Adapting Sokka's Sexism | Avatar The Last Airbender Netflix

[@johnsoniant]

What a breath of fresh air you are. In a world of hot takes, click bait headlines, and over the top panicking, it's nice to have someone take a breath, do some professional research, articulate their findings calmly, and provide context.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Aww! Thanks. I'm no shill, though. If they don't have Sokka at some point lose his mind on cactus juice, there will be major backlash from my end.

[@sovereignblastoise6767]

​@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS was the cactus juice scene part of book 2?

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@sovereignblastoise6767 yes. OMG, go watch it! It's so silly 😜

[@sovereignblastoise6767]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS I've seen it! One of my favorite shows! Im hoping for that's rough buddy 😂

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@sovereignblastoise6767 You know what I really want? I want a reenactment of that meme video someone made 15 years ago of Zuko Dance (look it up. Make sure you watch the original 15 year old one). Classic! Also, we better get The Boulder's fantastic split slide, courtesy of The Blind Bandit.

[@MsAkatsuki09]

I wish there were other KZbinrs like you, who knows how to read and actually understands what it's written.❤❤ I agree with 100% of what you said.

[@KingOfMadCows]

The Warriors of Kyoshi is the 4th episode of the first season. So it's not a long running character arc for Sokka. I think it would be more interesting if they focused more on Sokka's insecurities about how he's not a bender and not being able to contribute to the team as much.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I would also like more of a build-up to that moment in his story. But for season 1, I think the biggest thing for Sokka will be about him becoming a warrior (and starting to develop as a leader). For season 2, it will be about him becoming the leader of team avatar. Season 3 will be about him becoming a leader in the war. What a fantastic arc! I love Sokka!

[@rustyshackleford1062]

I concur because informing those insecurities to the audience was the whole point of him being 'sexist' to begin with. Him decrying domestic work as women's work and fighting as men's spoke to the fact that he couldn't be the big tough man who keeps war away from those he loved that he wanted to be, that the other men of his tribe were for him. His growth is in understanding that what he was ultimately doing was projecting his own weaknesses as strengths and dismissing his strengths as weaknesses. I don't think it is a coincidence that in the interim between the beginning and Sokka growing into the leader that he does in the end that he takes on the bulk of the 'domestic' work on their campaign, that he ends up being the logistics guy, who makes sure everyone has what they need, that their mount is taken care of and that they have a route to retreat when necessary, that he never becomes the front-line warrior keeping everyone else back from fighting but instead protects his hotheaded sister by being the guy that plans, that ruminates on their situation and is always there to keep them from being routed. His growth isn't to stop being sexist because he was barely sexist to begin with, his growth is accepting that the ideal world where men are strong enough to keep war from women and children isn't the reality of his world and that his sister will see war no matter what he does, that he is not strong enough and will never be strong enough to prevent that. So he adapts, and yes a part of that is to have humility and to ask the Kiyoshi warriors to train him so that he can become a better warrior. The larger part however is in accepting that he will never be the ideal warrior that he wishes he could be, and instead nourishing the strengths that he does have, his intelligence and his mind for numbers and logistics, and honing them to fulfill his core goal of protecting his sister not by replacing her on the frontlines but by always being there to cut a path for her to retreat to when things go wrong while simultaneously relying on and incorporating her battle strength into those plans. Sokka doesn't really change that much, he matures and learns to separate his ideals from reality in order to better accomplish his goals but his core drive remains pretty much static, he just stops projecting his own failings and learns to adapt.

[@SpaceTalon]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS Is the fact that you don't pay much attention to the abuse Sokka receives from Katara and later Toph. Or the fact that the women from the Southern Water Tribe do not seem grateful for the sacrifice of their brothers, husbands, sons, fathers, and grandfathers. Or the fact that when the Fire Nation arrives, they hide behind little boys. Have to do with your own sexism towards men?

[@veggiesnake4430]

@@SpaceTalon Well, first of all. Toph abuses everyone. It's not NOT toxic of her, but it's not really related to Sokka's sex. Katara, I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to? If you mean her berating, scolding, or slapping, then I wouldn't really call that abuse. That's more just Katara being motherly, albeit in an often overbearing and self-righteous way. It's also not NOT toxic of her, but it is her character, and her character is developed and analysed throughout the show. But saying that the women don't feel grateful for the sacrifice of their tribe's men is not really a fair argument. Those men went to war against a far larger and more advanced enemy. The women feel their sacrifice as a loss, not as a source of pride. And again, this is analysed in the show when Katara explains her anger towards her father for leaving her to go to war. This is how all the women feel, and it is a very human response. Their tribe was devastated not only by the Fire Nation, but by the men who chose to leave the tribe to go fight. People do not feel grateful when their families and communities are torn apart by war. Maybe nations and their leaders feel grateful, but individual people don't. They just feel grief. As for the "hiding behind little boys thing"; it just isn't true? In the actual episode, the children stand among the adults, and many cling to their mothers. They aren't pushing their infant sons forward expecting them to fight Zuko, not remotely. They're just standing in shock and fear. The only one who tries fighting is Sokka, because he's 15 at that point and neither Katara nor his parents are around to hold him back.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@@rustyshackleford1062 Well said!

[@IsraelLlerena]

It must be so frustrating to be a team member and have a vast amount of people hate on something that you know isn’t actually removed from the show. Glad they were able to tell you that it’s not removed.

[@TrollinFromFlask]

If you want to be technical they did actually remove part of it. So they did in fact removed something. Whether or not it takes away for the character has yet to be seen, so rn you'er just as one sided as the people complaining yet worse because you're also being a hypocrite for complaining about them making assumptions while doing it yourself.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@@TrollinFromFlask I'm not sure which comment you are replying to. I just hope the show is faithful. We will know when it comes out. 😊

[@IsraelLlerena]

@@TrollinFromFlask people are complaining it was removed weren’t seeing it right because they just said was toned down, people took words the wrong way when the interviews stated otherwise. I’m not someone that’s going to act like every change is perfect. I was going to be upset if they took the Pakku & Katara fight or if they take out the sexism from the northern tribe, but it doesn’t seem to be removed. I’m not sure what I’m assuming because I’m going by what the interviews say.

[@TrollinFromFlask]

@@IsraelLlerena I don't know the details myself, so maybe you are right but if they stated they "toned down" the sexism there's a pretty good chance they did that to be progressive. I'm also not sure of everything they said or in what order but couldn't the rest of what they said after just be damage control after the saying they are removing something.

[@IsraelLlerena]

@@TrollinFromFlask they never said they were removing it though. They cant do damage control for something they never said. They said they toned it down. Also the show is already progressive when showing women being strong warriors.

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

THANK YOU. Folks have been frustrating about this. How Kiawentiio (Katara) put it is "we removed HOW sexist Sokka was" to me it sounds like sexism is absolutely still there it's just not as incessant. Also some people have taken the toning down to mean that there's no sexism in the show at all but we still have Master Pakku to contend with who's like an Olympic gold medalist in chauvinism. EFFING LOVE your content!!

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

Hell yes.🎉

[@snowshock8958]

I love the analysis of that KZbinr. I discovered her recently thanks to her Avatar videos. She is awesome. Such a shame that her video is unfortunately not going to blow up, meanwhile the others negatives ones about Sokka get mainstream.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@@snowshock8958 I don't mind, that much. 😋 I think it'll be funnier when the show comes out and everyone has to backtrack. Lol. Actually, all these people might be setting themselves up to really love Avatar if it turns out to be even just an okay adaptation. Set your expectations low, and if it's even just "okay", it will seem amazing. Haha!

