The Legend of Korra

I think it would have been kinda interesting if Senna had taken over all of Tonraq's role, with Unalaq as her brother instead of Tonraq's. They could have written her as a previous candidate to become the first female Northern Water Chief prior to her banishment due to the gradual move to gender equality. That would play nicely into the "progress vs. tradition" conflict with Unalaq, and it would even give him an additional motivation for generally opposing any change from tradition — the North gradually moving away from its ancient patriarchy during his adolescence was what almost bashed in his expectations of becoming chief.

I'm rather wishing now that Unalaq was Korra's final villain instead of Kuvira. I mean Kuvira was great, but an event that happens every 10000 years, a spirit representing evil itself and the end of the world seem a whole lot more final than the rise of another empire.

Unalaq and Eska and parenthood. This is a bit charitable.

Parks and Rec.

Worst parent Unalaq.

...I'm kinda thinking about Eska and Desna and Unalaq a bit.

I mean. Did they come to visit Korra and her family every Glacier Spirits Festival?

Because wow those would be some awkward family dinners. Like, it was pretty awkward in the show even.

Or it could be the other way around: Vaatu is using a similar technique, just on a grander, energybending scale. So there's no direct connection other than both coming up with the same idea for focusing energy.

edited 4th Mar '15 2:42:44 PM by Discar

I kinda like it, actually.

I mean, that giant robot is basically using Vaatu as batteries.

I'd have had her become southern chief instead.

She won the election.

...I mean. I don't mind Book 2 being Tonraq and Unalaq's story.

edited 4th Mar '15 2:44:34 PM by unnoun

Yeah, I like it too. It's an interesting change of pace from other fantasies that the true, apocalyptic "final battle" happens relatively early on, and the following conflicts happen in its wake as the world reacts to and deals with the change it's been forced to go through.

By series three, I'm expecting spirit guns, autonomous mechs, and aliens.

If Avatar then why not aliens?

Oh, good idea.

I kind of wished we had a female chief of one of the Water Tribes too. I mean, there was Izumi, but she really only had one scene (which I'm still kind of pissed about - more Izumi! Tell me about the playdates she used to have with Aang and Toph's families!).

Like the idea about Unalaq, too - it gives him some more depth.

I'm fine with the general concept (like I said, I'd like to see a female chief), but I think there would need to be some build up, otherwise...well, I think we need to know why they vote for her - she didn't really do much in Book 2, after all.

edited 4th Mar '15 2:53:24 PM by KarkatTheDalek

The lamest villain fight was kinda always Amon, really.

The Asami vs. Hiroshi mech fight was pretty sweet, but. Also one of like two moments of character focus Asami gets before Book 4.

Book 1 always had a very different focus and emphasis on its conflict to begin with.

Amon was a villain that was more of a force of nature (ironically, moreso than the actual force of nature). His seeming unstoppability and intimidation were more important than his actual skill (which was still of the charts). But the conflict against him was much more a conflict of ideologies and hearts and minds than of brawn. That was pretty cool of Book One.

Bloodbending isn't a power that tends to result in "fights" anyway.

I feel like they didn't really do much with the "war of hearts and minds thing", though. And this is coming from someone who likes Amon as a villain.

I liked Amon.

But Noatak was lame. I had hoped that he had really been scarred by a firebender but nope, just another bad boy with daddy issues.

Everybody and their daddy issues!

What I'm getting at is that Amon didn't lose when he was physically beaten in a fight. He lost when he was exposed as a sham and his supporters left him. Like he said, he could have debended and killed Korra basically whenever he wanted, but he wanted to destroy and discredit her. That's where the real fight was.

I'm not talking about Amon.

I'm talking about the "fight".

It wasn't much of one.

As opposed to the final fights in books 2, 3, and 4.

It wasn't a giant Koizilla or a Crossroads of Destiny or a Sozin's Comet either.

I agree, and I think it's interesting in its own way.

It is definitely unique.

edited 4th Mar '15 3:26:11 PM by unnoun

Yeah, I get that, but I still would have liked that with a revolutionary figure as the main villain, that Joe Q. Public had been given more focus. Book 3 kind of did that, but not as much as they could have.

Unlike some other people on this thread, I'm largely satisfied with The Legend of Korra's writing (with the exception of Book 2, and even then there are episodes that I like), there are definitely some changes that I would have made. I ultimately think that the show would have been better served with a few more episodes per season. I know that Bryke is on record as having preferred the shorter seasons, and I will admit that for the most part, the writing is pretty tight, but there are areas in the narrative that I think deserved some more exploration, and I think more episodes would have helped with that. We'll compromise and say...15 episodes per season, with two or three being devoted to some fluff or side stories - despite what some may think, I don't think that filler ever really hurt Avatar.

edited 4th Mar '15 3:32:27 PM by KarkatTheDalek

I'm mostly satisfied too.

I mean, it's not perfect. There's a handful of things I'd have done differently.

But it is what it is.

...Good god a lot of Book 2 though.

That's really my biggest problem with the confrontation with Amon, and with the first season finale. Despite what Korra says in the season two premiere, she did not, in fact, beat Amon — Amon was beaten by a series of convenient circumstances.

Korra happened to stay behind in Republic City despite the logical course of action being to help take down the Equalist planes to make way for Bumi's reinforcements. Because her gut told her to. Then she conveniently happened to run across Tarrlok in the course of her idiotic non-plan to ambush Amon, and he gives her incriminating evidence she can use. Then she comes up with the absolutely boneheaded idea of trying to undermine Amon by telling his supporters these secrets, despite having zero evidence of this ridiculously far-fetched story, or even a coherent explanation for how Amon's powers are supposed to work. I mean, seriously, why did she expect anyone to believe her? This plan sucked!

Then, more convenient happenstance: After Amon easily turns the crowd against Korra, he chases her alone instead of bringing any chi-blockers with him, for... no apparent reason. And the instant he's alone, he's totally comfortable with using his bloodbending and bragging about it, despite supposedly being some tragic self-loather, compromising himself in front of his second-in-command. Then Korra conveniently happens to activate her airbending powers at the exact moment Amon happens to be standing in front of a window that happens to be over a body of water. Then, when he falls in, he creates a huge wave of waterbending as a reflex, thus defeating himself through only an accidental input from Korra.

Then, after being defeated by what amounts to incredibly bad luck, Amon is finished off by family drama that Korra, again, has absolutely no input in. Yes, Korra, you totally "beat" Amon.

Being the embodiment of balance makes her gut instinct pretty reliable though.

After all, the stomach is the "sea of chi". That's gotta be worth something.

Doesn't make the rest of her plan any less dumb.

And, I mean... I don't find it very compelling when the heroes beat the villains not by being smarter, tougher or more resourceful, but by being lucky.

I cannot believe I read that fanfiction about Eska giving birth...and it was good.

Luckily Desna was too distracted to actually kill Bolin. That would have made for an awkward situation.

Although for a moment there, I was afraid that Eska may have raped Bolin. Thankfully, that most likely is not the case.

It'd have been a bit of a long-distance trip.

I mean, the Spirit Portal in Republic City wouldn't have existed yet.

Bolin seemed to consent to everything up to the marriage bit.

It was still unhealthy as fuck, but.

edited 4th Mar '15 3:54:57 PM by unnoun