Legend of Korra Book 4, Take Two [Spoilers, including Series Finale!]

[Sci-2]

Will provide breakdown of why S2 deserves a -1/10, but it might be awhile. And it's probably best to let people discuss the ending to S4 right now without opening that can of worms.

Honestly, I don't think there will be an LoK movie. If there was one, I'd much prefer it to be animated. I find it hard to imagine a live action film being able to capture the spirit of the show. Real people are just too heavy and slow and, well, real, to get it right. Animation allows for more exaggerated emotions as well as wilder action scenes.

At best, there might be the kind of one hour specials like the ones Futurama had for television broadcast, but given the treatment LoK has received from Nickolodeon, even that seems unlikely.

I would also much rather have more animation instead of a live-action Korra.

Maybe 4-5 years now the climate will accept a lesbian relationship in a kids' show and we can see how the world is handling all the environmental concerns that should have been touched on in garbage S2.

(Good call on Dumbledore btw.)

[fionwe1987]

Will provide breakdown of why S2 deserves a -1/10, but it might be awhile. And it's probably best to let people discuss the ending to S4 right now without opening that can of worms.

Agreed. Let's put a pin on it for now.

I can see the point about Dumbledore. But I felt she could have dropped better hints. Doesn't Harry say something about not knowing Dumbledore at all to Hermione. That would have been a great place for Rowling to have her expounder-in-chief drop some telling hints that would make it clear to those looking for signs that Dumbledore was queer in more ways than one.

And actually, a well done animated movie would be a great way to bring Korra to the masses. If Frozen can be such a success, Korra is definitely poised for it too. Its a strong franchise, and the writers have left the door open to more stories. The division of the Earth Kingdom is not going to be easy. There's the new threat of Spirits being abused for their energy. There's the remains of Kuvira's army, Red Lotus sleeper cells, environmental issues galore, the expansion of Republic City... lots for the Avatar and her team to deal with. Nick is owned by Viacom, which also owns Paramount. There's tons of money there.

ETA: And what do you know. Paramount started a new Animation division, and is looking to Nick properties, like Legend of Korra, to make new movie franchises:

http://variety.com/2012/film/news/paramount-ramping-up-animation-slate-1118057934/

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Mako's almost-sacrifice seemed kind of pointless. By the time he started trying to blow up the core, the arm with the spirit vine cannon had already been ripped off and Korra was in the control room kicking Kuvira's ass. He probably didn't know it at the time, but it destroyed any poignancy the moment might have had.

Maybe I'd been reading too much about the French Revolution, but I think that the Earth Kingdom would be better off if Wu remained as a figurehead ruler.

[Veltigar]

I think in the case of Korra, I'm okay with authors confirming that Korra was lesbian/bisexual. They made it clear enough she was. The conformation just shuts up the doubters.

But here, they did do quite a bit to make a relationship between Asami and Korra quite obvious. To the viewers if not to the characters themselves. And so, confirming that they do hook up would be okay, IMO.

Well, the writers can make their interpretation known. Though, the people who don't believe in Korrasami by now will never believe it I'm affraid?

As for the movie, yeah there are tons of issues. I don't think they'll remove the bending. But I just can't see movie special effects being able to match what they can pull off in animation. LoK's animation is particularly lush and gorgeous. They just get how to keep a fight gripping and edge of the seat. Many of the fights don't have cut scenes, and instead employ continuous shots, which are just hard to do in live action. Go back and look at Su vs. Kuvira, or Kuvira vs. Korra at the cockpit of the Mecha. Its just wonderful work, and its a limitation of live action that it can't match that.

Well, technology evolves quickly. Just ask the people in this thread who were old enough to see Jurassic Parc when it came out. No one expected dinosaurs to look as good as they did in that film. Who knows what they can come up with. They'll have to use cuts of course, but that doesn't need to diminish the scenes. As long as it isn't the sickenenly quick editing of the Red Viper vs. Gregor or Darth Maul vs. Qui-gon and Obi Wan we'll be fine.

But I also feel that the great action is a perfect hook to discuss the larger issues that the show brought up. Season 1 is perfect, in that way. While the rushed ending can be fleshed out in a movie, and the romance toned down, the rest of the story is great. The sociopolitical issues are very believable, and the Pro Bending keeps the action going even when those political issues are the focus. It would make for a solid 3 hour movie, I feel.

