Fair point.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The Legend of Korra: Book 4 |OT2| ALL HAIL THE GREAT UNITER
- Thread starter Toa TAK
- Start date
- Status
Fair point.
I actually liked the final three episodes. Wasn't expecting that. Hell, I even liked Kuvira's odd motive dump; it did a nice job of reflecting on what was wrong with Korra's behavior in season 2.
And the ending romance scene was way better than the awful romance in Season 1 and 2. If you're going to have romance in an action show, either do a damn good job or reduce it to a minor role like Season 4 did.
Season 4 started with a bang, slowed to a boring and shitty crawl, and then had a decent finale. I'd rank it a bit above Season 1, which had better animation but a much worse finale.
Season 3 is still the best by far though.
And the ending romance scene was way better than the awful romance in Season 1 and 2. If you're going to have romance in an action show, either do a damn good job or reduce it to a minor role like Season 4 did.
Season 4 started with a bang, slowed to a boring and shitty crawl, and then had a decent finale. I'd rank it a bit above Season 1, which had better animation but a much worse finale.
Season 3 is still the best by far though.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
people should stop responding to googleplex's korrasami posts, he's been on an anti-korrasami crusade since day 0 and honestly it won't contribute anything to the conversation
googleplex
Member
Remember, Mako and Bolin have been basically living on the street since they were kids. I don't think Mako had friends outside of Bolin. In some ways he was even more isoliated then Korra. Korra had at lest Tenzen and Katara and her parents.
Nah the announcer guys name is Shiro Shinobi. I think Trey is talking about that girl Zuko dated in Book 2 maybe?
Watching the commentary and pretty amazed that Bryke's initial concept of Kuvira has been constantly kicked around since Book 1; the idea that an Earth King or Queen wanted to take back Republic City since it was originally Earth Kingdom territory. They even wanted to do that for the Earth Queen in Book 3. Pretty cool, I thought.
Three people demo'd a skyscraper and threw it with their bending. A single person created lava that destroyed a mountainside. People can shoot lighting out of their finger tips at will. People can functionally fly.
Benders are the entirety of the police force, by all appearances are the entirety of the armed military, and at the time were the undisputed leaders of Republic City, making the Earth Queen the only apparent nonbender in the entire world leading his or her country.
This is part of what makes Endgame, and season 1, so disappointing. A legitimate question was raised in the context of the Avatarverse - a question that has significant real world parallels. This same question was made the literal setting of the show, back when season 1 was thought to be all there was to the Legend of Korra. This question made for interesting drama, which was enough for the show to run on for much of the first season. But by season's end, it was destroyed, discredited, and swept under the rug; all in nonsensical fashion.
That Superman post set me off because I'm not seeing why it was posted other than to say "OH HERE'S A CARTOON THAT HAD A LESBIAN COUPLE! YOU'RE ALL WRONG!"
Like seriously, that shit is insensitive as fuck. Good on Superman TAS's writers? I mean, call me when that show has as much weight behind it as LoK does now.
And besides, all the positivity behind Korrasami being canon is a bit more than some shippers being right...
Very disappointing indeed. The concept of how powerless a non-bender can be compared to a bender was one of the best and logical questions to pursue right after watching A:TLA.
At first it annoyed me how privileged some benders were about their powers, especially Korra at the end of Book 1, but I think I can see where they come from as far as the spiritualism goes.
I do think it would've been completely baller for a character to give up their powers for a reason bigger than them, or for someone like in a show I have mentioned countless time in this thread but won't repeat due to spoilers.
That shiftless airbender from season 3. I guess his name isn't Jin.
It's Ryu. I knew it was some three letter name that I know best for belonging to a fighting game character.
googleplex
Member
I've been of a bad ending/terrible pacing crusade since day one. Just because I'm not joining in the Korrasami circle jerk doesn't mean I have any motives outside of being a fan of the show disappointed with the many flaws of TLOK. I've already been called a homophobe for daring to complain about the terrible buildup of the ending relationship.
