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aangspocket · 15 days

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1st thought: NATLA vs ATLA's pacing, plot-line, characterization...

Hello everyone, For my first post, I’d like to start with NATLA & ATLA storytelling format differences which plays a huge part for each counterpart’s story direction. Also, I’m not a native english speaker so apologies in advance for grammatical errors!

I grew up watching the show since I was young and every year I do a re-watch, I’m now working in the entertainment industry and had experiences in script writing for comics. My first impression of the live action show was just okay because I binged it till 4 a.m(never again), after another rewatch I fell in love with the show and came to appreciate it much more. It’s true that the only way to truly enjoy it is to judge the show on its own merit but I also agree it's impossible not to compare with the OG show, being an amazing animated show ever made. The LA show isn’t perfect, but it was very fun and just everything I could ever asked for. I’m so happy I got to watch ATLA again with a fresh mind! I can accept most of the changes they made and even prefer the live action’s version, unfortunately the script and directions for many scenes could be a LOT better. I'm glad that the casts were outstanding and very likeable (in and outside the show), especially for my top 2 favourite characters from the OG show, Aang and Katara.

Gordon Cormier was able to embody such a complex character as Aang, having to act as the main character (in a huge high budget show), a fun-loving demigod with incredible responsibilities, while being the only survivor of a genocide, is not an easy feat especially for a child actor, little dude did his own stunts! He even acted the mocap(motion capture) expressions for his digital double, mind you.. He was 12 years old!

Kiawentiio is an excellent indigenous actress, Katara characterization in NATLA is different from the OG show, instead of starting off as the sassy-strong willed Katara that we were familiar of, NATLA Katara started kinda timid+wooden, sulky, shy but hopeful, and later on as the story progresses, we can see her becoming more brave, and confident, and even more better.. Her bending ability progression is shown gradually alongside her confidence! To put it simply, NATLA Katara is given an arc to grow. And I found myself rooting for her even more (because I know what she will be in upcoming seasons).

Unfortunately, NATLA Aang & Katara didn’t get enough praise & love that they deserved, this is due to the changes on their characterization that felt unfamiliar to majority of audiences which are the OG show watchers.

Let’s talk about the main reason why the main GAang (and a lot of other characters, actually) character development plotline ( in season 1) changed in this adaptation; the changing of narrative format, adapting cartoon show to a live action drama.

Many would argue that NATLA has similar total running time with ATLA(the OG animated show) “then why can’t they do the pacing like the OG show?” I think it’s impossible to compare the two (plotline wise) as both have different episodes format and mediums. NATLA has 8 episodes with 1 hour~45 minutes long running time for each episode, whereas ATLA book 1 has 2 episodes with 20 minutes running time for each episode. In ATLA the audiences are given time to breathe for each episode due to short running time, and even shown Katara’s monologue in the beginning of all episodes for a fresh start, therefore episodic format works well for ATLA. In NATLA the show is 45mins~1 hour long with no breaks and no intro monologue (except for episode 1) so the episode runs full stop. And because it's an 1 hour show, the storyline should have a clear purpose & tension to make the audiences emotionally invest with the story. The episode narrative format follows a Three-arc structure(inciting incident->midpoint->climax followed by aftermath) each episode is always high tension, has a main theme + lesson that ties multiple plotlines all together cohesively and continuity with the next episodes, which is why it's hard to show the GAang taking a lot of detours in every episodes as it doesn't help much with the tone and narrative direction of the story. With these two formats in mind, many things could fall flat if they had adapted ATLA’s plotlines 1:1 to NATLA. The biggest aspect is : characterization. Let’s be real, it's live action show.. we're seeing actual children, actual humans emoting, actual 12 years old getting attacked by fire blasts.. It would feel jarring to see Aang riding Elephant koi minutes after he found out his whole family was brutally killed, It would make sense to see him feeling guilty and not letting Katara (and sokka) to fight alongside him in ep 7 after he accidentally brought them to spirit world and almost got them killed in ep 5(but I’m glad Aang comes to terms with it!), also if sokka’s (blatant) sexism is solved within 1 episode (in kiyoshi island which is only the 2nd episode) it wouldn’t feel as rewarding because it's solved too early (also the sexisms wouldn’t land well in live action..could feel too forced or.. cringe).

When people complained that the characters personalities changed, I think many people mistaken it for the tone of the show. NATLA did very well on capturing the horror of a genocide and 100 years of war, the situation feels more dangerous, fire can actually burn you to crisp and not only knocking you back like the OG show portrayed (I understand it’s a show for kids). If the tone of the story changed, of course the many aspects would change as well. It’s kinda sad because the heart of ATLA is these three kids doing side quests with jokes, goofing around while being the hero in the midst of 100 years of war... which unfortunately for the most parts, those moments are taken out in NATLA(glad it's mentioned in the background!). But again, like what i wrote in previous paragraph, due to running time and episode format, this plotline has to change.

Many people feel dissatisfied about the characterization for the GAang, and felt the Fire Nation squad’s development are better written, while I agree that the show felt more favourable towards the FN characters but this is due to the fact that The Fire Nation squad characterization and development are more or less the same as the OG show, they feel more familiar to us and even Azula & Ozai are more fleshed out in NATLA, Whereas our main 3 characters personalities changed quite a lot, cartoon gags won't work well in live action adaptations, the trio mostly shown doing side quests that felt like main quests (less goofing around) and are given their own arcs that’s slightly different than their OG show counterparts. So naturally as an OG show audience(mind you, many of us have watched the show 20x+ probably) watching NATLA’s GAang would feel a bit jarring, like they don’t look familiar, they felt…wrong. But I disagree. Do note that our main 3 character developments are more subtle than the Fire Nation squad, which is why I think they're easily overlooked by the majority of audiences(hence the endless wrong takes people have online). I’d say, the Fire Nation squad(especially Zuko) development is more ‘telling’ than the main GAang in both ATLA and NATLA, it’s more easy to ‘see’ an antagonist turning into a hero whereas the main GAang roles are the same throughout 3 seasons, their developments happened ‘internally’ (psychologically). I wholeheartedly agree that book 1 episodic format is more favourable towards OG GAang dynamics, therefore I can see why the NATLA writing team changed their character development direction. Tl;dr despite its changes, I love the main 3 character arcs in NATLA as we can see their character development clearly;

Aang actually seems very.. very.. guilty and more responsible for being the Avatar although he lacks confidence due to his grief. I love how his ‘running away’ from his duties is basically him asking past avatars to take over his bodies to fight on his behalf, like he keeps saying ‘I’m the avatar, I have to do this’ but when he actually has to face the reality he just stutters and asks for backup from past avatars and even giving away his body to the ocean spirit. And I really like that he feels very guilty of the death of his family to the point that he cannot defend himself and he just accepts everyone's blame for running away (although it’s not true). I also don't see the problem with Aang not running away but instead taking a short walk(or fly) with Appa.. the weight of guilt is still the same, if anything.. it's more depressing because he didn't intend to run away.. he was just trying to mentally prepare himself to take on the role, also Aang grew up in a loving peaceful and supportive environment.. with a mentor like Gyatso, I don't think Aang would take such a daring decision to run away. There are so many details that I really like about his 'new approach' of characterization throughout the season. I'll elaborate more separately in another post (same goes for Katara and Sokka).

