Broken Figurine

I feel like if Kishimoto let Sasuke have some culpability things would be a lot different, but it's very much that, as Nate said, there's this reflexive need to defend Sasuke from criticism. He has a horrible track record and look, characters have gone above and beyond for him. I could have maybe, maaaybe, maybe made peace with the fact that Sakura ended up with Sasuke if he was a genuinely changed man. Cop out? Yes, but given this journey of saving Sasuke cost Naruto an arm and lots of my time as a reader I could imagine during peace time he took on responsibility and was at least physically present.

Yet no, I have no idea what he's doing but a father he is not being. He's not changed any. He's still causing problems for characters and they're still not letting him go. Sakura won't move on from him until the story does. This is the next generation, post-resolution Naruto manga, and it still comes back to Sasuke's absence and people missing him--still comes back to the mystery surrounding his family. 

I feel some sympathy for Sarada because she can obviously tell something's not right, and I'll feel better about her character if she's shown supporting the woman that has for all intents and purposes raised her. Maybe Sakura is under a genjutsu (which would be absolutely disgsuting) but to Sarada, that's her mother. That's the single-mother who raised her and as far as the lash out goes I don't think Sakura is physically abusive to her. I want to believe Sakura could at least be a good mother. 

It's just so upsetting to see Sakura like this. In a way, I think we all knew as anti-SasuSaku fans that this was the expected outcome of their marriage, but to see it and to see her so down... and then to see people supporting Sasuke and fans on this very forum calling her useless because she's in this situation is just so disheartening. Nobody deserves to be in this complicated situation and it seems that Sakura just really can't catch a break. I want her to finally let go of Sasuke and it's so frustrating to know that this plot-point isn't going to be dealt with properly. It's just going to keep making Sakura look bad for the sake of Uchiha-drama. 

To quote Sakura, "I'm tired of it."

I'm not saying that Sakura shouldn't have known better, but come on--we know that when it comes to Sasuke everyone seems to want to love and forgive him. Also? He deceived her in the ending because after everything, it looked like he was going to come back and finally get on the right track. He may have even had a child with her. He may have given her his child with Karin and asked her to raise Sarada in a specific way--upholding a lie. Why Sakura goes along with it is the same question we ask of women in these real life cases. I'm frustrated that once again, Sasuke has been the cause of drama and conflict--after everything they've been through because Kishimoto keeps making characters love and adore him to their own detriment. Why? I don't know. 

Yet again, blaming Sakura entirely and expecting that she deserves it for being with a guy like that? Then blaming Sakura for the hate Sasuke gets? No, people hate him because after 700 chapters of drama, he's still an irredeemable ass. He would still abandon people. He's still causing harm. Kishimoto is still using him as this ambiguous antagonist.

You know why women stay in these horrible situations? Because they think they could fix the abuser. They think that he needs them. They think they're not worth anything more. They think that because of his past or whatever he's 'troubled' and he really loves them, he's just gotta work out his issues. Sound familiar? Sakura has built Sasuke up in her head and if this story was being treated seriously, who would let her stay with Sasuke?

People who love her aren't clamouring around to tell her she deserves better. Naruto, Ino, Tsunade, her parents, everyone is supportive of this because in some part they themselves share the same attitude, particularly Naruto. Sasuke not being treated like the bad news he is is practically a theme of the manga.

I'm upset because Sakura doesn't deserve this, and it's sad to see her in such a situation. It's not oh she made her bed--it's that she has the story of a victim without the proper addressing. Character flaws--actual character flaws not just lukewarm faults that are there to make a character 'complex' are a source of good writing and drama. The problem is, they're not going to spin this like Sasuke is a terrible person and everyone should stay away from him. This isn't going to have the resolution where after years of being deluded Sakura is going to let Sasuke go because he's been absent, unsupportive, and ungrateful. No, this is about Sakura learning that endurance is the path. As long as she endures, everything will be alright.

