Wow. I am so impressed with this show, especially the second episode. The animation is utterly gorgeous; they must have had a huge budget, because everything is drawn at feature film quality. The music is also beautiful, equal parts traditional Chinese instruments and 20s-inspired jazz. The pacing was a little off in the first episode, "Welcome to Republic City," but it improved dramatically in the second, "A Leaf in the Wind." The storytelling is great, and it's clear the creators have a firm idea of where they're taking things.
SPOILER ALERT!
The best part of Korra, however, is the characterization. Korra herself is such a joy to watch. She's bright, eager, determined, confident, and funny, completely her own person and a compelling protagonist. I can't wait to follow the rest of her journey and see her become a fully-realized Avatar. The brothers she befriends, Mako and Bolin, are interesting in their own right. Bolin is more immediately likable, with his suave but not overbearing ways and his nice, friendly rapport with Korra. Mako is more closed-off, and honestly starts out a little rude, but just as Bolin reminds me of Sokka, Mako reminds me of Zuko, which gives me hope for his development. That, and he is obviously Korra's love interest (like, it is not even funny how blatant it is), so he has to have more to him. I do like him - he seems very driven and protective of his brother, and he's willing to admit when he's wrong - I just can't wait to learn what makes him tick.
Tenzin and his family are fantastic. I was not a fan of the Katara/Aang pairing in the original series, but I love their descendants pretty much unabashedly. Jinora is my favorite of the kids, mostly because I see a lot of myself in her (shy, quiet bookworm, the eldest of three - for the moment, anyway - more serious but with a distinct lighthearted side), and she's voiced by Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men fame, which automatically increases her awesome quotient. Ikki reminds me so incredibly much of Leslie's daughter Zoë, what with her chatterbox tendencies and all her energy. I didn't expect to like Meelo, but he's hilarious and his ugliness really is cute ("Be the leaf!"). As for Tenzin himself, he's a great mentor to Korra and has wonderful character moments himself (such as the scene at Korra's probending match, where he cheers with unbridled enthusiasm and then catches himself). Bryan Konietzko described him as someone who wants to be a zen master but isn't always successful, not least because of Korra and his rambunctious children, and having seen the episodes, it's so true. Tenzin's wife Pema is nice, though I'm not sure how much I like her VA's work. I don't imagine we'll see too much of her, though. And Katara! I think her role will also be pretty limited, but I loved seeing her as a wise, grown-up Gran Gran.
It's intriguing to see how much the Avatar world has changed between the two series. I really want to know more about how this anti-bender movement has come about. Last series, we occasionally saw Sokka express resentment about being a nonbender, but nothing too overt. I did notice a few stray comments here and there in the first episode of Korra that might shed some light on the growth of the anti-benders; for example, we see Pema expressing a desire that her next child be a nonbender like her. There are also a few other themes that were emphasized - affluence vs. poverty, idealism vs. reality, modernity vs. tradition. I'm fascinated to see where everything is going.
Some stray thoughts:
- I hope we get some good backstory. Avatar's strength was character development, and one of the best methods they used to set it up was the flashback. I still get chills thinking about "The Storm" and especially "Zuko Alone." I'm guessing there's more to Korra's sheltered childhood in the South Pole; it can't have been fun to grow up surrounded by White Lotus sentries. Mako and Bolin's history also intrigues me, and I'm betting we're going to learn more about it. And then of course I'd like to know more about characters like Tenzin and Lin Bei Fong. Some people have speculated that Sokka is Lin's father, but having seen the first episode, I don't get the impression that Lin and Tenzin are cousins at all, so I'm pretty sure that theory's shot. Actually, I kind of got a bitter exes vibe from them, especially on Lin's part. Hmm.
- Four-year-old Korra is the best. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was the Avatar because she already knew. How awesome is that? I do feel a bit sorry for her parents, though. Chasing after a small child is hard enough; chasing after a small child who can bend three elements must have been a nightmare.
- They weren't even trying to be subtle with the Mako/Korra stuff, were they? I'm really happy about the pairing, since it's what I've been hoping for since their character designs were revealed at Comic Con, but wow, they're not wasting any time with the obvious hints. And it's a Slap Slap Kiss, Belligerent Sexual Tension kind of relationship? Be still my shipping heart.
- Probending is a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be. I was right on the edge of my seat alongside Korra!
- I'm a waterbender at heart, but airbending really is beautiful. Can't wait to see Korra get the hang of it.
- Naga is adorable. I'm so glad Korra gets her own Appa of sorts, and even better, her Appa is a puppy! Aww.
- This show passes the Bechdel test about three different times in the very first episode. I'm so proud of LOK and its groundbreaking potential. Girls can be action-adventure protagonists, and darn good ones at that!
