Avatar the Last Airbender Review

I’ve been binge watching Avatar and I’ve consumed more tea in the past two weeks than I have in the past year. There’s just something about Uncle always insisting Zuko drink tea that makes me want to drink tea.

I was twelve years old when the first season came out and was enthralled with the idea of kids traveling the world, controlling the elements and fighting impossible battles. Katara and Sakka find Aang, the avatar, and journey with him all over the world. They find master benders so Aang can learn all the elements and defeat the Fire Lord. Along the way, Katara becomes a master Waterbender, Sakka masters swordplay and survival, and they all get into plenty of mischief.

I especially loved the second season, when Toph joins the group. She’s tiny and blind, but easily the strongest in the group. She figures out how to bend metal, which is so cool.

And though I personally would rather be a flying Airbender, I respect Toph’s ability to destroy things.

Between Aang being the Avatar and Katara and Toph being master benders, Sakka is the relatable one in the group. He is a necessary addition to the group, as proven in the third season. Sakka’s sarcastic jokes balance out Katarra’s nurturing and Aang’s optimism.

It’s so cool to get into the culture and history of each element, especially after watching Legend of Korra and seeing how everything progresses. Watching Aang and his antics now, I remember watching it the first time and why I enjoyed it so much. It’s still a show I can watch, even as an adult.

The first season is definitely more lighthearted. It’s full of quirky little adventures and fun moments. I’m the most familiar with season two, that was the one my sister bought. Season two is focused on earth bending, it’s a little more serious than the first season.

By season three, Aang and the gang have reached the fire nation. Aang has mastered air, water, and earth bending and knows the basics of fire. At this point, they are hiding in plain sight and preparing for Aang’s battle with the Fire Lord.

I appreciate how complex all the characters are. You would think that for an animated series, the characters would be standard cut and copy. But Avatar not only drives the plot forward while occasionally reflecting on the past, but also keeps the characters interesting and unique.

So while Aang, Katara, Sakka, and Toph are the good guys, they still have weaknesses. They all have tempers and make mistakes but the difference is, they apologize and try to fix things. Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, are constantly chasing the Avatar and his friends. They are the designated villains, but they’re not terrible people.

Well, except Azula but at least she’s entertaining.

Uncle is the only one who truly manages to walk the line between both sides, which is interesting because he was originally supposed to be the Fire Lord. Instead he follows his nephew around, making tea for everyone and giving advice to anyone who needs it.

The only straight up evil person is… the Fire Lord. No surprise there.

I haven’t gotten to the end of the show yet, but I’m working on it. I would say slowly, but surely… but that defeats the point of binge watching.