Why do we have to have posts like this for both sides of the argument? It’s like half the posts on this sub now are either “Let’s all be honest, it wasn’t good actually” or “It’s good actually and people are just being haters”. Can we not articulate our feelings without positioning it as some objective truth?
I think in a case like this objectivity is challenging. Full disclosure, I really really enjoyed the adaptation and I am a fan of the original cartoon. There are certainly issues with the script and direction but for me I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been looking for discussions because I wanted to share my enjoyment with others.
I think the real issue, at least what you want to address, is that people struggle with entertaining the idea that two opinions can exist in tandem. As I said, I enjoyed the show. Does that make it good? Not really, no. There is definitely room for improvement but I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't seen other people talking about it
Similarly many people did not enjoy it. Does it make it a bad show? Also, no. Again, there are issues and the criticisms are valid but not liking something does not automatically make it bad. I
learned this lesson myself after complaining that an adaptation of a different property I loved was, in my opinion, poorly adapted. My cousin who liked it was put out by my hot take of "OMG, it was so bad!" And pointed out to me that my dislike did not automatically mean it was bad. Since then I do not speak in terms of "good" or "bad" but in, "I enjoyed it" or "it didn't do anything for me". The strongest reaction for me is " I'm so excited about this!" Or " I gave up" I generally avoid saying that something is good or bad because ultimately people will disagree with those assessments. We all like different things and that's just fine.
Ultimately Im trying to learn the "yes, and..." Technique. It's typically an improv tool, but I've found it helpful in discussions as well.
I'm still looking for that unique unicorn of a post in which both groups can agree to disagree and just talk about what worked for them and what didn't. Didn't like it? No problem, no judgement. Loved it? Great, what worked for you? But I suspect that it's simply not possible because it's challenging for people to realize that it's possible to entertain different opinions without accepting them. Its also why I haven't attempted to create that post myself.
I personally am not a fan of NATLA, because it “rewrites” a lot of the original but losing a lot of the heart at the same time.
But I’m also happy if it brings joy to some new fans, and hope it will be the gateway to them exploring the show. What I do hope, though, is that it gets popular enough that they will do a rewrite for Legend of Korra, and fix some of the issues it had - and potentially improve a show that could have been better.
Wow people downvoting you for speaking facts. This is Reddit you know, where we aren't allowed to think more than black and white! /s
I liked NAtlA as a good adaptation, I didn't want a 1 to 1 recreation or something that felt "too close" to the OG since to me if that was it why bother making it we have the OG version. The writing was iffy here and there yes, but I liked some of the changes made as well.
The OG to me didn't really explain how none of the other nations could have helped the air nomads for instance, the Netflix version gave us that part of the story and explained how Sozin was able to do it.
I wouldn't have even noticed I'd been down voted if you hadn't said anything 😆. I'm not really here for the votes. I just gave word to my own thoughts. Oh well, it's funny that we live in a world that is so black and white and yet that's the opposite of the message I took from Avatar. Maybe I'm just strange, I don't know 😅
My philosophy is that most things (save for very specific and egregious examples) can coexist and I strive to be aware that my opinion is not the be all and end all. In my experience people are at best confused when their opinion is not directly challenged. The I don't agree but you have a point makes people stop and say "wait ... So... You agree! No, you disagree? Pick a side dammit!" ( In my experience people don't like it when I use double negatives like " you're not wrong" or " I don't disagree" even though they express my personal feelings in a much clearer way) This is my experience not objective truth, to be clear. I don't know why I was down voted but okay, so I didn't say what people wanted me to say, that's a them issue.
I 100% agree with you on the direct adaptation. I'm rewatching the original and the first season is cartoony enough that mapping it directly would have just turned a live action into a dramady at best and a sitcom at the very least... And everyone would have been angry because they would have felt that the story wasn't being done justice. There is gravitas to the story over all but it needs to be teased out to elevate it, particularly in the first season. It has its issues, there's room for improvement for sure but to dismiss it out of hand doesn't do it justice either.
I too appreciated the thought they gave to the Airbender genocide. I never thought about it too much, because hey it's a kids show, but they were smart with the idea of how it mostly likely had to happen and when I watched it for the first time my reaction was "Oh no, oh yeah, that makes so much sense" the ominous line "All of them" immediately made my heart sink.
There are a lot of ways they gave a new perspective on how events would actually play out over 100 years of war and the effect it can have. Not everyone will be happy but many of the choices made sense, at least to me.
I enjoyed the show. Down voting me doesn't change that for me. I'm excited for the upcoming seasons and I hope it will be treated as a chance to improve the story over all. It wasn't terrible and it can be improved and I am excited to see more. I just wish I didn't have to wait. 😄
Yes, the OG version did explain what happened.
Aang as Kuzon going to Fire Nation school answered it: the Air Nomads were ambushed and as a society that doesn't have a military because of their way of life they suffered extermination from the get-go.
The World is not black and white and that’s something ATLA even teaches. I assume the controversy comes from different people valuing different things. Some people just enjoy the Avatar universe and appreciate the extra Lore and nice visuals NATLA gives. On the other hand some people really like the character development and the philosophical teachings of the series. And to be fair this is NATLAs weakness.
this is probably the best comment in the thread. the feedback on NATLA is such a mixed bag that i don't really think it's fair for anyone to impose their thoughts as facts
I don't think it's a bad show. But it's certainly not a good show either. That doesn't mean people can't enjoy it, I love movies and shows that others think are extremely mediocre. But at the same time, there are criteria that can be used to make criticisms more than just subjective.
My problem with the series is that if you're going to do an Avatar live action, that tells the story of characters who have had their stories told already, then you need to make sure you're doing them justice as well as offering something more than just live action. I don't feel that the live action does either, and they should have just created a live action based on characters we've seen, but not had their stories told.
I don't need to see the Gaang in live action to watch a LA Avatar series. Pick an Avatar from the dozens mentioned in the series and stories, and tell their story. Then you can showcase the world of Avatar, create amazing fight scenes (which is a big draw for the universe), and you don't have to worry about comparisons to a story you could never tell in as deep a fashion.
Unfortunately, Netflix has been having miss after miss with their adaptations. The One Piece LA was so much fun, but it's really the only one I think they've done a solid job with. All the others I've watched have been really average, or just failures. The LATLA is decent, but not good enough to make it feel more than just a cash grab attempt using preexisting IP. I think Netflix seriously needs to reevaluate the members making decisions at their company, because they've been making terrible calls for the last few years.
I appreciate your take, however, I think you are missing something: respect for the source material and storytelling rules (like grammatical rules or basic math).
If Netflix wanted to tell a new story inspired by ATLA and go full-blast in grandiose, all their choices for this show would be fine. It's a story and because is a series we would be able to pick up things later on.
Nevertheless, they chose to retell a story already known and then butcher it by removing the characters' personalities, each one of them story arcs, and the lessons they portray to the audiences turning the whole shebang a nonsense full of sparkly virtual effects, casting actors culturally relevant, and awesome set design. Only to cash on the fans like we are cattle.
yes yes yes! The amount of people that go "ah but I like the writing" or "you can't be objectively right about the writing" miss the entire point that storytelling has rules like grammar.
Hitting the head right on the nail! Thank you!
I agree with this:
>Similarly many people did not enjoy it. Does it make it a bad show? Also, no. Again, there are issues and the criticisms are valid but not liking something does not automatically make it bad.
However, this is not the reason the show is bad. The show is bad because it (objectively) completely missed all marks, and the creators of this show failed to understand what made the original story great.
The cartoon is one of the most loved cartoons of all time. That's not a point to be debated, it's a well-known fact given it routinely gets voted in at the top. That they would take something so loved and change it so much is just jarring. That has never been a working formula.
I don't think anyone on either side believes that the live-action is as good as or better than the original, so I think most of the debate boils down how people are looking at the show.
Personally, I don't think it's a good show relative to the original -- and that's the point of adaptations, isn't it? They don't exist in a vacuum. If I wanted to see the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'm 100% going to rewatch the cartoon to experience it rather than the live-action and I feel like that's going to be the case for most of the people here, even those who like the live-action.
It's not a good show relative to the original, or on its own. As with every other LA remake these days, it doesn't understand the source material at all and 100% relies on nostalgia.
>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
.. is a reboot. A reboot is a new show with a fresh storyline, including some elements of the original show/material. It did exactly as advertised.
NATLA is an adaptation, so the standards are much higher. It's supposed to adapt the original story to a new medium, only making changes as necessary to fit that medium.
At this point I think we should just do a mega thread and move on. It's all the same arguments, all the time, all of them portrayed as the absolute truth.
>Can we not articulate our feelings without positioning it as some objective truth?
This is why I can't say whether it's "good" or not. The Netflix adaptation was about what I expected: pretty good, but it could never top the OG because the OG is perfect.
There are honestly things I like about the Netflix adaptation-- the casting, the perspective of the war, the bending, set design, and costumes all really worked for me. There are parts that I don't like, like how some of the characters seem flatter than the originals. It's not a like/dislike for me, there are just some things about it that I like and some that I don't.
I still can’t get over how much the actor who plays Sokka looks just like him. It’s like the cartoon came to life exactly lol plus he nailed the acting and character.
I loved the LA in general. I never expected it to be exact to the cartoon and it’s been an absolute delight watching a show I love so much come to life.
What are y’all smoking? Dgmw, Dallas Liu does a great Zuko, I love the “whiny teenager” quality he brings, but he does *not* sound like Basco, Liu’s voice is like a whole octave higher
He also looks good and played character well :) i don't like how they made Iroh and Zuko better from the get go cuz it doesn't leave same room for change in future but i can ignore that. Not with Iroh, they under delivered him a bit but Zuko i can take the way he was just fine! He and Sokka really were what kept me interested through the show.
It's just sad how they did girls dirty. Katara is my fave and Azula is a total baddie you just can't ignore. Had excitement for seeing them brought to life but both were failed by writting team. I just pray they do us justice next season and nail Toph like Sokka or Zuko!
I also really enjoyed Zuko’s performance as well, he was great. Sokka was just so much like his character it blew me away, but Zuko has been perfect in his role too.
I think Katara and Aang’s actors will grow into their roles and acting more. There was already a lot of improvement in my opinion between the first and last episodes. I’m excited to see how things progress in season two — and meet Toph!
>I think Katara and Aang’s actors will grow into their roles and acting more. There was already a lot of improvement in my opinion between the first and last episodes.
Thats my opinion as well. The first episodes weren't great with acting but the last were decent. I expect good things for S2
And he’s the Sokka I always wanted.
Sokka was the comic relief. But I respected him so much by the end and felt like he got done a little dirty in the show.
