"The Legend of Korra" - A Rocky Incarnation

You’re probably thinking, “Korra’ isn’t new! It’s been out for six years!” Yes, but it is new to  Netflix, so I win by technicality! Anyways, everyone has heard of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I hadn’t properly watched it all the way through until this summer, but I was aware of the iconic characters and scenes. However, when I finally watched  it for the first time, I became just as head-over-heels for this fantasy world as everyone else. After its sequel series, “Avatar: The Legend of Korra,” was recently made available via Netflix, I decided to see what the show has to offer. 

This show brings a lot of incredible things to the table. The most obvious is the animation – it’s as great as “The Last Airbender,” but prettier since it’s at a higher resolution. It also stands out by having flawless integration of CG elements (which is very rare for TV animation to accomplish). This great animation not only makes the action scenes nail-bitingly engaging, but also makes every character interaction feel real. 

The backgrounds really sell the world of Republic City, which is great because it’s a creative setting, full of 1920s-esque imagery and machinery. These new technologies, “pro-bending” as a sport in the world and more give Korra it’s own ideas to play with. The political tones of the overarching narrative are fascinating: benders and non-benders in conflict, main antagonist, Amon, claiming to want to level the playing field and Councilman Tarrlok using this conflict to vie for more power. 

Unfortunately, the main cast drags it down a little bit. Bolin is my favorite – his voice acting brings some serious personality to his jokes. Mako is a caring older brother, but I just don’t see him and Asami together. She’s nice, rich and pretty, but that’s about it. Korra definitely has a personality, but the amount of rash and dumb decisions she makes in the first few episodes makes her a difficult protagonist to support.

Despite an almost unbearable main character, I am interested enough in the world, politics and animation to see where this series goes. I’m willing to put up with Korra as a character, in the hopes that her prefrontal cortex fuses over the course of the story. The pros outweigh the big cons for me. I wouldn't say this show is for everybody, but it is worth trying, and I would encourage you to do that if you haven’t already.

Drew Hickman is a Junior

Communication Major from

Shawnee, Kansas