In celebration of SeptBender’s YA Day, bestselling author Beth Revis (Across the Universe) pops in to tell you why you should watch The Legend of Korra.
Five Reasons Why You Should be Watching ‘The Legend of Korra’ Right Now
by Beth Revis
The World: As a writer, one of the things I really appreciate in a story is a solid world. The world of the Avatar is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It’s so vivid that it could be real. When writers ask me for advice on how to make a world realistic, I often say that it needs scars — it needs to be lived in, and exist outside of the characters. The Legend of Korra is a great example of this. Not only do you have the past from Avatar: The Last Airbender to build on, but even that world existed far beyond the story. It’s richly detailed, and by that, I mean that you could also spin a tale for every single detail in the background. Also? The world is steampunk/alt history/fantasy based. There are gadgets and things that go boom and mixed-up animals (some that fly!) and retro cars and boats (that also go boom) and so much more!
The Main Characters: Korra is the hero we need today. Aang was awesome, don’t get me wrong, but he was always a little too perfect. I liked Aang best before the show even started, when he ran away from his responsibilities. In many ways, Avatar was about Aang getting past those mistakes. But Korra’s story is about making the mistakes, and I find that far more interesting. Throw in two hot brothers, Toph’s daughter, and evil guy with a hidden agenda, and you have the perfect storm of characters!
The Not-Main Characters: In Avatar: The Last Airbender, the cabbage-seller became one of my favorite background guys, and a classic part of the story. But in The Legend of Korra, the story is a little more serious. The background characters are less about a joke to make you smile, and more about a twinge in your heart. I’m stoked to see what will become of the characters who had their bending taken away from them, for example, and I’m hoping we see some recurring background figures that remind us of that life-altering event. Add to that the unique world of Korra, and I’m all about seeing some more background characters exploring those elements in the world. Maybe we can have a mad scientist in the background instead of a cabbage-seller?
The Story: One of my favorite things about Avatar: The Last Airbender was that romance was put on a bit of a back-burner. Sure, it was there. But romance wasn’t a key part of the plot—the story would still exist without the floaty hearts. While the plot of The Legend of Korra is a little more heavy on the romance—so much so that I think it will be a key element—I also believe that we’re in for some of the classic action/comedy that Aang embodied so well. But don’t forget—if Aang’s story was all about how absolute power corrupts absolutely and focused on the Fire Lord, Korra’s story may have the same theme, but will hold the mirror up to the Avatar herself… The Avatar stories are one of the few shows on television right now that have both the heart of a truly important message and the trappings of an entertaining story that will make you both laugh and cry.
Puppy-bears: Augh! Have you seen Korra’s bear/dog? It’s the perfect combination of puppy, plus a blood-thirsty monster that could rip your face off for fun. Who wouldn’t love that?!
About Beth Revis
Beth Revis is the New York Times best-selling author of the young adult sci-fi trilogy Across the Universe (followed by A Million Suns and Shades of Earth.) The series tells the story of Amy and Elder, two very different travelers on a generational spaceship brimming with mystery and murder.
A former teacher, Beth lives in North Carolina with her dog and her husband. She loves to travel, and has visited ten foreign countries and 41 states – though she has not been to outer space. Find out more about Beth on her website, BethRevis.com, check out her Tumblr, and connect with her on Twitter as @BethRevis!