#not much else to say about ho-oh. i already talked about how badass their battle music from hgss is in the lugia post so nothing else to say

[front-facing-pokemon]

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 17: 3x07 Day of the Dove

I am incredibly discombobulated today—usual weekend nocturnal shenanigans I guess! Anyway it’s somehow midnight. Gonna try to write up these note on the Classic episode The Day of the Dove in as efficient a manner as possible.

Hmm, a planet with wavy pink Fraggle plants. I like it already.

But where is Spock? Very suspicious.

I really appreciate Kirk giving a little speech to set up the overall question/issue for us. (I know he does this all the time with the Captain’s logs but this is out loud and so… more obviously expository.)

Oh no, it’s our old friends…the Klingons.

I will admit that this ONE TIME, the Klingon is being reasonable. Like, it is reasonable to think that Kirk and the Enterprise attacked his ship, given that his hip WAS attacked, and who else would it be?

Three years of peace between the Klingons and the Federation? That is inclusive of the show so all this tension must technically be “peace” and also implies there was something more like a direct war going on, like, right before Kirk got the captaincy.

Zoolander voice: What is this, a colony of the INVISIBLE?

“We have no devil. But we understand the habits of yours.”

No takers? No takers on the torture? No volunteers to be mercilessly tortured by the Klingons?

Star Trek Beyond could have had Kirk and Chekov bond over being brothers! I mean, to other people.

They’ll kill 100 hostages at the first sign of treachery. He does know there are only 400-some people on the ship right? Maybe you should pace yourself, Kang.

Kirk’s so badass he needs MULTIPLE guns trained on him just to use the phone.

Oh-ho secret message to Spock. Which version of the iPhone will be capable of doing THAT?

The Klingons are “suspended in transit” is an awfully nice way of saying they’re just dematerialized atoms in space. Philosophy major and/or Bones nightmare fuel.

How did Kang not see this coming, by the way? Like, he just says “I’m taking your ship now, me and my 6 men versus your 400-some men, and I’ll do this by simply declaring it to be so. Now let’s beam up to your ship, where I’ll be greatly outnumbered, and there are armed security guards all around me.” Guess he’s been reading The Secret!

WIFE AND SCIENCE OFFICER

Aka the most important part of this whole episode.

Kirk’s face is very ?????? You can have both????

It’s legitimately not even important for her to be the science officer tbqh. Like that is so gratuitous. That’s just in there to drive me insane.

"We're prisoners, somehow, after I demanded to come on the ship, assuming they'd just give it to me without any kind of fight. How DID this happen?”

Federation death camps lol—someone’s been watching Fox News.

I do kind of wonder… is this an actual rumor that goes around the Klingon homeworld or is it something that the alien entity put in her head specifically to make her angrier right now? I mean it really could be either.

I also appreciate this episode for being pretty much the only one to actually attempt to give the Klingons a reason for being as they are. The Romulans… maybe aren’t well-described, but they do have a sort of regalness to them, appropriate for being related to Vulcans, and you can kind of imagine that they are the way they are because they’re Vulcans without the intense self-control. Plus they’re literally only in 2 TOS eps and in the second, the Federation are the aggressors. But the Klingons show up a half-dozen times only to be depicted each time as just like Cartoonishly Bad, aggressive, violent, and selfish for basically no reason. And I mean, some people really are!! But TOS has so much nuance in other places, that it always seemed a little disappointing to me that the Klingons are really just like ‘well we’re just bad and we hate everyone and we really like killing I guess.” At least in this ep there’s a little more added to that: that there is poverty on their world, that they feel aggrieved, that they feel unprotected, that taking and conquering is how they look after themselves…

I think that’s later in the episode though.

He’s detaining them in the LOUNGE lol. With their favorite dishes available to them to eat. Absolutely barbarous conditions.

I can’t believe Chekov is hanging in the elevator with the cool kids. Like, one of these things really isn’t like the others.

Kang is officially sure of himself for someone currently imprisoned in the lounge, that most fearsome of Federation death camps.

Hmm, could the glittery light alien have taken over??

You know what, that's a lot of tasks for Johnson to do all by himself: search the whole ship, fix the engines, and free 400 people.

Sulu would love this: everyone gets a sword!!

“Bridge. I gotta show this to Sulu immediately.”

Klingons have maintained a dueling tradition. That’s interesting. Finally some characterization going on.

Spock is really living up to his logical nature today. Everyone else has gone off the emotional deep end and he’s like “have you considered this completely rational explanation that accounts for the actual, observed facts??”

Whoops Chekov is actually an only child. Scratch that previous Beyond headcanon. (Interesting that his dead brother does really resemble Sam though—killed on a research colony??)

Love that Sulu knows that about him though.

Oh, that’s a pretty schematic picture of the Enterprise. I want that on a t-shirt.

Lol the pan out to the armory, now filled with… swords!!

Do ALL of these men have a fetish for swords? Sulu and fencing, Spock displaying swords in his quarters, and Kirk in his San Francisco apartment, and Scotty salivating over this Scottish blade.

“Klingon units.”

Finally Sulu gets his sword! It’s what he deserves.

Love that the shiny light alien also has a fetish for swords.

Oh no, it’s our old adversary, an alien life force.

What is the alien’s purpose? Um, I’m pretty sure its purpose is to start shit.

“An appropriate choice of terms, Captain.” I don’t even remember what this is referring to but I think it’s pretty clear that Spock is enjoying himself during a crisis again.

Bones, being so dramatic. Were there atrocities? He’s talking about the Klingons as if they were literally hacking off limbs—it’s a few stab wounds here and there, chill.

Oooh, time to behave like military men—strong words. (But I thought it wasn’t the military?? @ S**** P****) (This might not even be my best argument, given the context of this episode, but I’m sticking with it.)

This is like a giant game of capture the flag.

AU that’s just about the Enterprise crew playing capture the flag with the Klingons.

Sulu in the background standing guard with his sword

Damn, turning on Spock with the slurs now!!

Spock was absolutely ready to kill him. Like he would 100% have taken him out with a blow to the head. And he’d been doing such a good job of not feeling the alien’s effects so far! Admittedly, that was a strong provocation though.

Honestly, I really like this scene. It’s uncomfortable and tense and you can really see how the alien is bringing out the worst possible influences of their respective races. And I liked how Spock was definitely full on pre-Reform Vulcan for a minute there. It was a more effective portrayal of what that might have looked like than All Our Yesterdays tbqh.

A result of… stress?

Kirk got himself out of it first. He’s so strong. He knows himself so well, he cannot be outsmarted by any alien.

“We’ve been taught to think in terms other than war.”

“The alien brings out the worst of us—patriotic drumbeating…even race hatred.”

He’s so sad; he can’t imagine thinking like that about Spock :(

Sulu in a Jeffries tube! A man of many talents. It’s okay bb, take credit for turning on the lights.

The alien must have been getting bored. The Klingons must have been doing too well, and the playing field needs to be leveled for maximum shit-stirring.

“Let’s find that alien.” That’s how I ALWAYS feel.

Oh, Kang, you’re so close—“What power supports our battle but thwarts our victory.” So, so close to getting it.

ALIEN DETECTED.

Spock takes his sword, of course.

“Jim.” Obligatory Jim moments hit differently when they’re not so obligatory.

“Jim—stop hitting my protégé. And put that sword down.”

Kirk looks so sad, picking Chekov up to carry him bridal style.

Also in addition to ‘race hatred’ I think we need to add ‘rape-y tendances’ to the bad stuff that the alien is inspiring here.

“A brief surge of racial bigotry. Most distasteful.” Spock winning for understatement of the year.

They're assuming the alien is trying to test out their relative powers but I think it just wants entertainment. I mean, doesn’t it look like a naughty little thing?

Mara’s outfit is… little shorts? Interesting. Usually not my style but she makes it work.

Spock doesn’t even look at Johnson as he falls lol. Another one bites the dust.

“It exists on the hate of others.”

What does this remind me of? Oh, the Vast of Night and the whole “aliens made us do every bad thing ever” conspiracy theory. At least this one makes more sense, in part because it is not quite so overwhelmingly broad!

All hostile attitudes must be eliminated, he says, and there's Mara right behind Kirk giving him a death stare lol.

Kang is so obviously posing. Google Earth, always taking pictures.

Only a few minutes before drifting forever in space becomes inevitable? Good thing Kirk works well under pressure.

“Well… do whatever you can, Scotty. You know the drill.” Doesn’t even bother giving real directions anymore. We’ve been in this scenario before.

“So we drift in space, with only hatred and bloodshed aboard.”

And the 392 people below just get to…live in Enterprise prison, I guess.

Star date: Armageddon. So dramatic!

I’m not even making that up; that’s an actual quote. Can you imagine being an Admiral listening to this?

“Stop the war now.” An actual line, really aired on television.

