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I did not get the ending.
They did not build up to this, it just suddenly happened. I need back story!!!
read this http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
Actually there was build up to it all through seasons 3 and 4, they just weren’t as in your face with it.
It’s was mainly a forced friendship during book 3 because of the lack of any real relationship during book 1 and 2. I do believe that the writer could have made the relationship far stronger, but because of the fact that there was way too much going on and too much emphasis on characters that didn’t need it (Wu), the development was turned into Asami = Korra support no matter what.
The certainly had the opportunity to make a deeper and more natural relationship with Reunion. Instead of having an action scene with Wu getting kidnapped, some random event should have happened to force Wu (and Mako) to leave, setting the stage for Korra and Asami to really talk. Enter the Hiroshi situation, and I don’t mean the really quickly resolved one, but one that really tests the friendship.
The point is that you don’t have to have them advertise themselves as a bisexual couple to make the situation turn romantic.
The best thing is to read the blog article from one of the creators. I provided the link to it below this, if your confused it’s best to read it.
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
They hinted at it the best they could throughout the last two seasons, they just were limited by Nickelodeon’s Standards and Practices.
Then don’t do it.
Either tell a good story, or don’t try to tell the story you can’t tell.
Or just don’t make it the final scene of your show :T
I think Asami and Korra had more chemistry than Aang and Katara. And I love Aang and Katara. But if you skip those three episodes where Aang directly TALKS about his feelings towards Katara, you’d be left with “what the fuck?” at the end much more so than with Korra/Asami. I think the latter relationship was more subtle (obviously) but had a better build up, and I’m more than happy with the ending.
yea dont agree. I knew they had to be subtle but Aang and katar was done better.
Hardly, three seasons of ‘will they or won’t they?’ does deduct quite a bit from it just automatically
Personally I enjoyed the more organic evolution of Korra and Asami’s relationship more, seeing two rivals become friends, then in the book 3 ending showing Asami really caring for Korra, then the two of them seeing the other as a source of support etc.
It felt more like the relationship between the two of them were moving along with the story instead of the Aang and Katara relationship which was this thing that showed its head now and again
the thing it didint feel like will they wont they. The duo was connected so well and kept evolving throught he seasons that you bought they loved each other and all you were waiting for was the kiss.
Korra and asami just had “hey look they may be bi” hints. They had some nice moments but Aang and katar just did it better.
@SNCommand There was little organic about the Korra-Asami relationship as it was depicted. While people can start as just friends and only later develop romantic feelings for each other they don’t just wordlessly click and mutually realize their feelings for each other. They shock gasp actually talk about those feelings at some point. Indeed Katarra and Aang actually did far better job of depicting of how that sort of transition from friends to couple works out with one person in the friendship uncertain if they share the same sort romantic feelings. More over the indirect low-key subtle way the relationship developed is entirely out of character with the way Korra expressed her feelings in general. I can understand why the creators were hesitant to be overt about the relationship given the limitations Nickoloden no doubt saddled them with but the storytelling and weight behind the relationship nevertheless unfortunately suffered.
I feel like Korra might have figured out things offscreen while talking with Kuvira. I mean, I think someone mentions Kuvira was in the spirit world for hours? It kind-of makes sense, Korra talks about how similar they are, Kuvira opens up and talks about her feelings, offscreen Korra helps her out by talking about her own feelings and experiences, maybe Korra mentions how Tenzen’s part of her family or something, Kuvira brings up Batar Jr. Or whatever his name is, and from there it either reminds Korra of Asami or Kuvira might have helped her figure it out or something.
I mean, there’s not much proof for it and it’s more of just an implication based on how long they were in the portal than anything else, but, then again, the creators also set up the Korsami thing without directly saying anything, so I think they’re cleaver enough for someone to read into things and argue that’s what happened.
For those of you out there still complaining that Korra and Asami’s relationship had no buildup and was just shoehorned in at the last episode, here are not few but several of the hints we got from the last two seasons that were subtly building up to it.
Hint 1: first episode of book 3 when they were first having that conversation in the car about Mako. That was the first moment they realized how much shared experience they had.
Hint 2: They spend about a quarter of Book 3 on solo missions together, just the two of them (the errands the Earth Queen sent them to do, getting captured by the queen and escaping the blimp, etc.)
Hint 3: In the finale of book three Asami has that very heartfelt declaration to Korra that she would do anything for her.
Hint 4: Asami was THE ONLY PERSON Korra wrote to in the whole time she was gone during the time skip.
Hint 5: In the Reunion, when they see each other for the first time, it is very clear they are nervous around each other in a very personal way. Mako himself even mentions it, “what’s going on between you two.” It really doesn’t get much more obvious than that.
Hint 6: Later on in that same episode Asami lashes out at Korra for questioning her about seeing her dad, saying Korra has no right to question her after leaving them for so long, making it VERY clear that Asami cared a lot that she was gone for so long.
Hint 7: In Remembrances (yes the clip show) their section of the story is just them sitting together talking about past experiences and their feelings, which is a VERY couple thing to do.
