Legend of Korra Book 4: Balance |OT| A Feast of Crows

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I really hate Endgame and really like this finale. Episode for episode, Korra 1 had more bangers. And the Winner Is...
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Great episode.

Almost as good as this finale.
 
To some extent, I think it is a reaction to some of the negativity in the Korra franchise. I mean, after Book 1 and throughout Book 2, shitting on Legend of Korra seemed to be the norm. I mean, hell, even the Book 2 hype thread here was a nightmare. People would just constantly harp on the same shit over and over. As a person who actually liked LoK back then, seeing the constant negativity was super irritating and just made me want to like Korra even more. By no means do I believe that everyone who likes the show was affected in that same way, but I think that could kind of explain some of the seemingly blind, gushing praise that this series gets sometimes.

Hmmm. I did love Book 1. A lot actually. I loved the series. I just genuinely thought Book 2 was awful. Like substantially awful. I think even Bryke think this. Since they've said working on Book 2 was the worst time of their life. I think it showed.

So as a fan that loved Book 1, I do understand feeling the hate for Book 1, when I loved it overall (outside the ending). And then I loved Book 3.

So this has been a weird experience for me. But as someone that loved Book 1 at the time I understood what it felt to be around people hating it. I was shocked that I ended up hating Book 2. Just as I'm shocked book 4 would be such a limp season and end for the show. Especially after the excellent season 3.
 
Anyways, stepping back and just trying to enjoy this....

I think, I can say I enjoyed this 44 min finale. Ignoring the writing issues I had, I thought it was fun. But I still feel like, it was missing that emotional punch. You know?



Yeah, I can agree. But I still think the 2-3 episodes wasted there, were better than a lot of the Kuvira episodes wasted this season where nothing really went on. This season really lacked tension, and felt like a lot of spinning wheels. For all of Book 1's flaws, it had a lot of tension and build up. It was exciting. There was emotional weight there.

And sadly...this was the BEST Team Avatar ever was. Seriously, this legit was the only time Team Korra felt like a team, and had actual group interactions that felt meaningful.

Yeah. Would've liked a bit more..."Avatar" in the epilogue.

Final ranking

TLA S3
TLA S2
Korra 3
Korra 1
Beginnings
TLA 1
Korra 4
Poop
Korra 2 - Beginnings
 
I guess I'll do mine

1>2 Wan stuff (it's good enough to be separate)>3>4>Rest of 2

I know a lot of people don't like S1 because it's very not-Avatary, but adored the changed in pace and style in comparison to TLA and, really, most Western cartoons. As glad as I was that Korra got four seasons, part of me always wished it had just stayed one season like they originally planned so it could stay in it nice, standalone story. I know a lot of people will discard my opinion on Avatar stuff when I say this, but S1 Korra is my favorite thing in the Avatar Universe.

Full universe is roughly K1 > A2=A3 > K3 > K4(can I say bar ending?) > A1> K2, but I'll need to rewatch Korra to say definitively.
 
That was bad ass. I meant his actual ending was the biggest L. He had no resolution, and the best they could give him, was him being loyal to Korra to the day he dies.

Ohhhhh, I see what you mean. It was kinda weak compared to some of the stuff others characters got. Tho, I guess he had it better than some of the cast that were suddenly mute for whatever reason.
 
KLK literally makes it up as it goes. It gets away with alot of stuff by throwing in spices of 'comedy'.

i am 100% convinced KlK switched writters halfway though the show, there's so much shit that is introduced in the first half that ends up being useless in the 2nd. Like the entirety of Nudist Beach
 
I will also say Kill LA Kill excuted its themes far more than Korra ever will.
This is probably a barometer for just how much anime people actually watch in this thread.
And no I'm not using that as an insult either way. We're just really used to anime tropes so the show in general didn't bother us too heavily.
 
I thought how Kuvira gone was kinda pitiful, after she apologizes to Suyin, she is just like "fuck you bitch" treating her like the one dimensional villain she really is.
 
1>3>4>>>>>>>>>>>>2
Also people who think Kill La Kill is bad or awful and worse than Korra took the show way too seriously. It's like taking Metal Gear Rising any Platinum game seriously
 
I thought how Kuvira gone was kinda pitiful, after she apologizes to Suyin, she is just like "fuck you bitch" treating her like the one dimensional villain she really is.

