RWBY: Grimm Eclipse Definitive Edition will indeed be coming to the Nintendo Switch. This is awesome news for those who have never played it or those who want to hunt Grimm on the go. The original RWBY: Grimm Eclipse was released on April 1st, 2014. The game is a hack and slash, like Dynasty Warriors. In those seven years since then some outfits and Team JNPR were added as DLC and that’s about it. Since then there were two mobile games that were released: RWBY: Amity Arena (which was a Clash Royale style game) and RWBY: Crystal Match (a RWBY Chibi match three game). Amity Arena shut down their servers on January 28th, 2021 and Crystal Match seems to have not had an update since 2019.
Until recently, it looked like the only RWBY game there was to look forward to was the one being made by Wayforward (The studio behind Shantae) and Arc System Works (The studio behind the Guilty Gear franchise and the Blazblue franchise). Then on March 25th, 2021 Nintendo dropped the RWBY: Grimm Eclipse Definitive Edition trailer. What separates the Definitive Edition from the original? All the DLC comes with the Definitive Edition for free and there is a new costume set too Power Armor.
From personally experience, this is a fun game to play with friends. Just kick back, relax, and slay some Grimm, and just have fun! RWBY: Grimm Eclipse Definitive Edition come out on May 13th 2021.
With Volume 8 of RWBY wrapped up last week, I now share my thoughts with certainty about my feelings. As mentioned in the title of this article, there will be spoilers ranging from the beginning of this Volume, to the finale of this Volume.
RWBY Volume 8 was honestly one of my favorites, easily in my top three. Now, were there thing in the Volume that I did not care for? Of course. You cannot create the perfect show that everybody loves. The way I see this is it was like asking for chocolate ice cream, but getting vanilla. It’s not what I was expecting, however I still like vanilla ice cream and chocolate is a nice surprise. If there is one phrase I said to myself while watching this Volume it was ‘I did NOT see that coming!’. The characters were great for the most part, same goes with the fight scenes. The three things I say were the best part of the Volume was the new Grimm, the music, and the plot.
The Characters in Volume 8 were great for the most part. Let’s get certain character out of the way first: General James Ironwood. Personally, I did not care for Volume 8 Ironwood. However I cared about Volume 7 Ironwood. The difference between them was that Volume 7 Ironwood looked like a morally grey character. Volume 8 Ironwood is a straight up villain that we really aren’t supposed to like. In Volume 7, Ironwood had a heart. In Volume 8, he threw that heart away when he killed that Councilman in cold blood. Personally, I love morally grey characters. Characters that even the characters in the show don’t know what to think of them. Here’s some good news though, that’s my only character gripe! The main cast is good, the Happy Huntresses I grew to enjoy, the villains were great. I even enjoyed the Ace-Ops. The spirit inside the Relic of Creation, Ambrosius, is one of my favorite new characters. I love how his personality seems to be more lacks then Jinn.
The fight scenes in the Volume were so well choreographed. To be honest, my favorite fight is a tie between Hazel vs Salem and Cinder and Neo vs Team RWBY and Penny. Hazel vs Salem was a fight scene where I knew the inevitable result, but I still cared and got invested into. I knew Hazel wouldn’t make it out alive, but I still hoped that it would give the team in the whale enough time to escape. It wasn’t a fight to win, but a fight to stall Salem enough, and I loved that. While the Cinder and Neo vs Team RWBY and Penny was flashy and I loved every minute of it.
Ok, I’m going to say it, The Hound scares me. The Hound was strong, smart, fast, and overall just superior in every way except looks. Then there’s the Centaur, which has to be the ugliest Grimm and it spits acid and has scythe talons. I love these Grimm and I do not want them anywhere near me, my house or anyone I know. Rooster Teeth has been on the ball with Grimm designs ever since the first Beowolf showed up.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams ALWAYS have good songs for RWBY. There are songs that hype me up, songs that made cry, songs that STILL make me cry. Personally, I don’t think there is one song that they have written that I don’t like.
This Volume was set over two days and those two days were stressful to watch. From Salem’s arrival to Ironwood getting ready to bomb Mantle. At no part was I NOT on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed every second of seeing the story unfold.
Personally, if I was using a star system of rating, I’d give Volume 8: 4.5/5. For the most part, it was amazing, but there were a few things that I thought held it back.
