Essek, whose partner is in mortal danger, but his pride has been wounded: ok first of all he minors in dunamancy at best. Second I taught him that shit-
â please don't use, download, or screenshot my gifs without permission or credit! these are specially made and took time to create, so please ask first!
I painted the color key concept for *THAT* Sonam shot. It came out so beautifully in the finished film! (Additional note written below.)
As someone who is Asian and has dealt with colorism in my own life, I want to make it clear that my version is just a concept, which is why sheâs a bit paler/more ghostly here. At the time in development I was trying out a transparent and wispy vibe for her spirit, but the version we ended up with in the final film is more accurate to her beautiful, true dark skin tone!
No one asked for my opinion, but I'm feeling some type of way about the Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender movie and I just neeeeeeeed to talk about it.
Movie spoilers below the break! Mostly positive.
Okay, broad strokes. The main vibe I'm left with at the end of watching the movie is Sheer. Unadulterated. Joy.
I know I'm not unique in my love for the original show. To offer a little personal perspective on what ATLA means to me, my dad passed away around the time Season 3 started airing on Nickelodeon, and just as I was taking my first steps into college life. I was in a very dark place for a long time, adrift, not even sure what I wanted to get out of my education. My escape was the ATLA world. When I learned my college was offering Mandarin language classes, I was obviously inspired, and decided to give it a try. I found I actually had a knack for it (at least as far as my linguistic shortcomings allowed), and when I transferred to university, I majored in Asian Studies with an emphasis on Japanese literature, and was even fortunate to study in Japan for a summer. After graduation, I moved to South Korea and taught there for a year. All of these experiences changed who I am and how I see the world. None of this would have happened if I hadn't waded into the ATLA currents as a teen.
ATLA literally changed the course of my life, for which I am eternally grateful. Any time I'm able to linger in this world once again, it fills me with such exhilaration--that is the primary feeling I'm walking away with.
I do have a couple of criticisms here and there, but to be honest, I don't even know if I can call them criticisms. For the most part, I understood the reasons for the changes that were made, and wasn't all that bothered by them. But that's my personal, no-horse-in-the-race perspective. I do understand and appreciate the opposing opinions on certain matters, particular where people's personal cultures are concerned.
Specific things I liked or loved:
The art and animation. Dear. Gods. Every scene was basically just eye candy. The background art was stunning, the vibrant colors drool-worthy. This was so obviously a work of love and I congratulate everyone who had a hand in its creation for an incredible job. It truly moved me.
The music. Jeremy Zuckerman has done it again. I'm so glad he was able to return for this! I miss the days where soundtracks incorporated more thematic motifs. When I heard the original themes weave in during powerful moments, I could feel it in my soul. Also, the voicework by Varijashree Venugopal was gorgeous! I love the slight focus on more Southeast Asian elements, both in the music and art.
The voice acting. This one's probably a bit more controversial, but I did love the voice acting changes in this movie! Obviously, the original voice actors have aged up enough that it would have made perfect sense to invite them back, but when I think back to when ATLA and Korra were originally airing, one of the main criticisms floating among fans was that the show heavily inspired by an amalgam of Asian cultures had a predominantly white cast. And honestly? That's an incredibly reasonable complaint. I think shuffling the cast for this movie accomplished more good than ill. For one, the appreciation of the many Asian cultures that influence the ATLA world finally extended to the actors who lent their voices to our beloved characters. And second, it gently invited us, the viewers and long-time fans, to see the ATLA universe as something that could exist outside of a nostalgic lens. It doesn't hurt that the cast did a phenomenal job. I felt the VAs who voiced our familiar friends held wonderful balance between staying true to the characters' personalities while still allowing them to have changed as adults. I can't speak as to why Dante Basco didn't reprise Zuko; whether it was his own decision, if he was too busy, or if the production team was looking for a fully fresh start. Based on my own stated logic, it would still have made sense to invite him back since he himself is Filipino-American. Regardless of the reason for the change, I think Steven Yeun did an awesome job as Zuko! Dante Basco is a tough act to follow, and Steven Yeun, I felt, honored (ha) the gentle and passionate aspects of Zuko's personality.
