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 an entire one-to-one of the unique, but it surely does really feel like among 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 informed 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 along with his father and sister.” And it’s equally why Zuko’s duel along with his father—which was briefly proven in a flashback, leading to his scar and exile—can be extra offered in full right here.
Having Zuko’s household be extra outstanding right here—Kim stated Azula basically 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 a substitute of being a child making an attempt to keep away from being the Avatar, Aang (Gordon Cornier) may have extra “narrative drive,” stated Kim. Slightly 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 “provides him extra narrative compulsion going ahead,” which is only a fancy manner of claiming there gained’t be a lot in the best way 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 purpose was “feeling your manner all through the method,” whereas additionally “ensuring it feels prefer it was Avatar in spirit.” However among the updates on a personality stage really feel like they may miss the mark: Katara gained’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 components 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 need to “guard towards that type 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 youngsters, but it surely understood that children will be imply and damaging, to themselves and particularly each other or these they love, one thing this new one is seemingly making an attempt to sand over as a result of character arcs have to be sacrificed for likability.
I beloved the unique Avatar after I was 12 and rising up, and nonetheless do, but it surely wasn’t excessive artwork. So stuff just like the examples above, plus Kim saying it “can’t simply attraction for teenagers,” 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 making an attempt to make the present hit for followers and likewise people who find themselves excessive on Sport of Thrones (which, there’s most likely a higher 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 will be learn here.
Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every part it’s essential to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.
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