Thaius said:
So... stupid adult comedies are the only options, huh? 'Cause not a single one of those has anything on Avatar: The Last Airbender. An incredible fantasy epic with deeply-developed characters, gut-busting humor, a complex mythos, awesome action... a truly amazing show.
And before someone inevitably calls me on this: Avatar is not anime. Okay? Seriously, that needs to be cleared up...
i don't see why it can't be called an anime. calling it a cartoon to me feels like it's making it seem like something less than it truly is. it has the linear story telling where each episode adds to the story and they all build up to one final conclusion, unlike other cartoons that have a problem and solution within 30 minutes and the occasional to be continued to make it an hour or so. it follows a lot of trends of anime, the only main difference is it wasn't made in Japan, but i don't see why that should exclude it from the anime list.
Actually, I think it's important to keep Avatar's identity as a western-animated production. For one, "anime" is the Japanese term for an animated show, and as such it's application outside of Japan is limited to animation produced in Japan. So by default, Avatar is not anime.
Outside of that, though, Avatar stands as an incredibly rare example of an animated children's television show made outside of Japan that actually presents a coherent, complex story with deep and developed characters within a truly interesting world inspired by a multitude of cultures, literary texts, and ethnicities. It's a rare exception to the "Animation Age Ghetto" that western audiences have accepted so blindly. So way I see it, it's important for us to see Avatar and remember what we are capable of doing with animation, remember that Japan isn't the only country that can actually use the medium to its fullest potential.
