ATLA Live-Action: Not All Fans are the Same

 I'm a huge fan of adaptations. Honestly, I am. Unlike remakes, adaptations bring with them the excitement of change. They're not meant to be frame-for-frame, word-for-word translations of their source material. I often look forward to what kind of changes will come, with the hope that they will expand on what already exists and forge new insight into the original's world. But dammit, adaptations sure are hit and miss.

When the live-action Avatar: the Last Airbender series was announced, there was an incredible wave of excitement. Many of us were understandably wary, but things looked good at the start. The original creators were on board and Netflix's general reputation of quality content (however long they last) gave us some assurance. Things fell apart toward the end, however, when the original creators once again stepped away due to "creative differences" and the list of odd changes to the story and its characters signaled a lot of red flags. But many of us held out and gave the show a shot.

Now, there has been a great amount of discourse surrounding this show. New and old fans have been clashing online over just about every aspect of the new series. Whether in support of or against it, there are interesting points to be made on both sides. But there is one fundamental issue that sits at the source of all this. Not every ATLA fan is the same, and an opinion greatly depends on what it is about the original that they connect with the most.

For me, spirituality sat as the essence of the original series. It is what both drew me in and kept me watching season after season. The world of Avatar was so vast and everything within it held significance, but an underlying spiritual presence was at the core of it all. The majority of screen time followed our main cast of human characters, but the encounters with animals and spirits of the world felt just as important. In some cases, more so. They were given equal weight and treatment in terms of presentation and storytelling.

The new ATLA live-action failed to deliver on that depth of spirituality, which led to my personal disconnect from it. The show made many changes that I can forgive and adapt to, but this departure was too much. Two key moments in particular stood out amongst them all.

Toph learning how to earthbend from the badgermoles.

In the Avatar world, badgermoles are noble creatures. Their history places them as the inspiration of modern earthbending. They are blind, music loving beasts that would never hurt anyone unless provoked. Their movements are powerful, yet restrained. You can see how many earthbending techniques are derived from the way they carefully navigate their environments, shifting their weight around in order to manipulate the earth around them. It is one of the things I enjoyed most about the animated series.

In the live-action, however, it seems all of that was thrown away. What was a peaceful, noble beast is instead introduced to us as a savage attacker. The badgermole shown in the live-action angrily engages Katara and Sokka, unprovoked and snarling viciously until it is calmed. Then, when it turns to depart the scene, it throws its body against a nearby wall and claws away at it like a rabid dog.

The second most notable instance was the treatment of the ocean spirit in the season's finale (yes I stuck with it to the end). In the original series, this is one of the most iconic moments. After witnessing the murder of its partner, the ocean spirit takes control of the Avatar in order to enact its revenge. Using the Avatar as a catalyst, it takes on a massive form and lays waste to the fire nation forces. The most beautiful thing about this moment, is that it is done in relevant silence. After the initial line of "No, it's not over," the ocean spirit takes action with nothing but a powerful score backing its actions. As a spirit as old as time, there is a great level of reservation in its attacks. It moves gracefully through the northern water tribe's village, calmly and effortlessly laying waste to the fire nation soldiers in its path. I find it difficult to explain, but the power of this spirit is quite clearly displayed through its peaceful rage.

In the live action, the ocean spirit is presented as (once again) a shell of its origin. Aang is given the introductory line as if he has control of the situation and is choosing the bond with the spirit. Then, after bonding with the Avatar and taking its massive form, the ocean spirit is reduced (as with the badgermole) to a roaring beast, flailing violently in its rage. And as if the spirit were not present in the preceding scene, Princess Yue comments that, in its rage, it is doomed to walk the earth, forever searching for its love.

This is a spirit as old as time, with powers far beyond that of any of the characters we know. Its display of power was a testament to the underlying story of how separated the physical and spiritual worlds had become. There was a strong message within the way in which it took control of the mindless human war that had interfered with its peaceful existence. The ocean spirit having full autonomy and power over the situation was a key moment in laying the roots of future storytelling within the Avatar-verse. It, again, felt like a cheap dilution of what I believed to be an important aspect of the original show.

Now, I could honestly write a thesis paper on all the changes the live action made that took away from the original rather than add to it. However, as I stated earlier, the key factor in connecting with the new adaptation (or not) is figuring out what it is that drew you to the original series in the first place. For a lot of folks, so long as the bending looked cool, they were in. For others, all it took was the presence of a certain character. The pool of fans is incredibly large, but no two fans are the same. We all connect to the series in a myriad of ways and, therefore, our opinions would divert no matter what direction a new series or adaptation went in. The most important thing is to just let things be. If there are people who enjoy the new show, let them. And if some of us need to part ways with it due to lack of connection, let us be. There really isn't any reason for the combative discourse.

And who knows? Maybe another season or two will give this show the ability to grow into something we can all love and appreciate.

