in my opinion, Avatar was not appropriation, but an extremely well-executed homage. They really did their research and it did not feel patronizing or exotified. It felt like a well fleshed out fantasy world—have you read ATLA Annotated? It’s the show dissected to the last (well, almost) cultural reference within the series. There is an endless amount to pick apart—Fire Nation vases, for example, which are based on a style of Chinese pottery, the rounded arches of the Water Tribe which take the shape of moon viewing bridges in China and Japan, and on, and on.
I think what makes the show work really well is that it doesn’t defer to stereotypes about culture, and instead blends all of it together in a really elegant and seamless way.
when I flipped open that art book I was literally moved to tears. not a lot of things do that for me.
