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Way too LTTP: Avatar The Last Airbender (Unmarked spoilers)

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AniHawk

Member
I think the idea that Aang could come to a third way besides 'kill the Fire Lord' and 'let him live' is thematically and philosophically sound. Hell, I think coming to a way to remove his bending would be acceptable even if it kind of side-steps the emotional resonance of Aang's journey (perhaps associating it with some kind of cost to Aang would have been the solution). But I think when it's all said and done (besides superpower floating in the sky crap) the main problem I have with energybending is really the deus ex machina nature of it and the execution.

the problem with energybending is that it had no price. there was danger with it, certainly, but in the end, it cost aang nothing. instead of the dumb reveal happening so close to the final fight, maybe aang could have found the information a bit earlier, like in the library, so the audience would have time to get used to it. and maybe in addition to potentially killing the bender, it was a pure nullification. the user and the victim both have their bending removed.

just felt like it was needing that little kick to make the audience care about the choice.
 
the problem with energybending is that it had no price. there was danger with it, certainly, but in the end, it cost aang nothing. instead of the dumb reveal happening so close to the final fight, maybe aang could have found the information a bit earlier, like in the library, so the audience would have time to get used to it. and maybe in addition to potentially killing the bender, it was a pure nullification. the user and the victim both have their bending removed.

just felt like it was needing that little kick to make the audience care about the choice.
It was in the library, they just didn't read it. Aang notices a lion turtle in a scroll there.

There could've been more arguments over whether to kill Ozai and some more build up to with energybending being described as risky earlier on. Would've been nice
 

AniHawk

Member
It was in the library, they just didn't read it. Aang notices a lion turtle in a scroll there.

There could've been more arguments over whether to kill Ozai and some more build up to with energybending being described as risky earlier on. Would've been nice
the lion turtle in a scroll means nothing to the audience though.
 

AniHawk

Member
... Yeah, that's true. it doesn't. Didn't think there was any question about that.
well the point was more so the characters and the audience would know about the energybending at that time. lion turtles on a scroll really just exist as an easter egg for later.
 

Blues1990

Member
It bugged me that Sokka got a replacement boomerang in the comics, but the self-proclaimed Metal Bending maestro (Toph) couldn't take the time to help him find his Meteorite sword.
 

Jintor

Member
It was in the library, they just didn't read it. Aang notices a lion turtle in a scroll there.

There could've been more arguments over whether to kill Ozai and some more build up to with energybending being described as risky earlier on. Would've been nice

the lion turtle in a scroll means nothing to the audience though.

... Yeah, that's true. it doesn't. Didn't think there was any question about that.

well the point was more so the characters and the audience would know about the energybending at that time. lion turtles on a scroll really just exist as an easter egg for later.

people tried to claim it as foreshadowing, but it was clearly insufficient for that. If Wan Shi Tong had hinted at its existence sure, but even in any case foreshadowing the Lionturtle was insufficient to foreshadow the Lionturtle just magically teaching Aang energybending.
 
well the point was more so the characters and the audience would know about the energybending at that time. lion turtles on a scroll really just exist as an easter egg for later.
Yeah, it would have been nice if the concept of energy bending was introduced in such a way as to not make it super clear that it represents a third way to deal with ozai. If they let it be known that you can just take someone's bending away early on, then it makes Aang's struggle with whether to kill Ozai not really relevant. And that struggle was an excellent character driven internal conflict that we rarely see, especially in kids shows.
 

AniHawk

Member
Yeah, it would have been nice if the concept of energy bending was introduced in such a way as to not make it super clear that it represents a third way to deal with ozai. If they let it be known that you can just take someone's bending away early on, then it makes Aang's struggle with whether to kill Ozai not really relevant. And that struggle was an excellent character driven internal conflict that we rarely see, especially in kids shows.

i think it would help enhance the conflict - energybending can potentially destroy the user. if they also have to give up something in the event of successfully doing it, it would risk the world being without an avatar. that way to kill or not to kill would have some additional stakes, since it could go further into what it meant to be an avatar and bring balance to the world.
 

Raxus

Member
Sokka killed Combustion Man and took out an entire air fleet.

Not to mention the prison escape.

Sokka had ball bending. Only way to explain his massive balls he had in Season 3. It was a damn shame Korra spoilers
he dies off screen in Korra.
 

AniHawk

Member
Ughhhhh. Midichlorians!

Just finished season 2 of Korra. I've never seen something try to be so epic and just not capture me. It feels almost like it's fan fiction, with all of the nods and under developed references to the original. Bumi is my favorite though.

season 2 is painful, and i say this as someone who likes the show. season 3 is great though. it's like season 1 without any of its faults and all of its strengths. it's basically the closest the show gets to the last airbender.
 

Blues1990

Member
season 2 is painful, and i say this as someone who likes the show. season 3 is great though. it's like season 1 without any of its faults and all of its strengths. it's basically the closest the show gets to the last airbender.

On a related note, I pretend that Season 4 of TLOK never existed. What a disjointed season.
 

