Death_Born
Banned
FlightOfHeaven said:
Huh? Are the episodes supposed to be En Espanol? Not that it matters, but kind of strange.
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LTTP: Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Thread starter ckohler
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Huh? Are the episodes supposed to be En Espanol? Not that it matters, but kind of strange.
SouthernDragon
Member
On Hulu/Nickelodeon, some links lead to the Spanish versions. If they have it in Spanish, they should have it in English.
Nick/Hulu have the majority of the episodes in their catalog, you just have to hunt for them. Hulu keeps it in a reasonable order.
If you can't find it on Hulu/Nick, then use this:
http://www.avatarchapters.org/episodes.html
They have everything except the final four episodes. For that, Nickolodeon thankfully united all final four into one extended episode.
Yeah, it's a pain to find all the episodes. However, since I (literally) just finished watching it...
GOD DAMN!
This show is so awesome, I don't know what to add that hasn't been covered. Well, there are a few points, chief among them is the great use of strong females and how the Y-12 rating helped them.
I tire of overtly sexed women with balloons on TV, especially in cartoons. This series had very, very little of that (The Beach - Ty Lee being the exception) and used women well. Moreover, the girls in the series were not only diverse compared to each other, they had diverse personas within themselves. The women were smart, capable, creative, and often took charge even when the main characters and males were present. They also portrayed their darker sides will.
Although that applies to the men, too.
This series did most everything well, extremely well. Even the recap episode is worth watching. I personally saw it as lampooning the stereotypes present within other 'toons, even as they poked fun at themselves. It also helped highlight how great the main characters within the main group were, too. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko were all strongly developed and kept relevant through continuous development, both in personality and battle abilities.
This series is a benchmark other series should strive to touch. I am thoroughly motivated to make this a part of my home collection. I recommend this to you, all of you, strongly. Even if you don't like 'toons (I myself have stopped watching anime/american cartoons entirely), this series is worth the watch, and it's free!
Thanks, OP. This past 4-5 days have been worth the watch.
Nick/Hulu have the majority of the episodes in their catalog, you just have to hunt for them. Hulu keeps it in a reasonable order.
If you can't find it on Hulu/Nick, then use this:
http://www.avatarchapters.org/episodes.html
They have everything except the final four episodes. For that, Nickolodeon thankfully united all final four into one extended episode.
Yeah, it's a pain to find all the episodes. However, since I (literally) just finished watching it...
GOD DAMN!
This show is so awesome, I don't know what to add that hasn't been covered. Well, there are a few points, chief among them is the great use of strong females and how the Y-12 rating helped them.
I tire of overtly sexed women with balloons on TV, especially in cartoons. This series had very, very little of that (The Beach - Ty Lee being the exception) and used women well. Moreover, the girls in the series were not only diverse compared to each other, they had diverse personas within themselves. The women were smart, capable, creative, and often took charge even when the main characters and males were present. They also portrayed their darker sides will.
Although that applies to the men, too.
This series did most everything well, extremely well. Even the recap episode is worth watching. I personally saw it as lampooning the stereotypes present within other 'toons, even as they poked fun at themselves. It also helped highlight how great the main characters within the main group were, too. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko were all strongly developed and kept relevant through continuous development, both in personality and battle abilities.
This series is a benchmark other series should strive to touch. I am thoroughly motivated to make this a part of my home collection. I recommend this to you, all of you, strongly. Even if you don't like 'toons (I myself have stopped watching anime/american cartoons entirely), this series is worth the watch, and it's free!
Thanks, OP. This past 4-5 days have been worth the watch.
vas_a_morir
Banned
Krowley said:
I'm so sad it's over. They need to do another series in the same universe, with a female avatar.
First half of season 1 was mostly unrealized potential bogged down by overly kiddy characterization and scenarios. Second half of season 1 improved considerably -- except for the temple defense episode. War is fun kids! Yay!
Loved every bit of season 2. The production team gained some self-respect and made it more of an all-ages show than a kids show, with characters I cared about and truly poignant moments (Iro city ep, anyone?). Wonderful stuff.
