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Aaaaavatar (with squee! and screencaps, even!)
Now up to 2x13. This time I think I'll address individual episodes, since they all become a blur otherwise! Also, this is where the squeaking and flailing really starts in earnest. Screencaps are from AvatarSpirit.net.
2x05 - Avatar Day
Actually I found this one a bit meh. Plenty of cute/fun bits, but not overly remarkable. I think the only specific thing I want to mention about this one is that I really love that Aang has female as well as male past lives; I adore the show for not taking the easy, safe route and just sticking to all-male incarnations.
2x06 - The Blind Bandit
TOPH! ♥ ♥ ♥
The one spoiler about the series that I already had was Toph's addition to the cast, because she's mentioned often enough on multifandom blogs and whatnot (usually in lists of characters with disabilities and that sort of thing) that I really couldn't avoid knowing about her. But I didn't really know anything else about her, other that that she was blind and an earthbender, and a general idea of what she looked like.
And she is every bit as awesome as everyone says. One of the things that had bugged me a little about the series (not hugely, because I was loving it otherwise) was that there was only one girl in the main cast and she fit the typical trope of having largely passive powers/abilities -- the healer, the calm one (usually!), the less crazy one trying to smooth over the boys' antics. This is by no means a dealbreaker for me because I actually really love that kind of female character (usually finding them easier to love and relate to than the asskicking kind, though it really depends on the character), and besides, Katara can fight and never gets sidelined: this show is very good about giving all its characters their moment in the sun. But the cliche of water/healing powers=girl character bugged me a bit.
And now we have Toph, and balance, so to speak, is restored. :D Because Toph is the very antithesis of the typical girl heroine, and I love how the show itself even plays heavily with that ("She's blind! And tiny! And fragile!" bwahaha). I love, love, love that the tiny, twelve-year-old blind girl is the one with the strength-based, brute-force powers, the one who has trouble being a team player, the one who's even blunter than Sokka at speaking her mind. And now I can love Katara wholeheartedly without having that little niggle at the back of my brain: did the waterbender/healer have to be the only girl on the team? 'cause now, she's not. Oh, show.
While I'm talking about that episode, I also really loved how they sidestepped nearly all of the shounen-anime tournament cliches that I was so fully expecting when the earthbending tournament was announced, instead going for more of a WWF kind of thing. THANK YOU, SHOW!
2x07 - Zuko Alone
Oh dear. You really know how to play a fangirl heart like a finely tuned violin, don't you, Show? If I wasn't already crushing on Zuko a bit, this episode was the last nail in the coffin. I am gone.
Quite shallowly, I like the new hairstyle on him. I like the new hairstyle a lot. Actually, I am gleeing all over Zuko's storyline this season; bereft of money or allies (except Iroh, obviously), forced to live off his wits (ha, he's so doomed) and hide who he really is ... it's good for him! (Except for the whole stealing from poor people who helped you. That's really just not on, Zuko. Let's have more of the awesome, less of the suck, shall we?)
Anyway, this episode ... Zuko at rock bottom! And his Tragic Past! Which ... you know, there's a part of me that almost wants to laugh, because it's so tragic and so woobie. And yet ... I can't, because I love so much that he's not a gifted firebending prodigy and the apple of his father's eye. He was the child who wasn't naturally skilled and talented, who had to work and work for every small victory, constantly falling short and being shoved aside and left behind. And yet he still kept struggling on, trying to be the son that his father wanted. I assume that he learned to fight with swords because of his general suck at firebending -- and he got good at it, good at both, not because of raw talent, but because of dedication and stubbornness and hard work.
You can't not love that.
And I absolutely love how the show revealed what happened with his mother. While most of Zuko's backstory was subtle as an anvil to the face, I was seriously impressed at the delicate touch of the resolution to the flashback story. They did a masterful job of a) staying totally in Zuko's POV (never showing us anything that he hadn't seen/heard), and b) avoiding any hint of violence or gore. And yet, we got the full story regardless: that his mother killed his grandfather to protect him from assassination, and then fled.
Oh! And Iroh! We finally found out what happened at Ba Sing Se -- his son. Oh, Iroh. No wonder he holds on to Zuko as hard as he does.
But, lest the story get too serious, we still have stuff like this:
*DIES*
(I really hope the design team on this show got some awards for it. It's brilliant, all of it, though I have a special love for the weird, crazy, hilarious animals.)
