rex85 - 2017-01-19 14:22:28

I’m still bringing back old reviews back up.

When I reviewed the first season of Avatar, I had little idea of the fact that I would come to consider its second season the Empire Strikes Back to Season One’s A New Hope. This is perhaps a little too weirdly niche an explanation, so allow me to elaborate; the themes of which Season One began with have been expanded on and dimmed, cast in the shadow of darker tones and more serious concepts that needed to be explored. For what Season One started, I want to firmly make clear, Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Season Two now elaborates.

It’s been a time, so you may vaguely remember my review of the first season of Avatar and for those who don’t, in summary, I praised a show which took characters and openly dealt with the flaws that damaged and hurt those around them and a show that wasn’t afraid to deal with concepts that related to love, death and the flawed ideologies that many have brought to bare in the real world’s chequered history. How the show could’ve gone further, or dealt with things beyond that, I didn’t know at the time, but it succeeded and with this baseline established, allow me to elaborate.

First, a new central character is introduced; Toph. Toph, fills in a gap the show’s main team didn’t have, an Earth Bender, and with the style befitting of a power that speaks of bold strength and immovable awe, Toph is brash, firm, foolish, confident and has all of this established quite easily throughout the run of the show. Her growth is natural and doesn’t feel rushed, even considering the factors of a rich family frowning on her ability, being blind and the numerous factors that are contained within this physical disability and on top of all this, how she is determined to surpass all this as the greatest Earth Bender in the world. This is a factor that is not only important to discuss, but is proven as Toph manages certain feats that solidify the characters determination and her ability to rise to the challenge. I found it incredibly easy to see her as a central character, despite the hard challenge of going from nodded too earlier in the series, to being a full cast member as of Episode 6. Toph, is one factor that enables the growth of the characters beyond the original story, creating someone whose boldness can go against the gentility of Katara, who episodes are taken to show the opposition in how Katara and Toph’s styles work and how teaching Aang, the two differ greatly.

This was one factor. And though measuring it by characters may seem narrow minded, the characters are the essence of this show and in no way can I talk about the difference this seasons takes the show without talking about Prince Zuko, one of the antagonists of Season One. His journey in this series is marked upon the arrival of his sister, Princess Azula, and the dynamic shift the series takes upon her arrival. With her own team and characters that again have personalities driving them, though perhaps slightly in need of more development as time permits, Azula creates another villainous dynamic that is in sore need, considering certain events the finale of Season One had on those in direct opposition to Aang’s team and indeed, Zuko’s third factor. Avatar has so far been a brilliant exercise in creating multi-faceted characters with ideas and ideologies that drive difference of opinion and of purpose. Without getting too far into a spoiler laden territory, the perversion at points of Zuko’s ideals and ideology by other factors, along with the charming and depth ridden contrast of his Uncle, Iroh, create a dynamic that is at once wonderful and comical and the next ridden with true angst, genuine and reasoned and still aggravating and upsetting to see manifest.

Toph and Zuko are an ideological representative of the ultimate conflict facing a large amount of the central cast and causing the issues so stricken between the characters; a selfishness. The central shifts of dynamic in Aang’s team and Zuko’s life are driven by a selfishness and are key to points even outside them, with Aang’s own selfish need to hold onto something he loves indeed, recalling what I opened this article with; Aang and Luke Skywalker would probably have quite a bit to talk about. This isn’t of course to say the notion of attachment and love isn’t selfish, but that in this series, it is incredibly clever at using these concepts to drive forward why the needs of the many are suffering because of the desires of the few. Season 2 ends with hope still present, but with these lessons still bearing heavily upon the protagonist’s, while cleverly doing something else; having the cake and eating it all at once, showing the importance of love, of that bond we hold with other individuals while implying it’s issue in holding back true change, true resolution on a grander scale.

I would perhaps say, that as of my review to come of Season Three, you should quite clearly watch Season Two, if you enjoyed Season One. Avatar maintains a quality to its animation, theming and character discussion that enables you to understanding concepts of a troubling ideology, while it also does maintain a bright spot of humanity, of keeping things levened just enough to get you behind it’s darker points. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see things that perhaps make them uncomfortable but would like a lighter lens to look through at them.

gerlach.jonathan - 2016-10-08 10:45:39

But... This isn't an anime.

Why would you lie to these people.

They're Not Animes Because Nobody Can Play the Guitar

jones.ernest - 2016-08-04 11:00:11

The second season was as exciting as the whole series. It keeps it's humor til the end of it. No episode was boring in my oppinion.

shayna.gleichner - 2014-07-07 06:52:39

Since I did all the introductory, what is this show about stuff in the book 1 review, I’ll just jump into it. Book 2 is awesome. The gaang is in their maybe most adventurous part of the series, and they mostly go around the world, and get into lots of mini stories and eventually fall into a main story. But for the big story, all you need to know is Zuko has a sister, and she’s a bad ass. And she’s coming for Aang. But it does close it out well, and the story overall for the whole thing is more about the episodes, but still manages to be consistent in what is going on, and you don’t ask why or what is happening that much. And the stand alone episode plots, they’re fantastic! They immensely help this world, the characters, and as my large about of five out of fives show, the episodes. Each episode is unique, just like last season, but this time they hit so much harder. When they want to help a character (for example Zuko in Zuko Alone episode) they fucking nail it good. When they want a good do some fun awesome stuff for the sake of doing it episode (the drill for instance) they go all out. When they want to make the world a little cooler they do an episode like the Library, which did so many things for the plot, the characters, the world, it was crazy. But we get new characters as well. I already mentioned Azula, and they also introduced my favorite character Toph. Wow, they really have strong female characters on this show… anyway! Each new character is nice, and they greatly improve older characters like Iroh and Zuko. There isn’t as many boring waterbenders, more characters like "The Boulder,” and the Boulder likes his episode. Sorry. Anyway, aside from that, there is how this season compares to the others. Season one was more of the cool first season, this was more like the Mass Effect 2, or Empire Strikes Back, or at least for me it was. As important and cool the first season was, and epic and awesome the third was, this just had so many special moments, and so many amazing episodes. I might end up liking season 3 better after reviewing it, but I’m pretty sure this one is where I stand with my favorite. I mean, only two episodes had scores less than four. And one of those still had possibly my favorite in the series because it was so funny, (The Desert) and the other was really unique, dark, and really needed to happen. (Appa’s Lost Days)  And good God, they raised the bar high, and still managed to knock it out of the park. It gets in that Earth theme, but like the others, it doesn’t stick itself in one theme or place to the point your sick of it, they explore, but you do end up coming back to the Earth vibe it has. Anyway, five out of five, easily, another amazing season.

Episode 21: 5/5

Episode 22: 5/5

Episode 23: 5/5

Episode 24: 4/5

Episode 25: 5/5

Episode 26: 5/5

Episode 27: 5/5

Episode 28: 5/5

Episode 29: 4/5

Episode 30: 5/5

Episode 31: 3/5

Episode 32: 5/5

Episode 33: 5/5

Episode 34: 5/5

Episode 35: 5/5

Episode 36: 3/5

Episode 37: 5/5

Episode 38: 5/5

Episode 39: 5/5

Episode 40: 5/5

concepcion49 - 2013-11-11 19:09:57

The incredible, epic, amazing tale continues in book 2.

Gorgeous animation, beautiful soundtrack, excellent characters and an incredible story - this is truly a masterpiece.

gregoria.hackett - 2013-08-26 23:37:48

Legends and Last Airbenders, A Summary of All Avatar so Far...