Season 3.... :/. Instead of building on the previous season it stops dead in its tracks and goes off on Adventures of My First Angsty Teen Relationship and other fluffy episodic wastes of time. The finale has very high production values but feels ordinary and expected.
Loved every bit of season 2. The production team gained some self-respect and made it more of an all-ages show than a kids show, with characters I cared about and truly poignant moments (Iro city ep, anyone?). Wonderful stuff.
Season 3.... :/. Instead of building on the previous season it stops dead in its tracks and goes off on Adventures of My First Angsty Teen Relationship and other fluffy episodic wastes of time. The finale has very high production values but feels ordinary and expected.
adamsappel
Member
This was the only episode I didn't let my daughter watch. There were others that had scary first acts, but I usually think it's better for kids to see the resolution, otherwise all they remember is the frightening part. Still, this one didn't really lighten up. Just the word "bloodbending" sounds creepy.FlightOfHeaven said:
I just got the first half of season 1 from Netfilx today. I thought I'd causally watch them over the next few days. Nope. Burned through them all already.
So far pretty damn good. I'm really liking how Sokka is handled. He's the comic relief guy, but it's done without making him completely incompetent or an utter buffoon.
So far pretty damn good. I'm really liking how Sokka is handled. He's the comic relief guy, but it's done without making him completely incompetent or an utter buffoon.
:O
Nobody told me the creators produced some shorts! Here are the only three I could find. They are little comedy bits done with chibi versions of the characters. Pretty funny!
Bender Battle
Swamp Skiin' Throwdown
School Time Shipping
Note: These are probably best viewed after you've seen the whole series otherwise you won't get all the in-jokes and character cameos.
Nobody told me the creators produced some shorts! Here are the only three I could find. They are little comedy bits done with chibi versions of the characters. Pretty funny!
Bender Battle
Swamp Skiin' Throwdown
School Time Shipping
Note: These are probably best viewed after you've seen the whole series otherwise you won't get all the in-jokes and character cameos.
SouthernDragon
Member
Oh, and before I forget...
Advanced Earthbending into armor? Didn't think they'd do it, and they did. So awesome.
And gotta love those animated shorts, though I got a glimpse of the darker reaches of the Avatar community.
Advanced Earthbending into armor? Didn't think they'd do it, and they did. So awesome.
And gotta love those animated shorts, though I got a glimpse of the darker reaches of the Avatar community.
bananabread
Member
Just finished this series a couple of days ago and I'm already considering rewatching it.
I felt it just got better as it went on and felt that what some people in here are dismissing as 'generic angsty teen romance bullshit' was actually important for the character's development as human beings alongside their development as superbeings with magic powers (if you were 13 and in love with a girl 2 years older than you, you'd be angsty too). Also, Sokka makes a transition from clueless with girls to ultimate man-pimp which I found awesome.
It's got to be one of the most perfectly paced series I've ever watched with only a few flat episodes, and even those didn't really feel like they were bogging things down. The humor was consistently funny and never felt like it was trying too hard. The fight scenes were superbly choreographed and animated and you were never quite sure which way they were going to go, which kept tension and drama high. The characters were fantastic, none were entirely generic and they all grew over the course of the series, which was probably my favourite part of the entire thing.
Also Iroh is THE MAN.
One thing that irked me a little bit was the lengths they'd go to to avoiding having anyone die on screen. I realise it was a kid's show and in terms of cartoons it got dark as hell in terms of the themes it explored, but it was a little odd watching someone get hit in the face by a ball of fire and have it just sort of knock them back rather than burning the shit out of them, or the fact that Sokka wasn't ever going to be able to hit anyone with his Space Sword.
This is one of the best series I've ever seen and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone I know that won't dismiss it out of hand as "just a cartoon". I was genuinely sad when it ended, but happy at the same time because they didn't drag it out into a neverending franchise destined to die a slow death, but instead sent it out with a ridiculously epic bang.
Here's hoping the creators put together a brand new universe that is equally awesome and take us all on another funky adventure.
I felt it just got better as it went on and felt that what some people in here are dismissing as 'generic angsty teen romance bullshit' was actually important for the character's development as human beings alongside their development as superbeings with magic powers (if you were 13 and in love with a girl 2 years older than you, you'd be angsty too). Also, Sokka makes a transition from clueless with girls to ultimate man-pimp which I found awesome.
