#CRWBY critique

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

Why do FNDM keep screaming "fascism" about Atlas/Ironwood, like seriously? Having an army is not the same as being a fascist. This is a world where Literal Demon Hatred Monsters are a fact of life. Every nation should have a giant army, they need them. You know, for the monsters. (And it's *especially* baffling when Team RWBY and the civilians they supposedly care about are only alive because the "evil fascist army" bravely fought and died against the monsters. While Ruby drank tea in a house.)

I never understood the hatred the fndm/show has towards the Atlesian army. As you said their is an endless army of soulless man eating monsters that roam the earth and have canonically destroyed villages when said villages cannot afford to have hunters protecting them. We're trying to paint hunters are the morally correct way to protect people (sometimes) but we have people dying because hunters demanded too much and people couldn't pay.

And honestly that is what really kills me about this whole thing, the ways hunters work, people die if they cannot afford protection while Atlas willingly sends its army to other kingdoms to help when needed. Having this whole debate about the ethics of having an army really doesn't work in RW//BY's setting. Their is no talking to the grimm and trying to make peace with them, the grimm will hunt down and destroy humans until none are left, forcing people to take up arms against them. And the supposedly more "ethical" option is people who charge insane amounts of money for protection that towns regularly cannot afford them. Qrow even openly admits many hunters are shady and unethical which makes this anti army stance make even less sense.

And ontop of that as you said RW/BY sat back and let the evil army fight for them so they could sit around drinking tea and tsking because they "needed a break" as if the very army we're calling evil and unethical.....never got one. They've been fighting nonstop and haven't gotten to rest while RW//BY repeatedly has gotten breaks and still has the gall to moan and groan and complain. The choices are so baffling to me and it's insane this is the direction the show went with. If CR//WBY really wanted to have an anti army stance....they shouldn't have made a world with soulless man eating monsters that need to be fought.

[ziggyplayedguitar96]

Did Yang remove some of her ribs???

[the-path-to-redemption]

Serious question. With the direction of RWBY going doing you think their is some favoritism over the female villains than male villains?

Exhibit A: Adam and Ironwood treated badly even though they have justified motives.

Adam being an extremist with how mistreatment of Fanus, being a product of child slavery by a white privilege company, and joined WF that is equivalent to any modern radical group fighting for rights (Black Panthers). Got reduce to "crazy stalker bf, disregarded his fellow fanus comrades, became power hungry for no reason, and what he was suppose to be got dumped on Ilia".

Ironwood a dignified and selfless military leader. Willing to help team RWBY with anything, risked his life to evacuated the citizens when Becaon got under attack, and gave team RWBY extra training with a senior group that put his trust in him and vice versa. Got reduce to a "liar, manipulator, disingenuous, child shooter" even though he gave RWBY man signs to put his trust on him and the situation in Mantel could've ended differently.

Exhibit B: (Bit bias cause I really hate Cinder and wish the worse for her and I hope you get betrayed by Salem). When compare to Salem, Neo, and Cinder.

Salem the first women with magic and was locked in a tower Rapunzel style. Barging with the brothers to resurrected Ozpin and discovered the see humans as playthings and wanted to change the cycle. Started to get a little power hungry and when she found out Ozpin betrayed she tried to kill him AND ALSO KILLED HER DAUGHTERS WITH NO REMORSE. Responsible for the destruction of Mantel and Beacon and the deaths of civilians. Torture and manipulate Cinder to do her bidding knowing Cinder is disposable. Uses people with Silver Eyes as weapons.

Cinder a product of child slavery and trafficking. Abuse by her elder sisters and mother. Eventually killed out of revenge and killed her mentor and the only person that cared for her. Threatened Adam to join Salem or else she killed the Fanus. Was responsible for the death of Penny TWICE. Throws a tantrum when things don't do her way and gets owned by Watts. Betrays Neo to get the lamp to get her praise by Salem when next volume Salwm will torture her again for her handling of Mantle.

Neo is the partner in crime with Roman. Manipulate by Cinder to kill Ruby when in reality Cinder is really at fault since she hired them. Emotionally Manipulates Ruby in her weakest state to commit sucide and use her deceased friends to her advantage. Realize that her whole goal of revenge is pointless and she never think this through. Get used as a puppet by the cat forcing her to talk. Gets her happy ending and stay in wonderland.

