The Legend of Korra: Book One - Review

Poster art for The Legend of Korra

     I know I said I was going to post the Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted review today, but I got distracted by another project, The Legend of Korra! Having finally been able to watch the season finale, I can't keep my mind off it! I can absolutely promise you that the Madagascar 3 review will be here tomorrow and Brave's shortly after that! If you think I am on review overload, I'm sorry. After the Brave review it should calm down until Ice Age: Continental Drift comes out. But as for right now, on to The Legend of Korra!
     
     The Legend of Korra premiered on April 14, 2012 on Nickelodeon to critical acclaim. For those of you that don't know, The Legend of Korra is actually a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you only know that name from the M. Night Shyamalan film, forget everything. That movie does not even begin to do the show justice. It is a phenomenal show with amazing artwork, hilarious jokes, beautiful action sequences, and characters you'll love. The original series starts out aiming at a more childish audience, but fear not; the show quickly matures. 
Characters and Story: As for The Legend of Korra, the show starts out at an amazingly mature level. The show focuses primarily on an equalist revolution led by a man Amon. He wants to rid the world of all benders and make everyone "equal", so he rallies the support of non-benders around Republic City. Korra, the new Avatar, has to cope with this uprising while trying to learn Air Bending and dealing with her complicated love life. The idea of all being equal and a city revolting are some pretty mature themes for a "kids" TV show, however this is what makes The Legend of Korra so great. Animation on television is normally made really cheap, or done for a very young audience, but The Legend of Korra changes all of that. Just like how the original series was beautifully animated and kept a mature storyline, The Legend of Korra improves on both of those fronts, making this one of the best TV shows around.

Korra is more than just an amazing fighter

     Of course all of this is made possible because of our characters. Korra is an amazing lead character who almost all viewers can identify with. She's a teenager who now has to grow up, and struggles with the responsibilities of not only becoming an adult, but by being the Avatar as well. She struggles with love and has a problem following her heart because people keep telling her no. All of these things make for a very identifiable character and not some unrealistic ruler over everything. 


     However it's not just the lead that is amazing, Korra is surrounded by many more amazing characters, heroes and villains alike. Tenzin, who is Avatar Aang and Katara's son, is also Korra's Airbending trainer. He is very wise and calm, unlike the headstrong Korra. Tenzin is a councilmember for Republic City and is constantly trying to do what is best, which isn't always what the other councilmembers think. 

Tenzin and his family

     Tenzin also has a family, his wife, Pema, and three children, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. For most of the season, Pema is pregnant with a fourth child. The entire family adds a lot of laugh into the mix with the innocent kids always having fun. They make for a great comic relief, but also give Tenzin the responsibility to protect them. There is a lot of interesting plot twists with Tenzin's character as a little bit of his previous love life is revealed with non-other than Chief Lin Beifong! I really like Tenzin and his family; the characters add a lot of fun to a show that can use all the comic relief it can get.


     Speaking of Chief Beifong, what an amazing character! Toph's daughter, Lin is one of the coolest characters on the show. When it comes to action sequences, Lin has some of the best moments on the show.  She is a Metal Bender, like her mother, but is a bit cold to Korra at first. Tenzin and Lin used to have quite the relationship until Pema told Tenzin how she felt about him. 
     

Chief Lin Beifong

     Ever since, Lin has closed all emotions towards Tenzin and anything to do with him, including Korra. All of that soon changes as Tenzin and Lin make amends, to the point where Lin gives everything to protect his family. It was so great to see here character change from being a rude cop to a sweet heart who sacrifices everything to protect those she loves. In the end, Lin is a character we are deeply emotionally attached to, which is proved in the end when tragedy befalls our beloved hero.


     Along the way, Korra also encounters two Pro-Bending champions, Mako and Bolin. Not only does Korra join there Pro-Bending team and help lead them to the finals, they become her best friends. Mako is a more quiet and reserved character. At first he doesn't like Korra joining the team out of nowhere, but soon gains respect for her. Bolin on the other hand, is quite the opposite. He loves the spot light and is always trying to show off; he also loves Korra and is constantly trying to impress her. 