Katara is tenacious and hopeful but she’s carrying a huge guilt of her mother’s death which blocks her bending skill from developing and later on able to overcome it. Honestly, seeing her new character arc feels more rewarding! also her bending ability development feels more natural than the OG show, and it’s very nice to see that she’s also very creative at it! imitating other bender movements, that’s a sign of a master. And although many people dislike the idea of her becoming a master despite not having a proper education, I love the fact that she’s able to achieve it by her own effort, and I think the writers intended to do this so Aang can solely practise water bending with Katara, Katara probably will play a huge part in shaping Aang as the Avatar (I’m internally screaming, I will elaborate more in future posts)

Sokka is no longer ‘sexist’, but his ‘sexism’ translates in different form, just not verbally as the OG show. He's a little cocky(and judgemental) in the beginning because he’s carrying this huge responsibilities (that he wasn’t ready to take) he’s trying to look strong (no time to grief unlike Katara, he has to step up as the big brother) and finally learns that sometimes just being present with someone who needs him, physically (not just fighting like how SWT tribe leaders defines leadership value, at least the way he sees it in past memory scene during ep 5) is also as valuable (I’m happy that his main character development isn’t from him being sexist).

Going forward, from the trio last scene in ep 8, I believe we will see the trio that we know of, joyful but wise Avatar Aang, brave and strong but very caring Katara, supportive-charismatic leader Sokka.

Kataang has always been my favourite pair from the OG series. I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, I find this relationship to be very honest and grounding. There's no better lover than your own best friend, your own person. the pacing that the OG series had, helped a lot in building Kataang’s relationship growth(also the whole team), It flows naturally and gradually, the friends-to-lovers trope is explored really well in book 1, which is possible because book 1 episodic format. In NATLA, I am glad to see that Aang didn't fall in love with Katara right after he wakes up, Katara didn't even pull Aang down during avatar state in Southern Air Temple(I’m glad it was Gyatso, makes soo much sense honestly), and many many scenes from the OG show that got removed (Aang showing off his skill and making Katara jealous in Kiyoshi island for instance) nonetheless I was really really happy to see hints here and there and it finally pays off when Katara pull him out from his avatar state in NWT (I will elaborate more in another post) I’m so EXCITED to see slow burn KatAang, I have predictions of what their relationships development could look like in upcoming seasons, i’m hopeful that the writers can elevate their relationship dynamics better than the OG show, and since we’re getting teenager Aang & Katara, I’m very very excited to see more mature approach of their relationship growth.

Closing thoughts, ATLA was amazing but you see.. nothing is perfect in this world, there's always room for improvements, book 1 felt like the creators weren’t sure whether the audiences would like to see more and they were trying to play it safe because they knew how heavy the show would be later on but at the same time it was a NickToons show, fortunately this is NATLA’s advantage over ATLA, since the show runners are aware of the whole storyline, able to raise the rating to PG-13(iirc) + with the episode count and running time, they were able to push back and pull in components from different seasons, for instance they pull in Ozai & Azula (because there might be not enough time to flesh out both of them in later seasons & to enhance the tension because they pull out the comet plotline due to irl actors aging) and push back the trio's characterization by giving them starting arcs to grow as our heroes.

There are so many things that I appreciated about NATLA, it’s so sad to see the a lot of people refusing to accept the changes and rejects the potential. Sure the scripts could be a LOT better, but if you see the nuances and details that they added to strengthen the plot-line you’d be surprised how well thought out the show is.

End of thread, thanks for reading this long ass thread! I’m open to any discussions, suggestions and opinions! See you all in my next post!

P.S i appreciate the follows, reblogs and love! also i cant seem to post a reply, hopefully this issue will be solved soon

#aangspocket yapping #natla positivity #natla appreciation #gordon cormier #aang #avatar aang #kiawentiio #katara #ian ousley #sokka #atla #netflix avatar #avatar netflix #avatar the last airbender #kataang #pro kataang #pro natla

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botherkupo · 2 months

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i think people let nostalgia blind them a little when it comes to atla. don’t get me wrong, it’s great cartoon and i’ve rewatched it countless times but i also recognise it’s fine for the live action to make changes because that’s what happens when you adapt something. the live action is not perfect, but i had fun watching it and it feels like some people are just watching to nitpick and hate

Big agree. There are weak spots in the cartoon and also weak spots in the live action show. Are both enjoyable shows, though? Yes.

And that’s what I feel people can’t grasp. They’re like oooh they cut this, or why did they add that, or this character isn’t the same blah blah — and like yeah it’s not the same. I had zero interest in watching a replica with real people. I’ll just watch the cartoon and enjoy it

Like shows with real people have a lot of limitations, and not just because of budgets. It shouldn’t be news to people that there would be changes and a lot of stuff will get condensed, cut, or adapted in a different way. That was always going to happen.

I’ve seen people complain about Bumi and I’m like you know what I really loved the live action show Bumi. It’s a different take on it — him feeling bitter, showing obvious trauma from the pressure of ruling during a war that’s lasted this long, and being more unhinged rather than all super goofy guy like hey Aang just wait till you realise who I am. It’s different, more serious, and that’s okay. You can still enjoy cartoon Bumi. He ain’t going anywhere

Ppl complain about Katara, and like yeah I get it. She’s not as “fierce” in some aspects. But she suits this version of atla. She suits feeling more like a younger sister instead of a pseudo mum. She suits getting angry when Sokka treats her like a little girl rather than angry he doesn’t wash his own socks. She suits being paralyzed during fights at first because she has major ptsd and has been hiding her bending gif so long. It is realistic and fits the show, just as Cartoon Katara fit the cartoon and is still there. You can enjoy her. Cartoon Katara is not going anywhere

Like please will ppl stop looking for the things to complain about and instead see what we’re being given — an adaptation that is intense, funny, emotional and yes different.

We get Jet and the freedom fighters bombing places in omashu than wanting to flood a fire nation village. That’s not a bad thing. It cut out a whole lot of unnecessary stuff and also gave us an emotional scene with Jet and Katara. Did the part where she freezes him and says goodbye feel less dramatic? Yeah, honestly I would have been down to see her angrier. But I also think part of that is the limitations with special effects and waterbending (which always looks the weakest). the actress playing Katara is also dojng her interpretation of the character. (And can I just Jet was perfectly cast and I couldn’t imagine a better Jet)

So we didn’t get Sokka being with Jet? Who cares. Sokka’s story arc is focusing on different things. I loved how his interactions with Suki went. I love even more the scene where he’s listening in on Hakoda and Bato’s conversation and that line “some people aren’t made to be responsible for others lives” or whatever it was. It was so powerful.

