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@@legionarmy1 She was born without a part of her spirit. It was supposed to be filled by Vaatu. Since Aang froze himself in ice he remained the Avatar so the Moon had to share a peice of itself with her to fill the gap. The next Avatar after Aang is indeed a waterbender so the theory checks out.
I like the idea that Aang didn't water bend this season, because it feels like a reference to what Katara told him in episode 2, by avoiding practicing or learning waterbending he is avoiding responsibilities. To me, it's knowing something vs feeling something. He knows he is the avatar and he needs to step up, but he has pretty much tried to resort to other people's help, mostly the previous avatars, and now I feel like starting learning waterbending next season is the next step, it's portraying the ultimate acceptance of his role as the avatar.
Yes, it felt like Aang really needed to move past his trauma, survivor’s guilt, fear, and just the reluctance to be the Avatar. We know he’s 12 in the cartoon, but seeing it in live action really shows how young he is. It makes sense that he needs to start to overcome these personal blocks & accept his journey.
Plus Aang didn’t learn water bending in the first book. He just used it a couple times and then learned most of off screen cause there’s a bit of a time jump between season 2 episode 1 and 2. He still practices water even in book 3 so I find it funny that these so called “purest” or “OG fans” have a problem with them doing this in the live action. Haters gonna hate I guess😂
Exactly this- Aang's story is learning to move on from losing his entire world. In this finale we see him almost succumb to the belief that he's lost his world and doesn't belong in this new time, but instead they turn it around and he accepts that he needs to let go of the past. Katara's story is coming to believe in herself and her own mastery of waterbending. In the first episode she didn't believe she could bend until Aang helped her. Then she needed Jet to help her get past her mental block. She arrives at the North believing that she needs someone to tell her she's a master, but by the end she has come to accept her power in her own right- no one confers mastery on her, she claims it for herself. These are two separate character arcs, and having Aang learn waterbending at the same time would have seriously muddled both.
You say they overcomplicated the ocean and moon spirits. I disagree, and here's why: it gives them a valid reason for attacking during a full moon. Otherwise, if the spirits are always in mortal form, there isn't a logical reason for them to attack when they have the greatest disadvantage.
At first I was disappointed that Aang didn't learn waterbending this season but then I remembered that there's no time limit on Sozin's Comet this time around so there's no sense of urgency right now overall I loved the first season
I think they added that Aang is gone part because Aang definitely sent a lot of people to their demise which then makes the “I can’t kill the fire lord!” A bit…. “But like, you’ve already breached that thresh hold?” Now it was the Ocean Spirit who did all that deleting people. Plus a spirit forever searching for a partner it’ll never find is so poetically haunting.
My thought for Aang's dilemma comes from defending oneself when soldiers attack and premeditated murder. There are quite a few times in the og where it's pretty much a guarantee people died from Aang's attacks, but on the kid show, it isn't really mentioned.
@@playlistb3795 I agree, it’s also a nuanced take on the subject. They just kept hammering it home here though “remember!!! That’s not Aang!” I was like: oh… this is the only reason I can see why they’d need to make this so clear.
I thought that was already what happened? The cartoon just didn’t feel the need to spell it out. Then again the first episode of season 2 was Aang being scared of how he had no control over his actions in the Avatar state, so they did spell it out. I think the criticism was aimed at other scenes in the cartoons, fights in which Aang wasn’t in the Avatar state but there would definitely have been casualties due to his actions.
My mom has never seen the cartoon, and she loved his series. She cried so many times in this episode. I can’t wait for season 2 with more funding and Toph
I'm not sure if you noticed it or not, but this Katara has a unique ability. She can learn, adapt, and use other people's techniques just from seeing them one time. Even from the benders of another element. When she fought Zuko, she used several of the techniques that Pakku had used against her when she fought him. He might not have formally trained her, but she did learn a lot of water bending techniques from him. Not to mention, most water benders have nothing more to learn once they've mastered all of the known water bending techniques. Katara isn't limited like that.
Hopefully they work that into next season. In the OG, she teaches herself healing, and only sees a particular type of bending once (if ya know ya know, don't want to spoil for anyone who doesnt) before being able to use it later on.
I think clarifying that Kuruk wasn't able to possess Aang was a good thing to let the audiences know "hey, Aang can get help from the other Avatars, but he can't just always punt the offensive off to them, he's going to have to step up himself at some point". And to really expand on what the Avatar is, too. The Avatar has many fronts to fight and it will take a toll on them - they're not invincible despite their legendary status. I can't wait for them to go deeper into Yang Chen - which I assume they will since they've given Kyoshi and Kuruk more screen time - as she only really got like, one line in the animated version
It's also cannonically true as well. He faced a ton of dark spirits that damaged and corrupted his spirit. He was only 33 when that toll caught up to him and he died.
Aang has to find a shrine of her first (at least here in this version) and the one we saw was destroyed. Maybe she will speak to him later and maybe he will talk to all of them without being at their shrine once he learns to use the Avatar state conciously.
Nothing stops them for showing them training water bending in the first episode and keep going on. The first live action season was never named "Water" and even in book 1, he never needed to master water bending until late book 2. There's plenty of time to learn.
Just thinking and it, having Tui and La only be mortal for a day if honestly… more logical and safer for them, being the Moon and Ocean. It’s kinda incredibly risky for them to be mortal *all the time*
The whole "Ice Moon" and "Aang losing himself in Koizilla" things must be them trying to answer the two points the fanbase always brings up. 1. Why did Zhao attack the Northern Water Tribe at night during a full moon? and 2. Aang is a pacifist, but he definitely kills people during the siege of the North. For 1, it's the only chance to kill the moon spirit, and for 2, I guess their answer is that it's not really Aang, but Koizilla doing the killing. Does it work? Eh. It's not bad, but like you said a little cumbersome and not foreshadowed at all.
One thing I'm really happy with is how Katara's waterbending progress was portrayed. Like when she was struggling to bend a ball of water --> being able to bend it slowly then throw it --> being able to use the water ball to fight Zuko and lose because she was too slow --> and finally being able to use it fast enough to destabilize the fire nation spy in Omashu. I also like the detail that her waterbending scroll in this version has more moves in it than the cartoon version. And while the tentacle move that Katara used on Zuko during this finale may have been something she learned from the scroll, it could also very well be something she copied after seeing Kyoshi use the same tentacle move on the fire nation soldiers. She also used the same earth disk and earth bullets that Bumi used on Aang and applied it to her waterbending. It was a nice detail that even if she said she copied it from earthbenders, it helps that we've seen Bumi use it even if Katara didn't necessarily copy him. And while in this version Pakku didn't get to train Katara, I like that Pakku alluded to Katara being able to understand true waterbending or that water is the element of change. Katara's intrinsic and natural affinity into understanding waterbending philosophy comes from having to adapt and being resourceful in the way she learned waterbending. I think in it's own right, Pakku calling Katara a master not because of how skilled she is but because she embodies waterbending philosophy, makes it an easy pill to swallow. I would still prefer that Katara still trained under Pakku though. But what's interesting is the fact that in the cartoon, with the exception of Gyatso and Katara or at least not that we know of, Aang's masters understood what their respective elements' true essence were: Toph who learned from the badgermoles and Zuko who learned from the dragons. Zuko wasn't even a master when he taught Aang but regardless, the point I'm getting at is I'm glad that they are somehow giving Katara the same treatment by showing us how adaptive she have been at learning waterbending and then addressing in the finale through Pakku how that's basically what water as an element means. It adds another layer to the theme of "change" that they focused on a lot in the finale.
@@DonMachado That actually happens at the start of Book 2 cartoon. Pakku gifted Aang a box of waterbending scrolls but also reminded him that there are no substitutes for a master and they glanced to Katara. They will probably will do something similar if we do get a second season of NATLA but I would only be okay with that if they show at least a montage of Aang and Katara training with Pakku first. Otherwise, they'd be shooting themselves in the foot. Lol
@@lotus2001 erhm what no?? the la katara has tons of personalities. she even has an arc that you can track with the improvement of her waterbending skill. people keep saying la katara doesn't have fire or she's not fierce but do y'all realize that those qualities do not equate to shouting at the top of her lungs? it's not a cartoon. la katara clearly stood her ground when sokka wanted to give aang over to zuko at wolf cove, she was very firm with her morality regarding jet, and here she outright challenged pakku and the entire sexist culture of the nwt. I need y'all to open your eyes and appreciate the understated approach that kiawentiio took with katara, look at the way she wore so much of her pain and trauma on her face, how the guilt of a child who blamed herself for not being able to save her mother with waterbending became her mental block. la katara might started out more subdued (not meek), but throughout the season she grew more into a self-assured person as she grew past her trauma and grew in her waterbending skill.
Zhao's death is referencing on the Agni Kai they had in the show where Zuko spared him and Hiro stopped Zhao from backstabbing Zuko. They combined that with his death and it makes perfect sense for Hiro to take him out after all the shit Zhao did to them.
This is my second run-through of the live action. I watched the live action first and then I’m watching the reactions afterwards and this is the second time this final episode made me cry when the princess sacrifices herself dammit and Katara speech as well.
I think season 2 will be all bout growth. Aang will learn from his friends which kind of fits in with his character. I like that it’ll be Katara, Toph and Zuko that are his only masters after gyatso.
I've seen plenty of complaints online about how Jeong Jeong was not in the live action, but I think there is a chance we'll see him next season. I mean, live action pulled story lines from every season of ATLA for this first season, no reason why they wouldn't keep doing it.
To me, making the water and moon spirits corporal for only one day answered a concern I had from the first time I watched ATLA in first run: how vulnerable the water tribes were when they could be destroyed by the deaths of the spirits. I don't know if that's why it was included. Maybe the restrictions were needed in the future of the city?
I was not a fan of the whole Ice Moon and the spirits being mortal for a day. It was unnecessary and a giant deus ex machina that didn't need to be there. They could have skipped all of that and just say Kurok's blade can kill spirits. Of course that makes sense as Kurokj spent all his time fighting against evil spirits in spirit realm. I seriously doubt Kurok had to turn the spirits mortal before dispatching them.
They wanted to change the danger of the season climax to be that the Fire Nation was already going north. So, they needed a specific reason for that day
Somebody pointed out in the cmmnts that the ice moon is to explain why the fire nation had to attack on a full moon when the waterbenders are the strongest. If the fish are always there, the fire nation might as well attack in the morning.
