I'm shipping Netflix and the Avatarverse, right nao.
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The Legend of Korra: Book 4 |OT2| ALL HAIL THE GREAT UNITER
- Thread starter Toa TAK
- Start date
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Don't get hope. I'm looking but I'm not sure if I can find it. I may have misread or misinterpreted something I read elsewhere. If no one else can remember it either then I'm probably mistaken.
Time to tweet Notch.
Icyflamez96
Member
Can people stop saying straight up no? Bryke said "The Avatar universe has a lot of possibilities and we wouldn't be surprised if the world drew us back in someday." or something a long the lines of that. Along with that they also said they wanted to take a break and they had some other kind of series they wanted to work on, so if Avatar happens it wont be for a long time.
A Netflix Original: "Avatar: The Last Fire(fly) bender"
I agree, and this is my biggest gripe with the finale, its a great ending to the season, but a mediocre ending to the series, aside from Korrasami (and I would have rather a proper end to all things Avatar than a shippers dream come true).
I think whatever Bryke does next, it will be a whole new world that they have more creative control over. I feel like the Avatar world being produced by Nickelodeon held them back and they wanted to keep doing more adult theme stories.
So I can totally see a magical world with martial arts that is exactly like Avatar but without the constraint of having to appeal to children as well as adults.
So I can totally see a magical world with martial arts that is exactly like Avatar but without the constraint of having to appeal to children as well as adults.
Shipping is basically short for "relationship speculation" and is a means for more... excitable fans of a series to create "hype" regarding potential romantic outcomes.
Bryke is the shortened name of one of the lead writers/co-creator Bryan Konietzko for the series, so most of the problems with the series' plot can be laid down at his doorstep.
Character goes through barely resolved suffering? Sucker get Bryked.
Ending was good, kinda rushed but still good.
Also, I laughed my ass off at the Korrasami ending, I don´t really think they are lesbians, more like Heterosexual life partners, but allright, if they are lesbians that is cool too. it works in the context and it was given enough forshadowing, so sure.
If they ever make a third series that somehow features korra´s decendants in anyway people are going to be piiiiiiiiissed.
Also, I laughed my ass off at the Korrasami ending, I don´t really think they are lesbians, more like Heterosexual life partners, but allright, if they are lesbians that is cool too. it works in the context and it was given enough forshadowing, so sure.
If they ever make a third series that somehow features korra´s decendants in anyway people are going to be piiiiiiiiissed.
Now that I really think about it, them introducing mechs really fucks over the technological progression of their society in terms of future series. They have fucking mechs in the 20's! How would you ever do a series set in the future without it being crazy advanced. Like, they'd have to do Deep Space Avatar if they ever want to tackle the story of an Avatar with a strong Vatuu presence. I don't see any other really interesting stories to tell that link to what's been established through Korra. They could always go backwards, maybe an Avatar Generations show with each season focusing on the avatars leading up to Aang.
I feel like going forward the only way to keep pace would be for the world to kind of fise back into the material-physical world that we saw in the origins story where spirits were the primary lifeforms on the planet
Actually, Bryke is a portmanteau of Bryan and Mike, the two creators.
Eh, Avatar has always had a funny connection with technology, I don't think the mechs are any more outlandish then say the giant drill from The Last Airbender.
The shitload of ice she threw over the giant mech, yeah.
Its just that technology will keep advancing, and they already have mechs. Like, do robots and AI start showing up next? They have the equivalent of nukes, and can make Skyscraper sized mechs so any future setting would be really hard to portray without it jumping the shark.
Yeah, there could be conflict between spirits and humans over tech that could slow down advancement. They'll have to do something because while I think a sci-fi Avatar series could be cool, I don't think a lot of fans would be as excited. Plus it'll probably be many years until we even get a whiff of a new series.
Someone should do a bend pie chart for Korra, I imagine Fire and Earth would be the most used.
So I think the whole korrasami stuff is cool and all but I hate how it's causing all the reviewers to forget all the other issues Korra had as a show. Now that it's over I can point out its egregious mistakes.
