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edenfallingStill watching Avatar! I've taken to commenting as I watch instead of trying to sum up afterward, so here are some ridiculously extensive thoughts on episodes 10-12 (Jet; The Great Divide; The Storm):
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Jet:
1. Have I mentioned that the background scenery of this series is gorgeous? It's kind of static, true, but who cares? The colors and images are breathtaking, and I love that the style is so reminiscent of ink-brush painting.
2. Sokka didn't tell anyone about Suki, eh? *pets him* Also, he takes his protector status seriously under the goofiness; he's been paying attention to details about the Fire Nation, and he's realized how noticeable Appa is.
3. The animation in that battle is a little... time-laggy, maybe? But very cool nonetheless. Jet's hook swords are very interesting, and I really like his acrobatics. He's awfully smug, though, the kind of guy I would be itching to smack in real life.
4. Katara has a crush! *points and laughs* And she's letting it get in the way of her good judgment. *thwaps her*
5. What kind of trees are those? They look deciduous and it's just past the winter solstice; why do they have all their leaves? Oh, wait... they're probably down in the northern tropics, aren't they. Right. Still. That's something to keep an eye on.
6. Man, Jet really knows how to play people, doesn't he? Empathize with Katara and her dead mother, tell Aang he's cool, handle Sokka with a combination of dares and chances to be useful and impressive... And he has a tragic backstory. Hmm. I still want to slap him, though.
7. Yep, definitely want to smack him. You don't go after elderly civilians. Even if that old man later turns out to be a military commander or something, that's still pretty low.
8. Assassin. Yeah, right. Every time Jet opens his mouth, I want to hit him a little more. *cuddles Sokka defensively*
9. Mmm. Jet, if you want to make sure Katara and Aang don't figure out the truth, you really ought to leave a guard to make sure they don't go to the reservoir, especially when you know Katara has a crush on you and probably wants to be around you. Bad planning there, mister freedom fighter.
10. Jet, master of dramatic entrances! *laughs* And then he gives the old 'they hurt us so it's okay to hurt them worse,' and 'the ends justify the means' speech. *sigh* No, they don't, and no it's not okay. It's a pity. He's all twisted up, but he's still a really good fighter, tactician, and inspirational leader; what a waste of talent.
11. Dude, Jet is badass. I love that a lot of ordinary people in this world can hold their own against benders. Actually, Jet is doing better against Aang than any benders have so far. (Except Bumi.) Aang's great advantages are mobility and ease at thinking and moving in three dimensions; those are Jet's strengths as well. Nifty!
12. Ah, but he can't fight water, and especially not ice. Go Katara!
13. Ooh, I really like the use of sepia-tint still drawings to illustrate Sokka's story! And he evacuated the village... with the help of the old civilian man from the forest. (Chekov's gun strikes again.) Go Sokka!
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The Great Divide:
14. Sokka and Katara are extremely believable as siblings. That is exactly the kind of stupid fight over nothing I used to get into with my sister on long family vacations.
15. Hey, it's the Grand Canyon! (Occasionally, it is screamingly obvious this series was made by Americans. *grin*)
16. Oh, save me, it's a morality episode. *headdesk* Katara, I know it's Aang's job to make peace and keep the balance, but is this really the best time for him to practice?
17. You know, this 'enemy tribes for a hundred years' nonsense would never happen in the Fire Nation. Then again, I think that's why it's called a nation -- it's united, all of a piece -- whereas the Earth Kingdom is sprawling, feudal, and fragmented. This is probably also why the Fire Nation is winning the war.
18. So Avatar-world canyons can be carved by angry spirits as well as by rivers, eh? Interesting. Actually, I think that makes the Great Divide more like the Dakota Badlands than the Grand Canyon, in a way. (You should totally go see the Badlands if you ever get a chance. Beautiful country. Useless for farming, mining, or other productive activities, and you never ever want to get lost out there or careless where you step, but beautiful nonetheless.)
