Legend of Korra: A Fantastic Finale With a Perfect Ending

[KazeAizen]

I love how they went the Pacific Rim direction at the end - subtle, poignant and open ended. Are they an item? I personally think so, but it's not explicitly stated or shown on the show. It is left up to the audience to decide the depth of the relationship. And while I personally see it as a sexual relationship (or, at the very least, a loving relationship that goes beyond friendship), I can respect others who say that I'm reading too much into it.

In some ways I see this as the exact opposite of the Mass Effect trilogy and LOST tv show endings; here, the ending makes me willing to gloss over most of the problems I've had with the show from day 1. I've been a fairly vocal critic of the show, particularly Season 1 and part of Season 2, but I think I'm going to look far more favourably on the show when I rewatch it in the future simply because the ending was pretty much perfect to me. I'm glad I stuck with it through thick and thin.

Its been said numerous times that season 1 and 2 suffered a lot from production shenanigans on the part of Nick. Like many good franchises or stories Avatar The Last Airbender was lightning in a bottle. No way in hell you are going to top that. So you don't. If Avatar is a perfectly crafted fantasy epic for kids to call their Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings then Korra I choose to view as the creators going. "Let's see just how much we can get away with." When you go back over Korra the things they did start to add up and when I finished the final tally my jaw dropped because I literally could not believe the stones these guys had to do what they did. I'm even including that scene where Korra is poisoned which is the closest the series has come to horror since "The Puppetmaster" yet I find it creepier because its psychological horror. Needless to say I think once its out TLA and Korra will be one of those things that will just be cool to watch cover to cover.

 

[SupahEwok]

My take on the Korrasami ending is that the creators certainly INTENDED for it to be a romantic ending. So the relationship is canon. But the build up to it is lacking. Writing letters and compliments on hair do not a relationship make. I've got a best friend I could talk to for hours. When he starts doing a random jig in the middle of a room, I have no problem going up there and dancing right by him. No other person, man or woman, in the world would I do that with. However, neither of us is gay. It's just what being best friends is about. Korra and Asami having a romantic relationship feels forced because there's been little build up and what little there has been is indistinguishable from close friendship.

I chalk it up as the creators doing their best within the restrictions set on them. After all of the bull shit Nickelodeon has forced on them for LoK's run, no fucking way were they going to get the greenlight for a lesbian romance in a mainstream kid's show. I don't hold that against them. I think that ending moment was beautiful. But it isn't all that it should be, and that's a shame.

The rest of the ending is great. Everybody has moments, General Iroh finally shows up again even if he is dreadfully underutilized, Hobo Guy shows up and is WONDERFULLY utilized, the animation, visuals, and sound were all wonderful. A great cap to a great series. The series isn't for everyone, but I can appreciate it. I don't know if its better than The Last Airbender, but I love it more. TLA always felt like rather standard Saturday cartoon fare. Stunningly executed, but still just standard. TLA aimed to be more thoughtful, more emotional. It didn't always work, but I appreciate the effort, and when it does work it shines like no other cartoon I can think of, except maybe for the episode "Code of Hero" in Beast Wars.

 

[Grimh]

While quite the bumpy ride I think Korra ended pretty strongly with these last two seasons.
I enjoyed it and I actually came to really like Korra as a character.

As for the Korra Asami thing being somewhat understated I'm going to be cynical and guess it's probably so subtle and understated because that's just how much they were able to get away with. Making an incredibly obvious mutual attraction between same sex characters was probably not allowed so they were forced to work with implications and such to build their romance.
That last scene clinches it for me though.

 

[dateryu]

This episode was atrocious. In fact most of the series sucks compared to the original. Most things they did to differentiate them failed miserably.
It's weird though, season one had a great start, season two had a great middle, and season 3 had a great end. Season 4 was mediocre at best but if you took the best parts of the first 3 and made 4 seasons out of that, you'd have an amazing series.

 

[Ukomba]

I dont know, all the speculation just makes me think of this

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

I dont know, all the speculation just makes me think of this

Have you actually watched the episode? That's really, -really- not what's going on.

 

[Ukomba]

I dont know, all the speculation just makes me think of this

Have you actually watched the episode? That's really, -really- not what's going on.

Of course I have, and it's just not what I saw, sorry. Not just in the last episode but at any point during the 4 seasons.

That's what's really important too. I never saw any sort of build up to it in any previous episodes. Even if the producers came out tomorrow and said that was exactly what they intended I'd have a problem with it since it would have come out of left field. I started looking, there were never any shy glances, subtle flirting, blushes, any of show of attraction of any kind really. And not just with each other, neither of them showed any interest in any female character. To me they just looked like best friends, and Korra trying to console her after the sudden, violent loss of her father.