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

​​@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONSthey pronounce the names accurately and it doesn't take 17 people to move a pebble. It's already better 😂

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@@dresdenwarlock7978 Haha! I don;t like to crap on Shyamalan, who said in interviews he was overwhelmed and regretted taking on the project.... but yeah. That earthbender troop was.... ugh.... Almost as bad as "My brother and the princess became friends right away."

[@Tyln93]

Sokka’s sexism is literally how they found Aang!!! Katara got mad because of Sokka’s sexist remark and broke the ice glacier that freed Aang!!! How are they gonna play around that!!!

[@LovedLamb]

watched the first episode today, it was very badly executed imo cuz her bending the canu does not make sense to how she bended the ice.

[@TwistedSynn]

From the future not well that's how not well. They also toned down Kataras Motherly side, and Iroh's silly side, which lends to just how badass of a warrior he is when he get's serious.

[@azulabluewarrior]

Sokkas development is not inly being sexist its him becoming a great leader at the end feeling worthy cause he was surrounded by benders and he felt unworthy

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Yes! Come back for my Sokka Arc video when it comes out. I want to talk more about this.

[@stormdragon2529]

exactly! sokka is only being sexist in the cartoon for about 4 episodes then he completly grows out of it at the end of it. noone remembers sokka for his sexist part but for his leadership abilities, funny and sarcastic nature, skill as a non-bender and quick and rational thinking

[@pikapi6993]

Sokka lived his entire life without any benders (Katara was a bender, but she didn't know how to bend). The reason why Sokka became a bit sexist is because it's how things made sense his entire life during war times. He underestimated Katara, women fighting and bending, because from his perspective men would go to war, fight and protect, while the women stayed at home and cared for the children. And bending was magical nonsense to him (probably because of Katara's bending experiments). So Book 1 was about him learning not to put people into a box just because of their gender and to accept bending as a useful part of reality, that he can use for his strategies through team work. I don't think Sokka ever felt unworthy for being a non bender, just a bit useless. One of the best warriors he met were non bender girls, the kyoshi warriors. The difference is that Sokka was never trained to become a good fighter but had to improvise. Sokka was the only one who didn't have a long term teacher/ mentor, but was mostly self taught until Book 3.

[@tracim3080]

But that’s the ending of his ark. You can’t start at the end. He started as a little insecure kid that lashed out at women, because he was one of the only guys in his tribe, because all the men took off on him. He went from that to an extremely well minded leader, who understood how women could kick ass, and how to kick ass himself there’s no way for his character to really go at this .0 so now he’s just learning how to be a better leader that’s not a character arc that’s a skills development.

[@DJP-cy9qq]

He was sexist for 4 episodes 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@vanhelsing4927]

And thats good.

[@Retro-shru]

He was barely even sexist in those episodes too 🤣

[@blakelandry9313]

Actually, not in four episodes it was only in two he made one remark and episode one, and he made four remarks, and episode four

[@brianroman4114]

Let's not forget he's a boy.... Calling it sexism is giving it too much weight

[@lukeshioshio]

​@@brianroman4114 it's not too much weight. I was racist when I was a kid. Kids are stupid lol

[@itsjocelynpadua]

Thank you so much for this video. I've decided to completely stop watching videos/reading comments in regards to this topic because of how overdramatic people are. I've seen people say his character has been "assassinated" and the entire show is ruined and all this just pure nonsense. I found that it was dampering my excitement and optimism for the show. I wish people would just wait to see everything within its' full context before claiming a show is ruined and someone's character was "assassinated".

[@Shadowcat31]

well this video made me subscribe to you lol I had never seen your content before, I had just been watching Avatar Live Action "news" videos and you got suggested and when I saw the title I knew I had to watch! I have had this exact conversation about what it takes to convert Anime/Cartoon to Live Action with multiple people just itching to hate on this project with little to no prompting. The way you delivered and showed your points was so well done and so clear, and that sense of "Ok guys lets all take a chill pill here and breath, it'll be ok" that I got throughout the whole video without you actually having to say that was so well done!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha! Thank you. I'm actually very self-conscious in front of my camera and hate the way I talk (somewhat incoherent). I put a little extra work into this one and may have rerecorded segments of audio 6 or 7 times. 😅

[@AntoineBandele]

Well said! Bravo!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Thanks 😉 I do my best.

[@caigetompkins3759]

People are too spoiled these days. The biggest problem is that they don’t do real research. They see KZbin and TikTok they automatically think it’s truth. I love channels like yours because you actually know what you’re talk about and do actual research.

[@himenyx153]

I literally saw a three paragraph comment of someone incredibly upset that they aren't going to have a deadline for Sozin's comet. Their source was "I read it somewhere online"..... I actually face palmed. Like...the comet is in the trailer sooooo what do they think is going to happen? Obviously there is an exact date like I literally can't even articulate why that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard because it's THAT dumb. Also, NOBODY EVEN SAID THAT. They said they changed the date of the deadline because it's literally impossible for them to film all 3 seasons within a years time, so the HUMANS playing the characters are going to age. Like I just can't I'm so tired.

[@k1tsune_777]

Good thing the comet thing turned out to be true. They removed the whole deadline.

[@itsasquid]

You know what, this is a really solid and levelheaded breakdown on the whole issue!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Thanks 😉 I do my best.

[@Illousae]

I love the Avatarist's reaction. All he stated was "Ím not one to immediately jump on the bandwagon. I'm not calling this a bad change-yet. There is a chance Sokka goes through an arc that is just as satisfying..."

[@cupidok2768]

Y PPL HATE SEXISM IN A STORY. THAT'S NOT EVEN REAL AND HE LEARNED FROM SUKI. gross what's wrong with ppl nowadays

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I think it'll still be there, just not as cartoons. It'll be expressed less obviously. Sokkas actions and opinions will speak this sexism without him having to say "girls are better at blah and boys are better at blah" and without Katar having to call him "sexist" to identify the problem. Its actually better writing if the audience sees it as obvious without the characters spelling it out.

[@LovedLamb]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS oh man this did not age well. The first episode made sure to get rid of his sexism. When he called little boys to stay strong cuz he is going to make them warriors the live action added girls to it and made sure the camera focuses on them to show "hey Sokka ain't a sexist anymore" and Sokka acknowledged Kataras waterbending and everything which just proves that the writer does not believe in flaws and in characters having a redemption arc.

[@tracim3080]

But what’s satisfying about his change with the sexiest storyline was that it was showing that those things were wrong it was showing he was wrong when he thought those things it was taking on a social stigma. It would beyond the individual I don’t really give a shit if he has a different personal journey he’s gonna take us an ark. Ark was special because it’s not personal. This is something a lot of guys think and display and it’s very satisfying to see them get called out for it.

[@Kingcrimson_1456]

Finally someone with levelheadedness it’s rare to find that these days.

[@LilRedRasta]

Say it louder for those in the back!!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I would, but -6 decibels is the loudest I can go, since I made that a setting in my editing software 😋😅

[@07Flash11MRC]

I wanna say thank you for being one of the few social media video content creators who didn't completely lose their mind over a comment that was blown way outta proportion by other YT-ers who only get large amounts of attention whenever they play the "identity politcs" card, because (even unnecessary) outrage helps boost the algorithm in their favor. I feel like the example of the One Piece adaptation compared to the anime you used to get your point across fit this video well. I hope people will calm down and not let the rumors influence their opinion on the adaptation itself. Hopefully seasons 2 and 3 will get greenlit asap, because there are concerns about Gordon Cormier's age by the time we'll get to season 3 and he's supposed to be a school-aged kid. All I can do at this point is joke around that maybe we'll see fire college instead, because the actor might be an adult by the time filming is done.