19. Random giant spider thing! Yep, I knew getting into a morality episode was a bad idea. Katara, please take notes. (Also, bets on the solution requiring the two tribes to work together to save each other? I mean, it's a complete no-brainer, but given the prison ship episode... well, I can hope for a twist, can't I?)
20. Oh, okay, minor twist! Aang splits them up (at least temporarily). I still think this will be a 'power of teamwork' morality episode in the end.
21. Apropos of nothing in particular, I am very pleased that the leader of the Zhang tribe is a woman, and a heavyset woman at that! She may be a slob, but she's just as effective a leader as her male Gan Jin counterpart.
22. I like how the Gan Jins' flashback story is illustrated in a flowery mock-heroic style, while the Zhangs' flashback story has this sort of Cubism-crossed-with-Northwest-Coast-iconography thing going. Have I mentioned lately that the artwork for this series is very, very cool? The animation of the actual characters can be a little static, and they tend to skimp on background extras, but what they do draw, they draw very well.
23. Random question: where on earth do the wings on Aang's glider go when they're collapsed? Likewise, where do Momo's wings go? He doesn't seem to have any webbing in his armpits when he's not flying. Hammerspace, maybe?
24. Okay. That is, hands down, the best use of giant spider monsters I have ever seen. *sparkles at the show*
25. And then they start fighting again as soon as they're safe! And Aang lies like a fox, complete with more art style changes as he narrates his own completely fabricated version of the past. Go Aang! And thank you, show, for putting twists even in a morality episode. (Seriously, how did they get away with endorsing lying on children's television? *boggles*)
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The Storm:
26. Judging by the 'Previously on Avatar' segment, Zuko will appear in this episode. Yay! I've missed him the past two episodes. (Shush, I am allowed to play favorites. I love Sokka, Aang, and Katara too -- and Momo and Appa -- but I think the show could always use more Zuko. *grin*) Also, apparently we get backstory and angst all around. *anticipates*
27. Yeesh, that's a creepy dream, and after it started out so spun-sugar fluffy. Poor Aang. Also, Sokka wakes up with a knife in one hand and his razor-edged boomerang in the other, held like a fork and steak knife. So cute! *hugs them all*
28. Random observation: Katara and Sokka have nice, thick sleeping bags. Aang seems to make do with a thin blanket or nothing. I'd expect him to have more trouble with the cold than they would, so that's kind of odd. Then again, he was raised by monks on a mountaintop, and there are supposed to be disciplines to allow people to ignore the cold. Or maybe he needs to feel the air on his skin in order to rest properly? I don't know, but it's slightly odd and I would like an explanation at some point.
29. 'In Soviet Russia, food eats you!' *cracks up* Oh, Sokka, you goofball, never change.
30. Hmm, is that the same flock of birds that passed by the GAang and over Zuko's ship? I think it is -- nice continuity marker!
31. Ooookay, judging by Iroh's reaction, Lieutenant Jee clearly has no idea what kind of emotional shark-trap he's swimming into by talking about respect and claiming Zuko doesn't care about anyone but himself. Interesting. Let's see where this goes!
32. Katara defends Aang; how cute! But he's too guilt-wracked to appreciate it; how sad.
33. Oh Aang, that is not a burden that should have been laid on any twelve-year-old's shoulders. I am not at all surprised you ran away. I am mostly just impressed that you aren't still running now.
34. Eee, young!Zuko without his scar! Still impatient, still entitled, but... he looks happy. He has that wide eyes thing going. So cute! And he loves his people. He expects everyone in power should use that power responsibly. He's so shocked when that general suggests sacrificing new recruits as nothing more than 'fresh meat' for bait. Oh, Zuko. (He is so utterly not a bad guy.)