The whole finale was so amazing, truly epic, intense, thrilling and emotional in every fight and story of Sokka, Katara and Aang all of them. Zhao was a really good seasonal villain, while there are other big villains in the background, but for being one only there for one season, from his introduction, weaseling up, having his moments of victory and loss, the sneaky working with Azula behind Zuko's back so smart, and in the finale being the big danger but defeated. A good arc there.
Would still mop the floor wth him and essentially everybody. Even two would suffice. But I love hisi delivery here, such an eel-snake. I call him slimy Zhao.😄
I have a feeling they will start season two with Katara and Aang practicing water bending or they will incorporate a montage to catch Aang up to speed.
It seems like the Ice Moon thing replaced the concept of the Winter Solstice from the original, its the only time something like that would make sense to me, which may also mean the timetable of this series is a bit different. Also, while maybe strange on the surface I think making the Ocean and Moon spirits only in the human world once a year makes more sense than such important spirits being mortal permanently, that is naively risky in hindsight.
I actually don't mind Aang not doing any water bending during this season as I think the big take away was Aang hanging on to his trauma and only in the end realizing he is fully ready to progress. I think they were trying to build Katara up to fully be able to teach Aang in the next season after she passes her "self trial" so to speak. They could have made it better however by Katara asking him multiple times to practice and focusing on him not wanting to bend more because of losing Gyatso which they hit on briefly once early in the episodes. I'm cool with season two opening with him and Katara at the tail end of training and then needing to move on to Earth.
It's been over 10 years since I watched the original series. I loved it, but I'm glad like you say this is a remix and not a 1 for 1 adaptation. I didn't recall every detail of the animation but this new series was familiar enough for me and I enjoyed the first season. I definitely want to see a season 2 and 3. Zuko / Sokka were the stars for me. I think Aang and Katara will grow into their characters much the Harry Potter kids did as the series went on.
I loved this live-action better than any other live action I've seen of other shows. It really respects the story of the animation more than the movie that missed most of the important events that occured. Can't wait for Book 2 / Season 2
I once had the opportunity to study improv with a "guru," who innovated a lot of the practice. (I put guru in quotes because he said, "I hate that guru sh*t.). The one thing I really remember about him was that he didn't just majorly change how improv is done, he kept innovating, kept exploring, kept pushing what he could do through improv. He also studied every aspect of it, from what was being done in the present by others, to exploring historical forms, such as commedia del arte, and shamanistic mask use. This is a long way of saying that I think the way the show handled Katara's growth is perfectly plausible. She doesn't train with Paku, but she doesn't really need to, because the way she taught herself to waterbend is what a master does. It's what sets her apart from simply being a really good student.
As far as I know, the entire series will take place in 3 years, not 1 like in the animated, so I believe that this entire first season took place in a year, which makes sense considering that they went AROUND THE WORLD
@@RealBLAlley Yes, also it makes a lot of sense in this case, where Aang hasn't even started learning waterbending, him having to master three elements in a year is too much, even for the Avatar That was a smart choice.
@@brandonjuno yes and think that is the reason why they didn't started their romance (aang and katara) in this season, he looks so much younger than he actually is
@@RealBLAlley not renewed yet. viewership seems strong but reviews are mixed, and the whining on social media has been so absurd and loud so... hard to say.
You got me as a subscriber due to the fair take and actually enjoying it other then being like some other pages I’ve seen just shit talking out the gate
This is why I love this series: It holds a mirror to the original. Kaiju Aang in the Anime was basically a Deux Ex Machina, without any consequences. In this, Aang actually thought he would sacrifice himself, which only didn't happened because Yue did it first :)
Did I need that though? I mean the outcome is exactly the same. La sees the moon and returns (with the exception of Zhao's death). Only the exposition is doubled in this one. We already knew that not only Aang but the whole world was done for with this imbalance. For better or worse, short or longterm this is the end of the world. Yue saves it with her sacrifice. To tell us that Aang has personal stakes and what would have happened without Tui to me didn't have any further impact. Whatever the original's intention was I understood in that moment that La and Aang had an understanding looking each other deep in the eyes. Whatever communication they had in that moment, they then moved as one. The unisson ends when La sees the moon returned. That told me enough. It was left open but this show loves to overexplain. Don't get me wrong the not coming back thing is a nice explanation and actually pretty close to my head canon but we as an audience know that Aang has to come back somehow or the show ends. The spelling out took away from the mistery there and seems like a dramatic device to showcase Aang's conviction. I never doubted that in the original. But again. Their story. I guess it's personal taste. But also in this show we've seen nothing else but commitment form this Aang. I was aware that he's ready to sacrifice himself. Nice to see there are also people who loved it though. PS Was Katara's speech essentially a monologue or did it impact Tui's/Aang's return? Now that they left open. Interested in what you think about that scene. I think it was essentially a monologue Cheers
I like the over complication of killing the ocean and moon spirit by using the Kuruk’s dagger and them being mortal for one day. It is much more glorious for Zhao or anyone who dares to do so, giving weight to the title of moon slayer. Because having them always mortal and be easily killed is a huge disadvantage for water tribe. A kid could’ve lost his way to oasis and mess with fish means an entire population of water tribe being killed and moon disappearing. I think that’s what the writer of this live-action is trying to do, at the very least.
I liked the thing about the Ice Moon, because why would you have two super powerful spirits be so vulnerable all the time? It only makes sense if you have to work for it. Timing and knowledge, not just being in the right place.
Agree! I also like how they incorporated air baloon for Zhao to get to the temple. In the animated version they just walked in a heart of a water tribe with a full squad of soliders right through all the defence and without being noticed at the moment when waterbenders were at the highest of their powers
I really enjoyed the first season. Very different but enjoyable which is what I like about it especially with the additional lore from rather the comics or from a different season. And I'm glad Pakku had a change of heart in the end and noticed that she has become some what of a master and she can train Aang. And I guess it was cool that they incorporated the ice moon which allowed the moon spirits to appear in the mortal world. Which was cool a little bit unnecessary but it's understandable. All in all a strong first season. Awesome reaction bro.
Honestly man, i loved everything they did in the show. Because they did it without taking out key moments. The new stuff they added was literally and is literally oerfect for the time we actually don't see in the cartoon. The only small criticism was with Aang going to Roku and i could agree on the Library lol. But man I've watched the show idk how many times since a kid and i was skeptical about this because of that retched movie in 2010. The nailed so much, it made me literally adore and appreciate Zuko and Iro's relationship so much more. This is a hit show and could have been done better in small Points but overall I don't I could have asked for more unless they literally just made it a 15 episode season which wouldn't have been bad either lol.
Not exactly perfect in terms of pacing and some changes, but it is overall a FAR better live action portrayal of *Avatar: The Last Airbender* than whatever the hell that 2010 film was
I always wonder the comparison with pacing originally episodes and stories were only twenty minutes. It felt like if you did it with actors and cinematography, if they paced each plot point like the cartoon it would also feel very rushed. So like the 8 hours of this live action would be like 16 episodes of the cartoon
Indeed; I feel like people are blowing the flaws of this adaptation way out of proportion. I still prefer the original, naturally; but it’s still a fun watch.
Actually, they never showed anywhere that this is an adaptation of “Book Water”, just “Season 1”. And they split 8 episodes into 4 “element” arcs. I wonder if they keep that 2/2/2/2 separation next season. If going by the same logic, I can see 2 episodes - water - Katara teaching waterbending/swamp (?) 2 episodes - earth - Toph teaching earthbending/Chase/Library/Desert 2 episodes - fire - Zuko alone/Jeong Jeoung(?) stuff 2 episodes - air - Guru Patik + something else
more time passed between them arriving to the north and what we saw - they hint at this in a scene in episode 5 where zuko talks to uncle iroh and that bartender and they recount some adventures of aang like the volcano and the canyon and they also mention some pirates.
27:05 If you look closely you can see the eclipse happening (orange and silver balls on the upper rings) at 27:16 before the comet arrives (on the lowest ring).
My biggest frustration this season is the fact that Katara became a “Master” by studying one scroll and not having any formal instruction from Master Paku. But let’s see what they do in Season 2. Maybe there will be a time jump in which both Aang and Kayata study under Paku before leaving the North.
She's a master for the same reason Toph was a master in the original- she's a self-taught prodigy, and rather than having someone else declare her a master, her entire arc this season led to her accepting her own power and claiming mastery for herself.
I think the complication of killing the moon spirit actually makes two aspects of the attack more believable in a real-world context. 1) If it was so easy to kill the ocean and moon spirits at any time with any weapon or elemental attack, why haven't the Fire Nation been pushing HARD to do it constantly for the past 100 years? 2) Why, of all nights, did Zhao choose to attack during the full moon when the waterbenders are stronger? As for Katara becoming a master, I never took it seriously in the cartoon either. I thought it was just an honorary title he unofficially gives her. I really like the removal of the necklace subplot too because I like Katara earning respect on her own merits rather than who her Gran Gran is. It always seemed a bit silly to me that Pakku threw all his traditions aside because she is the granddaughter of was his ex-fiancée who RAN AWAY from him. Why wouldn't he be kinda bitter about that rather than forgiving and adoring? It never quite added up for me that they got back together either.
I think that the reason they made it one specific night in this is a couple reasons. 1: they needed a clean end point for the plot in case there was no season 2 2: because of 1, they needed a different timer than Sozen's comet, so they needed the Fire Nation attack on the North to be the reason that Aang and co go there not the opposite. 3: Firelord Ozai's big distraction to take Omashu was baiting the Avatar North, so he couldn't interfere with the taking of Omashu. Makes Ozai and Azula seem more cunning.
