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[7Th]

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.

I never said I wanted Ozai to be a multifaceted character; I just wanted him to remain the competent villain he was hyped to be through the entire show. In his battle with Aang, he wasn't nearly menacing enough and was reduced to pretty much a joke.

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 should have made the character actually "fight for their victory" on the final battle. A merely action-focused struggle means nothing without the involvement of the necessary human drama. You know they're going to win, it's about how much they grow through the conflict.

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.

But it wasn't "his way". He was slightly tempted to "kill Ozai" for a few minutes before his magical meeting with the Lion-Turtle. If he had used his will-power and kindness to strip Ozai from his bending powers, perhaps it would have been more interesting. If the staff had used creative animation styles to showcase the struggle between his soul and Ozai's soul, perhaps it would have been more interesting. But it was exceedingly easy and the entire build-up in which his predecessors told him that "killing" was necessary was totally wasted on an incidental resolution.

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 thought the use of overblown acting wasn't the best way to portray Azula's character. The exaggerated facial distortions were more funny than believable. A combination of muted colors with a slow, tense atmosphere would have been more effective; they took the easy way out.

 

[BorkBork]

I never said I wanted Ozai to be a multifaceted character; I just wanted him to remain the competent villain he was hyped to be through the entire show. In his battle with Aang, he wasn't nearly menacing enough and was reduced to pretty much a joke.

But as I already said, he DID kick Aang's ass for an entire episode. He was about to kill him before Aang went glowy. He also came close to killing him while Aang was spirit-bending. It wasn't at all obvious that Aang was going to survive. (read the season 3 thread reaction thread if you're wondering).

The should have made the character actually "fight for their victory" on the final battle. A merely action-focused struggle means nothing without the involvement of the necessary human drama. You know they're going to win, it's about how much they grow through the conflict.

Again, as I said, the characters have nothing to prove by the end. They are fully realized characters that have come to the end of their journeys. As for drama, there were lots of little moments sprinkled throughout the action scenes. A sibling duel to the death. Katara finally fully trusting Zuko after taking a bolt of lightning for her. Sokka hanging onto Toph on the airship. Those are all great scenes that show the bonds and conflicts that characters have for each other.

But it wasn't "his way". He was slightly tempted to "kill Ozai" for a few minutes before his magical meeting with the Lion-Turtle. If he had used his will-power and kindness to strip Ozai from his bending powers, perhaps it would have been more interesting. If the staff had used creative animation styles to showcase the struggle between his soul and Ozai's soul, perhaps it would have been more interesting. But it was exceedingly easy and the entire build-up in which his predecessors told him that "killing" was necessary was totally wasted on an incidental resolution.

I think you and I have a different interpretation of the scene. The entire sequence was there to show that by sticking to his convictions and his principles, Aang became truly incorruptible and thus was able to realize a technique not known to any previous Avatars, making him the most powerful Avatar of all. The lionturtle didn't give him the power, he had to realize it himself, and he resolved the conflict and fully realized his potential by doing things his way.

I thought the use of overblown acting wasn't the best way to portray Azula's character. The exaggerated facial distortions were more funny than believable. A combination of muted colors with a slow, tense atmosphere would have been more effective; they took the easy way out.

We'll agree to disagree about whether or not it was overacting. I think it was done very well, and I think I'm in the majority there. I also think it was amazing that they could invoke empathy for such an evil character throughout the series and definitely a surprising way to end her character arc. Making the main villain mentally unstable and bawling her eyes out in the end is not taking the easy way out.

 

[NotWii]

I thought this was a Scullibundo thread...

 

[oxrock]

One thing I have to agree with is that Azula went crazy really fast. I guess it makes sense for an extreme over achiever to snap when everything starts going bad, but it seemed almost a blink of the eye. Yes there were some more subtle hints and then cut scenes at the very end just showing that she was already crazy, but I think they needed to show the missing link between the two.

 

[SouthernDragon]

I don't think it was that fast. She was used to being in control, and when she noticed she couldn't control everything, she started to snap. It happened in The Beach, and then got worse with the betrayal of her friends and her ascendency to the throne of the Fire Nation, which just amplified her paranoia.

She was in control for most of the series, so it wouldn't have made any sense to make her unravel any sooner.

