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DosEquus

By DosEquus
in Entertainment and Geekery

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hobbes574 C-Mark Crusader

hobbes574

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Well, everything's pretty much been said about my opinions on LoK, but I'll share them anyway. I'll toss in my thoughts on TLA as well though, just for fun. Spoiler'd for spoilers.

Rosewind, I'm glad you're liking TLA. It was my favourite cartoon before FiM came along, and I still love it to bits.

First, LoK. I'm gonna be honest; I watched the first three episodes right when they came out, then stopped. I just couldn't bring myself to care. I forced myself to watch the rest a few weeks ago, and it didn't really start to get better until the pro bending tournament ended. Pro bending itself isn't bad and it's a cool idea, but it really hurt the show in the beginning.

Lin Beifong is awesome (just like her mommy). And to those of you saying that LoK didn't have any good romance... Lin/Tenzin. I know they aren't technically together, but I sorta wish they were. I really liked their scenes. However, I really don't like Korra/Mako. Mako and Asami went well together (they're both boring), and Korra/Bolin is too much fun to not happen. Korra/Mako felt forced and awkward.

I loved the flashbacks with Aang and the old Team Avatar. It was really fun to see them (relatively) grown up.

Amon was kinda cool as a villain, I guess. I didn't think his backstory was terrible or anything, but it wasn't anything special. I think they handled the ending poorly, though. Speaking of...

I was really enjoying the later episodes, until the ending... when it ended. It was really rushed. Really, really rushed. They should have had a full season to properly tell the story. Honestly, we saw Korra being upset over losing her bending for all of two seconds before Aang shows up and does his thing. Then she goes into the avatar state (finally!) and then kisses Mako (grrrr...). Overall, I did enjoy it, but not as much as TLA. I am looking forward to the next season though.

Now, for TLA! Man, I was in 8th grade when this came out (Feb. 2005? Geez). Seems like forever ago. Anyway, I started watching it with my best bud, and we had a ton of fun. We would pretend we were airbenders and go crazy (we tied this into beating each other up with padded training swords and nunchakus... play time can be rough!).

The first season was great, and ended with a really fantastic two part episode. I was still in awe of the TLA universe at this point, and anything bending was the coolest thing ever. It did have its slow moments, but I really enjoyed it. The second season introduces Toph! 'nuff said. The third season was good, but had a lot of filler. I also detest the way Aang beat Ozai. Why? Well, you see...

I feel like it was a horrible deus ex machina (even though the Lion Turtle was hinted at throughout the series). Aang is a pacifist and very much against violence. We see him struggle periodically as he tries to relate being the Avatar to his upbringing as an airbending monk. I think that Aang should have killed Ozai. Not because I'm bloodthirsty, but because I think it would have been a much more powerful way to end the series. It would have come down to Aang standing over a defeated Ozai, and knowing that he had to end someone's life. Even though it goes against his morals and beliefs, he has a responsibility to the world as the Avatar to maintain balance. So rather than having an ending saying things will always turn out alright, you have an ending saying that sometimes you have to do the right thing; even if it's not easy.

My feelings on the ending are really sort of hypocritical. I've trained in martial arts, and I am a very firm believer in the non aggression principle (violence is only justified in self defense or defending others, is the relevant part here). I am against the death penalty, because of the old saying, "It's better to let ten guilty men walk free than to convict a single innocent man." (Since sometimes innocent people are convicted, what if we end up killing an innocent person? I can't condone that.) So really, I would struggle in Aang's position. But in this world, we don't have anyone who can bend elements. And it is the Avatar's responsibility to maintain balance within the four nations. Ozai is a threat as long as he is alive, because in my ending, you can't remove his bending... I've had plenty of people disagree with me on this, so I'm probably in the minority, but... that's how I feel.

Despite all that, I did enjoy the ending of season 3. It was very fun to watch, and overall a good ending to a great series.

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Dessa Equestrian

Dessa

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On the end of The Last Airbender:

Keep in mind that the show was on Nickolodeon. Killing Ozai would never have made it past the censors, so they HAD to find another way to end it. Although I do suspect that they danced around the topic so long because they kinda wanted to end it with Ozai's death.

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hobbes574 C-Mark Crusader

hobbes574

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Dessa;

Yeah, I know I'm asking for too much from a show that is supposed to be kid friendly. I think it says good things about the show that it bothered me as much as it did, though. I wouldn't have cared nearly as much if it was nearly any other cartoon, or show in general.

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Rosewind Alicorn

Rosewind

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Just finished A:tLAB tonight. I think the character growth -- especially with Zuko -- was really well done. Toph is best pony. The ending was predictable but satisfying. I think Azula Sparkle sort of went unresolved. I think the finale should have been an hour long so more ends could have been tied up, or maybe an epilogue episode of some kind.

Looking forward to Korra, now!

