Can a Oriental-themed anime be developed by Americans for Nickelodeon and still provide solid entertainment? Absolutely.
Avatar: The Last Air Bender: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3
| Overall |  |
| Story | | Acting |  |
| Production | | Features | |
Story: A vaguely Asiatic world is divided into four great nations, each distinguished by the form of elemental magic — the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom. A hundred years ago, the Avatar — a perpetually reincarnated master of all four elements, vanished without a trace, even as the Fire Nation set out on a campaign to conquer the world. In the present, a brother and sister (Sokka and Katara) of the decimated southern Water Tribe uncover a young Air Bender in an iceberg. It’s Aang, the reincarnated Avatar, whose job is now to restore balance to the world …
On one level, it’s pretty standard Campbellian Quest stuff. Aang must master the other three elemental powers, even while on the run from the Fire Nation and from an exiled prince of that land, Zuko, who seeks to restore his honor before his cruel father, the current Firelord. In so doing, he travels across the length and breadth of the world, discovering what’s happened, meeting new friends, fighting new foes, gaining in power even as he tries to figure out how to fight the most powerful nation, and bender, in the world.
That world is beautifully realized over the three seasons of the show, with characters, events, themes coming back again and again with nary a missed beat. Even as Aang goes on his own growth path, so does the young water-bender Katara, her often-but-not-always-comic-relief, warrior brother Sokka, and even the “bad guy,” the honor-seeking troubled teen fire-bender Zuko. They all have their own arcs, but the ever-growing cast around them — blind earth-bender Toph, Zuko’s increasingly-unbalanced psychopath sister Azula, Zuko’s buffoonish but resourceful uncle Iroh, and even the lesser lights than them, are far more than cartoonish caracatures. They’re characters the viewer loves to see come back again, whether to cheer or boo, for how they will interact with our heroes.
While there’s plenty of big magic battles, especially as the series concludes, the show is never about bigger and badder booms (though the exploration of how bending magic works, and the variations on the four simple elements, is always interesting). The tale is always, first and foremost, about the characters, and the decisions they make, and the growth that comes from it, good or bad. While there are clear story arcs (and the overall saga), there are plenty of stand-alone eps as well; as with many good shows, it’s sometimes difficult to tell at the time whether an episode is a one-off or whether a character or event will come back into play later on. There’s a good scattering of two- and three-part episodes as well, and the “Previously on Avatar” review moments before episodes are useful in reminding you of key players and past events.
There’s plenty of humor, low and high, but there’s plenty of drama (and melodrama) to be had as well.
And by the time it’s all over, it feels very satisfying.
The show was crated by Michael Dante DiMartino (Family Guy, King of the Hill), Bryan Konietzko (Family Guy, Invader Zim), Aaron Ehasz (The Mullets, Futurama, Ed).
Acting: The voice actors in the series are all good, and the regulars do an excellent job running the gamut from humor to drama to romance. The casting was done by the talented Andrea Romano, among others.
Of note was the actor Mako who voiced Uncle Iroh. He passed in 2006 away during production of the Book 3, and replaced with another actor (Greg Baldwin) who never quite matched Mako’s wry humor and compassion.
Production: The world and character design are lavishly done. The animation is almost always excellent, both in and of itself, and in providing a rich tapestry over the three series. While definitely of an anime style (complete with occasional anime conventions), the style is overall realistic.
In creating a portmanteau Asian-based world, the producers have pulled together lots of influences — cultural, religious, and martial. Indeed, the various “bending” styles are all based on various Chinese martial art forms, which gives each a very different and fitting feel.
The music is mostly done by Jeremy Zuckerman (known mostly for this show), and is well done, mostly Asian in mood but versatile across the wide variety of scenes in the movie. Themes are maintained for various characters or settings across the series, which is nice.
Features: There are special features on all the discs — both creator commentary tracks on key episodes, as well as some special features (e.g., on the martial arts forms used). The book sets also include bonus feature disks. Solid addition to the collections.
Overall: This is one of those series I would recommend to anyone whole-heartedly. Katherine has loved it age 6-9, but it’s kept Margie and myself well-entertained. My only regret with the time spent is that … it’s over. Until Katherine decides she wants to watch it all again (which, in aggregate, I think we’ve done twice).
Interestingly (or worryingly), M. Night Shyamalan (whose kids loved the show) is doing a three-film life-action adaptation. So expect that the series will continue to be in the news. Which, if for positive reasons, is a good thing.
Highly recommended.
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