Avatar – The last airbender

A TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND DESTINY…

Avatar – The Last Airbender is an American cartoon series aired on Nickelodeon. In almost all good cartoon lovers, this is remarked as one of the best there is; though, it cannot be ranked among the legendary “Tom & Jerry”.

The story, in short is about saving the world from the ruthless Fire nation who are about to conquer the world and throw it out of its peaceful balance. In the fictional context, the world is divided into four nations named after the four ancient elements – Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Besides this, people of each nation have the ability to control the elements using martial arts of different styles. The Air nomads are monks who are brought up in the ways of spiritual philosophy. The Water tribes dwell at the polar ice caps and are cultural artisans and their bending, i.e. waterbending, is more fluid and incorporates healing abilities such. The earth kingdom is more political and though with an imperial leadership, it follows a steady system of government. Their bending is similar, i.e. follows the mentality of a stubborn and steadfast nature. Fire nation is completely hierarchical and industrial. They are the only group of people who use metal and their mental setup is more similar to Adolf Hitler during World War II. They have a natural thirst for power and are ruthless. In this entire hullabaloo, the most powerful of all is the Avatar. The Avatar is the only one who has the ability to bend all four elements at the same time and has other powers such as to contact the spirit world. It is prophesized, that the Avatar is the only person who can restore balance when there is chaos. The Avatar spirit is a life cycle and is born into each nation, one per generation, the cycle being air, water earth and fire.

                                         

The concept is quite imaginative, and a story emerges on this backdrop. Aang is the Avatar, an airbender. After the previous Avatar Roku’s death, the Firelord (king of the fire nation), Sozin, wiped out all the Air nomads knowing that the Avatar would be reborn into the Air nomads. By some miraculous luck Aang escapes, but is frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years. He is then discovered near the South Pole by Katara and Sokka, two kids from the southern water tribe. The story then begins and follows Aang’s learning of the four elements while the Fire nation tries to hunt him.

In this series we see the power of the bond of friendship, the importance of family, and the reward of trust. We are allegorically made aware of the evils of the modern world, of how we should not be driven by a lust for power, how we should care for nature and most of all the people around us. It teaches us the moral values of respect and of honor; it portrays the difference in class of society; and gives a visual of most of the proverbs we’ve come to know in our youth. Spanning over an epic trilogy of seasons, this tale will take the viewer through an entertaining ride through comedy, romance, action and adventure. It is an altogether family package worth watching. Enjoy people!!!