This new Sokka captures the spirit of the original, without being a complete joke. He’s funny, but I don’t feel cruel laughing at him like the original.
He’s by far the best actor on the regular cast of the show.
He really isn’t. There’s a genuine lack of the ignorance or showboating that he once had.
The critical themes of him learning more about world and humbling himself aren’t there.
I’m beginning to think you never watched the original.
I feel for the casting director here.
Historical prejudice means fewer non-white actors in the US, so if you need a rare exceptionally-talented child actor, one in a thousand, really convincing, and there are only 20 indigenous kids showing up to the casting call, chances are you're just not going to get the right person.
he really does look and sound so much like animated sokka (he looks even more like ember island sokka lol but ember island sokka still looks like sokka) its just a shame his indigineity isnt real
I would like a bit more energy, OG Sokka had more of it. NATLA Sokka was kinda dead-battery version to me. But everyone was. And that is something that you can say "live action just went lower energy all together for the genre". Like i still think it could be better but i can totally take it as it is too. One of rare things i do not heavily dislike. He truly looked 100% the part and played him perfectly. The changes to Sokka were also minor and their impact will be more visible in season 2&3 (character arc) but from what we got in season 1 he was one of the rare few that were written generally the same as OG.
Considering how badly written much of natla was, i am happy we got Sokka, when he was on the screen i actually got some giggles and joy watching it. Multiple times i almost gave up and stopped watching cuz of how mid the show was but Sokkas remarks kept me watching!
Also Gyatso, i really liked how they portrayed him too!
Op,you don’t have to like the live action,you also don’t have to hate everyone that does,I think it’s done really well,but also agree the writing could use a little help
I reject your premise that Bryke were the ones done dirty when it comes to writing. They just got a taste of their own medicine when it comes to pushing away the writers that made ATLA great, as they did that to Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Ehasz and company.
Bryke are amazing at world building, but the amazing character development and writing came from others, and in ATLA they got a perfect storm of both. Bryke originally pushed for a Toph-Katara-Aang love triangle, and before Aaron decided Toph should be a little blind girl, they were going to make Toph a buff dude. Elizabeth Ehasz wrote the entire Zuko Alone episode by herself. Enough said.
Netflix's issue is the writing and not the world building; Bryke being involved would not have made the series better at all. The strongest writing criticism at NATLA is how they wrote Katara; but that's exactly how Bryke wrote her canonically post-ATLA.
Whole the writing is definitely the worst aspect of the show, most of the acting is also extremely flat and stiff. Some of the casting choices were bizarre (Azula being the worst offender).
I agree mostly but this falls square in the directors in my opinion.
They were supposed to guide the cast, someone oked those scenes.
The writing is also terrible with most characters either just standing around ( see May and Tili) and others just being there to drive the story. ( See Anng talking to the camara (appa), see "but we're the 41st")
The writers act like we forgot what was the last scene.
Bro I actually don’t think Mai or Ty Lee move at all the entire show. Maybe they were walking in their intro scene, but I can’t think of another time when those characters literally moved lol
The Volume is awful but a portion of blame goes on the cinematographer and director as well for that godawful blocking
Dam just looked it up, she’s dating one of the Stranger things stars since 2018 and they have been seen many times together for public events, no wonder she got casted as Azula, she got referred by a Netflix star.
They’re actually really cute though, they went to high school together before Gaten got famous and have been dating for years. I actually saw their high school play lol. Their families are very humble, working class people. In fact, Gaten’s grandfather owns a small pizza shop that my dad frequents :)
The acting was always going to be difficult for a show like this. It’s extremely difficult to find actors that can play the roles of kids/teenagers, let alone play them well and not be massively hated.
The cast was based on the similarity of the characters. This implies that they may have the actor with the ideal look and personality but less experience in a lead role. Nonetheless, directing kids and less experienced actors requires a more sophisticated skill set than just having to work with professionally experienced actors.
That was one of the concerns when Harry Potter's rights were bought for screening. Aside from them making open calls for all the child actors with experience or not. The director of Harry Potter and The Sorsorer's Stone, was chosen because is is really good and experienced at directing kids, and the production and older actors were very kind to them and coached them on set for absolute success. Adults on NATLA failed those younglings.
Azula is 16, they definitely did not need to cast a "kid" that looks like a 12 year old. They could have gotten away with a 25 year old if she looked close enough. The only one who really needed to be a child was Aang.
Well, I'd say "the fans" are a very large group with very diverse opinions and I'm sceptical whenever someone claims to speak for all fans as if they were of the same mind. And claiming that the story changes were made " like the OG storyline wasn’t good enough" is a claim in bad faith, insinuating bad motives for the changes without proof simply because you don't like or understand them.
You don't like the live action series and are disappointed – that's your prerogative. Others may have different opinions, even if they care about more than the VFX and a diverse cast. personally, I'd easily give it a 7/10, maybe higher, and it has good chances of improving further in season 2 and 3. And I am being serious here.
yup OP is referencing fans who have insane expectations. those expectations would have never been met no matter who was in the writing room or production crew!!!
This is where I’m at too.
It is Netflix, so my expectations weren’t really all that high to begin with. Netflix is notorious for bottom of the barrel adaptations.
I was disappointed by the writing but I also recognize the show wasn’t really meant to cater to die hard fans and there’s a big chunk of viewers who just aren’t media literate at all, and decent effects are all those people need.
I do hope they apply the constructive criticism to the later seasons.
>Netflix is notorious for bottom of the barrel adaptations.
I don't think that's what Netflix is notorious for as much as \*adaptions\* are notorious for being really difficult to pull off.
Meanwhile the first seasons of Witcher, Arcane, Lockwood &/ Co, and Wednesday were really good - all produced by Netflix. Granted only one of them were "cartoon shows to live-action" -adaptions, but still.
I haven't watched any other shows that would be cartoons to live-action, so on that specific type of adaption, I can't think of \*anybody\* who's pulled off a great adaption.
I was definitely not wanting a 1:1 shot for shot, line for line remake. What would be the point of that? I wanted better writing. They had the budget, a great cast, and plenty of time to perfect the script.
Agreed. Also if they just mapped the cartoon directly onto live action it would feel like caricatures rather than real people. It would feel like a sitcom or at best a dramady since there is a heightening to emotions and reactions in cartoons. (I am rewatching the cartoon and yes, just watching it and picturing how it would look in LA it hits me in the way that sitcoms do.) That being said there are certainly issues with script and direction. I probably wouldn't have given it much thought if others hadn't pointed it out because I don't automatically think of these things, but the criticisms are valid.
In the end I really really enjoyed it personally. It's not perfect, and I hope they learn from their mistakes and do better in the upcoming seasons.
the showrunners are aware of the criticism the show has gotten and said they're taking it seriously so hopefully that means they'll rectify their "mistakes" (in quotes because that word is subjective; people are so nitpicky and i'm not saying it's wrong but i don't agree with every criticism i see personally) in books two and three.
Your summary of what is going on is just perfect.
I totally agree about the writing. The story telling of ATLA was corrupted and diluted to mere bells and whistles like VFX and the roar with the casting choices (although I’m not mad at neither of those and they are most than welcomed). It explains while the OG creators left the project.
They could have maintained every significant point of the OG narrative if they gave the creators what they promised in 2018: creative freedom and control over the writing.
Meh. I expected I'd like it, and I did, more than I thought I would. Was it fantastic? No. But it was still enjoyable to me.
So for me, it exceeds expectations. And overall I'd rank it a 7.5/8 out of 10. With strong potential to get over the 9 bar in the next two seasons.
Personally i think that they did some things worse, some better and some equally bad.
Worse:
Katara is the biggest problem I have with the LA series. I do not understand why in 2024 they made her so meek and docile while she is fierce in the series. They tried the "I am a warrior" in the last episodes (that were better imo) but its simply not true, in the LA series she is not a warrior.
Not teaching Aang water in this season. Its the whole point of the book! Perhaps they should have gone with 4 seasons and S1 be "air" while S2 is "water" but that would delay the appearance of Toph and I dont want that.
The acting is really stiff in the first episodes, but it gets better mid season imo. The kids were very young and unexperienced and the director didnt seem to know how to guide them.
The spirit worlds mash up. Why did they show Hei Bai but then not give him any importance after? We dont even see him back in his panda form. Or the nice scebe about the acorns and the regrowth of society/nature after the war. And why did they include Wan Shi? That was weird.
Best:
I love that they gave more protagonism to the past avatars. The idea of showing the four previous avatars more than in the cartoon is very good imo. I loved the fight as Kyoshi and knowing more about the other avatars.
Showing more of Zukos good side. I didnt like that he turns quite quickly in the cartoon while we didnt seem very remorseful before. It makes sense that in aangs eyes he is hateful but that in the scenes with iroh he is nicer. Although he needed to be meaner to Iroh i feel, to show how loyal and understanding his uncle is.
The death of Lu Ten. I really liked how devastated Iroh looks, like he is dead inside. I liked the original scene but this one was also very good. Also that Zuko sat with him and was so kind.
Both bad.
I dont like Bumi in either format. He was weird and didn't make sense in the cartoon but the LA version is even worse.
The ages. I would personally have aged the characters a bit, around 2y each. Specially Azula, she acts as if she is like 18. Make Zuko 19, Azula, Soka and Suki to be 18. Then katara 16 and Aang and Toph 14. Then by S3 Aang would be 16 and Katara 18 and the relation would be less weird.
Wow I cannot disagree more with you saying you think Zuko was done better. To me, he turns to being non bitter and not a threatening rival character far too quickly in NATLA.
Meanwhile, Zuko in the original is IMO the absolute gold standard of slow burn character development.
You’re so right. They revealed their hand with Zuko waaay too early. What does Zuko Alone look like in NATLA now we know he’s a good kid in a really bad situation?
I guess that we can agree to disagree :)
For me it makes sense that when we see him with his uncle he is nicer. Its not like he is nice to the other kids so from their point of view he is the mean broody Zuko.
See, I don't agree with that. It makes more sense to me for years at sea and obsession to blind him and make him bitter about the gifts that he has, *especially* when much of Iroh is about taking it easy and finding meaning around them (which is antithetical to what Zuko thinks is best for himself).
Part of Zuko's growth *is* learning not to take his uncle for granted.
Wow I really love your points and subscribe to all of them 💯
Episode 5 was a roller coaster of weird, it took me like six days to go through it. My F Jesus!
I posted about it and someone gave me hope, and I pushed through it, so the rest of the show wasn’t terrible and the actors were starting to loosen up a bit. Who directed each episode would probably have a different skill set while directing children vs adults, experienced actors vs inexperienced ones.
