Netflix missed the point of Avatar

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i'm gonna go rewatch the animated show now
00:00 - intro
01:49 - a terrible first impression
12:43 - opera
13:54 - what is the point of an adaptation?
14:29 - sokka/suki
18:14 - katara
21:05 - aang
26:45 - things I liked
29:30 - oh no i'm getting mad again
34:50 - outro
merch:
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[@drewisgooden]

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[@gamechannelminecraft6583]

Hello everyone, good viewing🐼..

[@parcrap]

ok

[@dkfinitely]

Ok

[@DamarkReal]

Your holding me back

[@Jcktmn]

Fuck opera gx

[@californiarollwithramensea8220]

Replacing fake sexism with real genuine sexism is like a super high depth social commentary of the last 10 years.

[@Emma-Maze]

Misogyny is having a renaissance it's just dressed up as what's socially acceptable rn. ._.

[@shawerful5209]

​@@Emma-Mazerenaissance? Bro it never left

[@jonathanjuarez5544]

I find it hilarious that they removed the sexism from Sokka's character because they thought it wasn't relevant when if anything, it's more relevant than before due to the rise of Andrew Tate esque influencers and incel culture in general causing more and more men to become increasingly hostile towards women's rights.

[@alex._420]

​@@shawerful5209 no but the masculinist podcasts made it worse 💀

[@HappyLarry.]

​@Emma-Maze what's strange is that sexism in recent shows and movies isn't being direct about it and having moments, it's actually infecting every single element of a character

[@mfbee]

its interesting how netflix seems to think of animation as mindless and for kids and then goes out of their way to make a mindless version of it... but for _adults_

[@eden22.7]

did you watch it yourself?

[@billieflash7448]

Especially after Blue Eye Samurai, which is an outstanding animation, def not mindless and not aimed at kids, that has been a major success

[@littlesparrow303]

@@eden22.7the live action didn’t do a good job with making the characters great & did Katara dirty such as making her seem calm than her usual self. They didn’t understand the tones and messages on what makes it amazing

[@Sugarman96]

It's also baffling that this show "for adults" based on an existing IP felt it so necessary to front load all of its exposition, when the original brand new show meant for kids respected its audience enough to drip feed the relevant information.

[@pacmonster066]

The Netflix How to Train Your Dragon series were some of the best content on the platform. Also Netflix has been paying for the rights to popular anime. So clearly they understand good animated content has an audience. I think there must be different execs at the company not communicating with one another because it feels so disjointed.

[@nothankyou7979]

You didn‘t even get to the part where azula is now written as insecure and „lashing out“ instead of a calculated, cold-blooded and highly competent psychopath …

[@lemon8d]

YES THANK YOU I hate them so much, the whole point of Azula is that she's bad, bad from birth, she knows and she enjoys it, at the end we see her fall apart but with a reason, now they are making her insecure from the begging?? Whats the point then

[@ivanm8682]

@@lemon8dand what they did to her lightning is ridiculous, took 100000 years to charge, with weird moves that look nothing like in the show and she shot it to a wall and didn’t even do anything to it, the real Azula used her lightning to break an earth wall made by Toph in like 2 seconds.

[@androidsenpai1462]

Not to mention Azula is now a major component of Book One…for some asinine reason. WHY can’t we just leave nice things alone?

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

They introduced her so early that she literally spent 80% of her screentime standing around doing nothing. Definitely the right way to introduce a highly competent and terrifying fighter 🙄 plus, insecurity is _not_ the only symptom of a dysfunctional/abusive household, so it's not even like they made her more realistic?? The changes to her personality are patronising af.

[@clare769]

Bro that shit pissed me clean off. Was so hard to acc take her seriously.

[@oliviaknowles4086]

Growing up as a woman, Katara was one of our ONLY positive representations of a strong girl who was also not only able to maintain empathy and emotion (something women and girls are belittled for) while being strong, but it often is what GAVE her strength. For them to completely strip her of that is just so telling of the story they were trying to tell and for who.

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

Beautifully explained. The changes to her personality aren't empowering, it's basically a reinforcement of the whole "girls are so emotional (which is BAD)" stereotype.

[@Spo8]

When execs hear “strong female character,” their only interpretation is “you mean strong like punching, right?”

[@shdy9498]

"She has no flaws and has really good one-liners!... why is no one clapping? Do you hate women?"

[@justkittensbeingkittens5892]

Love when they just make all of the male, especially white male characters stupid and pathetic so the girl can show em who’s boss…

[@meghanrodriguez2393]

So true! It's baffling! Strength can come in many different forms, not just by being physical!

[@berengustav7714]

Queens and princesses pulled strings and influenced things in setting were women didn't have rights, after all

[@hnichole]

Yes! This kills me because the strongest women I know are people who are actually pretty reserved and quiet. When I think strong women, I think women who have been through hell and back (not just SA, since there's so many instances of unnecessary SA violence against women in media) and chose to not let it break them, who can still be kind, still be intelligent, and still stand up for themselves despite their past pain. Physical strength is great and that's awesome that there are characters for those women to feel represented through. However, I feel like more thoughtful or quiet women tend to be depicted as the meek, frail icons of femininity who need to be rescued, and it would be so refreshing to see more female leads who have mental strength or resilience instead. Strong doesn't equal violent, in my opinion.

[@aniekes3861]

Where is Katara's rage, her compassion, her nurturing, her emotions??? They stripped her of any depth and emotion.

[@pioxia777]

right

[@Paratet]

I really hope they don't do the same to Azula. One of my antagonists in TV history.

[@fpkonly]

@@Paratetthis is a comment of all time

[@brianmidkiff5408]

They got rid of it for another “girl power” protagonist. Nothing wrong with girl power, but main characters should be flawed, individuals, and grow. Here they just…removed all that and said “she strong” and that’s it

[@Trollestiatumblur]

I guess they didn’t wanna be seen as sexist so they just took away anything seen as feminine on womanly because….. women shouldn’t be feminine…? And they replaced her with absolutely nothing. Even Toph enjoyed some feminine things like wearing dresses and doing makeup. She liked her spa day with Katara. And Toph was putting on a front with her whole “idc about what people think about me, I’m blind so idc about appearances.” Katara seeing right through it said “I know you don’t care but you are really pretty” and Toph was really happy with that. It just sucks that writers think a female character having feminine traits is inherently sexist and bad. THAT in itself is sexist

[@_ikako_]

can't wait for Katara to discover blood bending by herself halfway through season 2 and use it to kill a bunch of fire nation troops and have 0 moral quandaries about using it.

[@Queen_Cnidarian]

Ngl, I hope they don’t try to do blood bending. Hama, the person that taught Katara blood bending, is an extremely complex character. She was a victim of war and experienced unimaginable suffering at the hands of the Fire Nation. However, she is painted as a villain, because she took her anger out on innocent town folks.

[@thunderb00m]

​@@Queen_Cnidarian why? Thats the exact kind of thing they need to make it more adult. But yeah, no hope with this Netflix team. They manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@monkeydad47]

​@@Queen_Cnidarianwith the way they handled Jet I really hope we just skip Hama too. They made Jet who was already a "ends justify the means" kinda guy into just a complete fucking idiot. What is blowing up the king of Omashu gonna do Jet? What does that accomplish other than total chaos!? Like wouldn't it motivate the fire nation to take over the city faster if there's a terror group blowing up THE MONARCH!?

[@NadiaSeesIt]

A villian is a person who does bad things, often unprompted, to any and everyone around them. She IS a villian. A sad backstory doesn't undo sins

[@alejrandom6592]

Holy sh*t

[@lexis7003]

this was very effective. literally the moment your video ended i opened my laptop to start watching the animated series for the first time

[@ijneb1248]

You wont regret it

[@varunnaik7441]

Dude same. I finished yesterday and it's A W E S O M E. Gotta thank Drew

[@musicteacher94]

I just finished it and bawled. 10/10

[@Y-two-K]

I watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. An utter masterpiece. Shame I slept on it as a kid!

[@amysinyard2239]

These comments make me so happy as a long time ATLA fan! The original is an absolute masterpiece and I’m so glad that y’all enjoyed it!

[@MrErik052005]

Katara being called a “Master” after obtaining 1 water bending scroll and having no training with an actual Master is as Disney/Marvel as you can get.

[@ILiekFishes]

anakin is very offended

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

Disney/Marvel magic systems are basically a mixture between "if you're not born with it then fuck you" and pay to win 😂

[@emaster9663]

The fact that pisses me off even more, is that in the first episode there flying away from Zuko, Zuko blasts a fireball at them and Katara just has water and gets rid of it. Where does she get the water?! I don’t see a pouch with her! She couldn’t possibly have bended it from the ocean while being hundreds of ft in the air. The only way she could have gotten that water is if she got it from the freaking air. What!?

[@MrErik052005]

@@emaster9663​​⁠that bothered me too! But that’s what the video is saying. Like, she was just that naturally talented. In the cartoon, it’s a slow build of her becoming great. In the show, she already was.

[@LynzuAnderson]

Thank you! I've been saying that if that's the precedent, then Aang just needs an earthbending scroll, and a firebending scroll, make a 20 minute montage of him practicing and make the finale s2e2. Like clearly you DON'T need a master in NATLA, that's canon in that version now. So keep Toph and Zukos arc sacred and end this ASAP.

[@Crysta11ize]

The fact that they felt the need to simplify the plot/exposition of a CHILDREN'S SHOW. Like they literally assume their audience has a shorter attention-span than a 7 year old

[@davp4435]

Tiktok brainrot has taken us all. Don't question the netflix overlords. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.

[@HowManyHintsDoYouNeed]

It's very insulting that they didn't learn from shamalans movie. Ugh and please don't bring up Gran Gran in the remake...

[@HowManyHintsDoYouNeed]

​@@davp4435I mean... 'There is no war in Ba Sing Se'...

[@jamesmccomb9525]

To be fair my 7 year old self didn't pick up on any of this. It took me multiple episodes to realise toph was blind back then.

[@loooongneck]

@@jamesmccomb9525probably because you watched it out of order when it was airing? Because the first episode she’s in they literally say she’s blind like 100 times.

[@nonameless2]

in the Netflix remake of "the emperor's new groove" kuzco is a philanthropic ruler who spends his days working with the peasants & is in the process of dismantling the monarchy when he's turned into a llama. He's the world's nicest guy and they ruined his life for no reason.

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

No, he works with peasants and dismantles the monarchy, but sometimes he's a little snarky about it. Truly the mark of an antihero protagonist.