And the cave of two lovers being resolved through family love? YES. I love that so much. Like thank you for giving non-romantic love a moment to shine. Katara and Sokka’s argument in that cave had so much weight and emotional intensity. It’s different from the arguments we get in the cartoon and that’s okay. Their dynamic is slightly different and that’s okay. THE CARTOON IS STILL THERE. YOU CAN ENJOY THE CARTOON OKAY

And honestly I could scream for days about what they’ve been doing with Zuko and Aang. I love them both so much and I love the extra stuff we’ve been getting with them. The Blue spirit stuff and that scene after was sooooooooo good. The little smile, the way they start to connect, and then Aang says t he wrong thing (bringing up Ozai) and Zuko lashes out and it’s just perfect ahhhhh

Also Zuko actually fighting back in the Agni Kai but hesitating to hurt his father was such a good choice. I love the cartoon for having him cry and beg to the end, but I also love the live actuon show for giving us something different. I WANT TO SEE THESE KIND OF CHANGES

And maybe I’m in the minority for that and I really don’t care if ppl think my opinion is rubbish. I love the cartoon. I love tye live action show

I wish ppl would understand that it’s okay they are different

#atla #netflix atla spoilers #atla live action spoilers #wooo this is long #i could keep talking about this as well but I’m hungry

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the-badger-mole · 10 months

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If you don’t mind, it’s been a minute since my last rewatch, what happened in western air temple that laid the seeds for aang hatred? You mentioned it in a post a little bit ago, and I’m curious as to what you’re referring to?

I don't mind at all. I love talking about why Aang is the worst. It was the episode right after DoBS, and Katara and Sokka had just watched their father and a bunch of other really brave people sacrifice themselves so Aang and the other kids could escape. What was Aang's response to seeing the father of two of his closest friends- one of which he claims to be in love with- give up what Katara and Sokka must have been afraid was his life? He wanted to rush off and go play and explore the Air Temple. He literally brushed off Katara- again, the alleged love of his life- when she tried to get him to focus and help plan next steps. It is never walked back. It's never mentioned again.

All that coming on the heels of the very first non-con Kataang kiss was one of the final nails in the coffin of what little respect I had for Aang as a character. Up until that point, I thought there was still a chance for him to become a better person. After that, it was a slow fall into the pits for Aang in my eyes. By the time the last couple of episodes aired, I thought Aang was the most useless protagonist ever committed to ink. I think people tend to overlook it because this was also the episode with Sparky Boom Man, and that mess overshadows a lot of the episode, but this episode solidified my impression of Aang's shallow empathy and near limitless self-centeredness. I don't care that he's only 12. I know 5 year olds who would've had more empathy for Katara and Sokka. My 3 year old nephew would have more empathy. And I'm still not only supposed to think Aang is tH3 r3@LLL h3R0, I'm still supposed to root for him to end up with Katara? Gag!

#atla #anti aang #aang is the actual worst!#i mean he's the worst character #at least with ozai you knew where you stood #with aang he'll call you his best friend but the moment your problems interrupt his good time he's out #anti kataang #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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juniperhillpatient · 2 months

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Okay BEARING in mind please that I have a lot of thought out ATLA opinions (most of them can be found in the tag for my first rewatch) & also that i do not analyze smartly on first watches / read throughs of ANYTHING (examples include that on my first watch of Buffy I shipped Buffy/Xander & hated Dawn, on my first watch of ATLA I disliked Azula for a long time & didn’t care about Jet, on my first watch of Scream I wanted Dewey to be the killer because of Scary Movie. I could go on probably)

—- here are my initial reactions to ATLA LA as someone who’s been having fun watching (usually tipsy) & enjoying my faves in live action even if it’s badly written 😃

Pros:

Jet is hot

Uh… um. Uh… umm. That was my big one okay..

….

Oh! Oh! Suki is also hot.

….

…

I think Katara’s live action actress did a really nice job even if I don’t always love how she was written I could tell this girl put her heart into it

Same with Azula’s actress tbh. And Aang. Zuko & Iroh also. It took me a second to get used to this Iroh but acting wise ignoring the script Zuko & Iroh did good. (Sokka & Yue were only okay but they didn’t do bad by any means once I got used to them.)

Azula’s intro was super fun. I thought for a second they were even gonna do something fun with her & this whole ratting out the rebellion plot. Also the actress did good & there were a few parts that were well written like her early displays of insecurity & her beating the shit out of that trainer & shooting Zuko’s letter. There was promise until there wasn’t.

They didn’t do a bad job of combining some of the plots. “Masks” was the strongest for me. It did a nice job showcasing several plots & I really enjoyed the significance placed on Zuko valuing the lives of inexperienced soldiers. Everything just came together super well in that episode with the Koh plot & everything. Now that certain criticisms of the Omashu episodes (like Jet’s mischaracterization in hurting his own people) have been brought up to me I dislike those episodes more than on my first watch through but I still think the Freedom Fighters were fun to see. And if you don’t analyze it too hard the plot combinations are fun. Anyway why would you analyze this adaptation too hard?

Cons:

Why isn’t Azula scared of Ozai? I get it he’s forged her into the perfect weapon & she did what he technically wanted but she disrespected him publicly & he was fine? Okay.

Above mentioned explanation of why Jet wasn’t done right ^^ He shouldn’t be willing to hurt Earth Kingdom citizens. Even if it was fun to see his logic & the Jetara moments & I do think the actor did a good job (no I’m not just saying that ‘cause he’s hot. That helps though).

Katara didn’t have to struggle at all she’s just a #girlboss! Isn’t that great? #feminism!

Who’s this super serious kid who always puts the mission first & where’s my silly goofy guy who wants to go on endless side quests? The actor does decent but that’s just not Aang.

Discount Zhao 😭😂

I just -

Discount Zhao lmaoooo 😭

Overall: I had fun. I will repeat myself - this is like the Harry Potter movies or the Series of Unfortunate Events tv show or any other adaptation of something I loved in its original form that’s never going to get it quite right to me. I hated some things. I had fun with other parts. Mostly? It was just fun to see my faves in a new format. It’ll never ever live up to the original but I never in a million years wanted nor expected that. Quite frankly? I didn’t want this to be made at all. But since it is whether I wanted it or not? I’m glad it was at least entertaining & enjoyable to have fun with.

This was ALWAYS going to be an example of what I call the “Marvelification” of television. Nothing is nuanced everything is quippy everyone’s edges are dulled. I never expected anything else so I’m not even listing that as a con it’s just a given to me. Binge culture whole season releases & the endless remakes & reboots of streaming sites are the death of television. This is again just a given to me I don’t have much more to say about it right now (though I’m sure I do just not now).

