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→‎Characters: I dont see any consensus for this the two series are diffrent and the character's should have seperate articles.
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[[File:Goto Keita.png|thumb|upright|[[Keita Gotō (industrialist)|Keita Gotō]], one of the inspirations for Hiroshi Sato.]]
[[File:Goto Keita.png|thumb|upright|[[Keita Gotō (industrialist)|Keita Gotō]], one of the inspirations for Hiroshi Sato.]]


* '''Yakone''' ([[Clancy Brown]]), a mobster, bloodbender and Noatok's(Amon's) and Tarrlok's father, is seen in Korra's visions of a Republic City 42 years before the series' start, when he clashed with Avatar [[Aang]] ([[D. B. Sweeney]]), [[Sokka]] ([[Chris Hardwick]]) and [[Toph]] ([[Kate Higgins]]).
* '''Yakone''' ([[Clancy Brown]]), a mobster, bloodbender and Noatak's (Amon's) and Tarrlok's father, is seen in Korra's visions of a Republic City 42 years before the series' start, when he clashed with Avatar [[Aang]] ([[D. B. Sweeney]]), [[Sokka]] ([[Chris Hardwick]]) and [[Toph]] ([[Kate Higgins]]).


* '''Captain Saikhan''' ([[Richard Epcar]]) is a metalbender police officer who replaces Lin Beifong as chief of police in episode 8.<ref name="Epcar">{{cite web|title=Richard confirms work in series in a radio interview|url=http://918thefan.com/2011/kanas-korner-interview-with-richard-epcar/|publisher=Richard Epcar during a radio interview with "91.8 The Fan"|accessdate=February 15, 2011}}</ref>
* '''Captain Saikhan''' ([[Richard Epcar]]) is a metalbender police officer who replaces Lin Beifong as chief of police in episode 8.<ref name="Epcar">{{cite web|title=Richard confirms work in series in a radio interview|url=http://918thefan.com/2011/kanas-korner-interview-with-richard-epcar/|publisher=Richard Epcar during a radio interview with "91.8 The Fan"|accessdate=February 15, 2011}}</ref>

Revision as of 04:14, 7 July 2012

The Legend of Korra
File:The Legend of Korra logo.png
GenreAction/Adventure
Fantasy
Comedy-drama
Created byMichael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Written byMichael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Directed byJoaquim Dos Santos
Ki Hyun Ryu
Voices ofJanet Varney
J. K. Simmons
David Faustino
P. J. Byrne
Mindy Sterling
Seychelle Gabriel
Steven Blum
Dee Bradley Baker
Jeff Bennett
ComposerJeremy Zuckerman
Country of originTemplate:TVUS
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMichael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Joaquim Dos Santos
Production companyNickelodeon Animation Studios
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseApril 14, 2012[1] –
present

The Legend of Korra (Avatar: The Legend of Korra in Latin America[2]) is an American animated television series that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network on April 14, 2012.[3] It was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as a sequel to their previous show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on the same network from 2005 to 2008. Like its predecessor, The Legend of Korra has received critical acclaim, notably for its animation, setting and mature themes,[4] although the plot's pacing has been criticized.[5] Initially conceived as a miniseries of 12 episodes, The Legend of Korra is now set to run for a second season of 14 additional episodes.[6][7]

Like its predecessor, the series is set in a fictional world inspired by Asian and Inuit cultures, some of whose inhabitants can "bend" – that is, telekinetically manipulate – the elements of water, earth, fire or air through gestures similar to Asian martial arts. Only one person, the "Avatar", can bend all four elements. Reincarnating in turn among the world's four nations, he or she is responsible for maintaining the balance in the world. Korra, the series' 17-year-old protagonist, is the incarnation of the Avatar after the death of Aang of Avatar: The Last Airbender.[8] Set seventy years after the first series in Republic City, a metropolis that recalls a fictionalized 1920's Manhattan and Shanghai,[9] the series follows Korra as she learns airbending and faces an anti-bender revolutionary group, the "Equalists", led by the masked Amon.[8]