Obviously, she's not happy. Frequently visiting the hospital, taking out loans for the house, being insecure over normal questions about her marriage--Sakura is not just unhappy she probably feels useless. Yet Sasuke is just whatever right? Everyone should have known the detriment that he is--yet that's not how the entire manga thus far has been spun. There's always some excuse to pursue Sasuke, always some excuse to wait for him. Kishimoto is going to create another one, and I'm going to watch a genuinely good character suffer because of him. How can we expect Sakura to see him for what he is when Naruto never has?

I don't say that Sakura should be with him and this is how I wanted her character to handle things, but how can I call her horrible for it when she's suffering for it? Kishimoto intentionally writes it so that Sasuke remains this big dramatic plot point, and characters aside from Naruto and his fated (BS) bond with him is the only character who will remotely look 'strong' when it comes to Sasuke. Why would people hate Sakura for being with him, and then love Sasuke? I dislike Sasuke and feel sorry that Sakura had to be the one to be saddled with him. I hate that Sarada, by all accounts Sakura's daughter biological or not, has to be another unhappy Uchiha because Sasuke has learned nothing about being a decent person over 700 chapters.

There are valid criticisms and I share them but the 'Sakura should have been stronger' and 'she should have known' absolving Sasuke of the fault is just ridiculous. No one is helping her; the manga isn't addressing this properly, because Kishimoto doesn't seem to want to just admit Sasuke is not a good person and that other characters shouldn't love him as intensely as they do. Karin, Naruto, Sakura, they all share the same issue--loving Sasuke to a fault.

So I was on the anti-SasuSaku tag on tumblr because I was curious, and I ran across some rather... disturbing things? Sasuke fans, even those against SasuSaku (or SasuKarin) basically blame Sakura for being stupid enough to be in a relationship with him. I would agree to this to some extent, but the overall tone is victim blaming and while they can say vile things about Sakura being weak, overzealous with affection, and even going so far as to say Sarada is incompetant as a daughter, just will shrug and be like yeah Sasuke's a jerk not like anything's new.

Sasuke has always been the character that has been bad for others. He's always the one hurting people around him, and for some inexplicable reason people care about him. It doesn't matter if it was Naruto, or Karin, or Sakura. Sasuke is bad news. 

Then there's people who are pro-Sarada and anti-Sakura because they feel that she's being an abusive mom for hiding things. While I can agree somewhat that I have no idea why Sakura would hide these things and live this way, I feel like we need to at least wait for some explanation why before casting her into the abusive/horrible mother trope. Sasuke however, he has a terrible track record and I can believe he's out there being unfaithful, neglectful, or whathave you. He's the one who has been absent this whole time. He's the one who left Sakura in the situation that she's in--for whatever reason she's in it. 

I'm not saying that one needs to support Sakura and her horrible decision to be with Sasuke and live a lie. It's just baffling that there are people who are against the pairing, but supporting Sasuke. Whatever issues they take with Sakura, I can't take their arguments seriously if they don't offer the same scrutiny to him. Whatever she's done, she hasn't been nearly as much an antagonist. Even if she's a terrible mother, how can you defend the absent father any more?

Getting sick often/fainting, taking out a loan? Faking photographs with Sasuke? What is Sakura's life honestly?

She seems so uncertain of herself and her situation, and I don't know by what contrivance she has been led to lie to her daughter; and whether biologically hers or not if Sarada believes she's a child of Sakura's that means that it was Sakura who cared for her all those years... alone. I didn't expect better from having Sasuke as a partner honestly.

Seeing Naruto and Boruto interact was so... blah. Naruto is more a disappointment than Sakura because while she's in a messed up situation with absentee father and questionably daughter, he's supposedly fulfilled his dream and he's not hurting for cash being the hokage. Heck with his clones he has the dream of most hard-working modern people who would wish they could be in more places than one to do it all.

