Rwby

[tuckersister]

I wonder if Neapolitan will speak eventually. It will probably be a key moment. Who's her voice actress?

[JagdPanther]

Originally Posted by tuckersister

I wonder if Neapolitan will speak eventually. It will probably be a key moment. Who's her voice actress?

I would love for her to have a Silent Bob moment.

[tuckersister]

Speaking in broken sentences would probably suit Neo if she speaks.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by tuckersister

I wonder if Neapolitan will speak eventually. It will probably be a key moment. Who's her voice actress?

Casey Lee Williams provided her grunts in Cross Tag Battle.

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train trundles into Episode 4 of Season 8...

Oh, yeah, no, Robyn, it was very much Qrow's fault. Horribly dumb decision.

I guess I forgot Robyn's semblance worked in reverse? That someone else could see the truth through her...?

Naturally, Yang's bike held out the longest. And Ren's momentary cloaking of their presence reminds me of any stealth-action game anymore; you go hide for like 2 seconds and the alerted guards forget all about the pile of dead bodies they found in the room.

Pissed-off Ren is pretty neat, actually. The whole "negative emotions" lure for Grim does sort of get wonky in times like these, though.

Salem has Emperor Palpatine powers. Duly noted.

Cinder... this probably will end very poorly for you. And the only two outcomes of this for Emerald are either death or she somehow, someway defects to the other side.

So, wait... Cold weather wears away your aura, but Ren, who was already the lowest on aura, is going to go sit out in the cold? Right. And I enjoy the ratcheting sound from that box wrench.

Another disaster next week. Sweet.

Looking forward to it.

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train barrels into Episode 5 of Season 8...

This reminds me of Harry Potter & The Mysterious Ticking noise... It's a pipe bomb!

Why does Penny need to be on Amity again...? And how did Cinder know where Penny would be...?

Kinda funny to see Neo getting schooled by an octogenarian.

I see Cinder is aware of how the Twin Towers collapsed... Heated metal is weaker. Though, she continues to be insanely dense.

Okay, so, evidently, you don't want to use Emerald's semblance on someone who has a FLIR scope built into her eyes. Would've been good to know a long time ago.

So Penny getting taken over sort of like the T-800 in Terminator 3. And I am guessing she's trying to fight back like the T-800 did against the TX's attempted takeover.

I was just thinking earlier how much it sucks we haven't seen Tai Yang or Professor Goodwitch and other great characters from earlier seasons in a long time. The series has been going on for 8 years, but it feels a lot longer and it has become so expansive that it's easy to lose sight of how many characters have been dispensed with over time.

Can't wait to see the prison break coming up. So dumb to let someone like that do anything for you... Oh, and I think I said it before, but I love Winter's new character design.

All right, let's see where this river of grim goes next week. Penny better not be permanently gone after this season. Grrr...

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train advances into Episode 6 of Season 8...

Is it just me or are they making a concerted effort to keep the episodes a little longer than average compared to the last few seasons? Seems like in the past a 19-minute episode was unusual, but now it seems the standard.

I'd basically forgotten at this point that Cinder is supposed to be Cinderella gone bad. That was interesting backstory, though. Whoever that guy was, he has some culpability. Obviously he wasn't mistreating Cinder, but he should've been figuring out a way to get Cinder out of that situation in the first place. Training her in secret and letting the trauma pile up for her was an epic fail on his part. You can't save everyone, but you also can't just string them along.

Also interesting how Cinder seems to be so mentally damaged that she put herself in a similar situation with Salem even after she gained power to be independent. And Emerald is so "grateful" to Cinder for saving her that she willfully ignores how bad the situation is just to do anything for Cinder. Really messed up circle this is.

Kinda feel like Oskar should be missing some teeth.

Speaking of which... Did Hazel just break off a tusk/tooth with one hand? I guess that ship is one gigantic grim, and if so, that grim needs to use more fluoride. Teeth should be stronger than that.

Well then. That ending... All I can think of is, "This is the end, my only friend." EDIT: Oh, and this: why is the shield generator or shield projector ALWAYS so easily disabled? Atlas really thought that design would work?

Next week looks like it could be quite the action-packed episode.

