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nono-bunny · 9 months ago

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Thoughts from watching the ATLA live action!

Episode 2:

So I guess no intro every episode? A shame, but understandable (we literally got it twice in the first one lmao). Hopefully it's back in season 2!

Ah, so this is the aforementioned diary related hissy fit I've been hearing so much about! It is pretty funny tbh lol. Anyway, no, Iroh, Zuko had it right actually lmao, Aang is a coward! It's just... A bit strange to include that here given that his biggest running away incident isn't present in this show? So like. Yes, animated Aang absolutely is a coward, as to this one? It remains to be seen ig, so far he isn't that much, actually, which just makes Zuko seem wrong when in the animated show he would've been 100% correct

OwO what's this??? An Aang thats being proactive and interested about learning and how to control and best use his powers??? You love to see it.

Alright so. Truly I don't know what people are talking about in regards to Katara? Her sense of adventure and tendency to get in trouble while doing reckless things is still absolutely present- those are also important things about her, not just being angry and nurturing! This is a Katara that presents and composes herself differently, and yeah, it's a bit strange! But she still feels like Katara, just... A quiet Katara! She's much less out there with her emotions, which. I do miss a bit ngl, but it's a really interesting direction for her that feels like it's inevitably gonna lead to a major explosion, probably around the time of TSR too! So idk, its really not as big of an issue to me as it seems to be to other people ig. She and Aang were changed a lot- with Aang I do think it's absolutely a positive change because I hate him in canon, but with Katara I just think it's really interesting and worth giving a shot to because it doesn't seem wholly out of pocket or to be leading nowhere, not when you know that her highest emotional points still lie in wait and might, in fact, hit harder if they were a complete deviation from normal to this otherwise calm character. It may still flop and fail, but I genuinely do thing they're building up to something with her and that it's worth giving a chance to.

Kanna once again being the goat!! Idk that I talked much about her during the last episode but I think it was mostly just because I didn't really have any notes lol, I just enjoy her expanded role a lot! The entire legacy of the southern bending being lost in favor of the northern one is a thing I've seen talked about a lot, so I actually really like that there's at least one moveset from the southern style that's preserved here. Of coursing losing "I'll save you from the pirates" is a great personal loss, but I've already seen The Scarf scene so I'm glad at least there was a more or less equivalent replacement lol

Burying Gyatso is a great addition!!!

Blasphemy!!! No such thing as "chicken"!!! What is this abomination Sokka speaks of here???

God everything about Kyoshi Island, including Suki, is just... 😍 I really do love that this Aang is capable of like. Relating to others, being understanding and persuasive and cautious. It's certainly like. A whole different person aside from brief moments of silliness and levity, but it works much better for me because, again, this is a level he never reaches in the original even at the end of his story even though he SHOULD'VE.

Iroh is fr so weird with how direct he is, I just. Can't get used to it- literally his only eccentric quality atm is being a bit of a gourmand, it feels really off. For all his talk about being able to know how to talk to people to get what you want, Zhao sees through him super quick, because like, c'mon, literally who wouldn't??? It was super obviously a lie and. It's all so bizarre, he feels WAY too serious for this point in the story and it genuinely really takes me out of every scene he's in.

As weird as it is for Suki to still get offended when Sokka respects her position and calls her a warrior, the Sukka here IS really funny and fun to watch haha!

Katara is genuinely so sweet with Aang here, idk I just really enjoyed that scene! Do kinda wish we'd get to see Katara drop her water orb lmao, I keep waiting for it to happen and it just never does. She IS a natural prodigy, but I think the original show demonstrated a bit better how much she struggled without any guidance by having her fail her forms rather than just fail to get anything to happen.

It's the intro air scooter scene!!!! Also I'm really enjoying how Katara's right here about Aang being good with people, and how I noticed it myself as well!

Suki trying to flirt with Sokka is so cute oml

Aang being TOO powerful and unable to control his bending is actually such a good idea!!

