July 03, 2014

The Legend of Korra: A Breath of Fresh Air (3x01)

The Legend of Korra is back! And I've been so busy I missed it. There were three episodes all released on the same day online... after some debate, I've decided to review them each separately, so these probably won't be too lengthy.

The Plot:

The aftermath of last season's Harmonic Convergence sees Republic City covered in vines that nobody can get rid of. Try as she might, Korra can't find a way. President Raiko and Korra are both getting a lot of hate from the people for not dealing with these problems. The public's mutual distrust in both of them does not cause them to band together, though. Rather the opposite. Bumi, out on an adventure with his Spirit friend, discovers to his great shock that he can Air Bend. He does so again at the dinner table, to the amazement of all. Other Air Benders have started sprouting up in Republic City, too.

Korra tries to help get rid of the vines, but she only makes it worse. She cannot consult her past lives, either, because she is now the last Avatar. One of the new Air Benders nearly falls to his death after climbing to the top of a bridge, but Korra saves him and introduces him to Tenzin, who is very pleased at the idea of new Air Benders. He wants to rebuild the Air Temple. President Raiko, furious that Korra continues to cause trouble, kicks her out of the city.

Korra decides to leave, traveling around the world to look for new Air Benders. The episode ends on an introduction of a new villain, Zaheer, who escapes from the White Lotus using his new ability to Air Bend.

In a subplot, Bolin is staying with Tenzin's family, but Mako has been staying at the police station, too awkward around Asami and Korra. The two girls clear the air and are happy they can still be friends, even after what happened with Mako.

So, do I have any complaints? Honestly, the only thing that bothers me is the typical little qualms I have with children's shows. Korra gets kicked out of the city awfully quickly, and it doesn't take much convincing for most of the main characters to uproot their lives and follow her. The practicalities sometimes don't match up.

But I'm nitpicking, because I actually thought this was awesome. I'll keep this brief, because I do have three of these reviews to write...

1. The animation was great. Not something I know a ton about, but the backgrounds were really fun and the motion of the characters felt very natural.

2. The political aspect is wonderful. I love how Korra and President Raiko find their pole numbers dropping, and how part of their lives is about making the people happy. Their conflict was also very intriguing.

3. New Air Benders! This is a fresh, exciting direction for the show to take, and it opens up a lot of doors. I feel like now that our characters have specific goals, we can give the show a direction. Last season felt very aimless.

4. A new villain! We know nothing about Zaheer yet, but his intro was properly menacing.

5. Mako's awkwardness made me smile. Also, I think the friendship between Asami and Korra has potential to grow into something even more nuanced and fun. Can't wait for more!

Okay, that was brief, I know, but on to the next one!

8/10

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