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[QuantumZebra]

Take anything QuantumZebra says when it comes to LoK with the biggest grain of salt in the world.

Of course! I mean obviously Korra was panned by everyone compared to ATLA...

..oops

Spoiler

no people with an axe to grind against LoK here

BTW OP - the first season picks up big time after episode 2

 

[Takyon]

The Southern Raiders is in my Top 5 episodes list. It's not just because it's shockingly dark (off-screen murder, attempted murder, violation of another being, vengeance quest), but it's done in a way that completely jives with how these characters work.

- Zuko would absolutely enable Katara's darker tendencies, with his need to be accepted and forgiven.
- Katara would absolutely resort to anything to track down the person who destroyed her childhood.
- Aang would naturally object to the path that Katara embarks on, but would trust her to pull back.
- Katara would never be able to do what Aang does and forgive those who took away her family, but would have the capacity to forgive Zuko.
- Zuko would totally call Aang out on his peaceful, non-killing stance, having confronted his genocidal father.

The villain being a pathetic shell of a man was such a great subversion of what one would envision the killer to be. That scene at the end - the rain, the music, the composition - damn. I can still remember it after all these years.

I really like some of this episode, but the way in which Sokka and Aang were made into chumps never sat right with me.

Zuko's demeans and disregards the airbender's right to Aang's face and everyone just kinda takes it from the new guy with a very questionable history. Then Sokka and Aang just stand there as the two of them take a risky and completely unnecessary trip, a trip that was conjured up by Zuko to cowardly redirect Katara's (completely deserved) anger towards him elsewhere. He had no real concern for her wellbeing, like Aang and Sokka did. But he gets the big hug and is forgiven at the end.

 

[Jacob]

The thread in NeoGAF itself was a good indicator of the quality imho.

S1= early start everybody hype, everybody rages with that shitty ending.

S2= Everybody hates it except for the 1 or 2 guys with questionable tastes. Lore goes out the window

S3= Absolutely everybody loved it, nitpicky shit about the villain's powers aside. But once again background goes out the window and you gotta go for the ride.

S4= Solid, but disappointing. But then with the ending all of a sudden the shippers forgive everything about the show and pretend it was an amazing season.

I was not quite as fond of Book 3 as most people in the OT, but that seems like a pretty accurate summary to me.

I remember feeling like I was in a minority for my reservations with

Spoiler

the Wan mini-arc in Book 2

for its changes to the lore, as you mention, but I think it was just such a breath of fresh air that most people were in a very forgiving mood. I haven't been active enough in the AvatarGAF OT recently to know what the general mood regarding it is currently.

Of course! I mean obviously Korra was panned by everyone compared to ATLA...





..oops

Spoiler

no people with an axe to grind against LoK here

BTW OP - the first season picks up big time after episode 2

Is this what you had in mind for your previous comment about the critical response? Because none of those figures are based on what critics wrote about the shows.

As I alluded to in my previous post, I think the dedicated fandom was more polarized on Korra than other viewers, so I don't find it surprising that the views of people who care enough to discuss the show on a messageboard are less overwhelmingly positive than the much larger number of people who rated it on IMDb or wherever. That's not to say that one group of viewers is better than the other in any way, but they bring different expectations and priorities with them so I think it's fairly easy to understand why there's a difference in response.

 

[More_Badass]

I didn't see it as a cowardly thing. Definitely more redemptive than anything else, and less a redirect and more a mutual understanding. He can't avenge his mother's fate, but Katara can

 

[DriftingSpirit]

Back on topic, one of the coolest use of bending was the rock and metal armor suits that Aang and Toph would create. Toph going all power-armor on the airship pilots in the finale was so damn satisfying

Seriously, Toph was the best. Sorry, Daredevil, you've been upstaged

Aang's squad was damn strong. Aang being the Avatar obviously makes him OP, Katara defeated Zuko and Azula, Toph was basically the strongest earthbender on the planet and Sokka did what he could lol.

 

[Oddish1]

The thread in NeoGAF itself was a good indicator of the quality imho.

S1= early start everybody hype, everybody rages with that shitty ending.

S2= Everybody hates it except for the 1 or 2 guys with questionable tastes. Lore goes out the window

S3= Absolutely everybody loved it, nitpicky shit about the villain's powers aside. But once again background goes out the window and you gotta go for the ride.

S4= Solid, but disappointing. But then with the ending all of a sudden the shippers forgive everything about the show and pretend it was an amazing season.

