Tbh a better form of protection would have been a dedicated security company, there’s no way no one has not thought about forming a group of guards or mercenaries for hire. Wait why didn’t asami have guards in the first place!? That would have made the whole stolen warehouse thing way easier for asami, you would have guards as witnesses!
My main mission now is to find your comment under every overanalyzing video so I can see the fire nation dancing kid in every overanalyzing video, here’s some luck for both of us 😂🍀
The reason at 1:28 that this house looks like a miniature is the shadows, they go in different angles on different places of the building, which means there is studio lighting on it, and the background is painted flatly. So you see a flat background and notice that the shadows are not made by the sun, so your brain immediately says there's something wrong. It is indeed very well done.
8:30 As a massive fan of Bolin, this joke always causes me to roll my eyes. Like we know Bolin isn't the brightest character in the show but that kind of inability to recognize acting from reality is just painful to rewatch.
5:55 that’s some bullshit, as far as we’re concerned, Mako has one hat (distinct from ‘hats’) and therefore only requires a hook, leaving him totally justified in calling out Bolin’s audacious acquisition of a hat rack, the household appliance famously holding two or more hats*
Saddest part is they could've even made it work if they simply combined the northern portal with the oasis. The locked portal could've been beneath the spirit oasis pond and that could've infused the water and the oasis with spirit energy or something.
Oh! That's what that joke meant. I always laughed at that joke and figured there was some inappropriate subtext to the humor but I never understood what specifically lol
Honestly this episode sold me on Varrick as an antagonist and a fun side character. Even if he never really gets this antagonistic again even when he's part of the Earth Empire.
We should have an "Over-the-Head Spinning Kick Counter" that tallies up all of the over-the-head spinning kicks appear in the entire show and how many of them actually landed / were useful
Counter? You can't counter the Over-the-Head Spinning Kick, it's the ultimate technique! Well, unless you move a bit to the side. (But yes I agree, there's probably dozens of them)
The only reason i see why Mako would be consistently choosing his job over the greater good would be that he grew up poor, so having a well paying job he really enjoys is probably extremely valuable to him.
@@brandonlyon730 To be fair, as someone in the acting field, it's not exactly the most... consistent field, in terms of being a "rising star". For Bolin, this opportunity could just disappear as soon as Varrick drops him for any possible reason, and we know Mako, being the older brother, is at least a bit protective of Bolin, especially in later seasons. He might've been thinking it'd be better to get a job like his that's consistent, rather than a high paying, but extremely difficult Audition based job that you can very easily go through a dry spell in your ability to land auditions in.
I think the reason she blacked out immediately after was the adrenaline She wakes up with 3 strange people over her while she doesnt remember anything and through a mix of adrenaline and instinct did the spin kick then the adrenaline ran out and she blacked out
@@Chaos_God_Chara Speaking from experience, adrenaline to the point of violent kneejerk reactions would not wear off that fast, though you would definitely crash hard once it did.
@@drivingbritt9617it's certainly possible she was already basically at the point of dying here though, which would probably make adrenaline plus instinct only last for a brief moment, like when you're injured but try and swat at a fly out of instinct, arm starts moving fast and then it crashes hard out of pain
The debate of "Should Korra give criminals their bending back?" is actually a really interesting point. Maybe that could've been explored some more. The writers did say later on that Tahno got his bending back from Korra, but we never see it on-screen. I think, personally, that Korra should've given everyone their bending back, even if some of those people might use them to commit crimes. We've seen that bending is a part of people's everyday lives, it's not just used for fighting, and it's like they lose a part of themselves once it's gone. Look at Tahno, he really sucked, but losing his bending still destroyed him. I don't think he deserved that.
Restoring bending really seems like the thing the AVATAR of all people should do to, ya know, restore balance and whatnot. But I suppose the first show sets the precedent of the Avatar deciding who deserves bending and who doesn't. Could be read either way 🤷 Still a weird point to leave unresolved.
We're taking it for granted that Korra refused some people. While it's certainly in-character for Korra to judgemental of who deserves to get their bending back, it's also entirely possible that many among the more criminal element simply didn't come forward to get their bending back, and the choice was never given to Korra in the first place. Bad people tend to assume the worst in others, so they might have suspected a trap and thought they'd be arrested if they came forward, or perhaps expected there would be a price/condition attached that would be too high to pay, or simply took for granted the Avatar would never give bending back to people like them, or they were just too proud to humble themselves before the Avatar by asking and were waiting for an opportunity like this one where they had enough leverage to deal from a position of power.
@@fawazahmed4978 Better then being without the thing that helps me on a daily basis and helps me to defend myself on the street ESPACIALLY when I am part of a gang.
