<p>I first found out about it through a commercial while I was watching Season 13 of Supernatural. I read it got terrible reviews, but they really didn't do it justice IMO and it's insulting to compare it to Twilight. (Besides, it's less soap opera-y than Once Upon A Time or Charmed) Because my brother convinced me to try it out anyway and I thought it was really good.
</p><p>I suppose the two biggest complaints people had, other than comparing it to Twilight, are:
</p><p>1.) Deviating from the book. Which, is quite understandable for anyone who has read the books, which I haven't. But I think it was better than Eragon. (Question, did the books have it set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, or was that original to the series? If the latter, then I can understand the rage there to people who really enjoyed the books)
</p><p>2.) Being too much like Lord of the Rings. Like how people hated Winx Club or Glitter Force for being too much like Sailor Moon. That kind of thing doesn't bother me, and I read the books were pretty much like that as well. A difference is that in Shannara, the elves are no more powerful than the humans, and both can use magic if they're Druids. Also, in Lord of the Rings elves always have long hair and no beards, while they can have basically any appearance in Shannara as long as they have pointy ears.
</p><p>Now for the actual review.
</p><p>It is exactly what I was looking for, much like the anime Inuyasha which I got into last year. Unlike Inuyasha it's not overly long, a decent length at 10 episodes a season, not too long to watch all of, while still longer than a movie. With battles to the death against forces of evil, some pretty cool special effects, and a story that's always interesting and pretty easy to follow.
</p><p>I also like the unique concept of it being a sort of medieval style fantasy universe like Lord of the Rings, but set in the future of our Earth with ruins of cars, San Francisco, etc.
</p><p>Also gains points for irony that John Rhys-Davies plays an elf when he played the dwarf, Gimli, in Lord of the Rings. (On that note, the opening sequence mentions dwarves, but we never see them, just humans, gnomes, trolls, demons, and elves, and on that note, why didn't it mention elves there?)
</p><p>Wil seemed a little stupid at first, allowing Eretria to trick him a second time, but he seemed to get smarter afterwards.
</p><p>And, I always like shows which have a different main villain each season, though they still end in a new cliffhanger, which I'm sure will conclude in Season 3 for the original trilogy of the books, but at least the Dagda Mor and the Warlock Lord get a climactic defeat at the end, though the Dagda Mor didn't really do much, he's like the Sauron of the series, except easier to kill. Riga's death was pretty satisfying too.
</p><p>On that note, though the reviews have said it's more for teens than adults, I'd rate it more mature than that because there is quite a bit of gore. Of particular note, Eretria opening the blood fire by draining the blood from her hand and almost dying of blood loss, and, harder for me to watch, Riga draining Wil's blood, even though I can easily watch something similar in Saw V and might be able to watch this scene with practice.
</p><p>Also, it's too bad my favorite character, Allanon, won't be in Season 3 on account of his death in Season 2. Unless he gets revived somehow.
</p><p>As for the "nudity" scenes, which I dislike, at least they're not explicit like in Game of Thrones or Spartacus, so they don't bother me TOO much, though that waterfall scene with Amberle was unnecessary. But, I suppose some people are into that and they want to appeal in any way they can.
</p><p>Also, when the changeling seemingly died the first time but survived, I was reminded of Chrysalis in MLP (a villain I want dead so badly for something horrible she did, and also a changeling), how she fell off a mountain in Season 2, and was right on top of her throne when it exploded in Season 6, and survived both. At least it got killed off for real, where she probably never will, unlike King Sombra and the Storm King.
</p><p>4/5
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