When this arrived on TV in Tasmania the massive hype from all the 4 star reviews here had probably built up an impossible expectation. I'd like to think that didn't influence my comparatively modest rating, but it's hard to be sure.
I should also add that although I saw about 5 episodes, they weren't all in order, so my grasp of the storyline wasn't all that it probably should have been. As a result I tend to have a view of the show which is probably more influenced by general aspects rather than emotional involvement. OTOH I suppose, if I'd been totally gobsmacked by it, I would have gone out of my way to watch it whenever I could, like say 'Big Knights'.
The first thing that struck me is that, assuming this show is an indigenous product of Nick, they went out of their way to appear to be anime, right down to the oriental style writing in the credits (I don't know whether it's a real language or not).
It reminded me quite a lot of the French 'Skyland' in its general look (apart from the absence of awful CGI characters).
I'm sure you all know what Avatar is about, probably better than I do, and it's probably been explained a dozen times already, so excuse me if I skip that.
There's no denying this is an above average show, with a plot far more involving than most western TV animation (how much Western TV animation is in serial format, for a start?)
In certain ways it reminded me of something like 'Spartakus and the Sum Beneath Sea', or 'Mysterious Cities of Gold', 20 years on. The main difference is that back in the early 80's those shows were bolts out of the blue, head and shoulders above the slew of giant robot/My Little Pony toy commercials. Since the late 80's there has been so much quality stuff that a film or series really has to work its butt off to be a sensation. For me, Avatar is darn good, but not a revelation.
I found many of the characters and voice charecterisations pretty average and uninteresting. Some others were admittedly very good, and the plot was intriguing.
The animation is very nice but not as mind-warping as I'd expected, especially from a western production company who presumably does everything on ones.
It was a toss-up between 3 and 3.5. The series has finished now. It'll be sure to come back, and I'll give it a second look, and maybe that time it'll grow on me, because it wouldn't take much to nudge it over the edge. I don't think it's ever going to make 4 for me personally, though.
A quality show, recommended, and very different for American fare (though clearly not for Japanese).
Why the hell am I apologising all the time. It just didn't turn my crank as much as I was hoping it would.
Pushing 3.5, but not quite. I'm torn between wanting to see the whole thing, in order, to make a definitive rating, and OTOH not being interested enough to really want to.