Happy Fantasy
A friend convinced me to watch a repeat of the pilot of a new anime-inspired series on Nickelodeon of all channels called Avatar: The Last Airbender. The story isn’t particularly original; four countries based on the four elements, each with people known as “______ benders” who manipulate that element and an Avatar who can control all four elements and maintains a balance. When the Avatar disappears, the unchecked Fire Nation spends a century taking over the world.
But what I like about the series is it doesn’t have that pressing despair that so many similar fantasy stories have. It might be because it is aimed for a younger audience, although the complexity of the world and the politics somewhat dispute that. It’s simply that the hope outshines the overwhelming odds. There is no question that the current Avatar, a 12 year old Airbender named Aang, will save the world. It will be a hard journey, but a fun one, and one that will be enjoyable to watch.
Also, the fight/magic use scenes are SO COOL.