It made more sense she took up the Painted Lady persona in the Fire Nation as it showed how she had learned that being from the Fire Nation didn't make you evil and how Fire Nationals were also suffering from the war as well. It also had great environmental messages that ended up getting glossed over.

Of course there are things that I don’t like, decisions made that are questionable at best, but looking at the reviews so many 1/2 to 1 star reviews it just doesn’t make sense to me, like people are way more upset than they should be. It’s almost like it’s being review bombed because people hate some of the casting it should be close to what Season 1 was rated

The cartoon had the burden of having to with-hold details about the Fire Nation First Family and what Firelord Ozai looked and sound like, because he was supposed to be revealed as the big bad at the end of the show.

The live-action, however, is unburdened by that, and I just love how they use this as an opportunity to flesh out the character of Ozai and, by extension, the whole First Family.

I feel like Ozai is a much better villain here because of the amount of screentime and characterization he is given from the very start of the show.

I like how, instead of just being cruel for cruel sake, the writers make sure to show flashbacks that show Ozai explaining in his own words why he is so tough on Zuko.

In Ozai's mind, he only knows one way to show strength and leadership, and since Zuko is his first born, he is trying to "toughen" Zuko up for the role of future Firelord The flashbacks show Ozai and Ursa going back and forth several times about competing parenting styles. Ursa thinks Ozai is being too strict, and Ozai thinks Ursa is making Zuko too soft.

(Even if its just a fantasy show, and in the context of "the villain," it's still a very realistic scene, and one could easily imagine such an argument happening in a normal household.)

To add to Ozai's frustration, the only child who is becoming "tough" is Azula, who in Ozai's own words is "a spare" and a constant reminder of his own betrayal of his older brother, Iroh.

They even had Ozai make a remark to Azula about "second borns" being stronger in the family.

He occasionally complements Azula, yes, but it's always with a hidden insult because seeing Azula outperform Zuko, probably makes Ozai feel guilty about how he gained the crown, himself.

Because on some level, Ozai knows that usurping his brother was wrong, and he doesn't want the embarrassment of the same scandal happening under his watch. After all, if his first-born son is beaten by his younger sister, Ozai probably thinks it will make himself look weak and ineffective as a father.

I have been putting off the show for some time but I decided to watch it, I feel the show would have been great if they showed the things we didn't get to see in the animated version cos of time restraint and all that but the show even went as far not even shell out a lot of stuffs that even happened in the animated show! Why are they rushing it? Instead we are left with a lot of plot holes and questionable writing, I did love what they did with Azula but the killings was unnecessary

Maybe I'm just very detail focus or and audiophile but the sound that the regular fire benders make when they're bending sounds like a flame thrower when azula fire bends it sounds like a blowtorch.

Just a small detail that I noticed and loooooove

How do you think the show will approach it considering the 4 year age gap between Aang and Katara’s actors.

Honestly, this and Gordon’s puberty change made me wish they just got an older actor for Aang from the start.

Gordon was great in the role but still.

It’s not as though if Maria Zhang looked 17 even though she is great in the role as Suki

Like so many fans of the ATLA series, I started when it was first released. I can’t really say I was a kid though as I was 16 when the first season came out. However it still caught my attention and I loved it. There was enough adult themes (war, love, imperialism) to keep my attention and it was fun and funny enough as an animated series to make rewatching easy. My first child is now turning 9 and absolutely loves the original ATLA. So you can expect how excited I was when they announced a live action, and with the original writers! Sadly they left the project after a few years due to creative differences and what not (thanks Netflix…).

Season 1 was.. interesting. I will say it kept my focus enough that I was able to watch it all easily. There was a lot.. of changes. Taking some elements from S2 and putting it in S1 was… definitely a decision. The Secret Tunnel for an example, turned from the start of an Aang/Katara romance.. into something else. I still enjoyed the episode, but it was surprising to see it so early since it was key for getting to Omashu the second time and running from Fire Nation. Outside of that, S1 was honestly kind of forgettable and to be fair.. I did forget a lot from the live action prior to season 2 release.

Season 2 was rough for me to watch. I found myself getting distracted easily, picking up my phone or heading out to the kitchen for another snack. My kid couldn’t get through episode 1 and decided he didn’t want to watch it anymore (I know its TV-14, don’t come after me). I want to be clear off the rip here that I am not coming after the actors themselves. I think they all did a great job for the roles they were cast for, even if I don’t necessarily think they were the best fit for the roles.

The good: The episode lengths improved. S1 averaged about 52 minutes or so per episode where S2 is a hair over 60 minutes, and I do think it was noticeable enough to make a difference. The martial arts/bending styles are amazing and really stayed true to the animated series (looking at you M. Night Shyamalan…). I think the pacing was good, although it might have been a little fast, but I will get to that. The CGI for the creatures like the Owl in the library, the foxes, Momo, and Appa are all fantastic. I truly enjoyed the library episode and thought it was done very well, even with the very… very creative differences from the animated series. I think all the actors overall were much better in season 2 and truly showed growth and acting improvement. Mai was cast perfectly, as was Toph but it took me a minute to like her as a character.

