Rooster Teeth takes a stab at anime with RWBY

Volume two of “RWBY,” an American anime production, made its long-awaited debut on July 4, 2014, airing three months before the season finale aired later on Oct. 30.

Like most animations, “RWBY” is set in a fantastical land where characters possess extraordinary abilities and the majority of female characters wear clothes that are not battle appropriate.

Although a release date has not been set for the third volume, the creator Monyreak “Monty” Oum, and animation producer of Rooster Teeth Productions and voice actor in “RWBY” Gray Haddock, confirmed at the Penny Arcade Expo Prime 2014, that a third volume for the action-packed animation will be released soon.

“RWBY” is set in a fictional land called Remnant, which is filled with magic and consumed by evil and supernatural beasts known as the “Creatures of Grimm,” otherwise known just as the Grimm.

Humankind was in constant war with the Grimm until they discovered a mysterious and powerful substance called Dust.

This Dust was cultivated and utilized to power magic spells and weapons which the humans use to drive away the Grimm. Because of its power and necessity, Dust is extremely valuable and has become the source of many conflicts in the series.

Those who use Dust are called Huntsmen and Huntresses, and they are trained at different academies around Remnant. The protagonists of the series are four girls, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, who all attend Beacon Academy, one of the most prestigious schools for Hunters in Remant.

At the academy, students learn how to use Dust to fight Grimm and protect the human race. The academy places four students into groups and teaches them various subjects such as Remnant’s history and how to kill Grimm.

Compared to the stunning anime known to come out of Japan, the artwork in “RWBY” fails to visually compete. The characters and environment in “RWBY” are in a 3-D type of design that is often distracting and creepy.

Those who are accustomed to appreciating the artwork in Japanese anime will have a difficult time adjusting to the odd 3-D style.
On the other hand, the animation in the multiple fight scenes is intense and thrilling. Every detail of the fight, from the characters to the magic spells, is choreographed perfectly to invoke suspense and thrill. Although the animation tends to be strange in the normal dialogue scenes,  the 3-D design works well with the intense action.

Unfortunately, Monty, the mastermind behind the “RWBY” series, passed away on Feb. 1 of this year due to a “severe allergic reaction during a simple medical procedure that left him in a coma,” according to Matt Hullum, one of the producers of the show.

The show, as confirmed before, will continue. However, as a result of the creator’s death, there might be some changes to the premiere date of volume three and possibly some alterations to the storyline as well.

“RWBY” is surprisingly a great animation, mainly held together by the plot and the stunning fight scenes. It is worth the watch for fans of anime.