Avatar: Legend of Korra, s1

[extrapenguin]

...I marathoned it yesterday. Oops?

In any case, well, I did not go in completely unspoiled (I knew how the love triangle would end, frex), and ended up skipping some bits because embarrassment squick, but I like Korra as a protagonist more than Aang, so. (Also she's not 12 and looks post-pubescent so I can buy her in romantic plotlines without going DO NOT WANT.)

Korra's brash and powerful and determined and hot-headed and very, very relateable. She also has some visible muscles and is in general an A+ character design. I went all starry-eyed from the moment I saw her in the firebending test being all competent-like. Also, nice hairdo.

Bolin, eh, I really wish he'd grow up beyond the comic relief guy. Mako's a bit better and I in general like the competence – and in fact, I like him as a character – but the whole love triangle bits were eye-roll worthy. Also, Zuko was hotter. (I don't mind the current ship configuration, I just ... don't necessarily ship it.) I like Asami, she's cool and competent and I love the "use their own tech against them" thing she's got going!

My most favoritest character, however, is Lin Bei Fong. She was just there at the start, but s1e6 (And the Winner Is...) featured a metalbending tour de force with the cables and Korra and ... drool. Everything after that has been so, so delightful and delicious. Metalbending on her uniform! Genuinely cares about her underlings! Willing to sacrifice herself!

Worldbuildingwise, I like that progress has happened. 1890s-to-WWI -analogous periods are much more interesting than the tech level of the original A:tLA. Steampunk!

The villain did have good points, which is what I want from a villain, but the way they dealt with him was a bit too pat. A lot of Amon's complaints were at least potentially valid, and I'd have liked for Korra/Tenzin/the Council to address the grievances that made people Equalists. Tarlac ... was being counterproductive in a way that even he should have seen as counterproductive, but, well, I could peg him for an idiot. I originally thought he was working for Amon! The brother reveal was ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Korra losing three of her elements was, I think, a fitting sacrifice. I knew she'd get them back eventually, but I had somehow gathered that that was the plot of season 2, so I didn't expect the Avatar State Ass Pull. Neither did I expect for her to be able to restore other people's bending, but if it means more Lin Bei Fong being awesome, I do not mind at all.

Comments

[schneefink]

I was unhappy with the ending of season 1 because the very real problems that the villain wanted to change were not addressed, instead we got a deus ex machina solution, and I found it very unsatisfying. I heard that it gets better in later seasons, but haven't checked them out yet.

[extrapenguin]

I'm continuing my marathon with s2. So far, it's ... a bit more of the same, but Korra seems to have noticeably gotten more experienced. A lot of focus on family. The romance subplots are just as terrible as before.

[hamsterwoman]

I also liked Korra more than Aang as a protagonist -- she's more the type of character I tend to like, though I do, abstractly, appreciate having a pacifist hero/Chosen One. And Lin was my favorite, also, and continued to be a favorite through the next seasons.

I liked what the whole set-up with the Equalists was going for -- or at least what I thought it was going for -- but the way none of the cultural tension is actually addressed by the end was really a let-down. And I actually really liked the Amon and Tarrlok backstory, but the way it's revealed in an info-dump at the very end didn't work for me.

I also thought the deus ex machina fix to Korra's powers loss and resetting everything at the end of the season was very meh. That is eventually handled better, I think, but it left me with less fondness for s1 overall.

Season 2 is my least favorite, but then, I've always found the spririts-centric episodes of AtLA less interesting, so I was expecting that. I did enjoy all the Tenzin family stuff, though, so there was still something for me to like.

[extrapenguin]

I recently heard that the network chopped multiple episodes off of season 1 so they had to rework the thing on the final meters, which makes a lot of sense. I do prefer s1 to s2 (more flashy things, less corporate stuff and noir), even if s2 was better-executed.

I look forward to s3 and s4! I've watched s3e1 and liked the whole "consequences" thing, as well as Korra going off to visit the descendants of the rest of the Gaang go meet new people!

[hamsterwoman]

Ah, interesting. I'd heard they didn't know they'd get a season 2 and so had to wrap everything up, but that didn't explain the pacing of the rest of the season. If they did have to get the whole thing chopped down as well, that WOULD explain why the bulk of the plot/resolution is just dumped into the last episodes. That's sad, but at least more understandable.

I've not finished season 4 yet - I go on periodic binges, and the last one was while s4 was still airing -- but I did quite like s3. And especially the aspect of meeting the descendants of the rest of the Gaang, haha.