Avatar: A Lenda de Aang

I don't know when, but for me, Netflix started streaming Avatar and I was like my childhood, It calls to me. As I mentioned I'm sitting here alone in my apartment in quarantine rewatching my favorite show from when I was in middle school. 14 years later and as an adult I'm sitting here crying because of all the emotion that's portrayed in every episode. It's just so real. It might be the massive amounts of alcohol that I'm consuming on my own but I swear, this show is so heartfelt and raw. Practically every episode tackles loss, friendship, bravery and humility all tied in with some friendly humor. The show holds up so well. 10/10 would recommend even without the wine.

Avatar The Last Airbender shouldn't be underestimated. For a while I didn't even look twice at it due to it being on Nickelodeon and me being past the age of watching anything on Nick aside from the classic Nicktoons or Nick shows from the 1990s. But word got around that it was really fantastic, a sort of Kung fu style show where a master goes from place to place having adventures. Turns out the people I heard the word from weren't kidding: the saga of Aang, the last airbender and Avatar, who masters the four elements (air, earth, water, fire) and has to save the world by stopping the power-hungry fire lord, Ozai, is as epic as anything I've ever seen. It's an achievement of storytelling that creeps up on you, and while the first season isn't perfect the second season delivers episode after episode that enriches the characters and makes us care about them as we would in, for obvious example, Star Wars.

In fact, the only minor complaint I would have against the second season (not sure yet about the third) is that it borrows quite heavily from the Empire Stikes Back (i.e. the 'one-who-will-save-us-all' mythology from Joseph Campbell is off training with an old master, feels his friend(s) in pain and danger in the future, rushes off before finishing training, bad things ensue, etc). But really, all of the characters get developed quite well, and if anything the development of the character Prince Zuko, a scarred son of Ozai who has been banished until he can bring back the Avatar along with his banished uncle Iroh, is astonishing in its complexity. We don't care about this character at first, in the first season he comes off like a whiner with Iroh as the wonderful comic relief (think Pokemon if the brother and sister weren't so annoying). But by season two a whole other dimension comes into play: who are you, and what are you doing with yourself?

The trek with the three main characters, and the extra characters like Toph (a little blind girl who is one of those great bad-asses you have to see to believe), is one that is sophisticated enough to bring in adults, and for kids it's often just rollicking fun when it isn't deep or dark. The villains are convincing and scary, the humor hits when it needs to (and sometimes it can be just downright trippy and hilarious, like the second episode of season two, the Cave of Two Lovers), and the animation is often breathtaking. As they say on the internet now: it's made of Win!

I thought that Avatar when it first came out was gonna be another Nick Show flop. When the first episode came out I watched it for about 10 mins. and I thought wow and couldn't stop watching. The show I think keeps you involved. Nick has picked some bad shows but not this one. The plot is very well designed and characters are thought out and are dynamic. I think thats what makes a show good. Also the fact that when a show ends then next time then it carrys on what happened in the next episode rather than acting like it never happened. The show captures a sense of reality and makes the audience more into it. The writers write some pretty decent material. Classic comedy and new moral comedy with good values. All in all I give the show a perfect score of 10/10 stars with both thumbs way up.

OK, so I was 12 when this show came out and needless to say, I was completely enamored by it. For a TV station like Nickelodeon, best known for its wacky shows like SpongeBob, Rocko's Modern Life and their sitcoms like Drake and Josh, to suddenly come out with this anime-inspired animated series with deep philosophical themes as well as tackling genocide and war, this was a massive step forward.

Of course, this isn't the first form of media that has incorporated the power of the elements, but their method of how they do it here is remarkable. For every element to be adopted into its own nation, reflecting the psyches and philosophies attributed to the respective element is truly inspiring.

All the characters are written for and performed expertly, save for maybe some of the guest characters (*cough cough* Jet). My favourite character by far is Zuko. The progression and development of this character is incredible and captures perfectly the transition from villain to antihero to hero. Aang is a good character too, but he's a bit of a goody-two-shoes half the time. Katara and Sokka are equally appealing characters, as well as Toph.

The brilliance of this show is that it is perfectly paced. Sure, you get the occasional filler episode, but every episode (leaving out The Great Divide) has a purpose and adds more layers to this intriguing story and the world it is set in.

Again, for a children's show to incorporate seriously heavy topics and still have a silly sense of humour is just impressive. I get annoyed every time someone stereotypes this series as just a 'kids show', brushing it off. This show can be watched by someone of any age, and that is one of the reasons I admire it so much. It's not pandering at all and tackles the heavy subject matter in a mature way.

Sadly, after The Legend of Korra, Nickelodeon never seemed to follow in the footsteps of Avatar which I found upsetting. Kids need more shows like this, if I'm being honest.

This review will be very long. I adore this show with every fibre of my being, and view it to be a piece of animated perfection. I implore people to avoid the disgusting live-action adaptation by director M. Night Shyamalan, as it is a disrespectful sham that mocks everything that the show stood for and mastered.So as for the show itself, where to begin? Well let's start with the story overall.

Avatar tells a complete a perfectly paced epic plot over the course of 61 22 minute episodes. The show contains several unique and beautifully detailed characters among its main cast, all of whom are given consistent and engaging development throughout. From family related guilt and angst, identity dilemmas and the characters constant, overarching and looming quest, the characters are pressed with many trials which actually truly change them over the course of their magnificent journey. Aside from the primary cast, many intriguing and varied side characters appear throughout the adventure. They offer comedic levity, new forms of drama and help to add to the deep mythological and philosophical backbone of the show. All characters are exquisitely written and voice acted, with not a badly portrayed among them.

Next I will cover the show's borderline legendary animation. It is a sight to behold indeed. I believe I am justified in believing that such stellar production values will never again be pared with this level of artistic imagination again, at least not in my lifetime. The scope, creativity and energy of the shows animation is second to no other show, and it's balance of colour is never anything less than sublime. Aside from sweeping and moving visuals, Avatar also offers fast paced and unbelievably well choreographed action scenes (once again, second to none) and well timed slapstick comedy. Not only is the animation stunning, it is also staggeringly versatile.

The show's epic mythos is also very strong, and demands to be deepened and added to (thankfully Korra is doing just that). It takes inspiration from Buddhist, Inuit, Western, Japanese and Korean cultures to deliver it's unique world, as well as many original and creative elements in conjunction with the more recognisable real world concepts. The show manages to weave philosophy and deep moral concepts within its world and characters, creating one of the most fleshed out fantasy worlds of the last several decades.

In conclusion, what can I even say? I love Avatar: TLA more every time I experience it, and it is one of very few shows (or even films) which can provoke a primal emotional response from me each time I see it, without fail. It sends shivers down my spine, and puts a tear to my eye, leaving me totally satisfied and fulfilled each time. My favourite television show, of all time.