by: @arkd3v

I am back with more RWBY episode reviews, this week covering Forever Fall and concluding Jaune’s blackmail plot from last week. I liked it, but I have some complaints.

This episode shows Jaune coming into his own as a character and leader. However, I have some gripes on the execution.

Without further ado, let’s get in.

Synopsis of Forever Fall

With Jaune keeping his friends at a distance as he wants to protect his secret from Cardin, his relationship with them sours as Cardin forces him to do more tasks. This treatment comes to a head when during Glynda Goodwhich takes all three classes on an expedition, and Cardin forces Jaune to play a deadly prank on Pyrrah. Jaune must decide whether to risk his career as a Hunter or potentially harm his friends.

There was a great scene before this where Jaune and Ruby have a heart-to-heart where the former gets to play mentor figure with Jaune, sharing the lesson she learned with Ozpin during her fight with Weiss a few episodes back. 

Ruby has always been a bit more mature than she appears, and here she gets to shine and show her progress by teaching it to someone.

Jaune Darc

Jaune is once again the show’s star and develops well in this episode. We get to see where his values lie, and he gets ample opportunities to prove himself.

He is much more relatable than Ruby, which is an issue I brought up before as Jaune is not the main character and yet gets focus and development that should have gone to the main character. 

This episode also lets him use his aura for the first time, and he gains more respect for himself and his friends. So it’s a good turnout for him.

Cardin and CRDL

Cardin and his gang are, like I feared, generic bullies. They have nothing interesting about them, and their arc in this episode is resolved in a way that makes me scratch my head. 

Without going into much detail, I don’t see Cardin stopping Jaune’s bullying any time soon because his portrayal is so scummy that I’d be surprised if he didn’t twirl his mustache. For goodness’ sake, he nearly had Jaune get Pyrrah killed brutally by violent bees! 

We have a missed opportunity here. If RWBY wants to show how hopeless Remnant is, why not kill off Cardin in this episode? It would send a message showing that you need to take the Grimm seriously and that selfish jerks will get themselves killed.

The Rest of the Main Cast

I like how the rest of JNPR are concerned with Jaune. Nora notices how Jaune is by Cardinal’s side and wants to help, and Ren will likely help if she does.

That is except for Pyrrah Nikos. 

She is upset with Jaune for hanging out with Cardin and wants to respect Jaune’s boundaries. However, when she sees Jaune stand up to the Grimm, she helps him with her semblance and lets Jaune take the credit. The episode’s ending sees them resolve the issues with their relationship. 

I like this. Pyrrah finally has a character flaw that makes her much more interesting.

As this is a JNPR episode, the rest of Team RWBY doesn’t do much. Yang gets one line, and Weiss and Blake are in the background.

 It can be argued that they don’t want to get involved while they are friends with Jaune. They aren’t as close with him as Ruby is—especially Weiss, who doesn’t like him.

That is except for Ruby. Letting Jaune take care of his problems makes sense for her character.

She sees Jaune is trying to be a good leader and wants to give him opportunities to improve as she did. But when he is visibly in danger, she is one of the first to help him.

Action, Animation, Editing, and Sound

The action scene in this episode was great with Jaune taking the stand against a Grimm by himself. Since he doesn’t have flashy super-speed and magic dust abilities, the action is more focused on choreography, and it works. 

There is a nice moment where Pyrrah reveals her semblance to help Jaune get the killing blow. The Ursa is coming in with a claw swipe, and Jaune’s shield is down as he prepares for a slash. Pyrrah uses her magnetic manipulation to bring Jaune’s shield up in time to block, allowing him to attack safely. It’s a cool moment and a creative way to introduce Pyrrah’s abilities.

However, the flaws with the casual scenes rear their ugly head, and models slump and shrug randomly with plenty of stuff movement.

Voice acting is okay overall, but Cardin can barely lift past the generic bully monotone level. The music is good as usual.

Grimm

There was no new Grimm except for the return of the Ursa. I love its design. Massive and covered in spines–I can see this thing striking fear into any foolish hunter.

Again, I have a complaint. Its power is weak through its portrayal. Despite being several times the tall Cardin’s size, a swipe from it didn’t leave Cardin badly injured, if not outright torn to pieces.

I guess this is a budget thing, but an easy way to circumvent it is not to have Cardin get up without healing or killing him. I’m sure the rest of the cast wouldn’t bat an eye.

Conclusion

RWBY Volume 1 Forever Fall is alright. 

While I have issues with the story itself, and the animation is still jank, some good character moments are sprinkled out enough to keep my enjoyment up.

Here’s hoping the next episode picks things up with the main four again.

Until next time. Dueces