Anyway, on the shallow end of things:
I have always, always had a thing for swordplay and swordfighters in anime. And this, um. Let's just say that the only way to make Zuko any hotter in this episode would be to literally set him on fire.
... oh, wait.
So, yeah. This episode kinda mashed my buttons a lot.
And then it got even better. Because next, there was:
2x08 - The Chase
This episode was another nonstop, start-to-finish squeefest. There was nothing I didn't love about it. This episode was nonstop tense and fast-paced, and yet, full of neat character moments too. How do they do that?
I love the kids being kids, and squabbling -- even Katara losing her cool and being every bit as bad as the rest of them. Because they are just teens and tweens, pushed into a terribly stressful situation ... and they act like it, which I adore.
Little Toph, being tiny and fierce and not needing anyone! And Appa, shedding, omg ... *laughs* And every time you see the characters, they're a little more covered with hair ... And it's not just a one-off joke, but an actual plot point!
The wicked ladies of the Fire Nation are back! And evil! And I love them!
Toph bonding with Iroh ... *squeak*. Too much awesome in one place! I really hope that this isn't just a brief one-off meeting, but something that'll be picked up again in future episodes. (I hope?)
And the climax of the episode was pure awesomesauce. They are totally outdoing themselves with the fight scenes this season. And I adore battle scenes where you have a bunch of different factions running around, attacking each other in various combinations. Eeeee! And then, of course, that final scene ...
They all make a pretty cool team when they're not trying to kill each other!
And then Zuko gets smacked in the face with the fact that there is, actually, something more important to him than catching the Avatar.
Way to deal with people who are trying to help you, Zuko. Still, he very clearly and obviously gave up a prime chance to take down Aang, choosing Iroh instead. There is something to be said for that.
Also, I am waiting -- WAITING! -- for Katara to use her healing powers on one of her friends. (Or an enemy, for that matter. I nominate Zuko. *g*) It's going to happen! I'm sure it is! The fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me think that they might be saving it up for something dramatic. *hopes*
I actually thought they might've killed Iroh here. The start of the next episode made me go "BUT WHAT ABOUT IROH?!"
2x09 - Bitter Work
While it's difficult to top the total squeefests of the last couple of episodes, this one came pretty close. And nothing actually happened! Just two parallel training sequences, plus Sokka being stuck down a hole. And yet it was a little joyfest of character interaction. I LOVE THIS SHOW LIKE BURNIIIIIING.
"You're awfully cute. Too bad you're made of MEAT!" Oh, Sokka. ♥ ♥ ♥
And I love it when Zuko smiles:
... because he almost never does; I think there was one other time so far, and I'm pretty sure Iroh was responsible for that one, too.
Sokka and his stuck-in-a-hole monologues slayed me. (Also: saber-toothed moose lion! ♥ How do they come up with these things?)
2x10 - The Library & 2x11 - The Desert
These didn't completely bowl me over with squee, although probably because my squee-o-meter was permanently pegged into the red by the last three episodes. But we have more plot! And Toph HOLDING UP A GIGANTIC BUILDING all by her tiny self! And Sokka on hallucinogenic cactus!
I adore the sibling dynamics between these two. They are such a perfectly convincing, hilarious, adorable brother and sister pair.
2x12 - The Serpent's Pass
More worldbuilding! And we get to see Suki again! ♥
I love how complex this world is, and how the war isn't just a clashing of armies, but something that's affecting every part of the land, and the lifestyles of the people who live on it. (Also, Zuko and Iroh as refugees still hasn't gotten old.)
This was ridiculously adorable:
... even if she did think she was kissing someone else.
And I really loved how Sokka is still haunted by Uwe (sp?) and her death.
Also, Sokka getting all serious and hero-y totally gives me heartflips every time.
Even if it's in the cause of trying to protect a woman who's way more badass than he'll ever be. He tries!
2x13 - The Drill
This was an all-around fun episode -- nothing that really made me do backflips of fannish glee, but fun and entertaining.
Sokka: "It's so dark, I can't see a thing!"
Toph: "Oh no. What a nightmare."
Sokka: "... sorry."
*dies and is dead*
And I loved the little exchange between the kids while they were sabotaging the drill -- something about being the hope of the whole world, and Sokka's semi-joking "Except for the Fire Nation!" Because that's another thing I love about this show -- the Fire Nation isn't just a bunch of faceless mooks, but they're people, and the war is a tragedy for both sides. The show does a halfway decent job of keeping that in mind, and making sure that we don't forget it, either.