[@cathy4697]

I love how your comment is exactly something Kuzco would say😂 especially the last line

[@ken.7019]

Netflix would manage to somehow make kronk, one of the funniest characters in all of fiction, unfunny

[@emilythedragon]

In the Netflix remake of Mulan she's already a super fearsome and resourceful badass who can dismantle an entire army with clever tricks. Wait a minute...

[@bumibomber]

​@@emilythedragonI mean in the actual remake of Mulan we've somehow downgraded her natural ingenuity, adaptation, and ability to think outside the box and striving for independence with: -She was born with magic -She has no personality -Her arc is to be subservient to the emperor now LOL

[@chocolatebunny3221]

Replacing sexism with hyper sexuality and then acted like people wasn’t going to notice.😬😬😬

[@areeba7045]

right like im surprised nobodys talking about the scene with suki and sokka where they're almost grinding on each other like what the hell was that

[@Elisa-1618]

Like fr a woman being sexually obsessed with a guy and on top of that, the guy hasn’t even done anything to show why she’s obsessed, it’s literally bc he has a pp. Ahhh, this is totally women empowerment 😭

[@Gabby-dw5rt]

As someone who worked in TV development and left because it is run by soul sucking ghouls, I can almost assure you the reason the exposition is so repetitive and ineloquent and the characters are lacking flaws and are flat, is because some dumb executives didn’t understand what they were reading when they got the first draft scripts because they didn’t do their homework by watching the original series and won’t let the creatives cook. In notes sessions, they probably asked a bunch of questions (questions that get answered in time) and wanted to sound smart and like they had good notes so they told the writers to answer them sooner. I’d say you’d be shocked at the lack of media literacy in those rooms, but studios and networks keep churning out shows and movies that are like this, so you already know. The writers strike showed us the state of the industry and how little higher ups value the work of creatives.

[@00ooo000o]

bruh we gotta band together to fight off the higher ups!! who's with me

[@Alicechan3]

The fact that the original creators left the Netflix adaptation is TELLING!

[@finndelimatamay1983]

Thank you so much for saying this. There’s some myth, endlessly circulated online, that media, particularly modern media, is always the result of a single “hack writer” who doesn’t understand basic storytelling. And, you know, NOT because of a bunch of executives homogenising the work, and creating ridiculously unrealistic standards that writers have to aim for. Who, at the end of the day, don’t even care about art or media. I really hope everyone sees your comment, and maybe the myth can be debunked a little.

[@gwynn2528]

I left movies too, I landed in indie comics. It has proved to be a great creative outlet for anyone who wants to create a story that isn’t instantly destroyed by executives who are just eager to get back to their beachfront property.

[@willnotshutup]

but is it better than drew's content?@@waterraideryfga8195

[@-_-0.0-_-]

weakening katara's character also weakens her connection to her culture. Water bending is about her connection to her people which is part of the reason she's so upset she can't do it right away

[@wildfire9280]

It also makes Pakku’s refusal all the more asinine. An aspect of that which I think is too often overlooked and could have been said more overtly.

[@CreoTan]

And it's so important to her because she is the _last_ southern water tribe bender. (Excluding Hama, who we meet later). For most of her life, Katara believes she is the last person who can keep this part of her culture alive, and she's right.

[@lukaj679]

There's a lot to be said (by someone better connected to their indigenous roots than me) with how indigenous women have been stripped of their importance in their culture in the face of outside threats to traditional ways of life. Reaching out for elder wisdom only to find trauma and unhealed wounds from decades past is such a common experience from what I've seen. To this day, the biggest fans I meet of the show are Native.

[@saint4life09]

@@lukaj679 Native and indigenous to where? Like the Southern Water Tribe are based on indigenous Eskimo/Innuit culture, the Earth Kingdom are mostly based on indigenous Chinese culture etc. It's very vague to refer to "indigenous people" and "natives" without being specific as to what place you're talking about.

[@lukaj679]

@@saint4life09 I was referring to Katara and her culture, but irl my interactions have been from people from my continent, specifically Ojibwe, Díne, and Potawatomi

[@novxmb.r9867]

ALSO the thing that pissed me the fuck off the most was the fact that they robbed Katara of her "motherly" role in the group. In live action Sokka was said to be the one that takes care of her and he is a "father figure" to her when in cartoon it was such an important part of Katara's and even Sokka's arc that Katara was the one to act like a mother to Sokka at times. I hate that they robbed Katara of one of her main personality traits which is her sense of responsibility and maturity. She was forced to grow up too soon they completely ignored that.

[@dianamorales2608]

Yeah 'cause God forbid strong women from beign nurturing!

[@Wolf6119]

God, yeah, now that you mention it I can’t possibly imagine live action Sokka convincingly pulling off that very powerful scene with Toph in Book 3 where he admits that he doesn’t remember what his mom looked like (doubly heartbreaking because he’s actually her spitting image), and that any time he tries to remember he just pictures Katara’s face instead…

[@thylionheart]

I think the writers probably thought that they were being ~progressive~ by shifting the roles and diminishing Katara’s motherly nature, while not realizing that being motherly is not inherently a bad thing-when it’s the _only thing_ a female character is allowed to be, that’s when it’s bad.

[@IDK-xe6yg]

The visuals were exactly what I hoped they would be and the rest was exactly what I feared it would be, extremely disappointing

[@vadim.watchme]

Israel 🇮🇱

[@lewa3910]

@@vadim.watchme Netflix atla is the israel of remakes. Completely unnecessary

[@Keram-io8hv]

Go hide into hospital so Allah and 200 000 civilians can protect you

[@jumpinjoint]

the original zuko was also shown to not be the most naturally gifted firebender. he blunders when he tries to demonstrate his skills and azula one ups him. so the original “agni kai” is ozai brutally attacking and disfiguring his own child who is literally defenseless, outskilled, and refusing to fight

[@fellowcommenter1466]

right? like that scene was to show how ruthless and monster-like ozai was, not only would he steal candy from a baby he'd yeet a stroller into a lake too for fun if it meant showing off his power lmao

[@somebody3558]

It is so important to Zuko's character that he is not naturally a talented firebender because it adds to his frustration with himself not being able to please Ozai. Zuko has to work extremely hard to become a good firebender with Iroh showing him how the other elements can be implemented in his firebending as well. Having him be strong enough to defeat Ozai during the Agni Kai detracts from Ozai's menace and Zuko's journey. Zuko did not want to fight his father because he loved him, and to Ozai, love and compassion are weaknesses. To have Zuko fight back diminishes his love and respect towards towards his father, that he later learns is undeserved. Having Zuko starting off that strong also will change the dynamics between him and Azula as Azula was "born lucky" and Zuko was "lucky to be born." Azula is a prodigy and Zuko is a late bloomer which causes tension that is spurred on by Ozai. Azula uses her natural power and Ozai's favor to torture Zuko who is weaker and more passive. Zuko has to learn that might does not make right and this series is not setting him up for that journey.

[@lixterine]

exactly! which is what establishes ozai to be ruthless and cruel, and zuko to being his opposite

[@cheyenne6913]

​@somebody3558 Not to mention that it completely negates his and Aang's journey to learn about firebending. Zuko's firebending comes from the rage and pain of being a failure in his father's eyes. When he makes the decision to break from his father, he loses his ability to firebend. Having him be powerful enough to defeat Ozai, but not doing so out of love or compassion, completely destroys the whole plot line of him and Aang discovering the Sun Warriors civilization. Although I suppose that plot line was already destroyed when they made Aang less childlike and more serious. Aang doesn't take firebending seriously, hurts Katara, and then refuses to firebend again out of fear. Aang, like Zuko, cannot see how firebending can be anything more than pain and destruction.

[@wildfire9280]

@@cheyenne6913 Jeong Jeong adds to this by that also being his view, which he does a damn good job of imparting onto his temporary pupil. Roku would not approve. If he appeared afterward, that is.

[@Staticjokes]

From the second Aang said "I like to play airball, eat banana cakes & goof off with my friends" I knew we're going to be in for a bucket load of "tell, don't show".

[@jerrodshack7610]

Legitimately INSANE this line is in the show.

[@mms598]

That line is like the silly quirky version of the line that one edgy guy from riverdale says thats like “In case you haven't noticed, I'm weird. I'm a weirdo. I don't fit in, and I don't... wanna fit in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on?”

[@mushroup]

he’s not like other avatars 🥴

[@zacharyrichardson8435]

You can't just have your characters say how they feel. THAT MAKES ME FEEL ANGRY.

[@RaphaelBas1995]

@@zacharyrichardson8435Ah, a man of culture.

[@palico004]

What really upsets me about this show, is that when I watched through all of the original animated series 2 summers ago my Dad used to walk in and take jabs at me for watching "a kids show" and I'd say its like the LOTR of kids shows but he wouldn't take interest. So I was encouraged and surprised last month to come home and see him watching the Netflix show, the bio and visuals piqued his interest. I didn't mention that it was an adaptation and just let him watch it. I came back later and he had turned it off, when I asked why he said the writing was cheap and it didn't seem worth watching. One of the best stories in TV and they couldn't even keep the audience they spent so much to attract. I hope he watches the original someday but its not likely.

[@aliti9315]

Honestly. Just tell him its a bad adaptation :) maybe hell watch atla with you :)

[@lordgrimixb]

I just finished watching the original series a few months ago and my dad would say the same thing. He ended up watching a few episodes with me and he enjoyed it.

[@Vespyr_]

Sucks when your dad doesn't respect you enough to give something a chance because he knows you love it. You'd think that would suffice.

[@JimmyHooves]

@@Vespyr_you’re making a lot of generalizations about his father

[@brettwood8379]

"netflix missed the point of avatar". Exactly what i said watching the episode with Bumi last night. They did Bumi dirty. They did all the characters dirty

[@itsviral6901]

I couldn’t watch anymore after that episode

[@user-mAfuNqrSe020x]

Yes. I hated netflix bumi. The main reason i love bumi the most in the og was because he reminded so much and also acts the same way as my late my great grandpa. They're both senile but funny,loving and strong over 100 years old men. I was super eager to watch that episode and ended with disappointment.

[@monkeydad47]

Everyone was weirdly vindictive towards Aang in this show which could've worked, if they didn't CHANGE THE REASON HE LEAVES THE TEMPLE. With the new context it's not earned because he DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE. Why the hell did they change it if they wanted Aang to be more guilt driven in this show!?!??? I'M MAD!!!!

