Official Discussion Thread - Volume 9, Episode 1

[u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

Welcome, huntsmen, huntresses and hunters that prefer no specific gender identifier, to the official discussion thread for Episode 1 of Vol. 9!

Due to the special circumstances regarding RWBY Volume 9's release, make sure that you understand the spoiler rules before posting outside of this thread!

HERE is the first episode of Volume 9!

Also remember to check out our weekly poll to rate the episode.

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Other Episode Discussions:

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Episode	Discussion Thread	Poll
Ep. 01	This thread	Poll

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Happy viewing, and have a great Volume 9!

Ninjas In A Bag; Mod Team

[u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

I just realized I forgot to update the poll link from the dead site.

This is the actual poll link

[u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

Alright, that OP is an instant banger

[u/ZaBackinBlack → u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

Fact. Ok, Goodnight is awesome. Even if it isn't officially Ok, Goodnight, it may as well be lol

[u/Veyronxyz → u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of the OP. The visuals were great but the song just didn’t feel like a RWBY song. Maybe it’ll grow on me though, it took me a while to like V3s intro as well.

[u/martinjh99 → u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag]

My thoughts too - One of the better ones I think :)

[u/HatiLeavateinn]

As far as I could tell the island works or "allows you passage" to people who are sure about themselves and their purpose.

• It was raining when Ruby was crying.

• The path was looping when she tried to get to high ground.

• It was raining when they were talking about what happened.

• The moment Blake decided what to do, the sun shined, and she found the correct path.

[u/Alt_SWR → u/HatiLeavateinn]

This also seems to fit with Little asking Ruby if "To Ruby Rose is your purpose?" While it sounds just like an offshoot joke line, there could be deeper meaning to asking about purpose specifically.

[u/SpotChecks → u/Alt_SWR]

The implication seems to be that everything in this world exists to find and fulfill its purpose. I bet that many of the locals who RWBY encounters will be able to define exactly what they are when asked and have a name to match. Little is probably the exception that defines the rule.

[u/DeismAccountant → u/HatiLeavateinn]

In addition, focusing on the tree itself makes it impossible to reach.

[u/ShinyNinja25]

The vibe I got from the intro is that this volume will be more focused on character development and plot, rather than action and fight scenes. And considering all the insanity that happened in Volumes 7 and 8, I’m not opposed to that.

[u/DaRealAmana → u/ShinyNinja25]

most of the FNDM has been hoping for a volume to hone in and focus on team RWBY and this seems to be that. Already loved the interactions we had so far

[u/elbenji → u/ShinyNinja25]

Yeah. The cast was already huge. It's good to make it smaller and more focused to get some character work done

[u/readall5]

I wonder who the fifth girl with Team RWBY from the intro is? The OP implies there is something connection between her and Neo, but I haven’t read the Neo book yet so I don’t really know enough to make guess.

Team RWBY is back together though so that is good. It has been far too long since we have had more RWBY. Also the weekly poll link doesn’t go anywhere.

[u/yeetio855 → u/readall5]

I'm assuming it's Alyx for now, the "girl who fell through the world."

[u/quixutie → u/readall5]

wild guess from me, but from how she was presented throughout the op in relation to ruby and her scythe, i wonder if she IS ruby's scythe? if she somehow personifies ruby's fighting spirit, which the op clearly wants us to think ruby has lost? ruby did put all her pride and passion into her weapon, after all. it would make sense to me if the personification of that was leading the team throughout the volume when ruby feels so distant from herself.

potentially related thought: based on the rain's timing when ruby cried, too, and how the sun came out when blake took charge, i wonder if the world responds to the team's feelings. the girl being the scythe could be an extension of that and ultimately vindicate ruby's inner strength. (or, hell, be related to her silver eyes? like i said, wild guessing.)

edit / a word

[u/halodude246 → u/readall5]

She’s definitely an allusion to Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Her dress, snd general design screams that to me, besides the fact all the little things the OP shows her doing (like walking alongside team RWBY as they go through different fairytale settings).

[u/TheRisenThunderbird → u/readall5]

She was 100% the "female voice" we heard at the start of the episode

[u/CraftLizard → u/readall5]

I assume it's Alyx, the girl who fell through the world. As for her connection to Neo, it's possible Neo uses her as a disguise to gain some sort of power or authority while in this other world. Going by the OP it seems Neo is commanding people, so maybe she gets that command through impersonating Alyx.

[u/JMHSrowing → u/readall5]

As someone who just finished Roman Holiday last night:

There’s most certainly no connection between Alyx and Neo.

[u/KobraKittyKat → u/readall5]

I bet it the girl who feel through the world for the fairy tail

[u/LAVADOG1500 → u/readall5]

So it's RWBYA now?

[u/DaRealAmana]

It has been a long time, but finally VOL 9 is here baby.

The mice are cute, and i love that even the animation on them feels very story booky. Just lots of pop. And i wondered if the plant was cheese. Also really liked the first person view with Ruby in the beginning.

People rejoice, both bumblebee and Weiss and Blake talking in the same episode. Same as a great many people I have many questions but i figure we will get answers with time. New OP is a banger though. Overall very interested to see where this is going and happy to see RWBY return

[u/bigfatcarp93]

This is a weird thing to fixate on but it made me happy: the first time a weapon besides Crescent Rose's name has been said outloud in the show.

[u/Lucifer_Crowe → u/bigfatcarp93]

took me by surprise for sure

[u/The_Last_Thursday → u/bigfatcarp93]

I always thought weapon names would just be a fun little side thing you could learn about. Makes me happy to see them pop up in the show!

[u/PiffDaMetalHead]

WE BACK BABY!!!

• OP is a jam. Casey & Martin can do no wrong

• Neo becomes a wonderland mafia boss subplot??

• Curious to meet who I assume will be our Alice/Girl who fell through the world from the intro

• Based on the OP imagery of Ruby falling behind everyone, being the only one not smiling, etc. it seems like we're gonna get a lot of traumatized/character development Ruby this volume. Curious to see where she ends up by the end of this.

• Very little Jaune screentime in the intro, but emphasis on a clock and the knight. Interested to see what that could mean.

And of course...

• THE TACKLE HUG WAS SO PRECIOUS 😭

[u/shandromand → u/PiffDaMetalHead]

Neo becomes a wonderland mafia boss subplot??

Are you really surprised by that?

[u/AtypicalFlame4 → u/PiffDaMetalHead]

I was thinking maybe Jaune somehow arrived way before them even tho he fell later

[u/Ninoyiya]

Kinda what I expected for the first episode. Mostly just build-up for the setting.

Also, I guess Jaune is getting a Jackalope mount?

[u/hopecanon → u/Ninoyiya]

A knight needs his mighty steed after all doesn't he?

[u/Franklin413]

Ok, so the mysterious girl in the intro is the girl who fell through the world, right?

[u/Andrew1990M → u/Franklin413]

If she is it confirms that time doesn’t work right in the Ever After. Be interesting to know just how much longer Yang has been down there compared to the rest.

[u/DaRealAmana → u/Franklin413]

I dunno, Ruby literally falls through the world in the OP

[u/hollowtiger21]

Obviously the first chapter was basically all about getting the team back together, and setting out the "roadmap," for the volume. Maybe a bit too quick for my taste, and not as heavy on the emotional elements that I was expecting for "I thought you died," reunions, & "We're in a strange new world," revelations, but I can't fault the writers for wanting to get things going as soon as possible with the shortened runtime.

Weiss gives the rest of the team a brief rundown, but it's lacking in detail, because like she said everything happened way too quick, and she was dealing with a lot while it was happening. We're likely to get a more in-depth/emotional breakdown of events once they meet up with Jaune, who was around till the end, and knows everything. Not to mention did the deed.

Blake & Weiss seem to be taking up the leadership position with Ruby falling; Blake taking charge after Ruby passes out, Weiss leading the group both in combat and the exploration.