7:00 Yup. Korra was traumatized at the thought of losing her bending in S1, and broke down into tears when she could still bend air. Of all things she should be able to have empathy for it would be people who lost their bending, and it's not like returning the bending of criminals means they don't still go to jail. You'd think out of compassion and principle she'd undo all of Amon's bending blocks which all entailed kidnapping and assault. Then here's Mako, trying to extort their services by promising personal favors from the Avatar, who just angrily broke up with him. They're just so damn unlikable at every turn, it's unbelievable. 7:35 And here's Asami "Merchant of Death" Sato getting her turn lmao
I get the opposition to war profiteering, but if I understand the show correctly, Asami isn't trying to arm the Southern Tribe Nationalists to turn a profit, she's supporting their cause apparently at her own expense. Think the lend-lease policy the US had early on during World War II.
@@mrhitech6742I mean Id rather get my special talent while in prison then go to prison or on the street without it so its still dumb has hell reasonning.
I think what causes the movie castle to look like a model is a couple of things. The background mountains look flat because many elements cast shadow on the plane, and it also has a black tape in it, reinforcing the flatness. The shadows are really sharp and strong, as if the source of light is too close. The foreground of the castle and the bg is out of focus, which causes a dollhouse effect. It really is impressive how many different techniques were employed to sell the effect.
I think they made it look like a miniature by blurring the front of the castle to make it look like it is filmed with a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field is one of the most characteristic effects of filming small objects thus making it so that we associate it with for example miniatures. It's a really nice touch of the animation team.
This is my favorite episode of Legend of Korra. It has this Film Noir vibe with the crime drama, Republic City's 1920s aesthetic, and even the romance with Asami & Mako.
1:28 it looks like a miniature because of the shallow depth of field - the fact that only a small amount of the image is in focus. you have to move a camera extremely close to a miniature for it to appear this scale, and the closer the camera is to the subject the shallower the depth of field, meaning even things slightly closer or slightly farther will appear blurry. because you’re used to seeing extreme closeups of small objects this way, your brain associates this shallow focus with small objects, so even when you see what typically is a large object, like a castle, in very shallow focus, your brain tells you you’re looking at a tiny object. this frame in korra simulates a camera’s shallow focus.
1:25 The proportions on the building are very thick and exaggerated, implying that in-universe, they couldn't make some parts any smaller without losing detail. That and you can see the tiles on the floor to give a subtle frame-of-reference to how small that prop really is.
also yeah amnesia was definitly a trope when korra came out amnesia, quicksand and mind control definitly played alot less of a role in my life then tv shows and movies made me belief...
One thing I would note is that Varek buying a controlling interest in Future Industries doesn't necessarily mean he owns the company. He owns part of it at least, enough to have a say in how it's operated, (that's the 'controlling' part of a controlling interest,) but that does not mean he owns the company completely, Asami still would have a say in what happens in Future Industries.
12:33 Honestly, I understand her striking out just waking up then passing out. That spike of adrenalin followed by that relief of calm. And for a woman to wake up with 3 unknown men surrounding her. You know that adrenalin spike hit hard.
So for the shot at 1:20 i believe the shadows are what creates the illusion, we can see the shadow from the fort is much larger and at a slightly different angle than the igloos to the right, thats because in order to ACTUALLY do this shot IRL the little fort would be close to the camera on a little table while the igloo is far away, the light sources are also from different locations. Now because the IN UNIVERSE shot doesnt have the shadows properly line up it breaks that illusion and makes the fort seem like a minuture, which it is. Truly a fantastic shot
Okay here's my out-of-the-box solution for Korra not giving Shady Shin his bending back: in order for him to get his bending back he would have basically had to go out in public, and the police would have probably arrested him afterwards, so maybe he chose not to go in order to not be in prison too? I'm trying.
12:30 that scene is actually extremely realistic. it is not uncommon for people to get a huge burst of adrenaline in fight or flight situations that just causes them to utterly collapse 10 seconds later
@4:30 Mako being concerned about his job kinda makes sense, given his history. He was part of a street gang (unstable income and home), became a pro bender (unstable income again, with a stable home though), and now has a job as a cop with a stable income and housing, presumably. And, importantly, on the good side of the law. I think Mako sucks as a character just as much as the next enjoyer of Avatar / Korra, but him being selfish here makes some level of sense if you contextualize that selfishness in the story of his life.
@@growingoaks because he's literally the most unlikely asshole imagineable. early on he's basically shown as the "provider for the 2" with Bolin being an idiot and Mako kinda taking on anything he can get his hands on so they can survive, which is admirable. but then when he meets Korra he's instantly an asshole to her ... why? when he finds out she's the Avatar his attitute changes ... hmm, wonder why. then first gets with Korra, then cheats on Korra with Asami (or is it the other way around?) then they get back together, then he breaks up with Korra(previous episode) then gets together with Asami for a bit ... then that goes to shit. let's not forget this entire arc he's going through, at the north/south pole portion he's constantly being insanely vague, granted Korra is a bit of a dick there as well, constantly going "WHY AREN'T YOU PICKING MY SIDE" but he knows at this point that it's bound to happen, so he could react correctly instead of giving his actual opinion, which he knows will obviously clash with Korra (to be fair, that entire relationship is toxic as all hell) Mako is just unlikely and really drags the show down concidering he's with every relationship issue in this show. (even later when Bolin gets a girlfriend, that's a stupidly positive where it had no reason to be that positive.