 

[7Th]

But as I already said, he DID kick Aang's ass for an entire episode. He was about to kill him before Aang went glowy. He also came close to killing him while Aang was spirit-bending. It wasn't at all obvious that Aang was going to survive. (read the season 3 thread reaction thread if you're wondering).

I don't think it could be said that he "kicked Aang's ass for an entire episode" when Aang was holding back through most of the battle. He was a complete joke after Aang revealed his true powers and created the tacky CGI ball of elements.

Again, as I said, the characters have nothing to prove by the end. They are fully realized characters that have come to the end of their journeys. As for drama, there were lots of little moments sprinkled throughout the action scenes. A sibling duel to the death. Katara finally fully trusting Zuko after taking a bolt of lightning for her. Sokka hanging onto Toph on the airship. Those are all great scenes that show the bonds and conflicts that characters have for each other.

The end of journey must feature one final trial for the characters to overcome, something more intricate like "one final temptation" or a "hard choice". The cast was pretty much just fooling around and there was no weight to their conflict.

I think you and I have a different interpretation of the scene. The entire sequence was there to show that by sticking to his convictions and his principles, Aang became truly incorruptible and thus was able to realize a technique not known to any previous Avatars, making him the most powerful Avatar of all. The lionturtle didn't give him the power, he had to realize it himself, and he resolved the conflict and fully realized his potential by doing things his way.

Yes, that is a very to-the-point summary of the final episode. I don't see how that makes the resolution any less easy or awkwardly executed. Aang still sacrificed nothing to become a hero and his struggle still amounted to nothing.

We'll agree to disagree about whether or not it was overacting. I think it was done very well, and I think I'm in the majority there. I also think it was amazing that they could invoke empathy for such an evil character throughout the series and definitely a surprising way to end her character arc. Making the main villain mentally unstable and bawling her eyes out in the end is not taking the easy way out.

How is "appealing to majority" a valid argument? And making a villain mentally unstable through what were essentially comedic-relief sequences and overblown animation is indeed taking the easy way out.

 

[BorkBork]

I don't think it could be said that he "kicked Aang's ass for an entire episode" when Aang was holding back through most of the battle. He was a complete joke after Aang revealed his true powers and created the tacky CGI ball of elements.

That's how Aang fights, through evasion and defense. He does that in every battle. Do you think Azula wasn't kicking his ass in the second season finale because "he was holding back" then?

And now you have an issue with the CGI as well? That's quite a growing and changing list of complaints you have there.

The end of journey must feature one final trial for the characters to overcome, something more intricate like "one final temptation" or a "hard choice". The cast was pretty much just fooling around and there was no weight to their conflict.

:lol Must have one final trial? Is there some exact formula that shows must follow in order to meet your standards? The fate of the world was in the balance. Everyone was doing their part to save it.

Yes, that is a very to-the-point summary of the final episode. I don't see how that makes the resolution any less easy or awkwardly executed. Aang still sacrificed nothing to become a hero and his struggle still amounted to nothing.

Not a point by point summary, just the interpretation that makes the most sense to me based on the theme of the show and a study of Aang's character. You don't necessarily need to make a sacrifice in order to have a satisfying resoluton. Aang made a hard choice, stuck with his guns, solved the problem his way and it was executed very well. You could make a point about the deux ex machina portion of it, and I could see that, but that's a separate argument.

How is "appealing to majority" a valid argument? And making a villain mentally unstable through what were essentially comedic-relief sequences and overblown animation is indeed taking the easy way out.

The appealing to the majority comment wasn't an argument, it was an observation that you are one of the very few opinions I have seen that did not like her breakdown sequence. That's it.

As I said before, I found the breakdown sequence to be quite tragic. Certainly there is an element of comedy when she dismisses Li and Lo, but overall it was quite sad as a fall from grace, and not a complete comedy farce you painted it out to be. The fact that I felt bad for her character when throughout most of the series she was an evil conscience-free villain made it even better.

 

[7Th]

That's how Aang fights, through evasion and defense. He does that in every battle. Do you think Azula wasn't kicking his ass in the second season finale because "he was holding back" then?

Aang fighting by evasion and defense has nothing to do with Ozai being a rather poor final enemy. There wasn't even a clear ideological conflict between him and Aang.

