Despite being 15 years old, Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) is still an entertaining, nicely paced and an awesome TV series.

ATLA starts off with Katara and her brother, Sokka, two members of the Southern Water Tribe, fishing. When Sokka makes a sexist remark and angers his sister into waterbending, they discover a boy trapped in a glacier.

The boy, Aang, turns out to be the last airbender, the destined avatar.

We then see an entire culture in a war-stricken world. There are people who can bend the elements earth, fire, wind and air. The avatar is the only person who can bend all the elements and work to keep peace and balance in the world.

The Fire Nation has started taking over colonies and is trying to take over the world when Sozin’s comet arrived 100 years before the story starts. They killed all the airbenders to stop the avatar, who was supposed to resurrect as an airbender.

There are amazing characters and unappreciated jokes throughout the entire series anyone can appreciate as they watch. From the cabbage merchant that has no real role in the series, but keeps appearing everywhere, to Sokka’s puns and boomerang.

One of the things that should be appreciated most is the character redemption Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation, gets. We see him and his uncle, Iroh, in the very beginning of the series as a villain who wants to capture the avatar in order to restore his honor.

As the show progresses, we see Zuko’s past and watch him grow. With the guidance of his uncle and a few mistakes, we see him find his path and restore his honor as one of the best characters in the show.

As a writer, I appreciate the redemption arc for Zuko more than anything and strive to achieve 

something that amazing and well-written in my own work. It was subtle and moved throughout the entire series. Zuko’s motivations and desires are written clearly.

The show also covers intense topics. We see Katara coming to terms with her mother’s murder, Zuko facing his own demons and turning against his family, Iroh being a lovable character to everyone by accepting his dark past. 

We also see Aang face guilt and PTSD at 12 years old. Despite being made for kids, ATLA is a heavy show for anyone and a timeless series.

The show is on Netflix now, along with its sequel, Legend of Korra.

Overall, I give the show 5/5 stars.