One show this Fall that bends the rules of anime is RWBY, Volume 3. Since February, when Monty Oum died, questions were raised regarding the status of the show. With the new RWBY, which can be purchased here, premier on October 24, 2015 many of these questions have been answered, including the length of each episode, the animation style and the direction of the story. These three elements are following suit as to what Monty Oum had wanted. Before his untimely death, he had basic story outlines prepared and ready to be animated. The end result is RWBY, Volume 3, despite and carries on the hype of previous volumes.
The story focuses on a tournament that is taking place at Beacon Academy. Before the tournament the kingdoms were fighting among each other along with the Grimm creatures. Eventually, the fighting ended and academies were formed. As a way to celebrate this unity they decided to have a tournament to determine who has the best students and to test their skills. The rules of the tournament are simple: there are 3 rounds. Round one: all 4 members of the team fight, Round 2: only 2 members fight, and Round 3: 1 member of the team fights. Team RWBY has advanced along with Cinder’s faction, whom is following orders to befriend Team RWBY. The third volume of RWBY focuses on the Team RWBY interaction with other teams while Cinder’s faction is slowly following their orders, which includes White Fang.
The style of RWBY sets this anime apart from others. RWBY’s story is centered on people fighting each other or Grimm creatures. As a result, Monty Oum established a unique style in the way he orchestrates his fight scenes. He combines traditional martial arts with dance elements and high-speed movements in an anime style that focuses on the upper torsos of his characters. This style is still being used for the show despite Monty Oum passing away. Furthermore, RWBY is a serious show as we are seeing a group of children become future huntsman and huntress and mature. Even with the seriousness of the anime Monty Oum always injected humor into his work. Volume 3 does as well and pays homage to the series’ creator. RWBY, Volume 3, follows the same suit of Volume 1 & 2, while continuing the story of Team RWBY and their time at Beacon Academy while they grow up.
RWBY, Volume 3, was subjected to many fan inquires as a result of Monty Oum’s unfortunate death in February of 2015. With the anime’s debut many of these questions are answered. The same style and format is utilized to tell the next chapter of RWBY and will satisfy fans.