2:56 Really the only difference in writing between this and Post-A:TLA Avatar, is the former was written with the idea the latter wouldn't do this crap
12:03 What to do when waking up on an island surrounded by people with temporary amnesia: Ask around, gather information and ask for help: ❌ Do a useless 360° breakdancing spin down sweep at the innocent monks: ✅
Dopety dopety doh lemme just sign away over half of the business I turned on and ousted my evil father for just recently to an obvious shyster suspiciously soon after experiencing a historic heist that would have required quite a bit of planning and familiarity with someone from the business at bare minimum. In one swift moment they took Asami's whole character down a peg.
I feel like Asami kissing Mako is some kind of emotional manipulation like Mako told her a few hours earlier that he broke up with Korra recently meaning that rigth now He is extremely emotionally vulnerable, so kissing him out of nowhere like that a few hours later is kinda fucked up. I get that He just conforted her and stuff but still.
1:21 - Looks a lot like the tilt-shift effect. It's complicated but TL;DR you do funky stuff with the camera and it makes real stuff look fake. You can fake it in animation by blurring the periphery of the image and keeping the middle sharp.
I think it’s a mix of there being just enough details to make it look like there’s a little effort put in, the clearly fake background, and the exaggerated shadows to make it look like a lights shining on it
It’s the blur in the front. It’s called tilt shift. Idk much about it but if ur interested google it, some people have done really cool photography with the effect
For the miniature, it's a mix of the background (look how there's a clear line between the ground and the painted wall with mountains) and the simple and square design of the fortress contrasting the more detailed skull
The Balinese instruments on last scene soundtrack for the fire sages is something I always admired since first watching this episode. Because I'm also the Gamelan ensemble player.
Kora is the one who betrayed Mako by trying to drag Republic city into a war. He was 100% right to "betray" her because he was just doing his duty. Honestly not "betraying" her is probably a crime.
12:00 This was basically how I reacted when I woke up after passing out at work one day 😂 I could see bright light and dark figures surrounding me before I could even remember my own name or where I was. I jumped up extremely quick and threw my hands up ready to fight while everyone else started backing away from my sudden movements. Then my head started to clear and I remembered things like who I was and what just happened and just sat down in a chair next to me 😅 It’s weird as hell knowing what it’s like to be conscious and not know anything about anything and then memories all flood back into you
Wow, this turned into a novel quick! 😆TLDR: I've got gripes with this episode, and with the general way the show is written. Pent up, verbose gripes 🤣 I think hearing you talk about Mako helped me articulate one of the things I dislike about TLoK. So many of the characters, even the central ones like Mako are written to be convenient to the plot of the current episode with little regard for the progressing story. The stories in each of AtLA's episodes varied widely, sometimes serving to progress the overarching plot, sometimes just as a stage to watch the characters evolve and interact but through all of them, it felt cohesive and you could watch the characters grow subtly from episode to episode, with only a very few instances of characters reverting to their past selves. TLoK feels like they start each episode with a whiteboard that has all the character's names on it, they write out the episode, then erase the whiteboard and start all over for the next episode. The characters gain and loose personality traits at the whims of plot convenience and it feels like we never really get to know them since all the growth they did in any particular episode may be completely out the window in the next one. The Asammi, Korra, Mako love triangle really demonstrates it vividly with there their relationship ping-pong going back and forth so fast that sometimes it feels like they switch partners every other episode for no on-screen reason. If you accidentally watch a few episodes out of order, you might miss an entire chapter of the relationship and not even notice because a few episodes later, they are back where they started. As for the Korra surviving and having amnesia bit, I just don't like it. Aang's shipwreck beach scene flowed quite naturally from what we saw him doing out at sea, he had a makeshift boat, surf board thing and was bending to use it, so after a few hours of that, he's tired, he clings to the driftwood and by a stroke of luck, washes up on shore before he drowns, all nice and reasonable. Korra on the other hand, gets tackled by a spirit who up until this point, the show has treated as deadly, or at least very serious threat. She's plunged underwater and her pursuers reasonably conclude that she must have perished. Haha, just kidding, she swam away from that spirit that had her completely out classed, or it let her go? We haven't even gotten to the amnesia 🤔 If a character gets bonked on the head and taken out of action, it makes sense that they would wake up disoriented, maybe even having some mental issues, like amnesia, because, you know, head trauma. But being drowned, or rather, nearly drowned, why does that cause memory issues? I know that in real life prolonged hypoxia can cause memory issues, but the brain damaging happens after the passing out part of the drowning experience, so if she got amnesia from lack of oxygen, then the show left out some pretty key details about how she managed to avoid becoming part of the food chain. It's like the writers drew a blank as to where her story should go, so they said "Uh, just put her in time out for a few episodes while we figured out how to continue with her character. Memory loss is easy to hand wave in and out, lets go with that." 😂
1:26 the miniture look comes from the flat perspective of the background in the shot. so they painted a painting that would be behind the miniture. then they used harsh shadows and big bulky detailing to mimic the look of a sculpture that cant be as detailed as the real thing.
