I Hated Netflix's Live Action Avatar, but I Tried to Give it Another Chance
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- My review on Netflix's new Avatar the Last Airbender adaptation. To put it plainly, I did not enjoy it, but I was surprised to see so many different takes and reactions to this new series! So I had to rewatch this series and at least attempt to analyze it with a new point of view. Even though I am a media cynic, I just could not say no to watching a live action version of one of my favorite shows of all time.
Are you excited for season 2 and season 3? Are there any people out there who watched this live action series and never watched the original cartoon? If so, you GOTTA let me know in the comments below what you thought of this series.
Timestamps
0:00 - 1st Intro
2:06 - 2nd Intro
6:04 - Things I Liked
8:26 - Nitpicks
14:20 - I Think I'm Going to Talk About Bending
16:33 - Sike, I Talk About Something Else
18:25 - Perceptions of the Show (and Bending)
31:17 - Final Thoughts
Videos Used:
Sifu Kisu Demo: • Sifu Kisu Demo - Toph'...
Katara vs. Pakku OG vs Live Action Comparison: • Avatar: The Last Airbe...
Songs Used:
2010 Toyota Corolla: • 2010 Toyota Corolla
Bee: • bee.
#avatarthelastairbender
That perfect removal of the war paint with two swipes of a water dipped rag took me so far out of the scene I was in outer space
When I saw that I said, "What is this, Mulan?".
Aside from the dialogue and pacing being absolute poo, it really grinds my gears when people say we can’t compare it to the original. Baby, if we weren’t supposed to compare the two… why in the world would they remake it? Delve into the avatar world but tell another story. 100% I bet fans would’ve been more positive if they told Kiyoshi’s story or any other past avatar.
I totally agree. It only exists because of the source material, so naturally we’re gonna compare. I also agree in that they should’ve just made some sort of Kiyoshi spin off considering the show seems to favor her a lot
17:29 people bullying Sifu Kisu like he’s not a literal grandmaster is all I need to know about NATLA defenders 😂😂😂
My biggest issue with "the writing needs to get better" is that they screwed up so many major story beats, two more seasons can only build on the house of cards foundation that already exists now.
I'm a little excited to see how "creative" they'll get to wriggle out of their own mess in kind of a fun hatewatch way; I have little faith that it will actually turn out good.
BUT... for the love of God, I really wish they at least improve on the dialogue so I don't have to cringe 80% of each episode.
The show is inoffensive to the “average TV audiences”. Some of them are the same people who enjoy brainless entertainment and put white noise in background while eating. They don’t want to analyze the characters and the story in a meaningful way.
The negatives aspects like expositional dialogs, plot inconsistencies and bland characters aren’t as obvious and take more time to analyze and process.
The show also bait the fans with callbacks and member-berries, and some of them are foolish to fall for it (especially the Iroh’s funeral).
The show is visually appealing. Some fans just wanna have fun and watch superficially and flashy magic. So yes people who do enjoy the Netflix show are somewhat…simple-minded.
I get there are fans like that! Just kind of weird to me since like you said- it’s kind of a flashy show at times, so idk why of all things you’d want to miss out on that by having this show on just in the background. I totally understand just leaving on shallow drama shows or crime shows in the background to listen to, but the fantasy / adventure genre just isn’t what usually comes to mind when I think of mindless entertainment.
Call me a cynic, I don't see this show getting any better.
Eh fair. Can’t blame people for thinking that way when this 1st season was a pretty rough start
Call me a realist: what would incentivize Netflix to pump in more money than $120M if the shoddy product of S1 seemed to work on enough people?
@@CaulkMongler Money that still doesn't mean the product was good. A lot of people tuned on surprise 😮. It's from the Avata property a very popular property.
@@CaulkMonglerwhat drove Netflix to pump money into it while making so many bad decisions it made the original writers flee? Executives don’t make good decisions with tv shows.
Idk why the budget would be relevant. Everything that costs money was good enough (except some the of the wigs and costumes). The problem was all the bad character and story changes
This show had the potential to be as great as One Piece live action, it just doesn't trust its source material because they think its too "childish" I get needing a more serious tone shift to make the suspension of disbelief work, but they erased so much of the character's personalities in exchange for buckets of exposition.
11:09 i'm so glad you brought this up. People talk a lot about this scene, but no one ever talks about that line. My boyfriend and I died laughing when he said that.
Glad I’m not alone 😭 I know it’s relatively minor but it still took me OUT
I think you're missing the point of that scene!
The point of that scene is that the 41st Soldiers didn't know what Zuko did for them.
Iroh is telling the Commander that Zuko save them from Fire Lord Ozai's Plan of Sacrificing them to die!
The Commander is not asking Uncle Iroh if they're the 41st. He is saying they are the 41st!
I thought that was pretty clear!
To me it's like "Wait! The 41st? But we are the 41st Soldiers Division!"
The Commander is just shock about what Uncle Iroh has told them about the truth!
To me he doesn't seem like he forgot that they are called the 41st Division.
He was just responding to Iroh and stating who they are as Fiire Nation Soldiers!
He's not really questioning Uncle Iroh.
@@01Danni10 I totally get that! But to me it kind of just sounds like an awkward dialogue choice. I feel like it would have been more natural to have Lieutenant Jee wear a shocked reaction without that line.
@@SirSugarMeat I dunno!
I thought it's a fine shock response that doesn't feel over dramatic.
This might be my favorite review of this show so far. Even though so many people made so many great takes, this was my absolute favorite. I love how you didn't shy away from even small critiques, and didn't claim to "somewhat" enjoy the show just because there were a few minor things you did enjoy.
