# Avatar: The Last Airbender **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777 "2008-07-17T01:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/81 "2010-02-16T05:56:23Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Where? I’ve watched that trailer like five times (in 720p!) and I’m missing it completely. Yeah it’s easy to miss. At about 0:07-0:09, during the battle, look to the left edge of the screen and you’ll see Appa’s tail move on the top of a building. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/82 "2010-02-16T06:03:00Z")
> [@kasuo](#): > > Yeah it’s easy to miss. At about 0:07-0:09, during the battle, look to the left edge of the screen and you’ll see Appa’s tail move on the top of a building. Wow, that is subtle. In the background while Aang surveys a big fight and the camera pans L-\>R, at extreme left/top you see what looks like a Bison’s tail flap up/down once. Nice spotting, **kasuo**. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/83 "2010-02-16T15:45:12Z")
All of the casting looks superb. My hope now is that they’ve found someone deliciously evil enough for Azula. And thirding the loss of the hair-loopies. Best fantasy hairstyle ever. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/84 "2010-02-16T16:21:23Z")
Are there boobies in it? ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/85 "2010-02-16T16:28:37Z")
Regarding the casting of this movie (which among other things is why I do not plan to see it), here is a primer on where exactly the problems lie: [http://www.racebending.com/v3/featured/the-last-airbender-primer/](http://www.racebending.com/v3/featured/the-last-airbender-primer/) In short, when Paramount put out their casting call, they ended up with three light-skinned protagonists and one dark-skinned antagonist. Hello? Are you kidding me? And it gets worse from there. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/86 "2010-02-16T20:08:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there boobies in it? Don’t count on it. The main characters are too young (I pictured Katara in the cartoon as being about 14, though here she looks about 12, same as Aang), and I suspect many of the secondary characters will be cut (we probably won’t see Suki or any of her sub-plots, for instance). Your best bet, boob-wise, would probably be Princess Yueh, who does appear in the trailers and who is explicitly of marriageable age, but she also lives at the North Pole, so skimpy clothing is not an option. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/87 "2010-02-16T21:08:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > (we probably won’t see Suki or any of her sub-plots, for instance) Actually, there is a Suki in the imdb cast list. But I agree that the possibility of boobage is slim. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/88 "2010-02-20T18:57:22Z")
I’ve been avoiding this thread because of spoilerage but now I’m poised at the finale for season three (the whole shebang, actually) and I just got to say – Holy \ cow! I’d heard how good the series is but never gotten around to seeing it. When the teasers for the live movie came out they looked . . . odd so I figured it’d be a good idea to bone up on the original before it – perhaps – was ruined by Shamalamadingdong. Doing some research I found the movie covers season one and put those disks into the top of my Netflix queue, figuring I could get the rest if it turned out interesting. Big mistake. I watched the first disk and dropped it in the mail. Next day I went online and put seasons two and three at the top of the queue, but it was too late – the next movie was already on the way. I devoured the rest of season one, sent back the movie unseen to make room for the rest, and watched them, one disk a night with only the gaps imposed by disks shuttling back and forth. Yes, it’s a kid’s show but man, oh, man, it has themes, character arcs and explorations _Huckleberry Hound_ or even _Rocky and Bullwinkle_ never thought of. Anyone who dismisses it on that basis alone is foolish. We’ve watched Aang grow from an carefree kid who never wanted to be the avatar to someone with the weight of saving the world on his shoulders – pretty heavy burden for a twelve-year-old. We’ve watched Katara and Sokka overcome jealousy at being upstaged just as they are beginning to blossom. We’ve watched Toph . . . well, being Toph. And Zuko I won’t mention at all in case someone’s reached this far in the thread unspoiled. At the end of each episode **DesertRoomie** and I give it the highest accolade a storyteller can get: What happens next? Just one example: At the end of _The Southern Raiders_, when Zuko saysHe’s glad Katara didn’t wind up killing for revenge and Aang replies somewhat smugly she must have listened when he told her violence is never the answer. Priceless is the “Urk” look on Aang’s face when Zuko retorts, "So how are you gonna deal with my father?"The other big mystery, and I hope it’s a factor in the finale.What is Air’s special bending?[ul] [li]Earth = Metal[/li][li]Fire = Lightning[/li][li]Water = Blood[/li][li]Air = ??[/li][/ul]I was thinking we’d never know since Katara and Zuko learned theirs from superior masters and there would be none for Aang, but Toph learned hers on her own. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/89 "2010-02-20T19:09:36Z")
Sorry I can’t read all your comments (my wife and I have been watching the box set and we’re only into the second season!), but I wanted to jump in and second just how amazingly good this series is. The characters have depth and humor, the world’s well constructed, and I’m amazed at the sophistication of the writing. We’re really enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/90 "2010-02-20T20:51:43Z")