The original ATLA will always mean everything to me & this was just a fun little adaptation. Like a fanfic. If it gets renewed? Sure I’ll have fun watching more. But if it doesn’t I truly don’t care. Anyway I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts eventually these are INITIAL reactions please don’t treat them like I signed this post in blood I’m just thinking out loud having just finished this show! That’s all for now lol

#rose watches atla la

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ohahsoka · 2 months

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i'm trying to power through live action atla but struggling so much. are my expectations getting in the way, am i being too harsh on this show lol. it doesn't help i just finished rewatching the first season of the original cartoon and decided that, despite some flaws in handling the very serious topics of colonialism and genocide, it's pretty much a masterpiece.

there is no point in me even trying to describe my grievances. there are way too many of them, and i'm still not sure if i'm being reasonable or just a salty grump who didn't hear her favorite lines.

the problem is that there are so many instances in which they seem to intentionally subvert the source material, and most of these creative decisions are not justified by the medium change. this show reads as an edgy retelling of the cartoon that was deemed too simple or childish to translate well into live action. i genuinely think they lost the story's soul along the way.

additionally, dialogue and its delivery varies from mediocre to abysmal. like, it's so bad i can't make myself even hope it will somehow get better.

i'm about to finish episode two and kyoshi (where is roku?) is going off (calm down, lady) at aang for taking a stroll (he didn't run away lol) during the comet festival (sure) that airbenders apparently celebrated (why). she also yelled about the avatar being a mighty (okay) and merciless (what??) warrior. that’s a great viewpoint to present to the last survivor of the culture of non-warriors. why won't you scream about this some more, the guilt-ridden twelve-year-old cowering before you clearly needs that.

i'm assuming kyoshi's appearance is an adaptation of aang's talk with roku during the winter solstice. it's a universally loved episode, so, naturally, they decided to girlbossify it and make it a lot edgier by having kyoshi being really angry. compare it with how supportive and respectful roku was in the cartoon. he even asked if he could help aang with the threat outside before taking over his body. kyoshi just possessed him without a second thought, wanting to showcase the power of the avatar. because clearly, that's what aang's all about lol.

i’m kinda speechless?? i mean… most of the visuals are stunning and suki is very beautiful. there. i said something nice.

#atla #natla #natla crit #netflix avatar #avatar netflix #my thoughts #anti natla

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chronicsyd · 1 year

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Sapphics: I want an enemies to lovers arc

Sapphics when the characters act like enemies: no not like that!

Like seriously, the hells wrong with some of y’all? Catradora were literally at war with one another and with the current power dynamics in the show Catra couldn’t just drop whatever she was doing and play for the other team. Especially once s3 happens and Shadow Weaver ends up in Brightmoon. How do I know this? Cause we already got our answer once she popped back up in s5. The only plus side would be Catra seeing through the bs that was Glimmers behavior in s4 (speaking of which, “Glimmradora was healthier” people need to get off your high horse cause she treated Adora JUST as poorly in s4 basically saying “hey you’re only here cause you’re sometimes useful to us” ok I can’t start talking about this cause I’ll get sidetracked by getting angry. Moving on)

And it’s outright boggling to me that sapphics will cry out “we want enemies to lovers” until they ACT like Actual Enemies. Cause the truth is you don’t want enemies, you never did. And the reblogs on my last post only prove my point on the matter cause while Amity and the others of the Boiling Isles grew up under strickt rule by Belos and their parents it wasn’t War. That’s what we gotta keep in mind here. Catra and Adora grew up as child soldiers in an army however Adoras mind want fully loyal so when she saw what the Horde was doing and needed to ditch her ideologies she abandoned them. However, Catra saw that as a “Im leaving because of you” kinda deal no matter how the latter claimed the opposite.

Another thing i find Absolutely Hysterical is that y’all will bash Catra then immediately turn around and praise Zuko’s character even though they had practically the same character arc “Zuko didn’t do things as bad” eh did we Forget he helped Azula take over the Earth kingdom at the end of s2 and Aang would have died if it weren’t for Katara’s magic water (plus Several other things?all I’m saying is that Y’all don’t remember pre-redemption Zuko as well as ya think ya do) but I’m getting sidetracked here. Im probably gonna talk more about this comparison later hell I might go rewatch ATLA and take notes on this.

If you don’t like “enemies to lovers” Whatever. Don’t ship it. I honestly don’t care it’s Your shipping preferences. But for gods sake don’t get pissy when enemies act like enemies cause it’s exhausting for those of us who do enjoy it watching your little screaming matches while trying to find content. 🤦‍♀️

(Im probably gonna also bring up Caitvi at some point cause even they don’t truly fall into enemies to lovers but that’s for another time)

(And one more thing: a lot of people claim Glimmers “I love you” came out of nowhere but it was in very much the same vein as Catra’s “Im sorry for everything” as in “I may never see you again, so make this last meeting count”. Yk? Ok NOW I’m done)

#Shera #shera and the princesses of power #catradora #enemies to lovers #rivals to lovers #get your anti catradora selves outta here #I don’t want you here #my work isn’t For you #yes I’m still going on about this #Zuko vs catra #you don’t remember Zuko #at least pre redemption Zuko

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releasemefromthevoid · 2 months

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MY ATLA LIVE ACTION S1E5 THOUGHTS

EP4 - EP6

I think I’m progressively getting more confused with how they’re structuring this plot. At what point does an adaptation stop being a necessary rearrangement and starts being changed for the sake of change. I don’t actually have the answer to that, but I’m going to keep that in mind moving forward.

So there’s a lot going on in this episode, with an arc that again spans episodes 5 and 6 (as a guess). It seems the writers are bringing in elements from book 2, which they were doing before, but this time I’m not entirely sure as to why? I’m a little perplexed about it, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was a fairly enjoyable watch, but I do think I would sooner rather rewatch the cartoon again before this episode.

There was a character officially introduced this episode that said some things that I feel directly conflicts with their character in the cartoon, and I’m finding it difficult to reconcile why the writers made this change.

Lastly, this was the first time in this series where I immediately noticed a parallel between Zuko and Aang, which was always something that Made the original series for me, so I appreciated its inclusion here.

As always, spoilers and live reactions under the cut.

judging by the description, we’re in the winter solstice proper now.

katara is advancing in a much more believable way now

are they gonna do the misogyny in the northern water tribe thing?

yeah this is def the opening to the winter solstice episode. does that mean we’ll go to the fire temple and meet roku after?

woah that shot with Aang on his knees in the burnt forest was the exact same one in the cartoon

“my name is sokka, rhymes with okka”

PIPPINPADDLEOPSICOPOLIS THE THIRD THAT’S CRAZY!! where was this in omashu

zuko’s being rude to his subordinates <3 love that guy

oh okay so the yuyan archers are being given to zhao. will this tie into pohuai somehow? should i expect to see the blue spirit next episode?

ozai is. talking up zuko?? to deliberately put down azula?? i mean. yeah okay i can accept that. if they’re making ozai turn on azula a little, then that means they might be setting up for an azula redemption arc down the line. i might miss the ultimate tragedy of her character, but tbh she deserves something good. it’ll be interesting to see how this affects zuko’s redemption arc as well

ooh the bear statues are nice. hei bai time

oh they’re. all in the spirit world? from just aang meditating??? that feels like that’s not how that should work, but okay

pirates, canyon guide? the callbacks, huh? we haven’t seen the adaptations for the waterbending scroll or the great divide, so are they implying that some abridged version of these events have happened in this version of canon offscreen? hm

june <33

HELP SHE’S FLIRTING WITH IROH

WAN SHI TONG???? love love love, he looks incredible!! that sure is a big fucking owl. why is he here though

has azula not figured out blue flames completely yet? they were orange, and flickered blue

i am enjoying this early azula arc, if not just because i love azula

they’re gonna adapt the bato episode, right? bc june is here. that might be coming soon, right?

hei bai <33 he looks great too

no bending in the spirit world

wait is this. an adaptation of the hallucinations in the swamp from book 2?? it’s kind of giving swamp. how much do we wanna bet that the three tailed fox was a representation for yue? i’ll bet it was the same actress doing the voice work

well. goodbye kya

face. stealer? koh is that you?