Not entirely sure if the opinion of the fandom should be taken as gospel truth either. A lot of people (such as myself) dropped the show hard after season 2 leaving a lot of the more forgiving, die hard fans to sing the praises of season 3 and 4.

 

[QuantumZebra]

I was not quite as fond of Book 3 as most people in the OT, but that seems like a pretty accurate summary to me.

I remember feeling like I was in a minority for my reservations with

Spoiler

the Wan mini-arc in Book 2

for its changes to the lore, as you mention, but I think it was just such a breath of fresh air that most people were in a very forgiving mood. I haven't been active enough in the AvatarGAF OT recently to know what the general mood regarding it is currently.

I find myself utterly befuddled by the weird pockets of people that hate Korra. After seeing it (I saw ATLA years ago) I immediately loved it. My friends are unanimous in liking LoK over ATLA, too.

Maybe it was seeing it more recently, but I thought Korra was great and a far more developed character over time, the supporting cast was equal and fun (no Zuko type character though, he was great), and the action, music, and art were better. ATLA wins on overall story mainly because Korra's was divided into essentially different ideologies each season (racial supremacy, theocracy, anarchy, fascism).

Not to mention it was critically lauded, which makes the hate even more confusing.

Spoiler

and going deeper down the rabbit hole usually yields either dislike for a "strong" female lead, or dislike at the ending

 

[The Hermit]

I discovered this almost exactly 1 year ago

I am still crazy about this show. Its cute and deep at the same time.

I sold this to my friend telling him " its star wars + Matrix 1". He is still grateful to this day

 

[crisdecuba]

I'm not sure why, but watching this show often brings me to tears... not because of any particular scene (though there certainly are specific tear-jerking moments), but because of some vague (though strong) feeling of nostalgia combined with real care and empathy for the characters and their journeys... anyone else experience this?

 

[Da-Kid]

I thought Korra was a few points short of ATLA, but great nonetheless.

 

[Jacob]

I find myself utterly befuddled by the weird pockets of people that hate Korra. After seeing it (I saw ATLA years ago) I immediately loved it. My friends are unanimous in liking LoK over ATLA, too.

Maybe it was seeing it more recently, but I thought Korra was great and a far more developed character over time, the supporting cast was equal and fun (no Zuko type character though, he was great), and the action, music, and art were better. ATLA wins on overall story mainly because Korra's was divided into essentially different ideologies each season (racial supremacy, theocracy, anarchy, fascism).

Not to mention it was critically lauded, which makes the hate even more confusing.

I don't entirely understand why people think Korra compares favorably to Avatar but I recognize that enjoyment of pop culture is a very subjective thing and that other people can have different tastes and priorities than me without being "wrong" in any way. I do agree that in terms of technical stuff -- animation and music particularly -- Korra was clearly the more accomplished show, especially in Book 1 when they had such a large budget. But I thought that the narrative and characters were significantly worse.

Spoiler

I thought the supporting cast was less developed compared to ATLA (largely because the show was so plot-focused and didn't have as much time for side-stories and character development), largely unlikeable (a very subjective opinion of course), and I never felt that the Krew came together as a believable group of characters who would choose to spend time together in the way that the Gaang did. The marginalization of Asami's character by both the other characters and the narrative really rubbed me the wrong way, and her relationship with Korra at the end wasn't enough to make up for her treatment in previous seasons, for me. I think that each season having its own story worked to the show's detriment, especially the rushed conclusion of Book 1 and the complete sweeping-under-the-rug of the fallout from those events, as well as the ridiculous Kaiju battle at the end of Book 2. I found most of the villains to be uninteresting: Unalaq was by far the worst but post-reveal Amon was pretty bad too; Kuvira could have been great but never really went anywhere particularly interesting for me; Zaheer and his crew were great villains though. I did not care for the changes to the Lore and worldbuilding of Avatar, mainly because I thought the new stuff just wasn't as good and wasn't believable as an in-universe mythology the way Avatar's lore had been.

I don't really see how the opinion of professional critics is relevant to my or anyone else's enjoyment of the show or lack thereof.

