Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Avatar The Last Airbender Part II

Now that I have the entire of Book 2 w/Book 1 and I have had a week to watch all 20 Chapters in this ever so exciting saga that just feels more like one long movie than your average run-of-the-mill cartoon. As such I have labeled it as a movie

For those who have either watched the "film" or show or have read the preceding review will know that Book 2 continues right where Book 1 left off in which Aang, Sokka, and Katara have left the North Pole from which a battle took place and are now headed to The Earth Kingdom to help Aang find a master to teach him Earthbending.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 2: Earth (2006)

Presentation: 20/20 (The season starts off with [minus the intro with Mae Whitman's great voice and bad-ass display of the bending arts] the gang leaving the North Pole into the Earth Kingdom with Aang and Katara receiving gifts and Sokka once again just getting the "treat them with respect lecture" which ya' know what,it made me micro chuckle. After that subtly humorous part,we see Aang have a nightmare in which he is against himself in the Avatar State which as anyone who watched book 1 would know is very terrifying. Anyway I think it's a very good way to start the new Book)

Plot: 20/20 (Our ever so powerful friend has learned Waterbending and has now set off to find a master to teach him Earthbending with faithful friends Katara and Sokka,once they do find an Earthbending teacher,the Gaang must get to Ba Sing Se,the Earth Kingdom capital in order to tell the Earth King of the one way to conquer the Fire Nation [who started the war] and end the war. Meanwhile Princess Azula [sister of our banished and tormented Prince Zuko] has been sent out on a mission to capture The Avatar along with Prince Zuko and Iroh [who are deemed by Fire Lord Ozai as failures for not capturing The Avatar]. Zuko and Iroh know this and as such are trying to hide within the Earth Kingdom during which Prince Zuko begins to question everything he was taught.)

Characters: 20/20 (There are now 4 new characters to the series,all of them female,but before I get to them,I'll start off with the familiar Gaang and the "villains". Aang is no longer quite as flighty as he used to be,he's much more proactive and willing to do what's necessary but he's still very adamant about not killing people,thankfully he's still the same lovable goofball from the iceberg just a little more matured. Katara is still the same strong-willed character from before but she shows a softer side a little more than last Book. Sokka is no longer the victim of snot monsters or heartbreak [though he does fall into a fissure one chapter] and he becomes the leader for the group and retains the comic relief. On that note comes a new character to the team who is blind. Her name is Toph and she just as brutal as the Earth she bends so well as such Aang picks her to teach him the ways of Earthbending [curiously enough she's also one of the few characters with a surname] and you know what? She can KICK ASSSSSSS while bringin' out the one-liners [somethin' Sokka just can't do. Next you have Prince Zuko who is considered a failure by the Fire Nation and thus is supposed to be rounded up by villainess Princess Azula and thus is forced into hiding which I argue forced him to start looking at things differently and ultimately decide for himself to act not be acted upon [Book 1] so he's an anti-Hero with a troubled past. Iroh reprises his role as the mentor/father figure but he to shows a level of bad-ass never seen before when he takes out a huge team of elite Earthbenders in a few seconds,but he's also a character you just want to give a hug as well. Now that Zuko and Iroh are no longer the antagonists, a new trio are introduced.First you have Princess Azula [I've mentioned her a few times now without much explanation for that I'm sorry] who is THE PERFECT VILLAIN she's inspirational,ruthless,cunning,and skilled and you can't sympathize with her,it's fantastic! Her sidekicks [also girls] are Ty Lee [who is a complete ditz in a way not too much unlike Numbuh 3 {Kids Next Door} or Daphne Blake {Scooby Doo}but incredibly acrobatic and nimble to the point that she can take out 6 people with a few jabs] and Mai [a skilled knife thrower with a very dull,cynical personality. She is like the "IMO/Goth" of the series] who are henchman are very complex despite being goons which is something I love seeing once in a while. Ever character just gets so much cooler and complex as time goes on.)

Eisen's Role: 20/20 (Nothing new here whatsoever,nor does there need to be.I've said what I've wanted to say about his work in the last review. Don't worry his work is still just as impressive and it's hard to follow an act like that let alone top it)

Whitman's Role: 20/20 (Nothing changes once again,she still continues with that incredible narration at the beginning that few can compete with. Still continues to embody Katara in all ways possible)

DeSena's Role: 20/20 (Same great voice change to fit all the great and terrible things that Sokka must undergo)

Basco's Role:20/20 (No longer are there any parts where Basco is to stiff when he shouldn't be. Now he has added another voice to Zuko which makes sense because Zuko himself is undergoing great morality changes throughout this section. He has a much more uplifting tone now but still has the tormented quietness from the first Book.)

Mako's Role: 20/20 (Once again still the great wise man voice that you could believe to be intimidating and at one point Iroh does berate Zuko and this guy pulls that part off well [watch Chapter 17 to see what I mean].Still just as amusing as it used to be. His voice for sad Iroh really makes you want to hug the character [that's alot comin' from a guy who hates being touched].It's so sad he died before Book 3)

Flower's Role: 20/20 (Jessie Flower did in fact voice a one chapter character before and she did great on it [watch Book 1,Chapter 14].Flower returns as the voice of newcomer Toph Bei Fong with her ever so sarcastic,jocky,and brutally honest character. I just love how she pulls off all those insults Toph throws. Make no mistake Toph does have her share of soft and embarrassing moments and Flower still excels at those. Because of the inclusion of Toph and her excellent voice-acting,Book 1 no longer feels complete to me)

DeLisle's Role: 20/20 (Legendary voice-actress Grey DeLisle joins the Avatar gang as the villainess Azula,and well she's got the perfect voice for someone that sadistic. I just love how she says "Zuzu" or how she can make you think Azula is actually being sincere for a split second only to then to do something horrible. Once again DeLisle nails a role)

Pictures: 20/20 (The animation is even better than before,some things were done that I thought I could never see in anime. Those artists really figured out how to make you believe Toph was blind before even saying she was. The green crystals and fire were spectacular)

Execution: 20/20 (Great direction once again,I just love how it actually got darker and edgier and how the ending was in fact a downer.I'm sorry but things have to get bad before they get good and besides you happy ending people got your ending last Book. There were great chase scenes this time around and the battle scenes were made even more epic. But once again it wasn't all action the tender,sad moments return like when Sokka looks at the moon or when Aang looses Appa for the first time.I'd spoil more but then you might not watch it/watch it again)

Final: 20/20 (The greatness continues only this time deeper and darker along with some new characters.This definitely feels like a 10 hour movie rather than a kids show but it still has great slapstick humor.)

Okay it's official I've found a place where I can watch M. Night Shymalayan's hack of a movie and adaptation without wasting my good money but first I must finish Psych Season 4, Start Psych season 5,and finish Avatar Book 3 so can I commence Part 3 in which Aang must prepare to face the Fire Lord and end the war that has plagued the world for 100 years.

Uber Psycho Tom is signing off.






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