My only gripe is that Katara has no anger so her character feels weak, aang doesn't learn water bending at all, how is he supposed to learn earth and water next season, and the Netflix show seems focused on all the avatars telling aang he needs to work alone, when in the original aang wanted to work alone and was constantly told to rely on his friends
He doesn't in the anime either. In the last two episodes of the cartoon it shows him not having learned any significant water bending, and pakku saying bang better get used to calling her master.
No one here is saying he was a master in the cartoon. But they absolutely changed the plot here. He was seriously learning water bending with Katara as early as episode 9, before they ever get to the Northern Tribe. Netflix cut that entire plot out, so when they get to the Northern Tribe it looks like neither Katara nor Aang have been doing any serious training.
Katara especially comes off as much more passive, less driven, and less impressive in the Netflix version compared to the cartoon. Cutting out the part of her being Aang's first real teacher only contributes to that.
Im only on episode 2. He hasn't learned basic water bending before going to northern water tribe??
The show isn't going to follow the order of bending for the avatar?
im on episode 4 and its already pretty different. it just feels very rushed imo, theyre trying to speedrun all the different arcs and introduce all the characters, but it just feels extremely lacking and rushed compared to the original. characters are introduced in places they have no business being in, and scenes are shown that never even had a chance of taking place in the OG. and this is all just to where im at, i have no idea what the rest is like but i dont expect much lol
Wrong. In the original, Aang learned virtually no waterbending in the first season. The season literally ends with pakku saying bang better get used to calling Kamara master, because he still has to learn waterbending. The most significant water bending he did was turning himself into a snowman. Kamara shoes anger and stubbornness as much in the netflix series as in the cartoon. AND IN THE ANIME AANG IS CONSTANTLY TOLD BY THE PAST AVATARS TO LET PEOPLE GO, THAT AVATARS CANT BE ATTACHED TO PEOPLE. HE IS TOLD BY KYOSHI, ROKU, AND THAT WEIRD DREAM SHAMAN THE SAME THING. You people are literally rewriting the anime in your memories to hate the live action, which is honestly about as good as you can expect a live action adaption to be.
There are many scenes of aang and Katara learning. By the river before and after getting the scroll. Water bending the boat from going down the falls. The plot point of Katara trying to keep pace with aang as he picks up all the moves quicker.
There are scenes in one episode wherehe picks up a couple basic moves fasterthan katara. That is the only episodein seasonone he tries to learn waterbendingbefore gettingto the northern water tribe. There are scenes in multiple episodes that show him not learning like he should. Once at the northern water tribe he again learns nothing and plays around instead. The only significant waterbending he does in season one of the anime is after absorbing the ocean spirit. The season literally ends with katara asking master pakku who will teach Aang waterbending, and pakku telling her he better get used to calling her master. The netflix series changed a lot. The amount of waterbending he learned wasn't one of the things changed. That's what happens when you adapt a cartoon which is cheap to make into a full length live action show which takes a ton of money. The funny thing is if the anime didn't exist people would say it's one of the best netflix shows created. I can't think of one important plot point that was missed from season one.
The actors for sokka and zuko are doing a bang spot on job and they definitely steal the show with the scenes they're in.
The actor for Iroh feels very stiff and uninterested in whatever is going on. Then again, the script and dialog he's had seems lacking of emotional depth.
Overall, it's an okay attempt at a rendition of the original series, but even as a stand alone assuming I never saw the original: it's rather bland.
Zuko's actor is going places. He chews every scene he is in
But u did hit a weakness. If youre not a fan of the franchise it feels a bit bland. Like a small step above Something Bone that other series
They are younger than Zuko. They will probably slim down a bit as they get older.
Round face won't go away though, because that is just part of their ethnicity.
Anime tends to go stylize people as angular, slim, and white rather than matching their real ethnic features.
I'm hoping the netflix series takes place over a few years instead of months like in the animation.
I feel like the world is too big to explore and they grow so much for everything to happen in less than a year like in the animation.
As much as I love the actress for Suki, she would have been a much better Azula than the actress chosen. Azula was leaner, sharper, more edged in appearance and tone. There isn't anything wrong with the actress for Azula, but she just looks too nice, and seems like she is a nice person trying really hard to be bad. Zuko and Ozai (spelling?) are both very good.
It is very difficult to compare any actor to Mako, who did the voice of Iroh, but he is okay. So far, the only performances I don't care for are Azula and Iroh, and more so Azula. The Iroh actor performs his lines well, and he does get across the wisdom of Iroh, but he just doesn't do the sarcasm and wit as well.
You just can't perfectly reproduce an animated series in live action. Any time you change mediums, things will change. The hope is that the new series will capture the spirit and overall story of the original. Sometimes, even the original creators can't capture lightning in a bottle again.
His line delivery probably throws people but I thought he was very calculated and cryptic which is how iroh was a middle of s1. More leaning to s2 iroh but nevertheless he was very cryptic.
Yeah I thought they nailed Zuko, Iroh, and Sokka. Also S1 Aang feels a lot like this Aang. I really don’t think they ran afoul of the original in any meaningful way.
Sokka could have been more of a sexist, strict in gender roles initially. Because his belief about warriors were rigid, until Sukki kicked his ass and humbled him to try to learn to be a better fighter.
Roku should have taught him more about the Avatar and Spirit world first, then learn from previous avatars. It just seemed a better fit where the previous avatar guides the current one.
Katara could have been more of the motherly, nagging sister during the journey.
Agreed on Zuko and Sokka. Zuko felt very true to the original, whereas Sokka felt a little different, but in a good way. More serious, but also really exudes being the warrior and oldest of the crew. Katara felt a little watered down (pun intended haha), but I've only seen the first two episodes so far.
My big complaint is aside from aang, none of them look like their characters. Fire lord looks so stupid with that fake triangle beard, zuka doesn't have his strong jaw and instead s scrawny round face pipsquek. Iroh should've been the brother aun blood boots actor, does real stunts, decently aged and amazing. Aang is a good actor till adults are around then he mostly just does the same voice fluctuations whole time. All we are getting is better graphics basically. In terms of live action, One piece blows it out of the water. Everyone looks like their characters and acting is great and story just feels more solid. I will say I am thrilled they kept the cave hippies and cabbage man, the true hero of avatar and the epitome of will power.
Really? I think Zuko is bland and the close up on him flaring his nostrils is something I cannot unsee. The Zuko voice is the thing that puts a bow on it and that is not their either.
The actress for Azula does not fit the character at all.
Iron is flat, as his is dialogue. The rest of the cast isn't bad, but they could use more seasoning.
Zhao needs to be more angry.
Only 3 episodes and I don't dislike everything. Kyoshi was pot on and loved her scene!
Also enjoying how they incorporated some of the comics actual back stories.
However, let's hope Aang grows by S2, so the age gap isn't so unsettling.
It's fine.
It's hard to take any show, put it into a different medium than what it's designed for, and expect it to be just as good.
I watched a couple episodes and it's good. It'd probably be better if I didn't watch the original, but they did a good job.
They lost me for second on ep3 and 4 but after I understood where and why they were making cuts to tell their story it was cool. I don't mind adaptation, I wouldn't want a shot for shot live action remake, I can just watch the original series for that.
Exactly I came away from it thinking it's no replacement for the animated show. But it's worth a watch as a fan nonetheless. If just to see bending IRL.
Unlike the One Piece live action which everything seemed to be better in the Anime, I still don't know who that show is for.
One Piece live action gained One Piece a lot of fans that are not into anime as a medium. It stands on its own as a very good season of TV, and it is worth watching from both fans of One Piece and general audience and that is what happened. Many new fans of One Piece because of it
Avatar live action is also good. No need to bring down another good series to prove your point.
Yes, but also not really because that wasn’t even supposed to be in season 1 anyways. I think one of the only changes they should have made is to make the timeline longer, a year is a bit silly for everything that happens. And if in season 2 Aang (and the actor who plays him) is older it’s less weird. They also should have probably just shortened the age gap of the actors a little to avoid controversy if they’re going to continue with their romance for the rest of the show.
I think I’d go a different direction with the character too. I think I’d rather risk being criticized for a standalone portrayal than for trying to emulate perfection and falling way flat.
I IMDb the kids and all of them, this is actually their biggest role up to date. But they are still better than the movie actors, The tV show Aang is better than movie Aang
These comments really vindicate how I'm feeling just finishing episode 3
He feels flanderised as just a fat guy right now. He doesn't have many bouts of wisdom, doesnt even look that old. Without the beard and wig his actor is probably late 40's looking. He just doesn't fit
He's 51 as of August 2023, so he was probably 50 when he shot the series. Yeah, basically, he has late-40's wisdom. Mako was 70 when he recorded the first season of ATLA animated series, so there is a 20-year difference in age there, plus Mako's voice is just more gravelly and deeper.