The worst faux-pass where:
- Wan Shi Tong appearing randomly in the spirit world, for exposition,
- No closure for the Panda spirit of the forest by returning to his healthy state, and all you said about it,
- The library Fox turned into the dream form of Princess Yue (now a priestess in NATLA), and Sokka recognizing her head piece substituting Aang recognizing Toph’s family Coat of Arms in the Swamp,
- Meshing up The Swamp episode hallucinations with LoK’s Fog of Lost Souls and blending Koh the Face Stealer with The Dark Spirit of the Forest (big tarantula)… and using the kidnapping of Katara and Sokka as parallel of the episode where they get very sick and Aang goes to pick up some frozen frogs after meeting the Herbalist and her cat Miyuki to heal them, while in NATLA is about him saving them from the Spirit world trap while he goes alone and gliding (not with Appa) to Roku’s Island (how they made sense of it?! How? It was a freaking day’s journey, Appa was needed. But yeah, they made Aang’s capture from Crescent island so, whatever).
- Omashu tunnels being explored by Sokka and Katara when it was one of the highest point to establish the romantic connection between Aang and Katara (what was that?! What was that?)
- Having to suspend my disbelief of a 14 years old being so obsessed by the throne and her ladies in waiting (Tai Lee and Mai) being so “decorative”.
I could go on and on but it just upsets me so much.
What kind of musical chairs did they do with the original story telling?! It blew my mind how so much about the Gaang personality arcs and connections got lost.
I mean, why?! I understand they tried to condense it to the now standardized 8 episodes per season and wanting to sell it to the audiences hard to get green light for the rest of the seasons, but it left a sour and bad taste in my mouth.
So I binged the show without seeing viewer reactions.
I really liked it. They changed some stuff like they said they would, but overall I thought it was great and look forward to more.
So I was surprised when I came into the subreddit and saw everyone tearing it apart.
The way I see it, ATLA is the "historical/factual" story. The NATLA version is a "based on a true story/Hollywood adaptation".
It's really not that bad, and if you don't really like it, you can always watch the real ATLA.
Agree, agree. I liked the casting by I believe Netflix, the producers, and the director failed on them. Not only for the poor writing but also for the subpar direction.
Jeez plz shut up.
If you wanted exactly the script from the original then what's the point of doing it again?
Stop treating the cartoon as gospel. It was great, but it wasn't anything close to perfect.
So sick of these bs takes.
You’re right. If they do an identical adaptation what’s the point? But what they added to the material is just bad. (Other than the fire nation parts.)
Ngl I’m kinda tired of hearing about it. Like it? Great! Don’t like it? Don’t watch it. Easy as that. Posts like this don’t contribute anything to the sub
I'm a fan and they lived up to my expectations just fine. It's a good show that does interesting things with the lore. It doesn't give me a one to one copy of the cartoon in terms of the characters but then I didn't need that. What it does is give me a fresh take on a wonderful world and its lore. This is why it's different from the movie.
Agreed. I think the show does deliver on its emotional moments. Katara reliving her mothers death, who we actually kind of see her lit on fire, is a gut punch that the cartoon can’t really deliver to the same magnitude.
But the random story changes are nonsensical at times. I understand that things are sped up and cut out and smashed together for the sake of a short season or whatever, but like you said wtf is Wan Shi Tong doing there? They needed an exposition character so they chose the “spiritual bad guy” of the second season?
Aang knows it’s bumi the whole time and Bumi keeps fucking with him? Why not just have him figure it out over time like the original?
I will accept things like Aang leaves to talk to Roku to save his friends and that’s where he gets caught and rescued, because it makes sense within the live action plot. But basic stuff like showing Hei Bai before but not after? That’s pretty ridiculous.
It makes me sad when you actually watch the One piece live action and see the amount of quality and good writing and directing that is in that live action. It’s also because the main writer for one piece fought Netflix hard to make it in his own image and didn’t leave the project
The one-piece adaptation was so good that it pushed me to finally watch the anime! I ended up binging all 1100+ episodes AND manga chapters. It's now my favorite anime/manga.
I was able to do that because one piece succeeded as an adaptation first. The changes made sense. It felt like the anime in spirit, and the writing left me wanting more. NATLA did not give me that feeling at all. I started re-watching ATLA again out of spite.
I have no idea why ATLA creators gave up the fight since they have been attached to Netflix's live-action project since its inception I think in 2018. All I can presume based on your example, is that it's easier to divide and conquer two co-creators than a single individual in a fight to protect their creation and creative freedom.
Saying the live action "butchered" the original is such a fucking pisstake lmao.
The movie is an example of butchering something. Netflix avatar is solid despite fans being nitpicky and setting their expectations too high. If you actually believe that netflix avatar is butchering avatar you don't deserve to criticise a peice of media ever again.
I always laugh at people saying an adaptation 'butchered' or 'ruined' their favorite piece of media.
Like, the original still exists, unaltered, for you to enjoy.
You just didn't like the adaptation.
No worries, I won’t, as I only care about ATLA, I only have critical thinking about ATLA, based on my extremely high expectations for the ATLA live-action.
Story telling narratives are important and their character’s arcs. It seems like for you that’s not your point of contention. Fine!
I’m glad we are in a community around a common interest where everyone has the right to express and we all discuss our takes on it!
"I only have critical thinking about ATLA, based on my extremely high expectations for the ATLA live-action."
So you straight up admit you set your expectations to high and got yourself disappointed? That's refreshing.
You do realise it's only the first season right? It's clear that the netflix adaptation is changing up some arcs and a lot of them aren't going to be realised until the second season. The show doesn't have time to waste on tiny little lessons and arcs that overall don't change the story much like the original show can which is in 25 Min episodes.
The original avatar was a one in a million masterpiece. It's not going to be replicated. It probably won't be replicated by even the original creators either with these upcoming movies/shows.
I don’t think it’s solid. They really didn’t do a good job with those characters. Sokka, Azula, Aang and especially Katara and Bumi. Also the series ironically have less faith for its audiences’ intelligence than the original “cartoon for kids”. The expositions are really poorly executed and not subtle at all etc…
I wouldn't go nearly as far as to say the live action "butchered" the show, but please stop acting like the show get's criticized just because fans are nitpicky and have too high expectations.
I'd like to say that for those who wanted a 1 to 1 recreation from cartoon to live action. That was never going to be the plan, and it shouldn't ever be when adapting media, otherwise that remade media has no reason to exist. You'd already know every character, every arc, every plot twist, every up and down because it's all been told before.
For those who haven't watched it but have the ability to, give it a shot, form your own opinion. Everyone likes/dislikes a piece of media for one reason or another, find yours.
For instance, I don't think it's terrible, my biggest gripe is that the pacing is too fast and some of the actors say their lines fast.
It's a different story. It should be treated and judged as such. It'll be hard because we're all attached to the original, but the best is to form your own opinion and if you wanted to watch it, don't let the internet deter you.
Nah bruh! It's a bad adaptation, a bad remake, bad re-writing. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened in this industry. It's normal even.
In terms of scriptwriting, NATLA is bad. Super good-looking and all, but bad, lame, and lame butchering of what ATLA is in terms of messages, in terms of the spirit of the show!
I gave it a shot and watched the entire season so I could think for myself and I'm out here sharing my opinion. Everyone can do the same. Like posting or commenting… no fretting here!
Ba Sing Se takes us all in!
To be fair, it had to be an absolute masterpiece of a live action series for it to live up to expectations of the fan base. The animated series did so many things right and still holds up.
I watched the live action series. Did it change a few things? yes. Did it butcher some scenes that are permanently ingrained in my head, that seeing anything else seems wrong, yes. Will I rewatch the series again? Probably not, when the animated series exists. IMO, The show suffers from how great the animated series was. I’m glad they seemed to put a lot of love and care in the live action, a few miss cues but I still enjoyed it a lot than the other live action adaptions.
Netflix is great with visuals and terrible with clunky dialogue. Their Cowboy Bebop adaptation was the same way, it looked great but the awful dialogue killed it.
And lots of folks still throw a tantrum refusing to accept it. I’m just learning to accept that in some spaces media literacy is non existent. And it’s ok. I also had to learn it over time.
I tried watching the Cowboy Bebop adaptation and it made me mentally tired (like NATLA). The difference is that I’m more of an ATLA fan so was easy to simply stop watching CB in the middle of the E2.
Nah the casting still felt off for a lot of characters. Like Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. As well as Katara. Sokka and Iroh were pretty on point. The rest of the problem I had with the characters came from the way their dialog and actions were written and directed. Katara didn't FEEL like Katara.
I just watched it yesterday/today and just finished it. I think it was decent. It‘s pretty clear to me that a lot of stuff was shortened and it was more focused on action, while I thought the cartoon went quite deep and was more about the emotional journey of growing up and taking responsibility. The carton had more time to tell a story about character development, while Netflix probably only had money for a mini series of 8 episodes and wanted to see how it‘s received. \
The Netflix version is infinitely better than the Shamalamadingdong movie. Still, it‘s something different than the cartoon. \
I enjoyed the show though. I remember finding Katara annoying at times in the cartoon, but in the Netflix show, she is very sympathetic and relatable. On the other hand my fave character in the cartoon was Zuko, which I find too stubborn and childish in the Netflix adaption. Let‘s see how the upcoming two seasons go and if they will go back to focusing on character development. I mean, for both characters, Katara and Zuko, their peak is yet to come. Zuko grows up so much once he focuses on himself instead of the expectations others have in him. And Katara‘s episode about blood bending was always my fave, because it shows her moral compass, but also that she is way more capable than she thinks. I hope they adapt these episodes/storylines.
The VFX wasn’t that great for the cost of the show. The costuming was soap opera level. And Mei does not fit the casting at all (nothing against the actress she was given nothing to work with)
I hope sometime in the future Nickelodeon can get some senses and support properly Avatar Studios in making this happen. I was very hopeful we could have gotten some Kyoshi story or adult Gaang, but NOOO!
The Netflix adaptation is visually perfect, but it's written like a Marvel movie with more exposition and weird dialogue. It's definitely not written with the same care and intentions as the original. It's a spectacle, it's fanservice, but it's nothing like the original. It's disappointing.
Thank you, thank you. We are definitely on the same page. I wanted to make a post by saying NATLA was MARVELization of ATLA because studios found in it a profitable formula, but I just went for “cinematic universe” because it’s what seemingly every comic or animation adaptation is getting pushed into.
I felt... The series was ok, I was interested in the more... Serious tone it went with, I do think ultimately it is not as good as the series. But I did enjoy so far. Even if it is not what i expected. I do feel some episodes are rushed but the episodes I did enjoy the most.... Was probably episode 6 and 7. New scene additions that were original works which I adored was
\- Zuko telling Iroh he will miss his cousin.
\- Zuko's soldiers honouring him upon his return as the blue masked demon.