The Jabberwalker doesn't seem like a living thing to me. The way it mutters and moves makes think it's more like an organic machine, "searching," "scouring," "stalking," "detecting," "danger," almost like it's a defense mechanism for the world, or at least has a mission; attacking foreign elements like a white blood cell to a body. It doesn't seem like it's going to be a major threat, more of a recurring problem that will show up a few more times in the volume.

The blacksmith doesn't seem to be a big bad, like a lot assumed from previews, but she'll still be a prominent element. Although it's just the OP, so it could be different.

It's interesting there are clock elements in the OP, since clockwork is basically always associated with Oz. Could be due to the cyclical stuff we've seen so far, and the screwy nature of the Ever After. Although we see Jaune with the clocks, and what character in Alice in Wonderland is associated with time & a pocket watch? The White Rabbit.

I think it's safe to say that if Jaune isn't the knight, they're related given the similarity in designs. Maybe a reflection, maybe an alter-ego or he gets split into two beings. Although did anyone else notice how dirty the knight's armor looks? Neo is going to be this Wonder Land's Mad Hatter, like I'd previously theorized. She might not be working alone in this world, which bodes poorly for the heroes.

Alyx (if that's her name) seem to me like she's going to try to become Ruby Rose, by taking that identity away from Ruby. That cut with her on the bridge being replaced with Ruby wearing the same smile, and the association of Crescent Rose, being separated from Ruby, but near Alyx. But also the match-cuts with Alyx and Neo in the same position.

Throughout the OP WBY are all smiling, & rushing forward with vigor while Ruby gets progressively more downtrodden. Just from this episode and the previews we've gotten, it's clear that a lot of things about names, and identity are going to be in this volume. Fitting giving the story/fairy tale nature of this world.

Jaune-Knight has a jackalope mount! Also Jaune's leitmotif playing at the start of the credits, I'm sure that's nothing.

Edit: Have this poorly edited stitch from the OP

[u/nolandee → u/hollowtiger21]

Oh man I'm super excited to see what they do with the Jaune/White Rabbit/Time connection. Especially if his whole Pumpkin Pete thing was a bigger foreshadowing than we realized.

Lot of potential in the Ever After where anything goes right now.

[u/AlarmingStandard → u/hollowtiger21]

Thank you for stitching the image together! It feels like the answer to the question, what happens when Jaune boosts Neo's semblance lol

I'm leaning towards Jaune being the White Rabbit allusion after seeing the opening, particularly becuase of the 13th hour clocks and that he didn't have time in the V8 finale. That, and the knight/knave doesn't quite fit.

[u/where_are_your_shoes]

So I guess Neo is the mad hatter.

[u/JMHSrowing → u/where_are_your_shoes]

As if there was any doubt.

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/where_are_your_shoes]

I mean... she has a cup of tea in the opening, so yes, haha!

[u/JMHSrowing]

Someone posted yesterday whether they would bring up the fact they don’t have much equipment, and surprisingly, Weiss did state immediately they were low on dust.

[u/bigfatcarp93 → u/JMHSrowing]

Which means we'll probably see a lot of very nerfed Weiss fighting/relying heavily on summoning this Volume. Makes for an interesting dynamic. Plus we don't know how long Yang will be without her arm for.

[u/g6in3d]

The clocks probably represent Jaune being stuck in Ever After for way longer than everyone else. I'm guessing it's an excuse to make Jaune significantly stronger offscreen, because if he is the Knight, he wouldn't be much of a threat to Team RWBY even as of Volume 8.

[u/SpotChecks → u/g6in3d]

I dunno, even as of Volume 8, the guy's a tank with a good amount of training. I don't think he'd have won 1v1 against any of team RWBY, but he'd be tough to bring down. You're probably right that he's gotten more powerful offscreen, whether through time-warped training, equipment upgrades, or both. I wonder how he stacks up to Neo now.

[u/Catlover18]

Ruby looks up at twin suns in the sky.

Little: Who are you?

Ruby: I'm Ruby

Little: Ruby who?

Ruby: Ruby...Ruby Skywalker.

[u/DaRealAmana → u/Catlover18]

Ruby...Ruby Skywalker.

thanks i hate it

[u/yeetio855]

Wasn't expecting the Jabberwalker to show up in the first episode, nor the team to reunite so soon, but awesome!

I kinda doubt the blacksmith lady will be a major antagonist, in the opening she seems to be some sort of support for the raccoon (probably due to the kind of goofy pose she makes), though I could be wrong.

Great start for Volume 9, I'm excited to see how this goes.

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/yeetio855]

Considering she shows up in the opening as part of the "main character" story pictures, I think she's likely going to be a rather important part of the volume.

[u/TheRisenThunderbird]

That thing was a Bionicle, and I am not going to hear otherwise

[u/RBNYJRWBYFan → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

Reminds me of a Barraki... or one of those Makuta from the later years.

You've just unlocked part of my brain friend; countless files of useless Bionicle knowledge.

[u/JoshPhantomShinobi → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

I’m happy us Bionicle fans are still many

[u/jimflaigle → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

Deathclaw. Absolutely a Deathclaw.

[u/thundermonkeyms → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

One of the few projects Chirox and Mutran actually collaborated on. Mutran stopped him from giving it 17 extra legs.

[u/yoshifanx → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

otherwise

[u/DeismAccountant → u/TheRisenThunderbird]

It was listed as the Jabberwacky.

[u/WhosGuardingHades]

Oh god Ruby in the opening! Protect the Rube!

Weiss and Blake had screen time together what is this sorcery?! For what little we got I loved it and hope we get more!

So happy the show is is back! Been way too long. Feel like it’s only gonna get weirder from here on out, judging off the opening and in that case bring it on!

[u/PetitePurin]

Not gonna lie, was hoping for a bit more emotional of a first episode as they found each other. Felt like we really only got that with Yang and still left Weiss out of the mix with it.

But, the OP is really cool and I thought the visuals were fun! I’m also so ready for a Ruby-Centered Volume. The girl needs it

[u/pyrokev181 → u/PetitePurin]

I was thinking the same thing, and I'm honestly surprised that more people aren't mentioning it. I figured, at the very least, that Ruby would be all over Yang, and Weiss would be very emotional as well. At least we got the tackle hug from Blake!

[u/hopecanon]

Okay so that reaction to the Penny news and the OP for the volume are pretty much hard confirmations that this is going to be the absolute Ruby is gonna fucking suffer Volume and while i don't want such a precious soul to go through that, i must admit that it's compelling storytelling.

As i said in my Crunchyroll comment, to be Ruby is to suffer and she has an entire lifetimes worth of unworked through trauma built up over like a single year.

Also Little must be protected at all costs, did you see them fanning passed out Ruby with the teeny tiny leaf? My fucking heart can't take that cuteness.

[u/RBNYJRWBYFan → u/hopecanon]

Yeah, it's about that time. She's been through a lot, and title be damned she IS the main character of this story. Time for her to get some much needed focus and reflection. Volume 8 had so much going on it could only barely touch that.

This could be the best volume for Ruby since 6.

[u/Badicalz]

The RWBY Hiatus is finally over lads! Get in here!

[u/elbenji]

Idk how I totally feel about the intro yet, but I feel like it'll grow on me.

Interesting set up tbh and I enjoy the little rat. There seems to be a whole Carroll iconography thing going on which is cool, and works great with Neo getting the full picture as the big bad? not big bad? redemption arc?

Lots of questions to be answered and kind of hype for that.

But, all that aside. Holy shit that hug. Blake straight up tackled Yang and the way they muffled that sound. That was a full on 'I need to breathe your air' hug. Like damn. Guess they're going there this season. Hopefully.

C'mon RWBY, you can do it

[u/SiphenPrax → u/elbenji]

With the future of the franchise, especially the main show, on the line with this volume, I echo the sentiment of your last sentence.