Omg finally Iroh feels like Iroh!! Who knew all that was needed was literally just for him to talk in Pai Sho metaphors again lmao. Tbh, maybe just literally ANY metaphor whatsoever was missing, oof

Interesting to have Suki take off her makeup right before battle, or like. At all during her first appearance! Not really like, bad or good, just an interesting choice I felt was worth mentioning because it certainly hit me as very different

Hey, uh, Kyoshi babe, you're 100% correct and I enjoy seeing you yelling some sense into Aang but. This is the wrong Aang for this??? Like he literally never ran away it's so bizarre how they keep acting like he did when the original was all too happy to drop that angle when he consistently did. Idk it kinda feels like him not technically running away was maybe like a last minute rewrite or something? It's weird and doesn't gel with how people keep treating it- especially Kyoshi, who was there and should know he legitimately had no intent on turning back from his duties at any point. I love love LOVEE this scene but? It doesn't fit in this version of the story, sadly

Wait why the fuck can Kyoshi see the future?? This is so weird, like I get that it's his call to action and a way of pointing them to the NWT given that they haven't really talked about going there yet but. It's a really weird power for her to suddenly have lmao (unless this is a thing in the novels? I wouldn't know, haven't read them, but somehow I feel like I would've heard about it)

Can I just say that I really like Yukari, and in particular her relationship with Suki? She's a fine addition to this arc imo, and really supports the whole "young people lead the charge on making a difference". Kyoshi Island's motivations for staying neutral in the animated show were of course understandable, but I like that here we can see there's a real conflict about it even before the gaang arrive there. It really endears Suki in a whole new way (tbh she's generally amazing here) and it will make it a lot more natural when we see her again in the following seasons! Also my own personal selfish wish is for the show to find a way to make her a part of the gaang for longer and earlier on. Like, as it stands, if there are three seasons, she might show up once again in season 2 and obviously join up with them in season 3 but. Boy do I want to see more of her, always have, always will! This show is genuinely such a prime opportunity to integrate her more info the story- make her have meaningful relationships with each member of the gaang, establish a role for her and what unique thing she brings to the group (special mention as always to @emletish-fish 's Stalking Zuko for having her be "the sensible one" which worked great)... Just. Make her matter for once, because I will never forgive nor be able to get over the way her existence was just completely ignored and essentially erased in LoK. Suki has always deserved better, right down to the way she was constantly brought back each season because everyone loved her, and I want this show to better reflect that that the absolute nothing she was given in LoK. Suki is a member of the gaang and she deserves to be treated as such, not just as Sokka's girlfriend.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled post!Sokka pissing off Zhao while using Suki's fan is something that can be so personal... Like, I can get into the symbolism here about the connection between these characters but. For anyone who knows where the show is going, there are no words necessary to understand why that interaction carries the weight it does. It's just... A beautiful, emotional little moment amidst some really solid fighting choreography! Of course Suki and Sokka working beautifully together was great, Yukari's fighting highly suggests she was a Kyoshi Warrior in her time as well (is... Kyoshi leadership a nepotism/family thing? Questions to ask.), and Momo getting involved were all great, but. That was really the highlight for me. It would be really impactful to anyone who knows, and to anyone who doesn't it's still just like. A really kickass Sokka moment

Also may I just say I'm very impressed with how far Sokka's come in less than two days? Like, of course it's probably not very realistic, but it absolutely supports what they're getting at here which is that Suki IS a great leader and teacher (the short scene with her looking over the other warriors' training and correcting their form was great), and that Sokka is ultimately just as competent a fighter as Katara and has the same natural talent and drive. Their little exchange about nonbenders having to work harder and be better felt very... Real in a way I can't quite express, and it felt like a very important thing that deserved to be acknowledged by the show. Sokka gets underestimated so much and reduced so frequently to being the meat and sarcasm guy, even by himself, so like. Sokka's arc is very important to me because of how often it goes unnoticed or unmentioned in the face of other, more visible ones... And I feel like they're doing a great job at adapting it, slightly modernizing him ("tastes like chicken" notwithstanding) and making him stand out more while keeping the core of it. Sokka's arc was something I was already slightly concerned with initially, and the "we're removing Sokka's sexism" rumors didn't help assuage my fears given how important it was to help set the stage for the kind of person he is, so like. Genuinely I have to give them kudos for finding a way to take it out and keep how he changes and what we ultimately learn about him as a character that didn't feel forced. This is kind of just? A great episode for all of the characters, they all flow much better individually and with each other, and I genuinely really enjoyed it for the most part as opposed to the first that was a bit stilted in a lot of places- but I guess it being mostly just. All of the exposition and Aang's backstory stuff was the issue, and when they let the characters just... Be, it all works really well!

