User blog comment:Varzan Deodinm Beldinm/The "meh" factor of this show has finally gotten to me. ( please read, then judge.)/@comment-3387274-20131013142836

1) the school setting is necessary to hold together the conflicting characters. in team RWBY, for instance, the only pair that would form in the real world without some kind of compulsary team system is Ruby and Yang. possibly if Ruby kept needling her for some reason add Blake to it, but ruby could not reasonably be expected to do that without a big reason

2) if they just revealed everything about the four girls straight away, which is what they'd have to do with exclusive focus, they would have a hard time keeping the interest. One Piece, widely regarded as the most popular manga in the world, literally had parts of the main characters back story only come out after hundreds upon hundreds of chapters, and yet is actually praised for this. By bringing in the other characters as well, it gives them more to go on, characterisation wise

also, the fact that everyone wants to know more about them, as you said, is exactly the intended point. it keeps the suspense somewhat.

3) the stereotypes are done differently:

Tsundere Wiess is wrong. it was started by RubyXweiss shippers to explain how the two could get allong. the series as a whole shows that this isn't actually what happens.

Jaune is a variant on the hidden pottential trope, because he really doesen't have any pottential, he's going to have to work for it the slow hard way.

The faunus are a deconstruction of the animal-eared people stereotype, since they're actually discriminated against for being different, as well as not always being cute. They're basicly being more realistic with it than most anime. And also providing pottential for more grey morality than you've given them credit for.

Hunters vs grim, yes that is black and white, but so many people have tried to be grey lately that it's almost refreshing to me to see actually clear cut lines once in a while..

Nora... well, she doesen't defy physics more than the rest of the cast, but yeah that one's a valid point. Depends whether or not you're particularly bothered by it really.

so while I see where you're coming from, and admit you're trying to be reasonable.. I'm pretty much going to have to disagree entirely with your point.