Unveiling Netflix's Avatar: A Nostalgic Return or Another Misfire?

Is Netflix's live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" the adaptation we've all been waiting for, or just another Hollywood misfire? Join us on Second Emulation as we dissect this highly anticipated series with both cautious optimism and skepticism. From the detailed portrayal of Aang and his tattoos to the impressive special effects and culturally accurate casting, we leave no stone unturned. We're especially thrilled about the nostalgic return of the cabbage man, voiced by the original actor!

But it's not all praise—our conversation gets real about the show's pacing and narrative choices. We discuss the disjointed feeling caused by merging multiple episodes into single storylines and how this impacts emotional investment. While performances from actors playing Zuko, Sokka, and Iroh get a thumbs up, we can't ignore how some creative decisions fell short, especially in terms of Aang's character development and key scenes that were either omitted or altered. The introduction of past Avatars in the Avatar State is another point of contention we explore.

Finally, we dive into the complexities and missed opportunities of this live-action adaptation. From the portrayal of Princess Yue and the Face Stealer to our concerns about future seasons, including potential changes to beloved characters like Toph, we cover it all. Balancing strong visual elements with plot inconsistencies, we provide our personal ratings and reflections on the show's faithfulness to the original animated series. Whether you're a die-hard "Avatar" fan or a curious newcomer, this episode promises an honest and comprehensive review.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Review
• 12:26 Live Action Avatar
• 18:15 Live Action Adaptation Critique
• 29:49 Avatar Identity Crisis Analysis
• 35:52 Live Action Avatar Critique

Transcript

Welcome to Second Emulation Podcast

 📍 Okay, so like, welcome to Second Emulation, the podcast that's all about pop culture, like, literally everything from movies and TV shows to the latest anime crazes. Join us for, like, all the juicy deets and insights on what's happening in the entertainment world. We're, like, totally here to spill the tea on what's hot and what's not, so if you're looking for the ultimate pop culture fix, you're in the right place, honey. So, like, grab a seat, kick off your heels, and let's dive right into it, shall we

 I'd like to welcome you back to another episode and thank Emily for the intro  and with me is my  

Little sister little 

sister. Yes 

co host extraordinaire And 

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Discussion

today is going to be an interesting episode as we watched Avatar the last arrowbender, which is we're 

taking a i'm here for a special Non nick cage related moment.

Yes 

non nick cage later moment  And this is a unique episode because As I mentioned earlier, or was going to mention is that we watched  the live action, second, live action not to be mistaken by the live action movie done by  

Which again, you paid to see the mid, at the midnight premiere of, and people dressed up and then proceeded to walk out of the theater during the movie.

Yes. It is a story and a memory that I will hold. Within  me for a lifetime that I wish I could purge from my mind because For those who don't know it was the first time we were going to get Anything a live action of about the Avatar last Airbender and the trailers  We should already know trailers can be misleading and trailers can be, you know The best part of a film to you everything you want  when the trailer for the movie came out It was you know Explore, it was awesome.

It showed you exactly what you wanted It teased everything it you know  What you saw was Aang and the airbending and everyone just went crazy.  And we're like, Oh my God, we're getting a live action. And so they put, they're able to put people in the seats.  And it most interesting part is that we never got in like other trailers after that.

And when we saw the movie,  it was a disappointment. 

Yeah, you saw that movie. I didn't see it. 

I saw that movie and I felt really bad because I brought college friends of mine who happened to dress up as their favorite characters and we thought we were going to a midnight premiere. Turned out we were going to a, a screening for the movie because the  The employee of the theater told us to not have our phones out to record.

Yeah, because it was supposed to be like a special preview. 

Yeah, a special preview though, which we did not know about.  And,  unfortunately, we should have just left,  but that's a story for another time. 

Yeah, that's  for another that's, that's a movie that you will never review, because there's nothing good to say about it.

No. But, we do have we have the TV show. 

