Over the weekend one of the best shows of all time returned to the American airwaves with new episodes.  That’s right believers, Dr. Who is back with Matt Smith as the Doctor who is once again joined by Amy Pond and Rory Williams.  Before I get to the readers digest version of the first episode let me just say what a way to come back.  Action, adventure, drama, and more that you would expect from Dr. Who are here, with one of the greatest and most genius twists to come out of a premier episode in a long time.  If you haven’t seen it yet, netflix it or something, don’t even read the rest of this do it now.

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So last week Nickelodeon aired the sequel to one of their most popular and successful cartoon series ever made, Avatar: The last Airbender.  The sequel titled The Legend of Korra follows the Avatar that comes after Ang named Korra.  She is a water tribe member that lives in the world of Avatar roughly eighty years after the original series takes place. 

That’s the major background that you need to know, now on to the actual story which is brilliant.  Many of the same writers, artists, and others originally involved with the original series are back, and they’ve recaptured the feel and the essence of the original series.  Only this time the story is a bit more geared towards teenagers and young adults; that’s not to say that younger kids won’t watch it, but with the original series fans now in their early teens and young adult-hood its a good move.  Korra, a feisty impetuous sixteen year old, has been able to bend three of the four elements sense she was a toddler (water, earth, and fire) but air has alluded her and thus the current air bending master, the son of Ang and Katara, must train her to bend.  That’s where things get troublesome.  Korra is all brawn and no spirit and wind bending is the most spiritual of all the elements so the mastery of it is going to take a lot of time leading to frustration on the part of both Korra and master Tosin.

While she learns to master air, Korra lives in Republic City, which was founded by Ang and Zuko.  Republic City, has fallen into a state that more or less reflects the society of New York in the twenties and thirties, with hooligans and gangs running wild and extorting money from people and causing trouble.  Other similarities to the twenties and thirties is the introduction of cars, radios, and electricity not to mention hints in the way people dress in the city.  The city is in shadowy chaos as an anti-bender revolution lead by a shady character is gaining power and popularity, but oddly one of the most popular things of the era is pro-bending.

Pro-bending appears to be a central figure in the story, and the idea of pro-bending is genius.  Think dodge ball crossed with bending, with a few other rules thrown in, and you have pro-bending.  Each side being a three man squad of fire, earth, and water benders trying to knock all the other players off the end of the platform on the opposing side.  This game will be the source of friends, trials, and training epiphanies.  The story appears as if it will revolve around this new and exciting sport.

In the end if you where a fan of the original series then watch this one.  Come to see what happened with the original gang and how the world has changed in the eighty years since their adventures, stay for the great new story and awesome new characters.

-Rob

If you would like to check out the original Avatar series you can find it Here!