It's got to be one of the most perfectly paced series I've ever watched with only a few flat episodes, and even those didn't really feel like they were bogging things down. The humor was consistently funny and never felt like it was trying too hard. The fight scenes were superbly choreographed and animated and you were never quite sure which way they were going to go, which kept tension and drama high. The characters were fantastic, none were entirely generic and they all grew over the course of the series, which was probably my favourite part of the entire thing.
Also Iroh is THE MAN.
One thing that irked me a little bit was the lengths they'd go to to avoiding having anyone die on screen. I realise it was a kid's show and in terms of cartoons it got dark as hell in terms of the themes it explored, but it was a little odd watching someone get hit in the face by a ball of fire and have it just sort of knock them back rather than burning the shit out of them, or the fact that Sokka wasn't ever going to be able to hit anyone with his Space Sword.
This is one of the best series I've ever seen and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone I know that won't dismiss it out of hand as "just a cartoon". I was genuinely sad when it ended, but happy at the same time because they didn't drag it out into a neverending franchise destined to die a slow death, but instead sent it out with a ridiculously epic bang.
Here's hoping the creators put together a brand new universe that is equally awesome and take us all on another funky adventure.
Track Team's put up the song from the Headband up on their page, if anyone's interested in the music.
Wark
Member
I've only seen the last five minutes of an episode before but thought it might be sometime I would be interest it. I was gonna pick up the season 1 boxset when I saw the commercial for it a while back, but I still haven't gotten around to that yet. I know I'll eventually pick it up sometime.
SouthernDragon
Member
You don't have to wait to pick it up to watch it. Go to www.hulu.com or avatarchapters.org to watch it, right now.
Right now.
Right now.
GeneralIroh
Member
is there anyway to extract the music so i can listen to it on my mp3 player?BorkBork said:
Still making my way through the series. The finale of Book One was amazing. Book Two starts off a bit slow. Episodes like The Swamp are a bit filler-ish. Then I start hitting great episodes like Zuko Alone and The Chase. That's about where I'm at now and eagerly awaiting my next DVD to come. I really appreciate how the show isn't afraid to shake up the status quo, especially concerning Zuko.
And Toph is awesome.
And Toph is awesome.
vas_a_morir
Banned
BlacKMaRK said:zuko alone is my favorite episode of the series(besides the 4-part finale).
zuko is the best character in the show
zuko is the man
zuko
I'm in the minority, but I like Crossroads of destiny a lot.
AgentOtaku
Member
My 5 year old son hasn't expressed any interest in watching it ...he does love the current The Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network and loved the Batman Animated Series as well from the 90s, so I know he can get into stuff for an older audience
..still, I'm going to Netflix Vol.1 to see if me and him can get into it
..still, I'm going to Netflix Vol.1 to see if me and him can get into it
vas_a_morir
Banned
BorkBork said:
It's what got me into the series. I had seen a few episodes early, with the bald zuko and the pony-tail. I saw the last two episodes of the season, and it was amazing. I was pumped for the new season! It was still good, but it lost the tone and rhythm it found in the second season during that huge painful gap.
I just finished this series over the weekend. Where to start? Wow. Just, wow. I have to thank the OP and everyone here, as this topic made me finally take the plunge. I've known about the show and had a bit of curiosity about it, but for some reason never pursued watching it. Maybe because it was from Nickelodeon of all places. I probably should have been a bit more open, especially seeing as I'm a Teen Titans fan. Still, I went in expecting it to be fairly good, but its quality blew my expectations out of the freaking water!