[@o.o9709]

Cant wait for tophs entire character to be about how shes blind and how hard her life is because of it 🥺😢

[@yourshoulderdevil5229]

Nah, they'd say "Blindness is controversial" and "We can't have characters with actual problems" then make it so she can not only see, but also already be able to bend metal and fly.

[@placeholdername7797]

i am genuinely so afraid by this terrible writing bc i just know that's exactly what they're gonna do to my girl. i swear to god if i hear her say she wishes she wasn't blind i will explode

[@sleepysera]

​@yourshoulderdevil5229 ...the scary part is that I'm not convinced that isn't exactly what will happen. Modern media seems more and more allergic to the idea of women who don't come out already perfect straight from the womb, and disabilities have to give you superpowers or otherwise it's not considered "positive" representation x.x

[@yourshoulderdevil5229]

@@sleepysera Exactly. I despise the way they're stripping away everything that makes a woman unique in favor of "diversity" when in reality it's the opposite of diverse . They're literally doing the exact same thing they claim to be fighting. It's awful.

[@banditnosey]

@@yourshoulderdevil5229 No shot, they know they’d get canceled if they didn’t make her blind. More realistically, it’s going to be mentioned once when she’s introduced, she’ll have one emotional monologue about it, and then it will never be acknowledged again.

[@siphillis]

It's becoming genuinely a little concerning how many media properties suggest that strong women can't exhibit an ounce of empathy, insecurity, or inadequacy. Their only flaw is that the other characters don't realize how awesome they are yet.

[@bagelisdead]

The trait that annoys me the most is when she's so mean or snarky to others for no reason other than to desperately try to convince the viewer that she's "badass" or "tough". It's never portrayed as a flaw that she eventually learns and grows from, that's just how she is and she stays that way throughout the whole thing. It's exhausting to listen to.

[@SirArthurTheGreat]

They take a patriarchal understanding of strength and how women being “strong” in any regard means projecting “masculine” qualities onto a woman

[@welephantsoup]

we need to be talking about this WAY more. Strong characters navigate emotions, they don’t abandon or ignore them.

[@glowco.717]

It’s like they think “fixing” sexism is giving women toxic masculinity, instead of showing the flaws in that mindset

[@placeholderdoe]

Its not that we should respect women because they’re just like the stereotypical man(emotionally detached), we should respect women because they are people

[@gibn1542]

I couldn't have seen Zuko acting any other way than on his knees in desperation in front of his dad. For a character that's so filled with hate, anger and an eagerness to fight for a large part of the show, a beautifully tragic contrast is drawn when the animated series just shows a helpless, scared young boy begging for love from his father.

[@missAlice1990]

The cartoon made the scene 10x more powerful by showing contrast between Zuko acting arrogant at the beginning (he comes to the meeting uninvited and demands to be let in, speaks out of turn and says he isn't afraid of the general) and being so scared and humble in front of his father. The live action Zuko was sweet and kind before the Agni Kai (he was actually invited to the meeting) so him apologising to Ozai isn't at all shocking. And then he fights him anyway so the horror of being Ozai's child isn't even communicated properly.

[@Wilderness-Will]

I am so, so grateful for this video and comments section. The IMBD score, supposed Netflix trending status, and announcement of two more seasons all prompted sincere worry that my sister and I were the only people who saw the magnitudes of failure in this show; in everything from writing, to direction, to costume design. It's really vindicating to see that there are many others who see it too. The only kind thing I can say about this show is that the set design is genuinely fantastic; the people behind designing and building them clearly had much more knowledge of and appreciation for the source material than anyone else working on this schlock.

[@Cookie_Comment]

OOO you’re in for a treat: “a deep dive into everything wrong with the new avatar show” by A Clockwork Reader :)

[@futurestoryteller]

I'm not really sure there are sets. It seems mostly like awful blue screen. Also IMDb might as well be useless for qualitative assessment of television shows especially. The ratings are always overblown, and not in a way that's consistent

[@helenachristensen8608]

We never wanted Sokka to be sexist. We wanted Suki to teach him to be better and we were robbed of that

[@YujiUedaFan]

Instead she taught him that ladies are easy and he doesn't even have to try. Oops, looks like they did the lesson in reverse!

[@ember9361]

Yes! Also Sokka gets told and mocked every. Sexist. Quip. He throws. Every. Single. Time. He was obviously always shown as being in the wrong! Now in this show its become a part of the story itself lmao Suki is mothering Sokka because she finds him hot

[@WillBilly.]

Growing up isolated as a kid sokka legitimately taught me that girls are equals and are capable. I always loved that part of the show because of how much impact it had on my own life and the straight up ruined it.

[@DeviousMyst]

and somehow made the scene more sexist, by making Suki into only love interest first and a character second.

[@sophienah4654]

Not to mention he wasn't even that sexist? He had some shitty views on women due to the fact that none of the women in his life challenged that viewpoint. Then all it took was three interactions with Suki for him to go "oh I guess I was wrong". He's a three dimensional character. He's arrogant and stubborn but he will admit it when he's wrong.

[@erica1800]

something that bothered me immensely is how live actions are always marketed as a more mature version of the animation…but then treats the audience like children by spoonfeeding all the information like we can’t comprehend it without being beaten over the head with the meaning of everything every two seconds

[@gerrymandering6669]

exactly, like if i could comprehend the complexities of the show when i was 7 years old, doing so again at my big age nOW REALLY SHOULDNT BE AN ISSUE LIKE I PROMISE I CAN HANDLE IT

[@zyaicob]

The cartoon was so much more mature than any remake could ever be. This is why the DCEU is unnecessary and we would be better off if it didn't exist

[@KellithV]

I think the reason for this is that the old money who has way too much say on how shows are made didn’t grow up seeing this sort is story. It’s new and strange and incomprehensible to them and they DO need it spoon fed to them.

[@heyheyhey33351]

Plus, live action isn't more mature than animation. Animation is an artwork, and all of these live action adaptations, from Disney to Netflix, are missing the beauty of that artwork.

[@cryforhelp7270]

This is why I like children's media way more ;-;

[@Woofle22]

The existence of this show is so funny, it’s like they made a remake of the mock Avatar play from the original

[@oceanview1891]

It’s so cathartic to hear someone else put all your specific grievances into words and say them out loud

[@Idk_Yara98]

As a woman, Sokka being misogynistic was actually such a great addition. Watching it as a girl in elementary school, I recognized the same behavior from the boys in school. It was always so satisfying to see how Sokka was gonna be proven wrong and immediately recognizes his mistake and apologize. Edit: I also loved Zuko’s turning point, because it also showed change and acceptance. This huge plottwist also didn’t seem weird, instead it just felt natural and we easily started rooting for him. They build it up so well that when he finally got accepted into the group, I felt relief. Also, the way Katara was understandably sceptical of him at first and they eventually got along so well.. (to the point of me hoping they’d actually end up together, bc of the 😳 moments between them 👁👄👁) I love all the passionate replies btw. It shows how much the show and their characters have had such a positive and big influence on kids back then. I hope it’ll still be available on streaming platforms for many many years from now. Such a gem of a show

[@ernie39]

exactly!! it's such effective teaching. it works as both a message that sexism is disrespectful (and pretty silly/unreasonable) behavior, and to show that it's a pattern of thinking/decisions that can be changed by the person doing it. You would think that a story that is (in theory) a heavier and more mature adult-aimed retelling would have room for *more* nuance now -- why would they scrap character development entirely instead of digging deeper into its complexities?!

[@mastermarkus5307]

I imagine that it was also really good for boys who probably saw that they or their friends acted like Sokka, but learned that they shouldn't because it's harmful and stupid. Like, they think "I want to be cool like Sokka!" and part of what makes him cooler is that he gets past a personal flaw and becomes more open-minded.

[@bunnyellabell]

i totally relate. my parents inflicted us with the classic sexist gender roles "you girls stay in the house and clean while your brothers play outside" kinda garbage, and seeing katara being annoyed and standing up for herself and sokka eventually changing was AMAZING. i remember it so vividly. i related to katara so much as a kid. this dynamic was such an important aspect of their characters and it's such an important lesson for viewers!!!

[@lucascolantoni8012]

Well it’s sort of a redundant point made again with Master Paku. And Sokka has way more characterization from being sexist for the first four episodes

[@Unhappytimeaper]

I've mentioned it in another comment but yeah. It bugs me that if you watch the show Sokka only says sexists things in two episodes. Once in the first episode which leads to Katara finding Aang and in the 4th with the Kyoshi warriors. To me it feels like the creative team knew Sokka made sexist comments and thought he was like that the entire series when the reality is it gets shut down very quickly yet is still a major aspect of his arc. In my best explanation-- Sokka's actions are just as much of a direct result the war in the way Katara's motherliness is. In his perception he was left behind because he wasn't man enough-- he was still a kid when their father left but by far the oldest left seeing as all the other men were like 8 and younger. He wanted to be something because he believed he had too by example, and yes it manifested in a shitty way. But Sokka very quickly is turned around to seeing what actually makes a warrior and leader, beyond gender and perception of masculinity and it makes him better in so many ways-- Sokka didn't need to be given Katara's arc of 'growing up too fast to take care of the family' because Sokka was forced to grow up just as fast it's just Katara shaped herself into being motherly while Sokka digressed into being self conscious. It just feels so much like seeing the word 'sexist' and Michael Goi got scared instead of wanting to actually create a conversation about it.

[@Coffeedrinker445]

A small thing, but the idea that Zuko could beat his father is more insane when you remember that he is a lack luster fire bender. Everyone in his family were better benders then him, his strength was sword fighting.

[@jamiehendrix2568]

He's a very good fire bender, but yeah, his family members are better and it makes him seem worse than he is in comparison

[@mikemorro140]

​@@jamiehendrix2568 exactly, people underrate the hell out of Zuko when comparing him to the rest of the family, like he defeated Zhao in an Agni Kai in like the third episode and he gets better from there especially later when he learns from the dragons. He's still a great firebender it's just his family is that much better but that's also like being the 6th fastest person in the world

[@mr_frosty_3608]

He developed into a great fire bender and was probably close to average when a young child. He was being compared to prodigies and beaten down by his father for his imperfections. No child will flourish under those conditions.

[@derekgandlofini8058]

People who didn’t watch avatar close enough. Comment on it all the time and I cannot stand it

[@derekgandlofini8058]

Zuko wasn’t as good as azula but his tenacity put him at her level whenever they would fight

[@morgantrias3103]

I love that he says "oh it looks good, obviously not as good as 2d animation but pretty great for wat they're working with" given how little respect animation gets it's good to hear someone express the correct opinion so casually.

