Seven Havens' New Look Was Meant to Be "Old School Anime"

The most common complaint about Avatar: Seven Havens has been the way it looks. When a clip came out the day before the premiere, some fans called the animation choppy and a step down from The Legend of Korra. GamesRadar+'s review faulted inconsistent animation and action that is hard to follow.

The creators say the new style is deliberate. In an interview with GamesRadar+ published October 10, Konietzko said executive producer Ethan Spaulding has long been the team's expert on 1970s and '80s Japanese animation. Konietzko named Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water as a reference and said they wanted the show to have more of a fantasy feel.

Spaulding said a different look was part of the plan when he joined. Early on, Konietzko suggested leaving shadow layers off the characters entirely, so the show would be more colorful and less dark than the earlier series. Spaulding said the result feels a little more animated than the other shows.

The Hollywood Reporter described the finished series as having a '70s-inspired anime style. Critics have rated the show well above its audience scores, as our review roundup shows.