Legend of Korra - First Impressions
So, I just saw the first episode of Legend of Korra today (I know it's already old news in the USA, I live overseas, poor me) and I'm... not sure what to think about it.
I know that a lot of my negative feelings are a direct result of more less losing the beloved characters of Legend of Aang (T_T), but still, there are a few things that irk me and have to be told somebody before I explode. That means everybody reading this gets to suffer my rant now, lucky you X-p
First thing that kinda rubs me the wrong way is the new setting. I openly admit that I rather like medieval/tradtitional/fanatsy settings so I was prepared to mourn its loss right from the beginning. But Republic City (It's "Republika" where I live and boy, does that sound ridiculous...) is while nice thought out and actually quite impressive with its skyline, rather a let down close up. At the same time I wonder just how they managed to get so far (or newly low) in just seventy years? I mean, between the Theo's dad and the firenation they Avatar world was pretty far technology-wise - but this? When did they skip right up to Chicago at pohibition time? At least that was the feeling I got from it. (Triad a la Al Capone, what the heck?)
I know that a lot of peole think that Steampunk is cool, but somehow regarding Avatar it comes across as unfitting and actually pretty contradictional to the former message of "live in harmony with yourself, the other nations, the nature and the spirits. Actually, I would like to know what the spirits have to say to Republic...
Lets go on to the new characters.
One thing I liked about the first episode of Aang was, that they presented you with five completely different characters to choose from who to love from now on. They all had their moments, they all had the certain something and even if you chose your favorite you had no problem to follow the rest of them along. They just fit together and were leasily likeable.
In Korra we get to know Korra, Tenzin, perhaps Lin Beifong (yes, I know that she will be around more often, but if I wouldn't know, I would suspect she'd be involved in the next episodes somehow) and they all are... well, not really charas you jump at ready to send them through hell via fanfiction or to pray for a lot of screentime. Korra strikes me as a duplicate of Aang just a lot more ready to kick butt and with a lot dumber animal companion (I like dogs, but Naga seems more lazy and typical "dog" instead of actual friend and family member as Appa was.)
Tenzin is a bore. Period. He's Percy Weasley without the twins around to ease the cloud of uptightness surrounding him. And his kids... Ugh, his kids are a typical case of a production team going "Hey, lets make the kids cute. Oh, but don't forget to make them individuals. That's important. Oh, and not too cute, we don't want dools after all." As usual, the result is something close to butt-ugly (because ugly is indivdual and cut (?)) with strong personality traits (and in the worst case a catch-phrase) that are nothing but annoying. I feel for their mom, I really do.
That leads me right to Korra-kid... What the hell did they give that kid? And why didn't reign her parents her in? Destroying the house (their only shelter from ice and cold in the arctic) on a mayor scale and they don't even give her a time-out.
And why was the White Lotus (the new Avatar police? Not to help but to control the newly emerging Avatar or what?) there in the first place? Traditionally the identity of the new Avatar was disclosed on their sixteenth birthday. Means the Avatar would be old enough to have an actual personality and world-view but not set enough in said world-view to not accept new things and to understand and dread the new responsibility as well as knowing duty enough to be ready to face it. Telling the Avatars sooner obviously causes problems, and Aang, who apparently sicced the White Lotus on Korra, should know this best. If he ran away at twelve, what could a six or seven years-old do? Well, either running as well and not capable of surviving it as Aang was, breaking under the pressure of pleasing everybody and a burden too heavy for their small shoulders or getting a big head - like Korra did (But I have to remark, while a bit over-confident, it could be a lot worse.)
Also, why is the Avatar suddenly learning how to bend the different elements in one place? How shoudl Korra ever learn the spiruality behind bending if she never gets to learn the culture and spirituality behind the people normally attuned to the particular element? How should she learn about the world at all?
And why are her teachers chosen for her? I think another important thing about a new Avatar journeying around to learn is also to search for their teachers and to choose those who fit to them. They are not only some guys who show you some moves but life-long friends and allies who shape part of their personality and teach them about what being a "insert element here"-bender means to them and in general. If you force an Avatar to just accept somebody and learn from them - well, anybody remember the disaster that was Yeong Yeong and Aang too impatient to wait until he found the right teacher?
So, last but not least, while I just mentioned Aang.. What the F*** did (or didn't) the guy do to make everybody hate benders (and the Avatar)?
