quick reaction post

[insaneneko]

Still processing, but I just wanted to put some stuff down...

1. Wow, no kidding about the strong female characters. Why can't every fantasy have these kinds of females?
2. I didn't actually care for the big fireworks in the final battles. I'd have preferred more finesse instead of the big showy bending. But since I really really really liked the message (brute force does not mean you will win), I guess I'm okay with it.
3. I liked Aang's issue with killing anyone and how he ended up not killing Ozai, though what he did do...was rather brutal. He did take the advice of his former lives, in the end, though not in the way they meant it.
4. Zuko talking to the frog when trying to join the gang was so hilarious! I appreciated Katara threatening Zuko, too. She's scary when she's really mad.
5. The scene where Zuko and Aang do the moves with the dragons was *awesome*.
6. Suki is so much better as a love interest for Sokka! She's real! She kicks ass! Loved her taking out the warden of that jail by herself.
7. Toph is such a great character. I really wonder what will happen to her when she's older? What kind of person will she find as a love interest?
8. Iroh and Zuko, wow. Their reunion was so touching.
9. I was a bit puzzled by Zuko/Mai, but I like them together.
10. I liked that beach episode (Azula getting all nuts about winning at beach volleyball was awesome!) until the campfire "get our angst out" fest. That part was a bit trite to me. But it made Zuko/Mai seem more real to me, so overall it was good.
11. I'm glad they devoted so much time telling Appa's tale when he'd been skybisonnapped and separated from the gang.
12. I don't know what to think of Azula. I appreciated that she was a smart and cunning and cold-blooded villain, but I felt no attachment to her. Then at the end they tried to bridge the distance with her and I'm not sure it worked for me. I'm still sorting her out.
13. Ozai sucked. Wish he hadn't been so one-dimensional. Wish we learned what happened to Zuko's mom. I felt sorry for Zuko when I saw Azula in action. I can't imagine having someone like her as a sibling.
14. I like Katara/Aang very much. I just wish they'd shown Katara's changing feelings a bit more as they turned into romantic love a bit more.
15. The blood-bending thing was...horrifying. That was a very powerful episode. I felt sad how Fire Nation really fucked up a lot of things in their quest to conquer all.


Overall, enjoyed it quite a bit.

Comments

[silverthunder]

Holy crap, you got through that really fast!

1. I KNOW!!! This series was great for strong females - and hey, the new miniseries is going to have a female Avatar! I'm very excited for that. :D

2. I'm with you on this. I could've used more martial arts, less effects. But it was still cool to watch.

3. Aang's pacifism at the end struck a chord with me, especially as everyone was telling him to "suck it up" and he still stuck by his principles - and ended up mastering the Avatar State on his own because of it. It was pretty awesome.

4. Zuko's dorkiness is my favorite part of his character. It balances out well against his angst and all that anger.

5. Firebending Masters is one of my favorite episodes! Zuko and Aang have such a fun dynamic.

6. I love Sokka x Suki. I also do kind of like Sokka x Toph and Sokka x Ty Lee, but overall, Suki is my favorite match for him. She is pretty kickass.

7. Toph is fantastic. I'm sure she'll grow up to be even more awesome (if that's possible). She gets paired off with a lot of people, too. I don't really have a Toph pairing, myself, although there are a few I kind of like.

8. Iroh and Zuko's reunion seriously made me cry. Iroh in general is so universally loved by fandom, it's amazing. He deserves it, though.

9. Zuko/Mai is less sudden if you read the 'Going Home Again' comic that is set between the end of season two and the beginning of season three. They're really a good match if you think about it.

10. The Beach is such a funny episode! Cody and I were laughing through most of it. And yeah, the campfire scene is pretty trite, but I still liked it.

11. Appa's whole episode had me on the verge of tears! It was one of the most moving eps of the season, seriously.

12. Azula is the kind of villain you love to hate. I never managed to feel sorry for her either, but there are a number of very interesting essays around the 'net devoted to understanding her character and how she came unraveled. It's pretty good reading material.

13. Ozai was more of an evil force than a character. I don't think we're ever meant to empathize with him. As for Zuko's mom... you and the rest of the fandom. I don't think there's a single ATLA fan who isn't dying to know.

14. Katara's feelings are a subject of extreme controversy in fandom. I'm a fan of Katara/Aang too (obviously, since I write fanfic about them), but they are one of the pairings involved in the pretty nasty ship war that took place back in the day (and which a lot of people are still sore about, it seems).

15. Bloodbending is creepy! Did you notice that after all that fuss about how she won't do it and it's horrible, Katara bloodbends just randomly out of nowhere in Southern Raiders? That struck me as very out of place.

But still, it was an awesome series! I'm glad you enjoyed it too!