Spock wants to threaten the wife lol. That's the old pre-Reform Vulcan seeping through. Surak who?

Damn, Kang is cold. “Eh, she gets the concept of being killed in battle.” They’re gonna need marriage counseling after this.

“There is another way. Mutual trust and help.” Yes that’s my hero!!

“No one can guarantee the actions of another.” Can’t remember the context of this entirely anymore, but great line.

The entity is loving this—multi-person choreographed sword fight!!

"Those who hate and fight must stop themselves. otherwise it is not stopped.” Another baller line. Spock has a lot of deep thoughts today. And so does Kirk. And Kang.

Kirk tries to reason with the alien. Nice try.

“Shoo. Shoo, alien. Off the ship, go away.”

Omg that last moment—Kang slapping Kirk’s back way too hard, Spock’s completely ridiculous wide-eyed expression when he does, like some sort of combo of amusement and confusion, and then Sulu just passing on by in the background….

Then the alien just yeets itself into space. And that’s the end!

Always feels weird when there’s no wrap up on the bridge.

Also, what are they going to do with the Klingons? They have no ship. They really did come out of this a lot worse than Kirk and co. No ship, huge casualties—and no one to blame even, but the alien.

I feel like the alien messed up a little in killing so many Klingons. Like, it could have accomplished its purpose, angering the Klingons and turning them on Kirk, by attacking the ship a little less violently—you know they’d react to 5 deaths pretty much the same as 400, and then there would be many more people to fight forever and produce that sweet sweet anger!

Maybe the alien’s powers aren’t strong enough to influence 800 people though. Also it wants equal forces and 800 people wouldn’t fit on the Enterprise, one assumes. So it still makes sense.

That was, of course, an excellent episode. 100% agree with is classic status, even though the main things I remembered going in were the wife + science officer bit, and everyone laughing at the end in a really forced, fake way, in order to make the alien go away.

I thought the Klingons were a lot better/more interesting today than usual. First, I think Kang is a better character, or a better actor maybe, than the others; he has a certain way about him that is… more watchable, more sympathetic. And he’s always saying these really dramatic things that make it seem likely he writes patriotic Klingon war poetry in his off time. Also, including his wife made them seem more… not human obviously, but normal. Not just cardboard cut-out villains. And of course the actual lightly specific motivations I earlier mentioned helped too.

Also, the plotting was very good: it built up slowly but surely over time, so at first the alien’s influence wasn’t that obvious, and then it became more so, and then it became horrifically obvious and extreme. And then you had to re-evaluate earlier moments: was that the alien changing facts in their heads, or a real part of the animosity between humans and Klingons? And it wasn’t always clear, which I appreciated. The tension when the people were at their worst wasn’t overdone, like in that moment with Scotty, Spock, and Kirk—or even in Chekov’s assault on Mara, tbh. The various strategies of the different sides were very entertaining too; there was never a dull moment, and they fit in a lot of straight-up actions and twists into 50 minutes.

The possible threat was truly terrifying, also: stuck in a space ship, forever, unable to die, feeling the worst possible emotions all the time, besieged, angered, despairing, fighting a war that can’t be won, being injured and suffering only to recover and fight again, and it never stops… A perfect nightmare mixture of insanity and violence and pain. And the alien, in encouraging hatred and anger, doesn’t discriminate between sides: they turn on each other just as much as on the Klingons, breeding paranoia and infighting. For eternity.

The episode also felt much more strongly anti-war than I remember tbh. Like it was not subtle. Kirk literally says “stop the war” in so many words. He has a part in his speech where he talks about the possibility of other aliens out there, encouraging other wars. And while I do think “maybe the aliens are making us do it” is a cop out explanation, or would be if it were real, the scenario gave the show a lot of room to say, like, pretty ballsy things: to include “patriotic drum beating” along with “race hatred” in a list of corrupting feelings they were experiencing; to show how the same instincts that lead to warring also lead to sexual assault and the aforementioned ‘race hatred;” to reveal the true horror of an endless war by making the participants unkillable and sticking them in a singular space ship in the middle of nowhere; to imply that the combatants of war gain nothing from it, but outside or third-party entities will pull strings of their own design to profit from the conflict as long as possible; even to make an impassioned plea to camera to stop the endlessness of the conflict. Like I can’t even totally unpack this but it is a lot!

Finally, it was also a great Kirk episode, which of course is my most important factor. He’s smart; he’s strong; he’s so sure of himself and his values that he cannot be manipulated to mindless hatred, he represents the values of the Federation, and the show itself; he treats even his enemies with basic respect and humanity; and ultimately, he saves the day.

Okay I was not efficient in writing this up at all! It is very late!!

[nodesiretogrowup]

alrighty, review time!

Do you think Donald wrote the song? He did write a song when he was younger and the lyrics fit him best

I love that Donald is the sane man of the Caballeros

Why did you choose the bathroom? That’s really weird and kind of perverted

I love the picture of a rubber ducky in a top hat on the wall

Just how big is that bathtub? Four grown men were able to fit in it at the same time

Never mess with a man who has a demon-ghost butler

“That’s the FOURTH rich guy’s bathroom we’ve been kicked out of.” I...I would like to know about the other three. And again, WHY THE BATHROOM?!

“We just need someone to listen to us!” Donald giving us the theme/moral of the episode

Was Louie just waiting out there?

Louie looks like a drug dealer. He also looks a bit like the reboot version of himself from that poster in Quack Pack

“And you’re willing to do whatever I say, at any cost whatsoever?” “Well, not any...” “QUIET, DONALD!” Guys, you should listen to Donald, he knows Louie better than you

Poor Donald, the only sane man here

I love the stickers on Louie’s laptop. I wonder if he actually knows how to hack

I love the stupid “it” trends. Hats-Hats and Invisible Piercings, what will they think of next

Of course Dewey would keep up with an IT list. He actually cares about his image/how his peers view him

The lead singer of the Feather Weights looks like a punk girl version of Drake. I’m gonna go with them being related somehow. Or they used to date. Or they go to the same hair stylist. THEY ARE TIED TOGETHER SOMEHOW

Yo-yo tricks were more of a 2000s thing, Dewey (seriously though, does anyone else remember when yo-yos were SUPER POPULAR for some reason?)

Panchito is so ridiculously EXTRA and I LOVE HIM

“These are my people.” Oh sweet Dewford, they wish they were on your level

“Internet fame-the most important fame of all” Well it’s the most achievable

And then Dewey just rolls off screen

“If only someone had a super-elaborate scheme to get in...KA-BOOM!” Dewey’s not the only showman in the family

This show LOVES some big boards

Why/when did Louie plan all of this? I mean he did want the Caballeros to make him their manager so he could get a cut, but why?

Already you can see that Louie’s pride is gonna get in the way

Again, Donald is being the responsible one

I love their signatures. Panchito’s is like a 12 year old girl’s, José’s is curvy, and Donald’s is the least showy. And I love that Panchito thought “Don” was enough lol. He is close to Launchpad levels of ditziness

The pictures Louie uses on his board are GREAT! I love fridge-raiding Panchito

Agent Dewey-License to Chill. Dewey, that was two episodes ago

“I have a very special job for you.” “Oh-ho ho-ho, special.”

Luis P Canard. Is that a false identity Louie already had or did he make it up for the party? Or is there an actual Luis P Canard?

Huey looks SO CUTE! Though he should have known something was up when Louie asked him to forge a signature. Do you think Huey has forged other documents with or without knowing it?

Louie looks good with that black “lipstick”

“Welcome to the scheme.” “What scheme?” “Nothing.” “TELL NO ONE.”

Gyro Gearloose-Kid inventor. Does that mean he was a child prodigy or that he LITERALLY invents kids? Or both? The possible clone’s tube had K.I.D. on it. I bet this will be explored more, probably next episode

I love how they all stare at the earpieces when Gyro says the DEFINITELY won’t explode 

I love that the lion statues have sunglasses and there’s a statue of a ballerina hippo from Fantasia

OUR QUEEN HAS ARRIVED

How do ducks whistle if they don’t have lips?

Daisy-smiles, Donald-I WOULD DIE FOR YOU

I love Daisy’s fake laugh

With both of them in tuxes you can really see that Dewey and Louie have different body types. Louie has broader shoulders.

“I’M GONNA DANCE DOWN THE RED CARPET.” No Dewey, that’s for the after party

It’s the PEP guy! I feel like he’s gonna become a villain with how much he’s been embarrassed (and he already LOOKS like a cheesy superhero show villain)

GRAVES IS BACK, BABY

Dewey has made a LOT of enemies

“New plan-Dewey is NOT going to the party!” DAMN, THAT’S COLD

“This is the Dewey-est party in town!”

