287 replies to this topic

[Fabbrizio]

Spoiler

This kind of goes back to what I was saying back before I started catching up - that it didn't really feel like it was leading up to anything. And that can just be chocked up to having seasons appended onto the end, and that the first season technically stood perfectly well on its own. Actually, I'd say each season stood on its own. But as one giant arc, it kind of flopped. The only thing that tied the four stories together were the characters and setting. All the continuity did was set the stage for the next story. There wasn't any collective meaning. In Last Airbender, it was clear from early in season one that the end goal was stopping Ozai. Having that constant undertone tied everything together neatly. The stopping point was clearly the stopping point. Here, they could do another couple of seasons and it wouldn't feel like they were overstaying their welcome, because in the end, there's not much to resolve save for what they invoke at the beginning of each season.

 

Korra was still an amazing trip, but I think it's unanimous: they need to wrench the rights to Avatar out of Nickelodeon's cold dead hands.

 

[HavoX]

What, it's over ALREADY?!

 

I could've sworn it felt like the series just started not too long ago...

[Beefster]

/!\SERIES FINALE SPOILERS AHEAD/!\

 

Spoiler

I'm just waiting for everyone who's in shameful, shameful denial that Korra and Asami are an item.  I'm basically preempting this response for inevitable posts about this.

 

 

Because if that ain't the look of two people in love, I don't know what is.  I don't know about you, but I don't just hold hands with anyone while saying that we should go on a private vacation, just the two of us, while staring into each others eyes. (While yes, going in for a kiss would've been nice, homosexuality is considered illegal in some countries that the show airs in, so that may have caused problems there.  Plus Nickelodeon is full of ignorant shit-bags.)  But anyway, honestly, there was a lot of build up to it.  I mean, the reason Asami and Korra both had struggles with Mako, to me, is that there wasn't really a friendship built as a solid foundation.  For them, the relationships were just sorta jumped into willy-nilly, because "it felt good at the time."  But Korra and Asami had a friendship built over time.  If you paid attention, they grew closer and closer, to the point that Korra didn't even trust anyone else but her, at one point.  That's how good relationships blossom.  People talk about wanting them to just be close friends, but guess what- your partner should be your best friend in the first place!  Otherwise, what the hell are you even doing with them?  The most successful relationships I've seen, the people I've seen get happily married and/or happily living together were all really good friends before dating, or at the very least, learned to become best friends before putting a ring on a finger.

 

I know people will think they were strictly straight and that this is purely platonic because, "Well they like boys, they dated Mako."  Discovering your own sexuality and how you feel about certain people is a growing process.  Some people feel completely set in stone from the get-go, but a lot of people spend a good chunk of their lives questioning how they feel.  I'm friends with plenty of both.  With Asami as someone she was close to, especially since she'd never really had any girl friends before for the past 16 years of her life, that could've very easily led Korra to consider feelings she'd never thought about before.  Or maybe she always felt open about who she could fall in love with.  Either way, there's no cut-off date to think about how you truly feel about yourself and/or another person.

 

And besides, who ends an amazing series with two people intimately standing together, alone, in a gorgeous atmosphere following an incredibly intense climax, after the most romantic kind of occasion ever, saying, "Let's be really good friends like we've already been!"  Pffffffffft.

 

(Also I totally freaking called it when Bolin said, "You may now do the thing."  Didn't know he could marry people though, that's pretty dang neato.  Varrick and Zhu Li are tied for best relationship and best characters in this series.)

Spoiler

The thing about Korrasami is that they did a shiptease of Korra & Mako about a minute earlier...

 

But yeah... That moment. Honestly, that's really the only moment in the entire series where you can legitimately suspect that Korra and Asami are lesbian lovers (and pretty much only because they're holding hands and staring deeply into each other's eyes- there could be other reasons for that, so it's no reason to jump to a conclusion). Every moment before that, it's clear (at least to me) that they are just really good friends. It can easily just be a "sisterhood journey." It's pretty ambiguous.

 

It was probably left intentionally ambiguous to please both the Korrasami fans and the "hetero" Korra fans.

 

Varrick's proposal was awesome. It totally fit his personality.

 

You don't have to ship everyone at the end of a series. I think it's good that most of the major characters are still single, because that's how life is. I find it really hard to swallow that fictional shipping typically only involves major characters. In real life, the person you marry usually comes out of nowhere at a really unexpected time, and less often from your closest friend group. Or maybe it's more of the timing. I dunno.

 

Anyway. Enough about shipping.

 

I was surprised (but not at all disappointed) that Mako survived taking electricity to the heart. That would have killed a normal person. Maybe Bolin did some CPR off screen when we thought he was knocked out from the explosion. Maybe they were going to have Mako die there, but Nickelodeon wouldn't let them. And fans would have crapped their pants and complained.

 

I was surprised that Korra didn't take away Kuvira's bending... I also would have been happy if Kuvira got fried by her own laser cannon. Probably not Kosher for Nickelodeon, though...

 

I hope they'll make Korra comics or something... There could definitely be more Korra.

[Jared]

I'm just gonna leave this here. I simply cannot stop listening to it. If Zuckerman sells the song, I'll buy it in an instant.

Edited by Jared, 20 December 2014 - 05:29 PM.

[Aevin]

As long as we're leaving things here, have this. For all those saying "nothing was confirmed" ...  Well, it is now. Not that I personally think the ending was ambiguous, but there you go.

 

The series finale was great, action packed, and a satisfying conclusion, and it deserves praise for all of those things. But I wouldn't say it's wrong for everyone to be excited over the final scenes, and it seems somewhat irresponsible to me to downplay the significance of an ending like this given how controversial these issues (unfortunately) are.

