Dear Netflix,
You know that you’re the best invention since sliced bread. Getting an account with you was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’ve provided me with many hours of enjoyable binge-watching. I know that in actuality you can’t really have every TV show ever known to man and admittedly, you do have a great selection of TV shows. But not having “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is practically a crime. I, and every other Avatar fan, demand you to put this wonderful show on your site for all to adore and binge.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is an animated show that was previously on Nickelodeon. It is about a world that is filled with martial arts and people that can control, also known as bending, the elements: water, fire, earth and air. 100 years previous to the show’s beginning, the people of the fire nation took over, becoming all too powerful and forcing a war between other nations. The series’ main character is an airbender named Aang, who is also the Avatar, the only person capable of using all four elements. It is revealed that Aang was trapped in an iceberg during the beginning of the war, making everyone think that the Avatar had died. When he breaks out of the giant iceberg, he discovers that the world he once knew had erupted in war. His old nation of air nomads had been attacked by the fire nation and it is assumed that everyone from Aang’s old life is dead. In order to defeat the fire nation, Aang, with the help of his friends, must master each element and defeat the fire lord.
Even though I never watched the show when it first premiered (it ended when I was in the eighth grade so I figured I was much too old to be watching cartoons), I discovered it over the past summer and fell in love with it instantly. I realized that Avatar isn’t just a children’s show. It is a show that even during its run on Nickelodeon appealed to a much larger audience. This is because it is a humorous show with amazingly developed characters and a very intriguing plot. Even though it is funny and filled with humor that appeals to children, it centers around more serious themes, like war, death and loneliness. Each episode has a wonderful story that reveals more and more about each character and their pasts. I binge-watched the entire show obsessively over a month.
I’m not going to lie, Netflix, I had to stream the show illegally thanks to the fact that it is not on your site. And why isn’t it? You have other popular TV cartoons, like Scooby Doo and Pokémon. Why shouldn’t you include a cartoon that doesn’t just appeal to children? It appeals to young adults as well. Here are my top three reasons that you should include Avatar on your website.
1. The character Toph is probably the best character ever. She’s funny, powerful, sarcastic, one of the best earthbenders of her time and she’s also been blind since birth. Toph doesn’t let her disability stand in her way, despite her overbearing parents. Instead, she kicks ass, and even discovered metal bending. Plus there is a running joke about her blindness and it is so funny. Toph is just perfection.
2. The plot is intriguing and every episode is done perfectly. A world where people can manipulate elements is in a war that has lasted for 100 years? What’s not intriguing about that? Every episode was interesting and kept me watching to see what would happen next. I loved watching all the fight scenes throughout the series. This show has such a great story that I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t watch it.
3. Like I mentioned, it is a children’s cartoon so obviously it is humorous. What makes this show special is how it deals with more serious themes. There are episodes where the characters joke around the entire time and just have light-hearted fun. But then there are other episodes with a more serious tone that made me cry. Sometimes, this show hit me right in the feels.
So, Netflix, why don’t you just add “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, aka the greatest cartoon ever made, so we can all be happy and relish in its perfection.