:lol Must have one final trial? Is there some exact formula that shows must follow in order to meet your standards? The fate of the world was in the balance. Everyone was doing their part to save it.

What I mean is that the ending conflict was mostly uninteresting because there wasn't a compelling enough human drama involved. The characters were not trying to prove anything. The storytelling lacked the necessary SUBTEXT and was rather empty in actual content.

Not a point by point summary, just the interpretation that makes the most sense to me based on the theme of the show and a study of Aang's character. You don't necessarily need to make a sacrifice in order to have a satisfying resolution. Aang made a hard choice, stuck with his guns, solved the problem his way and it was executed very well. You could make a point about the deux ex machina portion of it, and I could see that, but that's a separate argument.

A sacrifice, or at least some degree of "poetic justice" or evocative symbolism, is necessary for a "deus-ex-machina" to work. I have no problem with the "deus-ex-machina" itself, I have a problem with the execution. Aang's choice wasn't hard. Aang stuck to his sense of morals and effortlessly terminated with the threat represented by the Fire Nation.

The appealing to the majority comment wasn't an argument, it was an observation that you are one of the very few opinions I have seen that did not like her breakdown sequence. That's it.

As I said before, I found the breakdown sequence to be quite tragic. Certainly there is an element of comedy when she dismisses Li and Lo, but overall it was quite sad as a fall from grace, and not a complete comedy farce you painted it out to be. The fact that I felt bad for her character when throughout most of the series she was an evil conscience-free villain made it even better.

I suppose there is no point arguing this anymore. I believe they took the easy way out and Azula's character arc felt rushed through and with unnecessary emphasis. I found it overdone and needlessly melodramatic.

 

[BorkBork]

Aang fighting by evasion and defense has nothing to do with Ozai being a rather poor final enemy. There wasn't even a clear ideological conflict between him and Aang.

no clear ideological conflict? One wanted to destroy the world by fire for god sake's. :lol

What I mean is that the ending conflict was mostly uninteresting because there wasn't a compelling enough human drama involved. The characters were not trying to prove anything. The storytelling lacked the necessary SUBTEXT and was rather empty in actual content.

It seems like you may be looking for additional drama when there isn't a need for it. I thought there was enough there. But that's just me, I thought overall it was adequately executed.

A sacrifice, or at least some degree of "poetic justice" or evocative symbolism, is necessary for a "deus-ex-machina" to work. I have no problem with the "deus-ex-machina" itself, I have a problem with the execution. Aang's choice wasn't hard. Aang stuck to his sense of morals and effortlessly terminated with the threat represented by the Fire Nation.

His choice was hard because everybody told him the only solution was to take the Firelord's life. Zuko said it. Roku said it. Kyoshi definitely said it. Kuruk and Yangchen said it. When he redirect lightning back at Ozai he could have done it. When he was in the Avatar State he had every chance to do it. He chose not to and as a result was almost killed or corrupted. It was not an easy or effortless decision to stick to his teachings.

I suppose there is no point arguing this anymore. I believe they took the easy way out and Azula's character arc felt rushed through and with unnecessary emphasis. I found it overdone and needlessly melodramatic.

Yup. I said we're going to agree to disagree on this point a couple of posts ago.

 

[PBalfredo]

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.

I'm going to jump in on this point for a second here because I think you've nailed all of the personal development of all of the characters, except Toph. Toph never left home in order to prove herself as the greatest earthbender. She was already a master bender by the time Aang first met her and became the only known metalbender before season 2 was even over. Her personal development resolved around her running away from home, and what she learned and experienced while away. Before she lived isolated from the world with no real friends to speak of and was quite disdainful of her parents for smothering her. Her lousy interpersonal skills caused her to butt heads with the gaang, especially Katara, but she eventually was able to forge the friendships long denied to her. Her development arc reaches a conclusion in The Runaway when she decides to make the effort to reconcile with her parents. She may not be sorry for the act of running away itself as it gave her the freedom be true to herself, but she is sorry for hurting her parents who love her and she acknowledges this in The Runaway.

