Book 1, Water: Chapter 4 – The Warriors of Kyoshi

So, lets start out with a major negative I am having with Avatar at this point, which is time and scale. If you check out my notes at the bottom, there is a majorly confusing aspect in this series when looking at it critically. Which that is the size of the world and the amount of time things take.

Sokka learns an entire fighting style in an afternoon. Which, we could chock that up to him just being a natural learner when it comes to fighting. But that isn’t the grossest bit here. The problem more exists with travel time and the scale of the planet. The crew earlier on believes they are lost because there is “nothing but Ocean”, but Aang was heading to ride the Elephant Koi. All well. The next morning, someone tells a fishing trader that the Avatar is at the village, and by late afternoon, Zuko is rocking up on the dock.

That would mean that Zuko was at most, a 4 hour boat trip away, MAYBE. Which, looking at the map, would mean either the Fire Nation ships are insanely fast, or the world is insanely small, and I genuinely can’t tell if it is either one, or just a hole that exists within the storytelling of the series. While note genuinely a big deal, it is GLARING.

But, that aside. How is the episode itself.

Um, fine? I feel like the subplot of Aang and Katara’s connection to one another isn’t given enough foundation for it their spat to feel impactful. Neither Katara nor Aang really do anything meaningful in the story or for one another, despite that being a pitched angle for the episode. The episode also doesn’t really have time to expand on any of these things either, since the conflict starts and resolves within the short runtime. Although, quick ups for Katara saving Aang with some high-powered water bending.

The star of this episode is definitely Sokka, and he definitely earns some points here. The humility and maturity of his character in his interactions with Suki and the other Warriors of Kyoshi is very defining for his character. We see a side of Sokka that we haven’t gotten yet. A deeper side of his character is given an opportunity to shine here that makes us genuinely interested to see more of him. It gives him a pedestal to stand on that isn’t simply “funny non-bending character”.

On to Episode 5.

Also, should we do a LITERAL points system for characters? I think I might. Will mull it around.

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LIVE WATCH NOTES AND COMMENTS:

-          There are other Air-Temples, right? Why does Aang necessarily believe that just because the Southern Air Temple is wiped out, that the other temples are also wiped.

-          Why… wouldn’t you need pants…

-          Katara challenging the Patriarchy. Noice.

-          Elephant Koi Fish. I love it.

-          Aang doesn’t fear much. He jumped into freezing water completely stripped, and rode a GIANT fish like it was just a casual activity.

-          Aang is adorable, how he strives for Katara’s attention.

-          Oh, Aang is jesus.

-          “My brother’s just an idiot.” – Perfect.

-          So, are the Kyoshi… Earthbenders?

-          Time in this show is wild. How long did the crew hang out with the Kyoshi? Long enough that the news made it all the way to Zuko.

-          WAIT!? It has only been one day? They kicked Sokka’s butt yesterday? Is that the same day they got captured, or did Sokka get beat up again? I don’t understand. What is time!?

-          “I hope it all doesn’t go to your head” – “You know me better than that?” – Does Katara actually know you Aang? How long you been together… like… a week?

-          Aang’s air-ball deflated so he fell into the back fo girls. What are the limitations on bending? It doesn’t seem consistent.

-          Using AIrbending to do air-pushups is hilarious.

-          Sokka… you’re about to get completely wrecked.

-          Idk who this lead warrior is with the fans. But she is excellent.

-          Sokka gets what she deserves. But I still feel a bit sorry for him.

-          1. How is that pot Heavy. 2. Aang, don’t be a punk.

-          Warrior’s name is Suki. Nice.

-          BRO! Sokka! Mad props for setting your pride aside. He straight up just knelt before those that humiliated him in the interest of learning and getting stronger. Incredible.

-          Awww, Aang and Katara having a spat is painful.

-          Good work, Sokka. You look great. Also, Suki and Sokka’s Dynamic is choice. Natural and fun.

-          Katara and Aang just swiftly solving their spat was a bit… well… swift

-          Woah, the Unagi is friggin’ crazy looking. Also, gross. Eels. Nasty.

-          Nice work Katara. They amount of swift and natural growth is a bit perplexing though.

-          HOW IS ZUKO ALREADY THERE?!?!? I don’t understand the size of this world and how time works.

