So my thoughts on the Live Action Adaptation: …it was fine. Not great, but fine. Some things were good, some things were bad, but I’d give it a 7 out of 10. So onto my critique:

1) The casting was fantastic. Again, not really a miss in the bunch. Yeah, they can improve a bit on some of the early acting with Team Avatar, but they get better as the series goes on which means they’ll get better as the series goes on.

Elizabeth Yu as Azula needs to lose 15 pounds between Seasons 1 and 2. People are giving Kiawentiio shite, but quite frankly it’s the writing with her that’s the problem (I’ll get into that later). Zuko, Iroh, and Ozai are perfect. Aang and Sokka basically are as well. Suki, Jet, and Bumi in their limited roles this season are great as well. Zhao was different but in a good way, and I like the differences.

2) I mean, they got a lot of the high points, but I have to say I was perplexed by some of the decisions. As good of a set as Omashu is, I was very surprised we spent two out of eight episodes there. And they cut Aang going into the Fire Nation blockade which should just be obviously thrilling in live action.

3) With Katara, the writing really seemed to be apprehensive with her. From the animated series, Katara is kind of a bitch to be frank, but it makes her human. My advice to the Season 2 writers, don’t be afraid to make her one. Katara is good hearted but heavily stubborn and sarcastic, and you need to just embrace it. I feel that the writers were too afraid too do this and instead made Katara unrealistic.

4) Airbending, Earthbending, and Firebending were all well done, and I know this is definitely the hardest one to do, but still they didn’t do Waterbending all that well. It does not feel nearly as threatening as it does in the animated series, and this is the water season. Furthermore, Aang doesn’t waterbend outside of the Avatar State the entire fricking season… WHAT?! The first book was called “Water” for a reason.

5) Pretty much everything regarding the Fire Nation was great. That was the interesting part of the show. I love how Zuko’s crew was the 41st Division, something I’m going to accept as canon in the animated show. Keep up that stuff.

6) Liked the end, but they fricked up Yue. Glad to have seen Koizilla.

But it’s salvageable. Season One is the most episodic and the most difficult season to adapt, so just pretty much straight up adapt the later two seasons. Season Two is straightforward where you should be able to do this. Looking forward to it as well.

Here would be my advice adapting Season Two as far as episode order:

1) The Blind Bandit/Variation of Zuko and Azula’s story in The Avatar State/Zuko Alone flashbacks
2)The Chase/Zuko Alone (Modern Story)
3) Bitter Work
4) The Library/The Desert
5) The Serpent’s Pass/The Drill
6) City of Walls and Secrets/Tales of Ba Sing Se/Appa’s Lost Days
7) Lake Laogai/The Earth King
8) The Guru/The Crossroads of Destiny