This series just had so much going for it. A cast of strong characters who continuously grew and matured through the course of the series with real, tangible character development. A fully realized world that sparks the imagination of the viewer. Amazing fight scenes that never fail to amaze. Fantastic continuity and enough Chekhov's Guns being fired to fight a war. Lots of respect for the show's cast; there are no throwaway characters here! Just look at Suki. From girl-of-the-week to Team Avatar's sixth ranger! Excellent pacing that built up the tension when needed, knew when to give a breather episode, and even the most "filler"-ish of episodes always served some purpose of character development or worldbuilding. With a team of heros including the Avatar, the world's most powerful Earthbender/only known Metalbender and expert Waterbender (plus Sokka), the show is utterly convincing that our protagonists still face an uphill battle. Especially after their horrific losses at the end of Book 2 and mid-Book 3. You always knew they would eventually defeat the Firelord, but how was always the question. And then there was the finale! Holy crap! Since when was TV allowed to be that epic?! Hell, it's just refreshing that this show, an American cartoon, knew when to say when and let itself conclude with epic results rather being dragged on and on until dying quietly with a cancellation.
Goddamn it's good to be legitimately amazed by something again!
This series just had so much going for it. A cast of strong characters who continuously grew and matured through the course of the series with real, tangible character development. A fully realized world that sparks the imagination of the viewer. Amazing fight scenes that never fail to amaze. Fantastic continuity and enough Chekhov's Guns being fired to fight a war. Lots of respect for the show's cast; there are no throwaway characters here! Just look at Suki. From girl-of-the-week to Team Avatar's sixth ranger! Excellent pacing that built up the tension when needed, knew when to give a breather episode, and even the most "filler"-ish of episodes always served some purpose of character development or worldbuilding. With a team of heros including the Avatar, the world's most powerful Earthbender/only known Metalbender and expert Waterbender (plus Sokka), the show is utterly convincing that our protagonists still face an uphill battle. Especially after their horrific losses at the end of Book 2 and mid-Book 3. You always knew they would eventually defeat the Firelord, but how was always the question. And then there was the finale! Holy crap! Since when was TV allowed to be that epic?! Hell, it's just refreshing that this show, an American cartoon, knew when to say when and let itself conclude with epic results rather being dragged on and on until dying quietly with a cancellation.
Goddamn it's good to be legitimately amazed by something again!
Man, there is some serious Season 3 hate in here.
I thought Season 3 had by FAR the best humor, which is one of the primary reasons I watched the show. I loved some of the substories, and the Players episode is one of my favorites of the series.
What was everyone expecting from the finale, anyway? It was a little Deus Ex Machina, but the fight choreography was POWERFUL. Zuko's fight in particular held some ethereal beauty. And that music! I might be slightly biased, however, since I first watched it, live, with 10,000 screaming Avatar fans at MetroCon 2008.
One of my favorite cartoons of all time.
I thought Season 3 had by FAR the best humor, which is one of the primary reasons I watched the show. I loved some of the substories, and the Players episode is one of my favorites of the series.
What was everyone expecting from the finale, anyway? It was a little Deus Ex Machina, but the fight choreography was POWERFUL. Zuko's fight in particular held some ethereal beauty. And that music! I might be slightly biased, however, since I first watched it, live, with 10,000 screaming Avatar fans at MetroCon 2008.
One of my favorite cartoons of all time.
PBalfredo said:
A new fan with a Mother 3 avatar? Have a cookie!
feep said:
I agree with the humour because the chemistry and rapport of the main cast have been allowed to develop naturally throughout two previous seasons, so nothing feels forced and everyone is comfortable around each other.
Oh, cookie! *recovers 6 HP* Seriously between discovering Avatar and the Mother 3 english patch finally coming out, I'm in nerd heaven right now!
I was surprised that Season 3 seems to get a lot of flack. I have zero idea where the hate is coming from. (spoiler tagged just in case this thread attracts any more newbies)
So, uh, in short: Season 3 > Season 2 > Season 1. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I was surprised that Season 3 seems to get a lot of flack. I have zero idea where the hate is coming from. (spoiler tagged just in case this thread attracts any more newbies)
Maybe some people just really hated The Beach, despite the fact that it's hilarious. Who knew Azula, of all people, could be the source of that many great laughs? In my eyes, the series just got better and better with each season. Season 1 was a strong start. It was a bit slower building and more episodic than the later seasons, but it gave time to connect and appreciate the characters and world. It's low point was The Great Divide but it more than makes up with its high point, the awesome Siege of the North. The lighting for when the Moon went dead was epic. As much sense as it makes in-universe, I love how audacious and ridiculous Zhao's plan sounds when you say it out loud. "Once I burn this fish, I will kill the Moon! LUNARCIDE!"
