#avatar-confessions

Ahem.

So, when I heard there was a second series coming out I was fucking ECSTATIC. But then I did some thinking. Either A), it's going to suck balls and they will ruin it. Or B), BECAUSE it's by the original creators, they will stay true to the original but far enough away from that plotline to not fuck it up. I still haven't decided what they've done, yet.

Dislikes:

I don't like the technological aspect of it. It seems unfitting, to me. They're mixing TV and cars and all these random things with something I associated as ancient china-ish. It doesn't fit. But part of it is when I watch the series I keep thinking of it as a close to the first series--even though I know it's totally different.

I don't like how they made a female as the lead role. No, I'm not sexist. I'm a fucking female myself. I didn't mind it at first--I saw a girl as the avatar and I didn't have a second thought. But then I read into the avatarwiki about how she was created--

"They decided upon a female Avatar due to the large audience of females from the original show and the adoration of the headstrong female characters by the female fan base, and felt it was time to have a big action franchise with a female in the lead instead of the traditional male role."

What. Just. What. Okay, THAT is sexist, in my opinion. They didn't chose a female just because it happens to be a 50/50 chance what gender the lead is, but they chose a female BECAUSE, FOR THE SAKE OF, having a female. You know that whole gender equality society is so fond of? Well, this isn't it. I'm not saying that Korra is underqualified at all--I'm just pointing out that they were afraid to pick another male because the feminists could get all in a rage because there are never any female leads. [Let's totally disregard Katara and Toph, two of the kickass-est major female characters in the original series.] Moral of this story: Don't pick a female for the sake of being "equal," because when you do that you are setting apart females to males. Pick a female just because there's a 50/50 chance of picking a female.

So far in the series, I feel like they're speeding up too fast. At the beginning of A:TLA, it was very basic to start off with. Brother and sister meet kid. Kid turns out to be avatar, who's been gone for 100 years. Avatar must run from banished Fire Nation prince, and learn all 4 elements. Great. That's awesome. There was no romance. There was no deep drama about friends hating each other. There were not conflicts, conflicts, and more conflicts piled up on top of each other. All of that stuff came later in the series, when everyone had gotten acquainted with Aang and his situation. So far in Avatar: Legend of Korra, we have all of that. We have the basic foundation: Republic City is under attack of the Equalists, who want to destroy all benders in the name of equality. [More on this later.] But within the first 5 episodes, we already have Mako and Korra and Bolin love triangle, PLUS Mako's girlfriend if you so desire, then their hate-drama stemming from their romances, Tenzin and Lin's secret as to why they hate each other, the Fire-Ferrets vs their competitors in the Pro Bending arena, Amon and the chi-blockers stirring up trouble everywhere, Korra trying to learn Airbending and failing epicly, Korra ACTUALLY DUELING Amon, etc. That's only 5 episodes. That's serious shit. In first 5 of ATLA, Aang is discovered, Zuko tries to chase him, they learn about the invasion of the Air Temple, they meet the Kyoshi Warriors, Zuko burns down their village, they meet Bumi and he reveals Aang's destiny to kill the Firelord. (Basically they're just being chased by Zuko before he learns he has to kill Zuko's father.) It's not filled with drama and love and hatred between each other. Seriously, guys. That just makes it feel drugged up. And...it feels really dragged. I really have no other way to explain it. We're not that far into the series and we're already dealing with drama. Just...no.

Likes:

I love how even though they set it so far apart from the original, they have a couple characters floating around that stem from the original Avatar gang. Tenzin is Aang's son, Lin is Toph's daughter, Katara is still alive, etc. Just small things. But they are appreciated.

I like how Korra already knows most of the elements of bending. This also sets apart the two series nicely, because they ARE different plots. It was Aang's destiny to learn the 4 elements to defeat Firelord Ozai (despite being only 12 years old). It's Katara's destiny (as notably both an older and more experienced avatar) to bring peace to Republic City between the Benders and the Equalists.

I really think the conflict within the Republic City makes for a good political statement. The Equalists are working hard to destroy bending for good, so that everything is "fair" and "even." I think this can apply to society, as most organizations and activists work hard to make everything equal and even for everyone. Which sounds nice. But then again, look at the series, and see how what the Equalists are doing sounds nice--but it's actually really destructive. There is a good moral here, which would be to celebrate differences rather than destroy them. Non-benders should celebrate their technology and fighting style. Benders should celebrate their art. (How can this be applied? Women use countless methods to make themselves more like men. Rebellion, dominance, birth control, sterilization, money...etc. Blacks use bleaching, inapplicable defense (I obviously didn't get this job because I'm BLACK...), and despairing destruction of themselves leading to worse stereotypes. Women should celebrate their womb and the ability to create a life--men don't have that. They shouldn't destroy it. Blacks' skin is a lovely color. Don't make it a burden.)

I like Tenzin's kids. Oh my gosh. They're hilarious. At times, overdone. But their personalities are out of nowhere. Aang wasn't THAT insane, and neither is Tenzin or Pema. Meelo is my favorite.

I don't know if it's just me, or if the animation really is different. I don't like the animation itself, but it's a good reminder to myself who likes to forget I'm watching A:LOK, instead of A:TLA.

I love how this series is still as in depth as the first. Each character has a long background. Everything is somehow intertwined. There are things that are unexplained that we just don't know about. It makes me feel like I'm indulging in something that is a little more real, or at least more interesting. It's not as shallow as you'd expect a cartoon to be.