On Loving Avatar: the Last Airbender (Spoiler-Free Pimping)

[cherry]

As may be inferred from my last post, I have entered into a whirlwind relationship with Avatar: the Last Airbender. What remains to be seen is whether it will be a lasting liaison, or merely a tumultuous affair which fades to friendship or indifference.

In the meantime, though, I though I'd introduce you.

"Isn't that a Nickelodeon kids' show?" you ask.

"Well, yes," I reply. "But amongst its strengths are four things that will hook me every time: plot arcs, a depth of mythology and world building, and amazing characterization."

But first:

A Bit of Background:
Avatar is set in a fictional world populated by four moieties, each of which has a distinct culture. Within each, certain individuals are borne with the ability to 'bend' (manipulate) one of the four elements (Earth Kingdom=Earthbenders, etc.). The Avatar is reborne into each generation, and is the only individual who can control all four elements. From there, we have: 100 years of war, a boy in an iceberg, crazy-awesome fauna that are a mix of two sort of creature (including Appa, the flying bison), and a quest to save the world with a cast of characters who are all still very much learning and growing.


Plot Arcs
This is a series with a set end point -- it's designed and written as a three-season show. The writers know exactly where they're going and exactly how they're getting there, and it shows with how put-together the series is. Some shows you can watch the episodes all out of order and not really lose anything, which always aggravates me a bit. Each episode builds on the ones before it. How many kids shows do you know of that need Previouslies? There's a full story here they're telling, at it really comes across.


Continuity
The show remembers what it's already done! How awesome is that? Characters take their hangups and triumphs from previous episodes with them. Little details that are mentioned in an off-hand manner come back as important, and there are random background characters and props that keep appearing. There is foreshadowing, so important twists don't just come out of nowhere. If someone is going to exhibit an important and life-saving skill, chances are good that they used it in passing once before, even if you didn't notice.


Mythology and World Building
In this case, world building is really not optional, but the depth of it is amazing. Each of the four nations and bending styles is based on different eastern philosophies (broadly: waterbending is based on Tai Chi, Hung Gar for earthbending, Northern Shaolin for firebending, Ba Gua for airbending), and as the show goes on, all of the cultures are fully realized.

There's a wonderful array of shades of grey in dealing with the four kingdoms -- at first, it seems very standard, with some of the kingdoms being idealized, but (especially in the second season) we see that each nation is composed of individuals, and has cultural practices that fall down in some way. They all have their own cuisine and style of dress and control mechanisms.

The fauna, mentioned above, is also great. Platypus bears, badgermoles, and cat-owls just make things more fun.


Characterization
I don't think that it's any secret that characterization will win me over every time. It's what makes me love Dead Like Me ever so much. I really wish that most shows designed for adults had the depth of characterization that this show does. It's funny and it's serious, and it realizes that the characters are kids and teenagers. They make stupid mistakes and they pay for them, but the mistakes are all ones that make sense. The guy without bending powers isn't just comic relief, he's still a fighter, and he's useful and makes plans. The main antagonists are fully realized, with backstories and motivation -- it's impossible not to love Uncle Iroh, and I am much more invested than I should be in Zuko's character arc, because he makes these stupid decision that make sense for him and he doesn't think, and he is so very damaged. Which sounds like a really bad reason to like a character, but you haven't seen the show yet.

First season, we have only one main female character -- though a number of kick-ass important secondary characters -- but in the second season, we get four more.

You know how awesome the characterization is? Even the pets/companion animals are amazing and adorable and fully realized.


Now, I'm not saying that it doesn't have its faults -- and what doesn't? -- especially the disappearance of characters we're pretty sure are dead, and the sense of the passage of time can be a bit wonky, but overall I am in the midst of a fling with this show and think that you should all give it a chance.


In summary: I think I like it for most of the same reasons that I love Life on Mars and Dead Like Me, and am completely enamoured of it.

Comments

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Zuko thinks -- he just doesn't think things through. He's filtering everything through the situation of his scar, but he hasn't thought that through either -- if/when he does, I really think he's eventually going to realize that he did not do anything wrong. I think that if you put him back in that room, knowing what he knows now, he'd still make some objection to the plan.

Talking around spoilers is tough, phew.

The 'it's a kids' show, that's why they just disappeared' thing was actually a comment in my original draft... I don't know where it wandered off too. Huh.

Yay, Avatar!