The final scene of the season finale was met with mixed reactions but creators of the popular Nickelodeon animated show The Legend of Korra have laid the debates to rest as they confirmed that Korra and Asima are indeed gay.
"Our intention with the last scene was to make it as clear as possible that yes, Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other. The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolises their evolution from being friends to being a couple," Michael Dante DiMartino, the show's creator posted on his Tumblr account entitled Korrasami Confirmed.
For years, fans have been speculating the possibility of a deeper relationship between the two characters, forming Korrasami, the combination of the names of Korra and Asami, even devoting fan art and a separate Tumblr page for artwork featuring the duo.
"The main themes of the Avatar universe have always revolved around equality, justice, acceptance, tolerance, and balancing differing worldviews," DiMartino continues." I've already read some heartwarming and incredible posts about how this moment means so much for the LGBT community. Once again, the incredible outpouring of support for the show humbles me."
Meanwhile, his co-creator Michael Konietzko posted his own statement on the final episode. "You can celebrate it, embrace it, accept it, get over it, or whatever you feel the need to do, but there is no denying it. That is the official story. We received some wonderful press in the wake of the series finale at the end of last week, and just about every piece I read got it right: Korra and Asami fell in love. Were they friends? Yes, and they still are, but they also grew to have romantic feelings for each other."
Konietzko added that the original plan for Asami was different but the story evolved along with her character.
Fans of the show displayed varied reactions to the finale, most of them posted their videos on YouTube. Some were crying, fanning themselves, fidgeting and even chanting Korrasami.
While Korrasami was met with praise as a groundbreaking television moment, it was also met with criticism, especially since it was premised as an adventure show and a spinoff to Avatar: The Legend of Aang, another Nickelodeon show for kids.
Reactions varied among viewers: "It is disturbing to me, because my 10 year old daughter has loved "Legend of Korra" from the beginning," said Ruthie Townsend of Nashville. "The show includes so many good lessons for children, like bravery, selflessness, and friendship. It's just very sad that the creators had to push their agenda on impressionable children."
"Really?! In a children's show? If they didn't want to push the heterosexual agenda then they should also not push the homosexual one," Joy Ogbonna said.
Since it was aired in 2012, the show has received positive and negative feedback but mostly maintained critical acclaim because of its ability to push the boundaries and challenge convention, primarily in headlining the show with a strong female character and its injection of sociopolitical parallels into its storyline. Its strengths were also the source of criticisms as groups called out the subjects as being too subversive.
