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1. redcon what they did with the past avatars (Roku,kioshi, and the water one. There is a way to be stern and knowledgeable without coming across as loud and mean. And Roku being a comedic joke pissed me off. I need a dumbledore, yoda, geldof, optimus prime feel from them. I need them to feel greater than life yet flawed and down to earth good source of wisdom yet not always right. Don’t get me wrong the fight scene for kioshi was epic. They should keep that power but her personality was a big miss for me along with the other past avatars.
2. know when to stop talking. My god did they kill some scenes by adding extra info and explanation for things. Sometimes it’s better to have a scene over some music and just let the viewer sink into it. Many times I watched this enjoying the moment then I get pulled out of the scene by characters explaining what I’m seeing. It felt like they did not trust me as a viewer
3. More character building scenes. The best part of the show was zuko and Iroh and I feel like it’s because they had the most character building scenes. The avatar gang though the actors did there best seemed like they where just telling me through dialog who they are and how am supposed to feel about them. It would have been nicer experience who they where through action and interactions other than dialogue dumps
4. The characters know too much. It’s no fun when the characters know what’s going to happen before the viewer all the time. Ex- attack on northern water tribe, the killing of the moon spirit or the whole story change of yuway.
Those were my main ones that took this show from amazing to mid for me I do hope they read the reviews and make a better season 2
I'm probably the only person who doesn't like Zuko's regiment being the one he stuck his neck out for. Admittedly, it's because I feel it takes a geopolitical conflict and turn it into something more personal, which makes the world feel smaller in a bad way. Plus, assuming Zuko still turns traitor, I'm assuming those characters will suffer in his stead or have them betray Zuko. I had this problem with the Netflix Defenders universe as well. A ton of people who the heroes save usually end up becoming involved in the plot and either die or become villains… which made the heroes' actions seem both more self-centered and pointless, imo. But I'm aware I'm probably the only one who thought this way. Another change people are praising I didn't like was Aang getting possessed by Kyoshi instead of getting the sea serpent to help. Because first of all, Roku is getting overshadowed by Kyoshi, which takes away a lot of Aang's understanding of the fire nation. But also, the Avatar getting help from creatures of the natural world is a HUGE part of the original series.
man, I kind of dislike how Zuko is obviously a good guy in the netflix show. in the first season of the original series we saw his good qualities as well and Zhao was on obvious big bad of the season, but Zuko felt way more antagonistic. I feel like they already fumbled his eventual turn
Yeah, this seems about accurate. They fully messed up Bumi… except kid Bumi, he was adorable. And I didn’t hate the actor or costumes or makeup for old Bumi. They just altered his character too much. The main group are head and shoulders above the film, but just not outstanding otherwise. They look right, and Sokka genuinely made me laugh sometimes (“Is that a frog or a… frog-thing?”) but the acting was average kid level, not top tier kid level (no Sixth Sense prodigies here).
But I enjoyed it. Really. It’s a visual treat… (I guess I don’t know how to spot overuse of certain effects or I was just expecting it to not look hyper-realistic…) especially the bending. I would watch it just for that. But they also gave the Fire Nation so much more depth than “We’re just a bunch of big fire-wielding bullies who think we should be in charge.”
Even Ozai was complex… sometimes seeming like he was trying to be a good father in the sense that he perceived what a good father should be, only to reveal his toxicity when his cruelty and ruthlessness proved to be baked into his parenting style. As an angry man once said, “I’m gonna make a man out of you, if I have to break you in half trying.” His belief that his actions are right inform us both of the parent he is and the leader he is. And they conveyed that well.
And Zhao hooked me from his first scene, heck, from the first shot of him in that scene. That man owns whatever he walks into. He is also a reason to watch. Azula was excellent. She had the measure of her character and I look forward to more of her.
My family is pissed that this was even made, though. I assure them they’d hate it. But I’m down for another season. I get, really… I still chafe at changes made to The Lord of the Rings. We all have a cherished franchise we don’t want to see altered. But I found it very interesting. It’s not really trying to be the same story. Just a similar one.
This is one in between the One Piece and Cowboy Bebop adaptation because while I think they fumbled a lot with the stuff it carried over directly I actually really liked a lot of the ideas of what they changed
No matter how good the child actors are, you can't expect them to beat expressiveness of animation and a proffesional voice actor (who doesn't have to be a martial artist to play the role). Also cartoon had a very vivid and creative world, so you need tons of CGI to make that work. Before watching that, i thought it's very hard to make something that is on par with animation, but now i think it kind of can't work in live action. There will be too many scenes you can't pull off with child actors (who were pretty good, here , admitedly), too many locations you need to cut corners on. Like it's unviable as a project with limited budget.
