User reviews

The Avatar is back and this time she is a teenager who is far from calm and peaceful.

Compared to Avatar: The Legend of Aang, this sequel has its own appeal: it's really energetic, featuring mostly city environments, has an older cast than the one in Aang, and just has an overall faster, flashier and more forceful pace than its predecessor. That makes it a lot of fun, and a very exciting show, but at times it also makes it hard for me to warm up to the cast, and hard to just take a moment of contemplation, peace, and relaxation like I would with The Last Airbender.

Visually, like "Aang", this show is stunning. Beautiful, intricate and unique environments, with lots of fluid and well-crafted motion. Awesome soundtrack with the series' trademark mix of eastern and western music, but "Korra's" music is more rocky and jazzy, to match with the show's tempo, than "Aang's" smooth and calm scores. The storyline seems to be picking up quite nicely as well, with civil conflict brewing up in Republic City. The show is definitely making its own path and tone, and setting itself apart from "Aang".

But I still found myself really missing "Aang's" serene environments, gentler characters, and the cute, quirky humor. In fact I kind of found it hard to warm up to the characters in "Korra"....Korra is overall a very cool character, but is too aggressive and forceful. I hope that changes throughout the show, as Avatar always shows the evolution of its characters. Her newfound city friends, as well, are not that likable and their friendship is a little distant -- Aang, Katara and Sokka's friendship was as naturally progressing, fun, and close as they get. I also really miss the silly humor! Who can forget the cabbage seller from "Aang", and Sokka's silliness. With "Korra"'s older cast and a very serious conflict and villain already introduced and confronted, I really want more humor to balance the show out.

I think the show needs to calm down a bit, take a breath, and let its characters meaningfully interact a little more before ramping up the action to the 1000th degree. Still, a flaw due to excess is better than a flaw due to lack. The Legend of Korra is an excellent and well-crafted show, and I look forward to seeing it form into a series worthy of its predecessor.

I rewatched LofK recently and then I decided to rewatch the original afterwards, and it made me realize how malformed the Korra series really is. It's not just that it isn't as good as the original but that it is actually harmful to the greater Avatar world. It doesn't so much as build upon the world of the original but rather rewrite it's own poor man's version of it, with less interesting characters and situations. There is lack of character depth. Lin is easily the most complex character in the show, but if she was from the original she wouldn't even be in the top five, maybe not even the top ten. The structure is also a major problem, with seasons being shorter, events aren't given time to breathe so things often come across as miraculous and unwarranted. It's also not one unified story but a collection of an interdependent series of events that don't really build upon each other. The only truly great part of this series is the flashback where we learn about the first Avatar.

This series started with a lot of potential. Do not assume this negative review comes from someone who can't "cope" with how different this series is from its predecessor. I was prepared for a different world and new themes. But, unfortunately, this series fell way short (at least at this point where season 1 has finished).

We are left with characters who do little to grow, a plot which ends up confused and hanging more than reaching a true climax and resolution, and some of the most tacked-on romance I have ever witnessed. The storywriting was just so weak and each episode did little to remedy it. Would you like a better understanding of how Korra has difficulty with spirituality and air bending? Would you like to really see why? Sorry, we'll dedicate a few episodes to professional bending which will do little to expand on the overall story or its characters at all. I won't present spoilers, but it's clear how much time is wasted on a very obvious and lazy romantic pairing early on. At first I thought Bryke were just messing with the fans who are obsessed with "shipping", but no, it was serious. The question is, how do these kids even have a chance to fall deeply in love with each other so quickly when there's so little going on with their personalities to make them have a true "presence"? Amon, as a villain, seemed a redeeming area. The conflict of benders and nonbenders. And yet, the depth that could have gone into the issue was absent. Hell, everyone's parent(s) died because of some random firebender. Yeah, OK. That's a bit of a cop out if I've ever seen one.

By the end, the serious questions that should be gripping the main characters are there but they seem so much shallower than they should be. Not to create spoilers by being specific, but it's as though the ending stayed in that kiddy pool while trying to pretend it deserved to become an Olympic swimmer.

I'm not a young, insane fan. I like a good storyline and I can recognize one. It's not even a matter of opinion, this story with so much potential just fell short. I'd blame it on the shorter 12 episode length versus the 20 of season one of TLA, but Book 1 of TLA would have been a stronger story with bolder characters even if you removed the eight most filler-like episodes within it. I just don't know where the magic died... perhaps because Aaron Ehasz wasn't writing? Seems like he had a lot of the best ideas for the first series.

I hope it finds its footing in season two, but for now I'm a pretty disappointed viewer.

