Avatar: The Last Airbender

Plot synopsis:
==== Book One: Water ====
Katara, a fourteen-year-old Southern Tribe Waterbender, and her older brother, Sokka, find and revive Aang and Appa. Aang learns of the war occurring in his absence, and the siblings join him to reach the Northern Water Tribe at the North Pole, so that he and Katara can learn Waterbending from a master. Aang's return attracts the attention of prince Zuko, the exiled son of Ozai, who pursues the three thereafter. Aang is also pursued by Zhao, a Fire Nation militant who intends to win Ozai's favor and rob Zuko of his redemption.
En route to the North Pole, Aang meets the Kyoshi Warriors (established by an eponymous previous Avatar) and his childhood friend, King Bumi, attempts to learn Firebending from the deserter Firebending master, Jeong Jeong, and gains a traveling companion in a winged lemur he names Momo. Aang discovers the genocide of his people while visiting the Southern Air Temple. During the winter solstice, Aang meets his predecessor, Avatar Roku, who was a firebender.
At the Northern Water Tribe, Aang and Katara learn advanced Waterbending from its Master, Pakku, while Sokka falls in love with Princess Yue, the tribal chief's daughter. Zhao lays siege to the Northern Water Tribe, seizing the mortal forms of the Ocean and Moon Spirits, the source of waterbending, and thus causing a lunar eclipse. Zhao kills the moon spirit to render the Waterbenders powerless. Aang uses his Avatar State and combines with the Ocean Spirit to drive off the enemy's fleet while Princess Yue sacrifices her life to revive the Moon Spirit. When Ozai hears of Iroh's resistance to Zhao, he sends his daughter, Azula, to capture Iroh and Zuko.
==== Book Two: Earth ====
After leaving the Northern Water Tribe, Aang continues to master Waterbending under Katara's tutelage as the group searches for an Earthbending teacher. Their search brings them to Toph Beifong, a twelve-year-old blind tomboy and Earthbending prodigy who wants independence from her upper-class family. Pursued by Azula, Zuko and Iroh lead new lives in the Earth Kingdom, first as wanderers and later as refugees in the capital of Ba Sing Se. At a library guarded by the spirit Wan Shi Tong, Aang and his group learn that an imminent solar eclipse could allow them to stop the Fire Nation before Sozin's Comet arrives. Their journey to Ba Sing Se to inform the Earth King of this is complicated when Appa is kidnapped. At the city, they find the Earth King Kuei and Ba Sing Se manipulated by Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Li secret police.
After Aang's group finds Appa and exposes Long Feng, Toph is captured, but escapes by "Metalbending", while Aang attempts to consciously access the Avatar state. The Dai Li join Azula to instigate a coup d'état of Ba Sing Se; and Zuko, having tried to ignore his past obsession, relapses when the Avatar appears to rescue Katara. As Aang tries to enter the Avatar state, Azula nearly kills him. With Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom now under Fire Nation rule, the group escapes thanks to Iroh, who is imprisoned for betraying the Fire Nation, and Kuei goes into hiding.
==== Book Three: Fire ====
Aang recovers from a long coma to find his friends and allies disguised as soldiers on a Fire Nation ship, preparing invasion of the Fire Nation. Despite receiving credit for the Avatar's apparent death, Zuko regrets his role therein. Although the invasion meets great success at first, Aang and his friends are unable to find Ozai and are forced to retreat with many of their allies captured. At the same time, having learned of his father's intention to destroy the Earth Kingdom at the time of Sozin's Comet, Zuko leaves the palace to teach Aang Firebending.
As the comet approaches, Aang becomes reluctant to kill Ozai, and goes alone to consult his predecessors' spirits. Katara and the others unsuccessfully search for Aang, and find the newly escaped Iroh, joined by the other members of a secret society called the Order of the White Lotus: Bumi, Master Pakku, Jeong-Jeong, and Master Piandao (a master swordsman who taught Sokka). Together, the Order of the White Lotus liberates Ba Sing Se. Sokka, Toph, and Kyoshi Warrior Suki hinder the Fire Nation's airships, while Zuko and Katara prevent Azula from becoming the new Fire Lord. As Sozin's Comet arrives, Aang confronts Ozai, but finds himself in a losing battle until Ozai mistakenly re-establishes Aang's connection to the Avatar State. Thus enabled, Aang strips Ozai of his firebending powers, instead of killing him.