“Oh, WHY was I cursed to be so FLASHY and UNFORGETTABLE?!” I love my dramatic son

Why did the Caballeros have to switch hats?

“SO TIGHT. !”

WE NEED MORE DJ DAFT DUCK

Ok, real talk? That party looks boring as fuck 

I like that there’s sweat when Dewey pulls off his helmet. It’s the little details

“Everyone listens to my plan.” Dewey looks PISSED

“The plan to wow Glamour with our haunting melodies.” Panchito is Drake/DW if he was a Latin Lover. THEY NEED TO MEET. IT WOULD BE HAMMY AND GLORIOUS

“You mean our SICK dance beats!”

Donald is like “girls, girls, you’re BOTH pretty”

But seriously, they need to decide what direction they want to go with their sound

Donald is ALWAYS the voice of reason (except in The Town Where Everyone Was Nice, he got a bit caught up in that lie)

“I will charm my way on stage with my golden voice.” #youtried

That smirk José gives him, beautiful

“Easy, grownups.” YOU JUST GOT DISSED BY A 10 YEAR OLD!

“So I’ll dazzly Daisy with my hip, cool yo-yo tricks.” I would have liked to see how that played out

Does Louie have some kind of dirt on Jane? Why does she keep helping him out? Why does she call him “Mr. Duck?”

Glamour is a BITCH. And it seems like Daisy might share the same luck as Donald and Della

SERIOUSLY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE ON HER, LOUIE?!

Donald was posing all cool

Why send Donald in to do the most important part of the plan? At least have someone with him. Louie should have gone with him so Donald could distract Daisy and Louie could use his pickpocket skills to get the pass. Louie did not account for the variables

“Ooooh PHOOEY.” I love that all of the Duck family say Donald’s catchphrase

POOR DEWEY!

I love Louie’s other distraction ideas-explosion, food poisoning, SET FREE A WILD MONGOOSE, ghosts, ANOTHER explosion 

LET DAISY SAY FUCK

I’m pretty sure Donald got a boner when he saw Daisy DESTROY that vase (I also found it hot). He was scaroused

OUCH. That HAD to have hurt/broken SOMETHING

How did Louie get that picture of Webby? Hell, how was that pic taken in the first place?

“WHEEEEEEE” Webby knows what’s up

“MY FAULT! It’s...your bag.” Oh Donald

LET DAISY SAY FUCK

“My band is sorta...crashing the party.” DONALD YOU ARE TOO CUTE

The yo-yo just rolls away

Louie, you hurt Dewey’s feelings! Also, your plans are pretty ridiculous too, including the one you are currently trying to pull off. There had to be a better idea than a harpy

Listy-er

GLAMOUR MUST DIE FOR WHAT SHE DID TO LOUIE! IT’S A GOOD THING DONALD WASN’T THERE OR ELSE SHE WOULD BE

“I don’t want to be at Funzo’s forever.” “Why not?” Oh Webby, so innocent to the horrors of minimum wage jobs. Also it’s nice to see Webby being able to have an ordinary conversation with someone

FALCON’S EYEBROWS ARE MESMERIZING

It’s equal parts cute and sad how long Dewey takes to count

MANNY IS FUCKING SWOLE

Manny is 0 for 2 when it comes to being the muscle (I’m counting him vs Mega-Beaks as well)

“That was odd.” You have no idea

Donald sees Daisy as the GODDESS she is. GET YOU A MAN LIKE DONALD

I KNEW IT! I KNEW SHE WANTED TO BE A FASHION DESIGNER! It was like the only guess I got right so let me have this

“Nobody listens to me either.” Awww

“They don’t understand me.” AWWW

“Well that’s weird, I understand you perfectly.” MY HEART!!!

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH! And when it changes into how Daisy hears him...chef’s kisses. It reminded me of Remember Me from Coco and I Love You Too Much from Book of Life

Real talk-the song really got me. I feel a lot like Donald. A lot of times it feels like no one is listening or understands me because my thought process is a bit different. Or they can understand but they don’t care, like how Daisy feels. When Donald sings for her, I teared up because I want to be comfortable enough with someone to let down my guard like that. Music is a big part of who I am so I would love if someone sang for me even if they don’t have the “perfect” voice. I want someone to feel comfortable enough with me to let down their guard and be real

Daisy is a woman of ACTION

Do you think she’s been stuck in that elevator before?

“My kids!” “Wait, you have kids?” Whenever Donald calls them his kids I gain 5 years to my lifespan. I can’t wait for Daisy to officially meet the kids

“Oh no, not again!” Starting to rethink your life-choices aren’t ya?

I love Mark. He’s so stupid and out of touch with the real world

“Oh Gravesy! Long time, no crime.” GRAVEBEAK LIVES ON!

I love Mark’s hoverboard crashing and catching fire in the background. And then it chases Slash

Haha, Mark’s name is Markus. What a dewb

I was rooting for rich lesbian aunt, but mom works too

Graves is SO DONE with these people

Dewey is all of us

Poor Louie. His self confidence is the most fragile of the kids

Nerp

“Just listen to me for once.” WE ALL NEED TO LISTEN TO EACH OTHER, THAT’S THE THEME OF THE EPISODE

THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS! And Mark seemed into it ;)

“I want to look away but I can’t” CALLING IT NOW, THIS LINE’S GONNA BE A MEME

I want Dewey’s yo-yo skills to be a reoccurring thing

That’s one of the things he has in common with his uncle-being a performer even if they aren’t the best at it

Louie’s face as he sneaks away is great

“The failure of it is ridiculous...and BEAUTIFUL!” Gonna use that to describe myself from now on

Dewey is IT. SO FABULOUS!

Daisy, maybe you should let the man get rid of them

DOUBLE BADASS ONE-LINERS

LET DONALD SAY FUCK

HE’S SO PROUD OF HIS BOY

I like the “totally not Pirates of the Caribbean” music that accompanies José when he’s fighting

“Nice singing.” “Nice moves.” NOW KISS

“Oo, nice dagger.” Webby, not the time for that

There is NO WAY that the scene with Gabby and Webby isn’t foreshadowing SOMETHING

“I gotta get out of Duckburg.” Jane starts a GoFundMe page to get out of Duckburg when she gets home

BATTLE COUPLE!

DAISY WILL FUCK YOU UP

DON’T MESS WITH HER MAN

It was then Donald realized that he had met his future wife

DONALD AIN’T GONNA TAKE THAT SHIT FROM YOU

It was then Daisy realized she had met her future husband

“LOVE YOUR BLOG” Who knew Manny kept on on the latest trends

Glamour probably realized those fuckers were crazy so she should back off

SILENT M’MA CABRERA!

OMG EVEN THE TREE HAS FUCKING SUNGLASSES

Manny is one suave motherfucker

Glamour playing with the yo-yo while Mark acts like a spoiled brat

DEWEY IS PROUD OF HIS DADNALD!

IF WE DON’T GET DEWEY’S DOZEN AT SOME POINT I’M SUING

“Our brotherhood is the greatest scheme of all!” SO FUCKING WHOLESOME! MORE LOUIE AND DEWEY PLOTS

“HEY, YOU’RE MESSING WITH MY MOJO!” Don’t be a hater, Manny!

“I could listen to it all night.” DAAAAAWWWWWWW

GAAAAAAHHHHH THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD! I love that there was a common theme of feeling like you aren’t being heard. Daisy felt like she was too unimportant to be listened to, Louie doesn’t listen to Dewey because he feels like Dewey isn’t serious enough, and NO ONE listens to Donald because his voice is hard to understand. In the end they all get heard, with Donald and Daisy getting the bonus of finding someone who understands them. The two of them really are relationship goals. I cannot WAIT for more wholesome Donisy content. This one bumped Quack Pack down from my favorite so far.

[calliecat93]

RWBY Volume 6 Season Review

It's been a Hell of a ride dear readers. From train wrecks to zombie Grimm to mech battles, Volume 6 has had many twists and turns that have held absolutely nothing back. Now that it's over, it's time to look back and answer some important questions. Was this volume good? Did it improve the problems of the last volume? And how does this volume stand against the rest? We have a lot to go over and this is already several weeks later than it should, so for the final time lets get into RWBY Volume 6.

Visuals

Do I even need to say that the animation was good? Of course it is. The animation improves with every single season, and they knocked it out of the park here. If anyone was still doubtful about the change to Maya after Volumes 4 and 5, then this will show you that they have absolutely mastered the engine. Character animation and expressions are lively and energetic, which again isn't a surprise anymore. I have nothing new to say about the general animation. It's good. Really, really good..