So no. It didn’t come out of nowhere.
^This
Good comment. A few of my friends have said upon rewatching them now with the general understanding of how they ended up they can now see the moments as what they are – a build up toward the beginning of a relationship. People keep going ‘it was only friendship!!!’ – I have to wonder if they’d be saying the same thing if Asami was a guy the entire time. All those moments would have undoubtedly caught people’s attention because people know to look for those things as signs…when they’re between people not the same gender.
I think it also may have been a bit of whip lash because this is the first time a relationship had any kind of build up in this show. It’s a bit of a departure of the usual for the Korra series.
As for myself…I felt like there was more going on since the very beginning, but I never actually thought they’d go through with it, even when the whole ‘the only person she wrote to was her’ thing happened, which really made me raise an eyebrow. Was pleasantly surprised to be wrong – as a bisexual myself, I’m all for representation. Could it have been more overt? Yes, but what we got was a good step.
I suggest everyone read the creator’s comments on this because both are good reads.
You know I’m not Bi. Straight guy & I picked up on this in season 3 & I’m happy they went through with it… & again it couldn’t be delivered better at Nick… Hell I’d never expect they would be able to get this done at all. I have nothing but respect to the creators not just cause of the Korrasami ending but MAINLY cause of getting this show done this good in spite of alll the dicking around thay had to take from Nick… Hats of to all you ppl for pulling this show off in spite all the shit you had to take from your network
We need a thumbs up button for things like this.
1.) Friendly conversation that leads into a friendship. Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
2.) This means…what exactly? Are you saying if I, male, were to go on missions with my best friend, also male, we would fall in love? Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
3.) I would do anything for my best friend as well, and I get pretty sappy about it too. Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
4.) Korra was in the weakest state she had ever been in. Would YOU want to write to your ex about how weak you are feeling? Or how about Bolin, the goofy guy who has a hard time consistently taking things seriously? I certainly wouldn’t. Asami would be my choice as well. Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
5.) Not clear at all. After separation for a while, it’s only natural to be awkward amongst even the best of friends. And this was 3 years. Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
6.) I would be very angry with my best friend if he disappeared for 3 years. Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
7.) Or, you know, something that is often done in shows everywhere? How exactly is talking about the past a “couple thing”? Not an allusion to romantic attraction.
If they were trying to allude to a romantic attraction between the two, they did a piss poor job. Every single “hint” to their relationship is something that can only be INTERPRETED as a romantic gesture, when in reality they are gestures that friends do. The idea that a friendly gesture should be inherently interpreted as a romantic gesture is where the “friendzone” came from.
As far as I’m concerned, this is fanfiction tier shoehorning, as bad as Hermione and Ron. They’re together because the writers said “THEY’RE TOGETHER”, not because they lead up to the relationship naturally. It’s very clear that it was done to try to spite Nick and not because they thought it should be.
I have to agree. I’m all for same sex couples in media but it was the execution that made me mad. To all those saying it was hintined I saw it more a friendship and it was shoehorned in at the end to please the fans. I was quite angry.
Now that is just pathetic.
You can’t just dismiss every single interaction between them by saying that those are things that just friends do. First of all, you know for a fact that Mike and Bryan had no choice to be subtle about approaching their relationship by using things that could be interpreted as simple friendly gestures, because if they were any more obvious about it, Nickelodeon would have censored the crap out of it.
Second of all, different human beings interpret gestures in different manners all the time. Something that that seems like a simple friendly gesture to one person may very well be an allusion of romantic attraction to another. Stop acting so high and mighty like the way YOU interpret friendly/romantic gestures is the definitive way of interpreting them.
Third of all, don’t act like for a second that if these subtle moments were going on between Korra and Asami, but if Asami was a guy the whole time, that the fanbase and the shippers WOULDN’T have caught onto these moments and eaten them up as allusions of romantic attraction. You know it. I know it. You’re just trying to find whatever reason you can to be upset about it.
“You’re just trying to find whatever reason you can to be upset about it.”
I was going to answer civilly until this sentence. There’s no way I’m going to argue with someone who tries to use accusations of homophobia in 2014-15. Have a good day.
I understand your anger because of the poor state of queer representation in the media. But there is no need to be so vehement against somebody who sees things the way Centurion does.
I have to admit that, despite being 100% pro gay rights and for queer representation, I didn’t see Korrasami coming. Until the very last ten seconds of the show, the characters did nothing I couldn’t have done with my completely platonic same sex friends. Those scenes could build up to a romance, or to a strong friendship, but there is no conclusive proof until the very end. They are, at best, ambiguous. And even the very last scene is interpreted as romantic because it’s to ambiguous not to be purposefully so. (They don’t kiss or anything. Depending on the culture, holding hands could be a more neutral gesture.)
Now, I understand very well that in the context of the show the creators could not have been more open about it. It’s America, not Japan. It’s a kid show. It’s standards and practice. All those issues are probably what LGBT+ rights activists should fight against. We should break those barriers so we can have stories of same sex relationships that satisfy people who crave for representation as well as people who simply enjoy a compelling, well told love story.
