The following contains spoilers for RWBY: Ice Queendom Episodes 1-3, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
RWBY is an anime-inspired CGI series created by the late Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth Productions. Taking place in the fictional world of Remnant, main characters Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long train to become Huntresses to protect humanity from the monstrous creatures known as Grimm.
Premiering in 2013, Rooster Teeth was merely a small production company at the time, and although RWBY had its flaws, the series had a certain charm brought on by Oum's flair. Known for his incredibly choreographed fight scenes, Oum was -- and still is -- a renowned animator and writer. After his passing, writers Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross took over the series from Volume 4 onwards. However, many fans agree that RWBY is not what it used to be, as there is a noticeable dip in quality between Volumes 3 and 4.
How RWBY: Ice Queendom Falls Short
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With Volume 9 currently in production, RWBY: Ice Queendom, a Japanese anime series by Studio Shaft, was announced. Advertised as something of a reboot, expectations for this new show quickly arose with the hopes that it would improve upon the already existing series. However, while the premiere did offer new and interesting content, much of the story was stripped away, which might make RWBY: Ice Queendom difficult for new fans to get into.
The most glaring issue is the fact that the new series covers the entirety of Volume 1 as well as part of Volume 2 in merely 3 episodes. Important plot points are either rushed or skipped entirely -- an issue that is more prominent with each episode. Even some character relationships are missing. For example, while Jaune Arc develops a strong connection to his teammate Pyrrha Nikos, fans do not get to see him interact much with his other teammates, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Thus, the bond between Team JNPR -- a crucial team to the plot -- feels almost hollow in comparison to the original.
Paired with a jumble of story points that don't flow together seamlessly, this makes for a disorienting viewing experience. As a result, the anime's premiere has extremely uneven pacing that could make things confusing, if not downright unwatchable, for people new to the franchise, and disappointing for those looking forward to seeing their favorite emotional moments or fight scenes adapted into anime format.
Moreover, Monty Oum's fight scenes were iconic and exhilarating, and definitely contributed to making RWBY feel unique. However, those unparalleled sequences are not adapted into RWBY: Ice Queendom. The new fight scenes aren't necessarily bad, but in comparison to Oum's work, it falls a little flat and becomes something more generic. Additionally, the animation doesn't live up to other popular titles done by Shaft -- like the Monogatari series and Madoka Magica -- and instead looks rushed. To many minds, this completely defeats the purpose of adapting Oum's vision, which basically centered around showcasing cool action scenes.
What RWBY: Ice Queendom Has Going For It
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As mentioned, RWBY: Ice Queendom does add its own scenes, which makes for refreshing content. For example, while the sister relationship between Ruby and Yang is barely explored in the original show, in RWBY: Ice Queendom, the pair have more scenes and interactions, which provides better insight into their relationship growing up and gives them a better set-up for the rest of the story. Additionally, the portrayal of some characters feels more complex. Jacques Schnee, a cold and vindictive character, is often treated as a joke in the original show and thus hardly feels like a threat. However, now he is portrayed as the powerful and arrogant CEO he is meant to be and genuinely feels like an antagonist. This addition of smaller details goes a long way to flesh out characters and make them more interesting to watch.
To give RWBY: Ice Queendom the benefit of the doubt, the premiere only features the first 3 episodes with more to come. Many suggest that the new series is being rushed, so they can deviate from the original story to hopefully tell a different and better one. This is backed up by the introduction of a new character, Shion Zaiden, a new subplot featuring Nightmare Grimm who possess humans, and promotional images of the four main characters in new, winter outfits.
It's still too early to decide if RWBY: Ice Queendom is better or worse than the original, but despite its flaws, this new series has a lot of potential. While the uneven pacing throughout the premiere can easily put people off, there may yet be hope for the rest of the season.