My Art Style

It's so hard to define one's artistic motif, but it's one of the most important parts of an artist's career. Or any career, for that matter. With the popularity of the big companies such as Disney, Cartoon Network, and Dreamworks, it becomes a common thing for artists to cater their design skills to that one big dream job. They often let go of what makes them special in favor of flocking together with the familiar. I, too, found myself falling into this pattern. During my years in art school, I tried so hard to tweak my art so that it would match the big name companies that all our teachers kept babbling on about, claiming them as the goals we should all be reaching for. I saw so many of my peers stressing themselves out because their work, although fantastic in its own right, looked nothing to the level of the animated films they ached to have been a part of. It was a very uncomfortable environment. I had always loved my drawings, but it seemed as if they would never be good enough unless they looked so much like all the things that had already been done. As if being in the business of animation was limited to five measly locations in California. The end result of this type of environment was, however, not having produced Disney quality students ready for their dream job. It instead weakened the hearts and confidence of many fantastic artists who seemed unable to view themselves as good enough for the industry, and I have had enough of that.

My art style is in no way Disney-esque or Cartoon Network quality. My work is that of Christopher Atkins and none other. If I were to give it a title, it would be 'comicky.' I am a cartoonist who absolutely loves and grew up on comic books, and my art exists in an interesting middle-ground between the two. It took me way too long to be proud and acknowledge this, but today I look at all my work with a great, big smile. My drawings make me happy. My unique style is inspired by things I personally connect with, rather than emulative of what too much of our society deems 'successful' animation. I do still have moments of doubt, though, due to experiences like the one mentioned earlier. The drawing above took me some time to accept, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I could add more details or introduce more shading, but the cartoonist in me loves a level of simplicity in each of my drawings. I love the way it turned out and am more than happy to post it here.

Be proud of your artwork. Accept who you are. If we were all meant to be the same, the world would be a very different place.

Legend of Korra Finale - Baby Steps

I may write a full review of The Legend of Korra's series finale later, but this moment shown above deserves its own mention. While I may not have been a huge fan of the way the scene was written (dialogue was a bit weak), I did enjoy the fact that the creators, as well as Nickelodeon, had no problem depicting a clear and obvious indication of a same-sex relationship. Korra and Asami have been growing closer to one another for some time now, and the series ended last week with the two of them headed off into a new life together. It was beautiful to see the development of their relationship lead into something non-platonic, but of course there were limits. A kiss would have probably been too much of a statement, but it was unnecessary regardless.

While many LGBT outlets take things like this and hold it to a much higher platform than it deserves, we should definitely celebrate any baby steps toward full representation in media. The Avatar universe is already one of diversity, balance, and acceptance. There's no statement being made here other than one of consistency. It is for that reason I write this post commending the show.

If you missed last week's finale of Legend of Korra, catch it on Nick.com or look for showings on your Nicktoon network.



Love yourself. Be true to who you are, and don't allow yourself to be defined by the desires of others. This world belongs to everyone and we should celebrate diversity, not reject it.

Art Revisited

I have this drawing in my sketchbook from about 2 years ago, but never got around to doing anything with it. Call it procrastination if you will, but I finally decided to take it to digital and color it. I think it turned out great.

Original sketch. I think I gave up on the background haha

 I forgot where I originally got inspired for this, but there could be many sources. I love the Old West type characters and settings.

Colored Version. Gotta love that Photoshop.

I wonder what other treasures are waiting in the sketchbook vault. I should go through and check everything haha. This was way too fun. Away I go!

This bitch

After a rather ominous introduction at the end of last season, Legend of Korra's newest villain is (surprise!) Kuvira. Within a few minutes of watching the season 4 premiere, she's already been placed onto my "Needs an Ass Beating" list. Her occupation/conquering of the Earth Kingdom is clearly corrupt, and I cannot wait to see her throw down with Team Avatar.

Her tactics are much like another of my favorite villains; Najara from Xena: Warrior Princess. Both fight against bandits and give them a pretty far-fetched ultimatum; join them or be executed. If that's any sign of where this season of Korra is headed, Kuvira is gonna go batshit crazy before being taken down.

Najara, pre-psychotics. Xena: Warrior Princess

Can't wait!

Atkins Review: The Legend of Korra Finale

I know I'm a bit late with this review (seeing as how the newest season has already kicked off), but wow! What a season that was for Legend of Korra! The finale did not disappoint as everything leading up to it came to a head. No punches were pulled during the final battle. Lives were lost and consequences were met. Our heroes lay witness to an enraged avatar state not seen in nearly a century, and struggled to find any way to help. It was a grand display worthy of the original series, and a true restoration of this new series' reputation.

Atkins Watch: Legend of Korra (A Brief Review)

If you aren't currently watching Nickelodeon's Legend of Korra, you should be. Within its first few episodes, season three has already shown itself to be the best this show has offered up so far. Fans of the original series (myself included) have been rejoicing over the rejuvenated franchise, and there are no shortage of reasons why. Here are a few of my own, in no particular order.