well fuck. no bato episode, sokka’s already been ice-dodging. bato is in this flashback, but at what cost. i guess this does eliminate that aang miscommunication plot point, which i did hate.

sokka. bullied?

this better not be real. hakoda would never say that. he Wouldn’t!! what the fuck. this better be a swamp-esque hallucination. i’m gonna be so mad. hakoda is a supportive figure in sokka’s life, sokka’s insecurities aren’t supposed to stem from the things he says, even if hakoda doesn't think sokka can hear. i would buy it if the village boys were the ones causing sokka issues, but in my opinion, hakoda should be part of the solution, not the problem.

koh the face stealer confirmed. this goes kinda hard

did anyone tell aang about the whole expressionless thing. what’s stopping koh right now

GYATSO????! this is peak gyatso he’s real

maybe. worry about your friends a little more though aang

“imprisons people in their darkest memories” huh. that means. hakoda was really saying that about sokka? hm

you uh. just gonna leave them there?

it’s good that they’re still paralleling aang and zuko. that was very nice, and also a staple of WHY i liked the cartoon in the first place.

liked: wan shi tong's design (he looked cool as hell), koh's design (appropriately scary), the general look of the spirit world, possible (unconfirmed) foreshadowing of yue in a swamp-esque style

worried about: if they keep adapting things from season two and cutting things from season one, what's going to happen in later seasons?

disliked: hakoda's characterization (i know it didn't seem mean-spirited and i know he didn't think sokka was around to hear, but in my heart of hearts he would never say that. why does bato seem to believe in sokka more than hakoda)

#atla #atla live action #atla netflix #avatar the last airbender live action #avatar the last airbender #long post #listen i'm not disliking the series #it's a fine watch #but there's def choices being made here that i don't like

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agirlnherfandoms · 10 months

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Omg same though, i was all about zutara growing up! Recently, my bf saw atla for the first time, and I was watching it with him (its been years, it was so fun!)

I guess back then I was kinda using katara as a self insert?? Haha I just had the biggest crush on zuko 😭

But watching it again recently idk I found this new appreciation for kataang, and aang especially! I just think aangs so charming and cute? 🥴

Like the headband episode? I mean, come on! Gahhh that episode made a kataang stan (the near kiss, and the way they look at each other at the end of the dance 🥺). Also that last atla comic had such a cute art style, and the kataang stuff was adorable!

AND LET ME TELL YOU! WHEN👏🏼 I 👏🏼 FOUND 👏🏼 OUT 👏🏼 WE'RE 👏🏼GETTING 👏🏼 AN 👏🏼 ATLA 👏🏼 MOVIE 👏🏼 WITH 👏🏼 ADULT 👏🏼 KATAANG 👏🏼 / GAANG 👏🏼 🤯🤯 (and katara and aang as the lead characters, I CANT WAIT!)

Also one thing I hated about shipping zutara was all the aang slander that came with it by other zutara fans, I couldn't stand it 😭😭

Hi anon!! 😊

Yay love seeing people relate to the post I posted about becoming a Kataang shipper during my re-watch of ATLA 😘 (you can read it here if you haven’t already).

Firstly, yesss, watching ATLA is still fun after years. Ngl I think when I was younger (mostly because Netflix wasn’t really big), I watched Avatar but not thoroughly. It was more like, if the episode is on the TV, I’m going to watch it. I might have missed an episode or I’d have to wait till next week to see the next episode. This is compared to when I got older and I could do a full binge watch of the whole thing on Netflix (which I recommend 😉).

Secondly, haha I soooo relate to crushing on Zuko. Honestly, still do lol (literally have you seen what he looks like in the comics!?! I didn’t know his hair could get better than season 3 but 😍). And yeah, definitely understand using Katara as a self-insert for the Zuko love 😂. Love an enemies to lovers!!!

(The above two are from The Promise)

(…and these two are from The Search)

Aww yes, I don’t think I paid much attention to Aang when I was younger (other than him being the main character lol) because of how much I loved Zuko. But truly, every single character is so amazing that they all deserve the same amount of love and attention 🥹.

THAT DANCE!! I don’t know what’s in the air at the Fire Nation but Aang was too smooth. After watching that episode, my standards went up by 5000%. I feel like that might have been the episode on my rewatch that made me think a bit differently about Kataang. I think prior to that I was still fully on the Zxtara (going to x the ship name out again in case shippers don’t want to see this xx) train but then that episode happened and I thought this is fricking cuteeee (then of course proceeded to rewatch again).

I’m so happy they’re giving us more adult Gaang content!! So so excited for that movie 😍 and all the Kataang content to come.

Yeah, and on your final point, I do remember lots of Aang hate from some shippers (I do think there might still be some even now). Definitely not saying all Zxtara shippers hate Aang (and definitely don’t think that was what anon was implying)!!! I do think it was a small minority who were probably just trying to find an excuse to hate Aang but I have seen many Zxtara shippers who absolutely adore Aang which always makes me happy because he is a sweet sunshine who deserves all the love and appreciation ☺️.

(This above picture still forever makes me soft 🥹)

Disclaimer just in case you didn’t read the post anon’s replying too / you don’t want to read it lol: I still ship Zxtara and this isn’t Zxtara hate. I just found that rewatching ATLA has made me ship Kataang as well. Perfectly fine if you favour one ship over the other! I’ve just found love for both :)

Love hearing opinions because none of my friends or family want to talk about fandoms with me so please keep them coming 🥺.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #kataang #atla katara #atla aang #aang #katara

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kataraslove · 1 year

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Sometimes it makes me sad that Kataang is underrated and misunderstood.

idk it used to make me sad - especially when i was just getting into the fandom post-atla renaissance and stumbled across a lot of the bad faith interpretations and understandings, and wondered if we watched the same series. however, i came to realize over time that that is kind of what initially drew me to the ship? because of how underrated, overhated, and misunderstood kataang is in fandom settings, there weren’t a lot of people actively defending it. in all my years being part of fandom, I’ve never seen the main canon ship get quite as much as backlash as kataang. it dawned upon me - and I’m sure other kataang content creators can relate - that if i wanted to see the ship defended against misconceptions and bad faith arguments, i was going to have to do my part. i was going to have to make the meta. others decided that they were going to have to write the fanfiction, draw the fanart, create the edits, write their own meta. spite content is very much a thing - and it is glorious. i highly recommend.

out of the negativity, something wonderful emerged from my fandom experience. kataang is the first ship that I’ve ever created content for. other shipping fandoms I’ve been apart of, i just consumed the content (and nothing wrong with that at all). i’d say that i’d never be able to write and engage with meta to the level that i am if not for kataang’s overhated, underrated, and misunderstood reputation in fandom. with this ship, i feel like i could say so much and at the end of the day it still wouldn’t be enough. because it’s not; because antis are not going to change their minds about kataang either way. my content is not for those antis - it’s for the shippers who appreciate and enjoy the ship for what it is, who want to learn more about it, who want to see it being defended, who understand the nuance and the context and the importance of katara and aang’s relationship to the series. this ship has taught me so much about love and friendship in a way that no other ship truly has.

