Avatar through 2.14

[rachelmanija]

SQUEE! I love the beautifully detailed and coherent worldbuilding! I love the creatures! I love the realism-- supply lines, friendly fire, idealistic freedom fighters who don't care about civilian casualties, different currencies, and economies. I love that likable characters can still have scary temper tantrums and fits of depression. I love that there is strategy! I love the martial arts! I love the eunuchs behind the throne! I love the genuinely snappy dialogue! I love the exquisitely gorgeous animation! I love that there is BRAINWASHING!!! AWESOME!!!

I really disliked several unfunny fluff episodes early on, so I was relieved that once the ongoing narrative kicked in, it became compelling once again, and dispensed with the stupid hippies and swamp rednecks.

Though, I hate the romantic scenes. They clunk horribly. Also, everyone is twelve and it's creepy. Though Yoon and I fell into a fit of hysterics at imagining Zuko trying to court a girl, so that could be amusing if it ever happens.

yhlee has more coherent notes. Spoil us in any way, and die via pinpoint chi-strikes.



Oh, and I love Zuko and his emo. (He has emo with an emu!) I loved him standing on the mountaintop while the lightning basically mocked his pain.

I love uncle Iroh.

I love the all-girl hit squad.

I love Toph.

And I still love Aang (especially now that we've seen his unpleasant side) and Katara and Sokka. Probably especially Sokka.

I love the training scenes.

And since I despise and detest Mr. Slick-Talking, Cooler-Than-You, Straw-Chewing, Band-of-Merry-Rebels Jet, I was alarmed to see him fall in with Zuko, but relieved to see them end up on opposite sides, delighted to see Zuko cut off his twig, and delighted to see him GET BRANWASHED a la Clockwork Orange.

Comments

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Aang and Toph are the only ones who are 12, though, at least at the series start -- Kat and Azula are both 14, Sokka is 15, Yue was 16 (and that was marriage-age in her tribe) and Zuko 16 -- but something close to a year has passed in show continuity so that can all be tweaked up. (Three years haven't passed in the show -- but there is an episode where Iroh mentions that three years have passed since the then-14-year-old Zuko was scarred and banished, which might be where folks get that idea.)

As for Jet, I like him because I find the character interesting, not because he's likeable, if that makes any sense -- to my eyes they're setting him up to *look* like the cool bad-boy-rebel sort, but then they undermine the facade of coolness by showing how manipulative and ultimately nihilistic he is. He's a rebel without a cause, and I like how he serves in the story to disillusion Kat and the others about falling for slick flattery and a cool image.

A couple of fic recs -- may_flyer's Progression is a dark, unflinching look at the development of the nihilistic lashing-out-at-everything Jet, and ladylisse's Long Long Time Ago is a near-future AU where Aang has failed, and the new Avatar has been born into the Foggy Swamp Water Tribe -- gorgeous writing and characterization, and it makes the swampbillies into a beautiful, complex culture instead of the one-note joke seen in the show.