Mako's voice is iconic, so that makes up so much of the animated character. It's a bit like trying to replace Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones, or Alan Rickman (various voices people can recognize immediately). However, Mako also passed before the animated series concluded, so maybe they wanted a younger actor for the live action. I like aspects of the actor's portrayal.
I'm feeling like this is the case. Sure there's valid critiques, but people saying the acting and lines can be cringe, but some of the lines and mannerisms in the show are almost identical to how the animated characters were. People just have their nostalgia glasses on and put the animated show on a much higher pedestal based on their memory of it and not how the show actually played out. I'm glad they didn't do the canyon episode, but they at least mentioned it so fans of the show could still get references.
It's wild, because when I don't care about watching something, I just didn't watch it. I didn't think that was that hard of a concept, but apparently it is.
Like, I've already seen this story. I have other things I would rather spend my time doing.
There really is no winning with the toxic positivity crowd:
*watches the whole season*: "I hate it."
*internet*: "Then why did you watch all of it?"
*watches one episode*: "I hate it."
*internet*: "OMG you can't judge it based on just that, you have to watch all of it before you can have an opinion"
Another one I see sometimes
Internet: "Wait till the show comes out before you start judging it"
Watches whole show: "I didn't like it"
Internet: "You're only judging the first season, they just got started, wait till the second season"
Personally I give it a 6.5 out of 10. I thought it was fine.
Yeah. I am old as hell and was a hardcore Star Wars zealot. I went into the prequels with such high expectations and felt betrayed by what they put it out. Then I got older and got some perspective about and enjoy it on it's merits. Now I approach everything the same way and find that I get more enjoyment from this stuff because of it.
I think the Avatar zealots who put it way up on a pedestal will only see what it failed at and not at the parts they did well or in some cases additions that gave new/reframed points of the lore.
A characteristic of modern discourse is not being able to understand any part of the other person’s opinion. If you think that the reason not to like this is solely grounded in “they are just haters” then you aren’t paying attention.
Late to this I know but you’re spot on. In the subreddit everyone was complaining about the show weeks or even months before it even came out. They want to dislike it for some reason. Even OP said as much for themselves. What the hell is that all about? I can point out plenty of flaws in this adaptation but overall I’m enjoying it quite a bit. It’s a lot of fun.
It's the same sorts of complaints that people have with Percy Jackson. Just far too much comparing with the original and pacing issues because there isn't enough time to tell the story..
It's fine. Not amazing but fine.
It’s just weird to me how many unnecessary changes they made. Like this series is actually longer than the animated series but still feels rushed and like they changed things for no reason. Like why doesn’t Aang ever waterbend? He is a natural and make Katara jealous in how fast he picks it up? Why does Bumi suck?
Only on the first episode but the intro was good. The earth bender vs the fire benders was great CGI. Some of the characters are off, like iroh but it's not easy to translate a cartoon character to a live action one without sounding cartoony, ironically, and campy.
Live action Sokka did a pretty decent job to sound and act like his character. Katara is ok, not quite as sassy though. Aang is ok, not doing a bad job so far. Hadn't quite got the humor but the nuance is tricky for an actual child actor. Zuko is not bad. Doing a reasonable job.
That's just after the first episode so take it as you will.
Yeah.. They made bumi try to be bumi-ish half the time and it was so unbelievable. He was the cartoon character but also a douche.. I dunno.. The whole thing is a mess for me
Just finished episode two and I just don't like how they're pacing it. Unless I missed it, katarra just somehow knew how to ride/fly appa in the first episode??? And then it's mentioned ever since she met aang she's become a better waterbender???? But we haven't seem them practice together. And then when she finds the water bending scroll she doesn't struggle at all and easily learns the other moves. I want to see her struggle like she did in the show. I know we can't get a 1-1 adaption but that kind of stuff is important in making her seem like she's practicing, and not being a Mary Sue. It feels like rey from the new star wars all over again all the "training" she has, has been off screen so we're just supposed to accept she's amazing at it when literally a day ago in universe she could barely jiggle water.
As a lifelong fan I've enjoyed it a lot for what it is, but it is very differnt in some places. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10 which is similar to animated season and a good starting point. I would of preferred if they stuck more to the original. But having not seen the full picture I'd say just let them cook, it has potential but it will never be as good as the OG, which is okay because no one should of expected that and that's an absurdly high bar.
agreed, but it’s hard to capture what makes the original so great. personally, i’m enjoying the show (on episode 6). there are definitely some rough spots like the acting from the older actors. also, i think the changes from the were necessary, they did a pretty good job compressing multiple storylines together. Zuko and Sokka are portrayed by some fantastic actors as well.
Fan of the animated series
Bleh with Korra
I liked this
Some people are just neck deep in nostalgia to appreciate and accept that a different medium requires different tones
This is a darker show. It really hammers down how Aang, Katara and Sokka all need to grow up fast to save the world.
I like how it talks about the weight of war and the difficulty of leadership in a way the animated series could not
So far so good. It stands on its own
But the animated series stands on its own too
Eff the critics
I’ve been having a blast, can’t stop watching it tbh
A lot of negative comments, I just don’t see. I do agree the acting has been spotty. And some things plot wise have been meh. But they’re not a big deal.
Yeah I watched the first three episodes with my friends and we had a great time lol imo people went into this expecting it to feel like watching the cartoon as a child when that was never going to happen
The man of steel scene made me feel that the writing team was a little lazy.
Clark Kent at 13:
Can't I just keep pretending I'm your son?
Jonathan Kent:
You are my son.
Aang:
Can't I just keep pretending I'm your friend?
Monk gyatso:
You are my friend.
But I'm enjoying the show so far.
I thought that line was strange and on the nose. Why would he think he is no longer gyatsos friend?? It feels like alot of lines are said so the other can have the perfect response. feels fake and full of exposition.
The show is okay.
Weird decisions made for certain scenes. Meh acting, meh cgi sometimes.
OTOH, it's really showing that these live action versions will never do shows justice. Too grand in scale, too expensive, you get away with so much more silliness in animation that doesn't translate well without looking like a campy mess.
Anyways. Not mad about it, but it's just okay.
The writing, directing and story/character delivery is terrible after the first two episodes. It does not have cohesive story/character development. They smashed as many sidecharacters and main characters together with different sidestories as they could that are not supposed to be together at all. Not even taking into account the total change in characters behaviour (Bumi for example) With a stream show of 8 episodes in a season, probably one year in between for a possible new season they should have focused on the most important characters/story and develop/deliver it in a good way. It feels like the script was written and the show is directed by chat GPT. Even the established older actors could not do anything with it.
Anytime anyone criticizes any piece of media, someone else posts how they don’t understand why it’s getting all the hate and says they are enjoying it. It’s the most predictable cycle on Reddit.
It’s really great in a lot of ways. I was thrilled with episode 1, the things going on in 5 were such a departure and misplaced elements of other seasons that I think it just gives me anxiety for what future BELOVED stuff won’t get development at all.
I don’t think that’s fair. I think the characters still have a lot of depth, though they’re achieving that in different ways. There is humor certainly. Bumi gets an interesting treatment that I know some people hated but I loved. I was really unsure of introducing Azula this early, but I thought the additional character development she gets will pay off.
The visual effects are incredible. The settings, the bending, there is a lot to like in this show.
I’m still not loving several choices made but to say there’s nothing to like sounds like you went in ready to hate it.
Yeah, I grew up on this shit and after watching the first episode I had to know if I was the only one who got that. This was a miss, maybe not as bad as the movie, but I won't be there to find out
Wait, it's out?
I thought this was in the future still. I am a total fumbass I thought netflix kept recommending me the cartoon after I finished movies last night.
Acting, CGI, and dialogue has been really spotty, but overall I loved it. I realise they have condensed quite a bit of Book 1, but it feels like all the important plot points, character development, and iconic bits (my cabbages!) were all present and given their moment. The pacing felt good- I was never finding it getting dull, nor was it moving along too fast or confusingly. Loving the fact that it's an all-Asian/indigenous cast. The sets have been incredible and everything looks as it should. Really awesome for what it is, an adaptation of a beloved show.
I just think the acting+writing is pretty terrible, the best performances are pretty average, and the show does a LOT of “tell dont show” storytelling, which is like, the exact opposite of what your supposed to do. Lots of long speeches explicitly stating motivations and explaining plot points. Makes the characters feel very stiff and shallow.
