Avatar the last air bender is awesome
Dec. 19th, 2009 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrI just finished the first season (Book 1: Water) of "Avatar the last air bender". It's great! In fact I can't think of a high/historical-ish fantasy tv show I've enjoyed more. (Admitedly, it's not competing with much. Lets see: Xena. And, um..)
I mean it is a kids show, and it falls into kid-show tropes here and there (Let's learn an important lesson about honesty!) but despite the simple story telling, young protagonists, and lack of sex and gore it's quite subtle and well written. It doesn't try too hard to have a Serious Moral, and there's very few charcaters or groups who don't have a mix good qualities and flaws. (Though the Fire Nation is mostly an evil nation of unsympathetic characters)
In one episode there's a guy in a wheelchair and NOONE MENTIONS IT apart from mentioning how cool it is that his chair can fly(*).
As a westerner I found the Asian-inspired fantasy setting really rich and engaging, but I can see how some actual Asian people find it appropriative. The fact that afaict the only Asian voice actors amongst the main cast are Fire Nation is a bit..hmm. (I'd say "It's probably hard to find Inuit voice actors" but the guy playing Zuko is Filipino which isn't very Fire-Nation-y)
Two pieces of knowledge which amuse me while watching:
-that some people managed to watch this and not see the characters as Asian (my amusement here is very dark)
-that there's an obsessive core of Katara/Zuko shippers (if I hadn't have been aware of this before I would have become so after looking up reference pictures of him)
EDIT: I also like the fact that the teenage/tween characters don't come across as adults, but are still relatively mature and sensible, as suits kids brought up in a pre-modern society with a heavy responsibility. I can't STAND fantasy about whiny immature teenagers. It's not that it's neccesarily unrealistic, but I had enough of that crap when I was a teenager and would rather not relive it.
Oh and the fight sequences are fantastic. They did a really good job combining martial arts with elemental magic and just general good plotting/choreography, I don't usually like fight sequences but sit there engrossed.
(*)pippin mentioned there was a flying wheelchair thing on my prompts post and I've been looking forward to it. Even cooler than I expected!
I mean it is a kids show, and it falls into kid-show tropes here and there (Let's learn an important lesson about honesty!) but despite the simple story telling, young protagonists, and lack of sex and gore it's quite subtle and well written. It doesn't try too hard to have a Serious Moral, and there's very few charcaters or groups who don't have a mix good qualities and flaws. (Though the Fire Nation is mostly an evil nation of unsympathetic characters)
In one episode there's a guy in a wheelchair and NOONE MENTIONS IT apart from mentioning how cool it is that his chair can fly(*).
As a westerner I found the Asian-inspired fantasy setting really rich and engaging, but I can see how some actual Asian people find it appropriative. The fact that afaict the only Asian voice actors amongst the main cast are Fire Nation is a bit..hmm. (I'd say "It's probably hard to find Inuit voice actors" but the guy playing Zuko is Filipino which isn't very Fire-Nation-y)
Two pieces of knowledge which amuse me while watching:
-that some people managed to watch this and not see the characters as Asian (my amusement here is very dark)
-that there's an obsessive core of Katara/Zuko shippers (if I hadn't have been aware of this before I would have become so after looking up reference pictures of him)
EDIT: I also like the fact that the teenage/tween characters don't come across as adults, but are still relatively mature and sensible, as suits kids brought up in a pre-modern society with a heavy responsibility. I can't STAND fantasy about whiny immature teenagers. It's not that it's neccesarily unrealistic, but I had enough of that crap when I was a teenager and would rather not relive it.
Oh and the fight sequences are fantastic. They did a really good job combining martial arts with elemental magic and just general good plotting/choreography, I don't usually like fight sequences but sit there engrossed.
(*)pippin mentioned there was a flying wheelchair thing on my prompts post and I've been looking forward to it. Even cooler than I expected!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-20 07:43 am (UTC)