Rwby Review - Tumblr Posts

RWBY: Start to Finish -

Introduction - What is RWBY without the blessings of the twin gods of fantastic animation, and Halo existentialism? It is a project that should have only survived until the next big thing to distract its creators. But RWBY has taken to life the way Frankenstein’s Monster took it. Not very well.

RWBY can never escape the drama of its famed creators, which in any case gives the show a twist of lemon that zests up the story. Depending, of course, on which side of the fandom one asks. But that begs the question; how does RWBY stack up for someone who is not invested in the legend of its creation?

RWBY -

In a world of Humans, Monsters, and Magic there are four girls. Four well-armed, deadly little girls training to slay monsters known as ‘Grimm,’ to protect a civilization that is a ‘Remnant’ of something greater that was destroyed long ago.

Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Together they form the titular team ‘RWBY,’ and these are their adventures.

A punchy premise. Simple, yet solid enough to build a story upon. Complexity should only be a product of the story, not its selling point, and for the worse RWBY gets complex as the story progresses.

But for now, let’s start with Chapter 1.

Chapter 1; Ruby Rose

While a mysterious couple debates the merits of a Simple Soul and its effect on a ‘victory’ of some sort, we are introduced to Remnant. More specifically, a city in the wider world of Remnant. A very modern city with modern criminals, wearing sharp suits and wielding guns.

A gang of these sharply dressed ne’er do wells attempt to rob a store for its ‘Dust,’ but their crime spree is halted by the show’s Protagonist. A little girl in a red riding hood named Ruby Rose.

Shenanigans ensue, a rooftop chase leads to a rooftop duel, followed by a rooftop magic duel between a ‘Huntress’ and a Mysterious Female in a red dress. The fight ends with the Mysterious Female winning since she manages to escape.

Ruby Rose is a Huntress fangirl though, so she chalks it up as a lucky escape on the Mysterious Woman’s part, and tries to get the Huntress’s autograph.

Ruby gets interrogated instead. With cookies, compliments on her skills, a career talk, and an enrollment form into Beacon Academy. Where Ruby Rose gets a chance to follow in the footsteps of the very people she idolizes.

In the end, we learn that the criminal Ruby fought was Roman Torchwick, the Huntress Ruby first met was named Glynda Goodwitch, there was a civil rights thing for Faunus, and that Ruby could see Signal Academy from the airship she was riding to Beacon Academy.

Thus, the adventure begins.

Problems -

There are several problems from the start of this episode which could all be summarized with a general umbrella under which the show tries to hide from any criticism about its story pacing, and world-building. This singular, lampshade issue could incidentally be resolved with three words.

Keep. It. Simple.

RWBY’s first episode suffers from complexity. The bad kind of Complexity. Now, while both good and bad Complexity makes people think, the good kind of Complexity makes you think about the facts of life.

Bad Complexity makes you rethink your life’s choices.

There are a few points in this episode that illustrate my point on complexity, and I will talk a little about each below:

The Opening Narration -

The opening narration was wordy. Pretentiously so. But more importantly, it sets up a world of fantasy. A world that is a ‘Remnant’ of something that came before, a world where its inhabitants grapple with infinite darkness composed of fangs and claws using primal magic. Magic manifested in Dust, a material dug up from the earth of Remnant. The very flesh of the world aiding its inhabitants in the war against the darkness.

The narration sets up an adventure in a world that is highly fantastical. But the first scene of the episode involves men in modern suits, wielding modern weaponry. Followed by the minimal display of this vital material called Dust, and no sign of the darkness called Grimm.

Okie Dokie.

Huntresses -

A tiny girl in a red cloak pulls out a giant scythe and beats up grown men.

Roman; I sleep.

Older woman with a tiny stick.

Roman: wE gOT a HUnTrESS!

Granted, Glynda does pull off some impressive magic. But what identifies a Huntress from any other fighter with a giant scythe? A Cop pulls out a badge, wears a uniform, and identities himself as a Cop in action. How does Glynda identify herself as a Huntress to criminals like Roman?

The Faunus Rally -

Toward the end of the episode, a few minutes is dedicated to talking about the Faunus and their rally.

This is all I could tell you about them since nothing in the opening narration or the fight with Roman alludes to either the presence of Faunus or their place in the world of Remnant.

Taking each problem together -

Is nearly impossible because each point raised above is individually so distinct, there is no clear way to connect them into a coherent whole.

The opening narration sets up a high fantasy story about people fighting for their survival against vicious monsters.

The fight between Ruby and Roman, where a lone girl with powers battles modern criminals and stops robberies like a superhero comic.

Then there are the Faunus.

