RWBY: Ice Queendom

[videoman190]

An anime remake of the orginal

rwby ice queendom

The official Twitter account for RWBY uploaded a trailer for the upcoming anime adaptation of RWBY: Ice Queendom. From the trailer, it appears that it will follow the main continuity of the show. The Japanese cast will also reprise their roles, though it is unclear if there will be an English dub yet. It will come out in 2022.

Monty Oum of Rooster Teeth developed the original concept of RWBY the web animation. As for the anime, Gen Urobuchi of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the concept writer, while Tow Ubukata of Fafner in the Azure is in charge of the script. Black Rock Shooter’s huke is the character designer, and SHAFT (also Puella Magi Madoka Magica) will animate the show.

https://www.siliconera.com/rwby-ice-...l-air-in-2022/

[frubam]

So the first 3 episodes came out yesterday(?) and, at its base, it is pretty much a retelling of the Black/White trailers plus 1st volume with(I believe) one added element. The fluff has been mostly cut out to create a more consistent style of storytelling. I have mixed feelings about it, but like the approach they decided to use; the fluff was what also made RWBY fun to watch, so it's a shame I can't see it in better animated form, but I like the tighter story that comes from it.

Animation has so really high moments... and a few low ones too . High moments are usually at the climax scenes, so + on the cool factor. Loved some of the choreography, particularly with some of Weiss's fights and Ruby's. There were some pretty sloppy moments too though, like the Black trailer retelling(Adam and Blake storming the train).

All-star voice cast here. As someone who watched the original, I have no complaints; all the voices fit the chars pretty well.

Seems that, like Jaune, Weiss will also have a bit of an arc to dive deep into her insecurities. Since the difficulty was said to be based on a person's Aura, I imagine it won't be as simplistic as Jaune's was. That'll be pretty much new territory, and I'm interested to see what exactly those insecurities are, and how they shaped Weiss into the person she is.

Spoiler for those who watch the original:

Like I said, I like the tighter storytelling this adaptation brings, but will miss the fluff. There's also a lack of "fun" in this adaptation. Not a bad thing, when chars can be silly even during battle, but it is a BIG part of the orig's charm. What I won't miss was the horrible Jaune bullying arc. Kardin beat him in a 1vs1 fight here, but the eps didn't give him any character or voice lines(which is good, cause he was annoying as f'k). I'm glad as s*** that arc was relatively replaced by the nightmare Grimm. They also made Jaune look like he was a good strategist sooner than the original, instead of making him look like a buffoon(a complete one anyways).

Really like the new(?) char design from Shion. Her design and her powers fits well with the theme of the show, even if she's a bit too similar to Grenda. Also I think there's no naming motif for her char? At least not one I can see.

This new version definitely had some high-highs animation wise, but some lows too. All of Yang's stuff is just bad and lacked the impact her style of fighting brings to the table. While the original wasn't the smoothest production-wise(at least until volume 4), it was at least consistent.

There were a lot of scenes that was suppose to have a particular nuance, but just falls flat due to the delivery. When Ozpin mentions Ruby's silver eyes is one such moment. In the original, I got the impression that it was an important feature for unknown reason at the time. Here, it just feels randomly said; it had no impact. There were a few other moments this came into play, like Penny's introduction.

VERY VERY disappointed that they pretty much skipped the entire Blake/Sun vs Torchwick fight. It was one of the highlights of the volume for sure. Especially since it showcased Blake fighting a competent person(Torchwick) for the first time, and getting to see how broken Penny and her capabilities was(at the time).

[Tenzen12]

I think lack of fluff is perfectly OK. Original used it to flash out characters and dynamics between them and anime being...
well animated actually manage all that (and at few points even more) without depending on it.

Speaking of animation, except dust shop and class presentation fights, I don't think action compares well with Monty work, but given that it's much better then post Monty RWBY, I think it's still good enough.

[FlareKnight]

Pretty solid opening set of episodes. Does seem like they are setting up a pretty difficult challenge in helping Weiss too. Jaune really was the easy mode tutorial on how this kind of thing could go. For Weiss...I won't say it's the hardest difficulty, but it's probably going to be extremely tough. They set up all kinds of issues that they can face. Her developed abilities will make the enemies inside of her mind stronger. Not to mention the concept of anyone she doesn't accept not being even allowed to enter. That itself has great levels to it. She could accept almost nobody and that'll make it even tougher. Or the fact that she lets certain people in shows that she does actually accept them and that can lead to good character growth.

Weiss is basically set as the most interesting character at this stage with all the focus she's gotten. And that's both taking into account her strengths and her flaws. There's a lot of room for her to grow and also reasons why her personality has developed in this direction. You get a good feel from that with how hard she had to fight her father just to move ahead. Definitely get the impression he could definitely be involved in shady stuff. There's the potential for the mother having a drinking problem if not something far worse. The tension within her own family. There's definitely a discriminatory stance towards the Faunus. One that's also been effectively fueled by extremists and seeing the grief of those that have suffered. Possibly even impacting her family directly? She's still got to grow. But it makes her interesting.