Three hour movies are hard to sell though. And I don't think it would be enough, especially since they need a fresh audience to make a profit. Just not enough LoK fans out there to rely on. I think you'd need at least two movies. Besides the sociopolitical issues, bending, character development and things like that they need the screentime to set up future threats and to give explanations about how this world works.

I quite agree that Rowling was pretty cowardly. Recently she said that of course there were LGBT students in HP. But why not show us that, then? We don't even get a hint of it. All the major characters are shown to be married to people of the opposite sex by the time of the epilogue too.

The same with including Jewish students and the like. Is it really necessary to cram them all in behind the fact. I mean why would wizards believe in muggle religions? And why can't the wizards be more enlightened about LGBT matters than muggles. Race (as in skincolour) does not seem to be an issue, so why can't they be progressive on other fronts.

There will never be a LoK movie after the monumental disaster that was The Last Airbender.

Sad to say that you're probably right. But we can always dream ;-)

In JKR's defence, the last Harry Potter book was released several years ago, and I think that even in the few years between then and now, there's been a big shift in attitudes in the UK towards LGBT relationships. I think it would be much easier to write LGBT characters in a children's book without having the harpies in the tabloid media after you talking about "political correctness gone mad" plus the odd Guardian columnist accusing you of gay stereotyping.

She was also writing about a pretty conservative society, and writing in a genre that has its roots in the boarding school stories of the first half of the twentieth century. Being out and proud about anything except maybe about being good at sport would be pretty unlikely in that kind of milieu: Hogwarts ≠ Edwardian era Eton.

And Dumbledore 's homosexuality didn't come completely out of the blue. I think that DH hinted pretty strongly that Dumbledore was gay. And since it was Harry's p.o.v. it would be a bit strange if he took a huge interest in the sex life of his grandfatherly headmaster.

Pray tell me what are these hints? His relationship with Grindelwald doesn't say much. In light of her comments, you can read it as a homosexual pairing, but when you look at the actual texts there is no strong hint there. Nor does she use hints in other places to strengthen the case. Or you have to count the fact that he likes to dress flamboyantly, which isn't exactly telling of his sexuality either.

Now I need to write something on topic, don't I? Oh well, have a nice picture instead here from makani.

A Simpsons-LoK crossover would be so much better than the family guy-Simpsons crossover we actually got :(

But I felt she could have dropped better hints. Doesn't Harry say something about not knowing Dumbledore at all to Hermione. That would have been a great place for Rowling to have her expounder-in-chief drop some telling hints that would make it clear to those looking for signs that Dumbledore was queer in more ways than one.

:agree:

And actually, a well done animated movie would be a great way to bring Korra to the masses. If Frozen can be such a success, Korra is definitely poised for it too. Its a strong franchise, and the writers have left the door open to more stories. The division of the Earth Kingdom is not going to be easy. There's the new threat of Spirits being abused for their energy. There's the remains of Kuvira's army, Red Lotus sleeper cells, environmental issues galore, the expansion of Republic City... lots for the Avatar and her team to deal with. Nick is owned by Viacom, which also owns Paramount. There's tons of money there.

ETA: And what do you know. Paramount started a new Animation division, and is looking to Nick properties, like Legend of Korra, to make new movie franchises:

http://variety.com/2012/film/news/paramount-ramping-up-animation-slate-1118057934/

The thing is, strong animated movies don't do very well. Wreck-it Ralph was a thousand times better than Frozen, which is quite mediocre apart from the music, but it wasn't very succesful. The market for more mature animation is also really limited in the west. Most people, unless they are into anime, still see animation as a genre for kids. So, you might wind up with a movie that is to dark for kids (well, not really, but to dark for the overbearing parents to take their kids to) but isn't being watched by teens and adults.

A sort of extended episode would be the best way to return to this world. Although I do think LoK is bound to remain a niche product. At least for now. Hopefully, LoK will get its due in future years, due to how influential it has been on people who watched it. I can totally see LoK becoming the animated equivalent of the Velvet Underground. They only sold 30 000 copies of their first album in the early years, but as Brian Eno once put it "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band." I really do think that LoK could achieve the same status.

