The Legend of Korra- Season One Review [CC]

[@alittleantidote5852]

"Of course, love triangles have to be handled terribly because if not we'd be talking about healthy relationships..." Ain't that the truth

[@enderolivero9882]

can`t argue that

[@jorgedasilva7665]

And it only gets worse.

[@ChinoWantan]

I think Aang took away bending by "energy bending" it's a whole different way, not like amon did here

[@closeben]

Yea, Aang definitely did not blood bend.

[@Yous0147]

That's true and also acknowledged in the show. What made people feel awe towards Amon was how he seemed to be able to do the same as Aang did to Ozai. But in reality Amon just chi blocked using his ability to blood bend, which is more like doing what Ty Lee did using people's blood instead of direct contact. So it's like blocking the path for the energy to flow, whereas energy bending it working with the flowing energy directly, possibly drying up the reservoir or redirecting it entirely.

[@XLE6IONX]

So two things you might want to know non-spoilers: 1. Amon and Aang take away bending in two different ways. Amon used blood bending to permanently block chi. Aang performed Energybending to directly effect the chi/chakras to take away bending. Aang gave Korra access to energybending which allowed her to fix her chi 2. The reason they did not leave Korra without her bending is because they couldn't get confirmation that they would get.a season 2. So they didn't want to end it with Korra defeated.

[@alearnedman]

@@XLE6IONX Yeah, while I do get the criticism of the consequences that Korra suffered by losing her other elemental connections got undone too quickly, it really makes sense that it was able to be undone once she connected with her past lives. Because entering the Avatar state imbues you with the knowledge and experience of every past Avatar and Aang was able to energybend it follows that entering the state allows Korra to do so as well. And since she'd already been having visions/memories of things Aang had experienced earlier on in the season, it was kinda set up that she was building to being able to connect with him. And while having the double convenience of both unlocking airbending and connecting with her past lives right when she needed to, it also kinda makes sense in that finally being able to airbend was the final step in being able to connect with her previous life as an air nomad.

[@cauldierremckay1550]

alearnedman think after season 1 ended so happily, they EXTREMELY upped the severity with the end of season 2

[@jeniferlopez6581]

Fun fact: When the character of Asami was created she was supposed to be an Equalist spy that dated Mako to get closer to Korra. However, the creators liked her so much they decided to not have her be an enemy.

[@angelagarcia7093]

That would have been so much interesting

[@serphence8566]

@@angelagarcia7093 True. Zuko started as an enemy too.

[@yurichtube1162]

That would make alot of sense

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

They liked her so much that they made her a lesbian and had her get reeeealllll close to Korra ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Although that was more through the pressure of the stupid fans.

[@joeldykman7591]

That would have made more sense than a wealthy heiress dating a low class firebender from off the street, giving him and his brother a place to stay, then siding with him and the novice avatar over her father, who had raised her alone since her mother died. Why does she have such loyalty to a group she barely knows over her own father? Because shes "good"?

[@dutchnintendo94]

The biggest problem of the legend of korra is: " NIckelodeon" In short: -Nickelodeon should have given Brian and mike a green light to do 4 seasons. -nickelodeon cuts budget -nickelodeon messed up the airing time/method Season 1- Brian and mike(brike) were asked to make a season of korra, they were hoping for a green light to make more seasons and thus a better story. But Nickelodeon didn't gave them a green light for this, so they had to wrap all of the story in one season. Season 2- Brike was asked to make another season, but since they just wrapped up the story...they had to come up with a new one in relative little time. Season 3: they finally got green light for 2 extra seasons, Nickelodeon removed korra from the tv and made it online only. Season 4: NIckelodeon decided it was a good idea to cut of Brike their budget for korra. but still wanted the same amount of episodes from them. (brike actually handled this pretty good)

[@generalgrievous3731]

Brike lol

[@iansmart4158]

Season 3 was on television. Season 4 was the only season that was internet only. Which was the dumbest thing in the world to me...

[@NorwegianØ]

@@iansmart4158 Actually, from epsiode 9 to 13 of season/book 3 was online only and episode 1 to 8 of season/book 4 was online only. The rest of the episodes of season/boook 3 and 4 aired on either nickolodeon or nicktoon, as is the case with the last episodes.

[@NorwegianØ]

Honestly not only the story that felt rushed in season/book 2. The animation took a hit as well, being that it was so rushed they also had to find different studio to do most of the 2nd season/book, since studio mir could not work within the time constraints they had.

[@kevinbaconwasntinfootloose1742]

That's alot of excuses for one show. Lol

[@NorwegianØ]

One thing that has to be remembered when starting Korra is that the first Book/season was just meant to be a limited series, before Nick saw the ratings and ordered more. This is somewhat the reason for the deus ex machina ending that we get in the finale. Small edit: Also, the renewal is in my opinion, why the 2nd book feels more rushed in its writing..

[@Starscooterkart]

That’s why they didn’t get into the depth of the characters so much in season one. Interesting... also explain how you mean deus ex machine ending?

[@Amish-Kapoor]

Also explains that Korra's character developement was back to 0 in season 2

[@hierophantpurple5163]

@@Starscooterkart How Aang sort of shows up out of nowhere at the end to give Korra her bending back. Since Korra was only going to be one season Nick wouldn't want to end the show with a sad ending where she only has one element.

[@Starscooterkart]

Kassandra Hawkeye ooooh oop I thought he meant the finale of the whole show.

[@joeldykman7591]

Wouldn't you think it naive to think a network would only want a miniseries spinoff of one of its most critically rated shows ever? FFS the spinoff for rugrats had 5 seasons.

[@joolaine]

The seasons of Korra are more or less standalone stories, because the creators never knew if the network would let them continue!

[@elenaarcire2635]

Ha, this makes sense for the ending

[@R0CKDRIG0]

Seasons 2-4 were in production at the same time, so that's not true. The only stand alone season is the first one (and maybe the second if we are being generous).

[@abeekusimpson3150]

@@R0CKDRIG0 that is also true. but had they known from the jump that they would have more than one season, that might have given them the liberty to make a more cohesive story. The individual seasons are very much stand alone. They all have a beginning and a conclusion by the end of their seasons, and main themes of those seasons do not overlap one another to a great degree.

[@R0CKDRIG0]

@@abeekusimpson3150 Nick gets way too much of the blame for TLOK's problems, meanwhile Bryke get a pass even tho they are the biggest (if not the sole) reason the show failed. They were the ones who decided after season 1 on the whole series being 4 somewhat connected mini-series. Already the 12 episodes of season 1 were badly managed, with an over-abundance of characters, unexplored setting, time wasted on b-plots that go nowhere, and of course a rushed, poorly explained ending (plus very little of it mattering for future seasons).

[@abeekusimpson3150]

@@R0CKDRIG0 I agree! I never said Bryan and Mike weren't to blame for the show's mediocrity. They clearly lacked in storytelling and the development of the series as a whole. And it's not a surprise due to the fact that Aaron Ehasz did much of the heavy lifting in the development and writing of the original series. His absence in TLOK was very evident with the dip in quality.

[@riadhake8566]

I felt so so bad for asami. She is that character who got a lot of shit for nothing. I also like the fact that she is a pretty independent person being a non-bender. My favorites are bolin and asami.

[@alliew31]

Yeah, and usually in love triangles like this they make the girlfriend really bitchy so no one has to feel bad about him cheating on her, but Asami is actually a really nice person. I honestly am frustrated with Korra trying to steal her man when we meet her.

[@ianignacio2941]

Allison Watts IKR, like Korra! Boundaries I know you like him but dang. Also that really hurt when Bolin got his heart broken to.

[@CJ_F0x]

I actually found Asami to be the most relatable of all the main cast.

[@36moshpit7]

I always thought Asami had a ton of potential as a foil to Korra. Korra's sheltered but eager to be the Avatar, dealing with post-war politics (the Equalist Movement) and what I consider to be the main question of the series: is the Avatar needed to keep balance anymore? And if not, or if the Avatar actually does more harm than good, where does that leave Korra, whose identity and fears revolve around being the Avatar. It's essentially the same question that Batman V Superman tried to tackle. Enter Asami, a non-bender proficient in hand-to-hand combat, the future head of Future Industries, (SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 2, 3, AND 4! LOOK AWAY!) one of the leading faces of the progressive Industrial Age Revolution that seems to be moving the world away from the mysticism and blind worship of the Avatar and the Spirits, AND with motive to be sympathetic to the Equalists Cause? It seems like she was set up to be the Lex Luthor Smallville-style frenemy to Korra's archaic spiritual Superman. The pieces were all there, and their interactions would directly affect their character arcs (and any other developments) as well as represent the central conflict of the Equalist Movement, the Red Lotus's motives (and really, the whole series). END SPOILERS.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

She's rich, is gorgeous, kicks ass and is dating the Avatar. What's there to feel sorry for? XD

[@ARIDOBLEU]

Aang doesn't take someones bending with "blood bending" he uses an ancient way of bending called "energy bending" He is actually the first avatar to master energy bending

[@murtamp9828]

Its not energy its sperit bending and he passed it on to his granddaughter

[@beastyboy101bo]

@@murtamp9828 no he doesn't

[@HOPEfullBoi01]

@@murtamp9828 uh no.

