I am.
Unlike the other works set in the same universe, it is not a slog or a sausagefest.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed ‘The Hobbit’, despite the over-descriptiveness and lack of female characters. For some stories, it works (ie Covenants by Lorna Freeman). But I found the trilogy such a slog, I never got past the first book (it should not take a page and a half, to describe a meadow for crikey’s sake!).
The movies, I also found a slog and a sausagefest. Yes, there were epic character moments (ie Boromir’s death), epic relationship moments (ie Gimli and Legolos) and epic plot moments (ie Battle of Helms Deep) but the getting there was definitely an uphill battle for me. And, for such a long story, I found both characterization and relationship build-up lacking in numerous instances.
So, for me, Amazon’s ‘Rings of Power’ is a breath of fresh air. In two episodes, I have a gotten a better feel of who the majority of characters are as people, not just their placement within the plot, and am therefore able to actually like and care/emotionally invest in them. I have female characters I can root for and enjoy the triumphs of. And, most of all, I am finding the story build-up entertaining on its own merits instead of waiting for an obviously set-up payoff.
Now the big one. Black dwarfs and elves. I am not a fan of either. I find them immersion-breaking. Yes, even in WoW. If that makes me a racist, fine. They are both descended from european caucasian mythology/legend/folklore, described specifically as white and I can be a strong, stubborn purist in this area. I am the same way when it comes to other ethnicity’s mythology/legends/folklore and don’t want to see caucasian ifrits, peris or kitsune either.
BUT, in this show, the two characters who come under this heading won me over within the first few minutes of their time on-screen. The black female dwarf woman become simply a wonderful, warm, smart and fun female dwarf, rendering her skin color simply the color of her skin. And the scene where the black elf managed to remain elf-stoic while still emoting strong yearning blew me away. Really brought the whole ‘have to work twice as hard to be seen as just as having the same measure’ home to roost, not to mention proving representation works to promote normalization.
So anyone on the fence, I would strong suggest trying it. The characters are interesting and entertaining (Nori is so lovable!), the relationships are being demonstrated, built and/or fleshed out organically within the story, the developing plot is strong and present without overshadowing or drowning out everything else and, yes, it is very pretty!
It is still high fantasy but more.