i miss clarissa explains it all
I watched the first two episodes of Legend of Korra that leaked, and really enjoyed them. It wasn't as jarring as I'd thought it would be, and they did a pretty good job of uniting the two series, but also keeping them separate enough that you wouldn't get lost in the first while watching the second.
Things I like:
So, Korra is everything I typically go for in a heroine. I like that they made her tall, muscular, and not traditionally feminine-looking. She's not slender like Katara was, she has a very athletic body and I appreciate that. I like how she's cocky and brash, and she gets teenage brooding fits, and she's beyond excellent at the physical side of bending but has difficulty mastering the spiritual. I like that her problem is being too aggressive and overconfident and that she needs to learn how to be more willing to be flexible and patient.
The art is amazing. I have always enjoyed ATLA's art and the worldbuilding, and the same goes for Korra. It's definitely a more mature series this time around, as reflected in the color scheme, the character designs, and even the wardrobe choices. The main characters are, so far, all older than 17, the conversations are less goofy, and it's so bizarre seeing the twelve year-old airbending girl on this show because she's shown as a child role and it's interesting to think that Aang and Toph were that age and painted as so capable.
What's bizarre to me is that all the adults are such micromanagers. Korra is kept locke dup in a facility in the South Pole for most of her young life, being trained in the bending arts, under heavy care, and not allowed to leave. Why? Aang said he wanted her protected. Well, fine, but locking her up? Whose brainchild of an idea was that?
The adults constantly treat her like she's incapable of defending herself from the outside world, which would make sense if they were actually IN Ozai's reign and not in a peaceful society 70 years after war. Also, did these people read their history? Aang was TWELVE YEARS OLD when he defeated Ozai. Katara was 14, Toph was 12, Sokka was 16. Your own fucking history was written by children. Tenzin, that was your dad. Your DAD, at TWELVE, helped SAVE THE WORLD. Your mom toasted Fire Lord Azula. They were children younger than Korra, who is quite close to being a fully-realized Avatar, and you have sheltered and caged her and that drives me up the wall.
And then they're all so shocked when she finally runs away. I'm yelling at the screen: "Dude, Korra, run away! You're the Avatar! You're in Avatar-land! WTF are you doing listening to these adults? Just go off and be the Avatar!" At least Katara had the good sense to take a leaf out of her Gran-Gran's book and let Korra run off to have her grand adventures. Seriously, Katara is my favorite adult so far.
That and Lin Bei Fong. Auuugh, metal-bending chief of police hardass and so strict about the rules. Only daughter to rebel against their mom by being a rules lawyer, lol. Toph would be rolling in her undoubtedly hand-bended grave.
I like what they're doing with the equalists, and the idea of bending privilege is logical, but was completely absent from the first series. Yes, Sokka was angsting a bit about how he couldn't bend and felt useless, but the society he lived in didn't really justify his insecurity. His father was a nonbender and a highly respected warrior and chief. In fact, most of the rulers of the nations and towns seemed to be nonbenders. Azula hand-picked her team and they consisted of two very badass nonbenders. No one aside from Toph is heard making disparaging remarks about people who can't bend, and nonbenders are frequently in positions of power and prestige. Bending itself is seen as an art form and a martial art form, a useful talent. So where did the hatred for benders come? You could argue it came from the war, but benders didn't start the war: the Fire Nation did, and their soldiers were benders and nonbenders alike. There seems to be no hatred or resentment for the Fire Nation as of yet, but there is a bending revolt. Why? I'd like it explained.
I can't wait for the next episodes to come up, and I'm sad that there'll only be 26 episodes. I guess it makes sense, seeing that the conflict doesn't take place on the same scale- it's focused in Republic City and not globally, but I'd still like another long Avatar series.
Meanwhile, fun stuff I've done since last update: St Patrick's Day we got a groupon to go to a party at a place in DC called O Mansion, which is a bit like Antique Roadhouse meets Disney's haunted house. It's a hotel, club, and...thrift/antique store, with over 100 rooms. The best part? It's chock full of secret doors and secret passageways. Bookcases open up to mirrored rooms that open up to entirely different rooms, Mirrors open up to hallways, and all of the rooms are done in different, strange and eclectic styles. They hold treasure hunts and scavenger hunts and everything in the rooms is actually for sale. There was a room with an amazing wooden jacuzzi-sized bathtub and large mirrors and the most beautiful chess table I've ever seen...planted flat in the bathroom. There was a suite that looked like suddenly stepping into a log cabin. There was one decked out in African animal prints. Long hallways full of bookcases, a pool table covered in books set out in a pattern. The place is amazing!
They had a mint chocolate fountain, too. So much fun!
Last week I went to have tea at a garden. They set up a workshop to make your own Shoji lamp and served Japanese-style tea, which was sadly not so great. Making the lamp was fun, though, and I kind of worked at twice the pace of everyone else in the room, so the man in charge of the activity kept feeding me info between group instructions. My friend's sign-up was lost on the internet and she didn't want to have driven all the way there for breakfast at BK, so we went to the downtown area afterward and it was awesome! Found Nibelunglied at a used bookstore for my grandmother, went to a nice fromagerie, and shopped at a store selling nothing at all but many flavors of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The mango balsamic vinegar and the chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar were my favorite! MMMM. Also, black truffle olive oil. I never thought it'd be good on popcorn before, but I guess it is!