To be honest, I kind of think the 1 night a year thing with the ocean and moon spirits makes a bit more sense in some regards. It's kind of terribly easy to accidentally off the moon if they have an algae bloom or something. As for Aang and his lack of waterbending, I was sort of frustrated at first by this too, but I think Jones Vibes put it well when he said that "this isn't called Book 1: Water, it's called Season 1" Aang hasn't had a vision of the comet, so the urgency of mastering all 4 elements isn't the same as it was in the animated show, at least not yet. We don't know if they're even going to take the same overall structure of seasons the way it was done before, and that is of course IF we get any more. I'm far less forgiving about Katara and her Master title, though. I know time crunch and all, but a little something more would have made that feel earned. Even just 5 extra minutes of a montage like you said. I have always had the sense in the animated show, even though it was left unsaid, that the Aang/ocean spirit merge carried a lot more gravity than I think of lot of people realized. Most blind reactors I've watched seem to think he's in control of it, and that he's the one that grabs Zhao (though it is shown very clearly that the ocean sets him down before doing this.) My assumption has always been that it was totally involuntary and that the ocean took over Aang's body and power. I've walked that back a tiny bit after seeing this, since it seems more that Aang offered himself up, which I am totally fine with. Most importantly, I am really happy how it was super clear here that Aang wasn't the one doing the rampage. Yue somehow got both got more and less character development. She's got way more agency and personality here, and that fox spirit pre-meeting was a nice touch, but I just did not buy their first kiss as much as I did in the animated show. I don't really know if I can even really explain why, beyond just the fact that is somehow felt even more rushed despite being given more context. I did really like how they neutralized Hahn, though. As much as I will forever cackle at that scene where he tries to take out Zhao and just...falls off his boat and is never seen again ever, for the tone of the live action, him being the way he was made a lot of sense. Not to mention I really hate the trope of a love triangle where one of them is just insufferable to the point of being a cartoon cutout (no pun intended.) While I hold MANY many positives up for the live action, my main gripe is that there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the directing and the writing. Like I see what they're trying to convey a lot of the time, unpopular with many as those themes seem to be. However, the dialogue just does not sell it correctly sometimes, and that unfortunately gives the actors a bad impression. I personally think that isn't justified, and they could absolutely deliver with better material. I'm still waiting for the payoff of other plot threads before I pass judgement on the decisions made there, so the writing at times is really the only negative thing I'm vocal about. Only time will tell I suppose.
In the pond that gives life itself? More likely the algae get repulsed by the extra special spiritual water that magically warms that whole lagoon. As to the why they're in that vulnerable state in the first place I think it's communion. Like waterbenders like spirits. In that regard it's quite a fragile balance , which I love.
@@hemmojito I mean mainly that was supposed to be a funny anecdote, but I had always wondered how no one had ever so much as touched them before (that we know of anyway.) I'm neutral on the change for the live action, truthfully, I just thought in context it makes some sort of sense.
Not because it was a horrible idea in the first place? It seems no one but Zhao had such a brilliant idea cause nobody actually wants the world to end. Takes a special kind of hubris paired with ignorance to think that would work But you're right. It "could" theoretically happen again.
@@hemmojito I'm certainly not saying it's a good idea. Just that I could see the firelord or Azula trying if things went poorly. there are a few things this season that I think were done mostly because it was a way to fill "plot holes" people had pointed out. Disney does the same thing in their remakes. It never actually works.
@@andscifi How many people know that actually? In both shows there is a lot of effort involved in even attaining that knowledge. I guess secrecy is their top protecttion. So is that really a plot hole or rather a gripe of some people that didn't like that particular choice? I certainly had no problem with that. But I'm only one. Not sure.
@@hemmojito again, I don't think it was necessary at all. I'm talking about what I think that the thought process of the writers was. The ability to "fix" plot holes like this seems to be one of the excuses that they use remake things. That aid, I think that with that many fire nation soldiers there it's entirely possible and even likely that the fireloard would figure out what happened, or at least have one of the many people who work for him investigate it. And since the show established that it was Azula who was behind everything that he was doing, so it's likely she knew about it.
@@andscifi ...and would never act on it, same with Ozai. Whoever has the power to know about it would have enough foresite and tactical wit not to do it. Here's where my first coment comes in. The part of it not being a "brilliant idea". Stupid hubris Zhao should never have had that power in the first place. All of this is the reason why THEY don't need to fix this plothole. Talking about the crators here. so to reiterate A: Secret B even if exposed nobody's both poweful and stupid enough to do it. A and B is enough for me to say. Not a plothole. But this is just my opinion and I'm just one man so... hey
The moment that has me the most hopeful on the future of this show is that last moment between Team Avatar. That bit of banter was the first time it reeeeally clicked for me that they had that same level of energy the group had in the cartoon. They were individually great before already and had some great moments. But that one makes me think that going forward it will be even better (hoping they do well on casting Toph). There are a lot of things I would have done differently when it comes to structuring the story. I'm not a fan of keeping/craming many stories in for the sake of getting that fan service in there, but if they end up losing the meaning of why those characters were there in the first place, I'd rather have them cut it altogether. I don't like if I'm unsure if they changed something deliberately or if they just didn't get it. BUT when it comes to some other story additions and changes, especially with everything fire nation related, those were perfect. They didn't rewrite the story for the sake of doing something different, they put in things that expand on lore and characters in a very meaningful way. The change to Bumi worked for me for example. While Teo ended upbeing just a way to get our characters from A to B, losing any meaning he had in the cartoon, without gaining a new one.
I first was disappointed with Iroh instead of the Water killing Zhao, because I thought the Water spirit deserved to get revenge for the Moon Spirit. But thinking about it, Iroh also told him that he'd unleash whatever Zhao was doing to the Moon Spirit tenfold, and I think this way it didn't end up as an empty threat. With that in mind, I'm okay with Iroh being the one to finish him - especially since he was about to attack Zuko.
If they characterized Toph correctly like she is in the cartoon, she could be the thing that brings a lot of the happiness and humor back into the show at least amongst the main gang.
Did they ever establish the fact that firebenders get power from the sun? Since we missed Zuko’s line, “You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun,” I hope that doesn’t mean that they’re skipping the entire eclipse plot. The library & the eclipse invasion were both such great episodes IMO and I’d hate for them to not make it into this adaptation.
8:44 totally cried at the Momo death fake out, even though I'm into book 2 of the animated series and I knew he lived, but still, that was rough! Great episode! 42:42 seasons 2& 3 have been approved, which I'm sure you know, but I'm glad I have the opportunity to complete the animated series before the additional seasons come out!
Aang didn't learn water bending bc he was trying to avoid the responsibility of being the Avatar. It's why he tried to get the water bending Avatar to take over his body.
11:52 "That kept that line, but it doesn't make any sense now" And? Assumptions from characters don't always need to be correct in-universe, as that (nor making sense)'s not always their point :P
Love how u looked at the serious gave it a fair review 💯✅ I approve ..while there were things they could have done better or different over all they did very well
Instead of comparing the show to the series, try comparing it to the movie. The movie had all kinds of disrespect, where as this show only had 8 episodes to demonstrate how much they care for it
I really liked how Zhao was handled in this version. In the animated series, he was a generic bad guy. Someone online called him 'Ozai light.' I mean, This version was a spider, spinning his little web. Working behind the backs of Zuko and Iroh. He felt like much more of a threat in this show. I thought his encounter with Zuko at the end was great, setting Zuko straight about his father's motivations. I understand that they didn't want Zuko taking a life and having Iroh doing it instead. I still would have liked to see Zuko take his ass out. At least we got Zhao cheap shotting Zuko like he did after his Agni Kai in the animated series. A bit morbid, but I even enjoyed seeing Zhao still burning even though he was under water. Iroh added some phosphorous to that last shot.
I haven't read all of the comments, so I apologize if I am repeating another person's post. I think it's funny that everyone picked up on Daniel Dae Kim and Ken Leung from Lost, but they don't notice that Francois Chau (the DHARMA doctor in the Orientation film) plays The Great Sage here. He was also Jules-Pierre Mao in The Expanse. More understandably ppl don't know who plays Pakku (he looks very different irl) A. Martinez was in LA Law back in the 80s and 90a and I remember him because he was a main character on one of the soap operas my mom watched when I was a child.
27:35 waited for you to get to this moment since like episode 2 🤣 during your earlier reactions you kept mentioning the comet and that ticking time clock and how you wished they’d have incorporated it and I kept wanted to say JUST HOLD ON UNTIL THE FINALE 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
The changes is understandable, people keep complaining but live actions really have the thing of changing it to keep the adoptation interesting, its good that they make a different way of telling the story. It would be blunt and boring if they will follow every scenes, details and moments its like knowing everything before you even watch the series.
While this was quite a bit different, i still really love watching this version. I think some of the changes were actually better than the animated while others were way worse. i give it an 8.5
I pretty much like most of what Netflix did with this LA, especially with what they did with Kuruk. This is already a thousand times better than that other adaptation. I was also okay with most of the tweaks they did because it still worked with the plot. My only gripe with this show is the fact that Aang didn't learn waterbending in the season that he's supposed to learn it. I mean, that was the whole point of the first season. Even with the path they chose for the plot they could have just inserted just one scene of him trying to learn waterbending and I would have been satisfied. But I guess they're reserving it for S2, so here's hoping that they wouldnt just make Aang learn waterbending offscreen because thats just not good writing.
I love your reactions bro!! But I am surprised u haven’t reacted to ready player one yet hopefully in the future… lol only bc that movie might be our future
I've been putting off this episode because I didn't want the journey to end. I've been coming to your reactions first after each episode. I agree that I liked a lot of the lore changes or additions. There were a few things I didn't like, but overall, I really enjoyed this adaptation.
I think they had that moment with momo (dipping him into spirit water) to explain his connection with the spirit world (also how he managed to teleport to the lion turtle WITH aang)
I thought it was ok but not better than the animated series. I am a little worried about toph being introduced in season two because there’s a possibility that they might leave out the fact that she’s blind but she uses earthbending to see, however I really hope that won’t be the case as she is my favourite character.
They are avoiding the 6 month time frame bc they know these kids are going to age up throughout the series so they do want to lock them into being 12, 14, and 16. They get approved for book 2 and 3 they will be 16, 18, 20 so the Aang and Katara romance won't be as weird either.
@@AvEnGeD7X238 i actually like all the episodes in this season, even the pilot. But pilots are not exactly the most rewatchable episodes in my opinion
one thing the LA will always outdo the original is the tragedy and deaths. Obviously the cartoon had to be kid friendly so no dead bodies. Upon rewatching only realized the novice who was assigned to Katara died in the fight...RIP. And Katara recognized him too. Adds a more emotional stake especially considering in the cartoon, team avatar just moves on. I hope they start in the North in the next season where we see Katara and Aang learning waterbending. Please fix that Netflix!