Hollywood's Track Record with Adaptations

Yes, and to be honest,  I don't think anyone,  I don't think myself, you, or anyone who's a fan of the series assumed  there was going to be anything related live action because again, Hollywood, when it comes to adaptating,  you know, stuff from books, cartoons, anime, They don't have the best track record and Netflix, including Netflix doesn't have the best track record of a adapted, anything anime related case in point, they did the  American version of Death note.

They did cowboy bebop, which was  horrible. in a sense. They just,  people they've done one piece. I heard that was pretty good. Am I going to watch it? No, but they, Hollywood just doesn't have a tracker and they done Dragon Ball Z live action did not turn out very well. So Hollywood in general does not have a good track record taking, you know, good IPs that have a fan base and translating it to live action.

And avatar  was like, The biggest thing that just didn't ensure so  I myself didn't have much faith  in this show or the series  and Because I was like, oh, you know  It's gonna be another like Dragon Ball Z evolution 

Oh, I mean I at first when the creators were involved I thought oh this will be good Then they exited and I was like, oh, I guess this will be bad And then we saw the trailer and it actually looked pretty decent.

I was like, the bending looks like bending at least. And then, but I never really, I guess I'm not like everyone else. I didn't have high hopes for it because the first one was so bad. that I just sort of assumed this would also be bad. 

That's how, that's how big of a scar 

it is. Yeah. It 

loved on everyone.

Yeah. It's just one of those things where it's like, okay, well this is the, that wasn't an enjoyable experience instead of being let down. I'm just going to assume it's also not going to be good.  

and then as my sister mentioned, like when the creators were on  the show for Netflix, it gave us hope. And then they left and were like, Oh crap.

You know, this is not going to be great. And then they showed us still pictures and like, 

well, still pick stills. Yeah, 

it's still good. It looks like it's going to be good. And the trailer showed us. I mean, that's way better than what we assumed it was gonna be.  Now  with all that said and done, when the show officially came out and we got to watch it,  there was a lot to be desired. 

I think we have two different takes on, on on it. But before we do that, let, we should probably say that.  

The Original Avatar Series: A Retrospective

Do you, do you want to, if you don't know about Avatar the last airbender, it's the live action of the animated series that premiered on Nickelodeon, gosh, like when we were in high school, like 20  years ago, at least it's got to be like 15 to 20 years ago that it was on air.

It was really popular. Everyone really enjoyed it.  They created it I think just from, on their own. Like there wasn't an adaptation or anything like that. It 

was his own. It was, it was Nickelodeon's version. Like if, if Toonami and Cartoon Network had Dragon Ball Z Nickelodeon had The Avatar. That was like their bread and butter.

It was the first,  Cartoon action series that they had that was an original IP for them that drew in numbers that you could watch.  I think it came on during the week. It wasn't a weekend show, so it came on during the week that you could sit back and watch. I think it was 30 minutes, maybe longer, that everyone was glued to watching because it was just that good of a show.

Not to mention it had very adult themes.  Which, going back and watching it,  or trying to recall some episodes, you didn't realize how adult those themes were. What kind of message, messages they were actually projecting in the series.  But  the show, the cartoon itself is essentially about the  avatar, which is like  A vessel who's able to a person who is a vessel who can control all four elements.

So all these nations, each one has an element that they're able to control. So like earth, wind, water, and fire, and each nation, you know throughout the ages, an individual from that nation becomes the avatar and able to bring violence. throughout the nation whenever there's conflict and that person is able to control  all elements  and so the main character the protagonist is Aang who's an air nomad and he is for all intents and purposes for the show, the last airbender, so essentially he's the last of his kind and the last one, or last known avatar for the entire series, who has to essentially learn all the elements and the reason why this is the case in point, you learn in the show, an animated series, is that the fire nation is performing a genocide to not only his. 

Culture his culture and race of people but not to him. But to essentially all the other nations so they created a genocidal war to prove that they are superior 

No, and not unlike what's happened in Cambodia the genocide that's happening in palestine The one that occurred during the holocaust not unlike any of those Genocides, it's very reminiscent of that where In war theories, flying colonnades would be the best way to kill them both in these 15 minutes videos and 

they believe through  they they believe by essentially, almost like a An ideology through Hitler is that through them they are spreading their greatness through this war and those who are subjugated and  can only learn that their greatness is, you know, through the fire nation's rule.