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [TEASER MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VC689EgdSIw/mqdefault.jpg)
Like and comment and I'll finally do it.
Oh also both of the "Beginnings" episodes are up on Patreon eyes emoji
Ok
"Do the Thing?"
do a backflip
Do a frontflip
ok
I always interpreted the “Rocky Bottom” as the pg way of calling his mother a “hard ass” (stern, strict, etc)
That kind of makes sense, but if they need the joke to be explained, their show has failed at comedy.
@@drivingbritt9617Idk, I don’t think I read that as the exact meaning, but I was amused by the prospect of Varrick’s mom’s name being Rocky Bottom.
Agreed
It could also just be Varrick cracking wise. Think Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad, he just says things to get a laugh and put people off.
@@drivingbritt9617 not realy, someone not getting a joke doesn't necessarily mean the joke is bad.
When everyone forgets this episode exists and thought it was going to be Beginnings
Yeah lol.
Nooooo this is my favourite episode
nahh the Varrick chair spin reveal is the ONLY reason I remember it
Tbh a better form of protection would have been a dedicated security company, there’s no way no one has not thought about forming a group of guards or mercenaries for hire. Wait why didn’t asami have guards in the first place!? That would have made the whole stolen warehouse thing way easier for asami, you would have guards as witnesses!
Yeah, your point? 😂
9:45 my main mission now is to find the fire nation dancing kid in every overanalyzing video, wish me luck.
You got it dude!
I’ve seen him before and didn’t know what it was lol
My main mission now is to find your comment under every overanalyzing video so I can see the fire nation dancing kid in every overanalyzing video, here’s some luck for both of us 😂🍀
@@jaden2157 Same here lol I noticed in last weeks video and was like "THE FUCK IS THAT"
I believe it's in the Headband episode
The reason at 1:28 that this house looks like a miniature is the shadows, they go in different angles on different places of the building, which means there is studio lighting on it, and the background is painted flatly. So you see a flat background and notice that the shadows are not made by the sun, so your brain immediately says there's something wrong.
It is indeed very well done.
8:30 As a massive fan of Bolin, this joke always causes me to roll my eyes. Like we know Bolin isn't the brightest character in the show but that kind of inability to recognize acting from reality is just painful to rewatch.
Didnt see any comments like this on the ATLA episode like that hmm 🤔
It’s the absolute worst joke in the entire franchise.
@@growingoakswhy would you? Avatar is the greatest show ever created and there’s zero flaws, you’re just a Korra shill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@Holdthetomatoesplz not a shill. You’re just an ATLA simp so you blindly hate anything else Avatar. Cringe
@@growingoaks huh?
I swear I can ONLY catch the guy in black dancing in vast distant backgrounds, on rewatches. The art of grooving in stealth is impeccable man.
This is actually the first time I've noticed him. Has be been in other videos??
??? What where are you seeing this
@@javierpinon9443 9:45
@@wbhuser2015 I've coincidentally saw it in a video from AtlA season 3 of him, but I don't remember which episode exactly
He's the guy from the headband, pretty funny dance
5:55 that’s some bullshit, as far as we’re concerned, Mako has one hat (distinct from ‘hats’) and therefore only requires a hook, leaving him totally justified in calling out Bolin’s audacious acquisition of a hat rack, the household appliance famously holding two or more hats*
0:49
It's almost like the portals are a massive retcon that can't just be handwaved
Saddest part is they could've even made it work if they simply combined the northern portal with the oasis. The locked portal could've been beneath the spirit oasis pond and that could've infused the water and the oasis with spirit energy or something.
The portals and the tree of time were both seen in atla.
Your comments is 13 days ago and I’m watching this on a three minute mark
@@Lizziestudios They had previous access through patreon
@@isaiahcaston4539 can they now? Do enlighten us
3:43 I think it’s Varrick calling his mom a “hard a~~” but in a TV-PG way.
Years of watching this show and I finally got this joke
came here to comment this 😆
Oh! That's what that joke meant. I always laughed at that joke and figured there was some inappropriate subtext to the humor but I never understood what specifically lol
"she can smell blood in the water, you can tell"
Bro, that sent me
Honestly this episode sold me on Varrick as an antagonist and a fun side character. Even if he never really gets this antagonistic again even when he's part of the Earth Empire.
Tbf, I feel like he was used perfectly in season 4
@@DepravedCoTApologist His comedy and contributions to the story made sense there.
5:03 "They wrote this dude to be the Ba Sing Se of likeability, impenetrable."
We should have an "Over-the-Head Spinning Kick Counter" that tallies up all of the over-the-head spinning kicks appear in the entire show and how many of them actually landed / were useful
Counter? You can't counter the Over-the-Head Spinning Kick, it's the ultimate technique! Well, unless you move a bit to the side.