[@Wormba]

@@murtamp9828 my g its energy bending

[@shrekisthebestfranchiseand5032]

Ari Weintraub idiots on youtube always think theyre so smart reviewing

[@jonathanfoster4202]

Aang removed Ozai's bending permanently with energy bending, but Amon found a way to do it with blood bending but it wasn't as permanent, since his way of doing it was by blocking chi. Aang wasn't ever a blood bender

[@Steven-qs2qv]

Also the first season ended they way it did because the creators didn’t know they would get more seasons. Thats why it ended with a happy and more of a simple ending. Season 3 is the best one, trust me.

[@FlavioVSLeal]

I think they didn't know about the second season. This is why it's they went with raava in the second season.

[@issad-f8454]

Oh yes, season 3 is really good then there's the beginning premise of season 4 which was also good until... the ending

[@wolfishpotato6978]

Yep, although personally season 4 is my favorite and season 3 is my second fav

[@bforthigh1617]

Season 3 is overrated honestly.

[@itzbenzi8656]

fax

[@davinwilliams3130]

I don't think blood bending was how aang takes away bending. If I remember correctly he wasn't blocking it but removing it

[@davinwilliams3130]

But it has been awhile since I've seen korra

[@redaureate7845]

I think it was Energy bending... referencing from ATLA

[@thomaswenn6049]

Aang used Energy Bending to remove bending. I think Blood Bending more or less suppressed it in away where you would need a equally skilled blood bender or energy bender to reverse it.

[@davinwilliams3130]

@@redaureate7845 although, energy bending wasn't explained in depth very well

[@davinwilliams3130]

@@thomaswenn6049 or theoretically go through the chakra unblocking like aang. That's just an idea I had though

[@ZefraathYT]

Wasn't Aang's removal of peoples bending supposed to be "Energy Bending", not blood bending? I mean, even the lion turtle said "In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within ourselves".

[@moby2579]

@@sxrewhead yuuuup

[@realyoriginalchanel3218]

The blood bending blocking I think was made just because the writers written the self's into a corner

[@KunkMast3rFl3x]

The Lion Turtle gave Aang the ability or taught him the ability of soul bending which is how he locked Ozai’s Fire bending. The Lion Turtle even says that originally they bent souls and energies not elements. The What Amon did was advanced blood bending that utilizes chi flow and locking them (think the Guru episodes of TLA)

[@aidenjones3014]

It’s basically just what tia lee would do except permanent. It’s nothing new to the world

[@KunkMast3rFl3x]

I believe this is also how Korea undoes Amons work. As what she is doing is the spiritual overcoming the physical and is stronger than what Amon did which was the physical blocking the spiritual.

[@AniketPatil-nk1vw]

"I mediumed it." I agree. Also, a lot of the cool, rare bending like blood bending, metal bending, lightning, etc that only some amazing benders could do with a lot of training in the last airbender, just become commonplace in this one. For e.g., Mako and some workers just shoot lightning into machines in a factory for minimum wage. All the cops (or maybe just most, they never made that clear, I think) are metal benders. Blood bending is still rare enough, but mostly if it is not a full moon. All this bugged me a bit.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

It does take away the specatcle bit ultimately makes sense. The world is more unified, more opportunities for these formerly rare styles to get spread and utilized in ways that become everyday/mundane. Its kinda like technology irl or stuff like agriculture techniques or whatever. But yeah i agree my thoughts on Korra from what i watched when it was new is just "middle". Season 1 was boring and annoying from what i saw and some later season, i think 3, i found genuinely interesting but again couldn't watch all cause of the weird scheduling. Dont really wanna take the time to sit through the whole thing either, because of that mixed-ness from my experience and what i hear around the block when its brought up

[@alliew31]

@Musomania27 I’m sorry, but Zuko would have known lightning bending if it was something that could just be taught to any old high schooler looking for a summer job. Toph also wouldn’t have been the first metal bender if you didn’t have to feel every element of the earth without looking at it. Someone would have figured out metal bending if it could be taught to people. I imagine you would have to see with your feet to metal bend and most people never had to delve into bending so much as to rely on it as a sense. The masters should all be able to learn metal bending but your average police officer shouldn’t. Blood bending should also only be possible during a full moon or at least only at night. Blood isn’t completely water so it makes sense that you wouldn’t be able to bend it unless you are incredibly powerful. These aren’t things that would change because the world is more connected and technology is more prominent. The peak of bending performance should not be treated like a common element.

[@bloodtasteslikecookies6640]

ik same

[@bloodtasteslikecookies6640]

@@alliew31 Exactly. I agree with you 100%

[@AniketPatil-nk1vw]

@@MagillanicaLouM I understand your logic. And it makes sense a little. But bending isn't similar to technology. It needs dedication and training. Think of it more like martial arts. Yes, due to globalisation, we get more students for it. But not everyone is as good as Bruce Lee. Plus with technology, people become lazier not more hard working.

[@suzylove6502]

I honestly feel like Bolin was the one who grew the most throughout the series and it was my favorite part to watch his arc, but i really liked seasons 3 & 4 the most. i just felt like they had the best stories out of the series, imo. I also like the korra graphic novels too, although i'm only on turf wars at the moment.

[@tariqthomas9090]

Suzy Turland Bolin fanboy here! Love your comment and I totally agree. In my opinion, he’s the heart of the show and the only two characters that get more development are Korra and Tenzin.

[@casperxpyt]

I realy thought Bolin’s character was realy boring. He is just the comic relieve and doesn’t have a personality arc at aaaallll. The only thing i thought was cool about him was that he could lava bend... WICH CAME OUT OF NOWHERE BTW... he didn’t even train to do it... he just... could. The only character in this whole series i could connect to was Tenzin. I like the idea that he has to bear the future of the airbenders on his shoulders... BUT THEN THERE CAME SOME RANDOM ASS AIRBENDERS... why... this show is such a mess if you ask me. I feel like people that like it only see the parts that they do like and can’t see the random bullshit. But still everybody likes different stuff so... you do you i gues

[@thera4672]

I love bolin but they did him dirty. None of the main characters had any development.

[@julianmarco4185]

I feel like Bolin is the kind of character that I would like if he was actually written well. As it stands he is the eternal pussywhipled friendzone character. His character growth is only: Hi, my name is Bolin. Will you be my girlfriend? NO?!... okay. Basically a pitiful... character. I am still wondering: So Opal... what do you see in Bolin? That he is funny? Haha.... it must be a matter of taste in humor....

[@tariqthomas9090]

Thera Korra, Tenzin, Bolin and Lin Beifong had pretty great character development. The other characters had some but not as much as those.

[@westonpierce952]

“There’s NO consequences that stay around” Honey. You got a big storm coming.

[@geonunes10]

The quick conclusion was because during production the second season wasn't greenlighted

[@settheshallow8913]

It's always this that ruins series. Korra was rushed, SU was rushed, etc. EVERY SINGLE TIME!

[@justjess5891]

That's not really an excuse. As far as they knew the first season was all they were going to get. Instead of cramming everything into the last two episodes, they could have spread it over multiple episodes by cutting some of the unnecessary stuff like love triangles and pro-bending. That would have made the ending feel a lot less rushed. Imagine if they spent the whole last episode on just Korra regaining back all her abilities. It would all feel a way more meaningful

[@williamdelgado5225]

They knew they had all of the first season for the show they just did not know how to write the story elements i watch ATLA over and over again ive only seen the TLK twice and the second time was me giving the show another shot but it was so boring 😴

[@gucciasalways]

Even with this, it doesn’t make it much better. I honestly don’t get why they couldn’t have left it open ended (which would’ve been a great driver for most people to continue watching in the event that they would receive a second season) like they did with ATLA (where they left Zuko’s mom open ended). If it bothered them that much, could they not have addressed things in comics instead of essentially making everything that happened in season one pointless?

[@12s0ph]

Seth De Shallow In season 5 (and maybe SUF) , the length of the show was shortened because of the whole gay marriage thing so yeah... I’m talking about Steven Universe btw

[@TheQwerty841]

If Merphy is frustrated with the relationships/love triangles so far, boy is she in for a real treat 😂

[@mattc3788]

HAHA SO TRUE

[@writingoncactusjuice3421]

FD, I SEE YOU

[@LJLvids]

@paula it's not. But the romance is a bit too much sometimes. But after season 2 i feel like that's basically over and done with

[@ropecrewman36]

Oh jeez. Season 2. 😬

[@timothiturner5218]

paula It really isn’t. Season 3 and 4 are superior and honestly brings up a lot of interesting and mature topics such as PTSD and stuff. Season 3 was just amazing.

[@azurepulse1870]

Murphy is dying for more lore. Be careful what you wish for...