kataang is always going to be heavily misunderstood and disliked in fandom settings. that’s in part because it defies societal standards, and the other part being that it is the direct rival for the ship that dominates all fandom discourse. when it’s not actively hated, it’s going to be ignored. i’ve made my peace with that reality along time ago. but for what it’s worth, i have come to see the kataang fandom grow over time. others joining in to actively defend it and call out bad faith takes. i’ve made a lot of friends across multiple social media platforms just because of our shared love for kataang. i suggest that if you’re tired or upset from seeing anti kataang takes, to do the following:

turn off tumblr/twitter/whatever social media app and rewatch atla and remind yourself how much you adore the series

create the post, write the fanfic, draw the art, create the edit! and if you don’t have the capacity or the resources to do that, then feel free to support and participate in fandom in any shape or way that you can :)

#idk I hope that helps #like I totally get what ur referring to #the feeling of seeing ur fave ship so disliked and criticized #the double standards #but something wonderful emerged from that in my own experience #I don’t ever go back and think ‘i wish I never rewatched atla in 2020’#kataang

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mttbrandgender · 3 months

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ATLA Netflix thoughts

Okay, I am going to break down my very strong feelings about what little information we have on the ATLA live adaptation because I cannot physically keep this to myself. I am throwing this together pretty last minuet so it is less structured than I would like but this is what I’ve got time for right now.

A few things that I feel are important to know about me before we start. Firstly, I do not believe that any visual media should be adapted to another visual media, especially animated media into live actions. There has never been anything animated that has been made better in a live action adaptation. Animation is a sacred media to me, specifically 2D animation. Secondly, I adore Avatar: The Last Airbender. I watched it as it aired when I was super young and have rewatched it countless times since then. It is legitimately my favorite show. Thirdly, I am a hater, I love to tear into things and dissect them so this will be a lot of that. There will also probably be a lot more when the show also comes out. Alright, anyway!

As soon as I heard there would be a live action remake, safe to say I was not excited. I heard the original creators of the show were involved and I still did not feel good about it. ATLA really was perfect in my eyes. It was done in a perfect medium and was a perfect story with characters that felt REAL. How would remaking it in live action add to this nearly untouchable show add value? My partner has urged me to keep an open mind and not hate it entirely before we could watch it. So, I put it in the back of my mind and didn’t think about it too much for a while.

Until, suddenly, articles started to come out about what liberties the new showrunners decided to take with the show. I knew I should probably not have read them, usually I don’t even watch trailers for things I want to watch but I decided I had to know what was being said, I was painfully curious.

The first thing that I saw was that Sokka’s sexism was ‘iffy’ and ‘didn’t hold up’ so they decided to take it out of their version. I was completely shocked. Sokka’s sexism in the series WAS iffy but it was called out as such WITHIN THE NARRATIVE. That’s how they found Aang in the first place, Sokka was being sexist and Katara got angry about it. We are introduced to Sokka as a flawed character who holds these misguided beliefs about women because of the circumstances he was raised in. It is not a glorified concept within the show. Throughout the three seasons, we as an audience not only get to watch him unlearn these concepts but we also get to watch strong female characters speak out against sexism without being brushed off. It is essential to the plot and instills in its audience that it is okay to have to unlearn these ignorant beliefs, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Sokka is not a bad person or a bad character because he holds these beliefs. We get to explore why he feels that way while also watching him learn to be better. Why would you want to take that out? Because sexism is problematic, and we don’t want our show to be problematic! Look how progressive it is! You are robbing this character of the ability to change and grow because from the jump they are not flawed.

This leads to the next issue. They are writing Aang to be more responsible and ‘driven’ leaving less time for fun side quests. What? I’m sorry I must have misread that; you want the 12-year-old boy who froze himself in the ice originally because he did not want to do Avatar stuff to come out of it and immediately want to get straight to business?? That just rubs me the wrong way. In the original show, we get to see Aang slowly come to terms with his responsibilities while also acting in a way that is realistic for someone who is 12. I also saw someone say that nearly every shot of Aang in the trailer was him with a serious face. The charm of the show and Aang as our main character is that he’s a kid! He acts like a 12-year-old kid and matures as he goes through more experiences with his friends. Where is the integrity of these characters? It seems like these showrunners are so afraid to showcase any of the characters as flawed and how can you have perfectly responsible unproblematic characters that are also children?

At this point, it feels like what they need is a character integrity team to help them make these decisions because they are striking out so far. Why are we robbing these characters of their arcs? By taking away any issue or flaw, you’re taking away so much potential. This takes me back to my original thought which is why the hell would you want to take something that is so highly acclaimed and beloved and remake it? You are setting yourself up to fail no matter what. This is not a story that needs retelling in my opinion. I would much rather they take all this creative energy and resources and use them to write something else in this world. Why retell the story when you could write a new one with new characters that people haven’t spent nearly 20 years watching and loving?

The most recent thing I read was that they wanted to ‘solve’ some of the ‘gender issues’ Katara faced in the original show. Like the earlier bit with Sokka’s sexism, I take huge issue with this. These two things play into each other. Katara is not nurturing and motherly because she’s a girl. She and Sokka lost their mom when they were very young and almost immediately after, their father left for the war. Sokka and Katara were made to take on these roles at a super young age because of this conflict. Sokka is attempting to be the man of the house, trying to imitate his dad as best he can in order to fulfill that role. We know from The Waterbending Master that the water tribes hold some sexist beliefs, as Master Pakku will not instruct Katara because she’s a girl. From that, it’s not a crazy notion that Sokka might hold some of those beliefs from his upbringing. It is also critical to Katara’s character because she was fulfilling that motherly role after her mother passed. She doesn’t do it perfectly; she has a lot of control issues and can have a bit of a temper. Neither of them are bad nor outdated character because of these things. It’s a realistic reaction to the situation they found themselves in. Through their experiences in the show, they learn and grow into better and better versions of themselves. Why would the showrunners want to take that all away?

There are also so many bigger pictures issues I have thought about as well that we don’t have an answer to yet. The pacing, what they plan on fitting into the first season, how long are the episodes, etc. I am still attempting to stay open, but it is really getting hard the more I hear about it. Thank you for reading my rant and I’ll see y’all in 20 days for the premiere, I will be taking notes. :)

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar netflix #atla #atla netflix #mine #personal

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pacificwaternymph · 1 year

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My thoughts on Zutara Versus Kataang

Let me preface this by saying: I’m not here to come after anyone’s ship. If you like either one of these ships, that is a hundred percent valid. I can totally see the appeal of both of them, and tbh, it’s not my business what other people like.

I’m not here to start drama, this is entirely my opinion, and I’m not going to get into an argument with anyone over this.

Starting off:

I don’t ship either of these ships. I don’t like either of them. And I don’t think any of the characters involved in either ship be in a romantic relationship.

No, this isn’t me just saying that so I can ship Katara with Toph, or Suki, or Azula, or whoever else you might be thinking of. I genuinely don’t believe that a romantic relationship would be good for Katara, Zuko, or Aang at the time where the show leaves off.

Let’s start with Kataang.

I don't hate this ship because of its dynamic or because I dislike either of the characters. I think that in a hypothetical future scenario where the gaang are all a bit older, it could work really well.

When I first watched the show, I was the kind of person to just ship whatever pairing the show was pushing. So that meant that I was actually a Kataang shipper, and for a long time, too.