Um, wow. This is long. XD More episodes now?
2x05 - Avatar Day
Actually I found this one a bit meh. Plenty of cute/fun bits, but not overly remarkable. I think the only specific thing I want to mention about this one is that I really love that Aang has female as well as male past lives; I adore the show for not taking the easy, safe route and just sticking to all-male incarnations.
2x06 - The Blind Bandit
TOPH! ♥ ♥ ♥
The one spoiler about the series that I already had was Toph's addition to the cast, because she's mentioned often enough on multifandom blogs and whatnot (usually in lists of characters with disabilities and that sort of thing) that I really couldn't avoid knowing about her. But I didn't really know anything else about her, other that that she was blind and an earthbender, and a general idea of what she looked like.
And she is every bit as awesome as everyone says. One of the things that had bugged me a little about the series (not hugely, because I was loving it otherwise) was that there was only one girl in the main cast and she fit the typical trope of having largely passive powers/abilities -- the healer, the calm one (usually!), the less crazy one trying to smooth over the boys' antics. This is by no means a dealbreaker for me because I actually really love that kind of female character (usually finding them easier to love and relate to than the asskicking kind, though it really depends on the character), and besides, Katara can fight and never gets sidelined: this show is very good about giving all its characters their moment in the sun. But the cliche of water/healing powers=girl character bugged me a bit.
And now we have Toph, and balance, so to speak, is restored. :D Because Toph is the very antithesis of the typical girl heroine, and I love how the show itself even plays heavily with that ("She's blind! And tiny! And fragile!" bwahaha). I love, love, love that the tiny, twelve-year-old blind girl is the one with the strength-based, brute-force powers, the one who has trouble being a team player, the one who's even blunter than Sokka at speaking her mind. And now I can love Katara wholeheartedly without having that little niggle at the back of my brain: did the waterbender/healer have to be the only girl on the team? 'cause now, she's not. Oh, show.
While I'm talking about that episode, I also really loved how they sidestepped nearly all of the shounen-anime tournament cliches that I was so fully expecting when the earthbending tournament was announced, instead going for more of a WWF kind of thing. THANK YOU, SHOW!
2x07 - Zuko Alone
Oh dear. You really know how to play a fangirl heart like a finely tuned violin, don't you, Show? If I wasn't already crushing on Zuko a bit, this episode was the last nail in the coffin. I am gone.
Quite shallowly, I like the new hairstyle on him. I like the new hairstyle a lot. Actually, I am gleeing all over Zuko's storyline this season; bereft of money or allies (except Iroh, obviously), forced to live off his wits (ha, he's so doomed) and hide who he really is ... it's good for him! (Except for the whole stealing from poor people who helped you. That's really just not on, Zuko. Let's have more of the awesome, less of the suck, shall we?)
Anyway, this episode ... Zuko at rock bottom! And his Tragic Past! Which ... you know, there's a part of me that almost wants to laugh, because it's so tragic and so woobie. And yet ... I can't, because I love so much that he's not a gifted firebending prodigy and the apple of his father's eye. He was the child who wasn't naturally skilled and talented, who had to work and work for every small victory, constantly falling short and being shoved aside and left behind. And yet he still kept struggling on, trying to be the son that his father wanted. I assume that he learned to fight with swords because of his general suck at firebending -- and he got good at it, good at both, not because of raw talent, but because of dedication and stubbornness and hard work.
You can't not love that.
And I absolutely love how the show revealed what happened with his mother. While most of Zuko's backstory was subtle as an anvil to the face, I was seriously impressed at the delicate touch of the resolution to the flashback story. They did a masterful job of a) staying totally in Zuko's POV (never showing us anything that he hadn't seen/heard), and b) avoiding any hint of violence or gore. And yet, we got the full story regardless: that his mother killed his grandfather to protect him from assassination, and then fled.
Oh! And Iroh! We finally found out what happened at Ba Sing Se -- his son. Oh, Iroh. No wonder he holds on to Zuko as hard as he does.
But, lest the story get too serious, we still have stuff like this:
*DIES*
(I really hope the design team on this show got some awards for it. It's brilliant, all of it, though I have a special love for the weird, crazy, hilarious animals.)
Anyway, on the shallow end of things:
I have always, always had a thing for swordplay and swordfighters in anime. And this, um. Let's just say that the only way to make Zuko any hotter in this episode would be to literally set him on fire.
