Avatar: The Last Airbender – 5 Most Disheartening Changes the Netflix Show is Guilty of
Every adaptation has its highs and lows. With a popular project as Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are bound to have certain expectations with the live-action project since the animated series instantly became a fan favorite. However, when Netflix launched the live-action series, fans were disappointed to see the disheartening changes that completely altered the spirit of the story. After waiting so long for a project like this, Netflix couldn’t assuage fans’ expectations and sentiments. Here are five of the most disappointing changes that the Netflix show is guilty of.
Sozin’s Comet
The animated series witnesses Lord Sozin take advantage of a comet to launch an attack on the nation. However, the attack in the live-action series is done differently. Moreover, the comet hastens the process of Aang mastering all the elements. The Netflix series does not seem to need a ticking clock to tell Aang to be ready soon.
Albert Kim, the showrunner, explained that this was done to avoid discrepancies in the timeline since the actors will be grown up in subsequent seasons. However, many feel the celestial event was important to convince Aang of the need of the hour and urge him to be ready soon.
Merging Storylines
A highly disappointing aspect of the live-action series is the lack of adequate attention to every significant event in Aang’s journey. Four major people whom Aang encounters along the way are all merged into a two-part episode whereas the animated series gave each meeting a specific episode and comfortable timeline. Jet and the Freedom Fighters, the Mechanist and Teo, King Bumi, and the “Secret Tunnel” singers are all blended together in Omashu. The Mechanist and Teo storyline’s location also gets changed, with Katara facing Jet and the Freedom Fighters alone.
Aang finds Zuko’s Journal
To get on with the story conveniently and not have further additions to the live-action, Aang steals Zuko’s journal contains a lot of information about Avatars and their powers. In comparison, the animated series shows young Aang traveling through the Spirit World to learn how to master the elements and about other Avatars. Fans found it pretty silly for Zuko to have an informative journal containing details that could take days for Aang to learn.
Katara’s Waterbending Journey
All exploration enthusiasts know the importance of stumbling upon an important piece of the puzzle as compared to someone just handing it to you. Similarly, fans were disheartened to see Gran Gran hand the waterbending scroll to Katara when she found it by herself in the animated series. It took away the essence of the find when Katara encountered pirates and fought them to steal the generational scroll. While some feel the live-action series emphasized the generational passing down of the scroll, others felt it was important for Katara to find it herself and realize the power she held in her hands.
Also Read: Avatar: The Last Airbender Potential Season 4 Plot Details Revealed by Head Writer
Blue Spirit Rescuing Aang
According to Zuko and Uncle Iroh’s orders, June captures Aang in the live-action series while he tries to defend Sokka and Katara from Koh. Commander Zhao then takes Aang away from them. As a result, Aang is saved by the Blue Spirit, also known as Zuko. In the animated series, while attempting to obtain medication for Katara and Sokka, Zhao requests that the Yuyan Archers take Aang prisoner. Fans express disappointment over Netflix yet again limping out on showing entire sequences at length and instead clubbing various events into a single episode.
