Hello, you make good, unbiased points, so I’d love your perspective on Makorra. I’m a fan, so it’s hard for me to be objective. I want to understand why some people dislike the ship and what might have gone wrong. Reading it from an non Makorra shipper perspective could help me be more open minded and have a clearer, more balanced view of my own ship.
Awwww, thank you, I appreciate the kind words đź’—. I don't exactly consider myself "unbiased" (i try to be but i believe some bias is inescapable) but it is much appreciated lol.
I'm afraid I can't help you much in why people dislike the ship, as I have a mostly lukewarm opinion of Makorra as a ship. I'm not a fan, but I'm also not a hater by any means. When I first watched tlok, their constant arguing made me very upset, though, but I was an extremely conflict-averse kid. Rewatching it now, I love Mako and Korra's relationship, be it platonic or romantic. I do have a shitton of respect for Makorra shippers, because I know y'all have been Through It with the fandom lol.
I think most people's dislike of Makorra lays with Mako himself. This may be just the circles I run in, but most ardent Makorra haters I see are often Korrasami shippers. It may be a feeling of competition between the two ships and therefore Asami and Mako and potential partners for Korra.
I've already talked abt the ridiculous hate Mako has been recieving in the fandom in recent years. I find it is often intertwined with Makorra hate?
Some people dislike the Mako's personality and how hewas originally quite cold and aloof to Korra and only seemed to warm up to her "once she proved useful/ after she revealed ahe was the Avatar". Which, Mako barely reacted to Korra being the Avatar, and him starting to enjoy Korra's presence after they bonded somewhat seems to just be... the normal trajectory of a budding friendship.
Mako also very much in his own right to not want to immediately nice to Korra. When they are first introduced, he is basically doing his job, and he wants Bolin focused because Bolin is also technically working. Let's remember that the boys livelihoods depend on this. Mako doesn't owe niceness to the stranger his brother brought into their changing room. Add to that the fact that they have had dealings with shady types in the past and it makes sense that he would not be super jazzed about Bolin hanging out with randos.
I actually really like their team up to find Bolin as a turning point in their relationship. As we all know, Mako has had to carry the weight of taking care of and protecting Bo for years, and this is probably one of the first times someone has helped him carry that burden. It's probably also why he feels comfortable telling Korra about his and Bolin's past. Once again, probably one of the few times he has been able to open up like this.
Them falling asleep on each other is aggresively cheesy, but I love it and falling asleep on people is my love language so I can't fault it.
I know a lot of people get a sour taste in their mouth when it comes to Korra being jealous of Mako and Asami's relationship. And yeah, I kinda cringe a little anytime I see it, but I also don't think it's a reason to hate the ship? Perfect ships that have no hurdles whatsoever are usually kinda boring. I've also seen hate towards Mako for saying "it makes more sense for me to be with Asami" which is a very dispassionate and clinical way to view relationships. But I think it's actual a very interesting view into Mako's priorities as a person. He clearly likes both Asami and Korra, but he's also practical and aware of his situation. Having Asami's sponsorship is an incredible safety net for him and Bolin, especially when most of their money comes from probending, which isn't the most stablest of incomes. Is it kinda mean to Asami? Yeah, absolutely. But it is interesting.
Mako is also surprisingly averse to outright conflict for how aloof and mean he can be. He doesn't like to rock the boat, and tends to get evasive when a confrontation happens. He doesn't like when Korra puts pressure on him, which creates an interesting dynamic between them while she is pursuing him. An unstoppable force meets immovable object type of situation.
I actually admire the writers' balls to have Mako and Korra kiss while Mako is dating someone. It easily makes a couple/a character deeply unlikeable. Even if cheating is a relatively minor offence in the grand scheme of things, it does give a lot of people a visceral reaction lmao.
I actually love how this kiss is animated, Mako being suprised but then melting into it is very cute
But I absolutely get why some people might be upset at this. It's, once again, a dick move to Asami, and the fact that they hid it from her for so long is Crazy lmao.
I've also seen critique from people that Mako suddenly really switched up after Korra was kidnapped by Tarrlok. I saw some people thinking this was unrealistic or annoying?
Personally, I think it makes perfect sense for Mako to freak the fuck out. Like let's remember this man lost his parents traumatically, grew up with another child as a dependent, and now the friend he is also kinda in love with has been kidnapped. Of course he would dote on her.
This is Mako's very strong caretaker instincts, rearing their head. At the core of Mako's character, he is a protector and caretaker, and it's one of his best traits and worst flaws. You can clearly see how much he cares for Korra, not just in this instance, but in mamy others. I think this is one of the issues in their relationship, as Korra doesn't necessarily need a caretaker all the time.
However, I do love the little malewife/girlboss adjacent relationship they have at some points
[Man born to say "welcome home sweetie how was work"]
I totally understand people not enjoying Makorra due to them arguing often. As I previously mentioned, I got upset at them arguing so much. But I also find it an interesting aspect of their characters.
I hate their arguments in Republic City, but in the best way. They're both at very low points. Korra is obviously recovering from Unalaq's manipulation, as well as trying to help her people. And Mako is trying to uncover domestic terrorism and also maybe being discriminated against in the workplace lmao. I think the way Mako handled Korra's very rightful anger at everything happening at the South Pole very poor, but I also understand that he was going through a lot.
Him telling Raiko about Korra and Iroh's plan is ultimately where the relationship falls apart for me. It's an awful thing to do as a boyfriend, but a good thing to do as a citizen and police officer of Republic City. Ultimately, for Korra and Mako the thing that tore them apart were their duties. Korra's duty to her people and maintaining peace worldwide, and Mako's duty to Republic City. Maybe if this was the only issue in their relationship, it'd survive, but it felt like it was a long time coming.
I do like the way Mako and Korra remained very dear friends, despite things being awkward after the breakup, and seeing them being very friendly and caring of each other in B4 is very sweet.
I think they may have had a chance post B4, since Korra seemed more measured, and Mako looked to have gotten over at least a little bit of his compulsion to caretake, after Bolin "flew the coop". But I'm not too torn apart about them not becoming canon, as I adore their relationship in its platonic version.
Though they were so cutesy as a couple lmao look at these dorks.
Also, this is my personal nitpick, but it weirds me out how people compare Makorra to Zutara, and act like the similarities between these ships aren't incredibly surface level. Because while Katara and Korra may be similar, Mako and Zuko have very little in common. Plus, the dynamics and setting of their relationship are very different, and it just feels like people saw Fire Boy+Water Girl ship with mild antagonism and Ran with it.
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