Bending=Awesome...sometimes

          As I mentioned briefly in a previous post in the new sequel Avatar: The Legend of Korra the antagonists are a group of people who are against benders of any kind. From what I have learned so far in the first new episodes they are led by a man named Amon who wears a mask and is against benders, seeing them as corrupt individuals who abuse their powers. 

          In a way he does have a point. In both series you witness benders who misuse their bending powers. Benders from all nations-not just the fire nation-used their powers to kidnap, enslave, and even kill others. It is an incredible ability and if I lived in that world I would definitely want to be able to bend an element. However, even if I was not able to manipulate fire, water, earth or air I would still be alright because as awesome as bending is, it is not what make a person awesome. 

          My favorite character is the series is Sokka and in the group of heroes he is the only on who can't bend. How does someone with no capabilities become my favorite? Well for starters it is because of his personality. The kid is absolutely hilarious and is obviously the comic relief in this show. He's witty and curious and very very very sarcastic (he calls himself the "meat and sarcasm guy" in an episode). This combination gets him into all kinds of crazy situations. And sure his friends help him get out of trouble but he also helps them because he is intelligent and possess a great imagination. 

          Besides the episodes themselves the creators also created these funny, mini shorts that serve as self-parodies of the series. This overly exaggerated bending battle does show one thing that happens to Sokka a lot during the series. By hanging out with a group of benders he does suffer a lot of bending accidents. Despite being soaked by Katara's water bending or being blown away by Aang's air bursts from time to time he always manages to get back on his feet. It is the way he makes me and brother laugh and the things that he accomplishes by being intelligent, resourceful, and inventive that make him a hero in my book any day 

          

          

I have seen evil and her name is Azula

          So from the very beginning of this series you knew that the Fire Nation was the villain. More specifically the Fire Lord who was the ruler of the Fire Nation was the bad one. He, like his ancestors took advantage of the Avatar's disappearance and dispatched his army across the other nations in order to try to take over the world. His son prince Zuko was also seen as a bad guy at first. Determined to follow in his father's footsteps he  made a vow to capture the Avatar-the world's only hope and bring him to his father so that his father could restore his honor.

          An angry and fearsome looking firebender he indeed caused fear in many however, he was not the villain in this series. Not even his powerful ruthless father the Fire Lord who stole the crown from his brother was the evil one. No, the character who caused chills to run down my spine-the one whom me and my brother vowed we would never cross paths with if we lived in this fantasy world was the essence of pure evil. Her name was Azula and she was the Zuko's little sister and the princess of the Fire Nation

          I think she was the the world's greatest threat. She might have been beautiful, graceful, and behaved like a spoiled princess on the outside but do not let that fool you. I'm telling you the only person that did not fear her was her father and I think that is only because her father was the only one she would never lay a finger on. Princess Azula was cunning, manipulative, merciless, and a very, very powerful firebender. She would quickly assert herself over anyone who crossed her path and had no qualms about turning against any member of her family (except for the fire lord of course).
          Though she was the little sister she would overpower Zuko. She would take anything she wanted by force, destroy her friends' lives if that is what it took for them to help her and enjoyed watching people suffer. She definitely enjoyed watching her brother get that scar on his face and she even attacked Uncle Iroh in an episode. I mean it's Uncle! If that does not prove that she is evil then I do not know what else would. I think I would have rather faced a hundred Unagi and Saber-toothed Moose Lions than face her. Whenever, she would appear in an episode my little brother and I would groan because we knew that things were going to end badly. She never repented or regretted any of the the things she did, not even at the end when she was finally defeated which is further proof that she was the real threat.

"Just...bear"

          Hahahaha so good. One of the things I really like this show are the animals. Can you imagine living in a world with Platypus bears, Skunk bears, or Armadillo bears? I mean don't get me wrong I love animals and some of the animals that exist on our planet are extraordinary but you will never encounter a sky bison of this earth. The various bears listed above are just a few of the crazy animal combinations seen in this show. Here are ten other hybrids that were seen in the series. Which ones did you think were the most impressive? 

1.) Armadillo Tiger

2.) Badger Mole

3.) Porcupine Boar

4.) Catfish Alligator

5.) Cow Hippo

6.) Giant Eel Hound

7.) Koala Sheep

8.) Ostrich Horse

9.) Rabba-Roo

10.) Saber-tooth Moose Lion

Uncle Iroh

           There is one episode in Book 2 that always makes me cry. It is called The Tales of Ba Sing Se and maybe those who have seen it understand why it causes me to tear up and sniffle. If not, then you would probably agree with my little brother who thinks I'm a silly girl for crying and rolls his eyes when I reach for the tissue box.

http://www.digavatar.com/avatar-tv-chapter-15-tales-of-ba-sing-se.html

          I know that I say this about pretty much all of the episodes but I really love this episode! The tale that always gets to me is The Tale of Iroh. Maybe it's because Uncle is one of my favorite characters (second only to Sokka) or maybe it is because of the way his story is played out. 