There are thus three distinct stories instead of a singular narrative focused around the girl named Ruby Rose, neither of which are properly developed. This is not surprising since there are only 12 or so minutes for the episode.

As a result, instead of an episode and an introduction to the story. I get three separate scenes written by different people. Solely united by the character of Ruby Rose, who is wholly inadequate for the task.

Ruby Rose -

A rose by any other name would be just as dull.

A character’s complexity is something that should not be decided upon at the start of the story. Complexity, and a character in general, develops over the course of a narrative and is fully grown at the end. At this point in the show, all we really need to know about Ruby Rose is her goal as it would be the main reason the audience would follow Ruby’s story. However, Ruby’s goal is not to be a Huntress.

Sure, Ruby says she wants to be a Huntress to help people. But nothing we were shown through the episode indicates that she wants to be a Huntress. Ruby Rose doesn’t do anything to become a Huntress. She fights Roman because of coincidence, her training has nothing to do with being a Huntsman since Huntsmen use Glyphs to fight. If Glynda was any indication. Ruby Rose may idolize the Huntsmen, but that doesn’t show passion toward being a Huntsman in the first place.

A contrast to Ruby would be Izuku from My Hero Academia. Izuku wants to be a hero, so he studies up on the pro heroes in his area. His education is focused on becoming a professional hero once he graduates Middle School. More importantly, Izuku's values and his heart is set on walking the path of a hero, and when given the chance to save his bully’s life? Izuku takes that chance and proves himself to have the heart of a hero.

Altogether, Ruby only becomes a Huntress by chance. While Deku was waiting for a chance to become a Hero. The latter is what makes a Protagonist’s desire and goal interesting for the audience.

Conclusion -

Ruby Rose, both the episode and the character, are kinda dull.

The first episode has set up three distinct story set-ups without formatting them into a coherent narrative. The Protagonist also fails to bring the episode’s three major plot elements together into an interesting story. This is especially egregious since a reasonable audience doesn’t need a very big hook to get them interested in a story. The attention span of the audience of ANY show is equivalent to a shoal of Mackerel. We just need a picture of a hook that says ‘Hook’, and we’d be flapping on the end of a line.

In conclusion, Ruby Rose the episode is confusing, conflicting, and saddled with a very tepid Protagonist who is so bland Gordon Ramsay is waiting in the wings to tear your walk-in apart.

Better shows were canceled for less.

RWBY Review - Start to Finish -

RWBY VOL 1; CHAPTER 2 -

We ended on the line ‘Better shows were canceled for far less unforgivable sins on our last episode.’

There is a second part to this, which goes;

‘But a show has at least one season before something (that) drastic happens.’

I should have qualified that last statement because;

I know, I should have qualified my statement.

Moving on.

Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon -

Picking up from the airship ride upon which Chapter 1 ended, Chapter 2 begins with Ruby Rose taking her first steps onto Beacon Academy and fangirling about the weapons borne by the other students accompanying Ruby to Beacon Academy.

After being abandoned by her sister, Yang, whom we met on the airship. Ruby then meets three characters; Weiss, Blake, and Jaune Arc.

Bonding with Jaune Arc, Ruby makes her way into Beacon proper where the first thing we see of the school is an auditorium. Ozpin gives a speech, and Glynda tells everyone to spend the night in the Great Hall and prepare for Initiation.

During the ‘Slumber Party’ Ruby catches up with Blake, where Ruby then reveals that she loves books. Just like the mysterious, raven-haired beauty Ruby and Yang are attempting to befriend. Despite committing the cardinal sin of interrupting someone while they are reading, Blake seems to appreciate Ruby’s attempts at friendship but decides to call it a night when Weiss appears.

Building upon Chapter 1 -

In the vein of being creative, reviews from this point on will always build upon the last review of the previous chapter. A narrative is not cogent on individual scenes but on how individual scenes build upon each other, and therefore any review of RWBY should be taken in the context of what previous episodes show.

This is especially true since RWBY isn’t a ‘Monster-of-week’ story but a continuous story about Ruby Rose and her adventures.

Chapter 2 chooses to expand on the Huntsman storyline by focusing on Ruby’s entrance into Beacon after she was given a chance to be at Beacon by Ozpin. We learn more about Ozpin and his place at Beacon, we get a clearer picture of what Dust is capable of, and the Faunus issue takes a backseat to Ruby’s character development and relationship building with her schoolmates at Beacon.

However, Ruby Rose’s development is rather inconsistent. Ruby portrays multiple, contradictory character traits which cause Ruby to feel like a blank slate. Adapting herself to reflect the traits of better-developed characters instead of being a character herself.

