Netflix’s Avatar The Last Airbender Stirs Controversy
After delivering successful adaptations of “One Piece” and “Yu Yu Hakusho”, Netflix is ready with its new live-action project and is going to release it this month. The upcoming series on the streaming platform is “Avatar: The Last Airbender” which is under critics’ radar right before its debut.
Originally aired in animated form on Nickelodeon, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a beloved series and certain aspects of the show, especially its character journeys, are what makes it so special. Which is why, when Netflix announced that they’ll be toning down Sokka’s sexism in the live-action, fans lost their mind.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, live-action cast members Kiawentiio (Katara) and Ian Ousley (Sokka) informed fans that Sokka’s sexism was discussed during the live-action show’s development and was deliberately cut away at, as it had no place in the new remake.
“I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy”, as stated by Sokka’s live-action actor. Sokka’s development is typically called out as a strong example of the series’ character growth but the makers beg to differ.
Showrunner Albert Kim said that Netflix wanted to guard against Sokka being perceived as outright unlikable hence, they didn’t go with the original and will now focus more on his trauma around his parents rather than showing his quite abrasive and bold remarks on women.
However, Sokka’s sexism won’t be the only difference Avatar fans will get to see in Netflix’s remake. Showrunner Kim previously confirmed that the show does not begin the same way the animated series does and to make it a serialized drama, Aang will not go on many detours looking for adventures, like riding the elephant koi.
Certain areas of Katara’s character have also been removed, including “some gender issues that didn’t quite translate from the cartoon”. The live-action series will also show the genocide of the Airbender people and the rise of the Fire Nation, which was only touched on in the animated series.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino spent two years developing the live-action adaptation for Netflix before announcing their exit due to creative differences, and fans are now criticizing Netflix for pushing their agenda against the original creators. Anyway, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” streams on Netflix starting Feb 22.
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