I'm so impressed you went back and rewatched the original and the live action a second time just to make this. So well researched and well thought out over all.
I really appreciate that, thanks!!
8:56
THIS RIGHT HERE. People keep saying the costumes look like cosplay and I'm like, "if only?!?!:
What they mean by that is that the costumes don't look like they are worn-in and used in that world. They look like spotless brand new cosplay the character put on. It's very important fantasy costumes and armor to look used, stained, dusty, etc, so it was baffling how the creators missed that.
6:05 I think the opening would have been good if it had about 50% of the -dialogue- exposition. Why would a fire nation soldier need to exclaim he's chasing an Earthbender? We literally just saw what he did, and we get the explanation later. Why didn't the Earthbender put a wall up in front of the fire soldiers so you both could escape? Why is one of Sozin's right hand men confused about the plan to attack the fire nation? Everything was just so awkward and out-of-world, and it trends this way in almost every major scene going forward. We're literally given no chance to sit with it and wonder and it was painful.
I hated how the adults were acting like children and barated a child that in this version did NOT run away but was caught in a storm. The dialogue felt like a adult that DID NOT want to grow up and the world telling them
That's too dam bad! (Holes reference heh)
I also grew up with this show and I can't help but think how EVERYONE in this show puts Aang down like he killed someone when HE was a victim of a misfortunate accident. To which he goes along with btw. He just lets them trample all over them like a door mat.
Oh I forgot to mention I came into this not thinking to compare any of the three examples. I reacted solely to the content what I got and I STILL didn't like it.
Yeah, really weird! I’ve seen people comment that the showrunners must not like Aang very much with how they treated his character. I feel like they only gave Iroh positive interactions with Aang, but I also feel like this show heavily favors Iroh and Zuko with all the added content they’ve given them
I'm open to the fact that I might be biased as a big Avatar fan. I had my wife, who has never heard of Avatar, watch this live action and she enjoyed it. Albeit, she enjoyed it as a "mid" series with a lot of build up and under tones but the resolution ultimately being cliffhangers.
With me being a fan, i know what they are building up to with a lot of concepts (Sokka's conversation with the Mechanist, Azulas complex issues, the Avatars loneliness) but as an outsider i can see how all these build ups and foreshadowing can be jarring and easily forgettable in season 2.
The character development jumps as well. Katara learning water bending quickly but us assuming she just had a lot of off screen training. We as fans also know that they are traveling around often and going on adventures via Appa but to an outsider to Avatar, this wasnt apparent at all. To my wife, this entire series happened in a timeframe of 2-3 days at most in her eyes.
I get that! I envy your wife too; wish I could just enjoy things being mid, but I get too distracted by the little flaws
Yes, this world definitely feels a lot smaller since they combined so many storylines. It felt like the north and South Pole were the same distance apart from each other as California and Texas.
@@SirSugarMeat Yea I'm with you there haha, I grumbled every time I saw Aang basically levitate in the air. (There was a whole season in Korra basically about being able to fly!) but I get that it is a nitpick on my part lol
Yea the world was definitely coming off as small. One moment they are on Kyoshi island then Omashu felt like it was down the street. Can we at least see nightfall or some downtime with them setting up camp on the way to Omashu 😩
Since we're talking about bad bending: Can we talk about where the wind comes from in Katara's and Paku's "icing moves". It looks straght like snow coming from their palms and mouth like they're producing some sort of half airbending half waterbending blizzard out of null space. So f'*#ing fake....
They really disappointed me with the Katara v Pakku fight 😔
It was so lameeee!!! The cartoon version went all out and is so action-packed! And netflix's version was so meh.
3:49 I watched the original atla for the first time like 3 years ago and I hate when people have this take. The natla is trash and most of the people who are complaining don't have nostalgia glasses 🙄
I feel wild hearing people praise any of the character changes… I just don’t like them. Not even Zuko. I liked angry Zuko because I was an angry (not as) traumatized child and needed to see I could come back from that. Making him halfway decent already… he’s so boring now. Ugh and Ozai and Azula are basically ruined to me, they have no power, I am not afraid of them, I don’t know how either could be considered threats with how they’ve been set up.
I rewatched the original the week before I watched the live action. It was fresh in my mind. Most of the characters feel totally different
Most of them are! I feel like watching this series after immediately watching the original can give you whiplash lol
@@SirSugarMeat yeah. I had to rewatch the original again right after, as a palate cleanser 😅
Agreed. I can't believe I'm saying this but I think M. Night's casting of Yue (and her wig) was ACTUALLY SUPERIOR than the Netflix Yue
Yeah I said it
BOLD
11:08 The thing is, I don’t even think they needed anything additional. We had JUST seen a second prior in the flashback Ozai telling Zuko to take the 41st with them. The audience can then put two and two together and realize, “Oooohhhhh so the 41st is probably his crew *now*. It’s just one out of numerous examples as part of an overarching issue of Netflix spelling out every crucial detail with little room for subtlety and awkward dialogue. All because their initial test audience didn’t understand what was going on in an older version of their script from what I heard.
