Even though this show's "intended" audience is technically 10-12 year olds, this show is right for viewers of all ages. This show is supreme in every aspect; the plot, characters, there is no aspect of this show that was overlooked. Other than the plot, which is by far the most captivating aspect of the show, here are just a few other reasons explaining why the show is unbeatable. (Caution! Spoilers past this point! Skip to last paragraph to avoid spoilers.)
First, the wide span of emotions touched by the show is relatable to the whole audience. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se", we (yes, every single college man in the room) cried with Iroh as he mourns the loss of his son. Of course, there's great humor as well! Beyond the upfront "silly" humor intended for children, as displayed in the intro where Aang crashes into the idol, there is a level of comedy intended for more mature audiences. For instance, there were 3 (at least 3 that I have found) chapters based off of classic Hollywood films("The Deserter"="The Karate Kid", "Zuko Alone"="The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly", and "The Headband"="Footloose").
Second, everything in the show is realistic (aside from bending obviously). From the struggles in morality (Aang struggles to find a way not to kill Ozai), to the fighting techniques, everything is based off of real world scenarios. For instance, water bending comes from Tai Chi, air bending comes form Ba Gua, earth bending comes from Hung Gar, and fire bending comes from Northern Shaolin.
Lastly, you develop a genuine love of the characters. (Using Prince Zuko as an example) "The Storm" gives the audience insight to his past with his father as well as giving constant parallelism between him and Aang. In "Zuko Alone" the lonely prince stumbles into a earth kingdom village and sees firsthand the effects of the war, and yet helps protect the village from an oppressive band of earth bending "thugs". Yet at "The Cross-Roads of Destiny" Zuko betrays his uncle and attacks the avatar. Finally, in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse" Zuko confronts Ozai and explains that his destiny is to help Aang learn fire bending.
I have shown this show to my skeptical parents (age 50), who admittedly watched it at first simply to "humor" me, and they grew to appreciate every level of depth in the show as much as I do.
The best show to ever have aired on television, ever.
Even though this show's "intended" audience is technically 10-12 year olds, this show is right for viewers of all ages. This show is supreme in every aspect; the plot, characters, there is no aspect of this show that was overlooked. Other than the plot, which is by far the most captivating aspect of the show, here are just a few other reasons explaining why the show is unbeatable. (Caution! Spoilers past this point! Skip to last paragraph to avoid spoilers.)
First, the wide span of emotions touched by the show is relatable to the whole audience. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se", we (yes, every single college man in the room) cried with Iroh as he mourns the loss of his son. Of course, there's great humor as well! Beyond the upfront "silly" humor intended for children, as displayed in the intro where Aang crashes into the idol, there is a level of comedy intended for more mature audiences. For instance, there were 3 (at least 3 that I have found) chapters based off of classic Hollywood films("The Deserter"="The Karate Kid", "Zuko Alone"="The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly", and "The Headband"="Footloose").
Second, everything in the show is realistic (aside from bending obviously). From the struggles in morality (Aang struggles to find a way not to kill Ozai), to the fighting techniques, everything is based off of real world scenarios. For instance, water bending comes from Tai Chi, air bending comes form Ba Gua, earth bending comes from Hung Gar, and fire bending comes from Northern Shaolin.
Lastly, you develop a genuine love of the characters. (Using Prince Zuko as an example) "The Storm" gives the audience insight to his past with his father as well as giving constant parallelism between him and Aang. In "Zuko Alone" the lonely prince stumbles into a earth kingdom village and sees firsthand the effects of the war, and yet helps protect the village from an oppressive band of earth bending "thugs". Yet at "The Cross-Roads of Destiny" Zuko betrays his uncle and attacks the avatar. Finally, in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse" Zuko confronts Ozai and explains that his destiny is to help Aang learn fire bending.
I have shown this show to my skeptical parents (age 50), who admittedly watched it at first simply to "humor" me, and they grew to appreciate every level of depth in the show as much as I do.