Back when I finished Avatar: The Last Airbender this past summer, I was certainly in agreement with many that it was simply one of the best stories told in an animated television series. But when I heard the mixed words of its sequel, I decided to hold out on watching it until I was ready to do so. Netflix had other plans, however, and decided to give me that excuse to check it out.
Just to put some of the criticism out first, yes I do think The Legend of Korra's weakness is its choice in plot structure. Rather than the one on-going plotline we saw in the original series, this time we have each season/book containing its own story arc. I definitely would've preferred a bigger, single story like ATLA sure...but later into this series did I realize this flaw was countered by its major strength: characters.
From the two brothers Mako and Bolin, to the wacky business man Varrick and his assistant Zhu Li, there are WAY more interesting characters this time around. Everyone is fleshed out and just feel more human to me! Even if it might just me connecting to these characters more because they're older than the original ATLA crew, you just can't NOT see the depth that these characters show throughout the four stories. Asami dealing with her father's business, Tenzin maintaining Aang's legacy through his own family, and Korra just straight-up learning about the suffering that her actions can cause. It's all there from the beginning, and it sure as hell feels very satisfying through the finale.
Of course, another aspect of this show that I enjoyed much more than ATLA was the way it handled the already-established "elemental" lore of that original story. With a unique industrial-inspired setting, I think it's absolutely badass to see more than just the bending of 4 elements. We see blood-bending and metal-bending evolve from just the brief teases we saw in ATLA, and they play some very crucial roles in the plot. It's a very fascinating expansion on the elements, and with that is some incredible storytelling. This world also shines with its obvious improvements in animation and musical scoring.
So, yeah. While it has its faults, The Legend of Korra is on-par, if not BETTER, than its predecessor. That's not to say any of these shows have their own issues. I just personally connected with the world and characters of this story more.
Review by SpeadyBlockedParent2020-10-02T02:54:20Z
Back when I finished Avatar: The Last Airbender this past summer, I was certainly in agreement with many that it was simply one of the best stories told in an animated television series. But when I heard the mixed words of its sequel, I decided to hold out on watching it until I was ready to do so. Netflix had other plans, however, and decided to give me that excuse to check it out.
Just to put some of the criticism out first, yes I do think The Legend of Korra's weakness is its choice in plot structure. Rather than the one on-going plotline we saw in the original series, this time we have each season/book containing its own story arc. I definitely would've preferred a bigger, single story like ATLA sure...but later into this series did I realize this flaw was countered by its major strength: characters.
From the two brothers Mako and Bolin, to the wacky business man Varrick and his assistant Zhu Li, there are WAY more interesting characters this time around. Everyone is fleshed out and just feel more human to me! Even if it might just me connecting to these characters more because they're older than the original ATLA crew, you just can't NOT see the depth that these characters show throughout the four stories. Asami dealing with her father's business, Tenzin maintaining Aang's legacy through his own family, and Korra just straight-up learning about the suffering that her actions can cause. It's all there from the beginning, and it sure as hell feels very satisfying through the finale.
Of course, another aspect of this show that I enjoyed much more than ATLA was the way it handled the already-established "elemental" lore of that original story. With a unique industrial-inspired setting, I think it's absolutely badass to see more than just the bending of 4 elements. We see blood-bending and metal-bending evolve from just the brief teases we saw in ATLA, and they play some very crucial roles in the plot. It's a very fascinating expansion on the elements, and with that is some incredible storytelling. This world also shines with its obvious improvements in animation and musical scoring.
So, yeah. While it has its faults, The Legend of Korra is on-par, if not BETTER, than its predecessor. That's not to say any of these shows have their own issues. I just personally connected with the world and characters of this story more.
9.75/10