This scene still breaks my heart each and every single time I watch it.
Azula was a terrible, horrible person. She would have set the world aflame and laughed over the broken carcass of her brother.
But she was fourteen.
She was so ruined and twisted by her childhood and by her nation, driven to insanity by the expectations placed upon her.
Azula was bad and yet I can’t help but feel so terribly sorry for her.
“I don’t have sob stories like all of you.”
SHE WAS FOURTEEN WHAT
“My own mother….thought I was a monster. She was right, of course, but it still hurt.”
actually, i think one of the shows strengths is that they didn’t shy away from what a horrible tragedy this was. even though she was clearly a villain and did unspeakably awful things, this scene was still framed as sad. there was no celebrating- they just look at her sadly.
the music for the battle that leads up to this moment is sad too- it’s an epic battle, visually probably one of the biggest things done in the entire series, and they could have played it with thumping, energetic, dangerous music. but instead it’s quiet and somber. because the whole scenario is heartbreaking, and they know it.
i think the fact that a kid’s show had so much respect for it’s viewers and their ability to understand the complexity of this situation is what makes avatar great.