[RDNexus]

Ever since Monty Oum died, the story only derailed further.
Each season getting everything worse than the previous one.
RWBY now kinda feels more like a typical american show...
Rather than the anime-inspired story it first depicted
I'm following the story, despite thinking that it needed Oum.
Actually, not "needed", but "still needs". It's a messy matter.

[darkofficer]

how is it anime inspired when all the characters are based on fairytales ?

[JagdPanther]

Originally Posted by RDNexus

Ever since Monty Oum died, the story only derailed further.
Each season getting everything worse than the previous one.
RWBY now kinda feels more like a typical american show...
Rather than the anime-inspired story it first depicted
I'm following the story, despite thinking that it needed Oum.
Actually, not "needed", but "still needs". It's a messy matter.

Agreed. I think it's possible that in the early time after Monty's death the writers really were working off his notes, but I think with those run out they've taken things in a completely different direction. It feels absolutely *nothing* like it did when it was a 1st and 2nd season show. I know some people really loved the grim (no pun intended) turn of the show at the end of season 3 onward. Maybe Monty really did mean for that to occur. But the first 2.0+ seasons were so different than everything that has followed.

Originally Posted by darkofficer

how is it anime inspired when all the characters are based on fairytales ?

Not all anime characters are based on Japanese folklore.

[Twi]

Hmm... for the guy, I'm willing to give him a little lee way because we don't know his circumstances. Cinder's shock collar wasn't remotely looked at with any kind of suspicion meaning its a legalized practice. The fact that she was just plucked out of an orphanage and then made to work implies she was bought rather than adopted (or rather 'adopted' so she wouldn't have to pay labor fees).

We are of the mindset its wrong from a moral standpoint, but he was going to send her to be arrested after she committed murder. That indicates he was lawful enough that he couldn't just up and kidnap her, with him teaching her as much as he did was as far as he could stretch to help her out. It's likely he would have been arrested for culpability if unlocking her aura so she could do all of that was illegal as well, so he was essentially going to take responsibility. From my perspective he reached out as best he could to give her a little hope to cling to and in the end it only bit him in the rear.

And I must ask the writers how is that supposed to make Cinder more sympathetic?

A bad backstory doesn't justify anything she done. I could excuse the murder of the stupid business woman and her children because from a moral standpoint they had it coming (well, not really with the whole life for a life angle but I'm willing to overlook it as a teenager's mistake), but killing him was really the point where there was nothing worth redeeming left. Much less so when she's killed both named and non-named characters. I still remember that woman who stumbled across her after she'd been frozen and how she murdered her to take her clothes.

And then there's the stupidity of the twin sisters, who would track mud all the way up to the second floor just to bug Cinder. It's one thing to be a pest, but they were actively ruining a posh hotel and damaging its reputation. If that woman was any kind of business woman at all she wouldn't even have then remotely anywhere interfering with someone doing the work because its counterproductive. It costs money and time.

At the end of the day, the writers just aren't good. They had a decent foundation to work with, but they lack the talent to carry it out. When they try to make statements they don't know the meaning of the word subtle, they often put things at the wrong timing (jokes and long discussions during what is a serious battle, identity issues when there's a war going on, etc.), they have a bad habit of protagonist-centered morality and when people do bring up the issues that causes they end up scrambling to fix it by either making the other characters prove them right or try to downplay it.

In Volume 1 & 2 it was simple enough that it wasn't a problem. The issues of morals was minimal beyond cases of bullying. You could let those slide and focus on the action scene. But they basically tried overreaching what they were capable of since then and the only thing really keeping the show going is the fandom being so large and merchandising.

[JagdPanther]

Originally Posted by Twi

Hmm... for the guy, I'm willing to give him a little lee way because we don't know his circumstances. Cinder's shock collar wasn't remotely looked at with any kind of suspicion meaning its a legalized practice. The fact that she was just plucked out of an orphanage and then made to work implies she was bought rather than adopted (or rather 'adopted' so she wouldn't have to pay labor fees).

We are of the mindset its wrong from a moral standpoint, but he was going to send her to be arrested after she committed murder. That indicates he was lawful enough that he couldn't just up and kidnap her, with him teaching her as much as he did was as far as he could stretch to help her out. It's likely he would have been arrested for culpability if unlocking her aura so she could do all of that was illegal as well, so he was essentially going to take responsibility. From my perspective he reached out as best he could to give her a little hope to cling to and in the end it only bit him in the rear.