Maybe I'd been reading too much about the French Revolution, but I think that the Earth Kingdom would be better off if Wu remained as a figurehead ruler.

Monarchies, in whatever form, are a travesty. I'm glad Wu was smart enough to see that.

[fionwe1987]

Well, the writers can make their interpretation known. Though, the people who don't believe in Korrasami by now will never believe it I'm affraid?

Fair enough. But those who see it for what it is will have one more bullet in their guns, no?

Well, technology evolves quickly. Just ask the people in this thread who were old enough to see Jurassic Parc when it came out. No one expected dinosaurs to look as good as they did in that film. Who knows what they can come up with. They'll have to use cuts of course, but that doesn't need to diminish the scenes. As long as it isn't the sickenenly quick editing of the Red Viper vs. Gregor or Darth Maul vs. Qui-gon and Obi Wan we'll be fine.

Three hour movies are hard to sell though. And I don't think it would be enough, especially since they need a fresh audience to make a profit. Just not enough LoK fans out there to rely on. I think you'd need at least two movies. Besides the sociopolitical issues, bending, character development and things like that they need the screentime to set up future threats and to give explanations about how this world works.

Well yeah, few years from now, maybe live action would be able to match this. But right now, we get travesties like Man of Steel, not the kinetic action set pieces of LoK. I don't want to see how badly they'd botch up Korra vs. Zaheer.

As for 2 movies based on Season 1, why not? If the Hobbit can be 3 movies, Book 1 can easily be 2. Finale of Movie 1 is the Pro Bending final, and Amon declaring open war. It works really well as a two part story.

The same with including Jewish students and the like. Is it really necessary to cram them all in behind the fact. I mean why would wizards believe in muggle religions? And why can't the wizards be more enlightened about LGBT matters than muggles. Race (as in skincolour) does not seem to be an issue, so why can't they be progressive on other fronts.

I agree. I mean, Anthony Goldstein is a jewish name, so that's fine, I guess. But there could have been obvious LGBT students. It would have cost her nothing to hint that. But it was also the late 90s/early aughts, so who knows?

The thing is, strong animated movies don't do very well. Wreck-it Ralph was a thousand times better than Frozen, which is quite mediocre apart from the music, but it wasn't very succesful. The market for more mature animation is also really limited in the west. Most people, unless they are into anime, still see animation as a genre for kids. So, you might wind up with a movie that is to dark for kids (well, not really, but to dark for the overbearing parents to take their kids to) but isn't being watched by teens and adults.

But look at Wall E. Or Brave, which while a far far inferior to many movies, did manage to sell the idea of a female lead. There's no one stand out example that has all the great features of LoK, but the bits and pieces are there. So maybe in a few years?

I think Korra is pretty sneaky with the strong stuff. As you noted, up front, it works well as an action adventure story. Its just that the world is so strong that a lot of deeper issues are easily explored in the context of bending and fighting. I mean, look at how neatly they tied in the Pro-bending to Amon's story. Or how well a team of kick-ass benders so easily fit as a misfit band of anarchists. That's been the best thing about the show. The writers get what's "cool", then tack it on to complex characters. Look at Su, for instant. They were super sneaky with it, with all the hints that she's maybe a traitor, but in they end, she's easily one of the most iconic female characters on TV while also being a kickass fighter. So she kind of flies under the radar, but ends up being this feminist dream character. She ticks all the boxes, but it never feels forced, or like the character was tacked on for the sake of making a point.

A sort of extended episode would be the best way to return to this world. Although I do think LoK is bound to remain a niche product. At least for now. Hopefully, LoK will get its due in future years, due to how influential it has been on people who watched it. I can totally see LoK becoming the animated equivalent of the Velvet Underground. They only sold 30 000 copies of their first album in the early years, but as Brian Eno once put it "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band." I really do think that LoK could achieve the same status.

That's a good way to put it. A lot of fantasy writers would certainly do well to learn how to write female characters from ATLA and LoK. And the shows whack completely the idea that fantasy stories set in the Middle Ages or whatever time period where real life women were oppressed need to have the same societal dynamics. LoK neatly evokes the 1920s-1940s era, but women's rights are not even an issue in the world. That's good use of the medium.