[@Marontyne]

Season 2: Hold my beer lol

[@zjungta]

@@Marontyne You forgot to specify the " beer" is a keg.

[@beccag2758]

Michael Shelton ooo😬 I could only get halfway through season 2. I just couldn’t finish it

[@tuhkathri9126]

@@beccag2758 yep. Tried rewatching it. Yuck

[@undead890]

Season 2 is definitely the weakest of the 4 seasons.

[@allypotter4404]

I'm not gonna lie, my favourite scenes of Book 1 of LoK were the flashbacks...

[@naimmahboubi7499]

the scene with Amon and his brother in the boat at the end though was really good. There is a lot to say about TLOK, both good and bad. At the end of the day, I'm glad you are watching it for the simple reason that you get to form your own opinions about it. It absolutely is not as bad as lots of people make it out to be, but it definitely is not as good as the original. Season one of the original has lots of rough moments, but some great ones as well. Asami was originally envisioned as an antagonist, like her father. Their plan was to make Asami an Equalist spy who would use Mako as a means to get close to the Avatar. They changed their minds after developing her character a bit.

[@beatriceoss3557]

Honestly I would've loved to see more of the equalists after, I don't think they would've disappeared overnight, and maybe in a more peaceful way they would've tried to change things, also speaking with Korra or the council

[@pikameer8325]

Same here honestly but tlok was originally planned as a 1 season mini-series so they had to wrap everything up. The reason 3&4 were so good together is because the creators knew that they had 2 seasons to work with when it got greenlit.

[@thewingedserpent5823]

But that's the whole issue with korra. Choices don't matter, consequences, what consequences. Korra loses her bending? Doesn't matter, deus ex avatar comes in and restores her bending. Korra loes her avatar powers completely (raava just shitting on the interesting moral ambiguity of one all powerful being trying to keep balance by doing what he/she thinks is right based on subjective moral biases, because turns out the avatar is literally a human with the spirit of all that is good and righteous and avatar can do no wrong)? Fuck it, giant spirit korra + plus deus ex jinora just casually creating a fucking deity, let's not even start with edgy anarchy guys because punks not dead and gundam mecha anime but bad

[@pikameer8325]

@@thewingedserpent5823 I agree, the season 2 finale was... subpar to put it nicely but there are consequences in this show and Korra's choices affect people throughout it all. Spoilers for s3+ from here on out: Korra opens the spirit portals and doing so effects tons of people with the spirit vines around. Harmonic convergence helped restore the airbenders and in doing so gave Zaheer powers which let him break out his team who tried to kidnap Korra as a child and try again in later episodes before finally being successful. Korra almost dies, s3 ends with Korra in a wheelchair and PTSD becasue pf everything. Zaheer's actions in the Earth Kingdom made a power vacuum which in turn let Kuvira rise to power. There are plenty of consequences in the show and it's not a horrible show it just got screwed over by Nick time and time again.

[@ilanbens1]

yeah the way amon takes bending is completely different from aang, he uses blood bending and aang "energy" bends. the way amon places his fingers is just a red herring

[@merphynapier42]

Ah thank you for explaining!

[@Andrei-kq5hn]

Honestly it would have been better if Amon could actually energy bend/ manipulate chi. As it is he seems to break a lot of the rules of blood bending established in ATLA.

[@FriendofFantasy]

@@Andrei-kq5hn I mean there weren't a lot of rules set place for Blood Bending in ATLA, as Blood Bending was a relatively new concept. When Avatar ended there were only two Blood Benders.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

@@Andrei-kq5hn Having him use energybending would break the lore tho because mortals can't use it. Amon using bloodbending to sever chi paths doesn't break the lore

[@kampfkeks6619]

@@vetarlittorf1807 Ehm season 2 breaks that too. I like the show but they mishandled the idea of spiritual and blood bending. Didn't want to spoil it just in case

[@MikeDo_0]

Lol she's going to get everything she's asking for, but will she like it?

[@AllTheArtsy]

Lore is what runs this series to the ground lol

[@lindar1151]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Just a little bit of patience! - I mean, just like in every other first instalment, we are at the beginning of a hero's journey. The groundlaying does not stop just because the world is already built ... seemingly.

[@julio1148]

All The Artsy personally my only problem with the series was Korras attitude at the beggining of season 2

[@deepgp7425]

@@AllTheArtsy a midichlorian level of lore

[@Jay-kx4jf]

@@AllTheArtsy the Ravaa stuff was supposed to b there for atla too. thy just couldnt fit it in. the mythos was built like this from the start

[@jokiedokie]

A man, you had to include the fragment where Korra returns Lin's bending. There's that little moment where she goes into the avatar state and Katara has this super genuine little smile and it always tears me up so much because that little smile to me is Katara recognizing that Korra connected to her previous lives. Of course she feels good for Korra, but it also means her life-long love, which she had to live without for about sixteen years, is now back, helping Korra along her way. The feels! Anyway I agree with most of your points. The ending is quite rushed; this is most likely because the season was booked as a pilot and it might've never continued. If the next seasons weren't funded, it would've been nicest to just leave on a completed arc, a happy end. Be warned, season 2 has the same problem, but seasons 3 and 4 were booked as one whole deal and have a on-going arc which is much nicer. In general, as someone who has watched both shows half a dozen times, I can recommend considering its LOK its own thing. If you go into LOK with expections based on ATLA, it will never live up to them. However, watching it as something completely new has gotten me to appreciate even the earlier seasons. Great review, looking forward to what you think of the rest!

[@djbdyckfbsgsg9176]

Season 2 is arguably the worst. When you watch it please don’t be discouraged to watch Season 3 & 4, these last 2 seasons are great.

[@zakelinos]

All the seasons were pretty good!!! I can't understand why people hated. Personally I prefer LOK more than ATLA, the only thing I miss is my girl Azula

[@SystemBD]

Indeed. Without entering into "spoiler territory", season 2 has very interesting characters, but the story goes from bad to worse. And it even makes a "cardinal sin" for any fantasy series... it removes the mysticism behind the bending system (and complexity of the moral system in the spirit world) with a simplistic, good-vs-bad explanation. It is so terrible, it retroactively makes the original series worse.

[@Holthis]

3 is pretty good 4 is meh

[@onebuffalo5402]

SPOILER QUESTION: Please give me one reason season 3 is good besides the cool bending they gave the villians. None of the characters have any development, characterization, personality, motive, etc. Infact most of you cant even name the 4 villains.

[@greenergrass4060]

👆 Ghazan ,Zaheer, Ming Hua (my favorite) and P'li

[@jesse8924]

Listening to Merph being "ehh" about the new characters reminds me of her talking about Katara, except it's like a whole cast of Kataras.

[@tariqthomas9090]

Which is weird because Katara is my favorite and I’m one of the few that loves the new Korra characters😂😂

[@alliew31]

Unfortunately, for Korra that’s how a lot of the fanbase felt while a lot of people like Katara. (She is an overpowered prodigy without enough explanation though)

[@andrewfisher8428]

But katara has depth and multiple layers while to korra characters are nothing

[@randcstudios5291]

The thing is feeling "ehhabout Katara is like feeling "ehh" about a human being, because she has layers and complexities. Korra characters are a lot more 2d

[@thesamuraiman]

Ouch

[@riadhake8566]

My biggest critique is the lack of character relationships and dynamics. I was a lot more invested in tenzin and his family than korra and her team avatar. Tlok is not that great but it still gets way too much hate.

[@alliew31]

The hate is because people wanted another atla. Unfortunately, nothing can top avatar, but the dragon prince season 2 is putting in a good effort.

[@maadtee6281]

@@alliew31 or Kim possible

[@kuzonfire1213]

Also Aang uses energy bending, not blood bending. That’s why his version is permanent and Amon’s is not.

[@shrekisthebestfranchiseand5032]

“I was excited to learn more about bending!” Equalists: We don’t do that here.

[@shrekisthebestfranchiseand5032]

I’m sorry but if you think there’s going to be a lot of bending in a season where the villains henchmen can block bending and the villain himself can take away bending then maybe you need to start thinking a bit more.

[@pedropaulospitz]

Please don’t give up without seeing season 3

[@AS-vi5xh]

It’s the best one! It’s where the series really shines. As well as season 2 (the first 7 episodes however before the season was ruined).

[@onebuffalo5402]

season 3 is literally the dumbest season (apart from the back half of season 2 that took an interesting civil war plot and turned it into nonsensical garbage). They gave the villians cool powers sure but they also gave them 0 backstory or logical rationale for their motives then tried to shoehorn them in with the previous seasons villian. Then to top it off korra loses yet another boss fight just to be saved by other people lmao. Also the "magical re-emergence of air bending" was contrived and stupid beyond believe lol

[@meo8414]

One Buffalo Are you going to every comment spouting about how bad season 3 is? This is my third time seeing you. Why not just let people enjoy what they want lol? If they feel that season 3 was great and what to express that, let them, without copy and pasting the same lines into every comment.

