And the attention war between Katara and Aang begins. First Katara wouldn't give Aang attention so he got attention from a bunch of Avatar fan girls- then she is jelous of the attention he is getting- how love begins.
Not as impressive as the first two episodes, but certainly still a good one in it's own right. Comedy is a strong part of Avatar's identity, and this is the first episode where it's clearly the focus for a large chunk of the episode. And while tastes vary in terms of what one finds funny, the comedic timing here is immaculate and has some fantastic visual gags. Of particular note is the famous "foaming mouth guy", as well as the frustrated painter, both of which are top tier gags.
The actual storyline of the episode is clearly a one off, at least for now as the show never truly has one offs save for one episode, but it works fine. It's mainly meant as a development piece for Sokka, whose casual sexism is confronted early and head on in order to make a point about femininity, warriors, and strength that's not as tacky as it could be. There is a nuance to the show that makes it leagues above other animated fare, even when it's a basic story like this one.
Dat kiss at the end... Bow chicka bow wow.
Sokka being a sexist *sshat and getting humbled instantly only for him to bown down on both knees to ask for forgiveness for it is one of the rare cases of proper character progression.
As a child I didn't know how good this was... But after all the horrible attempts at " feminism" in a toxic way, you learn to appreciate the good.
Tldr:
It's enjoyable to see characters grow in a healthy manner.
Thanks for hearing out my TED talk.
i love these kids down so bad. i didn't think these morality tales about not letting ego go to your head and respecting woman would hit all these years later but they do. also the kyoshi warriors fuck so hard and there's nothing more satisfying that a well choreographed fight between benders and non-benders.
i think my favourite small moment in the show was zuko taking the fish with him when he went to go find the avatar in kyoshi. iroh's expression of disappointment was just perfectly cartoon-y
This episode is so important to Aang’s growth as a character. Realizing the impact his actions — as the Avatar but especially as someone who has immense power — have on others is so central to the crux of the show in general. These early episodes are truly about a young boy getting a crash lesson in the ways of the world, but specifically the ways of a world at war. Aang may not yet entirely grasp the importance of his role in ending that war quite yet, but moments like these on Kyoshi, or like his last episode at the Southern Air Temple, are revealing that fact to him one hard lesson at a time.
Better comedy.
8/10
This show has so many good vibes.
I really like this episode - I think it's one of the best of Book 1. Perhaps it's just because Suki is such a great character and one I love coming back, perhaps it's because the Kyoshi warriors are iconic, perhaps it's because it's the start of Sokka's immense growth throughout the series, perhaps because it starts some of the subtler hints at Aang and Katara's relationship, but this episode really works. It's a simpler version of the show, granted, a rougher one too, but it strikes at the heart of what makes this show work and why it's great, if in a perhaps more blunt manner than later episodes do.
This episode works. It's a solid framework and a well-told story. It's the fundamentals done well. Perhaps not as well as they will be or could be, perhaps a little rushed, and perhaps a little haphazard, but everything is there, and it works.
And now there's me wondering if the Unagi warriors are a Friends reference...
Iroh: "You really should open a window in here." I like Sokka's story here, his outfit, & how blunt this show is about its feminist leanings. It's refreshing to see that in a 2005 show, considering those concepts are still way more controversial than they should be in 2020. I like that Zuko finds out where Aang is & tracks him down in the same episode; this show doesn't needlessly drag things out. The designs of the elephant koi & unagi are splendid.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-11-03T19:52:28Z
5.6/10. Well, we're back to mediocrity again. Sokka showing off a strawman chauvinist streak, getting his but kicked by badass female warriors, learning their ways, and then falling in love with his trainer was all very, very rushed and filled with narrative shortcuts and cliches. In the same way, Aang letting his notoriety go to his head on the island, with more uninspired Aang-Katara relationship drama on top of a stock lesson about how adoration is intoxicating but distracting, was weak broth as well.
It wasn't all bad. The giant coy and snake monster riding was set up nicely and well-animated by this show's standards. Similarly, the showdown with Prince Zuko happened way too quickly, but it had some neat moments of the Fire Nation taking on the Kyoshi warriors.
The real strength of the episode only came at the end, when Aang looked down at the Kyoshi village in flames and realized that he'd been the cause of this. It's as nice a resolution to a pretty hackneyed fame story for him as there could be, with there being real pathos in the realization that even as a local celebrity and chosen one, he can't enjoy himself and has to be careful about whom she shares his identity with because his simply being some place can leave it in ruins thanks to the people hunting for him. There's weight to that, and it's something that was missing from the rest of this cheesy episode.
Yet again, I find myself liking the ideas behind this show, but not so much the way the show puts them into practice.