Forum - View topicRWBY (Web Series).
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Crisha
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RWBY (U.S. ONA) Genres: action, fantasy, science fiction Themes: Original animated series created by Monty Oum. Plot Summary: In the beginning, man was born from dust and lived well for a time until one day, creatures from the darkness called "The Grim" began to lash out. In retaliation, mankind created Dust, a powerful energy source, and fought back against them. With a time of peace upon them, civilization flourished across the world. To protect the peace, schools were set up around the world to train people to become Hunters to fend back the monsters. One such trainee, Ruby Rose, finds herself foiling a robbery at a local dust shop one day and earns herself a promotion to Beacon Academy, an elite school for the training of Hunters. There, she's placed into a team with Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Though initial tensions are high, the four must learn to work together, as a comeback for the forces of darkness is looming upon the horizon; and they've gained a few new allies as well. Available to watch: Crunchyroll ---------------------------------- I wanted a place to talk about this series, and so I'm creating one. So why all of this? Because this is what happens when I fangirl over something. RWBY "Red" (Trailer) Character: Ruby Rose (voiced by Lindsay Tuggey) Fairy Tale Influence: Little Red Riding Hood Weapon: Crescent Rose (High Caliber Sniper-Scythe (HCSS), a hybrid between a scythe and a rifle) Inscription on Altar: "Summer Rose / Thus Kindly I Scatter" (allusion to The Last Rose of Summer by Thomas Moore) Song: Red Like Roses (composer Jeff Williams, artist Casey Lee Williams)
---- RWBY "White" (Trailer) Character: Weiss Schnee (voiced by Kara Eberle)
Fairy Tale Influence: Snow White Weapon: Myrtenaster (Multi Action Dust Rapier (MADR) that seems to act as a focus or source for Weiss' power) Opening Lines of the Trailer: "Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or form of measure. And all of it... irreplaceable." Song: Mirror Mirror (composer Jeff Williams, artist Casey Lee Williams)
---- RWBY "Black" (Trailer) Character: Blake Belladonna (voiced by Arryn Zech)
Fairy Tale Influence: Beauty and the Beast (along with Adam who appears in the trailer) Weapon: Gambol Shroud (Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe (VBCS), a gray colored sheath with a sharp edge and a dark gray katana with a pistol) Opening Lines of the Trailer: "Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation..." Song: From Shadows (composer Jeff Williams, artist Casey Lee Williams)
---- RWBY "Yellow" (Trailer) Character: Yang Xiao Long (voiced by Barbara Dunkelman)
Fairy Tale Influence: Goldilocks Weapon: Ember Celica (Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets (DRSG)) Opening Lines of the Trailer: "Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one sided and easily processed. Yet every misshapen spark's unseen beauty is greater than its would be judgement." Song: I Burn (composer Jeff Williams, artist Casey Lee Williams)
---- EPISODE 1 Opening Narration:
Ending Song: This Will Be The Day
I have since merged what I created in the Subscribers Forum with the thread in the Anime Forum. --willag Last edited by Crisha on Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:36 pm; edited 10 times in total |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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Very Cool! Is the trailer all that is currently available?
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Crisha
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^I've updated my first post that contains links to all four trailers and the link to the website that you can watch all of the episodes. The first episode is currently up on Rooster Teeth.
 Enjoy!
Last edited by Crisha on Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:11 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Dan42
Chief Encyclopedist
 Posts: 3792 Location: Montreal |
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Wow, I gotta say that's some of the most impressive indie anime I've ever seen. Sure, the scenario is cliché and I'm not entirely sure if I like the fact that it looks like a videogame. But the fight choregraphy is just amazing. Really top level stuff.
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Crisha
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I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, Dan42! I'm definitely looking forward to more.
