I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
Avatar is the only show where I look forward to filler episodes. Like the Tales of Be Sing Se episode has no importance at all, but it’s one of the most touching episodes in the whole series.
This is coming from a 34 year old someone who has no nostalgia for this show, never watched it when it originally aired. I was a college student at the time who was too old for "cartoons." I just recently binged it with my kids when it came to netflix. Now that I've seen all of it I can confirm that it is one of the best shows ever made. The writing, action, character development is some of the best I've ever seen. I really hope netflix doesn't screw up the live action adaptation they're working on.
I watched for the first time around 2009 was about 30. I only tuned in because a coworker insisted and wow, I really liked it! But I didn't have Netflix yet, and just had to DVR episodes on Nick. I got frustrated because it was out of sync and it was so good I felt like i was missing out. So I never did finish it - until last night. Oh wow, is it a great show! And here I am 39 years old! I'm pregnant with my first baby and can't wait until she's old enough to appreciate and watch this with me.
If you're from Europa (atleast in NL) then there's probably some cartoon channel that you can freely watch it on ;) Here we use nickelodeon. have a good one pal!
Aang, a literal child: I'm feeling really uncomfortable with the idea of killing this man. I don't think I can do it. Literally every other avatar: k :/
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
Coco Loco I've always loved how subtle and not "in-your-face" Avatar was at handling mature themes (war and genocide, abusive parents, emotional neglect and loss, etc.). The creators felt like they were always one step ahead at what they wanted to do with the show.
@@Landhoe_72 Yeah, not just that though the show seems to get better as you grow older since the story is very well written and could easily go over most little kids heads. But as an adult you can point out alot of dark/heartwarming plots or even some life lessons that are taught throughout.
Skerral I hope they revive it some how and I already herd about the live action series that is coming 2 Netflix but hopefully they don’t shit on the show
Considering the fact that most of the shows viewers during the time were younger kids/teens, it makes sense why the 1st season was more one the light-hearted and comical side. It essentially served to capture their audience and hook them to the point of watching each episode hoping for the moment Aang will master the elements and defeat the fire lord. If the show introduced itself in the darker tone of the second or third season, I doubt I would have been as engaged as I was. The show did a really good job of getting you emotionally attached to the characters.
In terms of writing quality: 1) Book 2 Earth 2) Book 3 Fire 3) Book 1 Water The first season isn’t bad. It’s pretty nice. It’s just dwarfed in quality by the other two, more so the second season. If the first book is so good that just shows you how good the rest of the show is. This story is amazing.
@@santen2309 Exactly. It makes you feel like a child the first season, becoming a teenager in the second one and finally growing into a young adult at the last season.
@@suzybearheart530 You're damn right. Book 3 alone made Avatar overtake South Park as my new favourite cartoon. Talk about a show that comes really close to being perfect in practically every area.
CdyDgyRny Yarbrough Iroh knew from the beginning that his brother was going to fall. That’s the point of his character. People are supposed to see him as a silly old man. But he knew the destiny from the beginning.
Here’s a hot take-a part of the reason the avatar is now revered as a classic is because of some of the low depth episodes-these likely helped keep the younger audience interested, while the deeper episodes are the ones we grew to love. The show has great texture, never remaining in one pocket too long.
Lenny Taerts not at all. Most people including myself weren’t that big of a fan of those s1 filler episodes when we were younger but they weren’t bad either.
Blazing Exil fair enough. I personally like the ones with more depth to them. I was just trying to put myself in the shoes of those for which the lower depth content is appealing. I assume it would be a extremely young audience. I think both perspectives might hold true here.
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
I feel like this analysis is exclusively from the perspective of someone who has already seen the whole show and is familiar with the characters. What I think you overlooked is that Avatar established its characters before moving on with the plot. On the first watch, season one serves mostly as character development so the viewer understands the characters and takes an interest in them personally, so it didn't need to be dark and I think that its light tone actually helps it out.
It could have been more interesting though. Some episodes are very boring and feel as if they serve no purpose to the plot (E.g Bato of the Water Tribe ep).
I think it is also fitting because season one gives an intro to the war, and as the series goes on, they get closer to darker issues. Aang also has to fight more difficult enemies and make harder choices as that happens too
@@mintyhippo8125 yeah, that's a fair point. For most of season one, the issues Aang and the crew faces are relatively easy ones, and show the naivety of the characters. However, as we approach the end of season 1 and confront ALL of season 2, we see that each issue the crew must face gets deeper and darker. We see that the politics in the world play a huge role as to why the war has been lasting for so long, and why both the fire nation hasn't successfully defeated the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, and why the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes haven't defeated the Fire Nation yet. And then we get season 3. The entirety of season 3 felt unnerving and intense. There was always the sense of Team Avatar getting caught, and how each move they made was calculated. What adds to this season even more is how we see both the internal unravelings of the Fire Nation, and the complete transformation of Zuko before the amazing four part finale. It's also worth noting that this season includes my favorite episode, Episode 4: Sokka's Master. This episode is great because we see Sokka in a different light, and how the traveling, constant conflict, and the war have had on his psychy. But that's beside the point as I can go on about why I love that episode more so than the Northern War Tribe episodes, the episodes in Ba Sing Sei, and the finale.
I was thinking that, and also comparing it to stuff like Adventure Time. As someone who was already familiar with the world and characters, I skipped Season 1 & 2 because I found them boring, but for someone who's never watched it before, Season 1 and 2 are rather good since there's so many characters and the world of Ooo is so detailed.
In my opinion one of the funniest jokes in the entire show is the one where Sokka and Katara are trying to frame K as an earthbender and the guards think Momo is the earthbender. “Look! That lemur is eathbending!” “... no, SHES earthbending.” I actually laughed out loud.
The thing is it's not really that bad. In fact, on it's own terms, it's a fairly average episode of a kid's cartoon. I think the problems lie in these factors: 1. The characters, except for Aaang and the guide, are all really unlikable and petty, made worse in that Katara and Sokka are dragged along with it, making them more argumentative than normal. 2. It's placement. It comes write after "Jet," which introduced some surprising moral ambiguity to the universe of Avatar and said that good intentions can still lead to evil actions, and "The Storm" which delved into the backstory of both Aang and Zuko and arguably served as the "growing the beard" moment for the show (arguably, because Jet, Episode Three, and the Winter Solstice could also be argued). 3. Even though Avatar has it's filler episodes like all shows, they offer some interesting character growth and often feature characters that play into the story later on. This one has that the least, as we never see either of the two tribes again, and it doesn't really do anything for the characters. Which brings us to... 4. Many people REALLY don't like that Aang basically solved the conflict by lying. Not only does it undermine the admittedly good moral that the ending had before then, and not only does it happen in the last thirty seconds, meaning you didn't even need it... it doesn't really seem like something Aang would do. Him lying is another factor in why "Bato of the Water tribe" is another disliked episode, although I personally think it has a few more moments (the duel being Aang and Zuko at the end is one of the best of Book 1, imo. Also, Jun). Although again, I can't hate this episode entirely. I like the moral they were trying to say, I love that it puts Aang in a position where he NEEDS to be the leader and try to resolve the conflict, fitting his responsibilities, there's still some nice comedy, and the Canyon Crawlers are some cool creatures. If I had to grade it, I'd give it a 6/10, or "average". It's just compared to the heights of later episodes, it falls that much shorter, which probably contributes to it's reputation. But then again, one of my least favorite episodes is "the Beach" (except the scene where they talk about their feelings around the fire, that is one of the best Zuko moments for me), so what do I know. Man that was long. Hope it explained things, though.
One reason (for me) why the first season felt more lighthearted is that until the siege of the Northern Water tribe, the team was being chased, yes, but they never took it that seriously. They could always easily disappear and Zuko had to find them again. The Northern Water tribe was supposed to be some kind of safe haven and when it was almost overrun by the Fire Nation, Aang and his friends realised the enormous threat they had been facing all the time. When Aang drove them back with his Avatar powers, the Fire Nation in turn doubled its effort to catch him. From the start of season two, the stakes were much higher and you could feel it from every character. Especially in the way that Aang put himself under pressure to quickly learn as much as he could and often snapped because of that self-applied pressure.
If you like to reminisce over these types of things regarding Avatar like I do, I think you’d enjoy the nostalgic video essay I made in honor of its recent resurgence - ruclips.net/video/qkKQsACbHhU/видео.html
I also just finished it a few minutes ago! It's my 2nd time watching it all and it's given me a lot more time to properly process the scenes, a really amazing show.
All the characters from these “filler” episodes came back and helped fight the fire nation. So without these “filer” episodes katara , sokka, and aang would not have these friendships to help them win the war
The Great Divide saw no one return. Same with the Fortuneteller, Avatar Day, and that episode where we first saw the pirates that Zhao eventually hired to try to kill Zuko.
@@matthewmazzatto8003 Avatar Day at least introduced Avatar Kyoshi, who even referenced her explanation in Avatar Day in the series finale during Aang's internal struggle. There's an argument to be made about the pirates as well since they were brought back as Zhao's assassins, like you mentioned there's no defense for The Great Divide/The Fortuneteller though, none of the characters introduced in these episodes reemerged in any form, iirc
Alex K Damn I love Azula and her one liners. She was great and her lines make ME feel badass when I get past how kind of terrifying she is and irritating she can be (specially during the insomnia chase with Azula where we see Zuko join up with Iroh again. Man she annoyed the hell out of me. I was like “Jesus. Just let them sleep. I don’t care. Try to kill them tomorrow or something. Whatever. Just give it a rest for now.”)
i think the reason why there are episodes in the first season that people deem "bad" in comparison to the rest of the series is because people sometimes miss the purpose of the first season as a whole. like any story, the plot has to begin somewhere and season one of avatar is the begin of the plot. so, many of the episodes like the great divide serve to expand the world of avatar that we have been introduced to, as well serving character development for the main characters of the show so we are able to distinguish their personalities and behaviours in certain situations they are placed in. characters like haru and his episode only serve to show the kind of people aang and the gang are, even when meeting people they hardly know, which is why you hardly get to know haru, because his story arc is there to further the story arc of others. the reason those episodes can stand alone is because they are not supposed to focus on the main storyline but simply add to it in order for us, the viewers, to get a better understanding of a world that already exists, and that is why the end of season one and moving forward become increasingly better, because the world of avatar has now been made familiar to us and we know the characters so now the focus shifts to the plot.
Exactly! All these people want is to start dark. So imagine if we started zuko's character from season 2 you wouldn't really feel as sorry for him unless you know his backstory. Season 1 was VITAL because it explained alot of the characters backstories, especially aang, it introduced us to characters and places that will be important later on. It has to start out light and remember aang didn't really get serious being the avatar until mid season 1 when things were getting threatening than before.
