The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim

 The long awaited anime project under the heading of Peter Jackson and Kenji Kamiyama, I must admit that at first I was a bit reluctant to watch this.

Call it a Rings of Power trauma...

But now that I viewed it, I completely love it, as it is a side story that explores some gray area in the book, barely referenced upon, and that is how the line of kings from Helm Hammerhand got broken.  The story is narrated by Eowyn, and tells the tale of Hera, a would-be shieldmaiden of Rohan and daughter of Helm.  

It takes place rougly two centuries before Bilbo find the ring, as Freca, a Dunlending subject of Helm, and his son Wulf arrive at Edoras.  He is upset that Hera will be married of to a Gondorian lord instead of to his son, and tries to force a marriage.  Helm accidentally kills Freca in the ensuing duel, and Wulf vows revenge for his dead.

Years later, Hera and her cousin Frealaf encounter a dead southron warrior, before they are attacked by a rabid mumakil.  She can lure it to a Watcher in the Water, but one of Freca's former generals, Targg, has followed her and takes her prisoner.  She is taken to Wulf's stronghold at the base of Isengard, where she learns he has become high lord of the Dunlendings and plans on attacking Rohan.  

As he attacks the lands of the Horse-Lords, Frealaf is cast out of Edoras by Helm as they disagree on the course of action.  Hera discovers one of his advisors, Lord Thorne, is a traitor, and dispatches of him.  The people of Edoras are evacuated to the Hornburg, as her bother Haleth is killed in battle by Wulf, while her other brother, the poet warrior Hama, is captured.  At the gates of the Hornburg, Wulf executes Hama under the gaze of Helm, throwing him into a depressing mood.

As the Hornburg is being besieged during winter, Hera discovers her father sneaks out at night to wreak havoc amongst Wulf's troops, who think he is an immortal wraith.  But as he and Hera, after discovering Mordor orcs in the vicinity and a troll attacking them, return to the Hornburg, Wulf's forces attack.  Helm sacrifices himself, standing frozen to death in front of the gate, knees unbend.

An eagle is send out bearing Helm's armour to Frealaf to request aid, while she, dressed in a bridal dress from a tragic story of the Hornburg, rides out to distract Wulf's troops and help the people escape through the tunnels.  Wulf betrays Targg, killing him, after the general agrees he was beaten by Hera in a duel on the siege tower.  But Frealaf arrives with his men, using Helm's armour and helmet to scare the Dunlendings into a rout, thinking Helm has returned from the dead for vengeance.  

As Wulf cowardly attacks Hera, she chokes him to death using her shield, and ending the war.  The valley of the Hornburg is renamed Helm's Deep, as Saruman the White arrives to become the new keeper of Isengard, offering alliance to the new Rohan king, Frealaf.  Hera herself denounced the throne, setting out into the wilds with her aunt, Olwyn, to go to a meeting with Gandalf who has questions about the orcs she and her late father encounterd...

This was indeed a visual spectacle, and a great story to watch.  It really picks you up and sweeps you along, and is more then worth the watch!