Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best cartoon in history

Thanks Ozzyhead!Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best cartoon in history.In this round, I will discuss three factors resulting in ATLA's status as the best animated show of all time.- It represents a groundbreaking shift in children's television away from light mind-numbing entertainment (i.e. drivel).- Its motifs, metaphors, allegories and esotericism are unparalleled.- Its ratings and commercial success** note that I have left this 'til last because while the show has been very commercially successful I wished to entertain more intellectually stimulating criteria.I'm not going to muck around with semantics, let's just jump straight in!Watershed television for childrenIn an article posted by Forbes last year, Merril Barr discussed the cultural significance and impacts of three television shows (24, ATLA and Breaking Bad)(1). About ATLA, he touches on what I consider to be the most important direct influence of the programme; while there have been cartoons dealing with adult content for years (he cites South Park, The Simpsons, etc), children's cartoons were relegated to patronising and stereotypically banal moral professions. ATLA famously, almost controversially, made the decision to deal with heavier themes instead of looking down to their audience. A generation of children (to be discussed below) will be raised more emotionally, culturally and humanly aware. It challenges pre-teens with concepts deal with in first-year university philosophy classes, and my contention is not only that children can handle it, but it's actually good for them, especially due to the sensitive angle of the creators. I contend that on some level, almost every conceivable moral lesson is taught in ATLA. Power, corruption, duty, redemption, birth, death, relationships, love, sex, rape, drugs, dreams and aspirations, inner-strength, courage and purpose are merely the touchstones of the series, which delve far deeper than the superficial impression given by those who haven't followed the series closely. ATLA even transcends strong metaphor to become a truly esoteric beacon. No other children's program has ever woven such motifs as multiculturalism, war, bigotry, racism, sexism and violence into a beautiful tapestry presented through a single, engaging, relateable narrative that not only captures the heart and mind, but also the soul (and I don't even believe in souls). The massive cult following and engagement with the pre-teen demographic was only the start of the series' success. Nobody could have anticipated that the parents of the children would engage as much as they did. No one could have expected the cultural impact of the show, and how profoundly it reached an audience of children, teenagers and adults alike.Motifs, Metaphors, Allegory and EsoteticismA wide array of hypotheses have been postulated as to the hidden deeper meanings of the show. I will breifly name a few here.Second Sino-Japanese WarATLA can be taken as an allegory for the sino-Japanese war, with Japan being the imperial Fire Nation. "The Fire Nation successfully invaded large swathes of Earth Kingdom territory but victory always eluded them. Similarly, the Japanese captured most of Northern China, along with the Chinese capital of Nanjing, but still failed to win the war." (2) Similarities in propaganda usage is evident here.ReligionBuddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and Shinto are the main spiritual and religious influence in the show(2) drawing heavily on the Asian, South-Asian and Southeast Asian roots of the show. This further symbolises the ability of different cultures and religions to live together peacefully.Marital ArtsA specific martial art was employed for each bending style. This symbolises the cultural and ethnic differences of the Avatar world. Aang, as the Avatar, must learn the four types of bending and so the four types of martial arts, which signifies the unity of the four schisms and emobies the 'oneness' that all people encompass simply by virtue of all being human. This is addressed off-handedly in an episode where Aang relises that while the forest he is in is composed of different trees, shrubs, grasses and animals, they are all symbiotic and interdependant. The forest is a collective community made up of individuals to become a single living whole.Reception, Ratings and Commercial SuccessUpon initial airing, ATLA was the highest rated television series in its demographic(3). The four-part final drew 95% more viewers than Nickoldean had recieved in mid-July 2007 and it was the most-viewed program in the demographic (animated or otherwise).Now I'mma let you finish, but on IMDB, ATLA is the second-highest rated animated series of all time. Of ALL time!(4) And this is not the opinion of a single contributor; this is the rating given by the audience members of the tv shows. South Park ranks 11. Round 1 summaryWhile I do have substantially more to to bring to the discussion, I have an essay due today! In future rounds I will discuss the themes of immigration, terrorism, racism and sexism which are pertinent in contemporary society and how education children about this material before they have been indoctrinated by hateful societies is a positive step to creating a kinder, gentler world, especially given the series' syndication in 105 countries worldwide and the massive viewership it garnishes(3).In summary, ATLA is goes beyond the mere precepts of entertainment. The show lives, breathes, bleeds and cries along with the audience and a winding, rising and beautifully constructed narrative. Though, of course, the forumla is borrowed from other highly successful mainstream entertainment sources, the creators took the creative zeal needed to pull of what is now a piece of cultural history and ran with it. ATLA is not just the best show in terms of ratings. It is the best in terms of its engagement, messages, depth, scope, intricacy and beauty. I countend that ATLA is not only the best animated series; it is in fact the best tv show of all time. Best of luck for your round!1. [http://www.forbes.com...]2. [http://avatar.wikia.com...]3. [http://en.wikipedia.org...]4. [http://www.imdb.com...]