But recently, after going back and rewatching it, I… just don’t really like it anymore.

First off, there is zero romantic tension between the two of them. For the vast majority of the show, Aang’s crush is entirely one-sided. I know they tried to show that Katara was also interested but like… it wasn’t working for me.

This may just be my inability to pick up on subtext, but even when they were shoving it in our face, I just… couldn’t get behind it. It never clicked for me.

And second, I would be remiss as an ATLA fan if I didn’t address the drama surrounding Kataang’s… first two kisses.

I, like many others, am uncomfortable with the fact that Aang kissed Katara without her consent, not once, but twice, one of which happening directly after she told him that she was confused, that she didn’t know what she wanted, and that she would prefer to stay friends for now.

“But Dizzy!” I hear you say. “He didn’t know any better! He’s only 12!” And that, my friends, is EXACTLY my point.

Aang is still a child, and one that is dealing with a LOT going on around him. He lost his entire nation in what to him was only over the course of a few days, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and EVERYONE is depending on him. But at his core, he is still a kid, which is the entire point of the show.

He is not emotionally mature enough to handle a long-term, committed relationship. I don’t think he should be romantically involved with anyone. Period.

Aang is one of the youngest members of the cast. The only person I could potentially think of as younger would be Toph. He’s not even a teenager when the show starts. And that, does not sit right with me.

Now, adult Kataang? Yeah, sure, that’s cute. I could get behind an older version of Kataang if they got together as adults or even in their later teenage years. But at twelve and fourteen, let’s be honest, that kind of relationship wouldn’t be very serious, and it wouldn’t last a year.

I wish they had kept the ending more ambiguous. I’m fine with all the cute crush stuff they had going on with Aang, because kids his age are going to have crushes on people. But did they really need to make them kiss?

And don’t think for one second I haven’t forgotten about Zutara, because I have some THOUGHTS about it.

Admittedly, I have never been a big fan of Zutara as a ship, so I have not consumed a lot of content for it. At first it was because I preferred Kataang, and then it was because… well, a lot of reasons, really.

First off, let's state the obvious. Zuko is a mess. And we love him for it, he's my favorite character in the show, and I would do absolutely anything for him. But let's be honest: he's not in a good place for a relationship, and especially not with someone like Katara, who also has a lot on her plate.

Because of the fandom's general attitude towards both of these characters, between the massive woobification of Zuko and the outrageous misogyny towards Katara, Zutara to me feels like the kind of ship where people would heavily focus on Zuko, and downplay or even outright ignore Katara’s trauma.

And I feel like they do this in order to slot her into the role of the perfect caretaker, an endless source of comfort and compassion and understanding and forgiveness without ever taking the time to address the toll that it WOULD have on Katara.

ATLA has a wide range of strong female characters, so there's a bit of ridicule all around especially around Azula, but Katara takes the brunt of it.

From people calling her annoying for talking about her trauma during sensitive moments, to others accusing her of being a Mary Sue. And she is more traditionally feminine than a lot of the other female characters in the show, most notably Toph, which makes people quick to write her off and say "oh she's the mom of the group" and not look any further.

Katara’s issues are often overlooked by the fandom as a whole, which makes me think that a lot of people who ship zutara are probably only in it because they want Zuko to have someone he can constantly vent to. Which like- I get? But it can be frustrating to see how Katara's problems are treated as irrelevant.

There are probably exceptions to this, of course. There are always exceptions. But what I’ve witnessed has permanently scared me away from the ship.

And don’t get me wrong, I love a good good girl/boy x bad girl/boy, blue-red coded, enemies to lovers ship. Some of my favorite ships have sprouted from that exact formula. But at the same time, Zutara to me feels like the most overdone, basic, and just generally bland ways to do that.

Which makes no sense. By all accounts, they should be really interesting together, but they aren’t because uh, good girl x bad boy? THAT’S NOT WHAT THEIR DYNAMIC IS?

Zuko is an intense, broody, angsty source of constant drama with a mysterious past. But he also has a secretly dorky side that only ever comes out when he’s well and truly comfortable. And Katara is a caring, compassionate, and brave young woman. But she’s also a rage fueled, grudge holding powerhouse who never forgets a face.

Writers seem to forget that they can, in fact, be both.

It’s the dichotomy of their individual characterizations that make them so interesting. And if a zutara shipper actually takes the time to address that, acknowledges BOTH of their issues, and puts equal amounts of effort into presenting both of the characters? Then YEAH, I could TOTALLY get behind that.

But what I have seen time and time again in fandom spaces is that really complex characters like Katara and Zuko get shoved together, and then both of them are watered down to caricatures of who they’re supposed to be.

Now, again, this is all a hundred percent my opinion. If you disagree, that’s completely valid, and I get it. I really do understand why people like these ships so much, and I am most certainly not judging anyone for shipping them.

But do not try to start drama in the notes, or start drama with me personally. I will not get drawn into it, I will block you and move on and the only thing you will have accomplished is making yourself look like an asshole to a complete stranger on the internet.

Anyway thanks for coming to my TED talk. This took me nearly twenty minutes of nonstop writing to hash out lol.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zutara neg #kataang neg #zutara critical #kataang critical #shipping discourse #shipping drama #discourse

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chocomd · 1 year

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ATLA rewatch thoughts, Book 2 (ep 15)

15) The Tales of Ba Sing Se

Toph and Katara: This is a cute story about Toph and Katara bonding over a girls’ day out (and dunking some mean girls in the canal lol). It’s also a story about Toph’s insecurities. As Katara says near the end, Toph is strong, confident, and self-assured. But even though Toph says she doesn’t need anyone’s approval, what people think about her still matters to her. Katara sees this and gives her friend the encouragement and friendship in just the way she needs.

Iroh: When Iroh is buying a basket in preparation to honor Lu Ten’s memory: “No, it's not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion.” MY HEART 😭 He spends his part of this episode sharing his wisdom and being kind to the strangers around him. At first, it seems like we’re getting a closer look at the reformed soul that the FN general and FL’s brother has become. But his story ends with him honoring his dead son. This isn’t a story about the wise and caring person that Iroh has become - what we are seeing is his redemption in action. The first thing he says to Lu Ten’s portrait is “If only I could have helped you.” And then he sings Leaves From the Vine, which sounds like a song about young men who grow up and leave home to fight, and about the same young men who fall in battle and “return” home. I think Iroh means more than “I wish I could have kept you from dying in battle.” His perspective on life and the war have changed dramatically in the years since he lost Lu Ten, but they also continue to change during the course of ATLA. I think that Iroh helps the people around him to help make the world a better place because that is his biggest regret about himself and Lu Ten - that he walked the path of violence and bloodshed and destruction and raised Lu Ten to do the same, and they both paid the price, with Lu Ten losing his life and Iroh losing his throne and his son. Iroh is living out his redemption as well by trying to be the father to Zuko that he couldn’t be to Lu Ten.

