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- Jennie
- A Computer Science major. This is my blog for sharing my random thoughts on books, writing, studying, videogames, and more.
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Sunday, October 6, 2013
I've been watching The Legend of Korra since its premiere and I can safely say I'm a huge fan. A really huge fan. So I'd been keeping up in all the news for Book 2. As Book 2 premiered, I had mixed feelings for the premiere episodes. And now that we've had 5 episodes, I still have mixed feelings. I'll break down the show in different categories, so I can write as clearly as I can as to what bothers me on Book 2.
Writing
The one thing that bothers me the most in Book 2 is the writing. A lot of people complained about the supposed poor writing in Book 1, and I have to say Book 1 wasn't perfect but it wasn't as bad as this. People complained it was Bryke. That they couldn't write and they should leave it to new writers. And so they did. But the writing didn't improve. I dare say it got worse. The premiere episodes were written by Tim Hendrick and Joshua Hamilton. I'm going to be honest now... What the hell happened there?!?! When Book 2 started, Korra turned into a completely different character. She already had bad fame because she was hot-blooded in Book 1, but these writers took Korra and made her into a monster. She was an insufferable bitch throughout most of the premiere. I could see the writers were trying to make Mako look good by making him into a really nice boyfriend, so I give them props for that. But Korra felt like a caricature of her former self. The story in Book 2 was just starting and I was bummed with the characters. Bolin was just as empty as in Book 1-- just there for comic relief. Nothing else. It was pretty obvious from the go that Korra's uncle was up to no good. Various characters were introduced like Varrick, Eska, and Desna, but we didn't get to see as much in these episodes from them.
Then episodes 3 and 4 happened, known as Civil Wars Part 1 and Civil Wars Part 2. There was a definite improvement in writing. The story kept me interested. I could see things weren't going well in the Southern Water Tribe, and I really liked the political aspects of these episodes. I think that's what I like the most about The Legend of Korra. Both Books have shown Social and Political struggles that I can somehow relate to real life. It just shows a lot of thought has gone into this. I thought the writing in Episode 4 was solid, the best so far. But then I looked up the writer and found out that both episodes were written by Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of the series and co-writer of Book 1. That pretty much explained why these episodes were so good, in my opinion. I think these have been the best so far this season. Again, I wonder what the haters of the writing in Book 1 are thinking now. They were so happy this season was getting different writers.
Episode 5 was a boring (at times) and messy episode. On one side we had the main issue with the brewing wars (the good stuff), and on the other we had some sub-plot about Meelo training Lemurs. Every time I had to watch the Meelo scenes, I groaned. Those were just plain boring, but I'm guessing they'll make use of that in the future. I really hope so because it was painful to watch. Then we had the brewing war between the Southern and Northern Water Tribes. Korra was trying to get help, but none was really coming. I think the president is shifty because he really doesn't want to help Korra and when he knew to ask Mako about keeping anything-- that was just plain weird. As for the Mako & Korra breakup-- I'm a big fan of their relationship since Book 1, but it has been a MESS this season. All they do is fight and it's just annoying, even though I love them, so I actually think it's for the best. I was on the side of Mako in terms of ethics. Anyhow, this still doesn't forgive the writer for this episode, Tim Hendrick (who wrote episode 1) for making Korra act like an insufferable bitch again. It's getting really annoying and unbearable.
The writing this season has been all over the place. It honestly makes me question why they went for the new writers. I know that Bryke have other responsibilities, but to what extent would you leave your series to someone else? At least get some good writers who don't make a mess out of your characters...
The one thing I've liked about this season as a whole has been Eska because she is a hot mess, but in a good way. I know a lot of people hate her, but I think she will grow as a character throughout the series. That or she's the new Azula. I'm cool with both.
Animation
The premiere episodes were so beautiful. I absolutely loved the scenery in them and they were basically eye candy. But as the episodes roll out, I've seen a decrease in quality. I don't see as much detail in the characters, some just look plain weird, colors are not looking right-- mostly everything is a mess except for backgrounds. The backgrounds are looking amazing. I found out they have a new animation studio working on the series. Studio Pierrot (Japan) worked in the first six episodes. They did a great job in Episodes 1 and 2, but definitely lacked in the others I've seen. Some characters are just looking plain weird, like Iroh and Asami and then there are small details that bug me like difference in eye colors. I'm guessing they're using a slightly different color palette from the other studio. However, I gotta give them props because Bolin (damn, he's got a nice body) and Mako (when he broke up with Korra) looked extra awesome in Episode 5 so there's that. However, I'm looking forward to Studio Mir's (Korea) return in Episodes 7 and 8. I still think their animation quality was superior.
Etc
If there's one thing I love in The Legend of Korra, it's the topics they use in the series. This season has had some good ones so far. We've had Civil conflicts, political conflicts, economic conflicts, and family problems (We've seen how Aang's children didn't have a picture perfect relationship). I'm looking forward to what's coming up, in terms of plot. Episode 5 ended on a cliffhanger and I think it speaks millions that I'm still looking forward to the story. Right now what bothers me the most are the characters, their relationships and the animation. I still love this show, but I can see its flaws and I think this season has even more flaws than the first one.
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