The backgrounds and set pieces have greatly improved. A big problem with V5 was that we were mainly restricted to Qrow's Mistral house. It's a nice house, but being stuck in one setting for so long gets... well, boring. The other settings were either ones we were now familiar with (Menagerie) or nothing all that special (Raven's camp) with the exception being the Spring Maiden Vault. But the upside to V6 being a journey based volume like V4 means that we get more settings, and all of them were good. Brunswick Farms was cold and eerie, Lil' Miss Malachite's bar very much felt like a criminal hangout, and of course the beauty that is Argus. It's a massive city clearly based off San Francisco and they DON'T use 2D stills to get the point across. We get one episode where we get to see the city in full, and it makes us engage with the location as a result. And that's not even getting into everything in Chapter 3. The sets were all visually appealing, unique, and I very much loved everything.

There's also the effects. Oh gosh, the effects. Snow is very prevalent in this volume, and it looks beautiful. Just watch the opening shots of Chapter One, the falling snow against the trees looks freakin' great. Compare the trees to the ones in Volume 1, you WILL see the massive improvements that Maya have provided. In the effects department though, Chapter 3 wins. The blue smoke effects during Jinn's flashback just look so good and really give it a mystical feel. Hell, Jinn herself looks freakin' great. Other-worldly and kind of God-like, very fitting for a being made by a God and based off a genie. Which the character designs for the new characters also look great. Salem's human form making her look like a graceful maiden in a sharp contrast to her current form, Ozma looking knightly and regal, Saphron and Terra both look beautiful and their designs say a lot about them (Saphron is a fun-loving but caring person, Terra looks a little nerdy but also mature), it's all really good and diverse. I love it!

Finally, there is the big one. The fight animation. This was by far one of, if not THE biggest complaint about Volume 5, especially with the Battle of Haven...ugh... battle. They were too slow. ‘’characters just stood around. It was clunky and un-energetic. In short, people had problems. Well, I think it's safe to say that they listened. The fights are all fantastic. Chapter One alone addressed the concerns with the train battle, going very fast, had a badass fight song, and it’s fully utilizing every character involved. Same with the battle against Cordovan, again utilizing everyone effectively and giving all the characters a moment to shine. The one on one fights, which I thought were fine in V5, are also very good. Cinder vs Neo is very fast and has Neo using her Semblance very effectively, Maria vs the Grimm and then Tock truly demonstrated Maria's past skill and managed to make one minute truly tense and engaging, and of course Bumblebee vs Adam. It was badass. The entire thing. So... while I was pretty okay with V5's fights, I think it's safe to say that they redeemed themselves here.

So when it comes to visuals, the volume was very strong. Great expressions, nice and unique designs, beautiful set pieces, great effects, and epic fights. All of the visuals looked great. I cannot think of one bad or nitpicky thing to say about it. Even the opening looked badass, but that's no surprise. Once again, CRWBY stepped it up, and they perfectly hit the mark.

Voice Acting

Before we go any further... lets go ahead and address the elephant in the room to get it over with. Lets briefly go over Vic's performance as Qrow. AKA, that guy that I no longer have any respect for. For those unaware, not long after the volume ended Vic Mignonga was fired for accusations of sexual misconduct and will no longer be involved in the series. But putting personal opinion aside and just looking at his performance, he was very good and Qrow's feelings of self-loathing and bitterness was very well conveyed. While I WAS upset at Qrow through most of it, his conflicted feelings were clear and very well acted. Vic did good, but he still utterly screwed himself and I am sure that Qrow's new VA will be even better. Alright, got that out of the way. Lets talk about everyone else now.

The cast all did a very good job. Even just the guest actors, like Colleen Clinkenbeard as Jinn and Luci Christian as Lil' Miss. They get little screentime, but they very much bring their characters to life. Coleen makes Jinn a straight-forward but playful being who is clearly amused by everything, and Luci makes Lil' Miss a very confident, very unflappable info breaker who commands respect. There's also Mela Lee as Cordovan, and she does a delightful job in making the old woman a stern, grumpy jerk who is boisterous and egotistical. You can just tell that she was having a lot of fun with her lines, haha. Lindsay Sheppard did a great job in making Saphron fun, bright, and a comforting sister figure and same for Jamie Smith as Terra.

The villains VA were very good. Not too much to say about Hazel and Watts', so lets do everyone else. This was the epic return of Tyrian, and BOOY did Josh Grelle do a great job once again at making me feel utterly terrified of the character. The guy got back into the role seamlessly and once more gave an unnerving, but fun performance. Yuri Lowenthal got to display an emotion that isn't smugness for Mercury, who finally let out some frustration and hurt over his past and circumstances. You can hear the anger in his voice when he lets it all out to Emerald, and Yuri did a great job in conveying it. In turn, Katie Newville as Emerald did a fantastic job in conveying the thief's growing fear and uncertainty over everything that just makes you want to hug her. And of course, Jessica Nigri continues to be deliciously egotistical and smug with Cinder. I wanted to kick her in the face, but I'm pretty sure that's the intention so good job Jessica!

The standout among the bad guys though is Jen Taylor. Up to this point, Salem has been in one mode: very calm and mother-like. She would raise her voice a little, but normally she remained in calm mode and that was it. This volume? Ho boy, do they FINALLY let Jen show off her talents. She NAILED every single line. The despair, the hatred, the intimidation as her calm mask slips away. Jen's performance is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying. You go from feeling horrible for her in Chapter 3, to hiding under your bed in Chapter 4. Jen got to pull the kiddy gloves off, and she did NOT hold back.

Now onto the main cast. Ren and Nora's VA's did very well especially when they comforted Jaune. Speaking of, Miles performance in Chapters 8 and 9 were just heartbreaking. You could feel Jaune's anger, pain, sadness, and finally acceptance in Miles' delivery. He did great. Aaron Dismuke and Shannon McCormick did very well when they each did their incarnations of Ozma, as well as of Oscar and Ozpin respectively. Garrett Hunter got his final hurrah as Adam and while he has been... meh at times, his final go was utterly chilling and terrifying. We also had the addition of Melissa Sternenburg as Maria, and she was just great. Maria was a super fun character, and that is very much in part due to Melissa. She was always energetic, but also greatly conveyed a sense of wisdom and experience in her delivery. She's a very welcome addition to the cast and, given her old lady roles in Nomad of Nowhere and Camp Camp, I think she has a great career as animated old ladies of Rooster Teeth ahead of her!

And finally, onto Team RWBY. Kara as Weiss was good. Nothing else to really say there. Arryn did a great job with Blake, greatly expressing her guilt, new comforting side, and fears very well. Her entire performance in Chapters 10-12 were by far the best that she has given, perfectly coming across as emotional but determined especially when she finally broke down once it was over. Barbara as Yang also did very well. Yang spent the first half very angry, frustrated, and kinda stand-offish and Barb did a great job in conveying that. She lightened up in the second half, which was nice. Her best delivery was in Chapter 12 when she truly beat Adam. Her delivery conveyed much strength, and I loved it. But I must say that the best performer by far was Lindsay as Ruby. Say what you want about the pitch, but Lindsay did a fantastic job. In this Ruby got more serious and no-nonsense, and Lindsay did a great job in making her sound much more mature and decisive but still fun and energetic. She has always done a great job, all of them have. I fully expect them to be even greater in the next volume. They all really showed how far they come, even Kara despite not having much to say aside from her being good.

So yeah, great voice acting across the board! Five stars!

Music

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?!

Do I need to say that all of the music was good? Is that a surprise anymore? The one thing that everyone has ever agreed on when it comes to the show is that Jeff Williams music is good. He doesn't disappoint here. His and Alex Abraham's scores are all perfect. The epic score in Chapter 3, the horror music in Chapter 6, the flute rendition of Red Like Roses and This Will Be the Day in Chapter 9, every single score was VERY good. Even the one piece done by Casey at the very end of Chapter 2 sounded great, so kudos to her on her first try~

Then of course, there are the vocal tracks. Going into each and every one in detail would take up too much of this post, and it's long enough as it is. But each of the tracks are very well performed. From the rocking opening theme Rising, to the emotional heart-breaker that is Forever Fall, to the massive 'f*** you Adam theme of Nevermore in the credits. All the tracks perfectly fit their scenes and the characters that they are meant to represent. I may do a full analysis of the songs once the soundtrack comes out. But, going off what we’ve heard of them so far, here's my current rankings of the tracks and which episode they played in:

Rising (Opening Theme)

Nevermore (Chapter 13 Credits)

Forever Fall (Chapter 9)

Miracle (Chapter 1)

One Thing (Chapter 5)

Indomitable (Chapter 13)

Big Metal Shoe (Chapter 11)

Lionized (Adam Character Short)

We’ll see if those change when the soundtrack is released. But either way, all of them are great songs that are once more performed perfectly by Casey. Her range continues to be impressive as Hell, being able to do hard metal songs like Big Metal Shoe and somber ballads like Forever Fall without skipping a beat. The girl is an insanely talented vocalist who, being a singer myself, I continue to envy but admire. Jeff of course also did great on the songs he sang in such as Lionized, as well as guest singer Adrienne Cowan in her badass duet with Casey on Nevermore. I REALLY hope that Jeff will bring her in for future tracks. And going back to Jeff, once more the writing and composition for these tracks are all badass. The fact that the man has delivered six quality soundtracks in a row that just keep escalating in quality really speak of his talent and dedication. Something that I imagine will only continue into Volume 7.