So eliminate all other benders.  and subjugate them or kill them and only have one element ruling over all others. So that was like the essentially the the show and then, you know, dealing with that over the course of like three, three seasons.  Now, how did that translate into the, I guess 

we can talk about it.

Why don't you talk about your favorite things first? 

My favorite. Things about the, the 

live action, the live 

Live Action Series: Hits and Misses

action actually has to be like  the aesthetics because  that's one thing everyone's going to comment on, like, that's the first thing you see is that if you're going to do it with any show or IP, you're going to be, you want to know these are the characters they have to look the part.

So everything like Aang has to look like Aang, Sokka has to look like Sokka, Katara, like these characters that you're going to be introduced to and have face time. They have to look and sound like the characters. And  to be honest, it was very pleasing to see that  they took time  and energy and money to invest in getting the costume and wardrobe.

Set pieces. The actor who played Ang, his tattoos actually looked like  within the cartoon. So like it started off from the forehead and then when he had his shirt off for a brief moment, how the tattoo tattoos were like separate and then realign on his back. Like, they like subtle details like that and, you know, into the costume kind of really made it immersive for the show. 

Which I thought it was pretty nice. So that's one aspect I thought was my favorite. And I think  seeing him be going to the avatar state, I think was also pretty cool because like, you know, again, going back to,  I hate to use this example, but.  The movie  didn't really show that a lot and that was a point of reference, so to see it actually happened was  really nice. 

Because that's all you really care about. It's like Goku going into Super Saiyan for the first time. You want to see it, and so seeing it was It was really exciting. Even though it was very brief for the time that it was on screen, it looked exactly like it did in the cartoon. So that was like my favorite moment.

Yeah, I would say I think that some of my favorite stuff is definitely the aesthetics that  you can tell that they put in a lot of effort into making sure it looked more realistic and better probably because that was a huge like issue for the movie. Not even just that, the special effects, the CGI, the bending was all way better and more, more realistic than it was in the movie.

It's really what you would want to see, like the outfits were definitely,  What they're wearing is like a part of their benders like when they're on Kyoshi Island like All of that stuff looks so very realistic that it It it was well done. Whoever was their costume designer did a great job they did an amazing job because everything looked real even when you see angst tattoos, you can see the little The little air swirls and they're like you're supposed to on the  cartoon  and you see it in the live action when they  close up, you can see it, which, whoever did it did a great job, they also did it all down his neck.

Back and his body like it's supposed to be. So that was really well done. Even APA and Momo looked pretty good. Yeah, I would say a lot better. 

And that was a better, and I was surprised because like the live action movie made him look horrible. Yeah. 

They were not well done, but in, but in this, they looked, Momo looked so real, like he looked exactly like, and APA too.

So I would say yeah, like the the outfits, the everything, that was all well done. Honestly, also the casting way better than the first time around. I mean,  they'd actually got indigenous and actors of color to play the roles of people of color. So that's a pro. And so, even the people who are white passing aren't indigenous or of cultures that, like, correlate to what the characters would correlate with, so I thought that was also really well done.

And all of them actually did look like their, you know,  look like their  characters. Like, the kid playing Sokka looked like Sokka. Aang definitely looked like Aang. He sounded like Aang too. And you know so I would say that was all really well done. They, what else did I, I really like about, about it?

I thought I was pleasantly surprised by the acting. I will say was some of it wasn't the best But also some of these people are very young So, you know, they're not all gonna be Millie Bobby Browns But as the series went on they seemed to improve so I think that it'll get better with the later seasons Some of the people were were pretty already decent the the kid playing Zuko did well every time he shouted the avatar It made me laugh because it made me think of it It made me think of Zuko from the show and I thought he did he did well the kid playing Sokka also did really well He was funny The girl playing Katara Was probably like the weakest  in my opinion, but she also got better.

So by the end I was like, Oh yeah, this they're, they're fine. I agree with all the choices. I have nothing against any of that. That that was all well done.  

