User blog comment:Varzan Deodinm Beldinm/Volume 2: Will the Fan Feedback Pay Off?/@comment-72.94.58.201-20140702181259

Interesting. I usually have nothing but praise for RWBY, so I usually never think of things it could do better. However, I'm not as blinded as to believe that it's a groundbreaking, amazingly unique show. It's basically 'characters go to school to fight monsters, have drama and fights' for now. I do believe the music and fights to be far superior to most anime (and TV shows in general), and the fights are somewhat 'groundbreaking' in that characters don't waste 90% of the battle monologuing. Not even the villains. However, it's not doing anything super new and exciting. I think it just does old formulas very well.

Now the characters and writing are probably the most controversial part of the show. Opinions are very split on them. Honestly, I feel that there's a good reason for that. When I'm praising the characters, I'm really just praising Weiss and Blake, the characters who, in my opinion, are very unique and interesting. However, aside from those two, the characters aren't super unique. They're fun, but they aren't too interesting. I feel that the reason for this is partly due to mistakes in the writing department and pacing department. Only a select few characters got a lot of screen time in which to develop. Ruby seemed to take a backseat in development after episode 10, Blake only got any real character development in the last two episodes, and Yang didn't get ANYTHING. Weiss was the only character who was consitently focused on, which wasn't a bad thing. Weiss has the most issues out of anyone on her team (or in the show, I think), and so needs the most screen time to grow as a person. However, the other protagonists sometimes felt like side characters, something that I wasn't pleased with. Team JNPR was even worse off than team RWBY, with only Jaune getting any development at all. Granted, Pyrrha doesn't seem like she needs any (she seems more stable than the rest of the cast in terms of insecurity and tragic pasts), but Nora and Ren were basically the show's comic relief. Ren was Nora's 'straight man,' while Nora brought a lot of humor but no substance to the show. Volume 1 did that often, sidelining or turning characters into comic relief so that other characters could develop. What I want to see from volume 2 is equal screen time and development for all four heroines, and for team JNPR to get a little more depth as well (Pyrrha seems to be doing just that; she was prominently featured in the volume 2 opening). I'm confident that the two main teams (mostly RWBY, hopefully) will get a lot of screen time, but since there are so many new characters to learn about, there's always the possibility of a character overload, where all the characters are briefly touched upon but never fully fleshed out. I don't want the show to be split into character arcs where only one character gets the spotlight. I want them all to share it. I don't want to see, for example, Pyrrha getting tons of screen time while Ren is sidelined.

And then there's the plot. The show hardly has a plot as it is. 'The heroines go to be Beacon and shit happens.' That's basically what's going on right now. However, there is also a lot of foreshadowing for what's to come. I want to see that foreshadowing become plot. I want the villains to make their move, and I want to see the actual plot of RWBY, especially regarding all the outside factors separate from Beacon, like the White Fang, the social situation for the faunus and how badly they are discriminated against, the Schnee Dust Company, the other schools and kingdoms, and whoever the hell Penny's working for. The villains themselves should also get spotlight, especially the mysterious Cinder and her two henchpeople. Basically, I want RWBY volume 2 to have an actual plot, less sidelining of main characters, and more information on the world of Remnant. RWBY has so much potential, more than any show I've seen. It can become so much more than a typical battle-training school drama/comedy if Monty and RT know what they're doing, and for the most part, I think they do. However, I constantly worry. As my excitement for volume 2 grows, so does my fear that it will fail to meet my expectations. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Additionally, I want to know how RWBY will handle romance. I want to know that it won't interfere with any of the characters' badassery and personality. Romance is fine, but if it ends up making two perfectly well-rounded characters become completely devoid of all personality aside from 'I love you!' as is the problem with many shows, I'll be quite sad. Jaune and Pyrrha show a promising example of how the romance doesn't do that, and how it also doesn't interfere with characters being badasses on their own without needed to be saved by their boyfriend/girlfriend in some cliche 'don't touch my romantic partner or I'll beat you up very badly!' scenario. Sure, Pyrrha helped Jaune defeat the Ursa, but let's be honest: he wasn't strong enough to do it on his own. And another thing: I really hope Jaune takes time to become a badass and doesn't suddenly grow into it with some crappy plot device. Well, that's it for me. I've ranted enough! I should have ended this a paragraph ago!