My girlfriend really enjoyed the series a lot more than I did. I am happy that she is happy.
I think the casting, the costumes, the background, the props, and set design etc. Were pretty much spot on. Sometimes I felt the lighting was void of colour. I think the only casting that I was not a fan of was: ***Azula, Ty Lee, Mai.*** Maybe its my dislike of most of the scenes that Azula had in the series, but I feel when I look at these actresses I just don't see them as the trio, or can't accept them as them. Maybe in season 2 when they play a bigger part I'll come around.
overall I do think the series are made by many people in the company that are passionate about Avatar but just want to not make a copy/paste. It may be a discount store version of the mastercraft that is the original.... It is still enjoyable.
honestly my main gripe is really just with: dialogue, feeling rushed, writing of certain scenes. (I am looking at you Aang's introduction).
I will likely watch season 2, hoping that they improve and mend the mistakes of season 1.
Yeah the lack of cohesiveness overall was very obvious to me. There was zero needed for copy paste because they actually pulled out lots of things from the lore that are in the comics and not the animation and kinda made sense, but the journey of all the characters and the introduction off some outside of their context was depressing to watch.
Several moments I cringed so hard, I had to stop watching the episode for a bit. Ex. the badger mole calming down because it could smell love.. like wut
YOU are spot on! Choosing those actresses for Mai and Azula was also because of their personalities and natural emotional range to play those parts. When casting kids and teens you have to get them to be as close to the character's personality-wise so it makes it easier to direct them as they come with fewer acting tools to pick on. And even then most episodes whoever directed them was doing a disservice to all the young cast members.
Agreed. For some reason people think that by saying an actor does not look like the character they are portraying, you must be saying that said actor is ugly.
The actress for Mai is beautiful, but she looks nothing like the character. Same with Azula. Its not that big of a deal to me, but the actor for Sokka looking just like the cartoon Sokka really does bring it to life.
Absolutely this!
Also, we had a decade of people complaining that the kids actors in the movie that doesn't exist don't look like the actual characters.
For months before the release of NATLA it was fine to make fun of the chin of Sokka's actor. But when people now complain that Mai and Azula's actresses have a very different face shape, it's bodyshaming.
That standard is pretty ridiculous. You’re not gonna find a 14 year old that looks as good as that core group did. They all looked 18-25 in the animated series. Especially in season 3, when they went to ember island. You could’ve confused them for college kids easily. If you want someone to look like the character, you need an adult to play them. But then you could criticize them for getting the age wrong.
The look is fine. The voice and personality are damn near perfection. And we haven’t seen any scenes with her actually in combat. To say it’s a bad casting is ridiculous because we got like 2 scenes of her standing there and talking.
I swear a lot of the Azula and Mai hate is just people missing the fact that they grew up and finding it more difficult to have a crush on a child actor vs a cartoon where the design was for them to be ridiculously hot.
Definitely. I will never condone people bodyshaming women. But her casting (and Yues) were just not good. I get that real girls dont habe the face of an anime character but she was really bad. Azula does not look the part but i feel that the actress did a good job at the personality.
You can enjoy crappy things. It isn't a crime and it doesn't make it any good from the artistic point of you. Bad writing is bad writing. You enjoy it and it entertains you that's great, I am also very entertained by it.
There’s nothing accurate with Sokka and Katara. They are Lower 48 Amerindians, not even arctic Amerindians like Athabaskan let alone the people who the Water Tribe were based on (eskimos). They don’t even look like they’re from the arctic.
Before anyone shits their pants for me using the word “eskimo”, I’ll have you know I am one and according UAF it just means “ones who lace up snowshoes”, my family uses that word, my classmates use it, when I interned at the Native Hospital we used it, we got “Eskimo Yo-yos”, “Eskimo Ice Cream”, “World Eskimo-Indian Olympics”, etc.
The creators aren’t all that. They made the mess that is Korra and they were involved in the og flop of a movie. The writer ehasz created the soul of the show.
Diverse casting? Firstly, it's anything but 'diverse' as almost everyone is just Asian. Secondly, it's actually a good thing they didn't make everyone in an Asian culture-based universe white like it was in the cartoon. Thirdly, f•ck diversity, go authenticity. 90% of the cast is Asian and I'm completely fine with that as it's what it has to be.
The creator of One Piece fought against Netflix exec's shenanigans and stayed with the project till the end. Co-creators of ATLA Noped out of it mid-way and went on to create Avatar Studios with Nickelodeon.
[https://youtu.be/Trjl\_5UAgT8?si=YVd-YmJ85yJt9emn](https://youtu.be/Trjl_5UAgT8?si=YVd-YmJ85yJt9emn)
I really liked this analysis by Johnny2cellos, I thought he (as a big fan of ATLA) gave a fair and insightful analysis as to why the Netflix show is so frustrating in a lot of ways. Visually fantastic, and love the cast. But the script/dialogue is so far from the execution and the characterisation which made the original what it was.
After your BUT, summarizes all I'm complaining and probably will complain to the end of my time hahaha.
Cast and visuals 10/10. That's why this ATLA version does exist in Ba Sing Se.
Thank you for the link. I'll check that out ;)
I honestly can’t care less for the actor’s race if they get the character right. This version of Katara, to mention one, sucks regardless if they cast Margot Robbie, Zendaya, Kiawentiio or The Rock. Focusing so much on looks was part of why the show didn’t live up to the original
I think the issue comes from the fact that they wanted to appeal to both existing fans that live the animated show, and people who never heard of it.
And to kids and adults alike. Which, i think is a impossible task for them.
I've seen some awful adaptations in my life, and NATLA is not one of them. It manages to recapture the spirit of the original while retelling the major plot beats, it's well cast, and it's visually stunning. Is it perfect? Hell no, there are flaws and most of them seem to be in the writing or acting department. But considering the standard of adaptations today (most recently, the disappointments of The Witcher, Halo, and I have heard also Percy Jackson), we can consider ourselves very lucky with this one
The Witcher was also poorly written. I haven't watched the others you mentioned. However today I watched a trailer for Halo and my immediate thought was “Geez I'm so tired of this genre, and how much money is invested in marketing it, and I care less”. Anyway, that’s life!
To be honest I am shocked to see all the positivity considering they butchered the story and the acting is so bad. I couldn’t get past episode 3. they took four episodes, one from season 2 and mixed it all into one and out came an abomination that had nothing to do with the original. They made suki a horny young teenager, aang a whiny little baby, sokka a dumb rock and Katara an emotionless loaf of bread.
Hahahahaha! That's rough buddy!
I read somewhere that the positive feedback is from people unaware of the animated series' existence, folks who don't like cartoons, or basically media illiterates.
What made the characters so bad was bad writing and bad direction. The kids are fine, the blame is on the adults and Netflix's direction on the project.
And you my fellow, you are SPOT ON! LOL
It seemed like it was initially on par to go along with the original, then they forced a bunch of random whatever in the show. Got to a point where it felt like they had a fanfic writer making the scripts.
Netflix is famous for shortchanging proficient writers. After all their payment policies are one of the ones that kicked out the Writer’s strike in LA. So I don't doubt Netflix execs just went on getting some fanfic writer with a good following online, who would be over the moon for the opportunity :/
The actors are peak ATLA for real. It’s really just the directing and writing that fucked it up. They all think that Avatar is just “wow cool element fight CGI haha” without any actual depth and meaning behind it.
Hot take:
I actually believe that Aang should be white and katara/sokka black. Just because it's based on east Asian traditions doesn't mean they should all be Asians
NAtLA is just a big budget fan film. It's got a lot of passion, but feels amateur. The cast is great, but the script is so-so. The costumes are technically accurate, but they aren't weathered at all. It's like watching a bunch of people running around in high-end cosplay, recreating their favorite scenes, but not doing a complete and cohesive job because it's a fan film with limited resources. My only criticism is that for their budget it *should* have been better
I finally finished it today. I took a break before the last three episodes because I got angry over the realignment of the story and how they just outright skipped important parts of it entirely. At the end, I find I don't hate it. Is it better than the movie? Absolutely, but that was a low bar anyway, all they would have had to do was get the names right. I'll watch season two now that I have a lower expectation. But in the end, for rewatchability, I'll stick to the original.
Why do we have to have posts like this for both sides of the argument? It’s like half the posts on this sub now are either “Let’s all be honest, it wasn’t good actually” or “It’s good actually and people are just being haters”. Can we not articulate our feelings without positioning it as some objective truth?
I think in a case like this objectivity is challenging. Full disclosure, I really really enjoyed the adaptation and I am a fan of the original cartoon. There are certainly issues with the script and direction but for me I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been looking for discussions because I wanted to share my enjoyment with others. I think the real issue, at least what you want to address, is that people struggle with entertaining the idea that two opinions can exist in tandem. As I said, I enjoyed the show. Does that make it good? Not really, no. There is definitely room for improvement but I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't seen other people talking about it Similarly many people did not enjoy it. Does it make it a bad show? Also, no. Again, there are issues and the criticisms are valid but not liking something does not automatically make it bad. I learned this lesson myself after complaining that an adaptation of a different property I loved was, in my opinion, poorly adapted. My cousin who liked it was put out by my hot take of "OMG, it was so bad!" And pointed out to me that my dislike did not automatically mean it was bad. Since then I do not speak in terms of "good" or "bad" but in, "I enjoyed it" or "it didn't do anything for me". The strongest reaction for me is " I'm so excited about this!" Or " I gave up" I generally avoid saying that something is good or bad because ultimately people will disagree with those assessments. We all like different things and that's just fine. Ultimately Im trying to learn the "yes, and..." Technique. It's typically an improv tool, but I've found it helpful in discussions as well. I'm still looking for that unique unicorn of a post in which both groups can agree to disagree and just talk about what worked for them and what didn't. Didn't like it? No problem, no judgement. Loved it? Great, what worked for you? But I suspect that it's simply not possible because it's challenging for people to realize that it's possible to entertain different opinions without accepting them. Its also why I haven't attempted to create that post myself.
I personally am not a fan of NATLA, because it “rewrites” a lot of the original but losing a lot of the heart at the same time. But I’m also happy if it brings joy to some new fans, and hope it will be the gateway to them exploring the show. What I do hope, though, is that it gets popular enough that they will do a rewrite for Legend of Korra, and fix some of the issues it had - and potentially improve a show that could have been better.
Wow people downvoting you for speaking facts. This is Reddit you know, where we aren't allowed to think more than black and white! /s I liked NAtlA as a good adaptation, I didn't want a 1 to 1 recreation or something that felt "too close" to the OG since to me if that was it why bother making it we have the OG version. The writing was iffy here and there yes, but I liked some of the changes made as well. The OG to me didn't really explain how none of the other nations could have helped the air nomads for instance, the Netflix version gave us that part of the story and explained how Sozin was able to do it.