I absolutely loved this adaptation. It wasn't perfect, I definitely had some problems with it, but I just enjoyed it so much. Especially the stuff with Zuko's backstory and his relationship with Iroh and expanding on Azula's early character development. I agree with you about the stuff with the spirits taking physical form on that one night only being a bit of an overcomplication, but I'm thinking they might have done that to give a reason as to why Zhao was so adamant on conducting the siege so quickly despite Iroh's warnings about the full moon and Waterbenders being stronger than he realizes, although I still don't think that was necessary. Even if you've never seen the animated series, it's quite clear that Zhao is arrogant and overly confident, so his rush to take the Northern Water Tribe could easily have just been attributed to that. Though my biggest issue with this episode was in the explanation of the spirits. The Great Sage (I think) told Zhao that the ocean spirit gave Waterbenders their life while the moon spirit gave them their power. So if they wanted to kill the Waterbenders, why did Zhao kill the moon spirit instead of the ocean spirit?
As much as this series is not perfect. It is still an awesome adaption to me. What a journey we went on once again! Sure it wasn't perfect,but it was so nice to see this story again in a slightly remixed way. I felt the spirit of Avatar with this show and I am very certain a season 2 can improve a lot of the faults we had with this first season.
My personal episode ranking: 1. 1x08: "Legends" (I liked how it made Book 1 finale more epic and grander than the cartoon because the ending of Book 1 is literally my least favorite out of the 3. The changes they made in this episode was also the least destructive in a sense that it didn't really affect or made anything messy unlike the other changes. The changes just added more to the lore, unnecessary or not. Hahn is also better in this version because he was a throwaway character in the cartoon where they sacrificed his depth for the sake of making Sokka look good and for comic relief.) 2. 1x06: "Masks" (I would've loved this episode more if only they didn't speedrun entering Roku's temple and Aang speaking to Roku quickly. And how tf did June even reach Crescent Island when we know that there's a literal blockade of ships there? Also, they should've extended Koh and Aang's resolution because they might as well let Aang resolve Roku and Kuruk's beef against the Avatar since we know that reincarnations of the Avatar fixes each other's "mistakes" anyway. Anyway, Iroh, 41st division, Zuko's banishment, blue spirit, and Aang in this episode? Need I say more? 🔥 It saved the episode for me.) 3. 1x04: "Into the Dark" (I love how the remixed elements worked out and it may be sinful to say but I like NATLA's Bumi better. I do wish they had more nuanced reaction from Bumi at the end as a resolution instead of just smiling and nodding it out.) 4. 1x02: "Warriors" (Same comment as episode 4, Yukari's reaction should've been more nuanced more than smiling and bowing it out. I would've loved to see her follow through her worries about the islands safety and to end the episode with them painting Kyoshi's statue as the Gaang flew away. Also, Sokka and Suki should't have kissed, her giving him the fan would've sufficed.) 5. 1x03: "Omashu" (It juggled a little too many elements messily like episode 1 and they should've progressed the Gaang's relationship here as they dealt with conflict together. That way, separating them on their personal journeys in the next episode could've hit better and even the "saving the world with my friends" message at the end of episode 4 could've hit even more once they reunited.) 6. 1x07: "The North" (Exposition galore, this the episode where it was really noticeable. Instead of exposition, they could've added waterbending training scenes in the shortest episode of the season.) 7. 1x01: "Aang" (This episode felt like they were really just rushing to hit every beat to an expense of letting the characters and the lines breathe. This episode should've spent the last few minutes at the end for the Gaang's first campfire scene, introducing Sokka and Katara to Appa and just end the episode there instead of rushing the Avatar State in the Southern Air Temple.) 8. 1x05: "Spirited Away" (No.)
I do think they are trying to get a balance between those who have watched the Animation and those who haven't while not completely jeopardising the source material though you could argue it should have had far more episodes maybe Season 2 will have more.
I was gonna go find the writers and punch them in the face if they killed off Momo 😭 Luckily it was just foreshadowing the Oasis water's revival properties. The ice moon was like the winter solstice from the cartoon. But I agree, unnecessary. During Katara's whole speech at the end all I was thinking was, no way Aang can actually hear you right? Lol Maybe Ozai was worried about the Avatar defending Omashu which is why he ordered the attack on the North. Idk if there's a better explanation than that
The season gets a 7/10 for me, not perfect but I enjoyed it outside of some questionable choices, dialogue, acting. I am hoping they are able to improve from feedback for future seasons because books 2 and 3 are my favorites .
In the first season practically every successfully executed scene that requires a large portion of a productions budget is a proof of concept to justify a larger budget for the next season. Wang Shi Tong in the Spirited Away episode was probably a test animation to set up the library plot in S2.
I think at a minimum they will seek out Wong Shi Tong and get the info from him. I think it's why he's showing up in this season and introduced as the spirit of knowledge. But a full on Library would be awesome.
this was my first time watching the Avatar univerise. i enjoyed it and understood what was happening generally. just to let you know i didnt find thiings clunky or complicated.
Hey Omni joining the commentary every commentary that you do for all your shows. I always watch them besides your reactions I do want to steak though that I think you are partially kind of falling into the mindset that probably a lot of people are who have an issue with this first season and that, a lot of people are thinking this is book one water which is what I thought they were gonna do but I realized quickly that’s not the case they it’s more just a overall journey episode I mean season. I am pretty sure that’s the biggest issue. I think a lot of people have that they’re thinking all they’re doing book one book two, book 3 and I don’t think that’s what they’re doing. It’s sort of like a little bit of this a little bit of that and it’s sort of like an overarching journey For the characters themselves instead of this one is concentrate on this discipline this one is concentrating this discipline I think I think in the back of a lot of peoples mind that was was probably preventing them maybe enjoying the episodes a little bit more and kind of giving it a little bit more of a pass Being like oh it should be like this because this is the way you know they told the story and it was great but that’s how I see it. I recently rewatch the entire series again and I am fine with how everything went. I would’ve liked an extra few episodeslike a 10 episodes series instead of an eight but still I think I think they did a pretty good job and I am almost pretty sure they got up the steaks on the second season
But he did try to fight them at the beginning of an episode, just like in animation he destroyed few ships and understood that it won't be possible for him to stop them without the avatar state which he can't control yet. I think it was logical and there was no need in change
He did it to save Zuko from being blindsided by Zhao who was about to kill him. You have to agree Iroh would do anything for Zuko including killing. That was taken directly from the animated series when Iroh saved Zuko after defeating Zhao in an Agni Kai.
why do ppl keep saying is less time? the cartoons where 20min episodes and the runtime is basically the same... the problem is that they include unnecessary things, like over explaining things, like feeling guilty all the time, developing character that you don't really use until season season 2, instead of developing the characters that you use... the writing for this show is horrible.
Although the runtime is similar you can't compare it to the pace of things happening in the animated series and you couldn't fit all 20 episodes in a 8 hours of live version, it wouldn't work and each episode would seem even more rushed. I didn't see over explained things, I think the writers did a great job fitting the main plots and arcs this season. It's not horrible, it's just really different from the animation and that's it. Setting up Azula's character is actually a smart move, cause we get to see her relationship with Ozai, find what her motivation is and set some stakes for season 2. It would be pointless showing only Ozai and hiding her until the next season. Also it's an interesting perspective on how Zhao got his support. Runtime of her arc this season has literally took 20 minutes or so, I don't see a reason to complain. On the other side Katara has literally learned water bending, learned how to stood up for herself, she let go fear of her mother's death, learned to remember happy moments with her mom instead and use it in her bending. She understood that not only she's a good self-taught master but she could become a great teacher for Aang. Sokka overcame his fear of guilt for not being a good warrior, learned what being a warrior not only means to be good in a fight, but also means to be there for your friends, protect and lead them while staying true for yourself. He basically learned how to be a leader and that there's many ways of being a hero. Aang was scared of his responsibility, for him destroying of the air tribe has just happened, and it naturally takes a good amount of time to made peace with such a huge loss, to stop blaming himself and start his journey as the avatar. At the end of this season he overcame his struggle, he's aware he's not alone and now he's ready to learn. Is it that development different from the animation? I think so too, but the ending result it the same, the path to it is different, although it's just another way of telling this story, hence why it's an adaptation
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I heard a theory that the reason yue was born asleep was she was supposed to be the next incarnation of the avatar.
@@legionarmy1 She was born without a part of her spirit. It was supposed to be filled by Vaatu. Since Aang froze himself in ice he remained the Avatar so the Moon had to share a peice of itself with her to fill the gap. The next Avatar after Aang is indeed a waterbender so the theory checks out.
I like the idea that Aang didn't water bend this season, because it feels like a reference to what Katara told him in episode 2, by avoiding practicing or learning waterbending he is avoiding responsibilities. To me, it's knowing something vs feeling something. He knows he is the avatar and he needs to step up, but he has pretty much tried to resort to other people's help, mostly the previous avatars, and now I feel like starting learning waterbending next season is the next step, it's portraying the ultimate acceptance of his role as the avatar.
Yes, it felt like Aang really needed to move past his trauma, survivor’s guilt, fear, and just the reluctance to be the Avatar. We know he’s 12 in the cartoon, but seeing it in live action really shows how young he is. It makes sense that he needs to start to overcome these personal blocks & accept his journey.
Plus Aang didn’t learn water bending in the first book. He just used it a couple times and then learned most of off screen cause there’s a bit of a time jump between season 2 episode 1 and 2. He still practices water even in book 3 so I find it funny that these so called “purest” or “OG fans” have a problem with them doing this in the live action. Haters gonna hate I guess😂
@@jamespfersdorf9439 Nailed it 💪🏾💪🏾
Exactly this- Aang's story is learning to move on from losing his entire world. In this finale we see him almost succumb to the belief that he's lost his world and doesn't belong in this new time, but instead they turn it around and he accepts that he needs to let go of the past.
Katara's story is coming to believe in herself and her own mastery of waterbending. In the first episode she didn't believe she could bend until Aang helped her. Then she needed Jet to help her get past her mental block. She arrives at the North believing that she needs someone to tell her she's a master, but by the end she has come to accept her power in her own right- no one confers mastery on her, she claims it for herself.
These are two separate character arcs, and having Aang learn waterbending at the same time would have seriously muddled both.
You say they overcomplicated the ocean and moon spirits. I disagree, and here's why: it gives them a valid reason for attacking during a full moon. Otherwise, if the spirits are always in mortal form, there isn't a logical reason for them to attack when they have the greatest disadvantage.