Iroh didn't feel spiritual enough. You always had a feeling everything was going to be ok with animated Iroh. In this show he is way too serious at times and seems uncertain about a lot of things. He's missing his zen-like wisdom.
the worst part of the series was definitely the bending, not even the visual effects, the way the benders bend. each bending technique is based off of a specific martial art but all of the fighting and bending just looks so whatever? really takes off the worldbuilding…
Unfortunately have to disagree with this take. Trying to "add" complexity where it wasn't needed is clunky and will undermine Zuko and Iroh's character growth going into the second season. What the original show nailed was subtlety. We don't NEED to see the air nation genocide, we don't NEED to see the agni kai between Ozai and Zuko, because those things can be expanded and explored after the fact, as the original show did with extreme care. Also don't get me started on Zuko fighting back against Ozai in the agni kai and Ozai crying as he burns his son? Actually an insanely misguided choice, villains don't always need nuance. Ozai doesn't need to be presented this way. Neither does Azula. Her showing vulnerability so blatantly THIS early on in the show completely undercuts what would presumably be her mental break in the final season.
Definitely a mid show. If I were to give it a letter grade a C – would be fair, not terrible (like some other live-action adaptations) but not solidly good. Agreed on the Zuko point, a lot of ppl online are saying that he's too "zesty" but I think it works for live-action funnily enough…
I really hated the Omashu episode, they combined 4 episodes, but the message of none of them came through. I would rather they cut three and made justice to one than this Frankenstein
I hate the reductive argument that fans of the original need to "stop hating," as if having any sense of story or character makes you a nerd. "It'd be boring if they did everything the same." Obviously, changes that benefit the characters are encouraged, but all of them seem to water things down for Netflix audiences. "Stop comparing" is also silly because without the intrigue of this being an adaptation of a classic, all that's left is a generic fantasy. Similarly, most people can tell that Michael Bay's Transformers aren't structurally very good, but when they first came out, fans were called nerds for not liking the changes. It's crazy that people's opinions get dismissed just because they're fans of something while apathetic audiences now control an oversaturated market full of watered down film and TV. THEY may not care about storytelling, but why show such a bad attitude towards those who wanna discuss it constructively? There's nothing wrong with critiquing an artform. You don't need even need to be a fan to notice these storytelling issues. You just need half a brain.
As a blind person, I find myself scared for the creators of this show because at some point or another they're going to have to cast someone as Toph, and while blind actors/actresses aren't much of a thing, you know the creators are about to face the full wrath of Twitter for not casting one. God help their souls.
What did you think of the season?
Compare news coverage from diverse sources around the world on a transparent platform driven by data. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription: https://ground.news/captainmidnight
1. redcon what they did with the past avatars (Roku,kioshi, and the water one. There is a way to be stern and knowledgeable without coming across as loud and mean. And Roku being a comedic joke pissed me off. I need a dumbledore, yoda, geldof, optimus prime feel from them. I need them to feel greater than life yet flawed and down to earth good source of wisdom yet not always right. Don’t get me wrong the fight scene for kioshi was epic. They should keep that power but her personality was a big miss for me along with the other past avatars.
2. know when to stop talking. My god did they kill some scenes by adding extra info and explanation for things. Sometimes it’s better to have a scene over some music and just let the viewer sink into it. Many times I watched this enjoying the moment then I get pulled out of the scene by characters explaining what I’m seeing. It felt like they did not trust me as a viewer
3. More character building scenes. The best part of the show was zuko and Iroh and I feel like it’s because they had the most character building scenes. The avatar gang though the actors did there best seemed like they where just telling me through dialog who they are and how am supposed to feel about them. It would have been nicer experience who they where through action and interactions other than dialogue dumps
4. The characters know too much. It’s no fun when the characters know what’s going to happen before the viewer all the time. Ex- attack on northern water tribe, the killing of the moon spirit or the whole story change of yuway.
Those were my main ones that took this show from amazing to mid for me I do hope they read the reviews and make a better season 2
I'm probably the only person who doesn't like Zuko's regiment being the one he stuck his neck out for. Admittedly, it's because I feel it takes a geopolitical conflict and turn it into something more personal, which makes the world feel smaller in a bad way.
Plus, assuming Zuko still turns traitor, I'm assuming those characters will suffer in his stead or have them betray Zuko.
I had this problem with the Netflix Defenders universe as well. A ton of people who the heroes save usually end up becoming involved in the plot and either die or become villains… which made the heroes' actions seem both more self-centered and pointless, imo.
But I'm aware I'm probably the only one who thought this way. Another change people are praising I didn't like was Aang getting possessed by Kyoshi instead of getting the sea serpent to help.
Because first of all, Roku is getting overshadowed by Kyoshi, which takes away a lot of Aang's understanding of the fire nation.
But also, the Avatar getting help from creatures of the natural world is a HUGE part of the original series.
man, I kind of dislike how Zuko is obviously a good guy in the netflix show. in the first season of the original series we saw his good qualities as well and Zhao was on obvious big bad of the season, but Zuko felt way more antagonistic. I feel like they already fumbled his eventual turn
I really hope we can see how Johnny gat went from the third street saints to the fire nation
Yeah, this seems about accurate. They fully messed up Bumi… except kid Bumi, he was adorable. And I didn’t hate the actor or costumes or makeup for old Bumi. They just altered his character too much. The main group are head and shoulders above the film, but just not outstanding otherwise. They look right, and Sokka genuinely made me laugh sometimes (“Is that a frog or a… frog-thing?”) but the acting was average kid level, not top tier kid level (no Sixth Sense prodigies here).