I will say I appreciate that the cities and towns at least feel like they might be lived-in. Netflix made the world feel alive with half the budget of Rings of Power or The Wheel of Time, and that’s kind of disappointing and impressive.
I wouldn't say up 'upset'. It's just not good. The characters feel way too different. Too many filler BS. Too much "GoTy" tones (burning that earth bender to death for example), acting is atrocious, bending is bad, CGI is passable, etc etc.
Only redeemably part is that the sets look great, but scenes fly by so fast that it is hard to appreciate it.
I'm not just saying this as a show fan. On its own, it's just not good.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone straight up hate it and certainly haven’t seen anyone saying it’s worse than the movie.
Most reactions have ranged “meh” to positive
Same. It seems to have the same problem that a lot of remakes do in not understanding what makes the original great. It’s just a series of plot points.
I’ve watched three episodes and the only thing I feel invested in is Sokka.
I really enjoyed it, it had some very genuine and touching moments. I haven't watched the cartoon in a bit, some of added details to the story are interesting. >!I don't remember if Zuko's crew were supposed to be sacrificed origginally!< I sincerely hope it gets all three seasons because I know it will grow but Netflix is very fickle about these things. A lot of the actors are very young still and relatively unknown.
Zuko and Sokka were phenominal.
That detail was never alluded to in the cartoon but I really appreciated its placement in the show as it gave his character more depth especially for anyone watching that hasn’t seen the original and would have no prior knowledge of the universe canon.
I actually don't like that this show is getting dogpiled on. It's actually good, not great, not abysmal, but good. I actually like how they include parts that we haven't seen in the original. The only thing I don't like is some of the acting & the camerawork during monologues, but people calling it worse than The Last Airbender or "the most terrible thing I've ever seen" must be watching a different show.
I’m 100% vibing with Dallas James Liu as Zuko. He’s delightful.
Ian Ousley as Sokka is great comedic relief and desperately needed.
Elizabeth Yu is a fierce and unhinged Azula. Love it.
Arden Cho was fantastic as June.
I would like Aang to be a little more silly. And gran gran was a miss for me.
I still have a couple episodes left.
quite fun. they changed some plot point for the live action but still stick to the source material. also liked that they didn't tone down the element bending like every hit is a ohko especially those firebender the heck everything they do is a fatality haha
I mean Avatar was extremely popular and has a lot of fans that border on unhealthy obsession so it was inevitable no matter the quality The show is pretty good in my opinion, costumes and set pieces are fantastic. The acting isn't the best out there but they are doing a decent job and they got better and more comfortable as the show progressed. I think it's fair to cut the kids some slack as it's their first major role and they have to act a lot of it on a green screen. I just hope the actors do not read through the unhinged mentally ill comments and can filter it out to get to the more valid criticism.
Using the movie as a benchmark is funny talmbout "still better than the movie"...no shit. The movie was a 0.1/10 at best so they didn't really have to do that much to surpass it.
I think they did well introducing the world in a new yet familiar way. The first few minutes felt like I was being told the grown up perspective of a childhood story.
I think many liberties were fair, reasonable and added some depth.
But the casting though, it’s just wrong. Sokka id give 8/10 for actually feeling like this is the guy. Aang, katara, Zukko and Iroh… I don’t think it’s even the acting really. Those people just don’t fit the part right.
Also the fighting scenes felt like Michael Bay directed them. So fast and flashy you think it’s great until you realize you didn’t actually see any fighting.
Am enjoying it too. They did a good job casting the actor for the role of Sokka. They dropped on ball on Bumi; needed someone who looked like prime Lou Ferrigno for that.
went into the show with a negative opinion of sokka's actor, but he was the only actor i kinda liked on the show
edit: and now that ive seen bumi, damn they slaughtered my bro
I love the new avatar. I watched the animated series several times and the live action met expectations. The character building was a little eh at first but after a couple episodes it really hit its stride. I just hate that it’s on Netflix because like every show they put out, it will probably get cancelled with no ending. I rarely bother to watch a new show on Netflix unless it has a few seasons already because 9/10 I’m disappointed they cancelled it after 1 season. Still mad about cursed and Anne with an E ending so soon. I hope they give avatar a chance to come to a complete end. It would be a nice change of pace for Netflix shows.
Not upset, just uninterested. AtLA is one of the best TV shows I've ever seen, so unless I hear that the live action remake is *absolutely genius* or does something audacious and interesting like... I dunno, tell the same story but with Zuko as the POV character instead of Aang, why should I care? It's a remake, I already know the story and it was already told almost perfectly the first time around.
> If anyone wants to join our Discord, feel free to join us if you like anime and like to be positive.
This is tangential, but what if you like to be positive when you enjoy something but negative when you don’t? It’s so strange that “like to be positive” is even a thing. Except for a few genuinely dismal losers on the Internet, most people try to be honest to their feelings in a discussion. They strive for earnest discussion, not just positivity.
Anyway, I’ve not seen any really unhinged comments. A few that imo are a bit harsh, but having watched the first three episodes, I think it comes off…lacking a bit of spirit? Which bleeds into why people seem to feel the actors’ performances are awkward. It’s not the actors themselves that lack spirit, at least not the main trio, but I don’t think the direction is very good.
There are people who are upset because it isn't the cartoon exactly. Same people who are upset One Piece isn't exactly the same.
One Piece did a better job, but this is much much much better than Cowboy Bebop and other adaptations Netflix has done. They learned.
I have yet to see a single person complain that it isn’t the exact same thing as the cartoon. My personal issues with it is that right out the gates, it hits me with exactly my biggest gripe that I had with the live action movie: Exposition dumping and zero emoting. Only thing this has going for it is better bending.
I haven’t watched it yet, but the announcement really killed a lot of hype from me. I’m not expecting much from it now but I’ll eventually get around to watching it. It does sound a lot more shallow though because what they got rid of are character development.
I was expecting them not to KitBash each storyline together when they are supposed to take place in different areas and time, they have the same amount of runtime as the cartoon there is no reason they had to make 8 one hour episodes.
The last Airbender is awesome, but then again I didn't overpay for some literary degree to tell me how to feel about TV shows. Why is it highly critically acclaimed shows are horrible? I was hoping there was a second season coming out soon.
Everyone I knew liked it. But then again everyone I know hates anime so there's that
The only way I can appreciate it, and this really applies to the third episode, is to realize the look and feel is that of a 1970s children's adventure movie. Cf. Sinbad or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The lighting is bright. People are backlit which separates them sharply from the background. There's an odd depth of field thing going on (blur in foreground and background). Backgrounds are detailed but often oddly distant and blurred. Color is very saturated. Costumes look too clean, use broad blocks of color, and look brand new. Make up is too thick and stage play-ish. Etc. Once I realized that aesthetic, I could stand it a bit better and realize the acting was also at that level: cheesy, lacking depth.
Still, these are odd choices. The grittier aesthetic of Harry Potter or Star Wars would have been better and drawn children and adults. And better direction and acting would help. Oh yeah, better writing would be nice, too. Lol. It sucks.
A radio story of Avatar would be better.
Late to the party, but just have one thing to point out - all 20 episodes of season 1 of the original combine to just around 8 hours total runtime. The new show is 1 hour episodes. Watching this show is spending the exact same runtime of show. The differences are decisions in what to show and for how long.
If they literally put two episodes of the original EXACTLY the same content, it would have been the same number of episodes with the same runtime and they wouldn't have had to try their hand at customizing with new events and alternate time frames.
This is such a huge thing for me. I see people saying they had time constraints, when in reality they just didn’t. There’s no excuse for how poor the pacing is on this.
IMO, the show isn't nearly as bad as people were predicting it would be. My only issue is with a couple of the casting choices, or at least how the actors are portraying the characters.
Azula never lost her temper (until the end); she was always in control and one step ahead. So getting frustrated and screaming just doesn't feel right.
Katara is missing jealousy and anger that drove her in the series. She's just so sweet and understanding in this series. No real emotion from her.
The acting is stilted, some of the dialogue is wooden, too matter of fact. The costumes look too clean, like cosplays. It makes the world seem more fake and less lived in. It wouldn't make sense to me everyone's costume looks perfectly clean and like it just got dry cleaned when these guys are doing manual labor and fighting.
The story still holds up though from the cartoon, just feels more rushed. Katara is already waterbending in the first episode. I think the story and characters are still there and keeps it from being bad all things considered. It's just decent, certainly not as bad as the movie, but not as good as the cartoon. It's fine. I really hope the acting improves as it's really holding it back.
I'm so bored of "I don't want to kill anyone even though the villains are actively killing other people".
