My Avatar the last Airbender review

My Avatar the last Airbender review

Intro: Whoa! Anime better watch their backs. 

Avatar the last Airbender: This series is about four divided nations living in peace they are the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads. They also have people that can control the element of their respected nations called benders. That changed when the fire nation starts a war against the other three nations and to make things worse the Avatar (is the Jedi in this series as far as keeping the peace.) didn't show up. The war has lasted 100 years and the fire nation has the upper hand. Meanwhile, a boy name Aang resurface after being frozen in ice, he's not only the avatar but the Last Airbender. After getting Aang up to speed he has to learn the other three elements to stop the fire nation from winning the war. 

This cartoon can rival Anime, I say that because this series borrows from Asian culture to create this world. I'm surprised that a cartoon-like this is on Nickelodeon because that Network is known for its goofiness. I'm not saying that this series doesn't have funny moments however it doesn't just prove that it also offers serious moments as well. This show was popular enough to get a sequel series, graphic novels and a live-action movie that we all wish was better or didn't exist at all. I'm fond that this series lasted three seasons because it feels like a trilogy and less is more. This may be a simple story, but you don't mind it because of the characters, story arc's and asking are their lines you should or shouldn't cross when it comes to war? 

The ability to bend the four elements is based on martial art styles, science and characters' emotional state of mind. Season one is considered the weakest of the three seasons I can understand why some of the episodes feels like filler and they could have been done better. However, that season serves as setup for what's going to happen in the future. This series shows how this war affects people, some of them are under the fire nation's thumb, others are broken, some want revenge for what this war took from them and others are in denial about the war. Speaking of revenge, I enjoy the episode from season three that deals with this subject because it played with our expectations. The recap episode is one of the best episodes of its kind, the reason why is because it's played as a comedy and it helps the characters to reflect on themselves and the choices they made. 

Aang is a fun-loving, goofy and adventurous boy who goes through a hero's journey. That journey is not simple I mean how is he supposed to learn fire bending if the fire nation is after him? Also, we see that he's having a hard time winning the other nations over his side not just because he was missing for 100 years it's because of the actions of the past Avatars. There are episodes where we see Aang beat himself up over the guilt of not only the things I mentioned but the responsibility of ending the war and why he was in the ice? Aang can be naive at times for example he's unaware of someone being crafty. Plus, that can create problems and I'm disappointed that there are no long-term consequences for his actions. I was let down by how Aang got out of his dilemma because it's such a cop-out and it raises more questions about this world. 

Sokka is not only the comic relief character but the skeptical one and the brains of the group. He has an arc of learning what it means to be a leader because he can be immature from time to time and he doesn't feel important. We also see how his father leaving him to fight the war affects him because he left him at a time when he needs him the most. I'm not crazy about the episode that deals with Sokka being sexist because A the way it was done was unfair and B it was done better with Katara. Also, I don't buy that has a love interest because he didn't make the best first impression on her, plus no woman wants to be with a guy who can't make her feel safe.

Katara is a water bender and Sokka sister. She's the motherly figure of the group as far as being kind, caring, compassionate and protective. Her motherly nature can make her a party pooper and not knowing when to pick and choose her battles. We also see that she has a dark side due to how the death of her and Sokka's mother affects her. Some fans are not happy with who she ends up with between the three guys that they suspect she would get with because she showed no romantic interest in the person in question. The only complaint I have with her is she doesn't respect the customs of her sister tribe. 

Toph is an earth bender from a royal family. She's a tomboy who can be sarcastic and independent. Her independent nature causes conflict between her and Katara because she doesn't like to be coddled. The series makes jokes about her being blind without offending the blind, I hope. her being blind makes her one of the strongest earth benders. 

Zuko (one of the villains) is Prince of the fire nation. He's hotheaded, stubborn and comes off as a bite entitled. With that said there are moments in the series that shows that he does have a heart. That makes it hard for me to consider him a bad guy because he hasn't done anything bad besides being a foil for Aang and the others, the reason why is because he's trying to regain what he lost. I'm surprised by how much he parallel's with Aang. He also has daddy issues part of the reason why is because he was overshadowed by his sister. 

