How to improve RWBY: an anime fan's perpective

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Hello and welcome to a special supplement to the RWBY reviews. I've have made a lot of complaints about the show and some of the points are getting very repetitive and combined with how angry Gamergate is making me, I figure this would be a good way to reduce the repetition of the reviews while venting my anger.

So with that said, here is the anime fan's guide to improving RWBY

(if this was a guy with the glasses review, there would a little song, I may be obsessed with trying to mimic them, please be patient)

First is something that most people have noticed, the animation. My god, it goes into stupid at times. I've seen way too many incidents of arms clipping through clothing, hands not actually grabbing items and even during the fights, I find that some of the animation could really benefit from more frames per second in animation. Sadly, the only way to really fix this is to go on hiatus, finish all the episodes and spend time pouring over each frame to make sure that there are no real hiccups because the clipping and off model stuff is getting annoying.

Next is the writing; dear god, why. It shifts too often between goofball antics with our "characters"(i will explain why the parenthesis in the next part) and really poorly executed melodrama (see the Weiss/Blake conflict in the first season). It feels either too rushed or too slow and often focuses more on irrelevant humor than any plot; now if this was a comedy, I can accept the humor but this is a story that we are supposed to be fully invested in and while eliminated all humor would also be detrimental, please just learn how to ease us in and give us space.

The characters are trope-filled and boring. I feel like I am filling an "anime trope" checklist with these people and some of their designs, intentional or not, give me a bit of "did i see this before". I have made several comparisons between Penny and Nu-13, Yang is a blond version of Bullet without the hot pants, Ruby is like every other happy go lucky genki girl and Blake is just flat and brooding with no backing to it. Weiss is the worst offender to me since she is every whiny Ojou sama stereotype crammed into one: the high pitched voice, the rapier, the outfit and general cold attitude. I would have like these characters more if they had progressed past their tropes but they don't. Ruby's insecurities as a leader seem solved in the time between seasons, Penny's reveal is a severe case of unintentional dramatic irony, we never see Blake progress past cold and brooding, Yang get no development, and Weiss's development is alluded but with no payoff at this point. JNPR is worse but I think my energy is almost out so I will finish with one last point.

The voice acting is horrendous, I expect better from a studio that had Elijah Wood to play Signa in RvB to be able to find better voice talent but no, we are stuck with either flat or poorly delivered. It adds to the flaws of the characters because not only can I not stand their writing but they don't even sound fun. This is especially a problem with Cinder; she sounds bored and harmless. I really get no malice from her, no charisma or seduction, I just get flat.

Well that's it for my guide, you have anything to add, feel free to do so but right now, I think i need to lie down now.

 

[RJ 17]

I think it's important to keep in mind that this is a web series that was indeed brought to us by the creators of RvB.

With regards to the animation: again, this is a web series. They have a much lower budget than an actual show would have. I'd argue you should be thankful that the animation is as good as it is rather than focusing on the negative details.

With regards to the writing: yet again with the web series. These episodes don't last 30 minutes a pop, as such the pacing is going to be much quicker than an ordinary show. This brings the abrupt shifts between silliness and seriousness. I'm not saying that such a thing can be excused in ordinary circumstances, but this show isn't in an ordinary circumstance.

With regards to the characters: there's always going to be characters that you don't like. I'd challenge you to name a single anime or show that doesn't use troped-out characters all over the place. Generally speaking with regards to anime, all you have to do is watch 3 episodes and you'll be able to pick out the goofball, the happy one, the moody one, the badass one, the snobby one, etc. Complain about it if you like, I'm not the one who gets to determine what your tastes are, afterall. I just don't see the point in it.

With regards to the voice acting: once again, back to the fact that this is a webseries. The fact that they pulled a celebrity in to voice a part in RvB is indeed pretty sweet, but the rest of them are still amateur voice actors.

In short: I think you're comparing apples to oranges here. But again, it's your opinion and you have every right to it. I do wonder why you bother watching the show, though, since you apparently like absolutely nothing about it judging by your thoughts on the matter.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I think it's important to keep in mind that this is a web series that was indeed brought to us by the creators of RvB.

