Back in my hometown (shout out to my Boston peeps…who are actually IN Boston and not around it, fakers) I used to baby-sit an eight-year-old boy, Joseph, code named Cheddar. Now, Cheddar was probably one of the easiest kids I’ve had to baby-sit, all he did was play with his toys in front of the television and eat cheesy poofs. One day I came in and his face was glued to the screen of a new television program, which I thought was going to be another one of his foolish anime shows that I had encouraged him to stop watching, not because of the violence, but because he would piss me off when he started talking to me as if we were in “Speed Racer.” When I made peel his eyeballs off the screen, and fed him a cheesy poof, I watched this program for a smidge and realized how freaking awesome it was! Granted, I went to a school based on Asian culture and practice martial arts, but this show just made so much sense to me. It had a heavy anime influence, yet steered clear of extravagant clichés and Kamehameha waves. Instead this program incorporated cultural references, spiritual beliefs, and a geographical understanding of Middle-Eastern and Asian societies. In all honesty, I didn’t give two shits if Cheddar was learning or not, but I did know that this was a children’s show in the new millennium that I could actually understand.
For you ignorant readers that do not take time to watch children’s programming, I’m talking about Nickelodeon’s animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, once known for their writing for “Family Guy,” created the show in 2005. Almost immediately, this show, predicted to be one of Nickelodeon’s worst projects of the 2000s, turned out to be one of its greatest successes. I can think of a certain sponge who was also slated to be to be off the air within three episodes. And just like that porous, yellow shit-stain, this show instantly created a name for itself.
“Avatar” (not to be confused with James Cameron’s stolen 2009 title) takes place in a mythical world that is divided into four nations: Water Tribe; Earth Kingdom; Fire Nation; and Air Nomads. Each nation, as you can tell, is linked to one of the four elements, and gifted humans are able to yield their nation’s element with a form of martial arts; this is known as bending. Look, it’s a complicated system. The show follows the path of a 12-year-old Air Nomad, Aang, who is, you guessed it, the avatar—a deity who is responsible for watching over humanity and is the only individual who is able to bend all four elements. He and his friends, Katara, a waterbender, and Sokka, a pubescent Water Tribe warrior, are destined to stop the Fire Nation from global domination and save the world from the downfall.
So, yeah, I just spouted facts about a cartoon show from memory with a smile on my face as I wrote it. So what? This show is worth watching on so many levels. After each episode you’ll want to watch more and more just to find out what the hell is going to happen next. That is the first sign of a good television show (or a really, really bad one…). The only downside to this program is that it ends after three seasons. This my friends was the decision of the directors. According to the Nickelodeon website (don’t judge me) “Avatar” had one of the channel’s highest viewing rates in its animation history. Wonderful. I do believe so. Besides that, the show reached viewers beyond its demographic of ages six to 11 year-olds…I would know. I suggest you watch it. Embrace it. Love it! It’s just a really great way to reach back to your childhood and…screw it. You and I both know you like to watch cartoons. So just fucking watch the show. You’ll like it, trust me. And if you’re too embarrassed to watch it just kidnap an Asian baby and watch it with them…or get your closeted cartoon-watching roommate to watch it with you!
By the way, I don’t know if any of you have heard, but M. Night Shyamalan is coming out with his next biggest flop, “The Last Airbender.” For the fans that understand, please feel free to mourn with me. Whoever does not get why I don’t want Shyamalan’s crusty hands all over this project understand that this is a big deal. I can’t wait for it to come out so I can mock it. I will be there for the midnight showing, June 12. Save the date. Or be mine.
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