Ah good point- I probably had too much brain rot from watching the LA twice
For me to be honest it’s just getting this show right was gonna be unattainable without a BIGGER budget that’s why the original creators LEFT to be able to take there creative ideas somewhere else with what being said ,I’m glad everything happened the way it did because we are gonna get more avatar content from everywhere. mostly timeline wise this show upset me because of the mono scene I was broken !!! 😂 I know it seemed stupid but idc for me that was the thing that broke the camales back tbh I see potential the reason this show was mid was because of the time crunch they were in tbh it felt rushed while watching since it only had 8 episodes the cast is ok I like it I’m not complaining the movie set the bar so low that this makes it look if not gold than silver . I believe with the green light of season 2&3 even though I predict another 8 episodes for each budgeting will be better the script will be better and they will take the criticism and put it in the work to be able to make it work. This show will ovi have a time jump and we could only expect to see a time jump since by season 3 the whole entire cast including Ang will almost be close to being out of there teens we I came in with knowing that it’s not going to be perfect and that’s okay I’m happy with that this series did what the film from bang si se couldn’t do ….sorry but it’s true 🤷🏻♀️ Gordon,Dallas,kiawentieo,Ian the entire cast and back ground cast who worked did with what they were given and executed it with the most that they could do i can’t wait to meet toph everyone from the original series ATLA approves of this go time around and I think they are happy with it I can’t wait for what Avatar studios has in store because it will have me held over while I wait for Netflix to finish there role out to finish the series. I hope Korra gets a series to lol final score 7.9/10 😂 I love the Asian representation even though I’m Latina ✨🫶
Even though I don't have much faith in future season, I'm still looking forward to it regardless! Hoping they also take some of the constructive criticism out there and improve 🤞
They emphasize the "friendship is magic" theme... only to go against it at the end. Aang drives off the Fire Nation with help from his frie- oh wait, no, it's by becoming a huge spirit monster and destroying them. Katara learns she needs to rely on- oh wait, no, she's completely self-taught and becomes a Waterbending master all on her own.
Love the editing done on this video!
The main thing I did not like in this was the dialogue. I felt like there were so many places they could improve what they had if they just were better at it.
That said, I like a lot of the changes, but I have my nit-picks:
Bumi. I think that's pretty self-explanatory with all his issues but why make him the fisherman basically? Especially when this Aang didn't run away lol.
Some cosmetics were not it, like Mai and Ty Lee's wigs not looking good.
The Ocean Spirit scene did NOT have to be a moment where Aang was trying to decide if he had a place in this world or not, imo. It should have just stayed what it was to me.
...at the moment I can't think of anymore 🤔. It's been a couple weeks since I've watched lol.
I'm not as charitable as you, and I think once the people who really "liked it" rewatch it years later (if they even remember it because it's so forgettable) they'll see how terrible it is. To me this show is here only for money and the use of the IP for it. It's a nostalgic fox with an identity crisis trying to lure you in and accept bad writing, pacing, directing, with flashy vfx, and appeals to childhood. I genuinely think this has no reason for existing when everything could have either been original things detached from Avatar, or original yet in the world like Korra or the comics (the "watch/judge as it's own thing" argument would then work/make sense). Like you said, I know they have more seasons, but I just cannot see them doing it well. Like how the hell is Toph even gonna work? Will she even be sassy and blind since the badgermoles are "feeling" or emotion based now? Toph can't just "feel" emotion with her seismic sense... How is Aang gonna unlock/block his chakras when there is basically no earthly attachment in Katara? Like will Bumi even teach Aang about Jings because that's what leads him to finding Toph and not some random earth bending master? I'm just... Tired of these companies trying to do stuff like this all the time, because you see in real time how people have already accepted the lifeless husks of shows/movies we see. Long comment, sorry, but I really liked your video! I like how reflective you are, Iroh would be proud.
Haha appreciate it! The cynic in me shares the same sentiment but the optimist in me wants to hold out hope.
With the badgermole rework, I think I would be absolutely dead on the floor laughing if they made Toph some sort empath 🥲 oh well. Still gonna wait and see but gonna keep expectations low.
I appreciate your long comment!!
Yeahh, agree with you. It's an alright adaptation. I liked it just fine but of course the og animated version is far superior and more entertaining.
3:55 I don't know about any people's nostalgia affecting their perception. But here's the thing about me. I had never watched the original cartoon before the trailer for the Netflix show came out. I saw the trailer, thought it looked great and decided to check out the cartoon before watching NATLA. I was 33 then, no nostalgia factor. Trust me, it IS that good. Not everyone's cup of tea, sure, but damn.
Off topic What dye did you use on your hair? Its so pretty and vibrant :D
Aww thanks 😚 I go to a hair stylist and let him experiment different shades of reds on my hair. I think for the most part he uses Pravana colors but occasionally he’ll try out something he found at a cosmetic convention, so not entirely sure! But I remember he achieved my current color though by mixing a permanent red dye with a semipermanent hot pink!
@@SirSugarMeat Interesting! as someone whos been dying my own hair for a while, i had a suspicion your hair color might be from permanent dye from how it hits the light, so that's cool i kind a guessed right lol
Also Even though I dyed my hair a lot, the only color i never got to do yet was red so ur info you just gave me is going to help me TONS to achieve the perfect color :D So, Thanks so much!
@@blueyblue5831 yess! Good guess! Hope it goes well for you ☺️
Simple the show is mid at best 4.5/10
Characters changed to much, hollow or empty shells of themselves. No flaws for them to overcome and grow as characters.
Replacing roku with kyoshi since, for some reason, you can't have a stoic competent male role model/mentor for aang. We have to have big stronk female show aang how to use his powers on kyoshi Island.
Botched and butchered the spirit world, which ruins Cresent island and the meeting with roku and sozens comet.
Aang doesn't learn any waterbending, katara is suddenly a master after never watching her improve on screen.
Mishmash of plot lines that feel hollow and don't have any impact. Character like boomy are senile and cynical just cause. I can go on and on. If the only upside is the Visual effects and some better character building for zuko and iron then I dont think you have a good show.
Is it better than the 2010 movie definitely but as a standalone show its mid and disappointing and just off putting. Acting, writing, exposition, forced dynamics nothing truly feel organic.