With regards to the animation: again, this is a web series. They have a much lower budget than an actual show would have. I'd argue you should be thankful that the animation is as good as it is rather than focusing on the negative details.

With regards to the writing: yet again with the web series. These episodes don't last 30 minutes a pop, as such the pacing is going to be much quicker than an ordinary show. This brings the abrupt shifts between silliness and seriousness. I'm not saying that such a thing can be excused in ordinary circumstances, but this show isn't in an ordinary circumstance.

With regards to the characters: there's always going to be characters that you don't like. I'd challenge you to name a single anime or show that doesn't use troped-out characters all over the place. Generally speaking with regards to anime, all you have to do is watch 3 episodes and you'll be able to pick out the goofball, the happy one, the moody one, the badass one, the snobby one, etc. Complain about it if you like, I'm not the one who gets to determine what your tastes are, afterall. I just don't see the point in it.

With regards to the voice acting: once again, back to the fact that this is a webseries. The fact that they pulled a celebrity in to voice a part in RvB is indeed pretty sweet, but the rest of them are still amateur voice actors.

In short: I think you're comparing apples to oranges here. But again, it's your opinion and you have every right to it. I do wonder why you bother watching the show, though, since you apparently like absolutely nothing about it judging by your thoughts on the matter.

I am watching because of boredom; the show takes very little out of my time and I generally like writing about how the plot completely fails. I may have watched too much Linkara or Nostalgia critic. In addition, I really want to like it, I love crazy action and the Freelancer fights in RvB were awesome but this just seems to squander all the potential

as for characters, yes almost all characters are tropes but the thing is they typically grow within their tropes and even beyond them to become more fleshed out. RWBY just does none of that and sticks us with lazy character

writing: they know the episodes are short so they should have either trimmed unnecessary scenes out, or edited the script to make the pacing better. They have done it before with RvB to some degree of success so why not here.

Voice acting: no, I don't buy it, I get that they wanted to get new talent in but even amateurs can sound good with a strict and fair hand but Monty or the people handling the voice actors don't seem to put enough effort in making sure they actually act.

Animation: if they knew they would have issues with animation, why release it this early? why not just make all the episodes, polish up like half, then release the episodes weekly while polishing up the rest. There are ways to make sure it's good. Also I don't buy the argument that it's low budget is the issue. Melty Blood is a fighting game made by two doujin circles in 2002 and it still looks better; lot more frames per action, smoother motions and less clipping (granted its 2D so the clipping is really not an issue). If two doujin circles can make a full fighter, a studio like Rooster Teeth can make a better animated version of RWBY.

 

[Aerosteam]

I've not seen very much of RWBY but from what I heard I'm happy that's the case.

Jesus Christ the animation quality is SO BAD. Usually someone would point towards the action scenes but I'd go somewhere else for that kind of stuff.

It's a webseries.

I'm gonna go with the analogy of something like when a child draws picture; It's obviously no Mona Lisa, and maybe it looks good when considering the resources and amount of experience the child has with art... but the drawing will still suck.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Consider this, Red Vs Blue voice casts are comprised most if not all of the RoosterTeeth members like Burnie, Geoff, Gus and etc (not sure if Washington voice actor is a full time member on the company). Needless to say none of them are proffessional voice actors when they first start making Red Vs Blue. So here we are, their voices had pretty much became iconic in a way (well I recoganise their voices easily) and they probably still don't consider themselve as professional actors!
Why not cut their fellow female compatriot some slacks since I guessing the reason why they wanted their female coworkers to voiced the gals was to repeat what they did with RvB? Yes I admit their voice are plains but give it some time and they may reach the same status with RvB some day (which I guess the quality of the show may improved overtime aswell).

