Okay, So I Watched the New LOTR Anime...
Anime, Artbooks & My Sketches
Whats up everyone!
At the end of February, I finally got to watch the new Lord of the Rings movie — The War of the Rohirrim. The animated one. It was on HBO Max.
And honestly? It was way better than I expected. It kinda sucked that Warner Bros didn’t promote it more. Like, at all. The internet made it sound like trash, but no, it was actually good.
Sure, I get why people are complaining. The story focuses on Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, and yeah… she’s basically a new character. They "made her up", name, backstory, all of it. And yes, they changed a few things from the original lore. But in my opinion? It worked.
I mean, Eowyn was a total badass in the original films, so why couldn’t this new character be just as strong? Helm definitely was!
After watching, I looked up the events myself, just to compare. And now I seriously feel like I need to buy all of Tolkien’s books, just to have them in my collection. Reading them is kinda tough, though, the writing is old.
Anyway, my mom gave me the art book for The War of the Rohirrim as an Easter gift. And I LOVE it. It’s stunning. 😍
To make this movie, the creators had to dig deep into the original trilogy, reuse old concept art, designs, and world-building. Because Tolkien had already laid the groundwork. It’s not like other animes, this one had a full-on legacy to honor. And the book shows all of that. The level of effort that went into this movie? Next level.
The book is packed with concept art, characters, environments, creatures, all of it. I just love flipping through the pages, seeing the ideas behind the designs, and reading what the artists were thinking.
And I really like the mix of painterly backgrounds with the more anime-style characters. That blend just works for me.
One of the coolest parts in the book is a small section about Saruman the White. They actually used Christopher Lee’s real voice in the movie. No AI. These were old recordings, and his wife gave permission to use them. That part? Gave me chills.
I don’t have much more to say about the book, just that it’s beautiful. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you need it in your collection. No question.
Also, I’d love to see more stories told in anime. Honestly, if I were in charge, I’d make The Hunt for Gollum into an anime too. That way it’d be easier to keep the old cast and even get recordings done before, well… before we lose legends like Ian McKellen. He’s really getting up there in age. I just hope he can still make the Avengers movie when it comes.
Have you seen this movie, by the way?
Oh! And speaking of The Two Towers, I took another shot at drawing a frame from the movie. My first attempt a few weeks ago was a total disaster. I ended up deleting everything and crying because I felt like I sucked at drawing. But I decided to give it another shot. This time I slowed down. Started in greyscale before adding any color. And honestly? I think it turned out pretty good. At least, I feel okay about it.
I also just bought a new course on landscapes, maybe it'll help me get even better at this kind of thing!
🌱 Art Journey
I have been in full sketching mode these past few weeks. And even done some outdoors! And I love it!
I also tarted to film more of a vlog style of videos. One came out on Saturday, next tomorrow. I'm so tired of making everything look good. I just point and shot now.
🌱 What to read and listen on next?
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