I can't wait to see what people say because I went into this really really hoping I'd like it I was fine with the changes until it was all rushed, mushed and crammed into a pot of hot shit paced exposition
I share most of the same opinions, but it’s so wild to me because there’s a loud half of the fandom in the online spaces that I inhabit that are genuinely claiming that this show is good?? Which is why I just had to conclude that it’s entirely dependent on viewer interpretation.
My biggest gripe with the changes (aside from the obvious I didn’t want change in the first place) is that they didn’t at least lean into it way more. I could understand if they wanted to go with a bitter Bumi direction considering the world had no mediator to stop the fire nation for 100 years but like… idk. What’s the point then of Bumi solely taking his anger out on Aang?? If we wanted to go that route, why not make Omashu a military city if he’s going to claim that “we have to fight even when we don’t want to” and really force Aang to abandon his pacifism to right his wrong instead of just outright trying to kill him?? They made all the older characters so… less wise in this adaptation imo, and it’s boring.
@SirSugarMeat exactly I didn't mind the changes if....IF they were going to stick with the mood change.
Angry boomy turning into a military general/tyrant would give a bigger impact of why he's so cynical.
But no they just changed it for sakes.
I was talking to a co workers that Said he likes the Live action characters more than the animated ver. I told him straight up you're an idiot and have no taste because that characters have no soul.
And he deadass said well that's why I can Relate. I didn't like how goofy any of the characters were. 💀 I'm sorry but anyone who likes the show probably likes it for the visuals. Because the writing, pacing, and exposition is just pure horrendous
Im just waiting for toph
I'm sooo glad someone also brought up Katara and Pakku's fight scene. The live action's fight is so lame compared to the animated. In the animated, Katara amd Pakku went all out! And in this the fight lasted so short amd barely any attacks happened. Ugh, it was really lame.
We already had a mediocre adaptation of season 1 so this season felt extra boring and pointless. However, I'm kinda excited to see what they do with Earth and Fire. I don't expect it to be good, but at least it's gonna be unique.
Same! I feel like they’re going to neuter Toph’s character as they did with Katara, but I’m still gonna watch just to see
The only 'remake' ATLA needs is an edit to smooth out the ad break transitions and a more HD quality bump (and NO 16:9 aspect ratio; that's a meme and there's nothing wrong with 4:3 other than they don't make 4:3 screens anymore lol)
I don't see the point of something like this for anyone other than "live action better and more adult" types. Or people who only saw the original as kids and just have vague positive memories around it.
14:02 "The Avatar is no longer 1 Person! It is a polycule!"
Avatar Kyoshi: Ahm... I bend all the 4 Elements though! So... It's still a 1 Person. 😏
lol that was just a joke
@@SirSugarMeat Oh! Well... I get it though! 😀😅
I’m as big of a fan and gatekeeper to the original but I mean this wasn’t that bad.. it’s not gonna be the original but nothing ever is. I started hating it but once I turned it off and gave it the chance of making it its own then it was actually good.
However, I will hold the animated movie about them in their early 20’s to a different standard
14:03 don’t…. Don’t put this out there. I’m already 90%sure we’re getting Zutara, which will be the final nail in the NATLA defenders coffin of ever allowing a critique of this show to stand, I can’t deal with this too 😅😂
lol! If that actually comes true I give people permission to yell at me for all eternity.
As a Zutarian, I do NOT think we’re getting Zutara 😅 people really gotta let go of that scarf scene, and plus I would NOT want my ship to happen in this bland live action LOL.
@@SirSugarMeatthat’s fair but that scarf scene had more emotion in it then anything between Aang and Katara, which is probably why i and others are side eyeing it. 😂😂 No one should have to watch their ship get portrayed poorly, so I think we’re just both gonna get disappointments here unfortunately 😅
You nailed it, your review was spot on.
23:16 -girl- , YOU ARE RIGHT! It was bad, it was a cheap way to make the fans feel connected to the live action characters, and for the new comers (perhaps) aswell, with the only difference being, that fans already know the subtext of the scene while non fans or new fans are getting a scene that originally was very special moment, but this time it's like when a person you don't like wants you to like them so they tell you something that they know will make them feel for them but instead it ends up making them look desperate, at least that's how I see it.
I totally get what you mean and that’s what I felt too! I feel like the song has so much importance to OG avatar fans and I felt like them placing that song in the scene was meant to illicit that response when the writing imo hadn’t earned it on its own. I totally accept though that this is a highly critical take and most people aren’t going to see it that way, but happy that someone else relates 😅
@SirSugarMeat absolutely, I totally feel sorry for Mike and Bryan after watching the live action, so disappointing that I just gave up on the hope that they could ever get avatar or anime/cartoon live action adaptations right ever. 😑😮💨
I loved your video, you are very good ate making essays and long video format, subscribed asap
Thanks a ton!! 😌
Yes they can develop these characters but I have lttle faith they will and here is why. In this show they shoehorn in so many moments it felt like the writers and creators were unsure they would get a season 2. I know it has been green lit now but if they in fact did not know that means they had no plans for development on these extremely under developed charachters and relationships. I do not have much faith but if they do fix it I would be very happy for them but right now I see no point to this adaptation just watch the OG
I'm late to your reaction, but I would like to say that I appreciate your critique. The NATLA has many flaws but ultimately the Blanding of characters like Katara and Iroh is the worst sin for me. While not as horrible as the M. Knight movie, the writers and showrunner failed to capture the spirit of the original characters. I thought the characters and settings looked great with a few exceptions (Yue's horrible wig and the only thing M. Knight's movie did better) but the overall show with its mediocre writing/dialogue felt hollow and bland.