[@DivineDegen]

Yeah, W take

[@mongo4685]

17:20 The tell don’t show is so bad lmao. In the original this is all shown to the audience when she kisses Sokka on the cheek. She wants a relationship but it’s clear they can’t while the war is happening. We don’t need an explanation for why a trained warrior can’t date someone

[@buddyisbored2355]

Another thing to note about a Zuko change is that in live action he wants to go home so he can take the throne. When animated Zuko just wanted to go home

[@Life_of_Ty]

So much more impactful and really emphasizes the point that these are all just CHILDREN forced to grow up too soon because adults started an unnecessary war. They all just wanted to go home 😢

[@julesoxana]

​@@Life_of_Ty So true

[@animeotaku307]

Wanted to go home AND make his father proud.

[@j_fenrir]

Dont forget restoring his honour!

[@thilagankunanayagam6308]

@@j_fenrir I'm pretty sure live action zuko only says honor once in the entire series!

[@SeadSims]

The part where Zuko almost beats Ozai is also a plot hole when you consider that in the original series, Zuko was never a good fire bender as a child. All of his power came from rage due to his banishment. He literally had to learn the proper way to firebend in Book 3 alongside Aang.

[@hannahw7023]

And they are absolutely going to use that plot-thread in book 3 because they will have totally forgotten that they wrote Zuko to be a strong bender from day one 🙄

[@AYVYN]

The entire point of him wanting the avatar was because he was untalented at violent pursuits

[@DavidJmason5552]

@@AYVYNnot even close

[@AYVYN]

@@DavidJmason5552 How? It’s an ultra-militaristic regime and he wanted to prove he wasn’t a pansy. He constantly got assigned the lowest quality soldiers and supplies.

[@lilchaos9212]

And it was super important for his relationship with Azula and his sense of identity. He had to work for everything, he was "lucky" to be born, while Azula was the prodigy from an early age. Zuko wasn't very powerful at the start, and it helped make Zhao into a more intimidating villain once Katara, another prodigy, was able to beat Zuko despite having way less training. Making Zuko strong from the start takes away his struggles and how much he had to work for everything from earning his father's praise, to not being upstaged by his sister, to his efforts to capture the avatar.

[@magoleo-pr7if]

The netflix adaptation is like the theater episode in S3 where everybody comes out depressed

[@ijneb1248]

Were all like sokka "the effects were decent"

[@FrostyFoxDrake]

if they reveal that Toph is gonna be a 7ft tall behemoth that screams to see, I might consider watching season 2

[@sidneyrosey]

Also, also! When Zuko refused to fight his dad, it was meant to show how abus*ve his father is before we even see the Fire Lord burn him. He was crying and begging Ozai not to fight not because he didn’t want to hurt his father but because he was terrified of being hurt. Having Zuko fight destroys the undercurrent of Ozai not only being manipulative but also abus*ve towards his kids.

[@seangilmore355]

Critics: "at least it's better than the movie" Drew: "yeah, I sure hope it does"

[@sillygoose420]

it ony a movie

[@phonoix]

Jokes aside, that's the behavior I hated especially coming from the fans of the OG show. Just because the movie was shitty it doesn't mean we have to settle for a less shitty tv adaptation. And the same thing happened with the Percy Jackson tv adaptation. They both sucked and fans shouldn't settle of it just because "they're better than the movie"

[@EliasJWhite]

It's like saying that the spoiled orange juice is better than the raw sewage. Yeah, it definitely is, but neither tastes good nor leaves you feeling good. One's just more devastating than the other!

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

​@phonoix plus, to paraphrase a review of the show i watched "if they'd somehow managed to make a show even half as bad as the movie, that could only be taken as proof that Satan is real and he has killed god"

[@ihategoogle5502]

Classic Drew.

[@koolaidman_]

The Gran Gran exposition dump was actually hilarious because she really looked at that baby twelve year old and said "yeah all your people are dead and you failed them, haha loser". Its up there with seeing momos limp body for funniest moments Honorable mention to, "no, I'm gonna kill the moon" that killed me

[@koolaidman_]

@wendella.4074 did I say I thought it was bad? I said I thought it was hilarious.

[@TheeWandaStan]

@@wendella.4074 this was the most brain dead thing i’ve ever read. please tell me it was satire-

[@harnanmylvaganam6311]

And she says it in the most absolutely deadpan unemotional way

[@PetSymmetry]

@@TheeWandaStanmost definitely bait. Every comment they’ve left on this video are the most horrific, clearly stupid takes imaginable.

[@worstusernameintheworld9871]

​@@wendella.4074 obvious bait

[@duffysseventhfriend]

the writing of this show is just like a group presentation where no communication happened between the members

[@ohnono]

I constantly had the feeling while watching this show that the writers knew all the plotpoints but had no idea why they were important. It started with Aangs first avatar spirit. Your point on Katara’s effort in getting the water scroll scribe is so spot on.

[@emmavanvelzen9890]

Aangs childlike nature also made his relationship with katara that much better. As she was already very mature for her age. Aang taught her to have fun and katara taught him to be more serious. It’s a shame they took that away from them

[@HowManyHintsDoYouNeed]

They decided to fire all the writers and probably used AI.

[@etienne8110]

​@@HowManyHintsDoYouNeedactually the head "writer" for the netflix adaptation is a sports journalist. (I m not even kidding, check him, albert kim) This is just a sad case of nepotism. Incompetents are put in charge and shyte hits the fan ... Classic.

[@etienne8110]

And it doesn t need a long scene. In the original there is a short scene with aang and katara sledging on penguins. Katara " ahaha, i haven t done this since i was a kid" Aang "but you are a kid?!" Takes 10 sec to establish she had to mature quickly because of war and doesn t see herself as a kid. Boom, job done. Instead the netflix gives us 2 min of grangran redoing the intro exposition... What a waste of time.

[@beigefedora9716]

I've been watching through the original show for the first time, and i just finished s1, i feel like it's episode 1 they're ridinh penguins and Katara yells "I haven't done this since i was a kid!" and Aang replies "You are a kid!" and they just gloss over it, but it works so well to establish who she is as a character. this

[@myrthemeijer8507]

they took SO MUCH from all of the characters in this show. it really feels like they shaved this awesome show down to just 1 dimensional characters and dialogue. i really wanted to like the show but it is just so bad. I've seen people argue that it is a good show if you never watched the original but it just simply isn't. the characters aren't just awful because they are a watered down version of the originals, they are also awful because they had no depth at all.

[@wickerlibrary]

ozai's looming, fearful presence was also aided by the fact that you didn't even SEE HIS FACE UNTIL LATER SEASONS! he is so fearsome and terrifying that he doesn't even need to be SEEN, just his presence FELT. the fact that they changed it to reveal his face after barely any episodes and you are instead just told he's scary is just wacky

[@darrylwhitefeather207]

Exactly!

[@diamond_dogs]

It was a great way to experience the story from Aang’s perspective as a scared kid

[@prudenceneverpays]

real

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

I remember talking about the show to my friends and I was like they waited until two episodes to show Ozai's face. An incredible amount of restraint. lol

[@abbibaca1061]

The first scene is sozin not ozai but i agree they should’ve kept him hidden like the animated version does

[@tenpenny_jenny]

"The script feels like a first draft." THIS This is what I feel from most of the Netflix's content

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

I wouldn't be surprised if most Netflix properties _did_ go with the first or second draft purely bc of the executive's laziness.

[@tenpenny_jenny]

@@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead I was thinking about that and I am almost positive it's the truth

[@prashantsarkar821]

With the way they showed Katara's progression to mastery of water bending, you'd think the writers have no idea how somebody becomes good at... ohhhhh

[@Ratciclefan]

It's seriously impressive that they got almost every character right visually but only barely got one character right in actual characterization

[@fairykelsie]

very very disappointing

[@sonfoku73]

I would say 2 iroh and zuko were both perfect

[@garretheatherman3074]

​@@sonfoku73I disagree with Iroh. Serious Iroh is definitely perfect. But they completely cut his more jovial, humorous, and we barely get any of the Iroh wisdom

[@Angelica4Equity]

I wish sokka and katara were darker tbh

[@LuisSierra42]

@@garretheatherman3074 they made him too serious because Iroh liked to flirt with women and we can't allow that in the "modern age"

[@sydrc24]

They took away the misogyny that was met with consequences and up lifted the characters and replaced it with misogyny that made them more shallow

[@ville__]

Don't translate..... भवतः हृदयस्य धड़कनं कतिपयेषु घण्टेषु स्थगयिष्यति, अस्य शापस्य मुक्तिं प्राप्तुं एकमात्रं मार्गं मम चैनलस्य सदस्यतां कुर्वन्तु ‎...

[@jammiewhammie]

it’s so disappointing to see a character that subverts gendered expectations and provide consequences to misogyny be turned into a sexualised object for a character to ogle at and have her personality (and the message that told) stripped from her

[@derekgandlofini8058]

@@ville__facts

[@CyRxJustin]

"We worried that if Sokka was dismissive of women and then got corrected, people might see that as objectifying women. We wanted to correct that, so we turned women into oversexed reproductive machines that can't function if their ovaries are activated. "We want people to know that women are physically capable and the only thing that's stopping them is their silly women feelings."

[@Rockinashy]

the way suki ended up basically thanking sokka was wild

[@Elechte]

I think the original series didn't have Zuko save the crew that went with him afterwards was because it doesn't make sense for the firelord to allow that. It foments split loyalties.

[@cathy4697]

Also implies that they didn't go through with their war plan, which, of course they did

[@Scroolewse]

I like that you withheld the information about the original showrunners leaving until midway through the video. Finding out then had much more impact

[@armleg]

What I always loved about Katara, as a biracial kid myself who grew up estranged from the Jamaican side of my family, was how Katara embodied the struggle of being a minority separated from your culture. She always drew pride from being a waterbender, a symbol of her community's resilience, but it was simultaneously a point of insecurity for her, as she didn't have the affinity for it that she wished she did, having no one to teach her. That all really resonates -- being a visible minority, but not truly having enough connection to your culture to feel "deserving" of membership. And none of it is resolved by having *some guy* tell you "Haha don't second-guess yourself you're so sexy."

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

That last line lmao 😂 you described the Netflix version so well.

[@shanel4294]

❤🇯🇲

[@wenzelp]

What a great Statement

[@aanyamallick7747]

Baby girl not to take away from you but Jamaican is a NATIONALITY not a race. You’re multi cultured. As am I being Afro Syrian Jamaican. Also I hated EVERYTHING to do with this Sokka and Suki.