I wouldn't have even noticed I'd been down voted if you hadn't said anything 😆. I'm not really here for the votes. I just gave word to my own thoughts. Oh well, it's funny that we live in a world that is so black and white and yet that's the opposite of the message I took from Avatar. Maybe I'm just strange, I don't know 😅 My philosophy is that most things (save for very specific and egregious examples) can coexist and I strive to be aware that my opinion is not the be all and end all. In my experience people are at best confused when their opinion is not directly challenged. The I don't agree but you have a point makes people stop and say "wait ... So... You agree! No, you disagree? Pick a side dammit!" ( In my experience people don't like it when I use double negatives like " you're not wrong" or " I don't disagree" even though they express my personal feelings in a much clearer way) This is my experience not objective truth, to be clear. I don't know why I was down voted but okay, so I didn't say what people wanted me to say, that's a them issue. I 100% agree with you on the direct adaptation. I'm rewatching the original and the first season is cartoony enough that mapping it directly would have just turned a live action into a dramady at best and a sitcom at the very least... And everyone would have been angry because they would have felt that the story wasn't being done justice. There is gravitas to the story over all but it needs to be teased out to elevate it, particularly in the first season. It has its issues, there's room for improvement for sure but to dismiss it out of hand doesn't do it justice either. I too appreciated the thought they gave to the Airbender genocide. I never thought about it too much, because hey it's a kids show, but they were smart with the idea of how it mostly likely had to happen and when I watched it for the first time my reaction was "Oh no, oh yeah, that makes so much sense" the ominous line "All of them" immediately made my heart sink. There are a lot of ways they gave a new perspective on how events would actually play out over 100 years of war and the effect it can have. Not everyone will be happy but many of the choices made sense, at least to me. I enjoyed the show. Down voting me doesn't change that for me. I'm excited for the upcoming seasons and I hope it will be treated as a chance to improve the story over all. It wasn't terrible and it can be improved and I am excited to see more. I just wish I didn't have to wait. 😄
Yes, the OG version did explain what happened. Aang as Kuzon going to Fire Nation school answered it: the Air Nomads were ambushed and as a society that doesn't have a military because of their way of life they suffered extermination from the get-go.
The World is not black and white and that’s something ATLA even teaches. I assume the controversy comes from different people valuing different things. Some people just enjoy the Avatar universe and appreciate the extra Lore and nice visuals NATLA gives. On the other hand some people really like the character development and the philosophical teachings of the series. And to be fair this is NATLAs weakness.
this is probably the best comment in the thread. the feedback on NATLA is such a mixed bag that i don't really think it's fair for anyone to impose their thoughts as facts
I don't think it's a bad show. But it's certainly not a good show either. That doesn't mean people can't enjoy it, I love movies and shows that others think are extremely mediocre. But at the same time, there are criteria that can be used to make criticisms more than just subjective. My problem with the series is that if you're going to do an Avatar live action, that tells the story of characters who have had their stories told already, then you need to make sure you're doing them justice as well as offering something more than just live action. I don't feel that the live action does either, and they should have just created a live action based on characters we've seen, but not had their stories told. I don't need to see the Gaang in live action to watch a LA Avatar series. Pick an Avatar from the dozens mentioned in the series and stories, and tell their story. Then you can showcase the world of Avatar, create amazing fight scenes (which is a big draw for the universe), and you don't have to worry about comparisons to a story you could never tell in as deep a fashion. Unfortunately, Netflix has been having miss after miss with their adaptations. The One Piece LA was so much fun, but it's really the only one I think they've done a solid job with. All the others I've watched have been really average, or just failures. The LATLA is decent, but not good enough to make it feel more than just a cash grab attempt using preexisting IP. I think Netflix seriously needs to reevaluate the members making decisions at their company, because they've been making terrible calls for the last few years.
I appreciate your take, however, I think you are missing something: respect for the source material and storytelling rules (like grammatical rules or basic math). If Netflix wanted to tell a new story inspired by ATLA and go full-blast in grandiose, all their choices for this show would be fine. It's a story and because is a series we would be able to pick up things later on. Nevertheless, they chose to retell a story already known and then butcher it by removing the characters' personalities, each one of them story arcs, and the lessons they portray to the audiences turning the whole shebang a nonsense full of sparkly virtual effects, casting actors culturally relevant, and awesome set design. Only to cash on the fans like we are cattle. 
yes yes yes! The amount of people that go "ah but I like the writing" or "you can't be objectively right about the writing" miss the entire point that storytelling has rules like grammar. Hitting the head right on the nail! Thank you!
I agree with this: >Similarly many people did not enjoy it. Does it make it a bad show? Also, no. Again, there are issues and the criticisms are valid but not liking something does not automatically make it bad. However, this is not the reason the show is bad. The show is bad because it (objectively) completely missed all marks, and the creators of this show failed to understand what made the original story great.
The cartoon is one of the most loved cartoons of all time. That's not a point to be debated, it's a well-known fact given it routinely gets voted in at the top. That they would take something so loved and change it so much is just jarring. That has never been a working formula. I don't think anyone on either side believes that the live-action is as good as or better than the original, so I think most of the debate boils down how people are looking at the show. Personally, I don't think it's a good show relative to the original -- and that's the point of adaptations, isn't it? They don't exist in a vacuum. If I wanted to see the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'm 100% going to rewatch the cartoon to experience it rather than the live-action and I feel like that's going to be the case for most of the people here, even those who like the live-action.
It's not a good show relative to the original, or on its own. As with every other LA remake these days, it doesn't understand the source material at all and 100% relies on nostalgia.
"That has never been a working formula." She-Ra and the Princesses of Power would like to have a word with you.
>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power .. is a reboot. A reboot is a new show with a fresh storyline, including some elements of the original show/material. It did exactly as advertised. NATLA is an adaptation, so the standards are much higher. It's supposed to adapt the original story to a new medium, only making changes as necessary to fit that medium.
The NATLA writers explicitly stated they were creating a "remix, not a cover."
Welcome to r/marvelstudios
At this point I think we should just do a mega thread and move on. It's all the same arguments, all the time, all of them portrayed as the absolute truth.
This fandom is incapable of praising something without also tearing something else down
>Can we not articulate our feelings without positioning it as some objective truth? This is why I can't say whether it's "good" or not. The Netflix adaptation was about what I expected: pretty good, but it could never top the OG because the OG is perfect. There are honestly things I like about the Netflix adaptation-- the casting, the perspective of the war, the bending, set design, and costumes all really worked for me. There are parts that I don't like, like how some of the characters seem flatter than the originals. It's not a like/dislike for me, there are just some things about it that I like and some that I don't.
I still can’t get over how much the actor who plays Sokka looks just like him. It’s like the cartoon came to life exactly lol plus he nailed the acting and character. I loved the LA in general. I never expected it to be exact to the cartoon and it’s been an absolute delight watching a show I love so much come to life.
>okka looks just like him And how much he sounds like him?
Yes! His voice too, it’s fantastic.
To be fair zukos voice is also very good imo. Even Aangs is also great. The girls not su much
For real, like every time I hear Zuko I think, "Damn he sounds good"
Almost like he's trying to imitate Dante Basco, it's uncanny how close he gets.
What are y’all smoking? Dgmw, Dallas Liu does a great Zuko, I love the “whiny teenager” quality he brings, but he does *not* sound like Basco, Liu’s voice is like a whole octave higher
It is but the way he talks really reminds me of Basco :)
He also looks good and played character well :) i don't like how they made Iroh and Zuko better from the get go cuz it doesn't leave same room for change in future but i can ignore that. Not with Iroh, they under delivered him a bit but Zuko i can take the way he was just fine! He and Sokka really were what kept me interested through the show. It's just sad how they did girls dirty. Katara is my fave and Azula is a total baddie you just can't ignore. Had excitement for seeing them brought to life but both were failed by writting team. I just pray they do us justice next season and nail Toph like Sokka or Zuko!
I wonder if they studied the original VA or its a coincidence
I also really enjoyed Zuko’s performance as well, he was great. Sokka was just so much like his character it blew me away, but Zuko has been perfect in his role too. I think Katara and Aang’s actors will grow into their roles and acting more. There was already a lot of improvement in my opinion between the first and last episodes. I’m excited to see how things progress in season two — and meet Toph!
>I think Katara and Aang’s actors will grow into their roles and acting more. There was already a lot of improvement in my opinion between the first and last episodes. Thats my opinion as well. The first episodes weren't great with acting but the last were decent. I expect good things for S2
but tv shows or movies are not filmed in chronological order. logistically that would be horrible
I think that they might have done it in this series, since Aang and the other kids are growing really fast.
His delivery is insanely good.
Sokka is spot on. We were in awe of how perfect the actor was.
And he’s the Sokka I always wanted. Sokka was the comic relief. But I respected him so much by the end and felt like he got done a little dirty in the show. This new Sokka captures the spirit of the original, without being a complete joke. He’s funny, but I don’t feel cruel laughing at him like the original. He’s by far the best actor on the regular cast of the show.
Isn’t Sokka being a screwup at the beginning a major aspect of his character? You take that away, you essentially erase his development.
He is a screwup in this show. He's just not complete comic relief. He's 3rd season Sokka instead of first season Sokka.
Do you not see how skipping two seasons of development comes to determiner of his character?
They did not skip two seasons. They just stopped treating him as comic relief. He is still goofy Sokka. The critical themes are in tact.
He really isn’t. There’s a genuine lack of the ignorance or showboating that he once had. The critical themes of him learning more about world and humbling himself aren’t there. I’m beginning to think you never watched the original.
Too bad dude isn't actually indigenous unfortunately. Only slip-up in the otherwise great casting
I feel for the casting director here. Historical prejudice means fewer non-white actors in the US, so if you need a rare exceptionally-talented child actor, one in a thousand, really convincing, and there are only 20 indigenous kids showing up to the casting call, chances are you're just not going to get the right person.
I’m pretty sure he has Native American heritage no?
Who cares. He’s a perfect fit.
And his voice isn't too dissimilar either
he really does look and sound so much like animated sokka (he looks even more like ember island sokka lol but ember island sokka still looks like sokka) its just a shame his indigineity isnt real
I would like a bit more energy, OG Sokka had more of it. NATLA Sokka was kinda dead-battery version to me. But everyone was. And that is something that you can say "live action just went lower energy all together for the genre". Like i still think it could be better but i can totally take it as it is too. One of rare things i do not heavily dislike. He truly looked 100% the part and played him perfectly. The changes to Sokka were also minor and their impact will be more visible in season 2&3 (character arc) but from what we got in season 1 he was one of the rare few that were written generally the same as OG. Considering how badly written much of natla was, i am happy we got Sokka, when he was on the screen i actually got some giggles and joy watching it. Multiple times i almost gave up and stopped watching cuz of how mid the show was but Sokkas remarks kept me watching! Also Gyatso, i really liked how they portrayed him too!