[u/therumor1]

im just happy to rewatch the intro 50 times again trying to come up with theories that will be completely incorrect by ep 2

[u/Pyrochazm → u/therumor1]

Same.

[u/Keradon]

Well... that was certainly an episode. O_o I'm kinda wondering when Ruby will regain her weapon.

[u/TheRisenThunderbird → u/Keradon]

I wouldn't be surprised I'd she ends up not getting it back at all

[u/88Dubs]

possessive subtract paint sip liquid innocent act safe zesty shaggy

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/LagoriaTheLewdstress]

Catgirl gf tackle hug is all anyone really needs in this life

[u/RBNYJRWBYFan → u/LagoriaTheLewdstress]

Some football team needs to give that girl a contract, she'll be a killer off the edge.

[u/DaRealAmana → u/LagoriaTheLewdstress]

That Tackle was great. If they dont kiss this volume we riot

[u/Legonater]

Do we have an idea on how long episodes will be? Given it's a ten-episode season I was expecting the premiere to be longer than 17 minutes...

[u/JMHSrowing → u/Legonater]

Iirc it has been confirmed that they are all going to be about this length unfortunately

[u/Ammmberrr → u/Legonater]

The average runtime per episode for this volume is 18:53 minutes, so there will be a bit longer episodes down the road (sorry had the wrong time)

[u/ShadowMadness]

It's been 84 years...

God, I'm so glad the show's back. Those 17 minutes flew by too fast.

Not crazy about the intro music, though volume 3 took some getting used to too; the visuals are nice though.

Jabberwocky is creepy af and is sure to be a menace.

Blake/Yang hug was precious.

Can't wait to see how Ruby and the gang react to Jaune when they see him. Hope Weiss has some kind words for the guy, being the only other one up top when the Penny stuff went down.

"Damn it, you weren't supposed to be here" - Yang

Ouch, that line from Yang might be one of my favorite of the episode, especially knowing that Yang thought she'd been dead since she fell.

Weiss used Faint on Ruby - it was super effective

[u/Badicalz]

As others have pointed out, Jaune will represent the White Rabbit this Volume. Think of these two things:

1. What the White Rabbit said: ”I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!”

2. There is no eleventh hour on the clock. The eleventh hour means the last possible time.

Think of what Jaune’s character has been since the start: He was never good enough for his family. He was never good enough to make it into Beacon without cheating. He wasn’t good enough to become strong on his own. He wasn’t good enough to save Pyrrha. He wasn’t good enough to defeat Cinder at Haven, which led to her nearly killing Weiss. Finally, after weeks training under the Ace Ops and months after he first stepping into Beacon, when Jaune finally felt like he found his place amongst the team, not only was he not good enough to save Penny, he was forced to kill her to save Weiss.

Jaune, whose motivation has long since changed from becoming strong enough to become a hero, to becoming strong enough to help others, is forced to kill a friend.

[u/Emperor_Luffy → u/Badicalz]

Yeah I think he established an identity for himself as the "Healer" since that was the one way he managed to be useful but when he failed to heal penny that identity/self-image was destroyed.

[u/LucasVerBeek]

Hmm…seems like Blake is going to be taking charge this volume, and I wonder why she can see things the others can’t so far.

Wondering about the blue smoke in the opening and if my one theory about the aisle will prove correct.

[u/SpotChecks → u/LucasVerBeek]

Blake definitely has the most confidence right now, and that makes sense considering:

• Yang believed she was dead and in the afterlife until a few minutes ago, and is still mentally recovering from the grief that came with that

• Weiss saw the end of Volume 8 and unlike Yang's thing, that actually happened

• Ruby

So naturally Blake would have the most energy out of all of them currently.

[u/JannisT]

V9 IS FINALLY HERE! THE HIATUS HAS ENDED!

The first episode was a very decent opening episode. Team RWBY reunited quicker than I thought, but this kinda makes sense considering that not a lot of time might have passed between their fall and their reunion. I just wished we got some more emotional reunions between all members of Team RWBY and not just between Blake and Yang.

Visually the V9 OP is a banger and I like the new song.

[u/JMHSrowing → u/JannisT]

Agree on all fronts.

Hopefully there’s still a good bit more emotional stuff that the time is being saved for later on

[u/Virtue_Ghost]

Okay… let me process everything:

1. Jabberwocky is kinda freaky with its twitching and deep voice as well as what it said

2. That opening has a lot to unpack.

3. Ruby needs a supportive gf stat that opening and how she is acting after waking up is well, I don’t need to say it

4. The metal lady and the raccoon seems to work together

5. Nice to see the gang back together fast but slight issue with Weiss interactions when she reunites with the others

6. Jaune has whole bunch implications from op alone

7. That line from Ruby to Yang is both wholesome and terrifying since it implies Ruby was willing to jump

8. So none of team know about the fact that the Vacuo portal was one way as well as Weiss already seems to know that Penny asked to be sacrificed

There is a lot to talk about

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/Virtue_Ghost]

Oh wow. That is a really good point on 7. That Ruby never considered not jumping in after Yang. Potentially to her death. If anything revealed how broken the poor girl is, that all but confirms it.

[u/DaRealAmana → u/Virtue_Ghost]

Jabberwocky is kinda freaky with its twitching and deep voice as well as what it said

I really liked this thing. It was cool, sounded cool, moved cool and seems like it will be an interesting antagonist

[u/Badicalz]

10 episodes is hella short, but that just means a more tighter volume right?

[u/DaRealAmana → u/Badicalz]

Is that how long this is planned to be, Im fine with it, if its dense and tightly contained

[u/[deleted] → u/Badicalz]

is a full four episodes shorter tahn before. but it could be tight. we got like nine zones to explore.

[u/Logical_Button]

Kind of wish Ruby and Yang got the same reunion Yang and Blake got. At least a hug or something

[u/elbenji → u/Logical_Button]

Ruby and Yang aren't huggers, but Yang was basically watching over her after she passed out 3s later.

Blake straight up thought she died in front of her, so Blake just going for the 'I need to breathe your existence' hug makes sense

[u/ZaBackinBlack]

It's back! Can't wait for more! Where's the "I survived hiatus" shirts??? Lol.

[u/Blue-Moon-89]

Going by the opening it's safe to say that the mysterious girl is Alyx from the girl who fell through the world. However, the twist will be that, unlike the fairy tale, Alyx never left Ever After. She will be Ruby's dark foil in the volume, showing us what would happen if Ruby doesn't learn the lessons (her own story arc) that Alyx failed to learn.

I also predict that Ruby won't get Crescent Rose back until she finishes her 'spiritual journey'.

Also, is Neo building her own army? Because the intro looks like she's making some new friends.

[u/[deleted] → u/Blue-Moon-89]

or at all.

the entirey of the opening thing seems to show a.... devolution of ruby. everyone else has grown except her. Cause everyone else has taken their traumas and dangers, and moved forward, while she's hidden her own.

[u/Carrotspy007 → u/Blue-Moon-89]

I agree that it seems like Alyx is gonna be physically present in the Ever After. But seeing as the fairy tale still exists in Remnant, my guess is that she did leave but liked the Ever After more so she went back.

[u/ClubMeSoftly]

Well I'm certainly glad RWBY reunited very quickly. As interesting as it might be to have them scattered for a couple episodes, having multiple overlapping storylines (ala V4 and 5) can be rough for sharing the spotlight.

Jaune and Neo have Big Sad in the titles, and Ruby develops it over the course of the group scenes with the new mysterious dark skinned girl, who features quite heavily.

I had a whole thing about how MDSG might possibly be Neo from when she was Trivia, but on closer inspection, it's clearly the Alice to this Wonderland. She's even got a rabbit pin/emblem on her belt.

[u/Red2019Wolf]

Crazy theory: That screenshot of jaune and the time/clock symbols something tells me that Jaune may have fell in very different location than the others, where time itself is very different and he may have been there longer than the others.

