Avatar: The Last Airbender - online episodes

[Gillian]

This anime series, which originally broadcast on Nickleodeon in 2005, is now available to watch at Surf The Channel. Jason plays Admiral Zhao, a ruthless military officer and powerful Firebender, and (according to avatarspiritmedia.net) appeared in eight episodes of season one (as opposed to the seven listed at IMDb).

They are ...

Episodes 3, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20.

Please note: location of streams AND traffic may affect loading times, so keep that in mind. Also, I can't guarantee all episodes are available as I don't know when this list was compiled. (Nor have I watched them all.)

Regardless, an interesting find considering it's obscurity.

[Angel Tavington]

Thanks, Gillian, an interesting find indeed.
I'll try to watch it later, I'm not a fan of animes.


Jason plays a ruthless military officer...hmm..that type of role sounds familiar for some reason.
-snickers-




~me

[DhaniGrrrrl]

LOL, Angel!

I think my son used to watch this, but I'd have to ask him...]

Cool find, Gillian! I may just check out that link...

[Moira]

Actually, Airbender is not anime. True anime is created and produced in Japan. Some of the most incredibly well-written, original, unique, and beautiful films and TV shows I've ever seen are anime.

Anime thinks outside of the box because it was never in the box. It isn't afraid to tackle themes about ethics, religion (and, as most anime writers and creators aren't Christian, anime's take on life and death, ethics, and morals are, by its nature, not limited to the Christian themes, as American animation too often is), war and peace, individualism vs duty to society, and even sexuality (in what American animation will you find sexuality handled in a mature manner, with even same-sex love treated with respect?).

Airbender is an American "anime" rip-off. For years, Disney and other studios mocked anime as something only fringe geeks liked, just as American comics companies mocked manga. As people discovered how far surperior anime's ideas, stories, and characterizations are over even the best American animation, its popularity skyrocketed. Now American animation studios are trying to catch up and feed off anime's profits, just as American comics companies are eatting manga's dust.

Compared to even mediocre anime, Airbender stinks. It uses the same tired old sterotyping, self-conscious cuteness, simplistic storylines, and preachiness from which American animation seems incapable of escaping (with the exception of Ratatouille, which I love. Brad Bird is America's best animation writer).

I watched a few episodes of Airbender only because I wanted to hear JI's voice work. I hate to say it, but it was awful! I cried aloud, "Jason, was that really the best take on that line??" I know from the man's acting that he can do better! So I'm left to assume that the show's director was fine with the so-so delivery JI performed.

Seriously, if you want truly original, entertaining, and challenging fiction, give anime a try. Watch the first episode of Full Metal Alchemist, and I challenge you to not want to find out whether the Alric brothers get their bodies, and souls, back. If you watch the entire series, and the final film, and you aren't incredibly moved, you're not human. Watch just the first episode of Gankutsuou for some breathtaking animation, in a glorious science-fiction retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Paprika is a feature-length anime which is better than almost all live-action films I've seen in two decades. Mushi-shi is visually beautiful, and at once intriguing and disturbing. I could go on and on! So I better stop.

Full Metal Alchemist Official website:
http://www.fullmetalalchemist.com/flash_index.html

5-minute Gankutsuou trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjY_j5tcsWc

Moira Manion
www.moiramanion.blogspot.com

[Gillian]

Here's where our opinions differ.

I find Anime to be terribly pedestrian. In it's execution - it's amateurish, and as an art form, it's stagnant. What success it enjoys is due, I think, in large part to it's target audience (teens and young adults), who consume the stuff faster than Japan can spit it out. Go to Veoh.com to see what I mean. The place is lousy with it. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting the same saucer-eyed, spike-haired, squeaky-voiced character. There's nothing unique, different or special that sets any of these shows apart. It's almost like a template being handed from artist to artist, with only minor changes being made to style of costume, hair color or backdrop.

NO.IMAGINATION.WHATSOEVER.

And this is the artform many young people now aspire to! Jesus!! They fill their sketchbooks with like-minded caricatures and then wonder why their stuff is met with such derision when they (proudly) *try* to submit it to the better online art communities. God hep them if that's what's in their portfolio when they apply for post-secondary education in art.

As for themes, I can find plenty in classic or modern literature (and film, for that matter), without having to subject myself to the drivel that is Anime.

So thanks, but no thanks.

[OTink]

Oh this is great. I just asked my son if he knew of this and he said " Of course". He loves the show. He knew who Jason's character was and he said "Cool".

The kids at school think he looks like Harry Potter. He's my cute 14 year old, and although that may be getting older, he's watched cartoon network all his life, and he loves Dragon Ball Z and this Avatar animation. It's his favorite. He's so impressed, bringing it up almost silenced him. I think I've gained a new respect. Thanks Jason. I told him" This is my new interest" and when he saw his picture without the blonde wig from Harry Potter, he was shocked it was the same man.

[kjshd05]

thanx Gillian, this was a great find...

thanx also for posting the eps that the "General" was in...LOL

this might be a spoiler....

wasn't his character killed in the program ???