Characters

Now we get to the long part! Yay! There's a lot to talk about, but my main focus is going to be on Ruby, Blake, Yang, Qrow, Ozpin/Ozma/Oscar, Salem, Maria, and Jaune in greater detail. But first, we'll get the ones I don't have much to say on out of the way.

Lets talk about the villains first. Namely Emerald, Mercury, and Neo. They all came out much stronger in this volume. Emerald has already been the most sympathetic, and now that everything is sinking in, her being uncertain and scared is no surprise. What she mainly needs now is to both gain the courage to finally leave and finally realize that Cinder has not, and will not, ever care for her. Mercury, despite keeping up a smug front, also becomes a lot more likable. He defends Mercury against Tyrian, reveals his motivations and some of the trauma his father inflicted on him, and despite that smugness we can see through the cracks. IDK if that makes him as redeemable as Emerald, but it's a good start. Cinder... is still a heartless bitch who if anything we hate even more now, but at least she's still trying. Then there's Neo, who I found incredibly overrated in the past... and still do. But now that she has actual motivation with Roman dead and her quest for revenge, she comes across as a better character and not just some psycho girl with a cute design who's just... there. Hopefully we'll see her fleshed out more in the Atlas arc, but as someone who really didn't give a shit about Neo, I'm much more interested in her now.

The villain who came out the best however is Salem. She doesn't change or anything, but now we understand who she is and what she is after. She began as this tragic maiden, locked away until she found love. She lost that love and went through a ton of tragedy and pain all because she wanted him back. She got screwed over, but refused to accept that death happens and... it's understandable. She went to the extreme, but her past self comes across as very sympathetic and human because of how harsh the Gods are to her. Then she gets Grimmified, and she becomes terrifying. She gains a God complex, yet we see that she still has the ability to love and care as she was to her children. But after Ozma 'betrayed' her, she threw that away. Salem went from this mysterious Big Bad, to a figure defined by tragedy. Someone who went through so much torment and grief and it twisted her into a monster. But we also see that, while sympathetic, she IS still a terrifying wicked witch who will not rest until she has wiped out all of humanity and gained her revenge on both The Gods and Ozma. Those who stand in her way be damned. She's still a force that has to be stopped, but at least now we understand how she became that way.

Since we're on that topic, lets talk about Ozpin. Holy Hell... Ozpin. This guy has gone through Hell and back. We finally find out everything about the man. His past, the reason for his motivations, the reincarnation deal, his connection to Salem. The guy was just a good-hearted person who found love, died... several times, and then got roped into serving the Gods to make sure that humanity didn't die the second time. You can understand why the guy is so secretive and just how cruel his existence has been. He is an equally tragic figure... but he too has done bad things. He's lied to people, lead them to their deaths for a cause that seems hopeless, and has essentially lead people on a suicide mission. While I do have some issues with how this was played out and what the show wants us to think of Oz, he ultimately was shown for what he is: human. He isn't evil, but he's not 100% good. He's done bad things, but it's all to try and save Remnant from something unfathomable. The world broke him, and he’s struggled to save that world. But now, with everything out and all of his allies turning their backs on him, he did what he did prior to the Maidens: lock himself away from the world.

Which brings us to Oscar... and how his arc was sadly not as good as it should have been. Not that it was bad, but it... really did not get the attention that it required. But the kid's fears over his identity are understandable. Who wouldn't be terrified, especially now that he's seen how this mess happened to begin with? But even so, he still tries. He still tried to help at Brunswick, he still tried to help keep spirits up in Argus (prior to Jaune's outburst), and while I wish we SAW him come to terms with his situation, he still did and proved beneficial in the airship mission. He really has taken Ruby's advice in V5, to keep moving forward despite the fear and pain. Because even at his lowest moment and more than enough reason to just give up, he doesn't. He still has plenty of growing to do, and I imagine that he still has things with Oz to sort out, but he's shown his potential and I think that he's going to go far.

Onto JNR. Not much to say about Ren and Nora sadly. Only that Nora was at her funniest here, and their support for Jaune was super sweet and really shows the team's unity. Now Jaune.... HO BOY. We all knew that it was gonna come to this eventually. First, Jaune's really matured. Chapter One alone showed him being able to quickly go into leader mode, how he's already gotten the hang of his Semblance, and despite his fear of losing more loved ones he understands what has to be done. It was also really cute to see his interactions with his sister and him getting to be happy again... until Chapter 8 hit. Jaune finds out the truth, and he is by far the most justified in his reaction. He lost Pyrrha, his friend and mentor, because of all of this... and it was for nothing. We all know that he's been struggling with Pyrrha's death and trying to move on, and we already know that he's got issues with all of this as Volume 4 demonstrated once he came to understand just what was wrong with Pyrrha. As such, I just felt horrible for him, especially once he realized what he almost did to Oscar and how bad he felt.

But of course, the biggest step is in Chapter 9. Everything is weighing on Jaune. His guilt, his pain over his loss, his uncertainty about what to do now. Then he's lead to the memorial, and he meets who I still assume is Mama Nikos. We see him process everything as he looks at the statue, that pain still shining through. Then he and Mama Nikos talks, and he finally starts to find comfort. He remembers what a Huntsman and Huntress is supposed to do, protect others no matter the price. He realized that Pyrrha knew what was going to happen, but if she could save even just one person, it was worth it. It as hopeless, yet Pyrrha fought anyways. It inspires Jaune to continue, and to finally find peace in his situation. Will he forget Pyrrha? Never. But now that he's been able to talk to someone, now that he's been able to let it out and have assurance from Ren and Nora, he can finally move forward. Which he does, creating the plan to steal the airship, defending against Cordovan, and he seems much more serious but happier as well. The paladin has grown a lot throughout the series, going from a buffoon completely out of place to a good-hearted warrior who will do whatever he can do wherever he is. Something that he learned from Pyrrha Nikos.

Next we'll go into WBY (I'm gonna bring up Ruby in a little bit) I don't have a ton to say about Weiss. She's afraid and uncertain about going back to Atlas since... well, she'd pretty much be going back to her abusive home that she just escaped from. It's all pretty subtle, but very clear and very much build up for her upcoming arc now that they made it to Atlas. So not much going for her development wise, but still she was great in this volume. Especially when she shattered the alcohol bottle and burned the Apathy to death (seemingly anyways). As for Blake and Yang... ho boy, where do I start?

This volume is very much the next step for Blake as she tries to fix relations with her team, though mainly Yang. We see small things like her comforting Weiss after she and Yang found the bodies, which it's just sweet to see her trying to be better and there for everyone. But of course, the biggest obstacle is with Yang. The girl is trying. She tries to help Yang with her stuff, talks about how Adam made her feel powerless, tries to be comforting... even if she said the wrong thing, but still she's trying. On Yang's part, she's also trying. It's good that she's not just angry at Blake like she was the volume prior, showing that she DID take Weiss' words to heart and is trying to let Blake back in. I... have my issues with Yang, like being hypocritical of secret keeping when she's yet to talk about Raven and I really think that her anger at Oz, while justified, was uncalled for and done at the worst possible moment. That being said, we do see that she's still struggling with her PTSD, the realization that things look hopeless, and I was okay with her by the second half.

Of course the final moment for their character arcs that has lasted since the end of V3 is the final fight with Adam. Blake confronts her demons for the final time, and Yang confronts the source of her fear and trauma. Regardless of what you think of Adam, he was very much the one who brought them pain, and it was only fitting that he be the one who brought it closure. Blake already took control back from him in V5, but this is her being forced to bring it to an end and affirm her promise to never leave her loved ones again. Yang had gained back the will to fight, but now she not only showed that she had become smarter with her fighting and her Semblance usage, but had her rip control back from Adam and at last exterminate the ghost that had haunted her. As much, the two fixed the damage to their bond that V3 caused and have come out stronger and much more supportive of each other. So do I think they're officially together? Mmm... not yet. I think at this point it's gonna happen, but IDK... I think we need more happy stuff between them first. But hey, the season got me to finally subscribe to the Bumblebee ship (even if I still hate people using it to harass CRWBY) and their arcs got the closure that it needed. It left me immensely satisfied and ready to see what happens with these two next.