Season 2 start well with The Avatar State, but didn't really take off until Toph was introduced in The Blind Bandit. Then it was just fantastic episodes on parade. The Chase, Zuko Alone, the Library/desert arc. Then they got to Ba Sing Se. Best arc of the series. I exclaimed out load at the endings of City of Walls and Secrets and The Earth King. The fight scene at the beginning of The Earth King completely owned all others before it. Then once everything seemed to be settling down, here comes Azula, here to fuck shit up.
The Guru was one of the most poignant episodes of the series. Seeing Aang weigh his love for Katara against the promise of enlightenment and the duties of the Avatar was surprisingly moving. I'll admit, it made me an Aang/Katara fan (though I stubbornly refuse to indulge in portmanteau couple names). At first in Season 1, the relationship just seemed to be the obligatory title character/lead female hookup. But it evolved well and when The Guru hit, I was completely sold on it. Add me to the list of people who thought Zuko would join Aang at the end of Season 2 and was surprised he didn't. However, it's still perfectly in-character. The tea-serving happy-Zuko seemed like a pod-person while everything Azula promised him spoke directly to what he desired. She really knows how to press his buttons, so it's understandable he would loose his way, again. I was surprised how distressed I was not knowing Suki's fate. Season 2 just left her in Schroeder's Box, which may or may not be filled with dead cats.
I loved the concept of the characters going undercover to infiltrate the Fire Nation in Season 3. It gave a good inner look at the Fire Nation, which up until this point was just the Big Bad Citadel and really humanized "the enemy nation" and her people. Plus, spiffy new costumes. Early Season 3 gave a lot of good character spotlight episodes like The Headband, The Runaway, Sokka's Master and Puppetmaster. Speaking of Puppetmaster, holy crap! I don't know which is more disturbing, the ending of Puppetmaster "Congratulations, Katara. You're a Bloodbender." or the fact she actually uses it in Southern Raiders? The lesson from Southern Raiders being: friend or foe, don't fuck with Katara!
Zuko's joining of Team Avatar was perfectly executed and met with a realistic degree of skepticism from the gang. I like that Toph was the first to reach out and try to accept him, due to her friendship with Iroh and because she didn't experience Season 1 evil-Zuko firsthand. I wish they had more time for Zuko to mesh with the group naturally, since the "life changing field trips with Zuko" seemed to be indicative that there was only so much time for Zuko/Team Avatar character development before the finale. Not that what we got was bad by any means, it just would be nice to get more time with it. Poor Toph got screwed with her Zuko field trip :lol
Sozin's Comet was made of pure Epic and Win. I love how the team split up to stop the airships, dethrone Azula, liberate Ba Sing Se and defeat the Firelord. It gave all of our heroes an equally important role to play in saving the world and each achieve their own Crowning Moment of Awesome. It also allowed Aang to go one-on-one with the Firelord without his friends, who are all extremely powerful in their respective bending disciplines (plus Sokka), just standing on the sidelines with their thumbs up their butt. The Zuko vs Azula fight was beautiful with the clashing walls of blue and red flame, accompanied by Last Agni Kai. After she got pwned by Katara, Azula's final breakdown was almost hard to watch. She used to be so completely collected but by this point she had absolutely lost it. 100% batshit insane. I actually found Sokka and Toph's cliffhanger on the airships to be rather hair raising. I think it was because they had both clearly run shit out of options and really were fortunate that Suki is equally awesome and managed to save them. Aang's fight with the Firelord was one of the most dynamic battles in the series. Although he kicked plenty of ass while in the Avatar State, it was Aang's humanity that helped save the day, rather than his divinity.
Season 2 start well with The Avatar State, but didn't really take off until Toph was introduced in The Blind Bandit. Then it was just fantastic episodes on parade. The Chase, Zuko Alone, the Library/desert arc. Then they got to Ba Sing Se. Best arc of the series. I exclaimed out load at the endings of City of Walls and Secrets and The Earth King. The fight scene at the beginning of The Earth King completely owned all others before it. Then once everything seemed to be settling down, here comes Azula, here to fuck shit up.