[@jalcome4201]

one thing u forget is that while Sokka does a 180, his extreme stance is rooted in a bigger flaw with the water tribe. its later brought up again with Paku, the nothern tribe master. Pakus display patriachy is as severe as Sokkas. Hence Sokkas inital extreme stance is needed as a catalyst for that bigger commentary on the whole water nation to land

[@voxorox]

The Southern Water Tribe isn't the same as the Northern Water Tribe. The attitudes we see with Paku and the NWT are not on display anywhere in the SWT or with any of the SWT warriors we meet throughout the series. Hell, Bato (s1e15) is more than happy to help Katara hone her skills. As I've said elsewhere: The two are literally a world apart. Sokka's sexism is just childish arrogance.

[@shashasha98]

⁠@@voxoroxyup! The Southern Wtaer Tribe doesn’t have the same sexism as the Northern Water Tribe does, it’s Sokka’s line of thought, not his Tribe’s. Remember Hama? She was a Waterbending Master and there were even more female masters before the Fire Nation killed them off.

[@kokoro7996]

If I may put in my two cents. It is possible that the Southern Water Tribe did have the same sexist attitude as their sister tribe, but when the raids started, they had to let go of those views because they needed as many water benders as possible. The Northern Water Tribe had better protection, which sadly meant that they could afford to hold onto their sexist views.

[@iamai_iggs]

@@kokoro7996 I don't think the southern water tribe has the systemic sexism of its northern counterpart. gran-gran ran away from the northern water tribe and settled in the southern water tribe precisely because of that. she didn't escape the patriarchy of the northern water tribe to settle in the southern tribe if the customs were the same. in korra season 2, we even found out that the southern water tribe has departed heavily from the northern tribe customs. katara never learned of gender limitation regarding waterbending until she came to the north and was genuinely shocked by it, so that was not a thing for southern waterbenders. even if they had this sexist view before the war, there is no way the war erased all traces of that to the point where katara knew nothing of it, especially if waterbending is so interwoven to their culture.

[@flavortown6280]

​@@voxorox Exactly

[@happilyevernever4289]

But Sokka's sexism is not as outlandish or cartoonish in nature. It doesn't need adjusting like some of the anime gags do when they adapt it into a live action.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

When line delivery is not as colorful as in animation, and doesn't the support of exaggerated facial expressions, it might not play off as it is meant to in the moment. It's hard to say unless we see how it came off when they tried it. From the interviews, it sounds like they did and it didn't work so well. It wasnt prominent in Sokka consistently, anyway. In eps 1-3 of the animation, there was only one overtly sexist line (in ep1). Then we don't get sexism again until ep4, where it is stamped out of Sokka in the first 10 minutes. That points to his sexism only coming forth when his view of his own masculinity is directly challenged..... which we get when he meets the Kiyoshi Warriors.

[@rebel2191]

A lot of this makes sense, making it more realistic

[@ibg_music7525]

I'd love to see the sexism arc coming to full circle in the northern water tribe, with Sokka at least showing he's on Katara's side. Though I do want her to be the star of that whole ordeal. His personal arc in the sexism department gets mostly solved after kysohi island. But if it is extended so that it resolves at the northern water tribe, I'd love that. it'd make sense for his evolved views to be tested against the norm there. (Unless that's exactly what happened in the show and I'm just forgetting.) I do remember the sexism being an important hurdle for Katara in the north, but I don't remember if Sokka was involved.

[@Леголас03]

Whether it's sexist or not, I don't care. This is the truth😂

[@mighty_cff9341]

Bruh the show runner said “ Toning down the sexism since when did toning mean removing it. Some people need to read the entire articles instead of jumping into conclusions.

[@Kingcrimson_1456]

Welcome to the internet where people hear one thing and do no further research.

[@3self]

@@Kingcrimson_1456the irony of that lol if YOU did some research you would know that the OG creators left bc of creative differences , that they don't want to be part of it. Even wrote a long message to the fans. People aren't just jumping to conclusion, there been red flags. Think about it , the creators left bc the studio were changing the story so much , that they don't want to be part of it at allll , it was their dream to part of a proper adaptation of the show, them leaving says a lot, then comes the news that they are potentially changing a big aspect of one of the main character. People are not just jumping into conclusion.

[@Illousae]

​@@3self The original creators didn't even do that good for Avatar. All they really did was make S1. S2 and S3, which is the two best seasons, were mainly written by Aaron Ehasz . Korra, was written by Bryke alone, which was good, but wasn't as good as S1, or hell doesn't even compare to S2 and S3.

[@3self]

@@Illousae Korra was not good imo lol but you're missing my point, people arent just jumping to conclusions because of an article, there's been red flags, one of them being the creators leaving, another one is Netflix track record etc

[@mattimusprimal637]

@@Illousae When a showrunner says he can “improve on the original” source material (without the creators’ vision) is a red flag.

[@bookcloaks]

Yes, this take seems like one of the few sensible ones online. I started watching the animated series (2eps in) and the sexism is blatant, but so is the friction it creates, and in my view it’s so kids watching it would get what’s going on. I think a live action could tone this down just from the fact that the target audience is likely to be older, or even the original audience all grown up. But your points about animation being a caricature are spot on.

[@MrEffectfilms]

Glad to see someone actually thinking about this like a capable adult and not just assuming the worst. I only just found your channel this week but you've already proven you're not someone who chases controversies for easy content or will twist the truth for audience engagement. You also seem to know a thing of two about writing so much respect there. I think I'm gonna go ahead and sub, hopefully your stuff continues to be fun to watch. I definitely look forward to your thoughts on the Netflix series when it drops in a few weeks.

[@rustyshackleford1062]

When you assume the worst all of your surprises are pleasant, when you assume the best you pay for things you don't like and end up perpetuating them further. I'll continue to expect the worst but reward people who show those expectations to be wrong with my patronage all the same. Also declaring your perspective as "thinking like an adult" is rather childish generalizing in and of itself.

[@kwk111]

The thing is adults have limited time and energy to actually engage with news especially about entertainment and form a fully informed opinion. Try not to look down on average people.

[@MrEffectfilms]

@@rustyshackleford1062 When did I declare my perspective as thinking like an adult? I was referring to the fact that she actually did research on the quotes said and didn't just rush to make some juicy controversy videos. I thought that was clear. I enjoy being excited for things, I enjoy the hype. Keeping expectations low is good sometimes but I don't do that with everything, sometimes it's good to let yourself feel excited and be optimistic. There will always be things that will disappoint you but you can take those moments in stride and not let them hold you down instead of never getting excited again out of fear of being let down again. That's no way to live, at least not for me.

[@MrEffectfilms]

@@kwk111 or people can keep their opinions to themselves if they aren't willing to fact check before putting their thoughts out on the Internet. I'm not looking down on people by being critical, you put yourself out there then be ready for whatever comes.

[@rustyshackleford1062]

Who said I never get excited?@@MrEffectfilms When things like this genuinely do surprise me I genuinely get excited for them, I just choose to forego letting myself get hyped into financially supporting things that disappoint me in the end, I've been burned too many times that way. You seem to have a hard time seeing a perspective other than yours as legitimate, shown both by the "thinking like an adult" comment for when people agree with you as well as defining mine as "never getting excited again" and being "no way to live", simply attacking another's perspective as wrong doesn't prove it wrong, people have a myriad of inspirations for why they feel and act the way that they do and simply boiling it down to them not thinking maturely or living miserable, joyless lives is a very narrow way of looking at things that doesn't bode well for growth or understanding which is at the heart of why I disagree with you about the broader subject matter because I fear that Sokka's very nuanced road from being narrow-minded young man struggling to make sense of a world that puts an undue burden of responsibility upon him to a well-traveled, understanding young man who can rely on others, men and women both in order to help him with those responsibilities will itself be lost to the generalizing concept of "sexism bad, strong women good". I'll gleefully pay for and watch every second of this series the second my fears are proven wrong though...but only when they are proven wrong.

