Legend of Korra

I think that's Korra. Even pausing it and looking a few times, I think it is.
I've rewatched it a few times, and while it -could- be korra, the figure looks to be paler, a bit more masculine, and has shorter hair. The art style makes it difficult to tell due to lighting and the face being obscured.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I have now, and I enjoyed them a lot. I'm really excited about where this season is going.

That said, I could do with a lot less of Makorra.
 
That said, I could do with a lot less of Makorra.
No argument there.

I loved the premiere, as well as just about every new character. I mean they got Aubrey fuckin' Plaza to play Korra's creepy witch cousin! AWESOME! Wished her twin brother was voiced by the dude who did Orin, but its cool. Also I love that Varrick guy and how he is CLEARLY implied to be on fifteen kinds of drugs.
 
So am I the only one that can see Unalaq's heel turn coming a mile away? That he's the one sending out the evil spirits and even set up his brother in order to take the role of Northern Tribe chief?

Also, I really hope Bolin doesn't just become glorified comic relief.
 
So am I the only one that can see Unalaq's heel turn coming a mile away? That he's the one sending out the evil spirits and even set up his brother in order to take the role of Northern Tribe chief?

Also, I really hope Bolin doesn't just become glorified comic relief.
Everybody's saying that, but I don't see why he can't just be somebody taking advantage of a bad situation to gain more power. It's not like that doesn't have any precedent in fiction or the real world. Not everybody's an evil mastermind. Sometimes evil is just lucky.
 
Everybody's saying that, but I don't see why he can't just be somebody taking advantage of a bad situation to gain more power. It's not like that doesn't have any precedent in fiction or the real world. Not everybody's an evil mastermind. Sometimes evil is just lucky.
Cause why would he be able to just control the spirits? A skill which obviously nobody else has the faintest idea how to preform and yet he was able to preform it on a mass scale perfectly.

Also why wouldn't he teach that skill to Korra at any point on their trip? She probably could have done it if she was trained rather than just aping what she had seen work. He didn't tell her probably because it would have exposed his secret.

Also I'm glad that Tenzin continues to be the absolute worst teacher ever. You don't say not to use the avatar state because it is a mystical and pure state tell her that it's madly dangerous. That Aang one of the most compassionate souls in the world with 5 times the self control and respect for life that Korra has was so completely overtaken by the Avatar state that he nearly wiped the Northern Water tribe and the invading Fire forces off the map.
 
Jeez, the show is so much better looking than LAB, but good lord, almost all of the characters are so unlikable.
 
Cause why would he be able to just control the spirits? A skill which obviously nobody else has the faintest idea how to preform and yet he was able to preform it on a mass scale perfectly.

Also why wouldn't he teach that skill to Korra at any point on their trip? She probably could have done it if she was trained rather than just aping what she had seen work. He didn't tell her probably because it would have exposed his secret.
Maybe because it takes a while to master? You don't just learn some particular bending technique overnight. Especially Korra, who by all accounts is like one of the least spiritually inclined avatars that we've ever seen. (Although she managed impressively nonetheless, what with her managing to make the spirit stop for a moment even if it didn't last)

Bending has always been confirmed to be part genetics, part spirituality. That is why the old Air Nomad population were all benders. And since the statue that Jinora saw at the end had the same kind of swirl-pattern around it, there's no need to assume that Unalaq is the only person ever to have been capable of doing so, just the first person we've seen doing it because we've never had experienced, spiritually inclined benders deal with angry spirits in the physical world before. The only examples of those are Hei Bai and Wan Shi Tong, who were faced by a bunch of kids who, while bending prodigies, had no experience with the physical manifestation of spirits whatsoever.

I'm not saying he's not evil (although I hope he isn't), but I don't think he was behind the barbarian assault on the north or the rampage of the dark spirits just because he could pacify them (nor do I want him to be, because seriously, that's lame). For me he's still just a super-conservative preacher who seizes the opportunity of dark spirits causing trouble to impose his values on the more religiously-relaxed south.