[ibelong2me]

I used to watch this show early on sunday whilst doing housework - mainly because I had known Jason was voicing in it somewhere...and I have yet to see his character appear! Have not caught it on tv in months but enjoyed the few episodes I did see. very entertaining.

am a big anime fan, though relatively new to it - FMA is my fave (see above link) and have yet to see anything to really better that series and knock it off my top spot.

[Moira]

Here's where our opinions differ.

I find Anime to be terribly pedestrian. In it's execution - it's amateurish, and as an art form, it's stagnant. What success it enjoys is due, I think, in large part to it's target audience (teens and young adults),

Anime’s largest audience is college to middle-age, of both genders. Elsewhere in the world, including Japan, animation is for all ages, NOT just children. The problem with American attitudes is that animation is only for children and teens. Therefore, most of the anime that’s aired in the US is that made for younger ages. Those shows aren't anywhere near representative of all anime.

who consume the stuff faster than Japan can spit it out. Go to Veoh.com to see what I mean.

As my best friend is a science fiction and fantasy editor and poet who speaks at scify convention panels about anime, and most of my friends are scify writers who love anime, and have even been to Japan, I'm familiar with anime.

The place is lousy with it. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting the same saucer-eyed, spike-haired, squeaky-voiced character. There's nothing unique, different or special that sets any of these shows apart. It's almost like a template being handed from artist to artist, with only minor changes being made to style of costume, hair color or backdrop.

NO.IMAGINATION.WHATSOEVER.

And this is the artform many young people now aspire to! Jesus!! They fill their sketchbooks with like-minded caricatures and then wonder why their stuff is met with such derision when they (proudly) *try* to submit it to the better online art communities. God hep them if that's what's in their portfolio when they apply for post-secondary education in art.

"Better online art communities?“ "Better” is a matter of taste, as is all creative work. Many “experts” still deride J.K. Rowling as a “hack,” and call the Harry Potter books “inferior” and “unworthy.”

Are these "better" art communities run by art professors? Art historians? Professional artists? Or amateur and occasional art show artists, who believe they know what's good taste and what isn't? All the professional artists I know say that anyone claiming to know what's "good" art should be lined up against a wall and shot. These are people with work in major museums.

I hope the artists who are snubbed find art communities without the certainity of their superiority.

As for themes, I can find plenty in classic or modern literature (and film, for that matter), without having to subject myself to the drivel that is Anime.

So thanks, but no thanks.

Gillian, I’m curious: How many anime series and movies have you watched? Which ones?

Yes, anime has a distinct style. As has American animation. Even non-Disney American studios copy the “Disney” style. That’s only recently changing, and not by much.

As for beauty, have you seen Gankutsuo, Wolf’s Rain, Mushi-shi? You say nothing sets these show apart. They are certainly apart from anything American, and Paranoia Agent is nothing like Scrapped Princess or Death Note.

Anime art having a certain style does not mean that it must then lack evocative strength. Watch young Ed’s expression as he must face whether killing can ever be for the good, or Gankutsuou’s as he decides between humanity and damnation.

You speak as if all anime is ‘drivel.” Much of classic and modern literature is drivel; does that then mean it all is? Again, how many anime series have you watched? Let me give you this storyline:

“Edward Elric changed the night he trapped his younger brother’s spirit in the unfeeling steel of an ancient suit of armor. That night, Edward and Alphonse exploited the clandestine science of Alchemy to attempt the unthinkable –resurrect their dead mother. They failed, unleashing an alchemic reaction that ripped their bodies apart.

Four years later, an expanding evil lurks behind the false face of freedom. With rebellion crushed, the State turns its eye to increasing its grip on the people by seizing an legendary artifact that would ensure complete domination and plunge the land into State controlled darkness.

Now a lone State Alchemist combs the country for a single stone that could amplify his alchemy. If successful, he would control a power permitting him to restore the precious things that were lost. But it would also allow the State Military to senselessly obliterate countless more. The Alchemist is soon faced with the harsh truth that the power to create is but a breath away from the power to destroy, and that with each birth, death must follow.”

This is only the beginning of a story which includes debates about religious intolerance, racism, genocide, and immortality. If that’s drivel for a theme, then most of classic literature is drivel.

[Helen8]

Four years later, an expanding evil lurks behind the false face of freedom. With rebellion crushed, the State turns its eye to increasing its grip on the people by seizing an legendary artifact that would ensure complete domination and plunge the land into State controlled darkness.

Sounds like the current administration.

[Moira]

Four years later, an expanding evil lurks behind the false face of freedom. With rebellion crushed, the State turns its eye to increasing its grip on the people by seizing an legendary artifact that would ensure complete domination and plunge the land into State controlled darkness.

Sounds like the current administration.

The parallels between Full Metal Alchemist, the Bush administration and the Iraq war are frightening.

(among FMA fans, we debate whether Dubyah has the lion-eatting-his-tail tattoo. )

[Gillian]

These are people with work in major museums.