At first I was disappointed that Aang didn't learn waterbending this season but then I remembered that there's no time limit on Sozin's Comet this time around so there's no sense of urgency right now overall I loved the first season
They can start the next season by saying a year passed, but he still should have at least trained a little in this season lol
I think they added that Aang is gone part because Aang definitely sent a lot of people to their demise which then makes the “I can’t kill the fire lord!” A bit…. “But like, you’ve already breached that thresh hold?” Now it was the Ocean Spirit who did all that deleting people. Plus a spirit forever searching for a partner it’ll never find is so poetically haunting.
i didnt think of that, makes a lot of sense
My thought for Aang's dilemma comes from defending oneself when soldiers attack and premeditated murder.
There are quite a few times in the og where it's pretty much a guarantee people died from Aang's attacks, but on the kid show, it isn't really mentioned.
@@playlistb3795 I agree, it’s also a nuanced take on the subject.
They just kept hammering it home here though “remember!!! That’s not Aang!” I was like: oh… this is the only reason I can see why they’d need to make this so clear.
I thought that was already what happened? The cartoon just didn’t feel the need to spell it out.
Then again the first episode of season 2 was Aang being scared of how he had no control over his actions in the Avatar state, so they did spell it out.
I think the criticism was aimed at other scenes in the cartoons, fights in which Aang wasn’t in the Avatar state but there would definitely have been casualties due to his actions.
If anything happens to the moon. Lets say nuclear bomb etc then the earth will wobble i and cause chaos with currents, tsunamis tides etc..
My mom has never seen the cartoon, and she loved his series. She cried so many times in this episode. I can’t wait for season 2 with more funding and Toph
I'm not sure if you noticed it or not, but this Katara has a unique ability. She can learn, adapt, and use other people's techniques just from seeing them one time. Even from the benders of another element. When she fought Zuko, she used several of the techniques that Pakku had used against her when she fought him. He might not have formally trained her, but she did learn a lot of water bending techniques from him. Not to mention, most water benders have nothing more to learn once they've mastered all of the known water bending techniques. Katara isn't limited like that.
Hopefully they work that into next season. In the OG, she teaches herself healing, and only sees a particular type of bending once (if ya know ya know, don't want to spoil for anyone who doesnt) before being able to use it later on.
@@playlistb3795 I hadn't remembered that. I watched the series years ago, when it first came out, so there's a lot that I don't remember.
In the cartoon she's frustrated that Aang learns waterbending so much faster than she does. I think this is a better take on it.
@@vincegamer I remember that and I agree.
Yes in the animated series She learn blood bending just to saw hamma doing one time She is a talented and natural máster
I think clarifying that Kuruk wasn't able to possess Aang was a good thing to let the audiences know "hey, Aang can get help from the other Avatars, but he can't just always punt the offensive off to them, he's going to have to step up himself at some point". And to really expand on what the Avatar is, too. The Avatar has many fronts to fight and it will take a toll on them - they're not invincible despite their legendary status. I can't wait for them to go deeper into Yang Chen - which I assume they will since they've given Kyoshi and Kuruk more screen time - as she only really got like, one line in the animated version
Letting other avatars take over works well as training wheels but eventually he needs to take them off
It's also cannonically true as well. He faced a ton of dark spirits that damaged and corrupted his spirit. He was only 33 when that toll caught up to him and he died.
Aang has to find a shrine of her first (at least here in this version) and the one we saw was destroyed. Maybe she will speak to him later and maybe he will talk to all of them without being at their shrine once he learns to use the Avatar state conciously.
Nothing stops them for showing them training water bending in the first episode and keep going on. The first live action season was never named "Water" and even in book 1, he never needed to master water bending until late book 2. There's plenty of time to learn.
Just thinking and it, having Tui and La only be mortal for a day if honestly… more logical and safer for them, being the Moon and Ocean. It’s kinda incredibly risky for them to be mortal *all the time*
The highlight of this episode for me: 9:19 - Sokka finally accepting and embracing Momo after nearly losing him ❤🥰
The changes didn’t bother me. They just changed the lore and it worked for me.
And sometimes you gotta make changes from Animation especially cus there are certain stuff that only work in animation.
@@DeityLink69yep like not all the comedic moments can be brought just like that into live action
The whole "Ice Moon" and "Aang losing himself in Koizilla" things must be them trying to answer the two points the fanbase always brings up. 1. Why did Zhao attack the Northern Water Tribe at night during a full moon? and 2. Aang is a pacifist, but he definitely kills people during the siege of the North. For 1, it's the only chance to kill the moon spirit, and for 2, I guess their answer is that it's not really Aang, but Koizilla doing the killing. Does it work? Eh. It's not bad, but like you said a little cumbersome and not foreshadowed at all.
One thing I'm really happy with is how Katara's waterbending progress was portrayed. Like when she was struggling to bend a ball of water --> being able to bend it slowly then throw it --> being able to use the water ball to fight Zuko and lose because she was too slow --> and finally being able to use it fast enough to destabilize the fire nation spy in Omashu. I also like the detail that her waterbending scroll in this version has more moves in it than the cartoon version. And while the tentacle move that Katara used on Zuko during this finale may have been something she learned from the scroll, it could also very well be something she copied after seeing Kyoshi use the same tentacle move on the fire nation soldiers. She also used the same earth disk and earth bullets that Bumi used on Aang and applied it to her waterbending. It was a nice detail that even if she said she copied it from earthbenders, it helps that we've seen Bumi use it even if Katara didn't necessarily copy him.
And while in this version Pakku didn't get to train Katara, I like that Pakku alluded to Katara being able to understand true waterbending or that water is the element of change. Katara's intrinsic and natural affinity into understanding waterbending philosophy comes from having to adapt and being resourceful in the way she learned waterbending. I think in it's own right, Pakku calling Katara a master not because of how skilled she is but because she embodies waterbending philosophy, makes it an easy pill to swallow. I would still prefer that Katara still trained under Pakku though. But what's interesting is the fact that in the cartoon, with the exception of Gyatso and Katara or at least not that we know of, Aang's masters understood what their respective elements' true essence were: Toph who learned from the badgermoles and Zuko who learned from the dragons. Zuko wasn't even a master when he taught Aang but regardless, the point I'm getting at is I'm glad that they are somehow giving Katara the same treatment by showing us how adaptive she have been at learning waterbending and then addressing in the finale through Pakku how that's basically what water as an element means. It adds another layer to the theme of "change" that they focused on a lot in the finale.
Although we didn't see it, Paku should have given her more water bending scrolls to help with their continued training.
@@DonMachado That actually happens at the start of Book 2 cartoon. Pakku gifted Aang a box of waterbending scrolls but also reminded him that there are no substitutes for a master and they glanced to Katara. They will probably will do something similar if we do get a second season of NATLA but I would only be okay with that if they show at least a montage of Aang and Katara training with Pakku first. Otherwise, they'd be shooting themselves in the foot. Lol
If only they actually gave her a personality to go with it… such a disservice to the original Katara
@@lotus2001 erhm what no?? the la katara has tons of personalities. she even has an arc that you can track with the improvement of her waterbending skill. people keep saying la katara doesn't have fire or she's not fierce but do y'all realize that those qualities do not equate to shouting at the top of her lungs? it's not a cartoon. la katara clearly stood her ground when sokka wanted to give aang over to zuko at wolf cove, she was very firm with her morality regarding jet, and here she outright challenged pakku and the entire sexist culture of the nwt. I need y'all to open your eyes and appreciate the understated approach that kiawentiio took with katara, look at the way she wore so much of her pain and trauma on her face, how the guilt of a child who blamed herself for not being able to save her mother with waterbending became her mental block. la katara might started out more subdued (not meek), but throughout the season she grew more into a self-assured person as she grew past her trauma and grew in her waterbending skill.
I love that she comes to the North looking for someone to make her a master, but in the end she claims that mastery for herself.
Zhao's death is referencing on the Agni Kai they had in the show where Zuko spared him and Hiro stopped Zhao from backstabbing Zuko. They combined that with his death and it makes perfect sense for Hiro to take him out after all the shit Zhao did to them.
This is my second run-through of the live action. I watched the live action first and then I’m watching the reactions afterwards and this is the second time this final episode made me cry when the princess sacrifices herself dammit and Katara speech as well.
I think season 2 will be all bout growth. Aang will learn from his friends which kind of fits in with his character. I like that it’ll be Katara, Toph and Zuko that are his only masters after gyatso.
I've seen plenty of complaints online about how Jeong Jeong was not in the live action, but I think there is a chance we'll see him next season. I mean, live action pulled story lines from every season of ATLA for this first season, no reason why they wouldn't keep doing it.
To me, making the water and moon spirits corporal for only one day answered a concern I had from the first time I watched ATLA in first run: how vulnerable the water tribes were when they could be destroyed by the deaths of the spirits. I don't know if that's why it was included. Maybe the restrictions were needed in the future of the city?
I was not a fan of the whole Ice Moon and the spirits being mortal for a day. It was unnecessary and a giant deus ex machina that didn't need to be there. They could have skipped all of that and just say Kurok's blade can kill spirits. Of course that makes sense as Kurokj spent all his time fighting against evil spirits in spirit realm. I seriously doubt Kurok had to turn the spirits mortal before dispatching them.
They wanted to change the danger of the season climax to be that the Fire Nation was already going north. So, they needed a specific reason for that day
Somebody pointed out in the cmmnts that the ice moon is to explain why the fire nation had to attack on a full moon when the waterbenders are the strongest. If the fish are always there, the fire nation might as well attack in the morning.
The whole finale was so amazing, truly epic, intense, thrilling and emotional in every fight and story of Sokka, Katara and Aang all of them.
Zhao was a really good seasonal villain, while there are other big villains in the background, but for being one only there for one season, from his introduction, weaseling up, having his moments of victory and loss, the sneaky working with Azula behind Zuko's back so smart, and in the finale being the big danger but defeated. A good arc there.
"Master of 3 elements doesn't quite have the same ring to it!" That's like, 25% less ring!
Would still mop the floor wth him and essentially everybody. Even two would suffice.
But I love hisi delivery here, such an eel-snake. I call him slimy Zhao.😄
I have a feeling they will start season two with Katara and Aang practicing water bending or they will incorporate a montage to catch Aang up to speed.
It seems like the Ice Moon thing replaced the concept of the Winter Solstice from the original, its the only time something like that would make sense to me, which may also mean the timetable of this series is a bit different. Also, while maybe strange on the surface I think making the Ocean and Moon spirits only in the human world once a year makes more sense than such important spirits being mortal permanently, that is naively risky in hindsight.
