Avatar: The Last Airbender (Storytelling done right)

Honestly, everyone should just be amazed it took me this long to cave and make a post about this TV show. Avatar: The Last Airbender is by far one of my favorite, possibly my most favorite, television series. There are a lot of things that make this show incredible, but I believe that by far it's strongest quality is it's impeccable storytelling.

If you have never seen this show (which oh my god I know I always tell people to watch things in these posts, but I have never been more serious when I say you need to watch this show) I could waste my time trying to summarize the basic plot, but why do that when you can just watch the show's intro which will explain everything for you in 45 seconds.

So now that everyone has a least some idea of what I'm about to discuss we shall forge on! 

This show is incredibly complex and nuanced for a children's show. It explores themes that most children's programing wouldn't dare touch including but not limited to: sexism, racism, genocide, war, death, murder, religion, environmental awareness, family disfunction,  domestic abuse, disability and many other "adult" themes. 

It is because of the extreme care the shows creators took with the storytelling that they were able to address these themes in a show that is targeted for such a young audience.

Firstly the show's characters are in no way one demential. Most children's shows, and let's face it, many adult shows, have archetypical characters with cliched problems who never develop throughout the show's run. The characters in Avatar, have complex problems and personalities that do not feel contrived or cliched. They grow and evolve through each episode and learn from past failures and events.

Even the shows villains are fleshed out. We understand and learn as much about the villains of the story as we do the heroes. We sometimes find ourselves sympathizing with the villains even more than the heroes. This is something particularly unusual for a children's show, as usually characters are defined as either good or evil, and good always triumphs over evil. In this show the heroes frequently are defeated by villains. It is in these defeats that we are most able to feel for our heroes and connect with their struggle. 

As in most television shows there are some episodes that can be considered "filler", or an episode in which not much is done to advance the plot but instead to simply fill up time because they creators of said show signed a contract with the TV station to make a certain number of episodes. However, unlike most shows the "filler" episodes in Avatar never feel like a waste of time. While not much is being done to advance the plot, these episodes serve to explore and deepen our understanding of the characters and their struggles.

Another unfortunate reality of many TV shows is that they go on for too long. There are too many seasons of the show, because it is popular and making the station money, and they story eventually gets lost as it continues to droll on and on and the writers must continually come up with new problems for the characters to face. This is a problem that Avatar does not have. When the creators of the show pitched their idea to Nickelodeon they already had the entire story planned beginning, middle, and end. Even when they were offered more seasons, the creators refused because they did not want to jeopardize the telling of the story. In result, the story is exactly as long as it needs to be. It does not drag to a point where you lose interest in the characters. I have massive respect for the writers for turning down a potential to make more money in favor of telling the best story possible. It really paid off.

In conclusion, Avatar: The Last Airbender is really a masterpiece of storytelling and everyone should take the time to watch the show at least once. Don't let the fact that it is a children's show stop you, because as I mentioned earlier it deals with adult themes and in no way talks down to it's audience. It is something that people of all ages can enjoy.

I would like to end by linking to a really interesting documentary about the making of Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you are a fan of the show you will definitely find it interesting!

Why Anime Shows Can't be Live Action Films (at least in the U.S)

Reading an earlier blog post about books turning into movies inspired me to write about anime shows turning into live action films, and why they just don't work.  

I mean, c'mon. When was the last time you went to the movies to see a live action film based off of an anime show and it was actually really good? Probably never. And this idea of turning anime into live action films will never, never work because the film industry in the U.S just completely fails when doing so. 

