#favorite part i think is zuko's actor

[museofvoid]

just watched all of the new avatar netflix series and it was. fine. like the original is just always gonna be better, but for what it was i think it worked pretty good.

#i've been feeling kinda sick today so haven't felt like doing much of anything :P #favorite part i think is zuko's actor #he just kinda nails that role he works so well #other than that most characters were good too #but everything just moves so fast that it's hard to feel much for anyone #and they made some weird choices about certain content imo #like what was with that kinda incest-y scene with katara and sokka in the tunnel lmao? #and like i get it they just held hands and 'love' doesn't have to be romantic but cmon the story is literally about romantic love #in the og it's between katara and aang and doesn't the rocks literally just show the way because they turn the lights off?? #idk maybe the badger moles sensed emotions originally as well i don't remember #anyway strange choice #don't mind me

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender tv #atla tv #spoilers #natla #i loved it i hated it i mostly sat through it #i would like a season 2 though #aang #katara #sokka #zuko #iroh #uncle iroh #azula #ozai

[sokkabaddiebender2021]

ok y’all i finally finished the neflix live action avatar and…….don’t hate me……..but i enjoyed it 😭 my standards for entertainment is honestly on whether or not it entertained me, so honestly i question my standards.

first off, the visuals and score was absolutely amazing. the fight scenes were well choreographed, and the bending, which i was super nervous about, looked actually amazing.

i think we can all agree the writing and dialogue was pretty choppy at times, and the delivery could be better at times. but i also think (most) of the energy of the original characters was captured well. katara honestly got done the dirtiest because why was she so…….not passionate??? i’m hoping later on she gets more so because that’s a key trait of katara. i was very disappointed with that :/

what they did to suki too……..i liked her being a little awkward and such because it makes sense but i felt like too much of her character was dedicated to her having a crush on sokka. like where is her attitude, her ferocity?

i think aang was played very well by gordon cormier, especially considering this is a child actor we are taking about. his line delivery isn’t going to be great and yes he is a real boy so he can’t be as cartoony as some would hope but i think he was absolutely adorable.

surprise surprise, i loved dallas liu as zuko. i think there were some pretty whack line deliveries but he really captured the anger and cringeyness of zuko well. his martial arts were also also incredible, his fight scenes were my favorite to watch. the scene with him crying quietly on the bed when ozai banishing him shattered me, his subtle acting is underrated honestly.

i have my beef with ian ousley as sokka mostly because of the controversy and such, but i can’t lie he did play sokka well. yet again, as for the last characters, some line deliveries were iffy but he was still a very believable sokka.

so for the writing, i have LOTS OF OPINIONS. there were things they cut that definitely upset me, and that was just because of their lowkey questionable pacing. as much as i hate the slimeball, i missed a lot of the interesting parts of zhao’s story that they cut like his agni kai, jeuong jeuong (aang’s fear of fire??), zuko SAVING him. i feel like they had something interesting there with building a fake alliance with him and zuko, and they didn’t build more off it. [edit] that so, the dude who played zhao had me losing my shit. his line delivery was hilarious and i just love that zhao just gives that manager no one likes/that one creepy math teacher in high school vibes (only combination i could think of y’all).

the additions to zuko’s story was something i absolutely loved. i found myself actually getting very emotional with a lot of the flashbacks, and the 41st division being his crew 🥹🥹 but then i find myself being upset that we were shown other flashbacks so early (like the death of katara’s mother??).

i actually hate the hate azula’s actress is getting. she’s playing a 14 year old……like a 14 year old?? she wasn’t even in season 1 in the og so ofc she’s gonna not be the same, i’m hoping this means they’re building up her up to her fierceness in season 2.

one last critique PLEASE GET A WIG BUDGET GOOD LORD THOSE WIGS WERE BAAAAD. and also a lot of their costumes looked fake or like plastic this was actually my least favorite part 😭

overall, not as horrible as people make it out to be, i had a good time but obviously the og will always be the higher quality product. i’m just glad the young actors seemed to really be passionate for the project :)

#atla #avatar the last airbender #natla #natla spoilers #zuko #sokka #azula #katara #iroh #atla live action #netflix atla #i’m always going into a war zone with atla opinions #it’s a passionate fandom

[atlaculture]

Live-Action Promo Pics: Zuko

I’ve been hesitant to comment much on the the live-action series, as most of the discourse has revolved around the casting. I’ve already made my ideal ATLA fancast pretty well-known and I don’t feel comfortable harshly critiquing children/teens for not looking like my favorite cartoon characters. At the end of the day, it’s the casting directors that we should hold responsible, not working actors trying to make a living.

However, I have no problem reviewing the costumes--- which I presume were made by industry professionals of adult age. In fact, I’d say the goals of this blog obligate me to give my two cents. So enjoy my completely subjective take on the promotional costumes:

Zuko

What I Liked

They maintained the silhouette of Zuko’s armor. Considering what they did for Sokka’s warrior look, it’s a relief that the FN’s armor is immediately recognizable.

I like the design on Zuko’s spaulders; it reminds me of designs that you see on traditional Thai armor.

I also like that the pattern and other parts of the armor look old and worn. Given that he’s Ozai’s least favorite child and has been banished for three years, his equipment is probably all outdated hand-me-downs.

It appears that Zuko’s live-action armor has two layers of shoulder spikes. I think that’s a good detail, as members of the FN’s royal family tend to sport two or three layers of shoulder pads.

The plume on his helmet is a nice addition. Many historical Chinese armors have plumes, especially the helmets of high-ranking officials. And, in the cartoon, the shape of the helmet almost looks like it was meant to have a plume originally.

The sash is also a good addition. It adds a nice splash of red to the dark tones of his armor. I like it better than the belt in the original show.

What I Didn’t Care For

I’m not an expert on crafts at all, but even I can tell that some very modern, synthetic materials were used for this costume. I know it would’ve been very expensive, but I really wish they had used more metal and leather for Zuko’s armor. Or at least materials that better imitated metal and leather.

The mesh girdle around his waist bothers me. I think it’s supposed to emulate chain mail, but it just reminds me of the polyester mesh they use for basketball uniforms.

I wish his plume was red instead of black.

Overall, I give it 7 broadswords out of 10.