          Right off the bat you see the gentle and kind nature of Iroh when he plays a song for a child crying at the market. There's also a funny encounter with a group of children who accidentally break someone's window. The one that always makes my brother and I say "This is why Uncle is awesome, seriously who does that?" is when he gets jumped and instead of trying to escape or fight the robber off he actually helps the guy with his stance. He ends up having a cup of tea with the guy and convinces him that he does not have to earn a living robbing people and helps the man find his way again. 

          And that is Uncle-he's fearless but kind, funny but wise, and always sees the good in people. When he finally reaches his destination you realize it is to set up a memorial for his son Lu Ten who died in the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He wishes his son a happy birthday and laments that he was unable to help him like he helped all those people through the course of his day. Then he sings the same song the he played for the little boy at the market and begins to cry.

          The death of his son changed Iroh. Where some might be angry and lash out and lose themselves when a loved one dies, he changed to be the best person he could possibly be in honor of his son. Not only does his tale serve to commemorate his son Lu Ten, at the end, the episode is dedicated to Mako. Mako was Iroh's voice actor in Book 1 & 2. He passed away in 2006 after a long battle with esophageal cancer. I think it was a great way to end his tale. It really showed that the emotion in this episode stemmed from a real source and made a beautiful ending. 

Korra makes her debut

          The series premiere of The Legend of Korra aired on Nickelodeon last Saturday. Unfortunately, I do not have cable so I could not watch it then but someone told me that iTunes has the first two episodes available FOR FREE! Now that I have officially watched them I have a better idea of where this new story might be headed.
          When I first saw the trailer I was worried that it would suck compared to the original. However, my roommate pointed out that you cannot judge how good a show will be by the first episode. I liked the original Avatar but as the series progressed the episodes definitely improved as I am sure this new series will improve.

          I do think they did a great job of introducing the characters and relating it to the parent series. Some of the old characters are still alive...most are not. It's sad but I mean you knew they couldn't live forever. You learn a little about the children that the heroes had. For example one of Aang's son is an important character and even Toph's daughter made an appearance!. They also referenced back to some other old characters which was great. I don't know about you guys but I definitely wondered how their lives turned out. 

          Actually, the more I write about the more I realize how much I liked it. It was fun trying to figure out who the children take after. There is a quirky, energetic little boy who is Aang and Katara's grandson and he greatly resembles Aang. I can't wait to see who else they mention in this series. They even mentioned Zuko's mother but her story was purposefully cut off making it an "aw man!" moment. 

Introductions!

          For those of you who have seen the beginning of the first season you know that a lot happens in the first episodes. You see a good amount of characters for the first time, learn a little about their background, and watch how they all tie into the story. Pretty much all of my favorite characters are introduced in the first episode which is great because I can add them to this short list of the main characters that appear that I think are important to the story.

  Since the show is about the Avatar let's start with Aang.

Age: 12
Origin: Born in the Southern Air Temple
Capabilities: As the Avatar he is originally an Airbender but is able to bend the other elements and communicate with his past lives and use their power and knowledge by entering the Avatar State.
Role: He is the protagonist and the story follows his adventure across the world as he masters the four elements to defeat the Fire Nation and restore peace to the world
Personality: Aang is a funny kid. He's only 12 and is energetic and friendly and a kind person with a good heart. He faces many difficulties being the last of his kind and faces many challenges which forces him to grow and mature at an early age. Well he's mature when he needs to be anyway...most of the time.

 Katara is Sokka's younger sister and she is the one who releases Aang from the ice.

Age: 14
Origin: Born in the Southern Water Tribe in the South Pole
Capabilities: She is a Waterbender and has had to teach herself what she knows because she is the last Water bender in her Tribe.
Role: She is pretty much Aang's first friend and she and her brother join Aang on his journey. She later ends up becoming Aang's waterbending master.
Personality: Being one of the oldest in her Tribe with her mother dead and her father fighting in the war against the Fire Nation she has been given much responsibility. A smart, kind girl she has grown up quickly and is tough, stubborn, and likes to do things for herself. She tends to be the level headed serious one in the group.

