Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-4830106-20130809014605/@comment-10545520-20130809054630

On the main topic: Beyond Episode Four!

So far, it seems the story is focusing on character development.

Well, Monty did say this was a character-oriented show, and, to my surprise, I found I quite enjoyed it. Usually, I prefer more action-oriented shows, but for this series, I've found an exception.

I foresee the next few episodes most likely will finally show some (more!) action, with the students either battling monsters (or more unlikely, but still possible, each other). Despite this, I believe the "initiation arc" (as I tentatively title it), while filled with fight-porn, most likely will not focus on the fighting itself but instead on (surprise, surprise!) character development. Why? I believe that the main goal of this "initiation" is not to evaluate the fighting prowess of each student (as we are led to believe) but to teach the students one hard truth: united, we stand; divided, we fall. They are, after all, warriors fighting to defend civilization, not children enacting fight-games. In warfare, no single soldier can claim total victory by theirself; only by working together, can they overcome all obstacles. This is the reason why I believe that partners are selected in such an arbitrary manner: in battle, the enemy doesn't give a shit whether you have a vendetta with the guy next to you, but is still going to try to kill you all anyways. If you can't settle your issues with your fellow Hunter-To-Be quickly enough to fight the Grim together, clearly, you don't deserve to graduate. Most of the students at Beacon seem unaware of this fact; I would go as far as to say that all of them, (perhaps excepting Jaune) are exceptionally cocky about their fighting skills. All four main characters (even Blake, who seems the most pragmatic of them all!) are slightly gung-ho about going into battle; certainly, Yang's attitude reflected this mentality in her trailer. This initiation will be a wake-up call to them: that you are not all powerful--you are not invincible, and that simply having brawn will not allow you to solve all problems; and that indeed, some problems are unsolvable. In war, nobody gives a flying fuck who you are, why you are here, what you believe in. This initiation will shock them, force them to the limits of their tolerance, and push them beyond and together. Only then will they know in full seriousness of what they are doing, and learn to stand together as experienced Hunters united in service to civilization.

Or then again, it might just be another action sequence with some comedy thrown in. Certainly, it's a bit early for extreme drama, the series being only 4 episodes in. Though, I would admit it is high time at least some seriousness was injected in. More Blake appearances, anyone?

I, for one, however, am looking forward to a time when the background to the RWBY world will be explained. What attracted me to this series in the first place was the incredible sense of grandeur and wonder that the initial trailers showed. Though they lacked any semblence of relatable plot whatsoever, those trailers showed an awesome world filled with marvels of all kind, replete with mystery and adventure; though, to be honest, with the timetable and budget the RWBY team is working under, it most probably won't be until mid-season or even near the end of the first season that any of the backstory will be explained even in the remotest detail (that's why there's ten Chapters planned, after all!).

Oh yes, and perhaps with that return to world-building/action as opposed to character development, we will have yet another excellent piece of music composed by Jeff Williams for our audio pleasure. Sure, character interaction is all good (and believe me, I really, really, am enjoying it: this is not meant to be sarcastic in any way) but it does tend to preclude the potential for some truly epic music, as writers have to be careful to not let sound overshadow the dialogue/script (after all, listening to characters talking to each other is what makes character drama interesting!). Too long have my ears gone without having partaken of Jeff William's particular brand of sensory ecstasy, forcing me to continually relisten to old classics such as "Red Like Roses", "This Will Be The Day," or, my personal favorite, "Mirror, Mirror", in order to stave off the encroaching tendrils of boredom and mundanity.

Ahh, life. Truly, it is the simple things that make it worth living.