Avatar: The Last Airbender - Martial Arts

The Art of Bending Avatar: The Last Airbender has the moniker of Nickelodeon's "Last Great Nicktoon" that was produced in the Orlando Studio FL before the studio was taken down. People who knows the show still argues whether it is "anime" or "cartoon". I don't really care because what Avatar: The Last Airbender is. All I know is: It's Excellent! But for the sake of this post I will refer to the show as an "animation." To me "anime" or "cartoon" are two of the many categories/styles/techniques in the "animation" medium of story telling. The setting of Avatar: The Last Airbender is heavily influenced by Asian culture. The characters of the show practices real world religions and philosophies such as Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism. At first glance Avatar: The Last Airbender seems like a kid's show full of slapstick humor and mindless action used as a platform to sell toys. These are misconceptions. Especially the toys bit. There are yet to be a cool Avatar action figure! Believe me I've looked :( The show introduces four nations in its world. Each nation representing a philosophy, personality, martial arts style and element. The Fire Nation was founded by people who can wield fire by focusing their energy with mental and physical discipline. This nation has a very Northern Chinese feel to it which reflects in their martial arts. On the other hand The Earth Kingdom founded by people who can bend earth, gives off a Southern Chinese vibe in their culture and martial arts. It is not often to have an American produced show to have such a heavy Eastern theme WITH respectable Asian references. The creators of the show definitely did their research with much respect. With that said, Avatar: The Last Airbender is not dominated by Eastern culture. It's well balanced with diversity. Some of the costume designs and buildings gives off an Eastern feel but it's mixed with true to life cultural references from all around the world. The show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, did a great job balancing the different cultures represented on the show as well as successfully mixing the kiddy fun with some of the more mature themes. If they lived in the Avatar: TLA I guess their speciality would be "story bending." One of the resources the creators of Avatar: TLA used is Sifu Kisu. Sifu Kisu is a an Executive Protection Specialist for celebrities. He was brought onto Avatar: TLA as the fighting instructor and consultant. With his extensive knowledge of Martial Arts and the philosophy behind them, Sifu Kisu brought depth into the show's action sequences. The fights are not just mindless action, they are full of conversations, inner conflicts and philosophical debates. A good example is when Aang was able to solve a puzzle with his airbending by pushing a door open. The act was simple but it required the character to develop confidence. As the characters grow in Avatar: TLA, so does their ability and this reflects the hard work and sacrifice one could acquire by committing to a discipline. Avatar: TLA conveys a valuable message of: to be good at something, whether it'd be martial arts, dance, music, painting or writing... patience and dedication are essential values. Being able to represent these values and still being a fun show is what makes Avatar: TLA one of the best shows on television within the last decade. That and lots of cool martial arts! I know, it's a bit long winded to get to this point but, I wanted to praise the show a bit more before talking about the art of element bending. One more thing before the "JUMP!" here's a compilation of videos of Sifu Kisu talking about the four featured martial arts styles used on the show. The four videos can be found in the special features on the Avatar: TLA DVD's: Avatar creating the legend of Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending and Airbending 12mirri More on the Arts of Element Bending (and spoilers) after the JUMP! >>>

Korra Begins! Woohoo!!!

I'm a little late on this one. The first two episodes of Legend of Korra is officially up on korranation right NOW!!! Either click on the link above or follow the link below: Korra Unlocked The series officially airs on Nickelodeon on Saturday, April 14, 2012, 11AM EST.

The Legend of Korra Release Date

Alright! Alright! So The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra is not the official title for the new Avatar series. The latest official title which is the official official title is: The Legend of Korra I'm pretty sure this is the official official title since Nickelodeon released the latest trailer with a... ready for this? A RELEASE DATE! and it is: APRIL 14, 2012! 11am (EST) on Nickelodeon Legend of Korra - 2nd Exclusive Trailer with Air Date [14th of April 2012] 1080p HD avatarkorralove Also, she's the Avatar! Deal with it! For more information be sure to head on over to: Korra Nation (thanks to RFBlues for the tip)

The Last Airbender is Official

The official title for the new Avatar series is: The Last Airbender Legend of Korra First off, I am super psyched that there will be more Avatar and it looks really good. I also don't mind that the Avatar name is missing from the title. What I do mind is the story behind why the "Avatar" name is missing. James Cameron did not want the Nick Toon to have the same name as his 3D movie about blue cat people. I did enjoy the blue cat people movie and thought the 3D was amazing but, the movie was hardly original (I'm being generous here). So, if James Cameron's movie is not original, why stop other people from using the moniker "Avatar?" Throw rocks at glass houses much? I mean, the first Avatar series was produced by Nick Toons before James Cameron's movie. Also, people have been using the word "Avatar" for ages! I guess with enough money you can be anything. Anyway, there's still no release date for The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra but, knowing that it's just around the corner makes me extremely happy. I found out about this new trailer from: Nerd Caliber on Facebook Be sure to check them out for some cool news. You can also find them at: www.nerdcaliber.com Sit back, relax and try to ignore the narrator: The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra - Exclusive Trailer IGNentertainment

The Next Avatar

It's Korra! The New Avatar! Someone released some new scenes to The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra and... OMG OMG OMG!!!! Faint..... Wait a minute... you're probably asking, "where are the videos?" Simply put, you're late to game... UPDATE: The youtube clips had been taken down. Don't worry though because Legend of Korra has a 2012 release date. Pretty ambiguous but, at least it's within this year. Also, the leaked clips is a good indication that at least 1 episode is finished. In the mean time, here's the San Diego Comic Con trailer again: TLA - The Legend of Korra Trailer HD 720p MundoAvatarYT

My Friend Nick

"Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around. Look at my pinwheel and see what I've found." Sometimes... half asleep... I'd catch a glimpse of a faded pinwheel. During the in-between of waking... I would hear the pinwheel spinning around... back down into the realm of the dreaming... the place where the forgotten can be found... Come spin with me after the "JUMP!":