Tell me out of the two groups who gets love by the fandom and which gets hate?

I just think that RT is bad at writing for this show-

Long Post Ahead

For the writer's side on this, it's clear that they simply do not know how to process the nuances of morally gray characters like Ironwood, that's why he was straight up villainized by them. As for Adam, it's just because they're racist. That's it.

The nuances of both of these characters were beyond the scope of understanding that CRWBY were willing to explore, or else they will be confronted with the fact that they're racist as fuck, and their stupid fucking pride about being rightfully criticized prevents this show from actually improving. People wanted Blake and Ruby to talk? Ham-fist it in. People want the criticism about how the world of Remnant was written to be heard? Let's have this cat character mock them via sarcastic inquiries about said critiques on said world.

As for the FNDM? Yeah, there is a blatant disconnect when it comes to atrocities committed by female villains versus male villains in the fans to the point that it treks into full-on bigotry at times.

This isn't to say that the writers didn't fuck up on both, oh no. Salem is a boring ass main villain, James got fucked over, Cinder is a nuisance, and Adam got butchered. All of their villains aside from Tyrian and Watts suck ass, and Watts also got killed off! By Cinder!

But the FNDM has a habit of disregarding abuse when it's a male character being abused by his female confidante (Ozma, Sun, Ren, and Whitley), but are willing to completely demonize a morally gray male character like James in V7 when he would not agree with Ruby's plan. WHICH IS COMPLETELY FINE IN A WRITING STAND POINT.

The RWBY FNDM, to me, has been dragged along by a shitty lie made by RT that "this show is a feminist show because it has female main characters" and are now desperately trying to keep up that lie themselves, even though RWBY has stopped being about the girls for a while now. There is no passion behind their characters, it's all for Jaune. But admitting that will mean admitting RWBY is bad and not feminist, so they lash out at people who rightfully criticize the show and demonize the characters they don't like despite their reasons being stupid as hell.

I've seen people making ableist fucking comments to James, denying that Adam was a slave, and calling Ozpin a groomer. These same people would woobify Cinder, Salem or Neo all the while, even though all of these characters has all done terrible things to our protagonists. Keep up the same energy for both or stfu.

Sorry for the rant. This is just a topic that I really despise because people would act like rabid hyenas, which will turn into harassment which is something I do not want on my blog. But yeah, there is a favortism towards the female villains by the FNDM, but CRWBY hates all of their characters aside from Jaune equally.

[its-a-branwen-thing]

Just the Way You Are

This volume of RWBY isn't one that I've felt like writing a ton about. It's existed as a bit of background noise to my weekends, a must watch but in passing. It was a wonderful journey, but not as impactful as I thought it should be to me. It hit all the right marks. Well-written, well-animated, great music. It wasn't until the finale, where I was reminded, again, of why I loved this show in the first place.

I've been seeing an outpouring of love for V9 that seemed to spur a re-examination of it as a series, in both what RWBY means to fans and what Ruby means to the audience. This whole volume she's been a proxy facing the show's vocally decried imperfections: for what the could have beens and should have beens keep saying. In Ruby's own personal doubt, we see the seeds of the show's very own history of grappling with fan expectations, critical analysis, commercial success, and the complicated legacy of the tragic passing of the show's creator.

But CRWBY's love for this volume is so evident it seemed to drown out any bad faith arguments: this is RWBY as it was always meant to be.

In finishing this volume, I see once more that fiction can help us suture the parts of us that seep. That its creators are people we may never know but whose ideas we stitch into the membranes of our core. RWBY doesn't have to be a masterpiece emerging fully formed from the minds of its writers and animators. It is a vision expanded upon, a messy beginning built up, a work of surfeit love, flawed and lovely in the mess.

As a perfectionist I tend to chase that critical clout, to draw from external sources the meaning of my own art, to wonder if the interpretations are good enough, if the writing and characters are done with enough mastery that I can succeed in other's eyes. But RWBY will never be a success to some, and in that we see that even the most collectively beloved things are criticized by their detractors. We will never create a bulletproof thing.