[@drchtct]

I watched the show when I was 10 and now with 26 rewatched it. When I heard the sexism I was like "ugh, that's a bit cartoony, we get the point, isn't there a more subtle way to show instead of telling like an 8 year old?", so I'm not surprised they took that and made it less cringe. Good change.

[@Torresgamingchannel]

Very well articulated and you make a lot of sense. I'm willing to step back and see what they want to do with this. I'm binging your videos while I work, great content!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha! Thanks. I was still figuring things out with the old stuff. Be merciful 😋

[@GlowmaticBikes]

So many of our beloved movies and TV shows have been destroyed in the past few years, it is no surprise we have become so sensitive to every detail. As much as I hate it, our reaction is the only way to stop it from happening. On a positive note, all of this drama has shown me just how amazing the original series is. There are layers and layers I had never noticed before. Thanks for all you do!

[@blakelandry9313]

Yeah, but also people are just not really reading the articles. They’re also just making up stuff just to start controversy.

[@GlowmaticBikes]

After Star Wars, Star Trek, WoT, Rings of Power, Cowboy Bebop...I read the article, it was concerning. Not here to argue with you though, this is not twitter :p

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I recommend watching Hello Future ME. Best Avatar video essays on the writing that I've ever seen. ❤

[@goldenigma5840]

now that the show is out i feel like they cut it down way too much. I can see where theyre going with Sokka having more of a superiority complex than blatant sexism and I think it could have been really good. Then came Suki, in my opinion Suki's character was completely trashed by the lack of sexist Sokka. Her strong independent, warrior personality has been completely overshadowed by "being sokka's girlfriend". Quite ironic that in pursuit of being less sexist, the writer has unintentionally perpetuated one of the most sexist tropes for female characters

[@IsraelLlerena]

!!!!! Yes!! I thought the sexism could’ve been replaced with a superiority complex like in the beginning of the live action, but it falls apart when suki comes in, then suki gets all thirsty for Sokka. Like dry desert type of thirsty. Didn’t like it, they could’ve done a better job.

[@absol1975]

THANK YOU! This whole thing has frustrated me so much. You've hit all the points that I think matter.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

The show will speak for itself. Fingers are crossed that it speaks well and faithfully.

[@absol1975]

@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS exactly. I missed that they were only reducing the sexism, but even if it was gone there's no need to freak out. The important part of Sokka's story is that A) he has a inflated sense of self worth; B) the Kyoshi warriors bruise it; C) Sokka reflects, sees that he was wrong, and shows humility and personal growth. None of those points require sexism to be the personal flaw Sokka overcomes in this arc. He can still have the same character growth with a different flaw.

[@Ira_Ross]

To a non-viewer, "toning down the sexism of the cartoon" implies the cartoon has consistent and onerous sexism staining it. It tarnishes the reputation of the series. I guarantee the initial articles were written by people who probably never saw the show but saw this as a cultural win for "progress." That in turn inspired the watchdogs who call out undemanded "modern audience" changes in beloved franchises.

[@eradict]

Except it doesn't. There's nothing to tone down. I'll concede it's not PC though. That is to say, they're not toning down the sexism, they're ramping up the political correctness. edit: I thought you were FOR those changes.

[@Epok17]

Omg thank you for being one of the few KZbin channels that approach this topic like a mature adult. 80 percent of the videos out are grifting on “woke discourse” to get knee jerk responses. Thank you for being a normal adult lol.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Aww. Thanks 😊 As people will know from my channel... I am not a fan of a lot of modern trends, but my focus will always be stories and how they are best told.

[@himenyx153]

Finally. Somebody using their brain and not acting completely unhinged.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. I understand the fear. That clip of the old man racing out the door was a pretty accurate representation of how I felt. But it didnt take long to read the article and roll me eyes at myself. 😋

[@arnowisp6244]

We live in a Time where Fans are Bait and Switched (He man) or Betrayed (Star wars) Its normal to expect the Worst because the Worst happens frequently.

[@davidreynolds5936]

I have been saying almost exactly this, but it was just my speculation on what the actors said. It is nice to hear it confirmed.

[@stacie1595]

My biggest frustration is people passing judgement on the show before it even comes out. Like "they took out all the sexism!" HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT! NOBODY HAS SEEN THE THING YET!

[@Kingcrimson_1456]

Welcome to the Internet

[@lovelylife3012]

Right !

[@3self]

Nobody ? I mean the literal creator of the show leaving production/ shows says A LOT. Go look up there response, they left there dream bc it was that bad. people are not just judge outta no where.

[@lovelylife3012]

@@3self No it doesn't there are tones of reasons to leave a project.

[@3self]

@@lovelylife3012 they explained there reasoning tho ...

[@rporche2600]

Thank You for this needed to be said

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

You're welcome 😘

[@usagi77777772003]

Thanks for your well thought out response to these rumors: I hope what your sources tell you is true and the live action adaptation turns out decent. We'll see once the show airs...

[@johnmivule-novabow8143]

I barely remember him being sexist in the original show lmao. I hope Netflix keeps the sexism cuz its part of Sokka's growth.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Same!

[@Luey_Luey]

thank you for this! I had to cut myself off from most avatar-related media because so much of it is just overflowing with negativity and criticism over something that hasn't even released yet. i want to watch the show first!!!

[@TheNicMMc]

This video is going to age like milk.

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

I think it’s also cause the story is more streamlined. Him being sexist for 3/4 episodes and then being better means we like him. If we see sokka heavily sexist as our first intro and then changes by episode 2 it’s going to feel off based on the 8 episode run.

[@blakelandry9313]

Heck in the original show, he was only sexist in two episodes episodes one opening episodes four he says it during the beginning so yeah, they are definitely going to have to make it more streamlined because that’s extremely short

[@billylilblini]

Yeah... They are not faithfull at all to the spirit of ATLA. They dont seem to have understand what make it populaire in the first place. I must insist that I just saw the first episode of the live version. (So I dont bullshit in the void) And... it is bad... Sokka sexism is inexistant ! Maybe it change in the second episode. But in the first, there is none. Things have been tuned down so much, it sucks... honestly...

[@IsraelLlerena]

I’m so glad the Pakku vs Katara is still there!! It’ll be so satisfying !

[@TheVisionaryLeo]

5:15 -5:52 - THANK you, this is what's im saying. people are up and arms about his sexism arc, but fail to realize it was so done and over with in a blink of an eye after suki beat him up in front of the other girls. In live action, that'll look silly , it needs some build up, be more grounded,. Maybe sokka wouldn't automatically chnage his way that episode in the show, but rather ponder, "maybe i had it all wrong" and then the show can actually SHOW his chnages through his behavior to katara and other girls/ women in the show. Especially when we get to Yue.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Well said. And I like your ideas. 😊

[@happilyevernever4289]

All of that doesn't mean it's toned down tho. It just means y'all feel like giving it a breathing room will look better in live action, which is fine. The fact that they said TONED DOWN tho, sounds incredibly suspicious to me. As if they're doing Shamalan levels of mistake.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@happilyevernever4289 That was only one of the two options I gave in my video, and I conclude with believing that the other option of toning down is the better of the two so less change has to be made to the rest of his arc.

[@barryvercueil2346]

I really appreciate your analysis and comparison to how One Piece toned it down a bit. I had no idea this was an issue. 😅 looking forward to the show.

[@Anonymous-yh4ol]

Everyone should watch this and your other videos. You seem to be the only person on KZbin, social media, the internet,... that gets it. And can better enlighten and guide. Especially when content creators have so much influence and power. And it has seemed like nothing but haste and ignorance has run rampant ablaze and perpetuated causing people to spiral and ruin what could potentially be a great enjoyable experience for themselves. And robbed from others.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Lol. Thanks. I'm trying to be rational.