 

[BorkBork]

I'm going to jump in on this point for a second here because I think you've nailed all of the personal development of all of the characters, except Toph. Toph never left home in order to prove herself as the greatest earthbender. She was already a master bender by the time Aang first met her and became the only known metalbender before season 2 was even over. Her personal development resolved around her running away from home, and what she learned and experienced while away. Before she lived isolated from the world with no real friends to speak of and was quite disdainful of her parents for smothering her. Her lousy interpersonal skills caused her to butt heads with the gaang, especially Katara, but she eventually was able to forge the friendships long denied to her. Her development arc reaches a conclusion in The Runaway when she decides to make the effort to reconcile with her parents. She may not be sorry for the act of running away itself as it gave her the freedom be true to herself, but she is sorry for hurting her parents who love her and she acknowledges this in The Runaway.

Good point. I think I made that comment relating more to the viewer than to Toph as a character. We just see so much of her sheer awesomeness in every fight that it kind of overshadowed her resolution with her parents, which to be honest, I would have liked a little bit more closure on in the finale. Very minor quibble though.

 

[vas_a_morir]

What confused me about the finale was how Aang was freaking out about killing ONE man, when he killed like Thousands of men in the battle at the Northern Watertribe capital. Zhao is like a confirmed kill.

 

[Piecake]

What confused me about the finale was how Aang was freaking out about killing ONE man, when he killed like Thousands of men in the battle at the Northern Watertribe capital. Zhao is like a confirmed kill.

Zhao was killed after Ang left the ocean spirit

 

[BorkBork]

What confused me about the finale was how Aang was freaking out about killing ONE man, when he killed like Thousands of men in the battle at the Northern Watertribe capital. Zhao is like a confirmed kill.

He wasn't in control when he knocked out the ships at the North Pole; the Ocean Spirit was responsible for that and Zhao's death. The only thing he has ever directly killed in the entire series was that wasp vulture in the Desert, when he went to basically went over to the dark side out of losing Appa before Katara brings him back.

 

[ckohler]

The final episode was on today. It was as awesome as the first time I saw it. The scene when Azula starts crying manically after being beaten is so powerful.

 

[bachikarn]

So are they going to continue this besides the live action movies? I remember hearing something about 3 made for TV movies, but I don't know if those got canned or not...

 

[BorkBork]

Those are most likely on hold until the live trilogy is done (or bombs).
Plenty of storylines to follow on for TV movies though:

-Zuko's search for Ursa
-Iroh and Lu Ten backstory
-Spirit world shenanigans

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Even tho Airbender is not an anime... what are some anime like it(cute animals in there as well preferably)? Trying to find something to watch with my friend. She's not interested in Bleach, Naurto, Fushigi Yugi, Cowboy Bebop. She likes the Miyazaki films tho.

 

[Snaku]

Even tho Airbender is not an anime... what are some anime like it(cute animals in there as well preferably)?

Funny you should ask...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=349378

 

[AniHawk]

Just started watching the series sometime last week and man, I should've listened to you guys years ago. The style is great (yeah, I was wrong before), the animation (though a little choppy), is well-directed (the action scenes are amazing), the acting is solid all-around, and the writing. Man. Okay, so it's not always great, but it's nice to see honest-to-god effort in a "kid's show" when it comes to character development, humor, and drama.

What I love most is how detailed everything is. Using actual martial arts for the fighting styles does a lot to give the action scenes an authentic look.

Considering I'm about 4 episodes from the end of Book 1, I'm excited for more. If this is the worst season, then I can't imagine what 2 and 3 must be like.

 

[Zapages]

Just started watching the series sometime last week and man, I should've listened to you guys years ago. The style is great (yeah, I was wrong before), the animation (though a little choppy), is well-directed (the action scenes are amazing), the acting is solid all-around, and the writing. Man. Okay, so it's not always great, but it's nice to see honest-to-god effort in a "kid's show" when it comes to character development, humor, and drama.

What I love most is how detailed everything is. Using actual martial arts for the fighting styles does a lot to give the action scenes an authentic look.

Considering I'm about 4 episodes from the end of Book 1, I'm excited for more. If this is the worst season, then I can't imagine what 2 and 3 must be like.

I think we should divide Season 3 into three parts....

Season 2 is the darkest...
Seasons 1 is good intro and nice finale.
Season 3 First Half, is like WTF happened...
Season 3 second Half is like OMG this is awesome.