Will talk tomorrow about Hunger Games movie (belated) and Mirror Mirror (slightly belated)
Things I like:
So, Korra is everything I typically go for in a heroine. I like that they made her tall, muscular, and not traditionally feminine-looking. She's not slender like Katara was, she has a very athletic body and I appreciate that. I like how she's cocky and brash, and she gets teenage brooding fits, and she's beyond excellent at the physical side of bending but has difficulty mastering the spiritual. I like that her problem is being too aggressive and overconfident and that she needs to learn how to be more willing to be flexible and patient.
The art is amazing. I have always enjoyed ATLA's art and the worldbuilding, and the same goes for Korra. It's definitely a more mature series this time around, as reflected in the color scheme, the character designs, and even the wardrobe choices. The main characters are, so far, all older than 17, the conversations are less goofy, and it's so bizarre seeing the twelve year-old airbending girl on this show because she's shown as a child role and it's interesting to think that Aang and Toph were that age and painted as so capable.
What's bizarre to me is that all the adults are such micromanagers. Korra is kept locke dup in a facility in the South Pole for most of her young life, being trained in the bending arts, under heavy care, and not allowed to leave. Why? Aang said he wanted her protected. Well, fine, but locking her up? Whose brainchild of an idea was that?
The adults constantly treat her like she's incapable of defending herself from the outside world, which would make sense if they were actually IN Ozai's reign and not in a peaceful society 70 years after war. Also, did these people read their history? Aang was TWELVE YEARS OLD when he defeated Ozai. Katara was 14, Toph was 12, Sokka was 16. Your own fucking history was written by children. Tenzin, that was your dad. Your DAD, at TWELVE, helped SAVE THE WORLD. Your mom toasted Fire Lord Azula. They were children younger than Korra, who is quite close to being a fully-realized Avatar, and you have sheltered and caged her and that drives me up the wall.
And then they're all so shocked when she finally runs away. I'm yelling at the screen: "Dude, Korra, run away! You're the Avatar! You're in Avatar-land! WTF are you doing listening to these adults? Just go off and be the Avatar!" At least Katara had the good sense to take a leaf out of her Gran-Gran's book and let Korra run off to have her grand adventures. Seriously, Katara is my favorite adult so far.
That and Lin Bei Fong. Auuugh, metal-bending chief of police hardass and so strict about the rules. Only daughter to rebel against their mom by being a rules lawyer, lol. Toph would be rolling in her undoubtedly hand-bended grave.
I like what they're doing with the equalists, and the idea of bending privilege is logical, but was completely absent from the first series. Yes, Sokka was angsting a bit about how he couldn't bend and felt useless, but the society he lived in didn't really justify his insecurity. His father was a nonbender and a highly respected warrior and chief. In fact, most of the rulers of the nations and towns seemed to be nonbenders. Azula hand-picked her team and they consisted of two very badass nonbenders. No one aside from Toph is heard making disparaging remarks about people who can't bend, and nonbenders are frequently in positions of power and prestige. Bending itself is seen as an art form and a martial art form, a useful talent. So where did the hatred for benders come? You could argue it came from the war, but benders didn't start the war: the Fire Nation did, and their soldiers were benders and nonbenders alike. There seems to be no hatred or resentment for the Fire Nation as of yet, but there is a bending revolt. Why? I'd like it explained.
I can't wait for the next episodes to come up, and I'm sad that there'll only be 26 episodes. I guess it makes sense, seeing that the conflict doesn't take place on the same scale- it's focused in Republic City and not globally, but I'd still like another long Avatar series.
Meanwhile, fun stuff I've done since last update: St Patrick's Day we got a groupon to go to a party at a place in DC called O Mansion, which is a bit like Antique Roadhouse meets Disney's haunted house. It's a hotel, club, and...thrift/antique store, with over 100 rooms. The best part? It's chock full of secret doors and secret passageways. Bookcases open up to mirrored rooms that open up to entirely different rooms, Mirrors open up to hallways, and all of the rooms are done in different, strange and eclectic styles. They hold treasure hunts and scavenger hunts and everything in the rooms is actually for sale. There was a room with an amazing wooden jacuzzi-sized bathtub and large mirrors and the most beautiful chess table I've ever seen...planted flat in the bathroom. There was a suite that looked like suddenly stepping into a log cabin. There was one decked out in African animal prints. Long hallways full of bookcases, a pool table covered in books set out in a pattern. The place is amazing!
They had a mint chocolate fountain, too. So much fun!
Last week I went to have tea at a garden. They set up a workshop to make your own Shoji lamp and served Japanese-style tea, which was sadly not so great. Making the lamp was fun, though, and I kind of worked at twice the pace of everyone else in the room, so the man in charge of the activity kept feeding me info between group instructions. My friend's sign-up was lost on the internet and she didn't want to have driven all the way there for breakfast at BK, so we went to the downtown area afterward and it was awesome! Found Nibelunglied at a used bookstore for my grandmother, went to a nice fromagerie, and shopped at a store selling nothing at all but many flavors of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The mango balsamic vinegar and the chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar were my favorite! MMMM. Also, black truffle olive oil. I never thought it'd be good on popcorn before, but I guess it is!
Will talk tomorrow about Hunger Games movie (belated) and Mirror Mirror (slightly belated)