User blog comment:Akin.toussaint/Trailers.Did they do more harm then good?/@comment-7472785-20131013091111/@comment-108.248.176.172-20131014231923

(In response to Akin)

Yeah, actually, you've hit upon the only mitigating factor that occured to me as well -- Beacon (and Ozpin in particular), defintely have a "throw you into the deep end" approach to things: "Hey, welcome to orientation.  Go fight something thirty-five times your size." Teams are arranged by chance and their leaders chosen based on their performances in their initial outing, with the results of each being of "from this day forth" variety (though it is not clear if this refers to their duration as students at Beacon or if it extends into their work as hunters thereafter). Yeah, it's clearly a pretty hand's-off approach at the school, so it's possible (if we already assume a world which is so calvalier about the lives of their young people, which clearly we do in this case), that the students are expected to sort petty social problems out themselves. On the other hand, Weiss got herself chewed out, in an affible old man kind of way, for her shitty attitude and it's not as likely to create problems as team DUSH's behaviour is - yes, renamed them again. In any event, I guess we'll see just how lenient they are when the shit hits the fan in the next episode. Again, assuming a suprise attack by the creatures of Grimm doesn't force them all to make common cause, learn a lesson about the true enemy and put their former issues in perspective. Which is totally going to happen.

But I'm nursing this private notion (that I'd love to see born out) that Ozpin knew about Juane's deception from the outset (he's certainly seen enough to question his combat skills), and that he figured "Alright, if he wants to lie his way in, let's do this then -- he''ll either die or adapt quickly." I think this could be seen as consistent with Ozpin's approach and the fact that he was made a leader - that episode worked really hard to suggest that (despite his lack of combat experience or personal damage output) he was still a calm and collected leader under pressure. But in reality, the proof of Juane's "leadership" in that battle was limited to him basically giving three commands -- 1) "Run (so we don't fall into this abyss, as we surely will if we don't), 2) "Pyrrha, attack!" (hit that obvious weak spot that you surely already see and which is ripe for attack) and "Nora, attack!".  In each and every one of these cases he tells the other chracters to do something that they would have otherwise just done, anywhere else in that fight, if it weren't the fact that they needed an excuse to paint him as a leader.  It's more lazy, ackward and unnatural feeling plotting done presumably for time constraints, but it's clear this was going to be Juane's story arc from the begining.  It would probably be much less noticeable if Ruby's moment of proven leadership ability hadn't required so much forethought and organization by comparison.

Anyway, I've gotten a bit off topic. The point is, I can suspend disbelief and slip into the tone of the story enough that I can accept a world where super-powered adolecents are given insanely destructive equipment and a lot of leeway, because you know, giant monsters would otherwise eat everyone. Dude, I'm there. Sometimes "realism" is a term relative to the context of the story, and also if ever there was a series where the idea of "just shut up and let your eyes tell you the story" is a maxim to go with, this is it. But that doesn't mean I then have to feel that a chracter who feels like he's straight out Bratpack film fits into that world. Sorry, but team CRDL so far are just incredibly one-dimensional charactertures of bullies inserted into the plot to provide antagonism and conflict in an otherwise slow-moving story. As I've said previously, teen melodrama. The problem is that every other one of the characters we've been introduced to amongs tthe students seems to be there for noble ends, and they regard the task they've been charged with seriously. Even if Cardin was only pursuing being a hunter out of a desire for fame, machismo, or some other small-minded end, you'd think he'd at least be a bit more disciplined and less childish in his approach to being a dick. Sorry, but even taking in the exoticness of the setting, I defend my position; RWBY is suffering from an identity crisis born or trying to sell too many different angles to too many different audiences, and where the balance ultimately falls, we shall have to see. But despite my nitpicking, I really am hopeful! I could jsut as easily be talking about things I like about the series, that's just not where the discussion has gone. :)