Alright, now onto Avatar: The Last Airbender!
If you're not familiar with the show, here's a brief overview: The world of the show is divided into 4 nations: Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. In each of these nations, some are born with the ability to "bend" (manipulate) their native element. Benders of one element are not able to learn other bending disciplines, with one exception - the Avatar. The Avatar is able to not only learn, but master all 4 bending disciplines. He or she also serves as the connection between the spirit world and the people. When one Avatar passes away, the next is born into one of the other nations (they go in a rotating cycle).
As our story begins, the world is torn by war. Previously, the four nations lived together peacefully. The Fire Nation started a war that has all but ruined the world. The Avatar has not been sighted for 100 years and the Fire Nation has completely wiped out the Air Nomads (the Avatar was an airbender). Katara and her brother Sokka (from the Water Nation) come across Aang frozen in a ball of ice. It turns out that Aang, a 12-year old boy, is the Avatar, and he's been frozen for 100 years.
The three seasons of Avatar cover Aang's journey to learn the other three bending disciplines and face Fire Lord Ozai to save the world. Along the way, Aang makes friends, has adventures, and sees the destruction caused by the Fire Nation's war. Oh, and Aang also makes some enemies: Prince Zuko (the disgraced son of the Fire Lord who would like nothing more than to turn Aang into this father to regain his honor) and Princess Azula (the deranged daughter of the Fire Lord who would like nothing more than to turn Aang into her father to watch his execution).
I love so many things about this show, I almost can't stand it. For an animated children's series, it's utterly brilliant. Heck, for any kind of TV series, it's brilliant.
Avatar is the kind of show that manages a perfect balance between the atrocities of war and the shenanigans of young people. Let's face it, in concept, Avatar is horrifying. The show pulls no punches in its depiction of the war-torn world. Again and again, we see Aang ache with the pain of the loss of his people. His 100 year ice-nap kept him from seeing the Fire Nation's systematic destruction of the Air Nomads. When he went into "hibernation" his friends were alive and well. When he woke up, everyone he knew was dead and his former home was in ruins. Couple that with Aang's realization that everything that happened to the Air Nomads was his fault (the Fire Nation destroyed them because they wanted to ensure the Avatar was destroyed), and you have a recipe for a terrified, traumatized little boy.
Aang, however, is neither terrified or traumatized - for the most part. To be sure, he does have his moments where the enormity of what has happened to him and what he must do cripple him. He throws tantrums, tries to run away from his problems, and pushes his friends away. In short, he reacts like a 12-year old boy. The brilliant thing about Aang (and the show in general) is that he is, for the most part, a happy-go-lucky kid. He cracks jokes, plays games, and plays pranks on his friends. And that - the balance between the serious and the lighthearted - is what got me hooked on Avatar. It's not just some kid's cartoon; it's a beautifully realized story of a very brave little boy (and his very brave friends) who stand up against all that's wrong with the world and prevail.
The story arc is moving, if somewhat predictable. If we're being honest, it's easy to figure out that a Nickelodeon cartoon isn't going to end with the horrific death of the titular character. They might loose a few comrades along the way, but good will eventually prevail over evil. However, it isn't necessarily the general story arc that matters, it's how that story is actualized over a 3-season spread. To watch these characters grow as people, learn to trust each other, and find friendship, love, and happiness amidst all the trauma - that's why I love Avatar.
Now, there are many things I love about Avatar. So many. So here's a (somewhat incomplete) list:
- Aang - I've already mentioned that I love this kid to death, but it bears repeating. He could have run away and hidden from the Fire Lord, but he found the strength to face his enemy head on. Also, he's pretty much hilarious.
- Katara - Though she can be a bit melodramatic at times, her strength and unwavering commitment to Aang's cause are inspiring. And her waterbending skills kick ass. Seriously, the girl can bend blood. Really? How could she not be my hero?
- Sokka - Poor Sokka. He's running around with the Avatar, his badass waterbending sister, and an earthbender who can bend metal. It would be easy for him to feel inferior (he can't bend water and his only claim to fame is his skill with a boomerang). Though he does sometimes feel left out, he provides some much-needed comic relief to the group (Note: yelling "SURPRISE ATAAAAACK!!!!!" does not, in fact, keep your attack a surprise).
- Appa and Momo - These guys are Aang's animal companions. Appa is a 6-legged Sky Bison and Momo is a flying Bat Lemur (wrap your head around that one, will you?). Separately, they are fantastic creatures (super cute, loyal to Aang, and extremely helpful). But together, in the same show, they make my life so much brighter.
- Weird. Ass. Animals. - Oh my goodness, the animals on this show are so weird. Whatever the creators were smoking - I want some. To demonstrate, I have an example: the Platypus Bear. That's right. Platypus. Bear.
- Prince Zuko - Okay, I get why people like Draco Malfoy now (sort of). Prince Zuko is quite a bit like Draco - spoiled, ambitious, whiny, and willing to put his needs/wants above everything else. However, there's something about this kid that I like. Maybe it's his eventual change of heart (Book 3's "The Western Air Temple" is both heartwarming and hilarious), but he makes me incredibly happy. Oh, and the title of this post: a quote from Zuko (he's practicing his speech to beg forgiveness from Aang and company. So funny I almost cried).
- Uncle Iroh - Zuko's Uncle Iroh is one of the true gems of this series. He's old and crazy, but in an incredibly wonderful way. He's cryptically wise, gently guiding Zuko along the path to redemption. Even when Zuko betrays, abandons, and belittles him (more than once), Iroh wants nothing more than to see Zuko become the man he ought to be. Also, he's a pretty funny guy.
- This Quote: "No Fire Lord Ozai, you're not wearing pants." - This is probably my favorite quote from the entire series.
- Bumi - Speaking of old and crazy, you can't really make a list of wonderful things about this show without including Bumi, the insane Earth Kingdom King. He was friends with Aang (back before the ice nap), which makes him obscenely old, but he's still kicking. Hard. He's a badass old dude who brings the crazy to every encounter. My favorite Bumi quote: "Where. Is. Momo?" (funnier in context, trust me).
- The Boulder - Oh The Boulder, how I love him. He's part ultimate fighter, part thug for hire, and all dumb as a box of rocks. The Boulder always speaks about himself in the third person. Which makes The Boulder absolutely wonderful.
- Sparky Sparky Boom Guy - An assassin hired (by Zuko) to hunt Aang down. He's well-muscled and looks quite a bit like Chris Daughtry. Doesn't sound that unusual, right? Did I mention he can shoot laser fire out of a "third eye" in the middle of his forehead? He's sort of terrifying. And by sort of, I mean completely.
Ok, I think I may have gone a bit overboard in the love-fest here. But I really, REALLY love this show. And now you know why!
Mischief Managed,
Slim Pearl Silver-Feather
