RWBY – Quick Overview & Volume 3 Chapter 4 Review
Surprise RWBY!
Surprise! You probably weren’t expecting a post on RWBY on Metanorn, but it’s pretty much an anime so it’s actually right at home here.
Intro
The world of Remnant.
I recently got into RWBY, and I must say that I am hooked. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when the show already has two seasons (dubbed volumes) and is into its fourth episode (episodes are dubbed chapters) of the third volume. But hey, better late than never! Anyway, due to the timing of my coverage the readership will most likely be split into two groups: those who have been following RWBY and those who have not. The former may well skip to my thoughts on the latest chapter. But as it would be unfair for the latter to jump right into the show, I will endeavor to summarize the main points of the RWBY universe and story so far. That said, a short paragraph or two doesn’t do justice to the full breadth of the show, so I would strongly encourage the uninitiated to watch it for themselves. The episodes can be found on both YouTube and on Rooster Teeth’s website.
Quick Overview
Double Trouble
Mercury’s got moves.
Before I kick off the chapter four review, I think it appropriate to reiterate that the timing of my coverage is especially unfortunate as the show is just now moving on to an arc in which Huntsmen from all over Remnant gather to participate in a combat tournament. Sound familiar? But hey, you gotta have a tournament in a fighting show. Say what you will, but this is pretty much par for the course. And in the show’s defense, there’s so much more to it than just the tournament, so I will leave it at that.
Coco and Yatsuhashi defeated.
Back to the matter at hand, chapter four starts with the doubles match between Coco & Yatsuhashi and Mercury & Emerald. Unsurprisingly, Mercury and Emerald emerge victorious. Though I did not expect Coco and Yatsuhashi to get their asses handed to them so completely. Given their performance in the finale of volume two, I figured the upperclassmen would give the undercover baddies a run for their money. But I guess either the former severely underestimated the latter, or this was a case of a poor match-up of abilities. We know that Coco and Yatsuhashi are real powerhouses, but they aren’t exactly the fastest fighters around. So it makes sense that Mercury and Emerald could outmaneuver the pair, split them up, and take them down one by one. Speaking of abilities, we see a fair bit of what the two baddies can do in battle. Mercury’s boots fire some sort of exploding shot (maybe a burst of air?). He uses a fighting style akin to a series of swipes or flares in break dancing to generate a whirlwind of these shots, which he then directs in a barrage towards a target. Really flashy, but I can’t help but feel that a well-timed or well-placed blow can disrupt his whole routine. As for Emerald, she can either take on the appearance of someone else or create a convincing illusion of a person. I’m not sure if this illusion only works on one target or if it works on anyone watching, but it’s definitely a stereotypically appropriate tool for a saboteur and thief.
Development Galore
Winter summons a familiar.
After the match, we get more development between Weiss and her sister. The exchange further cements the idea that Weiss idolizes her sister and perhaps even seeks approval. On the other hand, we see that Winter does care a great deal for Weiss, as she offers sound advice to her little sister about further developing her semblance and even dealing with their father. We also learn that all members of the Schnee family inherit a common semblance. They can use glyphs to do a variety of things, like control time or summon a familiar in the image of a defeated enemy. This is a bit unusual, as we had previously been led to believe that one’s aura and semblance are as unique as one’s soul. In any case, the discussion progresses to Winter training Weiss to use summoning. This is highly reminiscent of Yoda training Luke to use the force, as both trainees stubbornly hold a self-defeating attitude. The exchanges here continue to paint a different picture of the heiress. In contrast to her usual composure and self-confidence, Weiss made out to be naive and even childish in this volume. She can’t deal with her father, seeks to impress her sister, and is full of doubt when it comes to summoning. This really is the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen her. But these weaknesses will surely provide a fantastic opportunity for Weiss to grow, if the tease at the end where she unknowingly summons a mini version of the sword wielded by the golem(?) in the white trailer is any indication.
Qrow was defeated.
Finally, we have some catching-up between Ruby, Yang, and Qrow over the Remnant equivalent of Mortal Kombat. We get a really good feel for Qrow’s character as he tells a funny story about one of his missions and cautions his nieces that they are not as ready for the the world as they think when they boast about their achievements in volume two. He provides kind of a tough love, all while maintaining the image of being an overall cool old guy. And since he is also in a position to know a lot about what’s going on, he also serves as a great source of exposition for the show. During a discussion of Roman Torchwick’s capture, he casually mentions that the White Fang has ceased all activity in Vale ever since a new leader took over. We know this leader to be Adam, but the important point is that the lack of action may be a ploy to lure General Ironwood into a false sense of security. I can see this being the case, as Ironwood may be overconfident now that he has Roman in custody. And as much as I hope that the man in charge of the world’s largest military has enough perception to realize that an organization doesn’t fall apart the moment its leader is captured, he really may be as ignorant as Qrow makes him out to be.
Speaking of casual exposition, Qrow provides more of this when he just whips out a picture of his old team to reminisce. We learn that their official designation is team STRQ, pronounced “stark”. This is important as it implicitly reveals that Summer was actually the leader of the gang (all team names start with the leader’s initial), which is a bit surprising as she appears the shy type in the photo. I suppose one might have foreseen this by noting that the teams are all arranged in order of their team names in the volume three opening, but I digress. Anyway, Qrow for some reason sees fit to show this photo to Ruby and Yang, even though I suspect he knows that Yang would immediately realize who her mother is in the picture. He kind of makes an effort to subtly cover up Raven’s face with his thumb, but the damage is already done by the look on Yang’s face. Was this simply a slip-up, demonstrating that Qrow may be a bit careless at times? Or did he deliberately show Yang her mother’s face, perhaps because he somehow knows about the close encounter the two had on the train in the volume two finale and saw fit to give her a hint?
Yang sees a familiar face.
About Sumairii
POWUH: 400-499 with 462 comments
I suppose I should catch up with this season, but I’ve been hesitant to watch it since… well… Monty…
Also, the OP for season 3 is really depressing.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
The volume 3 OP definitely has a lot of dark foreshadowing. I’m guessing it’ll end on a depressing note, but at least that will set us up for a fourth volume for the heroes to recover!
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I heard there’s a Japanese dub of this; think Sawashiro Miyuki’s voicing one of the characters.
Has anyone watched the dub yet? I saw a preview, thought it sounded good.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Yeah, they nabbed an all-star cast for the Japanese dub. Haven’t seen it myself though.
Here’s a preview of the dub from a while back:
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Late but… I pick the one with the kemonomimi! Or more precisely, the Black Nekomimi! E:3