The Guru was one of the most poignant episodes of the series. Seeing Aang weigh his love for Katara against the promise of enlightenment and the duties of the Avatar was surprisingly moving. I'll admit, it made me an Aang/Katara fan (though I stubbornly refuse to indulge in portmanteau couple names). At first in Season 1, the relationship just seemed to be the obligatory title character/lead female hookup. But it evolved well and when The Guru hit, I was completely sold on it. Add me to the list of people who thought Zuko would join Aang at the end of Season 2 and was surprised he didn't. However, it's still perfectly in-character. The tea-serving happy-Zuko seemed like a pod-person while everything Azula promised him spoke directly to what he desired. She really knows how to press his buttons, so it's understandable he would loose his way, again. I was surprised how distressed I was not knowing Suki's fate. Season 2 just left her in Schroeder's Box, which may or may not be filled with dead cats.
I loved the concept of the characters going undercover to infiltrate the Fire Nation in Season 3. It gave a good inner look at the Fire Nation, which up until this point was just the Big Bad Citadel and really humanized "the enemy nation" and her people. Plus, spiffy new costumes. Early Season 3 gave a lot of good character spotlight episodes like The Headband, The Runaway, Sokka's Master and Puppetmaster. Speaking of Puppetmaster, holy crap! I don't know which is more disturbing, the ending of Puppetmaster "Congratulations, Katara. You're a Bloodbender." or the fact she actually uses it in Southern Raiders? The lesson from Southern Raiders being: friend or foe, don't fuck with Katara!
Zuko's joining of Team Avatar was perfectly executed and met with a realistic degree of skepticism from the gang. I like that Toph was the first to reach out and try to accept him, due to her friendship with Iroh and because she didn't experience Season 1 evil-Zuko firsthand. I wish they had more time for Zuko to mesh with the group naturally, since the "life changing field trips with Zuko" seemed to be indicative that there was only so much time for Zuko/Team Avatar character development before the finale. Not that what we got was bad by any means, it just would be nice to get more time with it. Poor Toph got screwed with her Zuko field trip :lol
Sozin's Comet was made of pure Epic and Win. I love how the team split up to stop the airships, dethrone Azula, liberate Ba Sing Se and defeat the Firelord. It gave all of our heroes an equally important role to play in saving the world and each achieve their own Crowning Moment of Awesome. It also allowed Aang to go one-on-one with the Firelord without his friends, who are all extremely powerful in their respective bending disciplines (plus Sokka), just standing on the sidelines with their thumbs up their butt. The Zuko vs Azula fight was beautiful with the clashing walls of blue and red flame, accompanied by Last Agni Kai. After she got pwned by Katara, Azula's final breakdown was almost hard to watch. She used to be so completely collected but by this point she had absolutely lost it. 100% batshit insane. I actually found Sokka and Toph's cliffhanger on the airships to be rather hair raising. I think it was because they had both clearly run shit out of options and really were fortunate that Suki is equally awesome and managed to save them. Aang's fight with the Firelord was one of the most dynamic battles in the series. Although he kicked plenty of ass while in the Avatar State, it was Aang's humanity that helped save the day, rather than his divinity.
So, uh, in short: Season 3 > Season 2 > Season 1. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Xisiqomelir
Member
I would like to thank this thread for something I might otherwise have slept on. I haven't enjoyed myself with a western-directed animation like this since the 80s.
adamsappel
Member
Thanks for those!ckohler said::O
Nobody told me the creators produced some shorts! Here are the only three I could find. They are little comedy bits done with chibi versions of the characters. Pretty funny!
Bender Battle
Swamp Skiin' Throwdown
School Time Shipping
Note: These are probably best viewed after you've seen the whole series otherwise you won't get all the in-jokes and character cameos.
SouthernDragon
Member
Thinking about renting this somehow, and watching it with my sister over vacation.
So good.
So good.
WalterMclure
Banned
BlacKMaRK said:zuko alone is my favorite episode of the series(besides the 4-part finale).
zuko is the best character in the show
zuko is the man
zuko
YES!
His tale is far more gripping than any other character's in my opinion as well. He also developed nicely as a character.