The most depressing thing is that I don't even think Sarada is good as Sakura's future. Sarada, aside from having a cringe-worthy name, seems more her father's daughter than Sakura's. I don't see Sakura's influence in her and if I do, it'll probably be something cheap like 'inner Sakura'. Children don't have to be reflections of their parents, but I suppose the fun of imagining the next generation was seeing how the dynamic of the parents are brought out in the kid. Minato and Kushina both expressed themeselves in Naruto from looks, beliefs, and temperament. From what I saw of her... Sarada is pretty unlikeable to me, and that's sad given that she's Sakura's daughter. I thought that if Sasuke and Sakura had a child at the very least I could take solace in the children. Problem is I can't. She seems too much like Karin and Sasuke to me, and I don't like her personality.

Let's not forget that Sasuke wasn't in the healthiest mindset in the manga, and being asexual isn't a choice or circumstance but an orientation. Luffy from One Piece was apparently stated to be asexual even though he had some instances of interest. Sasuke is tricky because he obviously settled down in canon and had a child and even that doesn't exclude being asexual (people of this orientation can have sex for reproductive means), but likewise the same can be said. Just because someone's sexual and romantic life isn't touched on, or seems scarce, doesn't mean they're automatically asexual. Also given Kishimoto's idea of romance I don't see him seriously considering his characters' sexuality. 

I would have preferred him alone because he has serious issues, regardless of his sexuality. Of all his strong potential love interests, Karin, Sakura, and Naruto, he attempted to kill each one. In my non-canon preferences, if he were to be with anyone, I would want this addressed, and in the end I don't particularly care for him as a romantic element. Asexual, aromantic, or otherwise, I think the real issue is his behaviour and what he's done. 

Not particularly, because we were fans of SOMETHING. We all have to admit that there were things we liked about the story or we would have saw the ending coming. I think what I regret was allowing my shipping fever to get my hopes up for a satisfying ending when I should have seen the signs of poor quality and writing everywhere. I still think Part 1 was a great story, and Part 2 did offer some great things like Sakura's development (before her derailment), Killer Bee, expanded understanding of the political structure and greater world building... We got a character like Sai who I thought made a great addition to team 7.

We have to accept that what we loved did not turn out great. Would it have spared us the heartache? Sure, but then we had a lot of great memories. Many of us enjoyed cosplaying the characters, discussing them, bonding over them, and having something to look forward to weekly. There are some great fanfiction out there and I still love Naruto and Sakura, respectively and in a pairing. Did I like what they turned into? No. Do I see some really big issues with them now? Yes, especially for Naruto. But I can't say I wish I never was a fan. I just wish it didn't end the way that it did.

It's great! Fleur doesn't get as much credit. I always found Ginny rather annoying for making fun of her. She was obviously an incredibly talented witch if she was selected for the triwizard tournament. Then again, I am of the opinion that most pairings with Harry are better than the way Ginny was handled. As for the fanart itself, it's gorgeous and I like how it feels something of a mesh between book style art and the live-action portraits of the characters. Big fan~

People are bashing shojous here, but in shojou it's very much romance centred where from a narrative perspective it makes SENSE that the two have inclinations toward each other, and it is often not the man's question of whether he loves her or not, but the female in choosing from her harem of options. No, romantic conventions don't often translate out into great relationships; this has also been criticized of the tsundere trope that Sakura is part of, but the narrative often has an internal logic that allows for a plausible relationship. SasuSaku had barely that, even when we consider the whole 'girl saving the guy from himself'. Unlike usual shojous, this was not Sakura's role but Naruto's. Maybe the shippers did want it to be her role, but the narrative argued against it. The bad guy also doesn't put the female lead in danger, rather protects her from it. People who shipped SasuSaku in Part 1 weren't so crazy for doing so; Sasuke may have been a jerk, but he never hurt Sakura, and it was ambiguous but reasonable to assume that he cared about her. Part 2 had complicated this beyond the point of plausibility.

People will ship irregardless of what the text is trying to imply, as people are really good at reading what they want--this goes for us too, but NaruSaku always had the stronger argument. Maybe this Bastard Boyfriend is the reason why it's so popular or the behaviour is unquestioned, but even that trope offers better romantic plausibility than what SasuSaku is/was. 