Speaking of his sister man Oh man Princess Azula is a piece of work. She's manipulative, self-centered, spoiled, arrogant, heartless, conniving, sadist, (three minutes later), narcissistic, pretentious, insufferable, unstable, poisonous, high maintenance, butt infested, wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole and punchable face character I have seen in a long time! (I'm breathing hard after saying all that.) I'm sorry this character can really gets under your skin. Now some of these traits can be useful in combat but not when it comes to dealing with friends, family, or interacting with people in general. Why she's like this is understandable she grew up privileged and her being like this is her way of maintaining power. The one good thing I can say about her is she does care about Zuko in her own twisted way. 

Uncle Iroh is Zuko's uncle who joins him in his search for the avatar. he's a laidback and wise man who can be funny in his own right. We later learn that he was once a fire nation general and one of the strongest fire benders, but he gave up his status after learning that his son was killed in the war. In one episode we get the sense that he wasn't there for his son. You can tell that he loves Zuko because he stood by him through thick and thin even when Zuko is rude to him. To be fair Uncle Iroh can be annoying at times I mean he doesn't help Zuko capture the avatar, what gives Uncle Iroh!?! 

Fire Lord Ozai (the main villain) is an egotistical power-hungry madman. He isn't a loving father either because of what he did to Zuko and not addressing Azula's many bad traits. I like how this series build him up, we didn't get to see him until the third season. Also, he's a background villain as far as letting other people do his work. He has his people believe that this war will make the world better when really all they do is cause death and destruction. 

One of the many problems with this series is the plot holes for example how can you tell who's a bender and who isn't? Also, if the avatar hasn't been seen in 100 years what makes the fire nation think he's hiding all this time? It's hard to consider destiny the theme of this series because it only applies to three maybe four characters in this series also people say that word too many times. There are plot points that haven't been resolved and the climax is a cat and mouse game for the most part. It's hard to buy that this war lasted 100 wars because the other nations are not affected by it the way that air Nomads were. 

I'm mad at myself for not checking this show out when it first aired because it deserves the praise and reputation it got. This is one of the best cartoons of all time. 

The good, the bad and the ugly of Hypergamy

The good, the bad and the ugly of Hypergamy 

Forgive me if I'm all over the place with this topic; I have to be to make my point about this subject. 

For those of you who don't know what Hypergamy is, it's women marrying or dating the top men. Basically, if you heard of the 80/20 rule, that's what this is. Despite my complaints about this, I don't have a problem with women wanting the best man; no one else should either, because it will make you look like a hypocrite. For example, when you were in school, you picked kids to be on your baseball team; are you going to tell me that you're not going to pick the best players? If you're running a business, you want to hire the best people to do the job right? Hypergamy has its benefits; it can give us the push to do better and maintain standards.

One of the many issues I have with it is that not every woman is going to get the man of her dreams. Let's look at women's standards. They want a man that's over six feet tall, has a seven-figure income, a six-pack (That's a fair request if she's willing to stay in shape), and have the magic stick. I'm going to break down why these requirements are unreasonable. The average height for men is 5'9, the percentage of men who are between 6'0-6'2 is over 14%. There are 3.9% of men who are over 6'2. 20% of men make six figures a year, now imagine the percentage of men who are making seven figures. 

The average Joe makes between 42 to 50 grand a year. If that's not enough money for you, then I don't know what to tell you. Also, making six or seven figures is not rewarding because you don't get to keep all of it. As far as having a magic stick goes, you need to have a nine-inch pee-pee and know how to satisfy women in bed. First of all, the average pee-pee size is six inches. Second, you need to develop a good rapport with him in the bedroom if you want the other part. If you're not willing to put in the work, you're going to be disappointed.