[@driveknight9959]

@@meo8414 If that's true then wow, that's pathetic of them

[@curse4384]

Kram Setnom it just means they saw the comments while watching and disagreed

[@Themandalorian935]

One thing this show has done it has great villians. Amon is a great villian. He has a tragic past. He was abused by his father so he thinks bending is the core of all problems. He wanted equality. His intentions were good but his methods were wrong.

[@hitchikerspie]

S2 big bad 😬👀

[@deadshot1995]

HitchhikersPie great villains aside from Unalaq lol

[@bluebee7335]

I don’t think the villans are that good, some of them are good not great( Azula is a better villan). I don’t hate Korra but i don’t really like it either, i would not watch it again ( i have seen ATLA like 10 times or more).

[@brenna_marie]

Yes but season 3 has the best villains. The red lotus are FANTASTIC

[@Aaron-ou5mw]

brennamarie season 4’s villain is also really good, until she turns crazy and builds a big bad robot.

[@Chive-zu4xs]

S2 is pretty disappointing ngl, s3 on the other hand is a wild ride (in a good way)

[@onebuffalo5402]

All you season 3 lovers gonna be in for a rude awakening when Murph destroys that season. Spoilers: Shes literally a literally person. Shes gonna tear that season apart for its villians that have 0 personality, motivation, character development, characterization, etc. The 4 villians have cool bending and thats it. thats the plot of the season; 4 cool unique benders try to murder the avatar b/c.....? Anarchy? Season 3 would be worse than season 2 if not for the absolute cluster fuck that season 2 was.

[@danc1513]

@@onebuffalo5402 That's a load of nonsense, but whatever floats your boat.

[@emmyjr1231]

@@onebuffalo5402 wtf are you on about?

[@jay1603]

"I wanted more lore!" S2: be careful what you wish for....

[@PrimexMaxusTitan]

How?

[@agilagilsen8714]

@@PrimexMaxusTitan The lore in s2 is so, so bad. It was the worst thing they could have added by just putting in a jesus analogy and making a "good things good" and "bad thing bad" into the series. They pretend that balance is key, and then spend the entire time trying to not have balance at all, it's just executed so poorly.

[@themasked_senshi4521]

John Edvards it’s funny how not even korra fans like that season

[@ItsChesh]

John Edvards It was okay. It was the messiest season but it catapulted the plots of season 3 & 4 which is my favorite of the LoK universe.

[@DarkMaster706]

And after season three you’re like “no body asked for this”

[@RubyDianArts]

I thought this was a fair review. In order of my favorite seasons of both Last Airbender and Korra, it's: ATLA S3, ATLA S2, Korra S3, Korra S4, ATLA S1, Korra S1, Korra S2. I hate the love triangles in this series, these guys are sadly inexperienced with writing romance because (I suspect) they were never interested in the romantic book/story genre so aren't familiar with the story beats of a romance.

[@quantumpretzel9267]

100 % agree on everything thing you said

[@kukyca5853]

I mean why the love triangle had so much screen time if mako and korra didnt even last a hole season together, like they could've invested that time in something else

[@chiloutdude5130]

Regarding the ending of this season being the unsatisfying "and then she has them all again" thing (and, moving forward, the weird pace and lack of a unifying story in subsequent seasons)-I blame Nickelodeon. Korra was originally meant to be a mini-series, so this episode was meant to be the end. The second book wasn't ordered til the first was already well into production, and books 3 and 4 weren't ordered til book 2 was underway. If Nick had just ordered what they wanted from the start (or even if they had just ordered the first two together), we could have had a more unified storyline.

[@Chaosm03]

That and for the Last two seasons Nickelodeon really started screwing around with the airing schedule. Season 4 barely got aired on television and the last 4 episodes were kinda dumped on Nick.com without much fanfare.

[@Yous0147]

Well I beleive it's part of it and for the transition between season 1 and 2 it definitely did have a huge effect. But there are definitely huge things outside of that context that had hit the show pretty badly and besides that Season 1 had a lot of less than ideal aspects even just thinking of it as a single season show

[@klaidas7409]

Nah, you can't blame Nick for "and then she has them all again". that's purely on the writers. Say you're given 1 season of a show, 12-13 episodes, why would you make a story where the heroes powers are taken away towards the end. The only way you can resolve that in 2-3 episodes is by giving her back the powers, there is really no other way to do it. It's just really lazy writing and that's not really excusable. I feel for the writers, I really do, but it was their decision to take away her bending, they were ok with just giving her it all back.

[@satinsleeves]

@@klaidas7409 Thank you!!! This was on the writers.

[@Frozen_Death_Knight]

@@klaidas7409 There were always going to be problems with the 1st season because of the very short runtime and the high expectations set by The Last Airbender. 12-13 episodes are really not that much to create a continuation to one of the most lore heavy and critically acclaimed animated shows of all time. Korra losing her powers is conceptually a very compelling idea, but because of the very limited episode run it is inevitable that certain aspects are going to feel rushed about it. Sure, they could have gone a different route by not taking her powers away, but it was also one of the best aspects of season 1. How are you supposed to fix that without having more episodes to work with? That aspect of the show made Amon one of the best villains in Avatar. It also added some extra dimensions to Korra as a character because of her fear of losing her bending and how that fear formed her during the course of the story. I don't think it is fair to call it lazy writing when it's what gave the story depth. Even just one or two more episodes would have done a lot to help fix whatever pacing issues Book 1 had, which really makes you wonder what the heads of Nickelodeon were thinking when greenlighting such a small project as a continuation to one of their most popular shows of all time. The original Avatar had around 20 episodes per season, which is not far off from double the amount of Book 1 of Korra. Imagine if the original show got that kind of treatment with only season 1 being guaranteed to enter production with zero room for filler to help pace out the story to not feel rushed. We would likely not be talking about The Last Airbender as a masterpiece and instead think of it as a very good but flawed show which had production issues and a bunch of missed potential because of the limited budget and episodes per season. Frankly, Korra deserves more credit for managing to stay as good and coherent as it did considering the amount of limitations it had since its inception.

[@tariqthomas9090]

I’m also surprised you didn’t care for Tenzin. He’s usually everyone’s character.

[@Cla226]

i didn't care for him either, he is meh but leagues better than Korra.

[@harrystubbs713]

Tenzin is probably my favourite Korra character. But I kinda agree with this video. I "liked" the Legend of Korra but most of the characrers were juat eh for me. Didnt love them, didnt hate them. But with Avatar the Last Airbender I "loved" that series and loved the characrers, most of the characters.

[@sanity3533]

Doesn’t he get better development in later seasons tho?

[@jamiec9260]

@@harrystubbs713 It's funny, because I really liked the characters - I felt that it less that they were "bad" characters and more of a "they deserved a better show" situation (that said I really like the first season and a half of Korra)

[@blackcomet77]

fr cuz Tenzin, Bolin and Zaheer are my favorite characters

[@jakubchalupa8510]

I was impressed when they took away Korra's bending and expected the same thing, the way they resolved it was such a cop-out.

[@maadtee6281]

Then you got what you wished for in season 2

[@anawaz189]

MAAD TEE no we really didn’t

[@Shadrad12]

Well that's because they were only promised one season when the show started

[@Qupatroo]

Yes but they only got 13 episodes to work with so I think they had to have some kind of quick way so she wasn’t just an air bender for half of season 2

[@gew393]

When Aang takes away someone's bending ability he's using energy to permanently remove/block the chi that allows them to bend

[@alexricky87]

Right, what Amon (sp) is doing is blocking the chi with bloodbending this cutting the person's access to bend. There are different ways of achieving the same result only energy bending is permanent.

[@Yous0147]

@Gary Wright @Ken Osiris Exactly both of you are right. What was so shocking about Amon was his ability to seemingly do the very same thing Aang did to Ozai. The fact that it was a faux and not permanent was a really great aspect because it didn't detract from the epic proportions that was energy bending, but instead deepened the lore and made for believable awe towards Amon before the reveal. One of the better aspects of Korra by far.

[@walterkrueger5947]

I like Korra as a protagonist because being the avatar is everything to her, the idea of her not being the avatar or the world not needing her just crushes her

[@BT405]

Well, I think the difference is Aang wanted to help people and be the best person he could regardless of his Avatar status. He didn't want to be the center of attention all the time or put on a pedestal. Watching Korra it feels more like she puts so much stock in being the Avatar because she wants people to need her. She wants to feel important. We could have a whole discussion about the psychology of that, but it seems as if she does things for the praise and admiration she feels she is entitled to as the Avatar rather than because she feels what she's doing is for the benefit of others (most of the time).

[@walterkrueger5947]

@@BT405 also Korra was raised to be the avatar, while Aang found out about being the avatar the day he ran away.

[@shelbyteague7928]

It’s definitely an interesting contrast to Aang, she’s not an objectively good person, she’s not selfless, she knows what she wants and who she wants to be and seeing her accept that who she thought she was meant to be isn’t what is needed over time is a fascinating arc

[@austinjohnsen4430]

And she gets to save the day every single time as the avatar. That opportunity is always presented to her on a platter.