(But yes I agree, there's probably dozens of them)
The only reason i see why Mako would be consistently choosing his job over the greater good would be that he grew up poor, so having a well paying job he really enjoys is probably extremely valuable to him.
Yet he is pretty dismissive of Bolin having a succesful career in acting.
@@brandonlyon730 To be fair, as someone in the acting field, it's not exactly the most... consistent field, in terms of being a "rising star". For Bolin, this opportunity could just disappear as soon as Varrick drops him for any possible reason, and we know Mako, being the older brother, is at least a bit protective of Bolin, especially in later seasons. He might've been thinking it'd be better to get a job like his that's consistent, rather than a high paying, but extremely difficult Audition based job that you can very easily go through a dry spell in your ability to land auditions in.
This was a pretty good episode by season 2 standards.
Now time to completely forget the plot for 2 episodes.
😂
How is this comment from 2 weeks ago if the video was released only a couple minutes ago? Time traveler confirmed
@@justaguyontheinternet3893 It's released for youtube channel members before everyone else
@@justaguyontheinternet3893 I think it’s a patreon thing
@@justaguyontheinternet3893 Patreon members can see the next 2 videos early, he says this in literally every video.
12:33 Not as crazy as it sounds. Adrenaline's a hell of a drug.
exactly
I think the reason she blacked out immediately after was the adrenaline
She wakes up with 3 strange people over her while she doesnt remember anything and through a mix of adrenaline and instinct did the spin kick then the adrenaline ran out and she blacked out
@@Chaos_God_Chara Speaking from experience, adrenaline to the point of violent kneejerk reactions would not wear off that fast, though you would definitely crash hard once it did.
@@drivingbritt9617it's certainly possible she was already basically at the point of dying here though, which would probably make adrenaline plus instinct only last for a brief moment, like when you're injured but try and swat at a fly out of instinct, arm starts moving fast and then it crashes hard out of pain
The debate of "Should Korra give criminals their bending back?" is actually a really interesting point. Maybe that could've been explored some more. The writers did say later on that Tahno got his bending back from Korra, but we never see it on-screen.
I think, personally, that Korra should've given everyone their bending back, even if some of those people might use them to commit crimes. We've seen that bending is a part of people's everyday lives, it's not just used for fighting, and it's like they lose a part of themselves once it's gone. Look at Tahno, he really sucked, but losing his bending still destroyed him. I don't think he deserved that.
Restoring bending really seems like the thing the AVATAR of all people should do to, ya know, restore balance and whatnot.
But I suppose the first show sets the precedent of the Avatar deciding who deserves bending and who doesn't.
Could be read either way 🤷
Still a weird point to leave unresolved.
We're taking it for granted that Korra refused some people. While it's certainly in-character for Korra to judgemental of who deserves to get their bending back, it's also entirely possible that many among the more criminal element simply didn't come forward to get their bending back, and the choice was never given to Korra in the first place.
Bad people tend to assume the worst in others, so they might have suspected a trap and thought they'd be arrested if they came forward, or perhaps expected there would be a price/condition attached that would be too high to pay, or simply took for granted the Avatar would never give bending back to people like them, or they were just too proud to humble themselves before the Avatar by asking and were waiting for an opportunity like this one where they had enough leverage to deal from a position of power.
@@dargron7614Id rather get my talent and go to prison then to stay without it for the rest of my life that is dumb has hell reasonning.
@@malikpierre-louis3343 dunno mate i think its dumb as hell to choose to go to prison
@@fawazahmed4978 Better then being without the thing that helps me on a daily basis and helps me to defend myself on the street ESPACIALLY when I am part of a gang.
7:00 Yup. Korra was traumatized at the thought of losing her bending in S1, and broke down into tears when she could still bend air. Of all things she should be able to have empathy for it would be people who lost their bending, and it's not like returning the bending of criminals means they don't still go to jail. You'd think out of compassion and principle she'd undo all of Amon's bending blocks which all entailed kidnapping and assault.
Then here's Mako, trying to extort their services by promising personal favors from the Avatar, who just angrily broke up with him. They're just so damn unlikable at every turn, it's unbelievable.
7:35 And here's Asami "Merchant of Death" Sato getting her turn lmao
Perhaps the criminals knowing they'd still go to jail is what motivated them not to seek Korra's help
I get the opposition to war profiteering, but if I understand the show correctly, Asami isn't trying to arm the Southern Tribe Nationalists to turn a profit, she's supporting their cause apparently at her own expense. Think the lend-lease policy the US had early on during World War II.
@@mrhitech6742I mean Id rather get my special talent while in prison then go to prison or on the street without it so its still dumb has hell reasonning.
@@drivingbritt9617I think op was more referring to her giving powerful weapons to violent gangsters
@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 Ah, true dat.
3:18 bro took that orbital laser like a champ though
Is the "over the head bending kick" the "waist high wave" of Korra? Sure looks like it now
That was the best fingerless glove fan edit I've ever seen.