---- Anyways, I'm really enjoying this series. RWBY and Free! are currently the episodes I'm most looking forward to. I really enjoyed the first episode - it's promising to be a fun ride. I liked the choreography and camera angles of the battles I've seen (both in the first episode and in the 4 RWBY previews), so I expect to really enjoy those scenes. Having watched all four previews several times (and reading speculations) the characters seem promising, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they're handled and interact with each other. Ruby's pretty cute and peppy, and I like the voice they gave her. She's mainly defined by her (bubbly) enthusiasm, idealism, and desire to help others - something I can relate to and appreciate. Her weapon, the scythe, looks the coolest. I find it interesting that of the four she's the only one who fights against beasts during her trailer, which is what Huntsmen and Huntresses were created for. I think that ties in really well with her goals and dreams that she mentioned in the first episode. Also, the narration in the first episode clearly alludes to her being the simple soul that will save everyone. Ah, Weiss, the kuudere. She's got the whole "regal, solitary, lonely yet yearning for friends" thing going for her, and probably has some sort of "destiny" or "fate" tied to her that she wishes she wasn't a part of. If there's one character type that I can be "moe" (yes, that dreaded word) for, it's kuudere's. Anyways, I'm thinking that she may be royalty or is heiress to some sort of big company. Probably the latter. She's probably going to inherit a business empire that controls Dust. Of the four, she's the only one who uses Dust in her fight (the magic light that came from her Myrtenaster). Her song, "Mirror Mirror" is probably my favorite of the group - it gives me chills. And then there's Blake. I must admit, she had an unfair advantage once I found out that her and Adam allude to Beauty and the Beast. I have a strong love and bias for BatB. Of the four, she has the least understood personality - mellow and mysterious (though with a strong regard to human life). Her song seems to suggest a past of subjugation by humanity (something interesting about her trailer is that the boxes on the train are decorated with the snowflake symbol that Weiss has on her clothing... so I wonder if her family has anything to do with the subjugation). I'm thinking that Blake might not be entirely human, or at least her people started forming bonds/respecting the beasts that humans fear. And because of that they were ostracized. She has a cat motif going on (yellow eyes, black bow that looks like cat ears), and her ears are pointed. Adam has two pieces of hair that looks like horns and from what I could tell he had pointed ears as well. Her song, "From Shadows," seems to suggest that she and Adam have something to do with the creatures from Grim mentioned within the opening narration of the first episode. During the trailer, Adam uses some sort of special power that turns him into a "Beast" (the evil laughter that changes his voice, the glowing red runes on his mask and body similar to the glowing red eyes of the beasts in the opening narration). This and his disregard for life seems to cause a fall out between him and Blake (who is his apprentice). "Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation..." She decides to take a different path than what he took. Regardless, I already ship them. And finally there's Yang. I love Yang, I really do. She's probably my favorite character of the four at the moment. I love her cheerful, headstrong, not afraid to rough-and-tumble personality. It outshines (pun intended) the rest. And I always appreciate a woman with a strong hook. Her fighting style is probably the least traditionally feminine of the group, but she doesn't hide that she's a woman, and I really like that. It's also nice to have someone who appears not to have too many hang-ups or angst issues. The lyrics from her song, "I Burn", get me all fired up, and it ties pretty closely with "Mirror Mirror" as my favorite (it would probably win out if it was longer... one minute is not enough for such an awesome song like that). "Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one sided and easily processed. Yet every misshapen spark's unseen beauty is greater than its would be judgement." I'm getting the impression from those words that she's probably been judged for her beauty. Junior kept underestimating her, fooled twice by her looks and womanly charms. She clearly knows what people think and expect of her by the way she presents herself, and she uses it to her advantage. But it's her tough inner fire that defines her, not what's easily seen on the outside. And as for the animation? Well, it's awkward at times, but it's not the worst CG animation I've seen. While I would always like to see better animation in whatever I'm watching, it usually doesn't bother me unless if it is absolutely hideous (Musashi Gundoh - though it's hilarious because it's so bad). I am quite forgiving of animation if the show has interesting characters, story, and art style. Besides, it lends itself real well to the fights, which is always a plus. The fact that Monty Oum had the people working on the assignment watch Gurren Lagann for research only ups my excitement. Really great choreography there. The voice acting is pretty good, at least for the more prominent characters. The mooks in the first episode sounded dumb and half-assed, but they're mooks, so no biggie. The songs are available to buy on iTunes and Amazon. The second I found out they were available to buy on Amazon, I snatched them all up (the four from the trailers, and the ending song from the first episode). Oh man, I love them so much. I will also most likely buy the DVD (hopefully there's a blu-ray, that's what I'd prefer to purchase) of the series when it comes out. Overall, I'm having fun with this series and I'm looking forward to more. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10032 Location: Virginia |
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A note on Belladonna:
An extract of Belladonna is what eye doctors used to use to dilate your eyes for examination. It may still be, but we are probably a couple of generation beyond that now. It takes its name because at one point (I think renaissance) Italian women would use such an extract to dilate their eyes before going out for the evening. Large pupils were considered a sign of beauty. Sometimes I think fashion is completely crazy. |
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st_owly
 Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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That was pretty awesome. I really like the art style.