One of the beautiful things about the Avatar universe is that it has such an amazingly rich history, something we only got a tiny glimpse of due to the nature of the main conflict in Aang's story being a 100 years war. So why can't the pacifying technique have a precedent? It was just never accessible for our protagonists or even side characters in the stories we've seen before this point. Bending can do so many extraordinary things - controlling plants by the Foggy Swamp tribe, for example, or the Sandbenders in the Si Wong desert - so why can't some guy or girl a thousand years ago have come up with a technique to pacify dark spirits because they were causing trouble back then too, so it was recorded on a scroll for future generations to learn, in case spirits would go haywire again?
 
I'm really enjoying the setting of this Book so far. As someone who is currently roleplaying a female waterbender who has lived a very grounded life but is slowly coming to terms with the powerful spiritual side of herself, this is relevant to my interests. :)
 
Maybe because it takes a while to master? You don't just learn some particular bending technique overnight. Especially Korra, who by all accounts is like one of the least spiritually inclined avatars that we've ever seen. (Although she managed impressively nonetheless, what with her managing to make the spirit stop for a moment even if it didn't last)

Bending has always been confirmed to be part genetics, part spirituality. That is why the old Air Nomad population were all benders. And since the statue that Jinora saw at the end had the same kind of swirl-pattern around it, there's no need to assume that Unalaq is the only person ever to have been capable of doing so, just the first person we've seen doing it because we've never had experienced, spiritually inclined benders deal with angry spirits in the physical world before. The only examples of those are Hei Bai and Wan Shi Tong, who were faced by a bunch of kids who, while bending prodigies, had no experience with the physical manifestation of spirits whatsoever.

I'm not saying he's not evil (although I hope he isn't), but I don't think he was behind the barbarian assault on the north or the rampage of the dark spirits just because he could pacify them (nor do I want him to be, because seriously, that's lame). For me he's still just a super-conservative preacher who seizes the opportunity of dark spirits causing trouble to impose his values on the more religiously-relaxed south.

One of the beautiful things about the Avatar universe is that it has such an amazingly rich history, something we only got a tiny glimpse of due to the nature of the main conflict in Aang's story being a 100 years war. So why can't the pacifying technique have a precedent? It was just never accessible for our protagonists or even side characters in the stories we've seen before this point. Bending can do so many extraordinary things - controlling plants by the Foggy Swamp tribe, for example, or the Sandbenders in the Si Wong desert - so why can't some guy or girl a thousand years ago have come up with a technique to pacify dark spirits because they were causing trouble back then too, so it was recorded on a scroll for future generations to learn, in case spirits would go haywire again?
Except in the backstory it didn't take that long to master the guy just did it on a scale that was massive. Now you can say he read about it in a scroll, knew the basics of the technique but even then the fact that he was able to control and dissipate at least 5 angry spirits at the same time indicates to me at least that there is a link there beyond the chief of the Northern water tribe just being a lucky student who happened to read and remember a scroll about how to calm spirits down.

Then there is the fact that the spirits only really got angry when he drew near. I mean we only see one ship being attacked by the angry spirits and we hear of no other similar attacks on shipping. If the spirits were out of control like he claimed wouldn't it be pretty well known that the waters around the Southern water tribe are currently in a state of danger and that only the desperate or stupid would go near? That is unless the waters aren't dangerous and have only become so because he is using the spirits to mask his armada, destroying any ships that might expose his invasion force.

Then we have the fact that nobody trusts the guy. Tenzin doesn't trust him, Korra's father doesn't trust him Katara doesn't seem to trust him. Everybody who would have dealt with the guy seems to actively dislike him. Now the writing on this one could just be shitty but you would think that the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world would garnish at least some respect. But instead everybody seems to dismiss his opinion out of hand.