Life is exposure. Love is vulnerability and art in service to that love - of self, of others, of vision - exacts the same toll of knowing. Even against the diatribes on Youtube that have stated otherwise, RWBY's heart is worn on its sleeve. It is a show fully sure of its sincerity. This volume seems meant to present that to us and to Ruby, as a character. She has always been the heart of the show. Pursuant of hope in the face of insurmountable odds, always picking up the pieces of others, always with the weight of the world on her shoulders. But, at her core, she has always been a simple, more honest soul.

RWBY and Ruby have faced failure after perceived failure. Ruby always tried hard but never quite got it and now, in the sea of her doubt and the under the current of others' expectations, she sees herself as less than. As incapable of serving the people she loves most. Ruby's fear of failure does not come from her need to be beloved, it doesn't come from a selfish interest in public opinion, but rather from a stalwart need to do what she believes in.

RWBY has long been the scruffy underdog of the animation world, an easy little show to poke fun at. This isn't to say that critiquing is inherently bad faith, or that there's no place for it. There is, and there always will be things that irk or bother us to some degree with every piece of media we consume. But, much like the people we love in our lives, those imperfections are part of them, and we can either take them as is and have faith enough that they'll grow just as we do, that their center is good and worth it, or we can simply let them go.

Choose for yourself one who can leave your burdens behind, or chose one who can be enough to bare them.

There's something to be said about the moral simplicity of a show like RWBY, in which things don't always work out, but in which the characters have enough faith in themselves, and the world, to still seek to save it. This is a fairytale, but it is one that hopes to impart on reality a little bit of that kindness.

It is wholly intentional that RWBY is thus stylized as a children's fairytale. It lacks the tonal shift of grit and anger that adulthood seems to impart on innocence, and posits that: no, you don't need to be anything else, even if others decry that self as naive or emotional or exposed. There is a beauty to RWBY's vulnerability and it's always been there, baked into the show itself.

V9 feels like a love letter to RWBY as a whole. It has always been a show set on positivity, on pursing that goodness at all costs. RWBY does not partake in the labor of being something else more gritty or mature or indifferent. It is what it's always been.

A simple, more honest show.

[opalharkness]

Emerald

Okay so I'm watching this video by the YouTube channel We Are Not Alive.

Which is basically a critique of another channel's video on female villains. (The channel is called Just A Robot btw) In this video they show a section of Just A Robot's video where he's talking about his criteria for female villains. Robot while saying this "A. If the female villain is redeemed to quickly (it doesn't pass)" shows a picture of Emerald and it sent me into a rage because her arc isn't over yet!

First up CRWBY seeded in the idea of her being redeemed in Volume 3 when she says this after seeing the destruction of the Fall of Beacon "It's almost sad." Next up she spends the next few volumes terrified of Salem and what's going on around her. So, it makes sense she would abandon ship eventually, which is what she does in Volume 8.

However, her arc clearly isn't over because the others, besides Oscar, don't trust her and she hasn't faced Cinder or Mercury yet. Who are the most important people in Emerald's life. She has taken the first step towards redemption but somehow people mistake that for full redemption. That's crazy but then again Just A Robot is one of them "Why is everything so woke?" types. So, what did I expect. He also hates Cinder which a whole different sin in my opinion.

Any way We Are Not Alive's video has been really good so far, so I recommend people check it out. (Edit: Nevermind they slander the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and my boy, the love of my life Anakin Skywalker)

[knights-of-onyx]

Welp, this day has come...

Rooster Teeth has officially ceased operations, and as someone who has watched rwby throughout the last few years, it's sad because the fate of the show is now truly unknown, moreso than it was before. While not confirmed that all IP of RT are cancelled, it wouldn't surprise me if this were the ultimate outcome.

Quite frankly, it's also not surprising that this happened, given with all the things and controversies that RT has been involved in, it was a company that I did not see surviving into the future. My only hope was that RWBY would be completed prior to this happening, but alas, this did not happen.

In typical corporate America fashion, everyone, including CRWBY, found out that RT was shutting down via a tweet from warner bros, which is so typical of the dystopian hellscape that we live in. This is why we cannot have nice things, because it wasn't financially worth it to WB to keep RT alive.