But that said, I don’t find the love story between Asami and Korra very compelling, even when I acknowledge the clues as proofs. Maybe it’s just because I think both characters are a little bland. Maybe it’s because I craved more for the portrayal of a strong female friendship. Maybe it’s because the romantic plots have always been amongst the weaker parts of the show. (It was not very deep in Avatar either, but it felt relatively less important because the show had more time for the main plot.)
Unfortunately, if the end of Korra was certainly a great milestone, I probably fall short for being a definitive victory for queen people and their allies.
You do understand that for most best working couples they start of as FRIENDS right? Katara and Aang were only friends too for a long time with only Aang showing hints of attraction.
Friendship can develop into romantic relationships. Why is it that so hard to understand.
And why is it only when it comes to same sex couples people are angered by the notion of friendship going into romantic undertones. Its never a seen as a problem when it comes to a boy/girl relationship. Not accusing you of homophobia but it IS a double standard. A tiring one that is.
Yeah that was all very similar how Aang Katara developed only without all the times Aang talked his feelings for Katara : p
I’m pretty much in line with brothers Walker here: the development of the relationship was weak(as were most the romantic relationships in the series) but the with the Nickoloden production limitations (which hampered so many other aspects of the show as well) its understandable and you have to give props to the creators to have stones to pull the trigger on it.
Except that is all things that could be due to close friends.
We never have any ” Are we in a relationship? Is this a thing we are doing?”
But not to mention that this all happens DIRECTLY AFTER ASAMI LOOSES HER FATHER.
It’s just like…. what?
You know I get your point, but here’s the thing. That ending & subtle hints/alluring there may be sth was the best they could do. Lets face it they could never develop a bi/gay couple in the lead. Come on It’s fucking Nick we’re talking about. An actual bisexual romance subplot from with the lead character could never come out of this networklike ever.. The creators did the best they could & they had to struggle with the network to finish this show in the 1st place. So this was really the best possible result. With that out of the way.
I actually liked everything in this finally. The action was amazing. Bolin Lavabending, others throwing buildings at that mech. Korra Kicking ass against Kuvira (with a fucking grapple wrestling throw.. that was fucking pimp) Bolin using that lava glave technique (awesome) … Kuviras meltdown when she decided to use that cannon hanging from the vines.. I almost expected sth similar to the death of the lead villain of Disneys Tarzan there… Yeah The badgermole moment was silly but I liked it. Varrick as always the best character so I was very happy to get that wedding in the show… I love this finale &for me Korrasami was just a delishous cherry on the delishious cake.
Interesting little tumblr posts by the shows creators.
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis
Hay guys, I’m sure lots of people will assault you with huge posts about every single Korrasami so I won’t bother to do the same. I do think it was built up well through season 3 and 4, and important thing that the creators said is that the ending scene was them realizing their feelings for one another. So not even necessarily a couple yet but getting there. They really need to do a comic to finish this story.
Loved your opening, it was hilarious.
http://io9.com/legend-of-korra-creators-confirm-that-korrasami-is-cano-1674384152?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Doug you guys need to read this. its the creators response to the controversy and why they decided to have the Korra and Assami relationship.
No doubt going to get tonnes of replies like this, but I’d say it was perhaps the most realistically and best foreshadowed romantic relationship in both Korra and ATLA. Every other relationship in the two series was the always cliché love-at-first-sight, at least for one of the people involved. Mako went through two relationships in one season. Opal/Bolin was formed in a single episode. As was both of Sokka’s relationship arcs.
Yes it could have been developed more, but relative to the rest of the series it’s the best developed of them all. And no, I’m not a Korrasami shipper, I don’t think of characters in terms of romantic pairings, hetero or homo. It came out of nowhere for me, but so did the rest of them, and in retrospect I can see how they’ve led up to it.
I’d argue that Varrick and Zhu Li had a better romance. Looking back, both characters actually go through quite a few changes as the series progresses. When she’s introduced, Zhu Li is just his assistant, it’s clear she doesn’t really care that much, you can tell at points she’s frustrated with him, stuff like that. Meanwhile, Varrick is just a self-centered industrialist that just keeps her around because she’s reliable. But, eventually, Varrick grows a conscience and becomes more aware of other people and how much they actually mean to him, especially after defecting from the Earth Empire and having to rely on other people. Which Zhu Li, on the other hand, has to learn to become more self centered and stand up for her own beliefs instead of just following orders, which builds on top of her already growing crush for Varrick.
It’s just an opinion which relationship you prefer, but it’s hard to deny the two of them really do go full circle and as they’re effected by and grow from the world around them. Which I really didn’t see watching Korra and Asami because it was made out to be so subtle and almost distant from their actual development.
That is a good point. Love has always been kind of easy to spot in the series. Even with Varrick and Zhu Li you could’ve taken an easy guess in season 2.
Agreed, most romance storylines use the ‘love at first sight’ thing we saw several times in both series, and while it’s quite clear it’s quite bland as well
The close friendship between Asami and Korra developing into a romance is a much more interesting development for two characters, and happens in real life all the time
This would true if aang and katar didn’t exist. That was not a love at first site relationship. It grew over the seasons. So it was done better then korra and asami.
