LTTP - Avatar: The Last Airbender
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NHarmonic.
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Amazing show. Book 2 specially is a masterpiece of animation and story.
If you ever consider watching Korra i really hope you can actually enjoy it for what it is (and it's lots of fun, tbh)
Off topic: I kind of imagine Gary Medel actually writing your posts and it's hilarious.
If you ever consider watching Korra i really hope you can actually enjoy it for what it is (and it's lots of fun, tbh)
Off topic: I kind of imagine Gary Medel actually writing your posts and it's hilarious.
Nope while it is a flawed series it's still very much a good show even if doesn't quite reach the same levels as ATLA. Book 3 is simply fantastic and should be watched no matter what.
Also the score/soundtrack for Korra is was one of the best things out there on tv and it's such a shame nick won't release the rest of them.
Book 2 is the series' low point. Book 3 is a big bump in quality
The Cool One
Member
Woah man something wrong with you m8
LOL, I hope he's secretly an ATLA fan, because I love that man and I want to be like him <3
Thanks everyone for great discussion so far, civilized without flame wars
Sorry for the double post. Lots of things to respond to 
Sorry mate, I quite like the LatAm dub. I think Aang, Katara and Iroh's voices are almost spot on. Sokka's and Zuko's... your mileage may vary. I particularly like Aang's dub voice, he really captures the carefree innocence of a kid, with some hints of the anger underneath that sometimes comes to the front.
"The Great Divide" is the closest thing to "boring" this show has, so far. It's just... there. Except for, again, the animation and choice of art style during the retelling of the feud (and the complete absurdity of the plot resolution).
This is a very somber moment. It's one of those "all hope is truly lost" events that leave a mark on you, because you actually don't know if it will go there or not. To make some sort of comparison, it's like when Luke barely flirts with the Dark Side by the end of ROTJ, giving into his rage and beating the shit out of Vader. You don't know if Aang is going to take everything down with him, even his friends. It's harrowing.
And then, hope still prevails (as Aang would come to see by the next episode's end). Still with the ROTJ comparison, when Palpatine says "your faith in your friends is [your weakness] - well, Katara manages to completely disprove it from a completely different franchise, lol. Man, what a scene. A beacon of light in the midst of pure darknes, Katara managing to calm down Aang without a single word. Something that would've been far cheesier in a show that wasn't as precise and careful with its character relationships. It's actually meaningful and potent here.
Exactly. And as I've already said earlier, I love that despite Sokka being the only non-bender of the group, he's not an idiot and he's far from useless. His strengths lie in other parts, and he's integral to Team Avatar/Boomeraang Squad/Fearsome Foursome's success.
Yes, it hurts... I'm sure the show would look beautiful in HD
EDIT: Just a PSA - if you're in Latin America and want to watch ATLA in english, Netflix UK has it. Use a VPN and you're set
Sorry mate, I quite like the LatAm dub. I think Aang, Katara and Iroh's voices are almost spot on. Sokka's and Zuko's... your mileage may vary. I particularly like Aang's dub voice, he really captures the carefree innocence of a kid, with some hints of the anger underneath that sometimes comes to the front.
"The Great Divide" is the closest thing to "boring" this show has, so far. It's just... there. Except for, again, the animation and choice of art style during the retelling of the feud (and the complete absurdity of the plot resolution).
Man, this scene. The music. The look on Katara's face as everybody else - even Sokka and Toph - run in fear. There's so much emotion and pain behind that expression. It's a perfect moment for her character, and a beautiful affirmation of their relationship. And then there's the (spoilers)later...heartbreaking parallel of this
This is a very somber moment. It's one of those "all hope is truly lost" events that leave a mark on you, because you actually don't know if it will go there or not. To make some sort of comparison, it's like when Luke barely flirts with the Dark Side by the end of ROTJ, giving into his rage and beating the shit out of Vader. You don't know if Aang is going to take everything down with him, even his friends. It's harrowing.