That's the overall feeling of the feeling of the series.
2 > 3 2nd Half = 1 > 3 1st Half.

 

[joetachi]

Welcome to the crazyness AniHawk your lucky you get to see the series from beginning to end so fast.

 

[half a moon]

Welcome to the crazyness AniHawk your lucky you get to see the series from beginning to end so fast.

I hate watching shows when they are on the air. Getting to watch Battlestar Galactica, Lost, this, etc. is amazing without commercials and waiting.

Ratings is only based on a certain group anyway right? So the fact that I never watch anything new isn't hurting the show right?

 

[Snaku]

Just started watching the series sometime last week and man, I should've listened to you guys years ago. The style is great (yeah, I was wrong before), the animation (though a little choppy), is well-directed (the action scenes are amazing), the acting is solid all-around, and the writing. Man. Okay, so it's not always great, but it's nice to see honest-to-god effort in a "kid's show" when it comes to character development, humor, and drama.

What I love most is how detailed everything is. Using actual martial arts for the fighting styles does a lot to give the action scenes an authentic look.

Considering I'm about 4 episodes from the end of Book 1, I'm excited for more. If this is the worst season, then I can't imagine what 2 and 3 must be like.

You're in for an awesome time. Pay no mind to Season 3 part one haters. They expected it to be a focused continuation of Season 2, instead it followed the pattern of the first halves of the other two seasons and didn't have a tight focused narrative which is one of the things I love about Avatar. I like the episodic nature of the early half of the seasons before things get serious and start building towards the epic finale(s).

 

[bgassassin]

How can anyone not like the first part of season three when it gave us things like this?

 

[AniHawk]

You're in for an awesome time. Pay no mind to Season 3 part one haters. They expected it to be a focused continuation of Season 2, instead it followed the pattern of the first halves of the other two seasons and didn't have a tight focused narrative which is one of the things I love about Avatar. I like the episodic nature of the early half of the seasons before things get serious and start building towards the epic finale(s).

Actually, my first experience with the show were the first three or four episodes from season 3. I mentioned it before in this thread, but it was on in a room I was in and I was surprised that it wasn't 4Kids shittiness (which I unfairly thought it was based on the Americanime style). It got me interested in seeing the rest of the series, and well, now I'm just waiting on netflix.

 

[Ferrio]

<3

 

[wackojackosnose]

You're in for an awesome time. Pay no mind to Season 3 part one haters.

He's right, season 3 is a blast. The only real problem with it was the lack of on-arc episodes in the first half and the ridiculous waiting time between episodes - we had to wait 4 or 5 months for the last few episodes and that really killed off the steam of this show.

But if you're just getting into the show now none of this will be a problem with back to back episodic red eye goodness.

 

[ckohler]

What I love most is how detailed everything is. Using actual martial arts for the fighting styles does a lot to give the action scenes an authentic look.

Yep. They hired a real martial-arts expert (Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association) to choreograph all of the bending and fight scenes. They even gave the animators classes in the martial-arts. Here are the four styles:

Waterbending (Tai-chi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcBv_sJQDgw

Earthbending (Hung Gar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ1STVNs_tY

Airbending (Ba Gua)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRMSdpaELDw

Firebending (Northern Shaolin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxXlBMQSdkI

 

[Snaku]

Pretty cool letter to the fans from Avatar creators Mike & Bryan...

Last week "Avatar" was fortunate enough to win both Annie awards it was up for, "Best Directing in TV" for Joaquim Dos Santos on Ep. 320 and "Best Series for Children." We are proud of the awards, and it is a good way to cap the series -- it is always nice to be recognized by one's peers. But ultimately it is the continued and growing support and enthusiasm from the show's fans all over the world that gives us the most pride and satisfaction. Thanks for all of your heart and dedication to this world, these characters and this story. We hope it has enriched your lives in some way. We know that you have enriched ours.

Mike & Bryan
February 2009

The directing award was for Sozin's Comet part 3 btw.

 

[AniHawk]

Finished book one last night. That finale was so awesome. The commentary for the 20th episode was kinda funny too, how they were talking about how they wished to make the battle look more epic. YOU'RE ON NICKELODEON! The battle already looks way more epic than anyone should possibly expect.