Let's see. What what other favorite parts were mine? Mm hmm.  I think  Iroh. 

Oh, yeah. Iroh was good, too. He was good. The Cabbage Man, too. You forgot about the Cabbage Man.

I like that they got the guy who voiced it in the animated series 

Yeah, they got him. I, I didn't realize they got the same voice, voice actor to do for the live action. So it threw me off, but seeing him in the show, and then when the shit hit the fan, he goes, My cabbages! And I was like, Oh my God, they got him.

Yeah, 

my cabbages! Oh, him and Uncle Iroh. And then actually, a lot of people don't, didn't seem to like the actress playing Azula, but I really liked her. I thought the actress in this, this live action was great at,  they tried to, well, I'll talk about that when I talk about what I don't like. She was great at being like  evil for evil's sake.

Like when she did stuff, you could tell that she like enjoyed,  Making other people's lives hell, which I think is very on par for her character. So I thought even though she's shorter than we wanted, she, I thought that girl was cast really well too.  And I thought that they did a good job with, with differentiating between all the other things.

Oh, and the kid jet, he was, he was good too.  Yeah. A lot of, I think a lot of the, like, you know, I was pleasantly  surprised. 

Yeah. Like the, they, They got a lot like the essence and the core of the Avatar, Last emerald they were spot on but that doesn't mean like There were a lot of things that they didn't get right or like we didn't like about the show because there was a lot of things like there was a lot of misses that they got and when you  when you watch it if you have any prior knowledge of Avatar Last Airbender and you go in watching this you're going to those things are going to stick out to you very they're going to be very present and you can be like oh Wait, and they're going to make you think because you're going to think, okay, it's going to be a one for one, you know, kind of like carbon copy.

And then when you watch it, you're like, wait, there's a lot of stuff that's going on that, you know, I know shouldn't happen. 

I think you're saying there's a lot of things that, that were misses, but I don't really think it was a lot of things. 

Pacing Issues and Character Development

I think the problem for you was probably the same under current problem of the show, which is,  Probably the pacing and then 

the 

pacing and then the fact that they they like whenever you're making you're making another Adaption of something that already exists people have two choices, right?

They can either make an identical copy  Carbon copy, exactly identical. So like if it's an animated series, make it completely identical as a live action or even if you're, for example, remaking what's that one J. K. Lennon Hall that just came out? Roadhouse or whatever. If you're remaking an old movie, you can make it carbon copy.

Everything's the same. The new Mean Girls, like line for line, the same. Or you can make it different. But if you're gonna make it different, what I always say is, is it should be completely different. You shouldn't take some things from the original and like transfer them over. And what I mean by that is you shouldn't take certain lines. 

And then try to put them in this new edited version.  Because the problem that comes from that is what I don't think people recognize is when you're using something that people have nostalgia or memories of, and you're using that specific like line, and it's not the same as what people remember it, people are not going to like that.

Like with the Mean Girls musical, they took a lot of the same lines from the original, but then changed parts of the story. And it's like, okay, that's. Fine, but but the old one is the one we like so you should have just let these these new people be these characters without the old stuff So that's what I think their problem was I think they tried to change things to to accommodate the pacing structure they wanted and they did change certain things  They moved around parts of the story But the problem is  they didn't change enough about it so that You It just felt off like completely off or in wrong. 

Yeah. And that kind of like leads us into the next part of what we do, like what we didn't like. And I'll go first with you know, what I didn't like about the series was that what I didn't like was one  is going to be the pacing of the show. Now,  the first episode goes off  probably as identical as you would the first episode of the Avatar.

And around after maybe towards the end is when the pacing starts to change. And the reason for that is that they got eight episodes. What they end up starting to do is that they start essentially mixing at least Stories and story plot from at least  6 episodes  of from seasons 1 through each episode.