[Tellus Explorer]

But look at Wall E. Or Brave, which while a far far inferior to many movies, did manage to sell the idea of a female lead. There's no one stand out example that has all the great features of LoK, but the bits and pieces are there. So maybe in a few years?

You know the only this is truly found disheartening about Brave... was the fact that Merida was being selfish, they made her out to just seem like a whiny teenage "tomboy" who took extreme measures just so she could defy her mother..

[Veltigar]

Fair enough. But those who see it for what it is will have one more bullet in their guns, no?

A blank imo :P After the work has been published, everyone gets to interpret the work for themselves. If the writers decide to share their views then fine, but they should do so by referring to the actual work at hand (like that excellent Tumblr post SpaceChampion posted). Not just a flat out Rowlingesque statement that he/she is gay. If they don't back it up with textual clues, they're just appealing to authority.

Well yeah, few years from now, maybe live action would be able to match this. But right now, we get travesties like Man of Steel, not the kinetic action set pieces of LoK. I don't want to see how badly they'd botch up Korra vs. Zaheer.

Affraid I haven't seen MoS yet. Superman bores me and the mass wave of hate made me stear clear of it. But there is good action being made in Hollywood, it's rare of course, Michael Bay and his acolytes do their best to ruin everything, but there is quality action. Edge of Tomorrow had some superb action in it, really easy to follow. And John Wick, though less relying on CGI had some amazing fight routines.

As for 2 movies based on Season 1, why not? If the Hobbit can be made into 3 godawful movies, Book 1 can easily be 2 great ones. Finale of Movie 1 is the Pro Bending final, and Amon declaring open war. It works really well as a two part story.

Fixed it :P Agreed with the rest of this though.

I agree. I mean, Anthony Goldstein is a jewish name, so that's fine, I guess. But there could have been obvious LGBT students. It would have cost her nothing to hint that. But it was also the late 90s/early aughts, so who knows?

You know I have seen that excuse a couple of times, but it just doesn't gel with me. For starters from the Goblet of Fire onwards JKR was certainly big enough to do whatever the hell she wanted to do with her characters. If she wanted to make a stance she could have included a sly nod (or more) in there. Secondly, what buggs me is not that there aren't any LGBT characters, I can go along with the different time arguments. What irks me is that she's now retroactively including every minority in the series and gets so much praise for it. Like I said before, she's having her cake and eating it too, that just doesn't sit right with me. I'm curious about the new movies to be honest, I wonder if she'll show some courage this time.

But look at Wall E. Or Brave, which while a far far inferior to many movies, did manage to sell the idea of a female lead. There's no one stand out example that has all the great features of LoK, but the bits and pieces are there. So maybe in a few years?

Wall-E wasn't that dark no? It's been a long while since I saw it. The first 40 minutes or so are great (also the bleakest) but it never gets as profound of Korra IIRC. And Brave underperformed no? It didn't bomb, because people haven't gotten over Pixar yet, but it certainly didn't do as well as expected.

Plus, both Wall-E and Brave were definitely aimed at kids. The fact that adults can enjoy them is just a bonus. Something as Korra should definitely be aimed at teens and adults. Otherwise we would only get a watered down version of the story, which isn't worth the trouble I'd think. I think it would be really hard to get your money back as an investor. But hopefully hearts and minds will be ready someday.

I think Korra is pretty sneaky with the strong stuff. As you noted, up front, it works well as an action adventure story. Its just that the world is so strong that a lot of deeper issues are easily explored in the context of bending and fighting. I mean, look at how neatly they tied in the Pro-bending to Amon's story. Or how well a team of kick-ass benders so easily fit as a misfit band of anarchists. That's been the best thing about the show. The writers get what's "cool", then tack it on to complex characters. Look at Su, for instant. They were super sneaky with it, with all the hints that she's maybe a traitor, but in they end, she's easily one of the most iconic female characters on TV while also being a kickass fighter. So she kind of flies under the radar, but ends up being this feminist dream character. She ticks all the boxes, but it never feels forced, or like the character was tacked on for the sake of making a point.

That's really the strength of the entire Avatarverse. Korra is perhaps more obvious, but ATLA definitely had similar moments with Zuko, Azula, Toph and Aang. Just more reasons to love this world.