1. Bringing back air benders. Absolutely no reason to do this other than to show "balance" restoring. They were glorified air support
2. Bringing back Toph, Zuko, and Katara for no reason other than ratings and fan service. Just let them be dead and let us feel their impact in the world rather than hitting us over the head with it. This is straight midichlorians style bad. Where's the mystique?
3. Merging the spirit and human worlds. Essentially nothing changed other than a bunch of vines. The spirits didn't even have an impact on the battle.
4. Making Aangs kids complete bozos and non factors. Tenzin was barely even relevant vs Iroh being relevant through to the end.
5. Bringing back Iroh as a force ghost for no reason. Fan service.
At least i'll always have Avatar.
1. Bringing back air benders. Absolutely no reason to do this other than to show "balance" restoring. They were glorified air support
2. Bringing back Toph, Zuko, and Katara for no reason other than ratings and fan service. Just let them be dead and let us feel their impact in the world rather than hitting us over the head with it. This is straight midichlorians style bad. Where's the mystique?
3. Merging the spirit and human worlds. Essentially nothing changed other than a bunch of vines. The spirits didn't even have an impact on the battle.
4. Making Aangs kids complete bozos and non factors. Tenzin was barely even relevant vs Iroh being relevant through to the end.
5. Bringing back Iroh as a force ghost for no reason. Fan service.
At least i'll always have Avatar.
If there were to be a third series, I've always imagined it to be set in something akin to our current modern time in terms of technology. I'd say in terms of fantastical outlandishness AI and real robots would be the next step. Have the focus on a male Avatar growing up in one of those Earth states that Wu helps set up.
The fourth and last series can focus on a female Avatar in the fire nation that in terms of time period is basically the future. Technology-wise I can envision stuff like hover cars and even limited space travel. In fact, have Future Industries be the NASA of the Avatar world. I've always wanted to see someone bending in space.
I've watched a few LoK finale videos where people have mentioned that the next Avatar would probably take place in a Cyberpunk setting, and I can see it. It would be weird though.
I do love this idea though..
This would be hilarious. Bryke pls do this.
I'd say that in season 3 Aangs kids had more scenes and were relevant.
The cast of Korra was large so its hard to make everyone noticeable .
Korra got heavy into airbending in Book 4. It's a good visual representation of how her character changed from how she was almost exclusively a firebender in Book 1.
Well don't even introduce them if you're not going to utilize them past 6-8 episodes. This show just had no focus.
And why focus so much on King Wu? Cringeworthy and a waste of time.
Avatar Beyond will introduce the world's first android bender/avatar.
It just ended. If you haven't seen it you should start with Avatar: The Last Airbender then watch Korra.
Chezzymann
Member
Just saw the legend of korra finale. It was pretty good. I liked how they handled korras character growth (finally). The action was great and you could really feel the bump in the animation budget.
Only thing I didn't like at all was the ending. It could have been a good or even great end for the season, but this is the end of the show as well as the entire avatar universe. I wasn't really satisfied on that note.
Only thing I didn't like at all was the ending. It could have been a good or even great end for the season, but this is the end of the show as well as the entire avatar universe. I wasn't really satisfied on that note.
Saucycarpdog
Member
So isn't the same animation company that made Korra partnering with Nick again to make a new show? I thought I heard something by about that.
Astral Dog
Member
One whole year? thats harsh, i would go insane in a few months.
No, Studio Mir is working with Dreamworks to produce four new animated TV shows.
Jesus.
I lost an avatar bet on PersonaGAF once, and I was dreading the six months I had to have it. Thankfully, one of my cohorts reneged after a week and the person giving the bet out decided to just cancel the whole thing.
Saucycarpdog
Member
Dammit
Netflix is actually making their own animated shows right now but I highly doubt they want to put as much money as Nick did into animation.
I still can't believe you did this, you made a huge mistake. Should have had more faith in Korrasami.
You never know. At any rate, while I don't think anyone will pick up the ATLA universe, I think there are plenty of people waving money around who would want to work with Bryke. Hopefully they will be able to make something new with a good budget that isn't hamstrung by Nick in the many ways that Korra was.
I hope it brings us characters and a world that can at least rival avatar. and I hope it comes soon
NipplesAndToes23
Member
We need to make sure this gif is posted in every Avatar related thread. It's too good to be forgotten.
What anime is this? It might be the first one I've fucked with for a while.
