User blog:SomeoneYouUsedToKnow/SYUTK's V4E5 - Polystralia - Impressions/Recap

Welcome, a-ladies and a-gentlemen. Enjoying the Winter times? As everyone hangs up their socks, decorates their aluminium christmas tree, begs the bank for loans to buy toys kids cannot be expected to keep intact for long, and prepares the steak for when the big day arrives, all the while snow and hail fall from above and media about friendship and love floods television.

Meanwhile, I'm enduring a heat wave that makes Winter feel hotter than Summer. j_j

Same Language-of-Truth principles as before:

Red means truth, facts but always from the PoV of the user

(Cornflower) Blue means hypothesis, guesses, ponderings, wonderings, and similar.

That said, I got tired of the simple Red. Started to remind me of Adam and his glowing hair, particularly how it looked in the last ep. And no one likes Adam.

So, I was looking for other X11-shades of Red to use for Facts. I've found some. Every section will use a different shade of Red, identified at the bottom of each. Feel free to mention which one you like the most.

Without further delay, we begin:

1. "Our Outer Heaven"
The ship from last episode has reached it's destination where our heroes Grumpy Cat and Son Goku disembark. What's said destination? Well, The World's Caesar Salad.

Some say it's the Remnant Australia (the "Land Down Under"), while others say it's the Remnant Polynesia or at least Hawaii. It also looks somewhat Asian, but then again, Hawaiian culture was partially influenced by Asian cultures as well as N.American ones, and Menagerie is below Remnant's Eurasia (whose Eur side is starting to become questionable).

Moving on, as Blake walks towards the beach, Sun is practically stunned at the sight. We see a small crowd, an interesting crowd that reminds me of some of the visual improvements this Volume. There were hardly any clones; some people had the same clothes, sometimes even in the same colors, but I barely saw identical clones. The rest looked different to different extents, even if they shared the clothes.

The captain was also speaking to a white-haired, blue-clothed lady in the background, but who cares about that.

Menagerie proves easily that it really is the world's zoo. There are many human(?) NICks, but it also has what's likely the most (non-clone) Faunus on-screen ever so far.

Sun is dumb(er?)founded at the number of people everywhere, so cramped, while Blake explains how this is what happens when you try to put all the apples of a forest in the same basket. All while making more awful, ridiculous-looking, narmy facial expressions. It's like the animation teams tries too hard to make her seem expressive.

Sun and Blake go up the hill and enjoy the view of the scenery as Blake introduces it's name as...Koh kuana? Kowcuhana? Kokhuana? Go Guyana? ...Springfield. Sun is, again, stunned by the sights (which is 90% palm trees). He downright says that "it's beautiful, why would anyone want to leave?". Ignorant, yes, as he was missing the point ...but it does make me think.

We know the Faunus were given Menagerie after The War, officially as a sign of equality and gratitude, practically as a Faunus Dumpster. But, on the other hand, Faunus and Humans have a long history of mutual distrust, and worse, so it would make perfect sense that most Faunus would look at such a "gift horse" in the mouth. If someone bullied you for years, then suddenly gave you a gift with a smile, you would be questioning it too.

So, Menagerie could be seen like this: The Faunus were given a gilded cage at the most forgettable, least comercially-favorable location in the world to segregate them...or, the Faunus were given a natural paradise for them to live and prosper how they wanted, in peace and without hate or opression to stop them. It's either an isolated cage away from the kingdoms' reach....or, a paradise away from the kingdoms' reach.

Back to BS: Sun asks Blake which of all the houses is hers. He points at some shacks, but Blake redirects his finger at the big mansion/dojo/manor in the center. Given the Big Boss always has the fanciest house, Sun realizes this means she's related to said Big Boss.

RedShade used: Crimson

2. Ohana means Family
They walk to the door and, after some hesitation for understandable reasons, Blake knocks on it with the knocker. A very loud knocker that's bigger than her head. After stunning seconds of (almost-)silence, the door opens and a lady peeks out from beside it, before noticing Blake and hugging her.

Who's said lady? Blake's mom (like almost-everyone who saw the opening figured). What's her name? KALI. Yes, Grumpy Cat's mom has the same name as an Hindu goddess of Death and Destruction (or "Time and Change", similar to the Tarot meaning of the Death Arcana). Lovely, isn't it?

Although, Kali is an aspect of Maa/Mother Durga, "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress", with much fearlessness, self-sufficiency, patience and compassion.

Design-wise, I notice her ears seem...bigger than Blake's. Like, twice the size. I got 2 cats, brother and sister, same breed, and even though the sister's like twice his age the ears are mostly the same size. And they are darker than Blake's on the inside. Makes me wonder: We know CatF+CatF=CatF, and Human+CatF can lead to a CatF too....but is the breed also inherited? Or is it as random as when 2 different Faunus species breed (Dog+Cat=Snake)? For example, 2 Calicos breeding a Sphinx Cat.

...Then, we get, walking to the door, ''the most manly-looking guy in the opening, the badass Mufasa Belladonna, the walking mountain who knows Black Sun = BS.... ALEXANDER!!!!!11!1!''

.....Except no, his name is actually Ghira. Yes, Ghira. That name's a mega MEH, too sucky and boring, so I shall keep calling him Alexander. Now, he doesn't run up to Blake and hugs her like Kali did, but he does show his shiny teeth through his smile.