Just like that Fire Nation kid who ratted out the dance party in Season 3. He was a dick to Aang, was still invited to this party and yet STILL chose to screw everyone over...all because he's so possessive of his "girlfriend" On Ji and threatened by the new kid. (Something tells me she didn't say his girlfriend for much longer after that dick move.)
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
The way Azula’s arc ends is so messed up and so perfect. The last episode of book 2 and the last half of book 3 really solidify her as the show’s best character. When she was introduced I think the show went from good to great.
They put a lot of effort into her. Small details, especially in season 3, that help to understand her downfall and even make the viewer feel sorry for that cold, evil villain in the end.
I think “The Promise” and “The Search” graphic novels really contribute to her. Even though her arc had already concluded pretty much, it just makes it so much more interesting. The only one I didn’t like was “Smoke and Shadow” because it just didn’t feel right, not like the Azula we already knew.
Exactly that girl is everything I love in a character. Witty , strong , smart & despite everything she is , she's someone who has complexity , yet she's a character you can empathize . Not to mention she's a strong female character who can be anything she wants . If that bitch is redeemed then she'll absolutely be fan-favourtie (surprised she's not)
One thing I've noticed recently about Avatar is that it's the only show I know of where every single episode is entertaining from start to finish. There's so many shows I've watched where, lots of episodes are boring filler, unfunny or just horribly done. With Avatar every episode is so entertaining it feels like the writers just said, "What's the most interesting, and craziest idea we can think of? Let's put it in and make it work."
Before this week, I have never watched Avatar the Last Airbender and only had the vague gist of the story because of popculture; but I finally got the chance to binge the entire show. Lemme just say this comment is accurate as heck. Normally when I'm binging a cartoon, there are oftentimes episodes where I can be extremely invested in the depth of the plot only for the next one to be "filler" and for me to get kinda bored by it. This was not the case with atla. I hadn't realized until I finished it that I had thoroughly enjoyed EVERY episode from start to finish, there was never a dull moment and I never went "ugh when can return to plot again?". It's really that good that my unattentive butt enjoyed every single one. This show really lived up to everyone's praises and I'm so glad I got the chance to watch it. Thanks for this comment!
@@kingsaracoon9594 same i have never watched anime or cartoons or had any interest in watching them but my mate convinced me to watch it. I am glad he did it was one of the best series I have ever seen and was entertaining the whole way through
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
I think the reason season 1 was switched from serious to humorous so often was because it was meant to be a kids show. They didn't want to put a long amount of screen time on characters/plots they might not have kept onto for long. That's why Suki only gets one episode at first. Once they realized the show could do well and they were hooking older audiences with it, they experimented with going darker. Then they applied the same thing even further with season 3. Which if I'm remembering correctly, had a long break airing in the middle, in where they did the same thing again, including the episode "The Southern Raiders", which is possibly has the most mature themes in ATLA.
> I think the reason season 1 was switched from serious to humorous so often was because it was meant to be a kids show. I think a better term would be a "Nickelodeon show." Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was a book for small kids and yet it never got this goofy. I know, I know, different mediums, but still!
> That's why Suki only gets one episode at first. Well, actually, she only got one episode at first because originally she was not supposed to come back. She was a simple Pokemon-esque character-of-the-week.
@@ThePreciseClimber Harry Potter was goofy as hell in Sorcerer's Stone, and then in Chamber (which is the worse in the series imo) got alot darker and deeper and then same with PoA and then Goblet of Fire was balls to the wall with going dark....
@@ThePreciseClimber I agree about the Nickelodeon part. If this show was on Cartoon Network then I think there could've been way more death shown. Just look at all of it in Clone Wars.
ATLA was so ahead of its time and now stays timeless. Literally there were no other shows like it when it's aired. Everything in this show can be used as blue print for later animated works, like Zuko's perfect redemption arc that I won't go into details bc I'd write a whole essay, Sokka as a comic relief character that isn't annoying or useless while still interesting when not being comedian, or how well the darker themes were blended in and accented the plot without making it awkward or stiff.
bruh the scene where momo was “earth-bending” and the plan to get captured by the fire nation by fake earthbending was so fking funny and one of the best scenes perIODT.
Ikr!! I love plot and it’s cool when it’s serious but it’s still a children’s show and it’d actually water down everything if there wasn’t funny parts like that
One gripe. You're picking apart season one for it's short and essentially pointless adventures but to be completely honest the whole point of these adventures was to setup the characters. Character building is a slow and tedious thing that you experience along side the actual character themselves. I have to disagree without your conclusion about these episodes on principle. Without each and every episode the characters might not feel so smooth personality wise. These types of episodes are like subtle tuning of a guitar mid-song imo.
While i generally agree, at the same time we have episodes like southern air temple and the storm which do more character building in a much better way.
Drianikaben I agree with you but i think we need these episodes for more as well we cant just have lore being thrown in our face after each episode i think we would need these not so loved episodes as well because it is the first season
Nexion Nekros exactly, that was one of the things I felt that was missing in legend of Kora. There wasn’t enough to the characters for me to even care about them. Kora’s friends also disappeared occasionally for reasons I can’t remember, hell I can’t remember their names.
yes character developments is one of the highlights of the show. The Great Divide wasn't so bad because it was training for Aang on how to settle conflict & be the avatar
I think the show starting w laughable and not intimidating bad guys and then slowly growing with its stakes and seriousness reflects well the main characters’ own growth in maturity and taking their tasks more seriously.
What makes this show so great as they were able to take all of these generic and overused characters troupes cliches, at the beginning, to eventually divert audience’s expectations and make all of the main characters feel like 3-dimensional, and humanly complex characters, as the show progressed.
The character development in this was so good that I consider it a major influence for the development of my own character. The first episode aired when I was about 6 and I still remember revelling and taking on every second. Such a brilliant show.
Do you think that starting the show with weaker, shorter-lived baddies makes it more rewarding and dangerous when characters like Azusa come on the scene? It’s hard to have a building threat if you start with strong villains.
I think the thing about the Haru episode, is that it kinda shows how Katara is vastly more empathetic to other people than most. She cares more deeply about those she has little connection, so we as viewers don’t understand where she’s coming from. Throughout the entire series she demonstrates this, like in the Painted Lady episode, where she says, “I will NEVER turn my back on people who need me.” You could even go super deep and say this may be a product of her childhood, when her mom told her to leave their tent when she was being questioned by that Fire Nation soldier; she may see that as sort of turning her back on her mom and may even blame herself for her mom’s death.
All these people want is to start dark. Im sick of people saying oh season 1 was boring and not dark like are you high?!? So imagine if we started zuko's character from season 2 you wouldn't really feel as sorry for him unless you know his backstory. Season 1 was VITAL because it explained alot of the characters backstories, especially aang, it introduced us to characters and places that will be important later on. It has to start out light and remember aang didn't really get serious being the avatar until mid season 1 when things were getting threatening than before. as far as I'm concerned Mike and Bryan handled this story perfectly! Season 1 is to get comfortable with the characters so when 2 and 3 comes if something significant happens, you feel more emotion and empathy with them. You dont bring fuckin combustion man, blood bending and azula in season 1 just cause you want dark like that makes no sense. Start off easy and let aang and the others graduate one step at a time. A story has to start somewhere Jesus this generation and their dark nonsense makes me sick.
It is for this exact reason why Steins;Gate is my favorite show of all time. It starts out as a lighthearted goof fest with how the characters interact with each other, but everything is all set up for the eventual gut punch when everything goes FUBAR.
I agree with you but why blame this generation? Are you the kind of people that are always "hurr durr millenials made this world like shit hurr durr". Stop blaming a whole generation please
I know you critiqued the "is it a bison or buffalo?" "I don't know sir that's not really the point is it?" Because it wasn't really serious. Well, I just watched the Boiling Rock episode and during the first escape the warden yells at a guard to stop them and throw them in the cooler. The guard replies "but they are in a cooler sir." And the warden yells "one that is attached and not floating in the water!" Even though obviously for comedic effect (I laugh every time and I'm 24) I have personally experienced these weird moments of confusion coming off as sarcasm. Although I have never worked at a prison I have worked for a mayor and heard a similar conversation to this one 😂 regardless, love many of the points you're making. Stumbled upon this video due to quarantine giving me the chance to watch ATLA from beginning to end. Literally just watched the finale and needed to reassure myself that the show was just as amazing as I thought it was when I was a kid.
For anyone who has already watched this video, thank you for watching it again. Sincerely. When the original video started to blow up, I felt like all the work I've been doing for the past couple of months was finally worth it. All of the videos sitting at low view counts, the endless hours put into editing, all made fruitful from that one success. Seeing it get taken down was heartbreaking to say the least. My friends had to nearly take my phone away from me one night because I couldn't stop endlessly refreshing the page to see if my appeal had gone through, or if RUclips would email me back. Please share this video with anyone you think will like it. I'd love to salvage any views possibly leftover from the original. And if you like what we do, please support us at patreon.com/katoyt. #fuckViacom EDIT: There will be an actual new video on Saturday. -Hoodie
Hello, I'm a new subscriber. I love your videos and avatar the last airbender. I have a request.. I would love it if you made a video about book 3? It's better than the last two.. in my opinion. But that's not the point, I think it would be interesting if you talked about how the characters dramatically matured along book 3. ❤
my favorite season is earth bending arc, my favorite bending is earth bending, my favorite episode was basingse the walled city, I was so amazed by it i enjoyed every moment of that arc.
I agree with the concept but your examples don't really hold up for me. "Imprisoned" was a rather important episode since it not only established a recurring character but also helped develop the idea that Katara thinks she knows what's best for people and gets hit with the harsh reality of how bad the earth kingdom's situation really is. A seemingly helpless old man is willing to turn in one of his own kind after being helped, that's how hopeless they are under the fire nation. the warden of the prison Haru is sent to is meant to be comically incompetent and i can't see him being improved by being as sinister as azula.
i agree. i think that episode helps get in ur head how serious the war is and how powerful the fire nation is. no longer is it them going after the avatar. aang had nothing to do with the earth kingdom village yet the fire nation still took captive every single earthbender to prevent resistance.
Agreed. Additionally not all villains are so intimidating and sinister. It's possible and realistic that an incompetent fool would be running a prison. And that prison is a great comparison to the one in boiling rock. Showing viewers an average bending prison vs the highest security one.
I completely agree. "The Great Divide" in my opinion was necessary and certainly a creative way to ground the story even more and parallels, and foreshadowed the greater war coming their way. As for Haru, I think he sowed us struggle from a different perspective than our protagonists how people across the world were directly affected by a fast growng imperialist nation. In my opinion Haru as well as other the throw away characters made this world richer and grounded the story even more. It also showed us how threatening the fire nation can be without even showing the fire nation which made it more impactful.