Fail Number One: Avatar: The Last Airbender & The Last Airbender (2010)

That character interpretation tho

Avatar: The Last Airbender was no doubt one of the best shows Nickelodeon came out with. However, the movie adaptation, The Last Airbender (directed by M. Knight), was completely horrible. I mean, the film won Worst Picture in 2010, and was universally attacked by critiques about the plots being inconsistent with the show, and let's not even begin on the acting or the pronunciation of character names. (Is it Eroh or Iroh?) The film's budget was $150,000,000 but only grossed in $131,564,731 in the U.S. Surpringly though, it ranked second in the box office behind The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. (Ironic?)
The anime show is Asian-influenced especially when it comes to the characters and cultures (meditation relating to Buddhism, etc.) HOWEVER, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon were critiqued for casting Caucasians in the film, and even being racist by having Prince Zuko played by Dev Patal, the only 'colored' actor in the film. The Asian community was so upset by this action that the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans urged for a boycott of the film. Even though anime characters are all up for interpretation, the industry could at least try to make it close enough to how the anime character looks. I mean, the artists literally drew them out for you.
Besides the terrible casting, the visual effects were sad to see and the dialogue was just painful to listen to. The film is narrated by Katara, but every character is so repetitive with their lines and even explain themselves so much, that there really isn't a need for the poorly written narration. The film was HEAVILY scripted as well, with way too much talk and not enough visual effects. It seems like the director told the kids to just wave their arms around and it's 'bending'. Bending is an actual form, but thank you very much for taking the time to consider that. (Sarcasm for those of you who don't understand it). The movie Avatar came out around the same time, so obviously special effects could have been pulled off in the film. The bending looked so computer generated (I'll give them credit though, it's tough to make fire look natural but controlled at the same time). But there's a scene where you can see Aang petting Momo the Lemur, but his hand is hovering over at least a couple inches above. The movie received 6% on the Tomatometer and 4.4 stars out of 10 on Internet Movie Database. If there's one thing the movie did do great, it was that it lived up to the title. It definitely is the last live action avatar movie we'll see.

Fail Number Two: Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Evolution (2009)

Do I even need to really explain why this movie failed? The movie is "supposedly" based off the first series of Dragon Ball (Dragon Ball Z & GT have the same characters but are just about different periods of times in their lives, for those of you who don't know your Dragon Ball facts). The plot in the anime is that a monkey tailed boy named Goku befriends a girl named Bulma, who goes on an adventure with him to find the seven Dragon Balls which will summon the dragon Shenlong who will then grant the user one wish. I don't even know the plot for Dragon Ball Evolution; it's just somewhere along Goku's life. For starters, the film did a terrible job explaining the plot elements. Everything just sort of happens in the film without an explanation, and a lot of the original content from the anime was completely ignored. For example, Picollo (the bad guy) gets released from his seal and Goku gets appointed as the savior of the world. But there's no answers to the how's and why's, especially when all the characters just pop up out of nowhere to Goku's assistance. 

Eh, close enough

And the special effects are sooooo cheesy, and lack the visual elements that the anime provided. For those of you who are die-hard Dragon Ball fans, you know you were super excited to see Goku transform into "Oozaru", his monkey form. But wait for it...Surprise! It's nothing more than 30 seconds of really bad special effects and disappointment. The dialogue is also over dramatic and yet so uninspiring. And once again, people complained about the cast; we see that a Caucasian (Justin Chatwin) plays the role for an Asian influenced character. It's no surprise that the film received 2.8 stars out of 10 on Internet Movie Database, and 14% on the Tomatometer. The film is definitely entertaining if you're an 11 year old boy.

Fail Number Three: Speed Racer & Speed Racer (2008)