For what it's worth, I enjoyed rwby. Yes, it had its up's and down's and it was far from perfect. Through it all, the community still came together to support what was once a niche project and saw it bloom and grow. It still has a place in my heart, flaws and all. Yes, I've critiqued the show and how certain things were handled, or the issue of character bloat, but it was out of a good place, not out of malice.

Monty Oum's dream became a reality, and I thank Kerry and Miles and the rest of CRWBY for keeping that dream alive for as long as they have. Maybe, in time, they will finish the story, and for what it's worth, I hope they do. Small projects (even if RT was larger in scale) like this are simply harder to run and manage thanks to our corporate overlords. It's always about the money.

If I might wrap up this rant and eulogy with some advice for the stakeholders of WB, who ultimately don't give two flying fucks about the news that came out today: no matter how much money you make off your dividends or gains, it doesn't come with you when you get laid to rest six feet deep in your wooden box. What really matters during our short, precious lives is the human experience. That experience is made possible through community, and nothing holds a community together more than it's ability to tell stories. Stories, like RWBY, brought people together from all walks of life, to watch, to share, and to enjoy. Friends and family were made along the way, and no amount of money can truly, genuinely replace that. So take your sacks of money and fund those that can make those stories actually possible. Fix the problem that you created with your incessant greed.

Until the next time my friends, whenever that may be. Thank you for all the memories.

Thus kindly I scatter.

[chittychittyyangyang]

Just saw your response to the person talking about you putting more thought into the show than the writers and wanted to say I used to think similarly. With all the hiatuses and long periods without rewatching the show, I got jaded. However recently I decided to get my friend into the show and watched through it all with her. I had so much fun and fell in love with it again. Sure, the show has its issues, but I was able to laugh off most of them. So I think that person needs to just rewatch

I find it very concerning how many people will keep watching a show that they clearly don't seem to like, or seem to have to justify it by mentioning all of the problems or that it's not "perfect" (which I can only think of two shows that are close to that for me). I really wish more people would take a step back from media if they don't enjoy it anymore. Hell, I took a step away from the show and fandom around volume 4, and know several people who did around that same time. Over time perspectives on things can change, and some volumes are better to watch in one sitting vs weekly. Hell, I was as vocal as I ever am of any critiques that I wasn't a huge fan of volume 8, and I did my normal rewatch before 9 and it was a little better than I remembered.

I do also think it is important to remember that RWBY doesn't have the budget and resources of other shows I have seen it compared to (She.Ra and TOH being the ones I have seen and feel I can speak to). It's not like RWBY has had a mega corporation looking over scripts dictating what they can do, and having so many people involved in bounce ideas around with. It means in some ways CRWBY are more free to do what they want, but it also means some things they want to do or address has to be cut for time (I think about them wanting Marrow and Blake to interact in 7 about Faunus issues which would have been amazing, but not feasible). Never mind I have never understood comparing a web show to something with Dreamworks/Netflix backing or Disney of all things.

I'm happy you were able to fall in love with the show again! It truly is a great, fun show if people come into it with an understanding of what it is and that the crew does work to grow and do better.

[olliealus]

I’ve never truly understood why people feel the need to shit on RWBY so harshly. It’s one thing to go: I don’t really like this show, it’s not for me. But it’s like… people see it and go I’m gonna absolutely demolish this show because it makes me seem edgy. Like holy fuck, everyone needs to chill out. It’s a show. It’s not that serious.

I like RWBY cause I’m invested in the characters and I want to see it through to the end. I think a lot of the fan base feels that way too. And I promise you, no one cares when you go to social media and loudly proclaim the show is ass or the animation sucks. It’s your opinion, and you’re allowed to have it. No amount of bashing is going to change how people who enjoy RWBY feel about it. RWBY fans are smart enough to sniff out real critique versus half baked takes in order to get clicks on a video.

And for people who like RWBY, continue to support the show. Support CRWBY. This show means a lot to them and they feel so under the microscope about everything they do. They’re humans like us, and they’re trying their best with the resources they have.

