or some reasons I love Avatar: The Last Airbender
When the original promo for Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) first came out I was intrigued. It seemed to have a fairly simple premise with a lot of possibility.
So when the pilot episode for it aired on February 21, 2005, I was primed and waiting to watch it. By the time we finished that first episode of ATLA I knew something magical was happening. I just didn’t know how magical it was going to be ultimately until the series was finished.
my first 9 reasons for the magic (spoiler free)
- A complete story. This is a series that grows and expands over the span of three seasons. There is a definite story being told that has a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the first season is seen as the most kiddie and superficial but it’s important because it lays the groundwork very well for what is to come. And there is a lot to come. A lot that’s not so kiddie, too.
- Incredible characters and character development. One of the main characters in particular – not saying who because spoilers – has arguably one of the best character arcs in fiction. Period. Prove me wrong.
- Fantastic female characters. They are on both sides of the ongoing battle. All of them are strong, intelligent and, yes, badass. There are a lot of them, too, so I’m not going to list them all.
- Sokka of the Water Tribe. Sokka is a character that grows on you. A lot. He starts out being this annoying big brother to Katara and then to Aang. And ends up being the heart of the series in many ways.
- Appa the sky bison. Appa may actually be the MVP of the show. You start out thinking he is simply Aang’s animal companion but at some point (maybe about mid-first season) you realize they would be dead without him. Many times over. He is a powerful and crucial part of their team.
- Aang, the last Air bender. In the beginning he is this goofy kid running away from his destiny. Then as time goes by you start to belief that, yes, Aang really could save the world. With a little help from his friends, of course.
- The Order of the White Lotus. This is a usually overlooked aspect that may be what kept my “kids without supervision” alarm from going off. The Order of the White Lotus is actually a powerful part of the worldbuilding for the series because of the philosophy the Order adheres to. Also, its presence is felt almost from the start through one character in particular.
- Uncle Iroh. Here is another character that kind of starts off goofy. Then you begin to suspect there are hidden depths to him. As time goes on they’re not so hidden. And they are deep. Very, very deep. Uncle Iroh is simply in a class by himself.
- The finale. See number 1 but then realize that many series that do have complete stories still don’t pull off the ending. ATLA does and does so in a big way. Honestly, ATLA has one of the most satisfying endings of any show I’ve ever watched. Any show, animated or not. It’s satisfying, it makes sense and it completes the story in a powerful way.
#10 The bending AKA the magic system (with maybe some spoilers)
In some ways this is the major thing that makes ATLA so memorable. Let’s face it, there are a lot of fantasy stories out there that use elemental magic systems. What’s rather unique about ATLA is how committed they were to using real world martial arts as inspiration. The blending of elemental magic called bending with martial arts is mind-blowingly well done. It was planned, it was intentional and it works. It’s so well thought out and executed that I don’t believe the series will ever be outdated.
Avatar: Martial Art Bending Styles Explained
How ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Animated Its Realistic Fight Scenes
And, yeah, I could go on and on
Honestly, listing 10 reasons is just getting started on explaining why this series is so good. So I’ll stop for now. But only for now. Just know that if you’ve never tried to watch this series… you might want to ask yourself why not?
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