-          Seriously, Aang and Sokka were going back and forth about how “lost” they were. There was nothing but ocean. Etc. Yet Zuko get’s there in like… 6 hours…

-          SO yeah, no benders here. Just warriors. Solid

-          Dude, the Warrior’s Fans can deflect fireballs? Sweet!

-          Zuko is quite the force to be reckoned with.

-          Aang’s confidence is admirable.

-          Ooof… Those frames were painfully poor quality.

-          The burden of knowing that destruction follows Aang everywhere is painful. It will be interesting to see how he handles that moving forward.

-          DAAAAMN SOKKA! One, good on you for apologizing. And nice work getting Suki’s respect.

-          DAAAAMN AANG! Real hero shit there. Good work.

Book 1, Water: Chapter 3 – The Southern Air Temple

I asked that Episode 3 make up for the erratic pacing of Episode 2, and it did.

Episode 3 takes time to allow both the characters and the viewers to process information that is being provided to them. Time to ponder what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen. Allowing us the opportunity to better cement ourselves in the world, the story, and connect with the characters.

I find a stories power is in its ability to feel natural, while still being informative. Think of the number of shows/movies/games that have a Main Character with Amnesia that is used as an excuse to explain everything in the world to the viewer. Avatar could have easily fallen into that trap with Aang. He is disconnected and missed 100 years of war. Yet it never feels we are being force-fed information with Aang as an excuse. Because realistically, people don’t talk like that. Conversation feels largely natural.

Same goes for the arc developing with Prince Two-Face. Instead of blatant drops and explanations. Things are alluded to, hinted at, but never outright just penned out. Which speaking of Zuko. Immediately rising to the top of my character list. Such a powerful character with an impressive level of depth for how little time we have genuinely spent with him. I can not wait to see where he goes and what he does next.

The world now knows that the Avatar exists. Perhaps not in the childlike body of Aang, but that hope exists for relief from the Fire Nation’s Assault. The ruined state of the Air Temple, and the reaction across the world to the Awakening, helps set the stage for the grand journey set to unfold before us.

The Hero’s Journey with The Great Chase in tow. Hopefully the rollercoaster from Episode 2 is behind us, and we can continue climbing into even greater heights.

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LIVE WATCH NOTES AND COMMENTS:

-          Oh the age of Television when a 30 Minute Time-Slot was actually only like… 17 minutes of new footage. Commercial Space. Intro. Outro. “Last Time”. “Next Time”. Etc.

-          I know they said the Air Nomads were wiped out. I thought they told Aang that. Yet he is very upbeat about seeing his home.

-          Wait… It is pronounced “Eye-Row”!? Why do I distinctly remember it being pronounced “Ear-oh”. Alright, anyway.

-          So, Uncle General Iroh is a renowned hero of the Fire Nation. Do we know/learn why?

-          “Blubbered Seal Jerky” sounds atrocious.

-          Ok. I thought they told Aang about the Air Nomads before. But Katara is telling him now.

-          Aang says the Air Temples are only accessible by Flying Bison. But theoretically, wouldn’t the Fire Nation have Hot Air Balloons at least?

-          Zuko was at sea for TWO YEARS!? Good lord. Ok.

-          How OLD is Zuko? I legit can’t tell.

-          Why is Commander Zhao (Xiao?) questioning Zuko’s loyalty? We haven’t seen much history as to why he wouldn’t be trustworthy. Especially when his father is the Fire Lord. But evil people do Evil Things I guess.

-          100 Years and there is ANYTHING left of the Zir Temple? I am legit surprised.

-          Good Guy Sokka, immediately diverting Aang’s feelings away from what happened to the Air Nomads.

-          Good Girl Katara protecting Aang. Sokka is right. You can’t protect him. But Aang’s innocence is painful to watch, knowing reality.

-          Help me launch cakes straight onto some monks… Damn. Elder got no chill. Or a lot of chill?

-          I think Aang already knows the reality of the world.

-          Does… Sokka know how doors work?

-          The random 3D GCI effects are interesting, since they can be very randomly used. Not a bad thing, just interesting.

-          Does ANYTHING ever phase Uncle Iroh?

-          That is NOT a firebender. That is a creature.

-          SO, if the Avatar follows a cycle. Ruko was Fire. Aang is Air. Korra is Water. Do we never get much in the way of an Earth Avatar?