[@shanel4294]

@@aanyamallick7747 I think you misunderstood them here, they’re biracial and clearly the black side of their family is Jamaican. My ethnicity is Jamaican and Nigerian but my nationality is British and my race is black. Jamaica can be both a nationality and an ethnicity but not a race, which luckily nobody said it was.

[@LeBearr]

Turning Suki from the badass character she was into a horned up girl that trains sokka because she’s just that horny. And his personality doesn’t grow on her because he’s funny and caring but because he’s just that hot

[@IsraelLlerena]

What’s annoying is that she thanks HIM for ‘showing her the world’. But in the animation, SUKI is the one who shows Sokka the wider world of women actually fighting and protecting their people. It’s so crazy that they reduced Suki to being a thirsty warrior

[@just4fun-gaming474]

@@IsraelLlerena it just seems that they got all the script but never uynderstood anything about what this is about and just scrapped it

[@samuelgehm5149]

The funniest part about that is they were like "we're going to make sokka not sexist, so that we can create sexist interpretations of other characters"

[@CorgiTheRegularCorgi17]

@@samuelgehm5149Yeah, I was about to comment on that

[@miuhana21]

Damn you nailed it so well lmao

[@lilmissemi]

things you learn in film school: show- don't tell (subtext), a perfect character is a boring one, and people standing talking is boring somehow they failed all three

[@yunglen2000]

i was pissed off with how they handled bumi, the reveal in the cartoon was so impactful but in the live action he straight up goes “it’s me, bumi!”

[@9_dog_race]

zuko refusing to fight his father and instead getting on his knees and begging also shows just how afraid zuko is of his father!! which is the baseline for his entire character and gives us an inside perspective on how evil ozai really is, the fact that he was willing to fight a child who was on his knees, in tears, begging for mercy jfc

[@kertdeck]

You also missed the point of zuko

[@halodeer]

Not even mentioning how well this illustrates how Zuko is a good person deep down. He wants to save as may fire nation lives as possible which is why he speaks up in the meeting in the first place. Then he refuses to fight someone he calls family. His father tried to kill that piece of Zuko by burning him. But the netflix version makes zuko care about "the throne that is rightfully his" instead of wanting to earn his families love and acceptance back. And fights his father in the agni kai... after waiting a little bit lol killing his character faster than you can say "Compassion is a sign of weakness"

[@hurricanejaney]

@@halodeer everything they’ve done to humanize Ozai feels off. Ozai is a sociopath. any attempt to make us relate to him just tastes sour to me. same with Azula. the story doesn’t work if they’re not cold, unfeeling monsters. i appreciate them trying to give us a way to relate to them beyond that, but ATLA did the job in The Beach. that’s the closest we ever got to intimately learning about Zuko’s family, and it worked perfectly. if Ozai and Azula truly care about Zuko more than their thrones, the whole story falls apart. maybe they’ll make this new characterization make sense, but i’m doubtful.

[@halodeer]

@@hurricanejaney Totally agree. ATLA is an allegory for WW2 (Ozai being H*tler) so we don't need to get to know Ozai to know hes evil and the gaang needs to defeat him. His personality/backstory doesn't add anything to the story and characters so it makes sense they don't develop his character at all. Off topic but I liked that they made the evil guy have zero personality in the og show. Its more powerful for kids to grow up believing they can defeat the evil in the world no matter how untouchable and unrelatable they seem (even if the evil is their own parent, if you're looking at it from Zuko's perspective).

[@hurricanejaney]

@@halodeer straight up. if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. there’s no need to change anything; the original series is perfect. just translate it to live-action, episode by episode, and they’d have that Game of Thrones-type audience foaming at the mouth. if they can’t do that, then they ought to leave well enough alone. i don’t want to gatekeep but the idea of anyone watching the live-action series without seeing the original makes me cringe

[@66Roses]

Something the showrunners also clearly missed is Gyatso's skeleton is sitting completely unburned in a room with thirty dead firebenders. I _love_ the fan theory that says he created a _vacuum_ and took them all out with him. That would have been quite a thing to see.

[@GhostedMemes]

The fact that they Netflix didn't even consider taking the chance to turn that into a action scene surprises me. They could have shown a scene of him getting cornered before zooming in, him saying, "I won't be going down alone," or something like that, then cut to the present.

[@hurricanejaney]

it’s hardly even a theory. there’s no other explanation. like bloodbending, the act of bending the air out of someone’s lungs (breathbending, i guess?) is one of those techniques that is entirely taboo, especially to a pacifist nation like the air nomads, but still very much possible. only meant to be used in a time of dire need.

[@jellyjilli1004]

@@GhostedMemes It's kinda sad bc it shows that whoever wrote this part wasn't even interested enough to entertain what that scene could mean. Not imaginative at all.

[@worthythaneofross3925]

But the skeleton wouldn’t be burned… the flesh would. Right?

[@camelat7228]

@@GhostedMemes corny ahh marvel line

[@CreateAmazment]

NATLA was one of the only shows I've seen where I can say it just straight up calls you stupid to your face. The amount of times a character just stares directly into the camera and exposition dumps and tells you exactly how you need to be feeling in that moment was insulting

[@sanjivinsmoke1602]

not atla

[@Ninja0Pain]

It's wild that the original show with an all ages target audience has more complex characters and the one designed for an adult audience has very 2-dimensional characters.

[@bonanzajellybean741]

small detail i hate: they keep changing “avatar, master of all four elements” to “the avatar, THE ONLY PERSON who can master all four elements” like they were so worried we wouldn’t pick up on the fact that the avatar alone can do that? the use of awkward and clunky dialogue to clarify plot points that should be implied by world building and character reactions is a huge issue with the remake as a whole.

[@prequel_moment]

the spoon-feeding just makes me so mad. nicque marina i believe (did not spell that right please correct me im sorry 😭) did a little rant about how we got to this point and she was so right. the ridiculous amount of exposition, insanity of sokka’s remakes, the destruction of suki, ozai and katara’s characters, and so many other elements (get it) made this such a lackluster remake. the actors are doing their best and I won’t fault them for it; but this remake was so unnecessary.

[@megastormy497]

That might change after he masters all four. They can say that line in the animation because of the line in the intro saying he's got a lot of work until he can save anyone

[@sophiadebar382]

Especially since, if they just used the narration of the original show, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Katara literally says “only the avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them” It’s implied that there is only one avatar by the *the* proceeding avatar in the sentence, which then results in the “master of all four elements” part being connected to the ‘singular avatar’ implication. This results in most, if not all, of the audience realizing, yes, there is only one person who can master all the elements The original narration was perfect

[@h3II0MN123]

@@prequel_moment First 10 minute made me not like the show. The part where the earth soldier had to repeat and explain in simple terms what Sozin just said.

[@kenwood908]

I fucking hate shows that tell and don't just show, spoon feeding information like we're dumb. I hate that shit and always makes me stop watching

[@Cal6009]

Saying "at least it's better than the movie" is like saying getting kicked in the face is better than getting kicked in the balls.

[@battyrae1398]

okay legit question. IS it better to be kicked in the face than in the balls? i get that crotch shots are incredibly painful, but head trauma can legit fuck up your LIFE so not the point, but u got me wondering

[@eel5618]

​@@battyrae1398I mean one normal kick probably wont cause permeant damage to the head but getting kicked in the balls could permeantly hurt you and hurts more

[@ashtonndlovu9470]

Balls worse Let's put it this way Flicking ur finger to my face is annoying Do the same to my balls I shall wish for death for several lifetimes 😢​@@battyrae1398

[@asphyxious4605]

getting kicked by balls in your face

[@IR-Fan]

oooh... kinky@@asphyxious4605

[@multipass113]

Hi Drew, just came here to say that your outro’s wish came true: as a Gen X, I just recently binge watched the Nickelodeon series because having only seen two of your videos (the first one being ‘How Much More Star Wars Do We Need?’) I find your analysis wittily insightful and accurate and decided to take up on your recommendation. If many are envious of me getting to experience ATLA for the very first time, I don’t blame them….it was indeed wonderful. So I thank you (and the YT algorithm).

[@smugsneasel]

Trying to market this as a faithful adaptation then getting rid of all the original writers was a masterful ruse, your Highness

[@xzodiayinzero5929]

The original writers left on their own.

[@sydguitar99]

The IRL trying to remove sexism, ended up being even more sexist. Katara needed Aangs and Jets help to become a comfident waterbender, Suki needed Sokka to broaden her views, Princess Yue was literally in the kitchen making ice cream 😂

[@Man-of-Steel674]

The original didn't have sexism it beated the racism out of sokka. Which is like negetive sexism by my book.

[@Anonymous_P]

​@Man-of-Steel674 um it didn't precisely beat the racism out of him😅 but yeah I agree

[@snowfoxxie]

Hahaha so true! 😂 really sad. The show stinks but the actors and actresses are nice to watch!

[@skie6282]

Soooo bad

[@sydguitar99]

@@Man-of-Steel674 what do you meqn

[@leahjk97]

Your analysis of the change to Suki had me cheering because you’re so right!! it was so infuriating to me that they were like “we did a great job of making sokka less sexist” and then they just make suki a simpering love struck character. good job writers

[@just4fun-gaming474]

thinking that the story was already written by athoer people in 2004 makes it even worse

[@whynotfrancis]

jessie gender did a great video that goes even more into depth on that specific arc, highly recommend

[@blakewhite3131]

Fr like, "we decided to fundamentally hollow out a strong female character and reduce her to a love interest, as a treat to the feminists"

[@RoKer13]

Nah she still shows that she knows more than Sokka when she is teaching him. I don’t like that they took away him learning more of a lesson but it’s really not that bad as people are making it out to be.

[@cheeto.burrito]

imagine taking away the diegetic sexism and replacing it with non-diegetic sexism

[@demonkid8284]

What would’ve been interesting is if Bumi was trying to get Aang to allow himself to relax. That while these issues are pressing, he can’t lose himself to his duty or else he won’t be able to help people. Just to flip the idea on its head.

[@dangernoodledee111]

This is the second time I've clicked on what looks to be a pretty interesting video essay without properly looking at the thumbnail or username, and gotten practically jump-scared by Drew. I just usually think of you as "funny videos guy" and then you will whip out some legitimately well written videos essays that give me a new perspective and articulate feelings I have in a way I never would have realized on my own. Kinda like it. It's like a pleasant little surprise, where you don't make too many video essays, but when you do, they are always a treat and something I wouldn't completely expect you to cover. Like a Christmas present. Only comes once a year, but that's what makes it special.

