Last week I picked up BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Arc’s answer to the void left by Marvel v Capcom, and amongst the game’s roster of BlazBlue, Persona and Under Night In-Birth characters are the protagonists from RWBY. If you are like me, you may have asked: “Who dat’?”
RWBY (pronounced “Ruby”) is a 3D American anime that premiered in 2013. It follows the story of four plucky super-powered girls who fight monsters with the power of friendship… and violence. I find it hard to describe RWBY without pulling out the laundry list of anime/manga that unabashedly inspired the show. RWBY walks a fine line between homage and feeling derivative. But before I start sounding too much like a negative Nancy, let’s talk about why you should or shouldn’t (but you probably should) watch RWBY.
The Good. RWBY is a fantastical, fun, action packed adventure. The show’s main protagonists; Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, are loosely inspired by fairytale princesses and are endearing AF. The writing and voice acting for the quartet is great and you can’t help yourself from caring about them as they fight against evil or struggle with their own human shortcomings, like missing limbs. While each girls fits snugly into an anime archetype, care and thoughtfulness has gone into their development making each of the protagonists feel unique. Fight scenes are kinetic explosions that are a joy to watch and the highlight in most episodes. The energetic pop/rock soundtrack fits perfectly with the shows frenetic battles, even if it does seem reminiscent of la musique du jour of every anime/video game con ever. The overarching narrative is engaging and scratches an itch for that epic adventure quest. Something I haven’t felt since The Last Airbender, clearly one of the many inspirations for the show.
The Bad. Season one. It might sound harsh to call out an entire season as a dissuading element to viewer engagement, especially considering the hype and adoration the premier received. The first season of RWBY attests to the show’s humble beginnings. The animation comes across as rough and many character movements are rigid and unnatural. The girls preferred gait for every situation seemed to be the always practical “runway walk.” Conversely, season one acts as an impressive testament to how much the show has grown when compared to more recent episodes. Each episode is short, averaging 15min. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing but fitting stories into bite-sized morsels comes at the cost of character development. This is really more of an issue early on in the show and is noticeably improved as time goes on. The voice acting. There are fantastic voice talents in RWBY. Then there are the gaggle of Rooster Teeth employees that have inexplicably been allowed to voice characters they really have no business doing so. I know that Rooster Teeth is based in Texas but I find it hard to believe that their casting pool was limited to predominately white guys in their twenties that conveniently also work in the building.
Conclusion. I can’t stress enough how wonderful RWBY is as a whole. It is a beautiful love letter to past 20 years of anime/animation while also creating something new and wonderful, though not without its flaws. At times the references and call-outs do a disservice to the series, taking focus away from an excellent show. Seeing how much the series has grown and improved from season to season makes me very excited to see what’s next for RWBY. Thanks BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle for helping me discover this fantastic series, your greedy character DLC stunt is still a pile of bullshit. Cheers!
solarnoise 