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Avatar: The Last Airbender

Dream

Admiral
Admiral
Are there any fans of the Avatar: The Last Airbender here? Is it worth checking out? I'm thinking about starting a new show now that summer is here.

I'm a fan of the 90s Batman, Spider-Man and X-men cartoons.
 
I just saw the Avatar series myself a few months ago. And after thinking about it... it's the best animated series ever. Better than Gargoyles. Better than Justice League or Batman Animated Series. It's the best. Gorgeous animation. Fascinating story and setting. Wonderful characters. A great sense of humor without being stoopid and childish. A serious dramatic story without being relentlessly dark. Amazing action scenes. A three season serialized story with a beginning middle and end. And one of the rarest things of all, an ending to the story that is dramatically satisfying and all around amazing. It's the greatest animated series ever.

And today I'm finally going to see the live action movie. I'm really excited to see it, even though I know it's going to be absolutely terrible. Why? Because I love the show so much, just seeing the characters in live action is going to be completely magical for me :D
 
Superb animated series. Trust me, you'll be hooked in no time. Great characters, epic story, perfect balance of action, drama and humour.

When I got to the end of the series, it was one of those few times where I thought, "Damn - I'm going to miss these guys", while watching the final scenes.

There's very little that compares in 00s animation.
 
What everyone else says. I checked it out because of what I kept hearing about it around here, mostly in Mr. Light's review thread, and was hooked very quickly. Few TV shows I've seen, live action included, top the quality of storytelling in Book 2.
 
The Boy in the Iceberg, The Avatar Returns, The Southern Air Temple, The Warriors of Kyoshi

First impressions. This show has very nice animation, it's colorful but not too kiddy. It looks like they take the time to make the fights look good. I guess Aang, Katara, and Sokka will be the main characters. They are all likeable, but what's with Aang's penguin's obsession? Prince Zuko was a little underdeveloped in the first two episodes, but he gets a little background in the third episode, we find out that he is a banished prince, which is interesting. I hope to find out more about why he was forced to leave later on. In the third episode we learn more about Aang's past and about the Avatars before him. The Warriors of Kyoshi was a little too much about girl power, but it was interesting to see a pack of all girl fighters.
 
Fantastic series. Completely worth watching, and if you're not careful, you'll become a devotee of the series and everything about it. It's the best animated series I've seen in a good decade or more, it has great themes, the animation itself is top notch, and the storyline is worth the investment of your time. Believe me, it pays off in a satisfying way.
 
I can't already tell you will enjoy it. It does nothing but get better. Even the filler episodes (of which there are few) are enjoyable and always contribute something to the story or the characters. My favourite episode is probably "Tales of Ba Sing Se", which has almost nothing to do with moving the story forward. It's devoted completely to the characters and has a dedication to the late Mako (actor and voice of uncle Iroh) at the end.

Some people say..
that the ending is deus ex machina, but I disagree. There are hints throughout the series.
 
I can't already tell you will enjoy it. It does nothing but get better. Even the filler episodes (of which there are few) are enjoyable and always contribute something to the story or the characters. My favourite episode is probably "Tales of Ba Sing Se", which has almost nothing to do with moving the story forward. It's devoted completely to the characters and has a dedication to the late Mako (actor and voice of uncle Iroh) at the end.

Some people say..
that the ending is deus ex machina, but I disagree. There are hints throughout the series.

That episode made me tear up, particularly the dedication at the end. It was so eloquently done.
 
I, too, have begun the animated series, but in a different way. I (*gasp*) enjoyed the movie, then went back to watch the series which it is based on. I'm two episodes in so far (I'm downloading the rest of the first season on iTunes right now) and I find it very enjoyable thus far :techman:
 
The King of Omashu, Imprisoned, Winter Solstice Part 1, Winter Solstice Part 2, The Waterbending Scroll.

I've seen the next episodes, and they are still good.

I figured out the King of Omashu twist pretty quickly. I guess it was a good adventure episode, but I was waiting for Aang to realize what was going on during the entire episode.

Imprisoned was better. We got more about how the Fire Nation is controling people that aren't strong enough to fight back, and Katara is shaping up to be a strong female character. She wanted to rescue her new friend, when it would have been easier to run away.

Winter Solstice was a great two parter. Zuko isn't completely evil, and even though he finds his uncle annoying, he has a heart somewhere. The chase sequence in the air over the sea blockade was really thrilling. It reminded me something from a Miyazaki film. It was nice seeing a glipse about what might happen in the future in the series, about a certain comet. My favorite show is LOST which has a huge mytharc, so it was nice seeing that this series is already developing one so early in the series.

In Waterbending Scroll, our gang meets up with Pirates! Pirates! Awesome! There is something funny about seeing Katara and Sokka stealing from pirates.
 
After some recommendations from friends I finally started watching the show last week and I'm already hooked. I am not an anime fan and don't usually watch these kinds of shows but I was taken away by the characterizations, by the way it gets lighthearted and serious at a moment's notice and the richness of the world the show's makers produced.
I'm only about halfway through the first season and I'm very excited about the next two seasons since I've been told that the show gets a lot better.
It may not be for everyone, but keep an open mind when watching and you'll be rewarded.
 
I don't remember where I read it, but I recently saw an article where the creators revealed that there was supposed to be a plot line through the series that showed that Momo was actually the reincarnation of Monk Gyatso.

The idea was never expressed on the show, but having read it, I can definitely see it now that I'm rewatching the series.
 
^^ Really? Cause in his first appearance I was convinced that Momo was something more than what he seemed, and I posted it in my review thread. I kept waiting for that revelation until I finally forgot about it.
 
^^ Really? Cause in his first appearance I was convinced that Momo was something more than what he seemed, and I posted it in my review thread. I kept waiting for that revelation until I finally forgot about it.

Same here! The episode where Momo is introduced at that first Air Temple definitely implies that he's something special, and I kept waiting for them to explain it.
 
Personally, I always thought that it was strange that, of all the bodies Momo could lead Aang to in the Southern Air Temple, it would be Gyatso's.

But if Momo actually were Gyatso, it makes a kind of sense.

Also, when Roku says "Some friendships are so strong, they can actually extend through the lifetimes" it implies that Gyatso's soul is linked with the Avatar.
 
I hope not, the idea that Gyatso was reborn as Momo is incredibly stupid, I'm glad it was dropped. Turning the wise father figure into a bug-eating pet, whose main purpose on the show is fighting with Appa over food? No way!

If there had been more scenes that implied Momo was special or had knowledge that he normally couldn't have the story might have work, but they obviously decided not to go that route. Momo leading Aang to Gyatso's body might be a remnant of that story idea, but in universe I don't see it as more than a coincidence.
It's simply too late to use the idea now, Momo was presented as a pet and nothing more.
 
Jet, The Great Divide, The Storm, The Blue Spirit

Jet. We get an episode about kids and how war can change good people to bad. Jet really reminded me of Spike from Cowboy Bebop with the way he looked. Great fight scene between Aang and Jet at the end.

The Great Divide. I think this was the first Avatar episode that I didn't like. I found the constant arguing between the two tribles to be pretty annoying.

The Storm. We get flashbacks to Aang and Zuko's early life. I have been waiting a long time for this and I wasn't disappointed. They were well done. Very different from the typical Avatar episode. I think Zuko is becoming one of my favorite characters on the show. He is such a complex character.

The Blue Spirit. It looks more and more like Admiral Zhao is going to take over as the big bad of the season. Great action, and the ending was jaw dropping. It makes sense and makes you wonder about what kind of direction they will take with the show in the future.
 
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