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
@@microwavingmachine5777 How about you stop posting this under every comment? Nobody will watch your crappy video because nobody cares about your useless opinion.
I think the comedic elements "Imprisoned" are actually useful. Because the show had established itself as a light-hearted adventure series with moments of seriousness, it may have been jarring to have a episode be all about the hardships of those imprisoned under someone more like Azula. It also would have required more than one episode to tell the story more seriously. Having the comedy helped give "Imprisoned" a more episodic tone that takes your attention away from the rushed portions. Finally, the line "That lemur. He's Earth ending!" is one the funniest in the entire show.
Exactly. It also means that, when Azula is finally introduced, we are terrified of her. She's dangerous, she's intelligent, and she's like no threat we've ever faced before. She's not dimwitted or used for comic relief. It's great juxtaposition that every other villain in the series was either dumbed down, sympathetic (Zuko isn't even a villain), or a henchman (Zhao is intimidating, but we never get the sense that he's the big baddie of the whole show). Then Azula shows up, and it's jarring.
As a martial artist and a huge fan of this show and basically anything wuxia/ wushu related, I fell in love with this series as a kid doing northern tum pai gung fu (kajukenbo) and this stuff came at the right time in my life. Now it’s back and I am practicing northern shaolin wushu and though the year has not been fantastic it’s been the best I’ve ever experienced!! Had to write this after watching season 3 Sokka’s master hit really close to my heart emotionally. I doubt my worth sometimes but this was an inspiring story. The message: keep at it! Your dreams matter and you are good at something! You are also more worthy than you realize! Look deeply into yourself and see the leader in you. The warrior. The master. Combine your strengths and weaknesses into a formidable weapon. Doubt is the enemy. Destroy it for good!!
I love Azula’s introduction so much. Between the music, dialogue, and the way her face is hidden from the captain’s view while talking to him for almost all of their conversation, it’s just so unnerving that I can’t help but love it.
Lei Fengs introduction is just so perfect, and such a blindsided blow to our perception. The episode completely hooks you with this new hope. The characters are slowly but steadily progressing towards their goal then woosh!! Wtf moment!:This is then after they fought the fire nation already, went through the desert, and lost Appa! The level of wow, I dont know if I can take anymore is surreal! My emotions are everywhere. With Lei Feng, the cast's entire foundation is swept from under them and replaced with a separate obstacle, him. The man checked them before they even knew they were playing. Masterful entrance.
3:50 Even after watching the show like 4 times, I'm still realizing new things. Iroh is placing the Air piece over the Fire piece. Originally I thought this was just because air came after fire in the cycle. But know I know it's MEANT to be symbolic because the fire is OVER the air piece just to the left. Pretty cool.
@@nameyourchannel838 Yin and yang. Fire and Air are diametrically opposed in the show -- they are each the hardest element for the avatar of that cycle to master. Additionally, while the Fire Nation reduced the Air Nomads to nothing, a man like Iroh knows that this creates an unbalance that will be redressed in the future -- he most likely expects that the Avatar will return and make the Fire Nation pay for their aggression.
Kato: "How Avatar the Last Airbender Went From Good to Great" Actually Kato: "Why 'imprisoned' is the worst episode of Avatar the Last Airbender" *I pulled a sneaky on u*
I watched this show as a kid. Binge watched it when I was about 16 (i realized it was great then). Now I just rewatched it on Netflix as a 23 year old... Wow.. I probably cried 10 times throughout the series. After going through real life heartbreak and issues Avatar hits different. Zuko and Uncle Iroh made the show for me as an adult.
I truly didn't appreciate Iroh and Zuko until watching the series for a fifth time (but the first time in like 8 years) as a 25 year-old. WOW. Zuko and Iroh both are my favorite characters now.
Season one was imo purposefully light hearted so that the audience can develop an emotional attachment with the characters. So in season 2 and 3 when things get more deep, it has a bigger impact. Zukos pain in season 2 and 3 dont leave an impact unless you know the backstory, season one. My point is, season one was necessary for the show and creating a successful story with interesting characters
I have learnt something amazing! wait *years*, like a decade and then you'll have completely forget about the show. Set an alarm on google maps, and it would be new all over again.
Jasraj Sandhu And you’re actually going to act like anime can’t be cringe. I love anime and ATLA but if you’re going to call this cringe when literally every single anime has an episode where shy sexy girls accidentally show there tits and do the worst job at covering themselves up then you need some help. Atla has great storytelling,great characters,Great animation and fights. Nearly every episode has an impact on the story and is entertaining and engaging-something anime could learn from
Just finished the show a few minutes ago. I'm 41. I avoided the show based on my age and how absurdly hyped the show was by absolutely everyone who ever mentioned it. I have never witnessed something so universally revered that, not only lived up to that reputation, it exceeded it beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I can say now that this is without a doubt one of the greatest shows ever made.
Honestly, the season started off with a lot of comical aspects and humor and got gradually more serious as it went on, which is why I prefer the later episodes as opposed to the earlier ones
oh gosh I totally agree, ATLA was my favorite TV show as a child, and I watched the Alien one twice. It wasn't half as good as the show, though some people seem to remember that one more than ATLA.
I rewatched the entire ATLA series in around 4 days to relive the glory days of my childhood and this show beyond holds up. That said I’m on the path to becoming a cinephile now so naturally I didn’t just blindly rely on nostalgia; I judged the show on its quality and my preferences. I found 3 episodes I didn’t like. That’s right in 3 (22 episode?) seasons I only found 3 episodes I didn’t care for. Those episodes were the Swamp episode, the Oppah being lost episode, and the Painted Lady. Why? I just didn’t care for the vibes of those episodes but even still they were well made. I think the argument raised in this video that spending more time on specific characters and stories creates better nuance is valid. However, I also think if every villain and every side character were treated with equal importance then the weight of Azula’s arrival would have been undercut. Not to mention, the tone of the show was wonderfully balanced because not every mission was treated with heavy life-or-death seriousness. I think the lighthearted start was a perfect way to get us invested in the characters, the world and the story’s premise before opening up to more mature explorations. Harry Potter took a similar approach and I believe that’s why it worked so well too!
If the Netflix live-action adaptation turns out to be great, it could fix most of the issues of length due to each episode going from 22 minutes to the standard TV show episode length, of around 45 minutes.
in the ember island players, when the gang was about to go into the great divide, they said that they wouldn't. this is because the producers knew this was the episode with the lowest rating and they jokingly showed that.
I appreciate Book 1 even though it has (almost) no multi-episode arcs because of its placement at the beginning of the series. We got to see the main cast bond and grow in a variety of situations; this established Team Avatar even if the character development wasn't meticulously crafted. It increased the impact of the later, more narrative-driven seasons while building the world. However, I do agree the show would have been nowhere near as amazing if the episodic format had been maintained throughout the entire run.
I like the set up of the show mostly because it is an accurate tone shift. It is lighthearted at first because they’re younger, they’ve got time before aang has to take down ozai. We see them grow as they encounter more serious and complex antagonists. Starting from some nameless fire nation soldiers to corrupt governments. Additionally it helps to captivate the audience, which is mainly kids, at first. It has a certain charm as opposed to starting heavy with characters you don’t know yet because you don’t understand why their success is so crucial.
I'm so sorry for what happened to you man. Love your work, my most popular video that we put a crazy amount of work into also got copyright claimed and the appeal did not go through, so I know your pain. I can't bring myself to reupload it though as it accounts for 90% of my channels traffic and views
I watched Avatar as a little kid. I was only 4 when the show finished so obviously I shouldn't remember a lot of it, but the thing I found amazing when Avatar was announced to be coming to Netflix was that most of the episodes and a lot of the scenes were cemented in my brain, like core memories from Inside Out. This is the only thing like that for me. This show had such a profound impact on me that I didn't even realize that in never left me. When I watched the series from start to finish for the first time, which was this year, I remembered so much, and it filled me with so much nostalgia. I was so happy to realize that I remembered so much about this show, even though I hadn't watched any of it in over a decade. I'm so glad they added it to Netflix so that I can finally add to my favorite shows of all time and give it the love it deserves.
They give you a specific time code. I have no idea why that and not the others tbh. If you go to my other Avatar videos on the channel, those are all unaffected as well. Something about those 30 seconds really rubbed Viacom the wrong way.
A few ideas about "Imprisoned.." It's actually one of my favorite episodes because makes a very bold decision to observe difficult ideas. the most impactful part of the episode in my opinion is when the warden says that the prisoners won't fight because their spirit is already broken. it's like when Appa becomes afraid of fire. the real enemy isn't that the fire nation aboard the ship are too strong, it's a deeper issue. Haru and his connection with both his father and Katara becomes the host of a breaking point and change for the Earth Kingdom warriors. About the warden.. The warden of the prison is not to be primarily viewed as an "idiot," but moreso a ruthless character. He's "in the big leagues." Not as directly as Zhao, his ruthless power comes at the cost of his focus and precision and that's what makes Azula so threatening is that her decisive power is in line with her focus. She is the important threat introduced to the story, so this is ok. In a similar way, the Fire Nation soldiers who take Katara in are supposed to represent average soldiers with no particularly unique loyalty or intelligence, they are supposed to look a little bit silly so while the scene makes me frustrated at Aang, I'm not really bothered by the lack of seriousness. In fact, I think it's important to contrast the true high-level Fire Nation commanders with the fact that day-to-day Fire Nation soldiers have been given corrupting power but aren't really anything special. It's a nice bit of worldbuilding in a way.
I agree that not all episodes of avatar are automatically great. There are good, there are better and there are great, but none of them are bad. I hate when people complain about a certain scene or certain plan going on in the show. I feel like that was meant for the kids who this show was made for even though more adults love the show then kids probably. you have to remember this was a kids show put on a kids network. And I think if you didn't find that funny or you didn't see why things happened the way it happened then it must have been meant for the kids who are watching the show 2. The episodes where you said they didn't really add anything to the story. I believe they were there for the kids specifically because a lot of those episodes where about human interaction and how you should treat other people and other life lessons you would normally learn while growing up. If you look at these episodes through The Eyes of a kid then it would probably make more sense to you
After rewatching it as an adult I’ve just realised how great uncle Irohs advice was & some of it I’ve applied to my own life. A much deeper anime then it seems
Glad to see you fighting the system but not sure what's with all the comparisons between seasons, its getting more serious as the seasons go on and focus real hard on the maturer themes as the series goes on. We start off with a nice adventure with our protagonists as kids but even after all they've seen they keep things very playful until the weight of the war makes them more cold and feel the pressure of their objectives. What made the series so amazing is the fact we see them and the series grow up as we watch
I love the addition of the choir in the background of Azula’s version of the fire nation theme, it really gives the feeling of perfection, power, and regality that Azula shows. Always gives me goosebumps.