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

I definitely prefer this over reacting to tik tok trends or another crappy Christmas movie reaction vid. Drews more in depth media reviews is what's keeping him from being just as bland as Danny Gonzalez and especially Kurtis Conner.

[@frankiealice4879]

Such a small gripe I have - but in the cartoon, because we don't ever SEE the Airbenders fight the Fire Nation, it adds an air of imagined savagery of the war, and of Giyatso also. I remember reading this fantastic theory that Giyatso, outnumbered by Fire Nation, chose to remove all air/oxygen in the room where he died, snuffing out their fire, but also ending his life in the process. If I'm not mistaken, the creators themselves responded to this theory really positively. I don't know, just seeing the fight makes the Airbenders look really weak, when canonically they're extremely strong, but choose a life of monkhood and peace due to their overwhelming power and responsibility. I feel like we lost a lot of the Airbender majesty by showing their slaughter.

[@shae.2214]

They’re even more powerful when you think of the fact that every other bender has a weakness; water can only bend if there’s water nearby, earthbenders (as bumi said) can only bend if they see earth (besides toph) and firebenders can only bed fire in conditions that fire can exist in, whereas air exists everywhere and without it everything would die. So really the only weakness for airbenders is their own skill and willpower

[@B3ans0nT0ast]

THIS. I couldn't put into words why it bothered me but you've done it perfectly. I wish they hadn't shown us

[@caelirosetv]

Not a small gripe!! Valid and correct gripe!! I couldn’t figure out exactly why I didn’t like that we saw the fight at all

[@johannaschoning274]

They also played down the firebenders in that sceen. The fire arme is just a bunch of people throwing fireballs. We dont see how the meteor makes them more powerfull, as you said it just looks like the air nomads are weak. Not only is ther no sign of how the comet is powering them up, that way its like the comet doesnt power them up at all! In the cartoon it was always this "When the comet arrives the firebenders will be invincible" there is real horror in there, which is proven right by the massive flame wall they used to scorch the land, from the airships. Like this i dont feel like it will be bad if the comet comes, we already saw what it can do and it doesnt look like much.

[@TheSkinnyLegend1997]

@@shae.2214 Wow. Never thought of that before... I feel like if I could bend any element it would be Air.

[@kwebvin9939]

They really removed the flaws of Sokka but make his dad hate him for no reason, in the animated he didn't hate him and Sokka was a TEENAGE boy with TENAGE FLAWS

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

FR WHY DOES EVERY CHARACTER NEED TO HAVE ZUKO'S DADDY ISSUES NOW 😭

[@DiogoChris]

Bruhhh! It was a pivotal thing in the beginning of Book 3 to contrast Ozai with Hakoda, and show how better at fathering Hakoda is. And that's because he loves his children unconditionally while Ozai only tolerates and accepts Zuko back because he thinks he did something "heroic" (killing the Avatar). In the original, Sokka always had this mindset of wanting to make his dad proud, and wanting his dad to see him as a grown man. And every single time Hakoda is on-screen with Sokka, he reiterates on how much he loves and is proud of his son. "There's no Netflix adaptation in Ba Sing Se" 🙂

[@Crysta11ize]

What, for real? That's so stupid, Sokka and Katara's dad is like the one good father in the show lol

[@rexana_rexana]

@@DiogoChris THISSSSSSS OMLLLL Hakoda is a direct opposite to Ozai (and i would argue so is Iroh, but thats a seperate essay). He's supposed to remind us that, As a man of Power and Influence, he still has responsibility to take care of his kids and he loves them and cares for them with such grace. Sokka and Katara are great comparisons to Zuko and Azula, in a lot of ways i wont go into directly but they are the products of how their parents treated them. Katara and Sokka are always striving to be better, to do better, not (just) because they feel like they have to (i say just because of the whole war thing going on), but because they want to be better people for their family, to help, to provide, to care for, to nurture. Azula and Zuko feel required to prove themselves, literally and figuratively, because otherwise they don't deserve a place amongst family. The constant pressure to perform for the bare minimum. Zuko is only able to get out of that mindset because he has Iroh who shows him that love isn't earned but is unconditional. i say all this to say that we lose such a cascade of characterization from both sides, good and bad, by that one detail change. People say Zuko wasn't done so bad but his characterization depends so much on all the characters around him that even through this he looses so much more than people think he does. All the characters lose, we lose, because netflix decided to make a dumb edgy version of Atla

[@xdog12]

​@@Crysta11ize I don't know what they are talking about. In the Netflix show, his dad literally protected him from the truth that he failed his boating trial. He's a great dad in the Netflix show. It's literally not "for no reason"

[@Miss_Pettigrew]

AND THE WAY THEY DESTROYED KYOSHI’S PERSONALITY TOO. All of Aang’s past lives, actually.

[@qwork-qwork4637]

27:30 and the fact that they got a Zuko actor who can do SPINNING BACK KICKS? Yes, they ruined characters and story, but DAMN the KICKS

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

They WASTED him fr

[@fairyfairiefaerie]

i’d like to point out that the actors themselves act very much like their characters outside of the show. The actress for Katara, Kiawentiio, especially- who got criticized for her character having a lack of emotions in the show- in her other films/shows she’s done (Anne with an E, Beans, interviews, audition tape) has shown she can absolutely play strong emotions both in and out of character, thus implying all the poor character changes are a result of the subpar writing/direction and the show not properly utilizing their actors, rather than the actor’s abilities themselves.

[@eden22.7]

Yes the changes are certainly intentional. It's clear that katara and sokkas family dynamic is completely different, and that theyre setting it up for katara to blossom into an assertive strong bender

[@pearlhwva]

it’s so sad to me that the actors (especially kiawentiio, at least from what i’ve seen) are receiving hate for their acting in the show. it’s not their fault the writers and directors absolutely missed the mark.

[@martophrenia]

@@eden22.7too bad they forgot to write some emotions for Katara

[@drewisgooden]

they have so much personality and chemistry in interviews together and the writers/directors managed to capture none of that in the show

[@roseyoung44]

​@@drewisgooden it'd almost be impressive, if it wasn't so sad

[@MilaOh]

No waterbending in Book 1: Water is actually crazy

[@sweetcupcakes19]

It’s just Book 1: at this point.

[@sinixynta]

How is that an issue? It would be one if they titled the first season "Water". But no, it's just "season 1" ._.

[@strawr7198]

@@sinixyntawhat book do you think season 1 of the live action covers…? let’s use our critical thinking please

[@yourshoulderdevil5229]

@@strawr7198 I've been arguing with that guy for a while, they don't know how to think.

[@NingaShark]

@@sinixyntais it hard living without a brain?

[@androidsenpai1462]

Honestly, with the overemphasis on the Fire Nation (to the point of introducing Mei and Tai Lee and giving Azula a major role all in Book One, going out of their way to have Ozai and Iroh interact, and only seeming to care for giving Ozai any meaningful character), taking away the team dynamic and individual traits of Team Avatar, the apparent obsession with Avatar Kyoshi being Aang’s main guide instead of Roku, and the overbearing interest in how cool and big the characters’ powers are over what that power actually means, this show feels like it was written by someone who was in middle school when the original show came out and spent their teen years writing overbaked fanfiction about it. This very much feels like whoever wrote it lacks objectivity and can’t tell good storytelling from their favorite concepts when they watched the original. It’s kinda like how Dave Filoni writes Star Wars.

[@JokerP5]

Why do i get the feeling they will give aang water bending because “since the ocean spirit took over he has access to waterbending now”

[@RadioactiveBluePlatypus]

When Gran Gran said the name of the 4 elements I literally cringed so much my soul left my body and reached the avatar state.

[@heatherleslie6643]

That monologue had me TEAR BENDING

[@pvic6959]

@@heatherleslie6643 but not in a good way

[@TimeTravelingFetus]

@@heatherleslie6643 This show is so full of bullshit that it's making me tear bend!

[@bellatrixlest]

I had nightmares for a week after I saw that scene.

[@lorenadias6730]

Lol

[@thebadpoet]

Zuko fighting back against his abusive father just completely guts his character. Freezing and refusing to fight isn’t just a way to show that he doesn’t want to hurt his father, it so clearly shows that he is doing his best to survive an abusive situation.

[@Biittiriisi]

The moment when Zuko finally breaks free of his father's influence in season 3 is so momentous. I mean, they are both just there and Zuko doesn't even raise his voice. No pyrotechnics, no fighting, just a promise. It's so powerful.

[@Prometeu21]

​@@BiittiriisiAnd Zuko actual pratical reaction to Ozai's attack in the throne room in season 3 is made much better by the fact that Zuko had never reacted before, it shows us that he is truly free from Ozai, to the point were he is not afraid to fight back. Now that he reacted in their Agni Kai this scene will have much less impact

[@vtp6903]

@@Prometeu21 Haven't watched the netflix adaptation but there's also the detail that it was the first time Zuko redirected lightning, a much stronger, faster lightning created by his own father. His retaliation against his father proved Zuko's strength mentally, but his reaction time proved his physical strength. Not to mention it's a move entirely created by Iroh, showing how much he loved and respected his uncle.

[@kirikakirikakirika]

Can we all just agree that animated movies and TV shows _don't need_ to be adapted into live action performances? Every time I see something animated turned into live action, I just know it's for two reasons: 1. Money. 2. Because people think animation is for children.

[@alexabond1217]

I’m glad I wasn’t alone here. As soon as I started watching I was disappointed. They removed ALL humor from the show, made it extremely serious, over explained everything with dialogue, and removed their personalities/crucial character development. The writing felt bad and the acting cheesy.

[@lenajohnson6179]

Not to mention, everyone was so worried about Sokka losing his sexism for four episodes, they just ignored the entire character arc of Aang of running from responsibility which he struggled with for like, an entire season, which literally makes him just... bland, boring hero man with no flaws.

[@eden22.7]

you mean everyone else just wanted to hear him be sexist. i hate this overused and untrue misogynistic statement so much. "his ENTIRE character arc" if you and everyone else really thinks him being sexist was his whole character you were not watching the show at all

[@ryudhal]

They also, in an effort to remove the sexism le bad from the show, ended up entirely removing Pakku's entire story and connection to Katara. Robbing Katara of MORE arcs that would've saved her already more boring portrayal. That was supposed to be the peak of her arc of proving herself to everyone else.