Recently a huge winter storm hit the state of Texas leaving many families and businesses with no power. According to the New York time “More than 3.5 million of those outages were in Texas, where many people had been without power for hours or even days in freezing temperatures. “
During this difficult time, the Rooster Teeth team decided to push back RWBY chapter 10’s release to February 27th. They want the team to focus on their safety first.
Hey everyone! Wanted to give you all an update that due to the weather conditions in Texas, we will be pushing RWBY Chapter 10’s release 1 week, from February 20th to February 27th. While the episode is basically done, we would rather the team focus on themselves and their safety
— Kerry Shawcross (@kerryshawcross) February 17, 2021
Many fans of RWBY are very supportive with the teams decision to push the episode back a week. The safety of the team is incredible important!
Thanks for providing the fans with a heads up.
— Secantz (@Secantz2) February 17, 2021
And, thank you for your consideration towards your crew's health and safety. Very admirable and very respectful. Please stay safe out there!!
That's totally understandable you all be safe stay warm as possible
— MamiSalami20 (@MamiSalami20) February 17, 2021
We hope the Rooster Teeth team and the states being hit by the winter storm are safe. Tell us what you think will happen in RWBY chapter 10!
On January 23rd, Rooster Teeth released a trailer for the rest of Volume 8. It’s description says: “The clash between Salem and Ironwood’s forces has begun. With our heroes caught in the middle and impossible choices in every direction, will they figure out how to save the Kingdom of Atlas… or is the war for Remnant already lost?”
I don’t know about you, but this is giving me Volume 3 vibes. First half tame, second half, dark. Yes, the first half of this Volume was the tame half. It only gets darker from here on out.
A big thing about this trailer is the new scenes. One scene is Ironwood slamming his fist on his desk saying “I have always promised to defend this kingdom from those who would see it destroyed…no matter the cost.” As Winter leads the Ace-Ops, carrying the bomb into, Monstra the Whale Grimm. Then Ruby gets thrown by something. Next we see a shot of Penny opening her eye, which are now red. Then we see a new Grimm that is able to spit, presumably, acid. The next new scene involves Watts and Qrow in their cells looking at something, then it proceeds to explode. Next is the Hound in, what I’m assuming, is the Schnee family yard. Then it’s Salem grabbing Oscar’s head and she looks furious.
RWBY Volume 8 comes back on February 6th.
On January 15th, Rooster Teeth announced that they are doing a crossover with DC, where Team RWBY meets Remnant’s equivalent to the the Justice League. This will be a seven issues and the release date is only known as July 2021. Also they have revealed some designs for the Remnant’s Justice League.
Wonder Woman:
Superman:
Green Lantern:
Batman:
Aquaman:
Cyborg:
Flash:
Four months can seem both a very long yet very short time simultaneously.
Four months ago, I was trawling through YouTube (as I do) when a video popped up in my recs. “Musician REACTS to This Life Is Mine (feat. Casey Lee Williams)”. With that song being my complete favorite from RWBY, it was an absolute must watch for me. Plus, hearing the thoughts behind some of the composition was enticing. I’m not a sophisticated musician by any means. (I can’t even read music or name the key signatures.) But I enjoy hearing about the technical aspects of music.
The short video was only ten minutes long so I was just like, “Why not?”
I was greeted with an extremely warm, extremely enthusiastic person. Of course, he paused during the video to give some insight into the lyrics and what’s going on in the music. However, once it hit the rock section, he just gave up and gave into the music, jamming along with it. There was just so much genuine and authentic joy that it was hard to ignore.
Admittedly, I kind of forgot about him until about a month later when his Red Like Roses Part 2 review came up.
From there, I subscribed and became a regular viewer of his channel.
His channel originally started off as reactions to more normal music which didn’t catch the biggest audience. But after shifting to fandom music, he’s found his footing. His community has absolutely exploded in the past several months from that very shift.
And, honestly, it’s a great community. The comment sections seem to be relatively chill which matches his personality.
But his Patreon on community is where things shine the most. While there are a lot of people in the server, it’s kind of the typical Patreon server. It’s kind of a small group of the same people that talk. We’re all generally pretty supportive of each other. There’s generally no negativity. There’s a venting channel, of course, but that’s pretty standard. We can definitely offer critique to writing and artwork. But it’s never in a way that talks down or demeans anybody. It focuses on striving for improvement. As for right now, it’s a good bunch of people with no bad eggs in the bunch.
