The Legend of Korra episodes 9-12

Out of the Past
Turning The Tides
Skeletons In The Closet
End Game

*rises back from the dead*

First off, I’m sorry that I got so far behind on Korra. I had some personal things to tend to, such as…replacing my air conditioner system so that I don’t melt from this ever-rising heat. You guys are an easily forgiving crowd, right?  Right. ^_^ After watching all of the remaining episodes, I decided to lump them in one pile of kick-butt. Seriously, what a bold, action-packed finale this was. And I think I owe Asami an apology… Beware of spoilers ahead. Or shall I say old news. :3

I left off when Tarlock fought and kidnapped Korra, and I wished that Amon would get to him already. Well, it turns out that I got my wish pretty quickly. It’s ironically thanks to Amon’s men that Korra gets away, and Amon takes Tarlock’s bending just like that. Yep. Not even bloodbending is that effective against him. While that indeed felt satisfying, the next few episodes just had to make me feel all sorry for Tarlock. *sigh*

Regarding Korra’s visions, Aang was simply trying to warn her about Tarlock. It might not be a very helpful warning at this point, but it does connect to an interesting backstory for him, which I’ll get to in a moment.

Amon’s next big move is to capture the air temple. Korra and Mako sneak inside and make a surprise discovery—Tarlock sitting behind bars. Now this is where the story gets juicy. Tarlock explains that Amon is actually his brother *le gasp~!* and he is also a water/blood bender. Somehow, he uses bloodbending to take away bending. We get to see a cool flashback of how they grew up, once happy little children, before they received harsh training from their father. It turns out that their father was Yukon, the evil-looking man in Korra’s visions. Basically, he did some bad stuff and got his bending taken away by Aang before retreating to the water tribe. Yukon wanted revenge and intended to make his sons do it for him. I bet fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender enjoyed seeing the grown-up-Aang in action, eh?

It comes as no surprise to me that Amon was a prodigy. On the flip side, Tarlock was considered the weak one because he was so kind-hearted. How did they turn out to be capable of such cruel stuff? Well, Yukon forced them to use bloodbending on helpless animals… *rage!!!* …and eventually on each other. When they couldn’t take it anymore, Amon left to do his own thing. The story about his father getting killed by a firebender was completely made up…not that I trusted him or anything. So yeah,Yukon shaped them into who they are. What a shame, because they were adorable kids. D: See? Sympathy is just pouring out of me.

However…I still rooted for Korra all the way, of course. Amon simply had to take responsibility for his actions. He almost takes airbending away from Tenzin and his children, and he gets Lin Bei Fong…  His next victim? Korra, which is a pretty bold move for the show to pull. Fortunately, she still has airbending which was forced from Mako being in trouble, and they take Amon down. He’s finally exposed in front of all of his followers to be a waterbender. (ugh he looks so weird without his mask on!) At the end, Amon escapes with Tarlock to the ocean, where Tarlock blows them up on a ship. Wow…how dark for a Nick show. The end part with Korra, however, is so…Disney-esque. She gets her bending back, gives Lin Bei Fong earthbending, hooks up with Mako, and they live on happily ever after. ^_^

Despite the cheese and some forced story points, Korra has been a very entertaining ride throughout. It’s so charming that I can’t complain much, plus it’s definitely not your average Nick show. I’d even say that it had the most memorable characters/teamwork and action from all the shows I watched last season. (one small exception: Fate/zero, of course!) Now where is season 2? And which brave soul will dare to challenge Meelo’s fartbending? xD

The Legend of Korra Episode 8

When Extremes Meet

I also apologize for my late post. It seems that Alex’s laziness is rubbing off on me. ^_^ But anyway~ :3 The latest episode of Korra is easily my new favorite, as Korra’s friends finally move in at the air temple. You just gotta love what the little airbending kids say and do around them. The funniest scene, which really caught me off guard, is when one kid bluntly asks Asami if she knew that Korra loved Mako…followed by Korra’s priceless reaction. I guess Asami had to find out eventually, but what a hilarious way to do it. Later on, you can see Asami glaring at Korra and Mako, so I have a bad feeling about that. Honestly, she’s not out of the woods for me yet… Those fake tears can’t fool meh. D:

They assemble Team Korra to catch some more Chi Blockers, stealing the show away from the-not-so-happy Tarrlok (I HOPE that’s how you spell his name…). Everything takes a turn for the worse when he targets a group of innocent nonbenders, suspecting them to be Equalists, and captures Korra’s friends. This leads to an epic showdown between Korra and Tarrlok. Seriously, the fights never disappoint! Interestingly, Tarrlok reveals himself to be a “bloodbender” and captures Korra. I wonder where they’re headed. And how is he going to explain the aftermath of their fight when he returns? o_o

