Netflix has already won fans’ hearts by bringing the live-action adaptation of the popular animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. While the trailer has created major hype among the show’s original fans, what has left them disappointed is that the streaming platform is making a similar mistake as The Witcher Show.
Despite having a great start, the Henry Cavill-led series grew criticism for its complex storytelling but the upcoming third season has further elevated matters. Just like the show, the upcoming live adaptation is also in a negative light due to Aang’s series showrunner, Albert Kim comments.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Took a Shortcut in Aang’s Journey
Ahead of its premiere this month, Avatar: The Last Airbender showrunner, Albert Kim and director, Jabbar Raisani give behind-the-scenes to IGN. While the new trailer has already amassed a positive response among the fans, Kim recently confirmed that the show will skip a major plot-line from the animated show for a ‘more narrative compulsion.’
When asked about what whether it stays the same as the original, the showrunner answered,
“Pretty much. Yeah, I mean, I think the state of the world and the stakes of the world are still the same. So we decided to make Aang’s narrative drive a little clearer.”
He further continued to share what changes have been made when compared to the animated show.
The live adaptation will not let Aang take a detour, leaving out his adventure like riding the Elephant Koi.
“In the first season of the animated series, he’s kind of going from place to place looking for adventures. He even says, ‘First, we’ve got to go and ride the elephant koi.’ It’s a little looser as befits a cartoon. We needed to make sure that he had that drive from the start. And so, that’s a change that we made.”
He continued,
“We essentially give him this vision of what’s going to happen and he says, ‘I have to get to the Northern Water Tribe to stop this from happening.’ That gives him much more narrative compulsion going forward, as opposed to, ‘Let’s make a detour and go ride the elephant koi,’ that type of thing. So that’s something, again, that’s part of the process of going from a Nickelodeon cartoon to a Netflix serialized drama.”
While Kim’s statement asserts that Aang’s journey in the upcoming series will be more grounded than the animated show which took time to develop his character, it surely has left fans disappointed.
Fans React to Netflix’s Serialized Avatar: The Last Airbender Adaptation
Fans took to X to express their disappointment with the new update Kim shared regarding the upcoming series. One fan expressed his disappointment over the missing plot of “Aang’s journey and character arc in Book 1” before he accepts his responsibility.
Check the tweets below.
So they’ve completely missed the point of Aang’s journey and character arc in Book 1. He was a kid thrust with so much responsibility at a young age. He wanted to be able to have a childhood; have fun, until forced to confront the reality of how important his responsibility was. pic.twitter.com/xFqe1s2k9s
— RJ (@ResonantJustice) February 2, 2024
Is it really so much to ask for an accurate adaptation. It seems like Netflix writers always have their own agenda to insert into other people's stories.
— 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚓🗿 (@TheSocrateej) February 2, 2024
Netflix keeps ruining IP stories by letting the show runners just do whatever they want… And typically fans hate it. When are they gonna learn??? Netflix gives fans the middle finger constantly either by canceling shows or letting them go rogue
— Ethan Price (@Paradox_EP) February 2, 2024
Oohk it’s starting to click why the creators left… pic.twitter.com/WmA3xk7u3s
— the witch from Ææa!? 🏳️🌈 (@s0_wh4t_n0w) February 2, 2024
WTF!!! Literally met a main character through detours. THEY MET SUKI BECAUSE AANG WANTED TO RIDE THE ELEPHANT KOI! pic.twitter.com/VY5rqlIx37
— Busseus 🔱 Jackson (@KND_KOD) February 2, 2024
All the excitement I had for this show has completely gone away. It sounds like it’s going to suck
— Edgar Alan Dough🏋🏼♂️📈🅱️ (@edgaralandough) February 2, 2024
Leaving on Aang’s detours is surely a big deal for fans as it was what made his character grow in the first place. Since Aang was a youngster, he eventually started taking his role seriously when he experienced the world around him.
Even with The Witcher series, fans felt quite the same as the show’s potential was greatly affected due to their complex writing. Despite being loyal to its original content, every season seemed to have left fans disappointed by making changes to the show. Given that Avatar is also going in the same direction, they are already making their opinions felt on its overall potential.
Regardless, Aang’s story will soon be unveiled as Avatar: The Last Airbender is scheduled to premiere on February 22, 2024, on Netflix.