So far, it seems like movies based on anime shows fail to use special effects to their advantage. However, Speed Racer just used TOO much special effects, and not surprisingly, didn't develop a coherent story line. But that's according to the finest critiques. Everyone else actually loves Speed Racer.  The "too much special effects" isn't a bothersome to audiences but instead, enjoyable. People love getting sucked into a new world full of colors that remind them of a classic arcade game. And although there's been complaints about the actor's acting in the film, others have argued that it's supposed to add to the cartoon-ish feel of the film. I mean, the film does have it's cheesy moments, but it is suppose to appeal to a younger audience as well. But besides the film being visually accepted and enjoyable and cheesy acting, the story line is still neglected form the original anime. You can have a film be full of colors and cheesyness (which is exactly the point of the film), but can't neglect the narrative coherence of the film. The film has been listed as one of the most underrated films, and an unsung masterpiece for it's time. Speed Racer is literally a film that is so bad, that it's so good; an argumentative film that only you can either love or hate. However, the film didn't even surpass it's budget of $120,000,000. Instead, it only grossed in about $44,000,000. But based on the two previous films listed above, Speed Racer did much better in ratings with 6.2 stars out of 10 on Internet Movie Database, as well as 39% on the Tomatometer. Then again, it could have gotten better ratings than the other two since the The Wachowski Brothers took advantage of writing a movie based off an unknown Japanese manga/anime series. 

4 Problems With The Legend of Korra

Long ago, cartoons had fallen into a humdrum of cliches and two-dimensional plots. Then, everything changed when Avatar: the Last Airbender premiered. Master of ingenuity and creative-exploit, it was the only thing that rose above them. But when the world needed it most, it finished. A few years passed and the viewers and I got a new cartoon, The Legend of Korra. And although it had a powerful legacy behind it, it still had a lot to go before it would be anywhere near its prequel. 

I'd be lying if I said I didn't know the original monologue by heart. It was and is one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Avatar, the original series, was something I grew up with. I flew on the back of Appa with Aang, learned to control the waters with Katara, laughed at Sokka's one-liners, rolled around in the mud with Toph, and trained side-bye-side with Suki. These were kids that became my friends and my heroes. 

So it's hard to look at the newest series with fresh eyes. After coming to know so much, it puts a pit in my stomach to realize my friends were not immortal. They were human just as much as we are. And as they grew old, they died. 

I have to say, the first time I saw The Legend of Korra, I had to sit there for a few minutes afterwards and let it sink in. This was not the show I had come to love. But it wasn't bad. It just was so different, so realistically heart-breaking, that I couldn't bring myself to continue.

It takes a lot to follow up such an iconic series as the original Avatar, and unfortunately I feel like The Legend of Korra is too undeveloped for me to really get into. Of course, I loved the direction they took with both the characters, the plot, and the setting: but it still wasn't what I had hoped it would be. Here are my fundamental problems with it:

1. Tried Too Hard

The original series was a cartoon, I get that. It was geared toward children but it also garnered a fairly large, very dedicated, older demographic. And it recognized that. What once was an awkward array of comic-relief turned into smooth-flowing humor. Every joke, especially in the later seasons, was well-timed and well-written. They learned to balance out silly and funny. It could be a very serious show, but it knew when to do that.

Not once, did I feel like the plot was too sudden or that anyone was acting out of character. The Legend of Korra was a different problem.

The animation was more "grown up." With deeper shadows, older characters, and more hard lines. The Legend of Korra took a more serious edge. Like it too had grown up.  On one hand, I had come to appreciate that. It seemed to fit. After all, its audience had grown up. But it felt like it was too much. Like one day we had that charismatic, affectionate ten-year old boy and the next we were bowled over with this fiery and passionate seventeen-year old girl who was trying to hard to buy our affections. To prove herself.

It was jarring.

The comedy was misplaced and so was the drama. Serious scenes were interrupted by a quick punch of comedy, that left little to laugh at and more to be displeased by. It was too sudden. First they were fighting, then they were crying, they there was sudden comic-relief, then it was back to more fighting. It was choppy. Sure, it was amusing individually, but it never got to that well-timed flow the original series had mastered.

2. Romance Is Lazy Writing

Don't get me wrong. The Legend of Korra is a fine show on its own. But it has too much behind it to forget its roots. I wanted to come in and learn about these characters. I wanted to struggle with them. I wanted to share their secrets. I wanted to laugh with them and cheer with them. But what could've been great, was trampled in the underfoot of a romantic subplot that wasn't so sub.

