Avatar is Cool

SPOILER AHEAD ( for Avatar: The Last Airbender)

     Some tv shows are better than others, that’s a given. It’s also true that preference is subjective. My all time favorite tv show is How I Met Your Mother. Plenty people hated the ended. Even I’ll agree it was pretty crap. Some tv shows go beyond personal preference. Usually a tv show is aimed towards a certain demographic, and anyone beyond that demographic will find it unappealing. There are some tv shows that cover so much. I think everyone should at least admire the ambition and appreciate the well-rounded material.

     To me, that tv show is Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a kid I watched Avatar and I found it fun through the slapstick humor and exciting action scenes. The way that Avatar is presented, it would seem that the intended audience is children. However, the way that the show tackles more “adult themes” makes it universal.

     For example, take the character Zuko. At the begining of the series, he is shown to be a character driven solely by rage. As the audience, we are lead to believe that he is the main villain. He even mentions multiple times that his mission is to hunt the avatar. Throughout the series, he faces many tough situations that tear him towards good or evil. His family (the real main villains) lure him with temptations of power. While at the same time, he could join “team avatar,” who are working towards bringing peace. It’s difficult for him to choose the right path, because he has been taught to reject the avatar, but he doesn’t feel right in his family. By the end of the series, he is devoted to saving the world with “team avatar.” It’s great to see Zuko’s personal growth and his overall character development. Most of all he goes to show that Avatar isn’t a typical children’s show with a perfect line between good and evil.

     I’ve got to say, I feel weird reading this much into it. It’s kind of like taking away a part of my childhood. Nonetheless, that’s what I think of Avatar.