Haha, that bugged me so much, too!

Suyin was basically Kuvira's mother, and Bataar Jr. got an "Everything's going to be ok, We still love you" speech.
Kuvira honestly tells Suyin she's sorry for everything she's done and Suyin's just like "Uh-huh. Who do I talk to about the death penalty?"
 
I thought how Kuvira gone was kinda pitiful, after she apologizes to Suyin, she is just like "fuck you bitch" treating her like the one dimensional villain she really is.

Her plot sure was whacky. Lol at Bryke trying to sell Kuvira with mother issues and being hurt. But then "I always get what I want".

So was Kuvira a raging psychopath that only wanted power? Or was she a vulnerable hurt person trying to protect herself. How does that figure in the slave labor camps and trying to get rid of all non earth benders hitler style.

Such a weird story to try to tie it into Korras resolution too. I'm really baffled by some of these writing choices.
 
Well there's content that simply entertains and then there's content that does more on a personal level in making you think/feel. If I stopped posting in this tread I would stop thinking about Korra pretty quickly; nothing from the show really stuck with me in any substantive way. Now that's fine, there's plenty of content that merely entertains, and most children's shows are designed to merely entertain (and sell toys).

But I think TLA was able to more reliably go beyond being mere entertainment content. I do think it was able to make viewers think and feel in ways that Korra did not, and that as a result, from a critical perspective, it has more value to me and and the children I want to see it than something like Korra does.

So yeah, I'm judging Korra from the prism of the TLA because I want more content that treats children as something more than an avenue into my wallet, that treats them in a mature manner and speaks to them about real life issues in a substantive way that they can relate to.
 
1>3>4>>>>>>>>>>>>2
Also people who think Kill La Kill is bad or awful and worse than Korra took the show way too seriously. It's like taking Metal Gear Rising any Platinum game seriously
Nobody sane plays a Platinum game for it's story. Minus Okami none of them are good. If you didn't learn to just roll with it while playing God Hand you probably never learned.
 
There are two types of series, one with theme and one without them. Both can be good and great, but one thing that bothers me more than anything is when a series tries to say something, but does nothing. That is Legend of Korra to me.
 
And sadly...this was the BEST Team Avatar ever was. Seriously, this legit was the only time Team Korra felt like a team, and had actual group interactions that felt meaningful.

As shallow as it is, I think Mako should've died. Everything about that scene had a tragic vibe to it....and then he just falls unconscious and winds up with a broken arm.

These threats have no weight, and those that don't make it out are super throwaway.
 
I thought how Kuvira gone was kinda pitiful, after she apologizes to Suyin, she is just like "fuck you bitch" treating her like the one dimensional villain she really is.

Especially after that pep talk with batarr jr about forgiveness, though it could be argued both ways in terms of kuvira being "part of the family"
 
Apart from that, I agree it's a pretty bad ending, no one got any closure, I guess Mako and Bolin will need to fine another job, Opal and Bolin are still dating I guess, Kai and Jinora will fade into obscurity until they're called to keep the airbender race alive, Tenzin will keep being a crappy mentor, Meelo will continue with his fart jokes, Toph will die in a swamp alone but not before going to visit Zuko to finally have their eye-opening journey across the world, Lin will keep being a grumpy policewoman, Su and her family will keep being the leaders of Metal City like nothing happened. And Korra and Asami I guess will be fine, but they didn't even get a definitive "they do" confirmation like Aang and Katara, so we still have some people in denial over it.

Compare to The Last Airbender, which dedicated the whole last half of their final episode to the epilogue. We see all secondary characters in the coronation scene, while also seeing how Aang and Zuko are now best friends. It also gives closure to Ty Lee and Mai by having them join a group of friendly warriors and supporting the new Fire Lord regime, respectively. Then we see all of the protagonists, the characters we've been following for 3 seasons, finally just being able to relax at Iroh's tea shop (giving him closure too), with everyone in Earth Kingdom attire, demostrating how the cultures have been united finally, just joking around, making fun of Sokka. And finally, the show gives us a 3 second conclusion of Katara and Aang finally using tongue, showing how they can finally be at peace with their emotions, a stark contrast to what Katara said like 4 episodes ago, and a closure to the storyline that was introduced in the very first episode. Sure, we know all the world will need rebuilding after the war, but for now, we know the characters we love are safe and finally have a bright future ahead of them. The only misstep, if you can call it that, is the "Where is my mother?" scene, but that was already explained in the comics.

