Cold Open
Earth, Water, Fire and air. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements can save the world. After 100 years frozen in time, Ang the last air bender must master all 4 elements to stop the Fire nation from ruling the world. Join me as we explore the mystical world of Avatar: The last Airbender.
Podcast Intro
What up fam?! Welcome to Toon Lore Done Right, a podcast where I take a moment to give you the quick history of a film, tv show, character, or concept in animation. You can call me David Devine Hughes, and I’m kind of student of all things animation. You can find me on instagram and twitter at toonloredr and on facebook at facebook.com/toonlore. As always, I want to give a thank to everyone who has been listening to and sharing the podcast, I’m so happy to say that we have passed over 700 downloads for the show! It is surreal to see this number continually go up. Also I want to give a shout out to my listeners in Virginia. About 30% of my listeners are in Virginia, specifically Ashburn and Washington. So if you are one of my VA listeners hit me up on twitter and I’ll shout out your social twitter handle. Speaking of shout outs we have quite a few people who requested this episode. So shout outs to Sarah Chua, Krysta, Charlese, William Blount, Simar Sethi, Brandon Multon you can find him on instagram @brandonlava and Tres Swygert you can also find him on instagram at@mrcontro. Again I want to welcome you all to one of my favorite tv shows of all time Avatar the last air bender.
Show intro
- overview
So lets jump right in, Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, is an Emmy award-winning American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz. Avatar is set in an Asian-influenced world of martial arts and elemental manipulation. The show drew on elements from East Asian, South Asian, and Western culture, making it a mixture of what were previously traditionally separate categories of Japanese anime and Western domestic cartoons.
My connection to the show/spoiler free synopsis of first season
Avatar holds a unique place with me since it came out at a formative time in my life. When it was released in 2005 one of my homies came up to me and told me that the fight scenes could stand side by side with anime. Now at the time most anime hadn’t reached the main stream and in the US there was really only one place to watch anime. Avatar did become one of my favorite shows but it was hard to compete with one of my other favorite shows, especially when Optimus prime did the promos to hype it up. (insert clip). Yeah so Dragon ball Z was the business then and is one of 3 anime that I am eager to tackle on this show yet it also brings equal trepidation because of how expansive it is and how special it is to me.
But enough about dragon ball, I first walked into avatar with caution because based on my friends recommendation it had to deliver big in order to live up to his recommendation. And I must say that I was not disappointed. The characters were believable, the fights were not just for show because each battle served a purpose and the world felt lived in. However being compared to dragon ball, things did start off a bit slow for me but I quickly got over that. Looking back over the series, it is one of the most well paced and beautiful shows that I have ever seen.
I also must mention again that this was back in 2005 so if you wanted to watch a show you had to be intentional about it. Youtube was still in its infancy, iphones hadn’t released yet, instead of flat screens TVs still had butts and if you missed an episode you were out of luck for at least a week. So if you came from a big family like me that had only one tv, you might get lucky and be able to have someone record it on the VCR but there was no guarantee. You just had to make sure to turn it on Nickelodeon and catch it live.
Show creation
- network/platform it appeared on
Speaking of Nick, as I mentioned at the top of the show Avatar premiered on Nickelodeon. This, along with cartoon network, was the epicenter of animated content. When watching you could expect to see such shows as Danny Phantom, Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron, Invader Zim, As Told by Ginger and more. However as an action oriented show, the animation in avatar stood out.
- animation studio
The nicktoons animation studio that created Avatar was built in 1998. When speaking of this new establishment the then president of Film and TV Entertainment for Nickelodeon, Albie Hetch said that he wanted to create a “playful, inspirational and cutting-edge lab which will hopefully give birth to the next generation of cartoon classics” An ambitious goal for sure but with hit shows like Avatar and Spongebob under their belt, the studio seemed to have a great talent for hiring the right people.
- creators I mentioned at the top of the show that Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were the original creators of Avatar. Between the 2 of them, they have worked on projects such as King of the hill, Family guy, Invader Zim and of course Avatar: The legend of Korra. In September 2018 it was announced that they both would partner with netflix as executive producers on a live action series based on Avatar. However in August of 2020 they announced their departure from the live action adaptation due to creative differences. In a blog post from DiMartino he states “whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make.” in another statement he went on to say “we Came to the belief that we would not be able to meaningfully guide the direction of the series.” I’m sure that more details about the split will emerge in due time but for now, we can only hope that the netflix adaptation of Avatar doesn’t end up like the companies rendition of Death Note. (in a whisper) Spoiler alert it was horrible and was not faithful to the source material at all. Do yourself a favor and never watch it.