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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Wow, Willag, you've put impressive effort into presenting this and your thoughts on their characters. I won't lie, you did more than a little to turn me toward giving RWBY a look.
I hadn't intended to watch this since I'm not exactly Action Jackson (I'm more Cerebral Leroy or Atmospheric Aloysius IV, esq.), but I got curious, I wanted something other than Watamote and Free! to watch (I continue with Day Break Illusion, but joylessly) and I had the time. (It's hard not to have the time) I liked it a lot. In fact, rather better than I'd expected. The featured battle of the first episode was spectacularly choreographed, varied and quickly moving. I don't know if they'll be able to keep coming up with stuff to throw into these fights, but as long as they can and never let a scrap linger on a given thing for very long, I'll be hooked. The premise is a little utilitarian. I think that they care, but it's more something that needs to be put in place and said, "okay," too so we can get to the girls happily depleting the world's bad dude supply. Heck, 'dust' might even work out to be a little cool; we haven't seen enough yet to know. I think that the characters will be straightforward, if for no other reason than characterization not seeming like Monty Oum's chief concern or talent. Nevertheless, they'll do and, if I'm honest, the efficacy of straightforward characterization, if sincere, seems underappreciated. Ruby herself is an infectiously fun, upbeat and slightly silly girl. She's a little flighty and prone to overflowing enthusiasm, but not dumb. Light on pathos, but appropriate for an adolescent girls and she got me to like her and it works as a contrast to the whirlwind of death we see in the fights. Seeing her going from wasting a bunch of mooks with her crazy ridiculous awesome scythe to getting milk and cookies charmed me. I think that Yang Xiao Long will prove to be my favorite. I don't usually prefer blondes or the color yellow, but seems to have tough, assertive streak, which I'm a big fan of. Besides, I love a bold, forceful woman who can punch a dude through the scenery and have a big goddamned smile on her face. The best surprise was perhaps the voice acting. I was slightly pessimistic because it did seem a little off in the previews and on account of the moaning that I'd read about it from some quarters, but I now suspect that those opinions were born of habitual contempt, not actual judgement. Everybody sounded natural and comfortable in their characters. Lindsay Tuggey sealed the package up nicely for her character. Something that had deterred me before is that it's computer animated with cel shading, a technique that I had demoted to novelty long ago, but it seems to have come a long way. The characters and even the backgrounds like quite appealing. It all holds together well and feels more like animation than I had expected. I loved some of these designs. The guy in an ascot and bowler hat with A CANE THAT IS ALSO A GUN was fantastic. Double points for all of the leads having a distinct, cool look. Ruby herself is high-octane adorable. The fight sequences are spectacular, as they should and need be. They have a strong, smooth flow; enough to keep one awake and excited. As good as it is in grand, quick and sweeping movements, when things get small, slower and subtle, computer animation's limits creep up. When the characters walk around and gesture, it looks a little 'herky-jerky' to me; I don't think it's chronic, but it breaks the mood and there's a lot of potential in little movements that RWBY might not have access to. They also haven't figured out how to animate eating. It looked like she was vanishing those cookies into a pocket dimension as she move them to her mouth. Unless her mouth is a pocket dimension. Oh well, whatever helps her stay thin. Of course, there's no green girl, so minus like a billion points. Should've been RWBYG... oh, now I get it. Seriously though, if there's a sequel, they should totally add a redhead in green with, I don't know, maybe a lumberjack theme and a bigass axe... or maybe she just beats people down with tree trunks... |
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larinon
 Posts: 992 Location: Midland, TX |
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Keep in mind that Monty Oum doesn't really have much to do with the writing. The story idea certainly comes from him but the writing duties have been given to Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. Miles is also writing the current season of Red vs. Blue (Season 11), taking over from Burnie Burns. Monty's main focus is the motion capture and the computer animation side of things.
But it is true that he made them watch Gurren Lagann, along with other "anime homework" that he didn't specifically mention titles for, at least on the RT Podcast, that I recall.
I find this endlessly funny as well as true. |
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Crisha
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There was a study that I read about where participants were shown two pictures of a mother staring down at her baby and they had to choose which one looked more "loving." The pictures were the same except the size of the pupil dilation. The results were unanimous (or almost unanimous), with everyone selecting the picture with the bigger dilation. Most couldn't even understand why they chose that picture... but their brain understood. It's the same techniques used in animation - bigger eyes give off the appearance of innocence, openness, kindness, etc, while smaller, beady eyes tend to give off the appearance of dishonesty, hidden agendas, cruelty, etc. Villains tend to have smaller eyes than the heroes. And speaking of eyes, I forget where I heard it, but the size of each character's eyes was deliberately chosen. Ruby has the biggest eyes of the four to give the impression that she's the most innocent and open of the bunch. After that, I went and compared Weiss and Blake to see who had the smallest eyes - I think Blake does. Since we still don't know her agenda, I think this makes sense.
