With Avatar: The Last Airbender premeiring later within the month, Netflix has progressively began to drag again the curtain on its adaptation of the 2005 cartoon. The present was by no means going to be a whole one-to-one of the unique, nevertheless it does really feel like a number of the additions and tweaks to the show—like tampering down Sokka’s sexist behavior—don’t solely get why they existed within the supply materials to start with.
One attention-grabbing transfer the brand new present’s making is a remixing of storylines from the present. The most important is bringing in Zuko’s (Dallas Liu) household into the image a lot sooner—his father Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim) and sister Azula (Elizabeth Yu) have expanded roles right here in comparison with the small slices of them within the cartoon’s first season. Showrunner Albert Kim advised IGN it helps flesh out “why [Zuko’s] doing what he’s doing and set that within the context of his household dynamic, and the way he suits in together with his father and sister.” And it’s equally why Zuko’s duel together with his father—which was briefly proven in a flashback, leading to his scar and exile—will probably be extra introduced in full right here.
Having Zuko’s household be extra outstanding right here—Kim stated Azula primarily will get a prequel forward of her meatier materials in future seasons—is a transfer any newer adaptatioin would make. Different decisions are up for debate, although: as an alternative of being a child attempting to keep away from being the Avatar, Aang (Gordon Cornier) may have extra “narrative drive,” stated Kim. Quite than him, Katara, and Sokka getting swept up in weekly misadventures, he’ll get a imaginative and prescient early within the season that spurs him to go to the Northern Water Temple for a Waterbending grasp. The imaginative and prescient “offers him extra narrative compulsion going ahead,” which is only a fancy method of claiming there received’t be a lot in the way in which of worldbuilding detours that gave the unique Avatar its allure.
Of the modifications, Kim stated he views the brand new present as “a remix, not a canopy.” Whereas he and the writers knew there have been sure characters and plot factors to do faithfully, they couldn’t be a slavish recreation. The important thing aim was “feeling your method all through the method,” whereas additionally “ensuring it feels prefer it was Avatar in spirit.” However a number of the updates on a personality degree really feel like they may miss the mark: Katara received’t have “sure roles” within the group dynamic as a result of “some gender points didn’t fairly translate.”
Like with Sokka, the Water Tribe’s sexism and Katara’s function as workforce mother are two basic elements of the unique present that have been atively addressed and used to additional character arcs. They weren’t simply there for the sake of it, and by admitting a wish to “guard in opposition to that form of stuff,” it makes the difference’s writers really feel like they’re afraid of characters rising and being messy or annoying in spots. Nickelodeon’s Avatar was a present for kids, nevertheless it understood that children might be imply and damaging, to themselves and particularly each other or these they love, one thing this new one is seemingly attempting to sand over as a result of character arcs should be sacrificed for likability.
I cherished the unique Avatar after I was 12 and rising up, and nonetheless do, nevertheless it wasn’t excessive artwork. So stuff just like the examples above, plus Kim saying it “can’t simply enchantment for youths,” can’t assist however get on the nerves. The brand new present wasn’t going to please everybody, as a result of nothing can. However in attempting to make the present hit for followers and in addition people who find themselves excessive on Recreation of Thrones (which, there’s in all probability a better overlap of these two than we predict?), it looks like Netflix isn’t solely certain what it needs the present to be apart from “one other live-action Avatar.”
We’ll discover out for certain when Avatar: The Final Airbender involves Netflix on February 22. IGN’s full dialogue with Kim and collection director Jabbar Raisani might be learn here.
Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing you might want to find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.
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