That's a good way to put it. A lot of fantasy writers would certainly do well to learn how to write female characters from ATLA and LoK. And the shows whack completely the idea that fantasy stories set in the Middle Ages or whatever time period where real life women were oppressed need to have the same societal dynamics. LoK neatly evokes the 1920s-1940s era, but women's rights are not even an issue in the world. That's good use of the medium.

Fuck, not just fantasy writers can learn from this. Writers in general should take a page from LoK's book. Like, in American fiction you see that many writers know feminist ideas. They have been educated in them, but they still don't get it. There's an awful lot of fiction out there where strong female characters just end up emasculating the male characters. LoK doesn't have that problem. Plausibly strong women exist side by side with plausibly strong men (well, except for Mako, but his character is a clusterfuck anyway). Now that's good feminism right there.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Monarchies, in whatever form, are a travesty. I'm glad Wu was smart enough to see that.

Morally? Maybe, although I wouldn't put it in such strong terms.

Practically? Symbols are important, especially in a nations that's been wracked by anarchy and then a brutal tyrant. Few symbols are stronger than a "rightful" monarch. Remember that a lot of people in the Kingdom still honor the Earth Monarchs and that the first non-Earth Dynasty ruler they've had was a Hitler expy. I don't think the Earth is ready to go without a monarch until they've established strong rule of law, democratic/republican institutions, civil service, etc. Not to mention that the plan to balkanize the Kingdom might not work so well.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

You know I have seen that excuse a couple of times, but it just doesn't gel with me. For starters from the Goblet of Fire onwards JKR was certainly big enough to do whatever the hell she wanted to do with her characters. If she wanted to make a stance she could have included a sly nod (or more) in there. Secondly, what buggs me is not that there aren't any LGBT characters, I can go along with the different time arguments. What irks me is that she's now retroactively including every minority in the series and gets so much praise for it. Like I said before, she's having her cake and eating it too, that just doesn't sit right with me. I'm curious about the new movies to be honest, I wonder if she'll show some courage this time.

JK seems to disbelieve the truth behind the 'death of the author,' and I think that may do more harm to the longevity of her books. (In truth, I also think that the interpretations and changes of the movies influenced JK Rowling in a negative direction in the remaining books as a result.)

Anyway, the Last Airbender was the much stronger series. Sure some parts and seasons of LoK may have been stronger than AtLA's weaker portions, but AtLA was far more consistent, coherent, and compelling in its storytelling. The story arc did not seem haphazard season by season, and the writers of AtLA certainly felt like they at least knew what they wanted to do with all their characters, which did not feel to be the case with many of the characters in LoK (e.g. Mako). The characters had far more cohesion, and each felt like they had a part to play, while in LoK there were a number of "core" characters that felt like dead weight.

[Spring Bass]

I really like Season 2. Yeah, it's not the strongest season, and it almost feels like a diversion from the plot, but I just really enjoyed it as a standalone watch. I loved the Wan back-story, I loved the visuals, the Rava vs Vaatu thing - so enjoyable.

[Roughspun]

A good Avatarverse movie should be on par with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Miyazaki’s movies, imho. I doubt this is gonna happen.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping for more LoK soundtrack releases.

[dog-days]

I really like Season 2. Yeah, it's not the strongest season, and it almost feels like a diversion from the plot, but I just really enjoyed it as a standalone watch. I loved the Wan back-story, I loved the visuals, the Rava vs Vaatu thing - so enjoyable.

I agree. :)

JK seems to disbelieve the truth behind the 'death of the author,' and I think that may do more harm to the longevity of her books. (In truth, I also think that the interpretations and changes of the movies influenced JK Rowling in a negative direction in the remaining books as a result.)

Anyway, the Last Airbender was the much stronger series. Sure some parts and seasons of LoK may have been stronger than AtLA's weaker portions, but AtLA was far more consistent, coherent, and compelling in its storytelling. The story arc did not seem haphazard season by season, and the writers of AtLA certainly felt like they at least knew what they wanted to do with all their characters, which did not feel to be the case with many of the characters in LoK (e.g. Mako). The characters had far more cohesion, and each felt like they had a part to play, while in LoK there were a number of "core" characters that felt like dead weight.

JKR can say whatever she likes about the books and characters she's written. She doesn't force anyone to read her post-HP interviews. They're there for people who are interested in her ideas and feelings about her series.