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starswirlthebearded Wonderbolt

starswirlthebearded

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Just finished A:tLAB tonight. I think the character growth -- especially with Zuko -- was really well done. Toph is best pony. The ending was predictable but satisfying. I think Azula Sparkle sort of went unresolved. I think the finale should have been an hour long so more ends could have been tied up, or maybe an epilogue episode of some kind.

Looking forward to Korra, now!

Fun Fact: There are comic books that act as a epilogue (that I only started reading, so don't take my word for it) called "The Promise." It is a trilogy and all my friends love it.

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Rosewind Alicorn

Rosewind

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Just finished Korra. It was amazing! The animation, the music, the story, the characters -- all fantastic. I thought the ending was poignant and well done, and leaves the series able to close or continue. I loved the steampunk industrial revolution vibe especially; it paid tribute to a lot of really neat visual and artistic styles while borrowing none. I like how a lot of the characters were all incarnations of past Last Airbender characters, and it was interesting to see them aged, with children and grandchildren, etc. Korra was seriously one of the best cartoons I've seen this year. The fighting and production values -- just wow. The plot wasn't easy to guess but a thrill it follow; it kept me wondering what would happen next the whole time. Even the awkward love quadrangle didn't seem terribly overdone, and actually surprised me a little.

Now I understand all the hype. Bravo! So there is going to be a Season 2, right?!

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Valencetiger Equestrian

Valencetiger

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Hmm...you know, I always wondered what happened to Sokka :( where are his kiddos, eh?! Where are his grand-babies? Does the boomerang guy get no love...? :cry: But in either case...I actually do think that character death WAS allowed during the original A:TLA. The reason why I say this...is because do you guys remember Jet, from when he laid dying in the hidden Dai Li base? They didn't show his actual death, but we all know he did. In either case...whether it was possible or not, I have to agree with the way they ended the series with Ozai. Killing him simply wouldn't have fit Aang's personality, and would no doubt have sent him into a mental/emotional breakdown from taking the life of another human being.

As for The Legend of Korra...it was nice, but it will never beat the original series, plain and simple. Maybe if their season had lasted longer than it did, and they were able to reveal more and squeeze together less, it would have done much better. There are so many holes in the story, that it simply doesn't do justice to the whole series. Like, what ever happened to Zuko once he and Aang made Republic City? Is the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom still there, or are they gone now? Also, the technological jump is simply unreal (despite the some-what advanced war-machines the Fire Nation had in the original series). Like, the scenery and world in A:TLA seemed similar to 800 A.D. to 1200 or 1300 A.D., and suddenly they advance to a late 19th or early 20th century setting in little more than half a century? Dang, I guess that's what happens when you don't have a religion that throws an entire continent into a period of scientific and philosophical detachment.

Overall, I have to admit that LoK was rather good. It didn't quite suit my tastes in lore-based answers...but what can you expect from a kid's/preteen's show, eh? :blush:

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Rosewind Alicorn

Rosewind

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I think a lot of the lore was kept vague on purpose. Part of the draw of the series is the fact there's always a surprise around every corner. Even late into the first season, we meet Zuko's son for the first time. Also don't forget the cabbage guy runs a huge corporation (before it was disbanded, lol), and we're just now seeing Aang's other son. I'm sure there will be more answers in time to come. As for the whole industrial revolution -- I think it's thoroughly believable. Ours occurred in a little under a century -- we're right off the heels of it in our own reality. However, I think they kept the steampunky vibe perfectly, just in the way technology was a fusion of the believable past, and an echo of the future -- all intermingled with Asian influence.. Even the shocker gloves had an old miner's glove look to them, despite the fact they could discharge large amounts of electricity.

I think the take away is that we allow certain things to be believable, even if they may not fit the immediate setting, because they work for the story and draw us into the plot.

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firework Blank Flank

firework

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A little late but,

They didn't show his actual death, but we all know he did.

To quote the show:

Zuko: "Did Jet just... die?"

Sokka: "You know, it was really unclear." ;)

Joking aside, I really liked the original Avatar and Korra was pretty good though I agree it did feel a little rushed near the end.

It just seemed strange how everything (even Korra's inability to bend air) was resolved in the last episode.

Then again I also haven't really had time to watch it all that much so that's probably why it just didn't seem up to the original.

So there is going to be a Season 2, right?!

From the LOK Wiki:

"The Legend of Korra was initially conceived as a 12-episode miniseries. Nickelodeon later expanded it to a full 26-episode season, and in July 2012 again to two 26-episode seasons. While Nickelodeon divides the series in two seasons for administrative purposes, the creators conceive of it as consisting of four separate "books" composed of 12 to 14 episodes ("chapters"), with each book telling a stand-alone story. The Legend of Korra is intended to conclude with the fourth book."

And according to the wiki we're only halfway through Season 1. :D

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