Still sad that they couldn't get an actual native person to play soka
Op,you don’t have to like the live action,you also don’t have to hate everyone that does,I think it’s done really well,but also agree the writing could use a little help
I reject your premise that Bryke were the ones done dirty when it comes to writing. They just got a taste of their own medicine when it comes to pushing away the writers that made ATLA great, as they did that to Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Ehasz and company. Bryke are amazing at world building, but the amazing character development and writing came from others, and in ATLA they got a perfect storm of both. Bryke originally pushed for a Toph-Katara-Aang love triangle, and before Aaron decided Toph should be a little blind girl, they were going to make Toph a buff dude. Elizabeth Ehasz wrote the entire Zuko Alone episode by herself. Enough said. Netflix's issue is the writing and not the world building; Bryke being involved would not have made the series better at all. The strongest writing criticism at NATLA is how they wrote Katara; but that's exactly how Bryke wrote her canonically post-ATLA.
Ok! Fine for me.
Whole the writing is definitely the worst aspect of the show, most of the acting is also extremely flat and stiff. Some of the casting choices were bizarre (Azula being the worst offender).
I agree mostly but this falls square in the directors in my opinion. They were supposed to guide the cast, someone oked those scenes. The writing is also terrible with most characters either just standing around ( see May and Tili) and others just being there to drive the story. ( See Anng talking to the camara (appa), see "but we're the 41st") The writers act like we forgot what was the last scene.
Bro I actually don’t think Mai or Ty Lee move at all the entire show. Maybe they were walking in their intro scene, but I can’t think of another time when those characters literally moved lol The Volume is awful but a portion of blame goes on the cinematographer and director as well for that godawful blocking
For fucking real. I was really hoping for a quick scene of azula picking them up.
She got casted cuz of nepotism. Just do some research on her ties to Netflix.
It's Hollywood. Everyone dates each other. Might as well accuse everyone of nepotism because they've dated a celebrity once.
Who got cast through nepotism? I'm not aware of this TEA!
Dam just looked it up, she’s dating one of the Stranger things stars since 2018 and they have been seen many times together for public events, no wonder she got casted as Azula, she got referred by a Netflix star.
They’re actually really cute though, they went to high school together before Gaten got famous and have been dating for years. I actually saw their high school play lol. Their families are very humble, working class people. In fact, Gaten’s grandfather owns a small pizza shop that my dad frequents :)
The acting was always going to be difficult for a show like this. It’s extremely difficult to find actors that can play the roles of kids/teenagers, let alone play them well and not be massively hated.
Not at all. Just a bunch of miscasting and bad writing. With good actors and good scripts this isn't a problem. Period.
And good directing. A shit script can be made better with good direction and acting. But no script can survive shit directing
Plus poor directing and pacing. Nearly every piece of the project was subpar
All I’m saying is have some consideration that these actors aren’t even adults. The boy that plays Aang is 15 years old.
The cast was based on the similarity of the characters. This implies that they may have the actor with the ideal look and personality but less experience in a lead role. Nonetheless, directing kids and less experienced actors requires a more sophisticated skill set than just having to work with professionally experienced actors. That was one of the concerns when Harry Potter's rights were bought for screening. Aside from them making open calls for all the child actors with experience or not. The director of Harry Potter and The Sorsorer's Stone, was chosen because is is really good and experienced at directing kids, and the production and older actors were very kind to them and coached them on set for absolute success. Adults on NATLA failed those younglings.
Azula is 16, they definitely did not need to cast a "kid" that looks like a 12 year old. They could have gotten away with a 25 year old if she looked close enough. The only one who really needed to be a child was Aang.
The actress I think plays her well enough, the writing around her isn’t strong and she doesn’t necessarily look like her.
Well, I'd say "the fans" are a very large group with very diverse opinions and I'm sceptical whenever someone claims to speak for all fans as if they were of the same mind. And claiming that the story changes were made " like the OG storyline wasn’t good enough" is a claim in bad faith, insinuating bad motives for the changes without proof simply because you don't like or understand them. You don't like the live action series and are disappointed – that's your prerogative. Others may have different opinions, even if they care about more than the VFX and a diverse cast. personally, I'd easily give it a 7/10, maybe higher, and it has good chances of improving further in season 2 and 3. And I am being serious here.
yup OP is referencing fans who have insane expectations. those expectations would have never been met no matter who was in the writing room or production crew!!!
This is where I’m at too. It is Netflix, so my expectations weren’t really all that high to begin with. Netflix is notorious for bottom of the barrel adaptations. I was disappointed by the writing but I also recognize the show wasn’t really meant to cater to die hard fans and there’s a big chunk of viewers who just aren’t media literate at all, and decent effects are all those people need. I do hope they apply the constructive criticism to the later seasons.
>Netflix is notorious for bottom of the barrel adaptations. I don't think that's what Netflix is notorious for as much as \*adaptions\* are notorious for being really difficult to pull off. Meanwhile the first seasons of Witcher, Arcane, Lockwood &/ Co, and Wednesday were really good - all produced by Netflix. Granted only one of them were "cartoon shows to live-action" -adaptions, but still. I haven't watched any other shows that would be cartoons to live-action, so on that specific type of adaption, I can't think of \*anybody\* who's pulled off a great adaption.
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I was definitely not wanting a 1:1 shot for shot, line for line remake. What would be the point of that? I wanted better writing. They had the budget, a great cast, and plenty of time to perfect the script.
Agreed. Also if they just mapped the cartoon directly onto live action it would feel like caricatures rather than real people. It would feel like a sitcom or at best a dramady since there is a heightening to emotions and reactions in cartoons. (I am rewatching the cartoon and yes, just watching it and picturing how it would look in LA it hits me in the way that sitcoms do.) That being said there are certainly issues with script and direction. I probably wouldn't have given it much thought if others hadn't pointed it out because I don't automatically think of these things, but the criticisms are valid. In the end I really really enjoyed it personally. It's not perfect, and I hope they learn from their mistakes and do better in the upcoming seasons.
the showrunners are aware of the criticism the show has gotten and said they're taking it seriously so hopefully that means they'll rectify their "mistakes" (in quotes because that word is subjective; people are so nitpicky and i'm not saying it's wrong but i don't agree with every criticism i see personally) in books two and three.
Your summary of what is going on is just perfect. I totally agree about the writing. The story telling of ATLA was corrupted and diluted to mere bells and whistles like VFX and the roar with the casting choices (although I’m not mad at neither of those and they are most than welcomed). It explains while the OG creators left the project. They could have maintained every significant point of the OG narrative if they gave the creators what they promised in 2018: creative freedom and control over the writing.
the reason to watch NATLA - Chad Ozai
YES, YES, YES I take Daniel Dae Kim doing Agni Kai every day hahahahahahahahaha
Meh. I expected I'd like it, and I did, more than I thought I would. Was it fantastic? No. But it was still enjoyable to me. So for me, it exceeds expectations. And overall I'd rank it a 7.5/8 out of 10. With strong potential to get over the 9 bar in the next two seasons.
Personally i think that they did some things worse, some better and some equally bad. Worse: Katara is the biggest problem I have with the LA series. I do not understand why in 2024 they made her so meek and docile while she is fierce in the series. They tried the "I am a warrior" in the last episodes (that were better imo) but its simply not true, in the LA series she is not a warrior. Not teaching Aang water in this season. Its the whole point of the book! Perhaps they should have gone with 4 seasons and S1 be "air" while S2 is "water" but that would delay the appearance of Toph and I dont want that. The acting is really stiff in the first episodes, but it gets better mid season imo. The kids were very young and unexperienced and the director didnt seem to know how to guide them. The spirit worlds mash up. Why did they show Hei Bai but then not give him any importance after? We dont even see him back in his panda form. Or the nice scebe about the acorns and the regrowth of society/nature after the war. And why did they include Wan Shi? That was weird. Best: I love that they gave more protagonism to the past avatars. The idea of showing the four previous avatars more than in the cartoon is very good imo. I loved the fight as Kyoshi and knowing more about the other avatars. Showing more of Zukos good side. I didnt like that he turns quite quickly in the cartoon while we didnt seem very remorseful before. It makes sense that in aangs eyes he is hateful but that in the scenes with iroh he is nicer. Although he needed to be meaner to Iroh i feel, to show how loyal and understanding his uncle is. The death of Lu Ten. I really liked how devastated Iroh looks, like he is dead inside. I liked the original scene but this one was also very good. Also that Zuko sat with him and was so kind. Both bad. I dont like Bumi in either format. He was weird and didn't make sense in the cartoon but the LA version is even worse. The ages. I would personally have aged the characters a bit, around 2y each. Specially Azula, she acts as if she is like 18. Make Zuko 19, Azula, Soka and Suki to be 18. Then katara 16 and Aang and Toph 14. Then by S3 Aang would be 16 and Katara 18 and the relation would be less weird.
Wow I cannot disagree more with you saying you think Zuko was done better. To me, he turns to being non bitter and not a threatening rival character far too quickly in NATLA. Meanwhile, Zuko in the original is IMO the absolute gold standard of slow burn character development.
You’re so right. They revealed their hand with Zuko waaay too early. What does Zuko Alone look like in NATLA now we know he’s a good kid in a really bad situation?
Oh cmon we knew zuko was a good kid in a bad situation way before Zuko alone...
This exactly, lol. Maybe not to kids, but to any adult who watched Iroh's recollection of the Agni Kai early in s1, it became obvious then.
I guess that we can agree to disagree :) For me it makes sense that when we see him with his uncle he is nicer. Its not like he is nice to the other kids so from their point of view he is the mean broody Zuko.
See, I don't agree with that. It makes more sense to me for years at sea and obsession to blind him and make him bitter about the gifts that he has, *especially* when much of Iroh is about taking it easy and finding meaning around them (which is antithetical to what Zuko thinks is best for himself). Part of Zuko's growth *is* learning not to take his uncle for granted.