I can for the live of me only remember three (all rather weak and debatable) instances in which benders were seen as superior to non-benders or regarded the non-benders as less. The only ones actually opening disregarding a non-bender's abilities from time to time are surprisingly the Gaang themselves with mocking or mistreating poor Sokka and even that's rare and stops completely after Suki joins the team.
Other than that Pakku makes it clear that he openly favores Katara and doesn't like Sokka. Could be a little bit influenced because Sokka is no bender, but mainly it seems to me as if the reason is that Katara reminds him strongly of Kanna, she's good at something he loves and Sokka, when not in his warrior-persona, is his complete opposite character-wise.
The Earth Kingdom soldiers terrorizing little Lee's town clearly use their bending abilities to threaten the common folks. Still, they don't do anything to little Lee until Lee's father is noticeably absent, so they probably had some gudging respect for him even as a non-bender and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the first time Lee run his mouth or threw an egg. Also, men who suddenly have power can and will react badly regardless of bender or not.
Then there's the Dai Li, a purely benders-only group supressing a whole city. But is this really benders supressing non-benders or Long Feng supressing everybody?
Apart from that I can't remember a clear situation where benders were treated as superior (If there is, please point them out to me.).
Most of the time bending is just treated as another skill-set. You can be good at working with wood, at sewing, at drawing or at bending and you use it like you would any other talent if you have it and do without if you don't. If you live at a place where life is much easier when you have it (poles) than you make damn sure that those who can do it are great at it but in the end they are just as human and part of the community as everybody else. (Pakku has a poisition of honor, yes, but he has it because a) he's old and wise, b)clever, c)damn good at what he does and d)more or less a general and controlling the waterbending "soldiers" where Arnook leads the non-bending ones.)
Even the firenation, the only nation where the leader actually is a bender(!) has bending and non-bending soldiers, generals, advisors, ministers and people in charge. They pride themselves on being firenation but not even Azula, who mocks the styles of living, the abilities and even the health all the people she encounters, never actually looks down on somebody because they aren't benders. Mai and Ty Lee are non-benders and while one could argue that Azula chose them that way so that they couldn't outshine her (Why would she? She's convinced she's the best bender that ever lived. She has no need to do so.) she clearly knows the worth of their abilities. Heck, Li and Lo are non-benders and she listens to them for advice on her firebending style.
But now, suddenly, non-benders feel supressed.
And they hate the Avatar they celebrated and held in awe just a generation before.
So what the heck did Aang do to change a whole world's opinion and way to live?
I know that a lot of my negative feelings are a direct result of more less losing the beloved characters of Legend of Aang (T_T), but still, there are a few things that irk me and have to be told somebody before I explode. That means everybody reading this gets to suffer my rant now, lucky you X-p
First thing that kinda rubs me the wrong way is the new setting. I openly admit that I rather like medieval/tradtitional/fanatsy settings so I was prepared to mourn its loss right from the beginning. But Republic City (It's "Republika" where I live and boy, does that sound ridiculous...) is while nice thought out and actually quite impressive with its skyline, rather a let down close up. At the same time I wonder just how they managed to get so far (or newly low) in just seventy years? I mean, between the Theo's dad and the firenation they Avatar world was pretty far technology-wise - but this? When did they skip right up to Chicago at pohibition time? At least that was the feeling I got from it. (Triad a la Al Capone, what the heck?)
I know that a lot of peole think that Steampunk is cool, but somehow regarding Avatar it comes across as unfitting and actually pretty contradictional to the former message of "live in harmony with yourself, the other nations, the nature and the spirits. Actually, I would like to know what the spirits have to say to Republic...
Lets go on to the new characters.
One thing I liked about the first episode of Aang was, that they presented you with five completely different characters to choose from who to love from now on. They all had their moments, they all had the certain something and even if you chose your favorite you had no problem to follow the rest of them along. They just fit together and were leasily likeable.
In Korra we get to know Korra, Tenzin, perhaps Lin Beifong (yes, I know that she will be around more often, but if I wouldn't know, I would suspect she'd be involved in the next episodes somehow) and they all are... well, not really charas you jump at ready to send them through hell via fanfiction or to pray for a lot of screentime. Korra strikes me as a duplicate of Aang just a lot more ready to kick butt and with a lot dumber animal companion (I like dogs, but Naga seems more lazy and typical "dog" instead of actual friend and family member as Appa was.)
Tenzin is a bore. Period. He's Percy Weasley without the twins around to ease the cloud of uptightness surrounding him. And his kids... Ugh, his kids are a typical case of a production team going "Hey, lets make the kids cute. Oh, but don't forget to make them individuals. That's important. Oh, and not too cute, we don't want dools after all." As usual, the result is something close to butt-ugly (because ugly is indivdual and cut (?)) with strong personality traits (and in the worst case a catch-phrase) that are nothing but annoying. I feel for their mom, I really do.