You talk about not liking the filler episodes. Though personally i think filler episodes make things feel more natural. It feels like a more normal story. Sure long term plot is always the main objective and what people are after, but if every episode takes huge strides to further the long term plot, the story feels forced. Because in real life towards progress isn't towards anything is linear, it meanders a bit. Even on huge missions / objectives, life happens in between. Also upon first watch, you don't know that some of those episodes are dead ends, and it also makes it feel even more important when huge long term discoveries are made.
One could argue that the first season, much like the characters, are inexperienced. And overtime, it improves just like the characters. Aang, at the start, is a child. By the end he has grown and matured through his experiences. And each one following upwards of the first season, got longer and more challenging than the last. It's not to say you're wrong, it was probably that the writers and directors weren't expecting it to kick off the way it did, and then later found out that it was a better to tell a longer storyline over the course of a several episodes or a vs singular story arcs per episode.
Modern Hollywood "writers" could learn a lot from this series. The characters face physical and moral challenges . . . experience setbacks . . . grow in ability. At the beginning, Katara can barely lift a fish out of the water. By Season 3, she's probably one of the top 5 water benders in the world.
@@KneelB4Bacon Evidenced by the fact Katara casually smashed an iceberg without even paying attention from Episode 1, she was always that great. She just had no training or experience.
It's one of those shows that can capture your imagination and your heart, but ultimately deliver major depth rich in world-building, characters, mysticism, politics, life lessons, and tackling major serious topics through the eyes of well-meaning main characters. It's truly enchanting, and well done.
They put a lot of effort into making this a high quality program. Voice work, OST, animation, quality of writing. And they got actors from big movies / TV shows, too; Mark Hamill, Jason Isaacs, Daniel Dae Kim, Robert Patrick.
"8:35: "not the puppetmaster level of creepy" IM NOT the only one who was so scared to watch that while avatar was airing when i was like 7 to 8 lmaooo im 100% sure id still get creeped out still
I think what’s made Avatr so good in my eyes and still makes it so great especially in contrast to long anime’s with a lot of filler is its simplicity and "shortness". And I’m not saying that the story itself is short, I mean it’s 61 episodes, I’m saying how they present the story is simple, short refreshing. There is no super long unnecessary build up, characters looking at each other for 3 minutes without moving a muscle until they finally take one step and the episode ends. I think if they did Avatar in a mainstream anime type of way it could very well be around 200 episodes or even more. In Avatar important moments aren’t dragged out for too long, it gets straight to the point. And while that can also have it’s shortcomings and is probably the only thing about the show I can also criticize - there are scenes where a character goes from happy to crying to happy in 3 seconds, the tears appear and before the first drop reaches the chin the character already stopped crying - it also is it’s strongest point in my opinion because I can’t remember feeling that something was dragged out for too long and was boring (apart from things happening in one episode). After very episode I have a feeling of "they made some progress" either in that they’ve gained a new companion/friend, have come closer to reaching a certain place or goal or became stronger or learned something new. Yes there are also episodes where that’s not the case but those are very rare and still fun to watch and may also serve as a break and refreshment from the main story. Having said all this, I’m gonna start watching Avatar again now.
When tolph got added to the group is when the show went from good to great
This is pinned, yet it only has one like. I am the luckiest man of all time.
The entirety of book 2 was great
yup
Tolph
Weirdly, this is actually true. Every episode from the Blind Bandit is excellent except for the Painted Lady.
the three words are actually “that’s rough buddy”
Zuko and Sokka
this is true
Lmao yeah
Hello, Zuko here.
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
Avatar is the only show where I look forward to filler episodes. Like the Tales of Be Sing Se episode has no importance at all, but it’s one of the most touching episodes in the whole series.
No way. the back story of iroh is sooo important.
zHxIxPxPxIxEz oh that one where he sings to his son😭😭 I can never not cry at that
@@HauntedTS13 I never cry during movies but seeing Iroh sobbing and singing for his son... makes me teary eyed just thinking about it
And the theater episode. So good.
@@noram8103 it was a recap episode and yet it was still amazing
This is coming from a 34 year old someone who has no nostalgia for this show, never watched it when it originally aired. I was a college student at the time who was too old for "cartoons." I just recently binged it with my kids when it came to netflix. Now that I've seen all of it I can confirm that it is one of the best shows ever made. The writing, action, character development is some of the best I've ever seen. I really hope netflix doesn't screw up the live action adaptation they're working on.
They will. Trust me. Netflix adaptations are a joke for a reason.
I seen just season 1 as a kid so everything else is new to me and it is truly amazing
Have you seen the deathnote Netflix adaptation it's a disaster
I watched for the first time around 2009 was about 30. I only tuned in because a coworker insisted and wow, I really liked it! But I didn't have Netflix yet, and just had to DVR episodes on Nick. I got frustrated because it was out of sync and it was so good I felt like i was missing out. So I never did finish it - until last night. Oh wow, is it a great show! And here I am 39 years old! I'm pregnant with my first baby and can't wait until she's old enough to appreciate and watch this with me.
If you're from Europa (atleast in NL) then there's probably some cartoon channel that you can freely watch it on ;)
Here we use nickelodeon.
have a good one pal!
Aang, a literal child: I'm feeling really uncomfortable with the idea of killing this man. I don't think I can do it.
Literally every other avatar: k :/
Except he's actually 100+ years old if you count his time inside the ice, but yeah lul.....
Muhammad Raihan yeah
@@rhn122 yeah but you gotta remember that he didn't age physically or mentally while in that ice. He was still, technically, a child.
@@thefiretailedweasel6206 he can be 12 or 112 depending on the situation and which one gives him the advantage
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
I think Momo is the greatest earth bender
i think my left ear is the best firebender
EARTH BENDING STYLE
i think my nose is the best airbender
@@djpizza2934 my nose is a blood bender
The lemur...its earth bending! 😂😂
*Watching Avatar*
As a kid: "Wow, the fighting is so cool"
As a teen: "This story is really deep"
As an adult: 😭😢
Coco Loco I've always loved how subtle and not "in-your-face" Avatar was at handling mature themes (war and genocide, abusive parents, emotional neglect and loss, etc.). The creators felt like they were always one step ahead at what they wanted to do with the show.
Coco Loco I miss this show watching aang going through everything really nestalgic looking back and it makes me miss being a kid again
@@Landhoe_72 Yeah, not just that though the show seems to get better as you grow older since the story is very well written and could easily go over most little kids heads. But as an adult you can point out alot of dark/heartwarming plots or even some life lessons that are taught throughout.
Wow its so true
Skerral I hope they revive it some how and I already herd about the live action series that is coming 2 Netflix but hopefully they don’t shit on the show
Considering the fact that most of the shows viewers during the time were younger kids/teens, it makes sense why the 1st season was more one the light-hearted and comical side. It essentially served to capture their audience and hook them to the point of watching each episode hoping for the moment Aang will master the elements and defeat the fire lord. If the show introduced itself in the darker tone of the second or third season, I doubt I would have been as engaged as I was. The show did a really good job of getting you emotionally attached to the characters.
Jailene I agree season 1 was really goofy some seriousness like the southern air temple but season 2 and 3 is when it gets more mature
a lot of people seem to forget that avatar is first and foremost a children's show lmao
Completely agree, the show matures as its audience does, just like books/movies like harry potter
In terms of writing quality:
1) Book 2 Earth
2) Book 3 Fire
3) Book 1 Water
The first season isn’t bad. It’s pretty nice. It’s just dwarfed in quality by the other two, more so the second season. If the first book is so good that just shows you how good the rest of the show is. This story is amazing.
@@santen2309 Exactly. It makes you feel like a child the first season, becoming a teenager in the second one and finally growing into a young adult at the last season.
Season 1: An Incredible Beginning.
Season 2: A Phenomenal Continuation.
Season 3: A Masterfully Crafted Finale.
I'm almost ALWAYS disappointed by final seasons, and season finales but they got this right from start to finish. That's so rare!
@@suzybearheart530
You're damn right. Book 3 alone made Avatar overtake South Park as my new favourite cartoon. Talk about a show that comes really close to being perfect in practically every area.
_the secret is love_
@@deagek7638 lol
the comics
"Did jet just die?" "You know, it wasn't really clear"
i loved that lmao😭😭 its like they could see inside my mind
Supposedly in the original cut they show Jet dying but then some execs told them to cut the scene cause it's a kids show
Jer emy oh really? makes sense lol.
@@mo_2500 yeah jets friend with the bow kills jet to end his suffering. Too dark so they cut it
Jer emy I literally just finished the final episode. Was Jet in the invasion on the Day of the Black Sun? I can’t remember.
ATLA Book 1: Good
ATLA Books 2&3: MASTERPIECE
Onaterdem
ATLA Book 1, 2&3 : MASTERPIECE
ftfy
The first half of book 1 is more of introduction, having more back story of each character, until the storm, where things start progressing
Book 1: 7 out of 10
Book 2: Masterpiece
Book 3: 9.8 out of 10
Diana Marcela Arenas Gonzalez blasphemy
Book 1: 8.5
Book 2: 10
Book 3: 10
Book 1: 8/10
Book 2: 10/10
Book 3: 9.9/10
3:54 Iroh puts an air card on top of a fire card, epic foreshadowing right there.
wOAH
Its just the cycle
richard z but still, they decided to animate this specific part
Bruhhhh that’s amazing
CdyDgyRny Yarbrough Iroh knew from the beginning that his brother was going to fall. That’s the point of his character. People are supposed to see him as a silly old man. But he knew the destiny from the beginning.
Here’s a hot take-a part of the reason the avatar is now revered as a classic is because of some of the low depth episodes-these likely helped keep the younger audience interested, while the deeper episodes are the ones we grew to love. The show has great texture, never remaining in one pocket too long.
Lenny Taerts not at all. Most people including myself weren’t that big of a fan of those s1 filler episodes when we were younger but they weren’t bad either.
Blazing Exil fair enough. I personally like the ones with more depth to them. I was just trying to put myself in the shoes of those for which the lower depth content is appealing. I assume it would be a extremely young audience. I think both perspectives might hold true here.
Lenny Taerts your right
Children are smarter than you think.
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
I personally loved the scene where katana and Sokka convince those fire nation soldiers that she’s an earth bender
exactly, the ridiculousness shows that it also is a kid's show. I like that it does not influence the story line
@Ger Flor ah yes a katana trying to bend earth
Who's katana
@@matanamatube r/wooosh
It's Katara. You got me laughing hard🤣🤣🤣
Aang emerging from his ice "egg" basically imprints on Katara. Lmao
.