I know people love shipping, and that's fine I don't mean to rain on that. My wife still insists on shipping Zuko and Katara. (I even funded TSSSF )

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

snip

See post above mine. But more importantly, good call on the MLP bit. I think the fan personalities that have been created for the two work well together, but still, clever pic.

 

[Ukomba]

snip

See post above mine. But more importantly, good call on the MLP bit. I think the fan personalities that have been created for the two work well together, but still, clever pic.

Very true. And the latest Equestria Girls Movie has the creators having a bit of fun with it. Not that I'm a fan of the pairing, I r

Oh hey look [http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis], DiMartino, the co-creator of the series, confirms that they're a couple.

Our intention with the last scene was to make it as clear as possible that yes, Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other. The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple. Many news outlets, bloggers, and fans picked up on this and didn?t find it ambiguous. For the most part, it seems like the point of the scene was understood and additional commentary wasn?t really needed from Bryan or me. But in case people were still questioning what happened in the last scene, I wanted to make a clear verbal statement to complement the show?s visual one. I get that not everyone will be happy with the way that the show ended. Rarely does a series finale of any show satisfy that show?s fans, so I?ve been pleasantly surprised with the positive articles and posts I?ve seen about Korra?s finale.

and here's a word from the other creator [http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace]

god, its like DOUBLE canon now

You might have missed the part where I indicated that I didn't care what they say about it. My problem isn't with the pairing, or the intent, but the lack of build up. There was no hint of this, right up until they suddenly be came a thing. If the creators want to say it's canon, that's fine but my complaint then becomes poor writing on their part. You can't just Deus-exing them into a couple like that without it being jarring when it's contrary to their personas leading up to it. I'd have the same problem if Asami suddenly was dating Bolin at the end. It's like an after thought put in to be edgy or something.

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

You might have missed the part where I indicated that I didn't care what they say about it.

I think it was this very same thread (or, you know, one of the other half-dozen threads about this show) where I talked about how Word of God isn't exactly the be-all-end-all that people might think it is.

 

[go-10]

so despite all the things that happened in the series all the cool fights and characters, all that anybody can talk about is about KorrAsami... look NanoFate did this long before Korra ever did can we instead talk about how awesome the show was for getting away from The Last Airbender and doing something totally different?

I'm really hoping Meelo gets his own show at some point

 

[Mr Companion]

more of people maknig up things about Korra and Asumi being gay..it's not cannon... both girls are straight.. people are reading waaaay to much into nothing..

Before this finale I was exactly the same way. In fact I didn't even know about the Korrasami conspirators until "The Blush". People who were going on about "The Blush" were bloody silly. People blush in cartoons about being complimented all the time. They are just galpals guys!

But in this episode it couldn't be any clearer unless they actually SAID "I love you". The song that plays over it? "The Avatar's Love", the camera swinging up to "The End" at the end? Exactly the same shot used at the end of Airbender. Also why WOULD the shows final moments focus on a relatively insignificant side character like Asami unless it was, yknow, "Important". I think the creators intentions are pretty crystal clear myself and I was never even a Korrasami conspirator before, I thought it was just a bunch of sad people reading too much into cartoons.

Anybody who says it's all circumstantial must know deep down that if the writers and animators were allowed (which they damn well are not) to show two women kissing they absolutely would. If they had shown that? Probably never would have aired.

sorry but your opinion is wrong Korra and Assmai are both straight.. their not gay or Bi.. their female best friends, nothing more

If my opinion is wrong then creators are also wrong because they came out and said it was a romantic relationship and ending. Here are the links.
http://mikedimartinostory.com/2014/12/22/korrasami-confirmed/
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

I'm not sure why you are in such vigorous denial. Do you have some kind of religious thing against it?
Personally like the writers themselves I thought it was pretty unambiguous but I guess some people hate the idea so much they would rather deny it's existence. It's going to take the writers personally animating official henti before some people will accept it.

 

[schmulki]

This was a pretty bad series finale. It was 30 mins of a season finale + 10 mins of, "quick, lets try to wrap up all this other stuff!" Parts didn't make sense (Bolin can officiate weddings? Asami's dad dies and then 5 mins later she's partying, followed by 10 seconds of sad, then, lets vacation!), it felt rushed (could have used one more episode to actually wrap the season up), and unlike ATLA, the hwole show just never really felt like it had a solid direction. Korra was possibly the worst avatar ever, characters never quite felt like they had established personalities, and the "villain a season" thing made it so it never quite felt like we had a chance to get to know anyone or establish a relationship before it was onto the next big bad guy.