> [@](#): > > The other big mystery, and I hope it’s a factor in the finale. That hadn’t even occurred to me, but there is something that Aang does in the finale that certainly fits the bill. And yes, it is pretty impressive. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/91 "2010-02-22T23:33:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That hadn’t even occurred to me, but there is something that Aang does in the finale that certainly fits the bill. And yes, it is pretty impressive. I’m done now. Yes. Yes it is, but it looked to me an Avatar-only skill, not particularly airbender. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/92 "2010-02-23T22:37:45Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I’m done now. Yes. Yes it is, but it looked to me an Avatar-only skill, not particularly airbender. I didn’t take it as an Avatar only skill. The giant lion-turtle said: that before earth bending and fire bending and all that they bent “the energy within themselves”. So I took it that way back when everyone just energy bent and over time some people specialized in bending a certain element and then forgot how to bend energy and the other elements. In the present though it is most likely true that only an Avatar can energy bend since all the others have forgotten and the Lion Turtle had to “teach” Aang how to energy bend." [http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Lion\_Turtle](http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Lion_Turtle) So to me the question of what the special bending for Air is still up in the…uhm…air. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/93 "2010-03-30T14:19:51Z")
I’m bumping this thread, because based on it I went out and rented the first season - so I thought I’d report back … It’s awesome. I’m a fan, now. To me, it’s perhaps the best example of a series that successfully straddles the line between a show specifically for children, and one that would appeal to adults. Many of the themes are ‘heavy’ for a children’s show - genocidal warfare, child abuse and dealing with rejection by parent, even the developing sexuality of the child characters. But the creators manage to make this all palatable, if one ignores the recurring but probably necessary plot absurdities - such as the tendency for the “bad guys” to capture, but not kill, people. Repeatedly. Or the fact that edged weapons never seem to cut skin, but only pin clothing down; that fire seems to knock people back but rarely burn them, or hitting people with huge rocks knock them around without crushing them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/94 "2010-03-30T21:52:15Z")
Yeah, the only things that really make it a “kid’s show” are the implausibly young protagonists and the implausibly low death toll. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/95 "2010-04-08T03:55:49Z")
Bump. Hardcore fans have likely seen this, but I hadn’t. [Here](http://www.lastairbenderfans.com/media/LAF_roundtable.pdf)’s a roundtable with M Night about the movie that was pretty interesting. I can’t say it lay my concerns to rest about the movie, but it was cool to hear about his approach to it. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/96 "2010-04-08T04:12:28Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Poor Shyamalan can’t get a break. He cast a white guy for the part and everyone complained that Zuko was supposed to be Asian. He puts an Asian in the part and he gets complaints that he’s making the bad guys “swarthy”. Not to mention he runs the risk of making people think he’s creating a sequel to James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Which makes me wonder, does anyone know if there was any behind the scenes dueling between James Cameron and the producers of the Last Airbender over the title “Avatar”? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/97 "2010-04-08T04:15:36Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Not to mention he runs the risk of making people think he’s creating a sequel to James Cameron’s “Avatar.” > Which makes me wonder, does anyone know if there was any behind the scenes dueling between James Cameron and the producers of the Last Airbender over the title “Avatar”? I wouldn’t see it as necessary to have been a fight. Quite a few people I know got these movies confused. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/98 "2010-04-08T04:51:55Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Not to mention he runs the risk of making people think he’s creating a sequel to James Cameron’s “Avatar.” This “Avatar” movie was intentionally retitled to “The Last Airbender” to avoid any confusion with Cameron’s film. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/99 "2010-04-08T13:00:35Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Bump. > > Hardcore fans have likely seen this, but I hadn’t. [Here](http://www.lastairbenderfans.com/media/LAF_roundtable.pdf)’s a roundtable with M Night about the movie that was pretty interesting. I can’t say it lay my concerns to rest about the movie, but it was cool to hear about his approach to it. Thanks for posting that - it was indeed an interesting read. I must say I feel a lot better about the prospects for the movie after reading it. On the casting issue - one concern I have is sorta plot-driven. There is a lot of talk about making the different nations different races. The problem I foresee with this is that a major plot point hinges on the ability of Aang’s group of friends - made up of water, earth and of course Aang himself - to pass as fire nation merely by putting on fire nation clothes. How will that work if water nation folks are (say) Caucasian and earth nation folks are Black or Indian? They would stand out. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777/100 "2010-04-08T13:21:23Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > This “Avatar” movie was intentionally retitled to “The Last Airbender” to avoid any confusion with Cameron’s film. True, but a lot of people will still hear that it’s based on “Avatar” and think it’s an offshoot of the Cameron film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-the-last-airbender/456777.md?page=6)