I'm surprised they killed off two characters too. I thought that was one of the things you couldn't do in childrens' television. I remember Invader Zim had to work around that when characters were obviously dead (the giant hamster and Iggins).

 

[vas_a_morir]

Finished book one last night. That finale was so awesome. The commentary for the 20th episode was kinda funny too, how they were talking about how they wished to make the battle look more epic. YOU'RE ON NICKELODEON! The battle already looks way more epic than anyone should possibly expect.

I'm surprised they killed off two characters too. I thought that was one of the things you couldn't do in childrens' television. I remember Invader Zim had to work around that when characters were obviously dead (the giant hamster and Iggins).

Later in book 3 (not really a spoiler, but just in case),

Spoiler

Aang gets all "I don't know if I can kill..."

And I'm all like "bitch, you already killed Zhao. Get over it."

 

[DihcarEM]

Later in book 3 (not really a spoiler, but just in case),

Spoiler

Aang gets all "I don't know if I can kill..."

And I'm all like "bitch, you already killed Zhao. Get over it."

Not really,

Spoiler

it was the avatar part of Aang that killed Zhao and in that timeperiod Aang had absolutley no control over the avatar-state. Killing the firephoenix would be a 100% in control Aang and it's Aang's character/personality that conflict with killing somebody, his avatar legacy accepted the need to kill.

 

[BorkBork]

Finished book one last night. That finale was so awesome. The commentary for the 20th episode was kinda funny too, how they were talking about how they wished to make the battle look more epic. YOU'RE ON NICKELODEON! The battle already looks way more epic than anyone should possibly expect.

I'm surprised they killed off two characters too. I thought that was one of the things you couldn't do in childrens' television. I remember Invader Zim had to work around that when characters were obviously dead (the giant hamster and Iggins).

Book 2 probably maintains the highest quality of episodes in any television series season. You're in for a treat.

And screw the early Season 3 haters.

Spoiler

Outside of the Beach, each episode is there to flesh out the Fire Nation inhabitants and to make them human and does a darn good job. The Avatar and the Firelord and Sokka's Master

are among the best episodes in the entire series.

Later in book 3 (not really a spoiler, but just in case),

Spoiler

Aang gets all "I don't know if I can kill..."

And I'm all like "bitch, you already killed Zhao. Get over it."

That's always built into Aang's character.

Spoiler

The only thing he has ever directly killed is the buzzard wasp in the Desert, and the whole episode revolves around that being his darkest hour.

 

[AniHawk]

Oh, also.

Uh.

Spoiler

It was kinda weird seeing Katara suddenly become a master of waterbending after three episodes. Her fight against who'd become her teacher was really awesome. And it was great seeing her hold her own against Zuko and later kick his ass.

I like the hinting at Iroh being not-actually-crazy/lazy. Mako did one helluva job doing both relaxed, lazy Iroh and "I will fucking kill you" Iroh. For some reason, I don't think I can expect the same out of Greg Baldwin.

And Koh must've given so many kids nightmares. The show never tries to talk down to kids, and that's what will make it timeless, like Batman: TAS and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. It's also what makes it so rare to see on Nickelodeon, especially these days.

 

[BorkBork]

Oh, also.

Uh.

Spoiler

It was kinda weird seeing Katara suddenly become a master of waterbending after three episodes. Her fight against who'd become her teacher was really awesome. And it was great seeing her hold her own against Zuko and later kick his ass.

Spoiler

One of the very few criticisms I have for the series is the compressed timeline. Everything would be a lot more believable if each book constituted a year, but I understand their reasoning due to demographics and not wanting the main characters to become teenagers. So instead, I'm willing to suspend belief for that one aspect and accept that everyone seems to be bending prodigies. :lol

Spoiler

I like the hinting at Iroh being not-actually-crazy/lazy. Mako did one helluva job doing both relaxed, lazy Iroh and "I will fucking kill you" Iroh. For some reason, I don't think I can expect the same out of Greg Baldwin.

Spoiler

Second season Iroh's background gets fleshed out quite a bit more. You see that although he's the Avatar's obligatory "wise old man", he also makes mistakes. Greg Baldwin is a step below Mako in the third season, but it's not enough to affect the show too much.

