What You Need to Know About the Legend Of Korra

THE OVERVIEW

“The Legend of Korra” is the latest retelling of Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which airs on Nickelodeon. In this universe, there are “benders” who can control one of the four elements: fire, air, earth, and water. However, there also exists a single, continuously reincarnated individual who can control all four elements. This person is known as the Avatar, and he or she serves as the link between the human world and the spirit world.

LAST SEASON: AIR

Korra masters three elements with ease before entering air bending training with Tenzin, son of the previous Avatar, Aang. Korra moves to Republic City where Tenzin resides with his wife and airbending children. New to city life, Korra is excited by the diverse and rich cultures that now surround her and ends up joining a pro-bending team with brothers Mako (a fire bender) and Bolin (an earth bender). However, when Amon, leader of a group of anti-benders, rises to power, Korra becomes entrenched in city politics and bureaucracy.

THIS SEASON: SPIRITS

Korra continues her training in spirituality in Republic City, but a festival in the Southern Water Tribe calls her back home. She and the Korra crew (Mako, Bolin, Asami, Naga, and Pabo) make their way back to Korra’s home where the Avatar is reunited with her mother and father. Tenzin and his family also join them. At the Festival of Lights, Korra is not only greeted by her father, but by her uncle, Unalaq, and cousins, the twins Eska and Desna, as well.

After the festival, a band of dark spirits attacks the Southern Water Tribe and Korra must head to the spirit portal. Unalaq displays the uncanny ability to “heal” dark spirits and informs Korra that he could show her how if she abandons her training with Tenzin and returns to the Northern Water Tribe with him. Feeling oppressed by her former mentor, Korra agrees, though she questions her decision when Unalaq reveals that his plan to reunite the water tribes involves a massive army invading the south.

After attempting to have her father imprisoned, Unalaq is revealed to be a traitor who orchestrated his brother’s banishment. What he has planned for the spirit portal in the north, no one can tell.

In order to stop Unalaq’s nefarious plans, Korra must discover more about her origins as the Avatar and figure out how to put these dark spirits to rest.

A FAN’S TAKE

I love “The Legend of Korra.”  I love the entire Avatar franchise. To me, the writers have always been able to include a clever mix of serious storytelling and plotting with heartfelt humor and wittiness. The characters are all wonderfully rendered with even secondary (and not necessarily human) characters possessing a level of depth that other characters on other shows simply don’t have.

If you’re a fan of the show but haven’t yet made the leap to LOK, I highly recommend it. While I loved the animation in Avatar: The Last Airbender, LOK really takes it up a notch, and the second season takes that even further. The style this season is much more fluid and incorporates an even richer color palette than before. On this note, episodes 19 and 20, which focus on the Avatar’s origins, feature a style never before seen in the Avatar series. It’s a simplistic style that heightens the artistry of the show and highlights how skillful the drawers and animators really are.

I was hyped before this season even kicked off and I haven’t been disappointed since.

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