Tarrlok’s role has become very interesting here, as he represents the extreme opposite side of Amon. I hope I’m not the only one who wants to see Amon humiliate him though. ^^

The Legend of Korra Episode 7

The Aftermath

And hey, look who now decides to join the ranks of actual characters. Asami invites Mako and Bolin to live in the lap of luxury in the Sato mansion, as the bending arena is shut down or whatever, so this time we get to see entire SCENES where she’s present. Turns out she’s quite the handy lady with vehicles, and during the pool scene she shows she has a way with dealing with peopl-whoa whooooa bolin is buff good god look at those beefcakes that is incredible. please fan me sir

Glad Asami ain’t a traitor as the entire internet pegged her as, but as Korra’s suspicions during the episode prove right, it’s Asami’s father who allied himself with the Equalists. And his story also apparently involves a fire bender inciting tragedy! That’s like, what, 3 now? Those firebenders sure are a riled bunch, and it might well be aftermath from the 100 year war. I doubt they managed to escape a centuries worth of misgivings despite the previous Avatar’s efforts at peace, and turning to crime may have been one of their prominent choices out of necessity. Regardless, Sato has produced an entirely new type of weapon for the anti-bending cause. Platinum Mechs: metal bender proof guarantee. Yessirree, now that’s a deal Cabbage Corp can’t match.

None of our heroes seem that great of a match either, but when we have Lin being just about the coolest human being there ever was, I ain’t so bothered. Between her using the same earth-sonar from the first series (with retractable shoe soles as a neat-o touch) to locate Sato’s secret Mech manufacturing facility, to her choosing to act outside the law from now on to correct her mistakes… hooo boy, she is the most ‘the man’ any character can ever hope to be. Tenzin also struts his stuff, and I have to say, it’s some pretty cool stuff. I know it’s redundant at this point, but the action manages to consistently be exciting and clever, Tenzin’s air wheel maneuver was sweeeeet.

Defying her father’s wish to join the Equalists, Asami dolefully knocks him out and escapes with the Korra and co. I’m really looking forward to seeing how quickly she recovers from the shock and how she fits into Team Avatar, this one episode painting her as a pretty cool, capable person. But now our dear brothers and Asami are homeless people, so they take Korra up on her offer to live on Air Temple island. This means more air bender kids. That can only mean great things.

The next episode of Legend of Lin is two weeks from now. that’s all kinds of great. woo.

The Legend of Korra Episode 6

And the Winner Is…

Thanks to the poor managerial skills of the higher-ups, mainly Alex, I’m here to handle some shows, mainly Mimi’s. Please treat me kindly.

Here we go people, this is it. Here we hit the tumultuous point, THIS is where we start with the meat of the series. With the finals of the pro bending tournament around the corner, Amon calls on the city council to either cancel the bender worshiping event or face the consequences. Lin Bei Fong convinces Tarrlok, and thus the council (what a bunch of sheeple) to permit the match, and oh boy, did Amon ever take advantage of that. In a fell swoop, he not only shows his supreme righteousness by overwhelming the cheating bender elite, but also makes a fool of the city council and the police force for even allowing it to happen. Psch, incompetent. Kinda like another boss-like person I know. And like Amon, I definitely will never be reprimanded. (⊙‿⊙✿)

Between all the great character bits, mind bending animation, and another trickle of split second memories from the previous avatar’s life, I have no idea what to love most. Korra’s one on one with Tahno alone was satisfying, but the adorable Fire Ferret fans pushed it to next level. Similarly with Tenzin and Lin, it’s great to see the two play off each other, especially with Tenzin turning into such a pro bending fan. Those two definitely used to be a couple, alright. And that’s where this show really impresses me. The character interactions are so deft and expressive switching back and forth between serious and comedic moments. In just the span of 6 episodes, the characters are already ingrained in me.

Then there’s the final sequence. That was the perfect kick-off to the next portion of story, the action in those last 3 minutes… *swoon*. Lin is the total kick your butt person you would expect her mother’s child to be. And now with her in play, we have what seems to be the major cast set-up. Tarrlok managed to avoid any large responsibility for this mess, and it’s gonna be interesting to see what Mako and Bolin decide to do with pro-bending not currently an option. There’s no telling where this is going to lead next with full-on war developing in Republic City.

Tenzin is the man. Lin is too. Everybody is the man.

The Legend of Korra Episode 5

The Spirit of Competition

Woah, back up… Did Korra just say to Mako: “I really like you and I think we were meant for each other” AND kiss him on the lips? *blink blink* I’m stunned. Truly I am. I thought she’d deny her feelings much longer, saving her confession for the very end. But no, Korra just goes for it…at episode five. It’s nice to see another show airing this season to break that cliche, whilst making fun of other ones! Seriously, she caught me off guard pretty good. At the end of the day, they all learn to deal with their feelings in more mature ways. Awesome! But let’s not forget Bolin’s heartbroken reaction… He is one hilarious dude.