Spoiler

And Koh must've given so many kids nightmares. The show never tries to talk down to kids, and that's what will make it timeless, like Batman: TAS and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. It's also what makes it so rare to see on Nickelodeon, especially these days.

Yup. I have much respect for the show creators to tell their story the way that they want, to create a show that appeals to such a wide demographic, and to plan things out conceptually from beginning to end. It's almost unheard of in modern television, even in highly acclaimed shows.

 

[AniHawk]

Halfway into Season 2 now.

Spoiler

Zuko Alone was really good. Lots of episodes lead me to saying, "kid's show...?" at the end because man, I don't recall seeing things like that in a kid's show. Nothing's black and white. The Fire Nation's not full of evil people who are evil, there are jackasses from all the tribes, and good people from all the tribes too (Iroh being the "good guy" we constantly see from the Fire Nation).

I kinda like how Azula is plain crazy, and I assume they'll explain it more at some point. Iroh's line was great, "No, she's crazy and needs to be taken down."

One of the other things I like is how 1980s Don Bluthish some of the animals get to look. The owl-spirit in the tenth episode was particularly pretty cool, and of course, Koh from the first season stands out.

There's just one little nagging thing that I don't like, and it's the fact that while there's so much cool stuff and detail to everything, almost EVERY animal seems uninspired. "IT'S A PLATYPUS BEAR!!!" "It's a Sabretooth Moose-Lion" "Horse-Ostrich" What happened to this place? Where are the actual bears and actual horses and actual sabretooth lions to draw these names from? It just seems lazy where everything else is so detailed. It's a pretty minor complaint though, since everything else is so great.

 

[ckohler]

There's just one little nagging thing that I don't like, and it's the fact that while there's so much cool stuff and detail to everything, almost EVERY animal seems uninspired. "IT'S A PLATYPUS BEAR!!!" "It's a Sabretooth Moose-Lion" "Horse-Ostrich" What happened to this place? Where are the actual bears and actual horses and actual sabretooth lions to draw these names from? It just seems lazy where everything else is so detailed. It's a pretty minor complaint though, since everything else is so great.

No need to spoiler that.

In the world of Avatar, normal animals are rare and fantastic mashup animals are commonplace. They make jokes about this later in the season and you actually do get to see what we consider a normal animal and the characters are all like "what?!". It's pretty funny.

 

[half a moon]

There's just one little nagging thing that I don't like, and it's the fact that while there's so much cool stuff and detail to everything, almost EVERY animal seems uninspired. "IT'S A PLATYPUS BEAR!!!" "It's a Sabretooth Moose-Lion" "Horse-Ostrich" What happened to this place? Where are the actual bears and actual horses and actual sabretooth lions to draw these names from? It just seems lazy where everything else is so detailed. It's a pretty minor complaint though, since everything else is so great.[/spoiler]

I love the random animals. They are cute. It's merely something cute about the fantasy world to attract people.

 

[SouthernDragon]

Yeah, the series is very self-aware about how ridiculous the animals are.

"Yes, he owns a _______."
"What kind? A _____ -______, or a _____-______, or a _____-_____..."
"No. Just a ______."
"... What?"

 

[half a moon]

Yeah, the series is very self-aware about how ridiculous the animals are.

"Yes, he owns a _______."
"What kind? A _____ -______, or a _____-______, or a _____-_____..."
"No. Just a ______."
"... What?"

I watched the whole thing, but I have no memory of this quote. I must know what was said!

 

[AniHawk]

No need to spoiler that.

In the world of Avatar, normal animals are rare and fantastic mashup animals are commonplace. They make jokes about this later in the season and you actually do get to see what we consider a normal animal and the characters are all like "what?!". It's pretty funny.

Ah, okay.

 

[BorkBork]

I watched the whole thing, but I have no memory of this quote. I must know what was said!

City of Wall and Secrets.

Spoiler

The invitation scene with the Earth King and Bosco the Bear.