To be honest, this was probably the most difficult of the four promo pictures to review, mainly because I find most armor to be pretty boring-looking. Generally speaking, most practical armors are going to look pretty similar to each other, with the exception of those adapted for extreme climates. I’m basically fine with Zuko’s armor, as its faults are more general issues found in all of the Netflix costumes.

I’ll probably have more to say once they give us a better view of his armor from the front.

#avatar #atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #fire nation #atlaculture #in short #the costume is really more of a meh out of 10 #for me

[redwiccanrobin]

I keep seeing people say the live action show is going to be bad only because Bryke is no longer involved. Now, I’m not particularly interested in the show because live action remakes just don’t do anything for me, personally. But I think y’all are giving Bryke way more credit than they deserve. Let’s discuss.

First, I think we should acknowledge the more problematic aspect of them creating the show in the first place. While I love Avatar, Bryke are two white men who took the aesthetics of many different Asian cultures to create their world. And most of the voice cast were also white. If there were Asian voice actors, they were either a background character or a villain (besides Iroh and Zuko, of course). Now, I know that some of you may have read that and thought about how the actor playing Sokka is not only white but lied about his ethnicity. Don’t worry, I’m mad at that as well and I’m beyond frustrated that Sokka has been whitewashed not once, but twice in the name of a live action interpretation.

And speaking of live action interpretations, let us not forget Bryke’s role in the 2010 movie. They announced their decision to leave this new show due to it not matching their vision. But they had no problem with the film that casted almost exclusively white actors to play characters of color. Again, if there were POC in the movie they were either background actors or villains (again, besides Iroh and Zuko). When people bring up the movie, they blame Shamalan for every aspect of it. Yes, he did not direct a good movie. But, at the end of the day, Bryke wanted this movie to happen. Everyone else, including Shamalan, wanted a season four but they were dead set on the live action movie that whitewashed most of the characters. And they were fine with that. That didn’t clash with their vision despite relying very heavily on non-white cultures to make their show.

Outside of the whitewashed movie, their creative choices are… interesting, to say the least. And we didn’t get to see those because the writers pulled their weight and tweaked the original concepts. Toph? Bryke wanted her to be a boy and be in a love triangle with Aang and Katara. It was the writers who made her a girl. Azula? Again, Bryke wanted her to be a boy and, again, the writers made her a girl. Katara fighting sexism in the Northern Water Tribe? They wanted her to be fighting for Aang, not herself. It was the writers decision to add in Katara fighting against a patriarchal system. Many of the episodes that people point to as their favorites (Zuko Alone, The Puppetmaster, The Southern Raiders) were not written by them. Yet, they get the pats on the backs from casual viewers and even some dedicated fans.

Do you know what happens when they do have creative control? At best, it’s mediocre, at worst, it’s bad. Let’s first take a look at their continuation of this universe by looking at Legend of Korra. The writers that made those iconic and beautiful episodes in ATLA? For the most part, they’re no where to be found. And it shows. LoK was a mess from the very beginning and never quite got its footing. Yes, I will acknowledge that Nickelodeon fucked them over. Yes, I do have respect for them for sticking to their guns and making Korrasami an item and giving us not one but two bisexual women of color. But besides that? It’s just a very mediocre show with mediocre writing.

But we see how truly bad things can get with the ATLA comics. Now, I do need to acknowledge that they didn’t work on that comic alone. So, like the movie, there are others to blame for the mess. But Bryke signed off on everything and wrote some of it themselves. And, boy, are they bad. A large number of the ATLA fandom do not like these comics and there’s definitely a reason why. Including out of character moments, prominent sexism with how the women are written, and just downright bizarre discussions, it’s not that much of a surprise that we don’t like to acknowledge it. In my opinion, no one got screwed over more in those comics than Katara. They make her a trophy girlfriend. A shadow to Aang rather than being her own character. That girl we watched in the show, the one who was vibrant, layered, complex, was gone. In her place, a hollow shell. And they would continue to show disrespect for their own character in LoK where she has been upgraded from trophy girlfriend to trophy wife. They didn’t even care enough about her, besides her being the wife of Aang and the mother of his children, to give her a statue! All the feminism we see in the original show? It definitely wasn’t Bryke.

I don’t know how this new live action show is going to pan out. It could be great, it could be bad. It could just be meh. But none of those outcomes have anything to do with whether or not Bryke was involved. Because they may have created ATLA, but they weren’t the ones who truly breathed life into it.

#avatar the last airbender #atla meta #anti Bryke #atla fandom critical

[jellywoaa]

Just finished the ATLA remake and I have some thoughts so here we go

• I HATE how Sokka is a shell of his original character. Like yeah they wanted a more “serious” tone but Sokka is quite literally the comedic relief character and he’s nothing like the original—the worst part is as his lines have potential to be funny but it’s all said so monotone it falls flat immediately

• Katara is SO stoic?? I think she’s show genuine emotion in her face 3 times in the entirety of S1. Katara is a character that is showing emotions and reacting to things around her!! I’m not saying her actress is bad by any means, but I just wish she put more expression into acting out Katara.

• honestly for Aang I don’t really have a comment? he’s pretty similar,, I do like the cool swirlies on his tattoos though those are nice

• not nearly enough appa content—I NEED MORE

• i think iroh and zuko are my favorite parts of this show, zuko’s actor is AMAZING and he’s really good at bringing out all my favorite parts in his character!! also I love how all through the season iroh is just tolerating zuko’s angsty teen attitude IT MAKES ME LAUGH EVERYTIME

• plus the environment is BEAUTIFUL and is genuinely so pretty to look at, I LOVE THE SET IN THIS SHOW

anyways overall rating for me personally is 7/10, it’s not bad but for a series like avatar it should be better

#atla #atla live action #atla aang #atla sokka #atla zuko #katara #atla katara #zuko #sokka #aang #avatar aang #uncle iroh #atla iroh #appa atla #appa avatar #7/10 #it could be worse #but it also could be way better soooo

[juliawanag]

Decided to rewatch NATLA to properly form my own takes that’s been running through my mind: (I’ll have both things that I like and dislike.) Part 1

SPOILERS!

I like it like a friend from a hundred years ago: 

First and foremost, NATLA predominantly consists of Asian American Pacific Islanders. Good for them for creating a version that is more in their lens and creativity. 

The Bendiiing. All of the elements, except for Earth, are 10/10. I really want it to be more solid, especially on AangvsBumi. It’s not that bad though, so much better than…well u know. I’ll give it an 8/10. 

