Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:50:33 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State
In Aang's dream, we see the Southern (I presume) Air Temple. Again, it doesn't really look like Chinese architecture. It's got several tall towers, rather than broad buildings. However, the roofs of the towers do look Asian, since they're sweeping gabled roofs whose corners curl upward.
Aang wakes up, and is sleeping in a hammock made of some creature's hide, it looks like. And there's what appears to be a turtle shell hanging on the wall... maybe it's a turtle seal shell? On close views, the boat appears to be made of wood--we see the walls below deck made of wood, and see wooden planks on the deck. Which seems odd. I don't think they'd have a lot of wood at the north pole. From a distant view, it looks much less wooden, and we can see it's one of the Northern Water Tribe's pontoons / catamaransNaturally, anyone wearing robes--such as Pakku and the nameless Water Tribe members on the boat; Zuko and Iroh; and the Fire Nation citizens in the colony Iroh and Zuko are at--wear them left over right.
( ... )
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:51:20 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State pt 2
The Earth Kingdom fortress also appears to have Chinese architecture. Also, it has a huge wall around it, out of which springs three walls that travel across the landscape, over the mountains, with watch posts at regular intervals, like the Great Wall of China. In the center of the city is a large pagoda. There's some strange arch behind the group when Appa lands, and later again when Sokka tries to shock Aang into the Avatar state.
General Fong and his soldiers bow to the gaang when they land. I don't know if the Earth Kingdom uniforms are based on anything, but Fong has a topknot and a hairstick. The soldiers set off faux-fireworks. They're not real fireworks like the Fire Nation has, but they use their earthbending to propel them. Inside the pagoda, Fong gets a chair, while the gaang are sitting on some platform on the floor. Aang and Sokka are in half-lotus, Katara in seiza. The pagoda has several large holes in it for windows, but no glass in any of them (or paper, or anything else
( ... )
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:52:11 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State pt 3
And at the very end, Zuko brings out a knife, which also has Chinese on it, and he and Iroh cut off their topknots. As I understand it, this would've been a very profound gesture in ancient China. Legend has it that Cao Cao once tried to kill himself for violating a rule he set down, but eventually was convinced to cut off his hair instead of his head--apparently that was close enough. Most people wore their hair long and never cut it; criminals had their hair forcibly cut, so short hair was a mark of a criminal. The Xiao Jing said "The body, hair and skin, all have been received from the parents, and so one doesn't dare damage them--that is the beginning of xiao" (or filial piety, as I've seen it translated). So, yeah. Cutting the hair? Big deal.
And as the screen pans out, we can see bamboo behind them.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:52:53 UTC
Episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers
The nomads are playing various instruments. Chong has a stringed instrument that the Avatar wiki thinks is a banjo, but it could also be a necked lute. Since it seems to be flat, I don't think it'd be a bowl lute, so that knocks out the pipa and others. There are a lot of things it could be. Similarly, Moku has a drum, which the Avatar wiki thinks is a djembe, but I don't think so. Djembe tend to be goblet-shaped, and his isn't. But still, there's a lot of things it could be: tabla, dholak, glong khaek or related, kendang, maddale, and probably many more. Lily has a flute of some kind, I don't know if we ever really get a good look at it. Later on, when they meet the badger-moles, Sokka takes Chong's instrument, so he pulls out another one (I don't want to know from where), which looks like it might be a yueqinMoku wears a straw hat, and a robe going left over right. Lily also has a robe going left over right, and Chong... well, it was a robe? Can't really say it's going left over right,
( ... )
Season two for me was when the series really found it's legs. By this point, the creative staff had established the characters (from what I understand, Iroh was still being developed personality wise at the beginning of season one for example) and we were taken places where we had an extremely pointed cultural markers.