Korrasami is just one a list a things that could have been done better. HELL i wish it had. It would have given Asami something to be apart of instead of being mostly MIA the last two books. I wish the writers had given me proper Korrasami.
It's even worse when you think about the fact that it's never brought up again in the entire show. You'd think you would still come across mistreatment of non-benders and such but they either get airbending or are totally cool that everyone around them have superpowers and they're the rest of the world's bitch.
Astral Dog
Member
Masami was not much better either, really, Mako is better single, otherwise he ruins the other characters.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
uh, no? You spent like the first 4 hours after the finale trying desperately to convince us that they were just best friends. Then the tumblr post came and you moved to goalpost to "uh i'm just complaining about the bad writting!". I don't really care if you're an homophone or not, but it's really annoying at this point how Korrasami bashing is ALL you do.
Bryke just waved it away by saying Republic City has a non bender president now. No need to go back on that subject now.
googleplex
Member
Again that just isn't how the Avatar world is set up. Bad benders are mistreating everyone they met. Benders and non-benders alike. One of Republic cities founding members(Sokka) was a non-bender. The two richest men are nonbenders and two of the bending main characters (Mako and Bolin) were dirt poor and practically homeless. The anti-bending movement just doesn't make sense in that world.
Yep. While I love Season 3, Korra would have been a much more interesting show if the nonbender dilemma was actually treated with the respect and attention such a plot point deserves.
Gotta agree. Mako works best on his own.
googleplex
Member
I spent the 4 four hour saying that all that was ever shown of those two. The "it was so obvious" stuff was and still is bullshit.
This begs the question if an Avatar is an Avatar if her bending is removed.
Not to delve too much into wishful thinking, but I really would've liked to see her defeat Amon without bending, and then Korra manages to find her spiritual side from personal enlightenment and not from desperation. Perhaps from here, she'd get her powers back after finally tapping into her soul, and come out having more respect for her bending abilities considering bending is not necessary to live.
I've always dug stories like that.
Not to delve too much into wishful thinking, but I really would've liked to see her defeat Amon without bending, and then Korra manages to find her spiritual side from personal enlightenment and not from desperation. Perhaps from here, she'd get her powers back after finally tapping into her soul, and come out having more respect for her bending abilities considering bending is not necessary to live.
I've always dug stories like that.
I actually feel that Mako works best when he's teamed up with Bolin.
Both characters work great together.
These two. Maggie Sawyer was awesome.
I'm pretty sure that was her kid.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
I imagine the Amon conflict would've been tied into the other seasons more nicely, including maybe not killing him off so early, if Nick would've just told Bryke they had 4 seasons from the start.
You really do have a hatred for it because you spent a great deal of time in OT1 insisting that it was just a friendship and you continue to rail on it even after the creators already confirmed the obvious.
It's tiresome.
I don't even know why you bothered to bring up Toby Raynes and Maggie Sawyer when Toby appeared in only one episode in the Superman animated series plus I think she was left unnamed. Unless you were familiar with the comics, you would have had no idea who the character was or about her relationship to Sawyer. Like Wildfire stated, she assumed it was her kid.
googleplex
Member
I disagree. Bolin out on his own, actually did stuff with his life. became a mover star and a high ranking official in Kuvira's army. Mako went on to be a bad ass detective.
yeah same.
a segue into book 2 would've been great. like Korra loses her powers, and she decides she's going to join her uncle in the North Pole considering how heavy he is into the workings of the spirit world.
End book 1 there.
m_shortpants
Member
Well, I meant that they actually showed their relationship. Accidentally bumping into one another, going on dates, all that. The carriage scene comes to mind as well.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
Hey I guess there's that part where Korra and Mako are sharing a cotton candy together.
isn't it sad that's like the only happy moment they share on screen
googleplex
Member
If they were given a full run I think someone like Zaheer and the red lotus would have been better bad guys throughout the season.