To the women who want a man who have these things, how often do you meet a man like that? If the answer is not very often, then what does that say about your standards? I'm not trying to shame women for having expectations; I'm trying to get them in touch with reality. I'm surprised that women who are out of shape want the top men. What made them think that they can get that kind of man? (Well, they have a chance if they're pleasant to be around; however, the odds are still stacked against you.) Do you see what I mean when I said women treat us like illegal immigrants? They expect us to not only look good but make a truckload of money and were suppose to accept them looking a mess. Am I the only one who finds this insulting? What can women give us that they didn't give to another man? If you are not a virgin or had more than three sex partners, you have no right to ask for the top men. 

This is one of the many reasons why I don't take feminism seriously because hypergamy works against feminism. For example, if you make 125 grand a year, who are you going to attract? Also, if you're 6'4, how do you expect to find a man taller than you? If there is a way for men to get taller, I wouldn't recommend that they take it because of the health problems that come with being as tall as an NBA player. Basically, feminism is undermining men's ability to live up to their expectations. 

Another gripe I have with hypergamy is that it has no limits, because of that, women don't know how to settle for one person. No woman can look me in the eyes and tell me that they wouldn't consider leaving their boyfriend or Husband for someone taller and has more money. ( Unless she's a traditionalist.) Heck, I bet they'll flirt with him. This is one of the two ways Hypergamy can hurt boys and men. If women can't be happy with one person, then what's the point of men trying to woo women if they can't be satisfied? Would you be outraged with your boss for firing you for someone more qualified to do your job, even though you have been doing a good job for years?

Another way hypergamy can hurt men is in the society we live in. We don't live in a society that encourages men to develop their survival instincts; you need that if you want to be the protector of the family. If you don't know how to survive in the wilderness, then that's what I'm talking about. We shouldn't put so much stock in making money to the point where it defines us; money has no value in certain places, like a prison. Also, hypergamy can make it hard for men of different age groups to work together because we are playing in each other's sandboxes. As far as older men getting with younger women and young men hooking up with older women. Being the top candidate has its downsides, like it can put a target on your back. Let's look at the WWE, for example. 

They have a PPV event called the Royal Rumble, in this event, the wrestlers have to throw each other over the top rope until one man is left in the ring. The Big Show is the biggest and tallest wrestler the WWE have. Whenever he enters the ring, the other wrestlers gang up on him. I laugh at him whenever he gets upset when that happens to him because he's bigger than all of them; they're not going to treat you like everyone else, and he shouldn't expect that. Another example is bucks. Female bucks are attracted to the male buck with the biggest horns. The downside to that is that it makes them more likely to die from arthritis. Do you see what I mean? 

Hypergamy is hurting women as well because their standards are keeping them from finding a man. American women are not doing the best job at practicing hypergamy. I mean, if they really want the top 20% of men, why can't they stay married to them? Also, if they want a man who can protect and provide for them, why didn't they move to Japan? Asian men are some of the smartest people on the planet, and they know martial arts. I'm not saying that to stereotype them, I'm saying that because it's a part of their culture. How can women expect men to be considerate about what they want when they don't consider what we want? For example, if you don't care that men have to work 12 or 14 hours a week to start their own business, why should I care that you have to starve yourself to get in shape and keep that figure?

Women wanting the top man can have its downfalls. For example, let's say you're on an Island, there are ten women and ten men on this Island. The ten women get knocked up by two out of the ten men, but they don't want to do anything for them or their kids. So, they go to the other eight men, and they don't want to help you either because you gave them the cold shoulder. Do you see what I mean? You can't have it both ways; you can't say most men are beneath you and expect them to get you out of a jam. This is why men with deep pockets should be picky about who they date, not because every woman wants your money, it's because you weren't there for him before he built his wealth. If she wasn't there for you beforehand, how will she be there for you after the fact? 

Hypergamy can hurt society. You can't have a society without structure; you can't have structure if everyone is not willing to do their part. Because women want men of power, you're not encouraging teamwork. Do you think a Basketball team can succeed if everyone wants to be the shooting guard? Can a business succeed if everyone wants to be the CEO or CFO? White-collar men wouldn't make a lot of money if it wasn't for the labor of blue-collar men. I'm not saying white-collar men can't do the same jobs as blue-collar men, but they can't spread themselves so thin. 