Setting and plot

Setting

See also: Avatar: The Last Airbender § Series overview

The Legend of Korra is set in the same fictional world as Avatar: The Last Airbender. The world is separated into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. The focus of the series is "bending", the ability of some humans (and animals) to telekinetically manipulate the element associated with their nation (water, earth, fire or air). Bending is carried out using spiritual and physical exercises, portrayed in the series as similar to Chinese and other Asian martial arts. Only one person, the "Avatar", can bend all four elements. Cyclically reincarnating among the world's four nations, the Avatar is responsible for maintaining balance in the world. Like its predecessor, The Legend of Korra focuses on the current incarnation of the Avatar: Korra, a 17-year-old girl from the Southern Water Tribe. At the start of the series, she has mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, but must complete her training by learning airbending from Tenzin, the youngest child of Aang and Katara from the original series.[8] The series is mostly set in Republic City, the capital of the United Republic of Nations, a state that emerged after the end of the war that occurred in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The metropolis, described as "what if Manhattan had happened in Asia" by the series's creators,[10] has become a melting pot for people of all nations. The residents are united by their passion for "pro-bending", a spectator sport in which two teams composed of one earth-, water- and firebender try to throw each other out of a ring with their bending powers.

Plot

Main article: List of The Legend of Korra episodes

In the beginning of the series's first season, Korra clashes with police chief Lin Beifong (the daughter of Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender) after dispensing vigilante justice to the local triads. Shortly thereafter, the two main antagonists of the season are introduced: the Equalists, an underground activist movement; and Tarrlok, an ambitious politician. The Equalists are non-benders led by a mysterious masked man, Amon. Their goal is to bring about "equality" between benders and non-benders. Councilman Tarrlok believes in aggressive tactics for bringing the Equalists to justice, despite protests from his pacifist colleague Tenzin, Korra's airbending trainer. As Korra explores Republic City, she meets the brothers Mako and Bolin and joins their pro-bending team, the "Fire Ferrets". They are successful in the league, but romantic tensions among them and Asami, Mako's girlfriend, put a strain on their relationship.

As the season progresses, Korra discovers that Amon has the power to remove a person's bending ability. Tarrlok cajoles Korra to join his anti-Equalist "task force", and the Equalists begin using terrorist tactics, climaxing in an attack on the pro-bending arena, where Amon strips the winning team of their bending. But when Tarrlok continues indiscriminately repressing non-benders, Korra refuses to continue supporting him. After Tarrlok imprisons her friends to blackmail her, they fight. Tarrlok overpowers Korra with bloodbending, an illegal form of waterbending, and kidnaps her, framing the Equalists. Tenzin, Lin, and Korra's friends eventually discover Tarrlok is lying, but as they do Amon shows up and takes Tarrlok's bending away. Korra escapes, only to find Republic City facing an Equalist military coup.

In the two-part season finale, naval reinforcements from the United Forces, led by Zuko's grandson Iroh, are defeated by Equalist biplanes. Attempting to find Amon, Korra learns that Tarrlok and Amon are both sons of the bloodbending gangster boss Yakone, who was defeated some 40 years ago by Avatar Aang, as well as water- and bloodbenders. In a showdown with Amon at one of his rallies, Mako and Korra manage to overpower and publicly unmask Amon as a waterbender, but only after he stripped Korra of her power to bend all elements but air. Amon flees with Tarrlok, who later detonates their boat on the open sea. The despondent Korra finally manages to establish spiritual contact with her predecessor Aang, who restores her bending powers, allowing her to do the same for Amon's other victims.

Broadcast

The 12 episodes of the first season aired on Nickelodeon between April 14, 2012 and June 23, 2012. They are freely available for U.S. residents on the channel's website and through digital download services. Nicktoons will re-air the twelve episodes with added commentary from the series's creators between July 9 to July 20, 2012 under the name Korra: Making of a Legend.[11] The series will premiere in the United Kingdom in autumn 2012.[12]

Production

File:Avatar-legend-of-korra.png
A test photo released after the announcement of the series showing Korra overlooking Republic City.

Production of a new television series based on Avatar: The Last Airbender was announced at the annual Comic-Con in San Diego on July 22, 2010. This new series was being developed by Nickelodeon and due for release in October 2011.[6][13] It will involve Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators and producers of the original series. Tentatively titled Avatar: Legend of Korra, it was intended to be a twelve-episode[14] mini series set in the same fictional universe as the original show,[6] seventy years later.[15] The show's premiere was delayed to April 14, 2012 to permit the addition of 14 episodes.[6] At the San Diego Comic-Con 2011, the creators confirmed that the first twelve episodes would constitute the first season and the other fourteen the second, and that the title was changed to The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. In March 2012, it was changed again to The Legend of Korra. Before the show premiered on television, the first two episodes were released on a Viacom-owned website. The episodes were to be released only if "Korra Nation" reached 100,000 likes and shares. At midnight on March 24, the first two episodes were released together in an hour-long episode, and they remained online for the duration of the weekend.[16][17]