So that means he thinks Katara is his mother
@@generalgrievous3731 he got mommy issues
@@microwavingmachine5777 jesus are you that desperate that you replied to everything to advertise your video
@@microwavingmachine5777 I did not just get Rickrolled.
I got chills when Zuko stood up to his dad. I loved how a victim was shown to be able to stand up to the abuser.
I feel like this analysis is exclusively from the perspective of someone who has already seen the whole show and is familiar with the characters. What I think you overlooked is that Avatar established its characters before moving on with the plot. On the first watch, season one serves mostly as character development so the viewer understands the characters and takes an interest in them personally, so it didn't need to be dark and I think that its light tone actually helps it out.
It could have been more interesting though. Some episodes are very boring and feel as if they serve no purpose to the plot (E.g Bato of the Water Tribe ep).
I think it is also fitting because season one gives an intro to the war, and as the series goes on, they get closer to darker issues. Aang also has to fight more difficult enemies and make harder choices as that happens too
@@mintyhippo8125 yeah, that's a fair point. For most of season one, the issues Aang and the crew faces are relatively easy ones, and show the naivety of the characters. However, as we approach the end of season 1 and confront ALL of season 2, we see that each issue the crew must face gets deeper and darker. We see that the politics in the world play a huge role as to why the war has been lasting for so long, and why both the fire nation hasn't successfully defeated the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, and why the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes haven't defeated the Fire Nation yet.
And then we get season 3. The entirety of season 3 felt unnerving and intense. There was always the sense of Team Avatar getting caught, and how each move they made was calculated. What adds to this season even more is how we see both the internal unravelings of the Fire Nation, and the complete transformation of Zuko before the amazing four part finale. It's also worth noting that this season includes my favorite episode, Episode 4: Sokka's Master. This episode is great because we see Sokka in a different light, and how the traveling, constant conflict, and the war have had on his psychy. But that's beside the point as I can go on about why I love that episode more so than the Northern War Tribe episodes, the episodes in Ba Sing Sei, and the finale.
Yeah he completely missed it. The show was going for a lighter theme in season on in akin to Aang's childishness. Then the tone shifts as Aang grows.
I was thinking that, and also comparing it to stuff like Adventure Time. As someone who was already familiar with the world and characters, I skipped Season 1 & 2 because I found them boring, but for someone who's never watched it before, Season 1 and 2 are rather good since there's so many characters and the world of Ooo is so detailed.
In my opinion one of the funniest jokes in the entire show is the one where Sokka and Katara are trying to frame K as an earthbender and the guards think Momo is the earthbender.
“Look! That lemur is eathbending!”
“... no, SHES earthbending.” I actually laughed out loud.
I liked that joke too
But
"My girlfriend turned into the moon"
"Thats rough buddy"
Nothing can top this
@@Astitva Shit I was coming to write this! You beat me by 3 weeks lmao.
“No you idiot it’s the girl!” My fiancée and I laugh at that particular fire nation soldier often lmao.
🤣
When I first watched "The Great Divide" it never even occurred to me that people would hate it. I enjoyed it very much.
That's because of public opinion
Me too
its a fun filler episode
The "worst" episode isn't even that bad. This fandom is spoiled. lol
The thing is it's not really that bad. In fact, on it's own terms, it's a fairly average episode of a kid's cartoon. I think the problems lie in these factors:
1. The characters, except for Aaang and the guide, are all really unlikable and petty, made worse in that Katara and Sokka are dragged along with it, making them more argumentative than normal.
2. It's placement. It comes write after "Jet," which introduced some surprising moral ambiguity to the universe of Avatar and said that good intentions can still lead to evil actions, and "The Storm" which delved into the backstory of both Aang and Zuko and arguably served as the "growing the beard" moment for the show (arguably, because Jet, Episode Three, and the Winter Solstice could also be argued).
3. Even though Avatar has it's filler episodes like all shows, they offer some interesting character growth and often feature characters that play into the story later on. This one has that the least, as we never see either of the two tribes again, and it doesn't really do anything for the characters. Which brings us to...
4. Many people REALLY don't like that Aang basically solved the conflict by lying. Not only does it undermine the admittedly good moral that the ending had before then, and not only does it happen in the last thirty seconds, meaning you didn't even need it... it doesn't really seem like something Aang would do. Him lying is another factor in why "Bato of the Water tribe" is another disliked episode, although I personally think it has a few more moments (the duel being Aang and Zuko at the end is one of the best of Book 1, imo. Also, Jun).
Although again, I can't hate this episode entirely. I like the moral they were trying to say, I love that it puts Aang in a position where he NEEDS to be the leader and try to resolve the conflict, fitting his responsibilities, there's still some nice comedy, and the Canyon Crawlers are some cool creatures. If I had to grade it, I'd give it a 6/10, or "average". It's just compared to the heights of later episodes, it falls that much shorter, which probably contributes to it's reputation. But then again, one of my least favorite episodes is "the Beach" (except the scene where they talk about their feelings around the fire, that is one of the best Zuko moments for me), so what do I know.
Man that was long. Hope it explained things, though.
One reason (for me) why the first season felt more lighthearted is that until the siege of the Northern Water tribe, the team was being chased, yes, but they never took it that seriously. They could always easily disappear and Zuko had to find them again. The Northern Water tribe was supposed to be some kind of safe haven and when it was almost overrun by the Fire Nation, Aang and his friends realised the enormous threat they had been facing all the time. When Aang drove them back with his Avatar powers, the Fire Nation in turn doubled its effort to catch him. From the start of season two, the stakes were much higher and you could feel it from every character. Especially in the way that Aang put himself under pressure to quickly learn as much as he could and often snapped because of that self-applied pressure.
I just finished the show minutes ago, and it honestly is and always will be the best show I have ever seen.
Well I guess you like the show and espacilly Katara.
You know,because of the profile picture....
If you like to reminisce over these types of things regarding Avatar like I do, I think you’d enjoy the nostalgic video essay I made in honor of its recent resurgence - ruclips.net/video/qkKQsACbHhU/видео.html
@@microwavingmachine5777 AHAHA YOU GOT ME😭
I also just finished it a few minutes ago! It's my 2nd time watching it all and it's given me a lot more time to properly process the scenes, a really amazing show.
same haha
First thing you say to make friends after waking up from a 100-year slumber:
*"Will you go penguin sledding with me?"*
Miss Draco Anyone else immediately need the fan art of Breath of the Wild Link saying exactly this?
Aang was lucky penguins still existed
@@whatgsaid Let's not forget, if it weren't for the yeti in TP Link would've never learned shield surfing and passed it down.
"Seven words to make a woman fall in love with you" - the Kingkiller Chronicles
Is it me or can I hear aang’s voice saying that 😂
All the characters from these “filler” episodes came back and helped fight the fire nation. So without these “filer” episodes katara , sokka, and aang would not have these friendships to help them win the war
The Great Divide saw no one return. Same with the Fortuneteller, Avatar Day, and that episode where we first saw the pirates that Zhao eventually hired to try to kill Zuko.
@@matthewmazzatto8003 lmao, you got him.
@@matthewmazzatto8003 Avatar Day at least introduced Avatar Kyoshi, who even referenced her explanation in Avatar Day in the series finale during Aang's internal struggle. There's an argument to be made about the pirates as well since they were brought back as Zhao's assassins, like you mentioned
there's no defense for The Great Divide/The Fortuneteller though, none of the characters introduced in these episodes reemerged in any form, iirc
@@Nezergy lmao, you almost got em
@@Nezergy The fortune teller episode was to develope romance between Aang and Katara but the great divide had no purpose
Avatar is one of the few tv shows that get better by each season
Breaking bad
@@microwavingmachine5777 damn u really got me
I think season 2 is better than season 3.
@@javxion6576 same but book 3 is so close
The dragon prince
"Don't flatter yourself.... you were NEVER even a player!" -Azula
Goshh, like that! I remember the episode with Dai Li
I got chills when she said that
Badass
Alex K
Damn I love Azula and her one liners. She was great and her lines make ME feel badass when I get past how kind of terrifying she is and irritating she can be (specially during the insomnia chase with Azula where we see Zuko join up with Iroh again. Man she annoyed the hell out of me. I was like “Jesus. Just let them sleep. I don’t care. Try to kill them tomorrow or something. Whatever. Just give it a rest for now.”)
azula, like bluey xD haha never noticed that before
i think the reason why there are episodes in the first season that people deem "bad" in comparison to the rest of the series is because people sometimes miss the purpose of the first season as a whole. like any story, the plot has to begin somewhere and season one of avatar is the begin of the plot. so, many of the episodes like the great divide serve to expand the world of avatar that we have been introduced to, as well serving character development for the main characters of the show so we are able to distinguish their personalities and behaviours in certain situations they are placed in. characters like haru and his episode only serve to show the kind of people aang and the gang are, even when meeting people they hardly know, which is why you hardly get to know haru, because his story arc is there to further the story arc of others. the reason those episodes can stand alone is because they are not supposed to focus on the main storyline but simply add to it in order for us, the viewers, to get a better understanding of a world that already exists, and that is why the end of season one and moving forward become increasingly better, because the world of avatar has now been made familiar to us and we know the characters so now the focus shifts to the plot.
This exactly.
Amen
Big Mood
Exactly! All these people want is to start dark. So imagine if we started zuko's character from season 2 you wouldn't really feel as sorry for him unless you know his backstory. Season 1 was VITAL because it explained alot of the characters backstories, especially aang, it introduced us to characters and places that will be important later on. It has to start out light and remember aang didn't really get serious being the avatar until mid season 1 when things were getting threatening than before.
Preach
This old man had the nerve to snitch after getting saved 🤦🏾♀️
Fr that made me mad lmao
Just like that Fire Nation kid who ratted out the dance party in Season 3. He was a dick to Aang, was still invited to this party and yet STILL chose to screw everyone over...all because he's so possessive of his "girlfriend" On Ji and threatened by the new kid. (Something tells me she didn't say his girlfriend for much longer after that dick move.)
Brian Bayot and didn’t admit he tripped like a dipshit and allowed the Headmaster to assume Aang kicked his ass.
Bruh that old man pissed me off. Legit Haru saved his ungrateful ass
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
Azula... Azul-a... she firebends with blue flames... azul... goddamnit
oh damn!
wow a couple detectives over here.😐
Bobby Crowley Omfg I never realized this
Ikr I thought I was the only one
Jeez
The way Azula’s arc ends is so messed up and so perfect. The last episode of book 2 and the last half of book 3 really solidify her as the show’s best character. When she was introduced I think the show went from good to great.