Still I do agreed that the writing need some improvement and aswell the cliche/ troupes.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Consider this, Red Vs Blue voice casts are comprised most if not all of the RoosterTeeth members like Burnie, Geoff, Gus and etc (not sure if Washington voice actor is a full time member on the company). Needless to say none of them are proffessional voice actors when they first start making Red Vs Blue. So here we are, their voices had pretty much became iconic in a way (well I recoganise their voices easily) and they probably still don't consider themselve as professional actors!
Why not cut their fellow female compatriot some slacks since I guessing the reason why wanted their female coworkers to voiced the gals was to repeat what they did with RvB? Yes I admit their voice are plains but give it some time and they may reach the same status with RvB some day (which I guess the quality of the show may improved overtime aswell).

Still I do agreed that the writing need some improvement and aswell the clich/ troupes.

I get that they are new but again, if you actually direct your actors to try harder, even amateurs can do well; that's the case with movies so I see no reason why it can't be the case with RWBY.

 

[Super Cyborg]

For the animation part, I never notice the stuff unless someone points is out, and even then I don't always notice it. Of course, during the whole Watch Dogs graphics thing, I couldn't see the difference between the E3 version and the other one, and people kept talking about how huge a difference it was. I seem to be blind to animation and graphics stuff. So my opinion on the animation really doesn't matter.

As for the characters, they are partially stereotypes, but it seems like for some of them (Weiss mostly), they are trying to add some type of depth to them. Weiss had that thing where she was hesitant to talk to her father or sister, so there is something there. I like Yang, but she doesn't have a character really. Ruby seems to have moments, and Blake is hit or miss. I will agree that moments can be rushed or happen to slow, and the whole Weiss, Juan, and Pyrra thing could've not been included. Overall though, I feel that they each have their charm, and the villains have potential. The main thing is they need to have a concrete plan on how they want to use the character, and execute it well.

The story is definitely something to be desired. It seems like they have broad ideas, but there is no details of what they want. They have bad guys, it's peace time but it seems like it will be ending soon, and some other stuff. There are no details though. What exactly do people hate about faunists, what do the bad guys want exactly, what kind of world building has there been? They had an uphill battle after season 1, but they haven't done anything this season to address those problems, though there are hints for at least the bad guys. Also the very first few minutes of this season was pointless.

I like it overall, because I have low expectations for web series, and it also probably helps I never seen anything else Rooster Teeth has done. I don't deny that it has problems that it could fix, but it has it's charm and even some of the cheesy stuff people dislike I like. Also, the food fight was awesome, so I can't complain to much.

 

[RJ 17]

I am watching because of boredom; the show takes very little out of my time and I generally like writing about how the plot completely fails. I may have watched too much Linkara or Nostalgia critic. In addition, I really want to like it, I love crazy action and the Freelancer fights in RvB were awesome but this just seems to squander all the potential

I can understand that, but I'd still say all your complaints about the series can be summed up with "it's a web-series". If you watch it out of boredom and because you like to complain about it, well that's your business. Personally I prefer to use my free time for things other than what I know I'll be disappointed with.

This is why I've walked into GameStop twice now and had FFXIII in my hand - wanting to see if it's truly as horrendous as everyone says - only to put it back on the shelf and walk out because I know for a fact that I'm not going to like the game.

And indeed, the RvB series was fantastic...but that was using assets from a game combined with some motion capture. That's completely different from animating from scratch.

It's a webseries.

I'm gonna go with the analogy of something like when a child draws picture; It's obviously no Mona Lisa, and maybe it looks good when considering the resources and amount of experience the child has with art... but the drawing will still suck.

Indeed that's true, but do you then turn around and critique said picture for the child? "Seriously Timmy, what the hell are you doing with this blue duck over here? Ducks aren't blue. And look, you colored outside of the lines all over the place. That person's hand only has four fingers, and the roof on the house in the background is completely lop-sided." Or do you just shrug and accept it for what it is: a picture drawn by a child? The same way I'm suggesting you shrug and take this for what it is: a web-series from a studio whose first foray into actual animation from scratch just happens to be what you're critiquing?