I think that can be attributed to David himself. He himself is someone that’s truly positive, upbeat, and authentic. The way he reacts to RWBY episodes really highlights that. He watches and gives thoughtful insight into what’s happening in that moment. Of course, there are criticisms; it’s not just all praised. For example, he started off not liking Roman since he thought he was a bit of a douchebag. He did come around, though, after hearing what other fans thought and seeing more himself.
His insights are so genuine and relatable. During the V2 arc where Blake’s running herself ragged, he relates to that. He says he tends to be the type that just keeps going and going and going. As a bit of a perfectionist myself…I completely get that.
One thing I really enjoy about his RWBY reactions are the fact he offers points to talk about at the end of every episode. Again, one was on the point of “do you rest or do you keep going?” And he always reads a comment that talks about it. The engagement is just so legitimate.
Of course, one of the cool things that happens on Patreon is weekly watch/jam sessions. The community comes together to watch anime and/or just chill and listen to music while talking. Being able to interact with David like that really just reinforces that what you see in the videos is what you get.
Of course, like any creator, some distance from fans is necessary. Giving out all the personal info isn’t the best idea. But you can just tell that he’s a legitimately sweet, nice guy that loves what he’s doing.
Watching him grow as a creator bit by bit over the past several months has been pretty cool. Things still remain largely the same. He’s pretty humble and down to earth. Things remain rather simple. But he’s managed to hire an editor that helps polish video quality up a fair bit.
One thing I do have to appreciate for his personal style isn’t the use of a lot of jump cuts. I get that they have their place. I do not disparage creators that use them a lot. If you’re a commentary-type creator or someone who talks to the camera, oftentimes they’re really necessary. Bailey Sarian is an example of a channel that uses them a ton that I really enjoy. There’s just also something to be said for creators that don’t use them a whole lot. In this case, it just enhances the feeling of genuineness he brings to everything he does.
So yeah, if you’re a fan of animation, music, and especially RWBY, give his channel a look! We’re currently about halfway through Volume 2 in terms of reactions. His upload schedule can be a bit inconsistent since he’s still figuring things out. Despite that, it’s still frequent enough that you won’t be wondering where the next video is.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWH6O3GL1sLj-cIjukOmppQ
Twitter: https://bit.ly/34Oc6l2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFnAhnMFDki/
Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/davidthehooman
War was one huge cliffhanger, wasn’t it? This is your last spoiler warning, just in case. Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this theory revolving around RWBY’s illusionist, Emerald Sustrai.
To start with, we need to understand who Emerald is based on. She was a thief on the streets of we assume Vale. She’s based on Aladdin. As we all know, thanks to either Disney or the original story, Aladdin gets his hands on a magical lamp that has a genie, or jinn, in it that will give whoever rubs it three wishes.
Now, the Lamp and Aladdin in RWBY are quite different. For one, there are no wishes, just questions you can ask Jinn, which are still three. However, two have already been used and they replenish every 100 years. I believe that Emerald will get her hands on the Relic of Knowledge and will either use it, or get close to using it. If she does use it, we have Aladdin get the lamp from an evil sorcerer, in this case a sorceress (Salem).
Is a spoiler warning needed? I hope it’s not. But if it is, this obviously contains spoilers for the episode that non-FIRST Members can’t see yet. If you aren’t FIRST and don’t want to be spoiled, then don’t read this.
Okay.
That out of the way.
Oh my god this episode was absolutely fantastic. I personally was not a fan of last episode. Cinder’s backstory came far too little too late. I could probably write an article about how it would’ve been better utilised in V4.
Onto the actual episode. This was done as running commentary while rewatching.
There are a lot of critiques here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love this episode. I’m a writer so I will nitpick things when actually watching with a critical eye.
The opening. You know stuff’s about to go down when they start with the environmental shots. It’s such a common thing to use in any visual medium. It helps create the illusion things are peaceful before breaking into the absolute chaos that is about to erupt.
And yep, things go to complete heck. We pan to the Atlassian soldiers on the frontlines, waiting for the Grimm.
I do like the little detail of the soldier’s gun rattling. Anyone in their right mind would be absolutely terrified of this absolute insanity. Considering Salem parked her whale on the ground like it’s a big ole semi truck…
And back to Ironwood completely losing it.