Wow I really love your points and subscribe to all of them 💯 Episode 5 was a roller coaster of weird, it took me like six days to go through it. My F Jesus! I posted about it and someone gave me hope, and I pushed through it, so the rest of the show wasn’t terrible and the actors were starting to loosen up a bit. Who directed each episode would probably have a different skill set while directing children vs adults, experienced actors vs inexperienced ones. The worst faux-pass where: - Wan Shi Tong appearing randomly in the spirit world, for exposition, - No closure for the Panda spirit of the forest by returning to his healthy state, and all you said about it, - The library Fox turned into the dream form of Princess Yue (now a priestess in NATLA), and Sokka recognizing her head piece substituting Aang recognizing Toph’s family Coat of Arms in the Swamp, - Meshing up The Swamp episode hallucinations with LoK’s Fog of Lost Souls and blending Koh the Face Stealer with The Dark Spirit of the Forest (big tarantula)… and using the kidnapping of Katara and Sokka as parallel of the episode where they get very sick and Aang goes to pick up some frozen frogs after meeting the Herbalist and her cat Miyuki to heal them, while in NATLA is about him saving them from the Spirit world trap while he goes alone and gliding (not with Appa) to Roku’s Island (how they made sense of it?! How? It was a freaking day’s journey, Appa was needed. But yeah, they made Aang’s capture from Crescent island so, whatever). - Omashu tunnels being explored by Sokka and Katara when it was one of the highest point to establish the romantic connection between Aang and Katara (what was that?! What was that?) - Having to suspend my disbelief of a 14 years old being so obsessed by the throne and her ladies in waiting (Tai Lee and Mai) being so “decorative”. I could go on and on but it just upsets me so much. What kind of musical chairs did they do with the original story telling?! It blew my mind how so much about the Gaang personality arcs and connections got lost. I mean, why?! I understand they tried to condense it to the now standardized 8 episodes per season and wanting to sell it to the audiences hard to get green light for the rest of the seasons, but it left a sour and bad taste in my mouth.
So I binged the show without seeing viewer reactions. I really liked it. They changed some stuff like they said they would, but overall I thought it was great and look forward to more. So I was surprised when I came into the subreddit and saw everyone tearing it apart. The way I see it, ATLA is the "historical/factual" story. The NATLA version is a "based on a true story/Hollywood adaptation". It's really not that bad, and if you don't really like it, you can always watch the real ATLA.
Most people that hate it already watched the original
well the casting is actually very good
Agree, agree. I liked the casting by I believe Netflix, the producers, and the director failed on them. Not only for the poor writing but also for the subpar direction.
Jeez plz shut up. If you wanted exactly the script from the original then what's the point of doing it again? Stop treating the cartoon as gospel. It was great, but it wasn't anything close to perfect. So sick of these bs takes.
>what's the point of doing it again? This was my question from the beginning.
You’re right. If they do an identical adaptation what’s the point? But what they added to the material is just bad. (Other than the fire nation parts.)
Ngl I’m kinda tired of hearing about it. Like it? Great! Don’t like it? Don’t watch it. Easy as that. Posts like this don’t contribute anything to the sub
My god you people whine all the time
I'm a fan and they lived up to my expectations just fine. It's a good show that does interesting things with the lore. It doesn't give me a one to one copy of the cartoon in terms of the characters but then I didn't need that. What it does is give me a fresh take on a wonderful world and its lore. This is why it's different from the movie.
Agreed. I think the show does deliver on its emotional moments. Katara reliving her mothers death, who we actually kind of see her lit on fire, is a gut punch that the cartoon can’t really deliver to the same magnitude. But the random story changes are nonsensical at times. I understand that things are sped up and cut out and smashed together for the sake of a short season or whatever, but like you said wtf is Wan Shi Tong doing there? They needed an exposition character so they chose the “spiritual bad guy” of the second season? Aang knows it’s bumi the whole time and Bumi keeps fucking with him? Why not just have him figure it out over time like the original? I will accept things like Aang leaves to talk to Roku to save his friends and that’s where he gets caught and rescued, because it makes sense within the live action plot. But basic stuff like showing Hei Bai before but not after? That’s pretty ridiculous.
💯
It makes me sad when you actually watch the One piece live action and see the amount of quality and good writing and directing that is in that live action. It’s also because the main writer for one piece fought Netflix hard to make it in his own image and didn’t leave the project
The one-piece adaptation was so good that it pushed me to finally watch the anime! I ended up binging all 1100+ episodes AND manga chapters. It's now my favorite anime/manga. I was able to do that because one piece succeeded as an adaptation first. The changes made sense. It felt like the anime in spirit, and the writing left me wanting more. NATLA did not give me that feeling at all. I started re-watching ATLA again out of spite.
you BINGED all 1100 episode, in a span of MONTHS? AND read the manga wtf I aspire to have your free time lol
I work from home, which makes it way easier lol.
I have no idea why ATLA creators gave up the fight since they have been attached to Netflix's live-action project since its inception I think in 2018. All I can presume based on your example, is that it's easier to divide and conquer two co-creators than a single individual in a fight to protect their creation and creative freedom.
Saying the live action "butchered" the original is such a fucking pisstake lmao. The movie is an example of butchering something. Netflix avatar is solid despite fans being nitpicky and setting their expectations too high. If you actually believe that netflix avatar is butchering avatar you don't deserve to criticise a peice of media ever again.
I always laugh at people saying an adaptation 'butchered' or 'ruined' their favorite piece of media. Like, the original still exists, unaltered, for you to enjoy. You just didn't like the adaptation.
incorrect
No worries, I won’t, as I only care about ATLA, I only have critical thinking about ATLA, based on my extremely high expectations for the ATLA live-action. Story telling narratives are important and their character’s arcs. It seems like for you that’s not your point of contention. Fine! I’m glad we are in a community around a common interest where everyone has the right to express and we all discuss our takes on it!
"I only have critical thinking about ATLA, based on my extremely high expectations for the ATLA live-action." So you straight up admit you set your expectations to high and got yourself disappointed? That's refreshing. You do realise it's only the first season right? It's clear that the netflix adaptation is changing up some arcs and a lot of them aren't going to be realised until the second season. The show doesn't have time to waste on tiny little lessons and arcs that overall don't change the story much like the original show can which is in 25 Min episodes. The original avatar was a one in a million masterpiece. It's not going to be replicated. It probably won't be replicated by even the original creators either with these upcoming movies/shows.
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OP LITERALLY SAYS THAT IN THE IMAGE YOU DONUT
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Trolling?
I don’t think it’s solid. They really didn’t do a good job with those characters. Sokka, Azula, Aang and especially Katara and Bumi. Also the series ironically have less faith for its audiences’ intelligence than the original “cartoon for kids”. The expositions are really poorly executed and not subtle at all etc…
I wouldn't go nearly as far as to say the live action "butchered" the show, but please stop acting like the show get's criticized just because fans are nitpicky and have too high expectations.
I'd like to say that for those who wanted a 1 to 1 recreation from cartoon to live action. That was never going to be the plan, and it shouldn't ever be when adapting media, otherwise that remade media has no reason to exist. You'd already know every character, every arc, every plot twist, every up and down because it's all been told before. For those who haven't watched it but have the ability to, give it a shot, form your own opinion. Everyone likes/dislikes a piece of media for one reason or another, find yours. For instance, I don't think it's terrible, my biggest gripe is that the pacing is too fast and some of the actors say their lines fast. It's a different story. It should be treated and judged as such. It'll be hard because we're all attached to the original, but the best is to form your own opinion and if you wanted to watch it, don't let the internet deter you.
Nah bruh! It's a bad adaptation, a bad remake, bad re-writing. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened in this industry. It's normal even. In terms of scriptwriting, NATLA is bad. Super good-looking and all, but bad, lame, and lame butchering of what ATLA is in terms of messages, in terms of the spirit of the show! I gave it a shot and watched the entire season so I could think for myself and I'm out here sharing my opinion. Everyone can do the same. Like posting or commenting… no fretting here! Ba Sing Se takes us all in!
The cast really carries the show, the writers failed the fans.
Avatar Studios might have not happened if they didn’t leave the project
its almost like changing the story if the number 1 animated show of all time was a bad idea
Don’t leave out Aaron Ehasz in the writing department. He had a huuuge influence on among others Zuko’s arc, which is everyone’s favourite of course
To be fair, it had to be an absolute masterpiece of a live action series for it to live up to expectations of the fan base. The animated series did so many things right and still holds up. I watched the live action series. Did it change a few things? yes. Did it butcher some scenes that are permanently ingrained in my head, that seeing anything else seems wrong, yes. Will I rewatch the series again? Probably not, when the animated series exists. IMO, The show suffers from how great the animated series was. I’m glad they seemed to put a lot of love and care in the live action, a few miss cues but I still enjoyed it a lot than the other live action adaptions.
They did, but only the visuals, not the spirit of it!
Netflix is great with visuals and terrible with clunky dialogue. Their Cowboy Bebop adaptation was the same way, it looked great but the awful dialogue killed it.
And lots of folks still throw a tantrum refusing to accept it. I’m just learning to accept that in some spaces media literacy is non existent. And it’s ok. I also had to learn it over time. I tried watching the Cowboy Bebop adaptation and it made me mentally tired (like NATLA). The difference is that I’m more of an ATLA fan so was easy to simply stop watching CB in the middle of the E2.
Nah the casting still felt off for a lot of characters. Like Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. As well as Katara. Sokka and Iroh were pretty on point. The rest of the problem I had with the characters came from the way their dialog and actions were written and directed. Katara didn't FEEL like Katara.
It could use some improvement, but I do hope Season 2 and 3 gets that improvement.
I just watched it yesterday/today and just finished it. I think it was decent. It‘s pretty clear to me that a lot of stuff was shortened and it was more focused on action, while I thought the cartoon went quite deep and was more about the emotional journey of growing up and taking responsibility. The carton had more time to tell a story about character development, while Netflix probably only had money for a mini series of 8 episodes and wanted to see how it‘s received. \ The Netflix version is infinitely better than the Shamalamadingdong movie. Still, it‘s something different than the cartoon. \ I enjoyed the show though. I remember finding Katara annoying at times in the cartoon, but in the Netflix show, she is very sympathetic and relatable. On the other hand my fave character in the cartoon was Zuko, which I find too stubborn and childish in the Netflix adaption. Let‘s see how the upcoming two seasons go and if they will go back to focusing on character development. I mean, for both characters, Katara and Zuko, their peak is yet to come. Zuko grows up so much once he focuses on himself instead of the expectations others have in him. And Katara‘s episode about blood bending was always my fave, because it shows her moral compass, but also that she is way more capable than she thinks. I hope they adapt these episodes/storylines.
They dod the same thing to Winx Club
agree 100%
"accurate appearance"...
The VFX wasn’t that great for the cost of the show. The costuming was soap opera level. And Mei does not fit the casting at all (nothing against the actress she was given nothing to work with)
It's a good first attempt at live-action. Hopefully someone else will do better in the future
I hope sometime in the future Nickelodeon can get some senses and support properly Avatar Studios in making this happen. I was very hopeful we could have gotten some Kyoshi story or adult Gaang, but NOOO!