Onto Qrow now and I was... mixed about him. Him finding out the full story about Oz and the seeming hopelessness? Yes, his anger was understandable. What made me lose sympathy however is how he punched Oscar (yeah it was directed at Oz but IDC, Oscar still felt it) and then told Ruby to not lie to the kid about not just being another of Oz's lives. He reverted to drinking himself stupid, which nearly got everyone killed, and just quit once things got too hard at Argus. I get that Qrow's struggling and I do like that his drinking is being put in a more serious light... but it just made me lose ANY sympathy or liking to him. I got some back once he expressed fear of the kids getting killed but in many ways it's too little, too late. IDK, I just did not like him at all in this volume because of how much of a downer and hindrance he was and he never so much as said that he was sorry. He kind of acknowledged his mess ups in the end, but it just wasn't enough for me. I hope that V7 makes amends for this and overall I guess it's good that this happened now. Plus hey, I lost my sympathy for Blake in V4, then loved her again in V5 and here, so I guess that might be the case with Qrow. We'll see.

Now lets talk Maria! Dear Lord, I LOOOVE Maria! She is such a welcome addition, especially with Ozpin now out of the picture. She's wise, experienced, and takes shit from no one while also being silly, sassy, and incredibly petty. She brought a lot of much needed levity to the darker stuff, like making everyone get their acts together after the massive flashback. Really in general she was the funniest character this volume. Her “Maybe she's dead!” line got the largest laugh out of me all volume. But as I said, she's also wise. She's stern, but friendly. She's screwed up and been through Hell, which she recognizes and longs to do something to make up for it. She does what she wants, but also recognizes what's important like say... getting out of a snow storm and THEN deal with your various emotions over the traumatic flashbacks. She is a strong, experienced, and optimistic figure and very much provides the guidance that Ruby really needs. She was a delight and I assume that she's going to stick around, so yay!

Which finally brings us to by far the best character this volume: Ruby herself. This was EVERYTHING that I have been wanting for SO LONG. Last volume, I was NOT happy with how she was shafted, got the Silver Eyes ignored, and just... did nothing. It pissed me off as a Ruby fan and was the one thing I was hoping to see them make an effort to improve in this volume. Which I am very happy to say that they GREATLY redeemed themselves with her character.

This is very much Ruby's volume. She steps up as a leader, she tries to keep everyone on their feet as things just get bleaker and bleaker. She goes against Ozpin when she questions if he meant what he said about the good in humanity, and even goes against Qrow when she finally gets fed up with his quitter attitude. She comes up with plans and faces every threat, such as The Apathy and Cordovan's mech head on because hey, someone has to. With Maria around and her now starting to understand her Eyes power, Ruby shows interest in learning it. Which all of it culminates n her facing the Leviathan, knowing that her power is their only hope. She may not have killed the Leviathan, but she now has a grasp on her power and it is because of her that Argus was saved. And all of this without losing the optimism and cheerfulness that we love about her.

Many say that Ruby hasn't grown at all since the beginning, and I have to STRONGLY disagree. In the early volumes, she was an awkward girl who's goal to be a Huntress was genuine, but her view was very idealistic and naive. She wanted to be like the hero of the stories he was told of as a child, but didn't understand all the pain and regret that would come with it. She knew that bad things happened... but she hadn't really experienced it aside from losing her mom, which she was too young to comprehend fully then. But now? She understands pain. She understands loss. She understands the importance of her job and just how bad that the world can be. But it doesn't bring her down, it only strengthened her resolve. Now, in this volume, shes had to step up since people like Ozpin and Qrow are incapable of leading. She's faced threat after threat, refusing to back down until she and her friends have achieved their goals. She used to be a girl asking Glynda, a Huntress, for her autograph. Now? She is that Huntress. It's not a naive girl's fantasy anymore, it is her duty and she will do everything in her power to make things better. Because that is what she signed up for, and she will see it through to the end.

As far as characters go, this volume did very well. It brought many character arc to a close, while leaving plenty of others open. Many got new layers of depth and had questions about them finally answered after so many years. New additions like Maria and Jinn were very welcome, and the new supporting characters like Saphron, Terra, Lil' Miss, and Cordovan were just really nice and fun to have around... even if Cordovan got off far too lightly,  but meh. There were some good welcome backs, like with Tyrian and of course Neo. Even if I was annoyed at some, like Yang and Qrow, overall I thought that all the characters were great and I really have a new appreciation for pretty much all of them. Excellent work CRWBY!

Story

Back at NYCC, Miles and Kerry didn't say what the season's theme was, but that it would be clear to us by the time it was over. Well... it's over. What's the theme then? How about we take a look back and find out.

The main goal of the season is for our characters to reach  Argus, and subsequently get to Atlas. Seems simple enough, but of course the road has many bumps. Grimm attacks, train wrecks, corrupt authority figures, nothing was simple to get accomplished. Even worst, the team get fed up with Ozpin's secrets and discover the truth: Salem cannot be destroyed. It sends them into despair, causing them to be tired of all the bad things that have happened and keep happening. They struggle to find hope and to continue on, especially with Ozpin locking himself away and Qrow just giving up. What do you when everything seems hopeless? Where no matter what you do, nothing changes and you just keep dealing with bad thing after bad thing? Do you keep going on? Can you move on?

To quote the fourth opening:

“Do we just go home? Can we follow through? When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do... Lets just live”

The entire volume's message is to rise up and continue on, despite the despair and fear. In the beginning, the heroes get brought down form their triumph as the Grimm attack, they get sepearted and wrecked in a snow storm, find out all of Oz;s dirty secrets and just how bad of a place they're in. Which results in nearly all of them feeling broken. They're left in the cold, ready to give up. The Apathy make sit worst, causing them all to lose the will to do... well, anything. Even Ruby, the only one still trying to keep spirits up, nearly gives in. She's tired. They're all tired. They want to just be done with it and go home.

But they can't

Soon, they find hope. Maria helps Ruby unlock her Silver Eyes. They're able to escape Brunswick and make it to Argus and find their friends. But then Cordovan refuses to let them through, breaking Qrow and soon Jaune. But that doesn't last long. Jaune finds comfort by discovering Pyrrha's memorial and is reminded of what his duty is. Oscar, despite all his fears, decides to use the time that he has left to do what's right. Ruby, fed up with Qrow's attitude, finally decides to take over and defy his wishes. They survived everything thrown at them. Despite all the odds and obstacles, they are a breath away from getting to Atlas. It is their duty to help people, no natter what. So they're going to fight. They're going to make it to Atlas. And even if Salem can't be destroyed, they will stand against her to protect all of humanity. It ultimately leads to Ruby facing down the Leviathan, both herself and everyone else refusing to leace because it’s their jobs to fight, and she’s able to defeat it through her hope and love powering her.

Volume 6's story was overall very well executed. Every episode was well paced, moved things forward in some way, and always had something to invest our time in. A big plus side to this volume compared to 4 and 5 is this time, we don't have multiple main plotlines. We have one: get the Relic to Atlas. We have subplots of course, like Cinder being confronted by Neo and the stuff with the villains, but they don't get in the way of the main story. The main story is where the focus stays and what is the most important. Nothing ever felt like it was dragged or like it was just a massive exposition dump. And when we DID get exposition, they kept it interesting like using magical flashbacks to show us what is happening, for example.

Speaking of, this volume gave us the lore dump that we have been waiting for YEARS. We finally find out the history of Salem and Ozpin. We finally understand their respective goals and motivations. We find out that Remnant was magical until the Gods left. We get to SEE the Gods. We find out why the Relics are such a big deal and what will happen if brought together. We even get to see how the moon got broken! And even then, while we don't get full on explanations on the Silver Eyes or about Team STRQ, we get at least a little bit. Enough to re-ignite investment, but they're left open for future volumes. With those revelations, it can explain even more. Like Ozpin making the Vaults so that the Relics were as secure and far away form each other as possible and how, as the King of Vale, he ended the war. So many revelations came from this volume and it left me very satisfied.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It wasn't perfect, mind you. Oscar got shafted too much and his arc felt rushed, Cordovan got off FAR too easily for her actions, and I have issues with HOW Oz's secrets came out and how we're supposed to view the whole thing. I think the girls were justified in demanding answers... but forcing them out I think was wrong. Or at least considering the circumstances, it was wrong to do then. Also, they don't really suffer any consequences for it, but we may see those pop up later. And IDK what the narrative wants us to think of Ozpin. Are we supposed to feel bad for him? Be angry at him? I guess both, but due to the lack of consequences and the outright enraged reactions from Yang and Qrow being unadressed... it feels like it's saying that the girls were correct and that Ozpin is the bad guy, even though one can make a VERY good argument for why he was justified in his actions. IDK, I don't like that the narrative was saying that getting angry and violating people's privacy was right and suffering no consequences due to it. IDK how it could have been better, but... it just bothers me.