Now this could all be up to shitty shitty writing. The backstory could have been severely compressed for time making what was a severe battle that left the chief severely drained look like he waved his hand and dismissed spirits that pushed all other benders to their limits. Maybe they meant to imply that the waters around the Southern Water Tribe were incredibly dangerous and just failed to do so. And maybe they just didn't want a debate between characters that didn't directly involve the Avatar. Very possible especially considering how poorly last season was plotted out but for right now my money is on the guy being directly behind everything bad that is happening.
 
Oh and just remembered this. Who did this guy decide to send to republic city to rule? Who did he trust enough to represent his interests in the capital city of the world?

That's right motherfucking Tarrlok. That right there is some straight up evil stuff.
 
Honestly I'm not liking this season of Korra. They have no idea how to set up real conflict or really tell make me care about the situation.

For example the spirit attacks on ships and on the southern water tribe had they happened before? Or was Korra just kinda overreacting to the attack cause she was powerless. And why is it that Tenzin and everybody else makes absolutely no attempt to explain the situation to Korra about her uncle?

Or how about a conversation where it's made explicit whether the cheif of the North is chief of the south as well if he chooses to be just in the past he never did or if Uluque is forcing the people of the south to accept his rule because he has a powerful force there.

Or maybe talk about how life has improved post spirit gate opening? has the south profited at all from that expedition or are things the exact same way they were previously?

Just seems like they had a great idea but executed it terribly.
 
I actually like that they had the balls to admit that Aang wasn't really that good of a parent and that he spent most of his time with Tenzin because of his Air Bending. It really explains why Tenzin freaks out so much about not getting his way and why he has no idea how to raise kids himself.
 
I actually like that they had the balls to admit that Aang wasn't really that good of a parent and that he spent most of his time with Tenzin because of his Air Bending. It really explains why Tenzin freaks out so much about not getting his way and why he has no idea how to raise kids himself.
Here's my thing though Bumi and his sister were acting as though they had shitty horrible childhoods when at worst they weren't their daddy's favorite. I'm sure Katara didn't abandon them in the salt mines while Tenzin went gallivanting around with Aang.

I mean I think it's great that they have shown that Aang was only human and that he definately played favorites when it came to his kids but I thought that the "We didn't have a happy go-lucky childhood like you Tenzin" was just bizarre I don't believe that they ever would have wanted for anything with their father being the Avatar and their mother being one of the most powerful and influential people in the world.
 
Every fucking character is unlikable, even the ones I thought I was going to like. Thanks for nothing Bumi.
 
Here's my thing though Bumi and his sister were acting as though they had shitty horrible childhoods when at worst they weren't their daddy's favorite. I'm sure Katara didn't abandon them in the salt mines while Tenzin went gallivanting around with Aang.
Right, because it's totally cool that Aang basically ditched his other two kids with their mom so that he could ensure that his one air bending offspring could be "formed" into into the last, great hope of his people? Why would he ditch the other two when everything he taught Tenzin was part of their heritage as well? Worse... did they only keep trying to have more kids because Aang NEEDED to ensure more Air Benders would exist?

Really, I only feel bad for Bumi. Aang had Tenzin to dote over and Katara probably had to teach her daughter water bending... but what does Bumi do? I'm betting it's lots of time with Sokka, who's basically the only member of the family he can relate to other than his grandfather.
 
Ok, so I saw that and thought, wow, he's going to be making a simplistic sword and forging it black with that colouring heat treatment. Whoop de fucking doo.

Colour me wrong, that was his coolest forge yet. That thing is CRAZY valuable.
 
Last edited:
I gotta watch more of that Man at Arms show! This was the first one I'd seen and it is BOSS.[DOUBLEPOST=1380065144,1380064994][/DOUBLEPOST]And yeah, all the little bronze fittings and lotus motifs are where I kinda nerded out. :)
 
I'm really enjoying the setup to this new season, even if obvious villain is obvious.

This picture is the best, though (from Bryan Konietzko's Tumblr):

 
Top