User blog:Zolnir/Volume 2 Episode 1: Best Day Ever Review and Theories



Originally I wanted to put this up later, but blarrgh I'm too lazy to wait. I’ll keep this short because there are more than one topic I’m trying to cover.



Reviews
Visual:

They’re obviously improved. Each character have improved models (Team JNPR looks the same to me though), and Neptune is one cool-looking new guy. The improved lighting did wonders to give the world of Remnant some actual depth, and the people don’t look as generic as they were presented in the Production Diary. It was only natural, but thank god that they understood that we’re not going to appreciate seeing hordes of Nora clones walking around or chatting at the café everywhere after this Episode!



Animation:

As usual, my first impression is still filled with the jarring sensation that somewhere, at some point, the animation had gone wrong. However, most of those feelings disappeared on the second round, and soon I was able to genuinely enjoy it without feeling much of the hitches at all. More importantly, the animations have been improved massively, and characters no longer stand stiff as a corpse when the focus are not on them (I still had problems with Players & Pieces, where the Ursa slumped and literally froze as still as the background).



Still, I feel obligated to point out that one, Lie Ren was literally punched into the ground by Yang, and two, Nora’s melon hammer too sank halfway into the floor when she fought Yang. These are the most obvious errors I’ve seen, though to be honest it is extremely minor and has been an issue since forever.



Music:

I can’t actually hear Jeff William’s music too clearly because of all the fighting, but despite it being a remix I still feel like it’ll be cool to hear the clean soundtracks once Volume 2 is done. In fact, the OSTs of RWBY are one of the few I really enjoy – it almost feels wasted on just RWBY, when they can be presented on an epic movie like the Lord of the Rings.



Voice-acting:

Much improved. Those who were already on the show during Volume 1 nailed it wonderfully, and the new ones are quickly catching up.

<p class="MsoNormal">Emerald and Mercury, at the beginning of the show. Either it was the scene itself that made it feel forced or the other way around, the two of them sound kind of awkward and unnatural. Mercury’s teasing came out of the left field, and Emerald’s irritation didn’t really match her expression (this is after repeated playthroughs). However, they got more comfortable once Tukson entered (and promptly exited soon after in a body bag, the poor guy) the show, and Emerald’s strange awkwardness was actually perfect for the Cinder Fall scene.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Cinder Fall. She was good, really good. The high point was her final comments about the plan entering Phase 2 (Sweet, soothing, sexy all at the same time), and the low point was ‘Do what, Roman’. I’m sure they’ve worked on it multiple times, but it still felt like it lacked the iron command Cinder possess as the head of the operation, when the ‘what’ word especially emphasized on softness instead. I would think that she would achieve the right level if she had said the ‘what’ just a little faster and cutting.

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Theories
<p class="MsoNormal">Let us focus on Emerald and Mercury, because they’re the ones who are the most interesting in Episode 1.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Emerald

<p class="MsoNormal">She was very close to who I imagined. Street kid, sarcastic, extremely loyal to Cinder but somewhat hostile towards everyone else. Unfortunately my idea about her being a dignified individual (like a serpent of Egyptian queen or something) like Weiss was completely off, but thank the gods she wasn’t out of character in my ‘Fire & Gold’ fan fiction.

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<p class="MsoNormal">So first, Emerald is obviously eager to please Cinder. Her backstory is almost too easy to deduce: she was saved and taken in by Cinder at some point of her life, and Emerald look up to her like she was everything. Emerald can be an orphan, seeing how she sees Cinder Fall as a parent figure. She wants Cinder’s praise and recognition above everything, and will literally do anything – even killing Mercury, the way she is now – if Cinder commands it.

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<p class="MsoNormal">To everyone else, she is hostile, wary and alert. The country she came from must be very rough. If Blake and Weiss didn’t much of a childhood, then Emerald’s probably even worse – having allies is good but not friends, trust is stupid, everyone but herself is a potential enemy etc; you know the drill – as she dedicates most of her life just trying to survive.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of which, Mercury is her social guide and compass, even if she doesn’t yet know it. The child Emerald must be anti-social as fuck (this is not a joke), and I won’t be surprised if she bared teeth towards Mercury when he first approaches her. Without Mercury’s companionship, she would fit into normal society like a Godzilla on the streets. I’m not sure how close she is to him, but she at least tolerates him despite being outwardly unfriendly. If Mercury was to be gone I believe that she will be very torn, but again, the way she is now I doubt she can recognize that emotion.

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<p class="MsoNormal">This also makes me believe there’s a high likelihood that Cinder first recruited Mercury into her group, and then Emerald, before assigning Mercury to her so as to teach her how to fit into society. The highest possibility remains that Cinder recruited them both together, though, as it is the most straightforward and still logical answer.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Her stay at Beacon will definitely widen her perspective.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Mercury

<p class="MsoNormal">A badass and a thrill seeker he is, period. He shows himself as a free soul, not caring much about rules and just doing whatever he wants. If I’ve deduced his fight with Pyrrha correctly, then he is also a battle maniac – this is reinforced by the way he described the Vale citizens, ‘nice, dopey people who are easy to pickpocket’. This means that he thinks the Vale people not alert or wary enough, and thus likely lack the skills to protect themselves, and likely looks down on them. He is a person who respects strength.

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<p class="MsoNormal">What did surprise me is his attraction for Emerald. He made no attempts to hide his interest in her as shown right since the moment he showed up. He obviously followed Emerald from behind even though she went out alone on the mission, and he teases the girl repeatedly to get a reaction out of her. When Roman insults her, he immediately steps in to take the heat and defends her. I don’t think how much more obvious it can get that Mercury likes Emerald a lot – it remains to be seen whether that love is simply platonic, but with males it seldom is.

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<p class="MsoNormal">I also think that he’s angry at heart, even though he doesn’t normally show it. Those who know me will know that I think him as Yang’s past self, male version. While Yang has since learned restraint and control (well, mostly), Mercury had simply found a better outlet at Cinder’s.

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<p class="MsoNormal">It’s also why he fits in so well with Emerald – he has the same angry emotions towards the world, and he felt at the very least a sense of kinship with the girl who hates everything but Cinder. Initially he joined Cinder only for the potential, thrilling battles, but Emerald’s presence gave him a sense of stability he likely never has while he was alone. Now, together with Cinder and Emerald, he almost felt like they’re family.