Spoiler

and going deeper down the rabbit hole usually yields either dislike for a "strong" female lead, or dislike at the ending

Spoiler

I don't really see how anyone can like Avatar either if they have an issue with strong female characters, and most of the staunchest critics of Korra on this site are big fans of the original show. I know there were people who disliked Korra for its "message" regarding gender back when it aired, and I'm sure they're still around, but they were never a significant factor on this site so I'm not really sure why you feel the need to bring it up. And there is plenty to criticize about the character writing in Korra, including the (relative lack of) build up to the romance at the end, without objecting to same-sex relationships.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Of course! I mean obviously Korra was panned by everyone compared to ATLA...





..oops

Spoiler

no people with an axe to grind against LoK here

BTW OP - the first season picks up big time after episode 2

you do realize IMDB isn't the best quality indicator right?


edit: and lmao you were doing this exact same shit before of attempting to take any criticism people had of the show because 'deep down they're sexists'

you know what I'll bite. Prove to me how a show that came out with little to no attention is on the same quality of a show with very few critical reviews you are attempting to call 'critically lauded' up and down and I'm finding absolutely nothing.

 

[QuantumZebra]

you do realize IMDB isn't the best quality indicator right?

IMDB is user voted, TV.com is critic voted, and IGN is obviously gaming media reviewing it

My entire point is that 3 different sides (user, critic, and all-in-one media resource) all rated them roughly equal (.6 diff + ATLA for IMDB, .5 diff + for LoK on IGN, 1 diff + ATLA for TV).

So 3 different sides of reviewing all put them roughly on par with ATLA slightly ahead by ~1 or so. That is a stark narrative to the "LoK is shit" that you see on ATLA threads.

On sites less civilized than NeoGAF it very quickly descends into misogyny and homophobia.

edit: and lmao you were doing this exact same shit before of attempting to take any criticism people had of the show because 'deep down they're sexists

It was a semi-joke referencing the way arguments on ATLA and LoK go on just about every other site. Reference above.

 

[More_Badass]

The two bending battles in the finale are just incredible and utterly gorgeous. Seasons worth of narrative build-up in those minutes and it pays off beautifully

 

[Admiral Woofington]

IMDB is user voted, TV.com is critic voted, and IGN is obviously gaming media reviewing it

My entire point is that 3 different sides (user, critic, and all-in-one media resource) all rated them roughly equal (.6 diff + ATLA for IMDB, .5 diff + for LoK on IGN, 1 diff + ATLA for TV).

So 3 different sides of reviewing all put them roughly on par with ATLA slightly ahead by ~1 or so. That is a stark narrative to the "LoK is shit" that you see on ATLA threads.

On sites less civilized than NeoGAF it very quickly descends into misogyny and homophobia.



It was a semi-joke referencing the way arguments on ATLA and LoK go on just about every other site. Reference above.

A few reviews =/= critically lauded. It had overall positive reviews in the VERY small sample size yes. It was an entertaining shows. But I don't take a sample size this small and immediately make the assumption it's of the same quality.

I can go find three different sites that rank Cowboy Bebop the same as Naruto. I can go ask my friends, they all love naruto just as much as Cowboy Bebop. It doesn't mean I make the assumption "hmmm, clearly Cowboy Bebop is just as good as Naruto"

 

[QuantumZebra]

I don't entirely understand why people think Korra compares favorably to Avatar but I recognize that enjoyment of pop culture is a very subjective thing and that other people can have different tastes and priorities than me without being "wrong" in any way.

Well in the Avatar/Korra fandom that type of reasonable view is rare, trust me.

And the same goes for my friends and I's opinion of how some people think ATLA > LoK.

I don't really see how the opinion of professional critics is relevant to my or anyone else's enjoyment of the show or lack thereof.

IMDB isn't critics, its users, and LoK is only .6 behind ATLA (my point being that the vitriol thrown at Korra is a drastic opposite of the vast majority of people's views on the shows).

A few reviews =/= critically lauded. It had overall positive reviews in the VERY small sample size yes. It was an entertaining shows. But I don't take a sample size this small and immediately make the assumption it's of the same quality.

I can go find three different sites that rank Cowboy Bebop the same as Naruto. It doesn't mean I make the assumption "hmmm, clearly Cowboy Bebop is just as good as Naruto"

Do you know how statistics work?

You don't need gigantic sample sizes to get an idea of general consensus. That's why election polls typically only use ~1000 respondents. Whereas LoK and ATLA have millions of fans. So no, the sample size is massive.

And the Bebop = Naruto is a strawman to the highest degree. They are totally different shows. Korra is literally a sequel to ATLA.

It's clear you don't like LoK but its totally dishonest to pass your dislike for it off as some sort of mass general consensus on it.

