Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Glass Co.]

That's pretty encouraging, even if I would have still been going ahead prett fast anyway.



Alright, if I have one issue with the show, this is it. But in the end I don't let it ruin the show for me because I realize the demographic they had to agree to make it for when they were starting out. Like too many times when something is played for laughs, they'll play a "wamp waaamp" or cymbal crash noise, and a lot of characters will neatly summarize and repeat certain ideas and themes over and over to really drive them home. Assuming that's the type of stuff you mean, then I'm glad to hear they slowly go away.

That's the stuff, and that's what goes (again, mostly).

[Mara]

I had recommended this show to a family of kids I know awhile back, and this weekend they told me they had watched it and loved it.

Then they added that they'd seen the film, and asked if I had. I said, no.

They then proceeded to try and explain to me the level of badness of the film, in ever-increasing anxiety and passion. Finally, the thirteen-year-old pounded her fists on the table and exclaimed, "The movie was as lame as... as lame as... AS LAME AS MIDDLE SCHOOL!"

Well played, kid. Well played.

[Henry Gale]

Finished Season 1, really enjoyable all the whole way through, even if I see that Shyamalan's attempt at Book One was simply the biggest plot points from the first and last two episodes here merged into a non-sensical, wooden pile of nothingness. Seriously, any ten minute stretch of this show has more excitement and interesting character work than that whole movie bothered to generate. But I can let it go having now seen the original, better telling of the same basic story with a world and characters I actually care about.

Onto Season 2!

[number8]

I will always remember that story I read of the group of girls who went to the midnight showing of the movie in costume as the Kyoshi Warriors, not realizing that they've been cut out of the movie, and were seen walking out dejected, their costumes already partly taken off.

[Henry Gale]

I will always remember that story I read of the group of girls who went to the midnight showing of the movie in costume as the Kyoshi Warriors, not realizing that they've been cut out of the movie, and were seen walking out dejected, their costumes already partly taken off.

A first-hand account at 1:53.

[youtube]KHi1zaN0ooc[/youtube]

[Henry Gale]

I was having my doubts that Season 2 was going to be significantly better as it was starting out, but man, that run of episodes from "The Blind Bandit" and "Zuko Alone" all the way through "The Library", "The Desert and "The Drill" were all incredible.

For the "The Drill", does anyone know if it's true that J.J. Abrams and Darlton had an uncredited hand in writing it? I had heard it a long time ago but just saw it mentioned again online. Cool if true, still a great episode if not.

[number8]

If anyone's interested, the first of three Avatar comic books came out this week, continuing right where Sozin's Comet left off. I was skeptical of it when it was announced, but the first issue actually set up a very interesting new fight between Aang and Zuko. This time, though, it's a little more ambiguous which one of them is in the right.

[

Show Spoiler

Basically, the end of the war sparks the question of what to do with the Fire Nation colonies. Since the war went on for 100 years, there are Firebenders whose family have considered the colonies home for generations. Disbanding the colonies would be robbing them of their own homes.

Zuko thinks this is unfair, and sees allowing the colonies to continue to exist as assimilation between nations. Aang thinks that's occupation, and insists that the harmony of the world depends on the balance of four nations staying separate.

It's really cool stuff. And yeah, you get to see the building of the modern, assimilated city where Legend of Korra takes place in.

]

[Lucky]

KF's two posts on the first page of this thread are pretty amusing. Funny what a year can do.

[Kurosawa Fan]

KF's two posts on the first page of this thread are pretty amusing. Funny what a year can do.

:lol:

Well, the first two episodes I saw were out of order, just random stuff I happened to catch when my kids would leave Nickelodeon on. Either way, I guess my turnaround was pretty remarkable.

[[ETM]]

I'll resurrect this just to post that Dina and I have been burning through the show these past days, and it's truly amazing. We're up to the Painted Lady episode in Book 3 right now.
And wow, talk about some of the moments... when we saw "The Tale of Iroh", we were both in actual tears.