I loved their battles in the arena. It was entertaining to see how their attitudes affected the way they played. For instance, Bolin saves the second match in a one-on-one fashion when Korra and Mako are at odds, then Korra saves the final match against all three opponents when Bolin is too heartbroken to play well. I thought they just had to win, especially after that arrogant new challenger appeared, and they indeed manage to narrowly pull it off. The animation doesn’t dwindle one bit! I’m looking forward to their next big match. Gotta take a break from Amon sometimes while he’s happily plotting away somewhere. :3

I’m not really sure how I feel about the new girl Mako is dating. Sure, she was used for the love triangle, but that’s been settled for the moment. There must be something else planned for her, perhaps something that’ll turn Mako off. It just can’t be this good, can it? xD

Well, I am loving The Legend of Korra more and more. It has given me a reason to get up on Saturday mornings and turn on the TV to Nickelodeon, just like old times. :3

The Legend of Korra Episode 4

The Voice in the Night

Man, these episodes always seem packed with events, feeling as if they’re longer than twenty minutes, yet can be summed up so quickly. Korra joins a special task force to capture Amon and finally admits her fear of him. That’s it, aside from a new character getting introduced. I guess the build-up of short scenes make the episode seem long: Korra’s party, Chi Blocker operation, the airbender kids being hilarious, dinner, Mako’s date, meeting Hiroshi Sato, Tenzin and Korra’s quiet time, Korra petting her polar bear dog…you get the picture. I just feel so satisfied at the end of every episode, like I’d just eaten a full course dinner.

I hope that Mako’s date, Asami, isn’t thrown in there for the sake of making a love triangle. Her generous help seems too good to be true. *always suspicious of new characters* Well, if you wanna know what peaked my curiosity the most in this episode, it’s Korra’s flashback of Aang and his old pals. What was going on there?

By the way, Steve Blum makes such a great Amon. He’s my brother’s favorite voice actor in anime (most notably Spike in Cowboy Bebop), so I hope that will be enough to make him watch this. xD

The Legend of Korra Episode 3

The Revelation

Ooohh I really like where this is going. In a nutshell, Korra and Mako rescue Bolin from Amon during an event called “The Revelation,” where Amon demonstrates his ability to take people’s bending powers away…forever. It is a special ability that only the Avatar is supposed to possess, so what exactly is Amon? Well, I assume that only a bender can have powers period, especially something like that. Either this guy is a total hypocrite making a dupe out of everyone, or he’s something new. Still, the question remains how he possesses the Avatar’s power. In the next episode preview, Korra challenges him to a duel. Now this, I gotta see.

This episode also fleshes out Mako and Bolin a bit more. We learn that their parents were killed by a firebender, so they only have each other, trying to make ends meet. Actually, that’s Amon’s story too. Hmmm. And Korra and Mako are getting pretty close. They’re already getting teased by the little airbending kids. Now how long will we have to put up with this until they finally realize it? :3

Once again the action is amazing, especially the fight against the Chi-Blockers. Some mad skills right there. The humor is still fresh, always managing to get a chuckle out of me. Yeah, I’m definitely referring to the polar bear dog and the fire ferret. Sooo cuuuute~

*randomly daydreams Tokiomi from Fate/zero firebending like these guys* xD

First Impression: The Legend of Korra

The Legend of Korra

Thanks to Justin and Doofus, I decided to check out the new Avatar series. First off, for those who don’t know, I didn’t grow up with Avatar. I was finishing up high school when it first aired and wasn’t watching much television anymore, let alone Nickelodeon. I regret it now, because I’ve always heard great things about it. You know, how it’s the best American cartoon ever and resembles anime so much. Just recently, I watched the first three episodes of the old Avatar and the first two episodes of this. Both series are indeed impressive, but I like the start of the sequel the best.

Honestly, I’m loving everything about it. As the new Avatar, Korra is training to master the four elements, but air-bending doesn’t come natural to her. She’s too impatient and hot headed, for one thing. The main attraction of this series for me is to see how she manipulates elements with slick moves and tries to fit in at Republic City, where benders and non-benders mingle together. The animation is excellent, and there’s lots of humor in the character’s facial expressions and dialogue. This is all true of the first Avatar as well, but I just take a stronger liking to Korra and this type of setting. Her enemies are anti-benders called the Equalists, so this should be pretty interesting, eh?

I’m very curious to know what the rest of you guys think, especially old fans. I believe the third episode won’t air until late April, so I’ll make up my mind about blogging it after that. *blogging* :3