[TLoK]Bryan&Mike 談Korra結局

《The Legend of Korra》「大膽」的結局出來後引發許多討論，我們來看看兩位創作者Bryan與Mike對他們所給的結局的背後，有著什麼樣的蘊育過程，以及有什麼想法。

Bryan：Korrasami is canon

Korrasami是官方正史

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.

你可以慶祝它、擁抱它、接受它、忍受它，或是做任何你想做的，但無法否認它，它是官方劇情。在上周末系列大結局後，我們得到一些很棒的報導評論，我讀到的每一篇都有理解到正確訊息：Korra與Asami陷入戀愛。他們不是朋友嗎？是的，他們仍然是，但也發展出雙方互有曖昧情感的地步。

Was Korrasami “endgame,” meaning, did we plan it from the start of the series? No, but nothing other than Korra’s spiritual arc was. Asami was a duplicitous spy when Mike and I first conceived her character. Then we liked her too much so we reworked the story to keep her in the dark regarding her father’s villainous activities. Varrick and Zhu Li weren’t originally planned to end up as a couple either, but that’s where we took the story/where the story took us. That’s how writing works the vast majority of the time. You give these characters life and then they tell you what they want to do.

Korrasami的「結果」意味著，我們是打從系列一開始就策畫的嗎？不是，非但Korra的心靈方面劇情不是一開始有的想法，Asami在Mike和我一開始的構想中，更是個雙面諜的角色，然而我們太喜歡她了，所以重寫故事，讓她對父親的犯罪活動一無所知。Varrick與Zhu Li一開始也沒有要讓他們最終成為一對。但這正是我們如何帶領故事/故事如何帶領我們，這就是編劇大多時候進行的方式，你賦予這些角色生命，然後他們告訴你，他們想做什麼。

I have bragging rights as the first Korrasami shipper (I win!). As we wrote Book 1, before the audience had ever laid eyes on Korra and Asami, it was an idea I would kick around the writers’ room. At first we didn’t give it much weight, not because we think same-sex relationships are a joke, but because we never assumed it was something we would ever get away with depicting on an animated show for a kids network in this day and age, or at least in 2010.

我要以身為第一位鼓吹Korrasami配對的人驕傲一下(我贏了!)。當我們在編Book1劇情時，在觀眾都還沒看過Korra與Asami之前，我就在編劇室裡提過這個想法，一開始我們不太重視這個主意，不是因為我們認為同性戀愛關係可笑，而是因為我們從沒料想到，我們會被准許在一個兒童動畫頻道的動畫節目中出現這樣的演出，在當年那個時候，或至少是2010年那個時間點。

Makorra was only “endgame” as far as the end of Book 1. Once we got into Book 2 we knew we were going to have them break up, and we never planned on getting them back together. Sorry, friends. I like Mako too, and I am sure he will be just fine in the romance department. He grew up and learned about himself through his relationships with Asami and Korra, and he’s a better person for it, and he’ll be a better partner for whomever he ends up with.

Makorra是僅止於Book1的「結果」。當我們一著手Book 2，我們就知道我們要讓他們破局，而我們也從沒計劃要讓他們復合。抱歉，朋友，我也愛Mako，我也肯定他將會有好的愛情。他成長了，並從與Asami與Korra的感情中學習，他成了一個能更好處理戀愛關係的人，無論他最終與什麼人在一起，他都會成為一個更好的伴侶。

Once Mako and Korra were through, we focused on developing Korra and Asami’s relationship. Originally, it was primarily intended to be a strong friendship. Frankly, we wanted to set most of the romance business aside for the last two seasons. Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me. I’m usually rolling my eyes when that happens in virtually every action film, “Here we go again…” It was probably around that time that I came across this quote from Hayao Miyazaki:

打從Mako與Korra分手後，我們就專注在發展Korra與Asami的關係。最初，我們只打算要讓他們發展堅定的友誼。說實話，我們原本想在最後兩季裡，盡可能不要寫戀愛劇情。就當時，以個人來說，我不希望Korra在系列結束的時候與任何人湊成一對。顯然我們在《最後的氣宗》是那麼做，那使我感覺到有點被強迫。幾乎每一部動作電影發生這樣的事情時，我通常會翻白眼說：「又來了...」。大概就是那時候，我偶然看到一段來自宮崎駿的話：

“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”

「我越來越懷疑那不成文的規定－主演的男孩與女孩必會相互戀愛。我寧願塑造不太一樣的關係，兩人互相激勵對方去愛 - 若我能如此，或許我就能更貼近描寫愛的真正意涵。」

I agree with him wholeheartedly, especially since the majority of the examples in media portray a female character that is little more than a trophy to be won by the male lead for his derring-do. So Mako and Korra break the typical pattern and end up respecting, admiring, and inspiring each other. That is a resolution I am proud of.