I can understand what he’s doing here. Trying to protect the people is good. But causing further mass panic is just…not great. I know that you need to get citizens moved as quickly as possible. And you need every man possible on the front line. But even so…that was not the smart way to do it. The efficient one, yes, but not smart. Causing even further negative emotions will just make the Grimm attracted even more and make things far, far worse than they already were. There have to be some officers that can help keep evacuations orderly…
My other point was just “okay so you’re sending them to where the centipedes are tunneling in. That’s another massacre waiting to happen.”
The next scene is just…so heartbreaking.
The bbys have been arrested. The orders have been given and just, yes Yang, Go. Go my child. CALL THEM OUT.
Of course the Ace Ops don’t believe them about Oscar. I know it’s not typical of Grimm, but come on. The lady who creates the Grimm is literally in her SUV whale. Is it so hard to believe that she could create something that was never seen before? That whale probably doesn’t exist elsewhere.
This scene is great and sets up the next section for that interaction so well.
The rotating shot around Winter’s head is just beautiful. I’m not an animation nerd, but it’s just so pretty. The sky, lighting, the shading around her head… It’s all so subtle and beautiful.
And her eyes, oh the beauty in her eyes in this scene.
The orders Ironwood gives are just nuts. “Drop a bomb in the whale. Don’t care about the people inside.” That’s understandable since they’re all on the crazy train. They’re the enemy. But Oscar. Ironwood doesn’t know that, but he wouldn’t care.
“Your team will deliver the bomb when it’s ready.”
You can just see the resignation on Winter’s face. There are just so many things you can read into that expression especially once he finishes the orders. Especially with what’s coming up.
Even with all of those thoughts, she still agrees. She still agrees even though this is quite possibly the equivalent of a nuclear bomb for Remnant. Ironwood isn’t giving a single care for the safety of her or the Ace Ops. After the scene in Ch 1, you know he doesn’t. Any sacrifice is worth it if he can save Atlas. Nothing else matters. Not even if it means losing his absolute most elite personnel.
And just her hand shaking. My sweet child, I feel for you so much.
I know I should get into this part, but I just…I don’t care. I don’t care about the villains. I do find Salem fun to watch, but that’s it. I don’t care about Emerald, Mercury, or any of them. Cinder least of all.
And Tyrian even less. I’m not a fan of the psychotic types.
It is an extremely well-done segment though.
Salem literally doing Grimm bending like she’s a waterbender or something. Paired with the classical music, it’s just such a great dissonance.
Oscar trying to get Hazel’s trust by telling him about the lamp is an angle I expected.
Emerald has never been loyal to Salem either. All she cares about is Cinder. That sort of by proxy loyalty isn’t what you want in an arrangement like this. It opens up this exact sort of opportunity for defection. The only thing that probably will keep her there will be Cinder. She’s clearly not going anywhere due to the power Salem offers her. The power to do whatever she wants in the world.
Just the looks when you can see Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury want off the freaking crazy train.
And we’re back to the complete heartbreak up in Atlas. This…is another well-done scene.
“She needs a doctor.” Let’s stick a pin in that for later.
The discussion of what to do next is just so good. The conflict and uncertainty just oozes in every line spoken. They’re doing their best, but you can tell they know it’s not good enough. They’re so small against something so large and seemingly insurmountable.
The major turning point is Weiss being forced to choose between Atlas and Mantle.
They want to stay there to help even though, originally, the plan was just to launch Amity and get back to mantle. Nora kinda threw a wrench into that.
But you can understand Weiss’ feelings so well here. They’re in her home, where she was raised. Even if she doesn’t care for her brother and her mother’s a drunk…they’re still her family. Plus Winter’s fighting in Atlas too. Even if they stand on opposite sides, they’re still sisters. Weiss probably wants to protect all of them. Plus, more people will continue to die in Atlas which isn’t what they want by any means.
May has a serious point though. Team RWBY’s idealism won’t work here. They have to choose between helping Mantle or Atlas. Mantle only has the Happy Huntresses and Weiss, Blake, and Ruby. She has to make a choice. THe same sort of choice Ironwood himself made.
The parallels are so good here.
Also, of course, May being acknowledged as transgender in this scene is A+ too. It was originally just a Word of God thing. But, now, it’s fully out in the open. It’s good to see this sort of representation.