[@thesis-and-nieces6722]

You know the double standards of the fact that sexism is quickly judged from women on men in these episodes, but will ignore the toxic feminism, and yes sexism of the main characters (azula, katara)

[@KaypainBeats]

My thing is people act like Sokka's sexism cant be better written. Its like they want to hear the same dumb jokes from the show. Its not even top 10 of the traits that mattered to me from Sokka. If we being honest, he was the weakest link in the first season. It wasnt until Book 2 we started to see Sokka grow as a character. From seeing him reunite with his father, and discovering the Fire Nation's weakness with the eclipse.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I agree. I think this is one of the greatest kid's epic fantasies of our time, but it is not flawless.

[@kcastless]

Watched this this morning did not expect to see all of the avatar updaters and Reddit talking about what you said 😂

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Say what? People are talking about my video? For real, are they? Where?

[@chirayudesai793]

TikTok and Twitter users are not gonna like a well articulated nuanced video that genuinely has valid points! Feb 22nd all will be revealed lol

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

We all have our fingers crossed that this ends up being as good as we hope. 🤞🏻

[@chirayudesai793]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS Absolutely, this franchise needs a win!

[@omotaraibiloyetwentyninete6279]

The overwhelming negative reaction to those quotes just told me a lot of people who didn’t want a live action had been waiting for an opening to pounce because when I saw the sexism quote..it was obvious they were only toning it down

[@rustyshackleford1062]

My issue with that is what exactly does 'toning it down' mean? It isn't like Sokka was ever some raving lunatic incel demanding that women be chained up barefoot in the kitchen, he was at the start of the show an inexperienced child just barely too young to throw his life away in battle like the vast majority of his tribesmen had already done, feeling immense guilt of his own ineffectiveness and determined to protect the women and children of his tribe at whatever personal cost because in the absence of the aforementioned warriors that responsibility traditionally fell to him and he did everything in his power to live up to those responsibilities up to and including adapting and learning whenever the trappings of those traditions proved detrimental to the noble goal (talking strictly of the southern Tribe, yes the Northern went a little cartoony with their traditions at times because they were meant as a foil for Katara) they were designed to uphold, which he maintains throughout and never falters from even while simultaneously realizing that well-intentioned or not some of those traditions were ill suited for the task and needed to be adapted and changed in order for him to be capable of preserving them at all. Sokka from the very beginning of the series was a young man under a massive amount of stress from a tribe being effectively subjected to ethnic cleansing, starting out as a traditionalist due to his sheltered nature he quickly adapts to a world that won't abide by them, and manages to discard parts of the traditions holding him back in favor of maintaining the key, core goal for which they are designed, namely protecting women and children. I think the fact that he is also a comedy relief character oftentimes makes people forget how hard Sokka actually had it, and that his comic relief was a duality of both genuinely wanting to lighten the burden of those around him and a coping mechanism for his own burdens. while Katara's arc was all about her fighting against tradition Sokka has a mirrored arc where he has to come to terms with the reality that he is ill-equipped to the point of being completely incapable of living up to the expectations that those self-same traditions place upon him and find other ways to succeed. Having Katara be a bender and him not is the perfect catalyst to this, as it forces him to rely on his sister's strengths in order to protect her like he wants, Katara's drive to prove herself and master bending and change tradition compliments Sokka's drive to uphold the ultimately good and well-meaning parts of that tradition by becoming a compitant leader capable of guiding his people out of harms way so that ultimately the two manage to preserve good ideas and adapt the bad or flawed with new, a duality of conservation and progression that is one of the most impressive feats I've ever seen in a children's show. Ultimately I worry that "toning down the sexism" will end up meaning stripping it of all of that nuance and making Katara/women empowerment unambiguously right and Sokka/noble traditonalism unambiguously wrong because Sokka was never really all that sexist to begin with that I can recall in the series, just inexperienced, overstressed and overburdened and I worry that all that character growth will be undercut. Ultimately I'll be happy to be proven wrong, this video gives me hope that I will be but I'll air on the side of caution because far to often whenever things like this are "toned down" in new adaptations what that means is more that they are stripping out the nuances that made the character and their growth so great, flaws and all. Far from "waiting to pounce" I would love for this series to be a faithful adaptation and incorporate all of that into itself but Sokka and Katara's struggles with traditionalism were an impressive tightrope for the original show to walk and I just worry that the new writers are setting themselves up to fall off of it here.

[@Ahreigh]

I think deep down most fans are extremely scared of another Shyamalan disaster and are keeping expectations as low as possible so not to be hurt again… it all started when M&B left

[@goddessofchaos2679]

Yeah tell that to the creators of the show who left exactly for these changes . Yall celebrating and saying ppl are overreacting when that’s not true we all know why they did this to appeal to how soft and sensitive idiots on the internet aka Twitter. Frankly don’t understand what character development is AT ALL! There willing to change sokka growth which is way more important then yall realize. What else did they change we can already tell they made the decision to make azula way more screen time and it’s unnecessary. The creators of the show warned us and the fanbase TRUE FANBASE now know what Netflix is willing to do once again to butcher something they clearly don’t care for.

[@omotaraibiloyetwentyninete6279]

@@goddessofchaos2679 lmao They didn’t leave for those reasons at all In fact by the time they left they had written about 3 episodes And they still stayed on as consultants The irony of the reason the creators left contrary to what people actually believe is that they actually wanted to change a lot more, but Netflix actually didn’t want to take that risk and wanted to stay closer to the source material and on top of that the creators were offered control to a new studio to help them continue in the direction of the animated series which they are working on now, so things just aligned well for them But since these news came out, a lot of people are claiming the creators left because of changes, which is false, but a convenient reason to use in arguments, whereas they are just pulling blanks for the sake of proving a point

[@Ahreigh]

@@goddessofchaos2679 bro the majority of people complaining about the changes are on twitter lmao

[@Sly-Moose]

I got bad news

[@Aang_L._Jackson]

it is so painful to witness, I just wish I could unsee the live action... there's no wow-factor... no emotion... no chemistry... nothing that can make it memorable like the og show... it's astoundingly depressing, becuase i can't unsee this abomination... Gyatso, the greatest airbender in the world, didn't even put up a fight that lasted more than ten seconds... In the original show, Gyatso was surrounded by the bodies of almost a platoon of firebenders... Bumi is portrayed as a salty, dumb old man who blames his 12-year-old friend (a literal child) for running away instead of a nutty yet very wise and understanding old friend who gives guidance to Aang to be a better Avatar... Katara is supposed to be the most mature of the group, very headstrong, brave, and sturdy like a rock. Yet she's also caring and maternalistic, like a mother. She's a very remarkable female character who has faith in everyone and never refuses to turn her back on people who need her. I say everybody should have a sister or even a mother like Katara. That is how brilliant Katara's character is. Not a submissive little sister who needs to be looked after by her big brother, like how they portrayed her in the Netflix Live Action. Airbending seemed okay, but a lot more improvement is needed to show the full potential of airbending (not good enough). Earthbending doesn't have any solid martial art choreography and stance that makes it look like Earthbending. It just looks like people using telekinesis to chuck rocks at each other, like Magneto in X-men. Appa should have more character, as he's a very important member of the team that carries the whole gang on his back throughout the entire show. By the way, I didn't know Momo died because I didn't care to watch more episodes of Netflix's Live Action bullcrap... I am actually fuming at the showrunners right now 😠👿.

[@TheNicMMc]

I knew this whole thing with Sokka was blown out of proportion. I'm 100% for making changes from the original for certain adaptations to work. It would have come across as so jarring if they had certain things from an animated show and this is just one of them.

