Actually, I guess it is kind of a retcon. Perhaps not entirely, but when you read that:
"The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." (Roku in book 1 of A:TLA)
It does sound like the explanation was changed. The glow comes from the previous Avatars, not from Raava. Although arguably the previous Avatar is Raava anyway, and it could be said that Raava is the one thing tying the Avatar to their previous incarnations.
On November 22 2013 06:39 Spaylz wrote: Actually, I guess it is kind of a retcon. Perhaps not entirely, but when you read that:
"The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." (Roku in book 1 of A:TLA)
It does sound like the explanation was changed. The glow comes from the previous Avatars, not from Raava. Although arguably the previous Avatar is Raava anyway, and it could be said that Raava is the one thing tying the Avatar to their previous incarnations.
We always knew the Avatar was known as the Avatar spirit. I don't see it as a retcon at all.
On November 22 2013 06:39 Spaylz wrote: "The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars.
This is still true. Raava said to Wan specifically that they would continue the fight for all his lives. It was Raava that allowed the Avatar to connect with their past lives -- further confirmed when Raava's defeat in the Book 2 finale caused Korra's connection to her past lives to be severed. It was, essentially, Raava's design.
On November 22 2013 06:39 Spaylz wrote: The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." (Roku in book 1 of A:TLA)
Also still true. LoK Book 2 demonstrated how it was the Avatar's spirit (not Raava) that provided the greatest power. This is why Vaatu wanted his own Avatar host in order to even the scales, as well as why bending one's own spiritual energy is the final key to unlocking the full power of the Avatar State. It's made even more clear when Korra was able to defeat Vaatu with her own spiritual energy, without Raava; her spirit is still her own. Her past lives didn't disappear, only her connection to them via Raava. Basically, she can't call upon them for guidance, but her spirit is still the reincarnated culmination of all those lives.
On November 22 2013 06:39 Spaylz wrote: Actually, I guess it is kind of a retcon. Perhaps not entirely, but when you read that:
"The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." (Roku in book 1 of A:TLA)
It does sound like the explanation was changed. The glow comes from the previous Avatars, not from Raava. Although arguably the previous Avatar is Raava anyway, and it could be said that Raava is the one thing tying the Avatar to their previous incarnations.
I think it could be argued, though, that Roku didn't really know anything about Raava. Aang certainly didn't so it doesn't seem like it's something that Avatars just know and understand about themselves inherently. Nothing that Roku said was incorrect, just incomplete.
From what it looks like, raava's spirit merely acts as a link for the physical avatar. Raava's spirit holds the ability to use all the elements, allowing the avatar to learn and use all 4, as well as seems to link all the past lives together. It seems to me that the physical avatar can call upon raava to open the link between the lives, allowing all the knowledge and power of the past avatar's lives to flood into the current one (avatar state). But by raava acting as a link, during avatar state she is made vulnerable to attack, and so when the physical avatar is killed so is raava and the link, thus ending the avatar's cycle.
On November 22 2013 23:30 BlackPaladin wrote: From what it looks like, raava's spirit merely acts as a link for the physical avatar. Raava's spirit holds the ability to use all the elements, allowing the avatar to learn and use all 4, as well as seems to link all the past lives together. It seems to me that the physical avatar can call upon raava to open the link between the lives, allowing all the knowledge and power of the past avatar's lives to flood into the current one (avatar state). But by raava acting as a link, during avatar state she is made vulnerable to attack, and so when the physical avatar is killed so is raava and the link, thus ending the avatar's cycle.
I believe Korra used her non-native bendings after Raava left.
I was disappointed at the end of season 2. Season one for me was really great all along, season 2 started good or okay but the ending is really something ... There was too much deus ex machina, especially the Genora part. I liked the idea that the avatar is more then just a spirit linked with a human but that he/she relies on its inner strength and spirit. I don't think the whole raava - avatar story or explanation is bad, I really kind of like it and maybe not all was said or explained anyhow.
But somehow, I think the fighting scenes with Korra in her *spirit* state were really badly drawn and lacked style and sense, were they rushed or something ?
Its not necessarily bad that they changed the world and the avatar or its role in the ending. Lets see what they make of it, I hope it doesn't get into the catch bad spirits pokemon ghost busters corner. I found human adversaries to be better and more complex than just some bad spirit evil thingy.
In my opinion, an adversary like vatu is an adversary fit for a final boss or the last book of Korra (I hope they do more). It would have been better to see her more grow and become more adult or make mistakes along the way before facing the ultimate evil spirit that is like a god (or somewhat close to) in this universe.
Short summary: Vatuu was a bad adversary and its defeat for young Kora therefore required too much deus ex machina. What the new world will look like ? Only book three will tell (if there is one) I wont judge it until I have seen it.