(stolen without shame from heartlighting)
So, in stage shows, final bows are super important. The smallest parts bow first, the leads bow last, and the best way to totally fuck with your actors as a director is to make their bows earlier than they should be or put them with people who played less important characters. Stick a main character too early, and theyll be rightfully insulted.
The last shots of a show or a movie work on the same principle. You wrap up your character arcs roughly in the order most important to the story, then to the main character, if you have a central one like Korra. LOKs finale was a great example of this, and their use of staging and structure just points big, fat arrows at Korrasami being legitimately queer and canon.
Our last scene is at Varrick and Zhu Lis wedding, and its lovely. (Seriously, that sermon made me cry, fuck you Bolin.) It also features a rather pointed speech about true love while panning over the audience, and we see Varrick and Zhu Li in this pose:
Holding both hands, loving gazes. Theyre getting married, yay! But the speech + that image primes the audience. In TV speak, theyre basically shouting SOMEONES GONNA SHACK UP, AW YEAH. Despite its relative lack of romance this season compared to previous ones (or even the original series), LOK in general is a very romantic show. Korra may have been single this year, but Bataar, Jr./Kuvira, the handling of past Makorra, and the realizations of love between Varrick and Zhu Li were pretty important. We, as an audience, expect (correctly) that when someone starts foreshadowing stuff about love, were about to get something romantic between more important characters than Varrick and Zhu Li.
So the vows wrap, the happy couple does the thing, and we get some quick shots of the ensemble cast having fun at the wedding. Bolin and Opal clearly made up, we see some minor characters who havent been around in a while, we get a glimpse of Pema and toddler Rohan. We get the feeling that all is well. So theres Varrick and the general ensemble wrapping up their arcs.
Next on the list is the literal fate of the Earth Kingdom, as told by soon-to-not-be-Prince Wu, guest starring Mako and Korra. Wu may be a relatively new character, but he tells us something incredibly important, so he gets higher billing than Varricks marriage or the ensemble but (again), because hes not telling us personal information about the core cast, he still takes his bow before a character like Mako.
Wu leaves, and by my video player, were 40:22 into a 44:15 minute finale (including the credits, which take just under a minute). In a half hour show (shit, even in an hour long show), that is a buttload of time. I looked at Korra and Mako together and thought wait, shit, this is too early for a shipping moment! Stories dont work that way whatareyoudoing?. Theres no way theyre going to devote three minutes (or slightly less) to wrapping up a ship, and we hadnt even seen Tenzin!
Yeah, I was about 99% convinced until the end of this episode that Makorra was going to be endgame. Not because I shipped it (I did, but I preferred Korrasami), but because Id made assumptions based on the ships longevity and my own cynicism. As a lesbian, Im used to being let down by the storylines that Should Have Happened. At this stage in the game, Korrasami made the most sense with the build up theyd given Korra and Asamis friendship, but Makorra was much more likely because thats just how things are done in such a heavily heteronormative culture (and in Bryke-made media).
This isnt hate, here. I like Makorra. Id have been disappointed that Korrasami didnt happen, but pretty happy if Makorra had been endgame. Fact is, theyre not.
When TV shows and movies take bows like this, their most important relationship always goes last. Sometimes that relationship is the one with themselves, like the way Korra ended season 3. Whereas Last Airbender was a very long but single story to tell, LOK has always been pretty contained in its seasons, introducing brand new arcs that start and wrap before the finale, having a new villain every year, that sort of thing. Its the result of not knowing if theyd get more than one season, and then that setup just worked. If I remember right, they knew they had 2-4 in the bag, which let them set up more connections from one to the next.
Last time they thought the last episode was the last episode ever, they ended it with Korras romantic connection, like so:
They did the same with the last shot of The Last Airbender:
Its fair to say that Bryke puts a very high priority on romance, and the shows they produce say friendship and family are incredibly important, but romantic relationships are special to the point of taking precedence over everything else when we lay out our priorities. Im not saying this is a good or a bad thing. Its how Avatar rolls, and agree or disagree with the pairing involved, I acknowledge it and enjoy the ride.
