posted
So my question is this: do you think there should be more stories set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, and when? I understand Legend of Korra is still going on (I didn't want to detract from the thread currently up), but with such a rich backstory and interesting characters, it seems like they could fit a lot of stuff in. But would it get old?
Personally, I'd love to see a follow up movie to the Last Airbender, something that takes place a little while after the last episode. We could see Zuko's search for his mother conclude, maybe find out some more details about Iroh's son's death, and of course see Team Avatar come back for a new adventure. They mention in Korra that Aang went on to have quite a few adventures, yet they never explain what they were (except that he and Zuko founded Republic City).
Anyway, what would you guys want to see? Or would you rather they end it completely?
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
So basically, you think they should have done a short feature with the story of the comic books that are still being released instead of resorting so easily to the paper form?
Other medium franchise-comic books are usually a last resort, Whedon in particular is quite infamous for allowing his former works to live on through comics because there is no other option. But this is far from true with the world of Avatar, I would much rather see that beautifully smooth animation help tell the story than paper any day. Maybe in time they will do some features, certainly the life and times of Sokka and that Kyoshi Warrior girl have a nice story waiting to be told. Or maybe show all the powerful benders that Aang made enemies of and bested find each other in the years after the war and work together to create a larger more subtle way to inconvenience the fully powered Avatar by way of organizing crime in his shiny new city. Why with that they could even tie the story of blood-bending into a tight little knot, with the old blood-witch teaching Tarlok's father herself.
Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008
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posted
I actually would be more interested in prequels I think than anything past Korra. Technology is just moving too damn fast for my taste on the show. I liked the feel when it was more medieval weaponry and the occasional technical marvel.
Now the technology looks to be equivalent to around 1920. Given that avatars can sometimes live in excess of 100 years (Kyoshi died at 230), someone on a fansite mentioned that Korra could actually be the avatar of the 2012 equivalent world and beyond. An interesting thought.
I'd love to see a season that had a few episodes set in the lives of Kyoshi and Roku. Maybe Kuruk and Yangchen too.
Edit: Alternatively, you have hundreds (thousands?) of other avatars in the past to choose from that we've never seen.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
I agree. I think they made a bit of a mistake going with such advanced technology. It makes for some nice visuals, but it's just not as interesting as the older medieval stuff. I personally miss the atmosphere of the first show.
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
The creators of the show have already said they have many, many more stories to tell, and it seems Nickelodeon is willing to prop them up (given that Avatar is one of its highest rated and most lauded series ever). Hopefully they'll allow a longer series next time on par with the original TLA.
But I think we can expect more Avatar after Korra. It'd be nice if we didn't have to wait more than a year for it though. A tiny budget increase for the sake of speed would be nice.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
As much as I love Avatar: The Last Airbender and the characters therein, I kind of like that their story was resolved very conclusively. It would be really weird to have the same characters come back after all these years and pick up right where they left off, especially since everything was wrapped up so nicely.
I understand that there's a comic or something that's going to cover the adventures in the search for Zuko's mom, so if you're interested in that, great. I'm not really interested enough in that to get invested, though.
I'm really pleased with what they are doing with Korra, introducing new characters and a new setting, but operating in the same universe, with nostalgic references to the established canon. This strategy enables them to not be so confined by what's done and gone and come up with new ideas. The Legend of Korra could easily have been another globetrotting evil-Empire-thwarting gang of kids in a vaguely post-medieval oriental setting, but instead they took it in a different direction, with older teens in a 1920's city caught up in a social struggle between a privileged elite and an extremist proletariat. I like how it becomes its own entity this way using the charm and fun of the original series to tell a wholly new story. Reverting back to the old characters would feel like a regression, as much as I love the old characters.
Posts: 1029 | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
I agree. We've had enough big franchises in the past decade do nothing but look backward in a futile effort to recapture the spark that made them big franchises in the first place. I'm glad that Konietzko and DiMartino have chosen to move forward with the Avatarverse, instead.
As much as I'd love to see the Avatar kids in action again, I'd rather the show's creators come up with exciting new stories in the universe - if only to avoid the stagnation that's killed so many other series I love.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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posted
I wouldn't mind either going back in time more or going forward with Aang or Korra.
I agree I wouldn't want them to go any further forward. I think it'd be too weird. I kind of don't want any more Roku, I feel like I already know what I need to know from flashbacks.
Might be interesting to see things from a different point of view than the Avatar. I know, it's the name of the show and everything, but it really limits what can happen.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
This universe always struck me as the perfect setting for an MMORPG. Just a thought. A pen and paper game would also be a solid thing to do.
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
There is an Avatar D20 conversion for pen and paper play, if you search it on Google it should come right up. Created at least in part by the folks who homebrew D&D stuff at the Giant in the Playground forums.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Maybe a team of benders searching for the avatar in a future show? An old avatar dies, and the new one is in some type of danger as an infant or toddler. I miss them traveling around the world, and think that might be a neat story. It could either be in the past or the future.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I like the post-series comics a lot. Sure, it would have been fun to have them as a video miniseries, but the current format works and I have no great desire to see them redo the same story in a different format.
