Search - Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4 on DVD

Julie T. (PhoenixChameleon) from N ATTLEBORO, MA
Reviewed on 1/10/2014...

My daughter loves this series. The movie with actors, not so much. We were happy to get this to complete our collection.

Rescues and romance

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 08/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The closer Aang and his buddies come to the North Pole, the more trouble they encounter -- and while there's a brief diversion into fluffy romanceville in "Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4," our heroes are stumbling across greater dangers in their quest. Moreover, it's becoming a bit less clear just where Zuko stands on the enemy/ally line.



When Sokka and Kitara come down with a flu-like ailment, Aang heads to a healer (and then the nearest swamp) to find the remedy -- only to be captured by expert archers working for Zhao. Imprisoned in a vast Fire Nation citadel, Aang is unexpectedly rescued by a deadly, sword-swinging man wearing a blue ogre mask, who is determined to get Aang out of Zhao's clutches. Who is the Blue Spirit -- and is he someone Aang already knows?



And the group gets side-tracked to a village that religiously follows the predictions of the local fortuneteller, Aunt Wu. Aang and Kitara are both delighted by their love-life predictions, though Sokka is frustrated by the gullible villagers. Then Aang and Sokka learn that the nearby volcano is about to erupt, despite Aunt Wu's predictions -- and now they must find a way to convince the villagers.



Then Sokka and Kitara encounter an old friend from the South Pole, leaving Aang feeling lonely -- especially when he believes that his friends intend to leave him. So when a message arrives from their father, he keeps it from them -- but that may bode even worse for his new friendships. And in the meantime Zuko and Iroh hire a brash bounty hunter with a very special steed, intending to track Aang by scent.



Finally, a disastrous foray into a Fire Nation festival ends with Aang being taken to a Firebending master, but the master insists that Aang is not ready to learn fire. Aang pushes on doggedly anyway, but an accident involving Kitara makes him realize how right the old man was -- just in time for the master's former pupil to turn up. Guess who it is.



Aang experiences some massive growing pains in the fourth volume of the first season -- the formerly happy-go-lucky Avatar ends up struggling with his own flaws, weaknesses and missteps. Just because he's the Avatar doesn't mean that he can't screw up and/or fail and/or be captured by his enemies, and despite his awe-inspiring power, he does all of those frequently in these episodes.



Not that it's all gloomy contemplation of the Avatar's fallibility -- while the fortune-telling one is on the fluffy side, each episode is solidly written and well-made, with plenty of fun dialogue ("Out of my way! Step aside, filth!" "He means no offense! I'm certain you bathe regularly"), a hint of romance between Aang and Kitara, and plenty of humor (including some fun scenes involving frozen frogs).



The action also gets upped a notch -- the incredible acrobatic escape from Zhao's clutches (including pole-vaulting, swords and helicoptoring), an explosive rooftop fight between Zuko and Aang, and lots of wild imaginative bending from all concerned.



Aside from Aang's personal problems, the supporting characters all get new fleshing out -- Sokka becomes the voice of reason in a very superstitious village ("You HAVE to take a bath SOMETIME!"), Kitara discovers a new dimension to her bending powers, and Zuko's motivations become even murkier. And Uncle Iroh continues to charm as the wise and weird old man ("At my age there is really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery").



"Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 4" further polishes this excellent anime-style series, adding even better action and some new dimensions to the little bald hero."