 

[Jacob]

IMDB is user voted, TV.com is critic voted, and IGN is obviously gaming media reviewing it

My entire point is that 3 different sides (user, critic, and all-in-one media resource) all rated them roughly equal (.6 diff + ATLA for IMDB, .5 diff + for LoK on IGN, 1 diff + ATLA for TV).

I looked at TV.com's page for Avatar just now and it describes the 9/10 score as a "user rating" and includes a link to reviews written by TV.com users, with an invitation for any visitor to submit a review of their own. I'm not especially familiar with the site but it seems very similar to IMDb's rating system to me. And the IGN review is just that: a single review from one source, not an aggregate of the overall critical response to the show.

So 3 different sides of reviewing all put them roughly on par with ATLA slightly ahead by ~1 or so. That is a stark narrative to the "LoK is shit" that you see on ATLA threads.

I don't think many (if any) of the Korra critics on GAF base their arguments against the show on whether or not it was well-received by critics (I do recall most professional reviews of the show being quite positive). It's fair enough to point out that AvatarGAF is probably not representative of the overall audience of Korra, but I really don't understand the importance you seem to be placing on critical reviews.

 

[the-pi-guy]

Leaves From The Vine

Pure fucking feels. RIP Mako.

:'(
Every freaking time.
Still tear up to this day.

So many great emotional moments driven by amazing characters. Off the top of my head:

God damn, I might need to do a rewatch

Same.

Ha, yeah, as I said in the post, The Blue Spirit was one of the episodes that made the show click for me. I watched that part of the movie on Youtube and it told me everything I need to know about that movie.

It's been a super long time since I've seen it, but this is the part that I remember pissing me off the most.
(This is part of someone's review, couldn't find the exact scene otherwise.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stzFHFyvnB0

 

[QuantumZebra]

I looked at TV.com's page for Avatar just now and it describes the 9/10 score as a "user rating" and includes a link to reviews written by TV.com users, with an invitation for any visitor to submit a review of their own. I'm not especially familiar with the site but it seems very similar to IMDb's rating system to me. And the IGN review is just that: a single review from one source, not an aggregate of the overall critical response to the show.



I don't think many (if any) of the Korra critics on GAF base their arguments against the show on whether or not it was well-received by critics (I do recall most professional reviews of the show being quite positive). It's fair enough to point out that AvatarGAF is probably not representative of the overall audience of Korra, but I really don't understand the importance you seem to be placing on critical reviews.

I have seen countless times where someone watches ATLA and immediately some troll/hater jumps in and goes "Good now never watch Korra" and hate-train rolls in.

Typically once it gets boiled down you end up with A) people calling Korra a Mary Sue (just happened here) when Aang was a Gary Stu himself and B) homophobia

Ex:

Skip Korra like the plague, unless you like watching Mary Sue being rewarded with a Deus ex Machina which completely obliterates her character development.

Its dishonest and unfair to people who might be interested in watching Korra to act like there is a consensus that it sucks. You can be critical of things without trying to pass it off as if the show actually sucks, when it objectively is well-received.

I.E, I thought Jurassic World wasn't a good movie, but I'm not gonna go in a thread for someone watching JP1 and go "Never fucking watch Jurassic World its awful".

 

[KillGore]

Skip Korra like the plague, unless you like watching Mary Sue being rewarded with a Deus ex Machina which completely obliterates her character development.

Dat season 3 tho. Up there with Avatar IMO. It would be a crime for OP to miss on season 3.

I would highly highly recommend you find a way to skip season 2 though. Out of the whole avatar family of shows it's the worst season.

Dat origins story tho. Freaking great.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Well in the Avatar/Korra fandom that type of reasonable view is rare, trust me.

And the same goes for my friends and I's opinion of how some people think ATLA > LoK.



IMDB isn't critics, its users, and LoK is only .6 behind ATLA (my point being that the vitriol thrown at Korra is a drastic opposite of the vast majority of people's views on the shows).



Do you know how statistics work?

You don't need gigantic sample sizes to get an idea of general consensus. That's why election polls typically only use ~1000 respondents. Whereas LoK and ATLA have millions of fans. So no, the sample size is massive.

And the Bebop = Naruto is a strawman to the highest degree. They are totally different shows. Korra is literally a sequel to ATLA.

It's clear you don't like LoK but its totally dishonest to pass your dislike for it off as some sort of mass general consensus on it.