I think it's been touched on that Naruto's perception of Sasuke's character is the reason why he wouldn't step in. One criticism I always had of part 2 Naruto was that he didn't stand up for Sakura the same way he did part 1 when Sasuke was being cruel to her. It was pretty telling that when Sasuke tried to kill Sakura a second time his response was "she's part of team 7 too!" and he never really spoke to Sakura after that. We had been hoping that in the long run they would work out their issues, that later moments would make up for it, but there was always this lack of appropriate responses when it came to team 7. Sasuke too easily forgiven, Naruto too optimistic, Sakura always worrying and feeling inadequate. Those things weren't really resolved. Sasuke just sort of decided that he was done being a lone renegade and so they decided to move on.

That means that, to quote Elsa, they decided "the past is in the past" and if Naruto wasn't going to call Sasuke out during the bad, he's not going to while it's going good. Obviously, this doesn't make us happy or reflect well on Naruto.

A large focus for the fandom as it came toward the end of Naruto was chapters, analysis, and arguing for the 'endgame'. Maybe now that things are the way they are, we can put down our defences and just enjoy the pairing for what it is. We will always have our moments, and we've been making our own 'endings' and alternative universes before the end of Naruto was in sight. This changes nothing. We don't love the pairing because it was going to be canon (or so we rightfully thought) but because we liked the characters together. 

Right now I feel that my muse for Naruto is gone, but given some time to recover I already feel that it's coming back. For me, it's actually in the form of roleplaying that helps me really get my fandom muse going. I would love to see something in the roleplay part of the board that can sort of help fellow Naruto and roleplaying fans come together. Maybe like a Naruto roleplay advertisement board? Say if I was interested in roleplaying as Naruto and was looking for a Sakura and wanted to explore after the ending, or heck even and alternate universe. It'd extend to one on one searches and looking for group roleplays on the site.

I don't hate the Makorra fandom and I understand why they shipped the pairing, but I thought given how rushed, how turmulent, how problematic it was, people could understand that the relationship could have gone any which way. They did tack on a lot of evidence for Makorra, but they also tacked on a lot of problems. If they truly wanted Makorra and then just jumped ship last moment, they really shouldn't have done the love-triangle in which cheating happened. It makes me question MAKO in the situation. He was the one who had the choice to break up with Asami in lieu of his budding feelings for Korra, or to stay with Asami. 

Asami wasn't mad at Korra, because she doesn't demonize the 'other woman' like a lot of us are taught to. Men aren't so fickle that women can have the power to seduce them away from their commitments. Korra didn't cast some Avatar spell on Mako; they had feelings for each other, but as he came to acknowledge them he didn't break up with Asami--Asami noticed what was up and broke up with him. Also we need to look at the character's feelings on the matter, not our own, in how Asami felt about the situation. "I like Korra," she said. She didn't blame Korra for Mako's feelings--she blamed him. She didn't want an uncertain relationship.

However, in season 2 when he had broken up with Korra, it's not impossible that she was yearning for any kind of relationship--and Mako was there helping her. Of course, when she saw that he wasn't honest with Korra about their break up (convenient amnesia) we could see she wasn't pleased with him again and so they broke off their 'thing' and Asami's attention turned more to Korra and being supportive of her. This role of friendship with the main character, rather than support, was an upgrade to her position in the show. As a non-bender she had been featured very little, and when she was there was great emphasis as being 'Mako's girlfriend'. 

As Korra's love interest, it was her reacting to what was happening with the titular character and she wasn't put in explicitly romantic situations. Some feel she should have been, but then that would support the argument that she became Korra's relationship satellite and not Mako's. Considering the whole fiasco of the love triangle maybe a slow build up was needed for their relationship, and they had been put in some difficult positions where Korra's well being should rightly trump that particular history, which they had addressed. In the show they had explicitly agreed to move on and forgive each other from the KorraxMakoxAsami deal. Then in bonding with each other, they shared a special connection and now that the show has ended, they feel they want to progress as a couple. 