I know we were never going to get the first series again, it was too perfect to replicate how amazing that was. But I kept holding out hope that Korra would at least close in on it. It sadly never did.

("fun" fact: we made sure to let 3 weeks of episodes build up before watching each time, because there were too many times where 2 episodes in a row would be horrible and at least by waiting for 3, we could guarantee getting a decent episode)

 

[Shingeki no Gingerbeard]

This was a pretty bad series finale. It was 30 mins of a season finale + 10 mins of, "quick, lets try to wrap up all this other stuff!" Parts didn't make sense (Bolin can officiate weddings? Asami's dad dies and then 5 mins later she's partying, followed by 10 seconds of sad, then, lets vacation!), it felt rushed (could have used one more episode to actually wrap the season up), and unlike ATLA, the hwole show just never really felt like it had a solid direction. Korra was possibly the worst avatar ever, characters never quite felt like they had established personalities, and the "villain a season" thing made it so it never quite felt like we had a chance to get to know anyone or establish a relationship before it was onto the next big bad guy.

I know we were never going to get the first series again, it was too perfect to replicate how amazing that was. But I kept holding out hope that Korra would at least close in on it. It sadly never did.

("fun" fact: we made sure to let 3 weeks of episodes build up before watching each time, because there were too many times where 2 episodes in a row would be horrible and at least by waiting for 3, we could guarantee getting a decent episode)

The entire series felt rushed. Reducing each season order from 20 episodes down to only 13 means a lot of development has to be curtailed to fit the new runtimme. Each season also dealt with very specific threats; none of which tied together, not even tangentaly. It's a VERY different series, which isn't a bad thing, but the two will inevitably be compared.

I can deal with the girls being bisexual and in a relationship (my wife is bi), but I honestly didn't see as much of the relationship building as others have. I'm not an avid shipper, and the ending feels forced to me; like it was intended specifically for the shippers. Maybe it was another factor of time constraints, but honestly I'm surprised we didn't get more of Mako and Asami trying out things out again after that brief rekindling in Season 2 and the nudging by his grandma in Season 3. Even just an acknowledgement would have been nice.

I'm also shocked, and a little disapointed, they didn't kill Mako off in the finale.

TL;DR

For a series billed as "The Legend of Korra," I feel as if the reduced runtime of the various sagas hurt the narrative which ultimately creates the legend. The major plot beats necessary to resolve the central conflicts are all hit with aplomb, but the subplots are not; and to end the series with an underveloped subplot resolution is...weak.

 

[tzimize]

more of people maknig up things about Korra and Asumi being gay..it's not cannon... both girls are straight.. people are reading waaaay to much into nothing..

While we cant really know, it seemed like a pretty clear direction to me.

And I loved it. It was subtle enough to not be in your face, and direct enough to give kids an idea that this is ok.

More good rolemodels like this would be great wether its for gays or bisexuals. Very mature and well done by Nick I must say. Its probably the most impressive scene in the entire series.

 

[tzimize]

snip

See post above mine. But more importantly, good call on the MLP bit. I think the fan personalities that have been created for the two work well together, but still, clever pic.

Very true. And the latest Equestria Girls Movie has the creators having a bit of fun with it. Not that I'm a fan of the pairing, I r

Oh hey look [http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis], DiMartino, the co-creator of the series, confirms that they're a couple.

Our intention with the last scene was to make it as clear as possible that yes, Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other. The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple. Many news outlets, bloggers, and fans picked up on this and didn?t find it ambiguous. For the most part, it seems like the point of the scene was understood and additional commentary wasn?t really needed from Bryan or me. But in case people were still questioning what happened in the last scene, I wanted to make a clear verbal statement to complement the show?s visual one. I get that not everyone will be happy with the way that the show ended. Rarely does a series finale of any show satisfy that show?s fans, so I?ve been pleasantly surprised with the positive articles and posts I?ve seen about Korra?s finale.

and here's a word from the other creator [http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace]

god, its like DOUBLE canon now

You might have missed the part where I indicated that I didn't care what they say about it. My problem isn't with the pairing, or the intent, but the lack of build up. There was no hint of this, right up until they suddenly be came a thing. If the creators want to say it's canon, that's fine but my complaint then becomes poor writing on their part. You can't just Deus-exing them into a couple like that without it being jarring when it's contrary to their personas leading up to it. I'd have the same problem if Asami suddenly was dating Bolin at the end. It's like an after thought put in to be edgy or something.

I think you're confusing romantic feelings for a fully developed romance/marriage. What we saw in the end was the START of Korra and Asamis relationship. And I'd say that if you rewatch some episodes its been pretty clear who Korra has been most happy to see coming back to R-City.

