Netflix's Avatar: An Overanalyzing Review

Netflix's Avatar The Last AIrbender has released after 5 years of development. Does the quality match such a long production? Can it hold a candle to the original animated series?
TWO VIDEOS AHEAD ON PATREON: / overanalyzing
Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender came out on February 22nd, for better of worse.
#avatarthelastairbender #avatar #netflix

[@CollieDaze]

“Animated ATLA was written for smart kids, Netflix ATLA was written for dumb adults.” -Monk Gyatso, probably

[@kaspershaupt]

The OG actually respects you

[@GS_geostorm]

true as fuck ngl

[@stapfel7675]

Good one

[@tdog790]

what exactly caused Aang to wake up from the ice ball in the netflix version? Katara didnt accidentally break it open.. he just like randomly SOMEHOW woke up and walked out of it.. so that entire scene is not necessary because they could have had Aang just walk in the nearby town and faint . so why did Aang wait 100 years to wake up if he was somehow conscious the whole time? This small change/plot hole that you didnt even really talk about in the video removes the whole "destiny" element from the show. Like some random girl from a genocided race was the one to wake up the avatar and start this revolution and destiny was at work.. but thats all removed from this soulless netflix cash grab

[@commentingguy3953]

Getzo*

[@MumboJ]

"Any failure on a child actor's part is at least a failure of directing as well" That's actually a really good point.

[@skull1161]

ive seen a fair number of interviews from this cast, and they are all great, they actually embody their characters extremely well, its literally just not possible for them to do this in the show though since all their lines suck

[@jrt2792]

​@@skull1161 these young people can act, it's definitely the director and writing that needs to be held accountable as well too.

[@dingleberry4234]

@@skull1161yea I remember watching the first couple episodes and feeling like most of the cast fit but the lines they were given were just not it

[@EvaristoH]

Applies to any actor regardless of age really, but the younger ones do need more guidance of course

[@ManforSomeMarkets]

Reminds me of the actors impacted by the Star Wars prequel trilogy. “You can write this stuff George, but you can’t say it!”

[@ThatRipOff]

OA forgot to mention the greatest sin this show committed: It didn't put Sokka in a dress for the Kiyoshi Island training.

[@ChefofWar33]

That is sexual appropriation. It's ignorant behavior.

[@jackieroberts2625]

@@ChefofWar33 That's not a thing, it's called crossdressing and it's not a crime, especially if it has a purpose and is not made fun of

[@franciscobohm1699]

​@@jackieroberts2625 it was a joke. Just as how Sokka didn't start off a s sexist douche because "SeXisM BAd"

[@Luna-ux9by]

​@@jackieroberts2625 Not really crossdressing either. It's a warriors uniform. The show joked about it because Sokka is sexist and insecure.

[@carlito19934]

​​@@ChefofWar33 touching grass is a grounding expierence you should try it out

[@_Warhead333]

Something that bothers me is how is it possible that the air nomads had a festival dedicated to the comet and yet be collectively sleeping as the fire nation attacks. What’s the purpose of the festival if not to at the very least watch comet?

[@JanineTillema]

Facts!

[@vikkidonn]

Also if they for some reason have a festival where their entire race shows up “for some reason…..” how do they not know it boosts the fire benders? Especially when they were already in talks about a world war AGAINST said fire nation.

[@skull1161]

the more the live action explores the nomad massacres the more they have to make up new context, which is them shooting themselves in the foot, in the original show the air nomads told Aang that an attack was imminent, so why the hell would they be so clueless that it happened during the comet if they already knew that it was coming, like thats just ridiculous like "aang the fire nation is acting very aggressive, this is why were telling you that you are the avatar, so you can start your training early to maintain peace and order, btw this comet is coming that gives all fire benders a big giant boost in their combat ability but instead of using 3 brain cells to predict that this is when they will attack were gonna have a festival and be sleeping" like what sort of dumb logic is that

[@theknight1573]

​@@skull1161this is solved in the live action since Sozin planted plans for an attack on the other side of the continent. The cartoon actually has done this worse

[@skull1161]

@@theknight1573 That still doesn't make sense. This means the air nomads were careless idiots.

[@Onetruemilo]

I really hated how aang never waterbent, I feel like the characters didn't know each other at all by the end of the show because there's never moments of them just being friends

[@LARKXHIN]

They're just props. I bet the feeling will show up on s2 bc this is supposed to take years

[@Onetruemilo]

@@LARKXHIN still, by the end of s1 of the show they're all good friends

[@thereyougoagain1280]

Right? They spent so much time trying to build chemistry between Katara and Sokka that it’s like they forgot to do much between them and Aang.

[@Onetruemilo]

@@thereyougoagain1280 I liked the show enough, everything feels like avatar except the gaang

[@frankweskamp4981]

This. Momo never being around kinda summed it all up

[@Skarin1452]

Jets in omashu! The mechanist is in omashu! Zukos in omashu! IM IN OMASHU! Is anyone else is omashu that I should know about?! "SECRET TUNNELLLLLL!"

[@mranima748]

I think it helps show how Omashu is second to Ba Sing Se, something we don’t really see in the show

[@Skarin1452]

​@@mranima748I was just making a joke, not commenting on my feelings about the show at all lol.

[@rice-a-roni7404]

Lol I was saying this when i was watching it

[@PlayLikeJairus]

There's alllllssoooo cabaaage mannn!!!

[@aevenova9780]

I'm squidward

[@ninaeliks1750]

I could talk for hours about how they butchered Aang’s character. They took away everything that made him interesting or human. They took away every highlight scene he had in the original, no Koh talk, no burning Katara, no waterbending at all, no confronting Hei Bai, no running away. Aang is literally just there to talk and enter the avatar state when needed. He learns nothing, does nothing himself and doesn’t grow at all. This is their main protagonist and he’s barely present.

[@Anouar1403]

couldn't agree more

[@Niclout]

Aang learns but only in his very last scene, which is admittedly frustrating. I was hella tired of him saying over and over that he wasn’t ready and that he didnt know what to do. Not learning water bending because of this was the worst part in my opinion. If he had those feelings but was still brave enough to try to learn waterbending during this season, thats some bare minimum growth that would’ve helped this adaptation immensely

[@etienne8110]

They even took out him burning katara? Waouh. Such a short scene, yet it explains why he struggles with fire, create bonding with katara and shows her healing powers for the first time... It was brief but really packed with narration and build up.

[@nyzriverz1697]

Aang burns katara AFTER he has learned water and earth bending which is way later in the show, not now in season 1. What does he do in the anime ? go back and watch it because I do not think you have for quite some time if you truly have forgotten how much Aang whines. He cries and whines almost all the time and constantly in the Anime about his responsibility and how he does not "know" anything. You can't say what's a flaw in the live action is a flaw if the flaw is also in the anime itself.

[@etienne8110]

@@nyzriverz1697 no, it happens in book1, episode " the deserter". While jeong jeong teaches aang firebending. What avatar have you been watching? The ember island one?

[@clownplayer7265]

Welp...ermmmm...at least Toph is perfectly characterized in line with her role in Book 1.

[@OOFDD-cy4ic]

Yeah

[@TimeTravelingFetus]

And the effects were decent!

[@virgiljericho664]

I really disliked the lack of Jeong Jeong the deserter. It’s a very important part of Aangs arc and is the source of the water healing

[@genericname2747]

Yeah, this is a big character moment. It causes drama in season 3, since he never even practiced fire bending after he hurt Katara and is almost out of time to learn

[@nope19568]

​@@genericname2747this is why i cant bring myself to say they "got" the show, so many things now have to be changed in the future that they may as well have just made something new

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

Oh no water healing is still bullshit

[@josephruck6585]

They basically did, the scene where he accidentally pushed the other airbenders off the cliff.

[@pairot01]

You could have that in season 2, no problem. As long as he's trying to learn the elements out of order it'd be fine.

[@TnT_F0X]

The biggest laugh Natflix's version gave me is by removing sexism they made Sokka seem more mature, reliable, and 'perfect' while also making Katara seem weaker and less competent. Critical failure.

[@kylejohns2288]

The big issue with removing his sexism is it is important to his character arc flaws give characters depth and dimension. It is also something that is mostly rectified in kyoshi island that’s episode 2 they could not continence 1 episode of sexism to augment an entire character arc that’s sad

[@Holly7500]

It's incredibly bizarre they kept the patriarchal tones of water tribe society without addressing any of the sexism. Sokka loses an entire character arc and Katara's female empowerment becomes incredibly less powerful as a payoff.

[@zspider1778]

he didn't wear the dress, somebody has to die

[@brandonross9762]

They also made Suki seem like the bad guy. Almost desperate to show off her skills to the first outsider she sees. Definitely not the quality of a great leader like she's supposed to be

[@_Stormfather]

It's almost like they never understood anything that made the original great to begin with.

[@7heus]

"they just tried to put as much recognizable shit as they could and by putting so many together there's even more fat than ever was" Perfect take

[@94nolo]

yeah, they went for fan service in mostly all the wrong ways. like yeah you have a hundred references to the show. good job guys. but then the lines and storytelling sucks, and they made some bad plot changes. Idk.

[@felixowen2693]

Yeah and sometimes they just added random stuff too. Like one scene a guy with a cabbage cart gets his cart destroyed and they focus on him screaming about his cabbages. Idk why they put soo much emphasis on this new character.