The ABSOLUTE HOTNESS OF THE MAIN CAST. Great good gods, they aged like fine wine. Or... fine cactus juice? Tea? Idk. And as an OG Zuko girlie (I was his age during a majority of the show's run), it's honestly kind of nice to be able to have a once-again age-appropriate version of him to appreciate. I AM LOOKING RESPECTFULLY. I've also loved the various comments about how he's in his danmei era. That hair do be flowin'. ;P I know this is more Zuko-centric, but honestly, the rest of the cast are gorgeous too. I never really saw what the Aang girlies and lads saw in him, but my mind is very much changed after this movie. I see it now, I do!
Speaking of Zuko... I found it really interesting that his being on the throne was a complaint raised by several characters through the movie. It made me wonder if Avatar Studios are planning that to be the focus of a future movie. I hope so! We've obviously seen some similar themes throughout the comics, but it's definitely something that makes sense to be an ongoing issue that he encounters throughout his reign. There will always be people who were better off during the war because they benefited from the power or money it brought in, and who will be salty about any changes he implements. I feel like those themes could absolutely fill a movie or two, at least! I think back to the episode The Headband, when the Fire Nation students didn't know their own cultural dances. I think the comics also showed Zuko unearthing the history of the first firelord, if I remember right. I would love to see how Zuko navigates restoring the Fire Nation's international image after a hundred-year war while also rebuilding the Fire Nation culture that were suppressed by Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai in order to better regiment their own people against "the other."
The lion turtle graveyard. Omg, SUCH a cool concept!
The end; Aang's journey. I'll admit it; I got got by this movie. Several times. As the name suggests, this movie was for Aang. The series, I think, simply did not have enough time to dedicate a thorough exploration into the emotional, cultural, political, sociopolitical, and historic ramifications of the genocide of the air nomads, though the impact of that atrocity is felt for hundreds of years, into Korra's time (and likely longer, even beyond Harmonic Convergence and the return of Airbending on a large scale). It's especially important to Aang, who was directly impacted by the devastating loss of not only his home and culture, but his family. Nothing, not even the prospect of restoring Airbending or preserving his culture through his acolytes, will bring back the people he loved and lost, and that's a pain that surely remained through his entire life. So how does one close out such a story in a way that leaves the characters (and audience) satisfied? Things will never go back to the way they were... but they can move forward. I think the writers balanced that message very well with the discovery of the air bison herd--the original Airbenders. And when Aang was being corrupted by Sonum's staff, I loooooooved the fact it wasn't Katara who was able to bring him back to himself, or Zuko, or any of his friends. It was his memories of Gyatso and the other Airbenders. That was the other moment that got me. It was beautiful. Just like Guru Pathik said, their love will always be with him. And that knowledge and love, painful as they are, were able to center him and restore his control. The destruction of the staff was very poignant. Aang was destroying the very thing that would have helped him to achieve his dream of restoring Airbending, but what joy would there be if it was at the expense of the other nations? How would he be different from Zuko's predecessors if he'd gone through with it? Aang is an Air Nomad, but he's also the Avatar, and his responsibility is to all people. I think his decision was a good one, even if it was hard to let go of his own desires. And that's just who Aang is, isn't it? Bravo. Or should I say... "Flameo, sir."
Things I'm still not totally sold on:
The plot. Despite my love of the underlying messages this story left with us, I do think the plot was a smidge contrived. I'm pretty sure I've seen other show-inspired movies with very similar plots. I enjoyed Tagah overall, but his role in the story was quite predictable. Not bad, but... predictable. I did like that he could act as a foil for Aang in a way that no one else really could. I do appreciate that the creators had to thread a pretty small needle... making a story that offered some growth without creating continuity issues down the road. There's only so much that could be done, and even if it felt a little simplistic in some ways, I still had a great time.
