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These are some of the best television shows containing legendary stories, tall tales and of course, classic mythology. Many have an underlying celestial theme, but all follow the formula of the hero quest in all its variations and tribulations.
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Avatar: The Last Airbender
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A fantasy world on a planet that is home to humans, fantastic animals, and supernatural spirits is where Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place. Human civilization is divided into three pre-industrialized nations, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads, and one industrialized nation, the Fire Nation, capable of manufacturing various kinds of machines. Within each nation, an order of men and women called "Benders" have an ability to manipulate their native element. These bending arts combine a certain martial arts and elemental mysticism. The bending types are Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending.
In each generation, one Bender is capable of bending all four elements; this is the Avatar, the Spirit of the Planet manifested in human form. When the Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated into an unborn baby native in the next nation in the Avatar Cycle. Beginning with the mastering of his native element, the Avatar learns to bend all four elements in the order of the cycle, which
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parallels the seasons: winter for water, spring for earth, summer for fire, and autumn for air. Learning to bend the element opposite of one's native element is extremely difficult because of opposing fighting styles and doctrines.
The Avatar possesses a unique power that resides within him, called the Avatar State. It is a defense mechanism that empowers the Avatar with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. When the Avatar enters this state, his eyes and mouth begin to glow. The glow is the combination of all the Avatar's previous incarnations focusing their energy through his body. However, if the Avatar is killed in the Avatar State, then the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist.
Throughout the ages, countless incarnations of the Avatar have served to keep the four nations in harmony and maintain world order. The Avatar also serves as the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World, home of the world's disembodied spirits.
Rated G: Recommended for ages 7 and over
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The graphically inventive feature that introduced the Cartoon Network series owes as much to the cartoons of UPA and Chuck Jones as it does to anime. The title character is a Japanese prince whose family has fought the evil demon Aku for control of their peaceful kingdom for ages. During one intense battle, when Jack is about to get the best of the evil Aku, the samurai is hurled into a future where the world is now ruled by this evil demon and his henchmen-robots. This "stranger in a strange land" is usually aiding some locals while continuing his struggle against Aku and find a way to return to his own time. Now available on DVD.
Rated PG. Recommended 10 years and over.
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If you enjoy Japanese animation, this is a must have no matter how old you are. If you like adventure, you got it. If you like sheer non-stop fun and entertainment, you definitely got it. If you like mythology, you got it in abundance. This series charm resides best in the fact that the characters' personal lives don't remain stagnated as it happens in most cartoons, and best of all, people grow old. It's not like regular cartoon shows where the characters remain at the same age forever. People are born and grow older just as in real life, which is a good thing for children to watch, so they can learn about the circle of life. The structure of the action, where a problem appears and they have to strive to fix it is also educational for it teaches children that no matter how wrong things may get, if they work hard enough they can make it right. Now aring on Cartoon Network and available on DVD.
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I highly recommend it. Rated PG. Recommended 10 years and over.
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In 1963 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby of Marvels comics created a graphic story based on the Jewish holocaust of World War Two. Rather than Jews, mutants are the persecuted race as teenagers become adults. When their bodies go through changes and some mutate the government comes for them. At this time, two longtime friends, Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto part ways, only to become rivals over the issue of how much patience they should have with "normal" people. Living lives that scare most humans lacking the "X-factor" (a special power such as telekinesis), they fight over changing the general population into mutants. Xavier decides to help mutants control and utilize their powers in a special school while waiting for humanity to be more accepting, while Magneto opts to destroy all non-mutants.
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Leading a group of four powerful X Men (and women) to educate the world that humans have nothing to fear form most mutants Xavier recruits a new member to their group: Logan, better known as Wolverine/Weapon X, joins the team with much reluctance, only to prove very valuable to the rescue effort. Sworn to serve and protect those who hate them, the XMEN struggle to prove that humanity is precious in any form. Warner Brothers revamped the TV series into XMEN EVOULTION in 2000 and was as big a hit as the original FOX series of the early ninties. Now airing on cable networks and available on DVD. Rated PG: Recommended for ages 10 and over
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Knights of the Zodiac is an animated action-adventure series. It follows the adventures of the mystical Knights of Athena, led by Bronze Knight Seiya, who draw upon their amazing martial arts skills and mystical powers in order to defeat Phoenix and his Black Knights. Each knights' colored armor represents their power and constellation, from which the knights gain their special powers. Seiya and the Knights of the Zodiac are put in combat against the most formidable fighters in the universe, as they struggle to return Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, to her rightful throne and assure peace in the universe. Seiya and his knights must fight their way up tournament levels, represented by precious metals, for control of the golden armor of Sagittarius, and the universe. Now available on DVD.
Rated PG: Recommended for ages 7 and over
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This entertaining series is based on the Scholastic book series Myth Men: Guardians of the Legend by Laura Geringer. During each episode of this half-hour, animated series, narrator Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, offers insights about and interacts with mythological humans such as Perseus, Iole, Andromeda, Ulysses, Theseus and Hercules. The characters and their adventures illustrate the power and beauty of mythology, upon which much of literature, art and music is based. The twenty-six episode program also encourages living by a code of ethics that encompasses truth, goodness, courage and perseverance. Airs on PBS.
Rated G: Recommended for all ages
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