The Legend of Korra - Book One: Air

Well, if he takes after his namesake, this Bumi is probably also a mad genius. Only evil.

 

It's also pretty common in anime, which was another a big influence on the Avatar series.
Has anyone here read The Promise?

 

I was really pleasantly surprised by the ending of this episode (I finally managed to catch it on nick.com since I don't have the Nickelodeon channel). I thought it was going to be another hurr-durr pro-bending episode but they ended with the Equalists pulling off a really terrifying attack and an excellent action sequence with some interesting metalbending moves.

I love the action sequences in this series, they're just as inventive as the ones that were in the original series and make good use of all the possibilities of the different elements, like when Tano had his earthbender put rocks in the water he was bending to increase the damage. The improvements in animation have really only helped in this regard.

I do hope they get rid of this stupid pro-bending subplot though.

 

I'm with the group thinking Amon is probably Bumi. All I know about Bumi is that he's supposed to be Aang's son and a non-bender, but he must have gone through plenty of training from Aang anyway (just to make sure he didn't have any latent abilities). That would lead to air-bender-like moves and potentially the ability to take away bending powers from others. Though, I do like that theory that he can only take away bending powers from corrupt individuals. It would be an interesting twist and would help explain why Aang would teach him something that powerful.

 

Well that was certainly an amazing episode. It sucks that we have to wait two weeks for a new one because Memorial Day is next weekend.

 

Wow, a lot happened here. Because this was planned as a 12-episode series, things are advancing pretty quickly.

I wonder if they established the whole "Cabbage Corp" thing just to set up the line here, "No! Not my Cabbage Corp!" This guy is probably the Cabbage Vendor's son or grandson.

But yeah, I caught on instantly that it was a frame by Sato, so none of that really surprised me. I wasn't sure which side Asami would end up on, though, but once she took that taser glove from her father, I knew what was going to happen next. And note that in an earlier scene they had her mention studying self-defense, so her talents didn't come out of nowhere. I'm glad of that development, since I do like the awesome female fighters in this universe and I'm glad it's not just limited to Korra and Lin. Also it's good to have a non-bender on the team, for variety, and because of the message it sends that this isn't just about benders vs. normals.

And I'm pleased I was right about an idea I had a few weeks ago, that since metalbending was based on detecting and controlling the "earth" impurities in metal, a sufficiently pure metal would be immune to it. I see no reason why it had to be platinum, though. I would've expected highly refined steel.

Interesting recap segment this week. Still presented as a newsreel, but instead of just a recap, it actually served as part of the story.

 

Really liked this episode, lots of very interesting developments.

 

The guy with the Young Justice parody video has another:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84lw4ouziF4&feature=g-vrec[/yt]

 

That was pretty good actually.

 

Did anyone else think the metal-bending cops looked really goofy scoping out the rooms with their hands held up like that menancingly, with their little metal booties making clink-clink sounds the whole time?

Good episode, though! Mech suits are a much more logical threat to the benders than normal humans can just dodge around their attacks. Also, it was nice to see Tenzin fully in action this time, I've been waiting to see what's he's got under those sleeves! (turns out it's a lot of air)

 

Not at all. They looked like cops or soldiers expertly canvassing a room, but they didn't need guns because they have earth/metalbending. It was a nice hybrid of the usual Avatar-verse martial arts and modern police or military tactics, an example of the innovation the producers are bringing to the fighting styles in this series. Plus it's one of the indications of how technology has developed differently in Avatar World -- most of their tech is at 1920s level now, but firearms tech is comparatively primitive because they didn't need it. (And as I may have already said, the benders are very lucky that the Equalists don't have guns.)

It did bug me a bit that Lin's (and presumably the other cops') boots are apparently pure metal with no padding. That can't be comfortable or good for the feet. (Although I suppose there could be some padding on the inside of those metal strips that make up the sole, but it didn't look like it.)

