Hi! I've been watching natla and here are some opinions about it.
Season 1, Episode 4
In the first conversation between Sokka and the Mechanist, there's a weird cut in the scene very noticeable in the audio. I'm not the kind to notice these things, so the fact that I noticed and it bothered me(took me out? No se como se dice) means it was BIG. Damn it didn't think I would have to complain about things like this.
How is Zuko going unnoticed in disguise? I don't think it's very believable honey.
The Aang and Bumi flashback feels so unnecessary. The original flashback was to demonstrate how the city worked with the whole cart thingy. But I must add Gordon is so charming as Aang. He really was born for this role.
Bumi's make up is ridiculous. I'm sorry but what is that.
We didn't need a scene of Katara acquiring her waterskin. It's a bag to carry drinking water. It's already weird that she didn't have one as a traveler.
Bumi being hopeless and kind mean... it's also a decision that we'll have to role with sadly. You see, I don't want to criticize every change made in the adaptation as I found live-actions-movies-remakes where they change nothing and are a frame by frame copy of an animation very lame. However, why change this? Bumi IS a weird character in the cartoon, but he is preparing Aang for what he'll have to deal with at war against the Fire Nation. Later on, we are told Bumi belongs to a secret organization that is fighting the Fire Nation in secret. So... why adapt him like this?
I don't really mind the season 2 plot lines adapted into season 1, but the seasons were so that each element was introduced to both Aang and the audience in the order the avatar must learn them. And I don't know if the tunnel people make sense here? They were Nomads in the original, that's why they acted differently... or am I mistaken? Also, why is Sokka getting distracted so easily when Aang is in danger?
Katara complaining about not being taken seriously makes little to no sense. What exactly has she done to deserve being treated like an adult? And Sokka is just not trusting her judgment, but Katara has not shown to read maps or something that makes her more capable of guiding them in the tunnels. They are giving them the conflicts that the cartoon siblings had to this pair of siblings that don't share the same dynamic. AND in a plot line that originally followed romantic tension/conflict between Aang and Katara, with Sokka on his own!
YES KATARA MAKE SOKKA CRY YESS. Fake ass resolution to the fight between siblings, by the way.
*About the removal of Sokka's misogyny, the sequel (this time including the removal of Katara's stereotyical femininity) : his misogynistic beliefs directly affected his relationship with Katara. Very famously, the dynamic between the siblings is that they raised each other, Sokka being responsible for Katara's well-being, and Katara getting parentified by Sokka and held responsible for the "womanly duties" like sewing and cooking. Sokka was competent in hunting and protecting the village, not going to deny that, but for Katara, he was first the brother she had to wash clothes for. This dynamic is based on GENDER. Sokka doesn't worry himself with Katara's "womanly duties," making his younger sister responsible for them because he is "above" them. This is one of the things that causes disagreement between the siblings. They are trying to replace the dynamic for a "older vs younger" stereotype, but the characters are not given the time, action, depth, and not even the dialog enough to make it believable. Katara DOES rely on her brother for more things than he does her. She doesn't have any role or responsibility in the group to clame maturity or autonomy for others to see her as any other thing than Sokka's little sister. They removed the misogyny from making a landmark in Sokka's relationships and Katara's upbringing, but they couldn't delete it from the writer's department. (In addition: Katara's caregiver role also tides back to the whole hope motif, which is not being shown yet)
Listen: I know Iroh is redeemed, but I like that he still has to face the consequences of what he did. He was not a good man just because he was nice to his family. And even if he corrected his way of thinking, he couldn't correct what he already did. So yeah, I liked the scenes between him and the Omashu soldier UNTIL I felt the need to clarify: Iroh is not a victim of war. He was and is not a good guy, as he still is helping Zuko and the Fire Nation in consequence! He should've said he was sorry!
"I was a soldier" Honey, you were a commander. It's not the same.
I'm having the impression Iroh is not redeemed, not joke. Is he with the good ones on this series or not? If, at the end, it is revealed that he hasn't changed sides of the war, then this is good! If not, then no, this is not what a redeemed character should act like.
Uy flashbacks!! And we finally have Iroh and Ozai interactions! Do they even interact in the cartoon?
If they justify Iroh helping Zuko by THIS interaction in Lu Ten's funeral, then I'm rolling with it as long as he wasn't that involved with his niblings from before. In the cartoon, it gives the impression Iroh abandons Azula to Ozai, declaring her "crazy." There's a lot of speculation as to why is this, but if you tell me that he chooses Zuko for the comfort he gave him in the funeral, and for caring about Lu Ten when no one else really did, then okey, I take it.
HEY IS THAT LEAVES FROM A VINE!?!??!?!
Katara didn't have enough information to get to the conclusion of the blind badgermoles reacting to emotions. I like the change, tho. This whole plot felt weird, but it was a clever way to incorporate the secret tunnel episode as it is very loved. It had potential, but it was not handled well.
With Iroh and Bumi being so different, I'm going to assume the White Lotus is not the same as in the cartoon (as Iroh is also kinda different). Maybe there is not White Lotus in natla! Who cares! Even if it was what allowed Zuko and Iroh to settle in Ba Sing Se and those who were responsible for holding back the Fire Nation on the Final Battle, they are not really that important, am I right? (That was sacasm, I'm kinda worried about how they could fill those plots)
Bumi blaming Aang in such a cruel tone is actually sweet. I don't understand if Bumi knew somehow that Aang was the Avatar from before or if he realized at the reunion, but from his perspective, it is really messed up. Picture thinking your friend died in a genocide, and you go on living a whole life fighting at war, until he comes back, still a child, saying that he was scared of facing the nation you have been fighting all those years, so he went out for a night and got stuck... it's not reasonable but realistic for him to be vexed and resentful.
Fake ass resolution. Writers, please. I've read fanfics ON WATTPAD with better conflict resolution. That was too deep of a conflict for a resolution like that.
Listen again: Zuko is too kind to Iroh, which is not bad, but it's starting to feel like he has nothing to redeem himself about. Og Zuko was evil. Sure, he was kinder than Azula, but you can be both occasionally kind and always wrong. Besides, Zuko loses his childhood kindness at some point before the star of the cartoon. So, really, this IS going to be a storytelling problem eventually.
This review took me a little bit more time as I had trouble expressing some opinions. I hope the ideas come across. Also, this was a very uninteresting episode, ngl.
