Avatar The Last Airbender (Anime or....?)

It's tough to classify Nick's latest craze, the Asian-inspired Avatar The Last Airbender with its unique blend of beautiful fluid animation, excellent script, well-developed characters and action-packed sequences. Avatar seems to break the mold of most American cartoons in recent years by inculcating the animation style of its Japanese counterparts yet somehow remaining true to its emphasis on storyline first rather that Japan's priority on eye-pleasing art with its campy love triangles, risque comedy and somewhat over-bloodied action sequences which can drag on four three or four episodes (i.e: Naruto, Dragon Ball). Personally I find that Avatar is a successful marriage between the two styles especially since its written by two Non-Asian Americans and is animated in South Korea. What do you guys think of the show?

 

As compared to....?

So far I enjoy the characters of the story, having >ahem< downloaded the entire Book 1 and latest episodes from Book 2. A lot of my friends compare Avatar to Naruto. There are some similarities in terms of the ages of the two main characters but personally I like Avatar better because its just one of those shows that you feel at ease with. The best part is that it isn't draggy, it ain't a 200+ series with no end in sight yet through excellent writing, you get an idea of the cultures and societies that make up the world of Avatar.

Toph's my fave character so far though Zuko has a special place in my heart ever since Zuko Alone

 

I especially enjoy the straight-forward fight scenes. No sudden pauses or self-indulgent thought sequences that are all too common in anime. Also the fighters seem to have very accurate representations of their styles. For example Aang who is a monk has a very defensive fighting style as compared to Zuko who is definitely more aggressive with his fighting technique which is based on Northern Shaolin. Katara's fluid body movement represents Tai Chi and Earthbending's high impact blows either represent Chinese boxing, Silat, Hung Gar or a mix of the three. The fights are relatively short as compared to anime but the movements in the fights are truly something to behold, best example being the footwork shown by Aang and Zuko in the episode: Bato of The Water Tribe. Excellent stuff. Plus there are no "Secret techniques" or unstoppable hidden moves so far anyway. Keep on it guys! Its a great show even if it is more for kids

 

Maybe because the season is reasonably shorter than Xiaolin Showdown. Also, XS is a WB cartoon and WB are known for making a lot of box sets: Batman, Justice League, Superfriends...etc etc. Avatar is probably Nick's first really good action series but as I said, as compared to XS season length, Avatar is much shorter. Also a difference in marketing strategies could be a reason, Nick and WB might have diff work ethics.

I'm not familiar with Bagwa, is it a variation of Shaolin or another Chinese discipline?

 

Most Japanese styles have roots in Chinese disciplines if I'm not mistaken however I tend to note that Chinese styles tend to place a lot of emphasis on quick movements and footwork whereas Japanese styles tend to believe more in balance and calculated strikes, so they don't move as much.

I learn neither but I did have training in Silat (my country's native MA). I generally sucked at it but have always appreciated its fluid simplicity. I note that Silat is like a mix of the two theories: Fluid as Water, Solid as Rock. Low stances and Gerakkan Bunga makes it alot more difficult to master so I never really went any further than how to throw a decent punch. Out of curiousity, are there any characters in comics or otherwise that use Silat. All I know is Baraka (whom uses a style of silat which is probably fabricated). Are there any other fictional Silat masters out there?

 

The Chase just aired two nights ago and I'm quite disappointed at the lack of action though I did enjoy the episode in terms of content. Toph's presence and interaction with Iroh was enjoyable to watch and the fight between Zuko and Azula, though brief, was rather entertaining, revealing just how big the gap between them is. However the episode raises some questions when Zuko is concerned:

-In Zuko Alone and The Blue Spirit, Zuko appears to be skilled in the Dual broadswords and so far is the only Firebender to use weapons while bending. However in his fight with Azula, Zuko chose not to fight with the blades that he is proficient with, which could very well have been his edge over his sister. Why?

-Zuko's goals seems blurred. In this episode, he still seems fixated on capturing Aang in hopes of restoring his place in the Fire Nation. However in previous episodes he seems to have given up on this aim. Did he simply want to get in Azula's way?

Also, in a synopsis provided by Wiki, Toph will be absent from the cast list after the next episode leaving me to wonder why. Toph seems likable to me. I only hope this is temporary. Speaking of which, why is there such a big gap between episodes for Avatar?

 

Great, but I'll wait for Book Two to finish first. I really don't like the big gap between episodes but Avatar is one of those shows which is worth the wait