An acceptable sample size is now 5-10 reviews, from 5-10 people, to you to get everybody in general must think the same?

Do you ask around your friends, get a consensus and assume everybody in the state must think the same?

IMDB is a site that ranks Game of Thrones among the top 5 shows of all time. That's not even considering it's above the Wire. And even then the people going to these sites in droves are the massive fans.

I don't go to MyAnimeList look at the top 10 anime of all time and take that as gospel.

 

[QuantumZebra]

An acceptable sample size is now 5-10 reviews, from 5-10 people, to you to get everybody in general must think the same?

Do you ask around your friends, get a consensus and assume everybody in the state must think the same?

IMDB is a site that ranks Game of Thrones among the top 5 shows of all time. That's not even considering it's above the Wire.

I have no clue what you're even talking about there. I literally couldn't make sense of it.

The IMDB ratings for both are composed of 50k+ votes... not 5-10 people. Where are you getting this stuff?

I don't go to MyAnimeList look at the top 10 anime of all time and take that as gospel.

TV.com, IGN, and IMDB are not random blogs - you're clearly building a strawman here in an attempt to act like 50K+ aggregated user reviews are totally irrelevant so you can push the "LoK sucks compared to ATLA" thing you've got going on. Give it up.

Dat season 3 tho. Up there with Avatar IMO



Dat origins story though. Freaking great.

I'd just ignore those posts - people with an agenda and not an actual critique

 

[More_Badass]

Okay, let's not turn this thread into a study on the statistical enjoyment of TLA and Korra

 

[Spring-Loaded]

That Katara revenge mission episode

This was some Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Rikimaru ninja-ass shit right here tho!!!!

 

[KillGore]

I'd just ignore those posts - people with an agenda and not an actual critique

I mean, I get that LoK may not meet the epicness that is TLA but it doesn't mean its bad. Yes the ending felt kind of rushed and the final villain was not as intimidating as Season 3's Villain(s) but it's still very entertaining. The origins story was so good as well. Wish we could get a mini series out of that. Wan was freaking great.

Okay, let's not turn this thread into a study on the statistical enjoyment of TLA and Korra

Just...please don't miss season 3 of LoK. You would regret it. Amazing! I think the main villain might be my favorite one after Azula.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I have no clue what you're even talking about there. I literally couldn't make sense of it.

The IMDB ratings for both are composed of 50k+ votes... not 5-10 people. Where are you getting this stuff?



I'd just ignore those posts - people with an agenda and not an actual critique

I'm talking about the critic reviews. ACTUAL critical reviews. You're using two user based sites and one single critical review site. Why would you trust internet masses voting on their favorite show as a true measure of quality is escaping me.

Go down the list of top 250 shows in IMDB alone and if you don't see something is wrong wihen shows like Death Note are cracking even the top 25% and not immediately equate that ravid fans voting in mass numbers on big name sites for their favorite shows doesn't mean its rating in that site is deserved, then really we're not going to agree.

Regardless I'm done here too, don't want to shit this thread anymore. One thing we do agree on though, he can make his own opinion.

 

[QuantumZebra]

I mean, I get that LoK may not meet the epicness that is TLA but it doesn't mean its bad. Yes the ending felt kind of rushed and the final villain was not as intimidating as Season 3's Villain(s) but it's still very entertaining. The origins story was so good as well. Wish we could get a mini series out of that. Wan was freaking great.

Dark Horse is doing post Season 4 comics! I can't wait

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3767984

I'm talking about the critic reviews. ACTUAL critical reviews. You're using two user based sites and one single critical review site. Why would you trust internet masses voting on their favorite show as a true measure of quality is escaping me.

First it was LoK sucks compared to ATLA

Then it was 5-10 people don't count

Now its 50k+ people don't count, only critics do

If you move the goalposts any more we're gonna be on Pluto

 

[KillGore]

Dark Horse is doing post Season 4 comics! I can't wait

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3767984

Didn't know about this. Thanks!

 

[Jacob]

IMDB isn't critics, its users, and LoK is only .6 behind ATLA (my point being that the vitriol thrown at Korra is a drastic opposite of the vast majority of people's views on the shows).

Ah, I see. I hope you'll forgive my confusion; I was still thinking of your comment on the previous page regarding the aggregate critical response.

You don't need gigantic sample sizes to get an idea of general consensus. That's why election polls typically only use ~1000 respondents. Whereas LoK and ATLA have millions of fans. So no, the sample size is massive.