[@blakelandry9313]

It’s not just that now apparently in the ign article people are upset because it says ang gets a vision in the first episode about the comet and they know that they need to go at a certain destination so people think literally his arc is removed, but if they read through more of the article, it says they didn’t touch his ark or ruin it and if they watch the trailers and character videos, they would know so it’s obvious they don’t care they just want to hate they want something to be mad at

[@TheNicMMc]

@@blakelandry9313 I am very convinced that right-wing people are using this as an excuse to vent.

[@kwtherandomchannel7177]

THANK YOU!!!!! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING INSANE!!!!! Thank you for showing the truth!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. The truth will out. Also, we will know if it's good or bad when it comes out, so no reason to lose our minds until then 😜

[@kwtherandomchannel7177]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS Exactly! Can’t wait for the show!

[@bartimaeusofuruk9681]

Preach, sister! It was absolutely wild for me to watch people lose their minds over this.

[@jacobmelanson3210]

Is it still wild now that you know they were right?

[@bartimaeusofuruk9681]

@@jacobmelanson3210 Eh, nope? The arc is clearly still there, it's just more suble. Sokka starts from a lower degree of sexism, but he's still "I'll show you how it's done" towards Suki until she wipes the floor with him in the forest. He runs of, but he comes back to her and learns from her. They end the episode with mutual respect, having fought side by side. But he didn't say the sexist lines, no.

[@KEEPITPLAYERR]

I believe the show is going to blow everybody mind ! Can’t wait

[@lovelylife3012]

And shut the doubters up

[@KEEPITPLAYERR]

@@lovelylife3012 💯💯

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Our fingers are crossed!

[@jacobmelanson3210]

Definitely made me want to blow my mind lol

[@SummitSummit]

Good editing on the repeat of Luffy slapping Koby. You cut it together so well, it looked like Luffy was repeatedly slapping Koby while they talked. By the end it was feeling really egregious, really nailing your entire point.

[@xYalahx]

I think your point about anime being a characterization is spot on and is often (most often?) overlooked. Further, that fact needing to be considered when making an adaptation is an excellent point (and your entire video does a good job of supporting why the change would/might be made for that reason). The One Piece example is solid. That being said, I am of the belief that very small changes can make a very big change in outcome. Part of the reason I do not watch any live action remake is simply because there is no way to fully adapt from that characterization to a "real" setting. The inherent "magic" of a characterization cannot be translated. Something is always lost. (This is a similar concept to the challenges facing a text to visual adaptation.) Ultimately, I think people will have to wait and see to know if the changes were good or not. (And that it's totally reasonable to expect people to wait and see rather than prejudge based on what a child says.)

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I agree with all your points here. Small changes can make a big difference. This is where the writing is so important. Changes will have to be made, but we want them to be the right changes.

[@galacticagamer2000]

and this is why some actually most animated TV shows or movies should not be in live action it just doesn't work...

[@Coldlighting]

Finally!! I don't understand people, sometimes they just want to be mad for nothing.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I am going to call it "peopling". Lol. Its just.... gah!

[@Coldlighting]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS hahahaha fr!

[@Ledpooplin55]

They toned down Sanjis unhealthy obsessive fawning over women in One Piece. It was the right move. I have not heard any OP fan complain about the toning down of this part of Sanji.

[@SuperGakman]

I feel that Sokka’s change being so quick isn’t so bad because he had never been confronted with anything like that before. People in real life can change quickly when they end up in a situation they had never imagined before. Sokka is also young. Younger people can change faster.

[@jlinus7251]

I like this change. Animation is good to express things in a more cartoonish manner. But not in live action more serious tone😊

[@mattimusprimal637]

Hollywood loves to use sexism towards women to make men as bad. But Sokka’s sexism arc gives him growth to his character (learning his sexist viewpoint is wrong) and became a warrior. Which’s a positive message for men, and Hollywood doesn’t want that.

[@chudiarys]

someone said 'Ironically with them trying to defang Sokka’s sexism, they made Katara’s story more sexist' and I agree 100%

[@emmalarson]

I'm so glad I found this! This explanation makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER!

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I know. I was totally on the freak out train as a knee-jerk reaction. But a little fact-checking and thinking through the matter calmed me down right away.

[@wizardwoz9831]

So glad you presented this!

[@denisedarland3345]

I am so glad to see my favorite KZbin Avatar people coming out against this WILD overreaction to the whole sexism thing. I mean, people were losing their minds. GROWN MEN like totally upset that this character who is supposed to be just a kid still is not going to be sexist. It was so extreme how people were acting. But you, and a few others are actually being voices of reason. Thank you. So much. It just felt like everybody was suddenly actively wanting this show to fail before they even saw it... jumping to wild conclusions with very little to go on. And I just felt all along like it was going to end up being not that big of a deal.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

The sensitivity is understandable.... but putting your initial, reflexive reaction forever on KZbin... 😬

[@mranima748]

1:14 never realised until now how much Tolya looks like Sokka

[@YouYubeEnjoyerNum1]

What about Katara's "gender issues" that the showrunner had talked about being changed? That's integral part of Katara's characters, and if that's changed then it's gonna be completely different. For me, that's far more worrisome than any Sokka thing.

[@yewknight]

It has been a while since I have seen the original. What gender issues did Katara have?

[@YouYubeEnjoyerNum1]

sexism in water tribe; her being the mother of the group.@@yewknight

[@yewknight]

@@YouYubeEnjoyerNum1 I missed that change amongst all of the noise about Sokka, thank you. Brother and sister both had to deal with the strict gender roles of the water tribe. It will be a shame if the adaption tries to insulate us from the way Sokka grew and Katara had to struggle to be recognized as a bender and warrior.

[@kryv1207]

Again, another great video! Can you speak on the new thing about Aang's detours? I feel it's another ridiculous thing blown out of proportion and would love to hear a real critical thinker's understanding of what was said.

[@blakelandry9313]

They literally say in the same article that they’re going to keep him as a goofy kid who plays around I don’t know why people are acting like that’s not in the article it’s literally right after they say, and gets a vision they’re just moving point that was in the middle of the original series into the beginning

[@kryv1207]

@@blakelandry9313 I swear people just read one part of it and don't read the rest.

[@satana8157]

I knew that they said they were toning it down and not removing it, but it still frustrated me. Because Sokka had 3 episodes of sexism and nothing else. It wasn't bad or offensive because it was quickly removed. But the fact that showrunners thought it's soo bad that they have to "tone it down" is a bit of a red flag to me. What if more "woke" stuff, for lack of a better term, is going to be in store? What if female characters turn into Mary sues? Now I don't judge things until I see them so I will wait and see it first. I'm actually mad that they even talked about it. I can guarantee that if they kept their mouth shut, nobody would even notice or care. But they had to talk about it for some reason and everybody is going to be hyper sensitive about it now. I still have very high hopes for it and I think its success will lead to more and better anime to live action adaptations in the future and more Avatar content which is always a good thing.

[@TofuReacts]

More people need to see this video 😬! People are so quick to judge things and not even thoroughly read the entire interview! They just blindly follow what media selectively picks out to cause a stir 🥲

[@danielkennedy8355]

I'll have to see it. I want a live action humbling.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I'll have to see it too. 😋 This was more of a critique on the overblown reactions to something taken out of context. Haha

[@loe87]

I never really considered that the change would be gradual and throughout the season, but now I absolutely adore the idea. Even though you'd have to add a good bit throughout the season to get to that point, I think you could really do a lot with him when he realizes he has to change and step in when his sister won't be taught in the Northern Water Tribe because of her gender. He's very defensive of her otherwise, but in the animated series, he kind of didn't do much when that stuff was going on? Along with some smaller moments in the episodes between, I think getting to that point at the NWT would be a really great way to stretch out his arc for a full season. Think about it, if they go the conventional route and "fix his issue" so to speak by episode 2, what's he got left to learn for 6 more episodes? It makes more sense to establish his problem in episode 1, and have him work through it like any other logical character arc. Realllllyy hope they do this.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha! I love the idea of gradual change, too. It definitely would mean mkre changes to his character interractions than just toning down his sexism at the start. And I think it would go over less favorably with fans. 😬

[@mattimusprimal637]

10:27 Video aged like milk! All the so-called 'gossip' was true, and your "source" lied to you.