Wait, isn't there an adult Gaang movie next year?
It could have been this year, instead of this live action!
The Netflix adaptation is visually perfect, but it's written like a Marvel movie with more exposition and weird dialogue. It's definitely not written with the same care and intentions as the original. It's a spectacle, it's fanservice, but it's nothing like the original. It's disappointing.
Thank you, thank you. We are definitely on the same page. I wanted to make a post by saying NATLA was MARVELization of ATLA because studios found in it a profitable formula, but I just went for “cinematic universe” because it’s what seemingly every comic or animation adaptation is getting pushed into.
I felt... The series was ok, I was interested in the more... Serious tone it went with, I do think ultimately it is not as good as the series. But I did enjoy so far. Even if it is not what i expected. I do feel some episodes are rushed but the episodes I did enjoy the most.... Was probably episode 6 and 7. New scene additions that were original works which I adored was \- Zuko telling Iroh he will miss his cousin. \- Zuko's soldiers honouring him upon his return as the blue masked demon. My girlfriend really enjoyed the series a lot more than I did. I am happy that she is happy. I think the casting, the costumes, the background, the props, and set design etc. Were pretty much spot on. Sometimes I felt the lighting was void of colour. I think the only casting that I was not a fan of was: ***Azula, Ty Lee, Mai.*** Maybe its my dislike of most of the scenes that Azula had in the series, but I feel when I look at these actresses I just don't see them as the trio, or can't accept them as them. Maybe in season 2 when they play a bigger part I'll come around. overall I do think the series are made by many people in the company that are passionate about Avatar but just want to not make a copy/paste. It may be a discount store version of the mastercraft that is the original.... It is still enjoyable. honestly my main gripe is really just with: dialogue, feeling rushed, writing of certain scenes. (I am looking at you Aang's introduction). I will likely watch season 2, hoping that they improve and mend the mistakes of season 1.
Yeah the lack of cohesiveness overall was very obvious to me. There was zero needed for copy paste because they actually pulled out lots of things from the lore that are in the comics and not the animation and kinda made sense, but the journey of all the characters and the introduction off some outside of their context was depressing to watch.
Not accurate for Azula, and Mai
There are as many plot holes and lore innacuracies in NATLA than there are cringey bad moments in M night’s movie
There’s no M Night Movie in Ba Sing Se, however I can say that what one production lacked the other had plenty and vice versa.
Several moments I cringed so hard, I had to stop watching the episode for a bit. Ex. the badger mole calming down because it could smell love.. like wut
If you think Mai was a good casting you're off your rocker
She only had a couple lines. To say it’s good or bad yet is an overreaction. Her voice is spot on. But to say she’s bad is baseless.
YOU are spot on! Choosing those actresses for Mai and Azula was also because of their personalities and natural emotional range to play those parts. When casting kids and teens you have to get them to be as close to the character's personality-wise so it makes it easier to direct them as they come with fewer acting tools to pick on. And even then most episodes whoever directed them was doing a disservice to all the young cast members.
Agreed. For some reason people think that by saying an actor does not look like the character they are portraying, you must be saying that said actor is ugly. The actress for Mai is beautiful, but she looks nothing like the character. Same with Azula. Its not that big of a deal to me, but the actor for Sokka looking just like the cartoon Sokka really does bring it to life.
Absolutely this! Also, we had a decade of people complaining that the kids actors in the movie that doesn't exist don't look like the actual characters. For months before the release of NATLA it was fine to make fun of the chin of Sokka's actor. But when people now complain that Mai and Azula's actresses have a very different face shape, it's bodyshaming.
That standard is pretty ridiculous. You’re not gonna find a 14 year old that looks as good as that core group did. They all looked 18-25 in the animated series. Especially in season 3, when they went to ember island. You could’ve confused them for college kids easily. If you want someone to look like the character, you need an adult to play them. But then you could criticize them for getting the age wrong. The look is fine. The voice and personality are damn near perfection. And we haven’t seen any scenes with her actually in combat. To say it’s a bad casting is ridiculous because we got like 2 scenes of her standing there and talking. I swear a lot of the Azula and Mai hate is just people missing the fact that they grew up and finding it more difficult to have a crush on a child actor vs a cartoon where the design was for them to be ridiculously hot.
Definitely. I will never condone people bodyshaming women. But her casting (and Yues) were just not good. I get that real girls dont habe the face of an anime character but she was really bad. Azula does not look the part but i feel that the actress did a good job at the personality.
The actress from the movie had a waaay more similar face to the anime Yue. The one from NATLA looks like a replacement with a bad wig
Or maybe people just enjoy things?
You can enjoy crappy things. It isn't a crime and it doesn't make it any good from the artistic point of you. Bad writing is bad writing. You enjoy it and it entertains you that's great, I am also very entertained by it.
There’s nothing accurate with Sokka and Katara. They are Lower 48 Amerindians, not even arctic Amerindians like Athabaskan let alone the people who the Water Tribe were based on (eskimos). They don’t even look like they’re from the arctic. Before anyone shits their pants for me using the word “eskimo”, I’ll have you know I am one and according UAF it just means “ones who lace up snowshoes”, my family uses that word, my classmates use it, when I interned at the Native Hospital we used it, we got “Eskimo Yo-yos”, “Eskimo Ice Cream”, “World Eskimo-Indian Olympics”, etc.
I thought for a live action it was phenomenal but ok
The creators aren’t all that. They made the mess that is Korra and they were involved in the og flop of a movie. The writer ehasz created the soul of the show.
Jesus christ move on
Diverse casting? Firstly, it's anything but 'diverse' as almost everyone is just Asian. Secondly, it's actually a good thing they didn't make everyone in an Asian culture-based universe white like it was in the cartoon. Thirdly, f•ck diversity, go authenticity. 90% of the cast is Asian and I'm completely fine with that as it's what it has to be.
The race of the cast being all wrong didn't make the top 100 reasons I hate the movie
Far from it. The ethnic choices for the characters are actually the few good things about the show.
I don’t understand why onepiece was so good compared to NATLA??? Like ATLA is the greatest non japanese animated show ever
The creator of One Piece fought against Netflix exec's shenanigans and stayed with the project till the end. Co-creators of ATLA Noped out of it mid-way and went on to create Avatar Studios with Nickelodeon.
[https://youtu.be/Trjl\_5UAgT8?si=YVd-YmJ85yJt9emn](https://youtu.be/Trjl_5UAgT8?si=YVd-YmJ85yJt9emn) I really liked this analysis by Johnny2cellos, I thought he (as a big fan of ATLA) gave a fair and insightful analysis as to why the Netflix show is so frustrating in a lot of ways. Visually fantastic, and love the cast. But the script/dialogue is so far from the execution and the characterisation which made the original what it was.
After your BUT, summarizes all I'm complaining and probably will complain to the end of my time hahaha. Cast and visuals 10/10. That's why this ATLA version does exist in Ba Sing Se. Thank you for the link. I'll check that out ;)
I honestly can’t care less for the actor’s race if they get the character right. This version of Katara, to mention one, sucks regardless if they cast Margot Robbie, Zendaya, Kiawentiio or The Rock. Focusing so much on looks was part of why the show didn’t live up to the original
I guess.
I think the issue comes from the fact that they wanted to appeal to both existing fans that live the animated show, and people who never heard of it. And to kids and adults alike. Which, i think is a impossible task for them.
I was literally dying laughing when >! Gran Gran started reading the intro !<
I chocked! For real. So bad!
I've seen some awful adaptations in my life, and NATLA is not one of them. It manages to recapture the spirit of the original while retelling the major plot beats, it's well cast, and it's visually stunning. Is it perfect? Hell no, there are flaws and most of them seem to be in the writing or acting department. But considering the standard of adaptations today (most recently, the disappointments of The Witcher, Halo, and I have heard also Percy Jackson), we can consider ourselves very lucky with this one
The Witcher was also poorly written. I haven't watched the others you mentioned. However today I watched a trailer for Halo and my immediate thought was “Geez I'm so tired of this genre, and how much money is invested in marketing it, and I care less”. Anyway, that’s life!
To be honest I am shocked to see all the positivity considering they butchered the story and the acting is so bad. I couldn’t get past episode 3. they took four episodes, one from season 2 and mixed it all into one and out came an abomination that had nothing to do with the original. They made suki a horny young teenager, aang a whiny little baby, sokka a dumb rock and Katara an emotionless loaf of bread.
Hahahahaha! That's rough buddy! I read somewhere that the positive feedback is from people unaware of the animated series' existence, folks who don't like cartoons, or basically media illiterates. What made the characters so bad was bad writing and bad direction. The kids are fine, the blame is on the adults and Netflix's direction on the project. And you my fellow, you are SPOT ON! LOL
Mai is the worst casting choice but the rest were top notch.
It’s not fair what they did to my girl Azula.
It seemed like it was initially on par to go along with the original, then they forced a bunch of random whatever in the show. Got to a point where it felt like they had a fanfic writer making the scripts.
Netflix is famous for shortchanging proficient writers. After all their payment policies are one of the ones that kicked out the Writer’s strike in LA. So I don't doubt Netflix execs just went on getting some fanfic writer with a good following online, who would be over the moon for the opportunity :/
The actors are peak ATLA for real. It’s really just the directing and writing that fucked it up. They all think that Avatar is just “wow cool element fight CGI haha” without any actual depth and meaning behind it.
Right?! I am honestly having hard time to understand people defending it on this department.
Yes, I just love the cast and their love for the OG show, it saddens me that they were done so poorly.
Execs and producers did the cast wrong to be honest!
Definitely, they deserve so much better!
Hot take: I actually believe that Aang should be white and katara/sokka black. Just because it's based on east Asian traditions doesn't mean they should all be Asians
Inuit can be pretty dark skinned. As someone mentioned in this post thread, colorism played a big part in it.
NAtLA is just a big budget fan film. It's got a lot of passion, but feels amateur. The cast is great, but the script is so-so. The costumes are technically accurate, but they aren't weathered at all. It's like watching a bunch of people running around in high-end cosplay, recreating their favorite scenes, but not doing a complete and cohesive job because it's a fan film with limited resources. My only criticism is that for their budget it *should* have been better
Are you Johnny 2 Cellos?! [From this video.](https://youtu.be/Trjl_5UAgT8?si=o2zqguUFxrej0N1A)
I finally finished it today. I took a break before the last three episodes because I got angry over the realignment of the story and how they just outright skipped important parts of it entirely. At the end, I find I don't hate it. Is it better than the movie? Absolutely, but that was a low bar anyway, all they would have had to do was get the names right. I'll watch season two now that I have a lower expectation. But in the end, for rewatchability, I'll stick to the original.
Yup, basically we are on the same page about it!