So, speaking of shipping, Monty has said that there will be romance (though it obviously won't be the main focus of the series). I was directed to this live-stream, where at the very beginning Arryn (the voice of Blake) asks if she can mention that her character gets into a lesbian relationship with someone else. It's quite likely that they're just pulling our strings, but if this show goes for a homosexual relationship I could really get behind it depending upon how it's handled (even if it's Blake... while a small part of me likes her with Adam based on what little I've seen, I'd be very open to a developed relationship between her and another girl). If they're taking influences from anime though, it had better not be any of that Class S bullshit or the "yuri for men" with the focus on innocence, purity, youthfulness, and idealized femininity. I'd rather see something more like the way Jenny and Lynn were handled in Bodacious Space Pirates. @SA - Thanks for the praise! I'm glad I could get you interested in the show. (And your analysis of Watamote in its thread has made me interested in picking it up, though I'm still debating on just waiting until it's finished... I'm in the same situation with The Eccentric Family - start now or start later? I tend to prefer marathoning my anime when possible)
As you can tell with my character analysis - I poke a little fun at Weiss' kuudere-ness - I can recognize the personality tropes. For me, it's not necessarily how standard or straightforward they are, but how the characters are handled and presented. I've found some cute, bubbly characters very annoying and others very charming. Ruby is on the side of charming. I like the way she's presented, I like how she reacts to certain situations, I like how her bubbliness isn't over-exaggerated. It feels like the creators and writers are being sincere without going overboard or going down a checklist of items. Overall, I have liked the way the characters are presented, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop. In regards to voice acting, most of the bitching revolved around the first four previews (or rather, the two that had actual talking in them). And I'll admit, I thought the Adam and Blake sounded a bit stiff at times, but I think that has more to do with experience than anything (I don't think Arryn has had any experience with VA work before that - I think she's mostly a writer for RoosterTeeth). I expect that over time the VAs will get more comfortable expressing themselves and saying their lines. For the most part, I've been quite impressed with the voice acting. Speaking of additional characters (green's my favorite color, so I'd always be up for a green girl), there is a second group that will be introduced (you can see them briefly in the ending song of the first episode). The group is called JAUN. Similar to how RWBY is pronounced the same as Ruby, the MC of the group, JAUN is pronounced the same as the MC for that group, Jaune Arc. And you've already met Jaune - he's the blond boy that puked on Yang's shoe in the first episode. A guy whose name is in reference to Joan of Arc? Oh boy, that's not foreboding at all. I expect his future to be filled with sunshine and sparkles. EDIT: So, apparently JAUN is actually just a temp name fans gave the 2nd group until their names are actually revealed. Good to know. Last edited by Crisha on Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Crisha
Moderator
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Okay, so I had to rewatch the 2nd episode to appreciate it more. Without the wide sweeping motions of battle, it was even easier to see the animation limitations (harder to animate the fine details). I still give the crew a thumbs up for what they did though. I tried to pay attention to how the facial expressions changed and other nonverbal cues (head tilts, body posture), so I can tell that they were trying their best.
I was thrown off by SD!Ruby at first (what was the last anime I watched where I saw a character go so visibly SD? I can't even remember). But on the second rewatch, I thought she was pretty cute. (Maybe that's why Ruby reminds so much of Hikaru Shidou in this episode - MKR had a lot of SD in the anime.) This episode was more about introducing the characters to one another. We finally got to see and hear Weiss, the rich, snobbish heiress with a short temper. It's funny how much of an Umi Ryuuzaki vibe I was getting from her. (Sadly, no Fuu Hououji in the group - well, maybe Yang has her goofiness and Blake has her calm, polite, strategic side... yeah, I'll pull that out of my ass and go with it... wait, why am I looking for MKR in RWBY, WTFOMGBBQLOL). And, yay! More Blake! I love Blake. Calm, collected, mysterious. She pushes buttons and then just sashays off. What a troll.  Her comment about "controversial labor forces" and "questionable business partners" was interesting. I wonder if the labor forces have anything to do with the Fauna Civil Rights Protest mentioned in the first episode. And, if so, I wonder if Blake and Adam were a part of the White Fang that disrupted the protest.