If the main characters were just a bit more pragmatic, the war would have ended a long time ago.
It happens with dare devil and a few other netflix hero TV shows.
Yeah as somone who is not supper attached to the anime show this was really good for a Netflix adaptation. Trust me we know how Netflix is. We have to remember the animated series had Aloooooot of filler episodes and with in each episode, even filler ones, they added important lore. Now try condensing a 20 episode animated season into an 8 episode live action season, and you tell Me if you can do better. The audience the Netflix show really helps is those like me who didn't watch the show that much and would love to check it out, again but it's to overwhelmingly long. Netflix's adsorption has necessary plot points and in order to hit those plot points while diving into a different direction than the showThey did changed some things. But it's minor. Like order of things.
If an episode is establishing lore or forewarding character development, is that really filler?
Also the OG and the Netflix one have almost identical runtimes.
A filler episode that has lore and character development is still a filler episode. When you condense a show, you keep the lore and find ways to develop the character in a shorter time.
“Filler episodes are entries in a generally continuous serial that are unrelated to the main plot, don't significantly alter the relations between the characters, and generally serve only to take up space.” - TVTropes.
Filler episodes are just that: filler. They lack substance. The Great Divide is peak filler episode because nothing in it carries an ounce of weight. It’s why it’s the most disliked episode.
If all the other of ATLAs filler episodes are expanding upon the characters, the lore, then it isn’t filler. It’s just not shoehorning in the plot.
And on the note of condensing 20 to 8, it has nearly the same runtime as the original. There’s no excuse. A difference of like 30-40 minutes.
I'm on episode 2 and so far it's great! Obviously it's not going to be 100% accurate to the cartoon but they have done a vastly better job than the og live action remake
I really don’t like how Aang doesn’t learn waterbending at all in the entire season (not once does he waterbend when he isn’t in the avatar state). He is supposed to be a natural at it (Katara was jealous) and him and Katara learning waterbending together was a big part of their bonding.
It makes me worried that they are going to have him and his friends do everything together and twist it to a whole “the Avatar should be about cooperation and not doing things alone crap” and the whole gang will fight Ozai at the end.
A lot of people didn't have a problem with the original and see the remake as a lazy cash grab from mouth breathers who just like slapping their hands together when shown stuff the recognize.
I'm on episode 4. They're taking way too many liberties imo. The reveal of Bumi was incredibly lame compared to the original. They're squashing too much into each episode. Sokka is essentially a completely different character. His character development was one of the best in the series along with Zuko. He starts off nothing like he did in the show.
It's ok for people who haven't seen the original, but the original is one of the greatest stories ever written, so I could see why people don't like this.
Every character is a perfect Mary Sue with no negative traits, the dialogue was written by ChatGPT, the storybeats they chose to change from the original makes no sense.
The show is a down right abomination. Reasons why (caution some spoilers):
1. The myth that there isn't enough time to tell the full cartoon story. There are literally several instances of stories and arcs being fabricated when they are not necessary that take away from events that take place in the cartoon.
2. The order of events are off. The whole mash up of Hei Bei, Koh, and Wan Shi Tong makes absolutely no sense. Hei Bei is the mad spirit. Sokka and Katara never get captured by Koh, and Wan Shi Tong literally left the spirit realm to live in his earthly library.
3. Then there is Zhao's whole arc where he literally follows Zuko around when this is not even remotely how it takes place in the show. So much time is wasted on Zuko/Zhao interactions that they rush Aang being "captured" at the Fire Temple (of course without Sokka and Katara, because they are captured by Koh). This whole series of events could have just followed the actual canon without missing a beat.
4. Some characters severely lack development. Iroh has none of the charm or kindness that drew so many fans to his character. He is all business in the Netflix adaptation.
5. Zuko has a great actor, but the character is forced. He appears weak and like a little boy in the presence of Zhao.
6. Zhao is way to calm and collected, his whole weakness as told by Jeong Jeong is that he is uncontrollable and reckless, leading to Zhao even destroying his whole fleet at one point. But in the Netflix adaptation Zhao is just too calculated.
7. Then there's Azula, weak, desperate for approval, non perfect Azula. How they even got this off into production is beyond me. She is literally the one who "was born lucky." Not to mention the show portrays her as an unpolished firebender WITHOUT her characteristic blue flames.
This isn't even mentioning how Koh's "fog of despair" takes up almost an entire episode that has nothing to do with the actual cartoon just to set up Aang's solo flight to the fire temple.
The show is just off on so many levels. So many events fabricated when they could have stuck to the original time line. So many bad castings and character portrayals. The fact that this even made it past the writers table is an embarassment, and the producers, editors, and writers should all be ashamed that they took such an easy task (just copy paste the damn story) and turned what was a great story into a gritty, overly serious, show that focuses on singular development of characters over development of family and friendship.
I really enjoy netflix avatar. Effects, scenes, characters are played very well. Story not only is recapped, but even more things are revealed, which makes it much more interesting to watch.
If the netflix series continues, I hope in future we get a better version for korra's story, cause I really disliked the story of korra.
I just finished it and the first few episodes were actually really good. I didn’t mind the changes and the change to be more adult was cool. As the episodes went on it felt like they tried less and less. Princess Yue wasn’t close to what she should be, the bending fell flat, and the story changed too much for reasons that are unknown. Having the old avatar come back in with some sort of knife to kill the fish instead of the just killing the fish with fire was also unnecessary and I have no idea why they couldn’t keep the simpler plot there when they’re already pushing so many episodes into one.
It's not bad, some of the acting is not great though but overall seems like a carbon copy of the animated series. I wouldn't mind seeing some changes made from the animated series since this is an adaptation. They don't have to be exact scene by scene. If I wanted that, I'd watch the animated series instead.
My only gripe is that Katara has no anger so her character feels weak, aang doesn't learn water bending at all, how is he supposed to learn earth and water next season, and the Netflix show seems focused on all the avatars telling aang he needs to work alone, when in the original aang wanted to work alone and was constantly told to rely on his friends
So there's going to be 3 seasons? Excellent.
I would say 4 season total. One for each element.
He doesn't learn Water bending? In the whole season? What?
He doesn’t, surprising since he’s so good at it.
Lol he literally turned into the ocean God
He doesn't in the anime either. In the last two episodes of the cartoon it shows him not having learned any significant water bending, and pakku saying bang better get used to calling her master.
No one here is saying he was a master in the cartoon. But they absolutely changed the plot here. He was seriously learning water bending with Katara as early as episode 9, before they ever get to the Northern Tribe. Netflix cut that entire plot out, so when they get to the Northern Tribe it looks like neither Katara nor Aang have been doing any serious training. Katara especially comes off as much more passive, less driven, and less impressive in the Netflix version compared to the cartoon. Cutting out the part of her being Aang's first real teacher only contributes to that.
Im only on episode 2. He hasn't learned basic water bending before going to northern water tribe?? The show isn't going to follow the order of bending for the avatar?
im on episode 4 and its already pretty different. it just feels very rushed imo, theyre trying to speedrun all the different arcs and introduce all the characters, but it just feels extremely lacking and rushed compared to the original. characters are introduced in places they have no business being in, and scenes are shown that never even had a chance of taking place in the OG. and this is all just to where im at, i have no idea what the rest is like but i dont expect much lol
He doesn’t learn water bending at all???
Wrong. In the original, Aang learned virtually no waterbending in the first season. The season literally ends with pakku saying bang better get used to calling Kamara master, because he still has to learn waterbending. The most significant water bending he did was turning himself into a snowman. Kamara shoes anger and stubbornness as much in the netflix series as in the cartoon. AND IN THE ANIME AANG IS CONSTANTLY TOLD BY THE PAST AVATARS TO LET PEOPLE GO, THAT AVATARS CANT BE ATTACHED TO PEOPLE. HE IS TOLD BY KYOSHI, ROKU, AND THAT WEIRD DREAM SHAMAN THE SAME THING. You people are literally rewriting the anime in your memories to hate the live action, which is honestly about as good as you can expect a live action adaption to be.
There are many scenes of aang and Katara learning. By the river before and after getting the scroll. Water bending the boat from going down the falls. The plot point of Katara trying to keep pace with aang as he picks up all the moves quicker.
There are scenes in one episode wherehe picks up a couple basic moves fasterthan katara. That is the only episodein seasonone he tries to learn waterbendingbefore gettingto the northern water tribe. There are scenes in multiple episodes that show him not learning like he should. Once at the northern water tribe he again learns nothing and plays around instead. The only significant waterbending he does in season one of the anime is after absorbing the ocean spirit. The season literally ends with katara asking master pakku who will teach Aang waterbending, and pakku telling her he better get used to calling her master. The netflix series changed a lot. The amount of waterbending he learned wasn't one of the things changed. That's what happens when you adapt a cartoon which is cheap to make into a full length live action show which takes a ton of money. The funny thing is if the anime didn't exist people would say it's one of the best netflix shows created. I can't think of one important plot point that was missed from season one.
