It is rare that I enjoy an animated television show as much as I do Avatar: The Last Airbender. I never seem to grow tired of watching this show. After catching some of the season two episodes on NickToons, I became hooked on this series, and the whole family has come to enjoy and appreciate this animated series by Nickelodeon.
We’ve covered Avatar: The Last Airbender in the past on the LI Kids site, so it seemed only natural to review the latest Avatar DVD collection to be released, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Book Two Collection. This DVD was released by Nickelodeon on September 11, 2007 and it comes in a Five Disc set. The first four discs are split up with five Book Two (season Two) chapters per DVD and a special feature included on each of them. The fifth disc contains Avatar bonus features.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book Two: Earth begins where Book One: Water left off. Sokka (Jack De Sena), Katara (Mae Whitman) and Aang (Zack Tyler) leave the northern water tribe. Aang and Katara have learned enough water bending to become fairly skilled benders and it is time for Aang to learn to Earth bend so he can defeat Fire Lord Ozai (voiced by Mark Hamill this season) by the end of the summer.
Throughout the first few episodes, the three experience many adventures and danger as they try to make their way back to the city of Omashu, where Aang’s friend, King Boomy, can teach him to be a master earthbender. When they get to Omashu, something has happened, involving the Fire Nation, and not only has their chief enemy, Prince Zuko (son of Fire Lord Ozai – voiced by Dante Basco) continued his hunt for the Avatar, Aang, despite losing his ship, a new enemy has surfaced. She’s worse than Zuko and more powerful. It’s his sister, Princess Azula (Grey DeLisle) and her crew of rough and tough girls, Mai (Cricket Leigh) and Ty Lee (Olivia Hack).
Other major players this season include the Avatar group’s ally, the blind earthbender, Toph (Jessie Flower), Prince Zuko’s guardian and Uncle, the wise Iroh (voiced by the late, great Mako), Aang’s sky bison, Appa (Dee Bradley Baker), his lemur, Momo, and several Earth Kingdom allies as well as Fire Nation enemies. Between the great characterizations, fantastic blend of animation and martial arts representations you will be as mesmerized by this box set as I am.
This is a show that can be watched by children over the age of eight or nine. If you do not like your children watching shows with martial arts, then you should check this show out before you purchase the box set. It does have some violence and the heroes face many perilous adventures. They don’t always win and nothing is ever easy for them. I would weigh your child’s maturity level when deciding whether they should watch Avatar: The Last Airbender or not. You can check it out nearly every week day on the NickToons network. New episodes of Season Three now air on Nickelodeon on Friday nights at 8:30 PM EST, as well.
This really is a good show for older children, teens, and adults. I’m hooked on the show and I’m in my mid-twenties. You will love this five disc set if you love Avatar: The Last Airbender, the twenty episodes in this set will make the perfect addition to your Avatar collection. The bonus features on this set also make it worth the purchase, though I’d be happy with the episodes even if this box set didn’t contain any special features.
Disc 1 has a special feature that is an original, uncut Animatic. Discs 2-4 feature Audio Commentary with the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the cast, and the crew. The bonus disc has the most special features. First, you will enjoy an interview with M. Night Shyamalan by the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. They talk about how M. Night is in the process of developing a live action, Avatar: The Last Airbender trilogy. If you’ve been disappointed with his previous work, you might enjoy this one. M. Night seems to love Avatar: The Last Airbender so much, he wanted to include everything on the shows. I can’t guarantee it, but it seems like he’ll be sticking almost entirely to the original story, which is great! He’s also planning to find unknowns for the lead actors, so it won’t be the same recycled Hollywood bunch.
The next feature is information on the specific martial arts styles each character uses. This feature is with show creator Bryan Konietzko and the show’s martial arts expert, Sifu Kisu. Other features include three hilarious “deformed animation” Avatar shorts, including one where Aang tries to ask Katara to a school dance and one where the main characters have a bending contest. Finally, there is an animated, graphic novel, where Aang learns about four of his past lives as the Avatar.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Book Two Collection is a must have box set for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Martial Arts, and well executed animated television shows. This is one the entire family can enjoy together. So, check it out on Nickelodeon. You won’t want to miss watching Book Three: Fire, and you can get caught up by purchasing this box set.
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Technorati Tags: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Nickelodeon, Aang, Cartoon, Box Set, Animation, Martial Arts, Elements, Magic, Bending
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