And then there's Jaune. He is such an adorable dork. There were several funny moments between him and Ruby. "The shield gets smaller. So, when I get tired of carrying it I can just put it away." "But... wouldn't it weigh the same?" *defeated* "Yeah, it does." 
The voice acting was quite impressive this episode. I think that the VAs have improved a lot since the previews first started. I think that Lindsay has cut back on the nasal-yness since she first appeared in Yang's preview (though it is still there). Weiss might need a little more work, but since this is the first time we've ever heard from Kara I'll cut a little slack. A little over 5 minutes is not nearly enough though.  I want more already.
--- On a different note, when you're having a stressful day, This Will Be the Day is the perfect song to crank up loud, roll down the windows, and sing your heart out to while you're driving. |
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Surrender Artist
Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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The second episode had an odd arc, of sorts, in it. It opened with some pretty obvious exposition, but it was, “AS YOU KNOW…” obvious, so I’ll give it a pass. (Gee, he really is taking cues from anime). By the end, however, it had become a conversation between Ruby and Jaune* that I thought felt quite natural. As Ruby’s laughs suggest, I think by the end they were two emerging friends, aware of the silliness of their situation and having fun with another. What I wonder about is whether they’ll become romantically entangled… I kind of don’t want them to, because I think that it would be more interesting, to say nothing of refreshing, if they develop a strong dynamic and deep relationship without that necessarily requiring them to be in love.
When Ruby turned into a chibi and started ogling, I thought that she was looking at, y’know, boys. I got the biggest damned smile when I realized that she was really going ga-ga over weapons. That’s much better. I think that I could take a liking to Blake. (Although I would’ve gone with, “labor practices,” not, “labor forces.” *HMPH*) She seems quite, calm and a little low key; I find characters like that relaxing. I think that Weiß Schee has the trickiest path to walk; getting successfully from haughty princess to somebody acceptable as a protagonist could be hard to make convincing and might of necessity employee cliché. Her voice will be similarly tricky to modulate.
Well Hell, I thought it was just for killing werewolves and industrial laundry machines that have been possessed by the devil.
I could totally get behind a genuine lesbian relationship. I'm rooting for it to be with Yang if it happens and don't you dare tell me if you've found something that indicates that this is impossible. LEAVE ME WITH MY DREAMS DAMN YOU! *achem* It would be a little unexpected in something like this and a nice touch if they don't play it up, just as Bodacious Space Pirates did. (Besides, part of me wants to see if they can ruin Chagen's fun) I doubt, however, that she or whoever might end up with would ever dress like Lady Oscar, although one of them saving herself while in a wedding dress feels more plausible. (You know, I’d kill for a Jenny ‘n’ Lynn spin-off)
I was struck by how much you were able, or willing to extrapolate about the characters from their previews and overall thorough presentation. That sent the right signals. I’ve almost mentioned Watamote in my earlier post, but I omitted that since it had gotten rather overgrown. (I had no idea how much I would write going in; hence why it’s a little disorganized and shallow) I’m not doing anything special in the Watamote thread, but I do recommend it to you; from what you’ve told us about yourself in the past, I think that it might strike a chord with you. Having had a Crunchyroll subscription for a few season now, I find that I like watching shows week-to-week since it can give me something to anticipate. (Or accept the imminence of with resignation, like Day Break Illusion) However, I've also realized that I have a richer experience when I watch a whole series at once as a marathon. I notice more and think about it less shallowly that way. (This is probably why I'm silent on The Flowers of Evil; well, that and how dreadful the discussion has ended up) I'm still wondering about the implications of that. At least it will reward watching Lupin III ~The Woman Called Fujiko Mine~ again when I get the home video release. (In the same order with Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, to complement the rest of the series, no less; I'm thinking of waiting until I get Michiko e Hatchin and having me a badass ladies weekend)
I think that they’ve thus far succeeded in portraying her ‘bubbliness’ as a genuine element of her personality that’s not overriding or too affected. That character trait usually goes wrong by feeling like it’s being played up toward the audience rather than for the character’s sake and tends to make her seem like she might have a learning disability. (My little sister can’t be this inbred?)
That makes sense and improves the outlook for the series in my mind. I haven’t watched anything by Rooster Teeth in years, but they’ve been working for a long time, so we might be in experienced hands here. I wish I could say whether this is their first venture into something that’s not predominantly a comedy, although in a way, action series are akin to comedy in that their defined by appealing palpably to a particular visceral emotion.