The show is darker-themed than the original show, but with a balance between mature themes and a sense of fun and adventure; also included was some "cheesy teen romance" featuring protagonist Korra. The creators themselves write all of the episodes, explaining that, as a mini-series, filler episodes would be omitted, allowing for a more concise story.[18] Joaquim Dos Santos and Kihyun Ryu, who worked on the animation and design of the original series, are also involved in this show, as is storyboarder Ian Graham. Furthermore, Jeremy Zuckerman, who composed the soundtrack for the original series as part of "The Track Team", also returned to score The Legend of Korra.[19]

Dante Basco, voice actor of Prince Zuko in the first series, returned to play General Iroh, leader of the United Forces and Zuko's grandson, at the end of the season one episode "Turning the Tides".[20][21][22] Similarly, Dee Bradley Baker returned to the series, voicing several animals and humans.[23]

Characters

  • Korra (Janet Varney) is the series's protagonist and Aang's successor as the Avatar. She is a 17-year-old from the Southern Water Tribe, described as a "headstrong and rebellious girl". She has already mastered bending water, earth and fire, but must learn airbending from Tenzin.[1] Her rambunctious character, intended to be Aang's opposite, was inspired by Bryan Konietzko's "pretty tough" sister, and by female MMA fighters.[24]
  • Mako (David Faustino) is a firebender and one of Korra's friends. He is described as "dark and brooding", having grown up on the streets with his younger brother Bolin, but he participates in pro-bending tournaments in the hopes of winning the big jackpot. He is named after the late Mako Iwamatsu, who provided the voice of Iroh in the original series.[1][25]
  • Bolin (P. J. Byrne) is another of Korra's friends, an earthbender, and Mako's younger brother. In contrast to Mako, Bolin is often lighthearted and humorous. He also participates in pro-bending, the most popular sport in Republic City, in the hopes of escaping life on the streets. Bolin was described as "always having a lady on his arm".[1][26]
  • Asami Sato (Seychelle Gabriel) is the teenaged non-bending daughter of Hiroshi Sato. Asami has lived a life of luxury, but is an expert driver and has enjoyed extensive self-defense training.[1] Attracted to Mako, she joins him and Bolin on what Bolin calls "Team Avatar" after refusing to join her father in supporting the Equalists.
  • Tenzin (J. K. Simmons) is Korra's airbending teacher. He is the youngest child of Aang and Katara, and the only accomplished airbender. With his wife Pema and his airbender children, he lives on Air Temple Island, a sanctuary Aang built after the Hundred Years' War.[1][27]
  • Chief Lin Beifong (Mindy Sterling) is Toph Beifong's daughter and the head of the Republic City police. The police use metalbending to subdue criminals, taught to them by Toph herself. Lin initially considers Korra a threat to Republic City and tries to contain the Avatar's often destructive fights.[1][27] Her character was inspired by that of Toph, and her appearance is based on one of The Legend of Korra's producers at Studio Mir, which animates the series.[24]
  • Pabu (Dee Bradley Baker) is Bolin's fire ferret (a black-footed red panda ferret). He is mischievous and assists Bolin in pranks on Mako.[23][25]
  • Amon (Steve Blum) is the main antagonist of the first season,[1][27] The masked leader of the "Equalists", an anti-bending revolutionary organization, he has the ability to remove a person's bending ability, and intends to "equalize" the whole world thereby. In the first season finale, he is revealed as Noatak, Tarrlok's brother, and also a bloodbender.
  • Tarrlok (Dee Bradley Baker) is the Northern Water Tribe's representative on Republic City's governing council. A waterbender, as well as an ambitious and charismatic politician, he resorts to increasingly repressive methods to counter the Equalist threat. He is eventually revealed as a bloodbender and, later, as Amon's brother.
  • Pema (Maria Bamford) is Tenzin's wife, a non-bender, and the mother of Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan.[25] Her fourth child, Rohan, was born in episode 10.
  • Ikki (Darcy Rose Byrnes) is Tenzin's youngest daughter, his second child, and described as "fun, crazy, and a fast talker".[30]
  • Meelo (Logan Wells) is Tenzin's eldest son and the third of his four children.[30]
  • Hiroshi Sato (Daniel Dae Kim) is a captain of industry with Fire Nation heritage who in episode 7 is revealed to have secretly supported the Equalists after firebenders murdered his wife years ago. A self-made man, he developed and mass-produced the "Satomobile", Republic City's equivalent of the Model-T automobile. The character's design was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt and by the Japanese industrialists Keita Gotō and Iwasaki Yatarō.[31]
  • The Lieutenant (Lance Henriksen) is Amon's second-in-command. He is an intense, disciplined fighter who augments his combat skills with two electrified kali sticks.[1]
Keita Gotō, one of the inspirations for Hiroshi Sato.
  • Captain Saikhan (Richard Epcar) is a metalbender police officer who replaces Lin Beifong as chief of police in episode 8.[32]
  • General Iroh (Dante Basco) is introduced at the end of Episode 10 as a general of the United Forces, the Avatar world's equivalent of the United Nations. The series's creators conceived the character as "a swashbuckling hero-type guy". He is a grandson of Zuko, also voiced by Basco in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is named after Zuko's uncle Iroh.[33]
  • Katara (Eva Marie Saint), now an elderly woman, is one of the few surviving characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra's waterbending tutor.[1][34]