[@t0nkatsuuu]

when was this hinted in season 1?

[@BigGfromgrouphome]

The characters are the difference. Aang and co. journey Was on a whole other level. When someone from the original made an appearance my focus went way up

[@ryanrabito1379]

Characters from the original popping up is fantastic

[@LynPichay]

When Korra came out, I actually loved the 1st season seeing Katara in her later years' training the new avatar after Aang and I as a viewer back then seeing another bloodbender other than Katara was so cool. It didn't really ruin the original series for me much more than I saw it a separate series on its own. It is also much more political and has a serious tone than ATLA.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

That was the same for me mate, honestly I run an Avatar theory channel and Korra has ended up being the bigger focus on what I do because it is just such a fascinating series to me.

[@ShhadowYT]

Just a heads up, Season 2 of Korra is regarded as the worst season of all of avatar, but season 3 is the best season of Korra.

[@DatAsuna]

And rightly so. I would go more specific and say my favourite chunk of korra is the last few episodes of book 3 combined with the first few episodes of book 4.

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

I would not say that cause season 2 introduced Varrick easily the best character

[@quinnobropta2539]

I dont think book 2 is as bad as people say if you're watching them back to back. the plot towards the end of the season gets a little... bleeehhhhhhhh, but it's got a lot of good stuff in it

[@ShhadowYT]

the plot of season 2 is just messy

[@runningcommentary2125]

Book four was mostly solid until the ending. Then it went off the rails a little.

[@kalebtheherald2947]

LOK S01 was a rushed sequal That was never Really given that much Depth in Character and Lore , But I Loved Amon : He was Scaryy

[@Watch7maker]

It felt rushed because it was supposed to be a solo season.

[@chiefpurrfect8389]

I liked the antagonists, well, except for S2. We don’t talk about that season. Anyway, they were the most compelling part of LoK imo, besides the animation and action. Amon was cool but my favorite had to be Zaheer. Korra and the gang on the other hand... They just didn’t do it for me. Korra wasn’t even that likable to begin with and the rest of the cast were undercooked characters with undercooked relationships. You can tell the writers were really tryharding to create engagement by pandering to the fandom’s shipping culture and as a result everyone had at minimum a crush on or a relationship with everyone else in the group at some point, instead of the writers putting their energy into writing overarching, earned, actually satisfying romances. In the end they didn’t even have a plan of their own, they just went with what was more popular among fans and the show felt like there wasn’t a coherent vision or identity behind it. You are free to enjoy LoK more than ATLA all you want, but to claim it’s a better show? Nah fam, the writing wasn’t nearly as good.

[@kalebtheherald2947]

@@chiefpurrfect8389 exactly💯

[@kalebtheherald2947]

@@Watch7maker i get u , but i mean even though the world and most of the lore was set up they should have really taken more time in the making of the Characters and Expanding the lore inaway it was still Great , but they didn't, bcse it was 1 season

[@ransherman1611]

legend of korra gets better with every season. season 2 gets a lot of hate, but for what? it expend the original lore and literally answered every question i had about things in the original avatar series that didn't make sense to me and was generally very dark. the only two issues i have with it is how korra defeated the bad guy and the romance arc.

[@SheWhoWalksSilently]

I almost wish they would have played into the “raised as the Avatar” more, like a “raised to be a weapon” kind of thing, and just being dreadful socially. I think it would have contrasted nicely with how friendly and natural Aang was in social situations. Korra could have been more of a awkward robot which I think would have been funny, but also given her more of a interesting flaw then “bullheaded”. Korra of course would still be a bad a** without being so shallow (at least in the beginning, she definitely was more interesting after the 3rd season). I know they were kind of trying to make Korra like a new Kyoshi, but they missed out on what made Kyoshi cool. Kyoshi - for the most part - is a stoic bad a**. Korra was mostly just a hot headed hooligan. Moments that would have made her cool just fell flat sometimes because she was just being such a thick-headed bull that sees red. It separates her from the audience in a bad way. :(

[@SheWhoWalksSilently]

@ULGROTHA That's true, maybe Kyoshi "mellowed" haha. Perhaps she grew into the cool, smooth woman of action and focus, and was just as brash Korra when she was young. Though I really can't tell how old Kyoshi is supposed to be anytime we see her, 'cause ya know, the makeup.

[@emilyshapiro2756]

That’s a brilliant idea!

[@akshaydalvi1534]

Hot Headed Hooligan is a perfect description of Korra 🤣

[@AlexaLaine]

I have exactly the same thoughts. I was attached to none of the characters, and honestly I was shocked when the season ended because I felt like the pacing of the whole thing was off. I didn’t get to know or care about anyone or anything in this world, I never actually felt like the bad guys were scary, and I thought we were going to get more time to explore that. Then the season ended. And I didn’t care.

[@harley2166]

So...this is an awesome review but there are explanations to some problems aha. Bloodbending takes away bending via blocking chakras whereas avatars take it away and give it back via energy bending (which is unique to the avatar) If i remember correctly korra initally only was planned for 1 season which is why it wrapped up as it did. I Highly suggest you push through season 2 of korra (there is a 2 amazing episodes and the rest is ok...) but season 3 and season 4 is amazing and I reckon will fix every problem you had cause the writers listened so much. Can not wait to see you carry on this journey :D

[@andrewwall4250]

My main complaint about season 1 of Korra is that Varrick isn’t in it. XD

[@gavinsmith9871]

This tbh

[@Themandalorian935]

Do the thing

[@undead890]

Zhu Li, Do the Thing

[@joshyan1458]

Varrick kinda reminds me of Jean Ralphio from Parks and Rec in that he's a huge douche but it's hard not to love him

[@chrisoflynn2443]

They didn't do the thing :(

[@MohamedMohamed-qd2hc]

“I didn’t feel any attachment to any of the characters” hah wait till you meet verrick

[@maadtee6281]

Oh see more of Meelo and Zaheer

[@whatsupbruno9197]

DO THE THING

[@kennthy]

Varrick is awesome

[@zakelinos]

Eska is also AMAZING, plus when she will she Ucle Iroh's return, she will be so happy, i am pretty sure

[@angelagarcia7093]

@@zakelinos in Catalan they fucked up Iroh reapearance cause he had a different voice and they changed the pronunciation of his name, from Iroh to Iro, like in the life action movie. He wad basicly another person. I hated it so much

[@crazdasian]

Season 2 of Legend of Korra Brain : *Vietnam flashbacks* Body: We do not speak of these things

[@Warriorcats64]

Better than Seasons 1 or 4. By a lot.

[@ethanyuki2654]

@@Warriorcats64 Nah. Season 1 was like a 6/10. S4 was like 4.5. 2 is a solid 3 for me. To each his own, though.

[@iansmart4158]

I think Season 2 of Korra is actually really good....Beginnings (Avatar Wan) is one of my favorite things in ALL OF AVATAR.

[@electricboi9319]

Except for Wan's story, I think Season 2 of Korra is by far the worst in the entire thing The ending there is even more unsatisfying and ridiculous than in Season 1 imo and that's impressive And I didn't really care about the water tribe conflict tbh so there's that

[@kidrauhllover100]

In the darkest moments, when Aang gives her bending back...When she went to the cliff, she was gonna kill herself to bring the new Avatar into the new world. She knew she wouldn't be helpful without 3 elements.That's why she was crying, which I think was a beautiful moment that a lot of people don't realize.

[@TheDaks27]

Because it was a kids show they had to make that vague

[@maem7462]

I didn’t think about that but that is sad

[@0Impeesa]

Yeah I always thought that was meant to be pretty explicit, and I loved how dark it was for a kids' show.

[@akshaydalvi1534]

I mean if someone doesn't like a character, then feeling sorry for the character isn't going to suddenly make that someone like the character 😕

[@XLR-et7oo]

Spoilers man cmon!

[@Tony-hv8wz]

CRITICAL ROLE SHOUT OUT!! NICE.

[@niloofarjamshidi7731]

yes .

[@lenajohnson6179]

It's D&DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@colinbalitewicz1030]

Hope she does a video on Mat's world building

[@alexanderwheeler3943]

You mean I wasn't hallucinating that?

[@bradenhazle4378]

wE pLaY DuNgEonS n DrAgOnS!

[@svvv977]

I didnt like this series as much of the original (especially s2...) but the dark amd mature themes the series deals with and Korra's development I think are great. Plus the villains in 3 and 4 are amazing

[@ropecrewman36]

My thoughts exactly. Also, S4 had Zelda Williams!

[@LinardsZ]

Amon was scary guu.

[@randcstudios5291]

UGH! I LOVE Kuvira! Seasons 3 and 4 have problems, but they're mainly brought on by the awful tragedy that was book 2. Zaheer is also a really good villain, but I would of liked him a bit more if the show was a little more self aware of how his philosophy would create a power vacuum, otherwise I loved him too.