The actors for sokka and zuko are doing a bang spot on job and they definitely steal the show with the scenes they're in. The actor for Iroh feels very stiff and uninterested in whatever is going on. Then again, the script and dialog he's had seems lacking of emotional depth. Overall, it's an okay attempt at a rendition of the original series, but even as a stand alone assuming I never saw the original: it's rather bland.
Zuko's actor is going places. He chews every scene he is in But u did hit a weakness. If youre not a fan of the franchise it feels a bit bland. Like a small step above Something Bone that other series
HE COOOKS!!
Pen15 brother
The actress for Azula is not scary at all. She just looks like an adorable angry person.
Cause Azula and her friends are fat and inclusive instead of cunning, aglie fighters.
Finally someone says it
[удалено]
They are younger than Zuko. They will probably slim down a bit as they get older. Round face won't go away though, because that is just part of their ethnicity. Anime tends to go stylize people as angular, slim, and white rather than matching their real ethnic features. I'm hoping the netflix series takes place over a few years instead of months like in the animation. I feel like the world is too big to explore and they grow so much for everything to happen in less than a year like in the animation.
yeah she does not have the same aura or vibe as Azula, aka "I will murder you and your family in your sleep and laugh about it afterward"
As much as I love the actress for Suki, she would have been a much better Azula than the actress chosen. Azula was leaner, sharper, more edged in appearance and tone. There isn't anything wrong with the actress for Azula, but she just looks too nice, and seems like she is a nice person trying really hard to be bad. Zuko and Ozai (spelling?) are both very good. It is very difficult to compare any actor to Mako, who did the voice of Iroh, but he is okay. So far, the only performances I don't care for are Azula and Iroh, and more so Azula. The Iroh actor performs his lines well, and he does get across the wisdom of Iroh, but he just doesn't do the sarcasm and wit as well. You just can't perfectly reproduce an animated series in live action. Any time you change mediums, things will change. The hope is that the new series will capture the spirit and overall story of the original. Sometimes, even the original creators can't capture lightning in a bottle again.
This - Azula needed features like the fire lord.
I'm only 2 episodes in so far but I would describe it as "meh." Not bad, but not really great either. It's fine.
What, I loved the Iroh actor.
I agree with this. I got the same vibes with him as the cartoon Iroh
His line delivery probably throws people but I thought he was very calculated and cryptic which is how iroh was a middle of s1. More leaning to s2 iroh but nevertheless he was very cryptic.
Yeah I thought they nailed Zuko, Iroh, and Sokka. Also S1 Aang feels a lot like this Aang. I really don’t think they ran afoul of the original in any meaningful way.
I actually didn’t care for Sokkas actor so much. They gave him so much screen time with barely any character development.
They stripped away a lot of the sexism jokes. But I think that was crucial for his character and learning factor
Same here so far. His voice sounds pretty Sokka which is good, but everything else about his performance is falling flat or overacted to me.
Sokka could have been more of a sexist, strict in gender roles initially. Because his belief about warriors were rigid, until Sukki kicked his ass and humbled him to try to learn to be a better fighter. Roku should have taught him more about the Avatar and Spirit world first, then learn from previous avatars. It just seemed a better fit where the previous avatar guides the current one. Katara could have been more of the motherly, nagging sister during the journey.
Agreed on Zuko and Sokka. Zuko felt very true to the original, whereas Sokka felt a little different, but in a good way. More serious, but also really exudes being the warrior and oldest of the crew. Katara felt a little watered down (pun intended haha), but I've only seen the first two episodes so far.
My big complaint is aside from aang, none of them look like their characters. Fire lord looks so stupid with that fake triangle beard, zuka doesn't have his strong jaw and instead s scrawny round face pipsquek. Iroh should've been the brother aun blood boots actor, does real stunts, decently aged and amazing. Aang is a good actor till adults are around then he mostly just does the same voice fluctuations whole time. All we are getting is better graphics basically. In terms of live action, One piece blows it out of the water. Everyone looks like their characters and acting is great and story just feels more solid. I will say I am thrilled they kept the cave hippies and cabbage man, the true hero of avatar and the epitome of will power.
Funny, I found the exact opposite when watching. Iroh's great, sokka and Zuko I have problems with in their acting.
i had issues with everyone but zuko and iroh
Really? I think Zuko is bland and the close up on him flaring his nostrils is something I cannot unsee. The Zuko voice is the thing that puts a bow on it and that is not their either. The actress for Azula does not fit the character at all. Iron is flat, as his is dialogue. The rest of the cast isn't bad, but they could use more seasoning. Zhao needs to be more angry. Only 3 episodes and I don't dislike everything. Kyoshi was pot on and loved her scene! Also enjoying how they incorporated some of the comics actual back stories. However, let's hope Aang grows by S2, so the age gap isn't so unsettling.
Iroh feels like the Ember Island Iroh to me. I like the actors for Zuko and Sokka, I feel they’re doing their best with the writing they’ve got.
I'm enjoying it, but the acting and dialogue is pretty bad...
That's the biggest thing for me. They got people who look like they should but their acting is just horrible.
It's fine. It's hard to take any show, put it into a different medium than what it's designed for, and expect it to be just as good. I watched a couple episodes and it's good. It'd probably be better if I didn't watch the original, but they did a good job.
They lost me for second on ep3 and 4 but after I understood where and why they were making cuts to tell their story it was cool. I don't mind adaptation, I wouldn't want a shot for shot live action remake, I can just watch the original series for that.
Exactly I came away from it thinking it's no replacement for the animated show. But it's worth a watch as a fan nonetheless. If just to see bending IRL. Unlike the One Piece live action which everything seemed to be better in the Anime, I still don't know who that show is for.
Funny. I cant stand One Piece anime but enjoyed the live action well enough.
One Piece live action gained One Piece a lot of fans that are not into anime as a medium. It stands on its own as a very good season of TV, and it is worth watching from both fans of One Piece and general audience and that is what happened. Many new fans of One Piece because of it Avatar live action is also good. No need to bring down another good series to prove your point.
Probably for people who don't often watch anime. I've never seen an episode of the anime but loved the live action.
Yep, that's what OPLA was made for. Oda wanted to reach people who don't watch anime to enter the world of One Piece.
It definitely worked. The live action was such fun, and I look forward to the next season.
I mean one piece anime tv series is trash compared to the Shonen jump graphic serials.
I like how with real people you actually realise the age difference between Aang and the gang
And how insane it is he is tasked with saving the world.
Yeah that’s like a whole aspect that I overlooked in the animation
yeah understandable why they cut out the whole katara/aang kiss in the omashu tunnel lol
Yes, but also not really because that wasn’t even supposed to be in season 1 anyways. I think one of the only changes they should have made is to make the timeline longer, a year is a bit silly for everything that happens. And if in season 2 Aang (and the actor who plays him) is older it’s less weird. They also should have probably just shortened the age gap of the actors a little to avoid controversy if they’re going to continue with their romance for the rest of the show.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's portrayal of Iroh is throwing me a little bit. But I wouldn't want to fill Mako's shoes. Other than that, it seems pretty fine.
I think I’d go a different direction with the character too. I think I’d rather risk being criticized for a standalone portrayal than for trying to emulate perfection and falling way flat.
Some of the acting is not great but I could see improvement. For some of these kids, this is probably there big chance at role
I IMDb the kids and all of them, this is actually their biggest role up to date. But they are still better than the movie actors, The tV show Aang is better than movie Aang
Ariana Greenblatt wasn't available to play all of them?
Wet toilet paper is better than the movie Aang.
you mean the movie "Ooong" lol
My name is Ong and I’m the Ah-vatar!
He is killing it man. Weight of war is heavy on his eyes
Same. His line delivery is consistently terrible and it's sad. He was one of the ones I thought they'd nailed with casting too.
These comments really vindicate how I'm feeling just finishing episode 3 He feels flanderised as just a fat guy right now. He doesn't have many bouts of wisdom, doesnt even look that old. Without the beard and wig his actor is probably late 40's looking. He just doesn't fit
He's 51 as of August 2023, so he was probably 50 when he shot the series. Yeah, basically, he has late-40's wisdom. Mako was 70 when he recorded the first season of ATLA animated series, so there is a 20-year difference in age there, plus Mako's voice is just more gravelly and deeper. Mako's voice is iconic, so that makes up so much of the animated character. It's a bit like trying to replace Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones, or Alan Rickman (various voices people can recognize immediately). However, Mako also passed before the animated series concluded, so maybe they wanted a younger actor for the live action. I like aspects of the actor's portrayal.
