Avatar Day!

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a cartoon show about a kid by the name of Aang who has the power to control the water, air, fire and earth elements. He also has the power to go into the Avatar state, which allows him to become faster, stronger and better at using his abilities to control the elements. You may be thinking that this cartoon show is exactly what I just called it, a kid show, but it’s so much more.

            I started watching this show when my roommates introduced it to me back in July summer of 2014. However, the first time I ever saw anything related to this show was when I went to the movie theater to see its first live action movie (don’t see the movie, it’s a trap!). I actually went to the movies to go see Avatar (the blue monkey people) but the ticket person gave me the ticket for Avatar: The Last Airbender instead.

[Side note: I was waiting for the blue avatar people the whole time the movie started, it wasn’t until after the movie I realized it was the wrong film.]

            This show has many life lessons that help you understand what it is you’re going through, not as a child or an adult but as a human being. The many struggles that this cast endures are heart breaking.

            Whether you’ve lost your son in battle like Uncle Iroh did..

             Or sometimes you just feel lost in the world like Avatar Aang..

                   

            Maybe your father walked out on you and you had to be the man of the house like Soka..

          

            Perhaps you’ve lost a parent and you just don’t know what do anymore like Katara..

          

            Or maybe your father kicked you out of your home like Zukos dad did to him..

       

            This show hit every major life issue you’d never expect to happen to you and the “feels” come out.

            Besides being entertaining with intense bending action and witty script-writing, this show also expresses feminism culture at its best! The majority of cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender are females with powerful roles that bring men crawling to their knees. These roles vary from the Kyoshi Warriors; masterful water bender Katara; earth, and first metal bender (spoiler) Toph; and princess Azula from the Fire nation and leader of a group of assassins trying to hunt down the Avatar. We haven’t even touched base on Legend of Korra, which happens to be the next Avatar after Avatar Aang.

            Korra is the new avatar and in this series of Legend of Korra she makes friends and battles a new kind of evil. Feminism only begins to touch base in the Avatar: The Last Airbender, while in LOK (Legend of Korra) it explodes with greatness. There’s nothing better than seeing fierce women kick some butt with some beautiful bending moves. Here, we have Avatar Korra, then we have police justice Chief Beifong, one of the greatest metal benders of all, along with non-bender Asami whose ninja reflexes you wouldn’t want to get in the way of and so many more inspirational women.

            These shows are the type of shows everyone should be watching because these life problems are happening everywhere and they’re happening now. 10 years ago today, Avatar: The Last Airbender was given to us as a gift to watch and learn. Let’s celebrate by viewing this show and experiencing pure perfection.

Editor: Jared Cobble