I will say that Cartoon Network beat them to the punch
in their show Clarence, one of the main character’s parents are a lesbian couple
they make their debut in the episode “Jeff Wins”
I do like that you are able to look at the ending critically, and judge it by it’s merits, rather than just “progressiveness”
As for Varrick and Juli, I kinda always thought she was acting like a long suffering wife
and definitely recommend Over the Garden Wall
Beat them to the punch with a lesbian pairing, maybe, but not with bisexuals.
That’s really grasping, too. Jeff’s parents aren’t main characters, which is the entire reason why Korra and Asami’s relationship is such a big deal.
yeah, but they are the first lesbian couple to appear in a children’s cartoon in general
So for it to be important you have to be the lead character?
This would true if aang and katar didn’t exist. That was not a love at first site relationship. It grew over the seasons. So it was done better then korra and asami.
What Clarence did on Cartoon Network in its first season beats what Adventure Time has been able to do in years. Even with it confirmed out of the show that PB and Marceline used to date, they have to dance around the subject and be cute and subtle. That’s nice, but to have legit gay characters is pretty awesome. They aren’t just throwaway like the guys from the date episode. Jeff’s parents will always be around in some way. Only one may appear at a time now but that’s still a confirmed lesbian character so…
The difference with Clarence and Adventure Time, though, is that the nature of PB and Marcy’s relationship was never intended to be a major focus at all, and it shows. They used to date, the key words being “used to.” They have very rarely interact in the episodes following What Was Missing, and any interaction they did have was purely platonic (with the possible exception of the shirt scene at the start of Sky Witch). If they’re over it, then there’s no need to address it in-show. If it were shown that there’s still feelings there, then there would be more of a need for a little focus and explaining, but at current, that hasn’t been shown.
(The non-canon comics, though, I’ve found to be quite shipper-pandering, haha.)
Clarence, on the other hand, blatantly shows and obviously planned for Jeff’s parents to be lesbians. That’s the major difference regarding same-sex couples between the two. When questioned, Pen said he’d never put much thought into the nature of their relationship, so for all we know it could have been intended as a friendship gone sour that developed into a break up due to mass fan speculation. Of course, it’s also possible that Olivia Olson was telling the truth about Pen confirming that they used to date, but I digress. Point is, we never had a clear answer from Adventure Time, while Clarence confirmed it from the get-go.
As for Korrasami, I saw it as somewhat similar to the whole PB/Marcy thing, where whatever was there was mainly in the subtext, and whether you saw the romance or not depended purely on how you interpreted it. Some people just saw a genuine, deep friendship, which is why they think it came from nowhere, whereas others read the hints as romantic.
To put it in a real life situation, when you can’t tell if someone is flirting, or just instigating playful banter. One person may see it as flirting, and the other might see it as cheek.
Subtext is meant to be investigated by the audience, and not everyone will come to the same conclusion. Of course, it’s canon, so how others read the subtext between them kind of means jack squat now.
I guess the big thing about Korra and Asami is it’s the first time it’s the main character being involved in a non straight relationship
It’s about the main character being queer, not someone related to them. That has been done since forever. Really having queer main characters is the last thing that still needs to happen, but for some reason it seems to take forever.
Why does it “need to happen”?
Technically, Fox Kids beat them to the punch with Mystique and Destiny form X-Men in the late ’90s, if you consider their romance form the comics canon to the cartoon, which was never really on display.
Otherwise, there was the less overt Rogue and Risty Wilde (Mystique posing an a teenager) from X-Men: Evolution in the early 2000s. There was a TON of sexual subtext between them. Yes, Rogue was not into girls, but they were no less a tight couple and Mystique manipulated her at every turn. They even attend the high school dance as a couple. To by fair to Rogue, the relationship was entirely one-sided, and she was a little irate when she found out the truth (by “a little irate” I mean “full-blown Akira”). Had the farce gone on, who knows how things would have turn out for them.
I LOVED the ending, but I agree to some extent that the relationship could have been more developed, but they were constrained by the network and such. These tumblr posts from the creators go into more detail.
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com
http://mikedimartinostory.com/2014/12/22/korrasami-confirmed/
Actually Doug/Rob, you’d be right about that. As an interpretation for bisexual couples, of which most fans on tumblr have agreed upon that they are bisexual, even as going far as pointing out the wide shot with Korra and Asami sitting together that the two mountain peaks were the colors of the bisexual flag: blue, pink, and purple. As a bisexual male myself, I feel like this is huge step forward for representation for bisexuality. However, the creators DID confirm it on both of their blogs.
However, when I would have to disagree that there wasn’t any buildup. Hell, the chemistry between Asami and Korra was pretty apparent because of how their friendship developed over time. But, I really think it escalated in season 4 when it did escalate. I would say that it did feel a little rushed and we were only informed of character actions/traits when Korra said she had only written to Asami, but I think I blame that in part of executive meddling since the beginning because Korra was restricted to its 12-episode run AND only gave Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko a short leash even though M.Night’s adaptation of the original series was their fault, but god forbid Hollywood treats animators as respectable employees.