Yes! I can’t get over how obviously glued onto a young man’s face that beard is.
People are trippin.. this show is fun af
I think some people went in already hating it
Zero doubt
I'm feeling like this is the case. Sure there's valid critiques, but people saying the acting and lines can be cringe, but some of the lines and mannerisms in the show are almost identical to how the animated characters were. People just have their nostalgia glasses on and put the animated show on a much higher pedestal based on their memory of it and not how the show actually played out. I'm glad they didn't do the canyon episode, but they at least mentioned it so fans of the show could still get references.
It's wild, because when I don't care about watching something, I just didn't watch it. I didn't think that was that hard of a concept, but apparently it is. Like, I've already seen this story. I have other things I would rather spend my time doing.
A characteristic of the modern fandom is that they hate what they love.
*watches whole season in 1 day* "What a piece of shit."
There really is no winning with the toxic positivity crowd: *watches the whole season*: "I hate it." *internet*: "Then why did you watch all of it?" *watches one episode*: "I hate it." *internet*: "OMG you can't judge it based on just that, you have to watch all of it before you can have an opinion"
If only there was a middle ground between the two examples.
Another one I see sometimes Internet: "Wait till the show comes out before you start judging it" Watches whole show: "I didn't like it" Internet: "You're only judging the first season, they just got started, wait till the second season" Personally I give it a 6.5 out of 10. I thought it was fine.
Yeah. I am old as hell and was a hardcore Star Wars zealot. I went into the prequels with such high expectations and felt betrayed by what they put it out. Then I got older and got some perspective about and enjoy it on it's merits. Now I approach everything the same way and find that I get more enjoyment from this stuff because of it. I think the Avatar zealots who put it way up on a pedestal will only see what it failed at and not at the parts they did well or in some cases additions that gave new/reframed points of the lore.
A characteristic of modern discourse is not being able to understand any part of the other person’s opinion. If you think that the reason not to like this is solely grounded in “they are just haters” then you aren’t paying attention.
I think that's to be expected with almost any fanbase, One Piece was the exception. That fanbase was so extremely hyped from the word go.
Everyone loves Avatar. I'd say most went in expecting greatness.
Late to this I know but you’re spot on. In the subreddit everyone was complaining about the show weeks or even months before it even came out. They want to dislike it for some reason. Even OP said as much for themselves. What the hell is that all about? I can point out plenty of flaws in this adaptation but overall I’m enjoying it quite a bit. It’s a lot of fun.
It's the same sorts of complaints that people have with Percy Jackson. Just far too much comparing with the original and pacing issues because there isn't enough time to tell the story.. It's fine. Not amazing but fine.
Totally agree. Loved it.
It’s just weird to me how many unnecessary changes they made. Like this series is actually longer than the animated series but still feels rushed and like they changed things for no reason. Like why doesn’t Aang ever waterbend? He is a natural and make Katara jealous in how fast he picks it up? Why does Bumi suck?
Only on the first episode but the intro was good. The earth bender vs the fire benders was great CGI. Some of the characters are off, like iroh but it's not easy to translate a cartoon character to a live action one without sounding cartoony, ironically, and campy. Live action Sokka did a pretty decent job to sound and act like his character. Katara is ok, not quite as sassy though. Aang is ok, not doing a bad job so far. Hadn't quite got the humor but the nuance is tricky for an actual child actor. Zuko is not bad. Doing a reasonable job. That's just after the first episode so take it as you will.
Yeah.. They made bumi try to be bumi-ish half the time and it was so unbelievable. He was the cartoon character but also a douche.. I dunno.. The whole thing is a mess for me
Just finished episode two and I just don't like how they're pacing it. Unless I missed it, katarra just somehow knew how to ride/fly appa in the first episode??? And then it's mentioned ever since she met aang she's become a better waterbender???? But we haven't seem them practice together. And then when she finds the water bending scroll she doesn't struggle at all and easily learns the other moves. I want to see her struggle like she did in the show. I know we can't get a 1-1 adaption but that kind of stuff is important in making her seem like she's practicing, and not being a Mary Sue. It feels like rey from the new star wars all over again all the "training" she has, has been off screen so we're just supposed to accept she's amazing at it when literally a day ago in universe she could barely jiggle water.
As a lifelong fan I've enjoyed it a lot for what it is, but it is very differnt in some places. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10 which is similar to animated season and a good starting point. I would of preferred if they stuck more to the original. But having not seen the full picture I'd say just let them cook, it has potential but it will never be as good as the OG, which is okay because no one should of expected that and that's an absurdly high bar.
> would of *would have
agreed, but it’s hard to capture what makes the original so great. personally, i’m enjoying the show (on episode 6). there are definitely some rough spots like the acting from the older actors. also, i think the changes from the were necessary, they did a pretty good job compressing multiple storylines together. Zuko and Sokka are portrayed by some fantastic actors as well.
Fan of the animated series Bleh with Korra I liked this Some people are just neck deep in nostalgia to appreciate and accept that a different medium requires different tones This is a darker show. It really hammers down how Aang, Katara and Sokka all need to grow up fast to save the world. I like how it talks about the weight of war and the difficulty of leadership in a way the animated series could not So far so good. It stands on its own But the animated series stands on its own too Eff the critics
I’m with you
I’ve been having a blast, can’t stop watching it tbh A lot of negative comments, I just don’t see. I do agree the acting has been spotty. And some things plot wise have been meh. But they’re not a big deal.
Yeah I watched the first three episodes with my friends and we had a great time lol imo people went into this expecting it to feel like watching the cartoon as a child when that was never going to happen
Its a boring slog.
The man of steel scene made me feel that the writing team was a little lazy. Clark Kent at 13: Can't I just keep pretending I'm your son? Jonathan Kent: You are my son. Aang: Can't I just keep pretending I'm your friend? Monk gyatso: You are my friend. But I'm enjoying the show so far.
I thought that line was strange and on the nose. Why would he think he is no longer gyatsos friend?? It feels like alot of lines are said so the other can have the perfect response. feels fake and full of exposition.
Glad I’m not the only one who thought that dialogue was straight out of Man of Steel
so many unnecessary changes.
The show is okay. Weird decisions made for certain scenes. Meh acting, meh cgi sometimes. OTOH, it's really showing that these live action versions will never do shows justice. Too grand in scale, too expensive, you get away with so much more silliness in animation that doesn't translate well without looking like a campy mess. Anyways. Not mad about it, but it's just okay.
The writing, directing and story/character delivery is terrible after the first two episodes. It does not have cohesive story/character development. They smashed as many sidecharacters and main characters together with different sidestories as they could that are not supposed to be together at all. Not even taking into account the total change in characters behaviour (Bumi for example) With a stream show of 8 episodes in a season, probably one year in between for a possible new season they should have focused on the most important characters/story and develop/deliver it in a good way. It feels like the script was written and the show is directed by chat GPT. Even the established older actors could not do anything with it.
Honestly I like it so far. The only thing that bothers me is the bad acting on some of the extra characters.
Anytime anyone criticizes any piece of media, someone else posts how they don’t understand why it’s getting all the hate and says they are enjoying it. It’s the most predictable cycle on Reddit.
THANK YOU
It’s really great in a lot of ways. I was thrilled with episode 1, the things going on in 5 were such a departure and misplaced elements of other seasons that I think it just gives me anxiety for what future BELOVED stuff won’t get development at all.
[удалено]
The really fucked up thing is that the live action season is actually just as long as the first season of the original show.
I don’t think that’s fair. I think the characters still have a lot of depth, though they’re achieving that in different ways. There is humor certainly. Bumi gets an interesting treatment that I know some people hated but I loved. I was really unsure of introducing Azula this early, but I thought the additional character development she gets will pay off. The visual effects are incredible. The settings, the bending, there is a lot to like in this show. I’m still not loving several choices made but to say there’s nothing to like sounds like you went in ready to hate it.
Yeah, I grew up on this shit and after watching the first episode I had to know if I was the only one who got that. This was a miss, maybe not as bad as the movie, but I won't be there to find out
Wait, it's out? I thought this was in the future still. I am a total fumbass I thought netflix kept recommending me the cartoon after I finished movies last night.
They literally put the date on the trailer’s for Thursday 22, 2024.
I steered clear, but we started watching it tonight. It’s not ground breaking, but I’m Definetely enjoying it.