Then, we cut to them sitting around in their traditional Australian Chabudai. To sum up the dialogue: Kali: "We were worried sick about you!" Alex: "Nah, we knew she was fine". Kali: "That's BS and you know it".

Sun tries to reassure them, but he only manages to....sound freudian, when he says "I’ve seen your daughter in action before! And trust me, she’s got some moves! "

Alexander is not amused and so he questions what he means by that. Sun basically tries to, but he cannot handle the beef, and with a compliment to the tea, shuts up.

Then suddenly POOOOM. Someone knocks with the thunderous knocker. (I can only imagine how Halloween must be for the Belladonnas). Apparently, there was a meeting planned for today, with some dudes they've had a hard time dealing with lately. Blake asks with who, and everything that seemed fine crashes down once Kali mentions that said dudes are The White Fang.

RedShade used: Firebrick (yes, it's called that).

3. The White Fang did nothing wrong
BS run to the door and see a pair of Magma Team Monks. Alexander introduces them as Corsac and Fennec Al(in)bain. They are fox faunus. Both. Which makes me cringe a little, since I had it understood that RT didn't like the idea of naming a Faunus character after their species. Like naming a Fox Faunus "Fox". And yet, naming a Fennec Fox "Fennec" is alright? Come on.

Now, onto a more-important topic...These 2 MTMs are the same pair of Faunus guys in the opening, the ones that appeared after Adam's thankfully-shadowed face and Yang's symbolic traumatic fall. Just in case you forgot about them somehow. Now, their position in the OP implied they would have something to do with Yang....yet they are at Menagerie.

Which makes me feel this will be just like Junior's case in V2; appeared in the opening alongside the villains > barely had a few minutes of screen-time and actually helped Yang. And in V3 he wasn't even mentioned. So in FenneCorsac's case...

1-They do something important at the end, maybe attack Yang after all. (Optimist option)

2-They don't actually do much, and/or they aren't as "evil" as the opening implied (Realist option).

3-They will be mentioned in Vol.6, if we're lucky (Cynical option).

Now, FenneCorsac claims they are not as "ferocious" as the media claims, though Blake revokes with how "your fanatics slaughtered people". Read: Your. Said by Blake, of all people, the one who was practically born into it. It could be taken as Blake <font style="color:#A52A2A">starting to distance herself from the WF and their (extremist) ideals, much different from V1Blake, who pretty much excused and defended them when she gained the spotlight.

Of course, this is when it gets interesting. After Blake explains what the WF did in Vale, Alexander demands FenneCorsac to explain themselves. The explanation: "It's Adam's fault". When Sun points out that wasn't the first time the WF did that, they claim "the High Council had their suspicions... but they could prove nothing until this latest incident".

The conversation reaches it's end around here. It's mentioned how Alexander used to be the WF Leader before stepping down and/to become the Chieftain of Menagerie, and FenneCorsac tell Blake that they understand if she no longer supports their cause, and after she makes clear she hasn't given up, that should she want to go back, she merely needs to find them. "Sister Illya would be delighted".

.....And is at this point that I start to feel the WF <font style="color:#6495ED">isn't so much a terrorist group as much as a terrorist cult.

As they walk away from the house/manor/whatever, they talk about informing "Brother Adam"........what, you thought they were actually-nice guys and that the WF wasn't entirely fanatical? <font style="color:#A52A2A">HAHAHA! That's so funny.

<font style="color:#A52A2A">

RedShade used: Brown (...hey, in terms of the visible spectrum, "brown" refers to high wavelength hues, yellow, orange, or red, in combination with low luminance or saturation. So I count it).

4. Meanwhile, at the Red Spider Lily
We see the young waitress from the previous ep washing the floor. Probably this scene happens in the same night, given that I doubt the bar has such lack of cleanning personel.

...then a Smug Snake breaks the silence. That one being Reptile Guy Tyrian. Showing off a bunch of scars in his torso and a nice leather jacket. <font style="color:#B03060">Quite good-looking, I say.

....Well, said, because then he gets all (the more) creepy, pulling out his tongue as he gives his best Ramsay Bolton impersonation and starts laughing mad.

And as credits roll, I just hope he doesn't <font style="color:#FF00FF">stick any knives in any orifices... Like the ears.

RedShade used: Maroon

Conclusion
Once again....noooo action. Pure dialogue. I'm starting to wonder if this is really supposed to be RWBY. A great chunk of the fandom cares more about the fights, the action, and when people think "RWBY", that's what they think, given the plot and writing didn't give a good impression.

So, not only are the fights not as "swift and awesome" as they used to be...now even the action is reduced.

Sigh......this is what I get for wanting this episode to break the apparent formula. Then again, so far it has only been 2 consecutive episodes with no action. Next episode could be better......must be better, in this aspect.

-We finally saw Blake's parents, and their personalities are pretty much exactly how I expected them to be.

-Sun....feels like he's getting dumber as the show goes on.

-The White Fang is now a cult. All they need is the drugs and cow-slaughter.

-Tyrian is Tyrian. And thanks to Tyrian being Tyrian, I can only imagine the kind of R34 art that will come up from that.

-Captain Captain is trying to get laid. Wish him luck.

-Given Tyrian's current location, the fight implied in the opening may well happen at the very streets of Higanbana. I have to say, he got there faster than I expected.