However, you do have to consider that the build-up, from a narrative perspective made sense. I mean, three years pass, Korra and Asami really miss each other and from there they move into a closer relationship than they ever had been. I just wish they gave more freedoms to the creators to play with character development instead of turning it into a romantic action drama. Overall, while it needed better pacing, I respect the ending for what it did as a landmark for human rights that are still considered nuanced today. As for the story??? Weeeeeeell…that could’ve been salvaged if Nick. gave them creative control instead of their Seth McFarlane equivalent — Butch Hartman. But that’s my two cents on the matter.
I heartily agree that the build-up made sense. The only reason I was surprised is because I didn’t think they would go through with it. I’m very glad they did! They had fantastic chemistry when they were together and I think their relationship grew much more organically than most love stories.
I think the creators did a fantastic job on it to go as far as they did.
Except the lack of build up for KorraSami I have only one problem with the final episode: since the season 2 Korra can bend the spirit energy. Why didn’t she try to bend vines’ energy? When she used waterbending on the Colossus I thought she would at least try to bend the spirit energy that fuels it, but she just froze it. Why didn’t she at least try to bend vines’ energy? Basically it’s just the type of the spirit energy…..
… she DID, that’s why the portal opened. She didn’t try it before because it’s not the first instinct people have when things are thrown at you, just as with most benders.
When they interfere the mech Korra could at first go to the vine-reactor and try to bend its energy. Kuvira would be nothing against the team avatar + air benders and Bei Fongs without mech. She could try to bend vines’ energy during the fight in the city. Also she could try to bend it when the mech was frozen. But she did it only at the very end. And yes, the scene was great, but she could’ve done it earlier.
She wouldn’t do it cause she doesn’t want to use spirits as tools. Like Kuvira. After her conversation with spirits, spirit bending is more of a last resort cause you know its kinda like blood bending with spirits & she doesn’t do that either when it would also give her an instant win
A big problem is the fact that they and the idea and couldn’t run with it until the show was taken off the air. In an interview, the creator(s) stated:
“The more Korra and Asami’s relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us. However, we still operated under this notion, another “unwritten rule,” that we would not be allowed to depict that in our show. So we alluded to it throughout the second half of the series, working in the idea that their trajectory could be heading towards a romance.”
If you want to end a show with this, you need to allude to it more, but they did the best they could. It wasn’t a gimmick, but it was definitely slightly alluded to. I think what you’re saying is that they didn’t support the ending enough…? I would disagree, since it’s really just them holding hands and going into the spirit world, it’s not like they’re kissing like Katara and Aang did. It’s simple and I would say that it is supported just enough to make it a logical choice.
If only we had another episode to cement this idea a bit more or at least cement that Asami means more to Korra than just being another part of the gang…… You know, like the one they had to lose because of budget cuts?
Just another instance of a problem with the show being caused by Nick screwing them over…. Meanwhile, SpongeBob has a full-length 3d theatrical film.
They did bring the show back to air on one of Nick’s side channel though.
@ToastyMozart : Let’s be honest, though; a side channel isn’t the main channel,, and it’s still fully controlled by Nick. Being on a side channel and online does awful things to a show’s ratings and the amount of control. Also, LOK needed a permanent channel or it needed to just stay online. Nick is a pretty awful company that likes to screw with shows and makes them screw themselves up because they can’t choose whether or not they want the shows to end or not.
Sailor Moon is a kid show in Japan. It’s a shojo manga, which means young girls.
Incorrect, Shoujo does mean young girl BUT shoujo manga is not just meant for younger audiences. Shoujo Beat Magazine is a example of this, Absolute Boyfriend is a Shoujo Beat marked manga that is about a girl and her robot boyfriend and sex is a part of the plot. Sailor Moon may be a kids show in american with it horrible cut an glue band-aids to “protect” little children but in Japan Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon was meant for young adult audiences with it’s more mature plots in seasons 4-5.
Look Japan has different standards on what’s acceptable for a kids show. Sailor Moon is a kid show in Japan.
From what I have read from Bryke’s tumblr final thoughts, they had quite a number of people complaining “Oh you gave into the tumblr fans” or “Oh how dare you break up the Makorra relationship”. Of course there were those who complained about the bisexual relationship in the end because kid’s cartoon argument.
*sigh…* This is exactly the reason why I don’t go with internet comments about stuff. I’ve come across this problem with so many other things too (Final Fantasy XIII, Titanfall, Spongebob, etc) where the internet comments are up-roaring about something, trying to make it divisive, and yet it’s not. I simple google search about such things will tell you that the internet commenters will be nothing more than a vocal minority trying to look much more bigger than they are. It’s the logic of “If we say it loud enough and repetitively, then it will be true”
And again, Bryke pointed this out: We make this series for what we want to see best first and foremost. And that is true.
