The Letter for the King may be the world’s slowest Direct Message, but it still has plenty to offer.

Medieval-style fantasy seems to be enjoying — if you’ll forgive the pun — a bit of a Renaissance lately. For some reason, it’s particularly tempting these days to tap into the nostalgia of long dresses, knights in the yard, and gender roles just flexible enough to be palatable today.

In The Letter for the King, it’s the kids’ turn to get in on ye olde action. The new series from Netflix, based on the classic Dutch children’s novel, is packed full of prophesy, ringing swords, grandly proclaimed traditions, and a really impressive budget for horses. If the itch for the ancient is transmissible to younger generations, The Letter for the King is ready to infect as many little nerds as possible.

Which is a good thing, in my view.

The show also delivers on solid offerings for the adults (though, if anything, it may linger too long on the grown-up elements of the story). There’s David Wenham playing a vastly more nuanced father than he was the last time he turned up on a Netflix show, a violent war-prodigy of a prince on a rather misty mission, and a romance between politically-star-crossed royalty that becomes increasingly appealing as the series progresses.

Most of it works ably enough, though the early episodes are somewhat burdened with the dueling demands of modern fantasy. Shows like The Letter for the King must assimilate to the expected genre aesthetic while establishing a uniquely appealing tone, the kind of conundrum that can lead to epic declarations before awkward battles that end with a deliberately cracked joke about codpieces.

The premiere episode of The Letter for the King isn’t quite that challenging; it certainly has an emotional through-line, as our young lead Tiuri prepares for a knighthood for which he is almost too obviously unsuited. The early entries into the story can feel sluggish though, as they labor under the effort of introducing the characters (and attendant backstories), politics (and attendant romantic tension), and magic (and attendant ominously mystical mumbo-jumbo) that have become so essential to the genre.

Still, it’s worth watching. You may miss the finer details of why that dude killed that other guy, or what exactly is SO important about this letter. You may not particularly care why the prince with greasy hair is so insistent on annihilating this specific group of people. But that, ultimately, isn’t why you’re here.

You’re here for the same reason the kids are here: the times when The Letter for the King truly shines. You’re here for the parts of the tale that zoom down past the politics and grown-up drama to the small-scale world of its young teenaged protagonists.

There is something almost distressingly appealing about these kids, a diverse and motley collection of slightly-too-talented munchkins, whose earnestness somehow never overwhelms their impishness. The soulful-eyed Tiuri (His Dark Materials‘ Amir Wilson) leads the pack, his wavering protagonist energy soon directed by more forceful personalities around him.

On his letter-carrying journey, Tiuri is joined by Lavinia (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, of the Andy Serkis Serkises) an enterprising young schemer. As quick with her wit as she is with her knife, Lavinia lends a forceful sharpness to Tiuri’s storyline that would otherwise be filled by his horse. No shade to the horse; he’s actually impressively expressive. Tiuri and Lavinia (and the horse) have charming chemistry as cantankerous companions, their differing natures and goals offering a compelling tension as the story gets underway.

A crew of fellow knights-in-training make up the other arm of The Letter for the King‘s kid wonders, providing a parallel quest to Tiuri’s mission. Those with a soft spot for group dynamics will have plenty to enjoy here, as the crew of clashing personalities positively sparkles.

Thaddea Graham particularly stands out as Iona, a somehow-already-hard-bitten warrior with chameleonic skill for deception and an actual idea of what really might be going on here. (That’s a long way of saying that Iona is awesome and the internet will stan.) But the rest of the group — including a dubiously intelligent blowhard, a soft-spoken strongman, and an honest-to-gourd teen bard — also deliver a quirky and begrudging camaraderie that instantly elevates The Letter for the King into easily loved territory.

Imagine Dumbledore’s Army if none of them really wanted to be there; the snark is thick and the shade is heavy, and it’s all the more adorable for it.

All in all, The Letter for the King doesn’t stray too far from the well-trodden path of Ren Faire-ish adventures. But with moments of surprising delicacy and depth, as well as an almost instantly lovable young cast that hums with real chemistry, it’s well worth your time at any age.

The Letter for the King hits Netflix on March 20.