I think what causes the movie castle to look like a model is a couple of things. The background mountains look flat because many elements cast shadow on the plane, and it also has a black tape in it, reinforcing the flatness. The shadows are really sharp and strong, as if the source of light is too close. The foreground of the castle and the bg is out of focus, which causes a dollhouse effect.
It really is impressive how many different techniques were employed to sell the effect.
I think they made it look like a miniature by blurring the front of the castle to make it look like it is filmed with a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field is one of the most characteristic effects of filming small objects thus making it so that we associate it with for example miniatures. It's a really nice touch of the animation team.
7:26 Maybe it moreso that Shady Shin thought he'd be immediately arrested if he went to get his bending back, and not that Korra just refused to.
I was just about to comment this myself, completely agree
This is my favorite episode of Legend of Korra. It has this Film Noir vibe with the crime drama, Republic City's 1920s aesthetic, and even the romance with Asami & Mako.
1:28 it looks like a miniature because of the shallow depth of field - the fact that only a small amount of the image is in focus. you have to move a camera extremely close to a miniature for it to appear this scale, and the closer the camera is to the subject the shallower the depth of field, meaning even things slightly closer or slightly farther will appear blurry. because you’re used to seeing extreme closeups of small objects this way, your brain associates this shallow focus with small objects, so even when you see what typically is a large object, like a castle, in very shallow focus, your brain tells you you’re looking at a tiny object. this frame in korra simulates a camera’s shallow focus.
also damn i’ve never tried to explain that in words before, someone could probably have done that in a way more concise way lol
also known as "tilt-shift effect"
I think that Varik is definitely at his best here, but my favorite moment from him is definitely the on the train in book 4.
I’m with you
YOU DID THE THING!!
“This is the first time I’ve built a timer and it might run a little fast.”
1:25 The proportions on the building are very thick and exaggerated, implying that in-universe, they couldn't make some parts any smaller without losing detail. That and you can see the tiles on the floor to give a subtle frame-of-reference to how small that prop really is.
“But the moon is on the wrong side”
Had me crying I did not expect that but I needed it. Never fucking change dude.
also yeah amnesia was definitly a trope when korra came out
amnesia, quicksand and mind control definitly played alot less of a role in my life then tv shows and movies made me belief...
I'm fairly sure Rocky Bottom is supposed to be a G-rated form of hard ass
2:52 that is peak... You will never surpass this form of comedy ever again
You should do a video with just all of the callouts clipped together. The creativity you put there is absolutely amazing.
9:44 What do you mean "They stole everything!"? They didn't get those sick dance moves.
10:24 wait his name is 2-toed Ping because he has 2 extra toes, so does that mean they’re gonna cut off just the 2 extras? Or all of them?
In terms of the damage it does to Mako's character, it amounts to the same thing.
The Goodwin shout out tho lol, nice installment as always!
One thing I would note is that Varek buying a controlling interest in Future Industries doesn't necessarily mean he owns the company. He owns part of it at least, enough to have a say in how it's operated, (that's the 'controlling' part of a controlling interest,) but that does not mean he owns the company completely, Asami still would have a say in what happens in Future Industries.
12:33
Honestly, I understand her striking out just waking up then passing out. That spike of adrenalin followed by that relief of calm. And for a woman to wake up with 3 unknown men surrounding her. You know that adrenalin spike hit hard.
It’s not a sex thing, a man would react the same way in the same situation. Thats cringe to bring up cuz its so irrelevant
Agreed. Adrenaline is one hell of a drug in a fight or flight response and can crash pretty dramatically too once it's not needed anymore.
I've always seen Korra jumping up right away then falling exhausted as an adrenaline boost moment
So for the shot at 1:20 i believe the shadows are what creates the illusion, we can see the shadow from the fort is much larger and at a slightly different angle than the igloos to the right, thats because in order to ACTUALLY do this shot IRL the little fort would be close to the camera on a little table while the igloo is far away, the light sources are also from different locations. Now because the IN UNIVERSE shot doesnt have the shadows properly line up it breaks that illusion and makes the fort seem like a minuture, which it is. Truly a fantastic shot
3:50 aaaa I get it, "it TARES me up inside" what a comedian
The windmill kick from Korea was probably a shot of adrenaline.
"ba sing se of likeability" i've never heard a better description of mako's character
0:57
Retconning. The world you're forgetting is retconning.
Okay here's my out-of-the-box solution for Korra not giving Shady Shin his bending back: in order for him to get his bending back he would have basically had to go out in public, and the police would have probably arrested him afterwards, so maybe he chose not to go in order to not be in prison too? I'm trying.
12:30 that scene is actually extremely realistic. it is not uncommon for people to get a huge burst of adrenaline in fight or flight situations that just causes them to utterly collapse 10 seconds later
13:03 “least likable character in fiction”, no that would be Mindy Kaling’s self-insert that she calls Velma.
5:08 "Chicken... pigeons?" made me snicker
I wonder how that would taste...
