Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko's Avatar: The Last Airbender is truly one of the most beloved animated series of all time. A legendary piece of fiction all around the globe, the series ran on the Nickelodeon channel from February 2005 to July 2008 and was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
The influence of numerous Asian cultures on Avatar: The Last Airbender's design, storyline, and power system, among other aspects, contributes to the show's immense popularity around the world. This source material also informed The Legend of Korra, a sequel series that was commercially successful but ultimately less well-received.
Due to Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, which has sadly been poorly received, the Avatar franchise has also recently gained attention. This remark has, unsurprisingly, sparked yet another discussion about the futility of attempting to live-action adapt well-known anime programs. On the other hand, some viewers are questioning whether the original series can be referred to as an anime
As previously stated, Nickelodeon Animation Studio produces the American animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is written and illustrated by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. Contrary to popular belief, the show is not an anime, even though it takes place in a world influenced by Asia and the Arctic and features characters from a variety of Asian cultures.
The series' aforementioned roots as a production by American television stars is a major factor in its non-anime classification. An American company also animated the series. In most cases, these are the two most noticeable indicators that a show isn't an anime but rather just an animated series. Along with its American creators, the series' writers and producers were also American.
Also serving as the franchise's initial instalment is the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. That is to say, the animated series is the source material, not the original work from which it was adapted. The primary goal of the anime industry is to promote existing source material, thus although there are original anime series that have been made for television and the big screen, the vast majority of anime programs are adaptations of existing works.
Still, it's easy to see how the show is influenced by and shares some traits with anime. The shared elements are mainly derived from the aforementioned Asian cultures, which served as inspiration for the show's setting and general style. Throughout the three seasons and sixty-one episodes, the story structure and the varied fight scenes serve as clear examples of the anime's influence.
The adventures of Avatar: The Last Airbender take place in broader sagas, even though the show is mostly episodic. The episodes are further grouped by smaller arcs within these sagas, much to the narrative structure of Japanese manga and anime. The fight scenes in the series are just as impressive, evidently influenced by anime in terms of timing, presentation, and overall motions.
In conclusion, the show's origins are the main reason why the popular American animated series is not considered an anime. The original series is not technically an anime, but a real anime adaptation could be made of it in the future.
