Legend of Korra, Book 2: Spirits
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Zaphid
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This is some of the best TV animation I have seen in a while and it avoids most of the dumb clich?s associated with kids TV. I was afraid that they would have problems with power creep after the end of last season, but so far they managed to avoid that very well, simply by making everyone a potential threat.
Qhue
Tranny Chaser
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Yeah the two parter was pretty much a standalone movie of its own, but it really fleshes out the whole notion of the Avatar.
What is striking is how different the world is in Wan's time and what this could mean in terms of how the world might change following this upcoming harmonic convergence. We already know that with Republic city and the advent of technology plus the very advanced use of bending (Metal bending, blood bending, lightning bending etc all being rather common) that the Avatar world is entering into a new era, but this may cement the whole concept in a very metaphysical way.
I have to guess that Jinora is going to factor into things in a big way as well down the line, but other than the fact that there are still only 4 air benders in the world I'm not quite sure how.
What is striking is how different the world is in Wan's time and what this could mean in terms of how the world might change following this upcoming harmonic convergence. We already know that with Republic city and the advent of technology plus the very advanced use of bending (Metal bending, blood bending, lightning bending etc all being rather common) that the Avatar world is entering into a new era, but this may cement the whole concept in a very metaphysical way.
I have to guess that Jinora is going to factor into things in a big way as well down the line, but other than the fact that there are still only 4 air benders in the world I'm not quite sure how.
Silly question but did the wan story just retcon how bending came about? In the original series air was taught by air bison, earth by those mole things fire by dragon's, not sure water. Wan story has each lion turtle controlling a style.
They avoided using the term bending in the flash back, calling it 'the element' instead. I figure they were going for the idea that while the turtles unlocked the element people didn't learn how to really learn how to use its potential until training with the animals/spirits. They even had a clip of Wan training with a dragon. Or it could just be a retcon.
Cybsled
Avatar of War Slayer
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Don't have to retcon. The innate ability still requires certain types of movements to obtain certain results. So for instance, a person might have air bending as a skill, but perhaps they didn't really master it until they copied the movements of certain attuned animals? The original idea was basically just their version of old martial arts styles trying to mimic certain animals.
^That. Remember the Suuko and Aang episode where they went to find a Dragon as a shortcut to mastering Firebending? To "learn from the source" as it were. And you saw the original avatar, who was briefly as acknowledged as being a badass Firebender by the guys he was fighting, training with something that looked basically like a Dragon. Also Toph's Earthbending is unique because she literally learned from the Badger Moles. They based her entire style off an entirely different martial art to give it a distinct feel from every other Earthbender. So that is a modern day example of real talent being refined by learning the motions from animals.
Plus, you know, 10,000 years, myths and legends, etc. What we've heard prior to this is how people in the present, ~9,900 years later, know about how bending started. That is basically what people in the 17th century knew about the exact origins of agriculture and the transition from hunter-gather societies. Now we are getting a first hand account of what actually went down.
All-in-all, for a kids shows, Avatar has amazingly little retconning. The mechanics and lore of the world hang together very well. I can't think of a TV show essentially in its fifth season on air right now with fewer narrative fuck ups.
Plus, you know, 10,000 years, myths and legends, etc. What we've heard prior to this is how people in the present, ~9,900 years later, know about how bending started. That is basically what people in the 17th century knew about the exact origins of agriculture and the transition from hunter-gather societies. Now we are getting a first hand account of what actually went down.
All-in-all, for a kids shows, Avatar has amazingly little retconning. The mechanics and lore of the world hang together very well. I can't think of a TV show essentially in its fifth season on air right now with fewer narrative fuck ups.
so, if someone never ever watch/read anything about Avatar, where should i begin? can you give me a chronological list of the stuff i should watch ? (and if there are different continuities?)
Kuriin
Just a Nurse
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Amazon.com: Avatar: Season 1, Episode 1 : Amazon Instant Video
Amazon.com: Avatar: Season 2, Episode 1 : Amazon Instant Video
Amazon.com: Avatar: Season 3, Episode 1 : Amazon Instant Video
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 1: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616550547: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 2: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616551902: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 3: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616551841: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru: 9781595828118: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781595828750: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 3: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gurihiru: 9781595829412: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Rift Part 1: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616552954: Amazon.com: Books
Recommend you wikipedia the chronological order of the books. They are direct sequels to the series.
