Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender

Aang, the Avatar, did the impossible and ended a century long conflict, bringing peace back to the world.  But scars still linger, most of all Aang’s own position as the worlds Last Airbender.  That is until the search for a powerful artifact reawakens a long buried Airbender named Tagah.  What should be a glorious reunion turns dangerous when two very different visions of Airbender legacy collide, threatening to burn the world Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko fought long and hard to create.  Once more, maybe more than ever, the fate of the world and the potential resurrection of the Airbenders rests in the hands of Avatar Aang.

Special Note: Ever since I started doing them in 2015, Extended Summer Series Reviews have always had one unspoken rule about them: when they start, they run uninterrupted til they (and whatever bonus movie might come with them) are done.  Eleven years later, I’m breaking that rule for this special occasion.  Today, July 25^th, marks what would have been my Dads 75^th Birthday.  And one of the shows he loved dearly and helped me get into was Avatar: The Last Airbender.  So when I heard that the long awaited Avatar Movie wasn’t just getting released but was being released on his birthday of all times?  Well some rules are meant to be broken here and then right?  So yeah, we’re briefly interrupting my Extended Summer Series Review of The Rose of Versailles to take a look at a movie I think Dad would have loved as much as he loved the show.  Anyway, onto the review and…Happy Birthday Dad.
 
What can really be said about Avatar: The Last Airbender that hasn’t been said already other than it’s basically perfect?  I guess one thing you could always say, or rather ask, is: when are we getting a sequel?  And I’m not talking about something like The Legend of Korra or the forthcoming Seven Havens.  I mean when are we getting a brand new Avatar adventure with the OG Team Avatar?  Well folks, that day has finally come.  Somehow, despite a very public near termination by Paramount itself, Aang and the team are back in an adventure a long time coming for both viewers and for Aang himself.  And it’s a good thing too because if you love the series, this is one feature film continuation that takes the entire Avatar experience to the next level in mostly good ways but not without a few Toph placed stumble blocks. 
 

The Rose of Versailles Part 7 Episodes 31-35

For the first time in centuries, the Etats-Generaux has been called: a meeting of the three ruling bodies of France.  But what should be a chance to better the lives of all living in Paris becomes a power keg ready to explode as Nobles and Rebels alike threaten to damage the conference for their own nefarious ends.  Oscar and Company B find themselves in an impossible situation.  Will they obey orders to put down any resistance by any means necessary?  Or will Oscar be forced to take a stand against the very Nobility she has served without hesitation?

After Monday’s…questionable storytelling choices, The Rose of Versailles re-righted itself by doing what it arguably does best: turning up the heat with its depiction of historical drama.  And yes, even Oscar and Andre found ways back to their more familiar selves, settling into new roles and even making some interesting discoveries themselves (nothing we didn’t already know on Andre’s end though).  Honestly, it’s just good to get away from all the romantic drama and back to the steady escalation towards the French Revolution.  Which does make me wonder: how much of the show is going to cover that event?  That’s a mini discussion/rant I can get into later.  For now, only the start of the final 10 episodes.
 

T5W#571-Top 5 Anime Series That Failed to Live Up to the Hype

The first official (full) trailer for Avengers: Doomsday dropped this week to much fanfare.  For me though, it didn’t have nearly the same impact on me as the teaser trailer for Avengers: Infinity War back in the day.  While I do still love the MCU, it’s hard to deny it’s in a rough place right now and it’s attempt to build hype with a mega fanservice cast could backfire on it (especially with its commitment to it’s December release date going toe to toe with Dune: Part 3 but that’s a chat for another time).  Idk, it makes me think of Anime series that had similar aspirations of greatness with a lot of anticipation heading into their premieres, only to see them crash hard and either become so bad theyre good or just plain bad.  On todays Top 5 Wednesday, I’m looking at five such titles with the Top 5 Anime Series That Failed to Live Up to the Hype

 

The Rose of Versailles Part 6 Episodes 26-30

When a mission to capture a charming thief: The Black Knight, leads to unexpected tragedy, Oscar and Andre’s friendship is changed forever.  Oscar quits the Royal Guard, looking to escape heartache and her longing for the man she cannot be with.  Meanwhile Andre’s fear of losing the woman he loves drives him too far to remind Oscar of who she truly is.  Between thieves and assassins, France is on the tipping point of conflict and if Oscar and Andre cant reconcile, nothing will be able to stop it.

We’re about to head into the home stretch of The Rose of Versailles.  So far the show has excelled beyond all expectations when it comes to depicting the turbulent and tragic events of this point in French History, with amazing character writing and nail biting drama.  This episode set takes a step back from the historical roller coaster for some quality time with two of our lead characters…to sadly mixed results.  I’m not going to lie, this was a rough set of episodes to sit through, not because it was hard to see a poor girl meet her untimely end because of her mothers machinations or because Jeanne was getting publicly branded.  No, it was hard to watch because Oscar and Andre were all over the place and suddenly going through mood swings that were meant to be important steps forward for their characters and their inevitable romance.  They just went about it all wrong and the end results cant be ignored.
 

The Rose of Versailles Part 5 Episodes 21-25

Four years ago, a desperate Jewler tried to sell Marie Antoinette a Diamon Necklace for an impossible price.  She declined.  Now this necklace has fallen into the hands of the duplicitous Jeanne and her schemes to become rich beyond all imagination.  But when she is caught in the act, Jeanne begins a snowballing social upheaval that threatens to ruin the once loving image of Marie Antoinette beyond repair.  As a desperate Oscar tries to contain the spread of lies and misinformation, the people of France take their first steps towards striking back against the Queen and the Nobility.

I’ll admit, I was a little worried when we began the second half of The Rose of Versailles as we circled back around a character we’ve seen do very little after her promising introduction. But as the set went on, those concerns were dashed and I learned quite a bit about French history through the fascinating and hyper intense Diamond Necklace Incident (even if it apparently ended not so historically accurate).  By comparison, there’s other stuff that happens here and it’s good but if The Rose of Versailles knows where to put the bulk of its storytelling powers for maximum impact and Jeanne, she was the focus of all the best efforts.