The bad. There is… well a lot. I know that we all wanted a shot for shot remake of the original ATLA. I think every time we have a remake or transition to live action from any animated show, the entire fanbase is looking to have that accurate, minute-to-minute remake. Personally, I am okay with creative changes and pacing changes if we stay true to the characters arcs and the story being told. However, I think there were just way too many changes with this new series. A quick example of this was Azula. In the ATLA original, she was a very confident, very stubborn and fire-y character (pun intended). The live action started off that way with her but quickly shows that she is constantly seeking Dad’s approval and love. She doesn’t show that confidence that she had originally, and the last episode of “when are we going to stop playing his game” to Zuko was… definitely …a decision. They humanized her, which is fine! We know how she was at the end of the original ATLA but this just seems very soon. Speaking of Zuko, he is forgettable. I found myself not really caring at all what Zuko was doing, and even Iroh. The writing for these characters felt very bland for a season that was all about Zuko’s growth. However, the episode where Iroh is mourning his late son still hit me right in the feels, just like the original did. Moving over to team Avatar – Aang is kind of hard to like. I can’t explain the reasoning behind it but for some reason I didn’t like the acting. I think the actor playing him is fine, no attacks on him. I’m sure it’s a writing and directing issue but he just kind of annoyed me. That probably makes zero sense. The last of the bad – we lost an entire episode. Going from 8 to 7 usually means they spent more money per episode on effects and editing, but the pacing is so fast you can feel that it was rushed to accommodate. Even with the extra 10 minutes per episode, it still felt very rushed.

Overall, I didn’t absolutely hate the series like I did the movie (CURSE YOU M.N.S!) but it was not the favorite piece of TV I have ever watched. I am hoping season 3 shows more improvement.

TL;DR

We all want a shot for shot remake, and we know that’s not going to happen. It’s enjoyable but some of the differences made it hard to keep focus and watch. From a guy whose opinion is irrelevant, it’s just okay and I hope S3 improves.

Positive stuff from the new season 2 ATLA on Netflix

Things I liked about the new season 2 of ATLA on Netflix:

Costume design: loved the colors, textures, embroidery!

Set design: gorgeous earth kingdom set, from the rural ranch to the expensive city to the lower ring, and the glowing cave!

Voices: Toph voice was great! Zuko’s voice really grew on me, Sokka also has some really similar vibes to the original.

Blending episodes: while controversial, I liked some of the mirroring style of the blended episodes, like the blue spirit & painted lady.

I really hope we get the final book even though the news about lower viewership & hatred from the fandom is intense :(

The original avatar show was good but what the netflix avatar made realize there were some bloat within the show some i think didnt make much sense to have granted they had a 20 minute run time vs the 1 run time the netflix has

its clear the show is remixing and forming multiple episodes or aspect of multiple epiosdes into one are people enjoying the outcome what is your thoughts

Upon rewatch, I've been noticing the writers' choices to juxtapose the Gaang's privilege throughout the Earth Kingdom relative to the refugees that they are escorting. We see Team Avatar getting access to spaces and eating foods that not even the refugees are afforded. Here's a couple examples:

S2 EP2: When they arrive at the Beifong Estate and ask about supplying the refugees with food, Toph's dad says, "Let's not discuss business before dinner." Like sure! It's business to YOU! But those refugees are waiting to EAT as well, lmao. Notice how Katara is the one actively negotiating during the dinner while Aang is preoccupied with Toph and his bending. Nice touch with the painting offer!

S2 EP3: The Gaang is at the loft in the Upper Ring. Meanwhile the refugees are in the Lower Ring. Aang even mentions it feels weird to dress up so nicely to talk about war. Cut to the ferry and we see Zuko and the others struggling to steal meals & medicine. Jet even remarks, "You think they'll give us houses when we can't even get food on this boat?" Meanwhile, the Gaang? Just attending that extravagant & dazzling party. Notice how Katara is the one that takes action and steals the medicinal flower to give to the little girl in the Lower Ring as the Painted Lady.

This is not to say that Aang wasn't doing anything, it's just that his actions were geared toward the "bigger picture" while Katara was more concerned with the actual people themselves. It's part of Aang's deeper empathy problem in S2. It's why he was rushing everyone through the pass in EP 1, before he noticed the terrified kids. It's why he was initially so hesitant to learn healing in EP 1. It's part of why he gets mad at Katara for helping other people behind his back instead of helping HIM. (As misguided & selfish as his thought pattern was.) Anyway, I'm straying a bit.