They put a lot of effort into her. Small details, especially in season 3, that help to understand her downfall and even make the viewer feel sorry for that cold, evil villain in the end.
I think “The Promise” and “The Search” graphic novels really contribute to her. Even though her arc had already concluded pretty much, it just makes it so much more interesting. The only one I didn’t like was “Smoke and Shadow” because it just didn’t feel right, not like the Azula we already knew.
Exactly that girl is everything I love in a character. Witty , strong , smart & despite everything she is , she's someone who has complexity , yet she's a character you can empathize . Not to mention she's a strong female character who can be anything she wants . If that bitch is redeemed then she'll absolutely be fan-favourtie (surprised she's not)
Her arc hasn't really ended, she started to kidnap children in the comics oh well
@@someone2447 WHAT THE FUCK? NO WAY! I should really read the comics, I feel like I'm missing out!
Normal shows: The rise and fall.
Avatar:The Last Airbender: The Rise, Rise and Rise.
@@microwavingmachine5777 nice one. You got me
@@oreocookie8213 Lol
Korra: crashes and burns and gets pissed and spat on by everyone passing by
@@microwavingmachine5777 I'm hoping you're joking.
@@microwavingmachine5777 y'all love shitting on everything. The whole reason it's good is because the characters have faults.
One thing I've noticed recently about Avatar is that it's the only show I know of where every single episode is entertaining from start to finish. There's so many shows I've watched where, lots of episodes are boring filler, unfunny or just horribly done. With Avatar every episode is so entertaining it feels like the writers just said, "What's the most interesting, and craziest idea we can think of? Let's put it in and make it work."
This !
Before this week, I have never watched Avatar the Last Airbender and only had the vague gist of the story because of popculture; but I finally got the chance to binge the entire show.
Lemme just say this comment is accurate as heck. Normally when I'm binging a cartoon, there are oftentimes episodes where I can be extremely invested in the depth of the plot only for the next one to be "filler" and for me to get kinda bored by it. This was not the case with atla. I hadn't realized until I finished it that I had thoroughly enjoyed EVERY episode from start to finish, there was never a dull moment and I never went "ugh when can return to plot again?". It's really that good that my unattentive butt enjoyed every single one.
This show really lived up to everyone's praises and I'm so glad I got the chance to watch it. Thanks for this comment!
But The Great Divide
@@kingsaracoon9594 same i have never watched anime or cartoons or had any interest in watching them but my mate convinced me to watch it. I am glad he did it was one of the best series I have ever seen and was entertaining the whole way through
Gravity falls is also entertaining the entire time.
If you combine the first spoken word in the show and the last spoken word by the characters, you get, “it’s perfect”
I actually checked it It's true! :D
I used to do that with books to decide if I should read them. If the first and last words made sense, I would give it a chance.
Brandon Ramos fire perfect you mean
@@danacoleman4007 Well. That's going to change how I write from now on. 😂
@@BelleFlower15 LOL. Cool
Only legends remember this statement
Look it's your honor
WHERE?!
Ah yes.
Ember island play
What, where?
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
For me the Avatar just became fabulous the moment Toph came in, and was really great for the rest xD
The Blind Bandit is one of my favorite episodes
Zerus Zephuros lol
When I first watched it I loved it.
I’ve always loved it but it definitely wouldn’t have been the same without Toph
Yesssss!
I think the reason season 1 was switched from serious to humorous so often was because it was meant to be a kids show. They didn't want to put a long amount of screen time on characters/plots they might not have kept onto for long. That's why Suki only gets one episode at first. Once they realized the show could do well and they were hooking older audiences with it, they experimented with going darker. Then they applied the same thing even further with season 3. Which if I'm remembering correctly, had a long break airing in the middle, in where they did the same thing again, including the episode "The Southern Raiders", which is possibly has the most mature themes in ATLA.
> I think the reason season 1 was switched from serious to humorous so often was because it was meant to be a kids show.
I think a better term would be a "Nickelodeon show."
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was a book for small kids and yet it never got this goofy. I know, I know, different mediums, but still!
> That's why Suki only gets one episode at first.
Well, actually, she only got one episode at first because originally she was not supposed to come back. She was a simple Pokemon-esque character-of-the-week.
@@ThePreciseClimber Harry Potter was goofy as hell in Sorcerer's Stone, and then in Chamber (which is the worse in the series imo) got alot darker and deeper and then same with PoA and then Goblet of Fire was balls to the wall with going dark....
@@ThePreciseClimber I agree about the Nickelodeon part. If this show was on Cartoon Network then I think there could've been way more death shown. Just look at all of it in Clone Wars.
It's supposed to be a coming of age show. The theme of the episodes gradually getting darker lends to that idea very well in my opinon.
ATLA was so ahead of its time and now stays timeless. Literally there were no other shows like it when it's aired. Everything in this show can be used as blue print for later animated works, like Zuko's perfect redemption arc that I won't go into details bc I'd write a whole essay, Sokka as a comic relief character that isn't annoying or useless while still interesting when not being comedian, or how well the darker themes were blended in and accented the plot without making it awkward or stiff.
bruh the scene where momo was “earth-bending” and the plan to get captured by the fire nation by fake earthbending was so fking funny and one of the best scenes perIODT.
yeah their bad acting had me on the floor
Yeah I actually LOL’d when that happened
While from a “do I care about the plot” angle, it’s a terrible scene. But as a comedic relief scene, it’s fucking beautiful
say sike right now ya and in the ember island play when fake Toph uses sonar waves
Ikr!! I love plot and it’s cool when it’s serious but it’s still a children’s show and it’d actually water down everything if there wasn’t funny parts like that
One gripe. You're picking apart season one for it's short and essentially pointless adventures but to be completely honest the whole point of these adventures was to setup the characters. Character building is a slow and tedious thing that you experience along side the actual character themselves. I have to disagree without your conclusion about these episodes on principle.
Without each and every episode the characters might not feel so smooth personality wise. These types of episodes are like subtle tuning of a guitar mid-song imo.
While i generally agree, at the same time we have episodes like southern air temple and the storm which do more character building in a much better way.
Drianikaben
I agree with you but i think we need these episodes for more as well we cant just have lore being thrown in our face after each episode i think we would need these not so loved episodes as well because it is the first season
Nexion Nekros exactly, that was one of the things I felt that was missing in legend of Kora. There wasn’t enough to the characters for me to even care about them. Kora’s friends also disappeared occasionally for reasons I can’t remember, hell I can’t remember their names.
@@Charlakin now that you mentioned it, I cant either and I watched the entire thing 3 weeks ago lmao
yes character developments is one of the highlights of the show. The Great Divide wasn't so bad because it was training for Aang on how to settle conflict & be the avatar
I think the show starting w laughable and not intimidating bad guys and then slowly growing with its stakes and seriousness reflects well the main characters’ own growth in maturity and taking their tasks more seriously.
Beautifully put
What makes this show so great as they were able to take all of these generic and overused characters troupes cliches, at the beginning, to eventually divert audience’s expectations and make all of the main characters feel like 3-dimensional, and humanly complex characters, as the show progressed.
The character development in this was so good that I consider it a major influence for the development of my own character. The first episode aired when I was about 6 and I still remember revelling and taking on every second. Such a brilliant show.
As a writer, I find myself taking notes every time I rewatch this show haha
Do you think that starting the show with weaker, shorter-lived baddies makes it more rewarding and dangerous when characters like Azusa come on the scene? It’s hard to have a building threat if you start with strong villains.
I've seen this formula in other shows as well
One of the many things they did wrong with The Legend of Korra. :D
Azusa?
@@Commie-Comrade I guess I meant Azula?
@@Lalvon_Zelpharr but it's not executed as good as ATLA did
I think the thing about the Haru episode, is that it kinda shows how Katara is vastly more empathetic to other people than most. She cares more deeply about those she has little connection, so we as viewers don’t understand where she’s coming from. Throughout the entire series she demonstrates this, like in the Painted Lady episode, where she says, “I will NEVER turn my back on people who need me.” You could even go super deep and say this may be a product of her childhood, when her mom told her to leave their tent when she was being questioned by that Fire Nation soldier; she may see that as sort of turning her back on her mom and may even blame herself for her mom’s death.
It also ties with her personality of the Mom Friend™ being protective
All these people want is to start dark. Im sick of people saying oh season 1 was boring and not dark like are you high?!? So imagine if we started zuko's character from season 2 you wouldn't really feel as sorry for him unless you know his backstory. Season 1 was VITAL because it explained alot of the characters backstories, especially aang, it introduced us to characters and places that will be important later on. It has to start out light and remember aang didn't really get serious being the avatar until mid season 1 when things were getting threatening than before. as far as I'm concerned Mike and Bryan handled this story perfectly! Season 1 is to get comfortable with the characters so when 2 and 3 comes if something significant happens, you feel more emotion and empathy with them. You dont bring fuckin combustion man, blood bending and azula in season 1 just cause you want dark like that makes no sense. Start off easy and let aang and the others graduate one step at a time. A story has to start somewhere Jesus this generation and their dark nonsense makes me sick.
season 1 was boring for me because of the episodic format and too fast pacing
Bryke and Aaron Ehasz made this show the masterpiece it is. Bless their collective souls
It is for this exact reason why Steins;Gate is my favorite show of all time. It starts out as a lighthearted goof fest with how the characters interact with each other, but everything is all set up for the eventual gut punch when everything goes FUBAR.
That was dark what you just said
I agree with you but why blame this generation? Are you the kind of people that are always "hurr durr millenials made this world like shit hurr durr". Stop blaming a whole generation please
How this video went from upload to reupload.
Previously on Kato
Everything changed when Viacom attacked.
😁
Only the copyright system master of letting you use footage could stop them, but when the world needed it most, it didn’t give a shit
I know you critiqued the "is it a bison or buffalo?" "I don't know sir that's not really the point is it?" Because it wasn't really serious. Well, I just watched the Boiling Rock episode and during the first escape the warden yells at a guard to stop them and throw them in the cooler. The guard replies "but they are in a cooler sir." And the warden yells "one that is attached and not floating in the water!" Even though obviously for comedic effect (I laugh every time and I'm 24) I have personally experienced these weird moments of confusion coming off as sarcasm. Although I have never worked at a prison I have worked for a mayor and heard a similar conversation to this one 😂 regardless, love many of the points you're making. Stumbled upon this video due to quarantine giving me the chance to watch ATLA from beginning to end. Literally just watched the finale and needed to reassure myself that the show was just as amazing as I thought it was when I was a kid.
I agree! I just rewatched it as well and I'm reminded of how much I love the show.
