Most of you know how much I enjoyed
Avatar: The Last Airbender and how much I hated
The Last Airbender. I mean its kind of how the Disney remakes are going. It's just not possible to replicate something that is animated, full of life and colour and emotion among other things. Some have worked, but not all things and I guess their attempt at a film adaptation was doomed from the start. So Nickelodeon decided instead of a live action film, they would see the franchise continue with a brand new but somewhat familiar show and this is that show. The avatar is not really one character, but a position passed on by generations of people who have all been that one being to have mastered all the main elements (though little did we know that there are some other elements too). So let's see how this series played out:
Book One: Air
Korra (voiced by Janet Varney), a 17-year-old resident of a water tribe, becomes the new avatar. She manages to master water, fire and earth with ease, but finds it difficult to master air. When she learns that air bender and the son of Aang, Tenzin (voiced by J. Jonah Jameson himself, J.K. Simmons) is paying a visit to the tribe, she is readily excited. That is until he announces that it will be a short visit. Determined to have him teach her air bending, Korra ventures to Republic City to convince Tenzin to train her. While there, she joins a pro-bending team and befriends fire bender Mako (voiced by David Faustino) and his dimwitted, but loveable earth bending brother Bolin (voiced by P.J. Byrne). The trio later befriend the daughter of an industrialist Asami (voiced by Seychelle Gabriel) whose father's company sponsor the team. But as things play out, Korra and her friends wind up in a conspiracy in which a man claims to be able to take away the bending abilities of anybody and sets about freeing Republic City from benders for good. The first series is good. It's got good visuals, a balance between technology and magic, and it tackles a fair amount of mature themes that you wouldn't typically find in most children's cartoons (though its more rare that ever before these days). A shame that unlike the previous series, every main villain is different, but that's OK as it gives the show the chance to have some more originality. Though I do question some choices in terms of historical things. 9/10
Book Two: Spirits
Set six months after the first book or season, Korra and her friends become aware of a plot to free a dark spirit from the spirit world in order to create her evil counterpart and bring total darkness and destruction to the world. Plus we learn a thing or two about her heritage, but when it all comes down to it, the world will forever be changed by the end of this book or season one way or another. This season reminds me of an anime which was tackling a similar premise where the main characters find themselves in a world different from their own to a point where their power is very little. I get that feeling here and to compare villains, the villain this time around is perhaps the most dangerous of the whole franchise. Even more so than the fire lord from the first show. But anyway, another great series with great action and animation and lots more mature themes being tackled (especially the political parts). 9/10
Book Three: Change
Following the events of the previous season, the world has changed. So much so, that many people have developed air bending abilities which prompts Korra and company to seek out the new airbenders and begin anew an Air Nomad nation. But problems arise when the gang have to deal with the new monarchy of the Earth Kingdom who wants to turn the new air benders into soliders for her own army. That and a group of outlaws who have escaped their prisons to kill the avatar and the airbenders. Plus Korra learns a horrifying secret in the process. The first show was largely travelling from place to place and I think this season is a callback to that. Which is a good thing, I mean it's nice to be travelling to places and I also like how we kind of get two villains this time with one obviously being more dangerous than the last, but also the most civil too. Anyway, another great series but a real shame that it all had to move to online only due to declining ratings at the time (I personally watched this whole show on Netflix long after it aired). 9/10
Book Four: Balance
The final season is set three years after the last one. Team Avatar has disbanded with Mako now a bodyguard for the new monarchy of the Earth Kingdom, Asami continuing to build the company she inherited from her father and Bolin joining a military operation that is set on making most of the world part of the Earth Empire. All this while Korra tries to regain her avatar powers following what happened in the last season, just as the Earth Empire becomes hell-bent on conquering the world over helping people as Bolin wanted. All this happens while relationships are changed for better or worse and politics become more corrupt. You know after three villains who each had a terrifying means of existing, the villain this time seems a bit weak to me as far as her motives and goals are concerned. With the only terrifying thing about her being the weapon she uses to get what she wants. Still though, it's a good enough season to bring the show to a close even if it's open-ended. 9/10
And there you have it. While I do find the first show to still be as good as ever, I also really enjoyed The Legend of Korra. Like the first show, it tackles a lot of mature themes and has lots of great things going for it. Plus a great variety of things for each episode. A bit of comedy, a bit of action and even a bit of the occasional horror and romance. So yeah another great show for the franchise and I hope that whatever Nickelodeon decide to do going forward, that they continue to make great shows for this franchise and learn when something doesn't work out. 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment