After watching The Last Airbender, be sure to check out the cartoon

[CJones]

Adding to Quirk's argument, good anime can be REALLY, REALLY good. Case in point: Grave of the Fireflies. Not only is this a stupendous anime, it's also the most powerfully emotional movie I've EVER seen.

I just wanted to say that Grave of the Fireflies is one of only two movies I've outright wept at while watching (the other was Shindler's List). Fantastic movie, but I have no desire to ever see it again.   

[Cosmic Muse]

You know, I think a lot of the criticisms of this cartoon are not based on anything but he jaded, disillusioned adult mind. I've been watching t5he first season episodes and I absolutely adore this animated series. Listen, it is aimed at kids, meaning if you're age group is not in the single digits or tween realm you may not "get" it. I do but only because I let my inner child judge animated series geared for kids. I can tell you that watching Avatar, The Last Airbender brings a warm, fuzzy feeling in me. I have not seen animated shows with this much quality writing in a very very long time. So I tell you to let go of your angsty, adult bitterness and just enjoy things for once.

[Invader_quirk]

I like the show, but the first few episodes are badly written, even for a kid's show. Just because it's for kids doesn't give it a pass to be cliched. Those first episodes are what scare people off, which is a shame.

[Cosmic Muse]

I wasn't bothered by the first few episodes at all. I'm the kid who used to watch Turbo Teen and Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N Wrestling. I know a good cartoon when I see one.

[Thrashalla]

I like the show, but the first few episodes are badly written, even for a kid's show. Just because it's for kids doesn't give it a pass to be cliched. Those first episodes are what scare people off, which is a shame.

Precisely  - I'm on to season 2 now and I'm pretty much hooked. Out of curiosity I went back and watched the first few episodes again to see if experience and immersion would have an effect on how I judged them...nope, they're still pretty much crap by any standards. (Want to name-drop, Muse? I used to watch Denver the Last Dinosaur and Silverhawks. ) However, I will attest - once again - it gets WAY better; even to the adult mind. (Being aimed at children is no excuse for being garbage, btw - as CS Lewis said: "A book worth reading only in childhood is not worth reading even then." I think the same applies to cartoons.)

As for the criticism of anime as a whole - I think part of what puts people off is the culture that surrounds it. Face it, anime nerds are a special kind of nerd and the public face of that culture, especially the American side of it, can be a massive turn-off. Yeah, the same can be said for any sub-culture...but "tentacle hentai" usually isn't a term one needs to know in other sub-cultures either. This, BTW, is coming from a sci-fi/fantasy nerd and metalhead who has a permanent indentation in my forehead from all of the facepalms I've performed as penance for the actions of my 'people.'

[Taufiq2u]

Okay, if you wanna know about good or bad anime, here's the thing:

There is Both Good and Bad Anime.

And there are some animes that many people both love and hate.

For example:

I like K-On:



However, it is also one of the most divided animes of the 21st century.

Some people hate K-On because it lacks a story, can be quite shallow, is an otaku bait, and uses "cuteness" as a selling point.

But some people like K-On because it has character development, good writing, excellent art design and has the best camera angles used in anime.

I like K-On for the latter. And even if some people hated K-On, well fuck them. K-On is slice of life. And slice of life animes rarely break into the mainstream. And thus K-On's popularity is like a culture shock to a generation of anime fans raised on mecha, horror, sci-fi and action stories. And it's my right as a human being to enjoy something that others might not enjoy.

But like i've said, there are animes that some think it sucks, while others think it's good. It's been like that since the dawn of mankind.

And even if the bad and mediocre animes like Pokemon perpetuates the beliefs that "animes are for kids" and "all animes suck", then it's up to the otaku and the average casual anime viewer to change that. If One Piece and Hokuto No Ken taught us anything, it's that we can change how others see us for the better of mankind. And if you met anyone who thinks that all animes are about "tentacle rape", then you must give him or her a copy of either Hokuto No Ken or Cowboy Bebop, because people like that deserve it.

Oh and thanks for checking out Avatar the Last Airbender. Hell yeah, Season 2 is awesome.

[Thrashalla]

Ok. I have watched all 3 seasons of the show and LOVED it. I went back and watched the movie and am now in absolute shock at how horribly they screwed things up. Like, full-on jaw-on-the-ground shock.

[Asbestos Bill]

Ok. I have watched all 3 seasons of the show and LOVED it. I went back and watched the movie and am now in absolute shock at how horribly they screwed things up. Like, full-on jaw-on-the-ground shock.

I finished season 2 in the span of a couple days, and while I used to be excited to see M. Night's next abomination—and to rip it apart—I'm now a little sad. The rape of the first season was little more than wasted potential, but now that I'm into the characters and story, The Last Airbender II will be painful on another level.