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Post by iamasianbatgirl on Aug 15, 2014 13:31:33 GMT -5
Hey, guys! I've been a fan of Avatar: the Last Airbender since it was first airing on YTV (yeah so Canadian, eh?) and I'm just wondering if there are any fans of either or both A:TLA and Legend of Korra here on the forum. LoK definitely had some problems in the first and second seasons but it's really hitting its stride with Book Three. I would even say that it's almost as good as A:TLA now! I recently got my dad hooked on Legend of Korra and we both agree that's it's pretty much the Game of Thrones of cartoons. Anyone else have any thoughts on these beautiful shows?
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Post by Tony on Sept 1, 2014 5:48:00 GMT -5
Avatar, when it originally aired, hooked me so utterly and completely (and unexpectedly) that even though I was well outside of their target demographic age-wise, it was me who found myself pressing it on my little brother and sister (who were very much square in aforementioned demographic), not the other way around, and by the time Book 3 came out, even though both younger siblings had dropped off it for whatever reason by that point, I was still absolutely riveted. Wonderful series; 10 out of 10, no hesitation, with so much heart to it, and such a remarkable balance between the character development, the world building, moving the plot forward, the comedy, and the action. It was, at the time, the best "American Anime" i'd ever seen, and i've gone on to watch the series again several times through in syndication (if anything, it's every bit as good if not better with repeat viewings; rare, and always a good sign for art in any form or medium).
When Korra was announced, it was a definite "pinch me, this is too good to be true" moment, though one that of course came with some trepidation, as sequels seem so often to struggle to live up to the quality and creativity of their predecessors. As it turned out, I had no reason whatsoever to be worried. In these three seasons they've given us, to date, The Legend of Korra has not only supplanted the original series as my gold-standard for what "American Anime" is and can be, but I dare say it's become much more than that. I've always loved animation of all sorts, a love that has only deepened as i've grown older (I suppose my avatar implies as much), and as such the list of "good to great" animation that i've watched and loved and grown attached to over the years is very, very long. From all the Ghibli, all of Satoshi Kon's work, Cowboy Bebop (which may be my favorite series of any sort, animated or no, ever made, and is in serious contention for being my favorite piece of art in just about any medium, ever), Champloo, Beck Mongolian Chop Squad, Fooly Cooly, Ninja Scrolls, Lupin, and even long-run shows like Naruto (when it comes to anime, i'll give anything a go; soccer anime, high school pop anime, Evangelion, Titan, Full Metal Alchemist, you name it), to Batman Gotham Knight, or the Animatrix, or Aeon Flux, or Akira, or Golgo, or the old Superman Fleischer cartoons of the 40s, or of course Batman The Animated Series and its various spawn (Superman, Justice League, etc), to the old stuff I used to watch as a kid (Thundercats, Speed Racer, Scooby Doo, Loony Tunes, Hanna Barbara, whathaveyou), to the various great Cartoon Network shows over the last 15 years, Adult Swim and daytime, Sealab to Venture Bros to Aqua Teen to Adventure Time, to the old Disney after-school block with Ducktales, Talespin, Darkwing Duck and the rest, to all the various animated movies over the years, good and bad, to the Pixar era, to Bob's Burgers, Archer, The Simpsons, South Park, Frisky Dingo, and beyond . . animation has always owned a large part of my personal entertainment-verse. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
All that said, all the love for these sorts of things that i've built up over the years laid bare on the proverbial table, The Legend of Korra is, without a shadow of a doubt, a notch above nearly everything i've ever watched. It's Batman The Animated Series, it's Cowboy Bebop, its Aeon Flux, it's . . well it's incredible to behold, isn't it. What I feel about Miyazaki, or Satashi Kon, or Dini and Timm, or Disney, or pre-Cars Pixar, whomever/whatever you wish to name, I feel no less towards Korra and the people behind it. It's a revelation, a breath of fresh air, and in a very, very real sense, it is the American Anime i've always wanted. I've said more than once, aloud, to various peoples, that I feel like Korra is The Show that i've been waiting my whole life for, and that's not an exaggeration.
It's so smooth, and gorgeous, poetic and explosive; similar to Avatar it's exquisitely balanced (though the first season did feel a bit rushed in the last episode, but for totally understandable reasons, as from what I gather they didn't know if they were going to be renewed or not). The characters (and the whole show, really) feel like they were created for me, tailored to my taste specifically. What a feeling it is to watch something that fits so wonderfully! Korra herself is such a badass, and so three dimensional, and human, and she never has an easy choice. The sidekicks and menagerie are hilarious and represent a wide variety of character type/personality type, and Tenzin, Lin, Jinora, even the big bads have all been so . . believable? Of such human quality that I easily come to think of them as actual people? Is that fair? The links and hints and slow reveals that have to do with what's happened between Korra and its predecessor are delicious, and well sprinkled throughout the series, and they spark endless imaginative musing and wonder. The voice acting is outstanding; better even than in the original (I would say, in fact, that Korra represents a significant increase in quality and skill over what we saw and loved in Avatar, which was already magnificent to begin with, across the board). And the fights and movement . . fuck me. There's nothing to compare it to; really there isn't. It quite literally drops my jaw, every, single, episode. It's doing things that I barely could dream were possible, inconceivable things, and it does them with swerve and swagger.
And I mentioned that Avatar displayed such heart along with all the rest of its accomplishments? Korra surpasses it in that realm as well. I've cried. Often. I gasp. I've been legitimately scared for the characters (no mean feat in fiction, where we are all so painfully aware of the unwritten rules that everything tends to wrap up in a neat little bow and the good guys always win), and very much saddened to see the world of the show experience hardship and destruction and change. I laugh, aloud. Constantly. I develop attachment to the people in this show on a level rarely experienced. I want so, SO badly to own/cuddle/play with any and/or all of the various pets and other assorted adorable animals in the Avatar/Korra universe. I want to visit the spirit world. I want to eat noodle bowls and drink tea in Uncle's old shop in Ba Sing Sae. It does things to me that no regular network, American show ought to be able to do; strike that, it does things to me that no television show of any sort ought to be able to do. Deep things; emotional things. Holy-fuck-did-I-really-just-see-that sort of things. It's become the standard by which all current and future animation will be judged. It's my jimmy-jam, and then some.
Fingers crossed that it'll find a home now that Nick has treated it so shabbily and essentially cut ties, yeah? I'm none too pleased with the shenanigans surrounding how, when, and where this most recent season was released (though the season itself was tremendous, start to finish), and with the show seemingly in some state or other of flux, i've some anxiety about how this is all going to shake out. Here's hoping that the game turns out well, and that a prospective Book 4 or 5 or howevermany they have left in them will air somewhere and find the audience it so richly deserves.
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