Pretty spot on. They simply ran out of time. Though that is their own fault since they set the pacing and were the ones who chose to introduce so many characters.

It sucks that we didn't get a resolution on the Bataar / Kuvira relationship

There needs to have been a relationship to start with to have resolution :P

The more I think of Kuvira, the more of a disappointment she was. God-Tier character design was wasted :(
 
Well there's content that simply entertains and then there's content that does more on a personal level in making you think/feel. If I stopped posting in this tread I would stop thinking about Korra pretty quickly; nothing from the show really stuck with me in any substantive way. Now that's fine, there's plenty of content that merely entertains, and most children's shows are designed to merely entertain (and sell toys).

I think TLA was able to more reliably go beyond being mere entertainment content. I do think it was able to make viewers think and feel in ways that Korra did not, and that as a result, from a critical perspective, it has more value to me and and the children I want to see it than something like Korra does.

Well said. Exactly what I feel.
 
Out of individual episodes, Korra has a few that reach AtLA's highest heights. Venom of the Red Lotus, A Voice in the Night, And the Winner Is..., Beginnings. It's when you look at both series as cohesive entities does AtLA pull away from Legend of Korra.
 
i am 100% convinced KlK switched writers halfway though the show, there's so much shit that is introduced in the first half that ends up being useless in the 2nd. Like the entirety of Nudist Beach

I don't know about a change of staff per say but there was a pretty obvious rewrite that happened for the second half if you followed the pre-show interviews and analyzed the narrative (which Anime-Gaf did). A shame too since Gurren Lagann executed its themes so well and we from the same director/writer team.
 
Bolin and Opal got back together for folks that didn't catch it. you can see her dragging him to the dance floor during the wedding.

After sleeping on it, I'm still of the same view I had last night. Great technical ending with the episode pacing, action, and thought behind what was going in the episode. But it's a pretty poor lore ending with little to no questions answered and no talk of where the characters go after that other than the tacked on Korrasami thing.

I think aside from my issues about it being really forced like I previously wrote, I think that the show ending on shipping-related note really just sours the ending. We don't get any closure on the other characters but we get one last moment for the shippers? Seriously, Bryke? Close out the rest of the cast THEN ship.
 
Her plot sure was whacky. Lol at Bryke trying to sell Kuvira with mother issues and being hurt. But then "I always get what I want".

So was Kuvira a raging psychopath that only wanted power? Or was she a vulnerable hurt person trying to protect herself. How does that figure in the slave labor camps and trying to get rid of all non earth benders hitler style.

Such a weird story to try to tie it into Korras resolution too. I'm really baffled by some of these writing choices.
Kuvira and her relationship to Suyin got no fucking development. She loved her like a daughter, but this season she was just straight up trying to assassinate her. Kuvira finally apologizes for her actions, which was probably hard for her to do and nothing is really said to her at all. They just clapped the irons on her and sent her marching. It does seem like nobody was probably ever there for her, minus I'm going to assume Bataar Jr. and we have no idea what the resolution with that will be. Does he visit her in prison...does anybody visit her? She just ends the show as the same lonely girl that she grew up as before she got to Zaofu. With that brief bit of backstory she did get I think she was just a very unloved person. Never experienced it, didn't know what it was so it's probably a foreign concept to her. She probably does feel something for Bataar, but even herself probably doesn't even know what it is. She's an emotionally confused, yet highly stubborn and determined as a person. Doesn't explain the mood whiplash they did with her though.
 
Out of individual episodes, Korra has a few that reach AtLA's highest heights. Venom of the Red Lotus, A Voice in the Night, And the Winner Is..., Beginnings. It's when you look at both series as cohesive entities does AtLA pull away from Legend of Korra.

I think in terms of having deep themes that really made you think and emotionally impact you, ATLA was much better in that regard.