我完全同意他的意見，特別是多數影劇中，女性角色更像是男主角的壯舉而贏得的一個獎品。所以Mako與Korra打破常規，並最終變成彼此尊敬、欣賞、激勵的關係。這一結果讓我自豪。

However, I think there needs to be a counterpart to Miyazaki’s sentiment: Just because two characters of the same sex appear in the same story, it should not preclude the possibility of a romance between them. No, not everyone is queer, but the other side of that coin is that not everyone is straight. The more Korra and Asami’s relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us. However, we still operated under this notion, another “unwritten rule,” that we would not be allowed to depict that in our show. So we alluded to it throughout the second half of the series, working in the idea that their trajectory could be heading towards a romance.

然而，關於宮崎駿話，有另一點值得反思：同個故事中的兩個同性別角色，他們發展戀愛的機會不應該被排除。並非每個人都是酷兒，但反過來說，並非每個人都是異性戀。Korra與Asami的關係越發展下去，我們越來越自然的浮現他們兩人發展成戀愛關係的想法。然而我們受限於，另一個「不成文的規定」，我們不允許在節目中做直接的描述，所以我們默默的在這系列的後半部分做鋪陳，讓他們的關係朝戀愛方向發展來做下去。

But as we got close to finishing the finale, the thought struck me: How do I know we can’t openly depict that? No one ever explicitly said so. It was just another assumption based on a paradigm that marginalizes non-heterosexual people. If we want to see that paradigm evolve, we need to take a stand against it. And I didn’t want to look back in 20 years and think, “Man, we could have fought harder for that.” Mike and I talked it over and decided it was important to be unambiguous about the intended relationship.

但當我們越來越接近結局，一個想法冒了出來：我們怎麼會認為我們不能做公然的描述?沒有人挑明說不能這麼做。這只是基於一個排斥非異性戀族群的沿襲。若我們想看到沿襲革新，就必須起身對抗它，我也不想在20年後回想：「天啊，我們當時該更努力一點去奮戰」。Mike和我討論過這事，決心以一個有意促成的戀愛關係來說，挑明的表現出來是很重要。

We approached the network and while they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it, as just about every article I read accurately deduced. It was originally written in the script over a year ago that Korra and Asami held hands as they walked into the spirit portal. We went back and forth on it in the storyboards, but later in the retake process I staged a revision where they turned towards each other, clasping both hands in a reverential manner, in a direct reference to Varrick and Zhu Li’s nuptial pose from a few minutes prior. We asked Jeremy Zuckerman to make the music tender and romantic, and he fulfilled the assignment with a sublime score. I think the entire last two-minute sequence with Korra and Asami turned out beautiful, and again, it is a resolution of which I am very proud. I love how their relationship arc took its time, through kindness and caring. If it seems out of the blue to you, I think a second viewing of the last two seasons would show that perhaps you were looking at it only through a hetero lens.

我們與電視台溝通，雖然他們支持，但正如我所讀到每篇文章所推論的那樣，是有個我們能做到什麼程度的界線。一年前，當初劇本裡的描述是Korra與Asami牽著手走入神靈通道。我們在製作分鏡時反覆斟酌這一幕，但在之後的作畫修正階段，我提出了一個修改，他們兩人轉向彼此，誠心的緊握彼此的雙手，這直接引用數分鐘前剛出現的Varrick與Zhu Li的婚禮動作。我們要求Jeremy Zuckerman讓音樂柔和且浪漫，而他以完美的配樂完成這項任務。我認為整個最後兩分鐘Korra與Asami的場景表現得很美，而又一次的，是個我引以為豪的成果。我很喜歡他們倆關係透過好意與關心慢慢發展。若這結果讓你覺得很突兀，我想你在看過去兩季時，只是用異性戀中心的觀點在看而已。

Was it a slam-dunk victory for queer representation? I think it falls short of that, but hopefully it is a somewhat significant inching forward. It has been encouraging how well the media and the bulk of the fans have embraced it. Sadly and unsurprisingly, there are also plenty of people who have lashed out with homophobic vitriol and nonsense. It has been my experience that by and large this kind of mindset is a result of a lack of exposure to people whose lives and struggles are different from one’s own, and due to a deficiency in empathy––the latter being a key theme in Book 4. (Despite what you might have heard, bisexual people are real!) I have held plenty of stupid notions throughout my life that were planted there in any number of ways, or even grown out of my own ignorance and flawed personality. Yet through getting to know people from all walks of life, listening to the stories of their experiences, and employing some empathy to try to imagine what it might be like to walk in their shoes, I have been able to shed many hurtful mindsets. I still have a long way to go, and I still have a lot to learn. It is a humbling process and hard work, but nothing on the scale of what anyone who has been marginalized has experienced. It is a worthwhile, lifelong endeavor to try to understand where people are coming from.

