Avatar: The Last Airbender (a.k.a. Avatar: The Legend of Aang)

Movies based on cartoon series .. especially ones I love always make me a little skeptical. The trailer looked good and having followed the series (or at least trying to) on nickelodeon .. I just HAD to watch the damned thing.. So on Saturday night, my beloved man took me out to go watch the movie (I honestly wasn't feeling up to going out at all but he managed to drag me out the door and once I was out, I was feeling much better)..

Feeling like I needed a drink (so long since I had one.. gah).. we went to a nearby restaurant/cafe place to get a couple of cocktails after we bought the tickets seeing that we had more than 30 mins to kill. 10 mins of waiting later, we finally got our cocktails. Sometimes seeing bad service really really pushes me up the wall, especially since I'm working in the hospitality industry myself.

Anyway, back to the movie. 

For those who do not know about the cartoon series, let me go a little into depth about what it actually is.

Avatar (as we called it before the movie "Avatar" came out) is an Asian-influenced cartoon series set in a fictional world where chinese martial arts and elemental manipulation is present. The world is divided into four different nations: Air nomads, Water tribes, Earth kingdom and the Fire nation (note the four elements in the nation). 

A map of the four nations. The characters at the top, 群雄四分, mean "the heroes divide [the world or the country or the land] in four." The characters of the four lands are 水善 (Water Peaceful), 土強 (Earth Strong), 火烈 (Fire Fierce), and 气和 (Air Harmony). The phrase at the bottom, 天下一匡, reads "correct all things under heaven" [please note that this map is copyright to Nickelodeon and I am reusing this to help improve the reader's understanding to my blog, I do not claim at all that this image is mine and credit the entire image to Nickelodeon]

Each nation has its own element on which their society is then based on. The people who are able to manipulate their "birth elements" (i.e. the element that takes precedence in the nation they are born in) are called benders. They "bend"/manipulate the element through a series of physical motions which are based on forms of martial arts. The show’s creators based each Bending style on a style of real-world martial art, leading to visual differences in the techniques used by Waterbenders (tai chi chuan), Earthbenders (Hung Ga kung fu, for the most part), Firebenders (Northern Shaolin kung fu) and Airbenders (baguazhang). It is not stated explicitly but the benders can only manipulate the element of the nation they were born in.

Which brings us to the concept of the Avatar. At any given time, there will only be one Avatar in the world and only the Avatar alone can master and bend the four elements. He/she can be assumed to be the spirit of the world manifested in human form. When an Avatar dies, the spirit is then reincarnated into the next nation, in order of the Avatar cycle, following the seasons. Spring for Earth, Summer for Fire, Autumn for Air and Winter for Water. The Avatar also has to master the four elements in turn, first the birth element and then the elements that come after it, one by one. The Avatar also has the power to reach the "Avatar state" where he/she goes into a deep trance and enters the spirit world. It is also in this state that the Avatar will gain knowledge and power from all the past reincarnations and be able to use this ability while still in the state. All the power that comes with being the Avatar is aimed at helping him/her maintain harmony between the four nations.

Back onto the movie, the special effects of the entire movie was EXCELLENT. It was well executed and all the martial arts movements were great as well. Even to an untrained eye (such as mine), I could tell (slightly) the difference between the movements and can see why each form of martial art was chosen for the element.

I am very glad that the makers of the movie did not try to fit all three seasons into one movie (that would have been quite horrible) as even in this one (book one:water), the 20 or so episodes of the series was fitted into the movie and did make it jump around a little which didn't really help the flow of the story.

I loved the fact that the actors chosen relatively matched the characters of the cartoon (as in features) and also how the "race" of the nations were chosen according to where the nation was situated in relation to the map of our world (give or take). It was great.

All in all, a great adaptation and a great movie. Sadly, it is very hard for one to actually fit all 20 episodes and flow it into one single movie without it going for more than 2 hours and therefore I have to give kudos to the director for trying. Other than that, I would rate this movie about 3 and a half to 4 stars according to MY PERSONAL rating. Something that I could see myself watching again, but for one to fully understand the story, I would recommend watching the cartoon series as well.

Re-emerging

Two years of not blogging, two of not venting, so many things have changed in my life. What can I say? There is so much I can tell.. Where do I start?

Life has changed for me.. for better or worse it is yet to be seen. I am finally back to writing, back to the arts, finding myself again. 

2010 - a new beginning?

Perhaps... I am no longer bound to the man I once loved. Four years of memories stored away, never to be re-opened to write another chapter in our lives. Do I regret our relationship? No, I have learned and I remember the good times but things progress, and we found ourselves moving forward and apart. 

Clinical depression, anxiety, traits of borderline personality disorder... ahhh the list goes on.. Diagnosed with many mental health issues I suffered quietly throughout my life, finally breaking in 2008 and over the past 2 years from there I have crawled through probably the worst years of my life so far. My tears were enough to fill a dam, my back scarred from backstabbing people, my heart.. ahh.. my heart shattered into pieces by those that i trusted and loved. Two creatures stick beside me through the years, helping me up each time I fall, my fur-babies, my beloveds.. one follows me everywhere I go as my assistance dog.. oh the things I'd give for them to be with me forever 

Moving forward in 2010, I find myself alone yet.. there are people emerging from places I never knew existed, lending me a helping hand, a listening ear and ... dare I say it? .. they are my new friends.. ones who do not shy away from me because I am depressed. Ones who understand when I don't speak or call them for days.. Ones who are still there for me even after weeks of no contact.. Ahh.. the joys of finding these people cannot be explained in words.

A new love, yes, I have found a new love.. moving quickly from one to another? perhaps.. but in my defense, everything fell into place the first time we met. Hours on end we spoke, through the night, I opened up to him and showed my darkest secrets. Did he run or take advantage of my vulnerability? No.. he stood firm and held out his hand and offered me friendship.. 

What feelings I had over the next few months are unreal.. Depression hits me, life throws curve balls after curve balls, kicking me when i'm down and yet.. yet.. I find him standing beside me, holding my hand, leading me through the obstacles, providing me with his strength and support.. How can I justify deserving a person like this? I cannot. I am not deserving of him. I push him away with all I have, wrenching each piece of my heart, breaking the already shattered pieces but he keeps coming back, picking up each and everyone of the pieces and keeping them for safekeeping hoping that one day he may be able to piece them back together so that my heart will be whole once more. 

Ahh my sweetheart, how you have stolen my heart.. Reminding me each day of what I live for, and showing me what it is like to be treated like a princess.. 

mind..love.. what else is there to say?

ah yes.. my studies.. oh the dreaded word.. the stress, the mental breakdown, the grades.. I will not speak of the past, I will speak of the present.. At present my studies are going at a slow and steady pace.. this semester has been hard for me.. but yet.. I move forward.. Let us see what my efforts bring me at the end of this semester.. More I dare not say lest I jinx myself..

life.. what is there to say about life.. I have not yet found myself and who I am.. but new and interesting lifestyles have I found.. the alternative scene is what I am in.. the gothic punk style wardrobe is what I am interested in (bloody hell is it expensive :D) and slowly but surely I am getting my wardrobe into shape.. Into what I identify with at this point of time..

I have to thank miss tikidoll (such a sweetie *hugz and kisses to her*) and my man for their contribution in my love of all things slinky (slips) and oh the stockings and garters.. *fans herself*

Lets not forget work -.- for if there is no work, there is no money.. if there is no money.. there is no new wardrobe, no bills can be paid, no tattoos, no nothing.. that is all I have to say about work.. for now.. 

Be assured, I am back!