And then, hope still prevails (as Aang would come to see by the next episode's end). Still with the ROTJ comparison, when Palpatine says "your faith in your friends is [your weakness] - well, Katara manages to completely disprove it from a completely different franchise, lol. Man, what a scene. A beacon of light in the midst of pure darknes, Katara managing to calm down Aang without a single word. Something that would've been far cheesier in a show that wasn't as precise and careful with its character relationships. It's actually meaningful and potent here.
Exactly. And as I've already said earlier, I love that despite Sokka being the only non-bender of the group, he's not an idiot and he's far from useless. His strengths lie in other parts, and he's integral to Team Avatar/Boomeraang Squad/Fearsome Foursome's success.
Yes, it hurts... I'm sure the show would look beautiful in HD
EDIT: Just a PSA - if you're in Latin America and want to watch ATLA in english, Netflix UK has it. Use a VPN and you're set
if the original cels are truly lost, then we're out of luck
They managed to lose the original cels in the course of 6 years?
Even at its worst, it's better than the vast majority of cartoons. It just isn't quite up to ATLA quality at some points. Specifically about half of season 2.
I could've used a LOTR comparison too
Star Wars is better for comparing Season 2.
Awwww yeahhh here we go
openrob
Member
You are about to watch one of the best episodes, keep a box of tissues nearby.
"Episode 14: "City of Walls and Secrets"
"Episode 15: "Tales of Ba Sing Se"
Best episode ever. The tone is crazy dark, and the Jet/Zuko is indeed one of the series' best. Also, who doesn't love the Bosco gag? Love love it.
And also quite convenient when talking about the live-action movie!
HellofaMouse
Member
isnt atla and korra made by exactly the same people? i dont get why korra is leagues worse than atla..
Again, I haven't seen Book 3 and 4 of Korra, but one reason is probably that Aaron Ehasz, the head writer and co-executive producer of A:TLA, didn't return for Korra. Why? I don't know, but he doesn't have a single credit on that show while he wrote some of TLA's all-time classics.
Korra was only suppose to only be one season, so they had to push Korra's development without getting to really flesh out the character, which when they ordered three more after season 1 already started airing it really backed them into a corner for season 2 which most likely hurt that season the most.
They have said that season 2 had a 'horrible production' and probably 'took some years off of their lives'. Korra is still an amazing series, if slightly uneven due to season 2 and the last part of season 1 being rushed, but more than worthy of carrying on the Avatar name.
"The Tales of Ba Sing Se"... man, what an episode. A complete stylistic shift from the last couple of ones, not only in terms of structure but also of plot. It seems like a well deserved breath of fresh air for Team Avatar.
Let's start with the obvious: OH GOD IROH'S TALE. I *almost* cried by the end of the segment... actually, my eyes were full of tears. What a beautiful, poignant moment. Finding out it was dedicated to the memory of Mako, Iroh's voice actor... only made it even more poignant. Bravo, ATLA.
Katara/Toph and Sokka's tales were fun stories. Nothing exceptional, but fun - though I must say I quite enjoyed the growth of Katara and Toph's relationship. Their moment by the end was nice.
Zuko's tale was another of my favorites. Man, to see Zuko finally coming out of his shell, if only for a moment... it's astonishing to see how much he's developed over the course of the series. S1's Zuko would've turned that girl away in an instant and wouldn't have cared one bit. He's still a stubborn, deeply insecure boy (and with his family history, who the fuck wouldn't?) but it seems things are slowly but surely changing for him.
Aang does Aang things. Some lateral thinking and things-not-going-as-planned as usual, but hey, things get better by the end!
And finally... Momo. Quite a moving ending for a segment without a spoken word. Again - bravo, ATLA.
EDIT: I may have sold the Katara/Toph story a bit short. I quite appreciated that it's about girls doing girl stuff and friends standing up for friends being themselves. It's a good message, anyway.
Let's start with the obvious: OH GOD IROH'S TALE. I *almost* cried by the end of the segment... actually, my eyes were full of tears. What a beautiful, poignant moment. Finding out it was dedicated to the memory of Mako, Iroh's voice actor... only made it even more poignant. Bravo, ATLA.