All this spirit shit was fucking awful. Season 1 had a great story with realistic motivations for all of its main characters (who were all charming, funny, and sympathetic in their own ways) and a strong plot to develop those characters (even if the ending was too clean-cut, which I'll forgive since it's still a kid's show in the end).
Season 2 is just boring slapstick humor with completely incoherent spirit shit that is used to create and solve all conflicts. Just really really awful. The dialogue is also so goddamn awful compared to season 1 for some reason.
Did they get new writers or something? The change in style and quality is so jarring.
The dialogue was part of what seemed so shitty about the giant Korra spirit scenes, imo... namely, there wasn't any. No explanation / confirmation that it's Korra just using her giant badass ineffable spirit to beat the crap out of Vatuu, or evidence into how she went from not really understanding spirits to being able to manipulate her own massive spirit, or insight into what Unalaq is thinking/feeling with the goings-on as he explores his newfound power...
It was like there was all this buildup for their theoretically epic final showdown, but when it finally came to that, they both just shouted OOUUUUUUUU TRANSFORRRRRM and then turned into really big versions of themselves, and silently punched each other in the face like rock'em sock'em robots until one of them fell down.
That's not exactly what I expected to walk away with, especially knowing that the two most powerful benders were going to have a showdown on the day that the planets aligned.
I am both excited and worried about the heavy focus on Lin Beifong. I really did feel her character was butchered this season, hopefully they can salvage it and make her as interesting as she was in book 1, if not more.
However, I already dislike the fact that we will get a lot of Bumi. If the character is the same as in book 2, I'm going to loathe it even more.
Nonetheless I will watch book 3, but as I've said before, I don't hold my hopes up very high.
I've been rewatching avatar: TLA sigh theres so many girls who've fallen for zuko or u know at least show intrest in zuko ;_; makes me kinda wish what the zuko's life would be if he had just stayed with them or something idk XD lol random thoughts
Re-watching TLA, in s1ep14 there was the fortuneteller named Aunt Wu who read Ketarah's fortune and one of the things she said was that Ketarah will have her 3rd great-grandchild before passing away quietly in her sleep.
lol, I wonder if the creators will actually remember that and somehow have it come true, considering the oldest grandchild is Jinora who is 11, and Ketarah is already almost 86. So say Jinora had 3 children starting at age 18. Ketarah would be 93 and the 3rd would arrive around when she's 96, which is actually possible. Would be cool if in book 4 of LoK they actually did something like that where everyone was a bit older and ketarah just passed just to show us the progression and really tie everything together even more.
Aunt Wu was a hack not sure why so many fans take her seriously. She only told people what they wanted to hear as most of her predictions were things that come true because the person actively works for it to come true like finding your true love with a certain pair of shoes so the person wears that pair everyday. Her whole village was almost destroyed because people trusted her fortune telling too much.
Some really cool LoK artwork from the "Dark Into Light" game which I spent way too much time on to unlock. http://imgur.com/a/izTsr
Finally finished watching this second season of Korra, I just can't find it interesting as last airbender, I think I watched all 3 seasons of Aang in about 12 days, it was so amazing. Maybe it's because Korra has one villain per season so it is less epic.
On March 07 2014 21:48 ne4aJIb wrote: Finally finished watching this second season of Korra, I just can't find it interesting as last airbender, I think I watched all 3 seasons of Aang in about 12 days, it was so amazing. Maybe it's because Korra has one villain per season so it is less epic.
Even though the scenery and animation styles are super amazing in Korra, I think they did the character development in TLA perfectly. That alone for me trumps everything that Korra has done so far. In Korra they are older and the character development seems lacking so to me it feels like they are less connectable to real life. And like you said, the epic journey kind of thing in TLA beats the one and done villains of Korra.
On March 07 2014 21:48 ne4aJIb wrote: Finally finished watching this second season of Korra, I just can't find it interesting as last airbender, I think I watched all 3 seasons of Aang in about 12 days, it was so amazing. Maybe it's because Korra has one villain per season so it is less epic.
Even though the scenery and animation styles are super amazing in Korra, I think they did the character development in TLA perfectly. That alone for me trumps everything that Korra has done so far. In Korra they are older and the character development seems lacking so to me it feels like they are less connectable to real life. And like you said, the epic journey kind of thing in TLA beats the one and done villains of Korra.
I'm honestly confused on who the target audience is for Korra. It's supposed to be a kids show, yet the character developement is focusing on topic that generally aren't discussed with what I deem to be the "Nickelodeon" viewing base. Part of what made TLA relatable to people was because it was set in that specific stage of life and a lot of people grew with the show. Then the series took a 4 year hiatus, and then Korra started, putting the main characters at around the same age that TLA left off. This causes a dissonance to what people were used to.
Personally, I find Korra much more enjoyable to watch and find TLA worse with every passing viewing.
EPT
