Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-94.8.221.186-20180402122306/@comment-34039012-20180409103211

I enjoyed volumes 4 and 5 but I think that's mostly because, as others have said, I watch the show for the characters. They're the strongest element of the show and that quality has only gotten better as the volumes have gone on.

That being said the lack of precision in the choreography and the cutting away from action is a problem that needs to be addressed in the coming volumes. There wasn't much to balk at in volume 4 about that, only some bland action scenes and questionable physics, but in volume 5 it was a big problem, especially in the Battle of Haven. I rank it as probably the worst finale the show has, just below volume 2's. Teleporting characters and cutting away from the action are, I feel, symptoms of the rushed production of volume 5 and, as 73.Anon.52 said, caving to fan pressure to finish off the plot in a timely manner.

As for the redundant exposition, I know why we ended up with that, even if it was a bit annoying. The characters all learned of the truth of the grimm, Salem and Ozpin at different points in time, so it was necessary for the audience to see the other characters (namely Weiss and Yang) learn of these things on screen so there was no confusion, as well as to see their reactions. Really, the only issue I had with this particular problem was Raven's talk with Yang and Weiss. Her 'revelations' were pointlessly vague and she did a pretty piss poor job of trying to manipulte Yang to her side. That's probably the only time the writing and dialogue has ever really taken me out of the moment. I don't hold RWBY to some gold standard of writing, I'm only here for the fun and the characters, so generally some awkward lines or lazy plot twists don't bother me, but Raven's talk was definitely up there for Things I Never Want to See Again.

That being said, it was volumes 4 and 5 that rekindled my interest in the series. I had taken a hiatus from it at the end of volume 3 due to shifting interests and getting caught up in some life things, but now that I have more time I am definitely not regretting picking the show back up. The shift in tone between the Poser and Maya eras, from schoolkid adventure to a journey into maturity is seriously my jam, and it's been a treat watching the kids grow into their roles as huntsmen and warriors.

So, yeah, no huge problems for me over the awkwardness of the last two volumes, even though I do ackowledge the flaws of the Battle of Haven. Call me optimistic, but I have faith that the animation and writing will tighten up next volume, especially now that all of those hanging plot threads have been tied up and RWBY is finally back together.