It was uhhh I believe in the flashback episode with Yakone. Here let me find it.
![[image loading]](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3y1vcRO7B1qhz4wl.png)
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Noooooooooooooooo
please give me 1 season of Korra and 3 other seasons of continuation of A:LAB~!!!!
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On July 17 2012 11:39 Lightwip wrote:
The mini-story of Iroh's experiences in Ba Sing Se (during the mini-story episode) was definitely among the best. I'd say he's my favorite character as well.
Yeah, Iroh and Zuko are the best characters in TLA in my opinion. Zuko showed intensive character development while Iroh was just pure awesomeness.
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EPT