[@patrickripleyiii134]

Lol I kinda agree, both their arcs were rushed and suck now, and no not every one just wanted to see sexism. That wasn't his entire character arc for the whole show, but it was definitely a huge part of it. Honestly the show deconstructs sexism very well and probably helped create a lot of future feminism, so they really just wasted that chance in the end

[@ryudhal]

​@@eden22.7Idk Drew's points on this hits the nail on the head. If you don't understand why it's important to either be there or be replaced with something else, then you're exactly the type of people the writers are catering to. It doesn't HAVE to be sexism. He got past it right after his stuff with Suki so it's easily replaced. But what they replaced it with is worthless. They just change seemingly small things not realising how much those small things mean and doesn't replace it with anything else. Aang not running away. Sokka's conflict with Suki. Pakku's arc and connection to Katara (which imo is EVEN WORSE cus now Pakku legitimately has no arc whatsoever.) THEY didn't watch the show. THEY didn't understand the writing. And this strawman argument is just completely pointless when you understand that they could've EASILY removed the sexism and replaced it with something else. But they didn't. Because they didn't realise it served a plot purpose. Because they didn't watch it. Stop excusing bad writing.

[@fettel1988]

@@eden22.7 Hyperbolism doesn't suit you either as an argument against perceived hyperbolism. Sokka's sexism fuels his initial character and subsequent development through the end of the Water book.

[@MikeyD]

The idea of Aang being a theatre kid ready to break into song after every line sums up the exact feeling I got from him. I couldn't get past episode 1 sadly😢

[@user-hanging-at-the-hanged-man]

Oh it gets worse!

[@ayszhang]

I couldn't finish ep 2 😅

[@zachhamilton456]

I also couldn't finish episode 1. Straight up terrible opener to one of the best shows ever.

[@JGmoney88]

All of his lines are extremely canned and makes it sound like he's ready to break out his soap box

[@jun_kage]

I couldn’t get past the first 8minutes. You are much more tolerant than I 😂

[@LivLaugh]

watching the show with my partner who didn't see the animated version, he was suprised when I cried at most of the Zuko/Iroh interractions with "soldier boy" playing the the backgroud. A lot of the emotional moments only work if you already know and love the characters

[@user-mAfuNqrSe020x]

They massacred Bumi's /omashu arc. I loved Bumi the most in the og because he reminded me so much of my late great-grandpa. He too was a senile, funny and loving, more than 100 years old man like Bumi. Seeing him immediately recognised by aang and that he's a senile but cranky, angry and hot tempered old man really made me disappointed. He was supposed to be fun..FUN!

[@kaitlinwarren2746]

The fact that the original show runners WERE working on Netflix with it but then left due to creative differences which we clearly see here in this adaptation is extremely sad and upsetting.

[@nyanuwu4209]

Not sad or upsetting at all. Paramount gave them a studio and funding to do as they please. A theatrical animated release is due next year and more Avatar shows to come (hopefully a firebender; the potential is wild).

[@kaitlinwarren2746]

@@nyanuwu4209 the theatrical, is it based on Kyoshi? I thought I heard something about it being about her maybe I’m wrong

[@Afreshio]

@@nyanuwu4209 After Korra (and yeah i know Nickelodeon interfered a lot with the pre production and afterwards; they didn't trust enough the IP or the showrunners i guess) i'm not so sure about the creators having the sauce anymore. LOK was milquetoast. It lacked something. And it ruined the lore by mid second season. It also introduced mecha spirit kaiju laser fights and mecha robots laser shooting menaces. totally stupid. It not ruined the Avatar past lives connection, thus destroying the relevancy and connection to ATLA, it also ruined the spirit world by making it tame and "westernized". What the fuck is the new avatar is gonna do if it occurs post Korra? How's that avatar state work? There's only fucking Korra to drive for wisdom and jeez... i know i woulnd't want that. of all the avatars, korra? The one that managed to destroy 10,000 years of tradition? And talking about that. LOK big theme was a bout that and I have a personal issue with that: it became a show about dismantling the masterpiece that was the predecesor: Aang, Katara and Toph were a shitty parents, the Spirit World became a fantasy medieval LARP with vibrant colors with a new portal for tourism, Bending became so lame, and even special master aspects of bending like lighting and metalbending became ubiquitous, the bastardization of airbender nomad culture, the quasimedieval-preindustrial setting of the OG show (i don't want high tech in my Avatar show, no thanks!), the ruining of the new Avatar team by not having a clear storyline for Korra only for her to end with a girl because "we are progressive, right?" stunt. There's so many stupid shit in LOK that I just prefer to ignore it exists. I'm not holding my breath for the next Avatar show even if its made by dimartino and konietzko. They didn't get why ATLA was a masterpiece and that's the reason they failed wtih LOK from the get go.

[@Wahba.]

​@@Afreshioare we even sure ATLA was their work at this point? Because the 2nd season especially the avatar wan bs screams this wasn't our stuff so we are changing it

[@nyanuwu4209]

@@Afreshio "It ruined the lore" How? I'm not reading a fuckin' essay when you started off with some sweeping nonsense.

[@TheCanadianLemur]

They really DID make this show "Netflix's Game of Thrones". They just made it the last 3 seasons of Game of Thrones, the ones where characters behaved incoherently, were hollow shells of their former selves, and entire character and story arcs were dropped or ruined, instead of the first 5 seasons that were actually good.

[@brookeallisonparkinson]

Thank you for making real captions instead of the (usually bad) autogenerated captioning

[@iannachazel]

I also really hated how Aang was told who Bumi was immediately, which originally was the whole point of that episode. Bumi just messes with Aang and it puts him in a stressful situation because he thinks its just whoever the current King is and not his best friend from 100 years ago.

[@tiablue9106]

I like how once aang realizes it's bumi he knows he and his friends were never in danger. he knew their friendship would hold over 100 yrs and bumi was just pranking him, it rlly contrasts w/ how frustrated he was thru the ep when he didn't know who it was

[@zippityzoop1478]

EXACTLY! I stopped watching after the Bumi stuff

[@cs6727]

Revealing and then fighting = I don’t even recognize my friend anymore. He’s so different. But fighting and then revealing = I didn’t recognize him at first but that’s my best friend and he hasn’t changed a bit.

[@jocap3837]

They made Bumi dumb as a baby instead of a wise 112 year old man. Who was a reminder nothing is too late

[@blunderbuss1395]

do you guys remember when aang recognizes bumi in the original show, after saying his name, and getting confirmation, he literally wells up in tears? that's literally the moment aang realizes not all was lost after he saw the aftermath of the air nomad genocides. in this one bumi hates him for leaving cause they mixed his personality with the old man from the storm

[@izzymcgrath]

All of this comes from the fact that major studios like Netflix see animation as a lesser art form, they just view animations as mindless children’s entertainment rather than it’s own medium to tell stories. We don’t need live action remakes as the original animation is the actual way the series was meant to be consumed in.

[@gordatados]

I guess you could say the same of books too

[@callnight1441]

same with Disney. no one ever asked for a Live action Lion King or Aladdin; those films work so fine, because they are animated. The live action versions take away from the personality of the films and characters

[@xannaxman2827]

i dont think thats 100% true considering they are putting more love into creating anime and you also have arcane that had alot of adult parts. i think its more the directors of the show and maybe some overreach but just look at the fact that the original creators of last airbender where working with them but left part way through so sounds like the people involved just didint care not so much the studio

[@MrSimpleton]

@@gordatadosat least with a book it takes a literary medium into a visual medium - there is more change which makes book adaptations more justified.

[@cahan557]

I feel like they could easily just make another avatar universe series and keep it animated either going forward again (the next after Korra in a world with 2000-esque tech) or tell the stories of well known avatars like Kyoshi or Yangchen (both could be a more mature series since Kyoshi was known to be ruthlessly practical and yangchen is a story of a powerful monk having to grapple with the dilemma of selfishly choosing her own pacifism or using violence to make the world more peaceful). They wouldn’t have to compare to the original show as closely and they’d obviously still get some backlash (legend of korra got a lot of hate even though it was objectively pretty good). There are also tonnes of plot lines they could explore in the world of avatar since they have only just touched how bending could integrate into technology, the inequality issues of having only some benders etc.

[@WeiYinChan]

Totally insane idea here: How about we stop forcing live adaptations for animated work? It‘a unnecessary, a waste of resources, and nearly never works. How about creating something new?

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

That would involve actual creativity and hard work. Nobody wants to do that.😂

[@williamTA5]

The animated show was made primarily for children but assumed the viewer had the emotional intelligence of an adult meanwhile the Netflix show was made for adults but assumed the viewer to be dumber than most children

[@tyler-df3wy]

I can never get over the way they did Zuko’s scar. It’s such a big part of his character design and it’s a perfect symbol of Ozai’s brutality. Zuko was his son - a young child - and he completely disfigured a quarter of his face for deigning to speak out against him. It’s something impossible to miss and it’s a constant reminder of how much Ozai’s abuse has shaped him But in NATLA it looks like a birthmark or a bruise. You could squint and probably not even notice it. They put so much effort into the CGI and making everything look as close to the cartoon as physically possible, but probably one of the most famous pieces of character designs in any show ever is completely overlooked It’d literally be like forgetting Aang’s arrows it’s actually ridiculous

[@yourshoulderdevil5229]

This reminds me of Sokka's quote (from the original) "I feel like I've lost part of my identity. Imagine if you lost your arrow, or if Katara lost her... hair loopies!" I think it perfectly encapsulates the entire show, but especially Zuko and his scar.

[@calamitysangfroid2407]

Can't make characters with facial scars too gross looking in live adaptations. He can join the many, many other novel and cartoon characters with facial scars that suffered this. The idea of what is 'acceptably' ugly in movies/TV shows is very narrow. He could be a supermodel and they still wouldn't let him have a proper full size scar.

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

​​@@calamitysangfroid2407 tbh I don't know why they're so afraid of giving him an "ugly" scar when the poor guy is gonna have to wear that hideous bald ponytail anyway 😂

[@aykakatibli7249]

He disfigured him primarily because Zuko REFUSED to fight, which Ozai interpreted as his son’s weakness. The whole point of how Ozai respected power over anything else is dispensed in the live action remake, unfortunately.

[@thedeliveryboy1123]

i always noticed that in the original, homie lost his eyebrows because of his scar and that eye is in a permanent squint because of the scar tissue, but in the live action his eyebrows are still intact and yeah it really feels like he just has a weird birthmark. I'm not saying they should've yoinked the actor's eyebrows, but...

[@elfappo9330]

This show feels like it was written by people who just like reading cool little tidbits on a fan wiki. The characters aren't individuals who go through events and struggle and grow. They're a bulleted list of traits.

