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fragilistikal recced this to me last year, and it's taken me a month to get my hands on the DVDs. To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this show--Nickelodon has become synonymous in my mind with shitty animation and overly cute kids' shows (think Spongebob). So imagine my delight, upon watching the first two eps, to discover something that's better than a lot of the anime I've seen in the past few years.First of all, the production values are high. Really high. This is some of the crispest animation I've seen in a long time. The character designs are clearly meant to evoke anime, but they actually look really good, as opposed to looking like some westerner's attempt and failure to draw in an anime style. Appa is a nice homage to Nekobasu. And OMG, those penguins!
More surprising yet, I found that all three of the main characters had endeared themselves to me well before the first hour was up. Avatar deploys the sassy female, the doofy comic relief, and the damn-ain't-he-cool main character archetypes while avoiding the precious cuteness and annoying main character syndrome that these stock characters fall into in so many other shows. The quips of the main comic relief chara, Sokka, are actually laugh-out-loud funny. Really, they are.
The music is stellar, and the voice acting pretty darn good. My only potential gripe might be the villians, whose VAs occasionally sound as if they were trying for a Mr. Miyagi-eque "Asian" diction, but that could have just been me.
There's nothing worse than a fangirl personality bereft of a fandom over which to obsess, which I have regrettably been for the past year or so. I now have high hopes that Avatar will change that.
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But isn't it good? The awesome thing is?
...it gets BETTER.
Seriously, the beginning has *shallow* characterization that just blossoms over the course of the first and second seasons. These are tough, intelligent, brave *kids*, and as much as they act mature and practical about their situation, you're reminded that they're kids in the best possible way when they just let loose and have fun--and not in the usual saccharine, wincing way that other shows try to portray "kids": bratty and short-sighted.
And the diction is actually more or less real: Uncle Iroh is played by the late Mako (http://imdb.com/name/nm0538683/), known for his thick accent. (I don't know how they're going to replace him....) Zuko is played by Rufio! You know, from Hook? Makes me feel a lot better for having such a crush.
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And seriously! This show is good. I usually have trouble sitting through more than 15 minutes of television at a time, but I can easily watch several eps of Airbender in one go.
And the kids! They're awesome! I think what really endears them to me is that they all get along--like you said, these are not kids-written-by-adults. It is so refreshing that Katara isn't jealous of Ang's bending skills or that Sokka doesn't resent him for his fighting ability. Even their jibes at one another are good natured. Which is a brilliant move on the part of the scriptwriters because I don't get sick of them and I want to keep watching.
And Zuko? Is hot. And also Kanda from D.Gray-man.
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But as said above, things get much, much better. It's not a show I obsess over, but it's consistently good and watchable and fun.
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I've only watched six eps thus far, but I'm already inclined to trust you on the above. Even the shows where I say to myself, I've seen this before, I still find immensely watchable.
And, seeing as I have no fandom over which to obsess at the moment (and sorely feel the lack), I see no reason why Avatar should not fill the void;)
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It's only logical.
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Anyway, I would definitely recommend watching it all the way through, because I am thoroughly, thoroughly enjoying it. :)
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Sokka is such a brilliant character, I love his snarky attitude.
Like
My favorite episode (or episodes b/c it's a two parter) are the last two of Season/Book 1. I found myself watching it like I would watch a movie because the execution was amazing. Let me know when you do watch it because I could gush over that episode forever.
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I'm limiting myself to two eps a day so it won't go by too quickly, so I can confidently say that you'll be able to gush in T-8 days. Or sooner, if I break.
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You are savoring it, eh? See, now that's smart because there won't be another new epsiode until... March, I think I heard?
And I should mention the second to last episode of Season/Book 2 is also a fav. There is so much good stuff in this one little show, it can make you giddy.
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And yes, I have to savor it, because if I mainlined 20 episodes of shiny goodness in three or four days and then had to go from that to nothing...I don't even want to think about the consequences.
Man, I cannot wait to see these eps now, because if they're better than the two zingers I watched today, well...
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I kind of wish they'd bring back some of their old programming; I used to love Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Kenan and Kel. "Who loves Orange Soda? Kel loves orange soda, he does, he does, he does!"
... erm.
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What I really want to see back on Nick is the old programming: Cities of Gold, Spartikus, Hey Dude...
...yeah. erm.
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I had such a crush on Melody! Do you remember the alien/Nasa episode? And the episode that Ted left? And OMG, when Kyle first joined?
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Incidentally, did you recognize Melody when she was in The Craft? It took me a moment, and then I was like, woah.
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That ep where Ted thinks he's won the lottery but because of some rule of age (here's what I've always thought odd; couldn't he just say his parents bought him the ticket or does that still not work legally?) he loses his earnings in the end and that's how he gets back on the show?
One of my favorite episodes is when Ted and Melody go on a double date with Kyle and Brad and Brad/Ted start flirting the entire night and are made to collect golf balls in the end. XD
Also JAKE! JAKE! JAKE! He was such a ball of a character!
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I don't understand why he didn't just have his parents cash the $$$ in for him either
except then he couldn't be on the show anymore. Or just have Ernest cash it for him. (That is the dude's name, right?) Cause that guy was so loopy Ted could have easily milked all the money right back out of him.All in all, though, I think my favorite character was Danny. He never gets any love. Although, as you said, Jake ROCKED. So I'm conflicted.