I rewatched it with a Filipino dub and it’s good, 9/10. Aang VO was convincing as a kid, so either they’re a great actor or a great kid actor. The jokes (Sokka’s sarcasm) hits better on my mother tongue

"You're my friend. You will always be my friend.” 

Avatar state under the ocean 

The costume. The only one that I do agree with everyone else that lacks is Zuko’s scar. They should’ve put prosthetics on the eyebrow. 

Zuko’s hair? Hello? They did a great job. Even though my sister and I sing Ariana Grande song whenever we see them swaying. It’s an integral part of his story, and I loved that they keep it. There’s an East Asian culture that indicates that kind of haircut as a punishment. I remember my History teacher taught me this in eighth grade but I forgot which it was, my bad. And the actor’s such a champ for having that hair IRL. 

My favorite actor performances: Gordon (Aang) superb acting. Liz (Azula). Utkarsh (Bumi). Justin Wong (Chong/SecretTunnelguy) sounds exactly like the character. Made up for my delusional expectation that Dee Bradley Baker would be in this. Ken Leung (Zhao) pisses me off so much, and that means he’s doing a great job. Dallas (Zuko) & Iroh (Paul). DDK's(Ozai) a natural idk if that's acting /j

Was it established in the OG that Katara's intro is a folklore/legend? Because yeah, I don’t mind that it is considered that way in this version. 

AAAAA, the Lieutenant Jee younger casting makes so much sense now! The 41st division is chef kiss. Zuko cryiiiing when he was being banished!? Dallas Lui ate! 

THE HYBRID ANIMALS LOOOK SO GOOD. The ostrich horse blended well with whoever rides them. It doesn’t look CGI to me. MOMO HIS MOMONESS, MOMO OF THE MOMO DYNASTY 

Any Zuko fight choreography (MY FAVORITE CHOREO DALLAS LOOKS FIIIRE). And Aang’s too (Oh hey).

Aang the Hype Man

The fallen Fire Nation ship behind Zukka fighting. (It’s in my notes idk why but I guess background details are a win) 

Aang and Iroh's interactions

NATLA Zuko (I don’t think there’s much of a difference though with the OG lol, and it’s probably because the NATLA directors/producers like Zuko) 

Camera direction 

The Found Family Hug™, what Netflix can do well.

End scene of Episode 1, is very cinematic. I can’t believe TV shows have come this far. I hope employees are paid well. 

The End Theme remains the saaame, and is added with cinematic effects as well.

The folly/sound effect at the start of Episode 2. Why is this the only episode with that flair? 

Creating a grave for Gyatso.

How Ozai’s forced unity/being totalitarian is represented. Reminds me so much of our own government, it amuses me. I know it’s not directly referencing that though. It’s good that they show it early on I guess. With the Fire Nation culty greeting as well. 

On a lighter note: THE AIR SPHERE/BALL whatevah, yes! More of this goofiness. How about instead of being inspired by GOT, NATLA should be inspired by Stranger Things in terms of fantasy + childhood simplicity balanced by this trauma they're going through. (Well, ST lacks worldbuilding cause it’s just normal Earth but anyway) 

Kyoshi Takeoveeer. I hope Roku gets more screen time someday though. Pls pls pls. 

They incorporated the OG character theme songs! Of course! The ones I noticed right away are the FireNation Siblings’. So if you watched OG Avatar and you watched the scene where a mysterious girl joins the infiltration of the FN Royal Palace, you’ll know who she is. 

Sorry not sorry, Daddy Dae Kim is daddying. (Although he did catch me off guard in Zuko’s Agni Kai lmao.) The plot.

The Aang VS Zuko fight! A reference to the Fortune Teller fight. The team did so well. 

Zuko The Master of Disguise Major In Stealing Clothes. Full-time Avatar researcher. 

A fourth wall foreshadows Bumi’s OOC for this version. Jet’s "he’s not like he used to be" in line. I mean they did warn us. 

Another 4th wall is the line “Things shouldn’t be here” referring to the prototype Fire Nation balloon. 

Nice animation with the retelling of Two Lovers legend.

Lu Ten Funeral scene ate. That single teaaaar. I recommend everyone who loves the animation to watch this scene. To feel something idk AHAHAHAH. 

The actors were convincing when interacting with CGI animals. Specifically the badger moles. 

ZUKO AND IROH SCENES! 

CGI’s great did not waste any money 

In Katara’s flashback. She experienced this in her present form. And when she was so scared to go to the place where her mom was killed, she immediately changed back to her young self. Like, I wanted that so bad when I was watching the flashback. I thought, this shouldn’t be the present-day Katara. There should be a moment when she switches back to young again. And they did. 

Big Iroh-like moment that makes you cry as an adult when Gyatso was reassuring Aang that the genoc*de wasn’t his fault, and shouldn’t blame himself. Ahh, and the subtle sadness as they say goodbye. 

Random eye drawing from Zuko. He’s an artist AHAHAHAH. Okay, I forgot which episode. Sincerely, unreliable narrator. 

Showing Zuko's scar when Aang says "Do you even know that lives are at stake". 

Basically every scene/plot they 1 by 1 copy from the show. Did not disappoint (well, maybe because OG showrunners were there). Blue Spirit, Siege of the North. 

Zuko’s room. I love me some character bedrooms. He’s like a TV Sitcom character for that. 

Gaang teamwork scenes! It works and it's dynamic. 

Hahn as an honorable man? Yes. I don’t like love triangles so much. I like me some camaraderie. And Ian (Sokka) acted well for feeling included and seen as Hahn recognized his value as warrior/intel. 

Zutara fight scene.

Two points that I don’t know if I like but it makes me realize some stuff:

Meek Katara. I know there are specific plot points that Feisty Katara is needed. But she was always nurturing, so I think it makes sense she’s…meek? That Jet scene explains it. Maybe because I relate to her being a log AHAHAHAH. But yeah, uh, I do not, ironically, have strong feelings against that water down.

Angry Bumi. IDK how to feel about him tbh. I always think Bumi is…harsh like that. Almost scary. But yeah, he never blames Aang. Still, it doesn’t feel out of place here. He will return anyway so he’s not this one-dimensional character that is only angry at his friend (hopefully). I never thought of how Bumi would actually feel. And that he will be upset, and now it’s sad because that’s like your friend when you were twelve years old and you wonder where he’s been all this time, and if he’s alive. And..war..never made it any better to process that emotion. So, we got two versions, one that is cautious and then eventually welcomes him, and another who's completely angry and blames a literal kid that he does not know the pain (from the war). Too real, and I personally don’t mind. 