For anyone who has already watched this video, thank you for watching it again. Sincerely. When the original video started to blow up, I felt like all the work I've been doing for the past couple of months was finally worth it. All of the videos sitting at low view counts, the endless hours put into editing, all made fruitful from that one success. Seeing it get taken down was heartbreaking to say the least. My friends had to nearly take my phone away from me one night because I couldn't stop endlessly refreshing the page to see if my appeal had gone through, or if RUclips would email me back.
Please share this video with anyone you think will like it. I'd love to salvage any views possibly leftover from the original. And if you like what we do, please support us at patreon.com/katoyt. #fuckViacom
EDIT: There will be an actual new video on Saturday.
-Hoodie
Damn bro that suuuuuuckssss, youtube is fucking broken I swear!
Why is Viacom so salty? They just can't seem to let people talk about and share their thoughts on Avatar. :(
Sad but I like the plug/tone shift at the end at the end there
Hello, I'm a new subscriber. I love your videos and avatar the last airbender. I have a request.. I would love it if you made a video about book 3? It's better than the last two.. in my opinion. But that's not the point, I think it would be interesting if you talked about how the characters dramatically matured along book 3. ❤
my favorite season is earth bending arc, my favorite bending is earth bending, my favorite episode was basingse the walled city, I was so amazed by it i enjoyed every moment of that arc.
I agree with the concept but your examples don't really hold up for me. "Imprisoned" was a rather important episode since it not only established a recurring character but also helped develop the idea that Katara thinks she knows what's best for people and gets hit with the harsh reality of how bad the earth kingdom's situation really is. A seemingly helpless old man is willing to turn in one of his own kind after being helped, that's how hopeless they are under the fire nation. the warden of the prison Haru is sent to is meant to be comically incompetent and i can't see him being improved by being as sinister as azula.
i agree. i think that episode helps get in ur head how serious the war is and how powerful the fire nation is. no longer is it them going after the avatar. aang had nothing to do with the earth kingdom village yet the fire nation still took captive every single earthbender to prevent resistance.
Its world building. Season 1 is an adventure. Reasons why its so easy to rewatch from the start.
Agreed. Additionally not all villains are so intimidating and sinister. It's possible and realistic that an incompetent fool would be running a prison. And that prison is a great comparison to the one in boiling rock. Showing viewers an average bending prison vs the highest security one.
I completely agree. "The Great Divide" in my opinion was necessary and certainly a creative way to ground the story even more and parallels, and foreshadowed the greater war coming their way. As for Haru, I think he sowed us struggle from a different perspective than our protagonists how people across the world were directly affected by a fast growng imperialist nation. In my opinion Haru as well as other the throw away characters made this world richer and grounded the story even more. It also showed us how threatening the fire nation can be without even showing the fire nation which made it more impactful.
First word of the show “it’s” last word “perfect”
Pretty much sums it up
The last line in the show is a blind joke
Ataino he said word
@@ybobymelon and i said line
i wonder if the creators intentionally did that. And if not I wonder who figured it out first
I actually made a video explaining why it sucks and why Aang is a hypocrite like all the other characters and why the story actually delivers a faulty message. I would recommend watching it.
what is the best line to represent avatar the last air bender ?
"I THINK YOU ALL LOOK PERFECT !"
- toph, the last line ever in the series
I loved how toph was always making jokes on her blindness :-D
@@microwavingmachine5777 How about you stop posting this under every comment? Nobody will watch your crappy video because nobody cares about your useless opinion.
@@heroino89 them constantly commenting it is annoying. The fact that it's a rickroll is even worse
I think the comedic elements "Imprisoned" are actually useful. Because the show had established itself as a light-hearted adventure series with moments of seriousness, it may have been jarring to have a episode be all about the hardships of those imprisoned under someone more like Azula.
It also would have required more than one episode to tell the story more seriously. Having the comedy helped give "Imprisoned" a more episodic tone that takes your attention away from the rushed portions.
Finally, the line "That lemur. He's Earth ending!" is one the funniest in the entire show.
Exactly. It also means that, when Azula is finally introduced, we are terrified of her. She's dangerous, she's intelligent, and she's like no threat we've ever faced before. She's not dimwitted or used for comic relief. It's great juxtaposition that every other villain in the series was either dumbed down, sympathetic (Zuko isn't even a villain), or a henchman (Zhao is intimidating, but we never get the sense that he's the big baddie of the whole show). Then Azula shows up, and it's jarring.
As a martial artist and a huge fan of this show and basically anything wuxia/ wushu related, I fell in love with this series as a kid doing northern tum pai gung fu (kajukenbo) and this stuff came at the right time in my life. Now it’s back and I am practicing northern shaolin wushu and though the year has not been fantastic it’s been the best I’ve ever experienced!! Had to write this after watching season 3 Sokka’s master hit really close to my heart emotionally. I doubt my worth sometimes but this was an inspiring story. The message: keep at it! Your dreams matter and you are good at something! You are also more worthy than you realize! Look deeply into yourself and see the leader in you. The warrior. The master. Combine your strengths and weaknesses into a formidable weapon. Doubt is the enemy. Destroy it for good!!
These copyright takedowns are so fuckin sad dude. So much work goes into this and you didn't even do anything wrong. It's not fair.
I agree with you 100% Its completely fair use! So unfair :(
Its actually because he can only get away with that if he was a 100k channel, RUclips only obeys channel popularity.
It's because netflix is putting of avatar and a remake series
RUclips's copyright system can go up and shove it.
That's because youtube is becoming an ad running joke. I notice lately they stick ads in short videos and for what?
I love Azula’s introduction so much. Between the music, dialogue, and the way her face is hidden from the captain’s view while talking to him for almost all of their conversation, it’s just so unnerving that I can’t help but love it.
Lei Fengs introduction is just so perfect, and such a blindsided blow to our perception. The episode completely hooks you with this new hope. The characters are slowly but steadily progressing towards their goal then woosh!! Wtf moment!:This is then after they fought the fire nation already, went through the desert, and lost Appa! The level of wow, I dont know if I can take anymore is surreal! My emotions are everywhere. With Lei Feng, the cast's entire foundation is swept from under them and replaced with a separate obstacle, him. The man checked them before they even knew they were playing. Masterful entrance.
3:50
Even after watching the show like 4 times, I'm still realizing new things.
Iroh is placing the Air piece over the Fire piece.
Originally I thought this was just because air came after fire in the cycle.
But know I know it's MEANT to be symbolic because the fire is OVER the air piece just to the left.
Pretty cool.
Wait....
I noticed that too!
So cool
Symbolic in what way?
@@nameyourchannel838 Yin and yang. Fire and Air are diametrically opposed in the show -- they are each the hardest element for the avatar of that cycle to master. Additionally, while the Fire Nation reduced the Air Nomads to nothing, a man like Iroh knows that this creates an unbalance that will be redressed in the future -- he most likely expects that the Avatar will return and make the Fire Nation pay for their aggression.
Kato: "How Avatar the Last Airbender Went From Good to Great"
Actually Kato: "Why 'imprisoned' is the worst episode of Avatar the Last Airbender"
*I pulled a sneaky on u*
@@microwavingmachine5777 Did you rick roll me?
I watched this show as a kid. Binge watched it when I was about 16 (i realized it was great then). Now I just rewatched it on Netflix as a 23 year old... Wow.. I probably cried 10 times throughout the series. After going through real life heartbreak and issues Avatar hits different. Zuko and Uncle Iroh made the show for me as an adult.
I truly didn't appreciate Iroh and Zuko until watching the series for a fifth time (but the first time in like 8 years) as a 25 year-old. WOW. Zuko and Iroh both are my favorite characters now.
I fucking loved azula. She was so cool with her bending and her character was on point in season 3 especially
I like how through the blurred parts I still know exactly what’s going on. I’ve watched this series a lot, probably too much.
Season one was imo purposefully light hearted so that the audience can develop an emotional attachment with the characters. So in season 2 and 3 when things get more deep, it has a bigger impact. Zukos pain in season 2 and 3 dont leave an impact unless you know the backstory, season one. My point is, season one was necessary for the show and creating a successful story with interesting characters
3:54 that was the first sign aang was an airbender. The camera focuses in on the game tile and it's the airbender symbol. Man I love this show
This show is the best show that has ever been made, my only regret in life is watching it, now I can never watch it again for the first time :'(
I feel you
The Truth its with gravity falls my favorite „actually not kids show“
I have learnt something amazing! wait *years*, like a decade and then you'll have completely forget about the show. Set an alarm on google maps, and it would be new all over again.
I love it
Jasraj Sandhu And you’re actually going to act like anime can’t be cringe. I love anime and ATLA but if you’re going to call this cringe when literally every single anime has an episode where shy sexy girls accidentally show there tits and do the worst job at covering themselves up then you need some help. Atla has great storytelling,great characters,Great animation and fights. Nearly every episode has an impact on the story and is entertaining and engaging-something anime could learn from
Just finished the show a few minutes ago. I'm 41. I avoided the show based on my age and how absurdly hyped the show was by absolutely everyone who ever mentioned it. I have never witnessed something so universally revered that, not only lived up to that reputation, it exceeded it beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I can say now that this is without a doubt one of the greatest shows ever made.
Honestly, the season started off with a lot of comical aspects and humor and got gradually more serious as it went on, which is why I prefer the later episodes as opposed to the earlier ones
there is still great humor in the latest seasons ! especially the episode of the play in the 3rd season... Definetly one of my favorite
I hate it whenever I hear someone say they love avatar then I realize they meant the alien one :/
oh gosh
I totally agree, ATLA was my favorite TV show as a child, and I watched the Alien one twice. It wasn't half as good as the show, though some people seem to remember that one more than ATLA.
I literally don't know a single person who unironically says they love the blue people avatar, or can even name a single character from it from memory
When I say "Avatar" the vast majority of people think of the show, fortunately.
@@juheepark7123 I love the blue people one! It's not nearly as good as The Last Airbender though. Nothing can touch that masterpiece of a show
you mean james camerons smurfs?
I rewatched the entire ATLA series in around 4 days to relive the glory days of my childhood and this show beyond holds up. That said I’m on the path to becoming a cinephile now so naturally I didn’t just blindly rely on nostalgia; I judged the show on its quality and my preferences. I found 3 episodes I didn’t like. That’s right in 3 (22 episode?) seasons I only found 3 episodes I didn’t care for. Those episodes were the Swamp episode, the Oppah being lost episode, and the Painted Lady. Why? I just didn’t care for the vibes of those episodes but even still they were well made. I think the argument raised in this video that spending more time on specific characters and stories creates better nuance is valid. However, I also think if every villain and every side character were treated with equal importance then the weight of Azula’s arrival would have been undercut. Not to mention, the tone of the show was wonderfully balanced because not every mission was treated with heavy life-or-death seriousness. I think the lighthearted start was a perfect way to get us invested in the characters, the world and the story’s premise before opening up to more mature explorations. Harry Potter took a similar approach and I believe that’s why it worked so well too!