So much more editing in this episode, well done!! It was hilarious 😂😂
@4:30 Mako being concerned about his job kinda makes sense, given his history. He was part of a street gang (unstable income and home), became a pro bender (unstable income again, with a stable home though), and now has a job as a cop with a stable income and housing, presumably. And, importantly, on the good side of the law.
I think Mako sucks as a character just as much as the next enjoyer of Avatar / Korra, but him being selfish here makes some level of sense if you contextualize that selfishness in the story of his life.
Why does he suck? 😂 you wylin with that one
Still bad person but completely inside his characterization
@@growingoaks because he's literally the most unlikely asshole imagineable.
early on he's basically shown as the "provider for the 2" with Bolin being an idiot and Mako kinda taking on anything he can get his hands on so they can survive, which is admirable.
but then when he meets Korra he's instantly an asshole to her ... why?
when he finds out she's the Avatar his attitute changes ... hmm, wonder why.
then first gets with Korra, then cheats on Korra with Asami (or is it the other way around?) then they get back together, then he breaks up with Korra(previous episode) then gets together with Asami for a bit ... then that goes to shit.
let's not forget this entire arc he's going through, at the north/south pole portion he's constantly being insanely vague, granted Korra is a bit of a dick there as well, constantly going "WHY AREN'T YOU PICKING MY SIDE" but he knows at this point that it's bound to happen, so he could react correctly instead of giving his actual opinion, which he knows will obviously clash with Korra (to be fair, that entire relationship is toxic as all hell)
Mako is just unlikely and really drags the show down concidering he's with every relationship issue in this show. (even later when Bolin gets a girlfriend, that's a stupidly positive where it had no reason to be that positive.
2:56
Really the only difference in writing between this and Post-A:TLA Avatar, is the former was written with the idea the latter wouldn't do this crap
Dang I thought at first you posted two vids in a few days, but I guess the week felt short
So glad you’re back missed your content
12:03 What to do when waking up on an island surrounded by people with temporary amnesia:
Ask around, gather information and ask for help: ❌
Do a useless 360° breakdancing spin down sweep at the innocent monks: ✅
She literally just woke up surrounded by strangers. It was a fight or flight response
Zuko breakdance is eternal
@@nahometesfay1112 Weird she doesn't remember who she is but remembers her own bending.
@@brandonlyon730 did you expect her to forget how to breathe or walk too?
@@brandonlyon730 I don't think she remembered that she could airbend it was just a knee jerk reaction
Never thought I’d hear “boombox” again 😂
10:00 i know its short but love this song
7:32 Tahno did get his bending back according to the canonical video game.
Dopety dopety doh lemme just sign away over half of the business I turned on and ousted my evil father for just recently to an obvious shyster suspiciously soon after experiencing a historic heist that would have required quite a bit of planning and familiarity with someone from the business at bare minimum.
In one swift moment they took Asami's whole character down a peg.
perfect timing bro, ilysm
Hearing boombox in one of these videos is the last thing i would have expected
The dancing fire nation boy gag will never get old
2:31 man, Ginger really overdrew her lipstick in this frame
I forgot about the Varik plot twist and you I’m happy you mentioned it last episode because it makes the character way more interesting than he is ngl
Your patreon shoutouts are legitimately a video highlight every time
We are almost at THE episode that really grinds my gears...
We all wait with bated breath... except for the Patrons, but that's none of my business...
At 1:20 I'm willing to bet that they referenced tilt shift photography because it also has the exact same look you're describing
I feel like Asami kissing Mako is some kind of emotional manipulation like Mako told her a few hours earlier that he broke up with Korra recently meaning that rigth now He is extremely emotionally vulnerable, so kissing him out of nowhere like that a few hours later is kinda fucked up. I get that He just conforted her and stuff but still.
1:21 - Looks a lot like the tilt-shift effect. It's complicated but TL;DR you do funky stuff with the camera and it makes real stuff look fake. You can fake it in animation by blurring the periphery of the image and keeping the middle sharp.
Hey someone else who knew the name of the effect! Hell yeah
Darth Jar Jar ....
*Theory?*
Oh you sweet summer child
2:42 very clear that that was a fake punch that did not connect.
1:30 My guess is very careful perspective
I think it’s a mix of there being just enough details to make it look like there’s a little effort put in, the clearly fake background, and the exaggerated shadows to make it look like a lights shining on it
It’s the blur in the front. It’s called tilt shift. Idk much about it but if ur interested google it, some people have done really cool photography with the effect
An extra scene of Yue helping Korra from the water to the beach would be a cool addition now that I think about it
That Aang cameo was spot on!
Wait, I’ve thought of a scene from Atla with absolutely no movement:
That in Imprisoned when everyone’s acting casual in Haru’s house!
And now we wait for the inevitable Beginnings overanalysis
I was gonna say "the fingerless gloves are so they dont get in the way electricity bending" but i think the factory workers we see all wear gloves?