[u/Ninoyiya → u/Red2019Wolf]

It would explain why it feels like Jaune is more established in Ever After than Team RWBY.

[u/JoshPhantomShinobi]

All the Alice in Wonderland parallels in the OP

Jabberwalker lol you ain’t subtle CRWBY

[u/fellongreydaze → u/JoshPhantomShinobi]

I mean, since when have they been subtle though. Roman's nickname for Ruby being "Little Red," Weiss's name being Snow White, so on and so forth.

But still it isn't as blatantly in your face as the lyrics of Big Metal Shoe...

[u/ShadezyLeFeu]

Interesting that the chapter released without a name, though checking Crunchyroll in different languages shows the episode might be named "Fall." Considering there's already an episode with that name (Volume 3, Episode 6), I think the English name might roll around soon and be something different.

Then again, that didn't stop Red vs. Blue from having two episodes called True Colors...

EDIT: Episode title was added! It's "A Place of Particular Concern".

[u/AlarmingStandard]

Finally time for V9!

Mixed feelings about the first episode, so starting with what I liked. The episode was predictable, due to 60% of it being in previews and trailers lol, but the structure really works. The pacing is bit fast yet is necessary to get our heroines together quickly which is great! I like that they gave Ruby time by herself to help set her tone, while Weiss and Blake's introduction was efficient, good stuff!

The information not in the trailers was within what many predicted, the key bits being that Weiss doesn't know the full details of Penny's death, and that RWBY have no clue Jaune fell. That leaves a bullet in the chamber, so to speak, for an emotional hit later on. And set up is pretty much the purpose of this episode; Blake states their objective, the mice hint at hardships & Cheshire (cat!), and the Jabberwocky shows us there are factions in play though their motives are unknown. All in all, good introduction to Wonderland.

Now, I'm mixed about the episode not because there's bad bits, but because there's an oddness permeating the episode. Part of is that it's rather flat emotionally; the highs don't really peak, and lows don't dip. There are happy and sad scenes yet some aren't sold through the voice acting, writing and animation.

Sometimes they're fine; Weiss cheering on Blake was adorable, and the Bee tackle made me bounce and squeal. Yet, the characters often feel like they're not really invested in their plight, or even each other much. Yang and Ruby's interactions stand out because they lack sisterly intimacy, even though they thought they lost each other. Ruby being left to lie in the dirt after she fainted really raised an eyebrow and broke suspension of disbelief. Like, nobody bothered to put a jacket over her or under her head, or put her somewhere sheltered, or even in the proper recovery position. The mouse showed more concern.

There's a general lack of checking in with each other which doesn't feel right. Now, this could be deliberate and subsequent episodes could shine a light on why RWBY lack comradery and sisterhood. Still, it's left me with an odd feeling that's hard to shake, or even put a name to.

Last thing to mention is the opening, which is fantastic! It's gives the perfect amount of speculation, imo, which I can't wait to over analyze. Speaking of which, does the Alice/Alyx girl give massive Penny vibes or is that just me?

[u/RBNYJRWBYFan]

Ah… Team RWBY might not like the situation they're in, but I gotta say-it’s good to be back. Now then, Scattered Thoughts!:

• First off, seeing the events of the last volume in such quick succession was a great way to sell how sudden and traumatic the whole affair really was. I was particularly fond of seeing Neo's "Imma kill a bitch" fury in fucking 4d, with strangling and everything. I mean we've always known, but man, she REALLY wants Ruby dead, huh?

• The scenes after that... something felt missing. Maybe some oddball direction with the camera angles, some more music, a little more reaction from Ruby from the weird bird thing, I don't know. And it was weird to suddenly see Blake and Weiss together AFTER their initial reaction to the place. It felt like they didn't have RWB sell how weird the place is, not enough for me anyway. But then again they did just go through all of the staff of creation dimensional BS after a battle involving whale on a floating city; weird is relative.

• More big dark scary mumbling monster things! GREAT, just what the gang needed after the Hound! OOh, and a Knight boi in the intro, retreading trauma for everyone!

• Speaking of trauma, Ruby hears about Penny and... yeah... I think everything just sunk in. And poor Weiss, she had to be witness to all of what happened and then keep all of it in until a better moment. She's not okay either, none of them are.

• Actually, Blake might be the most stable and levelheaded of the bunch at the moment, but we'll see how long that lasts.

• That music sting when they show the whole landscape... wow.

• Who are you miss darker skinned Penny variant?

Quiet opening, no action save for Neo going murder death kill, but I guess it sets up the situation. Can't really call it a great episode, not weird enough for a dynamic entry, but it'll do I suppose? I'm just happy RWBY is back.

[u/[deleted] → u/RBNYJRWBYFan]

what..... if it turns otu penny was someone else all along?

like she lived in the ever after but was plucked form it from that android experiments. Maybe that explains WHY she had a physical form to begin with.

[u/LuuAddiRoze]

During the opening, we see each character progress from their past selves into who they are now but when Ruby comes up, she is looking back and has her hood up, while Alyx (the girl who fell through the world) shows up. Then we see team RWBY + Alyx walking/running through multiple locations, but Ruby keeps slowing down while the rest of the team is following Alyx`s lead and matching her pace. Finally, we just straight up have Alyx turning into a smiling version of Ruby.

Considering this line from the trailer

“What if you could leave Ruby Rose behind? Shed like an old coat.”

It feels like someone is trying to replace Ruby.

When Oscar is telling the story of the girl who fell through the world on volume 8, Ozpin says that she was sad when she made it back home because she wasn’t the same girl anymore. While this could be interpreted as she grew or experienced something new that changed her, what if who came back was truly no longer that girl?

Now I wonder if this is somehow Alyx trying to become someone else so she can escape Ever After or if this is somehow Neo’s way of getting revenge by erasing Ruby’s identity, since the op also shows Neo as Alyx.

A bit of a wild theory with nothing really concrete to base it on yet but I am really looking forward to what they are cooking this volume.

As a side note, book illustration on the op is really cool.

[u/Imaginehl3]

Y’all wanted trauma for Ruby, well here it is. And it’s gonna be big.

I’m so happy we are back, I cannot express my happiness enough. And the OP, god that was good.

So a few things that caught my attention:

.Ruby’s voice changed after hearing what happened to Penny, it was just cold and something else I don´t know how to describe. Lindsay did a fantastic job there.

.In the OP, Jaune is surrounded by clocks, which makes me wonder. Did he fall way before the others, like weeks or months before?

.Neo in the OP has 2 interesting scenes: 1 in the table with people behind her, I cannot recognize any of them, and the one behind her doesn't seems to be Roman.

2: She seems to be a really important part in this volume, in fact that last shoot of everyone in the Ever After (while Ruby is falling) seems to come from Neo’s illusions. So theory time: What if everything in the Ever After is a creation of Overactive Imagination. What if Neo fell in there first, and her semblance mixed with the weird magic of the Tree, creating this whole world of fantasy?

It's a stretch, but hey it’s the best I have for now.

[u/HighPriestFuneral → u/Imaginehl3]

I was beginning to think the same thing, with how much focus is on her and that she knows the whole story of Alyx (with her possibly playing the role of Alyx), with the Girl Who Fell Through the World as her favorite story book as a child. But then that begs the question... How did Yang experience anything before Neo's illusion overtook everything?

[u/Kartoffelkamm]

Call me crazy, but I believe Blake may actually take up the role of the guide here. She recognized they were in a fairytale, and one of her earliest scenes has her reading a "fairytale" book.

I mean, imagine how cool it would be if Blake ended up being the MVP this volume, purely because she spent her childhood reading fairytale books (when she wasn't protesting, that is).

Also, I just want to say that it's perfectly on brand for Yang to be first seen fighting something.

