The new Avatar has come to the RepublicCityafter 70 years. Nickelodeon premiered their new anime series called the Legend of Korra on April 14th. This series is the sequel to the anime series called Avatar: the Last Airbender. The series was skeptical since there were many fans of the previous show who were not sure if the sequel would be as wonderful as the original. However, the Legend of Korra has been proven to be successful with old and new fans. On the premiering day, there were a total of 4.5 million viewers, which made the series the most-watched animated series premiered in the past three years. On IMDb, the new series has 9.4 rating out of 10 and it is getting praise from critics.
This enhancing series starts after 70 years the Avatar Aang restored peace and formedRepublicCity, where non-benders and benders live together harmoniously. However, trouble starts to form when many grudges form from non-benders because benders have taken advantage of them due to their powers. Therefore, there has been an anti-bending organization being formed known as “the Equalists.” Their goal is to take away everyone’s bending powers away permanently. This is when the new Avatar, Korra comes into the chaoticRepublicCityto learn airbending from Tenzin, an airbending master who is the child of Avatar Aang. While, Korra is in theRepublicCityshe runs into trouble with “the Equalist,” leader Amon and tries to bring peace in the city.
The anime series compared to the original series has a darker and more mature theme, but it has various humorous characters and there is some romance starting to heat up between characters. However, the one of the creators of the Avatar series Bryan Konietzko commented in The Wall Street Journal interview about the sequel’s more mature theme saying,” Mike and I like a balance of tones. We never set out to make an overtly silly show or an overly serious dramatic show. We like dealing with all those things. It’s fair to say we’re dealing with some sophisticated things and the show is growing up a bit. But that said, we’re not in a calculated way trying to target another demographic. Even in the first series, it was about a world war and some pretty serious issues.” Pitman High School student Pauline Cepeda commented about the series theme by saying,” I like the new sequel because it is directed to a more mature audience and it has a different theme from the original series. This show has started out great and I cannot wait to see what the creators of Avatar have in store for the future.”
Besides the amazing graphics and distinctive soundtrack, the plot keeps viewers on edge from its intensive conflicts with Korra and “the Equalist” leader Amon. However, one of the aspects of the series that intrigues a broader audience is that the main character is a seventeen year old girl. The series is relatable to teens of this age, especially girls, because the main character Korra goes through experiences any teen can relate to.
Personally, I love the series because it is able to balance a perfect formula of action, comedy, drama, and romance in every episode. What makes the episodes different from any other cartoon series is the unique characters and plot line. If you want to watch something distinctive and fresh, The Legend of Korra is a must see. New episodes premiere every Saturday at 11 am on Nickelodeon and you can catch up with the previous episodes on Nickeloden.com.