I actually don't mind Aang not doing any water bending during this season as I think the big take away was Aang hanging on to his trauma and only in the end realizing he is fully ready to progress. I think they were trying to build Katara up to fully be able to teach Aang in the next season after she passes her "self trial" so to speak. They could have made it better however by Katara asking him multiple times to practice and focusing on him not wanting to bend more because of losing Gyatso which they hit on briefly once early in the episodes. I'm cool with season two opening with him and Katara at the tail end of training and then needing to move on to Earth.
It's been over 10 years since I watched the original series. I loved it, but I'm glad like you say this is a remix and not a 1 for 1 adaptation. I didn't recall every detail of the animation but this new series was familiar enough for me and I enjoyed the first season. I definitely want to see a season 2 and 3. Zuko / Sokka were the stars for me. I think Aang and Katara will grow into their characters much the Harry Potter kids did as the series went on.
I loved this live-action better than any other live action I've seen of other shows. It really respects the story of the animation more than the movie that missed most of the important events that occured. Can't wait for Book 2 / Season 2
I once had the opportunity to study improv with a "guru," who innovated a lot of the practice. (I put guru in quotes because he said, "I hate that guru sh*t.). The one thing I really remember about him was that he didn't just majorly change how improv is done, he kept innovating, kept exploring, kept pushing what he could do through improv. He also studied every aspect of it, from what was being done in the present by others, to exploring historical forms, such as commedia del arte, and shamanistic mask use.
This is a long way of saying that I think the way the show handled Katara's growth is perfectly plausible. She doesn't train with Paku, but she doesn't really need to, because the way she taught herself to waterbend is what a master does. It's what sets her apart from simply being a really good student.
As far as I know, the entire series will take place in 3 years, not 1 like in the animated, so I believe that this entire first season took place in a year, which makes sense considering that they went AROUND THE WORLD
@@RealBLAlley Yes, also it makes a lot of sense in this case, where Aang hasn't even started learning waterbending, him having to master three elements in a year is too much, even for the Avatar
That was a smart choice.
good bc aang's actor is nearly the tallest of all the kids already
@@brandonjuno yes and think that is the reason why they didn't started their romance (aang and katara) in this season, he looks so much younger than he actually is
@@Gabrielclarke15 oof that would have been so awkward and awful
@@RealBLAlley not renewed yet. viewership seems strong but reviews are mixed, and the whining on social media has been so absurd and loud so... hard to say.
Katara is like toph here because both learnt from the world itself
You got me as a subscriber due to the fair take and actually enjoying it other then being like some other pages I’ve seen just shit talking out the gate
This is why I love this series: It holds a mirror to the original.
Kaiju Aang in the Anime was basically a Deux Ex Machina, without any consequences.
In this, Aang actually thought he would sacrifice himself, which only didn't happened because Yue did it first :)
Did I need that though? I mean the outcome is exactly the same. La sees the moon and returns (with the exception of Zhao's death). Only the exposition is doubled in this one. We already knew that not only Aang but the whole world was done for with this imbalance. For better or worse, short or longterm this is the end of the world. Yue saves it with her sacrifice. To tell us that Aang has personal stakes and what would have happened without Tui to me didn't have any further impact. Whatever the original's intention was I understood in that moment that La and Aang had an understanding looking each other deep in the eyes. Whatever communication they had in that moment, they then moved as one. The unisson ends when La sees the moon returned. That told me enough. It was left open but this show loves to overexplain. Don't get me wrong the not coming back thing is a nice explanation and actually pretty close to my head canon but we as an audience know that Aang has to come back somehow or the show ends. The spelling out took away from the mistery there and seems like a dramatic device to showcase Aang's conviction. I never doubted that in the original. But again. Their story. I guess it's personal taste. But also in this show we've seen nothing else but commitment form this Aang. I was aware that he's ready to sacrifice himself.
Nice to see there are also people who loved it though.
PS Was Katara's speech essentially a monologue or did it impact Tui's/Aang's return? Now that they left open. Interested in what you think about that scene. I think it was essentially a monologue
Cheers
I like the over complication of killing the ocean and moon spirit by using the Kuruk’s dagger and them being mortal for one day. It is much more glorious for Zhao or anyone who dares to do so, giving weight to the title of moon slayer.
Because having them always mortal and be easily killed is a huge disadvantage for water tribe. A kid could’ve lost his way to oasis and mess with fish means an entire population of water tribe being killed and moon disappearing.
I think that’s what the writer of this live-action is trying to do, at the very least.
I liked the thing about the Ice Moon, because why would you have two super powerful spirits be so vulnerable all the time? It only makes sense if you have to work for it. Timing and knowledge, not just being in the right place.
Agree! I also like how they incorporated air baloon for Zhao to get to the temple. In the animated version they just walked in a heart of a water tribe with a full squad of soliders right through all the defence and without being noticed at the moment when waterbenders were at the highest of their powers
I really enjoyed the first season. Very different but enjoyable which is what I like about it especially with the additional lore from rather the comics or from a different season. And I'm glad Pakku had a change of heart in the end and noticed that she has become some what of a master and she can train Aang. And I guess it was cool that they incorporated the ice moon which allowed the moon spirits to appear in the mortal world. Which was cool a little bit unnecessary but it's understandable. All in all a strong first season. Awesome reaction bro.
Honestly man, i loved everything they did in the show. Because they did it without taking out key moments. The new stuff they added was literally and is literally oerfect for the time we actually don't see in the cartoon. The only small criticism was with Aang going to Roku and i could agree on the Library lol. But man I've watched the show idk how many times since a kid and i was skeptical about this because of that retched movie in 2010. The nailed so much, it made me literally adore and appreciate Zuko and Iro's relationship so much more. This is a hit show and could have been done better in small Points but overall I don't I could have asked for more unless they literally just made it a 15 episode season which wouldn't have been bad either lol.
Not exactly perfect in terms of pacing and some changes, but it is overall a FAR better live action portrayal of *Avatar: The Last Airbender* than whatever the hell that 2010 film was
What film? There is no film in ba sing se
I always wonder the comparison with pacing originally episodes and stories were only twenty minutes. It felt like if you did it with actors and cinematography, if they paced each plot point like the cartoon it would also feel very rushed. So like the 8 hours of this live action would be like 16 episodes of the cartoon
Maybe they can pull off that chemistry in s2 since they gotten so close now @@boffgirl
You do realize they had only 8 eps to work with? Ofc they had to change and cut some stuff.
Indeed; I feel like people are blowing the flaws of this adaptation way out of proportion.
I still prefer the original, naturally; but it’s still a fun watch.
Actually, they never showed anywhere that this is an adaptation of “Book Water”, just “Season 1”.
And they split 8 episodes into 4 “element” arcs.
I wonder if they keep that 2/2/2/2 separation next season.
If going by the same logic, I can see
2 episodes - water - Katara teaching waterbending/swamp (?)
2 episodes - earth - Toph teaching earthbending/Chase/Library/Desert
2 episodes - fire - Zuko alone/Jeong Jeoung(?) stuff
2 episodes - air - Guru Patik + something else
I think Ba Sing Se should take at least 2 or 3 episodes, cause they've spent almost half of the season 2 there
more time passed between them arriving to the north and what we saw - they hint at this in a scene in episode 5 where zuko talks to uncle iroh and that bartender and they recount some adventures of aang like the volcano and the canyon and they also mention some pirates.
27:05 If you look closely you can see the eclipse happening (orange and silver balls on the upper rings) at 27:16 before the comet arrives (on the lowest ring).
My biggest frustration this season is the fact that Katara became a “Master” by studying one scroll and not having any formal instruction from Master Paku. But let’s see what they do in Season 2. Maybe there will be a time jump in which both Aang and Kayata study under Paku before leaving the North.
They already confirmed that they will move on, learning waterbending on the way.
🤷♂
She's a master for the same reason Toph was a master in the original- she's a self-taught prodigy, and rather than having someone else declare her a master, her entire arc this season led to her accepting her own power and claiming mastery for herself.
I think the complication of killing the moon spirit actually makes two aspects of the attack more believable in a real-world context. 1) If it was so easy to kill the ocean and moon spirits at any time with any weapon or elemental attack, why haven't the Fire Nation been pushing HARD to do it constantly for the past 100 years? 2) Why, of all nights, did Zhao choose to attack during the full moon when the waterbenders are stronger?
As for Katara becoming a master, I never took it seriously in the cartoon either. I thought it was just an honorary title he unofficially gives her. I really like the removal of the necklace subplot too because I like Katara earning respect on her own merits rather than who her Gran Gran is. It always seemed a bit silly to me that Pakku threw all his traditions aside because she is the granddaughter of was his ex-fiancée who RAN AWAY from him. Why wouldn't he be kinda bitter about that rather than forgiving and adoring? It never quite added up for me that they got back together either.
I think that the reason they made it one specific night in this is a couple reasons.
1: they needed a clean end point for the plot in case there was no season 2
2: because of 1, they needed a different timer than Sozen's comet, so they needed the Fire Nation attack on the North to be the reason that Aang and co go there not the opposite.
3: Firelord Ozai's big distraction to take Omashu was baiting the Avatar North, so he couldn't interfere with the taking of Omashu. Makes Ozai and Azula seem more cunning.
To be honest, I kind of think the 1 night a year thing with the ocean and moon spirits makes a bit more sense in some regards. It's kind of terribly easy to accidentally off the moon if they have an algae bloom or something.
As for Aang and his lack of waterbending, I was sort of frustrated at first by this too, but I think Jones Vibes put it well when he said that "this isn't called Book 1: Water, it's called Season 1" Aang hasn't had a vision of the comet, so the urgency of mastering all 4 elements isn't the same as it was in the animated show, at least not yet. We don't know if they're even going to take the same overall structure of seasons the way it was done before, and that is of course IF we get any more. I'm far less forgiving about Katara and her Master title, though. I know time crunch and all, but a little something more would have made that feel earned. Even just 5 extra minutes of a montage like you said.
I have always had the sense in the animated show, even though it was left unsaid, that the Aang/ocean spirit merge carried a lot more gravity than I think of lot of people realized. Most blind reactors I've watched seem to think he's in control of it, and that he's the one that grabs Zhao (though it is shown very clearly that the ocean sets him down before doing this.) My assumption has always been that it was totally involuntary and that the ocean took over Aang's body and power. I've walked that back a tiny bit after seeing this, since it seems more that Aang offered himself up, which I am totally fine with. Most importantly, I am really happy how it was super clear here that Aang wasn't the one doing the rampage.