Yeah they do, stuff like gloves and shoes has never gotten in the way of firebending/lightning. Mako’s just tryna look cool
"Nuktuk from the South" has to be based on the 1922 Blockbuster "Nanook of the North"
I'm so glad you talked about the miniature.
Fun fact, the tanks first appeared in and are the final boss for an ATLA game by THQ in 2006.
Im pretty sure him calling the ship "rockybottom" after his Mom is him calling his mom a "Hard Ass"
For the miniature, it's a mix of the background (look how there's a clear line between the ground and the painted wall with mountains) and the simple and square design of the fortress contrasting the more detailed skull
the only thing that stings is the love triangle in this episode.
The Balinese instruments on last scene soundtrack for the fire sages is something I always admired since first watching this episode. Because I'm also the Gamelan ensemble player.
8:56 I wouldn't be surprised if there is a fanfiction with that idea. I have read many "unique" Avatar ideas, and this is not out of line.
Ah man! Next week’s episodes are gonna break Avatar’s lore FOR KITES
THE MOON IS NOT ON THE WRONG SIDE!
Kora is the one who betrayed Mako by trying to drag Republic city into a war. He was 100% right to "betray" her because he was just doing his duty. Honestly not "betraying" her is probably a crime.
I wonder if @12:00 is like a trauma response leftover from Aang. Korra even reacts with airbending.
9:45 You got me there LOL
12:00 This was basically how I reacted when I woke up after passing out at work one day 😂
I could see bright light and dark figures surrounding me before I could even remember my own name or where I was.
I jumped up extremely quick and threw my hands up ready to fight while everyone else started backing away from my sudden movements.
Then my head started to clear and I remembered things like who I was and what just happened and just sat down in a chair next to me 😅
It’s weird as hell knowing what it’s like to be conscious and not know anything about anything and then memories all flood back into you
I love when you post these videos. I more often than not agree with your thoughts and opinions… like almost constantly. Keep going!!!
9:38 I hate that kick, just because of how overused it is😂
Wow, this turned into a novel quick! 😆TLDR: I've got gripes with this episode, and with the general way the show is written. Pent up, verbose gripes 🤣
I think hearing you talk about Mako helped me articulate one of the things I dislike about TLoK. So many of the characters, even the central ones like Mako are written to be convenient to the plot of the current episode with little regard for the progressing story.
The stories in each of AtLA's episodes varied widely, sometimes serving to progress the overarching plot, sometimes just as a stage to watch the characters evolve and interact but through all of them, it felt cohesive and you could watch the characters grow subtly from episode to episode, with only a very few instances of characters reverting to their past selves. TLoK feels like they start each episode with a whiteboard that has all the character's names on it, they write out the episode, then erase the whiteboard and start all over for the next episode. The characters gain and loose personality traits at the whims of plot convenience and it feels like we never really get to know them since all the growth they did in any particular episode may be completely out the window in the next one.
The Asammi, Korra, Mako love triangle really demonstrates it vividly with there their relationship ping-pong going back and forth so fast that sometimes it feels like they switch partners every other episode for no on-screen reason. If you accidentally watch a few episodes out of order, you might miss an entire chapter of the relationship and not even notice because a few episodes later, they are back where they started.
As for the Korra surviving and having amnesia bit, I just don't like it. Aang's shipwreck beach scene flowed quite naturally from what we saw him doing out at sea, he had a makeshift boat, surf board thing and was bending to use it, so after a few hours of that, he's tired, he clings to the driftwood and by a stroke of luck, washes up on shore before he drowns, all nice and reasonable. Korra on the other hand, gets tackled by a spirit who up until this point, the show has treated as deadly, or at least very serious threat. She's plunged underwater and her pursuers reasonably conclude that she must have perished. Haha, just kidding, she swam away from that spirit that had her completely out classed, or it let her go? We haven't even gotten to the amnesia 🤔 If a character gets bonked on the head and taken out of action, it makes sense that they would wake up disoriented, maybe even having some mental issues, like amnesia, because, you know, head trauma. But being drowned, or rather, nearly drowned, why does that cause memory issues? I know that in real life prolonged hypoxia can cause memory issues, but the brain damaging happens after the passing out part of the drowning experience, so if she got amnesia from lack of oxygen, then the show left out some pretty key details about how she managed to avoid becoming part of the food chain. It's like the writers drew a blank as to where her story should go, so they said "Uh, just put her in time out for a few episodes while we figured out how to continue with her character. Memory loss is easy to hand wave in and out, lets go with that." 😂
12:35 that move kinda looks like Zukos fire breakdancing move but with air
10:30 that's just regular cops. If anything, that means he's good at his job
10:12 🌊🐟🐠
HAHAHAHA
Damn, Boombox is unironically one of my favorite songs I think, this caught me off guard and made me laugh!
So glad you made a lonely island reference!
1:26 the miniture look comes from the flat perspective of the background in the shot. so they painted a painting that would be behind the miniture. then they used harsh shadows and big bulky detailing to mimic the look of a sculpture that cant be as detailed as the real thing.