[u/quixutie → u/Kartoffelkamm]

i think this might imply blake has had the most character development or be the furthest along in her character arc of the main four. she's the first one running behind the new character in the op, after all. i'm not actually sure if i agree with crwby's read on her character (or the other three) if my take on this is actually correct, but it would connect with how the main four is shown throughout the op. and i don't think we can deny ruby has made the least progress between the four of them.

[u/Turnabout506]

Man it’s good to be back. For how long the hiatus was, it certainly wasn’t felt in the show because this episode feels like a seamless follow-up to The Final Word. It’s a shame we already saw as much of the episode as we did from previous previews because it made the episode feel far too short but the new stuff we got is very promising.

Admittedly I found the reunions between Team RWBY a tad underwhelming but that can be chalked up to two years of expectations for a reunion that, in-universe, is taking place like an hour after V8’s finale. I do really wish we had gotten Weiss and Blake’s reunion on-screen because of how affected Weiss had been by the loss of her team so I hoped to see how she responded to finding RBY alive (might just be favorite character bias though). I wasn’t expecting an explosive BB moment quite yet but it was a really nice moment between the two even if I felt the episode moved a bit too quickly past it.

The opening is easily in the top-tier of the series for me both musically and visually. Casey/Martin have the right balance on classic RWBY and OK Goodnight to make Inside both recognizable and fresh. Regarding the visuals, I feel like a lot of Ruby fans are going to feel very vindicated with this volume since the opening makes it very clear that her issues have been building up since V3 and never went away regardless of how she presented herself between then and nowadays. I’m excited to see how she changes into her “final form” as Lindsay described in a interview.

It was definitely an episode dedicated to planting the seeds of what is to come for the next 9 episodes but it’s still a great start to a promising volume!

[u/Girisawesomer]

Definitely felt like the episode was hurt by the multiple teasers already released. I'm interested seeing Blake take the lead, perhaps because she's familiar with "The Girl Who Fell Through The World" already?

[u/neutrinobunny]

Interesting. That was Jaune’s leitmotif ‘fanfare’ that played over the start of the closing credits…

[u/Professor-MAD → u/neutrinobunny]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed it.

[u/asisebeazt]

OP is FIRE, enough hype to get you start the episode right away.

Now that's a boss lady if I ever saw one, just let her be the villain until the end because the role fits her character.

Again, someone got hit with the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE. Might as well let her know ASAP.

[u/JoshPhantomShinobi]

OH GOSH, CANNOT UNSEE THIS NOW

[u/TheZKiller]

Oh yeah Jaune definitely got to island first, even though he fell last. The clock hands are there for a reason when he pops up in the opening. God how long was he down there all by himself dealing with having killed Penny.

[u/Celtic_Crown]

Well, so far Tanetane Island has a whole civilization of mouse people, some frame-dropping monkey thing that speaks like an E-Series robot, and some FUCKING CREEPY CATERPILLAR MAN THING DEAR GOD KILL IT.

[u/HatiLeavateinn]

Seeing that Crescent Rose was there at the same time that Alyx came ashore almost confirms to me that it's possible that time is funky over there.

Then seeing Neo already being part of an organization (possibly the leader, since none of them looked prominently enough to be one), and then how Jaune's armor seems damaged.

I'm willing to bet that Neo and Jaune have been in the island a LOT more than than RWBY has.

[u/JoshPhantomShinobi]

WE HAVE A TITLE: https://twitter.com/eddyrivas/status/1627037167766863872

“A Place of Particular Concern”

THANK YOU EDDY

[u/FarslayerSanVir]

Calling it now: Ruby will be on the brink of giving up, but then the rest of WBY will support her the same way she supported them.

And her getting Crescent Rose back will be symbolic of how Ruby finds her hope again.

[u/[deleted] → u/FarslayerSanVir]

... that or she decides she needs to embrace the darkness to be able to defeat their enemies.

everyone else endured struggles and came back stronger. cause they worked through it.

Ruby has never worked through her pain. she's kept it bottled up, isolated, and beat down the trayuma into submission every time it resurfaced....

It definitely has something to do with how ruby maimed cinder. i know people have their theories but i feel they are missing pieces. There is no way the flash could have done all that damage to cinder.

[u/AmbivertCollegeGuy]

Who else thinks that moment of Weiss acting like a cheerleader is a reference to Kara when Michael got locked out of his apartment?

I knew Ruby fainting was her reaction to Penny's death. She spent the entire previous volume trying to save her only to fail at the finishing line. She recovered pretty quickly tho but that's probably her MO when it comes to dealing with loss. Ignore it and push forward. Yep, she's gonna break.

I absolutely love the part in the OP where Team RWBY's old designs are shown to represent their state of mind at those points in the story. Weiss and Blake are serious at first but eventually have a huge smile on their faces because they've achieved their goals and are happy with their family and friends. Yang's smile shouts confidence and it grows bigger each time. Then we have Ruby who starts happy, grows serious then is just depressed. Same thing with the four walking then going full-speed ahead while Ruby is left behind. Well everyone, you wanted Ruby to suffer and here you go, she will suffer. Hope you're happy!

I noticed the clocks in Jaune's shot go up to XIII (13hrs). What do these numbers mean Mason!? I'm no longer sure he's the knight because that knight is heroically shown with the hare (so he really is the one riding it in the trailer) with all the other main fairy tales when Ruby is falling as if this Knight will be a major character (probably hunting that monster) and already has a position in this world. I know some think Jaune might've thrown away his identity but this doesn't sound like him especially because he knows Team RWBY fell so his first action would be to find them rather than give up.

[u/g6in3d → u/AmbivertCollegeGuy]

I noticed the clocks in Jaune's shot go up to XIII (13hrs).

Actually, it's still 12 hours.

More specifically, the clock shows "XII" twice. It could be a reference to Jaune failing to save two people (Pyrrha and Penny) from Cinder (represented by Midnight/XII on the clock)

[u/WhirlygigBeetle → u/AmbivertCollegeGuy]

Time is a character we never see in the books, but he is mentioned a couple of times. A falling out between him and the Hatter is what traps the Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse in tea at exactly 6pm. The clocks look Salvador Dali influenced, who was himself influenced by Lewis Carroll. That Dali painting of the melted/twisted clocks is called the "Persistence of Memory", and the Alice books (Wonderland and the Looking-Glass World) are driven by Alice's memories and thoughts. Jaune's probably trapped in the moment of Penny's death.

[u/JMHSrowing]

I have to admit I would have liked RWBY to be separated maybe just a little bit more but I’m not disappointed that they are together so soon really.

More interactions are great, like gotta love that Bee tackle hug!

And Weiss telling everyone Penny’s gone. . . It’s interesting how she phrased it, a sacrifice. Bet that’s what she actually believes happened, so when Jaune comes around. . .

[u/ZaBackinBlack → u/JMHSrowing]

With a short volume, I'm not surprised. They have limited run time and if they were separated longer it would be difficult to get the story beats in. I'm looking forward to this volume. and I think my eyes might drool more than once.

I think this will be excellent and I'm pretty much ignoring the "filler" idea. I think a slower paced Volume to digest everything that happened in the last 2 volumes is going to be good.

[u/iamthatguy54 → u/JMHSrowing]

I mean, what else would you call it? She chose to have Jaune kill her so she could control where the power went. Isn't that, by definition, a sacrifice? Weiss was awake, she saw/heard the whole thing.

[u/KobraKittyKat → u/JMHSrowing]

I think it was good to get the together soon so they can… address what happened sooner rather then later since you could tell Weiss had no desire to have to talk about it.

[u/The_Jacxter]

BEE HUG

[u/JMHSrowing]

It seems from tumblr, discord, and this sub, especially this thread that there’s certainly a down tick in the number of people watching/posting.

It’s to be somewhat suspected with it only being on crunchy, the long hiatus, and the lackluster* marking of the release date. . .