[@KevinOnEarth_]

They have the cabbage guy reference (overdone imo) but then don’t have Zuko mention honor once? It all felt out of touch with what really mattered in the show.

[@BetaDude40]

@@KevinOnEarth_ Overdone? What do you mean, this is the first time they've ever shown this cabbage guy before...

[@samlewis6487]

Someone pointed at that the entire show is blocked and edited in a very specific way that specifically leaves it so that it can be perfectly cropped into clips for tiktok. Which I think summarizes the show as a whole very well.

[@Clogmonger]

That could explained the rushed dialogue

[@judgement-kazzy]

Yeah I heard about that too, and MAN did that really disappoint me. I really felt like there was a lot they could do with the camera shots and angles for being a live action adaptation, and it sucked to see the same "character is in the middle" frame each time. They could've had their own language for the story in terms of shots but they didn't..

[@RonPaul42069]

That is actually slightly disgusting.

[@MidnightGreen4649]

Seeing some of the clips for the show... it makes too much sense now. That's some insidious shit right there! That would also explain why there's way too much exposition and less dynamic and much quicker bending. It wouldn't surprise me as well that the dialogue is written to work in a vacuum rather than be cohesive.

[@Rosa-kd2cl]

Yet another thing TikTok has ruined if true 😒

[@dengmandang]

They took out the “adventure” part. Avatar was always suppose to be an action adventure series, not a one shot story. There was never a rush to get the North Pole. Aang only went to Kyoshi island to ride the koi fishes, he only went to Omashu to ride the mail carts.

[@melanch0licgf]

THISSSSS

[@plormfingaround9962]

partially yes, there was not a rush to get to the north pole until episode 8 where roku told aangg that he had to defeat ozai before sozins comet. Still agree that the rush was pushed earlier in the live action show

[@gabrielbarbosa4091]

You seem to forget that there is only 8 episode and that is an adaptation for a major public. It’s impossible to write everything from the cartoon there.

[@nathanlevesque7812]

@@gabrielbarbosa4091skill issue, get good

[@danielbadillo8334]

This could've been forgiven if they just wrote the characters well and that is where they failed

[@CobaItVelvet]

The most upsetting thing is this idea of making the show less childish, while dumbing it down incase a child were watching it

[@betonkevero6823]

I'd imagine there are more adult fans out there, and fewer children. But I agree with you

[@aidarosullivan5269]

Mai and Ty Lee scenes are so funny. They're like living wallpapers.

[@opinanlosjovenesrd3477]

Tbf, Mao was never very emotional and she did show some respect or feelings towards Zuko. So I think that may have happened off-screen in the cartoon.

[@hamish556]

whos mao

[@robtheservantof6257]

Is it me or do they seem Fat in the live action?? I was like Yo Who is that!

[@aidarosullivan5269]

@@robtheservantof6257 That's irrelevant, if they can perform the physical part of their roles.

[@robtheservantof6257]

@@aidarosullivan5269 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😭so I was Right lmfao

[@asmodiusjones9563]

16:09 in the original, Ozai sending Zuko to find the avatar was a great subverting of expectations. Zuko is introduced as a classic Scarred Villain, but then you learn his scar was from child abuse and his searching for the avatar was a wild-goose chase his father did just because it’d be a little much to murder his own son. When he sent him off, no one expected Zuko to actually find the avatar, and Zuko’s dedication to the task was a sad example of how he still sought his father’s approval. In the Netflix, it was like Ozai actually expected him to find the avatar and grow in doing so.

[@swanvalerio8004]

Ikr

[@sillyking1991]

they haven't unveiled the full context there. honestly its just as easy to see jhiao being right. after all, ozai did use zuko's victory to needle azula. which at first i thought was the writers changing ozai's character to try to make it seem like he actually cared for zuko (they also had him crying when he burned zuko's face, so maybe there is still that). but later as he continues to interact with azula, its clear that, to an extent, much of ozais apparent paternal pride is really just him manipulating his daughter. that said, i don't think there's anything in the show to indicate that ozai thought the task was anything but impossible. Perhaps he was trying to get zuko to do exactly what azula ended up doing. refuse to play the game, and "force" his father to respect him. perhaps by coming back and being like "no, this is stupid, im the crown prince my place is here, not on some wild goose chase".

[@tracim3080]

It’s not domestic Abuse. that’s child abuse.

[@Sarah12471]

And you know, if that is the path they are going down, i would be fine with it If done well i mean, and so long as the lesson Ozai intended is not the one Zuko does learn, the lesson learned being that, Ozai doesn't get to decide if Zuko has honour

[@Sarah12471]

​@@tracim3080it can be Two things

[@nj2236]

I love the idea of zuko’s crew being the soldiers that he stood up for

[@coastermaGnet]

RUSSSSSEEEEEELLLLLLLLL WESTBROOOKKKKKK FOR THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@finboror]

That's actually really cool.

[@skull1161]

though i similarly liked that during the storm Iroh being the one to explain to the crew that Zuko is banished because he stood up for the common soldier, which are people like his crew

[@craigpeoples9883]

Me too, some people think Iroh was manipulating them but I think he was just telling them who Zuko truly is

[@wombat4191]

It's really nice touch. If Jee just didn't feel the need to explain it to us as if we're toddlers.

[@CreamedCurry]

How did kyoshi know the future if she never read the cracks in the bones?!

[@zbear199b3]

Idk why it took me so long to get that

[@majintv24]

Yeah idk why the focus was to prevent what would happen rather than just going for a teacher. It takes awaay fron aangs need for waterbending and was a crazy change

[@FilthyActs]

I genuinely think the creators misinterpreted Roku telling Aang about Sozin's comet as him predicting the future and not what it really is, his knowledge from being with Sozin. They then put this made up prediction power onto Kyoshi

[@shooterDisease]

@@FilthyActs Not to mention Roku is linked to the comet given the whole firebending bit and it being linked to his nation and it just makes logical sense that a comet will return like say Haley’s Comet in our world Pray tell how TF does a Earth Kingdom Avatar just inexplicably know the Fire Nation are gonna attack the North Pole?? lmao

[@shai5651]

Maybe she went to the swamp and saw herself as Aang 300 years in the future there lol

[@inanestereo]

Seems like the ATLA franchise is eternally cursed to be remade, reinterpreted, and retold by people who just don't get it. Be it movies, comics, video games, or live-action shows, nobody seems to fully understand what made the original 3 season cartoon so great except the fans. Or, if they do understand it, they can't recreate it. And so, it is written, the cartoon will forever proudly hover above its sea of lackluster copies, like tourists photographing the Mona Lisa.

[@TJJ117]

It seems so obvious to me that the original was so good because it took time to flesh out imperfect people in an imperfect world. It completely subverts what could’ve easily been a boring black and white world filled with good and evil people and instead fills a very gray world with diversity in both morals and power. There is such depth to the original because it doesn’t try to do too much. Nowadays things are made to be fast and to the point and hold hands through a very predefined and unmoving universe. Big action, easy to digest, absolutely no ambiguity or possibly confusing traits to make somebody use more than 1 or 2 brain cells. The original is essentially perfect and therefore can’t be redone satisfactorily. That would be sad if it weren’t for the fact the original is readily accessible and timeless. Instead that just makes the inability to properly adapt it frustrating

[@shawerful5209]

Its because every fan likes some especific aspects of the show. If a fan made the show, it would not be a good adaptation. Because it would only focus in the thing that the fan liked

[@jamesgorman1713]

Blink and you miss it, (because of the framing). When the gang is escaping in episode one, Katara bends a column of water that must have been like 200+ feet high, to block Zuko's fire ball.

[@People0rder0urPattis]

this was literally the moment that made me turn off the show (I didn't make it far lol)

[@wombat4191]

Yeah I was like "wait, did she just pull a bunch of water up all the way down from the ocean?" Pretty impressive for someone who just learned to lift a football size ball of water to shoulder height, especially when considering how slow waterbending looks for the rest of the show and how no one ever bends water that far away even in the northern water tribe.

[@AgentFire0]

I fucking died when I realized it wasn't aang swishing his staff, it was katara pulling THIS HUGE STUNT ON HER FIRST DAY OF WATER BENDING, a stunt who NOONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE AVATAR UNIVERSE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO MAKE. Even a FULL POWERED AVATAR had limits to the height he could go with this rotating water column, and DAMN KATARA, why. WHY. Why not Aang? Why not simple move appa 10 feet to the side? The projectile took fucking ages to travel and it's not a homing rocket.

[@AgentFire0]

I must add that this undermines EVERY FEELING of balance and power of bending.

[@Jay_Coop]

Just another use of the famous waist high wave maneuver XD

[@georgeealien]

I actually thought about the points made in Overanalyzing Avatar a lot during my watch of the show. I remember at one point, he points out that in Aang's flashbacks, he's the only young Airbender with tattoos, then you see the older masters with tattoos and the viewer naturally puts it together that Aang is at a much higher level than his peers. Boom, quick visual storytelling. But in the Netflix version, Gyatso just exposits that Aang is better than everybody else. The entire show has a serious case of "tell, don't show" and it really drags it down.

[@yaelr4154]

I wholeheartedly agree with how this show really suffers from “tell, don’t show.” it’s extremely noticeable and especially when you compare it to how well the original show did the exact opposite.

