Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3: Fire volume 3

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre animated Starring Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman, Jessie Flower, Jack De Sena Directed by Giancarlo Volpe Publisher Paramount External Links Official Avatar Website

It’s been awhile since I’ve come across a show for kids that has a lot of substance.  After watching Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 volume 3 I came to the conclusion that this is a show that’s not only kid-friendly but watchable for adults as well. There’s plenty of visual humor and action-packed scenes to keep younger viewers interested as well as enough depth to the plot that will enable parents or guardians to watch it without feeling like their minds are turning into goo.

Avatar: The Last Airbender tells the tale of four different nations of people that possess elemental powers based on air, water, fire or earth. These powers are called ‘Bending’. These nations live harmoniously until the Fire Nation declares war on the other three. The Fire Lord, leader of the Fire Nation, is so powerful that someone with the ability to Bend all four elements is needed to help defeat him. This type of person is known as an Avatar, and the person who has the promise of being the next one is twelve-year-old Aang.
     
Aang is accompanied by friends from each elemental nation who are determined to help beat the Fire Lord. Book 3 Volume 3 focuses on the three nations being held captive by the Fire Lord and his cronies. The children of the nations are sent away by their parents to a hideout known as the Western Air Temple in order to be kept safe. While Aang and his crew are laying low and gathering strength to fight for the freedom of their parents and fellow tribesmen they’re tracked down by Prince Zuko, a bad-guy-turned-good from the Fire Nation who’s had enough of the battling and cruelty of his nation and is trying to turn over a new leaf. He extends an offer to teach Aang Firebending, but the team is reluctant to accept due to Zuko’s past.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 Volume 3 was an entertaining DVD to watch. A show with a kid demographic that has kids as the heroes is a smart idea. It’s very family friendly and at the risk of sounding cliché I feel it promotes the importance of good friendships and what you can do if you put your mind to it.
     
The Avatar story as a whole is very unique. I thought that an ongoing tale about a fictional Asian inspired world based on powers of the four elements was an extremely creative idea on the creators’ parts. The battle scenes are injury free and no blood is shed, but I’d still recommend this show for viewers age seven and up. The story is probably one that would go right over a preschooler’s head.

The one disappointment was the lack of special features on the DVD. It includes commentary for a couple of episodes, but since the animation and backgrounds were so artistically done, some looks into the storyboards or a ‘making of’ featurette  would’ve been nice to do the art style some justice. But criticism aside, Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 Volume 3 is definitely a good choice for older children and adults alike that enjoy a good fantasy, or even just a great story that keeps you wanting to see more.