SO! Getting back to Makorra: the fact that we see them talking before Korra gets her personal closure is a big sign that theyre over each other, or at least officially finished with their romantic relationship. The exchange they have is touching, and their friendship is clearly stronger for having once been romantic. And while I think theres still something on Makos end
Its pretty much over for Korra
In my personal interpretation, when I watched it thinking whelp, heres our Makorra endgame, I was a little put off? Not because its a bad scene, obviously, but her expression is touched and admiring, rather than wow, Im still so in love with you. It could go either way, but I saw that face and felt disheartened, because I thought for a second they just werent going to make ANYTHING endgame, and Im a big old shipper at heart. I really do like Makorra and would have cheered for them if they stayed together.
Mako and Korra get about 20 seconds alone onscreen to talk about their relationship before we switch over to a shot of Korra outside the party. Then Tenzin enters at 40:53 for his final bow and, because hes Korras mentor, this is also when we get the end of Korras personal arc where she talks about everything shes learned, and takes stock of how her life has changed.
This is Korra being finished. She started one place, she ended another, her onscreen journey is basically over. Shes grown out of her fatal flaws and has adopted a great sense of empathy. Korras always been an intensely personal show, probably moreso than Airbender, and her compassion toward Kuvira is this series version of the Lionturtle teaching Aang to spirit bend. Korras personal arc also illustrates how Bryke have grown as writers; the build up to her kindness toward Kuvira is much better foreshadowed and structured than the Lionturtle. Bravo, guys.
Asami enters at 41:53, signalling the end of Korras personal moment (or minute, to be precise) with her arc. What happens after this has to do with Korras future. Her past is dealt with, her present is acknowledged and wrapped up, and Tenzins purpose as a mentor is fulfilled. This is why love interests tend to be the last thing you see: once characters start looking to their future, their romantic partner tends to be a significant factor in that. Having a romance that lasts beyond the final battle is a reward for the main character, because the story no longer demands that their relationship have conflict. Its why a LOT of fiction has a kiss or a hug or a romantic gesture as part of the final scene; its over, so its safe to be together, both for them and for the audience.
So, Asami cutting in on Korras personal realization? Super important. If theyd wanted to end with Makorra, they would have wrapped Asamis personal arc just after Wus, and Mako would have stepped in on Tenzin and Korra instead.
But he didnt. Asami did.
Asamis a character with a pretty important arc, too, so HER stuff also needed to be wrapped up in order for her to consider her future. We get this beautiful moment where Korra invites Asami to sit with her (unprompted, instead of in response to Asami inviting her back to the party):
Korra apologizes for disappearing at the end of season 3:
Asami says shes just happy shes alive and has nothing to apologize for:
Thereby wrapping up any potential conflict or insecurity left in their past relationship. Remember that Asami was the only person Korra wanted any contact with while she was back in the Water Tribe recuperating. Bringing that up again does a good job of reminding us that Asami was her support, as much as Korra was willing to accept, and before writing to her was also the one to help Korra dress and hold her hand when she was anxious.
Asami says she doesnt know how she could handle losing Korra AND her father in the same day, and we get the most touching hug to ever hug oh my god look at them:
-cough- Sorry. Serious analysis here. Promise.
Asami says shes glad she was able to forgive, and then changes the subject. So theres her character arc, theres her final bow, and she has higher billing than Tenzin. This is the story telling us that Asamis relationship with Korra is more important than the one Korra has with politics, Mako, or her mentor. Its a big fucking deal.
Now Korra has to take her bow, and for the main character to bow out of the story, we need to get a sense of what happens afterward (even if the conclusion we get is Ill make it up as I go or shit I have no idea what will happen now, that counts as looking toward the future, too). So Korra and Asami talk about needing a break, Asami off-handedly mentions a vacation, and Korra jumps on that plan like a puppy on bacon.
She even realizes how strongly shes coming on and looks bashful about it.
They agree to go to the Spirit World, and we get this beautiful shot:
Intentionally or not, the Spirit Portal is now framed by the colors of the bisexual pride flag. Whoop.
After a timeskip of undetermined length, our final shot of the series is Korra and Asami approaching the Spirit Portal
Taking each others hands
And then they do this:
Please note that when they turn, they reach for each other with both hands, putting them in the exact same position as Varrick and Zhu Li during their wedding.