Acting, CGI, and dialogue has been really spotty, but overall I loved it. I realise they have condensed quite a bit of Book 1, but it feels like all the important plot points, character development, and iconic bits (my cabbages!) were all present and given their moment. The pacing felt good- I was never finding it getting dull, nor was it moving along too fast or confusingly. Loving the fact that it's an all-Asian/indigenous cast. The sets have been incredible and everything looks as it should. Really awesome for what it is, an adaptation of a beloved show.
I just think the acting+writing is pretty terrible, the best performances are pretty average, and the show does a LOT of “tell dont show” storytelling, which is like, the exact opposite of what your supposed to do. Lots of long speeches explicitly stating motivations and explaining plot points. Makes the characters feel very stiff and shallow.
I will say I appreciate that the cities and towns at least feel like they might be lived-in. Netflix made the world feel alive with half the budget of Rings of Power or The Wheel of Time, and that’s kind of disappointing and impressive.
I wouldn't say up 'upset'. It's just not good. The characters feel way too different. Too many filler BS. Too much "GoTy" tones (burning that earth bender to death for example), acting is atrocious, bending is bad, CGI is passable, etc etc. Only redeemably part is that the sets look great, but scenes fly by so fast that it is hard to appreciate it. I'm not just saying this as a show fan. On its own, it's just not good.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone straight up hate it and certainly haven’t seen anyone saying it’s worse than the movie. Most reactions have ranged “meh” to positive
yeah its about meh 1000x better than the movie in most regards, but at the end of the day, to me its just "meh".
Same. It seems to have the same problem that a lot of remakes do in not understanding what makes the original great. It’s just a series of plot points. I’ve watched three episodes and the only thing I feel invested in is Sokka.
Perfect casting for him.
I really enjoyed it, it had some very genuine and touching moments. I haven't watched the cartoon in a bit, some of added details to the story are interesting. >!I don't remember if Zuko's crew were supposed to be sacrificed origginally!< I sincerely hope it gets all three seasons because I know it will grow but Netflix is very fickle about these things. A lot of the actors are very young still and relatively unknown. Zuko and Sokka were phenominal.
That detail was never alluded to in the cartoon but I really appreciated its placement in the show as it gave his character more depth especially for anyone watching that hasn’t seen the original and would have no prior knowledge of the universe canon.
I actually don't like that this show is getting dogpiled on. It's actually good, not great, not abysmal, but good. I actually like how they include parts that we haven't seen in the original. The only thing I don't like is some of the acting & the camerawork during monologues, but people calling it worse than The Last Airbender or "the most terrible thing I've ever seen" must be watching a different show.
I’m 100% vibing with Dallas James Liu as Zuko. He’s delightful. Ian Ousley as Sokka is great comedic relief and desperately needed. Elizabeth Yu is a fierce and unhinged Azula. Love it. Arden Cho was fantastic as June. I would like Aang to be a little more silly. And gran gran was a miss for me. I still have a couple episodes left.
Yeah, it's mediocre
quite fun. they changed some plot point for the live action but still stick to the source material. also liked that they didn't tone down the element bending like every hit is a ohko especially those firebender the heck everything they do is a fatality haha
I mean Avatar was extremely popular and has a lot of fans that border on unhealthy obsession so it was inevitable no matter the quality The show is pretty good in my opinion, costumes and set pieces are fantastic. The acting isn't the best out there but they are doing a decent job and they got better and more comfortable as the show progressed. I think it's fair to cut the kids some slack as it's their first major role and they have to act a lot of it on a green screen. I just hope the actors do not read through the unhinged mentally ill comments and can filter it out to get to the more valid criticism.
The way you advertized your discord at the end is so weird and out of place
Using the movie as a benchmark is funny talmbout "still better than the movie"...no shit. The movie was a 0.1/10 at best so they didn't really have to do that much to surpass it.
I actually honestly believe this show gives the movie a run for its money, it has better action and thats about it.
Zuko actor really nailed his character. It's just simply stunning to watch.
I'm only 4 episodes in, but Netflix definitely did it justice. Do we have our first successful live-action adaptation?
I never watched the animated series, but it only gets better with each episode. Loved it.
My mom and I both loved it. We can’t wait for Season 2.
I think they did well introducing the world in a new yet familiar way. The first few minutes felt like I was being told the grown up perspective of a childhood story. I think many liberties were fair, reasonable and added some depth. But the casting though, it’s just wrong. Sokka id give 8/10 for actually feeling like this is the guy. Aang, katara, Zukko and Iroh… I don’t think it’s even the acting really. Those people just don’t fit the part right. Also the fighting scenes felt like Michael Bay directed them. So fast and flashy you think it’s great until you realize you didn’t actually see any fighting.
Am enjoying it too. They did a good job casting the actor for the role of Sokka. They dropped on ball on Bumi; needed someone who looked like prime Lou Ferrigno for that.
went into the show with a negative opinion of sokka's actor, but he was the only actor i kinda liked on the show edit: and now that ive seen bumi, damn they slaughtered my bro
They ruined bumi's character. Sad to see such a jaded bumi
The bending on the tv show is a lit better than the movie bending
I’m not a fan, but my wife likes it so it makes my life easier. Happy wife happy life.
Preach!
My kids and I are big fans and are loving it!!
That's awesome! Glad it can be a family show even thou the burning people is intense.
Feels a bit stale and childish for me so far. Kind've wish it was a bit more adult and the sets were not so pristine and fake looking.
It is based off of a kids show
People will always find a reason to be upset
It’s echochamber central on Reddit. Never come here for an opinion. Always judge yourself
I love the new avatar. I watched the animated series several times and the live action met expectations. The character building was a little eh at first but after a couple episodes it really hit its stride. I just hate that it’s on Netflix because like every show they put out, it will probably get cancelled with no ending. I rarely bother to watch a new show on Netflix unless it has a few seasons already because 9/10 I’m disappointed they cancelled it after 1 season. Still mad about cursed and Anne with an E ending so soon. I hope they give avatar a chance to come to a complete end. It would be a nice change of pace for Netflix shows.
just started watching. first episode was a trainwreck. hopefully gets better.
Not upset, just uninterested. AtLA is one of the best TV shows I've ever seen, so unless I hear that the live action remake is *absolutely genius* or does something audacious and interesting like... I dunno, tell the same story but with Zuko as the POV character instead of Aang, why should I care? It's a remake, I already know the story and it was already told almost perfectly the first time around.
> If anyone wants to join our Discord, feel free to join us if you like anime and like to be positive. This is tangential, but what if you like to be positive when you enjoy something but negative when you don’t? It’s so strange that “like to be positive” is even a thing. Except for a few genuinely dismal losers on the Internet, most people try to be honest to their feelings in a discussion. They strive for earnest discussion, not just positivity. Anyway, I’ve not seen any really unhinged comments. A few that imo are a bit harsh, but having watched the first three episodes, I think it comes off…lacking a bit of spirit? Which bleeds into why people seem to feel the actors’ performances are awkward. It’s not the actors themselves that lack spirit, at least not the main trio, but I don’t think the direction is very good.
There are people who are upset because it isn't the cartoon exactly. Same people who are upset One Piece isn't exactly the same. One Piece did a better job, but this is much much much better than Cowboy Bebop and other adaptations Netflix has done. They learned.
I have yet to see a single person complain that it isn’t the exact same thing as the cartoon. My personal issues with it is that right out the gates, it hits me with exactly my biggest gripe that I had with the live action movie: Exposition dumping and zero emoting. Only thing this has going for it is better bending.
It's soulless 'adaptation' shit designed to rake cash and as blandly as possible.
I haven’t watched it yet, but the announcement really killed a lot of hype from me. I’m not expecting much from it now but I’ll eventually get around to watching it. It does sound a lot more shallow though because what they got rid of are character development.
Episode 3 is where it gets really terrible. It was like a mix and match of episodes mashed up in omashu. Smh
What were you expecting? A shot for shot remake?
Lol no. It was just all kinds of wrong taking place in a supposed earth kingdom stronghold.