#natla #natla spoilers #natla review #atla live action #gordon cormier #dallas liu #ken leung #elizabeth yu #natla zuko #natla positivity

[natlacentral]

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Stars on Bringing Animated Characters to Live Action: “We’re Weren’t Doing a Caricature”

After more than half a decade of development, Netflixunveiled its highly anticipated live- action Avatar: The Last Airbender on Friday. 

The show, adapted from Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s animated series that premiered in 2005, follows the beloved story of Aang, an Avatar who can bend all four elements — water, earth, fire and air — and is responsible for maintaining harmony in his universe’s four nations. Along the way, Aang befriends waterbender Katara and her brother Sokka as they work together to end the fire nation’s war against the other nations. Frequently, the group faces off against Zuko, a fire nation prince locked in an ongoing pursuit of Aang’s demise.

Though Netflix’s live-action approach to the story heads for darker themes than Nickelodeon’s animated original, the cast of kids at the show’s center maintains the story’s sense of childlike wonder that is so beloved by fans. 

The actors — Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka) and Dallas Liu (Zuko) — began their journeys toward the show around four years ago, navigating a blind casting process that tried to keep the subject of their audition a secret and involved a lengthy, international search for the right artists to bring DiMartino and Konietzko’s characters to life with the Albert Kim adaptation. Each an avid fans of the original (Cormier says he’s watched the show 26 times), the group spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how their love for the franchise gave way to their need to get the live-action story right — and where they’re hoping the show will go next.

Let’s go back to the beginning. What do you remember about the casting process? 

DALLAS LIU They sent all of us these dummy sides and fake character names. I know some of these guys didn’t know [it was for Avatar], but for me it felt obvious from the character’s description, and my fake name was “Juno.” I think, knowing the series, already being such a huge fan and Zuko being my favorite character … I definitely used that to my advantage throughout the audition process. 

GORDON CORMIER I actually turned down the audition, because I had no clue what it was. I got the audition, and it was for a 12-year-old. I was a small 11-year-old at that point. I had told my agent, “I don’t want any more auditions like this because I’m too small to play 12.” So I turned it down. And then they sent it back and they said, “No, we really want to see this.” 

Were you all fans of the animated series?  

KIAWENTIIO Me, Dallas and Ian grew up [watching] the show, but Gordon was actually born after it aired. 

CORMIER After I booked the role, I looked up the animated series. I watched it 26 times, because I became a giant fan. I didn’t even really watch it to study my character — the first time was for that. Then I watched it again for the fun of it, and again, again, again, again. I feel like I really got to know Aang, to see what he’s going through and hopefully bring that into the live action, with a little bit deeper and darker tones. 

LIU I think because of the significance of Dante Basco’s voice acting [Basco is beloved as the original voice of Zuko], I felt a little extra pressure knowing that there were such huge shoes to fill. But the way I navigated that was: We aren’t trying to make a remake scene for scene, line for line. We’re trying to get a new set of people involved. Hopefully, they love the show just as much as we do, and we give the old fans something new. 

Were there any specific parts of your character you drew from the animated series, or anything you added that felt new? 

IAN OUSLEY It’s such an amazing opportunity for the character of Sokka to go from an animated series to live action. When I watch the original series, I feel like Sokka is always the voice of the audience, so that’s something that I tried to carry over into our show. How can I be the voice of the audience and set the tone for everybody at home? 

LIU We wanted to make sure we weren’t doing a caricature of these animated characters. For Zuko, in season one of the animated series, definitely for the first half of it, he’s quite melodramatic and extremely emotional to the point where his eyes are jumping out of his face. I think his relationship with Uncle Iroh in the live-action series was really cool for me. He’s not so much a brat to his own uncle, who looked out for him and cared for him. 

OUSLEY In the animated show, Sokka is [also] doing so many things that are animated. It was a big challenge to bring it into reality and not lose any parts of him. But in addition to that, what comes naturally with live action is the humanness. A lot of the things happening in the show are very real and very intense, and he gets to have real human reactions while also getting to find out what that comedy looks like. 

Bringing this world into live action also meant some impressive martial arts from all four of you! What was your preparation for that? 

KIAWENTIIO It was helpful, we did a six-week boot camp before filming. That’s where I got familiar with the fight scenes I had to train for. 

CORMIER I was super energetic. Running, around, doing all these exercises … that was heaven for 12-year-old me. 

LIU For Gordon, he’s supposed to be a master at such a young age. He needed to be extremely well-versed in the style of air from the beginning. 

OUSLEY It was really awesome watching the commitment to Gordon’s character, because he would go home and practice for hours and hours on his own. He was having so much fun. They had to keep him on the kids’ schedule still, but even as an 11- and 12-year-old, he was still putting in hours of work, because they were giving him videos to practice. It was awesome. 

KIAWENTIIO I feel like with my character, I got really lucky with the fact that I grew alongside her throughout the series. She doesn’t start out as a master, but she ends up that way. 

LIU And Ian is actually a world champion martial artist in weapons, but his character isn’t an expert. So he had to unlearn those punches. 

OUSLEY I love weapons in general, and Sokka has a really special attachment to his weapons, and his war club. So it was really cool to bring that over. But yeah, I had to unlearn a lot of that technique.  

It’s been about a year and a half since you finished filming season one. What’s it been like reuniting for this press tour? 

KIAWENTIIO It’s so interesting, because I feel like we got so much closer after filming. We definitely got to know each other while filming. But it’s on a different level now, getting to spend that time apart and realize how much we actually care for each other. 

OUSLEY The first time I saw Gordon [after filming], his voice had changed. I freaked out. I was like, “What is happening?” And then I kept telling him, “Talk again!” It’s been awesome to get to know each other again. We’ve grown up, and we’re growing together. 

LIU We’ve grown, not just as actors and actresses, but each of us grew up as human beings, in front of the hundreds of people on set. Each of them had a huge influence on the people we are right now. 

So, what are your hopes and dreams for a live-action season two? 

KIAWENTIIO With the animated series, it just gets better every season. I think adding a new addition to our group, getting to see Toph, is super exciting. It would also be really cool if I got to portray the Painted Lady. 