-          Zuko has… a lot going on.

-          Lemur led Aang straight to depression. Another convenient coincidence. But I guess he had to find out somehow.

-          Did every tribe have an avatar shrine?

-          Yes. Lol. They immediately showed off the other shrines. Ignore me.

-          Yes, send the pretty girl to calm down Zenitsu. It always works.

-          Zuko about to get his ass beat.

-          Ok. Zuko kicks ass. Literally. He is such a real character. Mad respect.

-          Damnit Katara. Don’t make me cry. Stop that.

-          Oh, poor Aang. Thanks for hugging him when I can’t Katara.

-          Good Lemur brought Sokka food.

-          We love Momo.

-          So… How does the “Lineage” of benders work? If Aang is the last airbender, how do we one day get more? Is it a matter of teaching/practice. Or is it genetic? QUESTIONS!

Book 1, Water: Chapter 2 - The Avatar Returns

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Episode 2’s pacing is all over the place. With both it’s actions and it’s emotions. The Water Tribe is so quick to be furious and completely dismissive of Aang after the incident on the warship. I understand that they are incredibly vulnerable. But if they were aware of the warship, why stay so close in the area. I am going to guess that due to fishing/survival circumstances, as well as the village comprising of Elders and Children, that it wasn’t an option to move. Or perhaps that location was as safe as possible.

But the awareness and readiness of the tribe also shows that they were aware that the Fire Nation could easily have shown up at any point. A presence, as shown, to be so overwhelming that they stood absolutely no chance.

The set-up of the world situation is fine, but I don’t feel it is being realistically reflected by the people within the world itself. At least not at this current juncture.

Zuko initially comes off as a very hot-headed character, both metaphorically and literally. But there is also a very brilliant depth to him that we get glimpses of in episode 2. He is arrogant and motivated, but he isn’t blinded by his own ambition. He chooses to repeatedly disarm Sokka instead of outright murdering him, which he feels very capable of doing. He never truly disrespects Sokka either, outside of just showing how little of a chance Sokka truly has. He accepts Aang’s surrender offer and withdraws without making some grand gesture or display. While he clearly has his own troubles, he is surprisingly controlled and focused for what easily could have been an outrageous and rage-filled character. He clearly has an anger inside him, but it doesn’t define his character.

After being captured, Aang gives us our first display of what feels like genuinely conventional bending. This like blowing air to catch off the guards, utilizing air currents to run on the walls, and the hilarious display of using a mattress to incapacitate Zuko. The creative freedom and energy in these applications in wonderful. Fire Bending initially comes across as an ability with a singular purpose, burn. This is especially true with how it is used by all of the benders on the ship. (With the limited exception of thawing frozen soldiers later.)

As a small note. I know that Uncle Iroh is a beloved character. But let’s not overlook how immediately he accepted Zuko’s order to shoot a bunch of children our of the sky with a twin fireball of death. We could argue he was confident it would work and Aang would defend them. But damn, that is still hardcore.

Also, I am legitimately curious how much modern media has been either intentionally or unintentionally inspired by some of the abilities in Avatar. Aang straight up “Fus Ro Dah”’d the fire nation soldiers escorting him. On top of that, he entered Avatar state after being knocked out and being in a state of extreme danger, straight up Zenitsu style. (Yes, I know Avatar came before Skyrim and Demon Slayer, but that it my point and why I am making the comparison.)

All in all, Episode 2 is a wildly fast paced showing that truly kicks off our character’s journeys. But it does so in a jerking and jarring manner that while uncomfortable at first, will hopefully be easily forgotten by the end of Episode 3.

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LIVE WATCH NOTES AND COMMENTS:

NOTE: I should apparently really write the drafts in either Microsoft Word or Google Docs or something. Because I lost all of my “Live Watch Notes” for this episodes because the Squarespace Blog Post refreshed and it didn’t save anything. RIP. Lesson Learned.

Book One: Chapter 1 - The Boy in the Iceberg

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The opening episode to one of the most highly acclaimed animated series in history is happy to display why it receives that praise. The narrator’s introduction sets the scene and premise before handing Appa’s reigns over to the cast and the story truly begins. Every piece of a story is wildly important, and there is a strong argument for the beginning being the most crucial. You need able to grasp a viewer’s interest in those opening minutes, which AtLA does stunningly.

