Avatar: The Last Airbender
I will unabashedly love this show forever. It is just too cool not to love.
This obsession does not stem from childhood reminiscence. I saw this show for the first time as a senior high school. Yep. Remember how my parents don't believe in paying for tv? Well, because of that I was never exposed to Avatar until my friends were having a marathon one night. At first, I was resistant. "I'm not into that anime kind of stuff." FOOLISHNESS. This is not your run-of-the-mill "anime" and now that I've seen it, I don't even put it in the same category.
The (extremely watered-down) premise of the show is this: people can control elements, and there is only one person, the "avatar" who can control all four elements. Epic adventures, awesomeness, and hilarity ensues. Just watch the trailer:
I wish I had thought about this show when we talked about prosocial media in class, because this show is a PERFECT example of prosocial television that is great for middle childhood aged kids (or if you're 21, whatever). Of course it has violence, but every act portrayed has consequences, has justification, and revolves around good vs evil. The main character, Aang, is a monk for crying out loud. Being the Avatar, he has the responsibility to bring balance to the world, which requires kicking some bad-guy butt every now and again. But there is never a moment/episode that he does not struggle with it enormously, because he is so determined to resolve things peacefully and in a way that won't hurt anyone.
It's all just so great. Seriously. The script is mature enough to be entertaining for a much older audience, but the lessons taught are SO great for kids. And if you made the mistake of seeing the movie without ever seeing the show, than have no fear, because the two are absolutely nothing alike.
Enjoy!
This is probably my family's favorite show ever! Like you said, its great for all ages. I loved the ending of the series and how Aang resolves the conflict. It definitely has some good lessons for children.
ReplyDeleteAvatar is my husband's favorite TV show! Since we have been married I bought him all of the seasons on DVD. When I first bought them he would shamelessly watch hours at a time. Avatar is totally a kid's show with adult appeal. Direct quote from the hubby, "It's awesome!!"
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