RWBY Season 4 Has Ended - Aftermath (SPOILERS)

[Paragon Fury]

So RWBY Season 4 is over, and it was interesting, if a little scattered; major things revealed/shown by the end;

Spoiler

- ReNora is official ship now
- Most every protagonist's past except Jaune's revealed
- Ospin soul-transferred himself into a farmhand apparently
- Cortana Salem is evil and apparently has been around for a very long time
- Revealed how humanity and Grimm were created
- Yang got a new arm
- Revealed that White Fang got taken over by Salem for her own ends
- Weiss's father is a bastard
- Weiss runs away to join Winter
- Professor Lionheart, Haven Academy's Headmaster, apparently knows/works for Salem

Now we have to wait for six-eight months for Season 5. DAMNIT.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I stopped caring about Rooster Teeth when they kept York dead so Carolina and him couldn't find some quiet corner of the Galaxy to live in peace and happiness together.

Classic case of writing to much without writing anything at all.

 

[Kolby Jack]

I stopped caring about Rooster Teeth when they kept York dead so Carolina and him couldn't find some quiet corner of the Galaxy to live in peace and happiness together.

Classic case of writing to much without writing anything at all.

Are you joking? That seems like a really petty reason to stop following something... Not the pettiest I've heard though. I loved Epsilon showing York's journals to Carolina. Great moment, so sad. At least she has new friends now.

On-topic: This season was a lot of set-up, which I'm sure some people will rag on like it's season 2 of the Walking Dead where nothing happens. Whatever, fuck those people. I loved it, except for one small beef:

-I thought the timeskip was meant to show an advancement of skills for at least Team RNJR, and it has, but not as much as I would have liked. Tyrian stomping them before Qrow showed up was kind of cool, but they literally could do NOTHING to him. These kids aren't eight years old here, they should be able to get SOME offense in on somebody they outnumber four to one. It really makes it look like they don't have the slightest chance against ANY of the bad guys without adult help, which is a little lame.

But there was much more to like with regard to character progression:

-Qrow's justification for being an aloof loner is good. He's a liability to his enemies AND his friends, so it makes perfect sense for him to be a lone agent even though he clearly really doesn't want to be.

-Ruby's letter at the end really cemented her character. It's clear that she was hurt by what happened last season like everyone else, but she remained hopeful anyway and pressed on. I like that, and it highlights why she's the leader of her team despite her younger age.

-Sun telling a guilt-ridden Blake that she can make her own decisions but NOT her friends' decisions was well done, as was him reminding her that pushing her friends away hurts them more than any physical wound ever could. I just really liked Sun this season. Swell guy! And Blake wanting to reform the White Fang rather than fight it is interesting. I look forward to seeing where that goes.

-I speculated right after season 3 ended that Taiyang would teach Yang control herself during fights. Not exactly an out-there prediction, but eh. It was nice to see. Barbara has proven to be quite a good voice actor. And Yang choosing Ruby over Raven was again predictable, but in a good way.

-Oscar is... interesting. We still don't know exactly how or why Ozpin fused with him, but apparently it's not shocking to Qrow. I suspect his staff is or holds the relic Salem wants, which is why they couldn't find it at Beacon. Lot of McGuffins coming into play now though. Four Maidens, Silver eyes, four relics... it looks like that's it, so hopefully the story tightens after this.

-Hazel intrigues me the most. We know literally nothing except that Ozpin knows him somehow. Possibly a former teammate? Maybe he's a double agent FOR Ozpin? He's definitely going to play a big role down the road, that's for sure.

I'm definitely looking forward to season 5.

 

[Alternative]

I was pretty disappointed with season 4.
Ive been pretty lukewarm on RWBY in general but always found the first 3 seasons enjoyable. But season 4 lost the things that made RWBY fun, namely the flowing rhythmic fight scenes and doubled down on the shitty anime trope filled writing.

 

[Aeshi]

How could you guys forget the ever-important reveal that Jaune's sword can transform... Into a slightly larger sword?!

But seriously, I'm just happy that nobody died. Also Flower Power has set sail Woop Woop!