[@thekylleroberts]

Mako was the name of the guy who voiced Iroh, they named one of the main characters after him because he passed away before ATLA could end

[@bertimusprime7900]

The longer I thought about it, the lest satisfied with LOK I was. That and it does step on the lore of ATLA a little.

[@luckywithpaint7773]

You make a valid point about air bending. I realy think s2 should have been about her relearning the other elements and learning how to use airbending as well as a travel with her spirituality.

[@ianignacio2941]

LoK is definitely a different show than ATLA, but for how it stands on it’s own without comparing it to it’s predecessor, I think it did alright. Highlight of the series was definitely book 3 and Korra’s character development in it.

[@alliew31]

Yeah, the major problem for Korra is that it’s a sequel to atla. When you’re a next generation sequel, everything you do will be compared to the predecessor casts actions. Korra isn’t bad but it falls flat whenever you compare their choices and actions to that of Team Avatar

[@driveknight9959]

@@alliew31 that's more on the ATLA fans than the show itself. They're the ones who choose to watch with a close mind

[@bowz_of_oshu]

@@driveknight9959 I cant blame it on the fans. Tbh, the world building and characters simply aren't as strong. Korra is a much more pretty looking show, and the villains are phenomenal, but everything else is weak. That's not on the fans, that's on the writers

[@driveknight9959]

@@bowz_of_oshu But the show never goes 'hey compare me to atla! We're doing the exact same story again!" Cause other than it being in the same universe, its not similar at all. It is its own thing as it should be

[@maadtee6281]

She basically became Zuko especially in season 4

[@keegszzz8356]

Stuff being unearned and poorly executed gets a lot worse in season 2. Love triangles also get worse, (I know I’m very much alone on that, I know very well that everyone else in the fanbase loves the resolution at the end of the season but for me everything about the season 2 finale was a disappointment, especially the resolution of the love triangle) to the point of nearly killing my love of the franchise before season 3 managed to patch things up for me.

[@PHSDM104]

And then Season 4 threw everything at the wall!

[@gadaboutgriffon4446]

You are not alone. Season two was terrible and how it ended was the worst part. I actually quit after season 2.

[@zjungta]

@@gadaboutgriffon4446 I quit after season 1, but I kept watching out of morbid curiosity. I wish I hadn't 😔. Edit: actually, I quit after the introduction of Korra. I kept watching and hoping it would get better. Then came the finale and I was done.

[@ropecrewman36]

No. I'm right there with you. I honestly can see why the execution of this trope in Season 2 is what made so many people hate this show. I still liked Bolin and Verrick enough to keep watching, though. Considering how amazing Season 3 was, I'm so glad I did.

[@joshuasoto55]

I love how fast you went from, I'll try out Avatar because y'all have been nagging me, to I don't know if he's good character but it's Zuko's voice so I'm in love.

[@anagabysanban6648]

12:02 Aang didn´t used blood bending to take away Ozai´s bending, he, as an avatar, has a special connection with energy. The blood bending technique was an Amon thing.

[@LorinBooks]

I think the character development and world building get better with each season

[@spicymeme1359]

what? did you watch season 2

[@bryson2662]

The characters were the biggest thing I didn't like about Korra. The only one I really liked was Tenzin and a few side characters.

[@TheGamerThatKills]

Tenzin is the best character in the whole show

[@zjungta]

What we needed was the adventures of Aang and Katara's kids. I would have loved to see that.

[@Crinbo]

Ben It’s so weird since he’s not a focal character, but I agree. Tenzin and his family (minus the boy that just farts all the time) are the only characters I cared about and that’s probably because of their connection to Aang, honestly.

[@beccag2758]

paula Mako and Bolin seemed like cheap, bootleg versions of Zuko and Sokka in my opinion

[@pct87]

I forgot her name, but tenzins oldest daughter became my favorite.

[@gooliish]

“i didn’t hate it. it did some things really really well and there were parts i really enjoyed. but i didn’t love it” perfect description for basically all of seasons 1&2. seasons 3&4 are where people end up falling into either they love it or hate it. imo, the later seasons are the better.

[@Ncholasbloom]

yeah but the vatuu fight wass pretty cool i just rewatched it

[@superawesome5780]

Season 4 was mid, season 2 was garbage but season 3 and 1 were great.

[@enderkaral178]

I think season 3 and 1 was fine, season 4 was ok and season 2 was meh.

[@MarceloZ2]

Season 1 was ok, season 2 was half good half garbage, season 3 was excellent and season 4 was very good. But I don't think the later seasons being really good excuses the fact that it got 2 ok to bad seasons. Overall it's a good show, but way inferior to The Last Airbender

[@miergarz3060]

Marcelo Viana I liked Season 2 up until the episodes after the wan episodes. Like I personally didn’t like the whole Vaatu thing. I also enjoyed the last two seasons more because I liked korra a lot more. Not going to lie, when I first watched legend of korra back then I didn’t like her in the first couple of seasons

[@gunjfur8633]

Aang didn't use Blood bending to take away bending, he used Energy bending, don't you remember the Lion Turtle?

[@route77productions]

Lin and Tenzin were my favorites having seen the whole show.

[@Stephy_palmeri]

They thought there was only one season so that’s why it’s so fast paced to fix stuff so be kind they did what they had to do

[@DatAsuna]

Very excited for Merph's take on book 3. My overall/nonspecific thoughts on Korra are that it's a more uneven show, partly due to being 4 stories told in half size seasons rather than one big one, and with twice as many recurring characters sharing that smaller runtime. But while it may stumble at some things the originals did better, it does gain new strengths the original didn't as well. In particular the philosophical challenge each season poses and demands a resolution to. And touching more on some of the topics stuff like The Promise broached as well such as shifting cultural heritage over generations, self-assimilation, post colonialism, neutrality vs being complicit with injustice .etc Ultimately branching out into these topics gave it a good personal resonance with me even if they aren't all primary themes.

[@noelle3780]

Personally, I really don't like how bloodbending was handled in Korra. The whole "this specific family can use it whenever" didn't sit well with me. Why did they change the established rules in atla with no other explanation? I think it would've been smarter if they'd had Amon hold rallies on full moons or something, so they wouldn't need to tie in some arbitrary family line to justify it.

[@AgentOrange88785]

Yea, I feel like that is one of the major issues with the series as a whole. There are lore breaking elements that really don’t make sense. Like being able to blood bend whenever.

[@shift9894]

I thought their explanation was mostly because the guy had learned to do it during the full moon and then while his kids where really young he taught them constantly so they became better at it than most and eventually learned to do it anytime. Something like it was drilled not them since they were kids.

[@Qupatroo]

I don’t agree, Hama said that she can only bloodbend with a full moon because you need to be really powerful in order to do it and at full moon they’re the strongest. But if you really master it it makes sense that you are able to use it with a bit less of a power boost right and then eventually whenever you want

[@rohhaiil]

I agree with nonexistent. Really a bloodbender like Amon becomes unstoppable with that amount of power, it becomes essentially impossible for a way to defeat him which leads to weird ways of solving the conflict (e.g. the way Korra unlocks her Air bending and the since Amon is a bender every one knows the truth and problem solved)

[@rainl7066]

Oh Merph, the middle road. How difficult it is to be there when everyone is trying to push you off one way or the other. Keep strong fellow middle traveler!

[@alliew31]

This isn’t as bad as Star Wars when it comes to extreme ends only. There are a lot of people who are just “it disappointed me” or “it’s fine but I’m not going to watch it again”. It’s mainly just the extremes arguing if it’s the worst thing on the planet or the greatest show ever. Everyone else is just watching the mud fly.

[@rainl7066]

@@alliew31 oh Lord, star wars. I can't even voice my opinions around star wars fans without being attacked lol.

[@Kadaspala]

IMO Korra season 1 and 2 are very "middling", but season 3 and 4 are back up to really good.

[@harrystubbs713]

@@alliew31 Haha I mean, you are not wrong. For The Legend of Korra I am very middle of the road and for Star Wars I am now. I used to be a big Star Wars fan but decided it was just easier and less painful if I just accepted it is not what it was, therfore I am now like "eh, it was alright, 5 out of 10" . If you are really passionate and in love with a series you do pften become more or a critic of the series due to wanting what you love from it. I understand it but it doesnt mean it is any less exahusting to hear people complain about something to death.

[@MariaRodriguez-dx6sm]

Let's see what she has to say about season 2, I remember being disappointed with season one, but still I could see the good, but I HATED season 2

[@caste1700]

One thing I really liked about the ending of season 1 was the poetic demise of Amon and Tarrlok. I was not expecting such a dark display and was very satisfied with it. Other than that, I agree a lot with what you said about ending. Felt like such a cop out to what I thought was an overall good season.

[@PrickfaceMcDoobadob]

So glad you’re reviewing this series, it’s one of my favorite ever! Each season gets better, and most of your issues (like lore, exploring the world) are touched on and hugely expanded in later seasons, so please don’t get discouraged!