Idk… this ramble in my drafts turned into a long post. Just be kind and thoughtful. RWBY is cool and I hope people can come to enjoy it like I have :)

[metawatts]

Top 5 best fights? Top 5 worst fights? In RWBY. Maybe split between the ones that are well/poorly choreographed and ones that are well/poorly written.

Right well generally when I'm looking at a fight I like to ask these things. Is the fight:

Well-Written (serves the plot/in character)

Well-Choreographed

Has the Funky Extra Stuff (music, setting, all the lil fx bits)

Does it make sense to happen in-universe beyond being ‘well rwby is a fighting anime so here’s a fight’ gif bait (like, was the lead up good or is it contrived, did it make sense to be duking it out, grimm just randomly showing up is acceptable in all cases because that's the point of them in-universe)

Entertaining to Watch

and if it gets like, 3 of those I'll consider it a good fight. 3 outta 5 is good. So here's my top 5, all of which I think are a 5/5 on this. I also decided to challenge myself by not picking multiple from each volume.

Top 5 Fights in RWBY, as judged by Metawatts.

Tyrian v RNJR and Qrow (listen tyrian's just really good at this)

Ruby vol4 character short (my fav trailer)

Yang v Mercury (best choreo in all rwby)

Weiss and Pilot v Lancers (i liked the physics on this one)

RWBY v Paladin (the one singular time team rwby fought as a proper team)

Extra freebie because I deserve it: Blacksun vs Roman (gunchucks)

Now. As for. The top 5 worst that I don't like. That's not to say that they don't get a 0/5, but that I personally don't rate them all that well. Also I should note the Battle for Haven and all of vol8 are freebies because every one of those fights minus maybe raven v cinder were goddamn dogshit. And I can't pick rwby v ace ops because I've already bagged on it

Cordovin's Mech v The Idiot Brigade (absolute worst fight, stupidest plotline, literally what made me start critiquing rwby, I came out of my well to shame rwby for this and did not go back and now I have a rwde blog)

JNPR v BRNZ (the fact that they stopped the fight to have a conversation. just. all of it. JNPR is not as funny as crwby seems to think they are)

the Whole Furious Cat Fight at the end of vol9 (all shit, even the one single bit of good scythe choreo, why couldn't Neo have just. stayed the villain again?)

Atlas Montage/FNKI v JNRO (screw you atlas montage and your weird blake/qrow duet and also Nora's weird possessive creepiness over Ren)

CFVY in the Breach (i literally hate all of team cfvy except maybe velvet, fuck those books)

So yeah! Fun times!

[oddlyhale]

Sorry to bother you with this, but reading your thoughts on rwby/crwby (which i agree with 100%) makes me think of helluva and their crew. This recent season feels like they're just seeing fans say "wow wouldn't it be neat if..?" And they run with it like its their original plan

Omg, I really hope they're not doing that, too.

I haven't watched anything Helluva Boss because it's not my cup of tea, but recently I've noticed it's not boding well with some viewers because I keep getting recommended critique videos of HB. But this makes me really worried for Hazbin Hotel because I'm so pumped for it to be the best thing to grace the screens.

[kob131]

You really shit on anybody who critiques RWBY no matter how well founded or poor their gripes are: Judgement Critter, Celtic Phoenix, Manga Kamen, EruptionFang, hbomberguy. It's like some overcorrection on your part

You're gonna have to be more specific if you want to make me take this seriously.

For example, let's assume you're of the opinion that the person/points you consider 'well founded' is Critters (given my most recent post). Said points are 'Development isn't the issue, samey ness is' and 'the dialogue doesn't have any conflict.'

How is it well founded? From my perspective, I find the arguments to be flawed in their execution. That Critter doesn't actually demonstrate how the characters are the same nor do I think the dialogue lack conflict. She either doesn't give any example or she fails to give good examples. She doesn't really explain herself either. She simply states these things, almost like she's expecting people just to accept whatever she says as true. Considering that I hate it when people do this on either side of the debate- why would I just accept this?