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

Yeah, I couldn't see how people were saying that this show "ruined their childhood" when all it did was give yet another example of what makes the original show so breathtaking in every way.

[@dontmindme6995]

​@@samuelstensgaard4828very true. With this new show I was mostly looking for stuff I liked even better that the original. But apart from maybe the dark tone and Zhao being more pathetic, therefore more realistic, there wasnt any improvements because the original is just a freakin masterpiece. I love it even more now that we have another take on it

[@yuvalne]

"tell don't show" is the way to summarise this show.

[@amelialonelyfart8848]

@@yuvalne Worst example I haven't seen people talk much about is when Katara learns about and informs Aang of the Avatar Cycle in a way that just sounds like she's informing him of a cool fun fact she just learned. The exposition isn't just overwhelming but it also has a weird obsession with both mystifying certain aspects and demystifying others.

[@silva524]

One of my biggest frustrations was that in the netflix show aang doesnt actually run away after being told he's the avatar and instead goes for a ride on appa to 'clear his head' at the same time the attack occured. And there is no logical or storytelling reason for this change either. Like the main reason aang felt guilty for what happened to the air nomads was because he literally ran away from his responsibilities of being the avatar. It shows us that aang is just a 12 year old kid who is scared to accept the role of the avatar and it is a huge part of aangs development througout the whole show.

[@Fearcely]

To make matters worse, fucking Gyatso tells him that it wouldn’t have made a difference. Huh? He would’ve been forced into the avatar state and been able to deal with it, regardless of his bending knowledge at the time. That’s the whole point of the guilt.

[@lukeshioshio]

@@Fearcely yeah that dialogue was so pointless

[@SM-jb1so]

@@Fearcelythe dialogue was pointless foreal. but comet enhanced fire nation army and Sozin destroys young inexperienced aang

[@Jagza652]

@@Fearcely Even season 3 Aang needed the full extent of his power (not to mention an energy bending lesson) to defeat Comet buffed Ozai. I don’t think you can just say Aang would have gone into the Avatar state and been able to deal with it. Thats like, the whole point of the first episode of season 2.

[@silva524]

@Espada1469 honestly I dont think the dialogue was super pointless as it kinda mirrored what Katara told aang in the storm episode of the animated show. She tells him he would've been killed alongside the rest of the airbenders and basically, it wasn't his fault they were killed. And while he has the avatar state I don't think he couldn't stop them all with the power of the comet.

[@venomgames1077]

My main gripe with the Netflix version is that it seems to be telling its story based on a checklist of moments from the original show, without the necessary context or smaller moments that made the bigger plot threads as interesting as they were. It feels very "You guys remember this moment/character/interaction right? Here it is in live action! Ok next scene!"

[@horse14t]

I don't get why characters, especially good-guy characters aren't allowed to be flawed anymore... Aside from maybe a confidence issue or something else equally as mild.

[@SadCatSad]

Don’t get either, strong characters don’t need to be strong from the get go or have no flaws. Like we all love Zuko BECAUSE he had flaws and learned the hard way and changed

[@kyoshipleasesteponme]

I think its because people are seemingly more recently just taking everything at face value. There's a big almost "anti analysis" movement. Like for example, people accusing authors of having the same opinions that their obviously flawed characters do, or the whole "the curtains are just blue" thing. It's to appeal to the masses who just want to consume more and more content.

[@tomvandersluys446]

Here’s my (not too serious) theories…. 1. Social media (particularly Twitter) wasn’t big during the original run of the cartoon. You didn’t get dumb people missing the point of something and then making a viral campaign to cancel it. Seems to happen a lot these days. Maybe Twitter addicts who didn’t watch the cartoon would have had a melt down watching a sexist character be portrayed positively. Not worth the controversy. 2. Not having enough faith in the show getting renewed for a second season to redeem a flaw in a main good guy character.

[@bumbabees]

hollywood doesnt understand a character being flawed and doing bad things sometimes is a good thing and doesnt, in fact, automatically make people hate them, and is precisely _why_ people care about them so much. they do this for every single remake. they see a few idiots on social media complaining about non-issues from the original and thus think we are _all_ idiots that cant understand nuance and depth, so they make every single character purely sympathetic little babies instead of actual people.

[@austinstephens8201]

For me it’s Katara’s waterbending levels jumping like crazy, she was essentially just splashing people with water and trying to figure out how to actually bend with enough force, to the fight with paku doing way more advanced shit out of nowhere in such a small span of time

[@jr1648]

I think they did a little time skip sometime before getting to the north that was really poorly executed. Had they shown some sort of time skip montage of the group just being friends camping and travelling and practicing, it would have maybe made more sense.

[@ninclow5421]

@@jr1648 Agreed. Flying from one side of the planet to the other would never be over and done with in an afternoon.

[@jacobleyva2572]

Soooo…..like the cartoon where the first half of the season she sucked at water bending, then got better at the second half…?

[@veradrost9654]

​@@jacobleyva2572 This is disingenuous, and you know it. They practiced, fought battles (like 20 more than on the netflix show), made spiritual journeys and most importantly PRACTICED. In the netflix show Katara is shown practicing once. And she's not even actually waterbending in that scene.

[@ninclow5421]

@@jacobleyva2572 Potentially, yes.

[@Frooglemo2142]

They did a weird thing with Aang making him seem like some air bending time bomb prodigy but not even a drop of water movement. It was such a great arc in the original how Katara had to accept his natural talent while still learning her own skills through teaching.

[@ninclow5421]

They might have shot Water Bending lessons near the end of the series, but cut them because of time constraints. Could be we see them as flash backs in the next season.

[@vinnyfromvenus8188]

​@@ninclow5421by time constraints do you mean they didn't have time to add the VFX? weird because this show has taken so long to be made its insane.

[@ajmorgan09]

Katara is the true avatar in this season

[@ninclow5421]

@@vinnyfromvenus8188 By time constraints, I meant longer but far fewer episodes with which to tell the story, so things would have to be cut out.

[@ashenbonfire]

@@ninclow5421 The full runtime of the Netflix series vs the original Season 1 is within ~30 minutes of each other. If you cut out the Great Divide and Imprisoned, you already have 40 extra minutes - well within the runtime of the live-action. Its not that they didn't have the time to match the original, its that they used the time they had horribly.

[@GummyCalico]

"this is my son Teo. He's really in to war for some reason" cracks me up lol

[@Shadow-sword]

It’s funny seeing zukos relationship with his dad being ok in this compared to his old line of “he said azula was born lucky, he said I was lucky to be born”

[@TJJ117]

I feel like lowkey the original was darker in its themes than this adaptation. The adaptation just shows more violence, that’s pretty much it

[@cocoxcocoa]

The uncle Iroh captured scene is good, but it still annoys me. Because the uncle Iroh I know and love would have given that earth kingdom soldier some wise words, or said something to try and put his mind at ease. But instead, it seems like uncle Iroh in the live action is only really concerned, or has empathy for Zuko. Like at the norther water tribe during the finale, it seemed like they only made him say the "ill do to you ten fold" line, because it was in the cartoon. When the moon Koi dies, he doesn't stick around after the fact to mourn the death of the moon spirit with the rest of the Gaang, or acknowledge that Princes Yue has the moon spirit inside of her. He sees it get killed, attacks, then goes "well thats over with, better go find Zuko." Which not only fucks up his character, but also robs us of the character building moment for Zuko, where he beats Zhao and even though he hates him still tries to save his life because Zuko is a good person when it counts. Instead, Iroh saves Zukos butt by killing Zhao.

[@Zarastro54]

And that’s literally right after Iroh said Zhao was a small man who’d die in a small way. I was expecting him to get unceremoniously yeeted by kaiju Aang, but no. Iroh takes him out.

[@romegypt5675]

huh. I read it as him knowing that nothing he could say would help that soldier - Iroh knows what he did was horrific. He also knew nothing he said would massage the soldiers anger, only inflame it.

[@swanvalerio8004]

​@@romegypt5675bad is bad and it's bad.

[@PeterBandera-li9tp]

I’m glad I’m not the only one. I saw iroh and that earth bender and was hoping for a nice wise iroh moment. Nope. Iroh just said, “We were at war.” The hell? Iroh would have said something like, “I’ve committed a lot of mistakes in my past. Many I’m not proud of. I’m sorry about your brother. But that’s something we have in common. I also lost someone at the siege.”

[@NotEmilio]

​@@swanvalerio8004people can have opinions

[@Nocturnal_Sakai]

For a show that had about the same runtime as the original, they sure rushed every episode and managed to not even show half of the original without changes that made it worse. Once you realize that 8 hours was basically perfect to show all of Book 1 1for1, it really starts to fall apart.

[@DenialTank]

I believe Live Action had about 480 mins vs cartoon's 400, and they still couldn't manage

[@melhiott7977]

agreed

[@kacperfilipek8461]

I don't like that argument, 1 hour live action episodes have different pacing than semi-episodic 20 minute animation epidodes. It wouldn't be a great show if they just spliced three episodes worth of storyline into one hour, would it?

[@Ray25689]

Hell yes! That's what I never got when people were giving their opinion on the show. Its not shorter, they have the same length or even more 😅

[@Ray25689]

​@@kacperfilipek8461I mean yes, but thats not making his point worse. They had enough time to flesh things out, but didn't. Doesn't mean they had to splice 3 episodes into 1

[@robchuk4136]

Good point about Zuko's journal, cheating the characters from discovering things for themselves. I never thought of it that way. And I agree that Ken Leung as Commander Zhao is probably the best performance of anyone this season.