This is why they were going on a journey together, to explore those feelings and get some privacy. There was no ring on anyones finger, they were both starting out.

Captcha: How about that!

How about that indeed captcha. Its a good time to be a TV-viewer thats for sure.

 

[Seracen]

I didn't have that huge a problem with the coupling (BioWare fan for life!). My problem is that there wasn't enough set up. Yes, I know people try to say there were hints, but they weren't enough. The "hints" came across as them becoming sisters, not lovers. 8 mins of film over the course of 3 seasons (1st doesn't count) is NOT enough setup for a relationship!

As it stands, the moment comes across more as a publicity stunt, not sincere.

 

[Piecewise]

" A Fantastic Finale With a Perfect Ending"

Really? Do you just have insanely low standards or are you one of those worthless shippers who is declaring this the best thing ever because two non-characters held hands at the end with no justification or build up?

Korra has been, in basically every aspect, sub-par compared to ATLA. The third season was great, but the first season was a pacing nightmare and ended with a Deus Ex Machina. The Second season was just plain fucking horrible, and the fourth season meandered mindlessly and shamelessly put pandering to the fanbase before story cohesion.

You people are so busy jerking off over Korrasami you apparently have forgotten that that particular relationship had zero development, that Asami is a fucking non-character whose only traits are "Doormat" and "Suffering", and that the ending of the show involved a giant robot suit made of platinum firing death lasers. A premise that was brought up as a satirical joke months before the finale.

 

[Piecewise]

I didn't have that huge a problem with the coupling (BioWare fan for life!). My problem is that there wasn't enough set up. Yes, I know people try to say there were hints, but they weren't enough. The "hints" came across as them becoming sisters, not lovers. 8 mins of film over the course of 3 seasons (1st doesn't count) is NOT enough setup for a relationship!

As it stands, the moment comes across more as a publicity stunt, not sincere.

This is an important point. Because people are crying "But it was set up! But it was hinted! You're just looking at it through hetero lenses (Actual line from one of the writers), you bigot!"

And here's the thing: Even if we go back and look at all their interactions as sexual or romantic attraction (Many of which it seems very questionable to do), hints and hindsight do not a relationship make.

They basically went from a handful of vague instances of flirting over the course of like 8 years in universe to straight up eloping with nothing in between. That's poor writing, pure and simple. Sure, the vast majority of the characters are basically cardboard models with one or two defining traits, and sure the romances have basically always been unwarranted (Why did she get together with mako? What do they have in common? What do they even fucking do when they're not saving the world?) but at least they had some set up, weak as it was.

You wanna end on a lesbian romance? Go for it. But for god sake don't just fart it out at the very end of the last episode; because now it seems like the creators cared FAR more about making a bunch of 14 year old girls (and creepy obsessive 30 year old fans getting vicarious emotional experiences) squeal with poorly reasoned delight, rather then making the story coherent.

 

[KazeAizen]

" A Fantastic Finale With a Perfect Ending"

Really? Do you just have insanely low standards or are you one of those worthless shippers who is declaring this the best thing ever because two non-characters held hands at the end with no justification or build up?

Korra has been, in basically every aspect, sub-par compared to ATLA. The third season was great, but the first season was a pacing nightmare and ended with a Deus Ex Machina. The Second season was just plain fucking horrible, and the fourth season meandered mindlessly and shamelessly put pandering to the fanbase before story cohesion.

You people are so busy jerking off over Korrasami you apparently have forgotten that that particular relationship had zero development, that Asami is a fucking non-character whose only traits are "Doormat" and "Suffering", and that the ending of the show involved a giant robot suit made of platinum firing death lasers. A premise that was brought up as a satirical joke months before the finale.

Yeah. People are totally going to take you seriously when you start off your comment with an insult.

The first season ended with a Deus Ex Machina eh? Oh its not like Avatar the Last Airbender did that to end its series. Not at all. Also I don't see how season 4 pandered to the fanbase instead of putting story first. If by pandering you mean putting Korra and Asami together or including Toph then you might have a point. Except it was brief with Toph and they didn't beat you over the head with other.

Yes. That particular relationship had absolutely zero development. You are right. Its not like they palled around at all during season 1 and 2. Its not like they clearly had the best chemistry out of all the character for two solid seasons. Of course Asami is a doormat. Not like she offered to take Korra around on her family's personal race track in a car, or console Korra with letters while she was away, or be one of the smartest people the show has ever had.

Your problem with the suit is what now? Not like the Fire Nation built a big freaking drill 70 years prior of about equivalent size going off of existing tech.