And next…
…I wonder just how long Whitley’s been listening. It seems to be implied from the beginning but May certainly would’ve seen him.
Next segment is more villain stuff. I kinda summarised the two above, so I’ll just move onto the next bit.
This. This is the best part of the episode. I do not have enough praise for it. Ren calling the Ace Ops and Winter out on their BS was just so expertly done.
Let me just first give props to Neath for this entire thing. His delivery was what nailed this scene. You can read what’s going on through Ren’s head so well. The strong writing plus delivery just makes this possibly one of the best scenes in RWBY up to this point. My favorite is still personally the one in Alone Together (V5 Ch8) when the girls are talking about Blake.
First point. Y’all are talking to the wrong team here. People are absolutely not replaceable. They agreed to keep fighting like Pyrrha’s by their side. You are saying the exact wrong thing to them.
Second point. Oh my poor babies Marrow and Winter. You could just see it in Ch 1 those two didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. Ironwood shooting the councilman was the breaking point. But they’re probably also afraid. He shot a councilman who was just trying to talk. How much worse would they have it if they left? He definitely wouldn’t let them survive if at all possible.
Third point. Ren’s Semblance. I am of two minds about this. On one hand, it just feels awful convenient. We haven’t seen this ability before in him, then it’s just suddenly…there. But, on the other hand, it does contribute to making the scene so phenomenal.
Fourth point. I love this explanation for them losing against Team RWBY. I know a lot of people were upset about how the Ace Ops lost. It was a phenomenal fight, but it didn’t exactly make sense how such an elite squad could lose against a bunch of newbies. But, with this, it explains the team dynamics that led to the downfall. Not being able to work together and actively fighting against each other will undermine even the most elite. For a team as close as RWBY, it’s much easier to win when the opponents aren’t in sync.
Fifth point. Let’s go into the Ace Ops’ colors a little bit. Information pulled from Incredible Art Department and Empower Yourself Through Color. Also this is just a very basic layout of things. You could write an entire breakdown on all of them. I just wanna try to keep it kinda brief.
I also did read a breakdown like this from Marrow Loves You on twitter (it’s where I got th idea). We probably pulled from the same site(s). So it’ll likely pull the same information and be similar.
Harriet’s colors are red and orange with red being the most pronounced of them. On the positive side, red is associated with passion, love, desire, speed (hah), and strength. On the negative side, it’s associated with war, violence, and, of course, anger.
Orange’s positive traits are energy, warmth, enthusiasm, and balance. On the more negative side of things, it means things are superficial and insincere, overbearing, pessimism, and being overly proud. Interestingly, the orange doesn’t appear until Ren starts talking and she starts denying things.
Marrow’s color is blue which, positively, means peace, tranquility, calm, and trustworthiness. Negatively, it’s associated with despair, depression, instability, and aloofness.
Elm’s colors are the same as Harriet’s.
Vine’s color is green. Positively, it means generosity, stability, renewal, and health. Negatively, it’s associated with jealousy, envy, misfortune, and cautious.
I could do more of an analysis on this, but this article is already long. That’d probably double this already excessive wordcount…
I really do wonder how Ironwood’s going to react once he learns Winter let fugitive traitors go…
Okay, NEXT SCENE FINALLY.
Hard cut to Ruby trying to be idealistic (again) and May being the pragmatist. Though, one detail I just noticed in that scene was Blake’s ears folding down.
You can only imagine what’s running through her head right now. People are dying because of decisions they’re making. She’s being pulled and tugged in directions she doesn’t like. They’re leaving a bunch of people to die because they’re the “wrong” crowd.
May is being pragmatic and realistic, but I can imagine that at least some part of Blake things she’s lashing out at Atlas for how they treated her.
Just like she did in the White Fang.
But man, this scene makes me so happy. Whitley is finally showing some character development. Jacques wouldn’t have approved of this sort of thing most likely. So him doing it because it’s the right thing is just so good. And then Weiss showing her appreciation…
Oh my heart can’t take it.
And then Penny of course.
Not entirely sure what to make of it.
All in all, I feel like this is one of the absolute strongest episodes in the volume so far. While I do have some criticisms of it toward the beginning, the later parts make up for them far far more than I can count. It entirely washed the bad taste of last episode out of my mouth.
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