 Last but definitely not least is Katara's brother named Sokka and he is the final member of the trio.

Age: 15
Origin: Born in the Southern Water Tribe in the South Pole
Capabilities: He cannot bend like his sister or Aang but that doesn't mean he does't have skills! He is very intelligent and is great at inventing things. He can read a map, and devise strategies that help get them out of trouble many times. Though he can't bend that way he uses logic and strategy make him a valuable asset.
Role: He is a warrior and as mentioned before, he also joins Aang to company his sister, and help with the war effort. He's skilled with his boomerang and can think quick on his feet coming up with clever ways or inventions that help the three of them get out of trouble.
Personality: He looks up to his father and when his dad leaves to go fight be begs to join him. However, being to young he is told to look after the tribe and his sister which he does with much passion. Seeing his opportunity to help his father and wanting to protect his sister and help Aang he joins them. He is my favorite  character in this series!! He is the comic relief and is full of jokes and sarcasm and though he tends to be unlucky he helps keep everyone's spirits up.

The Story

          So, if you have never heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender and are afraid to waste time watching two episodes of something that you may not even like let me give you a quick run down:

          As the introduction to each episode says the story takes place in a world divided into four nations: The Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads. Among the people in the world some have the capability to manipulate the elements (water, earth, fire, air). This technique is called bending. Now in order to keep balance among the nations there is a being that can bend all four of these elements and he/she is called an Avatar.

          There can only be one Avatar at a time in this world. He/she is born in a nation and is then taught the other elements and masters them. When the Avatar dies they are reincarnated into the next nation in the Avatar cycle. Besides being able to master all four elements the Avatar can enter the Avatar State which allows them to communicate with all the past Avatars and gain all their knowledge and experience for a short period of time. However, if an Avatar is killed in the Avatar State then the cycle will be broken and not being able to reincarnate into the next nation-the Avatar will no longer exist.

      Here is where this series begins. It starts with two siblings living in the Southern Water Tribe named Katara and Sokka who find a boy trapped in a huge ball of ice with his pet bison. Katara accidentally releases the boy in the ice whose name is Aang. Aang is an airbender and the next Avatar in the cycle. This is incredible news because no one has seen the Avatar in over 100 years! When Aang was 12 he was frozen in the ice and in his prolonged absence the Fire Nation rulers took advantage of the absence of the Avatar and rose to power stretching their empire all over the world.

          Now, that Aang has been released he must face his destiny and master all the elements so that he may put an end to the reign of the Fire Nation and restore balance among the nations.

A kid show that's not just for kids

            Posting that link brought back memories of my first time watching this show. It was actually my little brother who got me hooked. He kept raving on and on about this show he was watching in Nickelodeon and wanted me to watch it with him. I of course being the cool older sister had no time for such childishness but in the end when he caught the first episode playing I agreed to watch it hoping he would quit annoying me. I don't know about you guys but after that first episode I was enthralled. It wasn't at all what I was expecting! From the menacing Zuko to carefree Aang to the sarcastic and hilarious Sokka all the characters were interesting and I enjoyed watching the first episode a lot. I actually looked it up on the guide to see if they were going to play the second episode. 
         I finally caught up to my brother in the episodes and we began to watch it religiously. Luckily my brother and I get along great part of the reason being that if we find a series or a book that we love we become absolute nerds and we would have conversations on how cool it would be to have a flying bison or a kind and funny uncle like the former great general Iroh. Even putting aside characters for a moment and just thinking about being able to have the ability to bend elements sent our mind buzzing. We interact with the elements water, fire, earth and the air everyday and many of us do not realize how much we depend on them. Could you imagine living in a world like the one in this show where people are able to bend and manipulate these elements!? It sounds so cool!! Anyways, I'd better stop before I get too carried away. Yip Yip!
         

Every great show needs a beginning

          This blog is all about Avatar: The Last Airbender and why I enjoyed this show so much. 


Note: This is Avatar: The Last Airbender an animated TV show that aired on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008. It is NOT Avatar the movie directed by James Cameron that takes place on the planet Pandora. 


Yes, it may have seemed silly to point that out but I have had people that have never heard about the show think that I'm talking about that movie. Before I start telling you how awesome it is here is a link to a blog I found that has full length episodes of the show. If you have never heard of this show or have just never got around to seeing an episode here's your chance! This link has the very two first episodes and introduces some of the main characters. 

Book 1 Water: Chapters 1 & 2

If you have seen it then here's a refresher! I myself became very happy when I discovered this website and immediately abandoned the homework I was working on and proceeded to re-watch some of the episodes :).