Here's the conversation:

Spoiler

Katara: I’ve got it! I know how we’re gonna see the Earth King!
Toph: How are we supposed to do that&#8204; “One doesn’t just pop in on the Earth King” (mimicking Joo Dee).
Katara: The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear.
Aang: You mean Platypus-Bear&#8204;
Katara: (duly) No, it just says “Bear”.
Sokka: Certainly you mean his pet Skunk-Bear.
Toph: Or his Armadillo-Bear.
Aang: Gopher-Bear&#8204;
Katara: Just…”Bear”.
Toph: This place is weird.

 

[Rewrite]

Some GIFs I made!

 

[Oblivion]

I don't get the hate for season 1. It was a great way to start the series, and even at its worse, it doesn't begin to approach the godawfulness that was the first half of season 3.


Also, I agree that Azula's descent into madness seemed way too rushed.

 

[Rewrite]

I really LOVE the episode from the third season called The Beach, I believe. I loved the end of the episode where

Spoiler

they're confessing their problems and sharing their own feelings. I loved that scene so much because they had never been like down to earth with one another until that episode. I thought a lot of character development was shown there that made you understand each and every one of them more better. Lovely episode.

 

[AniHawk]

I don't get the hate for season 1. It was a great way to start the series, and even at its worse, it doesn't begin to approach the godawfulness that was the first half of season 3.


Also, I agree that Azula's descent into madness seemed way too rushed.

Azula was pretty fucking insane from the get-go. Her mom had to pull her aside to slap the crazy out of her at one point, but it wasn't enough

 

[msdstc]

Yeah I'm guilty of bashing the shit out of this show before even seeing it. I eat crow and proudly.

The show is incredible, I'm sad to see it go . I agree with a lot of you about the order of the series, but it's closer to me.

Season 2 is definitely the pinacle, because they writers matured themselves. The first season is just barely above average. The 2nd one is amazing, especially the conflicts zuko faces. Each character has their own conflicts and it's so subtle and great, I love all the little things you pick up on as the series continues. The 3rd season did have some poor episodes, but aang did look pretty bad ass with hair:lol. The last 4 episodes are brilliant. I really didn't like the boiling rock at all, but w/e. Good stuff all around, hopefully M night can make it, at least viewable. I can dream right?

edit- Oh and azula was a big screw up in the final season. I like how they started, because they showed she was human herself too, especially with her trouble with meeting new people. Also she appears to have a similar conflict to zuko, only she doesn't go the same direction. In the end though

Spoiler

her rocket feet abilities there, or w/e you call it, were hands down the worst thing in the series, and bad for any other show in general

horrible decision to put that in there.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

I still hate the ending.

Spoiler

Aang being able to go avatar just by doing some emergency yoga in season 2 was bad enough, but it was completely lame in season 3. Instead of actually fighting the firelord, he just goes super sayan and chases him down with whirling orbs of fire/water/earth/heart. Not to mention the whole "Fuck this shit, I want the girl" thing was pretty cool, and basically abandoned right after the episode it happened in.

Also Azula didn't get enough screentime.

And Suki is the worst character in the series. Worse than the stupid turtleducks.

 

[BorkBork]

I don't get the hate for season 1. It was a great way to start the series, and even at its worse, it doesn't begin to approach the godawfulness that was the first half of season 3.


Also, I agree that Azula's descent into madness seemed way too rushed.

Hey some consideration for Anihawk, guys. Spoiler that stuff!

If you liked Season 1, I don't get why you hated the first half of Season 3. It's exactly the same, with better direction and a cohesive goal. The first few episodes

Spoiler

are necessary for fleshing out the Fire Nation and prove that 1.) Fire Nation children aren't really depraved little fire monsters, 2.) Not everyone in the Fire Nation is happy or prosperous under the current regime and 3.) the Gaang have allies in the unlikeliest of places. The Avatar and the Firelord is one of the best episodes in the entire series, and then the last few episodes until the Day of Black Sun are all focused on character development. Not really that bad (except for the Beach)

I really LOVE the episode from the third season called The Beach, I believe. I loved the end of the episode where

Spoiler

they're confessing their problems and sharing their own feelings. I loved that scene so much because they had never been like down to earth with one another until that episode. I thought a lot of character development was shown there that made you understand each and every one of them more better. Lovely episode.

Two words: Exposition Diarrhea. It was one of the few episodes that made me cringe.

Edit: :lol every problem Son of Godzilla had.