Customer Reviews

Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This volume begins with Episode 13: The Blue Spirit. I had seen previous episodes of Avatar here and there and thought it was good, but accidentally catching this episode hooked me. "The Blue Spirit" reminded me of the excitement of watching classic Jonny Quest as a little kid. It also convinced me to buy the first three DVDs to fill in the story gaps.

"The Blue Spirit" includes solid story elements, like ambitious Commander Zhao's increased power and the Fire Nation's war preparations. The Yu Yen Archers are particularly effective in showing just what the young avatar Aang is facing. It also features wonderful action sequences, including Aang's rapid descent from a mountain and his break for freedom. Humour is supplied by Sakka, Uncle Iroh, Momo the lemur, and... frogs.

As in previous episodes, the details are excellent. For example, the sky remains overcast and gloomy after the storm in Episode 12. Towards the end, the subtle light change shows that a clear dawn is coming. Backgrounds are also detailed and visually interesting; e.g. even a short scene in an herbalist's greenhouse showcases a variety of tropical plants. The soundtrack has a nice mix of subtle music, cinematic score and effects. I particularly like the groan of hull as heard from within the ship.

Another reason this episode works is Jacob Isaacs, who plays Zhao. Isaacs, probably best known for "The Patriot" and the Harry Potter movies, makes Zhao more sinister and cruel than a typical animated villain. His boastful speech to the Fire Nation troops also foreshadows developments in Season 2.

Episode 14: The Fortune Teller is what some call a "filler episode" because it focuses on Aang's relationship with Katara - or lack thereof. However, it's funny - "A fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction!" - and a charming break from more action-oriented episodes. The incidental characters were distinctive and interesting, especially Aunt Wu and poor Mang.

Episode 15: Bato of the Water Tribe brings Katara and Sakka in touch with their father's best friend. They look forward to rejoining their father after his long absence, but Aang is afraid of losing his makeshift family. Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh are hot on the avatar's trail - with the help of Jun the bounty hunter (she's a cross between Elvira, Xena Warrior Princess and a lion tamer). There's a great no-holds-barred fight between Zuko and Aang - and between the flying bison Appa and Jun's bizarre giant mole-weasel.

The voices actors are very good, particularly Dante Basco (Prince Zuko) and Jake DeSena (Sakka). But this episode highlights Mako, who plays Uncle Iroh. (Besides numerous live-action performances, Mako voiced Aku in "Samarai Jack".) In most cartoons, a fat old man would be merely comic relief. But Mako's wry, gentle inflections makes Iroh clearly a better man - and more clever - than even his nephew Prince Zuko suspects. I sincerely doubt the self-effacing jokes or playing-dumb commentary would work if Mako weren't playing the role.

I also must say that, as an old otaku (anime fan), I appreciate that Uncle Iroh is NOT a dirty old man. In this episode, he is impressed by the beautiful and dangerous Jun, but he's always a gentleman. It's charmingly funny and a refreshing change from the typical nose-bleeders in fighting anime like Dragonball or Ranma 1/2. In fact, older people in Avatar come across as knowledgable and worthy of respect, even when young people are impatient. The villains (and Prince Zuko at his grumpiest) are the ones who overlook Uncle Iroh's shrewdness.

Episode 16: The Deserter is another solid episode and highlights a strong point of Avatar's story style: the twist in direction. It starts with a typical heroes-visit-new-town scene and becomes "Apocolypse Now" (well, it IS about an army deserter). The main plot is that Aang wants to learn firebending from a reluctant teacher, Jong-Jong. Zach Tyler Eisen did a very good job of voicing Aang's impatience. The relationship between Aang and Sakka is still strained from the previous episode, though it takes an accident to bring it out. The voice actor for Jong-Jong does an outstanding job, as does Jacob Isaacs (again). I was happily surprised that the writers took a stereotypical character - the harsh instructor - and made it clear that he wasn't being unreasonable.

Overall, this DVD contains solid episodes and I look forward to more.

The closer Aang and his buddies come to the North Pole, the more trouble they encounter -- and while there's a brief diversion into fluffy romanceville in "Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4," our heroes are stumbling across greater dangers in their quest. Moreover, it's becoming a bit less clear just where Zuko stands on the enemy/ally line.

When Sokka and Kitara come down with a flu-like ailment, Aang heads to a healer (and then the nearest swamp) to find the remedy -- only to be captured by expert archers working for Zhao. Imprisoned in a vast Fire Nation citadel, Aang is unexpectedly rescued by a deadly, sword-swinging man wearing a blue ogre mask, who is determined to get Aang out of Zhao's clutches. Who is the Blue Spirit -- and is he someone Aang already knows?