Critical reception

Highly anticipated by Avatar fans since its unveiling in 2011, the series received acclaim from fans and critics after its first season aired in 2012. David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote that the "visually striking" series is "full of little tricks and nuances that only true fans will notice and savor, but nothing prevents civilians from enjoying it as well."[35] Brian Lowry of Variety felt that the series "represents a bit more ambitious storytelling for older kids, and perhaps a few adults with the geek gene."[36] Prior to the season finale, Scott Thill of Wired hailed The Legend of Korra as "the smartest cartoon on TV", able to address adults' spiritual and sociopolitical concerns while presenting an "alternately riveting and hilarious ride packed with fantasy naturalism, steampunk grandeur, kinetic conflicts, sci-fi weaponry and self-aware comedy".[4]

Elements of the first season that received particular praise were the exceptional quality of the animation, the background paintings[37] and the martial-arts action scenes,[38] as well as the series's innovative and engrossing visual design and style.[37] The writers were credited for finding a believable balance between magic and technology[39] and for their mature and nuanced portrayal of romantic relationships and conflicts.[40][38] Critics also praised the writers' willingness and ability to tackle difficult themes such as social unrest,[41] terrorism, Tarrlok's murder-suicide of Amon,[42] as well as (depending on the interpretation of a scene from the season finale) Korra considering suicide after losing her bending.[43][44][45]