[@ChefofWar33]

Fuckers found cheat codes. XD

[@swanvalerio8004]

Yeah no doubt. I want to say it's Zuko or Sokka but he steals the scene when he's on. Honestly he's more intimidating than Ozai rn

[@delicious619]

I agree with everything you are saying. The weirdest parts were the lore dump exposition explanations from the other Avatars. What is the point of having Kuruk's spirit knife just to stab the moon spirit. If the spirits are supposedly mortal, then why does fire bending not kill it? Can Aang just solve all the spirit related issues with a knife now? Also Ko was mostly neutered. He really just wanted an action figure of his Mommy? The only people with real motivation and agency are Zhao and Zuko. Everyone else is just zooming by and sprinkling lore along the way.

[@speljufcharlotte8999]

Also in the original show we learn about the other avatars through story. Kyoshi tells about the general she believes she was justified to kill. Now she just says "be strong." Roku tells about his friendship and the consequences of it. Here he just says "don't have friends." There words don't mean anything to us. It is just yogi tea advice. It's just opinions without any foundation. So much so that I hardly remember what any of them said.

[@speljufcharlotte8999]

And why did Roku steal that action figure from Koh? Except for plot service and fan service. Did he just... think it was pretty?

[@Dullahan3470]

@@speljufcharlotte8999I think Aang directly speaking to the past avatars is meant to more naturally integrate the lion turtle bit in the original series when he consulted them about resolving the war. Kyoshi’s scene in particular was almost identical to their conversation in the show.

[@TJJ117]

Those 2 really are the only genuine feeling characters in the whole show

[@matthewvarela5371]

“A shitty bison pilot” new patron shoutout

[@mango6591]

they are compliments, so I'd say "the best bison pilot"

[@Great_Olaf5]

I do have one problem with the firebending, but it's pretty minor. The comet enhanced stuff in the prologue just doesn't seem much stronger than without the comet.

[@AshAndWill1924]

No no you got to understand the fire is just hotter than normal!

[@Great_Olaf5]

@@AshAndWill1924 ... If it were sufficiently hotter to be worth caring about, wouldn't it be a soberly color?

[@pluemas]

I feel like bending in particular is underpowered in the show, but the comet empowered fire bending is the worse offender. I also have a weird mindset that I don't like that the show had scenes from the genocide in general, because in the original show it really felt like "the airbender's have the potential to be incredibly capable in combat, but their pacifism means that they do not practice violent acts and their culture means they are incapable of using that potential in any organised or structural manner". I think that made a much more interesting cultural trait, that's a lot more relevant to Aang's struggle with having to fight the firelord. He is an incredibly powerful bender (like his people were) who is being attacked by empowered firebender's (like his people were) and in the end chooses to stick to his principles and choose the non violent option (like his people did). I liked the implication that the air nomads didn't have an organised response, they didn't sound the alarm, a few of them fought individually but as a whole they were not trained to fight and were not fighters. It made the story a lot more tragic, and made a much more poignant message at the end by showing that even though they were killed due to being non violent, their culture was not wrong for being pacifists and non violence was the superior belief. The ideology of the fire nation, that was overwhelmingly might makes right, was soundly defeated by the ultimate expression of non violence by the last surviving member of a people they had committed the worse possible act of violence on. I find that a way more interesting and beautiful message than "they lost a battle because they were ambushed and the firebender's were more powerful on that day"

[@Great_Olaf5]

@@pluemas So... You don't like the Kaffe the original show gave us either? Because the firebenders absolutely win because they were more powerful at that time. Aang himself says things that imply airbenders are no strangers to combat. "I've only fought in necessary self defense," and however much your can debate the point that he never killed anyone, he believed it, and he was himself no stranger to fighting. The meeting with the council where they informed him of being the avatar and the one he eavesdropped on tell us that they were fully aware of the situation in the world and were preparing a response. Incidentally, Aang doesn't even necessarily seem to think the idea of killing is outside the realm of possibility, he says that "I've certainly never taken a life," and to me that rings with the unstated "been forced to." He doesn't want to abandon his principles, the ideals of his people, but between that, what we see of the elders, and things that Yangchen (and not just about herself or the avatar) said, I get the strong impression even in the original series that not all Air Nomads are so strong in that conviction. Do I think they had an organized combat plan? No. Do I think they mostly just let themselves die? Also no. From what little I could see with my vision and the darkness in the first episode (that's all I've watched so far), it didn't look like an organized defense, it looked like a bunch of people in close proximity defending themselves. Did they cooperate? I couldn't tell myself, but probably, airbending seems particularly well suited to cooperative bending, and we see examples of impromptu cooperation between benders throughout the entire series with all bending disciplines, even air is you're willing to count LoK.

[@derg6222]

Yeah I noticed that too. They should have been like 10x stronger than they were portrayed.

[@Arcadia_warlic]

"What? What, spirit knife?" is genius commentary on the situation.

[@DustPyro]

Even though the story itself implies that the 'spirit knife' isn't even necessary. They literally say that both spirits choose to become mortal for one day in the year. So they're actually just fish in there. Zhao knows this. God knows why they choose to be a fucking fish though. Since Iroh states they can be anything.

[@MyBlitz7]

I still believe the side quests were important, in that he learned something or encountered an important character, or triggered an important event every time. To me it creates an undercurrent of unavoidable destiny. Aang just wants to be a kid since he never got the chance, but the war makes this impossible. Compressing or just erasing all of the side quests got rid of all that tension. Before we had a kid who is forced to face reality. Now we just have a kid on a mission, with no growth we can see.

[@swanvalerio8004]

Yeah same. I was trying to find excuses for them combining so many episodes but I really think that every side quest was important to all 5 of them. The GAang and Zuko/Iroh. Except the great divide 😂but low key even then he learned a good lesson.

[@delyanskiiii]

That's exactly how Netflix makes every show. Happy to see actual analysis rather than blind praise or complaints.

[@user-zm3hk1bs9y]

Why remake a masterpiece, why? The original show was fine. Netflix, stop it.

[@skull1161]

@@user-zm3hk1bs9y no one really asked for a live action, its just companies like Netflix looking down on animation as if its a lower art form while simultaneously imagining the cash grab opportunity of making masterpieces in live action its a pretty 'low risk' way to get fans new and old to watch something with not a lot of new creativity needed, like yes they needed to navigate the plot again for it to work in live action, but all the meat was already there so it didn't take major brainstorming honestly, i would rather that money put to anything else, OA says that ATLA isn't like star wars where you can get an almost infinite amount of stories but I sort of disagree, we have many avatars already set up with very intriguing personalities, we've already seen FC Yee take advantage of this by writing books about Kyoshi and Yangchen, 2 novels each. why not a 1 season animated series about Kuruk, or an animated series about Roku, or Szeto, or some other unnamed avatar we can see in the background hell if Netflix is so dedicated to live action they could simply make new content in the ATLA universe, this way no one is going to be upset how it doesn't match up to what its adapting because its gonna be new, theres no reason to attempt to adapt animation to live action, its impossible to please everyone

[@j.b.5422]

money. After all, no good show ever made money.@@user-zm3hk1bs9y

[@jrt2792]

​@@user-zm3hk1bs9y that's the problem, I would've gave this iteration a slap on the wrist if it simply just did it's own thing but, the writing isn't competent enough.

[@kingMT514]

The blind praise is WAY MORE prevalent than the complaints. Most of the latter are valid criticisms (that I see).

[@DemiIsNotHere]

Being real here, with them removing Jeong Jeong and Aang not doing any water bending... they seem to forgot what was the main quest in this series. You know to make... the avatar... the master of the elements?

[@PhyreSpore]

I'm having premonitions about Aang never learning the other elements. And instead he has to fight Ozai with all of his friends because the lesson will be that he shouldn't have to do everything alone. Or maybe he starts losing the fight until his friends like, give him their bending or something.😜

[@adriano1309]

this at first also made me upset but I'm assuming they will introduce Jeong Jeong in season 3 since that season is about fire and they meet the swordmaster in that season too so as long as they do that I'm not too mad about it. Aang not waterbending however made no sense

[@TheKrilliys]

@@adriano1309 by s3 Aang should have enough experience not to just carelessly play with fire while disobeying his teacher. If they do indeed plan on introducing Jeong Jeong in s3 they would be much better off just leaving him out of it at that point

[@ElysianDivine]

The whole reason avatar had to rush learning elements was because of the incoming comet. They changed the timeline because they cant really fit everything in the span of a year especially with the actors aging

[@Saitaina]

They have more seasons, this isn't the series it's only the opening.

[@pigeondance687]

you expressed all the same things i felt about the show. i'm glad you brought up the fact that Aang didn't ran away from his responsibilities, it was the biggest ick for me with his whole character arc. it seems so bizarre to me that they changed that bit, but then everyone still kept yelling at him for abandoning the world and Aang still felt guilty for it, like what? it's like domino effect, that one little part ruined every other story beat with him. it is a monumental oversight and i cannot fathom how they could've missed it

[@speljufcharlotte8999]

It is the one single most important storybeat and decision that moves everything else into action (except for Sozin choosing war), and they turned it into a coïnsidence. Why?????