Soon after, Zuko is crowned the new Fire Lord and initiates an armistice. The series ends in a meeting of all the protagonists at Ba Sing Se in Iroh's tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, where Aang and Katara hug and then kiss beneath the sunset. The camera then zooms up and into the sunset, displaying the words "The End" with their Chinese counterparts above them.

Tags: good versus evil, psychedelic, violence

Review:
Avatar has strength in all the major areas of film and story, starting at ground level with an exceptionally believable world setting where war is taking place among the different nations.
The main characters who find themselves caught in this struggle are three teens named Katara, Sokka, and Aang (the Avatar) who have set forth to bring harmony to the world through their influence and through the powers of the still developing Avatar.
Each episode usually introduces a new and genuinely interesting opposition and/or characters to be overcome by the end of the show, and visually there is plenty of awe inspiring backgrounds and quality animation.
Aside from sweeping and moving visuals, Avatar also offers fast paced and unbelievably well choreographed action scenes (once again, second to none) and well timed slapstick comedy.
I just rewatched the whole series top to bottom and currently have a nice endorphin buzz going because this astonishing series just gets better as you go, and the final episode just plants a big smile on your face.Perfect writing, direction, story, dialog, animation, characters.
The character development and writing can match even some of the best television writers out there, it may even be able to stand toe-to-toe with the works of Joss Whedon.I give the show an easy 10/10, especially if you watch all the shows in order..
Don't get me wrong, nick has some good animated shows, like Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom is one of my favorites.
I think that it is good that they have a program with this kind of look that isn't from an established Nickelodeon company (like frederator for fairly oddparents).Anyway, I think that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a good program, and is sure to be a hit as long as Nick doesn't screw it up.
I like the animation, and the characters are right on...great idea to have the fate of the nations resting in the hands of a 12 year old boy, who wants to be a kid, but at the same time realizes he has a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders.
It seems rare for Nickelodeon to turn out a good new show these days, and even more rare for me to like an anime style cartoon, which is why I'm baffled as to why I love this show so much.
Some of the story lines are predictable, but that doesn't turn me off of Avatar as it might some other things, which just adds more to my confusion as to why I love this show so much.
That, and when I watched the first Avatar episode, I noticed that it wasn't a 'true' anime.
Yet the fire nation has its own morals too, and we occasionally see things from their side, a technique that helps us gain better understanding for the fire nation, and even creates pathos for character's like Prince Zuko.
A series anime show with some laughs mixed in while the world literally is on the brink of destruction.So far, Nick has outdone themselves this time and if they can keep it up, Nick is going to have a brand new name for itself..
For a TV station like Nickelodeon, best known for its wacky shows like SpongeBob, Rocko's Modern Life and their sitcoms like Drake and Josh, to suddenly come out with this anime-inspired animated series with deep philosophical themes as well as tackling genocide and war, this was a massive step forward.Of course, this isn't the first form of media that has incorporated the power of the elements, but their method of how they do it here is remarkable.
Sure, you get the occasional filler episode, but every episode (leaving out The Great Divide) has a purpose and adds more layers to this intriguing story and the world it is set in.Again, for a children's show to incorporate seriously heavy topics and still have a silly sense of humour is just impressive.
Every new episode only adds to the legend of the Avatar, and if you haven't seen it, I suggest you see it soon, because you are missing something great.
I predict that "Avatar: The Last Airbender" will become the best cartoon in Nickelodeon history, if it isn't already.
The plot begins as a simple coming of age story, but quickly takes to tackling far more mature themes from the deeds of Aang's past life to struggling acceptance that not everyone can be saved, in thought provoking greying morality where right and wrong are nothing more than tidal forces.
Each season introduces a new element for Aang to master until finally he must retake the responsibilities of the Avatar and bring balance to the world.This show has so many layers that there is without doubt a character for everyone.
There are powerful, well defined story arcs, but within episodes, there are simple adventures that let each character grow and develop into almost real people.
I finished the episodes by the fistful, completing 3 complete seasons in 3 days.I never thought I would miss my friends so much because by the end of this series thats what the characters will be to you.
I would no longer get to see the wonderful lives of all characters I had grown to adore & take into confidence.Watching & experiencing this series has been one the most affirming moments of my life.I beg you not to go without experiencing the brilliant epic that is Avatar : The Last Airbender..
I've always seen this show as Nickelodeon's Harry Potter, an enthralling series with outstanding characters and an unbelievably remarkable plot line.
The world of Avatar draws heavily from various Asian cultures to create an environment for the story that, if not entirely original, is fully realized and feels like a real place with real history and culture.