[Philip J. Fry]

I'll resurrect this just to post that Dina and I have been burning through the show these past days, and it's truly amazing. We're up to the Painted Lady episode in Book 3 right now.
And wow, talk about some of the moments... when we saw "The Tale of Iroh", we were both in actual tears.

The Tale of Iroh: Crushing Spirits since 2005.

[Peng]

Just finished the first season (it's on Netflix and the episode length is perfect for when I travel between work and home). Starts a bit rough, with the first few episodes especially really childish in sensibility (instead of childlike). Even during the bumpy first half though the mythology and world-building are so dense and well-woven that it keeps my interest. Some complexity finally kicks in around mid-point; the first episode I really like is "Jet". The show has a nicely building sense of stake-raising from then on, with some really good episodes ("The Storm" and "The Blue Spirit" make for an excellent unofficial two-parter), and the finale is downright great. Excited to continue on to the next two seasons!

[Skitch]

Its back on Netflix? Woo-hoo! Time for a rewatch with the fam!

Hey Peng, now that you've finished the first season, you should watch the movie. Its not good, but with the season fresh in mind you can see what he was trying to do. It just didn't work that great unfortunately.

[Neclord]

Man, I wish I could watch this show for the first time again.

[Philip J. Fry]

Its back on Netflix? Woo-hoo! Time for a rewatch with the fam!

Hey Peng, now that you've finished the first season, you should watch the movie. Its not good, but with the season fresh in mind you can see what he was trying to do. It just didn't work that great unfortunately.

Peng, it's a trap.

Also, Book 2 is one of the greatest seasons of TV ever.

[Skitch]

It would only be a trap if I didn't repeatedly say its bad. You don't warn people if its a trap.

[Philip J. Fry]

It would only be a trap if I didn't repeatedly say its bad. You don't warn people if its a trap.

Still seems sketchy, Skitch.

[Peng]

It's on non-US Netflix, not sure about US though. And yeah, I watched the trailer after and it's basically the whole season 1? Effects weren't too bad from the trailer, but I don't know how it can work and the casting looks goofy.

[Philip J. Fry]

You know what? Watch it when you're about to finish season 3. There's an episode there that it's a perfect companion to the movie (you'll know it when you see it).

[Neclord]

I mean, it's so confounding in its utter terribleness it's almost worth sampling. Some of the effects and the art direction are interesting but cinematically it's an incredible misfire.

[Peng]

Eight episodes into season 2 and it's a marked improvement on early season 1 (wasn't too wild about "The Swamp" though). Even the frivolous village-of-the-week stuff like "Avatar Day" is snappy and actually funny; in general, the humor means actual gags now instead of childish pandering. The three-episode stretch of "The Blind Bandit", "Zuko Alone", and "The Chase" is one hell of a sustained dramatic run though.

[Philip J. Fry]

Thoughts about Toph?

[Peng]

She has the most useful power ever, at least as presented in the two episodes. No doubt about being most enthusiastic user of element so far though; she's great. Love the gag of her setting up "tent", closing it in Katara's face at one point.

[Philip J. Fry]

She has the most useful power ever, at least as presented in the two episodes. No doubt about being most enthusiastic user of element so far though; she's great. Love the gag of her setting up "tent", closing it in Katara's face at one point.

She's pretty much the greatest.

[Peng]

Finished the second season. The Ba Sing Se stretch that covers about half the season (from "The Serpent's Pass" to "Crossroads of Destiny") rank up there with the most sustained best stretches of any show. All excellent to show-stopper, not a merely good episode to be found. I love the many recurrent characters and their intersections, even right down to minor comic ones. Especially partial to the epic episodes, in which the actions are so, so good and inventive ("The Drill", "Lake Laogai", "The Crossroads of Destiny"). "Appa's Lost Days" isn't one of those but so format-breaking, and intense (but never exploitative) in its animal-in-peril depiction that I love it about the same anyway. Speaking of, Appa is one of the great animated creatures ever, a very Miyazaki mix of the cuddly, the whimsy, and animal rough instinct.