... oh, wait.
So, yeah. This episode kinda mashed my buttons a lot.
And then it got even better. Because next, there was:
2x08 - The Chase
This episode was another nonstop, start-to-finish squeefest. There was nothing I didn't love about it. This episode was nonstop tense and fast-paced, and yet, full of neat character moments too. How do they do that?
I love the kids being kids, and squabbling -- even Katara losing her cool and being every bit as bad as the rest of them. Because they are just teens and tweens, pushed into a terribly stressful situation ... and they act like it, which I adore.
Little Toph, being tiny and fierce and not needing anyone! And Appa, shedding, omg ... *laughs* And every time you see the characters, they're a little more covered with hair ... And it's not just a one-off joke, but an actual plot point!
The wicked ladies of the Fire Nation are back! And evil! And I love them!
Toph bonding with Iroh ... *squeak*. Too much awesome in one place! I really hope that this isn't just a brief one-off meeting, but something that'll be picked up again in future episodes. (I hope?)
And the climax of the episode was pure awesomesauce. They are totally outdoing themselves with the fight scenes this season. And I adore battle scenes where you have a bunch of different factions running around, attacking each other in various combinations. Eeeee! And then, of course, that final scene ...
They all make a pretty cool team when they're not trying to kill each other!
And then Zuko gets smacked in the face with the fact that there is, actually, something more important to him than catching the Avatar.
Way to deal with people who are trying to help you, Zuko. Still, he very clearly and obviously gave up a prime chance to take down Aang, choosing Iroh instead. There is something to be said for that.
Also, I am waiting -- WAITING! -- for Katara to use her healing powers on one of her friends. (Or an enemy, for that matter. I nominate Zuko. *g*) It's going to happen! I'm sure it is! The fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me think that they might be saving it up for something dramatic. *hopes*
I actually thought they might've killed Iroh here. The start of the next episode made me go "BUT WHAT ABOUT IROH?!"
2x09 - Bitter Work
While it's difficult to top the total squeefests of the last couple of episodes, this one came pretty close. And nothing actually happened! Just two parallel training sequences, plus Sokka being stuck down a hole. And yet it was a little joyfest of character interaction. I LOVE THIS SHOW LIKE BURNIIIIIING.
"You're awfully cute. Too bad you're made of MEAT!" Oh, Sokka. ♥ ♥ ♥
And I love it when Zuko smiles:
... because he almost never does; I think there was one other time so far, and I'm pretty sure Iroh was responsible for that one, too.
Sokka and his stuck-in-a-hole monologues slayed me. (Also: saber-toothed moose lion! ♥ How do they come up with these things?)
2x10 - The Library & 2x11 - The Desert
These didn't completely bowl me over with squee, although probably because my squee-o-meter was permanently pegged into the red by the last three episodes. But we have more plot! And Toph HOLDING UP A GIGANTIC BUILDING all by her tiny self! And Sokka on hallucinogenic cactus!
I adore the sibling dynamics between these two. They are such a perfectly convincing, hilarious, adorable brother and sister pair.
2x12 - The Serpent's Pass
More worldbuilding! And we get to see Suki again! ♥
I love how complex this world is, and how the war isn't just a clashing of armies, but something that's affecting every part of the land, and the lifestyles of the people who live on it. (Also, Zuko and Iroh as refugees still hasn't gotten old.)
This was ridiculously adorable:
... even if she did think she was kissing someone else.
And I really loved how Sokka is still haunted by Uwe (sp?) and her death.
Also, Sokka getting all serious and hero-y totally gives me heartflips every time.
Even if it's in the cause of trying to protect a woman who's way more badass than he'll ever be. He tries!
2x13 - The Drill
This was an all-around fun episode -- nothing that really made me do backflips of fannish glee, but fun and entertaining.
Sokka: "It's so dark, I can't see a thing!"
Toph: "Oh no. What a nightmare."
Sokka: "... sorry."
*dies and is dead*
And I loved the little exchange between the kids while they were sabotaging the drill -- something about being the hope of the whole world, and Sokka's semi-joking "Except for the Fire Nation!" Because that's another thing I love about this show -- the Fire Nation isn't just a bunch of faceless mooks, but they're people, and the war is a tragedy for both sides. The show does a halfway decent job of keeping that in mind, and making sure that we don't forget it, either.
Um, wow. This is long. XD More episodes now?