 

In the end, crap is still crap

 

You can say one is better than the other but in the end, they are both crap. That is enough for me to put them on the same sh*tty level.

 

 

Exactly!

 

This is what I am seeing here with Korrasami. The romance was poor but people are pretending it was fine and foreshadowed even though the creators have already said that they make stuff up as they go.

I hate to break it to you, but most of media is 'make it up as they go'. To use that as an example of poor development means that you think long-term stories as a whole are poor in development. That doesn't mean they sat down and just said "hey, let's do this just because"; there was a process and great thought involved with their decisions, but just because something isn't a carbon copy of what they originally decided on doesn't mean that it's bad. 

People have a difference of opinion of how it was handled--that's fine. For me, even with all the support of Makorra in season one and two, I thought it was a pretty poor pairing that was rushed. I preferred how Korrasami was handled. Their address to their fans is reasonable. Your standards of writing are your own, but equivocating a 700+ chapter work with Legend of Korra as 'the same sh*tty level' tells me that according to my standards, you're full of it. 

Korrasami isn't nearly as shallow, as out of the blue, and while not perfect I am genuinely surprised how upset some people are that it happened. I shipped Zutara and I GOT that Kataang happened. I didn't ship Makorra season 1 and 2 but I got that it was a valid pairing. I never have and never will ship NaruHina because of its handling. I have once, but never will again, ship SasuSaku because how terrible its message is.

What is so horribly bad about Korrasami? That people didn't see them as a couple and wanted them to be 'just friends'? That they feel that there wasn't enough support for a romantic relationship? Okay, but they happened AFTER the first pairing had broken up. They happened WHILE Mako and Korra were discussing that THEY were 'just friends'. Yet, now I see stuff as bad as 'oh they pandered to fans!' but as Bryan said, WHAT fans? 

I get that in some preferences, people think that should have been alone. I get that because of the way season 1 and 2 were handled, some people don't feel it's realistic. Those are all valid points, but again, it's like... okay, so it didn't end perfectly. Does this mean it's something to rally and hate so much? I thought here, where we KNOW what standard of horrible endings are possible--what level a creator can turn his back on a fandom, this would be a lot easier to accept. Or are we truly as we're accused of being, just bitter that we didn't get the ending we want? There's problematic endings, and then there is disappointing ones, but Korrasami is not the worst thing to happen to Legend of Korra. You may not like the pairing, but it's there and it's not hurting anyone. It's empowering some underrepresented people and we shouldn't want to take that away unless it truly deserves to be under a magnifying glass. That is FAR more than we can say about NaruHina or SasuSaku. 

 

When you talk like that, you sound like those SJW from tumblr. I don't care about sexuality here. Korra STOLE Mako from Asami. She wounded her. Just as Mako was an scumbag for two timing on Asami, Korra was an scumbag when it came to the fact she stole the boyfriend of someone else. None of them deserved Asami after what they did. Or is this forgive and forget thing easier when it comes for the sake of an ship? That is the same argument SS fans use against us.

That Mako cheated on Asami was problematic, but they managed to work it over. Korra was able to show compassion to a woman who had raised an army and created a weapon of mass destruction. Again, what is this false equivocation of a terrible pairing like SasuSaku where a guy tries to kill a girl multiple times and betrays her ever step of the way with someone who was involved in a love triangle mess that resolved itself by season 2's end? Yes, it's a valid argument to make--Asami and Korra's resolution after what they did may not sit well with people, and some question Asami's treatment in the Krew. Yet there is also the argument to make that Asami never disliked or blamed Korra for this "I like Korra" argument, but was upset with Mako. 

Asami also did sort of the same thing though shortly after Korra broke up with Mako. The whole love triangle was rather crappy and it was lampshaded and criticized in the clips episode. However, they moved past it and we see that without Mako, Korra and Asami have a great relationship. What would be more problematic is if the girls got with Mako again after both having the relationship with him fail twice. 

I am not a fan of pandering.