Avatar: TLA had the advantage of being one story spread across three seasons. Korra has four seasons, each with a separate story. It's true that there were characters, especially Mako, who'd be left with little to do for long periods. OTOH, I quite like that in some ways. The elegance and smooth character trajectories of ATLA giving away to the bumps and false starts of LoK - sounds a bit like growing up, no?

[fionwe1987]

Frankly, Mako could have gotten an arc that fits within the story as it is. He was very protective of Bolin in Book 1. It would have been great if they explored Bolin outgrowing it, and Mako struggling with that, with the finale showing Mako finally accepting that sometimes, Bolin would be the one to risk his life too.

[red snow]

the finale was ok - I could have done without it centering around a transformer walking around a city for 60 minutes though. I liked the post fight epilogue though.

In hindsight, I think the show could have benefitted from more episodes per season (an inverse of usually demanding tighter seasons in the TV i like but maybe it's more that I think 8-10 hours is an ideal duration for a season?). There was a lot for them to cover with such an interesting world and while a lot of the "c-list" characters were great (Varrick probably rose to b-list by the end) the b-listers often felt like they were ignored (Mako, Bolin, Asami and Tenzin) - although thankfully Bolin and Tenzin had great moments at times. I think that's what ultimately makes ATLA a better show in that the entire cast were rich with arcs to themselves. That never really happened for the Korra cast.

It's also a shame that the show can end with a marriage but can't have the lead kissing another girl - at least they heavily hinted beyond doubt that's what was going on between them. Wonder if that was part of the reason Nickelodeon side-lined the show.

Slightly sad that's the end of seeing the show in animation. I'll have to hope the comics pick up or that there's a worthy remake in 20 years.

[dog-days]

Frankly, Mako could have gotten an arc that fits within the story as it is. He was very protective of Bolin in Book 1. It would have been great if they explored Bolin outgrowing it, and Mako struggling with that, with the finale showing Mako finally accepting that sometimes, Bolin would be the one to risk his life too.

Yeah, with Mako it did always feel as if they were going to implement some sort of plan, then not going through with it.

[Liffguard]

In addition, it seemed like they were going somewhere with Mako at the start of S3 with how stiff, awkward and uncomfortable he was. Even if it wasn't really an arc as such, I liked that they were deconstructing the whole stoic, taciturn badass thing but they never stuck with it.

[red snow]

I liked how Mako casually proved he could fly using fire. The guy was a prodigy but just hung around doing little whenever Korra was around. Maybe there's a whole "adventures of Mako" hidden between seasons where he goes around taking down various criminals and training?

Not that Mako was the only character guilty of suddenly using whole new fighting techniques. Bolin suddenly starts using lava-frisbees in the final episode while Kuvira uses liquid metal blobs. It made for some novel fighting techniques but they didn't feel so organic.

I also feel for all of those who were pining for some fire nation - never happened.

[Veltigar]

Morally? Maybe, although I wouldn't put it in such strong terms.

Practically? Symbols are important, especially in a nations that's been wracked by anarchy and then a brutal tyrant. Few symbols are stronger than a "rightful" monarch. Remember that a lot of people in the Kingdom still honor the Earth Monarchs and that the first non-Earth Dynasty ruler they've had was a Hitler expy. I don't think the Earth is ready to go without a monarch until they've established strong rule of law, democratic/republican institutions, civil service, etc. Not to mention that the plan to balkanize the Kingdom might not work so well.

There is no such thing as a rightful monarch, as there is no such thing as a divine right to rule. As to the world of LoK, which symbol is more powerful than the avatar. Plus lots of people following Kuvira would lay down arms as she was more than willing to cooperate in the end. I do agree that the plan to balkanize the Earth Empire is moronic though. Although I bet that it will be a fruitful source of conflict if they ever make a new series. I suspect that solution was largely put into place because of that reason.

JK seems to disbelieve the truth behind the 'death of the author,' and I think that may do more harm to the longevity of her books. (In truth, I also think that the interpretations and changes of the movies influenced JK Rowling in a negative direction in the remaining books as a result.)

I agree. I wonder how those new movies will turn out. Will she make the same mistakes there or will she have learned from her mistakes?