[@chirayudesai793]

I don’t understand some of these writing decisions. Why would you change this? Like you changed and replaced it with something more shallow

[@SaraNightfire1]

I haven’t seen the show, but I have seen the clip where Giyatsu (spelling?) forgives him and tells him it’s not his fault. I was freaking livid about this. The WHOLE THING about Aang is that he ran away and it ate him alive that he did that, it a season and a half and the Guru to get himself to work through the guilt. But nope, all it took was a hug and no blame. 😑

[@Redingold]

They didn't even put Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior outfit.

[@ChefofWar33]

That is sexual appropriation. Can't be doing that with modern audiences.

[@EspeonMistress00]

​@@ChefofWar33The amount of modern woman (including me 😂) who would have screamed at seeing that 😂

[@swanvalerio8004]

Great call by Netflix. Don't put my guy Sokka in a women Fit🙅🏾‍♂️

[@NOVA0335]

@@swanvalerio8004bro is scared of a fictional dude in lady clothes

[@fuzzynippleman]

Saka getting over being sexist and learning to respect his sister and the all women Warriors was a great character moment.

[@austinblades8903]

I think one of the shows biggest sins in terms of characterization comes from episode 7 and i dont see many people bringing it up. in the og show when katara informs aang that paku wont train katara, aang is immediately on kataras side, saying that if he wont train katara he wont train with paku. aang is ride or die with his friends so much so that katara has to talk aang down and convince him to continue training. in the netflix show aang TAKES PAKUS SIDE! what!? if there was any semblance of a nastalgia high i had left while watching this that scene sent it crashing to the ground

[@azalor3223]

I remember watching this scene and was like what??? 😳 Where's this coming from?

[@Saitaina]

He took Paku's side because he was pushing the siblings away, fearful of what could happen to them after three different Avatar's told him friends are liabilities. He wanted them out of the fight

[@Saitaina]

​@@azalor3223the several Avatar's who told him to - it's rather spelled out

[@sticky288]

​@Saitaina you dont have to dick ride the show so hard. yes, we understand in the live action why aang did what he did. But it still really wasn't a good choice to change it because it showed how much he values katara as a fighter and believed in her, and how she had all of his loyalty.

[@drifter4943]

That was so fucked up. From the start Aang and Katara in the show felt ride or die, they were on the same wavelength so often. One of the most likeable parts of show Aang was his devotion to his friends and his encouraging attitude. That was the polar opposite of encouraging, Aang straight up took a dump over everything Katara was working for... that was the biggest middle finger to show Aang in the whole live action.

[@daltonslayton6766]

Sokka's worst nightmare. His dad being disappointed. Katara's worst nightmare: her mother getting melted in front of her.

[@Saitaina]

So? Either you had a great childhood or never had anyone disappointed in you forever. Sokka wasn't there when their mother died so yes, his fear is different.

[@pauleean4364]

@@SaitainaSure he wasn't there but it was still his mother. If you think the trauma of loosing a parent could be trumped by your dad being disappointed in you one time I don't know what to say.

[@nabagaca]

​@@pauleean4364I mean they can be related. After seeing his mother killed Sokka feels like he needs to be a protector for the village and stop it from happening again. His fear is that he won't be a good protector.

[@BreakingStarGames]

The fact you had to spell it out makes me think the guy you're replying to is the exact target audience. Has zero critical analysis and can't handle subtext. Must be spoon fed exposition

[@zspider1778]

fuck sokka has less heart than azula in the show hahahhaha

[@iatecielssoulsorrysebastian]

They’re definitely gonna cut the “Azula was born lucky. You were lucky to be born.” Guaranteed

[@norseexpansion8076]

There was a distinct lack of the gang just chilling and bathing appa

[@jhmi7877]

That's part of the consequence of cutting out the "side quests", as if those scenes didn't help us watch these kids grow and learn to rely from each other through smaller incidents.

[@williamreinhard]

There was a lack of Appa doing anything really. It's the same complain he had about Naga in TLOK. Appa is just a mode of transportation, not a real character.

[@theblindspot985]

The most frustrating part is that, as I watched the show. I was thinking of 3 other ways to rewrite a line or a way it could have been shown and not said. It seems like no one even revised the first draft of the script.

[@maasbekooy901]

In poetry there's this saying "show it, don't say it" And I think the original did that perfectly

[@carlito19934]

​@@maasbekooy901 show don't tell has been lost to the writers they need everything chewed out to them so they believe everyone needs the same Im quite serious these writers are bassically at the level of could you explain it in every detail and them write it all down for me so i know what to write

[@NotEmilio]

I didn't really have that I just watched and actually enjoyed it

[@etienne8110]

There is a reason why the original writers left. The netflix ones are just incompetents and were in charge. It was sure to be a train wreck.

[@DailyShit.]

The original makers tried but had to leave. This show is horrible in thaz sense. Why is everyone just talking and not acting. Ffs.

[@MrSnekLuuk]

idk what the writers were cooking with Aang's story but it's not edible.

[@breaddboy]

Sea prune stew for sure

[@Chucker20XX]

Don’t let these writers back in the kitchen. 😂

[@fourstones1860]

Absolutely overcooked

[@Nekroz77]

Those uncooked Aangs dough from that Avatar Day episode

[@sarahthomas8670]

YOU DIDNT😭😭😭😭 🥘

[@MaximumAaron]

It really annoyed me that they took away Sokkas early sexism. That was such a nice little learning moment in the cartoon, when he struts in all arrogant, gets his SHIT handed to him, and then he actually looks inward, checks his bullshit, discards his false pride, and learns from/befriends the person he was previously prejudiced against.

[@BetaDude40]

Not to mention that by trying to avoid all of the discourse for having a sexist character, instead it's spawned a far worse discourse tied to all sorts of culture war bullshit on everyone's favorite social media platforms. On the one hand, I get it, it's not the early 2000s anymore, there's just some stuff you can't play out the same way. Argue for or against that all ya want, that's just the fact of the matter, we live in different times. But on the other hand, couldn't they have found _some_ way to at least parallel his cockiness and egotism? There's _far_ more ways to write a close-minded character than to just make him sexist, but instead they sort of decided not to do anything with Sokka and still pretend like he went through these character growth moments when he clearly did not.

[@JTGwozdz]

And it’s essentially resolved in four episodes! He learns and grows. It’s not like he was saying heinous things through the entire first ATLA season.

[@BetaDude40]

@@JTGwozdz Sokka's sexism is definitely directly challenged in the Kyoshi Warriors, but I feel like his general cocky sure-fire bossiness is something he still occaisionally struggles with throughout the show until his ultimate showing of humility in Pian Dao's episode. Again, I'm not of the opinion that Sokka's sexism is explicitly foundational to his character. It's an aspect of a deeper close-mindedness and cocky attitude, one which manifests as sexism. If they wanted to remove his sexism, it does interfere with some minor plot points and a lot of the plot of the Kyoshi Warriors, but overall it's not that big of a deal. But they never showed him being close-minded or egotistical in the first place, so he doesn't get _any_ growth or interesting moments beyond just being the comic relief character (I guess he at least succeeds from the Shyamalan Sokka in that regard...)

[@TJJ117]

But character development is too confusing for the blue check marks to understand so it must be bad!

[@TJJ117]

@@BetaDude40The adaptation is actually kind of sexist. I mean not a single female in the adaptation has any depth. I feel like that’s worse than a couple of hilariously dumb out of pocket lines

[@delightfullymischievous9684]

My main issue is that the show seems a bit tone deaf. It opens with an actual genocide, and we see on screen people burn to death. That really clashes with the whole "You're wrong Bumi, you can count on your friends" thing.

[@Arcessitor]

That is a complete non sequitur.

[@Mephora]

Im pretty sure the issue with waterbending is that it loses all momentum when it hits something. Which usually happens when something weak impacts something strong (impulse wise). If they made the impact more like a pressure washer instead of this sloshing it would have looked a lot better. That's also why the ice discs worked well

[@theparodymonster1]

every waterbending attack just ends up looking line you splash a bucket of water on the person. it just looks like it would be annoying by wetting ypur clothes

[@handlesarestupid154]

Loses*

[@Mephora]

@@handlesarestupid154 thx

[@leaffinite3828]

I hate in cg water magic when they make it drip constantly? I get it, but it makes it feel very fragile and like why can they only hold up most of the water. I dont think this is a good criticism or anything just a personal feeling

[@RonPaul42069]

@@leaffinite3828I agree. Just make it look like the cartoon.

[@Genekri7]

0:33 "...I like Avatar, I watch it a lot..." talk about understatement 😅

[@Unteal]

Wait how did you see the video already

[@wolfwhitman1961]

@@Untealchannel members can see vids early.

[@Unteal]

@@wolfwhitman1961 ahh that explains it

[@Bayesic]

9:00 Did anyone else groan out loud when they heard Lieutenant Jee say 'but we're the 41st.'" fucking YES OMG lol it was so bad I genuinely don't understand who they hired to write some of this shit

[@DustPyro]

Like many, I loved the idea for the 41st! But yes. Jee's realisation was completely moronic. It seemed like Jee just forgot that he is part of the 41st and needed a second realisation, on top of the connection he made following Iroh's story, that he and his division mates owe their lives to Zuko. "The 41st was sent with him. But I'm on this boat with him now. Wait a second, 41st sounds familiar. Oh that's right, I'm part of the 41st. OH MY GOD." Like, as I understand it, the single most polarizing thing in the military is the division you're part of. It's the one thing soldiers never forget and will swear by until the day they die. How did Jee not instantly make the connection like literally every viewer already did?

