Pretty much a nigh perfect season of television. With one exception ("Return to Omashu"), every episode in this is nigh flawless, and even the one that isn't is still a great episode. And what makes this season so great is how it so delicately balances it's cast, it's themes, and it's narrative. It's a more character centric season, benefiting from a tighter story and less location hopping as we stick to one place for a large chunk of it's runtime. And yet it never gets boring, instead earning every single development it has.
And it's not afraid to get darker either - for all Avatar's whimsy and humor, of which this season still has plenty, it's growing darkness allows the show to go to more philosophical places. The key here is in knowing it's audience and not talking down to them - these are simple lessons, sure, but profound ones too, and it's complimented by the fantastic action, superb animation, and brilliant character work. Such a great season and one of the best ever produced for animation.
Even though I love the first season's finale, my first feeling that this series can be something special is during Toph's introduction episodes, because "The Blind Bandit" - "Zuko Alone" - "The Chase" is a helluva run.
That promise is more than confirmed by the Ba Sing Se stretch that covers about half the season (from "The Serpent's Pass" to "Crossroads of Destiny"), which ranks up there with the most sustained best stretches of any show. All excellent to show-stopper, not a weak, or even just merely good, episode to be found. I love the many recurrent characters and their intersections, even right down to minor comic ones. Especially partial to the epic episodes, in which the actions are so, so good and inventive ("The Drill", "Lake Laogai", "The Crossroads of Destiny"). "Appa's Lost Days" isn't one of those but so format-breaking, and intense (but never exploitative) in its animal-in-peril depiction that I love it about the same anyway. Speaking of, Appa is one of the great animated creatures ever, a very Miyazaki mix of the cuddly, the whimsy, and animal rough instinct.
First season was good but that was just about it. When I started the second one it seemed that would go in the same direction but after the introduction of Toph, this season just keept getting better and better...
9/10
9/10, better finale than s1, not sure which season I liked more. I like how kind Katara is but I dislike how Aang is just constantly simping for her when, although she clearly likes him, she shows it a lot less. Their relationship dynamic is not terrible but it is not great either. She treats him like a kid and it makes it just seem really awkward tbh. Rayla and Callum's relationship in The Dragon Prince seemed a lot more mutual and they weren't constantly cucking each other and making each other jealous and it was a lot more satisfying overall. They also got more moments despite being a much shorter show.
wtf was that screaming guy lol, the Kyoshi sequence was also really cool in episode 5. I also like the extremely realistic dynamic of the two girls Katara and Toph not being able to get along and being very mean to each other. Toph is a great addition though, really like her. Perfect sassy blind midget girl. And the constant blind jokes are hilarious.
I'm also realizing that I slightly dislike Aang as a protagonist. I would like if he matured a bit more as the journey went on. None of the male characters are very likeable except the fire nation uncle now that I think about it. Jet is also annoying. He's barely present but he is only made to add anxiety to Aang and Katara's relationship. Probably some bs feminist message on a "females journey of self discovery" using woke terms. Just comes off as cucking Aang like this is a South Korean drama. Can tell the idea came from a woman also because mediocre women fantasize about guys fighting over them. One other way you can tell it is from a woman is because Jet is a "freedom fighter* which women think is a man who is attractive and masculine like right wing men, but stands up for liberal ideals instead.
Anyway, I am just going to pretend Jet does not exist, because it is literally impossible to watch any western show without strategically ignoring all the woke garbage. He is also horribly written and so is his relationship with Katara, which could could not exist and have 0 impact on the show. It would literally be as easy as erasing a few lines and they would have close to no connection at all actually.
And Sokka also moved on awfully quick from Yue. Maybe the writers just have no idea how to write romance or something. That bothers me less though because he is a meme character that does nothing but look stupid.
I can also clearly tell that had trouble with Nickelodeon's censors. Would have been a better show if they had been allowed more freedom.
ATLA Book 2 was another great season!
It was not a perfect season in my opinion, but there were still many admirable things about it. Likeable main cast, entertaining episodes, great animation, interesting story lines, and good character development.
The animations were great and fun to watch, specifically the fighting and action scenes.
Pacing and voice acting were also great.
The overall main story line and other sub plots were both interesting. We also met new characters.
I've grown to like the main characters (the Gaang) even more. It's fun to see their adventures together as well as their interactions. The main characters were multifaceted with both positive and negative traits. They get into arguments and disagreements. Luckily most issues get resolved and the characters even apologize. They have their strengths and weaknesses, but together they were more powerful. My favorite characters outside Aang were Toph and Uncle Iroh.
In terms of the antagonists, they were also entertaining. Azula was actually intimidating and genuinely evil, probably more than Zuko. At this point, I still felt a bit conflicted with my opinion on him. He was complicated and angsty. I enjoyed following his journey outside the Fire Nation with Uncle Iroh. He did have some goodness, but when he went back to the fire nation & helped taking out Aang, I was disappointed.
Some dislikes: some of the romance and jokes. I know this show was made more than a decade ago, so some of the writing feel very outdated.
Overall, season 2 was another roller coaster ride. It had another good mix of action, drama, heart and humor. I also genuinely laughed or chuckled at some lines and scenes throughout.
While my opinion of the first season was mostly positive, the second season took a marked turn to the worse.
Yeah yea, Iroh and Top had their moments and are pretty good characters. But the overarching plot is about infuriatingly incompetent adults in power, very convenient events that contribute nothing to the final outcome, setups with disappointing payoffs, and a penultimate episode that made me quit the show for good.
Maybe I would have liked it if I were a kid.
Cannot find this movie.....anywhere. Not on IMBD.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2020-06-04T13:08:46Z
A stronger season overall, although I didn't think it quite reached the highs of the first one. However, this was far more consistent throughout with pretty much no truly weak episodes. This show has captured my imagination and I'm continually impressed with the logical worldbuilding and how it it all grows. Our characters learn enough to be able to unleash their true abilities and it gives us some really stunning and endlessly creative action sequences in which you think, "oh, of course they would be able to do that!".
Toph is a great addition to the main characters, and I quite like Azula and her gang as antagonists (in particular, Ty Lee is really fun and I love her bizarre infatuation with Sokka). I had a few issues with things once the gang got to Ba Sing Se where the overall narrative really seems to stall. This sorts itself out eventually, but I can't say it's my favourite place to spending all these episodes.
Mostly, I really love seeing the development of all these characters. They are staying true to themselves while also learning and growing. Katara maybe my favourite aspect of the show, and I love how her abilities have developed into making her a truly formidable opponent. But she's also the real emotional heart of things. However, the show may be shining best when it comes to Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh who are compelling with every moment of screen time they are given.