So it feels weird and they try to interconnect them. And so  episodes going to have at least maybe 3 or 4 different stories, but it's got a main story. It's going to be other stories in interconnected. So it's going to.  Watching it because the pacing is going to be off that you have a main story and you have other stuff kind of like  in the background like other stuff that should be happening that they don't follow up on and it's just weird because it feels like it's jumping around a lot throughout the episode.

and then come back to show us the text on the wall. Another case of these says, there is an episode on Onimishu. When they go to Onimishu for that one episode, but there is an event that happens in this episode I think the,  what is it The love tunnels, I believe. That happens a little bit later but they combine it with with this episode.

And I'm not sure if that did occur. I'll have to go back and watch the actual episode for that, but they're taking like episodes and they're combining or splicing them and putting them together for that.  And also another episode of with Jet cause I believe Jet is embossing Se and not Kiley.  in onamishu 

where they meet the guy who's got the air balloon things.

Correct.  Correct. Well, he's in autumn. You should like, I have to go back and watch it. Basically. 

It's just parts in the wrong parts of the story. Yeah. Like said 

there. So there they're  essentially what Netflix and the doing is that they ended up cherry picking certain points to kinda speed it along, speed the series along so that they picked cherry picture in point.

Put them in one episode to make it more palatable and they're in their own narrative. So you kind of see like different story points going along. That's going to help them within the eight episodes, I assume because they're trying to rush it.  

Probably because they only got eight episodes, but I think the problem is if they're going to do it on that scale, they probably should have done at least 10 episodes.

So they could have done like two animated episodes per long, One hour episode the the the other thing is yeah, they move stuff around and I think the problem with that is  Like Kazula's they show her already that she's bending lightning and that's supposed to be a reveal down the line that like IRO can redirect and she can do that.

And I'm pretty sure it's later in the series that that comes up. And it's just stuff, stuff like that, that I think would normally be used. 

Well, she doesn't get BU until season two, so, so what ends up happening, a zula is not even. A thought until at least season two. The end of season one. Season two. So she's not even mentioned until the end of season one to season two?

Yeah. Well, the, the, either way, like the, obviously she was there too early. There were certain things that happened too quickly, but, Mm-Hmm. , one of the, the things, I think the problem is that it doesn't allow for character development. And so you're seeing all these people do these things very quickly.

And then you're not really able to invest in it and it doesn't allow their characters to grow like with with Sokka very quickly  falling in love with the, with the girl and the water, the Southern water tribe. Yeah, that happens. But like they, I think they spend a few episodes. In that season there and there's just, it all happened so fast, a lot of the stuff.

Were there anything that you didn't like?  

I think it can't contribute. They, it, you just don't really have room for the character growth. 

Okay. 

And they don't, they don't allow for it. Like they do do a very,  katara does bend very fast, so you don't really get to see her struggles with it. I know a lot of people were upset about Sokka's sexism being removed.

I can see why, because his, part of his huge character growth is recognizing that, like,  f f women are, are just as strong as men because he grew up in a very sexist environment. Correct. And he was You know, he was always taught, like the man was the one who pro was the warrior. He is the one who protected it.

And then he gets shown along his journey multiple times that it's like women that are showing up and that are strong or 

he's, it's not just women, but he's he's so close-minded to the world. Mm-Hmm. . And so by him going with Ang and Katara, he's.  He has his worldview open. So he's then he's open to different ideas, different worldviews.

So he sees Katara in a different light and then realizes like how he was in the beginning, you know, he was at fault for that because like, we're in a world where like, you know, it can't be just me against the fire nations that, you know, I need all the tools and my tool. So he's like he,  you know, he, he reconciles that he was wrong for that.

And that's like the growth that they eliminate for his character. That's a very important for him.  

Aang's Character Growth in Live Action vs. Animated Series

And also the, the, the part is Aang as well. The one thing I didn't, I had an issue with is that Aang's character growth in the, in the live action was that they, you know, fast forward his growth to accepting his role as the Avatar.

When as in the series, cartoon series, he's a child and he wants to essentially run away from his responsibility. Enjoy being a kid and do the things that he needs to do before he accepts that ultimate development growth.  So like, that was the whole growth for him is like he's still a kid. The whole point of him running away and you know, being trapped in the ice, the ice was that he was trying to run away from his responsibility as a, as a kid.

