The Legend of Korra: Spirits
[SOEE #78]
This is the sixth Gonzo Avatar podcast.
Previous episodes include….
1. The Last Airbender
2. The Legend of Aang: Water
3. The Legend of Aang: Earth
4. The Legend of Aang: Fire
5. The Legend of Korra: Air
We cover the divisive second season of one of the most talked about and exceptional animated shows ever created. This time round the Miyazaki influence is even more prominent, the animation veers from a little bit sloppy to more breathtakingly beautiful than it’s ever been, there are character and narrative issues, longtime fans still calling foul and love and hate being bent back and forth like so much water and fire.
Joining me once again after a year I have Daniel Floyd, the voice of Extra Credits, Joshua Garrity of the Cane and Rinse podcast and The Animation Archives, Sharon Shaw of Do Try This at Home, Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst and from Gonzo Planet, Duane Griffiths. As well as this epic round-table session I have included essay materials from Andy Rodriguez and Nama Chibitty, offering some quite differing perspectives on the overarching saga.
Next week: With the release of the audio drama based on my first novel: The Cartographer’s Handbook, the next show will be a spoiler-filled interview with some of the performers and a detailed discussion on how the book and audio were constructed.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
December 5, 2013
On Korra in the early part of the season. I am of a divided opinion. One the one hand, I agree with the points stated in this podcast. On the other hand, would you say that her character actually regressed from book one? Would you say that she, at the start of Book 2, was at basically the same point as she was at the start of Book 1, and essentially went on the same sort of journey as a growing character, but more extreme? These views aren’t entirely my own, and a lot of it comes from the Legened of Korra vlogs on the Thatguywiththeglasses site (look under the Thatguywiththeglasses section, sub section, specials). Doug Walker and his brother Rob go through Book 2 and essentially express this view about the start of the series. In fact, while discussing it, they were subjected to moaning from the other side of the argument.
Opinions are welcome.
December 6, 2013
Damn, I didn’t expect you guys to complete this so quickly. Can’t wait to listen.
December 7, 2013
I’m just halfway through the podcast, so it might be addressed later on, but a theory one of you said (I think it was Alex’s) was perfect. You said that Unalaq could have been just influenced and tricked by Vaatu, and in his last moments before merging he would realize his terrible mistake. But it doesn’t have to end there.
In the actual finale, Korra fought the giant Vaatu, and Jinora somehow helps Korra to find Raava inside of Vaatu. But it doesn’t have to be a magical Jinora coming down from the sky. It could have been Unalaq. Unalaq, while now completely fused and controlled by Vaatu, could have taken Jinora’s role. “Find the light in the dark.”
December 8, 2013
Another great podcast!
I just wanted to ask:
The purple beam Vatu shoots….sounds very much like reapers from mass effect to me. is that just me?
December 8, 2013
I think that’s mainly down to a recurring incidence in blockbuster movies and video games, especially those with a city under attack, usually by giant monsters, aliens, space ships or giant monster alien space ships, which I can only really call “BWAAAAAAAAAAAA-creep.” As far as I can tell it has spread to Pacific Rim, Avengers, Star Trek, X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman and beyond, and originated in the first live action Transformers movie, refined into an element of the score by Hans Zimmer in Inception.
December 11, 2013
Excellent podcast as always! Some of my thoughts from this season:
I was honestly feeling rather “ho-hum” and maybe even a little disappointed about the whole season. I wanted to care about Bolin so badly but there were just so many missed opportunities. It wasn’t until the Wan episodes that I was suddenly invested. Wan drew me in and made me care about the Avatar like I never had before.
I think Tenzin might be my favorite character in the series. I can relate to him in a lot of ways and I was moved to tears in the mist of lost souls. I have always looked up to my father and that episode really got to me.
Varrick’s escape from prison at the end seemed a little forced. It just seemed to spring out of nowhere. They needed to at least hint to some “new plan” or over-arching scheme. Something to give more context to the action.
At the risk of sounding cold-hearted, I was a bit disappointed that Jinora wasn’t killed at the end. The writers had set it up to happen beautifully and they didn’t do it. In good storytelling, something always needs to be at stake. I know there was a lot at stake already, but to sacrifice Jinora as well would have so much to give the other characters in the coming episodes. Could you imagine Tenzin having to deal with the loss of his daughter on top of everything else that has just happened? It could be the thing that makes him snap.
All being said, I still loved it despite its flaws. I can’t wait for the next season! In the mean time I have some Avatar fan art to keep my appetite whetted.