No one enjoys doing anything without recognition or compensation; that's how you create disgruntled employees and players. There was an episode of Hey, Arnold that dealt with this. That episode was about Arnold being invited to a party, but the host ends up putting everyone out because of her high standards, so she ends up partying with the kids she considered losers. Do you see where I'm going with this? I'm not saying everyone should get the same praise or benefits; however, you can't promote the idea of there's no I in team and not give everyone acknowledgment.   

Before I wrap this up, I want to ask this question can women overcome Hypergamy? If women become aware of hypergamy and its downside, then it's possible. However, it's an uphill battle. Women need to handle hypergamy the way companies and neighborhoods do. They don't just hire the most qualified person; they also want someone who has a good temperament. Well, if you're better than most people on the job, having a good temperament might not be a big deal depending on what you do for a living. Plus, society doesn't make a big deal about having a good temperament as they do qualifications, but I digress. As far as neighborhoods go, money is not enough to live in a nice area; you have to be classy and maintain your property if you want to be a part of that community. 

My point is that a man's character should matter just as much as him being on top of the food chain. I have mixed feelings about hypergamy; on one hand, it helps boys and men know what to expect from women. On the other hand, I wish it was compartmentalized because knowing this doesn't help boost morale, as I explained in this post. Also, trying to live up to women's standards is problematic for three reasons. First of all, you're not sincere about bettering yourself, because of that, you're not going to make much progress. Second, we're kind of sending the wrong message to women, I mean, we can't say women's standards are unreasonable and still try to live up to them. Finally, it doesn't help women to pick men who are compatible with them when men strive to be the type of man they think they deserve.   

That's all I have to say about this subject, for now. Do you think the benefits of hypergamy outweigh the bad?   

My Project Almanac review

 My Project Almanac review

Intro: Did this movie need to be a found footage film?

Project Almanac: This movie is centered on a boy name David Raskin who is trying to get accepted into MIT. His luck seems to turn around when he discovers a device that can travel through time by his deceased father. After he got it working him and his friends use it to get things to work out in their favor. That’s short-lived when the consequences of time travel catch up to them, so they have to fix things before the damage is permitted.

This movie may be the chronicle of time travel but it’s not as good as that movie. I was on the fence about this movie because we have so many books, movies and tv shows that deals with time travel is there anything new that can be done with this concept? The filmmakers seem to be aware of this, so they subvert our expectations when they time travel. Also, time travel is limited in this movie. The device can take you back three weeks and minutes last hours when you time travel. In other films like this time travel is used to fix a dire situation that’s not the case here. For the most part, they are using it for fun. The movie addresses the dos and don’ts of time travel. I like the teens because they remind me of actual teens. Plus, they are the kinds of teens parents want.

One of my many issues with this film is the rules of time travel in this movie doesn’t make sense and the plot holes that comes with it. OK, I’ll try my best to address my next gripe without spoiling anything. Jessie Pierce is a girl that David has a crush on and she plays a role in why things are out of control. This is one of the reasons why we have rape victims because women keep playing mind games with men by giving them mixed signals and not giving guys a strong enough hint that you’re into them. If you don’t want to be put in this situation stop doing that! If you want to let him know that you like him make him brownie, show him what you look like in a bathing suit, gave him a lap dance, or… (before I can finish my editor put me in a chokehold)

Me: OK! OK! I’ll behave!

I’m sorry I didn’t mean to go off topic it’s just that I’m tired of seeing this in Rom-Coms and in real life. Back to the movie, the way it ended makes you want to give David a stunner. I wish this movie would deal with how time affects teens. I mean between going to school, after-school programs, homework and house chores they have no time to unwind. Overall, this is an OK film that I would recommend if you’re a sucker for these films.

Rating = Rental