[@chirayudesai793]

They really think their audience is this stupid. MOST people don’t need shit to be told to them on a silver platter, especially a show like Avatar. Most of us figured stuff out as kids, like we are more than capable Netflix😭

[@PeterBandera-li9tp]

It would have been such a more powerful scene if his face did the talking. His eyes widen then narrow, and he stands back

[@DustPyro]

@@PeterBandera-li9tp worst part is that Jee actually has a scene where he does let his face do the talking. When he goes off against Iroh about Zuko.

[@completelyferrouschemist6776]

23:43 All right, this might be a bit semantic, but I have to point this out: Tone *IS* writing. The best tone is built through everything you don't say. This may sound a little strange -- "how is what I don't write down akin to what I am writing down? That makes no sense" -- but you have to understand a little about art to get it. Negative Space is an important detail whenever you draw. It's the empty space that you don't fill in when you're ultimately finished. That affects tone greatly. One example is Jet's final scene -- there is a big, empty spot in the writing which the writers are explicitly avoiding, and even though they don't say "Jet's dying" outright, they surround the space that one would put that line with lines that imply it. "I'll be fine," and "He's lying" make a much stronger tone than somebody falling to his side and crying "He's dying!" Tone is the shape of the places that you don't write. Even when you don't write something down, you have to keep in mind what you mean by keeping quiet about some things. Subtlety is key when you're writing tone. I don't have Netflix, so I am not going to watch the show anytime soon, but Netflix and their writers have a problem with anything less subtle than a giant sign pointing at everything. This isn't a dis towards Overanalyzing. I just want to get this out so that people can better get what's going wrong tone-wise.

[@tulethos]

This is a great point. The terrible exposition masquerading as dialogue and the nonsensical changes in character motivations are the obvious issues with the writing, but the complete failure to maintain a consistent tone is downright despicable

[@maskofthedragon]

"I paid 5 dollars a month, to comment on videos early, so other people will actually see them." (My comment as written by Netflix's Avatar writers)

[@jonahdunch4056]

Lmao I can just hear your voice trailing off as you look to the floor with a pensive expression

[@Simpsons_OJ]

At 18:10, when you did the sound that literally every human ever has made when jumping across some kind of stream, had me dead 😭💀

[@RonPaul42069]

18:21

[@enochnelson6627]

the length of the original first season is about 7.3 hours but the length of the Netflix series is 8 hours so they have no excuse for having less time

[@mystic-malevolence]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Aang's frequent flying in this show. Like, I'm not sure he needed the glider.

[@azul9655]

Yeees this bothered me so much while watching!! I talked to a friend about it and we came to the conclusion that it wasn't meant to look like that, it was probably meant to look like he was "falling with style" or breaking the fall, like he does in the original, but the effects just sucked and they didn't change it.

[@thesp1r1tdragon55]

I really didn't like Lu Ten's funeral. Not because the scene itself was bad, it was probably one of the best scenes in the show and actually emotional. But because I think it doesn't work well in the overall story. Imo, Iroh is a much more interesting character if the viewer is left to wonder how he changed from a feared general to the gentle, wise old guy. And, even though the scene was emotional it doesn't hit nearly as hard as the scene in the Tales of Ba Sing Se episode and I don't think they can properly do it justice now, that they have kind of shot their load.

[@emtee2925]

One way they might try to remedy the impact of loss of the reveal is by some time before that scene they actually have a visual scene of Iroh and the siege, to at least have that shocking contrast of how different the two times he was in Ba Singe Se were. Doesn't really patch it though. I imagine they put this scene in as they needed to have a good reception for a 2nd season, and it is a nice bit of emotional fanservice.

[@baosia]

The song in the funeral scene bothers me... It takes up so much space in the scene, but the song means literally nothing to a new audience. It's just there to be there... I really don't like what I felt watching that funeral, because it was a lovely scene, but I was so distracted by their choises that I really couldn't appreciate it

[@martacastillo6272]

Part of what made the original show so great was how everytime they revealed something it was at the right time, when you were _already_ attached to the characters. The revelation would add to it, not the sole reason to care about them.

[@Windjammer19]

It's because they didn't let the Lu Ten stuff simmer. In book 1, all we know of Lu Ten is that he is Iroh's deceased son (we don't even know his name yet). And speaking of him brings Iroh to tears and he has essentially adopted Zuko has is surrogates in Ozia's absence. Then in book 2, we learn Lu Ten was killed in battle just like Lee's brother (captured, soon to be dead). And that's what essentially stopped the Siege of Ba Sing Se. And it's not until we get to Tales that we understand the full story of Lu Ten. The only reason the scene here makes any sense is because we've already seen it before. The show relies too much on the other media to carry its own weight.

[@lukeshioshio]

The writers do not understand that stuff and it makes me so mad. Like they are just making this as a fan film it has none of the pacing of the original

[@ahstinfixsnhc9765]

What about katara straight up being a master and not needing one lmao that pissed me off the whole show makes bending seem like just a thing and not a learned practiced craft

[@kjj26k]

Reminds me of Disney's live-action Mulan where she was just always a magical superhero rather than a regular person that trained and grew in capability as in the original animated film.

[@_Stormfather]

Well if you use Korra rules, that's what bending is. Remember how a toddler with no training was bending three different elements? That's one of the reasons I hated that show; they completely disregarded so many established rules of the world.

[@yonathanafrewki2161]

@@_StormfatherKorra was a prodigy who could bend all elements except Air because her spiritual side was severely lacking. Her journey is the opposite of Aang’s

[@toasterowens8916]

​​She was the avatar, and she knew how to bend because she was a prodigy, and even then, she still didn't get deemed a "master" until she had spent 12 years training with white lotus. And EVEN THEN, they still showed she had a lot to learn, mostly about modern bending techniques. This is not Korra rules @@_Stormfather

[@_Stormfather]

@@yonathanafrewki2161 none of that contradicts anything I said

[@swanletsecondchannel8533]

Aang never water bendering is my biggest complaint, in the original you see him learn water bending with Katara, throughout the show you see him improve slowly and eventually start to use water bending during fights instead of only air bending. And in book 2 we see the same thing for Earth, when I saw the drill episode as a kid I always loved it because it was the first big fight we see Aang use earth bending in, it shows that hes actually getting stronger. Idk what they would do if they make a book 2, is he going to learn water bending in the first episode or is that training arc just going to get skipped?

[@jameszoeller1517]

Thank you for validating my feelings on this. When I watched the first episode and heard Aang monologue about going on a midnight flight before being trapped in the iceberg I was just sobbing "WHY!" and I was so angry every time I heard someone blaming him for being a coward over it. I couldn't understand what so many people said the loved Kyoshi in this show when she was so unreasonable and brutal when speaking to Aang about 'abbadoning' his responsibilities when of all the people in the show she'd know his motivations! I could accept that kind of anger from Bumi, he had no clue what had happened and it would've made a great moment for the two of the reconcile but holy shit did they fuck that up.

[@bessie8612]

I think the blending of many elements in to one location, Omashu, was a great idea. If the show wasn’t so rushed it would have been a great way to tell many smaller stories without as much travel scenes between. Kinda like a mini Basingsei

[@kjj26k]

Getting to spend more time in Omashu, getting to know it as a place and a people, would make its fate in S2 hit that much harder. But nope.

[@saladspoonami4563]

The problem isn’t that they’re all happening in one location It’s that they’re happening in one and two episodes Jet, the machinist, and Bumi cannot all share a episode and still have room to breathe

[@plormfingaround9962]

@@saladspoonami4563 as well as them taking the secret tunnels from book 2, and the complete butchering of bumi as a character just made the entire place feel watered down and wrong. Sokka and Jet barely had any interactions so it made him being suspicious of Jet look immature/ out of place.

[@samlewis6487]

The worst take I've ever seen

[@ashenbonfire]

@@saladspoonami4563 Yeah, the OP is saying that they like the idea of having these events take place in a denser location - they probably agree that it being cut into the span of two episodes is absolutely out of sorts lmao. It would've worked way better if they worked with the location constraint over three or four. That would still allow us to have all these interconnected stories without absolutely trashing each one by sharing scenes.

[@lukeshioshio]

Thank you for discussing Iroh. The netflix version is like a disneyland stage performance.

[@asmodiusjones9563]

Bro, it was right there. Netflix version is the Ember Island Players version.

[@lukeshioshio]

@@asmodiusjones9563 LOL true but I feel like it was the opposite portrayal of what the ember island players did. Just as tacky though.

[@MiraBoo]

“When something is bad-“ shows Yue’s horrendous helmet of hair pretending to be a wig 😂

[@mark463]

They did her dirty.

[@etienne8110]

Dye cost too much for their budget 😅

[@MiraBoo]

@@etienne8110 Honestly, the color wasn't even the worst part of it. Don't get me wrong, I didn't care for that shade of grey and would have preferred the wig/hair to be more white or platinum, but the construction of the wig is what really bothers me. It doesn't look like the hair is coming out of her scalp at all, and it’s incredibly distracting. I much preferred the wig/hair from the awful film. The style may have not been as elaborate, but at least it was well-constructed and a lace cap. (I assume the film must have also used a wig for Yue because achieving that color hair is extremely difficult to obtain for someone with naturally dark hair, is incredibly expensive, and almost impossible to maintain--which is not ideal when filming.)

