One To Watch - Avatar The Last Airbender: Legend of Ang

So I recently had the privilege of finishing a show that I consider to be one of my favourites. You may have heard of it since it apparently was (and rightly so) wildly popular back upon it's initial release. It's a little Nickelodeon show called Avatar The Last Airbender: Legend of Ang. I know I heard of it back in the day, but it wasn't something that caught my attention initially, as I had the naive perspective of kids channel = kids programming. This is even true to a certain degree within the show (all deaths are merely mentioned off screen, certain situations are implied instead of shown), this show still managed to maintain an amazing balance of being a energetic fun show for children while also being a rewarding and thoughtful show for adults to digest.

"Sokka, Katara, Ang and the rest of the gang"

The show does come with the usual tropes and themes of an epic fantasy; a world at war, fire is bad, water is good, magical elements, coming of age, finding ones' destiny, life/death, etc. But while that's all the typical ingredients to a show, it's really how you execute these themes and story lines that makes them stand tall and fresh in their own right.

The show manages to combine a blend of western and Japanese animation while strongly drawing from oriental influences and stories to give a surprisingly rich and detailed world for a children's programme. While having an interesting and well populated world is all good and that, where the show really shines is in its characters. Everyone from Ang, Katara, Sokka to Iroh, Zuko and Azula, all have interesting back stories, believable arcs (in the context of the show) and intriguing perspectives on their destinies. Indeed one of the most fascinating characters to watch throughout the course of the three seasons is the evolution of Prince Zuko. Without spoiling anything, he becomes one of the most fascinating characters to watch because while the tried and true themes of destiny and choice are woven through his character arc, the writers really always nail his emotional consequences and ordeals. He's a tragic character that is a product of his upbringing which the writers use to propel the show to dizzying emotional heights.

"Prince Zuko, The Firebender"

In fact, this is one of the prime reasons I was so impressed with the show. The writers never, and I mean NEVER forget what has come before each episode in the show. They consistently build upon it's foundations from the beginning and never let each character forget the choices they have made and it's extremely satisfying to watch these choices shape each character in the show. Too often with any TV programme that follows a serial storyline, the writers are willing to just drop previous choices or plots to bring a new dramatic arc for the sake of providing a new energy, but not here. Here, every story is seen through to the end, never even forgetting characters or plots from standalone episodes. All I can say is it is an impressive feat.

And while it is a kids show at heart, avoiding on screen death (which is actually something that becomes a central plot point towards the end), the show certainly has its darker moments which the writers aren't afraid to insert, particularly when a nasty spirit called Koh makes an appearance. I won't spoil him for you but I was fairly shocked that he was allowed to be written in, considering his appearance, nature and story. The other end of the darker spectrum comes in the form of the character Azula. She adds an intensity to the show that is savage and violent, really upping the ante when she makes her appearance. She also has a particularly morbid and scary climax to her arc I won't say any more about.

"Water, Fire, Earth and Wind, the four elements that shape the world of Avatar The Last Airbender"

To top it all off the show has a wonderful sense of humour. It combines a slapstick childish humour with more outlandish and bizarre jokes to give it a truly unique energy that I'm not quite sure I've seen in other programmes. This in combination with the animation, which still holds up well by today's standards, helps Avatar The Last Airbender stand that much taller among the usual crowd of children's programming. In fact the animation is extremely detailed and accurate to martial arts fighting styles during many of the shows' intense action sequences; you will be impressed by some of the pivotal action scenes sprinkled through the seasons.

I don't think I could go into much more detail about the show without spoiling it for you, all I can say is watch a few episodes, let yourself become absorbed into the show and enjoy the ride, it's a great and emotionally fulfilling one and if you enjoy animation, this is one not to be missed!

Sound off in the comments below if you have seen it and would like to discuss!