這是代表同性戀的一大勝利嗎?我認為還不至於如此，但希望這能算是往前跨一步。媒體的熱烈反應與大多數粉絲都接受這結局讓人覺得很激動，悲哀且不意外的是，也有一大群人用反同志的酸言酸語以及胡言來攻訐。以我的經驗來說，這類型的心態是來自，欠缺與那些有異於他人，從而掙扎痛苦之人的相處經驗，並且也是欠缺同理心－後者也是Book4的一個主要議題(儘管你可能有聽說過，雙性戀是真的!)，我在這一生曾有過很多愚蠢的觀念，甚至助長了我自己無知且缺陷的性格。但透過認識來自各地各行各業的人，傾聽他們的過去經驗的故事，並利用一點同理心去想像要是我站在他們的立場會如何，我因而擺脫許多有害的觀念，但我仍有很長的路要走，我仍有很多事要學，這是辛苦又讓人謙卑的過程，但比起那些受歧視之人的經驗，這算不上什麼。理解人們的過往是個值得投入一生去做的事。

There is the inevitable reaction, “Mike and Bryan just caved in to the fans.” Well, which fans? There were plenty of Makorra shippers out there, so if we had gone back on our decision and gotten those characters back together, would that have meant we caved in to those fans instead? Either direction we went, there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kataang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost. We are lucky that so many other people around the world connect with these series as well. Tahno playing trombone––now that was us caving in to the fans!

有個必然的反應是：「Mike與Bryan你們屈服於粉絲」，哪一群粉絲呢？有一大群人支持Makorra配對，若我們重回原先的決定，讓他們復合，這不表示我們屈服這一群粉絲嗎？無論我們走哪個決定，必然會有一派高興，一派失望。相信我，我還記得Kataang vs. Zutara，但其中一種決定會是我們覺得對的，而Mike與我也一直讓《最後的氣宗》與《寇菈傳奇》忠於我們自己的意思，這是最重要的事。我們有幸有那麼多在世界各地的人，對這系列有共鳴。Tahno吹伸縮喇叭，這個才算是一個我們屈服於粉絲的表現。

But this particular decision wasn’t only done for us. We did it for all our queer friends, family, and colleagues. It is long over due that our media (including children’s media) stops treating non-heterosexual people as nonexistent, or as something merely to be mocked. I’m only sorry it took us so long to have this kind of representation in one of our stories.

但這個特別的決定不單是出於我們自己，我們也是為了許多同性戀友人、家庭與同事而做。我們的媒體(包括兒童媒體)早就應該停止無視於非異性戀者的存在，或者只把他們當笑柄。我只對於花了那麼長的時間才讓我們的故事出現這種敘述而感到抱歉。

I’ll wrap this up with some incredible words that Mike and I received in a message from a former Korra crew member. He is a deeply religious person who devotes much of his time and energy not only to his faith, but also to helping young people. He and I may have starkly different belief systems, but it is heartwarming and encouraging that on this issue we are aligned in a positive, progressive direction:

最後我想以Mike和我收到，來自一位前Korra工作同仁的一段很棒的話來作結。他是一位信仰忠誠的人，奉獻許多自己的時間在幫助年輕人，他和我或許有著截然不同的信仰，但在這問題上，我們共同站在一個正面、改革的方向，讓人覺得感動且激勵人心：

“I’ve read enough reviews to get a sense of how it affected people. One very well-written article in Vanity Fair called it subversive (in a good way, of course)… I would say a better word might be “healing.” I think your finale was healing for a lot of people who feel outside or on the fringes, or that their love and their journey is somehow less real or valuable than someone else’s… That it’s somehow less valid. I know quite a few people in that position, who have a lifetime of that on their shoulders, and in one episode of television you both relieved and validated them. That’s healing in my book.”

Love,
Bryan

「我讀了許多評論，讓我了解這結局如何感動大眾。一篇浮華世界(美國雜誌)很棒的文章稱此為「顛覆性的」(當然是好的方面)...我會說一個更適當的詞是「療癒性」。我想你們的結局療癒了許許多多，感覺自己不容於世，或感覺邊緣的人，或者他們的愛情與他們的人生不切實或不如別人的人...不受別人重視。我知道不少有這種問題的人，一生一直背負這個，而就僅僅以一集的電視節目，你們就讓他們感到釋懷與被認可。以我的觀點這就是療癒。」

愛你們的 Bryan

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Mike:Korrasami Confirmed

Korrasami確立

Now that Korra and Asami’s final moment is out in the world, it seems like an appropriate time to express how I feel about it. I didn’t want to say anything right away so the audience could experience the finale for themselves.