 

Or maybe it doesn't matter since they are metalbenders and can keep the metal malleable or form it perfectly to their feet.

 

That occcurred to me, but it seems impractical to wear garments that you have to constantly focus on and apply thought and effort to. I think they'd need to reserve their focus and attention for more important things. After all, metalbending can't be easy, since apparently no earthbender figured it out for thousands of years until Toph came along (or if they did, they failed to propagate the knowledge).

 

There probably wasn't a blind earthbender who learned bending (and seismic sense) directly from the badgermoles before.

Also, once they shape it to their foot they won't need to focus on it again.

 

Shape alone isn't enough. It's still rigid metal and wouldn't be able to absorb shock. If anything, encasing the foot in rigid metal exactly shaped to its contours would probably limit circulation and be bad for the feet.

Also, what happens if a cop wearing metal armor gets attacked by a firebender? If there's no padding between metal and flesh to provide insulation, the cop could be badly burned. A waterbender's ice attack could cause a similar problem.

 

Wow, they went really dark today. While the parallels with real life terrorism, activism, politics and so forth has always been there it really came to a point. I'm curious to see where they go from here because the series seems to have taken a turn. At least for a while it's hard to see them going back to light adventures.

 

Oh. My. God.

Spoiler: Extreme

I did not expect them to have bloodbending in the series.

As well based on the vision it looks like Yakone was using bloodbending on Sokka and Toph and then Aang tried to use it on him. I also think that Yakone is Tarlock's father.

 

Yeah, a really big episode. If anything, it's the first time the shortness of this 12-episode season/arc has made me feel they were rushing things. Tarrlok's increasing oppression of non-benders happened practically overnight. It would've been nice to see a more gradual buildup to this point.

And those visions Korra's been getting suggest that the person Aang and the others were fighting is a bloodbender like Tarrlok. But before, we've had the impression that they were connected to Amon. This might lend credence to the theory that Amon is Tarrlok, deliberately stirring up a war between benders and non-benders, but I'm hoping it doesn't go there, because it's too simplistic. A:TLA was good at showing that there were extremists and villains on both sides as well as noble people on both sides, and I think this story arc will be more meaningful if the tensions on both sides are genuine rather than the result of one guy manipulating things for his own purposes.

But there's definitely more to Tarrlok than meets the eye, and mysteries that remain to be revealed.

One thing I wish they'd touch on is why the other three councillors are such a rubber stamp for Tarrlok. I'm getting tired of the council being portrayed as just Tenzin, Tarrlok, and three extras who do everything Tarrlok wants. I'd like it if the other three councillors had some personality.

As for the plot with Korra and her friends, I wonder if Konietzko and DiMartino were deliberately tweaking fan expectations here. Korra's friends got all eager about being the new Team Avatar, going out and fighting evil together, pretty much overtly embracing what we've all been thinking about how they parallel the Aang Gang... and it only lasts about one night before they get in over their heads and the whole thing goes to hell. Not that I didn't see it coming. As soon as the four of them overconfidently peeled out into the city in Asami's car, I thought "This is bound to go badly." Avatar or not, they were pretty much making themselves just another street gang looking for people to beat up. Korra made her usual mistake of taking the easy, physical, confrontational route when what she needs is to connect with the Avatar spirit within her. And her friends basically turned out to be enablers for that character flaw, and it ended up getting them in deep trouble.

But I bet Korra's banishment will do her good. Going through great ordeals is often an effective way to get in touch with one's spiritual side, particularly in fiction and myth. So it probably won't be much longer before she finally starts looking within and connecting to Aang's spirit. (It can't be, since there are only four episodes left in Book 1.)

 

I have a feeling that in the next episode Korra will unlock the Avatar State.

 

Decent episode. Nice surprise with the blood-bending. I wonder if blood-bending could be connected to power-stealing?

I really wish we could see more of Tenzin and his children... I find them the most fun and interesting characters in the series.