 

[Scarim Coral]

Honestly I was suprise how short the season feel (yes I know it was 13 episode and the first season was kinda like that). I didn't expect RNJR to reach their destination right at the end!
The season was alright but I didn't like the split up at first but it look like they will come together at the next season well except for Blake unless the White Fang reformal take place in Minstral.
Lastly yeah, despite the deathflag showing up near the end but horay! No one died!

 

[Paragon Fury]

Honestly I was suprise how short the season feel (yes I know it was 13 episode and the first season was kinda like that). I didn't expect RNJR to reach their destination right at the end!
The season was alright but I didn't like the split up at first but it look like they will come together at the next season well except for Blake unless the White Fang reformal take place in Minstral.
Lastly yeah, despite the deathflah showing up near the end but horay! No one died!

I'm pretty sure it was like the 2nd or 3rd to last episode where Blake's Dad reveals that he has found out the White Fang intends to recreate the Fall of Beacon at Haven (in Mistral) next.

 

[rosac]

This season felt short, but a lot of backstory was covered in a way that wasn't dull. Relationships that were a bit tenuous (Weiss relationship with the rest of her family, Yang/her dad, Blake/parents/Sun, Nora/Ren) were expanded on, there were plenty of feels moments.

It's been a set up arc, but a bloody good one. Lots of potential plot lines that hopefully won't get in each others way.

Also, Tyrian is creepy as hell.

EDIT: Speaking of feels, the jaune/phyrra scene really got to me. Really emphasises the loss felt.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I'm not going to make a review unless people really want me to since i've been worn out by RWBY but I will leave my points on it here.

I HATE THIS SEASON

Seriously, it feels so off to me
-One: the grimm's perception. so the first two seasons have the grimm shown as disposable. Sure, they say they are monsters that kill humanity but the way the characters disposed of them made them ineffectual. Now, i'm meant tt take them as a threat despite the fact that even the big grimm at the end didn't seem to warrant a professional huntsman if even a group of 4 students can take it down.

-Two: Blake's arc. Blake is one of the most cyclical characters in terms of writing I've seen. She constantly returns to the "loner" archtype and has to be told to open up multiple times by friends and family. It shows how lazy the writers are that they repeat the plot structure of the second season but add "hilarious" dynamics between Blake and Sun despite the fact that the two have not have enough scenes together to justify any relationship.

-Three: the fight choreography. This is one of the cheapest and most horribly framed action shows i've seen in a while. The Tyrian vs RNJR and Qrow fight did not preserve the left/right axis of motion and position, it cuts too often at hits, it can't keep the camera still long enough to allow us to take in the fight. The sea dragon fight is almost worse as it copies a bit from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children but with no new creative elements to help differentiate it from the pack.

-Four: Yang's arc. Yang's arc is the ultimate testament to poor writing. Introducing the prosthetic arm so early into her narrative and then having her put it on so soon after introduction minimizes the impact of her limb loss and cheapens any emotional impact the arc could have. the arc is simply a return to status quo compared to what the writing should have been which was much more questioning ability and strength.

-Five: Ruby's writing. So Ruby has had her world view about heroes saving the day and good prevailing over evil shattered by both the death of Penny and Pyrraha and the destruction of Beacon. And this has no effect on her personality: no contemplation of whether heroes are enough, no zoning out or real pain other than the token nightmare about the incident, the fact that she laughed at Jaune's hoodie which is a reminder of Pyrraha. She's still overly positive and peepy

-Six: terrible worldbuilding. The fact that they still have the World of Remnant videos to build the world is simply absurd from a world building perspective. The inability to incorporate the information directly into the show in a way that allows for the audience to understand without being bogged down is off. Why do we need heavy exposition on what Oniyuri was like and what the gods were like instead of the use of enviromental details and small phrases similar to say John Wick? Why the repeat of what was mentioned in a World of Remnant about Menagarie by Blake?

That's all my details. I will make a comprehensive review if needed thats more organized

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

 

[09philj]

It wasn't technically filler, but it was very much all about getting the ducks in a row. The worst part of the soundtrack. Melodically, it wasn't awful, but the timbre of the guitars and the way it was mixed was bad all around. The theme tune is especially bad, and sounds totally flat.