As a side-note it was my love for deathnote that retroactively peaked my interest in sherlock holmes. I’m a sucker for a good mystery and good writing.
- writers
Speaking of writers, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the writers and that worked on avatar. Writers such as Aaron Ehasz, John O’Bryan and Elizabeth Welch Ehasz have collectively worked on shows such as mission hill, Futurama The Dragon Prince Motor City and Ben Ten. Lastly I’d like to highlight Sifu Kisu. If you like the fight scenes in Avatar then you have Sifu Kisu to thank for that. He is a fighting instructor from morocco and is known for his extensive knowledge and abilities with various styles of martial arts. When developing the fighting styles for the bending arts he based them all on real fighting styles. Water bending is based on Tai Chi for its fluidity, and adaptability. Earth bending is based on Hung Gar and took inspiration from the styles low stances, rooted in power. Fire bending is formed from the Northern Shaolin system for its dynamic footwork and arrow-like forward attacking techniques and finally there is air bending, which is formed from Ba Gua. It utilizes light circle walking techniques as the fighter rotates their center in order to counteract resistance and attack.
Characters (main cast and up to 2 major villians)
- Aang
The character that masterfully puts the air bending style on display is none other than our title character and only air bender Aang. Ang was an air nomad born during the century long conflict known as the hundred year war. He is a 12 year old pacifist who is also the Avatar. As the avatar, he will be able to master all 4 elements but this title also comes with an expectation to bring peace to the world. Voiced by Zach Tyler who is also known for his work as Pablo on the Backyardagins he brings life to the character. As a child burdened with this responsibility he runs away only to be frozen in time for 100 years. After waking he has to come to grips with his responsibility as the avatar and his desire to grow as a normal kid. And while his air bending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.
- Katara
Katara is a waterbending master, born in the southern water tribe. She along with her brother Sokka discover the Avatar frozen in ice. At only the age of 14, she is strong-willed and independent. These character traits come mostly from losing her mother to the fire nation at a young age and watching her father leave for war. Despite being the younger sister, she often acts as a mother figure to Sokka and the others that journey with her. More than anyone else she connects to Aang on a personal level as they navigate their desire to save the world and their budding teenage romance. Voiced by Mae Whiteman, you may know her as batgirl from DC super hero girls or Ann Veal from Arrested Development.
- Sokka
As for Sokka, I just mentioned that he is the older brother of Katara but prior to their departure of the southern water tribe he was the villages chief warrior. Voiced by Jack De Sena, known for his work on All that from 2000-2005 and Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. The title of warrior was a title given to Sokka when his father and the other tribe members, went off to war. While he means well, he starts his journey as a bumbling and incompetent fighter and acts as the comic relief for much of the show. However despite being a non-bender Sokka becomes the main strategist for the group. Over time his leadership and combat skills improved as he became an indispensable member of team Avatar.
- Toph
In addition to Katara and Sokka we have other member to join the team like Toph Beifong. Voiced by Michaela Jill Murphy, is an earthbending master and the most powerful Earthbender of her time. Born blind, her family constantly coddled her and underestimated her abilities. Her earth bending abilities allowed her to “see” any vibrations that moved through the ground. This makes her uncomfortable when flying on Aangs animal side kick Appa or on unstable surfaces like sand. However, even with her brash personality and initial uninterest in training Aang, she chose to leave her old life behind to train the avatar and travel the world
- animal sidekicks
Rounding out team Avatar we have our animal sidekicks. We have mommo who is a winged lemur. He is loyal to his companions and is one of the few known winged lemurs living at the time. Finally rounding out our early heros we have the real MVP Appa. Appa is a sky bison that shares a strong bond with Aang. He is most known for his ability to fly despite his large size. Its seems impossible but it is a feat that is made possible through air bending. Beyond his use as the teams main transportation his pure strength, resilience and fighting ability has saved the team on more than one occasion. It is pretty clear that the team would not have been able to save the world without him.
- Zuko
Now moving on to the villians and I use that word lightly because many of the characters in this show are complex and are only seen as villians because their actions, at least for the moment, oppose Aang and the others. There are only a handful of people in the show that I would characterize as straight up villainous.