for me bullying is if they directly address the actors , but freely talking negatively about public personas online is not bullying. But you got a point, they're young and in the case of Azula, inexperienced in acting and with zero martial arts backgrounds. People attack her casting, not her . SHe doesn't sound or look nearly as threatening/intimidating enough , she's like the (barely)mean girl in a teen movie ! How are we supposed to believe that she could easily beat Zuko's actor , the best martial artist actor on set ?? ( even Iroh's actor is not a martial artist , and it shows , he only nailed the sad and serious parts of Iroh , not the fun, jovial , kinky side of Iroh. They should have picked the Roku actor to play Iroh , he looks like he could nail that multi-dimensional actor )
To be a martial arts prodigy , one cannot possibly have the physique of Azula's actress . She's not fat of course, but still she's not a good physical cast . They had so many choices of young talented asian actresses that were also martial artists ? i'm wondering if this actress is related to someone in the production ... it could be nepotism , a common practice in Hollywood as we all know .
Katara's actress looks the part ( she's so naturally pretty !) however , her acting is wooden and her tai chi movements suck , even at a point in the show where she's supposed to have reached a high level of water bending . ALso why are they forcing the girlboss thing on her like this ? she's ALREADY a girlboss in the OG story !!
conclusion : Iroh and Katara actors need to work on their martial arts movements , especially Iroh , a firebender expert and ex-general !!!
The writers need to chill Iroh out , our Iroh would not act timid towards June, he would gush over her , etc
Aang need to actually acts as a goofy child, not just saying that he does . he was WAY too serious and preachy the entire show ., Sokka needs a real story arc to replace the one they stole from him because whatever they did with him was not good enough .
If they screw over toph's character in season 2 I stop watching , they better not do the forced girlboss thing on her the way they did katara , with all the smugness and lack of humility ( such a hard watch that was , when they could have just kept the story with Paku the same ...°
Oh yeah when I said bullying I mean people reallly have been sending mean messages to these underaged actors. People are definitely allowed to be upset about casting choices, but also people should not be taking it out on them.
I agree that Azula and Katara are terribly out of character and the bending sucks, but I think that’s honestly a directing and lack of good choreography problem. The writing team made these changes to the characters- not these actors. But yes, I also agree that these fire nation characters are NOT as intimidating as their original counterparts, and it makes them way less interesting imo
@@SirSugarMeat oh wow ! I didn't know they were sent messages directly, yeah this is sick asf and of course I don't condone it .
Let's just cross our fingers for season 2 , katara and Azula being better at acting and fighting , Toph not being botched too 🤞
32:14 I disagree!
I'm someone who like character Driven Story Arcs and sometimes pick a part in media and enjoy seeing little details but I still like this Netflix's ATLA! 🙂
I too love the Original Series wholestically but I also love this Live Action.
I mostly love how Netflix's ATLA expanded the Lore of the Original Series.
I like that they included the Secret Tunnel section in Omashu cause it makes sense! It's part of the Omashu Lore.
I like the inclusion of the Fogs of Lost Souls from the Legend of Korra to Netflix's ATLA.
I like the Zuko and Iroh Flashback Scenes.
I like the early buildup relationship of Iroh and Aang.
I like the details from the Comics and etc.
Yeah! I actually love this Live Action!
Welp we may disagree but glad you were able to find value in it
@@SirSugarMeat Yeah! I guess so! 🙂
You should review the 2 part pilot of the OG. And how exposition is done right.
Also, it's not "fat phobia" because that would mean they are irrationally afraid of them. Which they most likely aren't. Words mean things, and it matters. But I do agree that normal Asians have round faces, unlike how they are shown on tv.
Yes, phobia means fear. But the term “fatphobic” is used in a similar sense as “homophobic”- describing people’s negative attitudes towards fatness. It’s a major social issue, and I’ve seen people make mean comments regarding the actresses’ “fatness” and attribute it to their bad acting. Yes, the acting is bad (though I believe half of this is due to the awkward script), but the actresses are neither fat nor do their body shapes contribute to how they act in their roles. That’d be like saying Neil Patrick Harris is bad at acting because he’s gay.
Aang "teaching" Katara how to bend when he knows Thing 0 about waterbending seriously annoyed me. Apparently the whole show is pointless and we don't need to find masters for Aang because he already knows it all. Did these people not only miss the original show, but all the backlash for Korra starting out naturally gifted at practically everything? I also noticed what you're saying about the different style snot be represented. it's particularly obvious with the Earthbenders, or maybe that's just me because I learned martial arts, and some of that training involved horseback stance. So them not using it becomes really obvious.
But on the "give the show a chance scale, I was willing to put up with flaws in the effects, including the bending. I mean it would be disappointing, but I'm not going to be up in arms all over the internet about it. I get more upset by it being boring due to bad writing and tonal choices, and them messing up entire character arcs. I've heard people complain about "clean costumes" and I agree, but I was willing to suspend disbelief about it. It's the characters and story that matter the most.
Re: Iroh in mourning scene: YES!
I was not upset at them wanting to show this scene. But it didn't belong in the story right now. Not because it has to follow the way the original story did things but because the pacing was a mess with that right there.
Re: Sokka and Suki. I actually didn't read this as sexist at all. I read it as Sokka is a boy from a small town in the middle of nowhere, and he's somewhere he's never been, and they have all this cool war paint (they got rid of Sokka war paint for some reason), and these awesome uniforms and seem very put together, and basically, Sokka feels outclassed, and sometimes tries to talk himself up because they decided to destroy Sokka and Azula's characters by giving them severe anxiety out of nowhere.