Katara/Toph and Sokka's tales were fun stories. Nothing exceptional, but fun - though I must say I quite enjoyed the growth of Katara and Toph's relationship. Their moment by the end was nice.
Zuko's tale was another of my favorites. Man, to see Zuko finally coming out of his shell, if only for a moment... it's astonishing to see how much he's developed over the course of the series. S1's Zuko would've turned that girl away in an instant and wouldn't have cared one bit. He's still a stubborn, deeply insecure boy (and with his family history, who the fuck wouldn't?) but it seems things are slowly but surely changing for him.
Aang does Aang things. Some lateral thinking and things-not-going-as-planned as usual, but hey, things get better by the end!
And finally... Momo. Quite a moving ending for a segment without a spoken word. Again - bravo, ATLA.
EDIT: I may have sold the Katara/Toph story a bit short. I quite appreciated that it's about girls doing girl stuff and friends standing up for friends being themselves. It's a good message, anyway.
RPGCrazied
Member
Got the DVD's today. Yes, I got it used from eBay, but the 3 sets are in decent shape. The quality of the packaging is great. I was afraid if I got it from Amazon new it would be in a repackaged slim recyclable case with all the discs stacked onto each other on a spindle or something. Already watched 6 episodes!
RPGCrazied
Member
You'll soon get to the best episode of the season, imho
I've seen it before.
Been about a year and a half though. Your thread made me want to rewatch it, and I always wanted to own the show, so I bought the sets on eBay. Couple of auctions had new sets, but didn't want to pay $80 for them.Thanks!
The disc art on the DVD's is beautiful! Don't get that on DVD's these days anymore.
I've seen it before.
Thanks!
awww, something good came out of this, then
It's really not.
Despite its low points, TLOK is still one of the best animated TV series out there.
Ignore this man.
Agreed. It's still very much worth a watch despite what the naysayers are saying.
Granted there are a few fun fight scenes here and there, but by and large the show just...isn't very good. Terrible pacing, bad writing, underdeveloped and unlikable characters (coupled with an incredibly bloated cast) and even the bending itself is less interesting imo since every element just uses the same punches and kicks rather than the more varied styles seen in AtlA. The show also touches on some interesting themes every so often but never really does them justice...which just makes their inclusion disappointing. This is just my opinion of course, but I was basically forcing myself to watch the show purely out of loyalty before the end of the first season.
The Avatar Wan episodes are the high point of the series for me, and you could just watch those separate from the rest of the series.
Korra not only doesn't hold a candle to AtLA...I wouldn't recommend it at all tbh.
people, let's not lose our temper over this! I'm sure some people have very valid reasons for disliking Korra and others have reasons for -at least- liking it, and I'm grateful that both camps have told me the reasons why should I watch the show and/or keep my expectations in check. I appreciate that, and I also appreciate that the discussion regarding that topic has remained civil so far.
I'm sure I'll watch Korra when the time comes and then I'll make my mind about it, not before. In any case, thanks everybody for their comments/words of encouragement/hype/unhype/criticism. It's all good, as long as we don't end up firebending each other
I'm sure I'll watch Korra when the time comes and then I'll make my mind about it, not before. In any case, thanks everybody for their comments/words of encouragement/hype/unhype/criticism. It's all good, as long as we don't end up firebending each other
I have a hard time picking one, but most of the time, Tales of Ba Sing Se is my favorite ATLA episode. Katara/Toph character development, Sokka rapping, Momo getting the limelight, Zuko's date (with Jin, who is my favorite one-off character of the show), and of course Iroh's tale. All are fantastic, especially Zuko and Iroh. Aang's story is my least favorite of the bunch by a fair margin, but it's far from bad. The vignette structure worked brilliantly and in addition to the tonal relief it provided, it was great to get that extra bit of worldbuilding and character moments in an increasingly plot-heavy season.
I feel like the show peaks and Season 3 with the storytelling and animation being top notch.
