The Legend of Korra - Book Two: Spirits

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Agent Richard07, Jul 14, 2012.

  1. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    That would be interesting if Korra channeled Aang with his kids around. How would they react?
     
  2. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    It's still pretty unclear how that even works. IIRC we've only seen it happen twice and both times it was to deliver a brief and very direct message; Rokku to the Fire Sages and Kyoshi to those earth benders who's ancestor she killed.

    It seems to require a degree of urgency and not the kind of thing that's done lightly. Mostly I think it's because no Avatar would impose their persona on a living incarnation without good reason. Just given the sheer number of them, the clamour could drive a person mad. Think Dune's portrayal of Other Memory. As for Aang specifically, I think he's enlightened enough to know that his time has past and that he should not meddle in the affairs of his children.

    Did Rokku ever speak directly to Zuko? I'm sure there were a number of people on Kyoshi Island who were descendent of the Avatar (maybe Suki for all we know) but Kyoshi didn't do anything about it. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if Gyatso was related to Yangchen. Didn't the Guru say something about some relationships spanning multiple re-incarnations? Hell, after ten millennia of serial re-incarnations half the planet is probably descended from one Avatar or another.

    ...but it still would be cool to see Aang with his grown kids regardless. ;)
     
  3. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    I don't think it would count as meddling if Aang was apologizing, would it?
     
  4. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Any interaction then. It's Korra's life now, not his and I'm pretty sure letting go of past attachments is one of the Chakras.
     
  5. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    Did every Avatar have a chat with someone like Guru Pathik?
     
  6. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Well they're all supposed to have mastered their spiritual self, no? Regardless, we know for a fact Aang did.
     
  7. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Most Avatars had years of training and a large support structure to help them adjust to their role. Had Aang's upbringing gone as planned, he would've had several more years of training by the monks before he was even told he was the Avatar, and then he would've had extensive help from the monks and the spiritual establishments of the other nations to help him train and master his abilities. But Aang was told before he was ready, then he ran away, fell into suspended animation, and woke up in an era where all the other airbenders were dead and the whole Avatar support structure had been destroyed or driven underground, and then he had less than a year to save the world and thus had to accelerate his training, finding teachers where he could. Guru Pathik was fortunately available (or perhaps made available by destiny) to help him through a crisis, but that, like the rest of Aang's training, was kind of a makeshift substitute for the way an Avatar's training would normally go.
     
  8. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Book 1 was animated by Studio Mir, then they switched to Studio Pierrot for Book 2 and then back to Studio Mir midway through. Not counting the more artistically done "Beginnings" two-parter, the upcoming episode will be the first episode of the season to be done by Studio Mir. A lot of people are looking forward to it, saying that the animation this year hasn't been very good but I haven't noticed anything different. Have any of you? The only thing I noticed was the long delay between seasons. I'm guessing it's because there were difficulties with Pierrot.

    Blurb
     
  9. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    Pierrot is the animation studio that does "Bleach," IIRC. I imagine it's pretty busy. And I also hadn't noticed much difference. It's not like StarToons versus Sunwoo...
     
  10. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    The animation has looked a little less fluid and full to me, but not by much, and only occasionally.
     
  11. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, it's subtle but there is a difference. Last season's fight scenes seemed to have a bit more energy and flow to them.
     
  12. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I never noticed a difference. Both seasons have looked gorgeous.
     
  13. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I don't remember noticing any real obvious differences.
     
  14. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    The art design is fine, it's the actual animation (mostly just the action scenes) that looks a little off. And I stress *little* since it's barely noticeable if you're not looking for it. It's not a criticism, just an observation. Every animation studio dose things slightly differently and it's not about better or worse.
     
  15. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Legend of Korra star Janet Varney shows off her bending skills while promoting her Kickstarter project...

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=Z5U8cqwyd74[/yt]
     
  16. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    2x10: "A New Spiritual Age"

    An excellent episode, probably the best of Book 2, not counting "Beginnings". We haven't had an episode that fast-paced or tense since Book 1. No filler, just pure Korra and the story at hand. The situation with Vaatu has me worried. He wants to wipe out Raava. I wonder if Korra will have to give up the avatar spirit (at least temporarily) to save someone or prevent something. That's a possibility, either in place of, or in addition to a dark avatar. We'll see. As mentioned already, something better than a straightforward battle with Vaatu has to happen if the writers are any good.

    Also, it was nice to see Iroh again even if he sounded a little different. Lots of good real-world wisdom there if you pay attention and read between the lines. I also liked how well the spirit world was brought to life. Felt like something out of The Lovely Bones. Then there's that owl. Not especially pleasant in The Last Airbender and now he's put his trust in Unalaq. Not much else to say since there's more to come. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all goes down.
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    They did a great job keeping Iroh's appearance a secret. When he showed up, I just grinned uncontrollably until my cheeks started to hurt. Although my excitement faded the more he spoke. I guess Greg Baldwin is out of practice at imitating Mako, because he just didn't sound right here.

    With Korra having to learn here how to control her anger and look for the light and peace inside her, I think this is going to end up with her taming Vaatu, convincing him and Raava to rejoin in balance.
     
  18. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    When I saw this...

    [​IMG]

    ...it kind of registered as being Aang for a split second before I realized it was Jinora.

    I also noticed that she knows an awful lot about the library. I wonder if there's anything to that. At first I thought she might be a reincarnation of someone who was there and she was somehow aware of that.

    If that comes to pass, I wonder what it means for Korra as the avatar.
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Or, she's the granddaughter of Aang and Katara and the grandniece of Sokka, and thus is familiar with the tales they passed down to their family about their experience in the library. We've known as far back as her first appearance that she has great curiosity about history, including the events that her grandparents lived through in A:TLA.
     
  20. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, pretty much the first thing we ever heard her say was her questioning Katara about Zuko's mum. It's hardly surprising that she knew about the library.

    Anyone else think it's a little creepy that they just left the professor's body there to rot? Also, if you can't loose or gain weight in the spirit world, what exactly did he die of? Old age? Terminal case of irritated spirit owl? I know there's a difference between entering the spirit world physically and spiritually, but I'm still a little confused as to the rules.

    Also, maybe it's asking too much what with three (two and a half?) characters from the old series returning, but I rather expected Hei Bai, Koh or even that lemur spirit to make an appearance.

    Actually, I may be mis-remembering but didn't Koh also dwell is a gnarled, ancient looking tree like the one Vaatu was trapped in?