That leads me right to Korra-kid... What the hell did they give that kid? And why didn't reign her parents her in? Destroying the house (their only shelter from ice and cold in the arctic) on a mayor scale and they don't even give her a time-out.
And why was the White Lotus (the new Avatar police? Not to help but to control the newly emerging Avatar or what?) there in the first place? Traditionally the identity of the new Avatar was disclosed on their sixteenth birthday. Means the Avatar would be old enough to have an actual personality and world-view but not set enough in said world-view to not accept new things and to understand and dread the new responsibility as well as knowing duty enough to be ready to face it. Telling the Avatars sooner obviously causes problems, and Aang, who apparently sicced the White Lotus on Korra, should know this best. If he ran away at twelve, what could a six or seven years-old do? Well, either running as well and not capable of surviving it as Aang was, breaking under the pressure of pleasing everybody and a burden too heavy for their small shoulders or getting a big head - like Korra did (But I have to remark, while a bit over-confident, it could be a lot worse.)
Also, why is the Avatar suddenly learning how to bend the different elements in one place? How shoudl Korra ever learn the spiruality behind bending if she never gets to learn the culture and spirituality behind the people normally attuned to the particular element? How should she learn about the world at all?
And why are her teachers chosen for her? I think another important thing about a new Avatar journeying around to learn is also to search for their teachers and to choose those who fit to them. They are not only some guys who show you some moves but life-long friends and allies who shape part of their personality and teach them about what being a "insert element here"-bender means to them and in general. If you force an Avatar to just accept somebody and learn from them - well, anybody remember the disaster that was Yeong Yeong and Aang too impatient to wait until he found the right teacher?
So, last but not least, while I just mentioned Aang.. What the F*** did (or didn't) the guy do to make everybody hate benders (and the Avatar)?
I can for the live of me only remember three (all rather weak and debatable) instances in which benders were seen as superior to non-benders or regarded the non-benders as less. The only ones actually opening disregarding a non-bender's abilities from time to time are surprisingly the Gaang themselves with mocking or mistreating poor Sokka and even that's rare and stops completely after Suki joins the team.
Other than that Pakku makes it clear that he openly favores Katara and doesn't like Sokka. Could be a little bit influenced because Sokka is no bender, but mainly it seems to me as if the reason is that Katara reminds him strongly of Kanna, she's good at something he loves and Sokka, when not in his warrior-persona, is his complete opposite character-wise.
The Earth Kingdom soldiers terrorizing little Lee's town clearly use their bending abilities to threaten the common folks. Still, they don't do anything to little Lee until Lee's father is noticeably absent, so they probably had some gudging respect for him even as a non-bender and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the first time Lee run his mouth or threw an egg. Also, men who suddenly have power can and will react badly regardless of bender or not.
Then there's the Dai Li, a purely benders-only group supressing a whole city. But is this really benders supressing non-benders or Long Feng supressing everybody?
Apart from that I can't remember a clear situation where benders were treated as superior (If there is, please point them out to me.).
Most of the time bending is just treated as another skill-set. You can be good at working with wood, at sewing, at drawing or at bending and you use it like you would any other talent if you have it and do without if you don't. If you live at a place where life is much easier when you have it (poles) than you make damn sure that those who can do it are great at it but in the end they are just as human and part of the community as everybody else. (Pakku has a poisition of honor, yes, but he has it because a) he's old and wise, b)clever, c)damn good at what he does and d)more or less a general and controlling the waterbending "soldiers" where Arnook leads the non-bending ones.)
Even the firenation, the only nation where the leader actually is a bender(!) has bending and non-bending soldiers, generals, advisors, ministers and people in charge. They pride themselves on being firenation but not even Azula, who mocks the styles of living, the abilities and even the health all the people she encounters, never actually looks down on somebody because they aren't benders. Mai and Ty Lee are non-benders and while one could argue that Azula chose them that way so that they couldn't outshine her (Why would she? She's convinced she's the best bender that ever lived. She has no need to do so.) she clearly knows the worth of their abilities. Heck, Li and Lo are non-benders and she listens to them for advice on her firebending style.
But now, suddenly, non-benders feel supressed.
And they hate the Avatar they celebrated and held in awe just a generation before.
So what the heck did Aang do to change a whole world's opinion and way to live?