 

Korrasami = NaruHina

 

It happened because it was popular, not because it was supported by the story. kitten that pairing. And kitten Makorra too. Why did Korra have to end up with anyone to begin with? She hadn't had the time or energy to even considering thinking about it for the past two books. Now that she got her life in order, in times of rebuilding, instead of remaining and overseeing the reconstruction, she goes off on a vacation with her friend?

 

Korrasami is as tacked on as their friendship. Seriously, what did the Krew even offer Asami? Why did she stick around for so long? Let's not forget Korra stole her boyfriend, Mako, who cheated on her, more than once if you consider the whole amnesia debacle in book 2 as cheating, when they wanted to get back together but Korra forgot she and Mako had broken up.

 

The finale in general was pretty flat. Eventful, action packed even, and yet so utterly drab and boring. Kuvira cemented herself as the worst villain, bar none, and her pitiful excuse of a backstory is laughably bad. There was truly end goal in sight of her wanton destruction. It was so over the top cartoony that nothing managed to give me any sense of suspense whatsoever. I just knew they'd all make it - well, all of them except for Asami's father, who carried a death flag the size of Texas the moment he showed up, especially when Varrick and Zhu Li bugged out of the Hummingbirds.

 

Honestly, mechs and romance have ruined Legend of Korra. It was never particularly good, but these two things in particular made it far, far worse.

If you're comparing NaruHina, which had 700 chapters to potentially develop, with a NON CONFIRMED pairing that had four seasons spanning under 20 episodes, then your perspective is skewed. First of all, Asami and Korra did not jump 20 years into the future, with kids, after a 15 year run where everything was pointing to Makorra. They didn't even get an 'I love you' so if that's pandering to the fanbase, that's pretty weak. There is implication, yes, but people also fail to put into perspective what the characters had gone through and how this is not as left-field and illogical as it might seem.

Asami's father just died. Unlike the other characters of Korra's "Krew", she doesn't have anyone left to lean on. Bolin has his brother, his large new-found family, Opal, by extention the Beifongs, and has a great relationship with Verrick (as seen by being 'minister' at his wedding). Mako has his brother and family, and he had a moment with Korra where he firmly said he'd stand by her. They don't need a journey with Korra to get away from it all or whatever. Asami was at a wedding and her father's death is obviously hard on her. She teared up when she mentioned him, and when she admitted to Korra, "I don't know what I'd do if I'd lost you and my father," it confirms what has never really been disputed--Asami is lonely. Her father was everything to her, he betrayed her, and just when she forgives him he was suddenly taken away from her and because of everything going on she couldn't just stop to process.

Now think--where are they going? Are they going to some sexy resort, all eyebrow waggling and sly grins? They're going to the spirit world. I think it's quite symbolic of a spiritual journey after loss and suffering. Remember that in season 3 Asami had offered to go with Korra when she was recovering. Seeing someone vulnerable and being there for them isn't a bad way to develop a deep connection. Whatever their past together, the awkwardness of Mako being between them, it's rather insignificant compared to having a friend nearly die. That, and their inclination for friendship wasn't suddenly brought on in the last season. Asami had told Mako season 1, "I like Korra," meaning that even with that boyfriend baggage she liked Korra as a person. It's not a stretch to say Korra is likeable. 

Then in season 3 they continued to bond, obviously having moved on from Mako and finding his awkwardness silly as an in-joke between them. That's great development, and removes the idea that this would be a roadblock toward any greater relationship between them. Then of course, Korra's suffering and Asami's compassion probably helped forge that bond where Korra feels that she has an easier time communicating with Asami. I like this a development between them a lot more than what we got in Season 2 with love triangle nonsense, because if we're supposed to believe that the two are honestly friends we needed something deep like this and it delivered. It was relationship drama that I believe really stunted the show, but the handling of this relationship was a highlight for me. 