And I'll bet these major museums wouldn't let anime within ten feet of their door.

Are these "better" art communities run by art professors? Art historians? Professional artists?

Professional artists for the most part. It's a veritable who's who as far as the industry goes -- animators, concept artists, illustrators. These aren't part-time hacks or "occasional art show artists" as you put it. Much of their work has already graced the covers of books, magazines or been committed to film.

I hope the artists who are snubbed find art communities without the certainity of their superiority.

They have, and they are legion. But artists need a solid background in the basics first, and you can't do that if you've spent your formative years copying anime. Unfortunately, many see anime as a "high watermark" as far as artistic ability in their members, hence the shock when they're met with such brutal honesty in the places I mentioned. The biggest critique? They simply haven't mastered the fundamentals -- basic drawing skills, an understanding of anatomy, composition, perspective, color theory, etc., -- all of which they'll have to re-learn if they stand any chance of making it in their chosen field.

“Edward Elric changed the night he trapped his younger brother’s spirit in the unfeeling steel of an ancient suit of armor. That night, Edward and Alphonse exploited the clandestine science of Alchemy to attempt the unthinkable –resurrect their dead mother.

Hardly a new concept. Mary Shelley tackled the subject of re-animated corpses back 1818 when she authored Frankenstein -- a classic, I might add, and quite provocative for it's time.

Gillian, I’m curious: How many anime series and movies have you watched?

Enough to know I'm not impressed. But that's my opinion.

[DhaniGrrrrl]

I watched a few episodes of Airbender only because I wanted to hear JI's voice work. I hate to say it, but it was awful! I cried aloud, "Jason, was that really the best take on that line??" I know from the man's acting that he can do better! So I'm left to assume that the show's director was fine with the so-so delivery JI performed.

LOL, I had watched the first one tonight, and while listening to JI's voice work, I thought to myself that he could BURP better lines...

[ibelong2me]

The British Museum in London has a Japanese manga book in the Oriental section...just a bit of triva for a pub quiz night!

Am a bit confused as to why Fullmetal Alchemist involving resurrecting the dead is a bad thing just because Mary Shelly thought of it back in 1818. I mean, for example, I love the original Dracula but doesn't make me hate other later works such as Interview with the Vampire or Trinity Blood.

I don't dislike Avatar because it is American but don't buy the DVDs because of the storyline and quality of animation. Heck I like some Disney films! Have come across anime fans that hate studio ghibli because they see it as a version of Disney. you just cannot expect everyone to like the same things I guess, even in their own fandoms I guess! hee hee.

Anyone know how jason ended up doing this voice acting work?

[Moira]

These are people with work in major museums.

And I'll bet these major museums wouldn't let anime within ten feet of their door.

On the contary. Many museums, including a couple of the ones where my friends have work, have had exhibits of anime art.

When I was growing up, art museums and art professors called Van Gogh and Monet lousy artists. I recall vividly an art professor saying Van Gogh's work was that of a near-sighted monkey. My local university turned down a Monet painting for its collection, because they wouldn't pay for such simplistic, childish work.

A friend went to art school in New York during the 50s. He loved realistic landscapes, but his professors said that kind of "crap" was "dead." Jackson Pollack was the ideal of real Art. Now my friend makes a nice living with his realistic landscapes.

Some call Thomas Kinkade an artisitic genius.

So what's right? The tastes of then, or now? Who's taste? And what will taste be ten, twenty, fifty years from now?

They have, and they are legion. But artists need a solid background in the basics first, and you can't do that if you've spent your formative years copying anime.

I know many professional artists who spent their formative years studying and copying Disney animation. Maurice Sendak once told me about how his art teachers blasted him for his love of Mickey Mouse, and said he'd never be a good artist. He was miserable, until he decided that the "experts" could go to hell.

Unfortunately, many see anime as a "high watermark" as far as artistic ability in their members, hence the shock when they're met with such brutal honesty in the places I mentioned. The biggest critique? They simply haven't mastered the fundamentals -- basic drawing skills, an understanding of anatomy, composition, perspective, color theory, etc., -- all of which they'll have to re-learn if they stand any chance of making it in their chosen field.

But that's not anime's fault, that's the fault of the young artist. Anime actually has excellent anatomy in many cases. I know junior and high school art teachers who use anime as a way to introduce young artists to anatomy and perspective, and then build from there.

Hardly a new concept. Mary Shelley tackled the subject of re-animated corpses back 1818 when she authored Frankenstein -- a classic, I might add, and quite provocative for it's time.

Thousands of years before Mary Shelley, such stories were told in Greek, Egyption, Mesopotanian and Native American folklore and mythology. It's been said that there are only three original plots in the world. The plot may not sound original, but how it's handled is. And how FMA handles the plot is original and unique.

Enough to know I'm not impressed. But that's my opinion.

Hm. I'm sorry for it. To me, it's like me watching the movie "Scooby Doo," and judging that all American films must be ridiculous drivel. To condemn an entire art form because you don't care for a sample of it is very limited. But that's my opinion.