ATLA
The opening of the series begins with Katara saying “Aang will save the world” while the series ends with Zuko saying “Aang brought balance back to the world”. I don’t know why this amuses me, but it does. The protagonist in the story beginning and ending the story?
On the same vein, sorry Aang, I’ve loved you since I saw you make fun of Pipsqueak for his name, but as a protagonist you ended up being really, really, really, static. Katara took the spotlight in more than a few places, key ones being “The Puppet Master”, and “The Southern Raiders”. Zuko was the main character by the time you started realizing that the war was serious business. I loved Zuko since I saw him, (who else saw him and thought: “He’s freaky in a hot sort of way, therefore Katara would look hot with him.”?/simple mindedness)
Jun is hot. I wanted a Jun/Iroh reunion so they could say how great it was for Zuko to “finally work things out with his girlfriend” Katara. Where were his awesome abs of steel yo?
GranGran/Pakku= Zutara foreshadowing. They even mentioned the necklace once again.
Zutara lightning scene is interesting on two levels:
Friendship between them is like amazing at this point and Zuko doesn’t want her opinion on him anymore, he’s secure enough to know they were together until the end. His life over hers though.
Zuko put a lot at stake for jumping into the lighting. Iroh said he was the only one to help restore balance between the fire nation and the other nations. If he had died, who would’ve taken the throne? Iroh? Probably not.
Toph would of have shipped Zutara if Zuko had joined the Gaang in CoD. For cereal.
Iroh would’ve too. Jun did. And those writers from the Ember Island players. I wonder who told them about the UST between Katara and Zuko. As someone else already said: even the show ships Zutara.
The Azula vs. Zutara fight would of have been really interesting if Azula believed that Zuko and Katara were together. I wonder why she didn’t use the reverse psychology as of usual. Bring up Mai (thank god this was not the case), bring up mom, bring up the fact that the avatar may be too late now. I know she was slipping, but desperate times require desperate measures. I still really liked this no shippy stuff in there. [Fanfics anyone?]
A kiss on the cheek/forehead/top-of-head, or a hug would of have been appropriate after Katara healed Zuko. It isn’t even about Zutara, it is about continuity. Zuko helped Katara with revenge and closure, but when he saves her from his psychotic sister, she can’t give him a hug?
Mai in the main group at the end of the series was really…disconcerting to me. I mean, she is suddenly part of the family and it is…just not right. On many levels. Like, everyone earned their spot on the family and Mai just waltz in and is like “I get the guy AND be part of the main group even though I wasn’t really ALL that important!” No Bryke, a nice scene where they reconnect would of have been fine. And thanks for pushing Ty Lee and Mai apart even though they truly were bff4ever.
I know most disliked Kataang because of the age. I had a friend that has dated someone younger than her for two years. They’re fine; they’re going to get married. The problem is the maturity level. Maiko is just as immature, so I suppose the whole: “not going to last” is plausible. I still hate how a mostly unimportant and boring character ends up with the most dynamic character in the entire series, especially when she didn’t motivate his character to change, same can be argued for Kataang, static relationships are really no fun. It eludes logic. I have decided to believe that Mai confronts Zuko, they give it another whirl, and they find they are much more incompatible than when he was first all emo and she was trying to be a blank slate. They end up being amiable and Mai even helps Katara and Zuko in her own weird strange way.
Zuko searching for his mother means Katara will help. She more than anyone, aside from Iroh, will understand why this is so important to him.