'The Legend Of Korra': Why the sequel to 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' deserves a second chance
The latest in Twitter discussions are over why 'The Legend Of Korra' is not as good as 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. It's not so much of a discussion as a complete dismissal of the sequel. Fans are trashing it left, right and center, with a few still trying to defend what they liked about it. The reason for this discussion is because 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' just hit Netflix. "The girl was spoiled. She got everything she wanted. She was still able to live her life. Aang was treated like a commodity. Not a person. He was a child that was never told or trained on how to be an Avatar. Korra was trained all her life and still acted like a brat," a fan tweeted.
"Seeing so many people realize how s**tty Korra and the sequel trilogy actually are, gives me some semblance of hope back in humanity. I don't care how petty that makes me sound," a fan tweeted. Another fan wondered why Korra got all the hate. "Why does Korra get so much hate? It was a good show," they wrote. "What development? He solved one character flaw. Korra made a bunch of mistakes because she was written to be an actual teen. That's the POINT. She's not some bullshit saintly child hero. She trips and falls on very human flaws. she changes more than anyone other than Zuko," a fan tweeted.
But here's the thing: Does 'The Legend Of Korra' deserve so much flak? The show is a 52-episode series from 'Avatar' creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and takes place 70 years after the conclusion of ATLW. Instead of Aang, we have 17-year-old Korra, who hails from the Southern Water Tribe. Korra is Aang's successor, and unlike him, who hesitates to accept his position of Avatar, Korra accepts it. The story takes place in an entirely new setting, which is just like a 1920's era-cityscape. Sky bison travel is a thing of the past, and modes of communication have transformed radically. There are radio announcers, car chases and a significant upgrade in technology.
'The Legend Of Korra' followed an entirely different format from 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. In the original series, you knew the big bad. In Korra's story, the showrunners changed things up every season and had a plethora of villains with their own motivations and ideologies. 'Korra' is quick with its storyline, unlike 'Avatar', which is a bit of a slow-burner. There's a lot to love in 'Korra', as it features its own running gags as well ringing in the nostalgia with Aang and Katara's grandchildren, Jinora, Ikki and Meelo.
Though we have a few cameos scattered here and there, 'Korra' prefers to move ahead with its story and not rely on the past to carry it forward. The presence of the animals like Naga, Korra's polar-bear dog, and Pabu, a red panda adds to the light moments of the show. The show is a lot darker, and was not exactly the content Nickelodeon would put out either. Characters deal with traumatic events and numerous conflicts throughout the show and have a political tinge to them. Despite these changes, Korra still has the same heart of ATLW, and that's what makes the show so enjoyable. It is refreshing because the creators sought to tell different stories and broke ground in terms of representation as well. Well, what do you think?