Of COURSE I created a category for fandoms and OF COURSE my first post is about THE GREATEST CARTOON EVER!
Avatar: The Last Airbender will always be very very close to me. I started watching it just after I was discharged from a surgery a few year ago, and I remember becoming instantly attached to it.
I think some of the best things about the show are the intricate details. The whole show was so beautifully planned.
There’s highly significant character development and amazing redemption arcs. Let’s talk about some of the main characters:
Aang– Aang has always been a kind and non-violent spirit from the beginning of the show. This is obviously due to him being raised by monks. I always forget that Aang also had to put up with the loss of ALL of his people AND deal with a ton of responsibilities while being only 12 years old. And although his airbending skills were great, he had a lot to learn before he could save anyone. Aang was often terrified by the power he possessed, which was obvious in the first 2 Books. Over time and with help, he learned to be more composed and eventually gain control over the Avatar spirit- his growth is unmissable.
Katara– Katara was depicted as a pretty strong character RIGHT from the beginning of the series. She never hesitated to kick ass, especially of those who considered women to be inferior to men. Her perseverance and determination is clearly shown when she FREAKING MASTERED WATERBENDING AND KICKED GRANDPAKKU’S BUTT. I also feel Katara experiences a lot of “survivors guilt” and often wonder if she had to take her necklace from Kya’s corpse. It’s also probably why she’s the “mom” of the group. She’s been playing “mom” all her life, especially to Sokka from an early age itself. I really like that Katara isn’t too proud to admit her mistakes and try to correct them. tbh I kinda shipped her with Zuko.
Sokka– It seems to me that Sokka’s “sexist pig” attitude comes from his way of dealing with his mother’s murder early in his life. Although a non bender, he is the thinker and the fun part of the group, and his brave attitude is much needed by the Gaang. Sokka is put in his place by the Kyoshi Warriors, ensuring that Sokka gulps down respect women juice everyday for the rest of his life. Sokka’s humor and sarcastic comments are ❤
Toph– It’s amazing that she practically INVENTED metalbending and all, but adult Toph intrigues me more. Get back to me after you’ve watched TLOK.
Zuko– Zuko is my favorite character(duh). He constantly struggles with being shunned by his father and sister, and between making the right choices. His legendary redemption arc is the highlight of the show. Rewatching the show often made me realize that I always underestimated his pain. Imagine being only 13 and having your face burned by your cruel father. Would you not be scared of fire? It must have taken Zuko YEARS of practice and patience to stand unflinchingly before fire. Do you think Zuko feels guilty because his mother left the Fire Nation to protect him? Would Zuko be Zuko without Uncle Iroh?
Iroh– Okay first, we all know that Zuko’s redemption arc was amazing, and probably wouldn’t have been possible without General Iroh. But what about Iroh himself? How did he know which direction to guide Zuko in? He had a redemption arc himself, which was triggered by his son’s death. Until then, he was most famous for his successful attack on Ba Sing Se! Undoubtedly, Uncle Iroh has many many notable qualities but I feel his redemption arc which he had to go through ALL BY HIMSELF does not get the attention it deserves. General Iroh also had amazing control of his powers, demonstrated in the skills with which he pulled off the Jasmine Dragon.
And that’s the tea.
A lot of people who watched ATLA wonder if they should watch The Legend Of Korra.
You absolutely should. You can’t expect Aang to still be the Avatar and kick ass in it (duh), but I will tell you this- the Gaang is obviously there. TLOK is set in a completely mature and modernized version of the world we saw in ATLA. Bending and technology, along with the mindset of the people has greatly evolved. The challenges faced by Korra are more complicated. The villains are very complex and super powerful. Just WATCHING how devastating they were, and how Korra is traumatized affects me every time I think about it/watch.
SPOILERS FROM TLOK (Skip till the next heading to avoid them)
I feel Korra often faces criticism she doesn’t deserve.
Are people pissed off/sad that Aang is dead? Yes.
Should people take it out on Korra? No wtf.
I absolutely don’t get how people say that Korra doesn’t have any character development.
Did you not see how she evolved from a hot headed teenager to a fully realized Avatar almost ALL BY HERSELF? OF COURSE Aang was not as hot headed- he was raised by monks! Korra was a really powerful teenager. It’s NORMAL to be hot headed and aggressive at that age. And did you notice that she’s physically very strong too? Without her bending, I mean.
Korra also had the trouble of finding out who she really is. Korra the person, I mean. Not Korra the Avatar. People didn’t see her as anything other than the Avatar and it really took a toll on her.
Korra’s enemies studied her mistakes and weak spots and often targeted her based on those. She learnt so much from her villains, especially from Zaheer. They were also EXTREMELY powerful and skilled, almost killing Korra several times and breaking the Avatar Cycle forever.
All of the villains found serious flaws in the system, and were visionaries. Can’t say they were just bad. They were evil geniuses. Like The Joker.
I’ll talk more about that in a later post, because they were incredible and deserve a post to themselves.
LifeIsTangy 