[@mindofthelion712]

In my personal opinion, Avatar's seasons, in order of greatness, are: A2: Earth: lots of great characterization, holds tension that Water overall lacked. A3: Fire: excessive amounts of filler, but we also had the final battle and Zuko's redemption arc. K3: Change: I'm just a big fan of the members of the Red Lotus. The first time that there were major consequences that had to be endured rather than solved. A1: Water: A big portion of the first season was much more child-directed, and it had a much more meandering pace than the other seasons. K1: Air: We get to directly learn a lot more about Amon than we ever knew about Ozai. Makes him much more engaging. However, as you said, suffers from poor characterization. K4: Balance: Honestly, I don't remember most of Balance. I know Korra deals with PTSD, fights a giant mech that was honestly pretty lame, and comes out as bi, but that's about it. K2: Spirits: Villains had little depth, confusing character arcs, and they royally messed up the magic system.

[@janvi.suresh]

i guess i can agree with that! although i would more so tie season 3 of korra with season 1 of ATLA. I also can't decide whether book 3 or 2 is my favourite LOL! While a lot of 3 is filler, its some of my absolute favourite filler bc of the character development. its all just *chef's kiss*

[@monicasodergren752]

Merphy: "I know it can only keep stepping up from here." Me: *conspicuously coughing* .... Buckle up for season two....

[@Qupatroo]

Lol, but season 3 is pretty damn good and 4 is good too

[@VoidHeart56]

@@Qupatroo They're both... kinda meh. Maybe a little better than season one, but still not great. The only part of Korra that can compare to ATLA is the first half of season two. The second half makes that season irredeemable, but the first half on it's own in incredible.

[@Qupatroo]

Cameron Aitken nah season 3 was definitely the best with the villains the red lotus which were very interesting and well written. Korra finally starting to have a bit more character development. And they added lava bending and more combustion which was awesome the air nation being build back up was great. And the first few episodes of korra season 4 were my favorite probably when she was alone and broken

[@Valiguss]

Micha I kinda didn’t like season 3 zaheer is just an armchair anarchist warlord People act like his philosophy is interesting when if I’m being honest the only villain philosophy worse then his is that of the season 2 villain he just keeps going enlightenment and no governments is freedom and never explains more then that Zaheer and the season 2 guy are just evil no doubt about it But Amon had a point there can never be true equality with benders and non benders And so did kuvira

[@mrcombustiblelemon2902]

Excuse me?! The part where they changed the Avatar's backstory from "connection between the spiritual world and the physical world, who's responsible for learning from everyone and making the worlds better places" to "literally Jesus" is the best part of... Screw this, I can't even say it as trolling

[@christopherjohnson2234]

If I remember correctly, she went into the avatar state when giving bending back, which means she was just letting Aang’s experience in energy bending take the lead. When you’re in the avatar state the previous avatar’s just take over your body.

[@amelieshuman3324]

Something to keep in mind is that the creators thought they were only going to have 1 season of Korra. That’s why they had to fix everything by the end. Slog though the second season. Third season is the best in my opinion

[@lewisoliverleo]

Hiya! Love your analysis. Just wanted to add - Aang doesn't blood bend to remove bending, he energy bends. Amon's method of removing bending is, more or less, like a long term chi blocking that he does through his very powerful blood bending. Aang energy bends to completely remove bending, and Korra uses it to life the blocks.

[@sumdudenorris106]

Aang didn't use blood bending to take away Ozai's bending. He used energy bending. Later seasons of Korra do explore the origins of bending, but it underwrites the themes from the original series

[@Watch7maker]

No it doesn’t.

[@anonymousname5860]

Respectfully I don’t think it does.

[@jojogarlin8369]

Unlucky7Seven It kinda does

[@sumdudenorris106]

@@Watch7maker Rather than flawed people solving problems the best they can, the lore from Korra creates a dichotomy of good and evil through the spirits rava and vatu

[@driveknight9959]

What themes? The shows have different themes. Heck Korra alone has 4

[@darkangel220a]

legend of korra was only supposed to be one season originally before being upped to 4 seasons, hence why somethings in season 1 are so rushed and conveniently wrapped up

[@ropecrewman36]

And the reason that Season 2 is so abysmal is because it's the season the creators didn't know they were going to have. Bolin is still hilarious, though.

[@groynin]

If I'm not mistaken they never knew for sure which season would be the last because nickelodeon was not very good to them during the production, so that's why each volume is so self contained and don't arch so well to the next ones

[@JimCullen]

Actually it started with one season, then when that was done they were given a second season. The only time they knew they had more than one season ahead of them was with seasons 3 & 4. But even those got screwed over by season 4 going online only, and with its budget cut so much they had to do a clip episode.

[@alliew31]

There are so many single season shows that are amazing so I don’t except that as a reason for a lot of the story decisions made.

[@TheWilyx]

If you only have one season there's even more reason to think your plot better, spread it nicely and cut filler subplots (like 3 love triangles) I don't think it being just one season is an excuse for the rushed ending, if anything it makes it worse.

[@masteroctagon6888]

With Korra, its like season 1 of ATLA. You have to watch and see Season 1 & 2 of Korra to understand Season 3 & 4. There are really great parts of S1 & 2 but oh boy S3-4 are definitely of quality level with ATLA. Also, Nickelodeon really gave them hell, pushing some HEAVY creative control onto the team. So each season had to be treated as an individual season, bc Nickelodeon could cancel the show at any minute. Its a sad position for the creative team to be in.

[@justincain2702]

I think even though the pacing in s1 of ATLA was a bit off, it was still really well written overall and set up the characters and plot really well. It also kept the rules of the world consistent and believable. I cant really say the same for korra. S1 and s2 retcon a ton of lore and dont really set much up for s3 and s4 as far as i can remember. The last 2 seasons are still pretty great, although i'd prefer to just rewatch ATLA.

[@alexricky87]

That's the major downside to Korra is that Nick didn't really know what the Avatar world needed in terms of planning and they didn't give the creators enough time to tell their story. I would say what I didn't like about the ending of the series but I don't want to spoil it for Murphy in case she's reading this but in her overall review of the series I hope she sees that had Nick given the creators enough time both in the planning and the number of episodes they could have flush out the ending of the series better.

[@webx135]

Season 2 is going to suck worse but you will LOVE the lore. Season 3 has a lot of what you are looking for. Season 4 has Robin Williams' daughter so like that that's great. . But yeah, the showrunners didn't really seem like they knew what to do with air. As I posted on I think your last video ("which bender are you?"), they had a love affair with Earth. I can stretch the story to make it somewhat fit my idea of how airbending would be "learned" or "triggered". "At our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change" is a bit of a hint, there. . Basically, while earthbending involves finally taking the world around you head-on, airbending would more often be discovered when everything you know is flipped on its head. Korra main source of personal identity came from bending and that was taken away, so her entire identity was stripped away and she had to find something new. A bit of a stretch. And of course it resulted in punching air like we see so much of which is a very ineffective way of using the element. . Other examples might be running away after discovering your "parents" turned out to be a random couple who killed your real parents to kidnap you. It is all about that feeling when you are going down the stairs and think you've reached the bottom but realize there is another step. Take that feeling of your stomach flipping and get stuck in that moment. . Another could come from freedom and breaking away from restriction. Under pressure, air becomes hot and exerts a force. You might think you are a fire until you get out of that situation and get out on your own.. . Or it could come from dodging responsibility. . In other words, if Simba was an airbender, he would have had 3 different opportunities to discover it throughout his arc. When he runs off as a kid. When his dad dies. When he joins Timon and Pumba.

[@XMachete]

let's see: - bull-headed protagonist with no growth or layers: stay tuned - no lore? stay tuned - no teaching of air-bending? stay tuned - hate the love triangles? HAHAHA stay tuned

[@ultravioletcatastrophe]

at first I thought she had watched the entire series already, and was really confused

[@XMachete]

@@akkalis9254 yep, one of the challenges for Korra was that it was following (and thus being compared to) the entire run of ATLA. That's a hellafied legacy to live up to already, and people's memories have compressed ATLA into a single saga, so very few people are doing a season to season comparison (which itself is flawed since unequal story time but still a reasonable approach). I'm glad it went from mini-series to full blown series to allow the character development, lore, and story developments she's craving.

[@onebuffalo5402]

magical mary sue improvement where she goes from 0 spiritual ability to the most spiritually evolved being in history in the span of about 3 hours world time? Stay tuned.

[@professorthread]

I don't wanna spoil anything for Merphy but the last season made my girlfriend and I at the time very happy since we very much identified with Korra and Asami

[@XMachete]

@@professorthread that's great and I love that relationship, but that is SUPER SPOILERY for anyone who hasn't seen the entire series. You could edit out "my ...." to "my love" and the names to "***** and *****", which anyone who knows will know and anyone who hasn't seen the entire thing will get to experience that beautiful arc blossom.

[@pypedreams7942]

Oh, also, the colony in “The Promise” graphic novel is the the place that becomes Republic City, if you didn’t already peace that together lol

[@audreym3908]

@Yas Noelle I was wondering which town it was from, thanks!