The IMDb and TV.com ratings clearly indicate that there are plenty of people who liked Korra out there, but let's not act like IMDb users are a representative or random sample of the entire TV-watching public. They aren't.

I have seen countless times where someone watches ATLA and immediately some troll/hater jumps in and goes "Good now never watch Korra" and hate-train rolls in.

Typically once it gets boiled down you end up with A) people calling Korra a Mary Sue (just happened here) when Aang was a Gary Stu himself and B) homophobia

I can sympathize with not being a fan of all the negativity, but I don't think any of the posts in here were trollish in the sense of being made insincerely for the purpose of getting people riled up. I completely agree with you that Korra is not a Mary Sue and I think it's unfortunate how that term gets thrown around so much at seemingly any disliked characters, and there are sometimes unfortunate implications with regards to gender politics lurking pretty close to the surface. But there have been plenty of people who have explained in reasonable detail why they dislike Korra, regardless of whether or not I agree with every criticism. I haven't noticed anyone in this thread criticizing the show for including a prominent same-sex relationship but I did skim part of it so maybe I missed something; my apologies if that's so.

Its dishonest and unfair to people who might be interested in watching Korra to act like there is a consensus that it sucks. You can be critical of things without trying to pass it off as if the show actually sucks, when it objectively is well-received.

I.E, I thought Jurassic World wasn't a good movie, but I'm not gonna go in a thread for someone watching JP1 and go "Never fucking watch Jurassic World its awful".

I firmly disagree that someone expressing their negative opinion of a show, even if it's a very strongly negative opinion, is in any way suggesting that there is a consensus that their view is correct. Regardless of whether a given post begins with the words "in my opinion", I think it's pretty obvious to everyone that we're all just sharing our opinion. The same holds true of professional critics, as I mentioned upthread.

EDIT:

Okay, let's not turn this thread into a study on the statistical enjoyment of TLA and Korra

Didn't see this post until after I made my latest; I'll bow out of this subthread if it's getting too pedantic or negative.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Something that bothered me with Avatar was that the continuation comics almost seemed too serious in tone. If you get a chance to give them a read do so, but it really does show the difference in writing.

The one about Zuko's mom even felt like nothing I'd ever expect in the show.

 

[Hamlet]

Geez like clockwork with every avatar/korra thread

Something that bothered me with Avatar was that the continuation comics almost seemed too serious in tone. If you get a chance to give them a read do so, but it really does show the difference in writing.

The one about Zuko's mom even felt like nothing I'd ever expect in the show.

The plot yeah but I found the tone of the comics to be a whole heap goofier than the show was to it's detriment at times. Weird clash of tones unlike the show. Plus I still think the whole zuko mum thing was dumb as hell.

 

[Professor Beef]

Who the hell is Rey?

 

[UnnecessaryTodd]

Don't worry, I've seen the first episode. My expectations are tempered

Keep tempering.

Not entirely sure if the opinion of the fandom should be taken as gospel truth either. A lot of people (such as myself) dropped the show hard after season 2 leaving a lot of the more forgiving, die hard fans to sing the praises of season 3 and 4.

Yup. Season 3 was definitely a huge improvement but that was in spite of the pacing and character issues, not that it fixed them.

Also the "Korra is a Mary Sue" argument is wrong. She was the opposite, she was terrible at everything and constantly proven to be so. The issue is that she is constantly forgiven for it. She's a terrible person who is treated like a Mary Sue character would be. That's the difference.

Spoiler

She never learns from her mistakes, and on the few occasions she's given "growth" it's by some total plot contrivance and not through actual emotional growth. Amnesia? Come the fuck on.

As for the homophobia argument that's even dumber. I've never seen that argument before this thread and quite frankly it's a disservice to the discussion of the show. Disliking an event that happens to be homosexual in nature does not mean hating homosexuals. Korrasami was handled so poorly that it's hard to even describe what they did wrong since they did so little to even establish it in the first place. I wouldn't call their relationship romantic (until the inexplicable final moment) more than I would call this post a graphic novel.

On top of this, echoing the thoughts another made in that Korra, Bolin, Mako and Asami have absolutely no reason to be friends or hang out. They are all teenagers, three of them in a love triangle and the fourth had an unrequited crush on the lead. These people are not the kinds of people who are friends. They have very little in common, they have contrasting ideals, they fight ALL the time and the only reason they are friends is because we are told they are friends.

