Topic: The Legend of Korra [Season 4 airs in Jan/Feb for Australia]

[Stogi]

already?

Actually the 3rd.

[BlackNMild2k1]

[azeke]

New TMNT is good.

[Spak-Spang]

It depends on what you want.

Air Bending:  I like the idea of flight...and for some reason they have split the spiritual side of bending with water and air.

Water Bending:  Ice, Water, healing, Blood Bending.  All seem quite cool.  It does seem to be a more supportive/manipulating element.  Though not as much as Air.

Earth:  Metal, Lava, Earth all of this is quite powerful and fun.  Blunt force element, but can have a very useful and practical side for "normal" living.

Fire:  This to me seems to be the most powerful, but has several counters.  Lightning is counter by Earth.  Fire is countered by water.  However, the manipulation of energy is quite interesting. 

I would think I would want to be a water or air bender.  I am leaning more toward water though.  Interesting that Fire and Air are the only bending that you can do without the actual element present. 

[BlackNMild2k1]

Air is ever present on an earth like planet... with an atmosphere. 
Fire... I guess is combusting gases in the air as energy is everywhere?

[broodwars]

New TMNT is good.

Indeed. It's the best TMNT show we've ever gotten, not to mention the first one with a decent animation budget. Labeling it "mediocre" alongside the other Nick shows is just a bit extreme.

[azeke]

2003 TMNT had it's moments too.

I was lucky to catch the episode where all turtles fought Shredder and Raph decapitated him. I couln't believe my eyes, the gall of them. Just for this moment alone they deserved my eternal respect.

Turtles Forever crossover movie that finished that show was also great, they shat all over 80s variants in that one.

[Spak-Spang]

I thought it was Leo that decapitated him...yes seasons 1 and 2 were good...but they didn't get the turtle designs right.  This new turtles show nails everything perfectly, except the design of Shredder, but I can forgive that.

Back to Korra, I can't wait until the new season.  But Nick if you want my money please put it on itunes.  Otherwise I will watch it another means that will leave you without ad revenue.

[broodwars]

Speaking of Nickelodeon's incompetence, I really wonder how today's children manage to watch the new TMNT. Nickelodeon keeps airing 4-5 episodes, putting the show on hiatus for 2 months, and then popping back up on random weeks to air another 4-5 episodes. It just returned today for another 4-5 batches of episodes, and the only reason I knew that was because IGN posted a review of the new episode. I pretty much have to watch this show online because it'd be impossible to follow this show otherwise.

Perhaps it's for the best that Nick is shoving the rest of Korra out the door before the end of the year, with a Season 3 Blu Ray as well in December. At this point, Nick seems determined to kill any good series they have left through sheer managerial incompetence, and I'd rather they just got it over with.

[UncleBob]

I don't know about kids, but DVR man.

[Spak-Spang]

It is old TV mindset that kids don't care about seasons and stories...they just want to watch the cartoons...be it reruns or what not.  It is why a good show will be cancelled after 3 seasons or 4 yet will continue to air for another 3-4.  Even though the ratings never dropped and they should have just continued making new episodes...they don't.

[ObbyDent]

Book 4 trailer. Quite a few surprises in it.

At first glance I see...


THREE YEARS LATER
Short haired Korra, which was shown off last week.
The new villain, Kuvira
Korra is going to see some hallucenations
The current Fire Lord and Zuko's daughter
Seems Earth Kingdom heavy
Jinora's new hair
Mecha tanks can now firebend
Bolin wearing the "bad guys" clothes
They are going back to the swamp from Season 2 of A:TLA
Katara!
TOPH!!!!!!!

[ObbyDent]

Okay, I've seen the trailer around 20 times already. And every time I get a little teary-eyed. The music, the animation... Its so weird to think that I was ten years old when the first series was announced, and now I'm an (admittedly young) adult at the age of 20, about to see the final season of what could be the last thing we ever get of the Avatar franchise.