The first season's pacing was less well received:[39] In a season limited to 12 half-hour episodes, according to critics, the series should not have attempted to cover multiple storylines such as Korra's training, the pro-bending competition and the Equalist uprising.[5][46] The resulting compressed storytelling limited the development of the main characters,[5][46] including that of Korra's love interest Mako, who according to IGN "never really came into his own".[37] The season finale was criticized for resolving all problems too rapidly and neatly,[5] notably through Aang's appearance as a "deus ex machina".[46][37]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Nick Press The Legend of Korra press release" (PDF). Nick Press. Burbank, California: Viacom. March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012. In the premiere episode, "Welcome to Republic City,"... In episode two, "A Leaf in the Wind,"... Cite error: The named reference "pressrelease" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Nickelodeon Latin America Celebrates 15 Years in the Region with a Screen Party and a Year Full of Original Local Productions". PR Newswire. January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  3. ^ "Nickelodeon's The Legend Of Korra To Premiere On Saturday, April 14, At 11:00 am – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. March 15, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Thill, Scott (June 23, 2012). "Why Legend of Korra Is the Smartest Cartoon on TV". Wired. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Hamilton, Kirk (July 2, 2012). "5 Ways The Legend of Korra Went Wrong". Kotaku. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "Speakeasy blog By Christopher John Farley". The Wall Street Journal. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  7. ^ "Bryan Konietzko's Blog". February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c John, Christopher (July 19, 2010). "Legend of Korra: The Avatar Creators on the New Spinoff – Speakeasy – WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Ulaby, Neda (April 13, 2012). "'Airbender' Creators Reclaim Their World In 'Korra'". National Public Radio.
  10. ^ Konietzko, Bryan; DiMartino, Michael Dante (June 22, 2012). "The Legend of Korra: All Answered Questions". Korra Nation. Retrieved June 30, 2012. (Transcript)
  11. ^ Network TV Press Releases (June 18, 2012). "Season 1, Book 1 Finale of Nickelodeon's Hit Animated Adventure Series, 'The Legend of Korra', Premieres Saturday, June 23". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  12. ^ https://twitter.com/nickelodeonuk/status/194442242709139457
  13. ^ Rothing, Hilary (July 8, 2010). "Avatar: Legend of Korra Details at Comic-Con?". UGO Entertainment. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  14. ^ Farley, Christopher (March 8, 2011). "'The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra: The Creators Speak". SpeakEasy. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  15. ^ "Animation News Discussion Cartoon Community – toonzone news". Toonzone.net. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  16. ^ "Legend of Korra: Korra Nation". Viacom/Nickelodeon. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  17. ^ ""The Legend of Korra" to Unlock This Saturday". Viacom/Nickelodeon. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  18. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (July 26, 2010). "Comic-Con 2010: The Legend of Korra Interview". UGO.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  19. ^ Patches, Matt (July 22, 2010). "Airbender Composer Zuckerman Confirmed for Legend of Korra". UGO.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  20. ^ "Turning the Tides at AvatarWiki". Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  21. ^ "Dante Basco returns". Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  22. ^ "Dante playing character similar to Zuko". Dante Basco in Twitter. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  23. ^ a b c "Interview – Dee Bradley Baker on... Journey of Korra?!?". Blogger.com. August 30, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2011. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  24. ^ a b Farley, Christopher John (June 22, 2012). "'The Legend of Korra' Creators Answer Your Questions". Wall Street Journal, "Speakeasy" Blog. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  25. ^ a b c Marissa Lee (July 28, 2011). "Legend of Korra Panel at ComicCon 2011". Retrieved July 30, 2011.
  26. ^ Matt Goldberg (July 24, 2011). "Trailer for The Last Airbender: Legend Of Korra; New Details on the Upcoming Miniseries". Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  27. ^ a b c d Devindra Hardawar (July 24, 2011). "The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra Trailer: Simply Stunning". Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  28. ^ "NEWS -, Cast List For The Legend of Korra". March 7, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  29. ^ "The cast announcements for The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra from WSJ". News from Wall Street Journal. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  30. ^ a b c "The Last Airbender Legend Of Korra Panel News". July 23, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  31. ^ Konietzko, Bryan. "June 4, 2012". Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  32. ^ "Richard confirms work in series in a radio interview". Richard Epcar during a radio interview with "91.8 The Fan". Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  33. ^ Farley, Christopher John (June 19, 2012). "'The Legend of Korra' Creators Preview the Season Finale". Wall Street Journal, Speakeasy blog. Retrieved June 20, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  34. ^ "Rob confirms work in series". Rob Paulsen in Twitter. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  35. ^ April 14, 2012. "Nickelodeon's new 'Legend of Korra' puts a kick into animated female heroes". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 19, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Lowry, Brian (April 11, 2012). "The Legend of Korra review". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  37. ^ a b c d Nicholson, Max (June 26, 2012). "The Legend of Korra: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  38. ^ a b Patches, Matt (June 25, 2012). "'Legend of Korra': The Most Dramatic Show on TV Is a Nickelodeon Cartoon". Hollywood.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  39. ^ a b Davis, Lauren (July 1, 2012). "How The Legend of Korra successfully integrated technology with a fantasy world". io9. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  40. ^ Cranz, Alex (June 22, 2012). "Legend of Korra: Slut Shaming On A Kid's Show". Fempop. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  41. ^ Ferrell, Kaci (June 29, 2012). "Looking back at The Legend of Korra". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  42. ^ Turnquist, Mel (July 2, 2012). "Don't Pull the Punches, Television!". Patch.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  43. ^ Guendelsberger, Emily (June 23, 2012). ""Skeletons In the Closet"/"Endgame"". A. V. Club. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  44. ^ Browning, William (June 23, 2012). "Was Avatar Korra Contemplating Suicide at End of Season One Finale?". Yahoo! Voices. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  45. ^ Dorlis, Dimitri (June 28, 2012). "TV Rants and Raves 6.28.2012: Animation Domination". 411mania.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  46. ^ a b c Greenberg, Raz (July 4, 2012). "The Legend of Korra, Season 1". Strange Horizons. Retrieved July 4, 2012.


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