Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24.1.105.23-20140715074343/@comment-25154376-20140715202359

RWBY is honestly may favorite show ATM. But I also believe everything is open to criticism, so here is my 2 cents on what I believe the problems of the show are (and how to improve the situation)...

1) Animation: -Problem As those above have stated, animating out of fight scenes is shotty. Walking animations are weird and make the characters seem like they are on stilts. Lip-sync can also be pretty god awful. -Solution Fortunately, animation is a problem that can be solved easily by adding more animators to the job. In Volume 1, the animators were short on staff and had to prioritize action scenes. With a few extra animators, more subtle animations like walking and lip sync can receive more attention during production.

2) Writing: -Problem This is a big gripe I have with the show. Volume 1 was meant to introduce the main characters (Team RWBY and to a lesser extent JNPR), their backstories, character motivations, relationships between the character etc. In my opinion, they failed (partially). Here's why: out of the main cast, we only know the backstories of Blake, Weiss and Jaune. We know next to nothing of Ruby and Yang's backstory, nor do we know the backstories of REN, Nora or Pyrrha. The only people who received any character arcs were Ruby and Weiss, then Jaune and Pyrrha. The dynamics between Yang and Blake or Ren and Nora have not been explored at all. Not to mention Jaune and Pyrrha's arc had cliché written all over it (Your typical "weak guy grows a pair against bully" arc). -Solution Main characters should receive the most development and should be prioritized in arcs. If you introduce new characters, do not flesh them out fully until you've dealt with the leads (Sorry Velvet fans, a Blake and Yang arc must take priority). These arcs should be unique, or if you are going to use a troupe, put a unique spin on it. Also, we should keep in mind that the writing in most shows will progressively get better as the show goes on, as the writers get more experienced and more comfortable with the characters and plot.

3)Pacing, Run-Time/Mismanagement of it -Problem Volume 1's episodes had not standard run-time. This is a problem as not only will a short episode live the audience unsatisfied, it also presents pacing problems. We are constantly going from well-executed fight episode to slower character driven episode; all without any transition between the two. For example, after the audience finished watching the episode which was the climax of the initiation, the very next is an episode that thrusts us into a new sub-plot. The audience needs time to recover from a big climax, and they need an episode in-between to allow them closure and gradually wind down the action. Also, the varying episode time gives the audience little to no hint of how much time has passed. A 15-minute episode could last the span of only on afternoon in the RWBY timeline, yet the 5 minute episode afterward could be a time-jump to a week later and take place over the span of a few days. At the end of volume 1, I wasn't even aware a whole semester had passed until the mentioned in the Volume 2 trailer. -Solution Standardized run-time goes a long way to provide the viewer some consistency and prevent disappointment and/or at the sight of a short episode. Also, after a climatic episode, dedicate an episode or half of one after it to allow for some falling action, allowing the viewer to take in what has happened. By gradually allowing a transition episode, viewers can also be introduced to a new sub-plot or arc without being shocked by a drastic tone shift.