Mako and Bolin

     Bolin offers most of the series comedic relief, and he does an excellent job at it. It's great to see these characters grow so much, Mako becoming more relaxed, yet still protective, and Bolin a bit more responsible and willing to help. Not only do these characters offer so extremely cool bending, each of them serves as love interests to Korra. Bolin has always like Korra, but from the moment she saw Mako, she knew that he was for her. As if the brother rivalry wasn't enough, Mako gets into a relationship with another girl named Asami.


     Mako and Asami meet in a chance encounter on the street when she crashes into him. Asami is a beautiful young girl who is also the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, the inventor of the Satomobile (cars). Mako and Asami quickly hit it off and before you know it they are dating, but of course this makes Korra jealous and drama ensues. I really like all of the love triangles that were going on, and it was nice to concentrate on romance for a while. Asami's charcter is extremely likable. She is sweet and kind, even though she has some of the biggest problems in the series. 

Asami

     Her mother died when she was young and because of benders and because of this her father becomes an equalists. Then while Asami has to deal with fighting against her own father, she finds out Mako and Korra not only kissed a while ago, but that he still has feelings for Korra. Asami stays strong to the end through all of these problems. A character that we were originally unsure and suspicious of becomes one of the most liked character in the series. 


     No series would be complete without a memorable villain, and boy does The Legend of Korra deliver. Amon is not only terrifying in looks, but his power is beyond that of anyone we have ever seen. He has a strong political influence on the people of Republic City, and he has an army of Chi Blockers who can fight benders with ease. Not only that, but Amon is an amazing Chi Blocker himself and can then take away people's ability to bend. 

Amon

     Amon has everything under control, and no matter what happens it appears that it was all part of his plan. Amon is one of the best villains I have seen in animation; his motive is actually a good idea but he is an extremist, and he also has immense power. There are many people and situations in our world today that are just like that, making him even more terrifying. He is smart, mysterious, and clever, not just a guy who has a maniacal laugh. 


     We don't find out who Amon really is until the season finale, but it was perfectly executed. At the end of the season we also got another character, General Iroh. While we didn't get to see much of him, I am in love with his character. From his fighting styles to his similarities to Zuko, he is a great addition to the show. I just hope we get to see a lot more of him next season. Everything that had happened in the show led up to that episode and it paid off. All of the characters grew over the course of the season and earned a place in our hearts. The story for season one was fantastic and never stopped amazing me. It introduced to all of the characters perfectly and I can't wait to see the show take them even further in the next season. It was really fun to see the descendants of characters from the original series, and I love how mature this show really became.
     
Visuals and Soundtrack: Following in Avatar: The Last Airbender's footsteps, The Legend of Korra has both amazing visuals, and one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. The soundtrack to The Legend of Korra is so great, that I specifically want to listen to the entire thing on my iPod. The orchestration fits perfectly for each scene and the Asian influence goes perfectly with the art style. Jeremy Zuckerman really out did himself with the soundtrack and I cannot compliment it enough. 

Concept image of Republic City

     Besides the story, the biggest improvement over the original series is the visuals. The Legend of Korra is absolutely beautiful to look at. From the design of Republic City to the characters, you never want to take your eyes off of such great artwork. Not only is the character design unique for each character, watching them in action is so flawless its jaw dropping. The action in this series really was executed so well and the animation on it is great. I particularly love the design for Amon, powerful and extremely creepy. 

Four of the main characters from The Legend of Korra

Conclusion: The Legend of Korra is an amazing series. Even if you haven't seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, you should most definitely watch The Legend of Korra and check out the original series as well. I can't recommend this series enough; from its amazing characters to its phenomenal plot and art style this show has it all. Love triangles, action, adventure, what more could you want? 


     With only one more season of The Legend of Korra announced, it is my deepest wish that we get more. I don't want this series to end! We are just getting to know the characters and now you can take them where ever you want! This season's plot was concise yet epic. We had great character development from everyone and if anything the show is just beautiful to look at. This is the best animated TV show that I have ever seen. After all, "Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world."