I don;t even get why Makorra is so popular. The love triangle pretty much fucked up the middle arc of season 2 and people really are demanding that it should have gone back to that? They essentially come off as just a bunch of teenaged girls who desperately need their Mary-Sue-itized Makorra slash fics to be validated.
A lot of people seem to forget that most romances start from friendship. Most people don’t just look at someone and fall in love with them. Aang fell in love with Katara right away from gazing at her for two seconds without knowing a thing about her, though on Katara’s part it was a little more realistic. With Korra and Mako they fell in love within a few episodes.
Even with the censorship Korrasami felt ten times more realistic then both Makorra and Kataang. It felt like they were close friends that were starting to develop more romantic feelings for the other and towards the end of the series.
Sure, I wish they could have done more with it. We still have a bit to go. Hopefully they can do more with it in the comics.
>>A lot of people seem to forget that most romances start from friendship.
And is there a statistic? Because from what I’ve experienced myself and have seen about my friends – most of romances are actually pretty damn fast to start. Liking a person yet not being attracted to said person until SUDDENLY the attraction kicks in? Not impossible, of course, but I don’t see it as something common either. At least one of the two usually is attracted to the other, and actively tries to turn friendship into something more.
Also, being a story, it needs to be told properly, otherwise it comes up like a “gimmick for a good cause”. Which is, for me, still just a gimmick.
I’m not an expert on love. I won’t pretend to be. But from what I’ve seen most people don’t “fall in love at first sight” like Aang with Katara.
I’m mostly saying saying that romance had never been a strong point in the series. Even without censorship. Which is what some people seem to forget. Korrasami sadly had to be censored. So it can’t be told as “properly” as the straight ships. And for what we got, I thought it was pretty well done build up wise.
Yea I just re watched air bender and Aang and Katarra definitely don’t fall in love at first sight. Aang is clearly interested in her early on, but Katarra viewed as friend and little kid at first. There was some actual development in last airbender. Anyway the main problem with Korra was there was very little interaction between her and whats her name. Aang and Katarra was a very realistic romance where 2 friends who have gotten interested in each other because of shared experiences. Here it is 2 friends get together because…? Yea there was no real reason for these 2 to get together.
Sorry doug and rob, but Aang is way greater that Korra. I mean if you sit down and think about it Korra is responsible for every villain being as powerful as they are after she opened the spirit portal. and really what good did opening the portal do? I guess there are more airbenders? they were going to be repopulated eventually all she did was speed up the process. Aang mastered all the elements by the age of 12 and 3 of those under a year. Aangs villain was supposedly unbeatable except by him alone.
Overall I was happy with the series considering the struggles the writers had to overcome. I was disappointed with some parts of the series where they missed out on big oppurtunities. There was that one spirit in LAB that had all the faces that I feel would have been great to bring back. Having Korra lose connection to her past lives also took away some great stories they could gave done.
Two friends becoming an item is quite common and, in any case, the relationship still felt real. It was not like they suddenly fell in love, the last scene is them finally realizing their feelings. Remember, Korra didn’t even like Asami in the beginning but their friendship grew overtime.
I wouldn’t call it a gimmick since it was not just done for a good cause. The creators stated that they originally wanted Asami to be in liege with the equalists but ended up liking her as a member of team avatar. The character progressed and grew as did her relationship with Korra. It wasn’t that they decided one day to make them a couple, they had the idea in their head for a while but were never shore if they would be aloud to actually do it.
A very similar thing happened with Terra and Willow from Buffy. They were not originally supposed to be lovers but the creators saw it going in that direction so they went with it. It’s not a gimmick if its what they feel is right for the character.
he didint fall in love with her right away. Took a bit before you could see he had a crush or some sort of feelings for her and then it went from there.
Not sure if you guys bother to read the comments (I wouldn’t blame you if you are ignoring them on this video considering the content, I’m sure there will be some trolls) but a couple of the things you ask about are mentioned in the creators tumblr posts (ex: how far back it was planned) in case you (or anyone else here) wants to read them.
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis
The last few minutes have to be the most important of the entire series.
Looking at the series as a whole, and Korra and Asami’s relationship as one that is NOT romantic (although I still 100% support this ship), I really believe that this ending, on a metaphorical level, is two steps from perfect. Whereas the first series ATLA was about pro-peace and assuming responsibility, TLOK has alwats been about finding one’s identity – not just as the avatar, but as a human being – and learning to live with oneself.
The ending scene is so, SO important: Korra, having now found (or at least begun to grasp) inner peace with herself and the world and it’s people around her, can now come full circle and help someone else to HEAL. To wit: how often has poor Asami been shat upon in this series? Next to Korra (and Ju Li), she has to be the one that’s had to deal with the most: lost her mother; her father lied and tried to kill her; was tossed to the curb by the one person she had left to rely on; in the span of ONLY 3 years, managed the company by herself, became a professional engineer in multiple fields (holy crap!), was a successful businesswoman, rebuilt Republic City from the ground up, and competently went toe-to-toe with the baddies as a non-bender. And THEN suffered through the emotional trauma of facing her dad, forgiving him, and then watching him die. Summarily: Asami has seen some shit.