[UncleBob]

That seems like an awfully painful way for someone to cut their own hair...

[ObbyDent]

Zuko and Iroh did it first.

[Ceric]

I wish Nick would just cut a deal with Netflix, Amazon Prime, or even Hulu...

[ObbyDent]

Surprised that it wasn't a two part season premiere, but still a solid episode.

[azeke]

They're not very subtle with Kuvira Hitler thing are they?

It's just kinda sudden. Granted we didn't knew her character for what little scenes she had in book 3, but still. Where is that power hunger coming from.

[ObbyDent]

They're not very subtle with Kuvira Hitler thing are they?

It's just kinda sudden. Granted we didn't knew her character for what little scenes she had in book 3, but still. Where is that power hunger coming from.

Its one episode and we have three years of history to catch up with. Its obvious that we're going to have a flashback episode explaining what went down between the Metal Clan.

[Spak-Spang]

Actually I got a very Mao vibe not Hitler.  She is actually trying very hard to unify and save a country that is falling apart.  She is evil, but there is good intentions in her perhaps.

[ObbyDent]

Actually I got a very Mao vibe not Hitler.  She is actually trying very hard to unify and save a country that is falling apart.  She is evil, but there is good intentions in her perhaps.

Did Hitler try to do the same thing before the whole killing everyone thing? Sorry, I'm an AMerican. I don't know much about European history.

[azeke]

Actually I got a very Mao vibe not Hitler.  She is actually trying very hard to unify and save a country that is falling apart.  She is evil, but there is good intentions in her perhaps.

I can totally side with trying to bring peace to country in chaos.

I just don't like that "Great Uniter" crap.

[Spak-Spang]

Yes.  Agree Azeke which is why I think she is a Mao type character.  Mao is actually known for bringing a country back together after war and poverty was destroying it.  He offered security and stability...but eventually he went mad with his dictatorship. 

This to me feels more like what is happening than comparing it to Hitler.  I am not saying the character is good.  I am saying there is depth to this villain and it isn't just simple evil.  It has been a great theme of Korra from season one that the villains are not just pure evil, but have a philosophy and a pursuit...they are 3 dimensional and that is great.

Personally, I loved this episode.  It felt much like last seasons opening giving us a look into a new world.  Time has settled the initial problems of spirits and Republic City...there still may be issues but for the most part people have moved on.  Characters had to grow up and grow apart some.  Korra was the glue that held people together, and now she is gone. 

I also am curious what long term lasting effects the poison had on Korra...or if she is just tired of being the Avatar.  I mean if you disappear nobody can blame you or try to kill you.

Just like in season 2.  "You don't have to be the Avatar."  "Yes, I do."  "Umm, no you don't."   "Yes, I do."  "No, you don't."  Looks like maybe she doesn't.

[azeke]

One of the my personal problems with Korra as the show is that it feels very small in scope. Season 1-2 were mostly in Republic City, and i really appreciated how season 3 ventured a bit into Zao Fu -- new interesting location.

Show me modern Fire Nation, dammit! I want to see new locations and stuff.

[Spak-Spang]

That is a fair complaint.  Where the first story is a grand adventure representing a child becoming an adult.

I think this story is more of a the child/adult seeing the world is not as black and white as one hoped.  And the battles are not as easily distinguished as good and evil, right and wrong. 

To do these stories you have to focus less on locations and more on people.  That said.  Book1 was Republic City...new location.  Book 2 was Water Nations (New Location)  Book 3 was Earth Kingdom (New Location)  Book 4 will probably show us the fire Nation...and this is interesting to me the most because all of the kingdoms have been showing there is really little need for an Avatar.  Like the world has grown up to find balance within itself. 

If the Avatar cycle isn't completely done away with at the end of this season, I would love to see a world jump to the next Harmonic Convergience and see what happens with a world which really forgot about the Avatar keeping balance, truly needs that balance again.