Korra had better potential. Korra on paper was better than Aang. But her story's execution was much worse. TLOK had better quality visuals. But ATLA had higher highs in terms of fights and choreography. Although Korra had better overall action.

It's basically trade offs.
 
Bolin and Opal got back together for folks that didn't catch it. you can see her dragging him to the dance floor during the wedding.

After sleeping on it, I'm still of the same view I had last night. Great technical ending with the episode pacing, action, and thought behind what was going in the episode. But it's a pretty poor lore ending with little to no questions answered and no talk of where the characters go after that other than the tacked on Korrasami thing.

I think aside from my issues about it being really forced like I previously wrote, I think that the show ending on shipping-related note really just sours the ending. We don't get any closure on the other characters but we get one last moment for the shippers? Seriously, Bryke? Close out the rest of the cast THEN ship.

Yeah. Like the ending had zero closure for the characters. You had this threat that had no emotional weight behind it. Korra stops it. Then the story just ends.

It was not a proper send off for these charcters. They didn't allow the audience to say goodbye. And granted, the shows weakest elements was the characters. But we still needed closure.

I'm really annoyed they ended it with shipping and chose that over closure for everything else. Feels like they gave the end away to shippers and told everyone else in the cast they weren't important. It leaves you feeling kind of empty.

ATLA allowed for us to say goodbye and to have closure before ending with Katara and Aang. So this just leaves you feeling empty. I guess if you were a big Korrasami shippper. But even then, I feel you should be let down that you didn't get closure for things as a whole :/
 
But ATLA had higher highs in terms of fights and choreography.

I strongly disagree. The only fight in AtLA that even approaches Korra is Azula vs Zuko and Katara. And that's mostly because the music and emotional backdrop was pitch perfect. As far as pure choreography goes, it's really not close at all. And it shouldn't be, Korra has the benefit of more robust animation.

Not to take anything away from AtLA. The Blue Spirit episode had some really good animation. The Azula-Zuko vs Aang-Katara fight was hype. Of course the series finale had a lot of great setpieces. But the superiority of Korra is most evident when you compare Aang vs Ozai to Korra vs Zaheer. The personalities and capabilities of the combatants shine through much more clearly in the latter's duel.

ATLA allowed for us to say goodbye and to have closure before ending with Katara and Aang. So this just leaves you feeling empty. I guess if you were a big Korrasami shippper. But even then, I feel you should be let down that you didn't get closure for things as a whole :/

Yeah, I dunno. Character arcs where much better settled in AtLA, this is not even a contest. But nothing in Korra's finale stuck out to me as badly as the plot of Zuko's mother did in AtLA's finale.
 
Yeah. Like the ending had zero closure for the characters. You had this threat that had no emotional weight behind it. Korra stops it. Then the story just ends.

It was not a proper send off for these charcters. They didn't allow the audience to say goodbye. And granted, the shows weakest elements was the characters. But we still needed closure.

I'm really annoyed they ended it with shipping and chose that over closure for everything else. Feels like they gave the end away to shippers and told everyone else in the cast they weren't important.
The funny thing is that there barely an opening that needed to be closed. They've been peppering little nods to Korrasami for a while, and if they wanted to really go for it then more power to them, but to close your entire series on a plot thread (if you could even call it something that substantial) that was given maybe 15-20 seconds across 52 episodes is ridiculous
 
I strongly disagree. The only fight in AtLA that even approaches Korra is Azula vs Zuko and Katara. And that's mostly because the music and emotional backdrop was pitch perfect. As far as pure choreography goes, it's really not close at all. And it shouldn't be, Korra has the benefit of more robust animation.

Not to take anything away from AtLA. The Blue Spirit episode had some really good animation. The Azula-Zuko vs Aang-Katara fight was hype. Of course the series finale had a lot of great setpieces. But the superiority of Korra is most evident when you compare Aang vs Ozai to Korra vs Zaheer. The personalities and capabilities of the combatants shine through much more clearly in the latter's duel.



Yeah, I dunno. Character arcs where much better settled in AtLA, this is not even a contest. But nothing in Korra's finale stuck out to me as badly as the plot of Zuko's mother did in AtLA's finale.

