Maybe it is because it is a cartoon on Nickelodeon that didn't get much notice in South Africa. Maybe it is the unfortunate name that makes you think of tall blue aliens in 3D. Maybe it's because of the convoluted and miserable live action movie adaptation of the franchise. But a harmless little children's cartoon called Avatar The Last Airbender is probably the best show you have never seen.
It tells the story of Aang, a 12 year old boy and the last of his nomadic Airbender tribe that has to master all four of the elements before the Firebenders destroy the world. Sounds like standard afternoon kiddies cartoon fare you say. And at its roots it is, but in execution this little show is unlike anything you have ever seen on television.
The economy of story telling is exhilarating. Every single episode of the three seasons contributes to the ultimate 2 hour conclusion, the climax of which is on a scale you seldom even see on the big screen. The characters are complex and memorable: from the joyous Aang, and the unstoppable blind girl Toph, to his conflicted nemesis Zuko and his psychotic sister Azula, right down, to Momo, Aang's pet lemur-bat.
The animation is breathtaking, and follows mostly an Eastern style and setting, which has been softened to create a westernised anime. And then there is the bending: different martial arts that each creatively wield one of the four elements as a weapon. Every action sequence in this series, and there are too many to count, is original and visually satisfying - reminiscent almost of the Matrix, without the annoying flash time photography. And like the Matrix, the scale of the action grows and grows, so that when Aang finally faces the would be destroyer of the world in the grand finale their conflict is cataclysmic.
Despite all its merits, this will most probably remain the best show you have never seen. The damage done to this franchise by the disastrous, dark and lifeless movie adaptation of M. Night Shyamalan is probably just too much. Or perhaps the domain of Nickelodeon is just too foreign for those considering themselves connoisseurs of television. And it's too bad. Happiness can sometimes be found in the strangest of places.
Avatar repeats daily on weekdays on Nickelodeon. Times may vary.