LIU Season two is epic for Zuko. I want to do the one where I’m yelling at the lighting. 

IAN I’m waiting for season three, though, because I want my sword. I am the world champion in weapons, specifically, so his sword would be a dream come true. 

CORMIER Also season three, I really want to do that episode right before I go fight the fire lord and Aang won’t sleep. I start to see all these visions, and Momo and Appa start talking. It’d be so awesome. 

#natla #atla #hollywood reporter #article #interview #netflix avatar #netflix atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar netflix #atla netflix #gordon cormier #kiawentiio #ian ousley #dallas liu

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Not a Zucest shipper (more into Maiko) but that scene where Azula isn't wearing makeup and she and Zuko are in her bedroom and she's all touchy-feely towards him was honestly more sexual and intimate than the Zvtara cave scene. Honestly I would argue that Azula is a lot more on his mind than Katara, who only comes to mind when she's convenient for tracking down Aang. Heck, I would even argue Zuko has more chemistry and investment with Aang than he does with Katara.

Maiko might not be my OTP but it is still a personal favorite because MY GOD, these two are clingy with each other and it's so fucking cute.

Zuko and Aang's friendship is legitimately one of the best parts of the show, and, ironically enough, their dynamic is the closest the show ever got to the fanon zutara idea of "this hero can tell the bad guy has a heart and wants to offer him the chance of being a better person", only without the romance part - but it could have totally made for a perfectly reasonable endgame if just a few details had been changed.

Plus everything about them meeting the dragons was absolutely iconic, from "I don't care what people said, you're pretty smart", to Zuko suggesting they think about their place in the universe, to AANG ASKING ZUKO TO DANCE WITH HIM, to Zuko looking Aang straight (hehehe) in the face and going "You are source of my fire by the way. No homo."

I just love it whenever these two are on-screen together.

As for the bedroom scene between Zuko and Azula in the awakening... oh boy, did my mind go straight to the gutter the first time I saw it (and every time after that too).

Grey Delisle, iconic voice actor, former stripper, and former narrator of trailers for porno movies, really took a look at this scene of her character's older brother coming to her bedroom in the middle of the night and thought "Wouldn't it be really funny if I added some incest vibes here?" (not that the animation itself made it all that difficult).

And yeah, Azula was definitively in Zuko's mind ALL THE TIME. Like, this boy was trapped in a cave during a snow storm, Aang's soul had literally left his body and, for some fucking reason, he just... starts venting about the sister he has not seen in years. Like, I KNOW they are just setting up Azula as the villain of the second season, but that came out of nowhere!

And him imagining her as the blue dragon that represents temptation and is whispering in his ear stuff like "Just give into it" and asking when he will be going to his bedroom, even after he said he doesn't feel like sleeping... buddy. Buddy. What the hell is this?

Also I can't find that video anymore, but there was some panel Bryke was at in which they were "suggesting" many ships to the audience - and one just happened to be Azula and The Blue Spirit. If someone has a link to it, please send it to me because the audience's outraged reaction was the funniest fucking thing.

In case any of you want to see Grey being chaotic as fuck, and making Dante all embarrassed (and flirting with him) I recommend you check out these videos because they are HILARIOUS!

#anti zutara #zukaang #zucest #grey delisle

[ladyelainehilfur]

Finished watching the show! If I wasn't a die-hard fan of the original, I would've absolutely adored this show. As it stands, I still really really like it! I might even give it another watch.

Although some cuts and writing changes confused me, I thought they did well enough with 8 episodes. Katara was cute, Aang was so tinyyy, and Sokka was my favorite character 🤡 I knew I would like him despite my disappointment with the casting, but I didn't expect him to come out and be my favorite part of the show again. I just hope Mr. Ousley has been staying off social media.

Other castings were good to middling. King Bumi was spot on, weird as always. Roku was Not Very Good. Kuruk was perfect and Kyoshi was pretty good. The casting for the Mechanist and his son was good, I just didn't like their personality changes. I didn't see why Mai and Ty Lee had to be in this season but they were okay, acting wise. Gran Gran,,, that's someone else's Gran Gran. Hakoda and Bato were perfect 🧎‍♂️ no notes

Zuko's casting was everything it needed to be and more. I came out loving Zuko even more than I did before 🥹 like really, my hats off to him, he destroyed the role. Uncle Iroh was nice, and that orchestral version of Leaves On the Vine made me want to curl up into a ball.

I enjoyed the extra characters. I liked that there was no toxic rivalry between Sokka and Yue's betrothed. Suki's mom was an interesting addition, I think. Gyatso being so much more prominent was a choice. Azula's presence didn't really do anything for me, and Admiral Zhao was just as unlikable as he was originally.

I'd love to see some art where the original animated characters say lines from the live action. I thought the writing for Katara and Aang was so-so, but the writing really stood out for Sokka. The only thing was that his romances with Suki and Yue were...well, not that interesting. They made Suki a Weird Girl™ and Yue's actress just didn't have much to work with. Zuko got meh lines but the actor sold them.

Another thing I liked: no Kataang romance! We got The Secret Tunnel song and Chong without having to deal with the awkwardness of Aang crushing on someone that looks like his babysitter 😭 8/10 for that writing choice alone.

There's a lot more but in general, I did like it. There are flaws and leaps in logic and watered down traits but it's okay. I can't wait to see Toph next season.

#live action Avatar the last Airbender #netflix atla liveblog #debating interacting with other fans because i can see people are very disappointed #some things disappointed me but again: I am incredibly easy to please regardless #and i liked it and don't wanna see anyone getting flamed for stupid reasons! #seriously Ian stay OFF the Internet

[bendyguitarpick]

I've been watching the avatar series and honestly, I think this warrants a bullet points review bc I have a lot of opinions, and some are unexpected. I haven't been following a y discourse online about the show bc I wanted to form my own opinions before I finished it! This is episodes 1 through 5.

Right off the bat in episode 1, the first thing that strikes me as a huuuge issue is that Aang does not argue with monk gyatso before running away. It's a problem that keeps coming up in this show, and its that all the conflict is deflated from the characters and given to the plot. Instead of a young character making a mistake and learning from the end result, our protagonists just respond in a way that's removes any of their decision making from the driving force of the story. Aang didn't run from his responsibility out of fear, he just needed to clear his head!- our sweet baby boy remains the moral compass!