Now back to the theme of season 4, Korra had to take a journey to recovery which, by her words in the last episode helped her become a more compassionate person even toward someone like Kuvira. Now, the tables have turned and Asami, a friend who had supported her through tough times, is having one of her own and she suggests to go on vacation. When Asami says she wanted to see the spirit world, Korra says this is perfect. Why? Because a portal is conveniently there? Sure, but also maybe because spirituality and recovery are linked in this universe. If you look at it outside of the perspective of shipping, this ending can be interpreted as hurt/comfort and compassion. It fits with the theme of season 4 and Korra's growth. 

Now, supporting and forging a relationship by compassion is not bad ship material. Asami was part of Korra's group. It's not like Hinata where she was always on the outside looking in--Asami actively gave her support. Also, it's not the resolution of their potential pairing but the beginning. Unlike Makorra where the finale ended with a kiss and girlfriend/boyfriend status, Korrasami is left to develop with the seeds having been sown not in some outside source, but since season 3. It's not a picture perfect pairing but to say that it's the equivalent of NaruHina is ridiculous. The ending of Legend of Korra is eons better than what we got. Bryke ended it right by making it feel like the start of something more, rather than the definitive ending. 

Korra said she still feels like there is so much more room to grow, to change, to learn. She has hope again. Likewise, the group will grow with her. What the ending told us is that it is implied that Korra and Asami's development toward each other is heading toward a potential romance and why not? What is so horribly bad about Korra and Asami's relationship that it shouldn't be a possibility? Korra may never end up with Asami. It's not like we got a TWENTY YEAR FLASH FORWARD that has set anything in stone. What people are threatened by is the mere implication of it! It's ridiculous. I would think after the horror that is Naruto's ending we'd have set our bars low that this wouldn't be something we're up in arms. We've seen terrible handling of pairings. Don't lessen the terribleness that was NaruHina by comparing it to something so tame.

Seeing as how I hate the ending, and the new movie, personally I want everything to crash and burn around them like my expectations did. I don't want the movie to be successful because in some way, I want them to suffer consequences for such an uninspired ending and jerking fans around for so long with pairings. However, seeing as how The Last was successful I'm not going to be surprised that their schemes pay off and people enjoy "Part 3" and all its absurdity. Great for them, I suppose, but I'm no longer a fan. My support of any future projects has ended. I'm already feeling difficulties with the CURRENT fandom, let alone any future ones that have spawned directly as a result of the problem.

The system in Konoha is broken. What are they going to do to reintroduce ninja? It's an entirely different Konoha, a different world, from the original series. They were so reliant on conflict. The only thing I can think of now is seeing how chakra would be used to integrate with everyday life but they have LAPTOPS. I don't think I'm interested in seeing Kishimoto's / Studio Perriot's version of ninjas in modern day society. Korra pulled the transition off well, because bending wasn't explicitly tied to war or conflict. Republic City is not advanced yet so as to make bending obsolete, and it went into the origin of the Avatar while dealing with the major conflict. However, Aang's actions in his series did not dismantle a way of life for people; it ended a war. It was a positive resolution in the lives of many, and the world and its different cultures remained intact. Republic City did not re-imagine an existing and established location but created an entirely new locale that provided a place for once divided benders to come together; and combined antiquated technology with bending. It's harmony and progress rather than the stagnation hinted at in Konoha. Republic City came with its own problems, which provided good material for Season One. 

For me the main difference was that when Avatar ended, I was satisfied, and so I had trust moving forward to watch Korra and I don't regret it. I shipped Zutara and guess what? I was PERFECTLY FINE with Kataang because even if I would have liked to see Zutara's potential, being a fan of both the characters and its relationship, I could see how Kataang worked as the conclusion and support it. Their children are inspired and well thought out, unlike "Oops I forgot to give them the byakuugan lol add that for the next child" Bolt and Hima-what'sherface. I don't need my pairing to happen to be happy with the conclusion of a series as long as the pairing I get makes sense to the story--as long as the conclusion itself feel right. How can I trust that this new generation will be handled well when they couldn't do that for the old generation?

I really hope enough people feel the same way, if just for my personal satisfaction. I suppose one way or another, people will find things that make them happy. For me, these new movies and spin-offs certainly won't be it.