And the group gets side-tracked to a village that religiously follows the predictions of the local fortuneteller, Aunt Wu. Aang and Kitara are both delighted by their love-life predictions, though Sokka is frustrated by the gullible villagers. Then Aang and Sokka learn that the nearby volcano is about to erupt, despite Aunt Wu's predictions -- and now they must find a way to convince the villagers.

Then Sokka and Kitara encounter an old friend from the South Pole, leaving Aang feeling lonely -- especially when he believes that his friends intend to leave him. So when a message arrives from their father, he keeps it from them -- but that may bode even worse for his new friendships. And in the meantime Zuko and Iroh hire a brash bounty hunter with a very special steed, intending to track Aang by scent.

Finally, a disastrous foray into a Fire Nation festival ends with Aang being taken to a Firebending master, but the master insists that Aang is not ready to learn fire. Aang pushes on doggedly anyway, but an accident involving Kitara makes him realize how right the old man was -- just in time for the master's former pupil to turn up. Guess who it is.

Aang experiences some massive growing pains in the fourth volume of the first season -- the formerly happy-go-lucky Avatar ends up struggling with his own flaws, weaknesses and missteps. Just because he's the Avatar doesn't mean that he can't screw up and/or fail and/or be captured by his enemies, and despite his awe-inspiring power, he does all of those frequently in these episodes.

Not that it's all gloomy contemplation of the Avatar's fallibility -- while the fortune-telling one is on the fluffy side, each episode is solidly written and well-made, with plenty of fun dialogue ("Out of my way! Step aside, filth!" "He means no offense! I'm certain you bathe regularly"), a hint of romance between Aang and Kitara, and plenty of humor (including some fun scenes involving frozen frogs).

The action also gets upped a notch -- the incredible acrobatic escape from Zhao's clutches (including pole-vaulting, swords and helicoptoring), an explosive rooftop fight between Zuko and Aang, and lots of wild imaginative bending from all concerned.

Aside from Aang's personal problems, the supporting characters all get new fleshing out -- Sokka becomes the voice of reason in a very superstitious village ("You HAVE to take a bath SOMETIME!"), Kitara discovers a new dimension to her bending powers, and Zuko's motivations become even murkier. And Uncle Iroh continues to charm as the wise and weird old man ("At my age there is really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery").

"Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4" further polishes this excellent anime-style series, adding even better action and some new dimensions to the little bald hero.

I want to echo what other reviews have said. This is a great series for all ages. It is a truely well written and well paced exposition of the process of growing up, making and keeping friends, and accepting a place in the world. Ang starts out as a kid who just wants to play and gradually over the series discovers how to be a responsible productive person. The side and back stories are also uplifting and instructive. Good for all ages. Most of the other things on Nick and CTV have devolved to cheap idiot food that has no art or story line. Kudos to whoever thought this series up.

My children started watching this a year ago and became hooked immediately. As I try to keep track of what they watched I made sure to watch the first few episodes with them and found that the show is insightful, well-written, funny and teaches lessons without being demeaning or patronizing. The writers have a fantastic sense of humor and have developed a truly sophisticated world where good vs. evil isn't always black and white and choices are not always easy to make. I highly recommend this to any parent of a child age 6+ or any adult who simply enjoys good animated series.

I have ordered each one of these for my children and I too watch. I have found that I enjoy them as much as my children. They have great family messages along with exciting action and comic relief. My only disapointment is that there are only four episodes per DVD.

Not to get religious on people, I am not a bible thumper; I was raised as a presbytarian by my parents and in watching this show I find that it is a great way to introduce my own child to moralistic dilemna (sp?) in an entertaining way that is both enjoyable to my daughter and myself, making it something that we can watch together.
Avatar as a whole also has a great storyline, excellent fantasy aspect, and taps into my enjoyment of martial arts - huge Jackie Chan and Jet Li fan
All in All I more than pleased with this product and as long is the show is produced I will continue to purchase the episodes

I have yet to find something I can sit down and watch with my kids that comes close to Avatar. Considering most of the programming coming from Nick and Cartoon Network deal more with crude bodily functions and unintelligent name-calling, this is a BIG breath of fresh air. I just hope they keep up the great work and find more content that can equal this. Great for any age, fun to watch and very entertaining with plenty of lessons about right and wrong, people and life in general. We'll stick with the whole series!!

One happy Dad :)

This is one of my favorite tv shows. It is difficult to find in stores, unless in season dvd box set. It arrived a day before the estimated arrival date. No complaints.

I bought this series for my 12 year son. It has been fun to watch with him. The characters are fun, and there is plenty of humor.

Was a great purchase for us and a very reasonable price. It was one of the last ones we needed to complete a set. Was delivered on time and in great condition. Thank you.