The dialogue and exposition throughout the episode also make it feel like I’m being reintroduced to plot elements discussed in the first episode, making the narrative so far feel tedious.

In fact, it may be better if Chapter 1 was a prologue or a trailer, while Chapter 2 becomes Chapter 1. This is because most of the plot elements introduced in Chapter 1 were better introduced with a more cohesive narrative in Chapter 2.

What I (genuinely) liked -

Dust -

The scene where Ruby Rose knocks over Weiss’s Dust Cases was my favorite introduction to Dust. The scene was simple and established what we needed to know about Dust for now; It’s volatile, powerful, and produces elemental effects when it explodes.

The introduction also serves multiple goals; establishing Ruby’s clumsiness, Weiss’s schtick as having more than make-up powder in her suitcases, and the relationship between Ruby and Weiss. Ruby’s impetuous energy, and Weiss’s cautious uptightness in regards to her personal items and space.

It is also interesting to see a weapon being introduced in a way that does not involve fighting.

Jaune Arc -

At this stage in the story, Jaune is my favorite character. His simple design is elegant, his weaponry is a breath of fresh air compared to Ruby’s over-designed Crescent Rose, and Jaune feels like the kind of guy you could go out for a beer with. Which is something that writers tend to overlook when it comes to character design. Would your character be someone the reader would go out for a drink with?

Ozpin’s Speech -

Ozpin’s speech raises a question that sets up one of RWBY’s … themes. In the opening narration, Ozpin brings up ‘a Simple Soul’ as the key to victory. Though we don’t really know what is a ‘simple soul,’ it can be assumed that the story of Ruby Rose will tell us as it unfolds. So that’s fair.

In this episode’s speech, Ozpin brings up the question of ‘purpose’. The Huntsmen are at Beacon to get knowledge, but they fail to ask themselves ‘why’ they want this knowledge. Why do you want to be a Huntsman? Implying a question that requires a good answer if one wants to succeed at being a Huntsman.

The purpose is something that most modern stories tend not to explore. Why does a character want to do something? Protagonists and Heroes tend not to have this well established. The Hero fights the Villain because that’s what Heroes do, but why does a Hero want to specifically fight this Villain? How would fighting the Villain help the Hero achieve his goals? Villains tend to have this better explained, which may be why audiences identify with the Villains more.

But in RWBY’s case, this question is not answered yet. But it is a question that the show intends to address, and I think it is a pertinent question.

Another pertinent question is how I’m going to piss off RWBY fans this time.

Problems with the Chapter 2 -

Like Harry Potter, to an extent, RWBY’s main problem is Ruby. A special girl is marked out for a special destiny, and we have to know how special she is at the expense of more interesting characters like Jaune.

One example of this is when Ruby meets Blake and they have a discussion about books.

The conversation is skewed to explore more of Ruby instead of Blake by taking something that is uniquely Blake’s, her love of books, and having Ruby explain Blake’s hobby to her face. We learn about Ruby’s preferred genres, we learn what books mean to Ruby, and how they motivate her to be a Huntress. Forgetting that earlier on, Ruby’s thing was weapons.

Ruby’s thing for weapons was established at the beginning of the episode with a sequence explaining how weapons are an extension of the Huntsman and are thus cool. This in and of itself contradicts Ruby’s first interview in Chapter 1 where she states that being a Huntsman is cool because they are romantic and cool. At the same time referring to weapons a grand total of zero times.

One could argue that this love of weapons and romantic stories about heroes are linked to Ruby’s love of Huntsmen in general. Ruby does state that;

“As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves …”

Which could work, and I like that. So what do weapons have to do with stories? It is a jarring personality thing that takes away from the unique trait of other characters and serves to make Ruby a fence-sitter. A character tries to be like every other character, and in the process loses her character.

Funnily enough, this is why Jaune is a more interesting character than Ruby. He is his own character. A boy trying to live up to his family legacy by becoming a Huntsman, because that is how he would make his mark in a bloodline containing warriors and heroes.

We don’t have Ruby Rose telling Jaune how SHE is part of a family line of ancient warriors, and thus showing how special she is. Jaune is allowed to keep what makes him unique, and he thus maintains the quality that makes him an interesting character at this point of the narrative.

Conclusion -

I like Chapter 2. It interestingly introduces several interesting concepts and is a good start to the narrative of RWBY.

However, Ruby Rose takes too much screen time, and the Chapter would have been better suited to being ‘Chapter 1’ instead.

Bumblyby

Incomparable to BlackSun

As much as RT tries and tried to push Bumbleby in the present and in the future, Sun going to Menagerie with Blake is an arc that essentially nailed the coffin shut on any attempt with Bumbleby. This is because the Menagerie Arc was an arc that had extremely intimate implications between Sun and Blake.

