What if "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Was Anime?
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 7:00 AM Sure, the animation styles may be similar, but you can't help but notice the Nickelodeon influences on Avatar. You have the bodily function jokes, the silly asides, and some of the nonsensical plots. After finishing the Avatar series for the first time recently, I couldn't help but think of what it would be like if it were more like anime, in that, it was made for more mature audiences.
Let's start by saying this right out front. The first two seasons of Avatar are more light-hearted, but the last season definitely picks up its game. There are times when I was watching the third season when I said to myself, "Whoa. For a kid's show, this shit got real." We're talking about heavy themes such as the death of parents, redemption, forgiveness, and fate. If you didn't know any better, you'd think I was talking about Lost.
I also want to say this before going on. By far the most interesting character in this entire series is Zuko. Forget Aang and his journey to become the Avatar (although I am a sucker for the traditional hero narrative). Zuko not only has the most character growth, but by far the most interesting story arc. I'm not going to give away any spoilers for those who have yet to watch it, but dang, talk about literary figures.
Now, back to the anime comparison. Love it or not, one of the greatest thing about anime is that it is insanely deep. If you have watched any anime, you'll see that it's not just about watching silly cartoons for kids. It's a medium for art that conveys rich themes. Now take the themes that we mentioned earlier that are running through Avatar and you'll see the potential that could have been reached.
Here's one prime example: No one ever freaking dies. Now I'm not saying that good art needs to have loads of death in it, but if you're showing us a scene where people are trying to siege a city and the worst thing that happens to the invading party is that the tanks stack up, it takes away from the impact. Plus, there are a lot of characters that could have died to create a very powerful effect but never did because it was a show designed for kids. There is a lot of room for more mature themes that would make these themes resonate even more than they did in the cartoon.
All of this to say, I really do think Avatar is a great piece of work as a whole. I just think there was a possibility to make the deeper themes in the show resonate more and to be less... well.. gimmicky at times. But if you haven't watched Avatar yet, you should get right on it. And stick it out until season 3. That's when it starts to get intense.
Anime,
Avatar: The Last Airbender,
TV,
cartoons,
movies 

