Watching 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' as an Adult

Warning: This post will contain spoilers.

So recently I started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the first time since I was a child because I saw that it was on Netflix and I didn't have anything else to watch. Of course I remember loving it as a kid, but I didn't really remember any thing of substance. Well except of course the intro: "Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished." Of course, I remembered the main plot points such as how it ends and that Zuko is my favorite character, but other than that my mind was blank.

Firstly I would like to say that this show wasn't as good as I remember it being, it was way better. I don't know why but I think I can relate to it way more as an adult than I ever could as a child and I don't know what that says about me. This show is hands down one of the best shows I have ever watched; it's up there with Breaking Bad for me. Every thing about this show is amazing and I was honestly so surprised by how much I liked it. It had great action, great writing, great acting and a great story to boot. There were a few minor problems such as one or two boring filler episodes and some of the humor was quite childish at times (at others it had me audibly laugh out loud) but to be fair this is a show meant for children and not adults. All in all, I think it's fair to say that this is a great show.

But what exactly changed for me now that I am watching it as an adult? Well, firstly I think the main difference was that I realised just how complex all the characters are. Before they all seemed kind of one-note, Sokka was the funny one, Aang was the kind one, Zuko was the cool one and Zula was the mean one. However, now I realise that while those are the main characteristics of those characters, it's not all that they are. For example, Zuko's character arc may be one of the best character arcs in any movie, tv-show, book or video game and that's not an exaggeration. He's a very complicated person who goes from being fueled by hate and anger to a kind peaceful leader. His main aim at the beginning of the show is to hunt down the Avatar and capture him, but at the end, we see him actually joining the Avatar and being crucial to the Avatar's plan. Even Sokka, who seems to be the silly comic relief character, is a lot more intricate than he seems, and without his plans and ideas, team Avatar would be dead 10 times over. I think the message people are supposed to take from this is to never judge someone from the start and that people are more complicated than they seem.

Another great thing I have now realised after studying filmmaking and storytelling is that from a storytelling point of view, the show is very well made. The pacing, writing, directing and acting are all Oscar-worthy, and some scenes will make you cry. The show never drags or gets boring, and when the actors deliver their lines, it feels real and authentic. Even though the show is only 3 seasons, it feels like one huge epic tale with fantastic twists and developments that Game of Thrones couldn't even match. The art style is unique and some scenes are absolutely beautiful (see Zuko vs Zula if you want to know what I mean). One thing I would like to add is that not every part of this show is something I would recommend for kids to watch, particularly the blood-bending episode. Seeing the pure evilness of someone controlling the water in somebody's blood and twisting and turning their entire body in unnatural ways makes me cringe even as an adult, so I can't imagine what that would be like for a child.

To finish off, I think people can learn a lot of great lessons from this show such as love, kindness, forgiveness, self-fulfillment and peace. I have already adopted Uncle Iroh's tea-drinking habits and will probably drink tea for the rest of my life. All I have left to say is that I hope Netflix doesn't ruin the live-action adaptation of the show and does the franchise justice. I have also watched the Legend of Korra, which is fantastic in its own right, however, as that show didn't even exist when I was a child, I can't really compare it.