 

[Erttheking]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

Oh for fuck's sake, kindly don't act like I know nothing about a medium I enjoy very much. Thank you kindly. Also, I look forward to telling my friend who hasn't watched any other if Roosterteeth's work and is a huge anime fan that she knows nothing about anime. Hate RWBY all you want, but you cross a line when you start taking shots at its fans.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

Oh for fuck's sake, kindly don't act like I know nothing about a medium I enjoy very much. Thank you kindly. Also, I look forward to telling my friend who hasn't watched any other if Roosterteeth's work and is a huge anime fan that she knows nothing about anime. Hate RWBY all you want, but you cross a line when you start taking shots at its fans.

all right, fine. That's fair. I apologize

the main thing i ask is why YOU enjoy RWBY personally? I look at RWBY's attempts to copy anime and find too many faults. so I wonder what you see

Edit: in addition, i have noticed on the RT forums that a few of RWBY's fans don't watch a lot of anime which led to my conclusion. I suppose that was erroneous to assume as much as i did

 

[Erttheking]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

Oh for fuck's sake, kindly don't act like I know nothing about a medium I enjoy very much. Thank you kindly. Also, I look forward to telling my friend who hasn't watched any other if Roosterteeth's work and is a huge anime fan that she knows nothing about anime. Hate RWBY all you want, but you cross a line when you start taking shots at its fans.

all right, fine. That's fair. I apologize

the main thing i ask is why YOU enjoy RWBY personally? I look at RWBY's attempts to copy anime and find too many faults. so I wonder what you see

Edit: in addition, i have noticed on the RT forums that a few of RWBY's fans don't watch a lot of anime which led to my conclusion. I suppose that was erroneous to assume as much as i did

Same reason I like pretty much any show. I enjoy the characters, find them to be sympathetic, want to keep watching to see what happens to them, I enjoy the music, find the fights to be enjoyable and, overall, I feel like it has a lot of heart put into it.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

Oh for fuck's sake, kindly don't act like I know nothing about a medium I enjoy very much. Thank you kindly. Also, I look forward to telling my friend who hasn't watched any other if Roosterteeth's work and is a huge anime fan that she knows nothing about anime. Hate RWBY all you want, but you cross a line when you start taking shots at its fans.

all right, fine. That's fair. I apologize

the main thing i ask is why YOU enjoy RWBY personally? I look at RWBY's attempts to copy anime and find too many faults. so I wonder what you see

Edit: in addition, i have noticed on the RT forums that a few of RWBY's fans don't watch a lot of anime which led to my conclusion. I suppose that was erroneous to assume as much as i did

Same reason I like pretty much any show. I enjoy the characters, find them to be sympathetic, want to keep watching to see what happens to them, I enjoy the music, find the fights to be enjoyable and, overall, I feel like it has a lot of heart put into it.

as a critic, i would argue that, in terms of fulfilling it's purpose as an action show, it's fights fall apart compared to the following references of Chinese marital films and even the previous seasons. In terms of characters, i find that it's too much tell and not show with not enough complexity in the characterization or body language. as for heart, I ,as a critic, don't care about if heart was put into the work. If it fails it's objective/purpose, I have to report it

 

[Erttheking]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

it's for people who are fans of Rooster Teeth but know nothing about anime since the show has none of the positives of anime and all of it's negatives

Oh for fuck's sake, kindly don't act like I know nothing about a medium I enjoy very much. Thank you kindly. Also, I look forward to telling my friend who hasn't watched any other if Roosterteeth's work and is a huge anime fan that she knows nothing about anime. Hate RWBY all you want, but you cross a line when you start taking shots at its fans.

all right, fine. That's fair. I apologize

the main thing i ask is why YOU enjoy RWBY personally? I look at RWBY's attempts to copy anime and find too many faults. so I wonder what you see

Edit: in addition, i have noticed on the RT forums that a few of RWBY's fans don't watch a lot of anime which led to my conclusion. I suppose that was erroneous to assume as much as i did