The nonbender antagonists. I feel like the nonbenders of all these stories kind of get shafted. It's a difficult balance, for sure, because there is a lot of inequality portrayed between benders and nonbenders through this world's history, and only so much time in a movie or show to address everything. This was especially prevalent in Korra, and now in this movie, though such themes were lightly touched upon in the OG series through Sokka's feelings of inadequacy, as well at the Freedom Fighter's trauma, our ever-suffering cabbage merchant, and other nonbending characters that join the story at various points. The themes of inequality between benders and nonbenders often ends up portraying the nonbenders in a negative light. Their drive for equality is shown to manifest as a jealous rage, and there never seems to be a satisfying answer when these themes are raised. In the movie, only the woman who was saved by Aang at the beginning was able to find peace by joining the acolytes, but the others were shown as cleaning up Republic City. Which, fine, yes, they were responsible and should clean it up, but that didn't resolve the original point of their frustration. What's to stop them from trying something else later? The same can be said at the end of the first season of Korra--after Amon is revealed to be a Waterbender, did his nonbender followers simply go "oh well, that sucks" and go home? I don't think this theme is bad... it's actually VERY interesting! I also don't necessarily think any one Avatar can solve all the discourse between benders and nonbenders, just as they can't solve all the problems of the world forever. Times change, priorities shift. But in the context of the stories that broach such topics, they often are left feeling incomplete, and this movie is no exception.
The written language. Okay. This is brand new information, and I've only seen pictures that people took from the SDCC 2026 panel without context or explanation, so a lot of my knowledge is pure conjecture. Overall, I'm really sad to see that they're replacing the traditional Chinese script with a made-up language. Like I said before, the use of Chinese script in the OG show was one of the things that inspired my lifelong interest in Asian Studies. The characters made the world feel authentic and lived-in, especially since the creators brought in calligraphy experts to help keep everything accurate. Also, its use in this movie creates a bit of a continuity issue between their own IP, with the OG show using Chinese characters, the entire world switching to this new language and using it perfectly after only, like, thirteen years, and then switching back to Chinese characters in Korra's time (I've never actually looked, but... do they use simplified Chinese characters in Korra's era? That would have been interesting, if so). And then we add in the fact that Sonum's 5,000-year-old statue uses this "new" language too. It feels like it kind of cheapens one of the most beloved characteristics of ATLA. Even if they're hoping to incorporate inspiration from other cultures outside of those within China, to use a made-up language instead feels... weird. That said, if I squint, I can kind of understand the change from a certain perspective. The Avatar world is not based solely on Chinese cultures, or even East Asian cultures as a whole, and the creative team appears to be actively focusing on more Southeast Asian inspired aspects in their newer IP, between this movie and the upcoming show with Pavi. Which, honestly, I do love! Southeast Asia is gorgeous and diverse, and I'm excited to see those cultures represented more thoroughly in the ATLA universe! This new alphabet appears to be phonetic, and structurally similarly to how Korean is written (and possibly others? I don't know enough to say one way or another). While I already miss the Chinese script, and wish they'd kept it, I can appreciate that this new written language has the ability to broaden the overall scope of inspiration to other cultures in Asia (similarly to why I appreciated the new voice cast). That said, I do wish that, if they had to change it at all, that it had been implemented differently. I wish they'd kept Chinese script in the movie, and used this new language starting in Pavi's post-apocalyptic world instead. It could make sense that some things were lost to time, including written language. Making it something that exists randomly in Aang's time pulls up the roots of the world and makes it feels a little disjointed. All in all, I look forward to learning the reason for this change. My opinion might shift once I know more.