Oddish1

Member
season 2 is painful, and i say this as someone who likes the show. season 3 is great though. it's like season 1 without any of its faults and all of its strengths. it's basically the closest the show gets to the last airbender.

Weird, always thought season 1 was the strongest, not that I think it's good, just the strongest. Season 3 has an unsatisfying ending too, worse villains, and has a worse beginning since it has to pick up after season 2. Not to mention season 3 has Kai, the worst character in anything ever.
 

-Deimos

Member
Weird, always thought season 1 was the strongest, not that I think it's good, just the strongest. Season 3 has an unsatisfying ending too, worse villains, and has a worse beginning since it has to pick up after season 2. Not to mention season 3 has Kai, the worst character in anything ever.

I don't think Kai was significant enough to even be labeled the worst character.
 

AniHawk

Member
On a related note, I pretend that Season 4 of TLOK never existed. What a disjointed season.

i'm fine with season 4 being what it was. it didn't need to be fantastic, and i think it brought korra to a logical conclusion as a character. 3 & 4 work really well together, and play off the characterization seen in 1 & 2 rather nicely.
 

Takyon

Member
On a related note, I pretend that Season 4 of TLOK never existed. What a disjointed season.
I wouldn't go that far.

Still, the disparity between Korra Alone and the rest of season was enormous. Korra Alone was possibly one of the best episodes in the series to me.
 

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
season 2 is painful, and i say this as someone who likes the show. season 3 is great though. it's like season 1 without any of its faults and all of its strengths. it's basically the closest the show gets to the last airbender.

Finished season 3. It is legit great, on par with Last Airbender. Not trying to raise the stakes to match or surpass Last Airbender's really helped the story.
 

AniHawk

Member
Finished season 3. It is legit great, on par with Last Airbender. Not trying to raise the stakes to match or surpass Last Airbender's really helped the story.

season 3 feels like it was made by a completely different team. in reality, the guys in charge actually had time to flesh out the story a bit more instead of believing it would end as a miniseries (which happened with both season 1 and 2).

season 4 is the consequence of the shit that went down in season 3. it's not quite as tight as season 3, but i liked it.
 

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
season 3 feels like it was made by a completely different team. in reality, the guys in charge actually had time to flesh out the story a bit more instead of believing it would end as a miniseries (which happened with both season 1 and 2).

season 4 is the consequence of the shit that went down in season 3. it's not quite as tight as season 3, but i liked it.

Finally finished it - season 4 felt like a mess, but not nearly as much as season 2. Overall I liked it. Season 3 > 1 > 4 > 2. So did the White Lotus go from a powerful secret organization to just random dudes who protect the Avatar / act as fodder during the first season? Was expecting some kind of exploration of them in relation to Sokka. Glad to at least get Toph again.

I knew going into it about the whole Korra & Asami thing and kept looking for where that was being built. Last episode and I'm thinking "ok, there were little hints but overall it's a stretch" then the last 2 minutes happened.
 
Finally finished it - season 4 felt like a mess, but not nearly as much as season 2. Overall I liked it. Season 3 > 1 > 4 > 2. So did the White Lotus go from a powerful secret organization to just random dudes who protect the Avatar / act as fodder during the first season? Was expecting some kind of exploration of them in relation to Sokka. Glad to at least get Toph again.

I knew going into it about the whole Korra & Asami thing and kept looking for where that was being built. Last episode and I'm thinking "ok, there were little hints but overall it's a stretch" then the last 2 minutes happened.

I don't remember where they say it, but someone talks about how Aang transformed the White Lotus to be protectors of the new Avatar when they would be at their weakest. I wanna say it's in Season 2, but it's been some time.
 

Lenardo

Banned
love the show, and one of the biggest wow really for me was bending is based on actual martial arts stlyes

In the Avatar World, many of the concepts involved with the bending of the four elements are associated with real life martial arts.

Airbending is based mostly on Ba Gua as well as Hsing Yi. These arts show the swift, evasive movements which evoke the intangibility and explosive power of wind, with energy originating from the center of the abdomen.

In earthbending, hints of Hung Gar are visible. This fighting style features heavily rooted stances, as well as strong kicks and punches that represent the mass and power of earth. However, Toph's earthbending style is derived from Southern Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu to make her earthbending conform to her blindness and her unique way of "seeing" through vibrations in the ground.

Firebending is based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. This art features quick, successive attacks that exert extreme power for just a moment, sacrificing defense to provide continuous offense.

The martial art of T'ai chi ch'uan is visible in waterbending. The art deliberately focuses on slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water. In waterbending, energy is redirected, and defense is turned into offense.
 

zeemumu

Member
I liked seeing characters undergo major U-turns in their personalities, like Zuko eventually turning good and Azula absolutely losing her mind. It was one of the few series where I continued to follow the expanded plot just to see what happened to everyone.

What's the source?

Would love to read more BTS

Here you go

Not the source of that one but it's a compilation of the little BTS clips they used to do.
 
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