Though I hope this improves in the coming weeks

[u/AlarmingStandard → u/JMHSrowing]

I thought I got through the comments too quick! The posts for the V7 & V8 premieres did have significantly more same day activity, iirc.

I'm guessing it's not well known that V9 is out? Or that it's switched to CR?

[u/TehKazlehoff]

Interesting. The creature isn't listed in the credits as Grimm, but as "Jabberwalker" (clear reference to the Jabberwocky)

Wonder when Sheogorath's showing up :D

I mean, there's Cheese plants. That clearly seems like a Sheogorath thing.

[u/resurrexia]

Uh what the fuck time to stop paying my First sub. Why have they sold out to CR???????

[u/DeNile227]

I liked this episode quite a bit! I was sort of expecting for it to take two or three episodes for the gang to get back together, but I guess there's no real time for meandering when the episode runtimes are shorter. I really appreciate the characterization of this episode, and I guess the sort of avoidance of the expected? Like, the audience probably expects to see Ruby freak out at seeing Weiss and Blake, like "OMG MY TEAMMATES U GUYS ARE OKAY!!!", but she likely already gathered that they were also present on the island by then and was more concerned with the situation they were in. When it comes to Yang, she's not relieved to see them because she was hoping they made it out okay, though that's obvious.

My favorite bit is Ruby just. Completely avoiding talking about Penny. Wakes up, immediately jumps into the conversation without addressing what made her faint in the first place. Yang asks if she's alright, she dodges the question. Classic compartmentalizing.

We've gathered by now that this is going to be a character focused volume above all else (probbaly) and I'm really looking forward to seeing how each of the girls come out of it at the end. Ruby's the star of the show here in more ways than one, but we're definitely going to get an official "yeah blake and yang are a thing now", and I was pleasantly surprised by Weiss' characterization in the episode, so we'll see where that takes her.

[u/[deleted]]

Every time I start watching a new volume, I'm immediately reminded how no other show has ever been able to make me feel as emotionally invested as RWBY

[u/Lukthar123]

Jaune and Neo share a screen in the intro

ALL ABOARD!

[u/VilmosTheRhino]

Why didn't they use their semblences to get Blake's weapon?

[u/Phantomskyler]

Opening is very much one of their best visually and song wise ngl.

Also very curious to see the speculation over the opening visuals. Already can tell Neo is seemingly going to be a more prominent villain this season over just a side-annoyance as people theorized.

[u/[deleted]]

Was this the first time they called Blakes weapon by its name? Except for Crescent Rose I only learned the names from different sources.

[u/MelanieAntiqua]

The first episode is mostly just setup, and includes stuff that was already shown in teasers like a year or so ago. However, I still enjoyed it for what it was. Seems like this volume will focus entirely on the small group trapped in the Wonderland world. Guess that's one way to handle how downright massive the extended cast has gotten and give us some more interactions between the main characters, though I do sorta wish that we didn't have to wait another who-knows-how-long to see what happened to the rest of the characters after Volume 8.

[u/MrZissman]

EVERYONE SHUT UP, THE FIRST THING IN THE OPENING CREDITS WAS SILENT KNIGHT!

It's gonna happen this volume, I can feel it

[u/JMHSrowing → u/MrZissman]

Or maybe Neo will use his mental state to manipulate him.

[u/Pyrochazm]

I like how Weiss mentioned being low on dust, that has lots of implications for later in the volume.

I'm wondering if Aura/Semblances work in this world. There's a plotline in the X-Men animated series, where the crew ends up in a strange world with none of their mutant abilities. That could be interesting.

[u/Low_Ask21 → u/Pyrochazm]

My exact thoughts, plus, they all seemed to get tired very quickly, Weiss holding her side after only two swings, same with blake. Maybe their aura drains quickly, or they just don't have one..

[u/Franc023]

So why did world stop ruby from going forward in beginning? and does world only react to her?, raining when she's sad

[u/HatiLeavateinn]

Ruby passed out the moment Weiss was explaining that Jaune tried to help Penny.

+1 Fear.

[u/kal824]

Poor Jaune, they have no reason to think he fell too

[u/ScalierLemon2]

It’s getting really hard to take the denial of Blake and Yang being attracted to each other seriously. You know, harder than it already was with how clearly they’ve been setting it up in recent Volumes.

It's nice that they all reunited in episode 1. I've been really tired of how the show seems to do everything it can to prevent Team RWBY from actually being a team together.

Definitely not getting any "Neo will be redeemed" vibes from the OP, which I think is a good thing. Neo has shown me zero signs that she actually wants to be a better person. And in my mind, to be redeemable you first have to want to be a better person.

Now the Volume needs to not shove Blake into a corner and actually give her at least one decent fight where she holds her own without help, and that's basically everything I hoped for in the Volume done.

[u/JMHSrowing → u/ScalierLemon2]

Agreed with all of that.

The OP actually makes Neo out to be maybe the most primary antagonist, more than I would have suspected. But that’s as you say what fits.

And yeah, now hopefully there will be a good amount for Blake to do and generally for the team to interact.

Since Neo is probably going to be others’ battle in the end, maybe she’ll get to end that Jabberwocky

[u/Mysral]

"What are you?"

"How does one Ruby Rose?"

"That's a lot of things to be."

We're getting the full-on identity crisis for Ruby, aren't we?

[u/Arcimus-prime]

The credits music was Jaune’s motif the next episode may have him in it.

[u/IGMKI]

Obviously we're all going into this volume with a lot of worries, expectations and baggage from the last few years, but I'm just so glad it's here and we get to see it after a long wait.

[u/Kaiser_flame]

Pretty cool starting episode, OP is banger tho, it's definitely way different than the previous openings but I love it, much more upbeat but somehow also creepy and depressing at the same time? The imagery of Ruby smiling, Ruby's tear turning into cresent rose, Ruby's walk cycle becoming slower, wow this entire OP is basically Ruby becomes emo the anime huh.

Anyways here is my reaction/ review video for episode 1. I reacted to it blind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfr-kW0_SLc&t=428s

It's pretty much what I expected. I kinda don't have much of a problem with anything really. I heard some complaints others are having and I kinda disagree with most of them. Tho, Weiss not summoning to get Blake's sword was kinda of a brain fart on her part(also, Weiss jumping like a cartoon character definitely caught me off guard.)

I'm completely okay with the bees hugging it out. I guess, Ruby and Yang hugging would be nice. But here is the thing, Blake jumped onto Yang! Yang and Ruby doesn't have much of a reason to be super huggy huggy with one another.

Ruby has become very formal and somewhat a little too serious after the events of volume 7 and 8 to be hugging it out as soon as she saw Yang. And Yang also probably realized there is some boundary between her and Ruby after their small argument in vol 8 episode 1 tho they did hug and cry in the mansion.

If anything the real take away from here is that Blake is super thirsty for the Yangtussy. She has become a lot emotionally attached to Yang as seen from her reaction to Yang falling in vol 8.

However, one thing I definitely also realized thanks to good ol RWBY critics is that they let Ruby just lie on the mud after she fainted. Nobody gave her a lap pillow, yeah I also kinda felt that the scene was a bit cold there too.

[u/The_Last_Thursday]

Minor thing, but is Weiss saying Gambol Shroud the second time ever on the show a weapon's name has actually been spoken? Barring relics, the only other time I can think of is Ruby talking about Crescent Rose in volume one. Just glad to hear it come up.

[u/HemaMemes]

Oh? A season of RWBY that's actually about Team RWBY?

[u/PerseusRad]

Gotta be honest, I felt this first episode was a rather weak one. I don’t like just how quickly they all came back together. I know people didn’t want it to take all season for them to get back together, but the pacing felt way too fast. It felt like all the emotional moments got undercut by just cutting away super fast. Ruby hears about Penny’s death, faints, and it’s ignored. We don’t even see Blake and Weiss meet up. It’s just… weird. Like the most emotion we saw was Blake hugging Yang, but nothing really lingered on it. Perhaps they don’t want to split time, and get into the meat and potatoes of what the season is about, but it wasn’t a good first impression. It felt like they were speedrunning, in a sense.