There is a power in storytelling that is hard to achieve, which is presenting a world and cast that feels realistic. As mentioned, AtLA is captivating from the beginning. But it achieves this through the charm of it’s characters and the strength of it’s writing. The characters feel natural and their conversation is organic. There is never an awkward piece of exposition, or finding an excuse for a character’s name to be dropped. It feels, natural, which lends an immersion that is hard to achieve.

However, the opening episode isn’t purely golden winds that carry us to the heights of entertainment. Stories can be grand, but coincidential circumstances that allow a story to start can feel very forced. Katara’s limited ability to bend, while suddenly surging with power over frustration at her brother leading to the freeing of Aang, is incredibly “convenient.” Which, the story has to start somewhere. But it feels like a piece of an outline rather than a naturally occuring storybeat. These conveniences for the sake of set-up don’t stop there either. Zuko just happens to be in the area when Aang trips a trap in the old Fire Nation warship. Why was it trapped in the first place? And it was a Flar Signal Trap that Zuko could see, instead of just outright capturing/harming Aang and Katara? Again, convenient.

I have two last pieces of criticism for our opening episode. First one is that while it is understandable and necessary to cut some corners in animation, you should try to do it in a way that isn’t in the viewer’s face. Zuko sees Aang and Katara running from the ship, and they are moving at about 6 fps and looking like background characters in a striking contrast to the smooth movements when Katara was bending the fish from the water, Zuko’s flaming drills, or Aang’s Airborne Antics.

Finally, how in the world has this war gone on for 100-years? The Air Nomads have been supposedly extinct for 100 years. Which leaves the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes. But the South Pole Tribe is absolutely tiny. The intro says the men went to help in the war… But looking at the remaining members of the village that must have been… 10 people?

Meanwhile the Fire Nation appears to have huge warships full of armed soldiers. Either the Earth Kingdom is absolutely massive, or the North Pole Water Tribe better be. Otherwise, buying the idea of a 100-year conflict is hard to accept in the face of such power.

To close, The Boy in the Iceberg is a brilliant set-up with charming characters that made me immediately want to click on the next episode.

Thank you so much for reading this entry of Anime Analysis.

~ Schwahn

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LIVE WATCH NOTES:

• Was the FIre Nation army partially 3D? Isn’t this from like 2005?

• Why would the Avatar been reborn specifically into the Air Nomads?

• Background Artists aren’t paid enough.

• The cliche of a characters powers going off behind them due to an emotional moment never gets old.

• The perfect coincidence of the happenstance of Kitara’s powers freeing Aang.

• “I won’t get to finish my game.”, Lawl, I’m dead.

• Is the game that Unle Iroh is playing a real game? Always want to play those weird board games you see in games and movies.

• Ah the age when there were planned fade ins/outs for commercials.

• The absent-minded brush-off of Sokka’s spear in Aang’s stomach is choice.

• Welp… being covered in Bison Snot is a new fear.

• There is something delightful when a character says exactly what you are thinking. “You sneezed and flew 10-feet in the air.” (Pretty sure it was higher) - Aang: “Really? It felt higher than that.”

• Calm down Sokka. That leap from a creature that large WAS truly amazing.

• Is there any reason to believe the ORIGINAL Avatar would still be alive? 100-years? Presuming everyone is human. He should long be dead.

• Noted, Zenitsu is based on Aang. Dude’s Avatar powers just woke up when he was passed out.

• How dit Katara JUST NOW notice that he had tattoos.

• The snow looks like Mayonnaise…..

• Aang is made naturally more likeable by being good with children.

• The duality between the two “groups” is really strong.

• The undertone of everyone’s father’s being gone is… rough. War in general…

• That penguin had 4 arms…

• They ALL have 4 arms…

• Snow still looks like Mayonnaise.

• Being the ONLY bender would be insanely rough.

• That also means that none of the Water Tribe that went to help the Earth Kingdom were benders. just regular men. Rough AF.

• Aang’s purity is cherisable.

• The snowboarding minigame in Final Fantasy 7 should now be replaced with Penguin Sledding when the Remake gets to the Northern Glacier.

• Aang is taking the idea that all his friends are dead… rather well

• So like… why would you booby trap your OWN ship? I don’t get it.