[Beefster]

I just don't like jumping to conclusions...

 

I'm not personally a fan of Korrasami, but I can deal with it if it's canon. Thus my reluctance to take the scene as a confirmation.

[Fabbrizio]

I just don't like jumping to conclusions...

I'm not personally a fan of Korrasami, but I can deal with it if it's canon. Thus my reluctance to take the scene as a confirmation.

I think it makes a lot of sense, and it's not just supported by that one scene. They bond a lot in the scenes where no one else is present. For example, last season when they were just cruising through town together.

I think the different plot elements and tropes in play have pointed to this for a while, I just didn't think it would become canon. If nothing else, this does change the playing field for cartoon boundaries in the future. I certainly hope it pays off.

Edited by Fabbrizio, 24 December 2014 - 12:26 PM.

[Beefster]

Yeah, they bond a lot, but really (at least at first) it just seemed like a really solid friendship. Near the end, I guess it sorta hinted at a relationship, but that wasn't the only reasonable interpretation. I guess I don't know any lesbians either, so I don't really know how these things look.

I definitely appreciate that it's one of those homosexual relationships that just is. It's not trying to push an agenda and its presence makes no negative impact to the story - in the characters- and it's something that happens naturally. It's definitely not a case of "Look at us! We have lesbian characters in our story and we're so awesome and tolerant because of it!" I wouldn't necessarily say that it positively impacts the story, as I think the story would have been just as good if Korrasami wasn't a thing.
So in short, it wasn't necessary, but it didn't hurt.

Edited by Beefster, 25 December 2014 - 02:25 AM.

[Moonbread]

Well, having LGBT characters in kids' shows can be really helpful for, well, kids who know that they're LGBT.  A lot of them grow up shunned and unsupported by their families (or turned 24 two weeks ago and still feel unsupported by their family COUGH COUGH), and thinking that the way they are is wrong, and this helps reinforce that there's nothing wrong with them.  There's nothing wrong with having an "agenda" if it's going to help people and try to spread acceptance and normalize it.  It's especially nice that Bryan and Michael confirmed them as bi, because a lot of people think bisexuality isn't real, for that matter.

 

I think it's easier to think it wasn't a huge impact if it doesn't really relate to who you are.  But I love the Avatar series, and seeing an interracial bi couple get together helps me and many others feel more represented, and so it did make the ending a lot better to me.  It's hella better than what JK Rowling said a little while ago, though she was in a Catch-22.

 

Also, again, I reiterate- plenty of relationships are built off of solid friendships.  The extra feelings just have to be there, or evolve from that.

[Fabbrizio]

I would argue that the best relationships are built on really solid friendships. A strong relationship is built upon trust. Both Korra and Asami realized they couldn't trust Mako, and it led them to realize how well they understood and trusted each other. I think that's pretty good causality. As for the actual romantic feelings, that's really difficult to convey in an action series without seeming ham-handed.

Also, friendly reminder that usually when it comes to cartoons aimed at a younger audience, same sex relationships don't make it past the radar. If they'd tried this with last airbender, I promise you there would have been censorship.

Edited by Fabbrizio, 25 December 2014 - 11:59 AM.

[Beefster]

Well, having LGBT characters in kids' shows can be really helpful for, well, kids who know that they're LGBT.  A lot of them grow up shunned and unsupported by their families (or turned 24 two weeks ago and still feel unsupported by their family COUGH COUGH), and thinking that the way they are is wrong, and this helps reinforce that there's nothing wrong with them.  There's nothing wrong with having an "agenda" if it's going to help people and try to spread acceptance and normalize it.  It's especially nice that Bryan and Michael confirmed them as bi, because a lot of people think bisexuality isn't real, for that matter.

 

I think it's easier to think it wasn't a huge impact if it doesn't really relate to who you are.  But I love the Avatar series, and seeing an interracial bi couple get together helps me and many others feel more represented, and so it did make the ending a lot better to me.  It's hella better than what JK Rowling said a little while ago, though she was in a Catch-22.

 

Also, again, I reiterate- plenty of relationships are built off of solid friendships.  The extra feelings just have to be there, or evolve from that.

Again, you have to consider my stance on the issue. I respect and tolerate it, but I don't support it- at least in the sense that it is perfectly acceptable to act on those feelings. Of course, it's a personal thing, so I totally respect your freedom to act however you please.

Although I think giving support in the sense of defending and helping the person deal with the issues that come with being LGBT (persecution, identity, self-confidence, etc...) is vital; in other words, I believe it's equally wrong to shun someone for being LGBT, whether they act on their feelings or not.

 

EDIT: Anyway... Before this turns into a LGBT debate ground...

For the last month or so, I've been putting together an Avatar-themed deck of cards. I have a few samples up on my DeviantArt, but not all of them. I have about a third of the cards done, and I plan on putting it up the whole deck (as one image and/or a zip file) eventually. Stay tuned.

Edited by Beefster, 25 December 2014 - 03:44 PM.

[Beefster]

I made this a while ago, but I just recently made it look decent. It's a bending style personality test.

 

Take it and post results!

[strike]

I just finished season 3. The ending felt pretty rushed which made me a little sad. It was a good season though.

-Strike

[David]

Looking back, I never realized that Korra started all the way back in 2012. It's gone a long way and I've enjoyed the entire show very much. I think Seasons 3 and 4 were my favorite, with Season 1 being next, and then Season 2 being good but not my favorite. I really wish that they make another Avatar series!

[The Satellite]

I just finished season 3. The ending felt pretty rushed which made me a little sad. It was a good season though.

It felt rushed? How so? Honestly season 3's was the only one I thought didn't feel rushed at all, well season 2's didn't really feel rushed, just kinda... dumb.