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I had thought that the days of classic cartoons were done. I had thought that interesting characters and truly epic stories had gone the way of the dodo. I was wrong. There is an heir to the type of cartoon that we still whisper of with reverence and awe. And it shall be called Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I am currently netflixing it and have just finished disc 3. The show in summary, is about a world governed by four nations, each with an elemental affinity - air, water, earth, fire. There is one individual born time and time again that can master all four elements and keep the peace between the four nations. 100 years ago, the newest incarnation of the Avatar, Aang, went missing. The fire nation seized upon this opportunity and waged war upon the other three nations, decimating them. Now, the avatar has been rediscovered, and has to see if he can undo the damage caused by his absence.

The show is simply amazing on so many levels, but here is a few of the reasons why you should be watching it by TV, DVD, or Torrent.

1) Animation - This show does not cut corners. Animation is NEVER reused, everything is animated new for every attack, every conversation. Special attention is given to lighting - the sun actual casts consistent shadows across the land. Backgrounds are hand painted and have a level of detail and creativity worthy of an entire D&D expansion realm.

2) Fights - The battles are nothing like Dragonball and more like Crouching Tiger, hidden Dragon. There is no blurry punching, no Kamehameha blasts. All moves are thought out, and animated down to the footwork. Elemental bending doesn't look like magic, but more like ancient, hard to master techniques.

3) The Cast - The cast is incredibly well fleshed out. Aang is the perfect blend between the immaturity of a 10-year old boy and the ancient wisdom of a Buddhist monk. While usually a goofball, Aang also has some deep regrets over actions he has taken in the past. His friends Sokka and Katra are equally interesting. Prince Juka, the main antagonist, is fascinating as well. He is not so much a villain, as he is driven by his own inner demons, questing to restore his honor in his father's eyes by delivering him the avatar. Rarely does a cartoon make you sympathize with the antagonist.

4) The Voice Acting - The voice actors ont he show are stellar. Very unique voices with a lot of emotional weight being put into their lines, be it a humorous moment, or a deadly serious one. Interestingly, Aang is actually voiced by a real boy. Usually shows get women to voice young boys (like the Simpsons), but Avatar tries to cast people close to their own age.

5) Pacing - Most epic shows get bogged down in making the most simple thing take FOR-EV-ER. Not this one. Events happen at a steady clip, and the scenery changes often enough to keep you from getting bored. No episode feels like wasted time.

I could go on and on, but I'll just post a few clips and let you get a taste. Please, please, please watch this show. It is AWESOME.

Last edited by Dominion (3/10/07 1:17 pm)