Also, Sokka only has low self esteem from comparing himself with benders because he's traveling around with a pack of the four most powerful ones. His entire town was non-benders other than Katara. There's no reason for him to feel outclassed when he spends all his time around normies like himself. "Finding his place as a nonbender" just makes ZERO senses as a plotline. He's a nonbender in a town of nonbenders raised by nonbenders. Not being a bender is perfectly fine. It'd be like if he had some sort of weird thing about not being smart enough when his only companions for a year were Neil Degrasse Tyson and Stephen Hawking versus him not feeling smart enough when he was spending all his time with normal people at Walmart, but suddenly he had anxiety about his intelligence. This plotline just is not working if you think that's what they're doing. I think they were doing the "Sokka becomes a man" plotline that he originally had, but extremely badly. But if they're really trying to do something new, it just isn't working.
As for Katara, it's Rei and Korra all over again. We can't show her struggling to learn something. If you're not naturally gifted at something, you just shouldn't try at all. I'm boarderline on Katara being depressed. I think that's what they were going for. I just find it disappointing compared to OG Katara's frustration. I empathized with her frustration. Her depression ... I understand it, but I find her less of an appealing character. Though this may be because Aang is failing to "fix" her by being a breath of joy and fresh air. Because in the OG, Aang does fix Katara by reminding her to be a kid and have fun at time (Toph also does this). So because the writing of Aang sucks, the writing of Katara also sucks.
In regards to trauma bending ... I'm sorry, I'm so mad at yet another naturally gifted person who has no trouble mastering skills all on her own with no training when the entire point of the OG avatar was seeking training and experience that it's really not working for me. Boo hoo, poor little Mary Sue has a hiccup in her bending? I'm sure it will be fixed in no time. That's what that idea makes me feel.
Oh, God Azula. Yes, they deliberately changed her on purpose. They seem to want to humanize her. I could go off into MBTI typology, but I'll make it short. Azula has the extroverted complement of my personality type, so even though she's the villain, I always related very strongly to her. I don't like her motivations, or the lack of limits she puts on her use of power as she has no empathy for anyone else, but I know Azula. She's a real person. But her personality type, and my personality type are 1) On the rarer side in the world in general.(if you're curious, it has to do with her being intuitive, which is only 33% of the population) And 2) Specifically rare in women (it has to do with being a Thinkers having a gender bias in the US so that only 25% of women favor thinking over feeling) . So the show is actually kind of more sexist for trying to change Azula, as well as taking away pretty much all of her menace and ruiining the Mei and Tai Lee friendships. Azula is up there are one of the absolute worst changes.
In regards to "fatphobia" I agree those are traditional Asian faces. And I don't mind the casting for Ty Lee. It seems on brand for the original character there. I am mildly disappointed in the look for Mei, who had some awesome cheekbones, but I don't feel the cheekbones were necessary for her character, so that's fine.
Azula though? The "round" face look is a look for characters who are soft and malleable. Azula was commanding, and this actress is utterly failing at being intimidating. She's small and hunched and round and weak looking. And the round face is a big part of that. Azula really needed to have daddy's cheekbones. If you consider that "Fatphobic" I'm sorry. I think that's bad casting. If it makes you feel any better, though I liked Sean Bean for his role as Ned Stark, I thought he looked nothing like the real Ned Stark in the books who is repeatedly referenced as "horse-faced" ie thin and bony. Sean Beans face was also too fat for that role. But he was able to overcome the issue for the most part, and the joke that Sean Bean always dies is a bit irresistible so made up for the issue a little bit. I can't think of anyone who was too thin for their role off the top of my head, but I've also thought that at times.
When you're trying to match an actor to a part, it's entirely possible to be too fat or thin to mach an ideal. That's why actors and actresses put on and lose weight for parts, or grow or lose muscle tone. That's part of the job.
Azula absolutely needed to be sharp and pointy. She's not, and the script is bad and undermining her at every turn. so yeah, it' gets ugly when you can't see what an actor brings to the part to make you overlook the physical mismatch. Asian faces come in many varieties, and this was the wrong face for her.
I agree- it is mostly the character arcs and writing for me. I decided to touch on the bending though because I felt like not many others did, and it was a personal fave of mine.
I can see your point about Sokka’s arc and your gripes about both Sokka and Katara’s arc! Honestly it was a bit of a stretch to interpret the characters the way I did, but also like I said, it was a good faith interpretation trying to fill in gaps for the lackluster writing team.
The actresses for Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula are thin though if you’ve ever seen them out of costume. I honestly blame the make-up and costuming department since if they truly wanted to, they could sculpt the girls’ faces more “accurately” for the show. However, I think Azula’s lack of command really just comes from the different portrayal of the character altogether. I feel like it’s not pertinent to go off the cartoon’s face since pretty much all of the teens are drawn to have the same face shape anyway.
@@SirSugarMeat I will agree that all the villain girls have the same face shape. Kataa has a round face, but different shape, and Suki had a really strong jawbone and seemed like a good fit for the character in terms of looks.
And I think that was a mistake in the many that they're making with the villains. Having Mei and Ty Lee introduced as Azula's background gives them less personality and makes them less interesting. And hiring actresses who all look the same is giving the whole "all Asians look the same" vibe which is very uncomfortable to watch.
I totally believe you that the girls are skinny and that's not really my issue with their faces. And makeup is probably part of the problem.
Ty Lee is totally find with a face that reads baby fat. It suits her character. She's cute and round and soft. It's part of her disarming charm.
Mei, like I said, is a disappointment, but I could let it go. I haven't seen enough of Mei being Mei to even justify her or Ty Lee's existence in the season.
But Azula is easily one of the worst parts of the show. It's not the actress's fault. But she doesn't look the part, she's not even trying to act the part, she's not written right.
