Also knows as Avatar: The Legend of Aang
Genre: Action-adventure, Fantasy, Drama
Directed by Albert Kim
Based on Avatar: The Last Airbender; by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
Starring: Gordon Cormier, Dallas Liu, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Elizabeth Yu &Daniel Dae Kim.
Music by Takeshi Furukawa
Executive producers: Albert Kim, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Michael Goi, Roseanne Liang, Jabbar Raisani
Producer: Bonnie Benwick
Program creator: Albert Kim
Production location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Cinematography: Michael Goi, Stewart Whelan, Michael Balfry
Production companies: Rideback
Network: Netflix
Plot: A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save a world at war and fight a ruthless enemy bent on stopping him.
Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender was really good.
Pros: I have no expectations going into this series at the beginning. They did their job getting into the world of this franchise quite well. I like the characters of Aang, Katara, Zuko, Sokka & Iroh. They successfully recreate a lot of elements from the show like costumes, action, tone and effects and the finale left me with a lot of things being established to look forward to in season 2.
Cons: Some of the green screen effects look Quite bad. I find it difficult to wrap away how much I didn’t get the storyline at times & I liked it, but I didn’t Love it that much.
Casts & Characters:
Main:
- Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang: A free-spirited and peaceful twelve-year-old airbender who was frozen in ice for a hundred years. When he wakes up, all the other airbenders have been wiped out by the Fire Nation and he embarks on a quest to end the war and become the figurehead of balance and harmony for the world as the Avatar.
- Kiawentiio as Katara: A fourteen-year-old who is the last waterbender of her tribe after her mother was killed by the Fire Nation. Despite her personal tragedy, she joins Aang on his journey while growing to her true potential.
- Ian Ousley as Sokka: Katara’s sixteen-year-old brother who has tried to become the quasi-leader of their tribe after their father left to fight in the war. He joins Aang on his mission along with Katara, and makes up for his lack of bending abilities with his intelligence, resourcefulness and trusty boomerang.
- Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko: The scarred, exiled and short-tempered seventeen-year-old crown prince of the Fire Nation, bent on capturing the Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor.
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh: A retired Fire Nation general, Fire Lord Ozai’s older brother, and the wise and nurturing uncle and mentor to Zuko.
- Ken Leung as Commander Zhao: An ambitious, yet arrogant, ruthless and dishonorable Fire Nation naval officer and Zuko’s bitter main rival in his pursuit of the Avatar.
- Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai: The tyrannical and sadistic ruler of the Fire Nation, Iroh’s younger brother, and Zuko and Azula’s father. Kim had lent his voice to the Avatar franchise multiple times—the first time in Book 2 of The Last Airbender, where he voiced General Fong, and in The Legend of Korra, where he voiced Hiroshi Sato.
Recurring:
- Lim Kay Siu as Gyatso: A mischievous, chipper, kind, and caring Air Nomad monk who is Aang’s mentor and father figure.
- Casey Camp-Horinek as Gran Gran: The matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda’s mother, and Sokka and Katara’s grandmother.
- Matthew Yang King as the vocalizations of Appa, a sky bison who is Aang’s companion and Momo, a winged lemur who befriends Aang and joins him on his journey.
- Ruy Iskandar as Lieutenant Jee: A Fire Nation officer on Zuko’s ship.
- Ryan Mah as Lieutenant Dang: An officer in the Fire Nation Navy loyal to Zhao.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi: The elderly king of Omashu who is Aang’s oldest friend.
- Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula: The cunning and prodigiously gifted princess of the Fire Nation and Zuko’s younger sister. Showrunner Albert Kim stated ahead of the show’s premiere that Azula is featured a lot more in the new show’s first season than she is in the original cartoon’s first season, crediting the knowledge of what Azula does later in the original show’s second and third seasons for the writers having the advantage of where to take her.
- Thalia Tran as Mai: Azula’s stoic friend who is skilled in knife throwing.
- Momona Tamada as Ty Lee: Azula’s acrobatic friend who is skilled in chi-blocking.
Guest:
- Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin: The Fire Lord who started the 100-year war and Zuko’s great-grandfather.
- David Sakurai as an earthbender who discovers Sozin’s plan to attack the Air Temples.
- Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi: The legendary earthbender Avatar preceding Aang’s previous incarnation, Avatar Roku.
- Maria Zhang as Suki: The leader of Kyoshi Island’s elite all-female soldiers, the Kyoshi Warriors.
- Tamlyn Tomita as Yukari: Suki’s mother and the fiercely protective mayor of her small village on Kyoshi Island.
- Osric Chau as Tan: The leader of a group of Fire Nation rebels who plan to assassinate Ozai.
- Danny Pudi as Sai / The Mechanist: A single father and inventor from the Earth Kingdom.
- Lucian-River Chauhan as Teo: The Mechanist’s wheelchair using son.
- Sebastian Amoruso as Jet: The leader of the Freedom Fighters, a group of revolutionaries who fight back against the Fire Nation.
- Taylor Lam Wright as the Duke: A member of the Freedom Fighters and Jet’s friend.
- Vincent Huang as Pipsqueak: A physically imposing member of the Freedom Fighters.
- Wes Valarao as Smellerbee: A female member of the Freedom Fighters who is often mistaken for a boy because of her looks.
- Nathaniel Kong as Longshot: A silent archer and member of the Freedom Fighters.
- James Sie as the Cabbage Merchant: An unfortunate merchant whose produce is continually destroyed. Sie reprises his role from the animated series.
- George Takei as Koh the Face Stealer: A centipede-like spirit who uses the stolen faces of his victims. Takei also voiced the warden of a Fire Nation prison camp in Book One of The Last Airbender.
- Randall Duk Kim as Wan Shi Tong: An owl spirit and collector of knowledge who is very distrustful towards humans.
- Arden Cho as June: A bounty hunter who is hired by Zuko to find the Avatar.
- Ash Lee as Shufen: The head of an earth kingdom village that is being terrorized by a forest spirit.
- Ciara Mandel as Lian: Shufen’s daughter
- Rainbow Dickerson as Kya: The mother of Sokka and Katara.
- Joel Montgrand as Hakoda: The father of Sokka and Katara and chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe who left to fight in the war.
- Trevor Carroll as Bato: Hakoda’s friend and a Southern Water Tribe warrior.
- C. S. Lee as Avatar Roku: The firebender Avatar who precedes Aang and mentors him in communing with the spirit world.
- François Chau as the Great Sage: The leader of the Fire Sages at a Fire Temple dedicated to Avatar Roku.
- James Rha as Shyu: A fire sage who guides Aang through the Fire Temple.
- Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue: The princess of the Northern Water Tribe.
- A Martinez as Pakku: A waterbending master from the Northern Water Tribe who serves as Aang and Katara’s teacher.
- Nathaniel Arcand as Arnook: The chief of the Northern Water Tribe and Yue’s father.
- Irene Bedard as Yagoda: A Northern Water Tribe healer.
- Joel Oulette as Hahn: A Northern Water Tribe soldier formerly betrothed to Princess Yue.
- Meegwun Fairbrother as Avatar Kuruk: The waterbender Avatar preceding Avatar Kyoshi.
Additionally, Rohain Arora, and Jon Ray Dy Buco have been cast in undisclosed roles.
I highly recommend watching on Netflix.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Stars
Ryan Balkwill:
Resident TV reviewer,
Level Best Art Café