UnnecessaryTodd
Member
Korra has a lot of problems, especially with the characters and pacing. Book 1 is ok and finding its feet, but Book 2 is just terrible, and Book 4 is polarizing but I'm in the "horrible" camp. Book 3 and the double episode "Beginnings" of Book 2 are the only ones I'd say are worth it in the long run.
Lots of naysayers told me that my problems with Korra were because I "kept comparing it to ATLA", since I used ATLA as an example of well-written characters and engaging storylines and motivations, but really it was more "this is what good writing is, this is what bad writing is, and the only reason I use ATLA to compare is because it's by the same people and they should know better".
Also as many people said, the MMA style of bending in Korra takes almost all of the enjoyment out of the fight scenes for me. Funnily enough the sport was the only time I actually liked it and most people consider those parts to be boring.
Lots of naysayers told me that my problems with Korra were because I "kept comparing it to ATLA", since I used ATLA as an example of well-written characters and engaging storylines and motivations, but really it was more "this is what good writing is, this is what bad writing is, and the only reason I use ATLA to compare is because it's by the same people and they should know better".
Also as many people said, the MMA style of bending in Korra takes almost all of the enjoyment out of the fight scenes for me. Funnily enough the sport was the only time I actually liked it and most people consider those parts to be boring.
Season 3 was the best season overall, but I still didn't like it all that much. The main thing holding it back for me was that it still featured the same unlikeable band of characters from the first two seasons, with the exception of
Asami (who was barely in this season) and Tenzin. Mako was as bland as ever, Bolin was terribly unfunny and Korra had only become tolerable after a freaking amnesia plot device.
The animation was always great throughout Korra, but it being pretty to look at doesn't help me enjoy the characters or story more.
macka, you used to be cool.
Doctor Ironic
Member
They're correct, though.
The idea of "Korra's uncertain future ruining the series" doesn't make sense when each season was fairly self-contained and still didn't manage to tell its own story well. Season 1 wraps everything up in a nice little bow via a twenty-minute flashback and total reversals of character arcs. I stopped watching after that, but from what I hear, season 2 manages to be even worse - which is a fucking feat, if true.
Nope. It's still very much worth a watch despite the flaws the show has.
I'm not sure what you mean about its uncertain future not making sense as the whole reason Book 1 ended that way was because they weren't sure if it was just going to stay as a standalone mini series or not when they wrote it. Still no doubt they could have done a better job with the ending.
It's a fine show. The franchise as a whole is quality animation.
Korra is a fantastic show despite the uneven-ness, overall I prefer it over TLA to be sure. It's a far more interesting world and they simply didn't have the run time for characters to devolve into annoying repetitive and artificial idioms to pad out the episode count like they did with TLA. Legend of Korra > TLA
They're not.
They're not.
JessicaPadkin
Member
I'm LTTP with this show too, and it really is exceptional. It started off as just good, but toward the end of series 1 and into series 2 it's developed into greatness. I like that the character design is effective without relying on boring recognisable tropes. I mean, look at Toph: 'blind little girl' is hardly the stereotype for a tough, independent character, but everything about her appearance, attitude, and movement perfectly illustrates who she is.
Oh, and Iroh is the fucking greatest. I just watched Tales of Ba Sing Se yesterday and... and...
Oh, and Iroh is the fucking greatest. I just watched Tales of Ba Sing Se yesterday and... and...
Acrylic7
Member
All of this. All of it.
If you like ATLA just avoid Korra. The only thing that made me sit through it till the end was my respect for ATLA.
Doctor Ironic
Member
If they weren't sure about its future then they probably should have planned their ending better so they didn't have to wrap up fifty things in five minutes.
Glass Rebel
Member
My biggest disappointment with LOK. Sure, LOK doesn't approach ATLA on many levels but this stung the most because they had some great animation work but most of the fights in the beginning were based on the boxing-like style used for pro-bending. Later episodes brought back some of it but I don't think anything ever reached the greatness of Toph's and Bumi's Hung Gar based earthbending.
What the hell? The bending for Season 3 and Season 4 is easily up there with ATLA hell the final fight in Season 3 is basically Aang vs Ozai 2.0.
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