[@Nintendo0994]

The character blocking feeling "limited" or "stuck" is from them filming so much on "the volume" (I think Disney or Netflix owns it). Its literally a tiny room surrounded by screens so they can make whatever setting they want. But they can't walk out of it. Good for dialogue or static scenes, but definitely can be overly relied on.

[@Clogmonger]

Is that that stupid floor pad that you can walk in place but only really slowly? 😂 they keep trying to hype it up but it looks like shit if you ask me

[@ThatRipOff]

Exactly. That's why all these shows feel so stiff and cramped. They film everything in a broom closet. The actors and camera have no room to explore or breathe. Compare that to Marvel, which is notoriously 99% CG, but it feels much more free because they still use giant studio hangers with greenscreens.

[@Zarastro54]

@@ThatRipOffIt’s a shiny new technology that’s getting overused because a lot of people don’t realize when to use it. They seem to think it’s the replacement/next evolution of green screen, when really it’s more of an additional tool WITH it.

[@redlikeruby]

it also messes with the lighting a lot, because the background isnt lit the same way as the actors, its so clear once you know it is happening

[@PeterBandera-li9tp]

One thing I didn't like was the dynamic between the three. In the animated show it felt like three kids on a journey. In the live action it feels like Sokka and Katara are his mom and Dad.

[@lucasbevan7241]

Doesnt even feel like they know each other. And it almost makes zero sense why theyre friends and why sokka and katara would travel with him. Theyere essentially strangers in the live action

[@bumbabees]

id argue they dont even feel like that. they feel like acquaintances that dont even like each other. none of them have any interesting dynamics, which infuriates me given their dynamics were my favorite part of the show. theres no fun banter, no bonding, no soft moments, nothing. i can name one scene off the top of my head where they try anything resembling bonding and it doesnt even feel good or natural because its the only goddamn scene. i cant wait for toph to show up because i just know shes going to feel as awkward and bland with them as the three of them alone already do now.

[@Lozak]

"He was just a shitty bison rider" 10/10 review, 6/10 show... I found good in the bad and enjoyed some parts, I liked stuff but I was already going into it with a pretty low bar in mind. I'd like to see a second season, we already have the great version we love, this is just more content to see what they can do with it.

[@brosaus]

Yeah same, what I hope now is that they get green light and actually listen to the criticism people talk about. They can definitely redeem the show if they nail season 2 and 3. Season 1 was the weakest season of the cartoon as well.

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

6 or 6.5 for me cuz it’s not an abomination but then again the bar was made so very low lol. Wouldn’t lose sleep if there’s no season 2 but I would watch at least a bit to see how Toph is

[@_Stormfather]

6/10 is being generous. It shouldn't even have been made in the first place.

[@bendaonfire0078]

6.8/10 for me. Had some fun watching. And tbh my bar was set super low. Liked the darker tone but they didn't do much with it.

[@Typi]

The show felt like there were two people in charge: One who only cared about getting out the product, and another who genuinely wanted to live up to the original and cared for the source material. When scenes are good, they are good. But when they are bad, mannnn they are BAD.

[@CharityDiary]

After Aang escapes in the first episode, Zuko turns toward the camera and says "That's okay, I'm still the heir to the throne." The character is reminding the audience of his identity and motivation like it's a children's play, and it's not even been one episode yet! Also, I feel like the writers began the story with all the characters in their final states. Katara is a master waterbender who just needs to believe. Aang is so powerful that he only has to train in order to keep his bending under control. Zuko is empathetic and wants to be friends with Aang. Iroh, in the very first episode, encourages Zuko to defect and join Aang. The writers are lazy and don't want to put any work into developing the characters, so instead, they start in their final state.

[@yashmaheshwari1727]

In the original there is a very powerful scene where Iroh says to Zuko "who are you! And what do you want!" ... I am sure I heard Zuko receive this lecture at least twice in this live action series once by Aang and then by Iroh... Totally mellowed down.

[@igglywompus]

It was so impactful in the show because iroh had been somewhat light handed in guiding zuko and never directly confronted him like that. It was a big pay off to the subtext that had been building for 2-3 seasons, but in the live action they have 0 subtext and just outright say everything.

[@lucasbevan7241]

Iroh didnt have the same passion as the animated one. I got chills when I watched that scene. Felt nothing when iroh was on screen in the live action. Just seemed like he was corny

[@AyKrax]

​@@igglywompusand the reason it worked so well is because Iroh earned in the animated series. He had suffered, and learned, and most importantly changed his ways. Everything he told Zuko he already done for himself & seeing him finally directly confront Zuko felt almost overdue cuz he constantly let Zuko slide and get away with things and learn his own life lessons. But hear he tells him what he needed to hear. On Netflix Iroh doesn't know if he wants to be the firelord or a traitor 😭

[@gav7497]

It seems like the kids cartoon had more trust in the audience understanding the media than the “gritty remake”

[@Welvader]

I still remember the video about Sokka and the meteor and what you said about the episode. How during the fight between Sokka and the mentor the difference of skill between them could be entirely expressed in animation without conveying a single word to the audience, whereas the netflix show has the problem of having to explain literally anything to the viewer, which I think is where a lot of the magic of Avatar The Last Airbender is lost

[@KittSpiken]

It was cool of Netflix to give the Ember Island Players a shot at the small screen, but really, what did we expect?

[@eriklakeland3857]

At least the effects were decent.

[@DoctorXerox]

One Piece showed us they could… and then they didn’t.

[@tdog790]

its about the showrunners/writers/directors. They had 5 years and 120 mill still fumbled. if netflix hired talented people this could've turned out great instead of people who did shows like warriror nun

[@iamjaboba]

It is an interesting dialog to talk about live action adaptations now that the One Piece live action exists and is praised. While the OP Live Action didn't copy the manga/anime 1 to 1, it knew the importance and core ideas with the main cast. They made some story changes to fit in the whole east blue Saga into 8 hours, like making the buggy encounter shorter, having Don Krieg get defeated quickly by Mihawk, and having buggy be part of the Arlong Park story. Meanwhile Avatar Live action tried to shove as much as as they can by cramming in 2 or 3 episode plots into 1, and it shows just how rushed they are to telling the story. And the main cast, while they look like their characters, are written almost like surface level caricatures of the original. I get needing to change make a few changes for pacing(going to Kiyoshi Island to learn about the Avatar state) but the changes feel like too much in order to still shove in as much as possible. Also with the One Piece Live Action, we get just enough time to show how each of these characters grow from randomly meeting each other to becoming a crew together. Aang, Katara, and Sokka barely feel like friends by the end of season 1.

[@GribbleGob]

One Piece was the marvel version of the original product lmao just accept that some things work better in animation

[@Sly-Moose]

You know... I never found the appeal of watching the OG One Piece myself, cuz I never liked the art style personally, plus how long it is, but with all this talk I'm hearing about the live action one actually being good, I'm starting to wonder if I should give it a chance and watch the live action?

[@leftistdegeneratejs]

No they still failed with one piece let’s be real here

[@dredgen0268]

Fuck but can we talk about how fkn dope Koh looks?!

[@eddisonmwangi3776]

suki

[@ahstinfixsnhc9765]

Looked good sure but they messed his character up Koh had rules he followed in the original series and was a spirit not some villian kidnapping people lmao

[@galacticspecter4364]

The Netflix show did right by Avatar's creatures

[@dhaniboi506]

I want to talk about how ridiculous May and TyLee look, in a funny way tho, they look like they came out of a middle school play

[@A1Steaksauce58]

Koh did look badass but wasn’t a fan how they changed his rule set.

[@AprilMalady1]

I am actually very disappointed with the costumes, because they look exactly like that. Costumes. They don't feel "lived in" if you catch my drift. They are too perfect and mostly even too clean for what happens around them.. That was acutally something the very bad live-action movie did right.

[@jamaineelmore5722]

Zuko's last outfit is white and while he has soot and dirt all over his face his outfit is still a pristine white after being around constant fire and rubble lol

[@herosshade2247]

Shame that only the original series understands spirits and the spirit world. They are meant to be complex natural concepts and ideas expressed as supernatural beings. Every other show just makes them wacky talking animals and spooky Pokémon with oversimplified "good or evil" alignment.

[@ShiningDarknes]

From the moment they announced they were cutting out all the sidequest shenanigans but still having the squad go to some locations where they specifically only ended up BECAUSE of the sidequest shenanigans. Oh and just gift-wrapping Aang a vision of the danger to the Northern Water Tribe something 100% absent from the source material. When you discard so much of the source material it is just never going to satisfy fans of, well, the source material who is (presumably) your intended main audience and the people you are hoping will get others to watch.

[@mikedebakker5820]

Plot twist: What if Aang not learning water bending in the first season (book 1 water) is forshadowing for how in this version he won't be able to become the avatar in time before the comet arrives and Ozai wins in the end.

[@LordZemosa]

So the Ember Island Players version?