[@DmGray]

Just wanted to add some positivity to your feed. Loved your take. Fear that an adaptation will water down or ignore original themes (even minor ones) is understandable, but exploring and explaining why adaptations NEED to make alterations is always interesting and somewhat necessary. Not just for critics of adaptations, but ALSO for avid defenders of BAD adaptations who need to understand that the criticism doesn't come from a place of hatred. People don't EXPECT exact copies of the original and most understand that this will often make the adaptation worse... but an *appreciation* of the original and an understanding of WHY certain alterations are made benefits everyone. All too often those changes are made to serve an agenda, rather than the story and characters. This will tend to be rather obvious, whether or not people want to admit it.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Thank you! Yeah, I think it's always hard nor to criticize changes to an IP you love. I struggle with it, sometimes. Hopefully I can make sound judgements and separate those from my personal preferences. 😋

[@Ethia9]

Version 1 of the two paths mentioned would make sense. Highlighting the sexist view of “women can’t be warriors” would then mirror poetically the trials Katara has to face in the Northern Water Tribe

[@lovelylife3012]

I can't wait for this show to be released and see all these angry fans get humbled seeing how ridiculous they were acting.The team really seems like they care about the animated show and it just pains me to see them getting attacked by these people😔

[@3self]

I hope so but .... the literal creator of the show left. That says a lot.

[@IsraelLlerena]

@@3selfI don’t think it means much. The original creators were on the 2010 live action movie. There’s videos of them on set saying they can’t wait for people to see it

[@lovelylife3012]

@@3self Not really we don't know what went on behind the scenes. Plus they got avatar studios around the same time.

[@3self]

@@IsraelLlerena there's a big difference though, this time around they were heavily involved in the writing, that's why a lot of people had good hopes for the show, but then they left , go look up what they said is there reasoning on why they left, it means a lot imo.

[@3self]

@@lovelylife3012 we do know why they left tho ..

[@jeremyvanneman8112]

I really like this perspective! I appreciate your videos, because they definitely hype me up for the show - and I had been really looking forward to it until all of the negativity, click-bait, and fear-mongering had me hesitating. It's nice to be reminded that those stories are just that, and there's much less reason to worry than they're putting forward. So, I'm part of a group on facebook that tends to have some less considerate, more troll-y individuals. Those individuals have generally over-hyped the fear mongering that Avatar is going to be horrible and constantly changing everything to the "woke" messaging they particularly fear. As a disclaimer, the actual purpose of the group is to call out poor quality writing in media, which lately in media has tended toward that messaging (poorly written "girl bosses," the "every man is a fool, a villain, or a tool for women" trope, diversity is paramount over story and logic, etc) - hence those less compassionate individuals flocking to the criticism. I was considering sending this video to the group to quell some of the concerns that the less frustrating individuals have, but I wanted to get your go-ahead first. I know those groups can quickly turn into a bombardment of the worst type of commentary on the internet, and I didn't want to send that your way unless you were ready for it and willing to accept those video views along with sharing your thoughts with those whose minds you may actually change.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I have no intention holding back if I see crappy storytelling choices in this adaptation, but I have to see if they happen at all, before I'm going to make a judgement 😋 The show will speak for itself, and when it does, I'll be listening.

[@jeremyvanneman8112]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS absolutely! That's a big part of what I love about your videos. They're balanced - not in artificially calling attention to both good and bad things to make everything seem mediocre, but calling horrible adaptations horrible, and calling good adaptations good with reasons for each (and giving credit where it's due, or criticizing details without spending much time on it because of the overall impression). Are you cool with me sharing this video with that group?

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

@@jeremyvanneman8112 lol. It's on a public platform. You can share it with whoever you want 😉 It's not like I can stop you. Haha!

[@myfaceismyshield5963]

Honestly it's a good way to show character growth other than just the overused tropes of "this character was cowardly but now they're brave", "this character was lost but now they found meaning", or the one I hate the most: "this character was depresses but they pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and got going again." "This character was a naïve child who thought sexism and machismo make sense, but then learned and realised that women can be just as brave, strong, smart and skilled as men." That's character growth that not only makes sense in the story, but also sets a good example. You don't need to understand everything about life when you're a child, but you need to learn it before you can be called a sensible adult.

[@AbdulGhadere]

That’s a good review right there I’m glad to get a review from your perspective however I think you didn’t address the main reason why Sokka is considered as sexist in the original series it’s about a young boy left with the burden to protect his village at the age of 13. I don’t think he’s as sexist as people assume it’s based on his views and how grew up as boy. I think the original series did a good job toning down Sokka’s sexism since he didn’t actually hate women they would have focused more on the solution of sokka being sexist

[@No.School.dk_Colur]

I KNEW IT AND I AGREE

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha. Thank 😊

[@e-nev]

Thank you so much for this! I can't believe how many people are jumping on the hate train because of a single quote and making snap judgements before it's even out. When I heard they were "taking out Sokka's sexism" I didn't even care since it lasts like two seconds in the original show, but man...apparently everyone else was willing to die on that hill.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I think it's about fear of something they live being misrepresented. I totally get it.

[@AustinSamson1999]

As somebody who was a child as ATLA originally aired it’s been my favorite franchise for pretty much my ENTIRE life but I’m NGL even I had a knee jerk reaction to some of these changes announced, and I think I’ve come to realize ALOT of it has to do with the TRAUMA from the film 😭🙌 like seeing this story that means so much to me be BUTCHERED in that way has made me kinda protective of them so hearing these changes at first kinda comes with a defense mechanism if that makes sense? After consideration tho These changes REALLY excite me, I’ve ALWAYS never liked how aang just took “vacations” in the cartoon. yeah he’s a kid but it’s SO F’d up to take a beach day for NO REASON when the world is experiencing ACTVIE Genocide💀😭 Unfortunately theres a lot of negativity for this production still and People honestly just need to chill. I TRULY believe this is gonna be good 🙏🏻 and while I do wish they still could have been involved with this show just knowing that Mike and Bryan are currently creating some animated movies that I KNOW are gonna be PHENOMENAL the future is looking bright for ATLA fans ☺️

[@asozialesnetzwerk]

Honestly this is just a showcase example of media illiteracy on so many levels: First people being unable to read more than a headline. Secondly people being unable accept that whatsoever it wouldn't make sense to use exactly the same sort of humour that may have played out well in cartoon in a real life adaptation with actual human beings... So thanks for your video

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

You are welcome. And yes. Sometimes, people can be so.... people.

[@moracansan6131]

The sexism arc happens for only the first 4 episodes. Ffs ppl

[@harleaarmstrong7659]

That makes sense. Otherwise, it would feel about as dramatic as Kdramas can be. Taking anime and translating it fully into live action. It disspells the illusion of this being a fantasy world, and it feels more like a play on stage with some crazy effects and a green screen.

[@EchanteDante]

I think Sokka in the cartoon was was too obviously sexist that it wouldn’t work in a live action it would feel really silly and almost like a joke. And I don’t think they want to make a joke about something like that.