That being said, I do think the rearranging of the plot in thr first episode is absolutely the right move for the show. The pace is immediately set and it works.

The visuals (costume and set design) feel very very shiny and new, like how all netflix shows end up looking, overly saturated and costumey.

The casting for aang and zuko is one of my favorite things EVER. They are probably the most competent actors so far tbh. That little boy is giving it his all 🥲

Sokka and suki!!! Another instance where all the conflict and resolution feels unearned because there was nothing to resolve! Fine, you can choose to remove the sexism arc, at its center, this sokka and suki introduction is about sokka developing a level of humility that he will need in order to learn from the people we see him meet on this journey. Sokka comes in in the live action show a clueless small town warrior who gets shown the ropes on the big stage, but for what? We see suki chew him out but because there's no real conflict, he's just some shmuck getting chewed out for no real reason other than not knowing enough. It's completely hollow.

Ok this leads me to the fight scenes. They're bad! The only one that I liked was Bumi and aang, we had sustained wide shots, a creative use of bending, and the actors movements feeling well rehearsed. The opposite was the case for nearly every other fight smh.

Katara my beloved 😭 she is shockingly underwritten and I'm trying to figure out why. She gets so little active screentime that isn't just parroting the plot back to aang and sokka. All her passion and life is dead flat. I was praying they'd give her her painted lady momentand it never came, she never had a moment. It's such a huge fuck up to leave one of your three LEADS out to dry like that.

That being said, I had my little fangirl squee when jet and the freedom fighters were revealed. The casting just had me absolutely giddy 😭

And that's just katara compared to everyone else! Because at the end of the day this is the most poorly written dialogue I've seen in a show in so freaking long. It is written so stilted and klunky, and the actors are given so little direction, the end result is so dry and lifeless. It is honestly the single worst part of the show.

Our characters are no longer active decision makers in each town they visit! The plot is just happening to them! It's an extention of that conflict criticism, our heroes don't have anything to learn, they're just along for the ride! No opinions or conflict here!!

But... the one thing that absolutely is working for me... is the story. All the plot changes have been the right move every time. Combining episodes has worked so well in this short season format that it's kept me following along every time! Putting like four episodes into one omashu episode??? And having them connect in a way that makes sense??? Ik completely impressed

So far, it seems like awkward dialogue and overly shiny visuals has bogged down a show that really really could've worked in the live action format! The plot has still succeeded in keeping me engaged for the hour run time of each episode, along with the really great aang and zuko moments.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar the series #bullet points #review time

[sexynbgfpollhost]

My review of ATLA Live Action episode one:

(Keep in mind, at this point I have only seen episode 1 and so this is just my first impression)

Remember, there are spoilers ahead and I seriously think you should watch it yourself before reading any review. Trust me, having your own impression first before anyone else's is way better... Okay here we go:

-----

Review of episode one, first impressions:

I really loved how we got to see what the air temple genocide looked like. It really shows that they're fully aware that the main audience has grown up. I watched it with my sister, her hubby, and my 5-yr niece and we didn't know that it would literally show people getting burned alive, so we had to cover her eyes a lot lol. I loved how we got to see firelord Sozin when he was first declaring war.

I really liked how we got to see monk Gyatsu (having that name in 2024 is sure rough buddy..) actually want Aang to have a childhood before they told him he's the avatar. The bending looks really cool, not slow and cringey like in the first live action movie haha. I thought the way that one air-bender died, the woman doing the air tornado, was fricken BRUTAL. And it's great to see just how far they're going with the onscreen death.

My brother-in-law (sister's hubby) felt really iffy on the fact that Aang can just sort of fly on his own now, without his glider thing. I honestly don't mind it, I don't think it really affects the story all that much. And it also just.. makes sense, for an air-bender to be able to fly on their own. I love how they got the grandma to say the original intro from the cartoon in a natural way as an explanation to Aang.

I liked how they kept the original motifs. The fire tribe still has that classic "BUM bum bUm baaaaam" idk how else to describe it haha

Aang: I thought his acting was pretty good for a kid. The crying parts were decent at best... but obviously I don't expect a kid to be great at faking tears. I thought his acting was great when he learned that he was the avatar, just that silent panic, the breathing getting faster and darting the eyes. The scene where he closed himself in the ice ball thing looked really cool. (My brother-in-law was fanboying the whole time, so much so that my niece started imitating him by saying "O M G the acting is SO good!" which made us all laugh, she didn't have ill-intent, she was just learning by example)

Katara: Her acting was a little iffy to me, I have hope that it'll improve later on. She had good lines but her face just didn't make me believe those lines. During emotional moments she was just kinda '_' But I know how tough it is to be a child actor so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. (And to be fair, it is hard to convey emotion as good as a cartoon can) Her water bending looked really pretty, and I love that they kept her hair loopies. And I love that she still has her motherly personality like when she was comforting Aang near the end.

Sokka: Again, I thought his acting was pretty decent, child actors and whatnot. I really love how they didn't just reuse the same jokes from the cartoon and got original. My favorite two jokes were when it cut to him screaming on Appa, and when Aang said that he had to save the world and Sokka's response was like "Gee, is that all?" sarcastically, got a good laugh outta me. I love how his weapon looked exactly like the one in the cartoon. And I love how he got to have a one-on-one stand off with Zuko.

Haven't seen Momo yet, gonna be a bit disappointed if we don't but I mean.... Now that I think about it, Momo didn't really add anything. He was just kinda there in the cartoon for comedic affect...

Anyway, just in case someone is reading this before watching it, I'm not gonna spoil/talk about anything else (like Zuko and Iroh). So please go get your own impressions of it, even if you have to watch it on a pirated site.

Thanks for reading :)

(Side note, I do wish they chose tanner actors for the water tribe but eh, what the hell do I know? Could just be the lighting that's making them look pale)

Edit: So I just found out that Sokka and Katara's actors are not children lol (well, Karata's is 17 but that's almost an adult) so it is now a little less excusable.... But whatever, it's okay.

#avatar the last airbender live action #atla #live action #netflix #the better live action #aang #avatar #airbender #katara #water tribe #sokka #nickelodeon #fire tribe #air tribe #earth tribe

[dragonbonez]

Spoiler Free Netflix A:TLA Review

Apparently the show is sitting at this moment on Rotten Tomatoes at 76%.

For me the show is actually sitting somewhere in the 85%.

