The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra INFO AND TRAILER ANALYSIS

Alright, I've been saving this post for after the New York Comic-Con in case another reveal was scheduled but it looks like we've milked all we can from them for the moment so here is the information for the much-anticipated The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra as well as analysis of the Trailer and what it all possibly means. I'm gonna bullet point the facts because...well because I feel like it.

FACTS AND PHOTOS:

-The series will take place 70 years after the previous series following a new avatar from the southern water tribe, enter Korra.

-Having mastered Waterbending, Firebending, and Earthbending, she travels to find an Airbending master.

-Korra is a departure from avatar Aang in that she is a 17-year old girl with a rebellious attitude and a tough exterior; the creators thought of her as a snowboarder.

-Keeping with the 3-part group dynamic, at least in the beginning, Korra is joined by two brothers; Brolin(Right) and Mako(Left).

-Brolin fills the Sokka role as an Earthbending comic relief.

-Mako, the older brother, is a firebender and Zuko-esque in his brooding though not on the same level. His hair is very important to him and, inferring from the concept art, so are his looks and outfit.

-A new competition named Pro-Bending is introduced in which teams of three different elemental benders fight in a large arena.(Presumably thus the three main characters who all bend different elements)

-Much like Aang's spirit animal, Appa, Korra's is a female Polar Bear Dog named Naga.

-Bolin has a pet fire ferret name Paboo.

-The series will take place in the city founded by Aang and Zuko called the United Republic.

-United Republic is a roaring metropolis not too far of Fritz Lang's classic with an Asian twist. Taking cues from cities such as New York, the city is powered by steam-punk technology developed from the Fire Nation war machines. To this effect you can see forms of zeppelin air travel as well as wheeled vehicles reminiscent of cars and motorcycles.

-Aang and Katara had three children.

-Tenzin, is their youngest and the only air-bender.

-Tenzin has a wife, Pemma and three kids:  a "bookworm" girl named Jinora, a "motor mouth" girl 

named Iki,and a young son named Meelo.

-Tenzin's disposition is said to be serious though he breaks character at times in the goofiness with his children. In this sense he is a "zen master" with occasional spurts of impatience.

-It is Tenzin whom Korra seeks out in United Republic to be her Airbending teacher.

-The known protagonist in the series is a faction of anti-bending fanatics called the Equallists.

-They use a chi-blocking technique first used by Ty Lee.

-Their masked leader is named Amon.

 

-Toph taught her Metalbending around the world after the events of the first series.

-Another group roaming the city is the police force known for their Metalbending.

-The group is led by Toph's daughter.

ON THE PRODUCTION SIDE:

 The cast list goes as follows:

  

Janet Varney as Korra
Kiernan Shipka as Jinora
Daniel Dae Kim as Hiroshi Sato
David Faustino as Mako
Seychelle Gabriel as Asami
Lance Henriksen as Lieutenant
P.J. Byrne as Bolin
JK Simmons as Tenzin

-Jeremy Zuckerman and the Track Team are back to score the series. They say the score will consist of a 1920's New Orleans jazz backdrop with an Asian twist.

-Sifu Kisu is back to choreograph fights along with newer MMA styles for the Pro-Bending bouts.

-The "mini-series" is said to consist of 26 episodes with no filler episodes to create a concise story.

TRAILER:

ANALYSIS:

0.00-0.05 - Three huddled masses in the snow(possibly Korra, Mako, and Bolin)

0.06-0.08 - An island somewhere

0.09-0.12 - An arctic tribe. Some may be quick to call this the Southern Water Tribe as at a glance it looks similar to what we know of the Southern Water Tribe from the first series but the overall structure is actually fairly different. This is not to say that it isn't the Southern Water Tribe given the 70 year difference. This could be that same location, another southern location or even somewhere in the north given that a group had set out during the previous series to re-establish the sister tribe to the north.

0.13-0.21 - Two shots of the Avatar Aang statue with a backdrop of the city. One important aspect to notice is that the boat that goes by is sail-driven. This gives the impression that though quite a few technological advances have taken place, many practices are the same.

0.23-0.27 - Korra leaves an arctic location, presumably her village, on Naga. This shots denotes that the first arctic city shot is her home in favor of a more remote southern location. Perhaps this is a clue that the Southern Water Tribe has grown into several southern locations. One should also note the characters in the background may very-well be her parents. This may be a scene of Korra when she first went off to become an avatar, learning other elemental bending in the main city or some other location(s).

0.28-0.32 - Korra overlooks the United Republic city.

0.33-0.38 - She can Waterbend in silhouette.

0.39-0.44 - Big master shot of Korra arriving in the big city. The shot shows how the technology and manipulation of metal has changed architecture and construction. You can also see the zeppelin looking similar in technology to that of the war balloons.

0.45-0.48 -This shot in particular reminds me of New York from the Central Park vantage point.

0.49-0.50 - The palace, a relic of old tradition surrounded, and somewhat eclipsed by the omen of progress.

0.51-0.53 - We see the playing field for Pro-Bending.

0.54-1.23 - Intermediate shots between fighting in the Pro-Bending arena and fighting on the streets of the city. In noting the clothing of the three gentlemen, the fashion sticks with the 20's industrialization / steampunkish with an Asian trend. I have also noticed that much of the fighting has Korra either Firebending or having her evade a Firebending attack. This is a somewhat strong theme in her character given her more rebellious and headstrong tendencies. Also, remembering that the opposite element to her native Waterbending is Firebending, it's hard not to notice that her own personality is in deep contrast to her native bending element. It will be interesting to find out what inciting incidents caused this characteristic.

1.24-1.28 - Did I mention she has a giant Polar Bear Dog?

1.29-1.35 - Reveal of the presumed main antagonist and title card.

1.36-1.38 - Bolin = Sokka

Overall it's not a bad first glance at the new world they are building. One specific thing that has been hinted at is how certain people are elemental benders and certain people are not. You can also note that Korra, Bolin, and Mako's eyes are the color of the element they bend. One can infer they might be suggesting that it is something you are either born with or not and their is nothing you can do. In this way it mimics the "Mutant vs. Human" aspect of the X-men comics. Though this might be an homage to  that type of arch, I'm thoroughly against that perspective on bending. I believe making it something along the lines of a "talent" like painting or architecture is a better and less restricting approach. With something like a "talent" you can either be born with naturally or develop on your own seems much less elitist than a simple genetic trait.

Beyond that, it looks to be a fairly unique undertaking with certain revisited ideas but a wholly different type of story than that of the first series. This series will be much more compact with no world traveling but greater focus on inner struggle and character development. Though themes in this series will tend on the more mature angle, the creators are still aiming for the same target audience.

Welp, that's it for now. There might be another dump of info and analysis at some other point before the release in 2013 but until then there are plenty of resources where I got my information and pictures.

Wikipedia Article 

The Avatar Wiki

LegendofKorra.com

Last Airbender Fans