Sun, as a Faunus, had the chance to get back to his roots. Reaffirming and rebuilding his identity as a Faunus after seasons of being a rootless rogue. Fighting the White Fang, fighting for the family who represents the Faunus, taking a bullet for the only other Faunus Sun truly interacted with. These events contributed to an Arc where Sun got to get down and dirty with the identity of 'Faunus', and the consequences of that identity.

Sun's journey is intricately bound alongside Blake's quest for identity as she grappled with her White Fang past and Huntress future. Sun fought alongside Blake when she fought the White Fang Assassins, took the bullet meant for her, and was essential in helping Blake resolve herself to confront the White Fang instead of run away like she had always done. Without one or the other, the Menagerie Arc could not happen.

Furthermore, Sun had a chance to see Blake at her most essential. Sun met Blake's parents, learned that she was the Chieftain's Daughter of Menagerie which Yang doesn't yet know, and dealt with Blake at her worst. When she was conflicted and angry and lashing out because of what Adam had done to her.

Therefore, the Menagerie Arc had tied Sun and Blake together in ways that RT could never replicate as the unique narrative moment had passed. Whatever Bumbleby does in the future can't really compete with the degree of intimacy developed between BlackSun in the past. Even if Bumbleby became canon, it would be a hollow shell compared to what BlackSun built.

Although Sun x Yang is not a bad ship though.

Pyrrha's death and the Achilles Allusion

RWBY v3 was a shallow volume. It was a volume rushed to allow for RWBY to transition to something more 'mature' in the eyes of the writers. A good example of this is Pyrrha's death, and the writer's surface-level understanding of the Achilles story.

The Achilles Heel myth has become more famous than Achilles himself. On the level of popular culture I'm not sure most people are aware that in the Iliad Achilles survives to the end of the tale. Others may say that Achilles dies in the Odyssey or in the stories that follow the Iliad in depicting the Trojan War. I personally believe those stories are the Ancient Greek version of Fanfiction, but that's for another post.

The Iliad is, I believe, a story about masculinity. In the absence of Achilles, the most Achaean of all Achaeans, from the war. Each of the Greek Heroes, and Hector, attempt to prove their masculinity by feats of military prowess. But through the war, the Greek Heroes prove inadequate to the task. Royal lineage, cunning, wisdom, brute strength. All of these fail as the war is taken to the Greek Ships and Achilles puts the other Greek Heroes in their place when he takes revenge for Patroclus's death.

But even as Achilles proves himself as the greatest Achaean through the second half of the Iliad, it is only when Priam humbles himself before Achilles that the Hero learns what being a man is really about. Showing compassion and honor in a war that had nearly destroyed both in the passing decade. As Hector's body burns in the pyre of his funeral rites a parallel 'death' of Achilles's rage occurs. The war doesn't end, but Achilles dies to this wrathful past and is reborn after finding peace regarding Patroclus's death.

The power of Achilles's story can only be seen through his life even though he was prophesied to die. After all, Achilles was a soldier in a war, and considering the mortality of humans in general, everyone dies sooner or later. But it is with this urgently imminent presence of death serving as a backdrop that makes Achilles' life so vital. He was going to die. So how was he going to live?

The story of Achilles is one of life. But what does RWBY do with Pyrrha?

"Hurr Durr, Achilles Tendon reference!"

RWBY Review - Start to Finish -

RWBY VOL 1; CHAPTER 3 -

So ... We meet Nora.

Mother, Mary of God, grant me strength.

The only thing balancing out the horror that is Nora is Pyrrha Nikos. SHE is now my favorite character instead of Jaune.

This is impressive because I generally do not like female main characters, and Pyrrha is obviously the main character of the show now because the title character still hasn't done anything to really impress three episodes in.

Chapter 3; The First Step -

An interesting title since the episode only had enough time for the plot to progress exactly one step.

It is the morning after the 'slumber party' in Beacon Academy's great hall. Now, the aspiring Huntsmen are going through their morning routines in Beacon's locker rooms. Preparing for whatever the Academy is going to throw at them next.

We start with Nora and Ren. But that's a jazz tune I ain't playing until I have to, so let's talk about Ruby.

Ruby and her sister, Yang, have a brief discussion about socializing. Here, we see a little more about Ruby's fixation with her weapon and how her weapon makes it less awkward for Ruby to deal with life in general. Yang tries to convince Ruby that breaking out of her shell would do Ruby a world of good, but Jaune interrupts that conversation, and I suddenly hate him.