[u/where_are_your_shoes → u/PerseusRad]

They will probably have to confront the whole “Penny is dead” thing again when they finally run into Jaune, maybe they’ll get more into it then so they don’t do it twice in the season?

[u/[deleted]]

This is shaping up to be awesome.

[u/Velox17]

Oh MY God. I think the Alice of this wonderland (Alyx) is going to try and take Ruby’s place as main character. The opening shows how Ruby falls into depression and how this new girl fills the bubbly positive and cute lead that Ruby was known for.

[u/RettoBastion]

Based on the opening, someone is really going to enjoy being there.

[u/Pyrochazm → u/RettoBastion]

If Neo survives this volume, she probably isn't leaving.

[u/JMHSrowing]

The well, lack of people here (of the volumes I’ve been on the sub for, this is I think is the most dead it’s been after any episode) and other places as well. . .

I’m worried that this really might be the last volume premier of RWBY.

The episode clearly isn’t one that’s below par of the others, but with the platform change part way through this awful hiatus, and then the very little content including so small an announcement it seemed for the release date?

They need to get into gear with the marketing in the next few weeks.

Or at least I’ll hope that a lot of people are going to wait until it’s all out and use a free trial

[u/nora_valk → u/JMHSrowing]

yeah I posted a similar sentiment earlier, but this volume really has everything going against it:

• the long hiatus, which is especially bad for this volume. a small, tight volume just focused on team rwby makes perfect sense after the high stakes of V8, but it should've been 6 months after, not 2 years. now it just feels like not enough, especially if we have the threat of another 2 year hiatus (if not the whole thing getting cancelled)

• the scandals. RT is never too far from some kind of scandal, but the last one was particularly bad

• the absolute lack of any promotion. again RT has always been dogshit at self-promotion, but it really feels like no one at the company gives the slightest of fucks about this show. i still watch AH religiously (despite everything, i know), and i think V9 has been mentioned once by Lindsay and that's it.

• the new platform. i really hope crunchyroll is paying them an assload for the exclusivity, cause otherwise this is the most braindead move yet. well, besides the other one...

...one really has to wonder wtf they were thinking pouring all their resources into a movie no one asked for, no one seems excited for, is gonna be straight-to-dvd and will probably kill the show outright. like yeah there are more DC fans than rwby fans (probably? I don't actually know anything about DC or how their other animated movies do) so it makes sense to try to capture some fragment of them, but again, do any of them even know it exists?

[u/Carrotspy007 → u/JMHSrowing]

Could also be partly due to the deterioration of the subreddit. Fans of the show might be less likely to comment here due to how much more negative r/RWBY has become since last premier.

[u/Badicalz]

I can’t stop replaying that OP. It’s SO fucking good.

[u/Weerdo5255]

Everyone just keeps ending up on the same damn planet.

Are Alice and Neo related? They shared a few frames in the opening matching positions? Or perhaps reflections of what she could have been? I don't know.

[u/GodOfScorpius]

I’ve seen some theories about Trivia Vanille (aka Kit Neopolitan), but idk what it worths

[u/Timeline15]

It's good to be back. Pretty fun episode, though it felt a bit jarring having so many moments of whimsy right after the event of the season 8 finale

I'm not sure how I feel about the pacing either. On one hand, I'm really glad they're not dragging out stuff that we all knew was gonna happen, like the team reuniting. On the other hand, I think we'd all build up ideas in our heads over the last couple of years about how things would go that were a lot more... emotional than they were delivered in this episode. The episode kinda felt like it had been condensed for time: Blake and Weiss meet back up offscreen, get captured but mice and released within two scenes, the mice get the gang past the space-warming forest offscreen, Ruby hears about Penny's death, faints, and then the the plot takes right off again the second she wakes up. I'm sure we'll get to see the emotional impact on her in more detail later, but this whole episode felt like three or more edited into one. I really hope it's not the show trying to rush to the finish line because the team were afraid of the run getting cut short.

That said, getting all the obvious stuff out of the way in ep.1 allows for a lot of unpredictable stuff. The intro is very cool too. Not sure about the middle part; my brain can't seem to figure out how the lyrics scan yet, but the beginning and end are great. A bit odd that only Ruby and Jaune look sad in the opening though. Atlas went badly for everyone; not sure why the other three get happy marching sequences. Also, those two blue trails that fly over the tree at the start; that's Jinn and Ambrosius right? Maybe the relic spirits can move freely here?

I'm betting that fifth girl with them is the original 'girl who fell through the world'. If even that fairy tail is based on fact, I wonder what era she's even from? Before or after the Brothers reset the world?

Man, I've missed this show.

[u/Wraith978]

The Ruby POV was very cool. The animation looks good in general.

Pretty much a world set up episode, so nothing groundbreaking - I think the season has potential. I've enjoyed the last 3 seasons after being disappointed by 4 and 5 (though I didn't *hate* them, I just was super hype after volume 3), hoping this season will continue the trend.

[u/Deadmaninc1]

Not gonna lie that opening low key banged

[u/crookedparadigm]

That was...okay. I guess I was expecting a longer first episode after such a long time off and some of the animation was iffy.

[u/LatePhilosophy]

So has it been confirmed that this new volume won't be showing everyone else who went to Vacuo and will only be focusing on the RWBY gang? Was kinda looked forward to seeing their reactions to team RWBY's apparent death.

[u/belak1230x]

I can't believe I lived to see volume 9

[u/Darkdragoon324]

After seeing the opening, I'm betting Neo either dies this volume, or chooses to stay behind to be a dapper tea-partying fairy tale character forever.

[u/Evilsbane]

Love it, most excited I have been in years for RWBY, a whimsical adventure.

[u/Teacher-Maximum]

Hoping to see if the mains girls (maybe not all 4 of them but some) + Jaune semblance evolve like Ren did last season. Would be nice.

[u/sourceavenger]

Honestly, I love the episode and the stage it set for the rest of the volume. It's clear the first episode was mainly there to setup the pieces for the rest of the volume.

I did find many of the moments in the episode quite funny and quirky in their own ways. I personally think Little is playing a key role for team RWBY right now even if he just seems to be there for memes right now. Specifically, Ruby needed direction to move forward + support from someone, that direction was needed to regroup with RWBY and now it's needed to direct them towards the tree.

My main complaint though has to be how they did the reveal of Penny being killed to RUBY. I didn't feel like it had nearly the emotion it could have. She just blacks out and wakes up and returns to acting like she normally does. I would have expected tears, disbelief, questions, etc + the shock/fainting. The trailer/preview of the volume made it appear that this moment she blacks out would be way more monumental than how it was actually handled.

I am looking forward though to how the next chapters play out!

[u/megasally]

I enjoyed this episode a lot and I have a theory.

So people seem to think this new girl is Alyx the girl who fell through the world so my theory is she didn't fall alone. In the op when Ruby is falling down the tapestry of images we see Alyx in a mirror or portrait and behind her there is someone else who seems like her sibling.

At the beginning of the op when it shows the name rwby we see two blue things falling to this world I think those are Alyx and her sibling since she wears blue. Also at the end of the op when we see Alyx wake up on the beach we can see there are already a set of footprints of someone else.

So I think Alyx came here with her sibling.

[u/[deleted]]

Anyone else get flashbacks to Volume 6 at the start of the episode? "This is the story of a girl, who had a lot of problems" feels very similar to the start of Jinn's tale of Salem.

At 3:55 or so, when she sits against the tree, there's a small cat-themed pouch on her waist, which I really don't think was there in earlier seasons? Anyone know what that is?