My partner and I both feel The Last Airbender was the best animated children's series made. It was spiritual and had sincere, lovable characters. The dialog was mostly excellent and the imagery was amazing. We also felt there was a flow to the male and female characters who balanced and complimented each other.

Korra was beautiful to look at. The visual detail was gorgeous. The series was very female lopsided and out of balance. The conflicts felt contrived and politically correct. The story had the same promise but it was as if the writers had boxes to check rather than sincerity and soul. It was like watching Greg Baldwin play Iroh. The heart and soul were missing.

Nick rightfully pulled the plug. The series went a little too obscure in other ways too. Too much emphasis on weird creatures, lesbianism (it's fine but not a good follow up for a young children's show).

Lastly, as the series progressed, the story seemed to unravel and be less coherent and consistent. I believe the writers described about making up for first season sins.

I've only been able to watch Korra once. It's really not fun to watch again, despite a few tries. On the contrary, we have watched the Last Airbender many times over.

Summary:. Korra lost its way with political correctness, losing its Soul and sincerity. It was the wrong followup to a brilliant show for all ages. It backed itself into an obscurity corner and got cancelled. No surprises why.

If you don't believe me, then here it is: This cartoon copies the exact 3B solution of Micheal Bay movies post 2010: BIGGER, BOOMER, and BOOBS.

This series feels like an awesome sandbox for some great writers to step in and do something, too bad that this show had some writers that cared more about what kind of political and social messages they are sending out to their Twitter followers.

The series is divided into 4 seasons, with every season having their own antagonist, and maybe that is not such a good idea when the series is named the LEGEND (singular) of Korra, not the Stories of Korra. Instead of one arching plot for the whole series, we have to build up caring every season only to drop it off after each season finally and that clearly has a very bad effect on the series as a whole because you have to spend extra episodes making people care again.

Also this is one of the first series I have seen that cares so much about its main character that you hardly noticed the other characters. They are so simplistic and one sided that you can use one word to describe each character and you would never notice any deviation: The teacher(Tenzin), The hunk(Mako), the loser (Bolin), the hottie (Asami).

And finally, watch how this series take you in places that you never wanted to go, because nothing says End of the Universe, like a show that explores its own origins and completely dismantles all the mystery and imagination that went into it. Meaning that there will probably never be a another Avatar series because THIS show decided to completely dismantle it's own foundation instead of building on it.

The show tries to be more energeric and adult in its themes compared to its predecessor, but only manages to be more childish in its story telling. Everybody are dumb as a brick, and every villain is some cookie cutter madman that just wants to destroy the entire world, but has different words as to what destroying humanity means.

In general the setup of every season except the first, is pretty good, but it steadily degresses into silliness and nonsense the further you get in every season. The last three episode of every season are pure junk, and you are better off not seeing them as anything you can imagine is a better story than the nonsense the writers for this show came up with.

I have heard it said that comparing "The Legend of Korra" to "The Last Airbender" is unfair. Which raises an interesting question: should we judge a series on its own merits, or in the context of its predecessors? Allow me to answer a question with a question: would anyone care about "Korra" if it wasn't sold as a sequel to "Airbender"?

On its own merits, "Korra" is of inconsistent quality. Most of the show is forgettable: a series of action sequences strung together by plots that alternate between boring and annoying. Each plot decision seems to be the least interesting one that could have been chosen. The writers routinely abandoned interesting plot threads and character ideas in bait-and-switch tactics that leave the audience wishing for the more intelligent show that the authors tease in their hints and misdirection, rather than the snooze-fest that has been offered. Much lip service is paid to philosophy and political ideology, but the show is never interested in actually exploring the implications of such. This pretension to profundity exists merely to pretend that the card-board-cut-out villains are more interesting than they really are. The series is determined to tell the audience how important everything is, without ever taking the effort to show us.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the main cast is a collection of flat caricatures who never grow, change, nor show any depth worth caring about. The world is similarly generic, abandoning the carefully constructed pan-Asian setting of "Airbender" for a dingy rip-off of 1920s New York City. Whenever some of that old magic seeps in, the writers (true to form) wield retcons like napalm, transforming the world of Avatar into its least interesting form. This all serves to distance the audience from the narrative. As the show finally shambled to a climax, dramatic fight scenes playing out with bombast that suggested world-altering stakes, I had no reason to care for the characters or their world.

The most frustrating aspect of "Korra", however, is the wasted potential that occasionally shines through. Hidden between boring love-triangles, pseudo-philosophy, and pointless action, the writers sometimes find truly poignant scenes and subplots that hint at a greater show they could have written. The series is strongest when it lets itself breathe. Away from the sound and fury of the self-important main plot, far more interesting side characters grapple with problems filled weight, pathos, and complexity. It is here that "Korra" feels like it could be a worthy successor to "Airbender". It's a shame that the writers relegated all of this to B and C stories around the periphery.