I loved to see that diversity was still kept and more importantly that it was kept in its female lead character, but it was like they couldn't think of any other plot than the ultimate cliche: love, and anything related. We even got a predictable squabble between brothers and their lust for the new kick-ass girl. But, of course, she's a teenage girl with teenage problems. Yet why could Katara get a full-grown plot for herself, character development for herself, and Korra only gets "love triangle?"

Yes, Aang had a love subplot but it was just that. A subplot. It was realistic. They grew it out. It was paced throughout three seasons. It never minimized the characters or devalued them. With Korra, it did. It brought them down a peg. It made them unlikeable. It caused unnecessary drama and it became more of the plot than anything else. They were fighting a revolutionary war between benders and non-benders. People were hurt. People were killed. But who gets to date who becomes the bigger problem.

There was so much potential in those characters. They could've made up the next "team Avatar" but it turned quickly into "team I call dibs on so and so." It split them up and it kept them apart. Like the writers couldn't come up with any other plot between teenage characters besides who is attracted to who. 

3. Where Was The Character Development

We get strong, crafty, witty characters like Asami, Tenzin, Bolin, Mako, even Korra, but I feel like I know nothing about any of them (besides who they've kissed). Asami's plot is so relatable (a bad father with the right intentions, or a good father turned bad) yet we never see it resolve in any satisfying way. We don't learn about their connection, their family, their life before the anti-bending order came about. At least, not in a way that we could call substantial. We don't learn what she feels about the whole issue besides a few quick lines and a few hasty tears.

Then there's Bolin and Mako. This was a perfect opportunity to connect back to that familial bond that we saw before in characters such as Katara and Sokka, yet all we get is their battle to win over Korra. When I was originally introduced to them, I was so psyched to learn more. Who were their parents? What happened to them? How did they deal with that? Was it hard for Mako to raise Bolin? Why did they choose pro-wrestling? There were so many questions left unsaid.

Yet, what we get is information that is not necessarily wanted. Avatar: The Last Airbender never over shared. When we needed to know something about someone, we learned it like we would from an actual friend at the right time. We would see their history when they wanted us to. It was never pushed in our faces.

Even Korra is left drastically undeveloped. We never learn more than she's brash, she wants to fight, and she wants to date the boys. What about her parents? How was leaving them? How as learning she was the Avatar? How was training besides "boring?" What are her favorite activities besides fighting? Where'd she meet Naga? Why doesn't the pressure of being the Avatar overcome the pressure of who to date? Why can I count more episodes with one hand that did pass any semblance of a Bechdel test, than those that didn't?

I wanted to know so much, yet was given little.

4. There Was A Plot

I don't know about you, but I could've sworn there was some issue about a little civil war. Maybe I was just seeing things. But in a story, reminiscent of X-Men, The Legend of Korra took on a very relatable issue between people with power and people with none. 

It takes a very serious problem and vastly understates the implications. In my viewing, I felt bad for the Equalist (the non-benders) who only wanted to be treated like someone who could bend. But in a weird and awkward twist, they became more ominous and rub-your-hands evil. The show drew lines that were too black and white to make it believable. Like the benders were always on the side of righteous good and justice.

Yet, the cries of oppression are quickly drowned out in favor of boosting the reputation of the protagonist. 

Even with such matters as a large-scale revolution, we still get to see an entirely new complication through the pro-bender games. As if those are supposed to make us feel more sympathy or empathy for Korra and the crew. If anything, it diverts from the more important plot, it propels an unnecessary interest in love, and it begs the question of who is actually being maltreated when such "brutality" is cheered and idolized. 

There's so much potential in The Legend of Korra but, before it's ready to go anywhere, it needs to take a step back and find its own identity. It doesn't have to live up to Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it doesn't need to try so hard to escape where it came from. If it could only remember the story, the plot, the development, the connection that it originally had, then it would be something. Something great.