But nevertheless, we return to the question. What is the theme of this volume? Well... judging from the plot, the opening, and how it ended, this is my answer: keep moving forward. Okay, that might seem weird. Let me explain. Everything looks hopeless and bleak. Everyone is broken down or ready to give in. But in the end, they find the will to keep going. Ruby refuses to give up. She keeps moving everyone on, rising to take charge. Jaune is broken by the revelation that Pyrrha died for nothing, but soon realizes that she did what she knew was right, and he rises back up. Qrow is at his lowest, but Ruby finally tells him that he isn't responsible for them and pulls him back to his feet. Oscar knows that he may not be himself sooner or later, but he still decides to face the inevitable. Adam comes back, the person who broke both Blake and Yang, and they rise up against him for the final time.

Look at the characters who didn’t move forward. Qrow gave up after learning the truth/once things got hard and Ozpin also abandoned his responsibility while giving into his own despair. Due to it, things got worst for them. Adam abandoned any good and righteousness that he once had, now blinded by hatred and his desire to seek vengeance against Blake. Salem is still consumed by her God complex and hatred of Ozpin, which has caused her to lose whatever humanity that she still has. Maria was once a famed Huntress, but once she lost her Eyes she abandoned her duty and is now left guilt-ridden for it. Cordovan was blinded by ego and power, resorting to VERY severe actions that cuased lots of panic/damage and initially refused to accept her fault for it. These are all people who gave into their negative emotions and either gave up, abandoned their duties, or were warped into monsters. Some pulled themselves back, like Qrow and Maria, while others like Adam died for it. They gave in to negativity, and because of it things only got worst for both themselves and for others.

This volume is about how you have to keep going and NOT give into the negativity. Yes, things may be hopeless. You may not win the fight in your lifetime. You may either do horrible things, or find out that those you trusted did. Your entire worldview may crumble apart, and you're left to deal with the despair and pain. And yes, you may very well feel tired and like the best thing to do is to give up. But you can't. Others will help you stand back up. You can  help others stand up. You can face those bad things and break through them, becoming stronger and better as a result. And no matter how the world looks, you HAVE to keep fighting. Even to the bitter end. It'll hurt, but you CAN do it, and you will. Because if you don't, who will? 

I think the best way to sum it up is with these lines from the volume's opening:

“The lightning doesn't take advice from anyone. The willow doesn't need to learn to stand As sun meets day, we'll find out way, And we'll catch that dream together someday soon. We're rising like the moon.”

Final Thoughts

This has become my favorite volume of the series. Yep, even above Volume 3. What more can I say? The animation was great, the music was great,t he voice acting was great, everything was great! So many questions got answered, story arcs came to a close while leaving new ones open, everything that needed to be addressed for this volume was addressed while perfectly leading us into the next one. When the finale was over, I was left immensely happy and satisfied with everything. Even my couple of issues really weren't that bad. This was a fantastic volume and really shows how far that CRWBY has come since the beginning. I am very much looking forward to Volume 7, and again thank you CRWBY for an absolutely amazing Volume.

So once again, RWBY has come to a close until the Fall. Thank you everyone who has read my reviews, and I'm sorry that this took so long. Life sucks sometimes. If you want to see more stuff from me, I'll be reviewing RvB17 when it starts on March 9th and while I'm not reviewing Gen:Lock episode by episode, a season review for it will be made once it concludes. I'm also planning to do some more RWBY stuff before V7, like some character analysis and maybe even going back to review past volumes. We'll see how things go. But I had a lot of fun reviewing this volume, and again to all of those who stuck with me, thank you. I'll see you again for Volume 7~

[savetheblackpaladin]

I like how you headcanon that all these cuties are virgins cuz I do too lol. Of it isn't a problem, could I request some Lance relationship headcanons? You decide on what they can be (I don't know what I want and I'm embarrassed about it lol). Have a nice day!

Oh don’t you worry, I have a lot about Lancey Lance (but here’s only a few bc I’m lazy and cooking while writing this) And i’m just throwing this out there but Hunk totes got laid in high school and at the Garrison. Lance was pretty jealous

Doesn’t believe you at first when you agree to go out with him

“Yeah, haha, that was a joke! I know you wouldn’t really go out with me, we’re great just being friends and we shouldn’t jeopardi–wait what?”

“I said ‘Yes’? As in, Yes Lance, I will go out with you?”

“Oh….I didn’t–what?”

He’s processing. He was so ready for you to turn him down. He might have prepared a few scenarios

Might have a Hershey’s kiss in his pocket. Just for if he got the nerves to ask you out by asking you if you wanted to kiss. And when you said ‘ew, no’ he could whip out the candy. bam. a Kiss!

Practiced the Yawn and Shoulder Wrap™ for during a movie. He wanted to be subtle.

“So, Allura said we were cute together and I was like ‘Whaaaaaaaat?? Gurl, you crazy!’ haha Isn’t that crazy???? Unless….”

But finally it clicks that you’re blushing and fidgeting with your fingers because you actually like him too!

 “Holy quiznack…you’re my boy/girlfriend…I DID IT!!!”

totally grabs your hands and pulls them into the air while he screams that last part

He’s so excited

“Prepare to be wooed”

“Lance, I’m already wooed. That’s why I…you know what. Yes. I am prepared to be wooed. Whoo away.”

You may never hear your name during standard conversation again

he lays it on thick with the nicknames

Boo, Bae, Darling, Babe, Baby, Sweetheart…you name it. he uses it

after love confessions he throws Love an mi amor

Sweetheart is his favorite though, Cutie is the close second

He usually only says your name during sexy times or when referring to you when talking to someone else (but he can also not, it depends on what he’s feeling)

Constantly in awe. Catch this nerd just gazing at you randomly with this lovesick look on his face

“What are you looking at????”

“Just you�� I’m so lucky.” He’s so sincere.

His flirting is now solely reserved for you. Be prepared for pick up lines.

“Lance! Why are you–? We’re already dating??”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t use pick up lines, babe.”

“Ok but, seriously? ‘Come here often?’ We live in the castle.”

Also, cuts people off if they try to flirt with him

“Uhm, Okay one second. I appreciate this and all…but I have the best girl/boyfriend right now? So, thanks but no thanks. Hope this doesn’t ruin your chances of joining The Coalition!”

Weekly spa dates where Lance makes a face mask specifically for your skin, hair masks (thank god he found what he thinks is coconut oil), he’ll paint your nails for you, massages for you both!

aaannd of course he’s on his best behavior when he’s giving you a massage (but he’s weak)

but no one wants to bang when the other is wearing a green face mask. (Shiro voice: No, just. No.)

He loves swimming so you’ll probably be roped into it

and if you don’t know how to swim he’ll teach you!

or if you hate water he’ll be happy enough with your company, but he might try every once in a while to get you in

*puppy face* But y/n!!! Don’t you love me???

Gets you a gift from every new planet he lands on

So. Many. Flowers.

And pretty rocks he thought were neat.

If there’s a community then he’ll get you things like jewelry, weapons, books, whatever you like, he get

blushes super red everytime he gives you a gift 

He’s a touchy feely kinda guy

so many hugs

he honestly just always has a hand on you somewhere, even when just lounging. He needs to touch.

The biggest nose kisser! GIVE HIM THE NOSE

When you walk by he’ll reach out to grab you around the waist and tug you into his lap, just cause he wants to hold you

If he’s passing by he’ll give you a passing massage or shoulder squeeze

he can’t walk past you without touching

and if you happen to be bent over looking for something while he walks by? Yeah, he’s grabbing that ass. 

If you do the same to him he turns beet red and starts stammering

definitely can’t take what he gives.

LOVES TO SING AND DANCE BADLY

will put on a song and just serenade you in the worst possible way

and once he’s got you laughing he’ll pull you into his bad dance moves

ironically though, he can sing and dance. it’s more fun to do it bad

Does serenade properly when he decides he needs to tell you he loves you for the first time

which he wants to tell you about one month in, but he knows that’s way too early

waits until about month 4 and he cries

A bit insecure about your relationship. Talks himself down a lot

sees Keith make you laugh once and he’s like ‘Oh no, this is it. It’s all going down hill. Because who doesn’t want to date mullet? He’s super cool and edgy and good looking and–”

You gotta stop him.

He firmly believes you are too good for him.

My poor nugget.

“You sure you still love me? Because–”

“Yes Lancelot. I love you very, very much. Don’t listen to those nasty voices. You. Are. My love.”

“Sounds fake, but okay.”

“Don’t meme me when I’m being serious, Lance.”

You’re biggest supporter and roaster

You walk in the room wearing mismatched lion slippers. Lance: “What’re thoooooose!!?”

You get put in some god-awful ceremonial outfit. Lance: “You are so lucky I love you.”

“Don’t kiss me in the morning. You have dragon breath.”

“Kick his ass baby, I’ll hold your flower!” “LancE! ENOUGH WITH THE MEMES. ”

Lance whenever you do a mundane taskl: “YASSS BABY! SLAY!!!!”