Judged on its own merits, "Korra" is a generic magic-steampunk show that more often slips into disaster than it rises to greatness. If you are interested and have nothing better to do, you will likely be entertained by *most* of this show. Don't come into this expecting "Airbender", however. If your standards for entertainment dictate complicated characters undergoing believable and satisfying arcs, you will not find it here. If you want a show aimed at children that nonetheless finds room to deal with dark and adult themes in a way that makes them accessible to younger audiences without diluting any of their impact, do not look here. If you want a show that is going to transport you to a magical world where epic adventure awaits, you've come to the wrong place. "The Legend of Korra" this may be, but "Avatar" this is not.

LOL RANT TIME...

Season Two Episode 14. What happened? (Seriously, She did what?) Are we stealing Ideas From DBZ? (Bryan, Michael)

Since the 'motion picture' 'The Avatar' franchise has lost ground with fans.

(I hope you are 'really' reading)

Nothing beats Book 2 Earth. (Witness the full stop) The layers were there. (Observation)

The ending to THIS season IS Garbage. (.)

The best idea from the bubbling pot that IS but some how LOST the plot in the Korra season 2 finale is the presence of the spirit world in the physical world and its good and bad effect and pressure put on the population, not the views and stand points of main characters.

Any good fight scenes? (We all witnessed the LOL)

TO PICK UP PACE....

RE DO The motion picture. Not the parallel smurf action flick. ( I hope you were reading ) Compress trilogy, to comprise of two books per picture.

Boy trapped in iceberg freed by star crossed love, grows and frees the world. ( Or just ba-sing se.)

If you can't get that film approved your a ducebag. The Avatar production teams needs a Varrick to spur things on.

A Blind girl protected from the outside world by her parents in the upper society of ba-sing se, learns to use her earth-bending abilities in her few hours she is outside a day, to sense vibrations of the earth beneath her to see her surroundings.

Writing like that is what we expect.nothing less.

What in the last two seasons compares to the scene where Toph was kidnapped and locked in a metal box on the back of a wagon with no sight and no connection to the ground, became the first metal bender.

The story of the first blood bender imprisoned by the dictators of the fire nation, with nothing but the rats she was imprisoned with learnt to bend the water in blood to secure her freedom.

The best thing about the transition to the future (Korra Saga) is the politics of the new age, the fact that Aang lived a full life and the presence of his legacy in this new age. The advancements of technology and the adaptations of the world population due to his legacy and the characters of the time.

I personally really like the pro-bendng championship but the fire ferrets is not a cool name. Chi blockers. Cool.

The introduction states Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

My conclusion is Book Air was a lose avatar remake to please fans and push for more motions pictures when a simple motion picture redo is needed.

Spirits tries to please fans more. Ario. But falls short of the layers of intricacy needed to form a leading character. Even now I doubt the new Team Avatar can, in an opening scene, ride into a fortified ba sing sa military compound, outnumbered and out gunned, fend off the occupying army until face to face with the president himself.

RANT.. OVER...

Or is it....

It's ok. It isn't anywhere near as good as its predecessor. There are some great supporting characters, but the lead, Korra, isn't an avatar you really get behind. She comes off as whiny and needy. The plot is all over the place. Korra faces a slew of villains, none of which are particularly memorable and the plots surrounding her battles with these villains are all muddled. The story is all over the place and there are a lot of plot holes. You don't particularly care about anything that Korra does. The supporting cast is really what carries the show. The show had a lot of potential, but the writers' inability to stick to one plot line makes it feel like there is no real climax and none of the events in the show really matter. Korra is also really static, she doesn't change much and consistently reacts the same way to various threats. The show is really predictable. It's a bit darker than the original, which I don't particularly have an issue with, but some of the violence and darker plot lines seem rushed and poorly executed. It's just disappointing all around.

We're different - but equaly valuable as human beings.

Modern propaganda if you ask me.

Does women have to be fighters and beat up others to have more value? Women have their own strengths and values. They are beautiful creatures and don't have to resemble to men to be more powerful.

To bad. The original was quite better.

I'm usually a guy that doesn't write that many bad reviews, but I didn't think Korra lived up to Aang. The show has positives of course, I liked the new bending techniques and metal bending evolved, Korra as a character was very hard to accept after Aang. He was such a different character to her. I expected more from the Avatar in the final episode, to show her true power, what an avatar really is, the balance in the world. Was good seeing Iroh though.