The effects of elemental bending and spirit entities on the societies of Avatar are well thought-out and serve to distinguish Avatar from other Asian themed shows, giving it a unique feel (it is definitely not Anime).
Its basically about a child prodigy with unique air bending powers, who is the Avatar master of all 4 elements, who must save the world from the Fire Nation along with his friends.
I'll be turning 21 on the 12th of next month; 13 years ago around this time at the age of 7, I remember that Nickelodeon had some of the best of children's programming on cable television.
But "Avatar: The Last Airbender," what I presume is an attempt to add a little pseudo-Anime'-style animation to its lineup in order to catch stragglers from other cultures (and perhaps Nick-weary adults like myself), is a breath of fresh air for this once-tired soul.
While I don't think today's kids may completely understand the overall significance of some of this show's philosophy, subtext and terms (how many 5-year-olds know what an "avatar" is?), they may not have to be versed in Eastern Thought to get everything.
Two Water Tribe teenagers, a brother and sister named Sokka and Katara, respectively, make the discovery of a lifetime when they find that Aang, a 12-year-old Airbender who was frozen in a block of ice and also happens to be the last of his kind, is the new Avatar.
I think I've already watched it about 5 times through because the storyline and characters are ones you yearn to revisit like old friends.
The voice acting was excellent, each voice actor blending emotions into their respective character and making us truly feel for them when they get hurt, when they experience sadness or happiness and so forth, and make us really come to care for them in time.
With an incredible story, beautiful animation, amazing characters, great villains and awesome action sequences, it's simply flawless in every way possible.Season 1 starts off slowly but only because of the terrific character introductions and world building, introducing the lovable team of protagonists, Aang, Katara and Sokka, being chased by the angsty Prince Zuko, accompanied by his adorable and wise uncle.Season 2 is probably the best of the three, and introduces an awesome new character, Toph, and a perfect new villain, Azula.
The animation also improves and is packed with action, emotion and epicness.The Final Season is also magnificent and the characters are at their best at this point, and so is the animation quality.Overall this show is a must!
Korra & Avatar are both amazing, story driven shows, with some of the best characters out there.
I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that by the end of Avatar and the last season of Korra, both shows were getting into trouble.
It has lovable characters, real dangers, plot development, perfectly-timed comedy and a really well thought out storyline.This series is perfectly suited to adults and children alike.
Don't kid yourself there are serious issues dealt with but many children will miss those themes and will just appreciate the comedy.If you find yourself enjoying this series then I also recommend you watch The Legend of Korra too.
We waited patiently, watching Aang on a long adventure with his friends, Katara (voiced by Mae Whitman), Sokka (voiced by Jack De Sena), Appa (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) and Toph, until the huge, climactic finale which ended everything satisfyingly.So, as you can tell from my review, this is a brilliant series.
Avatar the Last Airbender was a strong show with good writing, acting, storytelling, art/animation, music, pretty much everything.
There definitely is a simple reason this show is as recognized and praised at it is: It's a masterpiece.Revolutionary to it's genre in every single way and filled with deep, complex and meaningful messages and themes that are carried through some of the most engaging, well-rounded and well developed characters I've seen in any animated series, A:TLA certainly stands out not only in the long list of Nickelodeon shows, but it also holds a special place in the history of animation itself.The setting is simply magical.
Avatar carries it in a FRESH way, unlike most "mindless action" shows out there (like most of it's elements) and with enhancing touches of Asia all over it.
Gorgeous and detailed background art and beautiful animation in a unique mix of eastern and western style bring said world to life, and surprisingly clever dialog seal the deal and turn this show into an epic adventure with a solid plot executed as close to perfection as this humble reviewer has ever seen..
I was looking for something good to watch and was expecting Avatar to be average at best, but I was so wrong.
Watching Avatar truly felt like a going on a journey, with these characters and this world.
Watch Avatar if you love fantasy, animation, East Asian culture, and epic Lord of the Rings-esque stories..
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best shows I've ever watched.
I ignored everyone's comments for YEARS, whenever they hear that I never watched a single episode of avatar in my life.
He said he would re-watch the whole avatar episodes with me just to get me started.
It tells the stories of Aang, the last of his race who must come to terms with his loneliness and realize his purpose in life and bring peace to the world, and Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation, who goes on an Odyssey to capture the Avatar and regain his honor.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of my favourite animated TV Shows.
Awesome Characters, a fantastic World and an great Storyline awaits you in Nicks best and standout Series..
I watched this series when I was 14 years old and I liked it a lot.
