DVD Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1

I remember running across Avatar on TV on Nick a few times, and finding it interesting but too obviously arc-driven to get into it without Kitten being enthused.   Recently Doyce got onto the bandwagon, and opined that, especially with our taking karate, we would really dig it.  So I went ahead and got the season 1 (“Book 1: Water”) DVD set.

Katherine was a hard case about actually starting it — but once we did start watching it together, she enjoyed it immensely, and I recently picked up the season 2 (“Book 2: Earth”) DVD set to continue.  Indeed, the biggest pain now will be waiting a whole year for the season after that!

 Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1 “Water” (2006)

Overall		Story
Production		Acting

Story:  ATLA is set in a pseudo-Chinese world of magic and mystery.  There are four great powers in the world — Air, Water, Earth, and Fire — with nations built around tribal specialties in magic to wield (or “bend”) each of those elemental powers.  Everything was in harmony until a century ago, when the Fire Lord decided to conquer the world — and, through brutality, discipline, major mojo, and forged iron technologies (meaning combustion-powered tanks and ironclad boats), largely doing so.  The Air nations have been wiped out, the Water ones largely crippled, and only the Earth nations survive to any extent.

Also a century ago, the Avatar — a reincarnation of someone who can bend all four elements — vanished.  Legend has it that the Avatar will return, to restore order and balance and all that good stuff.  Our story opens as a brother and sister of the Water nation — Sokka, a would-be warrior, and Katara, a would-be waterbender — discover the frozen body of Aang, a young airbender and the future Avatar, trapped in ice.  Now it’s a race against the clock for Aang to get trained up in all four elemental magics, pursued by various folks (mostly from the Fire nation) who want to stop him for their own purposes, all before the Fire Lord takes over the rest of the world.

The backstory of ATLA is rich and mythic.  The history is thought out, the ways that different magics work is detailed, the spirit world and related mythologies are an excellent blend of classic and original, and the story arcs for the saga and the individual characters are interesting and involved.  Though episodic, there is a definite sense of a great legend in the works, with each episode adding another brick.  And though there is usually a “moral” to each story, it’s only rarely preachy.

The main characters are interesting, all of them with personality, good points, and bad points.  There are a host of supporting characters as well, including some animals that avoid being too cute, and some bad guys who are not as bad as they seem (and others who are). 

The different strengths and weaknesses of each type of bending, how the movements (each inspired by a different school of Chinese martial arts) are done, and the imaginative ways that each nation’s magic can be used in peace and war are all marvelously executed.

The episodes themselves deftly blend humor with the serious issues of loss, war, self-discovery, discipline, loneliness, frustration, fear, duty, and belonging.  There are scary parts (at least for Kitten), but just as many laugh-out-loud moments.  In short, there is plenty here to entertain both a 7-year-old and someone some decades older than that …

Acting: The voice artists do a fine job here.  There’s nobody who particularly stands out (which is actually fine), and few of the voices are of “famous stars,” with the exception of the late Mako, who voiced Uncle Iroh until his death last year.  (Mark Hamill has voiced the occasional appearances of the Fire Lord.)

Production:  This is a gorgeous show, with smooth action, creative storyboarding, beautiful scenery and design, and excellent iconography that blends Chinese myth with its own unique touches.  Though obviously inspired by anime, the animation is designed in the US and executed in Korea, and is more realistic and approachable for American audiences than most anime.

The DVDs have a variety of extras on them, from some commentary tracks (in the final four episodes) to interviews with the creators and “designing the world of Avatar” short subjects.

Overall:  Triffic stuff.  I can’t recommend just starting to watch it — but now that there are DVD sets out, it’s definitely worth adding to your collection if you enjoy animation, anime, or myth.