Avatar the Last Airbender

This is a show that I have been meaning to watch for a while, but never truly started. Just recently, I actually started it and have watched all of season 1, and let me tell you- this show is fantastic.

For those of you unfamiliar with Avatar the Last Airbender or who have only watched the awful, live-action movie, stop reading and start watching. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed. But, you should probably read the next paragraph, which is a summary of the show.

Anyway, the show, which features people called Benders who are able to manipulate one of th four elements: water, earth, fire, or air. Each one of the elements had a civilization, all of whom lived in peace through the Avatar, a bender serving as a link between the mortal and spirit worlds and able to bend all four elements. The peace ended when the Avatar disappeared and the Fire Nation attacked. Zip forward 100 years and the Avatar is discovered by Katara and Sakka, two members of the water tribe. As the name of the show implies, this incarnation of the Avatar is an Airbender named Aang, and the last of his kind. The rest of the show follows Aang as he masters the elements and learns how to become the Avatar to defeat the Fire Nation.

In terms of story, Avatar the Last Airbender has a stereotypical but still intriguing story. While we have seen the Reluctant Hero as the Choosen One a million times, there is something about Avatar that makes it different and more likable. Those somethings are in the other aspects of the show.

One of those somethings is the animation, which is somewhat of a cross between Western animation and anime. This leads to a rich art style that lends itself well to both stylized characters and awesome fight scenes. The area of the show that has the best animation is easily the bending. We get to see fireballs, tornadoes , rockslides, and tsunamis all in the same show, all controlled by people who move in ways inspired by Chinese martial arts. It's pretty cool.

Also, the music in this show is amazing as well, drawing influences from Asian dance, tribal, and war music, and featuring unique instrumentation.

But, perhaps the most acclaimed part of Avatar the Last Airbender is the characters. All of the main characters, both protagonist and antagonist (with the exception of a couple villains), are sympathetic and likable characters, all with their own story and own conflict. The most polarizing character is Zuko. I will not go into more detail now, but will do a character analysis of him when I finish the show. All I will say about him is that he marches to the beat of his own drum and isn't really a hero or a villain.

All in all, I recommend Avatar the Last Airbender to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or interest. This is an extremely charming and acclaimed show, and you can most certainly expect future blog posts on it.