There is no question when I say whether or not you’re an anime fan, you should watch Avatar the Last Airbender. It was a monumental moment for us all when the series was added onto Netflix finally earlier this month, and since then, everyone and their dog has been watching the 2005 series. While American, this show is fun for the whole family and takes a look at a world where benders manipulate the elements on a turmoil-stricken planet. Water, earth, fire, and air take on whole new meanings as we follow Aang, the master of all four elements and his gang on their quest to defeat the fire nation and restore peace to the world.
Airing from 2005-2008 with three seasons, this show came out at the peak of my childhood and has been held close to my heart ever since. Produced and run by Nickelodeon, it’s been a common ground between me and my peers as a show anyone can connect over. In the show, 100 years prior, the world was at peace, the four nations living together in harmony. Yet just like Germany in 1939, the fire nation attacked. The avatar, master of all four elements, is the only bender who can stop the nation, and yet he disappears. Those 100 years pass through and two water tribe siblings find him encapsulated in an iceberg. This starts their journey to help Aang master all four elements so he can eventually end the fire nation's reign.
One of the things I find most special about this show is the fact that it touches on real-world issues in a fun way. Internal conflicts are touched on with Zuko, the prince of the fire nation, and leads him to have one of the best character arcs in the show. There’s a whole episode just on meditation, and multiple times the importance of patience and learning becomes apparent. The gang is held together by comradery, even though they all possess different gifts and talents, they are all special and the team would not be the same without them. In addition to the human characters, Appa and Momo are quite possibly the best pets to ever exist, zero cap.
Avatar the Last Airbender is in fact the greatest show to ever grace this planet, and it makes me feel emotions I didn’t know I had. Now being on Netflix, quarantine is the best time to sit back and binge thing fantastic show. 61 episodes are almost too little for the masterpiece it is, but if you’re yearning for more, I urge you not to watch the live-action movie, as you will be more than disappointed. Instead, just re-watch it, and dream of becoming a bender yourself!