Yue somehow got both got more and less character development. She's got way more agency and personality here, and that fox spirit pre-meeting was a nice touch, but I just did not buy their first kiss as much as I did in the animated show. I don't really know if I can even really explain why, beyond just the fact that is somehow felt even more rushed despite being given more context. I did really like how they neutralized Hahn, though. As much as I will forever cackle at that scene where he tries to take out Zhao and just...falls off his boat and is never seen again ever, for the tone of the live action, him being the way he was made a lot of sense. Not to mention I really hate the trope of a love triangle where one of them is just insufferable to the point of being a cartoon cutout (no pun intended.)
While I hold MANY many positives up for the live action, my main gripe is that there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the directing and the writing. Like I see what they're trying to convey a lot of the time, unpopular with many as those themes seem to be. However, the dialogue just does not sell it correctly sometimes, and that unfortunately gives the actors a bad impression. I personally think that isn't justified, and they could absolutely deliver with better material. I'm still waiting for the payoff of other plot threads before I pass judgement on the decisions made there, so the writing at times is really the only negative thing I'm vocal about. Only time will tell I suppose.
In the pond that gives life itself? More likely the algae get repulsed by the extra special spiritual water that magically warms that whole lagoon.
As to the why they're in that vulnerable state in the first place I think it's communion. Like waterbenders like spirits. In that regard it's quite a fragile balance , which I love.
@@hemmojito I mean mainly that was supposed to be a funny anecdote, but I had always wondered how no one had ever so much as touched them before (that we know of anyway.) I'm neutral on the change for the live action, truthfully, I just thought in context it makes some sort of sense.
I think the idea of saying they only do it one day every year is to explain why they don't try to kill the spirits again later.
Not because it was a horrible idea in the first place?
It seems no one but Zhao had such a brilliant idea cause nobody actually wants the world to end.
Takes a special kind of hubris paired with ignorance to think that would work
But you're right. It "could" theoretically happen again.
@@hemmojito I'm certainly not saying it's a good idea. Just that I could see the firelord or Azula trying if things went poorly.
there are a few things this season that I think were done mostly because it was a way to fill "plot holes" people had pointed out. Disney does the same thing in their remakes. It never actually works.
@@andscifi How many people know that actually? In both shows there is a lot of effort involved in even attaining that knowledge. I guess secrecy is their top protecttion. So is that really a plot hole or rather a gripe of some people that didn't like that particular choice? I certainly had no problem with that. But I'm only one. Not sure.
@@hemmojito again, I don't think it was necessary at all. I'm talking about what I think that the thought process of the writers was.
The ability to "fix" plot holes like this seems to be one of the excuses that they use remake things.
That aid, I think that with that many fire nation soldiers there it's entirely possible and even likely that the fireloard would figure out what happened, or at least have one of the many people who work for him investigate it. And since the show established that it was Azula who was behind everything that he was doing, so it's likely she knew about it.
@@andscifi ...and would never act on it, same with Ozai. Whoever has the power to know about it would have enough foresite and tactical wit not to do it. Here's where my first coment comes in. The part of it not being a "brilliant idea". Stupid hubris Zhao should never have had that power in the first place.
All of this is the reason why THEY don't need to fix this plothole. Talking about the crators here.
so to reiterate A: Secret B even if exposed nobody's both poweful and stupid enough to do it.
A and B is enough for me to say. Not a plothole. But this is just my opinion and I'm just one man so... hey
The knife thing was actually first mentioned in the Kyoshi novels.
Do you remember where? I don't recall that.
A sponsor, way to go man
The moment that has me the most hopeful on the future of this show is that last moment between Team Avatar. That bit of banter was the first time it reeeeally clicked for me that they had that same level of energy the group had in the cartoon. They were individually great before already and had some great moments. But that one makes me think that going forward it will be even better (hoping they do well on casting Toph).
There are a lot of things I would have done differently when it comes to structuring the story. I'm not a fan of keeping/craming many stories in for the sake of getting that fan service in there, but if they end up losing the meaning of why those characters were there in the first place, I'd rather have them cut it altogether. I don't like if I'm unsure if they changed something deliberately or if they just didn't get it. BUT when it comes to some other story additions and changes, especially with everything fire nation related, those were perfect. They didn't rewrite the story for the sake of doing something different, they put in things that expand on lore and characters in a very meaningful way. The change to Bumi worked for me for example. While Teo ended upbeing just a way to get our characters from A to B, losing any meaning he had in the cartoon, without gaining a new one.
I first was disappointed with Iroh instead of the Water killing Zhao, because I thought the Water spirit deserved to get revenge for the Moon Spirit. But thinking about it, Iroh also told him that he'd unleash whatever Zhao was doing to the Moon Spirit tenfold, and I think this way it didn't end up as an empty threat. With that in mind, I'm okay with Iroh being the one to finish him - especially since he was about to attack Zuko.
I hate that they talk about getting Omashu as if they at least got Ba Sing Se
If they characterized Toph correctly like she is in the cartoon, she could be the thing that brings a lot of the happiness and humor back into the show at least amongst the main gang.
Did they ever establish the fact that firebenders get power from the sun? Since we missed Zuko’s line, “You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun,” I hope that doesn’t mean that they’re skipping the entire eclipse plot. The library & the eclipse invasion were both such great episodes IMO and I’d hate for them to not make it into this adaptation.
8:44 totally cried at the Momo death fake out, even though I'm into book 2 of the animated series and I knew he lived, but still, that was rough! Great episode! 42:42 seasons 2& 3 have been approved, which I'm sure you know, but I'm glad I have the opportunity to complete the animated series before the additional seasons come out!
I can't wait till season 2 when Bumi will throw out Fire Nation from Omashu with power of his pecks.
Aang didn't learn water bending bc he was trying to avoid the responsibility of being the Avatar. It's why he tried to get the water bending Avatar to take over his body.
11:52 "That kept that line, but it doesn't make any sense now"
And? Assumptions from characters don't always need to be correct in-universe, as that (nor making sense)'s not always their point :P
Love how u looked at the serious gave it a fair review 💯✅ I approve ..while there were things they could have done better or different over all they did very well
Instead of comparing the show to the series, try comparing it to the movie. The movie had all kinds of disrespect, where as this show only had 8 episodes to demonstrate how much they care for it
Given how worried you were before the show premiered. I’m so glad you enjoyed it overall!
I really liked how Zhao was handled in this version. In the animated series, he was a generic bad guy. Someone online called him 'Ozai light.' I mean, This version was a spider, spinning his little web. Working behind the backs of Zuko and Iroh. He felt like much more of a threat in this show. I thought his encounter with Zuko at the end was great, setting Zuko straight about his father's motivations. I understand that they didn't want Zuko taking a life and having Iroh doing it instead. I still would have liked to see Zuko take his ass out. At least we got Zhao cheap shotting Zuko like he did after his Agni Kai in the animated series. A bit morbid, but I even enjoyed seeing Zhao still burning even though he was under water. Iroh added some phosphorous to that last shot.
I haven't read all of the comments, so I apologize if I am repeating another person's post.
I think it's funny that everyone picked up on Daniel Dae Kim and Ken Leung from Lost, but they don't notice that Francois Chau (the DHARMA doctor in the Orientation film) plays The Great Sage here. He was also Jules-Pierre Mao in The Expanse.
More understandably ppl don't know who plays Pakku (he looks very different irl) A. Martinez was in LA Law back in the 80s and 90a and I remember him because he was a main character on one of the soap operas my mom watched when I was a child.
27:35 waited for you to get to this moment since like episode 2 🤣 during your earlier reactions you kept mentioning the comet and that ticking time clock and how you wished they’d have incorporated it and I kept wanted to say JUST HOLD ON UNTIL THE FINALE 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Soo does anyone think Zhao will come back? We didn’t see his body or him actually die. That would be a massive change if we get a second season.
The changes is understandable, people keep complaining but live actions really have the thing of changing it to keep the adoptation interesting, its good that they make a different way of telling the story. It would be blunt and boring if they will follow every scenes, details and moments its like knowing everything before you even watch the series.
While this was quite a bit different, i still really love watching this version. I think some of the changes were actually better than the animated while others were way worse. i give it an 8.5
I pretty much like most of what Netflix did with this LA, especially with what they did with Kuruk. This is already a thousand times better than that other adaptation. I was also okay with most of the tweaks they did because it still worked with the plot. My only gripe with this show is the fact that Aang didn't learn waterbending in the season that he's supposed to learn it. I mean, that was the whole point of the first season. Even with the path they chose for the plot they could have just inserted just one scene of him trying to learn waterbending and I would have been satisfied. But I guess they're reserving it for S2, so here's hoping that they wouldnt just make Aang learn waterbending offscreen because thats just not good writing.
wow, is that your first Sponsorship?
Congratz ^^
I love your reactions bro!! But I am surprised u haven’t reacted to ready player one yet hopefully in the future… lol only bc that movie might be our future
I've been putting off this episode because I didn't want the journey to end. I've been coming to your reactions first after each episode. I agree that I liked a lot of the lore changes or additions. There were a few things I didn't like, but overall, I really enjoyed this adaptation.
I think they had that moment with momo (dipping him into spirit water) to explain his connection with the spirit world (also how he managed to teleport to the lion turtle WITH aang)
Personally I think it's to establish that the Oasis water has special healing properties capable of bringing some one back from the edge of death.
Where did you get that t-shirt with the animal spirits of the different types of bending. That may be my favorite of all I've seen.
I thought it was ok but not better than the animated series. I am a little worried about toph being introduced in season two because there’s a possibility that they might leave out the fact that she’s blind but she uses earthbending to see, however I really hope that won’t be the case as she is my favourite character.
They are avoiding the 6 month time frame bc they know these kids are going to age up throughout the series so they do want to lock them into being 12, 14, and 16. They get approved for book 2 and 3 they will be 16, 18, 20 so the Aang and Katara romance won't be as weird either.