Missing you, Suki! I'm not the first person to voice my sadness that Suki wasn't part of the story. It seems like the creators addressed her absence, that she was originally going to be present, but that there's only so much time to dedicate to each character in a 90-minute standalone movie. Which, honestly... fair. I'm inclined to agree, from a storytelling perspective. Sometimes you have to "Kill Your Darlings" and it's not always an easy choice. Also missed were Iroh (though I did love the little Easter Egg of him and Zuko enjoying tea in the credits!), Mai, Ty Lee, and even possibly Azula! But if we get any more movies after this, I'm hopeful we'll get to see some more familiar faces. :)
RIP theater release. Yeah, there's not much I can say here that others haven't already said. Every moment I watched this movie was a moment I dearly wished I could see it on the silver screen. It was clearly made with that forum in mind, and I will never forgive Paramount for taking that experience from us in the name of a quick buck. I'm glad we got the movie at all, but that will forever be yet another notch in the hat of poorly-handled Avatar-related things. It brought back bad memories of Nickelodeon banishing the last season of Korra to obscure interweb viewing only. These companies truly do not appreciate the gold mine they possess (and regularly bungle). If only they would just let the artists do art.
Okay, I think I've written enough.
I so enjoyed this movie, and am beyond grateful that it exists. It's so fun to be able to get to know the Gaang as adults. There are flaws, sure, but honestly, I think they're far outweighed by the incredible characters and world. It's an amazing accomplishment (and super lucky for us fans) that we're able to enjoy new ATLA content even almost 20 years after the original show concluded. How many shows can say the same? We are truly so very fortunate.
THANK YOU to Mike, Bryan, and the creative team that brought this movie to life! Your hard work and dedication are so appreciated despite the many roadblocks you regularly face. Thank you for continuing to tell stories in this incredibly special world, and doing so with intention, respect, and integrity. I hope you're able to continue telling stories for as long as it brings you joy. I'll happily be along for every ride. Yip yip!
From ancient to abstract, this one sure got around.
Japanese one made no sense to me until I finally saw the âsale sale/sasa leleâ version. ăťăźăŤăăťăźăŤă But then itâs a meme so it has to be misspelled? đ¤ˇââď¸
This is the second time I've seen a video of this technique and this explanation is so clear! It does use more fabric than English paper piecing (EPP) but you end up with a double sided hexagon so don't have to source fabric for the backing.
I'm doing EPP at the moment but I have a hole punch to make the papers and just use leaflets and junk mail, so it doesn't feel wasteful. I don't think it's difficult either- in the video she mentions it's not for beginners, but I don't have that much experience with hand sewing or EPP and I've been finding it pretty easy so YMMV
Hey, re: reblogs in the Danmei Book Club... What do you mean by "extra uber special" to me? I don't post very much, and I just reblogged something yesterday, so I feel like this is partly directed at me. Lmao. I try to only repost relevant things that I think others there would like to see. I hope I wasn't partly the problem.
Hey there! Thanks SO much for checking in, but please donât worryâthis wasnât directed at you. I donât mean to make folks fearful of reblogging to the community, since I think itâs a fun way to keep it active and interesting for everyone! I think the number of earlier reblogs about the same topic (and for only one danmei series) were just getting a little overwhelming for some members, since they would push other conversations down the feed really quickly. Iâm trying to help pare that down a bit by encouraging folks to be mindful of what they send to the community. Time will tell if it helps, but Iâm open to feedback about other ways this might be handled outside of a cap on reblogs.
By âextra, uber special,â Iâm afraid Iâll still be annoyingly vague, because whatâs important to each person is so subjective. My main hope for the community is that the reblogs folks do curate for the rest of us to enjoy might incite thoughtful participation, or be something that members came across that really struck them as interesting, funny, beautiful, thought-provoking, etc.! Your recent reblog is a perfect example of something that might fit that bill!
Please rest-assured, no one is going to get kicked out for accidentally going over the weekly cap or reblogging âthe wrong thing.â My hope is to just encourage a little more variety in what we (the royal âweâ) send for the comminity to enjoy. I doubt this helped clear things up much, but hopefully it helped in some small way. đ Thank you again for checking in!
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