Right, I get all that. So my point is, why isn't he trying to find a way to "buy" her freedom?

Looks like a pretty fancy plays he's staying at with some regularity. Doubt he's dirt poor. And I doubt the madam spent a lot of money on Cinder in the first place.

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train stumbles into Episode 7 of Season 8 after gorging on the fuel of Christmas...

I see John Deere exists in Remnant. Pretty much like what you'd see in Iowa there.

Atlas is supposed to be a military superpower, right? They have some pretty high-tech stuff. They clearly have the most organization of any of the governments we've seen. So how in the world can they be dumb enough to fight the grim like it's the Second Punic War with Roman Legions lining up against the Carthginians. Not really that smart, guys. You're gonna get rolled.

Ironwood is still concerned with the kids. And we're going to do some Deep Impact/Armageddon stunt to kill that giant whale. Okay, cool. Hook 'em.

Hazel "killed" Salem multiple times? Well, now I'm curious. I'd like to know what those encounters were like very much.

So where the heck is the Schnee mansion that they're just sitting around drinking tea (I assume)? Seemed to me like the whole of Atlas was inundated with grim.

Hey, maybe, just maybe, I'm finally going to get my wish and see Emerald start leaning toward the good side.

Wait... what is this part of Ren's semblance? I can't remember if we've ever seen this before. He can read other peoples' emotions or feelings...?

I get there's a war going on outside, but THAT'S your reaction to someone knocking at the door? I'd like to see the reaction to someone setting off the burglar alarm. And... how high up was Amity? It took Penny one hell of a long time to fall down to a place already up in the sky.

Well, no new episode today, so I guess the Week Late train will be in the siding for a couple weeks. Hope everyone had or has a happy holiday season!

[RDNexus]

RWBY break until February 06th.

[JagdPanther]

Originally Posted by RDNexus

RWBY break until February 06th.

Oh. Well, good to know. Would've been wondering where a new episode was in 2 weeks.

Did think it was kinda weird they were running RvB and RWBY at the same time.

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train wakes from its slumber in a siding and takes a run to ease its joints, heading into Episode 8 of Season 8.

Well, unlike a human, not sure any of them can give Penny a transfusion, so... might be a problem even if that broken pipe gets fixed.

So we draw the line at boozing in the dark. Duly noted.

I see we lack standby generator technology in Remnant. Should be an automatic cutover based on a circuit. But, need time for exposition and conversation, so, let's go with it.

Whitley absolutely should've retorted "So do you" to Weiss when she quipped about his attitude.

I'm wait, what? Why was Ruby standing still with her eyes closed...? And, cool, perfect time for a new boss-grim. Pretty standard for this series at this point, I guess.

I see Penny is still in the Terminator 3 scene with the T-101 struggling to override the bug/virus/whatever the T-X put in it.

The radio chatter in this episode so far is waaaaaay too calm given the circumstances.

Good job remembering to hit Enter, Whitley. Props.

This boss-grim that Blake was fighting. Do I recall other grim being like how this one was about the kill Blake, like really measured and methodical? Seems like the idea of this "hound" thing was that it was smart, unlike other grim, so I don't see how other grim, unless these new boss ones are supposed to be "lite" versions of the hound, should be doing anything other than going HAM on things they don't like.

Okay, back to my T3 analogy I've been using: so Penny is NOT like the T-101 in that she maybe *can* self-terminate? Because the T-series couldn't (see: T2).

Well, that explains a lot about the hound, at least.

Using an RPG against infantry at that range is beyond idiotic. Par for the course for the Atlas military. It's truly amazing how they are the only real military on Remnant for how dumb they are.

Well, the second part of season 8 has gotten off to an interesting start. Yikes.

[DKN117]

Apparently there's going to be an unexpected week break (no new ep this Saturday for FIRST members, no new ep next Sat for non-FIRST) between Eps. 9 and 10 due to the blizzard or whatever that's hitting Texas (where Rooster Teeth is) at the moment...

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train heads into episode 9 of season 8 despite the brutal cold gripping the country.