And still that's what he wants to do until he has to come to, to the realization that he can't run anymore. He has to face it. I think 

that he did for a very long time. He still doesn't, he still doesn't like the fact that he's the avatar up until like the end of the series. Yeah.  

It's not until they, I think until 

It's either when he meets, he finds out the Northern Airtel Pole is destroyed, and that realization, and then like the  The Sozom's comment thing at some point.  I know you're right. I don't think he fully accepts it because, you know, it's a big responsibility. So he's still a kid. The fact that, you know, he's a kid that he could die  

at a 

point.

Like, I have to fight this person and kill him. And, you know, it's all me. So I think he doesn't truly accept it.  But he has to. But in the show, it's like, oh yeah, I'm the avatar and I'm just gonna do this thing now. And your guys are with me. I'm like, wait, that doesn't make any sense.  

Yeah, it's, it's definitely interesting.

That kind of stuff. 

Missed Opportunities in the Live Action Adaptation

I think it, I think it, it, they thought it would serve the series better to make it fast, which is all because Netflix wants obviously more people to come and watch on their platform, but it really did it a service because it, it could have,  it had all the, the tools to be, you know, Great.

Yes, 

and they'd really just let the ball drop and then you don't feel as invested like it was a fun It was it was cute. But if you know, that's how I would think of it It was cute. But do I really remember it? Does it stand out? No, not as much as the TV the animated series does and 

and they I felt like they did Roke That's our Roku a disservice.

Cuz the one  A huge growth element for Aang is when he talks to Avatar Roku and the Fire Temple. And when he's learning about the history of what occurred the whole, like, the issue, like, while he was gone, and what led up to the war, and why he needs to stop Sozin. Or, you know, if he doesn't stop him, everything's gonna be, you know, You know, it's going to be more disastrous.

So that like that is like the pinnacle moment for him for growth. And so in the live action, you don't get any of that. You get like a, you know,  a conversation about something  about a different person, a different, a different situation that's further down the line.  And we also actually get, we get What's the word I'm looking for?

Avatar Roku and Key Moments Removed

We also,  they take from us one of the biggest Avatar transformations is that Avatar Roku appears and he fights off and destroys the fire temple that's built for him. And he sages. and an attempt to give Abba, give Ang an escape because in the temple, all the sages are there. He's going to be outnumbered and he doesn't know fire bending.

So while he's talking with him, the solar eclipse is almost done and he's like, I'm going to have to help you get out of here. And so that was like the biggest thing that they end up removing from him is when he learns about You know, the, the, the clips and he has the time frame, he has to do this. So like they adjusted that.

And that's like the biggest growth for him that they removed. And it was like, so disappointed because when they introduce Roku, I was like, Oh, cool. We're going to get this thing.  And it didn't happen. And I was like, I felt disappointed because I felt like that was the biggest character growth moment for Aang in the series, in the cartoon, that because Roku is almost like a father type figure for him, he's the last avatar before him, so, but yeah, that was one thing that didn't happen, and their I think I also did like.

Is that besides him going to the avatar state wants we saw the introduction of different past avatars, which was something that we didn't see before. So avatar he, oh, she, they.  Roku was always a staple, but then they introduced some other ones that were, you know, we didn't expect. The Avatar from the Water Nation,  I think.

And so it was just. 

Yeah, that one, that one, he, he, he meets each of them, like the last ones in the cycle that were associated with their, like what the fire, last fire Avatar, the last earthbending Avatar and the last water when I was born into those. 

And I think they were you in the way from the first episode when he went rage.

I think what I didn't like is that they were kind of using that as for him to go into the avatar state. Like, Oh, I can just transform and transform into the past avatar. It's life and then they'll take over. So it was cool. He was going to the avatar state,  he was transforming into a different, a past avatar and they were possessing him.

So I think they were using that like a side of hand, like he's still in the avatar state, but the past avatar that's doing it. So,  which was. I don't know. Hopefully they, they get it right for the next season because I would like to see Aang in the Avatar state doing his stuff  because I don't want to see any more past avatars.