[@real_dirty_dan]

Exactly. It wouldn’t feel as organic or natural. The way Sokkas sexism played out originally fit the shows cartoon style/format. It wouldn’t fit a long-form, live-action show

[@jacobmelanson3210]

Are you gonna do another video about this? Because they absolutely removed the sexism from him lol.

[@Nicholsonofficial]

I hate that the actors are getting heated

[@blakelandry9313]

Same it was the same with one piece though where people were harassing creators and actors, because oh my God, my favorite shows getting adaptation and things are changing

[@Pillarofcreation1]

I think many fans of the original animated series would like the show to retain it's over the top qualities even in a live action adaptation. I like the comparison to Luffy punching Koby, but that is a much smaller character moment in comparison to Sokka and the Kiyoshi Warriors, and thus toning it down is more acceptable. You could also compare Sokka and Nami in the "help me" scene, which was adapted extremely faithfully in terms of Nami's actions. I don't think the Kiyoshi warriors scene is quite on that level of importance, but it still might be the most important early piece of Sokka's character growth. What fans of the original want and what the target audience that netflix is aiming at wants aren't necessarily the same thing. I appreciate the effort taken to provide an informed and nuanced take.

[@yewknight]

I thought the same almost word for word. There is a significant difference between toning down punching someone in the face to snap them out of a depressed spiral and a character having some misogynistic tendencies. One is a slapstick scene and the other is integral to the growth arc of the character. The other thing I will add is I don’t think it would be surprising at all for someone who get beaten senseless like Sokka did and experience visceral vulnerability to have sudden and profound character changes. I am a martial artist and a lot of people get humbled real fast the first time they roll against a black belt in bjj. It is almost like going through the trauma of being abused and helpless but in a safe space. The realization of your own fragility will change you.

[@1313fina]

Thank you for this. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Netflix doesn't have the best track record for adaptation. My stance right now is, I'll still tune in to see the premiere, but the animated series will always be a click away.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

This is a great attitude (for real). 😊 I think people are getting really over-excited about things that we aren't even sure are happening.

[@fourthdimensionaltraveller]

Yeah this was one of the headlines that I heard and wasn’t immediately worried about. For all the reasons you said

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

We all need a calming cup of tea.

[@christscrackers647]

I actually like how you didn’t just immediately spell out how removing the sexism is bad and instead laid out facts, gave alternatives, and actually provided examples of what I’m HOPING they do with the live-action show, with one piece being the prime example. A lot of people are mad about these changes (Myself included), but this video opened my eyes and changed my opinion on them. If they give us something a bit more satisfying than the original in a way that works in live-action without removing what made Avatar so great, I think we may get a good show out of this. Now if only they’d give Aang his proper character and not make him all business, then we’d be all good. 👍🏽

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

Showrunner Albert Kim on Aang running into the statue in the trailer Albert Kim: Because it was in the main title, so you saw it every episode. Every episode started with that, so that's something that stuck with everyone. But it's also, aside from the fact that it was a cool thing that everyone remembers, it gets across a very important character point, which is that despite everything and all the burdens that he's facing, Aang is just a kid. He's a goofy 12- year-old kid, and he's having fun and he's a big old goofball. And we wanted to make sure that we showed that because that's as important to the story as all the action and the epic fantasy of it all.

[@christscrackers647]

@@dresdenwarlock7978 I bring up Aang specifically because I’ve read several articles about how the showrunners have said that they were going to make Aang “All business”. Though if I’m being 100% honest I don’t know 100% if those articles are true. So maybe I could be wrong about Aang and he could have his original kid-like personality. Considering the cast members are all kids, I can’t imagine that they’d take Aang’s character direction that way f’real.

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

​@@christscrackers647I just gave you what Albert Kim, the showrunner, said about developing the show, Aang specifically. Any article that said they're making him more serious are lies.

[@christscrackers647]

@@dresdenwarlock7978 Well never mind about Aang then. I’m glad I came across this video! 🤟🏽

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

I think Aang will feel more of the loss of his people (which we saw so little of in the animation) and a bit more stressing out about his role as the Avatar (which only had a handful of moments on their journey). But I don't doubt there will be fun and games. We saw him showing off on the air-scooter in the trailer, and several other comedic notes. We shall see, but I have my fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[@juicestains52]

The whole making Sokka “less sexist” thing honestly didn’t bother me and the reason was because there are more aspects about his character worth building an arc around in a streamlined, serial version of this story. Whatever they do with his character I trust he’ll have a well-defined journey and will be built around his growth as a warrior and if they don’t it won’t be because they didn’t make him sexist for a couple episodes.

[@TheGraemi]

I will wait with my hope after I saw the first episode. That helped me going through WoT series, well at least until the last S02 ep. 😥 Besides did you gave up reviewing Wot S02? I really enjoyed your reviews. I like arguments and facts. ☺Was the best thing about the WoT TV series. 😉

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Haha! I have not given up on WoT. S2E4 review is already filmed and being edited... I'm just prioritizing Avatar until Avatar comes out. I promise. I will review every episode of WoT. 😋

[@TheGraemi]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS I understand. Cool thanks.

[@abichau5392]

Finally someone said out the truths. Ive seen so many people upset and angry posted online and make a video about they totally removed Sokka sexism, but the truth is they said they are just toned in down, not completely removed it🤣🤣

[@liprekt]

When I mentioned I'll be reacting to this show, people brought up the fact that there'll be changes. Ever since the teaser in November, I already accepted that there WILL be changes. Honestly, it's too late to just suddenly 'erase' my interest in the NATLA now, due to all these rumors and probably misinterpreted quotes, given that I've been crossing my fingers for this since it was announced. Also, people keep bringing up Mike and Bryan leaving. Are we just choosing to forget they both were Executive Producers on Shyamalan's TLA? Also, they did LoK on their own _without_ Aaron Ehasz, the main head writer for most of the og ATLA. If Mike and Bryan stayed with NATLA, who's to say they would not have vetoed everything that Aaron Ehasz established in the cartoon in favor of their own canon that they themselves established in LoK?

[@lovelylife3012]

hmm I wonder why they never mention that when bashing the live action show ?🤔 How I wonder

[@Kingcrimson_1456]

Also, aren’t they working on more avatar stuff?

[@lovelylife3012]

@@Kingcrimson_1456 Yes and they have they're own avatar studio.

[@liprekt]

@@Kingcrimson_1456 They are, including one where the GAang are adults...but I have no confidence in it because Aaron Ehasz is still not part of the team. I think magic happened in ATLA _because_ Aaron Ehasz balanced out Mike and Bryan's ideas. I give props to Mike and Bryan for getting ATLA off the ground (especially if you've seen the Avatar Spirits documentary that they released prior to the finale of the cartoon), but I just have no confidence that Mike and Bryan are great "on their own" considering what they did in Legend of Korra with Aaron Ehasz's absence. Aaron Ehasz went on to do his own show, The Dragon Prince, which ALSO had its own problems -- it was lacking in some aspects. This leads me to believe that he's also only great if he has the minds of Mike and Bryan to balance him out.

[@obadiah_v]

Thank you for a thoughtful and reasoned response to the stupidity that has taken over.

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Thank. I do my best.

[@Manofthewhiteknife]

I know you've been super busy.... have you had a chance to watch.. BLUE-EYED SAMURAI?

[@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS]

Yes! I have. What a gloriously rage-filled epic! It's not my jam, but I can see the beauty and the value. I LOVE ronin stories, and that exactly what this was. I only had three small points of criticism, and one preferential dislike, but it was one of the most impressive animations I've seen. Have you seen Geeklectica's analysis of the episodes? If not.... go watch!

[@Manofthewhiteknife]

@@TheSwordAndThePenREFLECTIONS I watched The Critical Drinkers video about it.. his "Drinker recommends" video... Well I enjoy your indepth analysis videos... keep up the good work...