Jaune then starts blowing his trombone in an attempt to bone Weiss. Interrupting a perfectly civil conversation between Weiss and a new girl, Pyrrha Nikos. Despite Jaune's hot air initially, Weiss manages to deflate him a little and Pyrrha sweeps him off his feet.

From Beacon's lockers, the Huntsmen find themselves standing on a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. After a blatant case of Negligence on the part of Ozpin, the Huntsmen are launched off the cliff, thus taking their 'first step' on their journey to become Huntsmen.

Building on from Chapter 2 -

After the attempt of Chapter 2 to progress the Huntsman storyline, Chapter 3 takes an immediate sharp left off the beaten path to introduce Ren and Nora. Or Nora and Ren, to be precise, because we get far too much of Nora in this Chapter.

Out of a 7-minute episode and a 30-second opening, Nora takes up a minute and a half of the remaining 6 minutes of the Chapter with pointless rambling about sloths, and an attempt by the writers to start a ship between Nora and Ren.

The ship isn't the problem, the inefficiency is the problem. Just keep the part about Sloths and the noises they allegedly make. 19 seconds would have been enough to get across that Nora is thirsty for Ren.

The Chapter attempts to address Ruby Rose's character development. Seemingly, this time, to focus on Ruby's love of weapons. Expressed by the girl in the first half of Chapter 2. Whether the writers would stick to this particular trait would be a bridge to cross when we come to it. This is because Jaune interrupts the conversation between Ruby and Yang so the writers could set up something as equally irrelevant as Nora's ramblings earlier.

Funnily enough, Pyrrha being irrelevant to the story is what makes her such a likable character in this Chapter. There is no attempt by the writers to do too much with Pyrrha at this stage, so Pyrrha is just a polite girl who is endearingly attractive because of it.

Her weapon is also a spear. How elegantly simple!

Jaune is an ass in this chapter though, which is a 180 turn when compared to his character in Chapter 2. I get it, Jaune likes Weiss, but why is he so dismissive of Pyrrha during his conversation with her and Weiss? Jaune wasn't interested in Ruby, but he was perfectly pleasant with Ruby when he first met her.

All in all, Chapter 3 is the first step onto the narrative of Ruby Rose. However, Ruby is not the focus, and we as the audience are taking the first step with the wrong foot forward, it seems.

What I liked -

Pyrrha Nikos. A little simple, but you get more out of a simple dish, I believe.

What I did not like -

Ruby Rose is not the main focus of her own show.

I don't know what noise a Sloth makes, but I'm sure it would come up with its own noise to tell Nora to leave it in peace. Say it with me everyone, "Nora, no talking!"

I do not approve of Jaune being mean to Pyrrha.

Is Ruby Rose (RWBY) a Mary Sue?

Definition of Mary Sue;

In an earlier post, I described the 'Mary Sue' as a narrative trope instead of a character archetype. A 'Mary Sue' occurs when a character's story overshadows the stories of the other characters.

Example;

Harry Potter in the last four books is a Mary Sue mostly because everything after book four is somehow tied to Harry, no matter how obscure or far removed. As a result, the story shrinks around Harry and the world of Magic becomes less interesting the more it focuses on Harry and his conflict with Voldemort.

Is Ruby is Mary Sue?

Based on my definition, no. She is just a badly written character. While all Mary Sues are badly written, not all badly written characters are Mary Sues.

Ozpin is more of the Mary Sue in RWBY. This is because most of RWBY's plot centers around Ozpin's mistakes and his relationships. Especially with Salem.

Therefore, Ruby Rose is not a Mary Sue.

Why Rhodes did the right thing with Cinder.

Why did Rhodes leave Cinder alone? I believe Rhodes wanted to legally purchase Cinder's freedom so that Cinder wouldn't have to live as a runaway slave. That was why Rhodes was out on missions earning the money needed to free Cinder once and for all.

Why did Rhodes train Cinder instead of taking Cinder away directly? Because Rhodes wanted Cinder to have the skills she needed to make a living. The only skills Rhodes could give Cinder was his Huntsman skills so that Cinder could earn a living once she was free.

Why did Rhodes fight Cinder at the end? Two reasons, I think. One: Rhodes knew that if Cinder turned herself in, she had a better chance at some semblance of a normal life if she claimed self-defense or provocation before a Jury. Otherwise, Cinder would forever be a fugitive, and Rhodes knows firsthand what that's like since he is a Huntsman.

Second? Perhaps Rhodes knew that the die is cast, and if Cinder was to live as a fugitive, she had better be able to protect herself. Therefore, Rhodes gave his life to give Cinder the experience she needed to survive in Remnant.

Ultimately, Rhodes had everything planned out. It just wasn't meant to be.