After the final shot, the camera pans up for the ending screen and goes to credits. Korra and Asami are offscreen at 43:33, clocking them in at 1 minute and 40 seconds of screentime.
As Legend of Korra ends, Korra walks to her future, but heres the thing: shes not looking ahead. Youd expect that a girl without a romantic partner right about now would be looking forward, into the Spirit World.
But shes not. Shes looking at Asami. This is not platonic. This is a direct visual parallel. If they meant for them to be read as Just Friends, they would have stepped into the portal and kept their backs to the camera, but they didnt, because theyre queer as shit. This isnt a couple of ladies on a road trip, this is Korra and Asami practically eloping. Narratively, they may as well have had a double wedding, because this is super fucking queer. Repeating this kind of visual all of five minutes apart is not an accident. We already mentally associate this image with Bolins speech about true love. This is basic, basic staging, and Bryke is talented enough and smart enough not to do this by accident.
We didnt get a kiss, or an explicit declaration of love, but we still have to remember where this airs and to what demographic. LGBT+ issues are still considered special interests in this industry, especially when you start talking about a childrens cartoon that airs overseas. This is Avatar, not Archer, and that makes a huge difference. The show is already struggling, owing mostly to being taken off television, and LGBT+ characters and storylines are still considered a risk in the industry. In that light, this scene and this relationship is beautifully done, intentionally staged, and canon as fuck. In terms of bows, this is Korra running up to the audience, taking her bow, and laying one on Asami while the crowd cheers and the curtain closes.
Well fucking done, Korra. Well done.
----
Also, the only thing DiMartino has posted in ~2 weeks is this
image source
a link to an article about how Korra and Asami are bisexuals on a kids' show. I'm calling that creator confirmation.
So, in stage shows, final bows are super important. The smallest parts bow first, the leads bow last, and the best way to totally fuck with your actors as a director is to make their bows earlier than they should be or put them with people who played less important characters. Stick a main character too early, and theyll be rightfully insulted.
The last shots of a show or a movie work on the same principle. You wrap up your character arcs roughly in the order most important to the story, then to the main character, if you have a central one like Korra. LOKs finale was a great example of this, and their use of staging and structure just points big, fat arrows at Korrasami being legitimately queer and canon.
Our last scene is at Varrick and Zhu Lis wedding, and its lovely. (Seriously, that sermon made me cry, fuck you Bolin.) It also features a rather pointed speech about true love while panning over the audience, and we see Varrick and Zhu Li in this pose:
Holding both hands, loving gazes. Theyre getting married, yay! But the speech + that image primes the audience. In TV speak, theyre basically shouting SOMEONES GONNA SHACK UP, AW YEAH. Despite its relative lack of romance this season compared to previous ones (or even the original series), LOK in general is a very romantic show. Korra may have been single this year, but Bataar, Jr./Kuvira, the handling of past Makorra, and the realizations of love between Varrick and Zhu Li were pretty important. We, as an audience, expect (correctly) that when someone starts foreshadowing stuff about love, were about to get something romantic between more important characters than Varrick and Zhu Li.
So the vows wrap, the happy couple does the thing, and we get some quick shots of the ensemble cast having fun at the wedding. Bolin and Opal clearly made up, we see some minor characters who havent been around in a while, we get a glimpse of Pema and toddler Rohan. We get the feeling that all is well. So theres Varrick and the general ensemble wrapping up their arcs.
Next on the list is the literal fate of the Earth Kingdom, as told by soon-to-not-be-Prince Wu, guest starring Mako and Korra. Wu may be a relatively new character, but he tells us something incredibly important, so he gets higher billing than Varricks marriage or the ensemble but (again), because hes not telling us personal information about the core cast, he still takes his bow before a character like Mako.
Wu leaves, and by my video player, were 40:22 into a 44:15 minute finale (including the credits, which take just under a minute). In a half hour show (shit, even in an hour long show), that is a buttload of time. I looked at Korra and Mako together and thought wait, shit, this is too early for a shipping moment! Stories dont work that way whatareyoudoing?. Theres no way theyre going to devote three minutes (or slightly less) to wrapping up a ship, and we hadnt even seen Tenzin!