I do too, to my slight surprise. *French for ‘yellow’, whence jaundice |
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larinon
Posts: 992 Location: Midland, TX |
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I imagine that RWBY will follow the release pattern of Rooster Teeth's flagship title. They released the first two episodes at once - hence the longer "first" episode that everyone saw - and will subsequently release episodes weekly at around 6 minutes.
Red Vs Blue tends to run around 20 episodes or so in this fashion, which is later cut together into a two or two and a half hour movie. At this point that may be what we can expect from RWBY, but I'm hoping we'll get quite a bit more than that in the long run. Multiple seasons, maybe, if it does well? =========================== In episode 2 the sudden appearance of SD Ruby was a bit surprising at first, but it certainly fits the medium. The pacing felt more leisurely in this episode so it makes me wonder if the material we saw in the original four promo videos are flashbacks or flash-forwards. If we're not there yet, then it feels like we have a long ways to go to get there. Which is not a bad thing. ===========================
If you watch the more recent seasons of Red vs. Blue, say from season 6 onward, they've been getting into much more of the dramatic side of things. The original bunch from season 1 help carry the plot somewhat but at times they are like the comedy relief. Again not a bad thing. The entire Freelancer angle features all of the action and drama with very little levity to speak of. And, thanks to the motion capture approach to animation brought to them through hiring Monty Oum (Season 8 was his first, I think), it looks so much better, surpassing the limitations of Machinima alone. |
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DerekTheRed
 Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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What I find most surprising about this thread is that Red Vs Blue apparently never stopped. I remember downloading episodes at terrible resolution off some P2P application (because this was before Youtube) and then storing them on my blue, 256Mb flash drive that cost like $150. I quit that series around season 4 or 5 because it was getting repetitive and silly.
I've gotta say, that this is a Rooster Teeth production isn't a positive in my mind. But that Red trailer, got-dayum... I'll probably try it out when there is at least a half hour of material available. |
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Crisha
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I was intrigued at the thought that they might be flash forwards, but something I noticed this episode is that the scar on top of Weiss' eyelid is present, so at least her video takes place in the past. So it would make sense that all of theirs was. ===== And as for episode 3, yay, group dynamics! So much fun. It's like oil and water - 2 extraverts and 2 I'm happy to see that Yang didn't just forget about her sister. Obviously in the future they're going to be on the same team, but even leading up to that point it's not just, "OH! My friends are here! C-ya!" She still held a spot for her at the opening ceremony and then later slept next to her. I love seeing sisters that tease and goof off with each other. It almost seems like Ruby doesn't really know what Dust is. Or maybe she knows about it, but doesn't really understand it. Given how the the first episode started, you'd think she would, but she seemed kind of confused that there was an explosion and then ice. It makes me wonder how well known and understood Dust really is at this point by the general public. Or maybe it's just Ruby growing up not knowing much about it. Her and Yang's weapons don't have anything to do with Dust. Thinking back on the first four videos, each character fought an entirely different entity. Ruby's was wolves/beasts, Weiss' Big Armor seemed to be power by some sort of magic/Dust, Blake's was robots, and Yang's was humans. So it seems like there are four different forces that could potentially become antagonists. It kind of makes me wonder if their weapons are better suited for different fights. Yang's strength and gauntlets, as awesome as they are, might not be so effective against robots. And considering that three of the four girls fight with sharp edges, are we actually going to see people get killed in this series? But back to the third episode. Professor Ozpin's speech... "all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose." N'aw, man, c'mon, tell us what you REEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY think. It was pretty effective at setting a more serious tone, probably alluding to where the series will eventually go.
And then there's Blake's book, a tale of a man with two souls each fighting for control over his body (her eyes got the widest I've seen for her when she said that - aw...). I wonder who that alludes to. Adam? Blake? Or is it just a general statement about the duality of humanity? Is it taken literally, metaphorically, or both? Aww... Ruby and Blake had a moment of connection. And the trend continues, making Jaune out as the dorky buttmonkey. But I love him precisely because of that. I find it amusing that it was the word "scraggly" that got his attention when Weiss was describing him. And then later with the pjs.
That pjs scene all-together was great. A bunch of men, bare from the waist up, clearly posing for all the ladies. Free! isn't the only series this season with that kind of fanservice. But I was actually paying more attention to the ladies in their pjs. Those shoulders. Damn, we finally get some fine muscle tone! I really appreciated that.
Overall, great episode! It was funny, had some good dynamic-building scenes, and even edged in a little fanservice (both girls and guys). Looking forward to more next week! |
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