u/Everythingirly

Since I'm a new fan and probably don't have anything new to say about the show, I thought I'd review this book. It's the last entry in the Trollhunters book series written by Richard Ashley Hamilton. The way I understand it, these books are complementary to the TV show but aren't necessarily canon (correct me if I'm wrong).

The story of Angor Reborn takes place between S03E10 and S03E11 (safe for the prologue). It explains why Jim returns to his house wearing the eclipse armor after he bathed in Merlin's elixir. It turns out the elixir transported him to Lake Arcadia Oaks so that he could get used to his new body first. The story follows multiple characters, which makes it feel like a real episode. Everyone's personalities are accurate, and the tone and humor are very on brand. However, this book is more of an alternate continuation of episode 10 rather than the missing piece between the two episodes.

If you want to avoid spoilers, skip to Final thoughts!

In this book, Jim's transformation is gradual and painful, which makes it even more disturbing. Especially this line: "It was as if the trollhunter's body wasn't his own anymore" (p. 21). I guess you could see it as a metaphor for puberty, given the book's target demographic. The story isn't half as depressing as episode 11, but it's still pretty sad. What really shocked me were the hallucinations induced by the pixies. Claire dreamt that she was trapped in the Shadow Realm, while Toby literally saw himself in front of Jim's grave. At least Barbara got a cool moment and saved everyone. It was nice to see so many characters in this book, even if Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! didn't really do much. 

But the main plot of this book is Jim struggling to keep his humanity, which I really liked. I felt like Angor Rot's comeback in season 3 was kinda pointless, besides him betraying Morgana at the last minute. This book not only gives him more depth but also draws an interesting parallel between him and Jim. Angor Rot said it best: "For are we not both empowered by magical beings? Dispatched to do their bidding? Giving up pieces of ourselves until there's nothing left but a shell of our former selves?" (ps. 58-59).

When Angor Rot threatens to hurt Jim's mother, Jim gains the upper hand and actually enjoys the fight. It's quite interesting to see, and it's even more interesting when Angor Rot tries to force Jim to kill him alongside two other trolls. Angor Rot claims that he killed the sentimental part of himself, but deep down, he regrets sacrificing his pet dove to Morgana. In the end, Jim tells him, "But unlike you, I'd rather die than give up my soul" (p. 129), and Angor Rot admits defeat. I forgot to mention that Jim acquires a brand new, Moonlight armor, which comes with jumping stilts and archery equipment. I wonder if he gets any new powers in the other books.

Final thoughts

I really liked this book and I kinda wish this story had been included in the show. S03E11 is one of my favorite episodes in the series because it deals with the concept of change. It drives home the fact that we don't appreciate what we have until we lose it. Our lives can change in an instant, but we should never be afraid to ask for help. I felt like the show could have done more with Troll Jim, so I was glad that this book explored his struggle with his identity. Merlin even says that Jim represents the best of both (human and troll) worlds.

I haven't watched Wizards yet, but I know that Jim turns back into a human in the end. Were most fans happy with this decision? To be honest, I don't mind it, but I would have preferred if he had stayed a troll. I don't have any smart arguments for it, just that almost all transformations in fiction are reversable, so it's predictable. But thematically, it makes sense for him to turn back if he's no longer the trollhunter. What are your thoughts on this? And have you read any of the official books?

I've recently finished Trollhunters, and it was one of the best fantasy shows I've ever watched. The main characters and side characters were all really memorable. And, well, whenever I get into a new fandom, I look for fanfics. I haven't seen the other shows or the movie, though (I might give 3 Below a chance). I was wondering if anyone could give me any recommendations. I'd prefer stories that take place during Trollhunters or just after S3. I usually don't read AUs, but some can be interesting.

Sorry for being so demanding lol, anything helps.

Now that I've finished the live-action series, I'd like to compare it to the donghua and analyze it. The plot is almost entirely different, but we can still compare the worldbuilding and characters. I will use c/ for the characters in the C-drama and d/ for their donghua counterparts. Major spoilers for both shows ahead! (PS: I paraphrased the quote, but it's one of my favorite quotes from the C-drama.)

Let's start with the way superpowers work. In the C-drama, we learn that some people are born with "a special magnetic field", which gives them special abilities. They can see the past through photos and even become the person who took the photo. We never see anyone do both of these things, but I guess the teacher should be the guide and the student the diver, in principle. However, the diver always needs a partner to go back in time. In contrast, every special individual in the donghua has a unique power, which may or may not be hereditary. They can even give their power to someone else before they die. Another difference is that d/CXS merges with the person he possesses, whereas c/CXS replaces the other person's consciousness, and his body stays in the present.

I think it's more interesting when d/CXS inherits some of the stranger's feelings and memories. It accentuates the concepts of sonder and empathy. But there's also more confusion about what the possessed person remembers doing, whereas in the C-drama, they don't remember anything. I think it makes more sense for people to be born with different powers. But at the same time, I like that there's a secret society for people with "special magnetic fields" in the C-drama. I was also really excited to see the boys face an opponent with the same power.

When it comes to time travel, both shows are kinda confusing. In the donghua, we see that some changes in the past can have serious consequences in the present. But d/LG also says that death is a node that can't be changed. (I wonder about that since Xu Shanshan might have died if d/CXS hadn't possessed her in time, but I digress.) I think that time travel makes a bit more sense in the C-drama since we don't hear about any nodes that can't be changed. Some of them just shouldn't be changed because it could completely rewrite the present (not that we actually get to see it). But there's still a plot hole. If young He Shu thought he succeeded in changing the past, he would have had no reason to kill Xi Ta. CXS told him that he would use him and kidnap his sister in the future, but not that he would kill Xi Ta. So one death node would have been changed anyway.

Finally, let's talk about the characters, starting with Qiao Ling. She's a reporter in the C-drama, not the manager of Time Photo Studio like in the donghua. She and c/CXS also help out at their parents' restaurant. Personality-wise, she's not that different from her animated counterpart. But her best friend is Liu Ye instead of Xu Shanshan, which changes her arc quite a lot.

When we meet Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang in the donghua, they've been friends for a long time. In the C-drama, there's a greater emphasis on them influencing each other and becoming better people as a result: c/CXS helps c/LG to be more sociable, while c/LG helps c/CXS to be more mature. The biggest difference between both Cheng Xiaoshis is their backstory. We know that d/CXS's parents went missing when he was young, but the C-drama doesn't tell us anything. There's one scene where c/LG asks c/CXS about his parents, but c/CXS just brushes it off. I guess c/QL's parents adopted him, but it's odd that the series left out such an important part of d/CXS's character (unless I missed something). However, I did like his development from a naive and cocky guy into an intuitive and responsible adult.

As for c/LG, we also don't learn anything about his parents, just that Xi Ta taught him how to use his power. I quite liked his character arc in the c/drama. At first, he only cared about catching Xi Ta' killer, but after he befriended c/CXS, he became afraid that he'd lose him if he told him the truth. He also represents the opposite of He Shu, since he was able to move on and form new connections with people. It's fascinating to me that d/LG and He Shu both broke the rules of time travel to save someone, but one is the protagonist while the other is the antagonist. Even the song Hold Back No More feels like He Shu's version of VORTEX, especially the lyrics, "I don't wanna lose you. I don't wanna hold back. In a world of intertwined memories, everything will be rewritten." It makes me even more curious about d/LG's role in season 3.

This post turned out way longer than I expected lol. If you actually read all that, thank you. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the characters or the way time travel works in either of these shows.