Posts: 650 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I for one think the 1920s tech we're seeing is awesome. I think I would have liked to see more transition rather than jump so far ahead, but I absolutely love the fact that the world progressed.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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posted
It's a very natural thematic follow-up to the original show, too. In A:TLA, we got lots of hints at the coming industrialization of society as well as the latent friction between benders and non-benders, but both of those themes were generally subsumed by the greater conflict of the day between the nations. The non-benders of the Fire Nation saw their firebenders as their powerful protectors, while the non-benders of other nations were, if anything, a relatively elevated class compared to the persecuted benders.
Once the four nations are at peace, the themes of nationalism and war are less directly relevant. With the leaps in technology that the Fire Nation produced now presumably shared with the rest of the world, and an increasing globalization of commerce and communication, it makes sense that the new conflicts in the Avatar world would be those of modernity vs tradition, materialism vs spiritualism, and of course, bender vs non-bender.
That the creators of the two shows chose to focus on these natural thematic expansions of their story is what made me so excited about Korra in the first place (and IMO they're pulling it off with aplomb, for the most part). It shows that they understand what makes a story great, beyond the surface trappings such as who has what superpower, or who was who's father/mother/son/daughter, or how "epic" the setting should be, or the precise historical continuity of the world. And it shows that they're not interested in simply recapitulating the themes they already explored in detail last time around.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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posted
I can sympathize with those who dislike the 1920's setting, but I don't mind it much.
Although they could remove the technology element entirely by going out into the world, out in to the boonies. Just because The City is so advanced doesn't mean all the world is. Look at the difference between Tokyo and the American Deep South, so who is to say that all of the Avatar world is driving around in electric cars.
Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008
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posted
I think the biggest difference in the two shows is the age of the Avatar. Aang was only 12 or 13, but Korra is 17. I think they did this because the audience has obviously aged along with the show. That's great and everything, but I miss the free-spirited nature of the original. It was just so charming and funny. The new show has humor, too, but it's a different style of funny.
Also, I miss Sokka. That guy was hilarious! "Boomerang...you really do always come back!" Classic.
Although, I will admit, the airbending family in Korra is pretty funny. I especially like the youngest of the kids. Airbending farts...who knew?
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
Republic City is an outlier in terms of technological living, apparently, and most of the rest of the world is steeped in Pastiness.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: Republic City is an outlier in terms of technological living, apparently, and most of the rest of the world is steeped in Pastiness.
I wonder if our world would be like that if it had united in the 1700s or 1800s. Part of our technology comes from the many wars we have fought. Without the competition, that type of world sounds plausible.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
I think more TV series would be very worth while, this kind of format really hasn't been explored before.
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I still think that if they wanted more advanced technology they could have set the show a bit further than 70 years after TLA. Plenty of people live long lives in their universe, like the Guru who personally knew Aang's teacher, or Bumi who was still fit enough to lay siege to whole cities. They could just as easily said the show took place 110 years later, or something.
I would like occasionally for them to travel outside the city, or at least hear about what is going on in Omashu, or the water tribes, or Ba Sing Se, etc.
And a final thought, shows about team Avatar as adults would be kind of pathetic. The avatar who was able to take down the firelord during the comet at age twelve, fighting anyone after another 40 years would be too easy, just like taking down Yakone was. If he got together with his wife (the world's greatest waterbender),Toph (the greatest Earth/metalbender)and the Firelord as trained and experienced adults, what could provide a challenge?
Posts: 2332 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I don't see what the fuss is about the advanced technology. TLA had tanks, dirigibles, train cars (albeit earthbending-powered), and they even used natural gas for power at the Northern Air Temple. TLA easily had 1850's-era technology in places, but the traditional oriental twist on everything kept it all ambiguous. It's really not a stretch to say that they got to 1920's-era tech in 70 years.
Insofar as other people are wanting to see more globetrotting, I can only say that if they were to do that just for the sake of updating us on what happened with these locations we knew and loved from before, it would weaken the story. If they found a way to weave them into the narrative without being a distraction, great, but Korra has a really compelling theme going on with social tensions between benders and non-benders, power struggles and corruption, and that would certainly be tarnished by journeying to Omashu just because.
Posts: 1029 | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
I could see them journeying around a bit. They wouldn't even have to leave the city. The fire nation is obviously supporting them, so they could pan over to the royal capital and show a few scenes of that place and what's happening once they get back. Maybe one of the members of Team Avatar flies over to Ba Sing Se to do something important and he/she discovers some awesome plot point like a conspiracy or whatever (you could get creative and come up with any excuse, really). There are a number of ways to handle it. Shoot, if Korra saves the world, you could even do a Return of the Jedi epilogue scene where it shows every major city/nation celebrating. That might be pretty cool.
I'd really like to see them explore the world and mythology some more once Korra is done. I just hope they don't take several years to get back into it again like they did with this one. I don't want to be 35 when the next iteration of the series gets released.
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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