Also Lance: “No, nope, gimme that. I’ve watched you choke on water.”

Overshares late at night when he’s crawled into your bed after a nightmare

Yells “Honey! I’m ho~ome!” everytime he comes back from a mission and makes a beeline towards you for a kiss.

If you get caught in a battle you best believe Lance is 100X more badass than usual

he’s making shots he didn’t even know he could make

and he’s hitting every. single. one.

Ain’t nobody touching his baby

even jumps in for a little close combat, working seamlessly with you to take enemies down

pulls you in for a desperate kiss after they’re all dead

You can’t be sad when dating Lance, he notices immediately and makes it his mission to brighten your day

if you do something super cute Lance will practically squeal, scoop you up, and twirl you around  before putting you back in your spot with a kiss

He’s a good boy who just wants to spend time with his babe and spoil them

[0chazuke]

About Pokemon: I choose you! The Movie (non-spoilers version) *small edit: 18/Jul*

Salt or not, you should watch it - it is hard to criticize the experience only by reading spoiler notes/plot reviews. Go watch the movie without much expectations, even with some (big?) flaws it is quite an entertaining film. 

If you love Ash and Pikachu’s friendship, I’m pretty sure you will enjoy this - their relationship is indeed the big deal of the movie. Their voice actresses do an incredible job in this movie, it is worth to note how much their talent make a huge difference in the quality of the movie. The animation has some really pretty scenes and cool battles, I loved how expressive Ash and Pikachu were!

M20 is also a good treat for fans of the original series soundtrack, it has some nice rearranges of the old time classics! Plus so many references from previous movies!

Many people cried during many parts of the film, I noticed also some surprised gasps and bursts of laughter around/in front of my seat range too. I missed watching flawed Ash.... And, oh, he does answer what does a "Pokemon Master" mean this time lol.

On the other hand, the plot and the pacing… are a big mess. Too much info, not enough time to develop each thread, then it ends in a very rushed way. No wonder why I ended up with so many mixed feelings about the whole thing, hahaha, I personally wouldn’t rank it as my favorite pokemon movie but… I don’t think it is also as awful as some people have claimed xD

It is indeed a very strange experience, for instance… New characters are not bad, they have some background and personality - I’d say they are fitting and likeable but also kinda of pointless at the same time? Or, another example, emotional scenes are intense but they are also solved so quickly that is barely no time to let the info sink lol. IMO this film was better than the last recent movies, it’s like “well, M20 was really nice, I’m not mad but it had potential to be much better - but still, it was very fun, go watch it”? Please try watching it!

So many people in the movie theater - both kids and adults… also, so many 3ds devices lol (Marshadow is a gift through local wireless network. They included a short announcement at the start/end of the movie by Shokotan-Joy reminding us of that!). I’m happy that I got Marshadow and also a Ga-ole card with Movie!Hat Pikachu - it can be converted to Pokemon USUM in the future…

I’m still unsure which Hat-chu should I redeem with my ticket code. Maybe AG one?

Oh, (long) ramblings and spoilers after this cut:

Spoiler talk:

I don’t think Pikachu’s speaking scene was as bad as some people said… I thought that was very emotional and meaningful? It is very ambiguous scene, I saw that moment as Ash understanding Pikachu’s pokemon words with full clarity, he was so weak (c'mon boy was exhausted lol) and I don’t think Pikachu literally spoke in human language… The atmosphere kinda implies it is something only Ash could understand that instant, like the blurred and muffled sounds.

I really like Ash and Pikachu and I guess anyone who has/had a partner like that might get emotional over that. Ugh, maybe it’s Ootani’s acting… idk, either way that crushed my heart really badly. I surprisingly got much more emotional about it than I thought I would, even after being bombed with pre-screening spoilers.

^few minutes before I was honestly wanting to laugh/cringe at MARSHADOW WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING and the UGH incineroar’s PELVIC BELT FIRE ATTACKS WHY DID YOU REMIND US OF THAT DETAIL FROM THE GAMES DDDD: 

Convoluted plot much? Yamachan is a nice Marshadow! But… Kinda too bad the Pokemon itself in the story is really confusing. Pacing is also weird, felt like the plot is too long and suddenly close to the end they had to wrap it up in a rush? I thought it was nice in a way that you don’t get bored because things go nonstop, however it would definitely work better as a short TV series than a single movie.

They must really like those guest celebrities to create the two new rushed Please!DPPremake!characters. I do think the movie would work better with Ash and Pikachu traveling alone - for example, Bonji could easily sometimes fill the gaps the role of the two companions are meant to be… I mean, Souji and Makoto are nice, but still… Ugh, it does feels a bit like they were forced to be there.

I hope you like Entei better than Suicune and Raikou lol. It’s like… The first one is a badass and the other two are simply… there. Suicune only appears to Makoto and they exchange glances... and that's all.

Team Rocket’s cameos are very short but cute. I liked the best the one at the beginning, at the Pokemon Center, when Joy goes"omg those guys!!!“ and instead of attacking the place, TRio just leave excited like the other kids "yaaaaay Entei!!!” XD

I apparently wasn’t the only one who was confused about Marshadow’s intentions in that movie. Judging by the viewers’ reactions, I noticed a lot of people were confused about it… Even understanding Japanese language didn’t help much tbh.

Going back to Ho-Oh and Marshadow, I didn’t get it at first, but… 

…Well, Ash got one of Ho-Oh’s feather and it kept shining with bright colors because he has a good heart - if the feather gets dark, according to the legend, it is thanks to humans being evil, which results in things going really bad, right?

Marshadow knows that black feather = not good - that’s why when Ash is blinded by frustration and the feather gets darker, he creates that dream world where Ash realizes how important Pikachu was for him and tries to find his partner even though he can’t remember him in that illusion world. It takes a while to Ash realize he was being reckless and stupid, but after he remembers and understand he was being stupid, he quickly wakes up and apologize to Pikachu with real regret, and the feather goes colorful again, right?

The second time the feather goes dark is when Cross snatch it from Ash’s hand and later on, Marshadow takes it and start destroying everything around it. Bonji tells Ash he should get his feather back asap or else Marshadow will never stop unleashing its power, right….

1) so you could say Marshadow is like a guardian that creates a trial for those who bear the rainbow feather, ensuring pokemon are safe from evil people/good people can meet Ho-Oh (does it mean when Ash “dies”, he actually goes under Marshadow’s trial and he quickly returns to the real world due to his bond to Pikachu?)

ooor

2) Marshadow actually a sneaky little chaotic pokemon that is very aware that when the feather gets dark, it is its opportunity to snatch it and unleash its power. That explains why dark feather = bad stuff happens and why Marshadow stop hitting the humans and fades away after the dark feather in its hands disappears and reappears as a colored feather in Ash’s hand)

So… Which one is the actual thing, 1 or 2?

I’m not planning to watch it a second time soon, but let’s see if someone else does it and help us figuring out the plot lol. It’s probably easier to understand it after a second view (I mean, I HOPE SO lol).

About specific stuff I was asked on Tumblr, in no particular order:

Oh, the credits with old characters was not a full screen part… Only a small portion of the screen. They all begin as shadowed figures that look at the camera, reveling their full bodies. The background is the same for all characters.

Misty was riding her bike! May tied her bandanna! Clemont’s glasses were shining! Serena kept her old looks, everybody had their original clothes and style… TRACEY! o/

Max appeared together with May and Bonnie appeared together with Clemont.

I was very intrigued that only (cute upside down) Iris and Serena were smiling in their respective scenes… Everybody else looked slightly surprised/confused somewhat? So odd. :/

While Makoto is checking out her “smartphone”, after some pictures of her friends (we can see that Souji is the one who cooks for the trio) and their pokemon we can see her mother’s picture (+Piplup and Empoleon). Yeah, possibly Cynthia - she’s missing the trademark hairclips and the hair color is slightly darker… but that long peculiar hair is quite similar to that character… Plus Makoto herself hints "my hometown (Twinleaf - Sinnoh) has a very famous trainer..."

The teacher inside the classroom of IRL Ash was Agatha, wasn’t it?

Professor Oak has a Squirtbottle.

Souji is seen spotting an Articuno at the end of the movie. Meanwhile, Makoto explains she will go back home to see her mother.

Ah, close to the end I remember seeing the Alolan starters animated - sorry, I don't remember when exactly but it was before the credits, when Ash and Pikachu already said goodbye to Souji and Makoto.

The Lapras is not Ash's, it's Makoto's. She kisses the pokeball before throwing it...

Pikachu's spoken lines: "ずっと一緒にいたいから" (zutto issho ni itai kara): Because I wants to be with you, always.

Oh, Ash does define what does it mean to him to be a pokemon master: to become a friend of all pokemon in the world!