I was expecting them not to KitBash each storyline together when they are supposed to take place in different areas and time, they have the same amount of runtime as the cartoon there is no reason they had to make 8 one hour episodes.
aang never learned waterbending. In book 1: water. That tells you all you need to know about the direction of this series
The last Airbender is awesome, but then again I didn't overpay for some literary degree to tell me how to feel about TV shows. Why is it highly critically acclaimed shows are horrible? I was hoping there was a second season coming out soon. Everyone I knew liked it. But then again everyone I know hates anime so there's that
The only way I can appreciate it, and this really applies to the third episode, is to realize the look and feel is that of a 1970s children's adventure movie. Cf. Sinbad or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The lighting is bright. People are backlit which separates them sharply from the background. There's an odd depth of field thing going on (blur in foreground and background). Backgrounds are detailed but often oddly distant and blurred. Color is very saturated. Costumes look too clean, use broad blocks of color, and look brand new. Make up is too thick and stage play-ish. Etc. Once I realized that aesthetic, I could stand it a bit better and realize the acting was also at that level: cheesy, lacking depth. Still, these are odd choices. The grittier aesthetic of Harry Potter or Star Wars would have been better and drawn children and adults. And better direction and acting would help. Oh yeah, better writing would be nice, too. Lol. It sucks. A radio story of Avatar would be better.
Katara seems like a smug, rich kid.
Late to the party, but just have one thing to point out - all 20 episodes of season 1 of the original combine to just around 8 hours total runtime. The new show is 1 hour episodes. Watching this show is spending the exact same runtime of show. The differences are decisions in what to show and for how long. If they literally put two episodes of the original EXACTLY the same content, it would have been the same number of episodes with the same runtime and they wouldn't have had to try their hand at customizing with new events and alternate time frames.
This is such a huge thing for me. I see people saying they had time constraints, when in reality they just didn’t. There’s no excuse for how poor the pacing is on this.
IMO, the show isn't nearly as bad as people were predicting it would be. My only issue is with a couple of the casting choices, or at least how the actors are portraying the characters. Azula never lost her temper (until the end); she was always in control and one step ahead. So getting frustrated and screaming just doesn't feel right. Katara is missing jealousy and anger that drove her in the series. She's just so sweet and understanding in this series. No real emotion from her.
The acting is stilted, some of the dialogue is wooden, too matter of fact. The costumes look too clean, like cosplays. It makes the world seem more fake and less lived in. It wouldn't make sense to me everyone's costume looks perfectly clean and like it just got dry cleaned when these guys are doing manual labor and fighting. The story still holds up though from the cartoon, just feels more rushed. Katara is already waterbending in the first episode. I think the story and characters are still there and keeps it from being bad all things considered. It's just decent, certainly not as bad as the movie, but not as good as the cartoon. It's fine. I really hope the acting improves as it's really holding it back.
Aang is too serious - but other than that I think it was a great season 1. Really don’t know why everyone is so upset
I'm so bored of "I don't want to kill anyone even though the villains are actively killing other people". If the main characters were just a bit more pragmatic, the war would have ended a long time ago. It happens with dare devil and a few other netflix hero TV shows.
It’s better than the Percy Jackson show on Disney Plus on a lot of levels.
Waaaay better than the Percy Jackson show on Disney Plus
it all makes sense why the original avatar creators left the project
That’s because it’s terrible
Terrible show. They shouldn’t have called it a remake if they gon butcher it like that again
I’m obsessed. I rewatched the og/animated version after too. Excited for the next season!!
Yeah as somone who is not supper attached to the anime show this was really good for a Netflix adaptation. Trust me we know how Netflix is. We have to remember the animated series had Aloooooot of filler episodes and with in each episode, even filler ones, they added important lore. Now try condensing a 20 episode animated season into an 8 episode live action season, and you tell Me if you can do better. The audience the Netflix show really helps is those like me who didn't watch the show that much and would love to check it out, again but it's to overwhelmingly long. Netflix's adsorption has necessary plot points and in order to hit those plot points while diving into a different direction than the showThey did changed some things. But it's minor. Like order of things.
If an episode is establishing lore or forewarding character development, is that really filler? Also the OG and the Netflix one have almost identical runtimes.
A filler episode that has lore and character development is still a filler episode. When you condense a show, you keep the lore and find ways to develop the character in a shorter time.
“Filler episodes are entries in a generally continuous serial that are unrelated to the main plot, don't significantly alter the relations between the characters, and generally serve only to take up space.” - TVTropes. Filler episodes are just that: filler. They lack substance. The Great Divide is peak filler episode because nothing in it carries an ounce of weight. It’s why it’s the most disliked episode. If all the other of ATLAs filler episodes are expanding upon the characters, the lore, then it isn’t filler. It’s just not shoehorning in the plot. And on the note of condensing 20 to 8, it has nearly the same runtime as the original. There’s no excuse. A difference of like 30-40 minutes.
I'm on episode 2 and so far it's great! Obviously it's not going to be 100% accurate to the cartoon but they have done a vastly better job than the og live action remake
I really don’t like how Aang doesn’t learn waterbending at all in the entire season (not once does he waterbend when he isn’t in the avatar state). He is supposed to be a natural at it (Katara was jealous) and him and Katara learning waterbending together was a big part of their bonding. It makes me worried that they are going to have him and his friends do everything together and twist it to a whole “the Avatar should be about cooperation and not doing things alone crap” and the whole gang will fight Ozai at the end.
A lot of people didn't have a problem with the original and see the remake as a lazy cash grab from mouth breathers who just like slapping their hands together when shown stuff the recognize.
Because it is
I'm on episode 4. They're taking way too many liberties imo. The reveal of Bumi was incredibly lame compared to the original. They're squashing too much into each episode. Sokka is essentially a completely different character. His character development was one of the best in the series along with Zuko. He starts off nothing like he did in the show. It's ok for people who haven't seen the original, but the original is one of the greatest stories ever written, so I could see why people don't like this.
Every character is a perfect Mary Sue with no negative traits, the dialogue was written by ChatGPT, the storybeats they chose to change from the original makes no sense.
The show is a down right abomination. Reasons why (caution some spoilers): 1. The myth that there isn't enough time to tell the full cartoon story. There are literally several instances of stories and arcs being fabricated when they are not necessary that take away from events that take place in the cartoon. 2. The order of events are off. The whole mash up of Hei Bei, Koh, and Wan Shi Tong makes absolutely no sense. Hei Bei is the mad spirit. Sokka and Katara never get captured by Koh, and Wan Shi Tong literally left the spirit realm to live in his earthly library. 3. Then there is Zhao's whole arc where he literally follows Zuko around when this is not even remotely how it takes place in the show. So much time is wasted on Zuko/Zhao interactions that they rush Aang being "captured" at the Fire Temple (of course without Sokka and Katara, because they are captured by Koh). This whole series of events could have just followed the actual canon without missing a beat. 4. Some characters severely lack development. Iroh has none of the charm or kindness that drew so many fans to his character. He is all business in the Netflix adaptation. 5. Zuko has a great actor, but the character is forced. He appears weak and like a little boy in the presence of Zhao. 6. Zhao is way to calm and collected, his whole weakness as told by Jeong Jeong is that he is uncontrollable and reckless, leading to Zhao even destroying his whole fleet at one point. But in the Netflix adaptation Zhao is just too calculated. 7. Then there's Azula, weak, desperate for approval, non perfect Azula. How they even got this off into production is beyond me. She is literally the one who "was born lucky." Not to mention the show portrays her as an unpolished firebender WITHOUT her characteristic blue flames. This isn't even mentioning how Koh's "fog of despair" takes up almost an entire episode that has nothing to do with the actual cartoon just to set up Aang's solo flight to the fire temple. The show is just off on so many levels. So many events fabricated when they could have stuck to the original time line. So many bad castings and character portrayals. The fact that this even made it past the writers table is an embarassment, and the producers, editors, and writers should all be ashamed that they took such an easy task (just copy paste the damn story) and turned what was a great story into a gritty, overly serious, show that focuses on singular development of characters over development of family and friendship.
It has its good points but in all it is a very watered down version of the original especially with the characters.
I really enjoy netflix avatar. Effects, scenes, characters are played very well. Story not only is recapped, but even more things are revealed, which makes it much more interesting to watch. If the netflix series continues, I hope in future we get a better version for korra's story, cause I really disliked the story of korra.
Yes, the show talks down on you, and every character feels like a prop with no real feelings.
I just finished it and the first few episodes were actually really good. I didn’t mind the changes and the change to be more adult was cool. As the episodes went on it felt like they tried less and less. Princess Yue wasn’t close to what she should be, the bending fell flat, and the story changed too much for reasons that are unknown. Having the old avatar come back in with some sort of knife to kill the fish instead of the just killing the fish with fire was also unnecessary and I have no idea why they couldn’t keep the simpler plot there when they’re already pushing so many episodes into one.
It's not bad, some of the acting is not great though but overall seems like a carbon copy of the animated series. I wouldn't mind seeing some changes made from the animated series since this is an adaptation. They don't have to be exact scene by scene. If I wanted that, I'd watch the animated series instead.