The more I see of the Atlas military the more I wonder how they have survived. It's truly stunning how bad they are at everything they do. I mean, frickin' World War I trench warfare? I shouldn't be the least bit shocked; it's Rule of Cool 101, but still... I have a really hard time looking at this and thinking, "Yeah, they're the most powerful nation on Remnant."

So Ren's new-found power is... useful. Have we seen anyone else get a different manifestation of their semblance before? You can link it to his existing power as basically the active vs. passive versions of it, or project vs. receive.

And that's why you never say things like, "it's not like she knows the password, anyway."

Emerald being able to fool Salem is pretty cool.

Hey, what do ya know, one of my absolute favorite things... no SENSE OF URGENCY. Get yo raggedy behinds MOVING. Stop sitting around staring at things or talking calmly. GO.

Breaking a dust crystal with your teeth. Nice.

Well, that was certainly a heck of an ending to this episode. I'm glad Emerald didn't die in this episode, at least. For several seasons I've been hoping she'd flip to at least neutral if not the good side. Maybe this is it. We have yet to see how Cinder will still influence her, but she is at least not as bad as she has been.

Looking forward to how this season winds down. Actually showing promise right now, which is always a dangerous thing with this series.

[JagdPanther]

After weather-induced delays, the Week Late Train is back on track heading into Episode 10 of Season 8.

First of all, Ironwood isn't Eisenhower on D-Day. With all that's going on, he should be in a command center constantly evaluating the situation and issuing operational orders. Second of all, how the F are Robyn and Qrow even the slightest priority right now? Searching from them is a waste of critically-needed resources.

Well, that was an impressive explosion. So... how much of it was damage vs. something disabling like EMP? Electronics still work. The whale-thingy is dead. Landscape appears destroyed around the whale, but people have nary a scratch on them. Seems like Grim well away from the blast site were destroyed. Very odd area of effect.

Not sure if Arthur's intention was to get out of that or just go down with a bang, but... kudos to him for that.

As I've said before, I'd very much like to see Emerald flip sides, so I hope that Ren viewing her emotions is a sign she was just acting tough for a moment.

LOL Cinder's profile image for Neo may be one of the best little tidbits of this series.

So... who's going to go Claus von Stauffenberg on Ironwood? Has to be creeping up the list of options for a handful of Atlas personnel. He is so far off the deep end most of his underlings have to see it except the one or two like the one Ace Ops girl whose name slips my mind that is a total moron.

Looking forward to seeing where this is going.

[JagdPanther]

The Week Late Train barrels into Episode 11 of Season 8...

"Better late than never," but, really the Ace Ops are pretty slow on the uptake here with how psycho Ironwood has gone. And not that it was hard before, but you can really tell who has a screw loose... or missing, rather. And, hey, Plot Armor Winter saves an execution. Almost kinda wish that had been attempted to see if the Ace Ops would rebel completely. And like the Master of Your Domain Seinfeld episode, "And then there were three...."

And, since these posts are streams of consciousness, I'm going to go ahead and guess Winter is using this as an excuse to get away or set a plan in motion.

No one asked you, Emerald. I like you, but... yeah. Though, I did like her "not in the face!" move there when Yang approached.

Yes, Jaune, probably should've moseyed on out of there a little bit before that point, but, hey, you felt the mood eventually and extricated yourself. Good boy.

On a technical note, have I missed where there's an indication or explanation of the different things Ren sees when he's reading others' emotions? Color clearly plays a role; I haven't quite put together what colors mean what at this point.

Ah, my favorite trope appears: total lack of sense of urgency. Yes, let's have a normal conversation in the middle of an enemy base around which we're trying to sneak. Such a lovely day.

Huh. I had to go back a few episodes. I hadn't noticed the Man-Grim had silver eyes. Yikes.

Uh... Just like that? We all good with Penny now?

"You guys have been getting your asses kicked... some of that my fault." Man, I hope Emerald plays a bigger role. I've been hoping for so long she goes good, and now it's finally here.

I've been wondering why Penny can't tell how she's being controlled. She says "virus," but is it really a virus, necessarily? Watts bugged one of her knives, which is apparently acting like a mesh network device even though it's not physically connected to her right now. Virus, to me, would imply that even if the bug he inserted is destroyed that she'd still be infected overall... so when does anyone try to find and destroy the knife? Or can she figure it out and block the signal?

Anyway, looking forward to this season winding down the next few weeks.