現在Korra與Asami的最後結局已向世人公開，看來應該是個適當的時機來表達我的感受。我不會立刻在文章上說什麼，所以大家可以自己去品味結局。

The main themes of the Avatar universe have always revolved around equality, justice, acceptance, tolerance, and balancing differing worldviews. In subtle and maybe not so subtle ways, Avatar and Legend of Korra have dealt with difficult subjects such as genocide, child abuse, deaths of loved ones, and post traumatic stress. I took it as a complement when Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair called the show subversive. There were times even I was surprised we were able to delve into the really tough stuff on a children’s TV network. While the episodes were never designed to “make a statement”, Bryan and I always strove to treat the more difficult subject matter with the respect and gravity it deserved.

《降世神通》世界的主題一直圍繞在平等、正義、接納、寬容與不同世界看待觀點的平衡。在細節但或許處理得不是那麼細膩的地方，《最後的氣宗》與《寇菈傳奇》談論過一些困難的議題，諸如種族滅絕、兒童虐待、心愛之人死亡還有創傷後壓力。我把《浮華世界》的Joanna Robinson稱本節目為「顛覆性」當成一個補充敘述。有些時候，既使是我，也很驚訝我們能夠在一個兒童電視頻道挖掘這麼沉重艱困的議題。雖然這些集數從不是被設計成「有事想要表達」，但Bryan與我一直奮力以應有的尊重與嚴肅態度來處理更多困難的議題。

And over the years we’ve heard from numerous fans, in person and online, how Avatar and Korra have influenced their lives for the better or helped them overcome a life struggle or setback. I am always humbled when people share their personal stories with us and I am grateful that my love for telling stories has been able to help people in some small way. So while Avatar and Korra were always meant to be entertaining and engaging tales, this universe and its characters also speak to the deeper humanity in all of us, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, culture, nationality, or sexual orientation.

這麼些年來，我們從網路或是別人那，聽到很多粉絲說《最後的氣宗》與《寇菈傳奇》如何幫助他們活得更好，或者是幫助他們克服人生困境或挫折。我在聽到別人分享他們的故事時總是覺得很謙卑，也很高興我對說故事喜好，能夠在小地方幫助到人們。所以，縱使《最後的氣宗》與《寇菈傳奇》一直有意要被塑造為有娛樂性與吸引人的作品，但那個世界與它的人物也為我們大家，無論各種年齡、性別、種族、信仰、文化、國家或是性取向等，所有的人，訴說更深層的人性。

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 symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple. Many news outlets, bloggers, and fans picked up on this and didn’t find it ambiguous. For the most part, it seems like the point of the scene was understood and additional commentary wasn’t really needed from Bryan or me. But in case people were still questioning what happened in the last scene, I wanted to make a clear verbal statement to complement the show’s visual one. I get that not everyone will be happy with the way that the show ended. Rarely does a series finale of any show satisfy that show’s fans, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the positive articles and posts I’ve seen about Korra’s finale.

我們想要最後一幕盡可能的清楚明瞭，而且，沒錯，Korra與Asami對彼此有曖昧情感。他們進入神靈通道的那一刻，象徵他們從朋友進一步成為情侶。許多新聞網站、部落格與紛絲都有接收到這一點，且沒有感覺這是隱晦不明。大體來說，那一幕的意思是很被大家所了解，似乎從Bryan或我這做額外說明是不必要的。但避免大家仍舊在問最後一幕發生什麼事，所以我要做非常清楚的文字聲明，來補足那一段畫面表現。我知道不是所有人都會對節目用這方式結尾感到高興，很少有戲劇的大結局滿足所有該劇的粉絲，所以我很驚喜，讀到那麼多有給予Korra結局正面的文章與貼文。

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. As Tenzin says, “Life is one big bumpy ride.” And if, by Korra and Asami being a couple, we are able to help smooth out that ride even a tiny bit for some people, I’m proud to do my part, however small it might be. Thanks for reading.

我已在女同志社群裡，讀到一些感人與很棒的貼文，說那一刻對他們的意義有多重大。又一次的，大大展露的支持讓我感到謙卑，就如Tenzin說的「生命是條非常崎嶇之路」。若是，透過Korra與Asami成為情侶，我們能讓某些人的人生之路順遂一點點，無論那一點有多小，我很榮幸能盡我的力，謝謝大家的閱讀。

一個同性愛結局在美國兒童動畫真的是創舉(當然社會人、成人向的美式動畫除外)，雖然Bryan文中雖有透露，但沒有仔細提，但想必要寫這樣的一個結局是遭遇許多困難與阻礙吧...