Critical review or aggregate review sites are shaky at best. IMDB in particular. I remember during season 3 of Korra when a few episodes were getting 10/10's, the show as a whole got knocked down to a 6/10 total because of mass voting, and then it got countered by a mass of 10/10 voting so the entire thing is a farce to begin with. The fact is, neither show had a strong critical response. The subreddit is comprised 100% of Korra fanatics who downvote everything and anything negative, and so it drove away all the people who actually thought critically about the show.

My opinion is that Korra is a poorly written, poorly constructed mess that is a disservice to the original in most every way. Many people also feel this way. Many people don't. But those who don't never refute the arguments of those who do, I've never seen a pro-Korra post actually refute any of the valid complaints that anti-Korra people have. They just say "But it's great and all the things you said are wrong" when they're not, and it's easy to prove they're not. To start bringing up "disliking a strong female character" or "homophobia" is so ignorant, so completely blind to the idea of critical thinking that it is truly worrysome. This isn't to say that liking Korra is wrong, all media is subjective of course but to demean the people whose opinions differ from yours rather than counter their arguments with well thought out posts is not doing anyone any good.

 

[BorkBork]

I really like some of this episode, but the way in which Sokka and Aang were made into chumps never sat right with me.

Zuko's demeans and disregards the airbender's right to Aang's face and everyone just kinda takes it from the new guy with a very questionable history. Then Sokka and Aang just stand there as the two of them take a risky and completely unnecessary trip, a trip that was conjured up by Zuko to cowardly redirect Katara's (completely deserved) anger towards him elsewhere. He had no real concern for her wellbeing, like Aang and Sokka did. But he gets the big hug and is forgiven at the end.

I liked that it revealed deep character flaws in both Zuko and Katara. Zuko still has a lot to learn about respecting others with different worldviews, while Katara is absolutely insufferable when she is in her righteous mode. What she said to Sokka was inexcusable. But each of their actions were totally in line with what we know about them as people, and that makes them more compelling characters, even if they become less heroic.

I disagree that it was an unnecessary trip, and even Aang knew it was something Katara needed to do once the seed was planted by Zuko. The hug was essential for Katara's growth as a person - afterwards she was able to separate Fire Nation people who has harmed her family from a repentant Zuko. Obviously if Aang (who is family) died in the second season, Zuko would be twisted into a pretzel even if he tried to redeem himself, but as it is, no lasting harm was done, and she now knows the lengths Zuko will go to for each one of them.

 

[A-V-B]

Season 2 of Korra still blows my mind with how thoroughly they upended the lore of the series.

Spoiler

Just annihilating the avatar cycle... All that wisdom of a thousand human lifetimes erased in the blink of an eye...

And never restored. Ever.

To get back to the Avatar being a transcendental fountain of knowledge and power instead of just being a really good bender... you'd have to put it way out into the space age. There'd be Dyson Swarms.

Uh, oh yeah, TLA is the shit.

 

[Serrato]

I always loved ''Zuko Alone'' just because well, it's a really good episode, it has that ''stranger in stranger land'' style and well, it's an ''arc'' episode all about our confused prince that seem to take a liking in a kid and try to help the town without using his innate powers.

I always liked when he just go ''fuck it'' and beat the assholes in seconds.

Which sadly leads to being rejected by the town.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

So is it OK to move from Season 1 of Korra to Season 3 of Korra without missing much? Korra was great at the start of Season 1 but for reasons already mentioned I wasn't too thrilled towards the end.

 

[Tsuna]

So is it OK to move from Season 1 of Korra to Season 3 of Korra without missing much? Korra was great at the start of Season 1 but for reasons already mentioned I wasn't too thrilled towards the end.

Not really since season 2 sets up season 3

Besides while season 2 is pretty bad it still has some good moments (like the Wan episodes)

 

[JackDT]

The events in Season Two impact the world in Season Three directly due to an interesting choice by Korra. My favorite part of that season.

 

[UnnecessaryTodd]

So is it OK to move from Season 1 of Korra to Season 3 of Korra without missing much? Korra was great at the start of Season 1 but for reasons already mentioned I wasn't too thrilled towards the end.

Unfortunately not. If you could get someone to give you the major cliffnotes of Season 2 that would suffice though. It's not anything you need to watch, but there are some very big story elements that you do need to know to enjoy season 3.

Besides while season 2 is pretty bad it still has some good moments (like the Wan episodes)

You should at least watch these.