But unlike Korra, had no time to mourn or deal with any of her own problems. Everyone was just busy; everyone had their own lives to deal with. Asami went through the entire ordeal alone. We didn’t see Hiroshi’s funeral, but Korra apologizing to her and being the first person to acknowledge her hardships had more weight in-universe than I can even comprehend. So when Korra offers that they get away, it can be seen as a full-circle recovery: Korra journeyed alone to find herself and face her fears. This way, Asami does NOT have to be alone on hers. It’s perfectly roundabout. 🙂
Even though the Almighty Bryke confirmed them as a couple, platonically, it still makes sense; my bff and I DO hold hands, DO make plans to get away from everyone else, and will share things only to each other. Though we are different people that lead different lives and have different loves, we’re bonded through our pain and understanding of the other. Spiritually, we’re sisters, and will always be there if the other only asks. So on that note, I also believe that, if looking from the romantic angle instead, calling their relationship “just a romance” isn’t enough. There’s something more than friendship, something more than romantic love, something more than just sexuality, attraction, or orientation that spiritually binds the two. The ending is just as much a neat and thoughtful cap on the series as it is a shout-out to the LGBT community.
Your comments about Asami are really spot on. I wonder if there were a comic trilogy, whether the spirit world might contain a “test” to help her come to terms with her losses?
Actually I think that their relationship was build up quite well. They started with hints and ended the series with them starting their relationship. Also Asami was the character that had the best chemistry with Korra so i think that they did not need to hit us in the head with their love. They both realized it on their own. Saying it out loud was needless.
For those who think “Korrasami” was sudden and without buildup, here’s some perspective.
Korra and Mako: Kiss after knowing each other for 4 episodes
Bolin and Eska: Become boyfriend and girlfriend after 1 episode
Bolin and Opal: Says he likes her after 1 episode
Korra and Asami: Hold hands after knowing each other for 49 episodes
That actually makes it worse. Since the norm of romance in the Avatar verse is ridiculously fast paced the Korrasami thing is substantially more aberrant.
This reminds me a lot of the “Bilbo & Frodo” – Relationship. Can’t anyone ever accept that two people with a strong connection can “just be friends” ?
Korrasami just wasn’t a romance. Katarra / Zuko wasn’t a romance.
Other than that, great ending! What I missed was Korra rejoining with her past Avatars. I really expected it, but I guess I can live without it.
Legend of Korra was always a bumpy ride, awful and amazing scenes went hand in hand together. But in the end, I will miss it. And I will rewatch every single episode for a long, long time. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be loved. <3
I think you mean “Sam & Frodo”. “Bilbo & Frodo” would be, well, wrong on so many levels.
To be quite honest Sam and Frodo had more build up and chemistry then what Sam had with the other girl.
You mean Sam’s wife, Daisy?
Yup.
I felt the same thing at first. When they have the conversation at the end, I felt that there might be something between them but dismissed it as a close friendship like Sam and Frodo.
As the scene progressed, however, the romantic presentation became more and more apparent. It ends with them facing each other, holding hands, gazing into each others eyes, with sweet, romantic music playing. The romantic undertones became clearly intentional.
Was I surprised? For the first few moments but it made sense and felt right.
Sorry, but the actual creators of the show have confirmed that Korrasami was a romance, told within the bounds of strict network guidelines:
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis
To me it came off as something that simply organically developed during the writing process, that the writers just suddenly noticed that the interactions between these two characters ended up having more romantic tension than with their boyfriend in the previous seasons, and decided to run with it.
I’m kind of sad that it has to be such a big deal that the protagonist of a cartoon turns out to be non-heteronormative that it overtakes nearly all other talk about the show, but alas, at the moment it is quite revolutionary. Hopefully one day this simply won’t be a big deal any more, and the hero of a kids’ show can be gay without causing huge uproar in the wake of the revelation.
Creators have confirmed that Korra and Asami are in fact in love.
The creators confirmed it. Also, no, friends don’t have that kind of body language.
Nope. The concept of romantic friendship is well and truly dead.
Oh Rob, you’ve just given the fan fiction writers many many new ideas.
There certainly was a build up to this ending but to me it never felt like a romantic one. More like “Asami and Korra are best buddies that care for eachother and bond over various things”. Until they faced eachother in the spirit portal I didn’t realired that they where supposed to be a couple now. And it also wasn’t really a romance up until this point. It was two people slowly coming together and the romance actually begins with the ending of the show. I so hope for a sequel comic to see if they continue on that.
I also agree that it was more of a gimmick and more of a side event. Main character romances in Avatar and Korra generaly felt a bit forced to me and even Bryan Konietzko acknowledged that in his blog post regarding Korrasami
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com
I personally would’ve been fine with Korra staying single at the end though.
“… ball torture and BDSM… ” funny, thats about 80% of all Korra/Asami porn fanart O.o
It’s really sad that homosexuality/bisexuality is still so heavily connected with kinky stuff that people freak out about it :C
Wait, Appa was talking at the end instead of giving us that adorable roar? We must all be losing sleep if we can hear that.