Yeah, I was about 99% convinced until the end of this episode that Makorra was going to be endgame. Not because I shipped it (I did, but I preferred Korrasami), but because Id made assumptions based on the ships longevity and my own cynicism. As a lesbian, Im used to being let down by the storylines that Should Have Happened. At this stage in the game, Korrasami made the most sense with the build up theyd given Korra and Asamis friendship, but Makorra was much more likely because thats just how things are done in such a heavily heteronormative culture (and in Bryke-made media).
This isnt hate, here. I like Makorra. Id have been disappointed that Korrasami didnt happen, but pretty happy if Makorra had been endgame. Fact is, theyre not.
When TV shows and movies take bows like this, their most important relationship always goes last. Sometimes that relationship is the one with themselves, like the way Korra ended season 3. Whereas Last Airbender was a very long but single story to tell, LOK has always been pretty contained in its seasons, introducing brand new arcs that start and wrap before the finale, having a new villain every year, that sort of thing. Its the result of not knowing if theyd get more than one season, and then that setup just worked. If I remember right, they knew they had 2-4 in the bag, which let them set up more connections from one to the next.
Last time they thought the last episode was the last episode ever, they ended it with Korras romantic connection, like so:
They did the same with the last shot of The Last Airbender:
Its fair to say that Bryke puts a very high priority on romance, and the shows they produce say friendship and family are incredibly important, but romantic relationships are special to the point of taking precedence over everything else when we lay out our priorities. Im not saying this is a good or a bad thing. Its how Avatar rolls, and agree or disagree with the pairing involved, I acknowledge it and enjoy the ride.
SO! Getting back to Makorra: the fact that we see them talking before Korra gets her personal closure is a big sign that theyre over each other, or at least officially finished with their romantic relationship. The exchange they have is touching, and their friendship is clearly stronger for having once been romantic. And while I think theres still something on Makos end
Its pretty much over for Korra
In my personal interpretation, when I watched it thinking whelp, heres our Makorra endgame, I was a little put off? Not because its a bad scene, obviously, but her expression is touched and admiring, rather than wow, Im still so in love with you. It could go either way, but I saw that face and felt disheartened, because I thought for a second they just werent going to make ANYTHING endgame, and Im a big old shipper at heart. I really do like Makorra and would have cheered for them if they stayed together.
Mako and Korra get about 20 seconds alone onscreen to talk about their relationship before we switch over to a shot of Korra outside the party. Then Tenzin enters at 40:53 for his final bow and, because hes Korras mentor, this is also when we get the end of Korras personal arc where she talks about everything shes learned, and takes stock of how her life has changed.
This is Korra being finished. She started one place, she ended another, her onscreen journey is basically over. Shes grown out of her fatal flaws and has adopted a great sense of empathy. Korras always been an intensely personal show, probably moreso than Airbender, and her compassion toward Kuvira is this series version of the Lionturtle teaching Aang to spirit bend. Korras personal arc also illustrates how Bryke have grown as writers; the build up to her kindness toward Kuvira is much better foreshadowed and structured than the Lionturtle. Bravo, guys.
Asami enters at 41:53, signalling the end of Korras personal moment (or minute, to be precise) with her arc. What happens after this has to do with Korras future. Her past is dealt with, her present is acknowledged and wrapped up, and Tenzins purpose as a mentor is fulfilled. This is why love interests tend to be the last thing you see: once characters start looking to their future, their romantic partner tends to be a significant factor in that. Having a romance that lasts beyond the final battle is a reward for the main character, because the story no longer demands that their relationship have conflict. Its why a LOT of fiction has a kiss or a hug or a romantic gesture as part of the final scene; its over, so its safe to be together, both for them and for the audience.
So, Asami cutting in on Korras personal realization? Super important. If theyd wanted to end with Makorra, they would have wrapped Asamis personal arc just after Wus, and Mako would have stepped in on Tenzin and Korra instead.
But he didnt. Asami did.