Amazon.com: Avatar: Season 2, Episode 1 : Amazon Instant Video
Amazon.com: Avatar: Season 3, Episode 1 : Amazon Instant Video
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 1: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616550547: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 2: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616551902: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 3: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616551841: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru: 9781595828118: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781595828750: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 3: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gurihiru: 9781595829412: Amazon.com: Books
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Rift Part 1: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Dave Marshall, Gurihiru: 9781616552954: Amazon.com: Books
Recommend you wikipedia the chronological order of the books. They are direct sequels to the series.
Caliane
Avatar of War Slayer
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a retcon is a retcon. and most can easily be handwaved as unreliable narrator when you do one.
Anyway, it can even be further explained by a likely cataclysm. Avatar timeline is like 20k years. Wan was asserted for being just under 10k for "modern" avatar.
Compare it to human history. 8000BC. we were literally living in caves. Agriculture is just invented. Pottery. The utter lack of progress from Wan's time to Aang's time is crazy. particularly when you go 70 years from Aang, to industrial revolution in Korra.
You have evidence of abandoned civilizations. the library, the dragon temple/city. the dragonturtles themselves leaving.
Kuriin
Just a Nurse
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Legend of Korra fits in after all of this. It is the sequel to "Avatar: The Last Airbender".
Lithose
Buzzfeed Editor
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It's not a retcon at all though. They said in the original the Dragon Spirits "taught us how to fire bend". Notice what the hunters said after he was trained by the dragon? "The way he usedfire, it's like an extension of himself." At no point did they say the dragons gave them the ability to actually use fire. They simply taught them the techniques to do it proficiently, IE bending. And that's what that Episode with Zuko and Ang even showed. The dragons didn't teach them super fire bending, them taught them techniques to control it better.
Lithose
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So, caught the origin Episodes and decided to start with the series. Got the end of the Civil War two part. What I don't get is why the Avatar is pussy footing around her uncle. We've pretty clearly been shown that the Avatar ranks above the spiritual lords of the respective realms, here.
Do they explain later why she just doesn't Avatar state and smack her uncle down, and tell him he's going to jail or some shit? Because Roku did not have a problem with taking out the Firelord, despite being a fire citizen. So it doesn't seem like it's taboo if someone is corrupt. I guess it could be explained with her being young and not yet a full established Avatar, but at the moment it feels a little contrived--like the only reason she isn't going Super Sayjin and nuking him is because the plot needs it.
Still, despite that, it's very enjoyable--and even that small contrivance is easy to overlook because they've really brought out Korra's inexperience and naivety, so even though it feels more like a plot consideration, it's not totally outside the realm of believability.
Do they explain later why she just doesn't Avatar state and smack her uncle down, and tell him he's going to jail or some shit? Because Roku did not have a problem with taking out the Firelord, despite being a fire citizen. So it doesn't seem like it's taboo if someone is corrupt. I guess it could be explained with her being young and not yet a full established Avatar, but at the moment it feels a little contrived--like the only reason she isn't going Super Sayjin and nuking him is because the plot needs it.
Still, despite that, it's very enjoyable--and even that small contrivance is easy to overlook because they've really brought out Korra's inexperience and naivety, so even though it feels more like a plot consideration, it's not totally outside the realm of believability.
Qhue
Tranny Chaser
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Ahh ha! So Jinora was indeed key to the whole thing afterall with her connection to the spirit world. Im curious to see how the Asami / Mako / Bolin / Varik storyline ends up tying into the rest of the plot. I wonder if Varik, as a transportation tycoon, isn't tied into this because the existence of the two portals would be a huge boon to his business if he controlled them or incredibly damaging if he did not.
Still cool that this season has been a good chance to go deeper into Waterbending culture in a way that the original first season didn't as it was focused so much on world building whereas we got a really good look at the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation during their respective seasons.
Still cool that this season has been a good chance to go deeper into Waterbending culture in a way that the original first season didn't as it was focused so much on world building whereas we got a really good look at the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation during their respective seasons.
Zaphid
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Because politics, Avatar is supposed to bring peace and balance, not murder anyone that crosses her path. Killing leaders would just bring chaos and she can't be the omnipresent world police. He is also one of the few people who know stuff about spirits and those seem to be the bigger threat at the moment.