Like the roster just keep coming in and jumping in. They might 

do it. You don't know. Like Pokemon, 

I choose you, you know, type of thing. You know,  I want to see Aang in the Avatar state doing stuff. But yeah, that was another thing I didn't I didn't like I mean I could just  crash on this all you want. 

I mean you're not trashing on it It's 

it's i'm giving it some, you know, harsh criticism.

I wouldn't even say that's harsh I think that's pretty on par because it these are things that I I think that other people feel very similarly about like They, you know, these are things that, these are missed opportunities for the show. Especially when you take something that's super beloved, a lot of people are going to have opinions and I'm just surprised they, they went the path they went.

And this could be why the creators actually left.  

That's what I think. I think their 

goal would have been to I like to do an exact replica. So, 

That's what I feel like.  I would have been okay.  In my opinion, for me, if,  you know, if you're,  if you're picking up an IP,  do an exact live action replica, because if you divert from the plan or if you divert anything from it, or try to make it your own,  it's gonna be, you know, Something totally different or create your own new thing.

You could have create like an avatar from the different source material. Mm-Hmm. . Try do a new avatar. You know, not it be a the last avatar, you know, the last airbender. 

Well, yeah, but that's what they wanted. I know that's 

what they wanted and they 

were new to it for season two and season three, so I just think it would've been so much smarter to split it.

Like in a way that made sense for the story. 'cause even the spider guy, whatever the face, oh, he, his story was also different. So I don't know. Yeah, 

they, like I said, they have  a lot of missed opportunities. Like co  Ah, man. The face dealer. The face dealer. Like, we don't get him until part, I think a little bit later in season one or season two.

But yeah, his whole thing was yeah, in season one, but his whole thing was very different. So yeah, there was a lot of missed opportunities. 

And the, and the girl who's who's, who's the spirit part of the.  The girl who's, who's at the end, who's actually been gifted, what's her name? The character's name? I  

don't know her name.

Oh my 

god, you watch the show and you don't even know the, the character's name, the one with the white hair. She's at the, she's at the Northern Water Tribe. The princess, Princess Yuko. Princess 

Yue. 

UA maybe, maybe that's her. But so 

she's, she's the moon spirit gives her part of her life cause she was born still.

Yeah. So the one thing that's interesting about that is they have her in the spirit world talking to Sokka. 

Yeah. Remember 

as a Fox. 

Yeah. Which didn't make any sense.  Like I said, they, they took some creative differences here and I think that's what, you know, has me concerned.  

Concerns for Future Seasons and Character Changes

about season two  and season three because season two is another beloved character that I love very much, Toft, and she's blind.

And there were articles that they might end up changing the character's aspect. 

Oh, I hope not. Cause that's supposed to be why she ends up being so great because she is blind. 

Yeah. And I was like, They, like, I hope it's just rumors, but again, who knows, or they want to, again, it's Netflix, but I'm like, if they change anything about the character, I'm like, at that point,  it's, what more can they do?

Like, have her hear,  make, like, change her disability from, like, blindness to being deaf. 

That doesn't, that wouldn't work. 

I know. When, 

why would they want to change that?  

I don't know. There's been, like I said,  Since the announcement of season two and you know, toff being, you know, introducing Toff, there's been lots of rumors, some, you know, are speculations, there hasn't been nothing concrete.

But again, seeing the first season, you know, it's not. I'm just,  you know, again, Netflix kept the core. And I think the core of net of Avatar. Lots of air bender was there solely because the creators were there of the show.  I'm concerned  that because the creators are no longer.  Texas to the project anymore and they've renewed it for a season 2 3 what  what  What  will we be left with?

Will we get an M. Night Shyamalan version? I don't 

think it'll be that but I can definitely see the reasons for concern and  It's definitely yeah, I guess we'll have to see and also this show's been filming for a while  so  I think the other concern is  Ink  in the kids they are gonna age 

So they're 

probably gonna have to film it all like Seasons two and three all at once because that's the problem with the Stranger Things kids is they've grew too fast  then and he's definitely a child and he's has a child's voice and Inevitably that will change.