I thought watching the cartoon series was over but Nickelodeon always came unexpectedly and better
Avatar: the Last Airbender stands head and shoulders above any other children's programming, and mostly only contends against Batman: the Animated Series for top seat.
If you enjoy action, romance, comedy, adventure or all of the above, Avatar is a much watch.
When I first heard of this show, I was a bit skeptical as it was commonly referred to as a kids show, but after watching this I can confidently say that despite some shoddy writing (I suppose used to appeal better to a younger audience) this is the best show I have seen.Character development is superb and you get to feel each major character in the show and what their viewpoints are.
The animation is impressive, despite being only available in DVD quality, the art is well detailed and animation smoothness is superior to many Anime I have seen, this is truly on- par or better than Japanese shows I have seen which is surprising considering American animation is generally thought as not being that great.All this with a solid ending makes this a truly superb show and I highly recommend watching this if you are looking for a good TV show to watch or want to get into Anime as this is a good sort-of introduction into the art style..
Also the character of Ang its very charismatic and forward going, which makes a great leading and backbone to the story.I really liked apa too he is a very good friend and has those big eyes to see his good spirit and soul.the four nations are well explained and You get a understanding of the power of the elements in our life.
With a mix of beautiful writing, memorable characters, and very funny moments, this show makes me want to bow to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.Yes, it's that good.You need to watch the entire show.
Now that I have said that, I would like to thank Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko endlessly for the unparalleled thought, work, effort, love, and genuineness that you put into this masterpiece, and to everyone involved.I started watching this show when I was 8 years old in February of 2005 when Nickelodeon was hyping it up just as they do with all of their new shows.
I'm extremely grateful I had avatar growing up and watching new episodes live from the very beginning to the very end.
Though for some reason we don't get to see that a lot, especially on TV, but Avatar hosts a wide selection of dynamic and relatable characters as well as a creative, well thought through storyline.The premise sets us in a world filled with humans, amazing creatures, and spirits.
I also enjoy the amazingly accurate Japanese cultural referencing, like for example the martial arts moves used in the action sequences, if you look it up you would find that a lot of those moves actually exist.You can't go wrong with Avatar, it's a story of war mixed with heart and comedy supported by awesome characters and excellent animation.
Turns out the people I heard the word from weren't kidding: the saga of Aang, the last airbender and Avatar, who masters the four elements (air, earth, water, fire) and has to save the world by stopping the power-hungry fire lord, Ozai, is as epic as anything I've ever seen.
Everything he went through was just so full of suspense and tragedy you'll really enjoy watching his journey even though it's not always turning out good for him.Avatar: The Last Airbender is not just a cartoon, it's an expirience I'll recommend to anyone who likes engaging storytelling and creative world building..
I cant write every single thing that is FANTASTIC about this Animated series, you only have to watched it, it have many life lessons, and an art of history, this should been more popular than violence animated shows in this days, kids prefers absurd violence, and the sad thing is that the adults also like violence, but this show has violence, because sometimes is necessary, but not all the time, this show always try to make a peaceful treat, its sad that the today animated series only try to put violence and stupid jokes, and make kids dumb, showing them a fake view of what is life, this shows give you the true view of LIFE, and the best part is that you connect with his characters, and the kids can understand it, this makes this series even more special, no other show can explain a complicated topic to kids, but this show is the exception..
This is honestly one of the best shows ive ever seen it has a beautiful animation style that is a mix between western and Japanese animation, a wonderful cast of characters who all grow throughout thee series and a great story.
It is the only show I feel like connected emotionally and I think the best cartoon / anime series ever.
I would say "The Last Airbender" is one of the best animation series that I have ever seen and reviewed over and over.
As well as funny and complicated all in all I think Avatar is an amazing series and I highly recommend it.
But The Last Airbender, isn't just Nickelodeon's best show, it is a shining example of great storytelling, great nuanced characters, outstanding voice-acting and beautiful stylish animation.
Avatar: The Last Air Bender is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and not just animated shows, among all TV shows!
But when the world needed him most he vanished." The story begins with the emergence of Avatar Aang, a 8 year old Avatar whose hands holds the fate of the World.Anyhow a must watch TC series.
Best Animated Series of All Time.
When I was about to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, I wasn't sure it would be even good and just another Anime-wannabe.
For now, this series is again a Masterpiece, an art that will stand in time and heart of people, the pinnacle for storytelling in American Cartoon Story and the rise of a new amazing fictional world.
My Verdict: A masterpiece series with amazing story, characters, music and how simple it is.
The character development is superb, the animation is fantastic and the story is both sound and believable.