[@shadowking4736]

@@LordZemosa honestly at this point, that would be the best outcome lol (if it gets 2 and 3 seasons)

[@mikedebakker5820]

@@LordZemosa Basically

[@onyxrose4349]

@@LordZemosaIt would be hilarious if the series ends with turning the camera around to the true Team Avatar who are looking on in horror.

[@timmyman9677]

See I wouldn't that in a show about a bully Avatar that had to be stopped by a rag tag group of various Benders and Non.

[@invidatauro8922]

16:38 Actually I disagree. I don't like characters being rewarded for good actions, at least not all the time. Having Zuko do something like stand up for the 41st in the show, and that resulting in his burning and banishment, hits a lot better, at least in my eyes, if nothing really good came out of it, other than his journey of self discovery. I don't think it's a bad cahnge mind you, but I prefer it wasn't made.

[@Shmicah1235]

Idk why but every time the mechanist was on screen I couldn't help but hysterically laugh because all I could see was Abed from Community larping

[@bobbyferg9173]

One problem I had with the series is how they really wanted to avoid having any evil/asshole characters, which kind of ended up making characters with no character or interesting conflict. Take for example Hahn, who in the original series was an arrogant asshole and rival to Sokka. The fact that Yue was in an arranged marriage to Hahn was a huge point of conflict for Sokka and created an interesting dynamic. But in the live action show they made him into a humble guy who doesn’t hold resentment for Yue not accepting the arranged marriage and follows Sokka respectfully and unconditionally in battle. Now he is the opposite of his animated character and has no conflict nor really anything interesting about him. So when he ends up dying in the Siege of the North you end up feeling nothing. It wouldn’t have been so bad that they replaced him being an arrogant jerk if they actually replaced it with an actual interesting character. That’s just one example but you see it with Azula and Ozai a bit who become more sympathetic but less defined characters who kind of get defanged to their previous evilness.

[@suhayo3042]

i disagree tbh i liked him in the live action cuz he didn't seem like a cartoony asshole like in the cartoon

[@ATLA99]

I didnt like what they did with Bumi. I thought it was important that Bumi still loved Aang and was happy to see him. It was a weird choice to make the guy who teaches Aang about neutral jing mean and bitter. Youre telling me Aang named his first son after that guy? Not my Bumi

[@heybeyoriginal]

for me thats because they introduced bumi in a different way and didnt have him test aang first. in the original they didnt reveal his intentions at first and that made him to be perceived as a quirky old dude who we were yet to find out what he wants from testing aang. i could have gotten behind the fact that bumi is still changed and mad about the 100 year war and aang missing, but not with that big of a grudge and no playfulness

[@chirayudesai793]

Lol I could not get behind the Ozai and Azula changes😭 they swapped Azula and Zuko in terms of Ozai’s favor💀

[@deltazeroks]

if katara gets the waterbending scroll from het grandmother, why do the dudes in the bar still say that 'the avatar has been spotted fighting with pirates'

[@pogonoah99]

The locals were telling myths about what the Avatar had been up to since his return. You can see Zuko and Iroh acknowledge that they seem to be just chasing after stories and that the cat was out of the bag regarding Aang's return. The fact that it references a real show event is just the writers giving a nod to a part they couldn't find the time to include.

[@deltazeroks]

@@pogonoah99 1. If katara did not steal the scroll from the pirates, they did not have an altercation with them. Thus they should not have known about it. 2. Dont try to speculate on what the writers didnt tell us. If it is not clearly being shown it that type of fashion by the writers, it is not what it is supposed to be.

[@Blazenwave]

@@deltazeroks in the netflix show the pirates don't have the scroll. we are just told that the avatar fought pirates, with unknown motivation. its not hard to understand.

[@deltazeroks]

@@Blazenwave wow ur dumb, thats not what i didnt understand. I didnt see the point in pointing out something that should not have happend. Since they did not get the scroll from the pirates...

[@edwinmaki6817]

My hope died when I saw ozai's face in a trailer before the first episode aired. My hopes corpse was burned when I saw a title card to establish the location. Many violations took place in between

[@magicass8437]

the funeral scene really made me cry. Zuko has the medal, he knew coming in what he wanted to say to Iroh. i like seeing that he felt pressured into basically repeating what Oazi said and then not being content to leave it at that. i love that lu ten and Zuko had a more brotherly relationship and i love that what Zuko said had the biggest effect on Iroh in a bitter sweet way. this season was flawed , thats for damn sure, however there is enough here that i think they can really do something with this show moving forward. you're the man OVAV

[@johnleecooper8520]

they saw a colorful animated show qnd said what if it was gray and the characters just stood around

[@ZeallustImmortal]

Zukos notebook might be one of the worst things they added. It also makes Zuko look even worse because hes raging over losing his diary.

[@who-ge1gu]

My 2 biggest problem with the show is that Aang isn't a playful goofball. I also think they should have showed them practicing bending and showing them improving.

[@pakthecube]

"Rushed" is the word that came to mind multiple times while watching the show. I saw so many people praise the show but I couldn't help to compare this one with the original and feel like they squished whole some episodes with others instead of ignoring them which in my opinion would have been better if they were going for the more serious tone they said they where. But over all the main problem I have with this show is the pacing. Fixing that would (I think) fix all the issues most fans of the original show had or could have with this one. If you want to get rid of the more childish episodes but you can't because you will ruin the show just add your own take on a more lighthearted episode but don't half ass it the way you did... Good casting for Suki and Ozai though.

[@chelseawhite7117]

Here’s a point that I can’t get over: how they rewrite Koh. He no longer steals faces when you show emotion, now he preys on your darkest memories. Ok. And he bumps into Katara and then Sokka. For Katara, that encounter makes her relive watching her mother’s horrific murder from when she was a small kid, and for Sokka it’s *checks notes* …. His dad secretly admitting some amount of disappointment in him. That moment in the remake made me chuckle without smiling if that makes sense. The juxtaposition of those two “darkest memories” being treated as equally horrific seems not to have been noticed in the writers’ room. I can only assume they didn’t think that element through. I really can’t believe that hearing that Hakota is disappointed could hold a candle to coming home as a kid and learning that your mom was killed.

[@thomasraines1396]

It feels like something the CW would have happen.

[@nixel1324]

27:31 Kind of like they looked at some of the criticism of Korra season one, trying to stuff a whole show into the first season in case they don't get another, and overcompensated for it.

[@NooKingsAshwin]

I think the casting was pretty well done, I hope the writers get it together for next two seasons so that this cast can be proud of their work

[@yearoftheox5222]

Lmao why does Sokka in the live action look like the Sokka in the parody play in the theater episode

[@tiablue9106]

ikr? ppl keep saying katara and sokka look perfect but I feel like I'm the only one who still thinks they look a bit light. which is weird bc looking at more recent footage of katara's actress, apparently she's been hitting the tanning parlor; idk where that was during filming. also apparently sokka's actor is just white, and maybe like 2% native american lol

[@0wnij]

I’m starving!!!!

[@rosestrohm7986]

One thing that I found out is that, for a lot of important scenes, the composition is all shoved into the center of the frame, almost like they intentionally made it easier to view when it's inevitably cropped down for TikTok videos. Rule of Thirds is dead

[@mysticwater9056]

I’ve commented this on several other videos on the subject but it’s worth repeating. I’m really irked by the fact that aang, sokka and katara never introduce themselves to each other yet the show goes on as if they did at some point off screen because later in the episode that magically know each others names like I’m sorry what💀

[@OMNIhydra1]

I'm not a fan of the live action, but I'm readily prepared to say that was kinda expected. It's got good points. There was clearly some level of care inserted in here by the people behind this. The creators weren't completely uncaring a-holes who saw this was a popular property and decided they could make an easy breakaway success just by picking a show people care about a lot to instantly create a free recurring paycheck. Sure, Netflix probably only cared because of this things built in fan base, but there's enough here to indicate at least some of the people involved in the writing and the whatnot to indicate people both liked the original and wanted general audiences to love it. This just suffers from a ton of the pitfalls of today. They don't think fans of the original make up enough of their potential audience to justify adhering to the original is enough to justify holding to it 100%. On top of that, the themes presented in the original might discouraged a general audience for getting too invested, hence the changed meant to round off any edges certain groups may find abrasive. This was designed to be a spectacle on par with the first Avengers film. A bombastic spectacle that anyone could enjoy. The original series is very much not that. For most fans of the original, I feel like this is so palpable that I cannot be ignored. People wanted the original story, but that story is too nuanced for Hollywood to feel there is any money in adapting it faithfully

[@gameoveror7970]

I can see what they’re tying to do with Ozai character making him more human that he has a twisted sense of love for Zuko but I think the execution could’ve been better

[@CaulkMongler]

I’m a bit more of the opposite side with the Sokka//Suki retcon. I felt like they removed a lot of her confidence and individuality. I like that she liked Sokka and wasn’t afraid of just kissing him, she didn’t give the impression of a wilting wallflower. It made *me* feel like she saw something of worth in Sokka, she saw his fire and the kind of person he strove to be. Live action Suki felt like she would’ve fallen in love with any other guy placed in her vicinity.

[@phosphoros60]

The worst part to me is May and Ty Lee just standing there. Like in the Cartoon, even them just plotting ith Azula, May would be at least leaning against something if not sitting or crouching, while Ty Lee would be walking on her hands. That's amazing characterisation by body language, couldn't they have done something similar in the live-action?