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kd7sov(I ought to replace a bunch of my icons. I've got too many Harry Potter and not nearly enough of anything I'm actually much into these days.)
Today I watched the Avatar Season 2 episode Tales of Ba Sing Se. While I still claim that Iroh is distinctly the star, I was distinctly touched by "The Tale of Zuko". It's nice to see Zuko's pleasant side, and I find Jin quite cute.
A bit after the fact, I decided that I liked Earth Kingdom girls more than others, in general. Then it occurred to me: what basis do I have for making that decision?
As of the point to which I've watched so far, there have been no obvious Air Nomad girls that I remember. It's possible some of the monk-trainees in the flashbacks in "The Storm", but I didn't notice. Among the Water Tribe, we've only seen Katara and Yue, both of whom are in unusual positions among their people, and are hardly likely to be typical. As for the Fire Nation, we have the stunning examples of Azula - princess, and crazy - Mai - Goth who spends a great deal of time practicing knife-throwing - and Ty Lee - highly-expressive circus girl. I sincerely doubt that any of them shares much with the majority of their countrywomen.
The difference, it seems to me, is in the tone of the seasons. Season 1 was about the journey - the Gaang looking for the North Pole, and getting distracted along the way, and Zuko's warship looking for the Gaang. Season 2, by contrast, seems to be more about the people; the Gaang doesn't appear to have a clear central goal, and Zuko and Iroh are cut off from resources and their past. As a consequence, much more attention is paid to the people both sets encounter - for the most part, the simple people of the Earth Kingdom. Between the two groups we get to encounter Earth Kingdom citizens at several levels of society, providing a much clearer view of Avatar's Earth people than of any other nation. And with that clarity comes the opportunity for prospects of romance, compassion, and daily life.
I suspect that, even given equal screen time and no director/writer bias, I'd still prefer EK girls, though.
Today I watched the Avatar Season 2 episode Tales of Ba Sing Se. While I still claim that Iroh is distinctly the star, I was distinctly touched by "The Tale of Zuko". It's nice to see Zuko's pleasant side, and I find Jin quite cute.
A bit after the fact, I decided that I liked Earth Kingdom girls more than others, in general. Then it occurred to me: what basis do I have for making that decision?
As of the point to which I've watched so far, there have been no obvious Air Nomad girls that I remember. It's possible some of the monk-trainees in the flashbacks in "The Storm", but I didn't notice. Among the Water Tribe, we've only seen Katara and Yue, both of whom are in unusual positions among their people, and are hardly likely to be typical. As for the Fire Nation, we have the stunning examples of Azula - princess, and crazy - Mai - Goth who spends a great deal of time practicing knife-throwing - and Ty Lee - highly-expressive circus girl. I sincerely doubt that any of them shares much with the majority of their countrywomen.
The difference, it seems to me, is in the tone of the seasons. Season 1 was about the journey - the Gaang looking for the North Pole, and getting distracted along the way, and Zuko's warship looking for the Gaang. Season 2, by contrast, seems to be more about the people; the Gaang doesn't appear to have a clear central goal, and Zuko and Iroh are cut off from resources and their past. As a consequence, much more attention is paid to the people both sets encounter - for the most part, the simple people of the Earth Kingdom. Between the two groups we get to encounter Earth Kingdom citizens at several levels of society, providing a much clearer view of Avatar's Earth people than of any other nation. And with that clarity comes the opportunity for prospects of romance, compassion, and daily life.
I suspect that, even given equal screen time and no director/writer bias, I'd still prefer EK girls, though.