I vividly remember how excited I got every time a new episode would air... There was no other show that gave me quite the same feeling...
If the Netflix live-action adaptation turns out to be great, it could fix most of the issues of length due to each episode going from 22 minutes to the standard TV show episode length, of around 45 minutes.
Nah, that's why the show is so great. If there are fewer episodes that are longer it might end up feeling like... Korra🤢
Ivan Mendez Korra is good
@@nerevarchthn6860 the setting is great with an ok plot but Korra herself is probably my least favorite protagonist of all time
Damian Padayachee have you seen the new Star Wars trilogy? Thats the worst protagonist
@@nerevarchthn6860 nah, I stopped watching Star Wars.
“Looks like Long Fang is Long Gone” forever one of my favourite Sokka lines.
in the ember island players, when the gang was about to go into the great divide, they said that they wouldn't. this is because the producers knew this was the episode with the lowest rating and they jokingly showed that.
I appreciate Book 1 even though it has (almost) no multi-episode arcs because of its placement at the beginning of the series. We got to see the main cast bond and grow in a variety of situations; this established Team Avatar even if the character development wasn't meticulously crafted. It increased the impact of the later, more narrative-driven seasons while building the world. However, I do agree the show would have been nowhere near as amazing if the episodic format had been maintained throughout the entire run.
Kato: After 7 minutes and 19 second all the main characters are Establish.
Toph: Am I a joke to you?
@Toph Beifong sorry toph
Azula
@@Flome810 i mean shes not really a main character.
@@eliiko6616 she kinda is
@@Flome810 she is more of a main villian
I like the set up of the show mostly because it is an accurate tone shift. It is lighthearted at first because they’re younger, they’ve got time before aang has to take down ozai. We see them grow as they encounter more serious and complex antagonists. Starting from some nameless fire nation soldiers to corrupt governments. Additionally it helps to captivate the audience, which is mainly kids, at first. It has a certain charm as opposed to starting heavy with characters you don’t know yet because you don’t understand why their success is so crucial.
I'm so sorry for what happened to you man. Love your work, my most popular video that we put a crazy amount of work into also got copyright claimed and the appeal did not go through, so I know your pain.
I can't bring myself to reupload it though as it accounts for 90% of my channels traffic and views
I watched Avatar as a little kid. I was only 4 when the show finished so obviously I shouldn't remember a lot of it, but the thing I found amazing when Avatar was announced to be coming to Netflix was that most of the episodes and a lot of the scenes were cemented in my brain, like core memories from Inside Out. This is the only thing like that for me. This show had such a profound impact on me that I didn't even realize that in never left me. When I watched the series from start to finish for the first time, which was this year, I remembered so much, and it filled me with so much nostalgia. I was so happy to realize that I remembered so much about this show, even though I hadn't watched any of it in over a decade. I'm so glad they added it to Netflix so that I can finally add to my favorite shows of all time and give it the love it deserves.
Every single word Zuko says fills you with *determination*
HoNoR
“The scars are not on the wrong side !”
“The Avatar is mine”.
"That's rough, buddy"
“I’ll be your prisoner “
*Ranking just below Azula, right where he belongs.* 👌👌
I literally said "Dang right" out loud instinctively when he said that.
What made it my favourite show was the episode called “Tales of Ba Sing Se”
Just curious why that one section had to be blurred and not others.
Your guess is as good as mine
So RUclips just shows a specific section as violating their copyright? I would think it would just happen again with a different clip.
They give you a specific time code. I have no idea why that and not the others tbh. If you go to my other Avatar videos on the channel, those are all unaffected as well. Something about those 30 seconds really rubbed Viacom the wrong way.
Good to know. Hopefully this one stays up. I turned adblock off and have your video running in the background lmao
@@JacobGust You sounds like a nice and thoughtful individual.
All of those nitpick to first season can be sunny up in one phrase: “No fun allowed”.
Can’t agree with THAT.
A few ideas about "Imprisoned.." It's actually one of my favorite episodes because makes a very bold decision to observe difficult ideas. the most impactful part of the episode in my opinion is when the warden says that the prisoners won't fight because their spirit is already broken. it's like when Appa becomes afraid of fire. the real enemy isn't that the fire nation aboard the ship are too strong, it's a deeper issue. Haru and his connection with both his father and Katara becomes the host of a breaking point and change for the Earth Kingdom warriors.
About the warden.. The warden of the prison is not to be primarily viewed as an "idiot," but moreso a ruthless character. He's "in the big leagues." Not as directly as Zhao, his ruthless power comes at the cost of his focus and precision and that's what makes Azula so threatening is that her decisive power is in line with her focus. She is the important threat introduced to the story, so this is ok. In a similar way, the Fire Nation soldiers who take Katara in are supposed to represent average soldiers with no particularly unique loyalty or intelligence, they are supposed to look a little bit silly so while the scene makes me frustrated at Aang, I'm not really bothered by the lack of seriousness. In fact, I think it's important to contrast the true high-level Fire Nation commanders with the fact that day-to-day Fire Nation soldiers have been given corrupting power but aren't really anything special. It's a nice bit of worldbuilding in a way.
As a Canadian I didn't even notice, but it sucks that you had to reupload and thanks for the effort you put into it!!!
Same
I agree that not all episodes of avatar are automatically great. There are good, there are better and there are great, but none of them are bad. I hate when people complain about a certain scene or certain plan going on in the show. I feel like that was meant for the kids who this show was made for even though more adults love the show then kids probably. you have to remember this was a kids show put on a kids network. And I think if you didn't find that funny or you didn't see why things happened the way it happened then it must have been meant for the kids who are watching the show 2. The episodes where you said they didn't really add anything to the story. I believe they were there for the kids specifically because a lot of those episodes where about human interaction and how you should treat other people and other life lessons you would normally learn while growing up. If you look at these episodes through The Eyes of a kid then it would probably make more sense to you
After rewatching it as an adult I’ve just realised how great uncle Irohs advice was & some of it I’ve applied to my own life. A much deeper anime then it seems
Glad to see you fighting the system but not sure what's with all the comparisons between seasons, its getting more serious as the seasons go on and focus real hard on the maturer themes as the series goes on. We start off with a nice adventure with our protagonists as kids but even after all they've seen they keep things very playful until the weight of the war makes them more cold and feel the pressure of their objectives. What made the series so amazing is the fact we see them and the series grow up as we watch
I love the addition of the choir in the background of Azula’s version of the fire nation theme, it really gives the feeling of perfection, power, and regality that Azula shows. Always gives me goosebumps.
R.I.P Jet?! Sir quite famously Jet's death "Wasn't made quite clear" lol. This is easily one of the best animated shows in the last 20 years!
I remember when my uncle showed me this years ago and I never stopped watching it
You talk about not liking the filler episodes. Though personally i think filler episodes make things feel more natural. It feels like a more normal story.
Sure long term plot is always the main objective and what people are after, but if every episode takes huge strides to further the long term plot, the story feels forced. Because in real life towards progress isn't towards anything is linear, it meanders a bit. Even on huge missions / objectives, life happens in between.
Also upon first watch, you don't know that some of those episodes are dead ends, and it also makes it feel even more important when huge long term discoveries are made.
Everytime i finish rewatching ATLA, I spend days depressing over the fact that bending isn't real
same
So many recognisable nostalgic songs in the background
One could argue that the first season, much like the characters, are inexperienced. And overtime, it improves just like the characters. Aang, at the start, is a child. By the end he has grown and matured through his experiences. And each one following upwards of the first season, got longer and more challenging than the last.
It's not to say you're wrong, it was probably that the writers and directors weren't expecting it to kick off the way it did, and then later found out that it was a better to tell a longer storyline over the course of a several episodes or a vs singular story arcs per episode.
Dude aang was still 12 when he fought the fire Lord. Still a child I'm pretty sure
Modern Hollywood "writers" could learn a lot from this series. The characters face physical and moral challenges . . . experience setbacks . . . grow in ability. At the beginning, Katara can barely lift a fish out of the water. By Season 3, she's probably one of the top 5 water benders in the world.
RUclips is Entertaining mentally older with his experiences
@@KneelB4Bacon
Evidenced by the fact Katara casually smashed an iceberg without even paying attention from Episode 1, she was always that great. She just had no training or experience.
It's one of those shows that can capture your imagination and your heart, but ultimately deliver major depth rich in world-building, characters, mysticism, politics, life lessons, and tackling major serious topics through the eyes of well-meaning main characters. It's truly enchanting, and well done.
They put a lot of effort into making this a high quality program. Voice work, OST, animation, quality of writing. And they got actors from big movies / TV shows, too; Mark Hamill, Jason Isaacs, Daniel Dae Kim, Robert Patrick.
I just rewatched it after 5 years and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
That momo being a bender gag was GOATED. As if the old man's betrayal wasn't enough already..
"8:35: "not the puppetmaster level of creepy" IM NOT the only one who was so scared to watch that while avatar was airing when i was like 7 to 8 lmaooo im 100% sure id still get creeped out still
“He rules with a stone fist” . . . literally
I think what’s made Avatr so good in my eyes and still makes it so great especially in contrast to long anime’s with a lot of filler is its simplicity and "shortness". And I’m not saying that the story itself is short, I mean it’s 61 episodes, I’m saying how they present the story is simple, short refreshing. There is no super long unnecessary build up, characters looking at each other for 3 minutes without moving a muscle until they finally take one step and the episode ends. I think if they did Avatar in a mainstream anime type of way it could very well be around 200 episodes or even more.
In Avatar important moments aren’t dragged out for too long, it gets straight to the point. And while that can also have it’s shortcomings and is probably the only thing about the show I can also criticize - there are scenes where a character goes from happy to crying to happy in 3 seconds, the tears appear and before the first drop reaches the chin the character already stopped crying - it also is it’s strongest point in my opinion because I can’t remember feeling that something was dragged out for too long and was boring (apart from things happening in one episode).
After very episode I have a feeling of "they made some progress" either in that they’ve gained a new companion/friend, have come closer to reaching a certain place or goal or became stronger or learned something new. Yes there are also episodes where that’s not the case but those are very rare and still fun to watch and may also serve as a break and refreshment from the main story.
Having said all this, I’m gonna start watching Avatar again now.
I remember watching this show as a kid and I loved it, but now I can really appreciate the amazing writing/characters.