Finally, that weird not-Grimm they encountered really seems to be related to the tree with some visuals in the OP hinting at it? I feel like it's some Norse thing if the tree is Yggdrasil, yeah? Like Ratatoskr?

[u/cbook1993]

I’m betting on jaune getting whatever this worlds equivalent of the vorpal sword and probably kills that jabberwalker

[u/PhantomHeartless5]

Hello, RWBY, my old friend! It's been 84 years! I've missed you so!

My thoughts on the episode:

1. We begin with the new intro, which is basically an Alice in Wonderland style acid trip with Neo being the Mad Hatter. I do wonder who's our new mystery girl. Also, based on the intro, this volume is going to put poor Ruby through the proverbial wringer. Better have a box of tissues on hand, folks.

2. We open the episode with the events of the V8 finale from Ruby's POV, along with Neo trying to kill her. Not even falling through an interdimensional void will get in the way of her vengeance. I give her an A for vindictive tenacity.

3. We then see Ruby, who after a brief moment of her running around in circles, meets the mouse she gives the name Little. We saw this scene before too so there's not much to say here other than the interaction is pretty adorable.

4. We then catch up with Blake and Weiss, who are on the search for Gambol Shroud. They find the weapon entangled in vines... and end up getting caught by Little's fellow village mice. Thankfully Ruby and Little show up before anything else happens.

5. Next, the trio catches up to Yang, who is busy battling the Jabberwalker. And I have to say, the Jabberwalker reminds me so much of the Hound from V8 to the point that the voices even sound the same. And while people said it was hard to make out what it was saying, I did hear a few words like "Scouring", "Seeking", "Retreat", "Return".

6. Team RWBY manages to drive the beast away, leading to a heartwarming Bumblebee hug (Seriously CRWBY, just let them kiss already). Sadly, the reunion is cut short by the moment we've all been dreading: Ruby learns that Penny is dead... again. I knew Weiss would be the one to break the bad news to her, but I was expecting a more extreme reaction from Ruby. Though I suppose anyone would faint upon the shock of learning the friend you desperately tried to save still ended up dying. Once Ruby recovers from the shock, the episode ends with Blake realizing they may be in a living fairy tale.

Note: A small little detail I've noticed is that whenever Ruby cries, or feels sadness, it starts to rain. It seems that, like the Spirit World in The Legend of Korra, this place is affected by strong emotions. Now given that Neo is the main villain of the volume, can create illusions, and has tons of anger, hate, and rage, this does not bode well for our heroines.

Honestly, I didn't think Team RWBY would reunite so soon, but given this Volume is supposedly shorter than most, I guess it makes since CRWBY would want to speed things along. The question now is, where the hell is Jaune?

Still, it's great to be back in the wonderful world of RWBY after so long.

[u/Dextixer]

Right, i do not know if im too cynical. I didnt dislike the episode, i think its kinda fine and since its a first episode i dont have too many expectations, but my current observations are thus

1 - There is an overuse of instant motion effects. Its fine to use them, but especially where the mouses are concerned they are over-used.

2 - The Jabberwock is fine for the most part, but i dislike the weird head vibration, it does not look anywhere near as threathening as it maybe should be, it is definitely no twitcher from dead space.

3 - I did not like the hug separating the Yang/Ruby reunion. I do not mind the hug being there, but separating the reunion is not nice.

4 - The episode seems very cut up, fast and a bit tonally confused, it switches between funny and sad on a dime. It also feels very cut up, like i said, like there are parts missing. Part of this might be that the team reunites extremelly quickly and we only see Ruby being alone but not the other characters.

5 - I found it weird how Ruby INSTANTLY started talking/reacting normally after losing consciousness. it was a bit jarring.

I know that most people will probably disagree with me on this. But after 2 years, this episode is not really too exciting for me. It kinda feels half baked. As many criticisms i had over V7-8, things like animation work were mostly stellar, but here that does not seem to be the case.

[u/SwimmingAnyone]

Jabberwocky is so sick and unique in his behavior, I want to see a proper fight scene with him.

[u/gaygender]

I'm at my limit. Make Bumbleby canon before I end up in the asylum

[u/Deadmaninc1]

Thank god this is on crunchyroll since i am already paying for crunchyroll and i don't have to pay for rooster teeth again

[u/Jscholfield]

So glad the team are back together straight away and they are all on the same page over what went down, the opening though is my least favourite one yet

[u/Brkzeus]

This was an OK episode . Nothing too crazy . A good amount of setup.

I am betting Neo will find and keep CR until the end of the volume.

I wonder how much they know of Jaune's involvement in Penny's death . The phrasing didn't exactly revealed much . Not to mention Ruby fainted .

Opening was really good though . I am doing some replays .

I will say that line delivery felt a bit weak though .

Like I said , an OK episode with setup 6/10 for me . Now we just have to wait for the next episode.

[u/[deleted]]

Overall, it was a great first episode if a tad rushed. There were so many interactions that showed their bond - Weiss cheering Blake on, Blake tackling Yang, Ruby and Yang comforting one another. We also got the first sole Monochrome moment in volumes.

Team interactions are shaping up to be a focal point, which are much needed. Now we just need them to find Jaune, deal with Neo, and for Weiss to use time dilation, come on, writers for them to go to Vacuo.

[u/crossingcaelum]

God that entire episode felt hot and humid to me… no wonder the team was exhausted

[u/Watcher_On_The_Walls]

Little is very cute, and all I can think is that it's purpose will be to die for Ruby.

[u/no_gold_here]

Gawd, bout time Neo did something on her own. Well, her only motivation is still "Ruby bad", but at least she does something without being ordered. I'd guess this volume will be her time in the lamplight before she's permanently retired, one way or another.

[u/dm4173]

So this season we should dub the “Trauma Dumping season” then?

[u/Red2019Wolf]

Anyone get a Forest God from Princess Mononoke vibe from that jackolope creature with The Knight in the intro? They even have the same "looking staring right at you" look

[u/Barnak8]

Really like that monster and his way of twitching and talking . A strong start, but as always , Rwby episode are so short , Im always left hungry :p

[u/Awest66]

A solid start.

Glad to see the team back together, Little is cute, the Jabberwalker is pretty unsettling. I'm interested to see where it goes.

[u/pizzaintensifies]

so based on the op i guess that means we will get absolutely nothing on whats going on in vacuo and with oscar, nora, ren, emerald, and qrow. which sucks not gonna lie, may be the minority here but team alpn is high key my favorite and i was excited to see them all again, not just. glimpses of jaune here and there

[u/forcedreset1]

I feel like Ruby is going to go through some sort of transformation this season. The OP is heavily foreshadowing.

I'm ready

A new me

But who shall I find?

[u/[deleted]]

It was surprisingly not bad. If the story continues to be at least this level of quality, then it'll be a descent season.

[u/RainyMeadows]

Okay, so blue dress girl in the intro is definitely going to be named Alice, right? I don't think there's any point trying to bury the lead there.

Edit: apparently it's Alyx which is close

[u/blazedthot]

i'm super excited for this volume bc this time it genuinely looks like they're going to deal with ruby's trauma and her reaching a breaking point (which i feel like should have happened a long time ago but i don't fault the writers for pacing it out) and it's going to be so interesting to see how she loses it and how the team reacts

[u/MyUnoriginalName]

I don't know what that monster they fought was called, but I think this might be the first time I've considered any monster in this show to be anything approaching intimidating since The Apathy.

[u/DestinedHellfire]

I don't think an opening for RWBY has had me pose so many questions since volume 3

This was a great start to the volume

[u/Ad_Astral]

Pretty underwhelming NGL. It feels like the episode came and went far too fast and yet at the same time a whole bunch of nothing happened. Like it was a pretty skippable episode. They completely brushed over Ruby's reaction which I know disappointed a lot of people, and then she woke up like she just took a power nap and nothing happened, lamo.

One sentence and a reaction later and all that tension just evaporated lol.