And while you and I can talk about characterization and plot points, most people are going to be stuck on the physical. And when they can't articulate all the things that are wrong, pointing the the physical problem and impression is where they're going to go.
I feel bad for the actresses, but when people are trying to figure out what Azula isn't menacing and commanding like they expect her to be, they're going to go with the fat moon face, which is a look associated with softness and weakness. The fact that she's not actually fat kind of makes it worse. Because fat people can be commanding and imposing by taking up space and blocking other people in scenes. Azula keeps looking smaller and smaller. Weak, like I said earlier.
In the visual short hand of movies, Azula is doing everythign wrong in terms of fan expectation. Fixating on the fact that she looks wrong is the way people who don't think in depth will explain it. And even those of us who do think in depth, well, she does look wrong.
Oh, well. Azula is one of those sticking points to me, because she's the one I most related to. In a darker world where I decided power was the most important thing. Removing the sexism removed bboth her and Katara's passion I suppose. So now the women are all passive because they don't have goals and drive.
Sokka struggle as a non bender was in the og. that's why he picked up swordsmanship and looked for a master.
@@show_out_king9435 And I acknowledged that.
My issue is not that he spent some time finding his place as a non-bender, but that THAT issue is largely a season 3 issue.
He didn't start out in the Southern Water Tribe with that issue. He developed that issue because he was traveling with Aang and Kadara and Toph and later Zuko.
Previously, he'd been fine with things because the only bender he knew was his siter and she sucked at it because she wasn't trained. He had zero worries about it.
So you could probably move the plot line up a little bit to the second season, after Toph has been around for a few episodes (doing it after he gets stuck in the ground would make sense). But he should not be having issues in Season 1 Episode 2. It makes no sense there.
I agree completely.
The exposition dumps are really the parts that make it hard to watch for me.
Its like the writers were desperately trying to convince the audience that these characters are best friends, but it never feels like it throughout the story.
Or how they try to convince us that Aang is this goofy, fun loving kid, but you almost never see him being goofy.
Agreed! I feel like they kept making Katara and Sokka say "we love Aang" or "Team Avatar!" lines without really having them go through much collectively to earn those sentiments.
@@SirSugarMeat I couldn't agree more lol
13:04 Yes! That's true!
Aang learned a lesson from Gyatso in Episode 5! That is why in Episode 8 and after, Aang now wants to learn other Bending Elements.
But before Episode 8, he doesn't wanna learn from other Bending Masters! 🙂
Wait! Oh! You know what! Scratch that!
Actually! He didn't learned to let go from having Gyatso in Episode 5 though! Gyatso gave him a lesson yes! But Aang didn't learned to accept it til the end of Episode 8.
But even so, Aang refused to learn from Katara in Episode 2 and he reunited with Gyatso in Episode 5!
So you can't say that Aang should've learned Waterbending from Katara after learning a lesson from Gyatso in Episode 5 cause he already refuses Katara before meeting Gyatso again! Plus Aang only learned to realize Gyatso's last lesson in Episode 8 not in Episode 5! 😄😅
Sure! But, like… why? Why receive a pretty important lesson from Gyatso in ep 5 and wait for him to barely accept it until ep 8? Sure, Aang refused Katara’s help in ep 2, yes, but he could’ve asked again and told her that he’s ready now or needs help getting ready especially since she keeps reassuring him that she and Sokka are there for him. Also, even if he did accept Gyatso’s lesson in ep 8, he only asks Pakku to be his teacher once and then… that’s it. It barely seems like an effort lol.
@@SirSugarMeat Well... Did he really already learned from Gyatso instantly from Episode 5? I don't think so! 🤔
Yes! Gyatso gave him a lesson but that doesn't mean that Aang instantly accepted it and learned from it in juat 1 episode.
The show actually didn't give any sign that Aang has accepted to let Gyatso go after Episode 5 and 6.
Yes! Katara keeps reassuring him that she and Sokka are there for him but that doesn't mean that it says Aang has learned from Gyatso's final teaching and he is now ready to waterbend just because Katara says she is there for him.
I don't think that's how recieving a Life Lesson works.
Some Life Lessons are not meant to be applied in just 1 Day! lol
Don't get me wrong but I also wanted Aang to waterbend during Season 1 too though but I also understand why he didn't.
In Aang's perspective he's not yet ready and he is stuck with Gyatso as his Master.
He only learned to accept Gyatso's Final Teaching at the end of Episode 8.
After Aang tried to saved the Northern Water Tribe from the Fire Nation attack, Katara told him to "stop worrying about the past and start focusing on what you have to do!" and Aang said "I think I understand something Gyatso was trying to tell me. He told me let go of the past, or I'll never have a future." So... If Aang didn't learn to accept Gyatso's Lesson in Episode 5 till Episode 8 then that means he never learned to accept the lesson in Episode 5.
And then Katara said she'll make sure that Aang will learn Waterbending. Then Earthbending then Fire.
So... Yeah!
Technically speaking Katara will still teach Aang to Waterbend and by Episode 8, Aang has finally move on from Gyatso being his only Master. 🙂
@@01Danni10 you’re right. Most life lessons aren’t learned in a day, but I still feel like we should have at least seen Aang trying to process that lesson afterwards. Like, if we’re not gonna get waterbending in season 1, at least show some meaningful processing of that grief. I didn’t really get the sense of that emotional journey for Aang while I was watching the show; it felt like the gaang just kept on moving onto the next location to move the plot along. I feel like it’s the pacing and the script’s fault for not doing much with the changes they offered.
@@SirSugarMeat I dunno!