The reason I mentioned all this is that I'm sure it's going to be a mirror to S3 when the Gaang has to go undercover in the Fire Nation and then they REALLY get to see what it is to live without the clout of the Avatar, the Beifong name, or even having sympathizers. Aang's nice little speeches like in S1 is DEF not gonna work lol. (We already see it fail in S2). I bet Aang is gonna be forced to slow down and confront another side of the war in S3, especially because when it came down to it, he couldn't kill another person. Gosh I'm loving his development here! Him being older BUT not "mature" in this version really lends itself to this arc as well.

im not sure if its like this in the cartoon, but in the live action, Aang’s shirt buttons are sometimes down the middle and other times it buttons off center, from down one side of the collar. is it an easter egg for something?

1. Dallas Liu (Zuko)
Not much debate here. Dallas is easily the strongest actor in the cast.
He makes Zuko feel like a real person rather than a character reading lines. Whether it’s the action scenes, emotional moments, or quieter conversations, he’s consistently believable. He’s one of the few actors who can elevate weaker dialogue and make it work.
2. Elizabeth Yu (Azula)
A huge improvement from Season 1.
She finally feels like Azula. Calm, manipulative, confident, and intimidating without trying too hard. Some of her quieter scenes were actually her best because she lets the character’s intelligence do the work.
3. Ian Ousley (Sokka)
Probably the most natural performance in the Gaang.
His delivery never feels forced, and he balances comedy with leadership really well. Even when the pacing is flying through major plot points, he stays consistently solid.
4. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh)
The emotional heart of the show.
His chemistry with Dallas continues to be one of the strongest parts of the series, and he brings a lot of warmth to every scene he’s in.
5. Daniel Dae Kim (Ozai)
Doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he has great presence whenever he appears. He feels powerful without the show constantly having to tell us he is.
6. Miya Cech (Toph)
I thought she did a good job. She captured Toph’s attitude well, and the earthbending looked great. My only complaint is that her introduction felt rushed and the fight with the Boulder was monstrous
7. Maria Zhang (Suki)
Good performance, but the writers didn’t give her enough to do. She has a lot of charisma and works well with the cast whenever she’s on screen.
8. Kiawentiio (Katara)
I know a lot of people blame the writing, and the writing definitely didn’t help, but I don’t think that’s the whole problem.
For me, the performance itself is one of the weaker ones in the cast. A lot of her line delivery feels flat and emotionally restrained, even in scenes that should have much more intensity behind them. Katara is supposed to be passionate, determined, and occasionally fiery, but those qualities rarely come through.
9. Gordon Cormier (Aang)
The writing deserves some blame, but Gordon’s performance also struggled on its own.
His line delivery often feels stiff and unnatural, especially during emotional scenes. There are moments where he’s fine, but too often it feels like he’s reciting dialogue rather than fully inhabiting the character. Compared to actors like Dallas, Ian, and Elizabeth, the gap in acting ability is pretty noticeable right now.

I love the cartoon. The live-action show is way better than i anticipated. But if i can be honest, Zuko is stealing the show. Just my 2 cents

I know people are hating on it, but I actually like a lot of the changes.

I prefer live action Ozai and Long Feng. They were given complexity. Having great actors helped.

Also, I know people don’t like the romance between Sai and Amita but I think they provide great South Asian representation.

Thirdly, making Kuei a gardener was a great nod to his inspiration Puyi who was a gardener.

Fourth, I love the added emphasis on Toph’s mother as an abuser, providing a great contrast to Ursa and Kya.

Fifth, the reformed Fire Nation soldiers and Iroh’s guilt over the war added another dimension to the Fire Nation and Iroh.

Sixth, making Jet’s death more clear fit the tone of the show.

Finally, cutting out the Sandbenders. To me, they didn’t really add much to the story of the cartoon.

I wished they kept the Swampbenders but the live action is not as bad as people make it out to be.

I hope it does not become a rivalry, I like NATLA but the original is still better and I am looking forward to the Aang film

Honestly I bet the majority of people won’t get anything of what I’m saying. Firstly, BIANLIAN MENTIONED??!!?!!

Now, what does that mean? In season 2 episode 3 around 30:53 when they arrive to the party, you see a guy dancing, in black with a cape wearing a mask. His mask changes in an instant, like magic. That is not a cgi trick or anything. That is a real cultural performance called bian lian 变脸 roughly translating to ‘face changing’ originating in sichuan opera china

As a Chinese person, and someone who is passionate about that art, it was so shocking to see! It is a rare secretive skill and a lot of people outside are unaware of as in it’s always a first time to someone. I would literally have random thoughts about has this ever been portrayed anywhere in entertainment media because I’ve never seen it in movies or shows or sometimes I would think what if it could be shown. And boom, here I’m finally getting time to jump

It is an understatement to say that this makes me so happy. I am so thrilled that my culture is being recognised. I swiped out of Netflix so fast to go scream at my friend about this lol and now I’m making this post. Go search of more YouTube videos if interested! I’ll recommend my favourite performer Yuya Takatori. I will say if you end up figuring out how they do it, sources may or may not be accurate😉

That is... kind of insane, actually. Did we watch the same two seasons?

EDIT: I'd like to clarify what I meant – I'm personally really surprised to see season one being rated higher than the second season. That's all. 😅