Not quite the last airbender
In 2005, Nickelodeon premiered Avatar: The Last Airbender, an ambitious cartoon series that stood apart from the rest of the network’s lineup. Drawing its inspiration from a variety of Asian cultures, Avatar adopted the Japanese anime art style to create a fantastic world and gripping story that was extremely popular both in and beyond its target demographic.
Avatar followed the adventures of the Avatar Aang, a boy with the unique ability to control the four elements of water, earth, fire and air. The show dealt with themes of friendship, honor and morality as Aang traveled around the world trying to master the elements and stop the Fire Nation’s destructive reign.
Early in 2012, Nickelodeon debuted a sequel series to Aang’s original adventures, titled The Legend of Korra. The show is set 70 years after the original series and follows the new Avatar, a brash teenage waterbender named Korra, as she learns airbending in Republic City, an Asian-inspired metropolis reminiscent of New York in the early 20th century.
The new show deals with different themes from the original series but gives bountiful nods and overt tributes to the original saga. The show has proven to be popular with some students at this university, many of whom grew up watching the original Last Airbender series. It is a frequent topic of conversation for members of the English Undergraduate Association, who debate the show at meetings.
George LaValle, a senior English major, is a member of the EUA and followed the original Avatar from the beginning. The plot of the show was originally weak, he conceded, but in the second and third seasons, the show “hit its stride” with new storylines and deeper characterization.
LaValle explained how despite the humorous tone of many episodes, the show still managed to have serious plot lines and a lot of “crossover appeal.”
“Kids can watch it for the goofiness and speculate about which characters are going to kiss, and adults can watch for the epic battles and philosophical plotlines,” he said.
Sarah Feeney, a junior English major, noted how the original show matured over the course of its three seasons.
“By the time the show finishes, it’s not a show just for kids anymore,” she said.
The conclusion to The Last Airbender was generally well received, and many students, including senior electrical engineering and computer science major Kevin Mok, were excited for the new Avatar series when it was announced.
Mok, like many Avatar fans at this university, has been a fan of Avatar since middle school. He believes that growing up with The Last Airbender has contributed to the popularity of The Legend of Korra, both among college students and younger fans.
Mok also noted that the new series is much darker and more emotional than its predecessor, and while The Legend of Korra still retains most of the humor from The Last Airbender, the dangers are more tangible in Korra’s world. Mok also explained that Korra and Aang are very different protagonists, who each have positive and negative attributes that create different plot lines in the shows.
The first season of Korra drew a wide audience and good reviews, though it did have its detractors. The 12-episode season felt very rushed, senior English major Charlotte Johnson said. She said the show tried to conquer a wide variety of topics but never went into any particular depth with many of the themes. Mok agreed that the story could have been fleshed out more but also conceded that many of these issues were caused by the brevity of the first season.
However, these drawbacks have not stopped students from tuning in to the second season, which premiered Sept. 13. Mok hosted a viewing party for the premiere at his apartment for his many friends, who were also eager to see the next season of Korra.
Despite his misgivings with the first season of Korra, LaValle is more optimistic for the second. The new season, titled “Book Two: Spirits,” was almost two years in the making and features a new animation style and new conflicts, which have emerged as the characters relocated to the South Pole. Mok said he wasn’t sure what plot this season was going to have when he watched the premiere, but he is faithfully going along on Korra’s adventures.
“I don’t know where they’re taking it, and I guess that’s a good thing,” he said.