I actually really liked it! I think some of the acting felt clunky, although I think that was more because of some of the dialogue they were being given.

More details to follow:

The Adaptation

The show definitely did its own thing. Nothing was just like the animated series. Some scenes were similar, but it was never the same. The could be a bad thing depending on what someone personally thinks an adaptation is. If you think it's meant to be as close as the original material as possible, then this show is not for you.

For me it's not necessary because in my head an adaptation is something that takes the story and makes it its own in a way that keeps the original spirit, but adapts it to its own medium, like what the One Piece LA did. This series is not as successful as OPLA in terms of how effective the adaptive narrative was, but it was good.

The Pacing

Many one episode storylines of the original ATLA were actually combined to make room for as many characters as they could potentially fit in. I think a lot of it is actually done pretty effectively! But this does mean that a lot gets fitted in at once and it could feel like some things felt spread out or not fleshed out as much as us fans would like.

I was able to get into the world anyways though. I enjoyed watching those episodes despite knowing how much had been taken out and how things had changed.

The main characters get to their destinations pretty naturally. It never felt like they were in a place just out of convenience.

The Dialogue

This is, I think, one of my biggest criticisms. The fact is that the show does do a lot of exposition dialogue. I guess because the pacing is different they have to make sure people are understanding the actions of characters that are being introduced at that point. It can be jarring, and it certainly took me out of some scenes sometimes. I feel like even if someone had never watched the show, they could have understood a scene or the plot without the over explanation.

Having said that, not all dialogue is like that and the actors are able to work with their lines pretty naturally over all. The interactions between characters don't feel forced for the most part.

The Characters

Successful overall!

I can confidently say that my favorites in order are Sokka, Aang, Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and Katara. They were able to take their characters and give them new life in this LA.

Of course, this also comes back to the dialogue. It's not always great for their characters, but for the most part I think they were able to take what they were given and did a pretty good job of it.

There is ONE character that they did end up changing a lot and that I think ended up becoming my most disappointed scene because of the changes they made. I don't know why they did what they did, but it changed the character fundamentally and even though I was able to get past that scene and still enjoy the episode, it was not without a bit of a bitter taste for me.

I could get pretty detailed about the characters and I could end up nitpicking every little thing that felt out of place. But I think it's important to remember that their job as actors was to portray the essence of their characters as best as they could, and I think they really did that.

Final Thoughts

This show is not perfect, but it's really not as bad as many will have you believe.

Many of the story changes worked, and many of the character changes were done pretty well.

Let me repeat something I said in the beginning. If you go into this show because you want an adaptation that resembles the original, it's not that. It's the characters and the story rearranged in their own way to become something familiar, but new.

I personally really liked the LA. In fact, I ended up watching the first episode again with my dad in Spanish and having just finished watching everything I was surprised with how easy I was able to fall back into the beginning. I enjoyed that first episode all over again and I think that speaks for a lot.

Give this show a chance. Be open to the changes. It's not perfect, but it's good.

#netflix #atla #avatar the last airbender #live action #review #bonez rattles

[rosafloera]

Bad Actor: ComradeKatara (aka Othelo aka Grendelsmilf Aka Noelleakopian)

Previously part of Lesbians4Sokka.

That should already ring some alarm bells, Lesbians4Sokka was a page notorious in the community for some of the most brutal cyberbullying. Think RAPE THREATS! Before I start showing supporting evidence, a disclaimer:

*Let's not add to the situation, do what we can to ignore her and move on. She is a troll that doesn't deserve our attention, nothing will change her mind. There are bigger world problems requiring our focus.

Fun fact: the L4S page IS now ComradeKatara, hovering over the old tag shows

TLDR: ComradeKatara headcanons Katara as a homophobe, constantly mocking/cyberbullying her and anyone who disagrees. In the same breath she is a devout Sokka x Zuko shipper, which is laughable and contradictory.

All ‘evidence’ they have ever provided consists of misinterpretations of canon so illogical it’s pointless to reply to.

Also I’m sure CK doesn’t publicise their Toph and Azula hate and homophobic headcanons that much because Toph and Azula stans are passionate and would rip them apart in a second. Get behind me, Katara. I love you 🥹❤️

CK's FAQ.

She hates Zutara because it's 'racist'. Which is hilarious when we see her ship Zukka. Even the explanation as to why she headcanons Katara as a homophobe, (which she so graciously replaced the entire word with 'straight') beating around the bush and actually explaining nothing at all.

Saying 2 contradictory things in 1 sentence is quite the talent and exposes that she is in constant agony over which side to pander to more. *She is nothing without pandering!* Poor CK doesn't love Katara at all.

In her own words....

'i think CK’s writing proves inconsistent with both the characters and the themes of the show, to an offensive degree. pretty much the only character treated with any sort of respect is momo, and that’s probably because he can’t talk.'

Leave poor Momo alone.

Don't be shy CK. Let it be known you were Lesbians4Sokka.

Lesbians who only hate on women, unsurprisingly have very queerphobic takes. Dear god, do they EVEN like women???

CK reblogged this btw.

At least they're aware?

If only they would leave these characters' names out their mouth, the whole of ATLA actually.

Oh, really. You had no idea when you mercilessly cyberbullied people with your cliques, I assume.

Nor of your lesbians4sokka past, huh?

Peace out.

More proof:

#l4s #lesbians4sokka

https://www.tumblr.com/comradekatara/search/homophobic

Wayback machine just in case lol:

#l4s #lesbians4sokka #comradekatara #othelo #grendelsmilf #noelleakopian #beware #bad actors #atla #avatar #cyberbullying #harassment #nothing better to do #very sad and pathetic #im not sorry for you #victims have spoken out #me too #homophobic #anti lgbt #severe threats #zutara #katara #katara get behind me

[darkcrowprincess]