Yes. They still have Raava within them so it counts.
I was toying with how an Avatar would deal with being disabled in some way to the point where they couldn't bend properly.
It would be interesting to see how an Avatar would handle having all that responsibility yet not being mega ultra powerful like Aang or Korra.
Yeah, you're definitely right there.
It seems like the writers realized that too, based on the end of Season 4.
Wait, you actually liked the Mako subplot in Season 2?
SilentMatthew
Member
#AmonWasRight
The avatarverse is in need of a proper effing shakeup. With the means of industrialization, there's now a way for the common non-bender to be competitive against the bourgeois bender, either petite or major. I bet chi-blocking is still illegal in republic city to appease the powerful minority, the ones who control the police,military and presumably the political landscape.
As for the Earth Kingdom, it was effed in terms of inequality and self-interested states like Zaofu. Kuvira was right that Zaofu was prosperous in terms of tech and education, in times of crisis and opportunity, is it wrong to not extend these gifts to those who need it the most? Especially when they are your own countrymen.
Yet, despite these obvious calls for change, the universe sides against modern people like Amon, Zaheer and Kuvirva (if they not effed by Byke).
googleplex
Member
Like most things in season two it could have been executed much better, but I think it went a long way to building Mako's character. I hated Mako for most of season 1 he started to win me over in season 2.
googleplex
Member
The entirety of Amon's end game was stupid. what exactly did he hope to accomplish?
Yeahhhhh trying to pass off Korrasami as next to nothing by showing that as evidence of some kind is some weakass shit.
Lead character of color =/= white minor character.
Remove bending to stop people from abusing it to hurt other people. Start with taking over Republic City to achieve this, then the rest of the world.
It was a pretty simple goal, outside the wrinkle that he was using bending and was a big doo-doo head hypocrite.
googleplex
Member
Nope that was her Girl friend.
Well we'Il have to disagree with that as I didn't really care too much for Bolin by himself in Book 2 as he became a tad too idiotic for my liking. I really enjoyed both of their brotherly bonding moments in Book 3.
I really did enjoy the varrick/bolin pairing up in Book 4 though, worked surprisingly well.
Trying to disregard the importance of Korrasami being canon just because another show had a lesbian couple is incredibly fucked up and petty. How dare you.
Wasn't he planning to rule everyone by being the only bender, too? :/
If the show was in more competent hands, I don't think Amon would've been a bender at all. He'd either be some spirit itself or some scary nonbender who kidnapped benders to do surgery on their chi points to server them.
I'd figure once the Earth Avatar comes around nonbenders will be able to negate their inherent disadvantage with technology. We already see that in TLOK with Asami's glove and the suits etc.
Lol this is true.
However, a part of me would really REALLY like the characters to acknowledge why guns aren't a thing in the universe.
I know it's a children's show, so I've been letting that slide since Book 1.
I liked it, but it (Along with many other things) contributed to Book 4's snail-like pace. After the two escaped the train, they should have gotten back to Republic City offscreen.
As far as I could tell, no.
Virtually everyone agrees with this. Among being a bender castrated him.
I don't think Amon was planning to rule by being the only nonbender. My assessment of the character was that he truly believed in his ideals but had to become an entirely different person in order to achieve his goal.
Not even that. Her partner appeared in like one episode and was easily mistaken as a friend/sister/daughter. Didn't even mention her name lol
So it's like this:
googleplex
Member
First no one is disregarding the importance of anything. Korrasami was terribly terribly executed. But people are giving it more importance to the show and characters themselves then they should. Korrsamai just doesn't matter to teh story or to the characters involved become nothing of that relationship was ever built up.
While I can understand why people think it was a major first step having LBTG relationships in children s media doesn't make it automatically immune to criticism in its execution.
