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]

I do have one essay on Azula bookmarked. I know there are others out there, but this one was my fav:

http://kaigou.dreamwidth.org/350898.html

The same person also did another essay dealing with the Southern Raiders episode, which I think you might like:

http://kaigou.dreamwidth.org/353921.html

It really got to me that Katara never apologized to Sokka in that episode. Yeesh. I mean, I assume she probably did off-screen, but I wanted to see it.

Katara/Zuko is not my thing, but I can see why other people like it. However, I think the ship wars carried on to the point where it was just personal insults being slung back and forth. Just unpleasant in general.