Republic City or bust
We watched the first two episodes of Korra today! We loved it! Now I'm going to make an LJ cut -- because, unlike 99% of everyone on tumblr, I respect that not everyone is able to watch things two seconds after they come out -- and talk about the things I loved!
-The music. Dear heavens, the music. The Track Team brought me to tears by their judicious misuse of instruments and their recall of important themes/motifs from Aang's story. I grabbed a bunch of tracks a while back, and I can upload them if anyone wants. Why isn't the soundtrack available for purchase? I'd buy it, like, eighty times over.
-Korra. I am basically head over heels in love with Little Miss Buttface. She's got Aang's recklessness, except what's goofy and flailing on a twelve-year-old becomes dickishness by seventeen. And that's awesome. I love that the show isn't afraid to put her in unflattering outfits, kick the crap out of her, and have her land in ungainly configurations of limbs. It's not very often that even the best Strong Female Character just gets beat to shit, and I enjoy how that precedent has been set. God bless that loudmouthed little hick.
-Tenzin. Oh, is he ever Katara's son. ...And Zuko's -- spiritually, if not necessarily genetically (though my feelings on polyamorous Avatar antics are quite clear, and, you know, accidents happen). But I did see someone point out on tumblr that a lot of the things that fans complain about re: Katara's personality are things they're loving on in Tenzin: his temper, his bossiness, his buzzkill. My enormous love for Katara is well-documented, so seeing him as her successor makes me fall off the couch with delight. I also just think it's cool that the big Neo-Nazi from Oz is going to teach the Avatar how to airbend.
-Naga. OOS A GOOD GIRL OOS A GOOD POLAR BEAR DOGGY IS YOU THAT'S RIGHT IT'S YOU YOU GET TREATS
-Harpo and Groucho Bolin and Mako. I'm glad they've found a pronunciation for Bolin's name that didn't sound like either 'balling', 'bawling', or 'bowling'. As embarrassing as it is, I was basically predestined to think Mako is great, and I'm glad to see that little shit isn't failing to live up to expectations. And I can see Mako/Korra coming, no doubt in no small part as a conciliatory gesture to the Zutarans, and you know, I'm fine with that as a future possibility, but I'm mostly just looking forward to seeing the three of them bro out in increasingly hilarious configurations.
-Chief Bei Fong. Yeah, I'll be in my bunk.
-TROLLS IN THE DUNGEON. Yes, I'm sure that the story of Zuko's mom is very interesting, Bryke. (Also, Eve Marie Saint as Katara? Badass!)
-Ladies in the White Lotus! Well, okay, lady, singular, but up until this point, I don't think there've been any pictured at all. (Which is also why I always enjoyed my dream idea that Ursa ran off to head up the Order herself, but.) Also, the really obvious national diversity in the White Lotus is great. More Lotusers! Lotusees? Lotusettes?
-'You're oppressing yourselves!' You tell 'em, dummy.
-Its uncynical sense of triumph. Sure, pretty much every other television show I've ever seen has taught the characters something in the first act that they quite coincidentally needed to survive the third. That happened here with the Circle Walking, except it wasn't contrived or smarmy; instead, you could just ... see the wheels turn in her head, and then they clicked. Perhaps I love it most because I'm a teacher who's spent a lot of my life teaching people things they swore while they were learning that they wouldn't ever need in their whole lives -- and then there's that moment when they get it, and they realize all that torture you've been putting them through actually has meaning, and ... yeah, it's a good feeling. Tenzin and I were both cheering pretty hard right then.
Honestly, I think we did Avatar correctly: on motorbike's suggestion, we got into the whole series just before Day of Black Sun leaked, and thus were spared most of the agonizing waiting. WHY ISN'T MORE OF IT OUT I WANT IT NOWWWW
-The music. Dear heavens, the music. The Track Team brought me to tears by their judicious misuse of instruments and their recall of important themes/motifs from Aang's story. I grabbed a bunch of tracks a while back, and I can upload them if anyone wants. Why isn't the soundtrack available for purchase? I'd buy it, like, eighty times over.
-Korra. I am basically head over heels in love with Little Miss Buttface. She's got Aang's recklessness, except what's goofy and flailing on a twelve-year-old becomes dickishness by seventeen. And that's awesome. I love that the show isn't afraid to put her in unflattering outfits, kick the crap out of her, and have her land in ungainly configurations of limbs. It's not very often that even the best Strong Female Character just gets beat to shit, and I enjoy how that precedent has been set. God bless that loudmouthed little hick.
-Tenzin. Oh, is he ever Katara's son. ...And Zuko's -- spiritually, if not necessarily genetically (though my feelings on polyamorous Avatar antics are quite clear, and, you know, accidents happen). But I did see someone point out on tumblr that a lot of the things that fans complain about re: Katara's personality are things they're loving on in Tenzin: his temper, his bossiness, his buzzkill. My enormous love for Katara is well-documented, so seeing him as her successor makes me fall off the couch with delight. I also just think it's cool that the big Neo-Nazi from Oz is going to teach the Avatar how to airbend.
-Naga. OOS A GOOD GIRL OOS A GOOD POLAR BEAR DOGGY IS YOU THAT'S RIGHT IT'S YOU YOU GET TREATS
-Harpo and Groucho Bolin and Mako. I'm glad they've found a pronunciation for Bolin's name that didn't sound like either 'balling', 'bawling', or 'bowling'. As embarrassing as it is, I was basically predestined to think Mako is great, and I'm glad to see that little shit isn't failing to live up to expectations. And I can see Mako/Korra coming, no doubt in no small part as a conciliatory gesture to the Zutarans, and you know, I'm fine with that as a future possibility, but I'm mostly just looking forward to seeing the three of them bro out in increasingly hilarious configurations.
-Chief Bei Fong. Yeah, I'll be in my bunk.
-TROLLS IN THE DUNGEON. Yes, I'm sure that the story of Zuko's mom is very interesting, Bryke. (Also, Eve Marie Saint as Katara? Badass!)
-Ladies in the White Lotus! Well, okay, lady, singular, but up until this point, I don't think there've been any pictured at all. (Which is also why I always enjoyed my dream idea that Ursa ran off to head up the Order herself, but.) Also, the really obvious national diversity in the White Lotus is great. More Lotusers! Lotusees? Lotusettes?
-'You're oppressing yourselves!' You tell 'em, dummy.
-Its uncynical sense of triumph. Sure, pretty much every other television show I've ever seen has taught the characters something in the first act that they quite coincidentally needed to survive the third. That happened here with the Circle Walking, except it wasn't contrived or smarmy; instead, you could just ... see the wheels turn in her head, and then they clicked. Perhaps I love it most because I'm a teacher who's spent a lot of my life teaching people things they swore while they were learning that they wouldn't ever need in their whole lives -- and then there's that moment when they get it, and they realize all that torture you've been putting them through actually has meaning, and ... yeah, it's a good feeling. Tenzin and I were both cheering pretty hard right then.
Honestly, I think we did Avatar correctly: on motorbike's suggestion, we got into the whole series just before Day of Black Sun leaked, and thus were spared most of the agonizing waiting. WHY ISN'T MORE OF IT OUT I WANT IT NOWWWW