It also doesn't help that the ask that originally brought up the video was about how Critter was using Monty and Shane to attack the CRWBY and the show. I went into that section expecting that...and then I went to her defense in answering that ask since I was forced to admit that she wasn't doing that whatsoever. So if I am capable of seeing that despite my biases, and this isn't the first time I've done that- why would I consider my gripes to be unfounded?

I could be wrong here but I need an argument for that in order to persuade me of such a thing. I obviously don't know how wrong I supposedly am if I am saying these things and don't know the correct perspective or info here. So you need to say something more specific if you want me to consider this.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

Wait, what? "Final moments"? What did Lindsay (Ruby's VA) say?

Hey anon! They said it was emotional finishing up recording for Ruby’s “final moments” before clarifying for the season but then they mentions a final form for Ruby. The way they said it though has me concerned along with getting emotional over recording it. Now I’ve never heard VA’s talk about getting emotional recording unless it is the final recording for a character they’re doing which feeds into my fears about what is happening next episode.

This has me concerned because as I mentioned the cliffhanger for the episode implies Ruby picks up a new weapon and identity and it’s heavily implied it’s Summer she chooses which is….not great Im not gonna lie.

[ziggyplayedguitar96]

I feel like you, @chasethemad, @tumblingxelian, and a lot of others who are inevitably going to respond to this apparently controversial/ unpopular opinion haven’t thought about this the same way that I did. First of all I wouldn’t have cared that they never met if they didn’t reveal the branding. If he didn’t have the branding he wouldn’t really have a connection to the SDC/Weiss. We all know he’s obsessed with Blake that’s nothing new. Now let’s assume that the SDC branding had been an idea that CRWBY had since the very beginning and just kind of ignore the rest of canon for a bit.

Adam’s main goal was to hurt Blake, not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally. He knew Blake was at Beacon either by watching her or through Cinder (it doesn’t really matter how he knew it just matters that he knew). Before making his move when Beacon fell he would’ve had to watch her for some significant amount of time. He want to know who she’s around, how often she’d be around them, how much of a threat these people would be, would they get in the way of his plan, when she’d be alone, when would be the best possible time to strike, etc (he could’ve chosen to go after her at any time but I guess the Fall of Beacon was just easier/more convenient for him because it would be easier to get Blake alone).

We know that he hurt Yang because he knew they had some sort of connection. He saw and heard Yang looking for Blake. He saw that Yang wanted to help her. Yang came in at the perfect time for him. He literally just told Blake at that exact moment he wanted to destroy everything that she loves. Yang was a good starting point for that. He stabbed Blake and then cut off Yang’s arm. Now Blake was physically and emotionally. She’s been stabbed and she also believes that Yang got hurt because of her.

This is where Weiss comes in (and where we need to ignore canon). If he observed Blake he’d know who the members of team RWBY were at the very least. She’s around them the most. He would’ve learned the names of the other members somehow (doesn’t matter how) in order to asses them. He’d learn that Weiss is a Schnee and it’d be easy to look her up and see if she’s a part of the infamous Schnee family or just someone with the same name who looks like she could be in the family. This is now his opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Hurt Blake and get back at the Schnee’s while he’s at it. In his mind Blake abandoned him and the cause. And Weiss is a member of the family that owns a company that has treated faunus as subhuman. The same company that branded his face. The brand that (most likely) caused him to become half blind. Blake and Weiss have a connection. They’re friends, they’re teammates. If he was watching Blake for a good amount of time he’d know this. Hurting Weiss would hurt Blake the same way hurting Yang or Ruby would. Weiss being hurt by Adam could affect her in many different ways but this post isn’t about that. Also in Volumes 1-3 Blake interacted with Weiss interacted more than she did with Yang. She didn’t even seem that connected to Yang tbh.

If we imagine that Weiss was the one to come looking for Blake obviously they both would’ve been hurt but imagine how interesting Weiss’s storyline would be in Volume 4. She’d’ve been directly affected by her family’s shitty business practices regarding faunus.

There’s also the route that Adam and Weiss meet like once, acknowledge each other’s existences, have a little moment about the brand, and never interact again which would still be fine.

I mean I don’t think Adam would abandon his damage with Blake but it is ridiculous that Adam and Weiss had such a huge connection and it was pointless. Why have the SDC brand if it was never important to the story? That’s just bad writing and character design.