I disagree with you mang. Look, my statement was that Korra had better overall action scenes. But that the highest of highs still went to ATLA. Why? Because ATLA backed their fighting with emotion.

If you want to argue that on purely technical level (in terms of HD visuals and animation), of course Korra will take the lead.

But I found myself feeling the fights in ATLA a lot more. They mattered more. They had more underneath them that made you care. But yes, overall Korra had much better fights.
 
To some extent, I think it is a reaction to some of the negativity in the Korra franchise. I mean, after Book 1 and throughout Book 2, shitting on Legend of Korra seemed to be the norm. I mean, hell, even the Book 2 hype thread here was a nightmare. People would just constantly harp on the same shit over and over. As a person who actually liked LoK back then, seeing the constant negativity was super irritating and just made me want to like Korra even more. By no means do I believe that everyone who likes the show was affected in that same way, but I think that could kind of explain some of the seemingly blind, gushing praise that this series gets sometimes.
That's me lol. I've basically had half the thread on ignore since LoK s02 and just chime in occasionally to remind lurkers that some gaffers still like the show. Even now I'm restraining myself from replying to some quoted posts ("Kill la Kill is a good show" WTF?!)

Well there's content that simply entertains and then there's content that does more on a personal level in making you think/feel. If I stopped posting in this tread I would stop thinking about Korra pretty quickly; nothing from the show really stuck with me in any substantive way. Now that's fine, there's plenty of content that merely entertains, and most children's shows are designed to merely entertain (and sell toys).

But I think TLA was able to more reliably go beyond being mere entertainment content. I do think it was able to make viewers think and feel in ways that Korra did not, and that as a result, from a critical perspective, it has more value to me and and the children I want to see it than something like Korra does.

So yeah, I'm judging Korra from the prism of the TLA because I want more content that treats children as something more than an avenue into my wallet, that treats them in a mature manner and speaks to them about real life issues in a substantive way that they can relate to.

huh? Each of the four villains in LoK tackled more substantive and diverse topics than the single main villain in ATLA. It's basically why love LoK so much. ATLA is a very well crafted crafted children's show. LoK is a much more ambitious artistic project that took mature risks. Some of those didn't pay off very well but the highs are much more rewarding that ATLA
 
Especially after that pep talk with batarr jr about forgiveness, though it could be argued both ways in terms of kuvira being "part of the family"

That would make sense if Kuvira was her daughter, or she treated her like one, but, i dunno, we never see it, anyways.
 
It was not a proper send off for these charcters. They didn't allow the audience to say goodbye. And granted, the shows weakest elements was the characters. But we still needed closure.

I think that is a very fair point.

This season's end didn't feel like the end. Just another season. And that's because we didn't get to say goodbye to the characters.

As a result, I am feeling mixed emotions. I liked the ending, personally. I'm not a hardcore shipper -- though I joke that I'm a closeted Korrasami shipper -- but I thought that the romance subplot between Korra and Asami was okay. It could've gone either way, and they ended the season with all new journeys beginning.

- A new era for the Earth Kingdom.
- Korra and Asami taking their friendship to the next level.
- A new spirit portal opening, and all the things that could do.
- Korra still with lots to do.

The problem is that I want to see those journeys! I'm absolutely gutted it's over because it doesn't feel finished. As Korra herself said, there's still so much more for her to do, and Bryke has left us somewhat on a limb here. If they make sequel comics or a movie or even a new season continuing where they left off, I would totally gobble that shit up.

On the flipside, ATLA did feel like a very rock solid conclusion (except for the bit about Zuko's mother, which was really weirdly inserted into the finale, if I'm honest). I felt full, satisfied, and that I'd reached the end of a long journey with those guys. As a consequence, I haven't much cared for the ATLA continuation comics, and I only read them out of an obligation of love to the original show.

But I don't feel rotten or bitter about The Legend of Korra after that ending. I saw a lot of it coming after Book 4 got into its groove, and all signs were indicating it wouldn't hit the highs of Book 3, but I would've liked a more tangible farewell to the cast.
 
I disagree with you mang. Look, my statement was that Korra had better overall action scenes. But that the highest of highs still went to ATLA. Why? Because ATLA backed their fighting with emotion.