Aang: I love how Aang the Air Nomad, who flies free as the wind, wants to give the zoo animals a place where they won’t be cooped up in cages anymore. Also: “Don't worry, I'm great with animals” and “This was so much easier in my head.” 🤣 I loved the airbending and earthbending too and just all the chaos in general 😂

Sokka: Sokka barging in on a ladies’ haiku club meeting and getting into a 1v1 with the teacher! ‘Nuff said. So many burnnnnns lmao

Zuko: Ahhh, Zuko’s infamous date with Jin. HE’S SUCH AN AWKWARD DWEEB LMAO 🥲 And damn, Jin sure put up with a lot and still was into him (how?). “You have ... quite an appetite for a girl.” rip 💀 But at the end, Zuko actually does something genuinely sweet - he lights the lamps at the Firelight Fountain. And while he’s firebending, Sun Warrior music is playing. This is one of the few times (only time?) in ATLA that Zuko firebends to bring joy and life and not destruction. And then of course Jin kisses him (and he kisses back) and he says “It’s complicated. I have to go.” Oops, dramatic Zuko is back 💀

Momo: Momo misses Appa so much that he dreams about him and sees him everywhere 😭 Also the way he made friends with the scary panther cat things 🥺 Also HOW are there scary panther cat things roaming the streets of a city???? I guess that’s what the animal catcher is for 💀 AND THE WAY THE EPISODE ENDS WITH MOMO CURLING UP IN APPA’S PAWPRINT 😭👀👀👀

#chocomd rewatches ATLA

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yiangchen · 2 years

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TLOK Book 1 Rewatch Thoughts...

1. While only having seen the show as a whole once, I’ve seen Book 1 about four times now I think. I just love it. It’s honestly really really solid and I enjoy it a lot.

2. Amon is a very compelling villain. I used to think that him being a bloodbender was kinda stupid because it undermined the revolution, but I’m not sure I agree with that anymore. Due to his upbringing, he had a very valid reason for thinking all bending is evil.

3. The murder/suicide scene with Noatak and Tarrlok is so sad but so good.

4. Korra being able to airbend feels way more earned to me this time around. I had never realized that her fear of Amon was part of her mental block, and once he took away her ability to bend the other three elements, she realized she had nothing left to lose. It’s a very earned moment the more I think about it.

5. Which reminds me...Aang giving her back her bending at the end is actually earned as well. Letting go of her fear of Amon was also pivotal in her connecting to her spiritual self.

6. I absolutely love the scene in episode 2 where Korra moves like an airbender to win the pro bending match. I get major chills every time.

7. While parts of the love triangle are cringy, the way that Korra acts honestly makes sense considering she’s never interacted with kids her own age all that much before, if at all.

8. When Bolin and Korra are on their date, they do seem lowkey perfect for each other, and honestly, I can see it.

9. Also, I do still really enjoy a lot of the Makorra moments in Book 1. They’re cute, okay. Ngl. (They were my original ship back when I first watched the show. I don’t love them nearly as much as I had then, but I still like them a fair amount.)

10. One of my favorite parts about this rewatch was noticing all the little Korrasami moments. I know that they didn’t originally intend for Korrasami to end up together at all, considering that the Book 1 finale was originally the finale of the whole series and Makorra got together, but there are quite a few Korrasami moments.

11. Lin and Tenzin are still my two faves. I LOVE THEM. Also, Jinora!

12. However, my only complaint with Tenzin’s character is that I really wish that he and some of his children had some SWT elements in their Air Nomad robes.

13. Iroh II making an appearance is one of the highlights of the season imo.

14. Lin’s sacrifice is one of the saddest moments, but I kinda love it.

15. You know what? I love probending. It’s so fun.

16. Mako wearing his father’s scarf as a parallel to Katara wearing her mother’s necklace. I’M CRYING.

17. I still refuse to believe that Katara banned bloodbending entirely. It makes sense that she would ban the use of it to control/hurt people, however, I absolutely love the hc that she developed medicinal uses for it. I like to think that she trained a select few how to save lives with bloodbending and that most of the waterbending staff in hospitals have a license to do so. Technically, there is nothing in canon that disproves this. Bloodbending is illegal, but there could be exceptions if it means saving a life. Just saying.

18. The music is just incredible. The animation too.

19. Naga is the best.

#aaaand thats everything off the top of my head #tlok

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aramis-dagaz · 2 years

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So I finally, FINALLY finished watching Avatar: the Last Airbender for the first time yesterday.

At this point, much has already been said about how amazing the series is, and I fully agree. If you haven't seen it, it has my strongest recommendation. If you already have, why not give it a rewatch?

For me, though, reaching this point has been a bit of a journey. The series first came out in 2005, when I was in college. I knew of the series at the time, but I wasn't big on watching TV or keeping up with series, instead preferring to watch DVD sets at my leisure (this was before streaming services were a common thing and Netflix was more known for being a video rental by mail service). I was also a bit put off by the animation style, as I was really into anime at the time and didn't like "anime-influenced" American animation, especially since ATLA seemed a touch stiff at times. As a result, I passed on this series as it came out.

Since then, the series has been rightly praised for being an amazing and gripping story, and while that caught my interest, I never got around to watching it. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, shortly before the pandemic hit, when one of my friends loaned me his ATLA DVD collection. I started watching, and I was immediately hooked. This is a good series to bingewatch, as each episode leaves you wanting more. In short order, I watched the first two seasons. The end of the second season, however, was pretty heavy, so I wanted to take a break from it. It wasn't until this past week I finally got around to picking it back up and finishing the third season.

Watching a series this popular after it ended, oh geeze, 15 years ago, I was in an interesting position where I'm simultaneously watching a show that I had never seen before yet knew quite a bit about. I already knew how the series ends and how Aang defeats Fire Lord Ozai, but honestly, that doesn't detract from it. With ATLA, it's the journey, not the destination. You spend 61 episodes getting to know these characters, watching them learn, grow, be silly, suffer, fail, and bounce back. Knowing how Aang defeats the Fire Lord is one thing, watching how he gets to that point and why it’s significant to him as a character is something else entirely. A lot of love and fun when into making this series, and it shows, and that's one of the reasons why it's worth watching.

It was also fun to see the origin of all those ATLA memes from the late 00s and 2010s ("everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked", "water tribe~!", "Looks like its time for another...therapy session", "there is no war in Ba Sing Se", “that’s rough, buddy”, wriggly-fingered Aang saying "THIS!", flailing Sokka, and so on). Every time I saw one of those scenes I had a "that's where it came from!" moment. I always enjoy seeing where pop culture references come from.

In a way, this show is strangely nostalgic for me, even though I didn't sit down to enjoy it until recently. I think it's because it came out during a much simpler time for me, when I have a lot of fond memories of enjoying a lot of other shows and games, and as a result I ended up reminiscing about those times a lot as well. And even if I didn't watch it back then, I absorbed a lot through cultural osmosis, so I was kinda revisiting all that, too.

Ultimately, though, I think one thing that I enjoyed most about ATLA is that it has a definitive story with a decisive and satisfying ending. As I said earlier, this show is a journey, and even the filler episodes contributed to my overall enjoyment of it. Seeing all these plot elements and supporting characters add to the story and then come together for a thrilling finale and an epilogue that ends on a high note, that's something I don't see very often, and it's always amazing when I do.

Also, ATLA benefits from having an episode near the end where the entire series is recapped via a play while the main characters watch it. Reboot did that as well, and I think more shows with long, epic stories should do that.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA

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