[@Ugly_Single_Near_You-jw2er]

Idk how you drop the ball when you have the story already laid out for you on a silver platter. How do you fumble something when they have the perfect script already? lol

[@elfappo9330]

@@Ugly_Single_Near_You-jw2er i could understand wanting to change it up a little bit instead of doing a shot-for-shot remake but the changes they made are so fucking confusing.

[@ohwell1547]

​@@elfappo9330It's so weird. Like it's more gratuitous and violent but also...tame? Like the characters losing there anger, spunk, and even saddness. Even the main villains honestly lose a lot of their cruel nature. It's like the main characters are repressing their emotions for some bizarre reason.

[@elfappo9330]

@@ohwell1547 If a character in media demonstrates a problematic trait, that would be an endorsement of that behavior!

[@Afreshio]

@@ohwell1547 Americans, driven by their puritan origins, don't shy away from violence. Media has become incresingly violent but oh lord save yourself if you show genitals or nudity in general. In this case they could show dark gritty violent stuff to appeal to GOT TV show morons fans but forgot to properly write a script without the help of AI. Because the script feels like a chatGPT regurgitated crap.

[@mikak1765]

i already knew the live action was gonna disappoint when the original creators left the project. why netflix thought it would be a good idea to boot the geniuses that gave us this masterpiece in the first place is beyond me

[@xzodiayinzero5929]

The original creators left on their own. They co-wrote the first episode, btw.

[@uneterostardust8233]

No one is "Too Old" to criticise bad quality media, Avatar was a cartoon that treated kids respectfully, not with the "It's fine to be bad because it's for kids" disrespectful attitude, Kids don't deserve garbage.

[@q.l.1363]

“Suffering will be your teacher” was such an insanely gorgeous line

[@ethanduke3005]

And way more impactful than a cheesy “compassion is weakness,” like come on. That’s some serious 12 year old edge lord shit.

[@egg1223]

​@@ethanduke3005 Damn was that a quote from the live action? That's so silly.

[@Nlky]

@@egg1223did you finish the video you're commenting on?

[@Clara-yd5qo]

@@Nlkysome people like to look at the comments before finishing the video! It’s ok :)

[@DumpsterJedi]

@@ethanduke3005 If this "Compassion is weakness" pays off when we see Ursa, i think it might just be worth it. only just tho

[@yourlocalbeeswarm1942]

the zuko thing upsets me so so much bc it really messes with the dynamic between him and azula, the whole idea of "child prodigy" vs "guy who worked really hard" is kinda scuffed when the guy was able to beat the strongest guy ever without any of the working really hard

[@GymbrGleam]

Just imagine if zuko was able to defeat ozai if only he wasn’t poisoned by “weakness” and ONLY unable by being poisoned by “weakness” on day one at the council, doesn’t that make Azula capable of defeating ozai without even trying? Like I’m seriously wondering why she didn’t just get angry and usurp rule from ozai given the power dynamic between her and zuko

[@gustavopereira4924]

​@@GymbrGleamBc the only power abusers have over Their victims are the psychological power, victims are always stronger physically and They just to realize that... That must have been Netflix's thought process

[@elliel.5915]

How they handled Azula was so annoying too. Like, why is she suddenly so hung up on proving herself to be better than Zuko in the eyes of her father? Azula *knew* she was better than Zuko. She's been hailed as a prodigy since she was a child. Her doubts were never really centered on her abilities, and the cracks only started to show towards the end of season 3. You know, when her friends abandoned her and her father at once sidelined her and handed her intense responsibility that she wasn't ready for? Outwardly, Azula is ruthless, perfectionistic, and exceptionally skilled. Centering her doubts on her ability, of all things, feels like a complete misunderstanding of her arc.

[@every_planet_we_reach_is_dead]

I don't like this term usually but they really made the entire main cast into Mary Sues 😂

[@contentutube]

facts

[@bananaannanna]

Every video I watch with Drew Gooden in it, he gives me a new quote to love. Im only 5 minutes in and he just gave me the absolute BANGER "If you don’t murder someone *right now*, I'm taking my ass to freevee"

[@Arvak]

I'll forever be disappointed in what they did to Suki. She was my favourite character in the original show, and when I was a kid she was absolutely a role model for me, and to see that all removed is so sad.

[@williamreely3455]

Avatar is not unadaptable. The problem is that the original series was made with love. The adaptations were made for the money by people who don't understand the source material whatsoever.

[@bevvvy1374]

It's not unadaptable but there's just no point in it. The show accomplished what it wanted to and then some.

[@ashleycraig8223]

Why dont they adapt korra. That show was pretty rough and you could fix a lot of things with an adaptation. Why try to change a near perfect show.

[@AxelKNG]

@@ashleycraig8223 I imagine it's cuz Korra doesn't have the fanbase that ATLA does. So while it would still draw impressive numbers, it wouldn't be as impressive as Avatar. Also, let's be honest, while giving Korra another shot to be done better is a good idea, I imagine a live action Korra would also wind up worse than the original. They just don't care enough about story, only visuals.

[@ashleycraig8223]

@@AxelKNG fair enough. I guess I give them too much credit

[@SurrealGoats]

This is the fundamental problem with remakes. The passion gets squeezes out of it.

[@sumeyyebakgun]

Saw this quote somewhere about the original show and I think it's great: "The hero's journey begins with an act of selfishness and the villian's journey begins with an act of selflessness"

[@jobyebye2237]

DANG what a good quote

[@kiratwo4u]

that's such a good quote

[@Pussydeath69]

And a quote for the Netflix adaptation is: "Hero good, villain bad".

[@Door227]

Bro wtf that’s so good and such a good representation of how good this show is, the cartoon I mean

[@MarriedVirus]

When you set a course for the light, but, metaphorically as well as literally

[@llitheaka-4-310]

I feel like sokkas character sexismwise was not the only thing that was changed, but generally his humor and his basic but funny punchlines were deleted from the whole series and that's what made the cartoon version way better, was a mix of drama/comedy/action. This series feels dry and goes only in one line which makes it boring to watch...

[@billbill6094]

One thing that gets me is how they completely ignored the philosophies of several East Asian cultures like taoism and zen buddhism for essentially "friendship is magic". These philosophies not only lead to deep explorations on the martial arts of the nations and therefore better fighting later on, they're integral to the fabric of the characters themselves. Let's take Zuko for a second: as a firebender, and particularly for a firebender of his family, he's incredibly weak. Because of this even before his banishment he always felt in competition with his sister for his father Firelord Ozai's love, and losing badly. His father is only obsessed with power and Azula has it all and him seemingly little. "My father says she was born lucky, he says I was lucky to be born." Because of this we see him constantly training, scolding his uncle for not teaching him advanced bending, keeping his body in top shape. It's because of this he learns other ways to fight too, becoming a master of stealth and a swordsman great enough to take down most benders without using fire. But one fight with his sister after 3 years in the field and he couldn't touch her, Iroh had to save his life. So in an episode in Book 2 where Zuko and Aang recieve parallel training, Zuko attempts to learn to shoot lightning to match his sister, but fails. His uncle explains it's because Zuko feels deep shame. As he retorts "I'm not ashamed, I'm as prideful as ever" Iroh replies "pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source." Zuko's constant yearning for honor and his father's love causes him shame as none of his actions get it. In an attempt to console him, Iroh offers to teach him a move only he knew, as he invented it studying water-bending. We learn that every element has a natural opposite which is hard even for an Avatar born into one culture to master from the other, and this move comes from the water tribe, Zuko's natural opposite. We learn the same way the combination of elements strengthens the Avatar, so to can it strengthen Zuko. Of the Water Tribe as both a descriptor of their style and culture he says "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." Zuko is able to learn the basic motion of the move, but when it came right down to trying to use it, he ended up having a breakdown as he felt the world was still out to belittle him when it would hit him hard until the moment he asks for lightning. He says he can take it and give it back, but we see that's untrue. It's clear Iroh is not just trying to teach him the tai chi move, he's trying to instill within him that love and community to get him through his own shame, to use the adaptability of the inuit-inspired water tribe to temper his inability to let go of past shames. Zuko ultimately fails to master his opposite. Skip to Book 3, after an angsty season of being angry at himself for betraying the only person who cared for him when he was presented with the possibility of his father's love, he moves to set things right. He confronts the most powerful firebender in the world while they were all powerless to stand on business. He finally realizes the father he always wanted he's had this whole time, that in his search for honor he had been robbing himself of it. He will free his Uncle and help the Avatar to defeat him, while seeking his own destiny. As the Firelord tricks him into staying long enough to regain their powers, he hits Zuko with the fastest lightning bending we've ever seen. And he takes it. And he gives it back. He sends the most powerful lightning blast back to the master bender he had no chance against even a few days ago, the one who burned him. And it's not just a martial victory, by using the water tribe move it symbolizes he's finally mastered his natural opposite, he has the fatherly love that holds him together from Iroh, he's adapted from his prideful, shameful ways and is ready to choose the side of good once and for all. All things you don't get if Zuko goes Mark Ham and beats Firelord Ozai when he was 13 in a Book 1 flashback.

[@Queen_Cnidarian]

Also, when Zuko goes to teach Aang firebending, Zuko finds he can’t bend anymore. Firebending is linked (if I recall correctly) to passion. For years, Zuko has been fuled by attempting to capture the Avatar, but having moved on from that quest, there is nothing left to “light his fire.” Each bending style feels very thought out and not like just generic magic. Just another reason the og show was better.

[@fantasymagic97]

That was a really beautiful analysis. Thanks.

[@cryforhelp7270]

That was beautiful 😢

[@billbill6094]

@@Queen_Cnidarian Yes! That's another point the original touches on that I feel the live action never will, that Zuko's bending was _never_ inherently weak, it was just that he was taught the wrong, watered down style that was fueled by anger that wasn't in Zuko's inherent nature, and his bending completely disappeared when he had finally let go of it. There's so much to get into on the true meaning of fire, controlling how firebending is taught as a way to control the thoughts and temperament of the people, the silent connection between firebending and dance and by extent the Fire Nation's strict smothering of freedom of expression. I'm sure that will never be even hinted at, instead it'll just be a revelatory moment of "I was always the strongest" in the final fight and a random powerup, or something along those lines.

[@billbill6094]

@@fantasymagic97 Thank you! I shortened it so I may have made it a bit harder to follow the flow, and even then I didn't expect many people to read it but I felt it needed to be said anyway. ATLA is really such a perfect beautiful story and it always had so much personal meaning to me.