So 

so I assume that since they announced that they're probably 

I would hope it's I think it's I'm Worried it's just gonna make it they're gonna speed through it faster. 

Final Thoughts and Ratings

Yeah, but I don't know What would you rate it from a scale of one to five? I guess  

I would give the live action a 3. A 

3? I would give it a 3 and a half.

Or maybe a 4 on a good day. 

Yeah, I would give it a solid 3.  And that's  solely based on, like,  the production,  the characters, the costume, the CGI. S like really holding the show together because really 

pulling down the, yeah. Like 

really, dang. You 

really didn't like the plot lines  ? I thought you would. I liked it more.

I'm surprised. I mean, 

I, like I said, like it's probably '

cause I, I gotta be honest, it's probably 'cause I remember less of the animated series, even though we just watched it a few years ago. Mm-Hmm. in my head I remember less of it. So I don't know. It'd be different if someone was like, remaking a show I watch all the time.

Like, I don't know. freaking friends or something.  I knew every episode. I could see how I would be irritated if I was like This is completely wrong! But I don't remember part a lot of Avatar I remember bits, but not a lot of it. So I didn't even notice as much that was wrong. So I just thought it was like I'd even realized he didn't turn into Avatar Kyoshi, like I thought that happened.

And I was like oh. I like that it happened actually! But I couldn't tell, so 

Yeah like it's  The memories back there that fade 'cause I've watched it. But yeah, I would give it a solid three.  The characters, the visuals and the costume set and like, just everything from like beyond just story, not story really.

Held the, held the show together. Mm-Hmm. , you know, and that's. The only reason why I'll give it a three just on name recognition and like the costume set, the people who worked on it, like made it aesthetically pleasing. Those are the people who are held the show together. That gave it a three. Yeah. 'cause other than that,  if it was anything off, I don't, I would've given it a two to be honest.

Just because  if I never watched the show or the series and watched it, I'd probably may give it a little bit higher score. And again, people who don't watch the cartoon or the series probably watch it and enjoy it, you know, and that's perfectly fine. I 

mean, this is definitely the one to watch versus the movie.

Don't watch the movie. Don't do that to yourself. I just learned that the girl played Katara is that girl who's married to Brooklyn Beckham and she's so white and her family's rich. I don't even know how she ended up being Katara, but terrible, terrible,  terrible. Don't watch it guys.  That's all I can say.

Are you going to watch the later seasons? Do you think?  

I'm going to play it by ear cause I'm going to see who the casting is for like You know, but I'm probably for Toph and the rest of the characters because I believe Not only do we get that  Who do we get? 

I'm trying to think.  We get Toph. We get, I assume we also  know because  Toph is the main one. I want to know who Toph, who they're gonna cast for Toph I know the second one is when they get chased down. We go, we get actually go to Ba Sing Se  We're  You know, Iroh and Zuko end up, you know, living in Ba Sing Se for a while because they're like trapped and they start the tea shop.

Yeah. 

So,  so we'll find out. And then I think that the warriors,  yes, I'm, I'm like, I'm just interested in seeing because that's when we see like the that's what the story plot reminds me of because in Ba Sing Se they have the The Lazy Prince, and they confused that with Boomy.  

Oh. 

Well, Boomy 

is not lazy.

I will say I was bummed because in the actual episode where they meet Boomy, he actually does tests to see if, to test Aang, but he doesn't do it in the live action. 

He does. 

No, it's not the same tests, though. 

They're different. Yeah. But he does eat the rock candy. He 

does. They have it, they have it as, as a different thing.

But you know what, it, what's, whatever. I, I liked the guy who played Boomy. I thought he was fun. 

Yeah, so I'm, I'm open to watching Season two and three, whenever they're renounced and they come on the air. Hopefully it's 10 episodes, maybe 12. 

I hope it's a lot more as well. And now that they're confirmed for those, I hope they make it all in one giant lump and they just go for it. 

Conclusion and Farewell

Now this is going to conclude our review, but do you have any last words? 

No, because this is not a Nicholas Cage episode. So I'm just going to leave it at. Deuces. 

All right. Peace out. And we'll catch you in the next one. Bye.

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