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This review was conducted by the Fanon Review Squad and reflects our best judgment of writing and fanon authorship quality. Please don't take offense if the review wasn't positive. We always give advice!
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For months now, I've been avoiding The Avatar Rhythm at every waking turn. I had dismissed it as "just another one of those stupid fanons," simply due to my own prejudice. I want to apologize for that, and for the lateness of this review; in both respects, I'm an idiotic hypocrite.
The Avatar Rhythm, written by BlackMonkey, is a fanon detailing the life of Water Tribe runaway, Shirou. Shirou escapes to the Fire Nation Capital, where he meets up with some of the royals, including the Fire Lord, Taro, a great governor, Goro, and his daughter, Horatu. Shirou harbors a deep hatred of the Avatar, who indirectly ruined his life, and now devotes his life to killing him or her.
A'ight, so let me be completely honest. I've said it before; I just dismissed this fanon for no particular reason. I guess the title kinda threw me off, and after reading the main page, my initial reaction was, "Eh...", and when it appeared on my list, I wasn't looking forward to reading it. I'll tell you right now: I should be slapped and banned from the fanon portal forever. TAR isn't the best fanon I've ever read. But it's certainly great in its own right.
---Scores---
Plot (x4): 8.5 x 4 = 34. Good, but not truly great. The general plot is good, and the depth of the plot is something far more intricate than I could imagine. However, some of what is supposed to be a "cliffhanger" was quite predictable. There were a few plot twists, but a couple of their explanations weren't quite what I hoped they would be. Don't get me wrong; the story is good. I could live with a few more surprises, though.
General Writing (x4): 7.8 x 4 = 31.2. Nothing much to speak of here. BM is, indeed, a pretty good writer. This is a case of "spurts of brilliance," though. The general writing style is something of which I am not a great fan. But occasionally, BlackMonkey's writing genius shines through. I just wish that would happen more often.
Creativity (x3): 6.2 x 3 = 18.6. I can't really say much about this without giving away key plot points. But, while the path the story takes is quite original, I've seen this type of story done many a time before. Pretty much average.
Action (x2): 10 x 2 = 20. Now this, THIS is where The Avatar Rhythm shines. The action is simply incredible, and each character's each and every move is recorded beautifully. BlackMonkey is a bleeping MASTER when it comes to fight scenes.
Character Development (x2): 8.8 x 2 = 17.6. Development was frequent, and very powerful. Each character encounters something incredibly important, and they must cope with it, changing all the while. Many plot twists exist in TAR, and each character must deal with one/is one. I feel that development could be a bit rushed; but otherwise, it was really quite excellent.
Realism (x2): 10 x 2 = 20. Not much to really say here. Everything was pretty believable.
Engrossment (x2): 5.5 x 2 = 11. I can't honestly say that I was fully immersed in all the chapters. In fact, for many, it felt like a chore reading them. But the chapters where I did get immersed in them, they had my mouth hanging wide open. And when I finally snapped back to reality, I was left in awe.
Grammar, Spelling, etc. (x1): 8.9 x 1 = 8.9. There was an occasional mistake. But nothing ever really distracted me enough to ruin it for me.
Final Score: 161.3/200. SImplifies to 8.065/10.
What the Avatar Rhythm's got A great plotline, a believable story, and action off the scale.
What The Avatar Rhythm lacks Writing style and engrossment are two things that you either really have, or don't. So, my advice is to simply read over each chapter for mistakes. And, while doing so, you could even figure out ways to improve how something is written, etc. The character development could also be a bit slower. Otherwise, TAR is really good.
Do I like The Avatar Rhythm, and would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, I do like The Avatar Rhythm. But I don't think this is something I would strongly recommend. I would say that it deserves a try, and that it's hit or miss, but I wouldn't give it glowing reviews.