What an amazing show. Of all the nostalgic cartoons I have from elementary and middle school, I think Avatar and Spongebob are the only two I will continue to watch for years. While Spongebob is simply a feel-good show for me, which helped establish my sense of humor over the years and always puts a smile on my face, Avatar deals with issues more sincerely and deeply, in a way that is accessible to its younger audience.
I decided to rewatch(?) the last season of Avatar over the past week. I’d seen the first two seasons quite a lot growing up, but only managed to catch bits of the final season once when it was on TV originally. Watching it again was quite affecting. It is an emotionally dense show with clear morals, without it being quite as in-your-face as, say, The Clone Wars television show. (That’s also an awesome show, but just has a different feel to it.)
Now that I have dropped myself back into this fantasy world, I discovered The Legend of Korra on Netflix as well. I had never heard of this show before, since it aired after my TV-watching days were at their peak. I’ve started the show, and find it a fantastic sequel, aimed squarely at teenagers (or those just a little older) who appreciate what Avatar has to offer, but want something that handles things more maturely. Its antagonists are less binary: We don’t have a fire-bending dictator, but rather someone who wants to remove bending to promote freedom. It’s a huge shift in focus, but the world has been handed off succinctly and deftly to a new generation of characters (far more effectively than Star Wars managed to do in the sequels.)
For anyone who hasn’t watched Avatar, give it a go. Regardless of age, there is so much joy, frustration, sadness, and excitement to be found in it. While it can be silly, and it is a kids show, there is depth in each short episode that we can pull a lot from.