35. Gyatso, how are you so awesome? *sparkles at him* But poor Aang, isolated from all his friends. *wibbles*
36. Oh, Zuko! *bites nails* *wibbles more* This episode is designed expressly to break my heart, isn't it? Well, it's working! Damn you, it's working! (Also, he is not bad-looking for a 13- or 14-year-old kid. *feels dirty*)
37. Oh, Aang. Oh, you shouldn't have run away, especially not into a howling storm (seriously, you're a master airbender, can't you read the weather?), but I completely understand why you did it. *hugs him*
38. Aha! Azula's first appearance. *makes note*
39. But more relevantly, oh Zuko. Ozai, you utter fucking bastard, what were you thinking? How could you do that to your own son? When all he was trying to do was save the people you are supposed to be protecting as Fire Lord? How can you say that a son refusing to strike his father is shameful? Argh! (I suppose it is a good sign of absorption in a story if I want to physically rend a character to pieces...)
40. Those sepia-tone still pictures are Zuko's memories, I presume. The first is... Zuko running over a grassy hill (which reminds me of Andrew Wyeth's paintings, oddly enough), followed by Azula, followed by Ozai? Then a back view of Ozai's hand on Zuko's shoulder, as they look out over the ocean. Then a front view, with Zuko smiling and Ozai mostly out of the frame... which fades into Zuko now, narrow-eyed and angry. Nice sequence.
41. Dude, did Iroh just redirect the second lightning strike? Wow. I mean, I've been spoiled to hell and back on various things, but I was not aware that technique worked on natural lightning as well.
42. And Zuko catches the helmsman. Yay! (Side note: I am amazed he didn't dislocate his shoulder in the process. Let's all just wave our hands and call it an incidental side effect of magical physics, shall we?)
43. Zuko lets Aang go! Double yay! (I love Iroh's little expression of cautious pride.) I kind of adore the way Aang looks back at Zuko as Appa flies up to clear atmosphere through the eye of the storm, and the way Zuko braces and meets his stare... and does nothing.
44. And Aang has overcome his demons; hurrah for Aang! (Zuko... not so much, but that's okay -- he has two and a half more seasons to angst! *pets Zuko* *dodges more outraged flames*) Oh, I love this episode so damn much. *dances with uncontrollable glee*
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And now to switch my clocks and go to bed.
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Jet:
1. Have I mentioned that the background scenery of this series is gorgeous? It's kind of static, true, but who cares? The colors and images are breathtaking, and I love that the style is so reminiscent of ink-brush painting.
2. Sokka didn't tell anyone about Suki, eh? *pets him* Also, he takes his protector status seriously under the goofiness; he's been paying attention to details about the Fire Nation, and he's realized how noticeable Appa is.
3. The animation in that battle is a little... time-laggy, maybe? But very cool nonetheless. Jet's hook swords are very interesting, and I really like his acrobatics. He's awfully smug, though, the kind of guy I would be itching to smack in real life.
4. Katara has a crush! *points and laughs* And she's letting it get in the way of her good judgment. *thwaps her*
5. What kind of trees are those? They look deciduous and it's just past the winter solstice; why do they have all their leaves? Oh, wait... they're probably down in the northern tropics, aren't they. Right. Still. That's something to keep an eye on.
6. Man, Jet really knows how to play people, doesn't he? Empathize with Katara and her dead mother, tell Aang he's cool, handle Sokka with a combination of dares and chances to be useful and impressive... And he has a tragic backstory. Hmm. I still want to slap him, though.
7. Yep, definitely want to smack him. You don't go after elderly civilians. Even if that old man later turns out to be a military commander or something, that's still pretty low.
8. Assassin. Yeah, right. Every time Jet opens his mouth, I want to hit him a little more. *cuddles Sokka defensively*
9. Mmm. Jet, if you want to make sure Katara and Aang don't figure out the truth, you really ought to leave a guard to make sure they don't go to the reservoir, especially when you know Katara has a crush on you and probably wants to be around you. Bad planning there, mister freedom fighter.
10. Jet, master of dramatic entrances! *laughs* And then he gives the old 'they hurt us so it's okay to hurt them worse,' and 'the ends justify the means' speech. *sigh* No, they don't, and no it's not okay. It's a pity. He's all twisted up, but he's still a really good fighter, tactician, and inspirational leader; what a waste of talent.
11. Dude, Jet is badass. I love that a lot of ordinary people in this world can hold their own against benders. Actually, Jet is doing better against Aang than any benders have so far. (Except Bumi.) Aang's great advantages are mobility and ease at thinking and moving in three dimensions; those are Jet's strengths as well. Nifty!