Oh my god Kyoshi is. Doing so much heavy lifting here, literally where was my girl for the entirety of the animated show, that Aang needed some major reality checks lmao. This is... A lot for the second episode when Aang is genuinely just still trying to get a handle on things, but I don't know that I really... Hate how she's preparing him and establishing the stakes? She's an absolute hardass here, but she's not overly cruel- she's genuinely trying to help as much as she can in her own area of expertise, because who knows when she'll next get to talk to Aang, and what if he never gets to hear this stuff? Would he just... Perhaps turn into who animated Aang did? Like, it's extremely harsh and kind of feels excessive for where the show and Aang are at right now, but... Genuinely I can't really say it's a bad thing for Aang to hear all of this, because I only know what happens in the universe where he doesn't. It's fucking tough to watch little Aang be verbally beaten down like this, but? Ultimately, what Kyoshi is saying are important things that Aang needs to come to understand sooner rather than later, and she IS trying to help, even if her way is harsh, so I can't really fault her for it too much because like. I understand where she's coming from all too well, both as someone who watched the original show and thus is aware of how tough the road ahead is going to be for Aang and everyone around him, and as someone who is a big OG Aang critic and wishes he could've heard all of this in the animated show. It's... A difficult scene to watch, but I don't think it's entirely without merit.

Holy shit I can't believe they kept Zuko trying to appeal to Katara even though they took out the pirates, I was genuinely surprised by that!!

Oh. OHHH. So. I was right about where they were going with Katara, wasn't I? I was fairly certain about it before, but how meek and unsure she is in battle despite how powerful she already is followed by a trauma flashback really cemented for me that they're leaning pretty heavily into the different ways Katara was affected by losing Kya. She's still very protective of her loved ones, she's still brave and powerful and driven... And, more than ever, she's also haunted by her mother's spirit with every step she takes. She's more afraid and cautious than her animated counterpart ever was, and it translates to her being "a doormat", but it's also... So clear to me she absolutely is not staying that way. This is the start of her journey, and it's just as valid as the original one. Seeing her stand against Zuko in the original show was never something that would've caused me to worry, but here I can feel her fear and how much it's holding her back.

Also, in their confrontation scene: Zuko is SCARY here! And that made this scene like. Genuinely really special to watch? Because I didn't even know that I was capable of finding Zuko intimidating anymore- he was always genuinely so honorable in the original that when rewatching you can kinda just... Very easily chalk his whole thing up to being misguided and lost- he does bad stuff, but when compared to the ruthlessness of the other villains he's barely a threat. But here Zuko is desperate, and he's scary, and he truly feels like a big bad evil guy when he's towering over non other than Katara who we so often get the best of him to the point where you kinda forget they weren't always matched in power and... This scene just. Really works for both of them individually, to show where they're at mentally and how they clash at this point in time... And, honestly? Knowing that this is an extremely temporary dynamic for them is actually really cool- that the next time they fight may very well be when Katara beat him? It's really cool. It doesn't scream Zutara, not at all, not in the way "I'll save you from the pirates" did, but? It feels important for them to have it, still- the Zuko and Katara dynamic always advances both of their individual stories, and this time is no different. It's... A bit hard to put into words just how visceral this scene felt and how excited it made me for both of their character arcs, as well as to the progress they're gonna make together, but. This was a great scene