Honestly the level of depth this series has in general is really incredible considering the fact that its targeted for children. Unlike most action shows the characters in this series are multi-faceted. I really appreciate that.
Also: Last 5-6 episodes of Book 3> Book 2 > Book 1> Rest of Book 3.
So tonight I was in a room at school where they put Avatar on (I didn't go in there to watch it, the people there put it on). I've been putting this show off simply because of the art direction and the fact that it's on Nickelodeon. Saw the first four episodes of season 3 and now I wanna see more. I mean, it's not super-ultra fantastic, but it was way more charming, better acted, and better animated than I'd imagined.
EDIT: WTF, RUFIO is the voice of the main antagonist? Now I have to see this.
EDIT: WTF, RUFIO is the voice of the main antagonist? Now I have to see this.
WalterMclure
Banned
Katara is hot but man she gets on my nerves.
I don't know about calling the third season the best, it was very messy and the entire climax was just randomly put together. I mean, they're partying on the beach and suddenly it's already "FINAL BATTLE TIME" without any build-up or hint of foreshadowing. The composition of the final arc wasnt tight enough; the plot was mostly composed of a bunch of random-side quests and it was like if they were just trying to complete a checklist before the end of the show rather than to tell a well-developed adventure with clear storytelling.
DeathNote said:
No movies. Everything is in the three Book DVD's.
It's pretty rare to see complaints about the final four episodes, other than the deux ex machina thing. I pretty much disagree with everything you said.
-Final battle time was foreshadowed in Day of Black Sun Part 1 and the end of the Southern Raiders. And technically the Phoenix King is all setup.
-What random side quests? You mean looking for
the person who's supposed to be the savior of the world
- I don't know what else to say really about the checklist comment. Shocked at a show that ties up loose ends with its finale and brings back elements from episodes way back, maybe?
BorkBork said:
Perhaps people just feel fine about Ozais lack of characterization and him being reduced to pretty much nothing but a joke character through the few final episodes. Perhaps people just feel fine about the easiness through which the entire conflict was resolved, without sacrifice and the entire menace represented by the Fire Kingdom being reduced to a handful of ships. Perhaps people feel just fine about the utter disconnection from the characters and their conflict and how most of their enemies were gimped long before the actual battle started. Perhaps people feel just fine about Azulas rushed fall from grace that portrayed her closer to a spoiled and selfish kid than to the troubled and powerful woman she was supposed to be.
BorkBork said:
No, I meant the entire let everyone in the cast have an adventure with Zuko because we dont know how to tie everything together through a proper plot and then theyll be playing on the beach before suddenly remembering the final battle is already coming. Thats what I meant about lack of build-up.
Sweet, a debate.
The show has a broad spectrum of villains, more so than most. Zuko represented the antihero who has done bad things but is able to find redemption. Azula represents probably the villain you wanted Ozai to be: evil, brillliant and manipulative without a conscience and beyond redemption. Ozai nailed the crazy evil mustache twirling megalomaniac (and definitely just as manipulative as Azula as seen in the Day of Black Sun), which went well in a showdown that was basically between good and evil. I found all three to be great.
I'm not sure what you want from a fantasy epic tale. Obviously they could have gone into how Zuko rebuilds the Fire Nation's relationship with the other nations after a century of war, but you have to remember, it's a show aimed at children with a limited amount of time. I thought the seperate paths that each team took (Fire Nation capital, airships, Ba Sing Se, and the canyon) was an excellent way for them to illustrate that the conflict was widespread and affected everyone.
I'm not sure who you're referring to. Could you provide some examples?
Rushed? I thought that was one of the best built up arcs in the entire show. I knew it was coming from the end of the Boiling Rock, and was brilliant in its subtle execution from the Southern Raiders and through the final four episodes.
Are you also complaining about the second half of the third season instead then? Because those Zuko field trips weren't in the final four episodes.
7Th said:
The show has a broad spectrum of villains, more so than most. Zuko represented the antihero who has done bad things but is able to find redemption. Azula represents probably the villain you wanted Ozai to be: evil, brillliant and manipulative without a conscience and beyond redemption. Ozai nailed the crazy evil mustache twirling megalomaniac (and definitely just as manipulative as Azula as seen in the Day of Black Sun), which went well in a showdown that was basically between good and evil. I found all three to be great.