12. Ah, but he can't fight water, and especially not ice. Go Katara!
13. Ooh, I really like the use of sepia-tint still drawings to illustrate Sokka's story! And he evacuated the village... with the help of the old civilian man from the forest. (Chekov's gun strikes again.) Go Sokka!
-----
The Great Divide:
14. Sokka and Katara are extremely believable as siblings. That is exactly the kind of stupid fight over nothing I used to get into with my sister on long family vacations.
15. Hey, it's the Grand Canyon! (Occasionally, it is screamingly obvious this series was made by Americans. *grin*)
16. Oh, save me, it's a morality episode. *headdesk* Katara, I know it's Aang's job to make peace and keep the balance, but is this really the best time for him to practice?
17. You know, this 'enemy tribes for a hundred years' nonsense would never happen in the Fire Nation. Then again, I think that's why it's called a nation -- it's united, all of a piece -- whereas the Earth Kingdom is sprawling, feudal, and fragmented. This is probably also why the Fire Nation is winning the war.
18. So Avatar-world canyons can be carved by angry spirits as well as by rivers, eh? Interesting. Actually, I think that makes the Great Divide more like the Dakota Badlands than the Grand Canyon, in a way. (You should totally go see the Badlands if you ever get a chance. Beautiful country. Useless for farming, mining, or other productive activities, and you never ever want to get lost out there or careless where you step, but beautiful nonetheless.)
19. Random giant spider thing! Yep, I knew getting into a morality episode was a bad idea. Katara, please take notes. (Also, bets on the solution requiring the two tribes to work together to save each other? I mean, it's a complete no-brainer, but given the prison ship episode... well, I can hope for a twist, can't I?)
20. Oh, okay, minor twist! Aang splits them up (at least temporarily). I still think this will be a 'power of teamwork' morality episode in the end.
21. Apropos of nothing in particular, I am very pleased that the leader of the Zhang tribe is a woman, and a heavyset woman at that! She may be a slob, but she's just as effective a leader as her male Gan Jin counterpart.
22. I like how the Gan Jins' flashback story is illustrated in a flowery mock-heroic style, while the Zhangs' flashback story has this sort of Cubism-crossed-with-Northwest-Coast-iconography thing going. Have I mentioned lately that the artwork for this series is very, very cool? The animation of the actual characters can be a little static, and they tend to skimp on background extras, but what they do draw, they draw very well.
23. Random question: where on earth do the wings on Aang's glider go when they're collapsed? Likewise, where do Momo's wings go? He doesn't seem to have any webbing in his armpits when he's not flying. Hammerspace, maybe?
24. Okay. That is, hands down, the best use of giant spider monsters I have ever seen. *sparkles at the show*
25. And then they start fighting again as soon as they're safe! And Aang lies like a fox, complete with more art style changes as he narrates his own completely fabricated version of the past. Go Aang! And thank you, show, for putting twists even in a morality episode. (Seriously, how did they get away with endorsing lying on children's television? *boggles*)
-----
The Storm:
26. Judging by the 'Previously on Avatar' segment, Zuko will appear in this episode. Yay! I've missed him the past two episodes. (Shush, I am allowed to play favorites. I love Sokka, Aang, and Katara too -- and Momo and Appa -- but I think the show could always use more Zuko. *grin*) Also, apparently we get backstory and angst all around. *anticipates*
27. Yeesh, that's a creepy dream, and after it started out so spun-sugar fluffy. Poor Aang. Also, Sokka wakes up with a knife in one hand and his razor-edged boomerang in the other, held like a fork and steak knife. So cute! *hugs them all*
28. Random observation: Katara and Sokka have nice, thick sleeping bags. Aang seems to make do with a thin blanket or nothing. I'd expect him to have more trouble with the cold than they would, so that's kind of odd. Then again, he was raised by monks on a mountaintop, and there are supposed to be disciplines to allow people to ignore the cold. Or maybe he needs to feel the air on his skin in order to rest properly? I don't know, but it's slightly odd and I would like an explanation at some point.