It seems like offensive bending filled in the niche well enough for armies that they never saw a need to invent the firearm. The Equalists are the only force that had a need to invent non-bending warfare, and they just never thought of it.
Though that brings up the question of why the superweapon looks like a giant gun.
Why? I enjoyed the more understated direction for the romance.
X
Xpike
Unconfirmed Member
eh, guns wouldn't really work against earth, fire or airbending really. only water bending is vulnerable and even then I assume they could heal bullets really easy. Asami is better off inventing something less useless.
Amon had so much damn promise, as well as the concept of the Equalists.
It would've been kinda nuts if Amon was a nonbender who just militarized people to go and kill benders randomly.
Not like that would happen in a Nick show, but still, that would be a situation where the audience could sympathize with him but realize he had to be stopped.
I dunno. I think a gun could pose a significant threat in the Avatar-verse against standard benders.
Also, it's odd how there's cannons and giant mechs even lol. However, as a show on Nick, I can definitely see why guns aren't a thing.
It would've been kinda nuts if Amon was a nonbender who just militarized people to go and kill benders randomly.
Not like that would happen in a Nick show, but still, that would be a situation where the audience could sympathize with him but realize he had to be stopped.
I dunno. I think a gun could pose a significant threat in the Avatar-verse against standard benders.
Also, it's odd how there's cannons and giant mechs even lol. However, as a show on Nick, I can definitely see why guns aren't a thing.
googleplex
Member
Which is weird because all the cartoons I grew up with had tons of guns but little to no deaths or suicide.
Yeah, that's the thing. This is why I often bring up how AtLA has the beginning stages of the writing problems that prove to be Legend of Korra's largest issues.
Ultimately, the bender-nonbender "conflict" is basically about power. The driving force of the entire Avatar franchise is understanding and utilizing power. Bending is power, the Avatar is power. But neither show, not even AtLA, really respected the concept of power.
AtLA addresses head on the very topic that would go on to become LoK's season one theme: how benders are much, much more powerful than non-benders. And Sokka's conclusion in the episode is solely contained to his perspective, and doesn't at all speak to the wider situation of the power a bender wields in comparison to his or her nonbending peers.
The writers of AtLA explicitly looked this particular plot point in the eye, and ignored it in the exact same manner that LoK did. By the end of Book Fire, benders are flying and shooting one hundred foot tall flames out of their hands, while Sokka's moonsword (the physical takeaway of him making peace with his nonbender status) goes spiraling away uselessly during a life and death confrontation. Master Piandao takes out a few dudes while Jeong Jeong takes out an entire battalion.
They even bring Sokka back as a flashback in the LoK to talk about all the awesome and crazy shit benders can do, right before a guy solos an entire room of the most powerful people in the world without lifting a finger.
It's all the same thing. I would have preferred they not bring the issue up at all if they were going to blatantly ignore its thematic feasibility. It's easiest to swallow in AtLA because it wasn't a developed thought, and the characters in that series were so rock solid that there's a lot of good to fall back on. But the LoK made power (inequality in particular) its major theme, and tossed it in the bushes; all without having great characters to cushion the fall.
This particular misstep is a franchise staple.
A large appeal of the show is seeing cool shit done with bending, so you can't honestly take that away. But exploring the idea of power under this particular context (literal superhumans) would have been grand. Comics have been chipping away at this topic - mostly without success - for decades.
It would've been a rather simple thing to do to roll all the elements of the show into a clear resolution that makes sense with respect to the established universe, especially with energybending. Then you look at Zaheer, a nonbender who attains bending, and the dots line up even more.
So many ways they could have went with this topic that would have benefited the plot and especially Korra's characterization. Themes like inheritance, duty, and dealing with change are bolstered as a bonus.
eh, it's definitely a cannon to me. They've had cannons and tanks since A:TLA.
I do feel like a gun wouldn't be useful at all when going against a bender unless you caught them by surprise.
- Status