Anyway, the Last Airbender was the much stronger series. Sure some parts and seasons of LoK may have been stronger than AtLA's weaker portions, but AtLA was far more consistent, coherent, and compelling in its storytelling. The story arc did not seem haphazard season by season, and the writers of AtLA certainly felt like they at least knew what they wanted to do with all their characters, which did not feel to be the case with many of the characters in LoK (e.g. Mako). The characters had far more cohesion, and each felt like they had a part to play, while in LoK there were a number of "core" characters that felt like dead weight.

I do agree with your assesment. ATLA was the better series, but I do feel like LoK has more potential for future adaptations. It strikes me as easier to adapt. The story chunks are smaller and the disjointedness LoK frequently suffered from could be dealt with, if there was a clear plan in place. LoK also has more action than ATLA overall and the older characters give the writers more possibilities (plus it would be easier to find capable actors). Bolin and Opal, Korra and Asami, etc. would give writers more chance to play with romance than Aang and Katara.

Many mistakes LoK made or that bugged it down could be avoided. Mako could be eliminated or given a role as a sacrifice. Kuvira could have gotten a small role in the adaptation of book three, to establish her later on. The lightning-ex-machina can be avoided. Unalaq could be scraped and a new reason for spiritual convergence could be though of. You get the picture. At the same time, the strengths of Korra could be preserved. The strong women, the ethnically diverse cast, the sociopolitical storylines, the thrilling action, the great crosssection of ages and so on.

JKR can say whatever she likes about the books and characters she's written. She doesn't force anyone to read her post-HP interviews. They're there for people who are interested in her ideas and feelings about her series.

An author is free to share his/her own interpretation of the text, as long as he/she actually refers to the text. When the author just puts a claim forward without any textual input, then it's just meaningless babble.

the finale was ok - I could have done without it centering around a transformer walking around a city for 60 minutes though. I liked the post fight epilogue though.

Yeah, I agree.

In hindsight, I think the show could have benefitted from more episodes per season (an inverse of usually demanding tighter seasons in the TV i like but maybe it's more that I think 8-10 hours is an ideal duration for a season?). There was a lot for them to cover with such an interesting world and while a lot of the "c-list" characters were great (Varrick probably rose to b-list by the end) the b-listers often felt like they were ignored (Mako, Bolin, Asami and Tenzin) - although thankfully Bolin and Tenzin had great moments at times. I think that's what ultimately makes ATLA a better show in that the entire cast were rich with arcs to themselves. That never really happened for the Korra cast.

I think that's something we can all agree on. This show could have benefitted from some more episodes in book one, three and four.

I liked how Mako casually proved he could fly using fire. The guy was a prodigy but just hung around doing little whenever Korra was around. Maybe there's a whole "adventures of Mako" hidden between seasons where he goes around taking down various criminals and training?

Not that Mako was the only character guilty of suddenly using whole new fighting techniques. Bolin suddenly starts using lava-frisbees in the final episode while Kuvira uses liquid metal blobs. It made for some novel fighting techniques but they didn't feel so organic.

I'll have to come to the writers defense here ;) The liquid metal blobs wasn't really a new fighting technique. Kuvira took Zhaifu where those special meteorites were stored. And you can only create those metal blobs from meteorites. So, it isn't a new technique she all of a sudden used. Everyone seems to start with trying to manipulate the meteor metal.

[Samalander]

Interesting analysis here.

Which :agree: with!

[fionwe1987]

I liked how Mako casually proved he could fly using fire. The guy was a prodigy but just hung around doing little whenever Korra was around. Maybe there's a whole "adventures of Mako" hidden between seasons where he goes around taking down various criminals and training?

Not that Mako was the only character guilty of suddenly using whole new fighting techniques. Bolin suddenly starts using lava-frisbees in the final episode while Kuvira uses liquid metal blobs. It made for some novel fighting techniques but they didn't feel so organic.

I also feel for all of those who were pining for some fire nation - never happened.

Mako has been propelling himself with fire since Book 1. He and Korra charged at Amon on stage in the Pro-Bending Arena that way. Mako also used it fighting Ming-Hua. Mako always uses it for short lifts, and doesn't seem to use bursts of fire from his feet like Korra/Ozai/Jeong Jeong.