29. 'In Soviet Russia, food eats you!' *cracks up* Oh, Sokka, you goofball, never change.
30. Hmm, is that the same flock of birds that passed by the GAang and over Zuko's ship? I think it is -- nice continuity marker!
31. Ooookay, judging by Iroh's reaction, Lieutenant Jee clearly has no idea what kind of emotional shark-trap he's swimming into by talking about respect and claiming Zuko doesn't care about anyone but himself. Interesting. Let's see where this goes!
32. Katara defends Aang; how cute! But he's too guilt-wracked to appreciate it; how sad.
33. Oh Aang, that is not a burden that should have been laid on any twelve-year-old's shoulders. I am not at all surprised you ran away. I am mostly just impressed that you aren't still running now.
34. Eee, young!Zuko without his scar! Still impatient, still entitled, but... he looks happy. He has that wide eyes thing going. So cute! And he loves his people. He expects everyone in power should use that power responsibly. He's so shocked when that general suggests sacrificing new recruits as nothing more than 'fresh meat' for bait. Oh, Zuko. (He is so utterly not a bad guy.)
35. Gyatso, how are you so awesome? *sparkles at him* But poor Aang, isolated from all his friends. *wibbles*
36. Oh, Zuko! *bites nails* *wibbles more* This episode is designed expressly to break my heart, isn't it? Well, it's working! Damn you, it's working! (Also, he is not bad-looking for a 13- or 14-year-old kid. *feels dirty*)
37. Oh, Aang. Oh, you shouldn't have run away, especially not into a howling storm (seriously, you're a master airbender, can't you read the weather?), but I completely understand why you did it. *hugs him*
38. Aha! Azula's first appearance. *makes note*
39. But more relevantly, oh Zuko. Ozai, you utter fucking bastard, what were you thinking? How could you do that to your own son? When all he was trying to do was save the people you are supposed to be protecting as Fire Lord? How can you say that a son refusing to strike his father is shameful? Argh! (I suppose it is a good sign of absorption in a story if I want to physically rend a character to pieces...)
40. Those sepia-tone still pictures are Zuko's memories, I presume. The first is... Zuko running over a grassy hill (which reminds me of Andrew Wyeth's paintings, oddly enough), followed by Azula, followed by Ozai? Then a back view of Ozai's hand on Zuko's shoulder, as they look out over the ocean. Then a front view, with Zuko smiling and Ozai mostly out of the frame... which fades into Zuko now, narrow-eyed and angry. Nice sequence.
41. Dude, did Iroh just redirect the second lightning strike? Wow. I mean, I've been spoiled to hell and back on various things, but I was not aware that technique worked on natural lightning as well.
42. And Zuko catches the helmsman. Yay! (Side note: I am amazed he didn't dislocate his shoulder in the process. Let's all just wave our hands and call it an incidental side effect of magical physics, shall we?)
43. Zuko lets Aang go! Double yay! (I love Iroh's little expression of cautious pride.) I kind of adore the way Aang looks back at Zuko as Appa flies up to clear atmosphere through the eye of the storm, and the way Zuko braces and meets his stare... and does nothing.
44. And Aang has overcome his demons; hurrah for Aang! (Zuko... not so much, but that's okay -- he has two and a half more seasons to angst! *pets Zuko* *dodges more outraged flames*) Oh, I love this episode so damn much. *dances with uncontrollable glee*
-----
And now to switch my clocks and go to bed.
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Date: 2009-11-01 10:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-01 06:33 pm (UTC)I keep being amazed they got away with this show. I mean, Jet's plan fell apart, but he was going to kill an entire village, and his plan was very realistic, not supervillainish at all. They endorsed lying in a morality episode. And, of course, the Fire Nation royal family, in all their fucked-up glory. (Also, Katara and Sokka are also part of a broken family, in a way -- mother dead, father gone, lives uprooted by the war -- and it's clearly hurt them, not just been forgotten as incidental background for why they're able to leave home at the drop of a hat.)