You should review Fullmetal Alchemist next, I’m sure you’ll love it
And which one would you suggest, because there are two versions after all and (as a person who watched it) it is really slow paced story
you need to see the two of them. mainly because of the first 26 episode of the original anime as they follow the Manga very well (with a few adjustments). the rest of the first anime is good and includes original material as the manga wasn’t done yet.
The second Anime, FMA: Brotherhood didn’t want to rehash the first part of the manga (as the first Anime did it very well) so the first 20-ish episode are a redux of them with new material and from there it follows the Manga.
Both series are amazing, if it was possible to combine the first half of the original Anime with the second part of the Brotherhood anime I would give the series a grade of 95 out of a 100. As they are, the first Anime, for me, is 85 out of 100 and Brotherhood is 90 out of 100.
I did not think that either show was slow paced, maybe in 4,5 episodes, tops
Need to mention that I saw it in Japanese with subtitles as I didn’t like the dubbing of either show.
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
It is CANON! REJOICE!
Oh Mako, poor Mako…his fire mastery may compete against emperor Ozai and he had the potential to be next Zuko but he fucked it up. Hence, I would ask all men to sahre our condolences to a fallen comrade, who now will bear the greatest fuck up in animation history…
About the last scene, I do see a lot symbolism, as both the new world (Asami) and the old one (Korra) finally bonds together – after all the new portal (relic of old world) appeared in the Republic city (Symbol of progression in that universe) and the portal itself had these two threads overlaping each other which is sth I do not remember previous two portals to have.
P.s. although I am heterosexual, they should have kissed, no, I demand that kiss! (yes, probably there is fan art for that already)
Over The Garden Wall is fantastic and definitely worth watching and vlogging. It can be watched as a whole, but the episodic format does lend itself well to vlogging. Plus it’s a single entity with an actual ending, so you won’t have to worry about keeping up with it in the future.
I will say though, that I think the Gravity Falls comparisons are a little overstated, since aside from a creepy atmosphere and character dynamic between the two main characters that’s kind of like Dipper and Mabel (nervous straight man/ goofy comic relief sibling), it’s probably closer in terms of tone and humor to Adventure Time. Though that’s probably mostly due to the fact that it was created by a former Adventure Time writer, and lot of the writers and artists on it are former Adventure Time writers. It’s also got plenty of influence from old fairy tales, turn of the century Americana, 1930’s animation, and a little bit of Miyazaki.
One show I would recommend to Doug that I feel shares some similarities to Gravity Falls in terms of a grand overarching mystery, would be Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated, though I’m not sure if it’s the best vlogging material since it can get a little repetitive at times.
Poor Hiyao Miyazaki. He got squashed by a big robot hand.
Here’s the thing – love isn’t always sexual, it is usually just a great mutual respect for one another. It is apparent from season 2 that the two enjoy spending time with one another, korra only writes to asami, asami explicitly states this. I felt there was a build up and the ending was part of it.
Also this was awesome cause it was a middle finger to viacom
ps, you forgot they were interracial
The creators confirmed they’re bi. Sure, they may take things slow, but it’s a romantic relationship, it’s not something you can divorce from sex.
I agree with pretty much all you said, I do think that they did all they could in terms of hinting to the relationship and the connection between Asami and Korra throughout season 3, what with the limitations they were faced with. Personally, I think the ending was really nice in the way that it wasn’t clear what stage their relationship was at, it seemed to me like an optimistic start of a love story rather than the end of one.
As for other Vlogs – you guys should check out Over the garden wall, it’s quite similar to gravity falls in a few ways..
hilarious Vlog 😀
Whatever folks personal issues are, I reckon that last part seemed like bad storytelling.
For me it just came across as a stunt way beneath the writers. I know Nick really messed with the creators but I thought they were better than that if this was some kinda cheap shot.
Love it how people whine about “cheap shots” when they neglet the fact that Makorra and Kataang or whatver were both incredibly rushed.
I didn’t mean it was rushed so much as it just seemed to almost come out of nowhere. I don’t think they really compare.
Are you talking about Aang and Katara? I didn’t think that was rushed at all. They took almost three seasons to get together.
Hey, it’s just my opinion anyway. If others don’t see it the same, it’s all gravy.
For what it’s worth, I’m still gonna buy Season 4. I don’t gotta like all parts to enjoy a series.
the creators themselves already confirmed that korrasami is canon
I don’t care it’s fiction and it came out of left field. Also the timing is terrible what person would want to get into a relationship with anyone boy or girl when they are grieving Over their parent after they finally mended their relationship.
I don’t know what’s more hilarious, that you’re so desperate and narcissistic that you think your delusions weight more than the creators’ statements, or that you whine about it being “rushed” when it’s far better developed than Kataang or Makorra.
You are confusing criticism with denial.
The issue has never been that it exists but that it was done poorly. The fact that you think it was better than Kataang is just borderline delusional and makes me wonder if you support it mostly because it’s LGBT.