With that in mind I’d like to start with prince Zuko. Voiced by Dante Basco, known for his work on Star wars rebels, Generator Rex, as Marco in Moesha, and my personal favorite Rufio in the 1991 movie Hook. ( insert rufio clip) Zuko is a firebending master with a troubled past. Exiled by his father, Fire Lord Osai, he has been given the impossible task of tracking down and capturing the missing avatar. As one to the most complex characters he spends the series struggling with his want to prove himself to his dad and his need for a loving family. He is often accompanied by his uncle General Iroh who acts as his conscience (insert jiminy cricket clip)
- Uncle
Uncle Iroh is the elder brother of Fire Lord Osai and unlike Osai and many others from the fire nation, he is wise, easy-going and quite spiritual. Known world wide for his bending abilities he has earned the honorary title of “The Dragon of the West”. After the death of his son, Iroh began to see the banished Zuko as his own son rather than his nephew. A constant source of wisdom and instruction to all he connected with Uncle is truly a guiding light to the main characters of the story. Originally voiced by Mako Iwaamatsu, also known for his work as Aku from Samurai Jack, the voice actor was succeeded by Greg Baldwin for season three after his untimely passing.
- Fire Lord Osai
Finally we will end our cast of characters with the Fire Lord himself Osai. A truly menacing and evil figure in the Avatar world, his presence can be felt in every arc. The younger brother of Uncle Iroh, he convinced the previous fire lord to name him the successor as he continued the the fire nations campaign to rule the world
It also helps that he was voiced by the Legendary Mark Hamill, who is know most as Luke Skywalker from the star wars series, the Joker from Batman the animated series, master Eraqus from the Kingdom Hearts series and Dictatious from Netflix’s Troll hunters seires. I could go on for days listing his accolades but this small list just shows what range he has as a performer.
Hook Shot
Now we have come to the portion of the show that I like to call the Hook Shot. This is where I watch the first 3-5 episodes of the show at hand and if I’m hooked then I think that you should give it a shot. So Avatar is one of my favorite tv shows of all time so I absolutely recommend it and the first 5 episodes really do a great job of establishing the main cast as lovable characters that you want to root for.
The first few episodes does an amazing job of setting the stage for the show. It establishs Zuko as a force to be reckoned with, Sokka as a weak yet brave warrior, katara as a strong and fast learning bender, Aang as a kind hearted novice and shows the fierceness of the avatar state. However I believe the most engaging thing that was established was the importance Cabbages. (Insert clip)
Naw just kidding about the cabbages… Kinda. As we begin our journey, we see just how big the world is. We start at the south pole, then go to air temple, then kyoshi Island and the Earth Kingdom all within the first 5 episodes. It is made abundantly clear that they main characters have a long journey ahead. And if I haven’t made it clear thus far I absolutely love this show and couldn’t recommend it enough.
Black light
Now before I let you go; I want to take you to the part of the show that I call the “Black light”. Here I scour the farthest darkest corners of the internet to showcase piece of work or artist that has piqued my interest. Now I want to point you guys to an artist that I have been following for about 6 years, maybe more. Her name is Geneva and her instagram is at gdbee and she does the most amazing illustrations, particularly on women of color. Every drawing and painting I see makes me feel as if I am being drawn into a living, breathing fantasy world. I am not sure if she is open for commisions but she has done an illustration of my family in the past that I hold near and dear to my heart. I have also supported her on kickstarter as I have supported her enamel pins which are amazing. So if you want to be inspired by a woman of color that can pull you into a fantasy world with her work the please check out Geneve on instagram at gdbee.
Trivia
Now moving on to trivia. As always, the trivia will consist of one question that directly relates to the episode and one unrelated fan question. Remember you can submit fan question by emailing me at Toonloredr@gmail.com .The first people who respond with the correct answer to the trivia on twitter may get a shout out in the next episode. So here goes:
- Show question: which fighting style did NOT influence a bending martial art?
- A. Tai chi
- B. Mui thai
- C. Hung Gar
- D. Ba Gua
- Fan question: in honor of Zazh Tyler’s previous role on the backyardigans, which was NOT a character on the Nickelodeon show?
- A. Uniqua
- B. Tyrone
- C. Pablo
- D. Sharkiesha
Outro
This has been Toon Lore Done Right and don’t forget to like share, review, comment and subscribe. I can’t wait to see what new countries and people we can reach. If you would like to submit a trivia question please send an email to toonloredr@gmail.com with the subject line TLDR Trivia. Please give a multiple choice question and note the correct answer. Also feel free to leave your twitter or instagram handles in your message. You can make suggestions on future episodes by joining the facebook page at facebook.com/toonlore or letting me know what you thing by following me on instagram and twitter at toonloredr. I also hope that you liked some of the new music selections. I am working with a trusted friend to bring some updated original music to the show. So until the next time I can give you the TLDR, on a film, tv show, character, or concept in animation, its been real.