(I’m on mobile so if there’s any spelling mistakes just ignore them it’s already late and I don’t want to proofread)

I still believe that Weiss never meeting Adam before he died was a huge missed opportunity in RWBY especially after they revealed the SDC branding on his eye. He even had easy access to Weiss through Blake. Like why obsess over some girl who left you instead of trying to get to the (former) heiress of the Schnee Dust Company??? It doesn’t make sense to me.

[powertaco]

Understood completely. Now try not posting opinion as objective truth.

I said it was my opinion. That's really all I need to do. If you'd like to refute any of it then by all means do so. Contrary to popular opinion critique usually comes from a place of care or love.

I don't write fanfics, buy merch, and engage with something because I hate it. I do it because I like it and want it to be better.

If you're ok with crwby giving you a 2/10 script then what reason or need do they have to try harder if you'll cheer and gleefully accept the 2?

[onceuponalegendbg-rwby]

RWBY Retrospective - Volume 1

So, Volume 1 had a lot to prove when it was airing, and in the end, it serves as an interesting time capsule for the series overall. No longer were they dealing with trailers that could be as vague as they wanted with amazing action set pieces and incredible music. Now CRWBY had to get the audience invested in its world and characters. It’s a tough job for any first season of any show.

A word that comes to mind when looking back on this volume is, if you���ll forgive the cliché, Innocence. The central conflicts contain themselves on a smaller scale, lulling the audience into its high school/college age hijinks. There’s not a high sense of danger when dealing with the likes of Roman Torchwick or Cardin Winchester. The argument can be made that the Emerald Forest initiation has the big Nevermore/Deathstalker fight midway through the season but that falls more into the category of flashy spectacle. You’re more likely to get wrapped up in the hype of the moment than worry about the safety of any of the characters.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. It’s not uncommon for shows to allow for this type of comfort so that the audience has more time to get attached to and acquainted with the characters and have some fun with them before everything hits the fan.

The biggest problem for Volume 1 lies with the constraints RWBY had to deal with as it was starting out. The budget for the series was not much. The production and animation team at the company were also significantly small.

RWBY’s first outing as an actual show, because of this, consists of mostly four-to-five-minute two parter episodes with the occasional twelve-to-fifteen-minute episode sprinkled in at specific points. And it’s due to this that the pacing of the season suffers a bit. Things like how some arcs, that would normally be wrapped up in one or two weeks, get stretched out to four. But the opposite is also true. Some plot points that might have needed more time to breathe don’t get that and can end up feeling incredibly rushed, leaving some moments of character development feeling unearned. It’s this balancing act that the show hadn’t quite figured out at the time, and also did not have the tools to handle.

The characters, while still hinting at their deeper personalities, never truly leave their stereotypical molds this volume. Honestly, some of the main cast don’t get much screen time to begin with. However, I can’t say they don’t all play their roles well, allowing the audience to get more acclimated to the world and tone the series starts out with. Much like the voice acting they are serviceable for the passion project this all started out as and have plenty of room for growth and improvement.  

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least touch on the art style of the show. RWBY starts out being animated in Poser and due to limitations of the software and not many people being trained in how to use it, any NPC is made into a Shadow Person. The characters themselves are very stiff in their movements and there’s not much for lip flap animation. Objects clip through other objects or people. The color saturation is blinding at points, especially on characters like Weiss who mostly consist of a white color palette. Backgrounds are, for the most part, very flat looking.

Despite these critiques, or maybe because of them, it was clear that Volume 1 had people behind it who undoubtedly loved what they were making. It felt ambitious and passionate.

Of course, Monty’s action was never disappointing, and the Williams Family’s music was a definite highlight. There were also moments where the voice acting could bring out a genuine, heartfelt emotion. The season had such charm and warmth to it. Looking back, it’s not hard to feel endeared to the show’s humble beginnings.

Some General and Unfiltered Thoughts

I’m not entirely proud of how this one came out. I still feel like I was far too mean to V1.

I had a hard time trying to be objective in this one. I have such a soft spot for the early volumes of RWBY but it’s hard not to at least acknowledge some of its less than great aspects for this project.