Although I can't really relate to the Star Wars analogy (never could just sit down and really WATCH one), I absolutely agree. Season 2 was definitely my favorite of all 3. Don't ask me why, because I don't really have an answer. The entire season just has this aura that makes me go "Frak yeah. THIS is how you make a television show." Can't wait to really get to the meat of this Book in our future Series Rewatches. :)
Toph rarely talked during the first few episodes of Season 3, which really irked me, especially since just 1 episode ago she'd declared herself the Greatest Earthbender EVAR and had discovered a previously-thought-impossible art of bending. And Iroh never really got to show his skillz (even the Liberation of Ba Sing Se didn't show him very much), which I was really disappointed about. I, like a lot of people, was hoping for an Iroh/Azula Epic Showdown. :/
Comments 55
In Aang's dream, we see the Southern (I presume) Air Temple. Again, it doesn't really look like Chinese architecture. It's got several tall towers, rather than broad buildings. However, the roofs of the towers do look Asian, since they're sweeping gabled roofs whose corners curl upward.
Aang wakes up, and is sleeping in a hammock made of some creature's hide, it looks like. And there's what appears to be a turtle shell hanging on the wall... maybe it's a turtle seal shell? On close views, the boat appears to be made of wood--we see the walls below deck made of wood, and see wooden planks on the deck. Which seems odd. I don't think they'd have a lot of wood at the north pole. From a distant view, it looks much less wooden, and we can see it's one of the Northern Water Tribe's pontoons / catamaransNaturally, anyone wearing robes--such as Pakku and the nameless Water Tribe members on the boat; Zuko and Iroh; and the Fire Nation citizens in the colony Iroh and Zuko are at--wear them left over right. ( ... )
Reply
The Earth Kingdom fortress also appears to have Chinese architecture. Also, it has a huge wall around it, out of which springs three walls that travel across the landscape, over the mountains, with watch posts at regular intervals, like the Great Wall of China. In the center of the city is a large pagoda. There's some strange arch behind the group when Appa lands, and later again when Sokka tries to shock Aang into the Avatar state.
General Fong and his soldiers bow to the gaang when they land. I don't know if the Earth Kingdom uniforms are based on anything, but Fong has a topknot and a hairstick. The soldiers set off faux-fireworks. They're not real fireworks like the Fire Nation has, but they use their earthbending to propel them. Inside the pagoda, Fong gets a chair, while the gaang are sitting on some platform on the floor. Aang and Sokka are in half-lotus, Katara in seiza. The pagoda has several large holes in it for windows, but no glass in any of them (or paper, or anything else ( ... )
Reply
And at the very end, Zuko brings out a knife, which also has Chinese on it, and he and Iroh cut off their topknots. As I understand it, this would've been a very profound gesture in ancient China. Legend has it that Cao Cao once tried to kill himself for violating a rule he set down, but eventually was convinced to cut off his hair instead of his head--apparently that was close enough. Most people wore their hair long and never cut it; criminals had their hair forcibly cut, so short hair was a mark of a criminal. The Xiao Jing said "The body, hair and skin, all have been received from the parents, and so one doesn't dare damage them--that is the beginning of xiao" (or filial piety, as I've seen it translated). So, yeah. Cutting the hair? Big deal.
And as the screen pans out, we can see bamboo behind them.
Reply
The nomads are playing various instruments. Chong has a stringed instrument that the Avatar wiki thinks is a banjo, but it could also be a necked lute. Since it seems to be flat, I don't think it'd be a bowl lute, so that knocks out the pipa and others. There are a lot of things it could be. Similarly, Moku has a drum, which the Avatar wiki thinks is a djembe, but I don't think so. Djembe tend to be goblet-shaped, and his isn't. But still, there's a lot of things it could be: tabla, dholak, glong khaek or related, kendang, maddale, and probably many more. Lily has a flute of some kind, I don't know if we ever really get a good look at it. Later on, when they meet the badger-moles, Sokka takes Chong's instrument, so he pulls out another one (I don't want to know from where), which looks like it might be a yueqinMoku wears a straw hat, and a robe going left over right. Lily also has a robe going left over right, and Chong... well, it was a robe? Can't really say it's going left over right, ( ... )
Reply
Of course, once she actually showed up, Kyoshi stole the show. It might be a filler episode, in the end, but Kyoshi makes it full of win.
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Uploaded it to the main site so you can use that permalink instead.
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