To me I can feel that he felt a little guilty about leaving his people and not atleast helping the Air Nomad fight of the Fire Nation during the Great Comet Day.
I think that's what he's carrying throughout the Show and him not doing his Avatar job in the past.
To my understanding! Aang is holding that guilt 100 years in the Future.
Maybe it's just me? 🤔
@@01Danni10 and I do get that. I do think they very much established that guilt for Aang all throughout the show as the start to his character conflict. But my complaint is that I don’t really see any growth from that throughout the series. And if we have no emotional growth and no bending growth, then it’s a bit hard to figure out what we have besides just moving the plot along
I really liked most of the Fire Nation stuff. Everything else though... yeah... not so much.
Your experience and opinions are very similar to mine
The music themes were top notch but I agree acting/dialogue remains more to be improved. Especially Kiawentiio. Imo, her facial expressions need to be a bit more exxaggerated. seen some comments that she seems to be always on xanax. Nitpicking wise, are two scenes where it could be boderline reshoot. First was when Zuko first fought her when cutting to Kyoshi explaining the Avatar State. It was more the fact that she pulls a poker face while looking off a bit to her right (not directly at Zuko) while preparing to bend when facing Zuko&his men. If she was going for that water, her eyeballs should have panned more to the right. Anyway could have been a camera/recorder device that distracted her. The choreography of that scene is laughable. After Katara gets counter-attacked, she barrels into crevice with nowhere to go...to prepare for her end! And then the fight with Pakku...her hair. Is it bigger on the inside? Looked like a parachute got released. Totally off putting in both serious scenes.
Haha! Didn’t notice that detail in the Katara / Zuko fight! I’d say I’d watch it again but I think two watches is more than enough lol. She definitely has a very meh face for most of the time which is a shame because I’ve seen that the actress herself is very expressive behind the scenes! Really makes me wonder if that direction was given on purpose from the team, hence why I really tried to excuse it with “depressed Katara” theory 🥲
17:10 no way?! Did he really?! How come this is not trending 😂
Right? I was DEAD when he posted this. He posted another update though saying he was on ep 4 and it was just NOT looking good lol
@@SirSugarMeat can you share his tumblr link? I cant find it and I want to read his thoughts lol
edit: FOUND IT
Besides Aang, Katara and Sokka themseIves it's just horrible casting and writing.I hate how they butchered Iroh, Bumi and Rokuh. It's like they switched personalities.
Ok, ive mainly just seen katara criticism for her writing in the liveaction, but your very fair assessment of what liveaction fans of katara's writing has made me think about it more.
I am still more excited for the animated avatar projects coming out next year. Also personally would still prefer a live action Korra as i think changes to that series writing would be way more interesting than adapting a show as solid as the original, plus i just want more of my bae Korra 🙏💖
Appreciate that and glad I could offer perspective!
And I agree! Especially if they wanted to explore "darker themes", I feel like Korra would've been the better show to adapt, but eh- looks like we're going to have to sit through two more seasons of NATLA. Hoping the upcoming animated projects live up to the hype 🤞
I think they did a pretty decent job, did i love it, not really, I liked it a lot, its missing a lot, its pacing is off, there isn’t as much in-depth in character development. But the overall all story is good, the visuals are good, the changes they made are okay, not super great but okay. I think they could have made the series longer so they could fix the pacing. They rushed a lot of atiff and missed important parts that they had to change because of time. The vast majority of the problems that are in the series is time, thwy had to give shortter different things like the comboed the omashu and air temple and jett episode that change was not enough because they had to make room for time here they had to change a lot, thats my issue. Also i think the acting is a 7/10 for me. Well pretty much the whole show is a 6.5-7/10
I can get that! I feel like though if they weren’t reliant on such a needlessly dialogue heavy script they could’ve made the time work. The first season is the same overall length of book one after all.
I promise I have better thoughts on this video but the cat distracted me. It's so cute, I want to die. I'm so sorry. I don't remember what I was going to say. I want to pet the cat.
Valid; I’m sure Jellybean had stronger points than I did 😔 she always does
People like you make the original show look bad.
How so?
@@SirSugarMeat You're so over-dramatic that it makes the fandom look bad and toxic, and makes the other side of the fandom cringe.
As someone who grew up on the original, I can say that this Live Action is really good, and in some cases is even better than a fairly mid season one of the original...
It is definately a far more accurate and faithful adaptation than Harry Potter or Spider-Man.
And people like you who make it seem like it personally harmed them, are either delusional, or are looking for easy views.
How can there be so much hate for an adaptation made with so much heart and passion, ESPECIALLY in a world where THAT movie exists?
@@almas4663 Dramatic? Sure. But I still tried to give it a fair chance and tried to interpret the characters as something new. And I even ended my video saying that what's important to you as a viewer will determine if you like it or not. Was that not fair?
I didn't make this video to completely trash on the series, hence why I ended up watching it again. I'm more so curious to hear NATLA positive people's interpretations of the show, but it seems like people like you are more so interested in yelling at people for analyzing the show in the first place.
@@SirSugarMeat Because what you're doing called "nitpicking" and not analyzing, and that's the problem with NATLA haters.
@@almas4663 I literally broke down new Sokka and Katara’s character arcs lol. I’m like. Getting the vibe you didn’t actually watch my video
What i love about Azula is her being a monstrous prodigy. And by end of the series how the weight of expectation breaks her extreme composed facade. Its just so interesting and the pay-off of the final agni-kai is just 🤌
YES! I hear some people say that she's one dimensional, and I'm like, "Did we watch the same series???" Watching her downfall in the last season of the original is SUCH an emotional journey.
I'm really scared of what they're gonna do to my girl Toph 🥲
Same 😔😔