Although as much as I like the Wan episodes.... I hate them in the context of the Avatar series, I feel like they took a big steamy poop on the Spirit World that was established. They pretty much turned it into Spirited Away. They are entertaining in isolation however.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

Ah, thanks all. My expectations are pretty low at this point so perhaps i'll find Season 2 pretty good now!

 

[Shaanyboi]

So is it OK to move from Season 1 of Korra to Season 3 of Korra without missing much? Korra was great at the start of Season 1 but for reasons already mentioned I wasn't too thrilled towards the end.

Season 2 inserts some major background info and sets up some important shit for season 3

 

[More_Badass]

The Chase was such a damn good episode. It could probably act as a season finale in another context. The first episode featuring Toph as part of the team, the first battle and face-to-face contact between the gang and Azula, checking in with Zuko after the humanizing "Zuko Alone", the battle between Aang and Azula growing bigger and bigger as everyone converges on the town, ending with friends and foes all joining forces to corner Azula, and Azula revealing just all ruthless she is by attacking Iroh

So damn good

 

[Shaanyboi]

The Chase was such a damn good episode. It could probably act as a season finale in another context. The first episode featuring Toph as part of the team, he first battle and face-to-face contact between the gang and Azula, checking in with Zuko after the humanizing "Zuko Alone", the battle between Aang and Azula growing bigger and bigger as everyone converges on the town, ending with friends and foes all joining forces to corner Azula, and Azula revealing just all ruthless she is by attacking Iroh

So damn good

The Chase is one of the funnest escalations of any episode. It goes from "what's the scenario this time? Aw, these guys keep getting chased by this thing and can't sleep." Then it ends with the biggest fucking fight between ALL your primary characters and one of them left in critical condition.

 

[AntraxSuicide]

The two bending battles in the finale are just incredible and utterly gorgeous. Seasons worth of narrative build-up in those minutes and it pays off beautifully

My only issue with Aang's last fight is the part where he's just sitting in a ball and flying around. That didn't look very good to me. And of course, energy bending from a lion turtle is pretty close to being the textbook definition of a Deus Ex Machina.

 

[-Deimos]

The Chase was such a damn good episode. It could probably act as a season finale in another context. The first episode featuring Toph as part of the team, the first battle and face-to-face contact between the gang and Azula, checking in with Zuko after the humanizing "Zuko Alone", the battle between Aang and Azula growing bigger and bigger as everyone converges on the town, ending with friends and foes all joining forces to corner Azula, and Azula revealing just all ruthless she is by attacking Iroh

So damn good

Started a rewatch a couple days ago and just finished Zuko Alone. I missed Toph during the entire first season and can't wait The Chase. The show reaches a new level after the introduction of Toph and Azula.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

My only issue with Aang's last fight is the part where he's just sitting in a ball and flying around. That didn't look very good to me. And of course, energy bending from a lion turtle is pretty close to being the textbook definition of a Deus Ex Machina.

I agree with you here on the animation of the last episode - they went the distance in detail but I don't think the quality of it was as good as the second to last episode.

 

[AniHawk]

My only issue with Aang's last fight is the part where he's just sitting in a ball and flying around. That didn't look very good to me. And of course, energy bending from a lion turtle is pretty close to being the textbook definition of a Deus Ex Machina.

the more time away from the finale, the less i like that aspect. zuko has a story that works extremely well and ends in a satisfying way emotionally. aang gets his cake and eats it too. he doesn't have to make a huge sacrifice and there isn't any emotional resonance in the final conflict. so all we are left with is a boring superhero fight. things were far more tense in the day of black sun.

one of the really good things about korra is that it continued the sins of the father theme that started in avatar. it gives more weight to his introducing energybending back into the world. still doesn't fix that final fight though.

 

[Jintor]

I think the idea that Aang could come to a third way besides 'kill the Fire Lord' and 'let him live' is thematically and philosophically sound. Hell, I think coming to a way to remove his bending would be acceptable even if it kind of side-steps the emotional resonance of Aang's journey (perhaps associating it with some kind of cost to Aang would have been the solution). But I think when it's all said and done (besides superpower floating in the sky crap) the main problem I have with energybending is really the deus ex machina nature of it and the execution.

 

[Fou-Lu]

It saddens me that we won't be getting another series in this world. I enjoyed Legend of Korra, but it didn't really feel like the right ending for Avatar.