Same reason I like pretty much any show. I enjoy the characters, find them to be sympathetic, want to keep watching to see what happens to them, I enjoy the music, find the fights to be enjoyable and, overall, I feel like it has a lot of heart put into it.

as a critic, i would argue that, in terms of fulfilling it's purpose as an action show, it's fights fall apart compared to the following references of Chinese marital films and even the previous seasons. In terms of characters, i find that it's too much tell and not show with not enough complexity in the characterization or body language. as for heart, I ,as a critic, don't care about if heart was put into the work. If it fails it's objective/purpose, I have to report it

Dude, I know you don't like it, I've seen you rail on it countless times, and I didn't ask why you didn't like it. You asked why I liked it, and I gave you an answer. I'm not here to get into a fight about the quality of RWBY.

 

[09philj]

Slightly off-topic here, but I have to ask.

What is the appeal of this show?

I tried to watch the first episode, only to make it five minutes in before I was repulsed by the extreme...anime-ness of the whole thing. Is there something I'm missing?

It has some good dialogue and some interesting ideas. That's enough to amuse me for twenty minutes a week, although I won't lie and say it's competently made on any level. It's crap, but it's enthusiastically made, endearing crap.

 

[Kyrian007]

I thought it was fine. It is following a completely expected narrative path with season 4. They spent season 1-2 introducing the players and establishing the high level of the heroes' abilities (they were basically unbeatable.) Then they kicked their teeth in for season 3. It made sense, to maintain any sense of suspense they had to set the level of villainy at a point where it was possible for the heroes to lose. Its just natural then that season 4 would reflect, on the past, on the losses... Its just a pretty standard story structure. I'm personally expecting that cycle to continue. We will see "regroup" in season 5, and possibly "revelation" (the reveal on a major or gamechanging secret) at the end of it.

Its one of the reasons I'm enjoying RWBY. Its a familiar style of story that fits comfortably like a well worn shoe. And it is happening in a interesting setting that is still revealing itself (I love worldbuilding stories.) And I like the Jeff Williams music and the Omake style Chibi comedies (in the streaming as opposed to DVD era I'm kind of missing extras like Omake Theater.) I don't know how long after they get past worldbuilding that I will stay that interested, but right now RWBY is fun and not a huge time commitment.

How could you guys forget the ever-important reveal that Jaune's sword can transform... Into a slightly larger sword?!

Wouldn't it still weigh the same?

 

[Paragon Fury]

I thought it was fine. It is following a completely expected narrative path with season 4. They spent season 1-2 introducing the players and establishing the high level of the heroes' abilities (they were basically unbeatable.) Then they kicked their teeth in for season 3. It made sense, to maintain any sense of suspense they had to set the level of villainy at a point where it was possible for the heroes to lose. Its just natural then that season 4 would reflect, on the past, on the losses... Its just a pretty standard story structure. I'm personally expecting that cycle to continue. We will see "regroup" in season 5, and possibly "revelation" (the reveal on a major or gamechanging secret) at the end of it.

Its one of the reasons I'm enjoying RWBY. Its a familiar style of story that fits comfortably like a well worn shoe. And it is happening in a interesting setting that is still revealing itself (I love worldbuilding stories.) And I like the Jeff Williams music and the Omake style Chibi comedies (in the streaming as opposed to DVD era I'm kind of missing extras like Omake Theater.) I don't know how long after they get past worldbuilding that I will stay that interested, but right now RWBY is fun and not a huge time commitment.

How could you guys forget the ever-important reveal that Jaune's sword can transform... Into a slightly larger sword?!

Wouldn't it still weigh the same?

No.

His new sword can hook into his scabbard, which then turns it into a bigger sword.

Also, I want, when Jaune's backstory is revealed, to have it be utterly normal. No tragedy, no special defining moments, little drama. Just a happy, normal childhood with his parents, with his mom and dad being generic things like a doctor and accountant or something who let their kid pursue his hope of being a Huntsman.

And I want Weiss/Blake/Yang/Nora or someone to get super frustrated and angry with Jaune for being so goddamn generic and normal - with how they all have drama/trauma in their past that defined them and he just kind of walked in off the street and was all "Yup, I wanna be a Huntsman now" and got in.