If you want to argue that on purely technical level (in terms of HD visuals and animation), of course Korra will take the lead.

But I found myself feeling the fights in ATLA a lot more. They mattered more. They had more underneath them that made you care. But yes, overall Korra had much better fights.

Off the top of my head, that's only true in two instances: Zuko's heel turn and Zuko and Azula's fight. Granted, there's nothing in Korra touching the emotion of those moments. So of course I'll give you that.

But choreography wise, Korra is still superior.
 
I disagree with you mang. Look, my statement was that Korra had better overall action scenes. But that the highest of highs still went to ATLA. Why? Because ATLA backed their fighting with emotion.

If you want to argue that on purely technical level (in terms of HD visuals and animation), of course Korra will take the lead.

But I found myself feeling the fights in ATLA a lot more. They mattered more. They had more underneath them that made you care. But yes, overall Korra had much better fights.

Yes, establishing and sustaining an emotional undercurrent is key to making a fight more than being just spectacle. Spectacle is fun to watch, but it's less about the characters and more about how they're fighting. The only time I found myself actually getting nervous was when they teased a Mako sacrifice. That's not say every fight is or should be emotionally riveting, or that TLA always did that (or even should have done that). But those moments you remember are always about more than just what's visually happening.

huh? Each of the four villains in LoK tackled more substantive and diverse topics than the single main villain in ATLA. It's basically why love LoK so much. ATLA is a very well crafted crafted children's show. LoK is a much more ambitious artistic project that took mature risks. Some of those didn't pay off very well but the highs are much more rewarding that ATLA

In terms of villains, maybe that's true in theory. But I would hardly describe Unalaq and Kuvira as well developed or addressing a topic in substance. And the shows are about so much more than just what the villains are doing. In comparison to TLA one of Korra's problems was in being too villain driven actually. And having super high ambitions that you don't come close to delivering on doesn't really mean much. And in some cases it backfired entirely, such as the non-benders plotline getting tossed to the curb despite that being a legitimate gripe and issue that should have been fully explored and resolved.
 
I have super mixed emotions.

On the one hand, I'm kind of okay with Korra ending. In hindsight, I think it should have ended with Book 3. I don't think there was enough plot to tell in Book 4 to justify it. I think, they had Korra and her demons to work with. But they did a very bad job with it. Most of the season focused on a half baked villain who wasn't interesting and who's plot didn't amount to anything.

And Korra's plot (which was the sole reason this Season existed), felt very scattershot, and kind of just fell to the side by the end of the season with no real sense of conclusion (at least IMO) that tied into the Book 4 plot, or the overall arc for the character in the series.

So....apart of me is OKAY with this being over.

But I also have a big pit in my stomach. A lump in my throat. I have a hard time letting go of things I love. I bet some of you think I hate this show. But I don't. I'm really passionate about the Avatar series. It means a lot to me. TLOK Book 3 played a huge role....in my overcoming my cancer and finding strength. There were a lot of themes with the Korra character, that I could relate to (especially with my struggles with cancer).

Despite all the issues I have with this show, it did mean a lot to me. Any criticisms I have, are just out of disappointment. Just because, I know it could have done better. I know it could have been more. Because I saw what they did with ATLA. And I know Korra could have been that. It could have been better even.

Sigh. I think, I could look past all the issues I had with Book 4. But I really wish Bryke had at least given us closure. That they at least let us say goodbye. Because apart of me feels pretty sad. I feel like, I was deprived of saying goodbye to this world. So I kind of have an empty feeling inside.

Just a weird day.
 
Off the top of my head, that's only true in two instances: Zuko's heel turn and Zuko and Azula's fight. Granted, there's nothing in Korra touching the emotion of those moments. So of course I'll give you that.

But choreography wise, Korra is still superior.

What Brawndo said:

Yes, establishing and sustaining an emotional undercurrent is key to making a fight more than being just spectacle. Spectacle is fun to watch, but it's less about the characters and more about how they're fighting. The only time I found myself actually getting nervous was when they teased a Mako sacrifice. That's not say every fight is or should be emotionally riveting, or that TLA always did that (or even should have done that). But those moments you remember are always about more than just what's visually happening.
 
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