Nickelodeon’s Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko produced this concept for 11-year-olds, but I’m rather surprised to see an older demographic responding to it. It was my 27-year-old brother who introduced me to Avatar: The Last Airbender, with much prodding…or should I say, incessant pestering. It was, after all, kiddie Nickelodeon and, with the exception of Justice League, I’m not really into American cartoons.

Each episode starts off with a brief description of the four elements: water, earth, fire, sky. I was curious about this, though. The intro alone already smacks of Chinese inspiration. Anyone familiar with Chinese Philosophy, however, would identify five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The water, earth, fire, sky elemental combo is of Western descent, although the fifth, aether (or ether), would lie at the very center of it. That was my first complaint, to which my brother sardonically replied with one of his usual Pilosopo Tasyo comments.

So watch I did. The artwork doesn’t seem to be of Western origins. In fact, it looks so much like Japanese anime, exhibiting very light and vibrant color schemes reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki flicks. The animation was actually done in South Korea. The series itself is a mix of different Asian cultures, with character and animal names that are obviously Japanese. Sometimes, you can guess at the plot twists because of these. (I deduced what would happen in some episodes because the names were dead giveaways, although I did end up translating some Japanese words for my boyfriend’s benefit.) There are some villages that would remind you of China, Japan, and some even very similar to ancient Roman civilizations. The martial arts employed depend on which nation the protagonists find themselves in. You can see Tai Chi for Water, Hung Gar for Earth, Northern Shoalin for Fire and so on.

The plot is of epic proportions. Tribes are divided into four elements, each gifted with people that can control a tribe’s assigned element. These people are called Benders. Only one Bender can control all four, he who commands balance, he who is named The Avatar. An avatar is reborn a thousand times over in the order of Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The last Avatar came from the Fire Nation, the current one from the Air.

A hundred years ago, the Fire Nation suddenly came into so much power that they decided to take over all the world’s empires. They attacked every nation they came across, deftly annihilating all of the Airbenders, in search for the one person that could stop their tyranny. It was at this time that the last Airbender, the Avatar, disappeared. A century later, Aang, believed to be the last Airbender, was unearthed by two Water Tribe children. Awakened, Aang finds out that he must master all four elements before the Fire Nation comes into power again. This is when the real battle begins.

Like many Japanese anime, Avatar has a gamut of interesting characters. Perhaps Western storytellers have started to veer away from the black-and-white tradition of good versus evil, designing their characters with a bit more depth and dimension. Aang, though a trained monk, is a playful prankster. He is accompanied by the untrained Waterbender Katara and her brother Sokka. Aang and his team must elude not only the Fire Nation, but also the banished Prince Zuko, who is hell-bent on regaining his besmirched honor. Prince Zuko is a fascinating villain, scarred literally and figuratively by the responsibilities he bears at such a young age. He is supported by his uncle, the hilarious General Iroh, who happens to be one of the most powerful Firebenders, albeit the most carefree of them all. So much of this reminds me of master mangaka Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha, especially the presence of the gigantic flying bison, Appa. Avatar’s characters aren’t Takahashi material just yet, but they get close.

There isn’t much in the story line that’s actually new, but the way the characters interact with each other is really something to look forward to. Overall, while I could say that it’s not really as groundbreaking as Heroes, I find that it’s just as engrossing.

Comedy / Romance
Credits: 2005 YA Entertainment
Kim Sam Soon is 29 years old, nearing spinsterhood, and hating her cursed name. Dumped by her boyfriend on Christmas Eve, Sam Soon runs to the bathroom to seek refuge and to cry her eyes out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the girls’ washroom she ends up hiding in. Here she meets Hyun Ji Hun, the arrogant prima donna hotel heir who was more interested in being a woman-hating asshole than acting like a gentleman. Sam Soon and Ji Hun clash…

…Until Ji Hun comes up with a crazy idea about a dating contract. Being the woman-hater that he is, he despises his mother’s efforts in setting him up with eligible bachelorettes. He thinks that introducing the unpolished and perpetually sarcastic Sam Soon as his girlfriend would drive his mother up the wall. Sam Soon bites this as Ji Hun offers her a sum she couldn’t resist. A tangled relationship full of hilarious moments follows.

(16 episodes)

I find it difficult to write a review about this particular series. I love everything about it that I don’t know where or how to begin. Let me give it a shot, though.

For starters, this is the first Korean telenovela that I actually sat down for. I have tried watching other Korean comedies like Attic Cat, but I never quite managed to rearrange my work schedule for those. That changed the moment I heard Sam Soon speak. The girl is everything that you won’t see in fairy tale princesses. She’s a bit on the heavy side, didn’t get a college degree, has a smart mouth, and always sounds like she just woke up. In short: she’s rough around the edges. The best part is the fact that Sam Soon is a pastry chef. So if you’re a cake-a-holic like me, you’re in for a visual treat.

Actress Kim Sun-Ah, who plays the title role, actually gained 15 pounds for this. It was a wise decision, because Kim Sam Soon wouldn’t have been effective as a comedienne without the chubby cheeks. There have been many sarcastic heroines, but none as hilariously engaging as Sam Soon. She delivers her lines with a deadpan voice and a not-so-deadpan expression. With an easily irritable male protagonist bearing the brunt of her gruffness, the result is simply entertaining.

Ugly duckling stories are also pretty common these days. What breaks the ugly-duckling-turned-swan stereotype is the way Sam Soon handles her flaws. She knows her self-worth, so she doesn’t let herself be treated like a doormat. She doesn’t sell out. She doesn’t miraculously turn into a swan due to cosmetic surgery and killer aerobics training sessions. She has this “So I’m fat, deal with it!” aura that just positively does what most teen magazines can’t do: make a reader/viewer love herself. The character also evolves from one who sees marriage and conformity as the end-all and be-all of life into someone so totally independent. She achieves all this through hard work, not through some long lost relative who suddenly dies and leaves her with a fortune.

Another thing that differentiates this show from most telenovelas is the supporting characters. Sam Soon wants to change her name to Hee Jin, unaware that there is another Hee Jin that brought a huge impact on Ji Hun’s life. When the real Hee Jin returns home from a long hiatus in the US, I found myself feeling sorry for her. The love triangle is intense not only because Hee Jin is a potentially tragic character, but also because there are episodes in which you might just want to surrender Ji Hun to her. And then there’s Henry (played by drool-worthy Daniel Henney), the Korean-American doctor who unconditionally loves Hee Jin. Another funny character to note is Sam Soon’s hot but equally feisty older sister, whom I could totally relate with. She’s a progressive divorcee who doesn’t mince words and knows what she wants.

As for Ji Hun, I thought he was a pretty annoying pest at first. Hyun Bin portrayed this role quite well because I had never been annoyed at a TV male protagonist the way I had been with Ji Hun. Sam Soon’s unapologetic personality balances Hi Jun’s bratty attitude so well that I found myself giggling at their antics near the end of the series. The chemistry was that powerful.

My Lovely Sam Soon is a great watch. I was sad to see it end. Not only was it thoroughly enjoyable, it was also inspirational. I believe a lot of women can benefit from this. Oh…and you definitely have to see Sam Soon’s stuffed piggy in action.