I'm not sure what you want from a fantasy epic tale. Obviously they could have gone into how Zuko rebuilds the Fire Nation's relationship with the other nations after a century of war, but you have to remember, it's a show aimed at children with a limited amount of time. I thought the seperate paths that each team took (Fire Nation capital, airships, Ba Sing Se, and the canyon) was an excellent way for them to illustrate that the conflict was widespread and affected everyone.
I'm not sure who you're referring to. Could you provide some examples?
Rushed? I thought that was one of the best built up arcs in the entire show. I knew it was coming from the end of the Boiling Rock, and was brilliant in its subtle execution from the Southern Raiders and through the final four episodes.
Are you also complaining about the second half of the third season instead then? Because those Zuko field trips weren't in the final four episodes.
WalterMclure
Banned
Hey guys my name is 7TH and I like to complain about the PLOT of CHILDREN's shows. Cause that makes sense.
BorkBork said:
Ozai wasn't menacing enough. He was never a threat to Aang through the entire final battle and was pretty much a non-character in episodes before. His bland fighting style and inexpressive mannerisms, coupled with his empty motivation, made for an uninteresting villain.
I'm talking about how the cast was just fooling around, without any growth to their characters. It wasn't truly affecting them, it was just a giant bending party of throwaway action. The one interesting conflict in the entire finale was Aang's struggle with the idea that he had to kill Ozai, and its resolution was not only rushed but also uninteresting in both concept and presentation.
It was anything but subtle. It was overdone and melodramatic. They could have played more with atmosphere and coloring, they could have used some skilled directorial tricks to portray her slow decent to madness... yet they only included a few badly timed sequences of unnatural acting and called it a day.
Well, the lack of proper build-up was one of Souzin's Comet main problems.
WalterMclure said:
Well, if you accept it as a kid's show and call it a day I've got no reason to move further with this discussion.
7Th said:
With respect to the non-character comments, we see plenty of things that hint at what kind of person he is throughout the show. In the Storm, we see that he burned Zuko's face off because he talked out of line. In Zuko Alone, he tried to seize power when Iroh was at his weakest and agreed to kill his own son so that he would have saved his own skin. In Day of Black Sun, we see his manipulative side when he baited Zuko into staying for his mother. In the finale, he threatened to burn down the entire world. He kicked the crap out of Aang in all of Into the Inferno. I don't know, that's pretty evil for a super evil baddie and we see a bit of him as a character. As I said previously, if you're looking for a less one dimensional baddie, take Azula.
The point of the finale is that everyone's development arcs are pretty much complete. Zuko's finishes off his arc and regained his own honor by joining the Gaang. Katara found closure in resolving the death of her mother. Sokka made his transition from a boy building a snow watch tower in his village to becoming an accomplished warrior/tactician/pimp. Toph has cemented her place as a greatest Earthbender alive and the finale showcased that in style. The only one left really is Aang, and the finale is a reflection of how he becomes a fully realized Avatar, his way. I can't fathom how you can find Aang's personal struggles and how he overcomes them to be boring, I'm sorry. By the way, his struggle to kill has been hinted at in many previous episodes and built into his character from the start, so I don't think it was rushed at all.
You must be holding the show to some crazy high standards. Maybe I'm uneducated in the way of "directorial tricks", but I thought the transition was done better than most shows I see on TV. I pointed to the fight in the Southern Raiders as being subtle because of several things:
- Zuko, who usually gets his ass pwned everytime they face off, matches her blow for blow. Little Miss Perfect's losing a step.
- Both fall, Zuko is saved by his new friends. Azula, having just been betrayed by her friends, has to rely on herself because she's all alone now, adding to her vulnerability.
Was that overdone and melodramatic? I don't really think so. As for the finale, she becomes drunk with new power and paranoia from her previous betrayals. The Ursa scene broke her, as she hinted in the Beach after seeing herself as a monster. Did not see a problem with it.
I agree with you on this point. There are a lot of elements in the show that make it appealing to me and and brushing it off as just a kid's show irks me.
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