I believe Zhou did use a dagger originally as well but it was not nearly that complicated
I was wrong lol I just rewatched that episode
It was a very good season and hoping for the best im sure season 2 will be even better
*Avatar: The Last Airbender* (2024) Episodes Ranked
1. 1x06: "Masks"
2. 1x08: "Legends"
3. 1x02: "Warriors"
4. 1x05: "Spirited Away"
5. 1x07: "The North"
6. 1x03: "Omashu"
7. 1x04: "Into the Dark"
8. 1x01: "Aang"
Nah the first 25 min of the first episode make it worth not being last. Into the dark is def last
@@AvEnGeD7X238 i actually like all the episodes in this season, even the pilot. But pilots are not exactly the most rewatchable episodes in my opinion
@JoelMiller431 agreed. I for one loved the mash up of plots in Omashu and I love the extra dimension they give Bumi even though it's a darker take.
one thing the LA will always outdo the original is the tragedy and deaths. Obviously the cartoon had to be kid friendly so no dead bodies. Upon rewatching only realized the novice who was assigned to Katara died in the fight...RIP. And Katara recognized him too. Adds a more emotional stake especially considering in the cartoon, team avatar just moves on. I hope they start in the North in the next season where we see Katara and Aang learning waterbending. Please fix that Netflix!
If you spot any incoming fireballs at 100 mph , don' take 'em on yourself, let me know
Hey Katara... uh ...nevermind!
The finale is here
I absolutely loved this adaptation. It wasn't perfect, I definitely had some problems with it, but I just enjoyed it so much. Especially the stuff with Zuko's backstory and his relationship with Iroh and expanding on Azula's early character development.
I agree with you about the stuff with the spirits taking physical form on that one night only being a bit of an overcomplication, but I'm thinking they might have done that to give a reason as to why Zhao was so adamant on conducting the siege so quickly despite Iroh's warnings about the full moon and Waterbenders being stronger than he realizes, although I still don't think that was necessary. Even if you've never seen the animated series, it's quite clear that Zhao is arrogant and overly confident, so his rush to take the Northern Water Tribe could easily have just been attributed to that.
Though my biggest issue with this episode was in the explanation of the spirits. The Great Sage (I think) told Zhao that the ocean spirit gave Waterbenders their life while the moon spirit gave them their power. So if they wanted to kill the Waterbenders, why did Zhao kill the moon spirit instead of the ocean spirit?
He said he doesn't actually want to kill them entirely he just want to take away their bending power
I can’t afford both sponsors so I went with Sakura this time.
Hey quick question: where’d you get that shirt? It’s really cool
As much as this series is not perfect. It is still an awesome adaption to me. What a journey we went on once again! Sure it wasn't perfect,but it was so nice to see this story again in a slightly remixed way. I felt the spirit of Avatar with this show and I am very certain a season 2 can improve a lot of the faults we had with this first season.
My personal episode ranking:
1. 1x08: "Legends"
(I liked how it made Book 1 finale more epic and grander than the cartoon because the ending of Book 1 is literally my least favorite out of the 3. The changes they made in this episode was also the least destructive in a sense that it didn't really affect or made anything messy unlike the other changes. The changes just added more to the lore, unnecessary or not. Hahn is also better in this version because he was a throwaway character in the cartoon where they sacrificed his depth for the sake of making Sokka look good and for comic relief.)
2. 1x06: "Masks"
(I would've loved this episode more if only they didn't speedrun entering Roku's temple and Aang speaking to Roku quickly. And how tf did June even reach Crescent Island when we know that there's a literal blockade of ships there? Also, they should've extended Koh and Aang's resolution because they might as well let Aang resolve Roku and Kuruk's beef against the Avatar since we know that reincarnations of the Avatar fixes each other's "mistakes" anyway. Anyway, Iroh, 41st division, Zuko's banishment, blue spirit, and Aang in this episode? Need I say more? 🔥 It saved the episode for me.)
3. 1x04: "Into the Dark"
(I love how the remixed elements worked out and it may be sinful to say but I like NATLA's Bumi better. I do wish they had more nuanced reaction from Bumi at the end as a resolution instead of just smiling and nodding it out.)
4. 1x02: "Warriors"
(Same comment as episode 4, Yukari's reaction should've been more nuanced more than smiling and bowing it out. I would've loved to see her follow through her worries about the islands safety and to end the episode with them painting Kyoshi's statue as the Gaang flew away. Also, Sokka and Suki should't have kissed, her giving him the fan would've sufficed.)
5. 1x03: "Omashu"
(It juggled a little too many elements messily like episode 1 and they should've progressed the Gaang's relationship here as they dealt with conflict together. That way, separating them on their personal journeys in the next episode could've hit better and even the "saving the world with my friends" message at the end of episode 4 could've hit even more once they reunited.)
6. 1x07: "The North"
(Exposition galore, this the episode where it was really noticeable. Instead of exposition, they could've added waterbending training scenes in the shortest episode of the season.)
7. 1x01: "Aang"
(This episode felt like they were really just rushing to hit every beat to an expense of letting the characters and the lines breathe. This episode should've spent the last few minutes at the end for the Gaang's first campfire scene, introducing Sokka and Katara to Appa and just end the episode there instead of rushing the Avatar State in the Southern Air Temple.)
8. 1x05: "Spirited Away"
(No.)
LEts get it!!!!!!!!!
I think the Fire Lord's strategy was to distract Aang from Omashu by attacking the North.
Well, who's ready for another season!?
Where'd you get your shirt? That's what I really wanna know lol.
I do think they are trying to get a balance between those who have watched the Animation and those who haven't while not completely jeopardising the source material though you could argue it should have had far more episodes maybe Season 2 will have more.
I was gonna go find the writers and punch them in the face if they killed off Momo 😭 Luckily it was just foreshadowing the Oasis water's revival properties.
The ice moon was like the winter solstice from the cartoon. But I agree, unnecessary.
During Katara's whole speech at the end all I was thinking was, no way Aang can actually hear you right? Lol
Maybe Ozai was worried about the Avatar defending Omashu which is why he ordered the attack on the North. Idk if there's a better explanation than that
Dwayne needs to be The Boulder in season 2
The season gets a 7/10 for me, not perfect but I enjoyed it outside of some questionable choices, dialogue, acting. I am hoping they are able to improve from feedback for future seasons because books 2 and 3 are my favorites .
With these little tweaks, i have a feeling that will be no Library in Season 2
I think there will be for them to not only find out about the eclipse but Sozin's Comet as well
In the first season practically every successfully executed scene that requires a large portion of a productions budget is a proof of concept to justify a larger budget for the next season. Wang Shi Tong in the Spirited Away episode was probably a test animation to set up the library plot in S2.
I think at a minimum they will seek out Wong Shi Tong and get the info from him. I think it's why he's showing up in this season and introduced as the spirit of knowledge. But a full on Library would be awesome.
this was my first time watching the Avatar univerise. i enjoyed it and understood what was happening generally. just to let you know i didnt find thiings clunky or complicated.
Hey Omni joining the commentary every commentary that you do for all your shows. I always watch them besides your reactions I do want to steak though that I think you are partially kind of falling into the mindset that probably a lot of people are who have an issue with this first season and that, a lot of people are thinking this is book one water which is what I thought they were gonna do but I realized quickly that’s not the case they it’s more just a overall journey episode I mean season. I am pretty sure that’s the biggest issue. I think a lot of people have that they’re thinking all they’re doing book one book two, book 3 and I don’t think that’s what they’re doing. It’s sort of like a little bit of this a little bit of that and it’s sort of like an overarching journey For the characters themselves instead of this one is concentrate on this discipline this one is concentrating this discipline I think I think in the back of a lot of peoples mind that was was probably preventing them maybe enjoying the episodes a little bit more and kind of giving it a little bit more of a pass Being like oh it should be like this because this is the way you know they told the story and it was great but that’s how I see it. I recently rewatch the entire series again and I am fine with how everything went. I would’ve liked an extra few episodeslike a 10 episodes series instead of an eight but still I think I think they did a pretty good job and I am almost pretty sure they got up the steaks on the second season
The Star Wars reference 😂
Season 2 : all Canyon Man
I really wish they would’ve changed the end battle, I absolutely hated that Aang didn’t fight the fire nation himself at the northern 🤦🏽♂️
But he did try to fight them at the beginning of an episode, just like in animation he destroyed few ships and understood that it won't be possible for him to stop them without the avatar state which he can't control yet. I think it was logical and there was no need in change
That's rough, buddy.
The only change I genuinely hate, is Iroh killing Zhao. That came out of nowhere. Ffs Iroh is ashamed of his past as a killer
He did it to save Zuko from being blindsided by Zhao who was about to kill him. You have to agree Iroh would do anything for Zuko including killing. That was taken directly from the animated series when Iroh saved Zuko after defeating Zhao in an Agni Kai.
Pls where you get that shirt 🥺
why do ppl keep saying is less time?
the cartoons where 20min episodes and the runtime is basically the same... the problem is that they include unnecessary things, like over explaining things, like feeling guilty all the time, developing character that you don't really use until season season 2, instead of developing the characters that you use... the writing for this show is horrible.
Although the runtime is similar you can't compare it to the pace of things happening in the animated series and you couldn't fit all 20 episodes in a 8 hours of live version, it wouldn't work and each episode would seem even more rushed. I didn't see over explained things, I think the writers did a great job fitting the main plots and arcs this season. It's not horrible, it's just really different from the animation and that's it.
Setting up Azula's character is actually a smart move, cause we get to see her relationship with Ozai, find what her motivation is and set some stakes for season 2. It would be pointless showing only Ozai and hiding her until the next season. Also it's an interesting perspective on how Zhao got his support. Runtime of her arc this season has literally took 20 minutes or so, I don't see a reason to complain.
On the other side Katara has literally learned water bending, learned how to stood up for herself, she let go fear of her mother's death, learned to remember happy moments with her mom instead and use it in her bending. She understood that not only she's a good self-taught master but she could become a great teacher for Aang. Sokka overcame his fear of guilt for not being a good warrior, learned what being a warrior not only means to be good in a fight, but also means to be there for your friends, protect and lead them while staying true for yourself. He basically learned how to be a leader and that there's many ways of being a hero. Aang was scared of his responsibility, for him destroying of the air tribe has just happened, and it naturally takes a good amount of time to made peace with such a huge loss, to stop blaming himself and start his journey as the avatar. At the end of this season he overcame his struggle, he's aware he's not alone and now he's ready to learn.
Is it that development different from the animation? I think so too, but the ending result it the same, the path to it is different, although it's just another way of telling this story, hence why it's an adaptation