[@trickysmithy9154]

I wanted to hear your thoughts on Amon and Tarlock, because that story and the equalists are definitely the best parts about S1

[@JasmineTeaEnjoyer]

If you’re really excited to see more Airbending stuff, you’re gonna LOVE season 3. Thats all im gonna say.

[@ikranahmed5073]

In my opinion season 3 was the best

[@shayla106]

benj Nope.

[@laurenv6275]

The Legend of Korra writers really said "Well developed, layered characters? Nah, lets write love triangles!"

[@nali3376]

They only got green lit 1 season at a time at first so it's hard to write out good character development

[@hanburgundy4317]

@@yukijames1321 The existence of a love triangle isn't an inherently bad thing; it's just become cliche, by now, and by that virtue alone people have issue with it.

[@TalonSky]

So, I know I'm late to this party, but a few quick things to clarify: Amon is using bloodbending to twist up people's chakras, which acts like a sort of permanent chi-block. Korra is energybending, which she can do in the Avatar state because Aang knew how to. So in a way, it was Aang giving people their bending back. Also, remember that when they made this first season they weren't sure they were going to get to make any more. It was written to be a self-contained story and an end-cap book to the previous three, hence why everything gets nice and wrapped up.

[@avekatumba4794]

I hate love triangles in general. I stop there in most cases.

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

Season 1 had a love square though

[@zjungta]

What about hate triangles? Do you love them? I mean, do you hate them? Wait, what was the question?

[@avekatumba4794]

@@zjungta 😂😂😂😂😂

[@avekatumba4794]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 it was a pentagon. Bolin almost entered.

[@alliew31]

@Bakthi Hapuarachchi No, this isn’t Miraculous

[@hollyfabulos]

Honestly the main reason I ended up dropping LoK is because of Korra herself, I found her personality SOOO obnoxious and loud and bombastic and ughhh so frustrating to me, I found myself just yelling at my screen trying to tell this teenage girl to shut up for once and listen to the people around her, please just stop rebelling because you think you know what's best, especially since I watched it as a 16 year old girl and korra is supposed to be 17?? I felt like I was more mature than she was, just yeah couldn't stand her at all. Also the moment I knew I had to drop the show was (NOT A SPOILER) in season 2 there's a whole episode without the main cast, basically a massive flashback story, and I realized once I began the next episode that the flashback sequence was the most I'd enjoyed myself whilst watching this show...yup at that point I just knew I had to stop

[@legnav829]

You never want to go back and finish the show

[@indigobeah]

I would say to pick it up again because it does redeem itself slightly in the third season with that antagonist but tbf do you. It's not the worst but it isn't the best

[@holstfly1]

I didn't mind it. But the thing that really annoyed me was The relationships. also people say that book 4 was the best one. I personally believed it was the most annoying, book 3 was my favorite

[@xfabian21]

Keep going! After season 2 the show gets really good and deep. Korra also gets a lot of devolpement.

[@pear4576]

I would recommend finishing it, season 3 and 4 are good, although I agree with you... The main cast is not fun to watch and Korra isn't very compelling. The reason I liked season 3 is because of the villains, and season 4 as well. Korra never really felt like an Avatar to me. But I always wondered, what if we were shown Kyoshi like this? Would we have hated her too? Probably not because we knew what she became and how much of a badass she was and didn't give a fuck. Everyone loved Kyoshi, so why is it we hate Korra? It's pretty weird to think about it like that, but I think it's because we would already know Kyoshi and love her so we'd be like ''Damn it Kyoshi just listen but it's okay because she eventually turns into a giant badass woman''. With Korra it's kinda like, we don't know if she'll change and it's in the future compared to ATLA, so we're gonna compare her to Aang and wanna see him etc. Personally I think this character would've worked, but not for someone new, because it feels like she's an arrogant prick who doesn't deserve the spotlight as main character. For someone we already know it would be different, but it's still weird to think about it like that. Anyway, I'd recommend you do finish the show because it gets better and imo season 3/4 were worth watching, but compared to ATLA it was disappointing, and this is because of Nickelodeon, not the writers.

[@bradenhazle4378]

"That would've been a humbling experience for Korra..it would really take her down a notch, hopefully making her less headstrong." Uh..seasons 3 and 4 are waiting...And season 2 is rocky but please push through it. Also, Merph has started Critical Role?? Good luck leaving that rabbit hole

[@ya-like-jazz]

so personally, i didn't get attached to any of the atla characters *that* much except for Iroh and Sokka (but only later in the series with sokka)? I'm having sort of the same character indifference with korra. korra is sometimes a jerk but sometimes extremely relatable because she is a teenager and i'm also a teenager, bolin is cute but not super interesting, and mako is................................ ehhhh. and i really did not like asami's introduction but she is growing on me. i think if i had to say my favorite character right now it's lin beifong? she's driven by a very strong sense of justice which i appreciate and i'm glad she shifted from a lawful good to a neutral good, not to mention incredibly badass. she's moody and easily irritated but you can tell on some level she definitely cares and i just like her.

[@raphaelj2541]

I think the way aang took away bending wasnt blood bending it was energy bending, he essentially just shut off all the chi in someones body but forever.

[@macadameane]

Lore is coming and becomes a story telling device later in the series.

[@agilagilsen8714]

Just a shame that the jesus v lucifer lore they add is horrible and does nothing but make the show worse as a whole...

[@KnightOfFaith]

And the lore sucks and *kinda* retcons the original

[@maayanlaufer821]

No... No Its not

[@themasked_senshi4521]

Not even korra fans like that season

[@macadameane]

Overall there were directions I didn't like, but if it stands alone I think I would have liked it better. I understand the retcon statement.

[@urnotgona]

I personally love how much they developed the villains, season 3 is 100% the best one

[@electricboi9319]

ツ【Gonaxanog】 Amon is my favorite villain out of LOK Though I can see why people might prefer the villains of Season 3

[@midknight9188]

Mediumed it describes Korra perfectly lol

[@LinardsZ]

Main reason why Korra had 1st season rushed at the and was because it got cancelled and wasnt cancelled. S3 and 4 ars best becauss ghey didnf get czncelled.

[@TheQwerty841]

👀

[@jakoby256]

Korra is the Zuko of the series. Pay close attention to her character development through the seasons and you'll see what i mean. Maybe you'll appreciate her more after that.

[@chase21592]

This development only begins around season 3. In 1 and 2, she’s a meatheaded dumbass who doesn’t reap the consequences of her actions. Seasons 3 and 4 is where she becomes an actually good character.

[@akshaydalvi1534]

Zuko is constantly shit on in the beginning which actually makes u root for him, Korra hardly faces any consequences for her actions in B1.

[@kairo876]

Don't worry, there is plenty of lore and worldbuilding in season 2 of Korra. (sarcastically) Btw Korra can return the bending because of energybending that spirit-Aang learned her by touching her because that's what the Lionturtle did in the original series. 16:37 you just need to wait and watch.

[@arielsmith4788]

I tried with Korra, I really did. But for me my lack of connection with the characters ruined the show. I only connected with kai and jinora and it just wasn’t enough. Cool villains tho. Especially as the seasons go on

[@estevansilva1591]

that sucks, i connected with korra because of her character growth.

[@zakelinos]

KORRA IS PERFECT THE WAY IT IS

[@tonial]

So... are we gonna have some Critical Role review? would be really cool!

[@merphynapier42]

I def wanna make some DND videos. Just not sure what that'll look like yet!

[@KK-ef1ow]

@@merphynapier42 you should do a Campaign 1 review.

[@christopherbacon1077]

@@KK-ef1ow Campaign 1 is 115 episodes. Maybe break down the reviews by story arc?

[@PatentlyWillton]

@@merphynapier42 You definitely need to check out the DnD fiction! Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms should be at the top of the list!

[@jonathanarroyo6319]

Korra’s character really evolves in later seasons. Also, the characters seem superficial because the series was meant to be only one season. They get better in later seasons, especially Tenzin. Bolín and mako still fall flat tho. Especially mako

[@maadtee6281]

True that if you think about it her character and journey to truly discovering herself as the Avatar is kind of like Zuko

[@jonathanarroyo6319]

MAAD TEE yeah but not as good. Still good tho like all of Korra lmao

[@jonathanarroyo6319]

EternalLeave SPOILERS They both became cops which is the very definition of boring. Worse yet mako was a bodyguard and bolin’s naïveté really frustrated me. I did like kuvira tho (in that hate type of way)

[@ryanrabito1379]

Mako is awful for the longest time

[@sharksterenahncer5000]

I believe that season 1 of Korra was a step up for Aman because he had the ability to take peoples bending away and blood bend. Those abilities would be hard to challenge if Aman ever faced Firelord Ozai or Azula.

[@Omagadam1]

Didn't the Lion Turtle teach Aang energy bending to take away Ozai's bending? Korra needed the Avatar state to tap into Aang to heal the lost benders