RWBY is easily one of the grandest web series ever produced. It has a massive cast and world, sweeping plot, and insane action scenes. However, its first season is surprisingly small scale and simple compared to the rest of the season.
RWBY's first season is about Ruby who starts attending a school for huntsman despite being two years younger. The first half revolves around introducing the main cast of students, putting them through their first lessons, and dividing them up into teams. The second half is divided up more into these small arcs that flesh out the characters. There's also a running plot about a mysterious thief stealing a source of energy called Dust, but it doesn't really come up until the last two episodes. Season 1 is incredibly small scale in a lot of ways, especially compared to the later seasons, but I think it does a good job of establishing the show's characters. Pretty much the entire cast is likable, and most of the characters get moments of added depth throughout the second half of the season. However, I think the main plot suffers in terms of pacing. Not much happens for most of the season, and the teams aren't established until halfway through the season. One of the side characters, Jaune, has an entire arc to himself that takes up two out of the ten episodes in the season, which is just way too long. The last two episodes introduce this massive conspiracy, but it doesn't feel earned because of just how slow-paced the rest of the season is.
It doesn't help that, at this point, RWBY's production values aren't the best. The voice acting is solid, but you can tell the cast is still trying to settle into their roles. The animation is incredibly janky, though it's understandable given that it's a webseries made by a small team. The best moments of the season are the action scenes, animated by none other than Monty Oum. These action sequences are insanely tight and well-choreographed and boast some of the best animation in the season, but there also just isn't too much of it compared to other seasons of RWBY. There are really only three major setpieces in Season 1, the bank robbery in the first episode, the Nevermore fight, and the battle at the harbor in the finale. Certain characters like Yang and Nora don't even really get the chance to fight all that much either. Thankfully, one thing I could generally say is amazing is the music. RWBY has always had good music, and this season has some of the most iconic themes. Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang all have outstanding character themes, and the Opening theme is still one of the best in the show.
Despite the slow pace, there are a few episodes this season that I did really enjoy:
Players And Pieces: Pretty unanimously considered to be the season's best episode, Players And Pieces is one long action scene with the giant Nevermore, packed with awesome teamwork and stunning spectacle. It's not just all style, though, this episode unites the main cast and is packed with fun banter and the exciting ending with Teams RWBY and JNPR finally being established.
Black And White: Outside of my complaints with the pacing, this was a really solid finale with some insanely good fight scenes. Blake's storyline about secretly being a Faunus is probably the most emotional part of the season. Most of the story was wrapped up fairly neatly here, but there are a few interesting hooks for Season 2.
Overall, RWBY shows a lot of potential in its characters and action, but it suffers from a short length and wonky pacing. Hopefully, now that the cast is introduced, we can really start getting into the good stuff in Season 2.
2/5 Stars
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