Bolin, Korra and Mako (left to right) are three principal characters from Nickelodeon’s new show “The Legend of Korra,” which follows up on its successful series “The Last Airbender.”
– Hae-Lin Cho
After the success of “The Last Airbender” left certain strands loose at its end, its sequel, “The Legend of Korra,” comes to continue the story line, kicking open with a spirit to rival its predecessor. Promising strength in all the elements needed for a successful sequel, like original characters and clever plot, “The Legend of Korra” offers both old and new fans an enjoyable viewing experience.
The new series premiered Saturday, April 14, on Nickelodeon after much anticipation from “The Last Airbender” fans like me.
Although I doubted that “The Legend of Korra” could even near the humorous, touching story that defined my childhood (I originally planned to forego it altogether), I found that the sequel held much promise and potential, with satisfactory characters, an interesting story line and pleasing animation.
The premise of “The Legend of Korra” revolves around the new “Avatar,” 17-year-old Korra, and her journey to master all four elements: water, earth, fire and air. She travels to Republic City, an urban area that contrasts heavily with the rural scenes of the first series, to study with her air-bending teacher, Tenzin. Along the way, she meets brothers Mako, a fire bender, and Bolin, an earth bender, and quickly befriends them. Despite her welcome to the city, she also brushes by a darker, growing problem with an anti-bending movement that could threaten the very foundation of Korra’s life.
By the end of the first two episodes, I could see that the new characters would be both comedic and relatable.
When I think tomboy teenager, my mind leaps straight to Korra. Aside from her kick-butt attitude and amusing sass, I loved the contrast she gave right away to 12-year-old Aang, the previous “Avatar.” Unlike the sentimental, childish Aang, Korra defined herself as a strong, sarcastic leading role, with much room to grow into a mature or, at the very least, a more respectful person.
Mako and Bolin were more of a predictable pair: Mako seemed very similar to Zuko, the protagonist-turned villain of the first series, in many aspects, including his voice, his fire bending and his nonchalant, superior attitude towards everything. He, however, lacked the internal, villain-hero turmoil that made Zuko an appealing character — so far, at least. Bolin, on the other hand, seemed more of a Sokka (the amusing character from “The Last Airbender”) figure, providing the comic relief needed in the show. Unfortunately, neither quite had the charm of the old characters, so I can only hope that they’ll develop more personal traits.
Like the first series, the story shows promise for development and action. As one of my friends so eloquently put it, the people are their own villains. Instead of two super villains, the plot takes a darker twist with the townspeople seemingly deluding themselves about the evils of bending.
Even with these new aspects of the show, the foundation was still strong with solid animation. I’m not sure if Nickelodeon kept the same artist, but the art was charming, if a little more complex and realistic.
Most importantly for me, “The Legend of Korra” managed to distance itself from “The Last Airbender.” Both the characters and the setting were markedly different. The failings of many sequel series are that they fail to impress old fans by either becoming overly repetitive or simply uninteresting (remember “Joey,” after the successful “Friends” franchise?). However, by integrating elements of the first series to hook old fans but distinguishing key elements like characters and tone, “The Legend of Korra” can prevent the same fate as many other unfortunate sequels.
Although I admit that I miss the old gang from “The Last Airbender,” for me and other fans of the earlier series, “The Legend of Korra” promises to be a satisfactory replacement — even for high school students.