Asamis a character with a pretty important arc, too, so HER stuff also needed to be wrapped up in order for her to consider her future. We get this beautiful moment where Korra invites Asami to sit with her (unprompted, instead of in response to Asami inviting her back to the party):
Korra apologizes for disappearing at the end of season 3:
Asami says shes just happy shes alive and has nothing to apologize for:
Thereby wrapping up any potential conflict or insecurity left in their past relationship. Remember that Asami was the only person Korra wanted any contact with while she was back in the Water Tribe recuperating. Bringing that up again does a good job of reminding us that Asami was her support, as much as Korra was willing to accept, and before writing to her was also the one to help Korra dress and hold her hand when she was anxious.
Asami says she doesnt know how she could handle losing Korra AND her father in the same day, and we get the most touching hug to ever hug oh my god look at them:
-cough- Sorry. Serious analysis here. Promise.
Asami says shes glad she was able to forgive, and then changes the subject. So theres her character arc, theres her final bow, and she has higher billing than Tenzin. This is the story telling us that Asamis relationship with Korra is more important than the one Korra has with politics, Mako, or her mentor. Its a big fucking deal.
Now Korra has to take her bow, and for the main character to bow out of the story, we need to get a sense of what happens afterward (even if the conclusion we get is Ill make it up as I go or shit I have no idea what will happen now, that counts as looking toward the future, too). So Korra and Asami talk about needing a break, Asami off-handedly mentions a vacation, and Korra jumps on that plan like a puppy on bacon.
She even realizes how strongly shes coming on and looks bashful about it.
They agree to go to the Spirit World, and we get this beautiful shot:
Intentionally or not, the Spirit Portal is now framed by the colors of the bisexual pride flag. Whoop.
After a timeskip of undetermined length, our final shot of the series is Korra and Asami approaching the Spirit Portal
Taking each others hands
And then they do this:
Please note that when they turn, they reach for each other with both hands, putting them in the exact same position as Varrick and Zhu Li during their wedding.
After the final shot, the camera pans up for the ending screen and goes to credits. Korra and Asami are offscreen at 43:33, clocking them in at 1 minute and 40 seconds of screentime.
As Legend of Korra ends, Korra walks to her future, but heres the thing: shes not looking ahead. Youd expect that a girl without a romantic partner right about now would be looking forward, into the Spirit World.
But shes not. Shes looking at Asami. This is not platonic. This is a direct visual parallel. If they meant for them to be read as Just Friends, they would have stepped into the portal and kept their backs to the camera, but they didnt, because theyre queer as shit. This isnt a couple of ladies on a road trip, this is Korra and Asami practically eloping. Narratively, they may as well have had a double wedding, because this is super fucking queer. Repeating this kind of visual all of five minutes apart is not an accident. We already mentally associate this image with Bolins speech about true love. This is basic, basic staging, and Bryke is talented enough and smart enough not to do this by accident.
We didnt get a kiss, or an explicit declaration of love, but we still have to remember where this airs and to what demographic. LGBT+ issues are still considered special interests in this industry, especially when you start talking about a childrens cartoon that airs overseas. This is Avatar, not Archer, and that makes a huge difference. The show is already struggling, owing mostly to being taken off television, and LGBT+ characters and storylines are still considered a risk in the industry. In that light, this scene and this relationship is beautifully done, intentionally staged, and canon as fuck. In terms of bows, this is Korra running up to the audience, taking her bow, and laying one on Asami while the crowd cheers and the curtain closes.
Well fucking done, Korra. Well done.
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Also, the only thing DiMartino has posted in ~2 weeks is this
image source
a link to an article about how Korra and Asami are bisexuals on a kids' show. I'm calling that creator confirmation.
Chezzymann
Member
We need a separate thread without this korrasami stuff. Thats literally all this thread is, and if you want to discuss anything else, you're gonna be SOL.
What would you like to talk about?
I know!
Well just talk about it and people will reply.
Also, I am glad Korrasami happened, but it would have been about a million times better with some organic progression. I guess we can just interpret everything as unspoken, and something that Korra and Asami sort of realized maybe around season 3 ish, but eh.
Also, I am glad Korrasami happened, but it would have been about a million times better with some organic progression. I guess we can just interpret everything as unspoken, and something that Korra and Asami sort of realized maybe around season 3 ish, but eh.
You don't get a vote after that terribad op.
It's not my fault. If you guys just listened and didn't post any terribad Kuvira shops none of this would have happen.
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