My thoughts: fair warning to people who are following me. I'm a lunter shipper, I don't like Amity's character at all. Lunter just makes more sense to me. I'm not a fan of miraculous lady bug anymore do to bad writing and because I just don't like Marinette's character anymore(she's so annoying). I love sailor moon, especially 90s English dub because thats what I grew up with, usagis new English voice actor's voice is annoying, so I don't listen to the new English dub. Don't like sailor moon crystal because the animation sucks and they took out everything I loved about the 90s one. Don't understand why my little pony is so popular or ever will. I love catradora, and don't understand the hate on catra' character. I think catra had a perfect story arc. I love Shera and the princess of power as is. It's a great show. Plus it has Entrapta and she is my spirit animal. So don't get the hate for shera. I don't get new cartoons or new kid shows/teen show of today. They're all so bad, so sanitized, or just plain bad writing. I'm a zutara shipper(or just zuko finding happiness with anyone's besides mai. Don't like her character very much). I don't like legend of Korra, the writing was just really bad. Especially after season one. So never watched it after season one. I hate the cartoon movie Disney beauty and the beast and love the live action one so much. It's my favorite of the live action disney movies. Emma Watson was the perfect Belle and made her more relatable. The little mermaid is my Disney movie and don't get all the hate on Ariel. She's the best. Love all versions of the little mermaid. Even the original fairy tale and any movies based on the original fairy tale. I hate the frozen movies with the burning intensity of a thousand suns. The movies are just not good. Titanic is a good movie. I love that movie. I also love James Cameron's avatar movie(can't wait for the sequel) and never understood why it isn't more popular. I love 80s movies and 80s fashion( would not want to live during that era) especially 80s romance movies, or any 80s movies were the main character is female and relatable. Though I don't get the breakfast club or why it's so popular. I love criminal minds and true crime documentaries(especially ones with female criminals). I don't like the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus book series. Mostly cause theres not enough Artemis in it, Hades would never cheat on his wife Persephone ever! I loved Rachels character and never really liked Annabeth. I thought she was a know it all. I honestly would have picked lukes side. Because the gods as parents suck! The whole concept of demi god children sucks and its abusive. That's mainly why I stopped reading. I love movies on classic novels, but will never read them. Mostly because they just seem so boring. I will never read jane austen because her books are just so boring to read. The language is so difficult to understand. Sam Manson is a horrible character and I don't like her with Danny. Danny's parents are abusive, and he deserves a better ending. The ghost king deserves a better ending. The only Classic novels I've ever read are written by Agatha Christie. I love her writing! Clary from mortal instruments is a mary sue and just Cassandra Clare's writing just seem really bad. Especially her world. The shadows hunters world is very black and white thinking. So I'll never read her books. The show looks really good though. And I like it so far. I love Harry Potter but understand why it's problematic now. And that just makes me really said. I hate when creators turn out to be jerks. Why I strongly believe never meet your heroes. They always disappoint you. My favorite movie this year is "Don't worry darling". I thought it was brilliant and had a good twist. I love ghibli movies and my favorites are spirited away, whispers of the heart, the wind rises, and howls moving castle. If I don't like a part in a book I don't finish it. And if the first paragraph in a book doesn't catch my attention I don't finish it. I love the original dark fairy tales. I love happy endings.

#My thoughts #My opinions #danny phantom #the owl house #shera pop #Movies #Books #harry potter #mortal instruments #shadowhunters #80s #80s movies #don't worry darling #avatar the last airbender #disney #anime #sailor moon #studio ghibli

[wolfie-winchester]

Netflix's ATLA Thoughts (Spoilers Ahead)

I'd give it a 6/10. I wasn't in love with it like the original, however it was much better than I was expecting (especially considering the only other live action we can compare it to is so bad fans pretend it doesn't exist).

For the things I liked about it:

I think the costumes, special effects, creature designs, and fight scenes/bending were all pretty good. As far as adapting certain story lines (Jet, the mechanist, etc) I was surprised at how they executed them but not necessarily disappointed. Obviously they had to condense it down to fit in 8 episodes and I found that while it was different than I was expecting, their placement in the story didn't really feel out of place (to me) and at the end of the day, while the way they got to certain plot points was different, the overall end result was still the same. For example, having Zuko and Iroh go to Omashu was different but at the end we still get the part where Iroh is captured by earthbenders and Zuko rescues him. The fact that it isn't a one for one, verbatim adaptation is fine for me. I wasn't really expecting them to do that anyway and if I wanted that I would just rewatch the original. Though I am wondering now if they will still go to the library in season 2 and see Wan Shi Tong since they already met him in the spirit world, so I'm interested to see how that plays out.

Now as for the things I didn't like:

I did not like how they changed Bumi to be this bitter old man who only challenges Aang basically to be mean and "teach him a lesson" in a much harsher way than original Bumi did. I don't see why they couldn't leave his character as he was. I was half-expecting at the end for Bumi to say, "just kidding" and go back to being his goofy self. The parts where he was making jokes and acting crazy felt forced, like the writers wanted to throw it in just because it happens in the show, but because of how they changed Bumi's personality, it just felt out of place and weird.

On the flip side, I thought Zhao was a little too goofy and dramatic. Not that original Zhao was necessarily undramatic, but Netflix Zhao felt a bit overexaggerated with the way he talked. IDK if it was the actor portraying him like that or if it's how the writers wrote him, but either way, I didn't really care for it.

Aang can only talk to his past lives at their shrines? I don't really get the point of them essentially nerfing one of the Avatar's powers for no reason.

And lastly, things I am unsure about but want to see how they play out:

Zuko and Azula. I know they changed things for Zuko in having more moments where they show him "being good" and I'll be honest, some of those moments where he talks about "Father would never do this" or about "the honor of the fire nation" were a little cringy, and while Zuko is all about HONOR, it's mostly his honor he's concerned with at the beginning. I don't expect them to come close to getting the same impact with Zuko's redemption arc as the original (because the original is a masterpiece) but by making him "more good" at the start, it kind of lessens the impact of when he changes sides and of the character development he goes through. However, I'll stick it out and see what they do with it for now.

As for Azula, I'm not sure yet how to feel about how her and Ozai's relationship is going so far. She's supposed to be the prodigy child, "born lucky" and Ozai's favorite, so to see him "playing games" with her and treating her like original Ozai treats Zuko is very strange. It seems they're trying to go with the whole, "he's making her stronger by forcing her to win his approval/compete with Zuko" but the thing with Azula's character is that she's already supposed to be one of the strongest firebenders out there. I guess maybe they could be trying to already plant roots for her eventual mental breakdown with the pressure of trying to impress him adding to whatever else will happen in the future. Once again, I'm not sure if I like what they're doing but I'll at least wait and see where they go with it.

In the most literal of senses, the show is mid. Not wonderful but not awful either. (And way better than M Night Shyamalan's mess of a movie)

#netflix atla #netflix avatar #netflix atla spoilers