Now we're not dealing with 6 year olds here, we're dealing with grown adults putting forth this project and I'm not saying that they're above reproach. Still, as I said above, most of the complaints revolving around it can be attributed to the simple fact that it's a web series.

 

[Robot Number V]

I think I can counter most criticisms of RWBY with the following question and statement:

Do you like Red Vs Blue?

If not, you probably aren't going to like RWBY regardless. If the answer is yes, then I suggest you go back and watch the first season.

You done?

....Yeah. Kinda rough, huh? Well, RWBY is the exact same deal. Just give them some time. They're all (literally) amateurs at this. But they're trying, and they're figuring it out. Plus, they're not charging anything for you to watch the series. You get what you pay for. Simple as that.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Snippy snip

Hah, finally, someone who can get my words out better than I could. I'm having a blast with this show. It doesn't have to be the most epic thing on the planet. Some stuff is still really dumb (Bullying arc in S1), but... I'm glad the animation is better, I enjoy the longer episodes, and it's still as fun as it always has been for me. I'm not gonna sit here and critique it like it's meant to change the world. It is what it is, and I like what it is. It's not above critique, and it's not above improvement, but... It's just *fun* and that's what I like most~

 

[ZeroAxis]

It's created specifically by Monty Oum, who created the mountain of awesome that is Dead Fantasy (virtually on his own). I watch for the fight scenes he choreographs. Since this is his first shot at a real story I excuse him for ripping off Soul Eater down to the actual classroom itself. He's new, give him time to grow. The second season is already better than the first and since Japan is picking it up, it can't be that bad.

As for improvements:

Dead Fantasy to me is still prettier than RWBY, Monty could use a few lessons from CyberConnect 2 or Dimps for 3D Cel-Shaded animation but it is getting better.

The story is better in season 2 so more patience on our part is needed than improvement on his part. He's coming along.

Characters: See "story above"

Voice Actors: I tend to watch most of my anime subbed, so to me all english anime voice actors/actresses aren't much better than chalkboard scratchings except for Evangelion, and Full Metal Alchemist.

 

[Kittyhawk]

As a web effort, I guess its of a certain way. My problems with it mind are a few. I know that anime can be better than cookie cutter tropes, characters and a cut and paste storyline. Many fans watch certain shows and feel that for it to be anime, they must emulate every regurgitated trope out there from Japan, when that's not true at all. The sooner they realize this, the better this stuff will get.

Animation is dodgy. This is easy to see because the two most complicated things every artist knows is that emulating hands and faces are the most difficult parts of the body. I guess they'll learn as they go along but I still can't watch it, because I've outgrown anime shows of that type.

Give me a show with some substance, no lame ass pandering tropes, decent characters and a good story and I'll follow. Unfortunately, such shows are few these days.

As an amateur effort, its really built on the back of the progress of 3D tech like Poser, and has vast room for improvement. Seen stuff like it before so I find it a bit 'meh'.

Now, that Under the Dog on Kickstarter, that is something I'd watch, that's trying to break the commitee laced straight jacket tropes that are strangling much anime.

Enjoy it if its for you, though. Not a bad effort, since its from that Dead Fantasy guy.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Burnie Burns has always said that the guiding maxim for RT was that they make the kind of shows they would want to watch. Monty, Miles, and Kerry are doing just that. Maybe you don't like it, that's totally fine. RWBY has many fans though, and is overall quite successful. I was pretty lukewarm towards it during season 1 but season 2 has shown a marked improvement and I'm now pretty happy with the direction it's going. It won't be perfect overnight, but it's getting better and better as the show goes on.

So yea. Basically all I can say is

 

[Kittyhawk]

Hey, each to their own. I'm perfectly happy watching JoJo BA, Space Dandy, Space Bros and the few anime I do like.

And upcoming Kiseiju (aka Parasyte) is really my kind of thing. Just a well crafted story with less guff. Can hardly wait for the anime series after buying the superb manga. Its due to start in October I think, so if you want a good tale with less cheese, check it out.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Fact is this is Roosterteeth. We know they can do better because they have done better. Then again, their last couple seasons of RVB have been turning into cap with characters nobody gives a shit about.