Ngl it's really funny how everyone is flying in this adaptation

God I already miss Suki :(

Not really... Sure about why Sokka changed him mind about sticking Aang when he mostly hung out with Suki this episode, it seems mostly like he and Katara just want some more adventure, which is cool and not an issue at this point but? The episode seems to try and imply they're both there for Aang or for the world when it's pretty clear that isn't quite it, not yet, so it feels like it comes out of nowhere and a bit out of place. I do wish that angle was allowed to be a bit more present, because so far it just feels like either the characters are unaware of it yet or that the writing isn't and thus it's never gonna get addressed. In the animated show Katara was much more obviously self interested during parts of the first season, and Sokka was mostly there for her- which I liked, it gave room for both of them to grow into this new family unit they're creating with Aang over the course of the show! Here it seems like both of them initially wanted to help Aang and found they liked the adventure, and their goals on this adventure often feel a bit inconsistent? Katara is very obviously enjoying the freedom, but she seems to be more willing to go along for wherever because the plot aligns to make things she achieved herself on her road to becoming a master waterbender just... Happen to her? She didn't aquire the waterbending scroll, she didn't suggest and advocate for going to the NWT, they're just things that happen and suit her goals really well! In that sense she feels a bit less driven, as she doesn't have to be- she's obviously dedicated to training and becoming better, but she less creates opportunities rather than fall upon them, which? I'd find it a bit hard to buy this Katara stealing, and I guess maybe she doesn't suggest the NWT because as established they don't know what state its in and she's a bit more risk averse than in the original, but... While her taking less initiative isn't necessarily a bad thing here (again, so long as it is a part of her arc rather than a continuous state), it muddles her motives a bit and serves to make the group dynamic a bit confusing. Is she there for Aang? For adventure? For waterbending? For herself? Of course it's ultimately all of those, but. I think presenting all of them right at the start makes her motivations a bit too confusing, especially when paired with Sokka who, in this order: wanted to abandon Aang out of caution, wanted to help Aang because it'd be the right thing to do, wanted to abandon Aang because he wanted to go back home, and then after hanging out with Suki for an entire episode was suddenly worried about leaving Aang alone. Their connection didn't really deepen in any way, so it feels like his motivation is much less about Aang but about what he could gain, except he doesn't frame it like that either! Idk it's confusing, and genuinely I can't tell if it's just. Bad/inconsistent writing or if it's meant to be A Thing, like, Katara and Sokka trying to find their reason for "abandoning" home. I can certainly twist the events to be that if I think about it enough, as I just did, but... Ultimately I do think there was a bit of a failure here with presenting too many motivations and not committing to any single one. It's both way too complex, and also not complex enough to work, and so in the end it's just confusing. It's truly not that big a deal but the conversation at end of this episode on Appa didn't feel authentic or earned to that episode I just saw, which was the real issue imo. I desperately hope this isn't the end of these two trying to justify their journey, and that thus turns out to have been intentional, but frankly... I do just have a feeling it was a bit of unfortunate mangled writing.

That said, I'm actually not really feeling Zhao? I've read a post that said he gets progressively more hateble as opposed to the original where he started out as immediately hateble so I'm curious if that's what's gonna happen to me too! It was cool to see Ozai though for sure haha!

I do have to shout out the way Iroh and Zhao interact with this forced politeness as something that stood out to me in an extremely good way- it's stilted, and awkward, and it's 100% meant to be, and it worked fantastically with the contrast to Zuko's being so direct and brash. I'm not like, an expert by any means, but I do have an interest in Japanese culture and it definitely felt reminiscent of the way respect and politeness is so important and entrenched in the culture right down to the language structure- it felt a bit like Zuko was just talking casually until Iroh came along and started talking in keigo, if that makes sense to anyone? Might be talking out of my ass here but that's what it reminded me of so I thought I'd mention it. It was really interesting to see regardless!

Anyway I liked this episode a lot more! It still had its issues, but they feel more like growing pains here if that makes sense? There's definitely a sense that this show is slowly getting comfortable in its own skin as a separate entity from the original, so I hope that trend continues! Evidently the direction they're going here is not for everyone, but everything I've seen so far does feel extremely like it ultimately came from fans who have their own opinions on the original show rather than people just looking to make bold new twists. A lot of the changes here, while they might initially feel blasphemous, are also ones I'd have made to the original, and the ones that aren't don't feel like they're made thoughtlessly. I'm not happy with everything I've seen so far, but I'm absolutely excited to keep watching because I genuinely do have faith in this show managing to pull off the big swings they're taking.

Also, I think it's important to note- I'm the biggest Kataang hater, I hate them, truly, I do! And yet as strange as it is and as much as I hate to admit it? There was a genuinely cute scene between Katara and Aang this episode, and if they make their relationship a bit more equal going forward... While it likely still won't make me ship them, I do genuinely think I could stomach seeing them end up together if they stay away from the worst aspects of the ship in the original show. I won't be happy about it, ever, but. There's something to be said for them managing to make it tolerable even for the biggest opposers of the ship. I still hope it won't happen! But if it does... I hope it's done tastefully and in a more thought out way than it was originally.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #atla live action #avatar the last airbender live action #natla

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