I'm curious to see how this will all play out. Didn't really get into this franchise originally so it's a pretty blank slate. Ruby is a fun character even if she's got to take a lot onto her shoulders while being a couple years younger than those around her. Her sister is solid and we'll see how she develops. Blake has good drama potential with her story as well. So there's plenty of hope for this show to really do some good stuff. It's definitely moving along, but that's not bad.

[JagdPanther]

The fluff/fun is what made RWBY enjoyable and engaging in the first place. Now RWBY feels like a chore I'm obligated to do because I started watching it years ago.

If this version reduces what little fluff was remaining anymore even further, I can't envision it grabbing me if I get around to watching this offshoot/retelling/prequel/whatever the heck it is supposed to be.

[Alchemist007]

Hearing familiar JP VAs for this show is certainly jarring, I think Yang's threw me off the most while Nora felt the most appropriate (seeing how she was basically already an anime character personality ). Not to mention Ruby calling her Onee-san instead of Yang just has a different dependency sort of feeling. The pacing definitely feels way faster than the original. Not entirely sure how much they're trying to adapt, there's like 8+ volumes now.

[Ragashingo]

I found this to be such a mixed bag.

On one hand, the hand drawn characters are immediately far sharper and higher detail than the original RWBY 3d models. There was a bit of a wow factor just because Weiss wasn't blurry or whatever. They also have a large benefit of hindsight to work with, so things like setting Weiss' test battle against the giant knight as being in her home at the behest of her father... I'm not sure her family life was so well established even behind the scenes at that point. So, in some ways, we're getting a clearer picture of the show and and plot and characters. There's also a few specific moments where they go all out on the battle animation and stylize it more heavily and add a bunch of detail and it looks pretty awesome.

On the other... it feels very abbreviated. It's not like pacing is one of RWBY's strong points, or anything, but this feels like I'm watching a clip show fan edit or something. Also, while there are scattered moments of really good art and animation, I kinda feel that a lot of it is missing something even when compared to early RWBY's limited 3d models. The big fight against the bird grim to end the formation of the teams was a good step or two down in complexity when compared to the original show. Less animation. Fewer wide shots. Less going on overall.

Then there's the real kicker... the lack of the original music. The fight against the bird amid the ruins is supposed to be set to "Red Like Roses, Pt. II". Failing to bring over the music hurt the scene a good deal. When RWBY is at its best, it combines awesome fight choreography with awesome music. The fights here were sorta lacking both. Kinda to the point that I'm left wondering... what is the point?

I'll watch more as it comes out, but basically my expectations aren't all that high given what I've seen so far. Which is a bit sad. I like early RWBY the best, and think a hand animated version could be really good if given the proper production time and budget. But I don't think this show is getting either of those.

[JagdPanther]

Watched a clip of it on YouTube earlier, specifically Torchwick robbing the dust shop.

Kind of what I figured. Some elements of it are really cool, but it just doesn't have that feel RWBY had when it debuted. Even in a short clip it just didn't feel as "fun" as RWBY was at the start. Seems more serious.

Looks like CR loaded the first 3 episodes on YouTube; if I'm bored this weekend I may give it a whirl to see if with a broader sample size it is better.

[Kazu-kun]

The 3 preview episodes were unpolished. The final version of episode 1 has some visual fixes so I would encorage everyone to rewatch the first three episodes as they get released weekly .

[Akito Kinomoto]

From the seamless introduction of Team RWBY in the first episode to kneecapping its own world-building in episode three, RWBY Ice Queendom so far feels like a refinement-turned-ascended fanfiction

Based on the web production RWBY (2013-present), Ice Queendom covers the first meeting between Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Not content to rest on archetypes or an established name, Ice Queendom expands what worked in RWBY while trimming what didn't. The crutch of levity and rule of cool giving way to wholehearted sincerity. It's sharp and to the point without losing its poignancy and relevancy

Three episodes in, however, and it's clear why the subtitle is Ice Queendom. Character arcs are fine; seamless ones are the best, announced ones aren't ideal. Then there's Ice Queendom, which is barely an announcement and so violently divorced from the story proper that it took its own world-building with it

Doubtless the world-building may still yet be salvaged. It's just unfortunate when any story bends over backwards to facilitate what I can only assume is a fan-favorite character. Weiss is certainly my favorite in RWBY, and hopefully the creative team can stop Ice Queendom from melting before it loses its warmth

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Akito Kinomoto

Then there's Ice Queendom, which is barely an announcement and so violently divorced from the story proper that it took its own world-building with it

I'm always cautious about criticizing adaptations, and prefer to give them room to establish their own identity. If I'm ever fortunate enough to have one of my books adapted for the screen, my plan is to take the money and run - my book is my work, and their adaptation is theirs.

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

The 3 preview episodes were unpolished. The final version of episode 1 has some visual fixes so I would encorage everyone to rewatch the first three episodes as they get released weekly .

So we can expect SHAFT to be SHAFT then?