The animation is rough due to Poser but the action is, if I can beat a dead horse here, absolutely stunning. Not all the dialogue has aged well, but then you have the moment with Jaune where he talks about being an idiot stuck in a tree and Miles’ voice acting made me cry. Jeff and his team never miss. The animators even use the Shadow People for some fun little jokes. Like Jaune saying “where am I going to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to” and when he steps away you just see Pyrrha standing there… clearly an important character amongst the Shadows. Clearly nice and quirky. It’s just… Stuff like that is so fun. Volume 1 is so fun!

It’s rough at points and it has obvious flaws, but I don’t mind re-watching it. It’s so charming! Volume 1 is fine, we’re all just mean!

[dragynkeep]

saying 13rw is your favourite show is a major red flag (/hj), especially considering a lot of the criticism was professionals critiquing that it had violated national guidelines on how to depict suicide & had in fact caused spurs of mass copycats in both self harm & suicide attempts with no trigger warnings for years.

also it was "big enough" to get a 2nd, 3rd & 4th season due to the controversy & the fact netflix didn't care about the harm it perpetuated. much like crwby with everything they do in rwby & to those in rooster teeth, which uncritical rwby fans enable to the high heavens.

i've said before that controversy more often than not kills series: see the 100, game of thrones, the new flash movie, the harry potter game. just because rwby has been rooster teeth's cash cow & they've been reticent to let go even in the face of mass worker abuse doesn't mean that criticism isn't working. the limp, tepid reception to v9 shows this, as well as the fact that v10 still hasn't been greenlit & the queer ship ya'll waited "ten years" for has faded into non trending since day 2 of canonicity.

Consider this: the fact RWBY has this subsection of a fandom dedicated to harsh criticism will fascinate people. I mean, so many YouTube video grilling the series, Reddit posts, whole Tumblr tags, etc.

Wouldn't that make you curious as to what sort of show would inspired such rage? At worst, you get total trash that's not even the entertaining kind. At best, you find that it's... good actually and that you cannot get the critics.

13 Reasons Why was a controversial book but it exploded in discourse come Netflix's adaptation. A lot of the criticism seemed "valid" yet I wanted to see the show for myself based on the show and the fact that it was big enough to get a second, third and fourth season.

It is now one of my favorite TV shows in the past decade. Would've flown past my radar if it hadn't inspired such passions from video essays, therapist videos and so on.

The same even happened with the RWDE. I won't name names but a certain critic of FRWBY has spoken how the intense hate towards the series led her to get into and geniunely enjoy it. So... yeah. Nice job fixing it, chief.

BTW, if RWBY or RT should hypothetically just stop... what would you do?

This mindset entirely ignores that people are often criticizing the show because not a single member of the “FNDM” holds Rooster Teeth responsible. As soon as Bumblebee happened the whole fandom stopped talking about the abuse the workers experienced because RT held a shiny keychain in front of them and suddenly human lives meant less than pixels on a screen.

Trying to spin the continued existence of a show that only exists through the abuse of workers onto people criticizing the show is also a really interesting way to shift the blame off the people who ACTUALLY contribute to keeping the show running despite the abuse in the people who buy their merch and who watch the show through means that drives up their engagement. You can say “well people criticizing the show gets more eyes on it”, but that’s not enough to sustain a show for 9 years, and it’s more likely the people who whaled for Amity Arena, or bought Arrowfall, or buys their shoddily made figures are the ones who actually show enough interest in the show continuing to justify them continuing to abuse their workers to keep it happening. Foisting the blame onto critics when the fanbase slobbered over RT for having two women kissed and ignored that they hurt real people in real ways constantly for years is ridiculous.

Lilith is an example of exactly that, someone who doesn’t care about the people who get hurt by their actions as long as they are right, and their needs are satiated. For all her bluster about how much RWDE hates women and only likes white men, she sure is defending a show built on the abuse of minorities by straight, white men and women.

What would I do if RT and RWBY stopped? I’d continue living my life, I don’t post about RWBY that often and what I do post often takes about 5 minutes to put into words. The idea that to be “RWDE” you have to be obsessed with RWBY is laughable.