But I enjoyed it. Really. It’s a visual treat… (I guess I don’t know how to spot overuse of certain effects or I was just expecting it to not look hyper-realistic…) especially the bending. I would watch it just for that. But they also gave the Fire Nation so much more depth than “We’re just a bunch of big fire-wielding bullies who think we should be in charge.”
Even Ozai was complex… sometimes seeming like he was trying to be a good father in the sense that he perceived what a good father should be, only to reveal his toxicity when his cruelty and ruthlessness proved to be baked into his parenting style. As an angry man once said, “I’m gonna make a man out of you, if I have to break you in half trying.” His belief that his actions are right inform us both of the parent he is and the leader he is. And they conveyed that well.
And Zhao hooked me from his first scene, heck, from the first shot of him in that scene. That man owns whatever he walks into. He is also a reason to watch. Azula was excellent. She had the measure of her character and I look forward to more of her.
My family is pissed that this was even made, though. I assure them they’d hate it. But I’m down for another season. I get, really… I still chafe at changes made to The Lord of the Rings. We all have a cherished franchise we don’t want to see altered. But I found it very interesting. It’s not really trying to be the same story. Just a similar one.
never have i read a video title and blurted out loud i agree. until 5 seconds ago
Iroh should channel more of his Kim's Convenience inner strength
This is one in between the One Piece and Cowboy Bebop adaptation because while I think they fumbled a lot with the stuff it carried over directly I actually really liked a lot of the ideas of what they changed
0:48 Some "elements" eh?
No matter how good the child actors are, you can't expect them to beat expressiveness of animation and a proffesional voice actor (who doesn't have to be a martial artist to play the role). Also cartoon had a very vivid and creative world, so you need tons of CGI to make that work. Before watching that, i thought it's very hard to make something that is on par with animation, but now i think it kind of can't work in live action. There will be too many scenes you can't pull off with child actors (who were pretty good, here , admitedly), too many locations you need to cut corners on. Like it's unviable as a project with limited budget.
I honestly loved the adaptation.
It's a really corporate cliff notes version of Avatar.
Iroh didn't feel spiritual enough. You always had a feeling everything was going to be ok with animated Iroh. In this show he is way too serious at times and seems uncertain about a lot of things. He's missing his zen-like wisdom.
the worst part of the series was definitely the bending, not even the visual effects, the way the benders bend. each bending technique is based off of a specific martial art but all of the fighting and bending just looks so whatever? really takes off the worldbuilding…
Zhao was hilarious. His arrogance and hubris was so funny. He did steal every scene he was in. He also had great comedic timing.
Unfortunately have to disagree with this take. Trying to "add" complexity where it wasn't needed is clunky and will undermine Zuko and Iroh's character growth going into the second season. What the original show nailed was subtlety. We don't NEED to see the air nation genocide, we don't NEED to see the agni kai between Ozai and Zuko, because those things can be expanded and explored after the fact, as the original show did with extreme care. Also don't get me started on Zuko fighting back against Ozai in the agni kai and Ozai crying as he burns his son? Actually an insanely misguided choice, villains don't always need nuance. Ozai doesn't need to be presented this way. Neither does Azula. Her showing vulnerability so blatantly THIS early on in the show completely undercuts what would presumably be her mental break in the final season.
9:22
His name is Zhao (J-haOW). Middle aged. Big side-burns. Bigger temper.
Naaa iroh and zuko were good
Definitely a mid show. If I were to give it a letter grade a C – would be fair, not terrible (like some other live-action adaptations) but not solidly good. Agreed on the Zuko point, a lot of ppl online are saying that he's too "zesty" but I think it works for live-action funnily enough…
I really hated the Omashu episode, they combined 4 episodes, but the message of none of them came through. I would rather they cut three and made justice to one than this Frankenstein
Uh, no. They didn’t even do that right.
I hate the reductive argument that fans of the original need to "stop hating," as if having any sense of story or character makes you a nerd. "It'd be boring if they did everything the same." Obviously, changes that benefit the characters are encouraged, but all of them seem to water things down for Netflix audiences. "Stop comparing" is also silly because without the intrigue of this being an adaptation of a classic, all that's left is a generic fantasy. Similarly, most people can tell that Michael Bay's Transformers aren't structurally very good, but when they first came out, fans were called nerds for not liking the changes. It's crazy that people's opinions get dismissed just because they're fans of something while apathetic audiences now control an oversaturated market full of watered down film and TV. THEY may not care about storytelling, but why show such a bad attitude towards those who wanna discuss it constructively? There's nothing wrong with critiquing an artform. You don't need even need to be a fan to notice these storytelling issues. You just need half a brain.
As a blind person, I find myself scared for the creators of this show because at some point or another they're going to have to cast someone as Toph, and while blind actors/actresses aren't much of a thing, you know the creators are about to face the full wrath of Twitter for not casting one. God help their souls.
i dont want to hate on young actors but aangs actor was ass