 

[NoaNeumann]

From what I have seen of the show, there's a few plot holes and confusing points that need to be either redone or just completely forgotten. Like for instance...

Dust; so it allows people to do various..attacks or.. magical things based on their elements right? But then apparently people have psychic or magical powers already so then what's the point of Dust in the long run? Speaking of which what are their powers? Is it magical or psychic? Are they mutants? They never explain.

Teaming Up; So when forming a team of people who are going to fight these monsters and basically save humanity's bacon, the best course of action would be to plot and plan it it, get someone whose strength covers anothers weakness or that they show a remarkable rapport with one another or...or just shoot them off into a forest and assign, for the rest of their active career's the next few random people they meet first...yeah.. that's cool?

Physical Abilities; I've seen them pull off some amazing stuff, but...how do they get hurt? I mean I have seen them take these huge attacks and what not and come out of being thrown so hard into a wall that it cracks around them...as if someone threw them into a memory foam mattress, maybe asking for too much realism, but c'mon.

Guns, Everywhere; I'm not the first to mention this, but it seems like literally 'everything' is a secondary gun, a scythe that turns into a rifle, a hammer that turns into a grenade launcher, a katana that is a pistol and...the most hilarious/dumb one I could think of, nun-chucks/sectional staff....that shoot out bullets/whatever..that.. is like the silliest thing and that's saying something in a world where gauntlets and boots can also be guns too.

 

[Redryhno]

There's alot of problem with RWBY, and some I'll give them for it being a web series, but there's just alot of other things that should've been polished and improved between seasons. The first, and most glaringly obvious, is that their sound is absolute shite, from most of their voices to their in-fight effects. There's nothing tying it together, and the music they do have except for the opening is incredibly forgettable, as in, you don't fucking notice when it's playing.

Except for Jaune, Ren, Sun, Roman, Phyrra, and Neptune, the voices they've got are horrible. I can forgive the characters that didn't have much screentime in the last season, except for the fact that the most insufferable performances are the main cast, who should have more focused on them since they're, you know, the main characters.

Then there's their in-fight effects, the trailers were pretty good overall, then we get to the main show and a gigantic robot smashes the ground and it might as well sound like a pen dropping on linoleum. There's no excuse for that in any kind of production, especially coming from RT. They've had years for their sound to be well done.

My personal gripe with them though, is the length of the episodes, it's never been consistent, you've got 5 minutes here, 20 minutes there, hell the last episode had a grand total of 8 minutes that wasn't opening and ending, while the one before it I was happy with since it was 15, enough time for there to be some actual developments.

Which leads into the pacing being just as inconsistent, I really didn't care for the bully arc in the first season, but at least their pacing wasn't as bad. You didn't have ten minutes of running through alleyways followed by "I wanna be a real [s/]boy[/s] girl" during that at least.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Considering that it's the team behind Red Vs. Blue I'll cut them a lot of slack, it's a web-series with a small-ish budget I figure, does what it intends to do well enough, flat backgrounds non withstanding. And man are those tropes esoteric, I used to think that I was going towards otaku territory, but it's posts like these that illuminate that I'm in the all clear.

 

[Supdupadog]

Budget is no excuse for basic animation mistakes. Either tune down the pizzazz until it fits in the budget, or get a bigger budget.

T.V. animation is a legacy of making shows on shoe string budgets. Web animation is based on even less than a shoe string.

With RWBY, I'm pretty sure their artists/animators/editors just aren't giving enough craps.

 

[Gatx]

Way in the beginning when it was first announced, I had thought that RWBY was going to be a series with a minimalistic plot and stylized aesthetic (the color palettes in the Red and Black trailer were really artsy) composed mostly of flashy action scenes (like an art focused graphic novel or something). It ended up being WAY more conventional than I thought but it grew on me. I enjoy it the way I can enjoy a mediocre sitcom or a formulaic action movie.