Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. So, things at Rooster Teeth have been very rocky these last few months. A number of employees have left and backlash to fans has not helped them in the least. Still, despite all of this, Rooster Teeth is still standing somehow, but for how long? Hopefully, long enough to finish up RWBY. A fan favorite on the site, RWBY has definitely become one of Rooster Teeth’s most successful shows. After regaining the support of the fans with volume 6, volume 7 premiered in November of 2019 where new lines were drawn, and the future was left uncertain. Let’s take a look at RWBY Volume 7.
Opening and Ending Themes
The opening for this volume is “Trust Love” sung by the great Casey Lee Williams with Jeff Williams. This is definitely in my top 3 openings in the series. The guitar in this song is phenomenal, Casey sounds great as always, and the lyrics are deep and meaningful. It’s a great song for this volume where trust will be playing a big role in this volume.
Just like the previous volumes, each episode had a different ending showcasing the soundtrack and of course showing off artwork from the show. Probably my favorite artwork of the bunch has to be from episode 11. Not to spoil anything, but we get a fight between two characters and the artwork shows off the choreography of the fight and all of its details such as saying this character will do this while this character does that. It lets me know that they’re actually putting effort and thought into these fight scenes and not half-assing them.
Episodes 1-4
The volume starts off where we last left off in the previous season. The group has been granted permission to land but feel that something isn’t right and decide to go to Mantle, the lower region of Atlas (where the middle class live) and ditch the ship. At first, Weiss tries to contact Winter for help but Qrow says not to as they’re not sure what’s going on as the place is crawling with soldiers. Maria takes them to meet Dr. Pietro the man who invented Maria’s eye googles and one of the most brilliant minds in Atlas. Pietro explains to them that after the fall of Beacon (where my ship was destroyed like the Titanic) everyone pointed the finger at Atlas saying it was their fault (which is true. I mean it was your security system that got hacked and your soldiers were pretty much useless). Paranoia and fear started to consume everyone as they believe there’s a traitor amongst them. Pietro soon recognizes team RWBY as he’s heard about them from his daughter (wait a second. . .it can’t be) but before he continues, the alarm goes off as Grimm have entered the city. We get our first fight scene of the season which is good as well as the return of Penny in a new body and everything (scene here: https://youtu.be/ZY2AlUdg9D0 . It turns out they were able to save Penny’s core (or soul in this case) and created a new upgraded body for her. She now serves as the protector of the lower region (Iron Girl if you will). When Penny takes her leave to go fight more Grimm (scene here: https://youtu.be/p1oC4LxMOgU?t=36), the group gets by attacked ACE, Atlas’s elite troops who were responding to the stolen ship. The group gets captured and hauled off for questioning to end the episode.
In episode 2 instead of the group going to prison (like they were expecting. Although I get the feeling they would run the place by the end of the week), they instead get taken to Atlas Academy where they get released by orders of Winter (who threatens to punch them, repeatedly). They get taken to Ironwood’s office where he tells them that he told Penny and Winter about Salem (yeah that was crazy shit, right?) and that he plans on launching a new communication tower in the form of satellite. Once the satellite is launched he plans to tell everyone in Atlas and Mantle about Salem which will of course cause panic and attract the Grimm to their location which is why Ironwood recalled the military, to prepare for the Grimm attack (cool. But did you prepare for rats in the wall?). Ruby tells them about Ozpin being inside Oscar but they don’t tell him why he’s gone and they keep it a secret that the lamp still has one question they can ask as they don’t entirely trust him yet (I don’t trust him either). They agree to help Ironwood with his project and in return he promises to give them new gear and a place to stay. While Penny gives everyone a grand tour of the academy, we see Dr. Watts is in Mantle and discover that he was the one who designed the security system for Mantle and Atlas (and I’m willing to bet they never updated. He’s gonna go Watchdog on us and the entire city).
Episode 3 starts with the group going to secure the launching area for the satellite which is a mine. The area is infested with Grimm and the group has been called in to assist and eliminate the Geist. We see them get upgraded weapons (they were due for an upgrade) and new looks (surprisingly Yang looks the same. Followed by Ruby who just cuts her hair a little, Blake who now has short hair, and Weiss who looks like what would happen if she became a level 5 sword mage in D&D. They have those right? I feel like they should have those. Scene here: https://youtu.be/hLJi8noj8oA). They enter the mine in teams of 3 where we get some centipede looking Grimm fights and get to see ACE show off their skills as they take down the Geist piece by piece (literally. Scene here: https://youtu.be/S191BFKLhKg).
Well nothing much really happens in episode 4. We get to see Jacque again (boo~) and are group officially become huntsmen and huntresses (about damn time). Dr. Watts visits Jacque at his mansion and makes him an offer he can’t refuse.
Episodes 5-8
In episode 5 we see the group help transport cargo to and from the mines, guard the walls from Grimm, do a few missions in the city (where Jaune seems to be a hit with older ladies. (Yume): Women do love a family man), and train with others to improve their skills (scene here: https://youtu.be/dh_GBhRqr9Y). We do get to meet a few important characters such as Robyn, a lady running for council and opposing her is Jacque (people, this election is an easy one. Vote for Robyn. Don’t make the same mistake we made). She knows about Ironwood’s recent project at the mines and wants to know what he’s working on. Clover refuses to give her an answer and she stands down peacefully for the time being. In another part of the episode we do get to see the Winter maiden Frea, a frail old lady who could die any day now and Ironwood has decided to make Winter the new maiden (it’s the role she was born to play). At the end of the episode Jacque closes down all of Schnee’s offices in Mantle and this sparks a riot to take place in the streets (https://youtu.be/Yv7B0pGrwC8).
Things take a turn for the worst in episode 6. The group is given the night off for elections and each do their own thing. Yang and Blake go to a dance club with Team FUNK (really pushing that Bumblebee ship aren’t you RT? Personally, I don’t care. Black Sun, Bumblebee, Ladybug, Checkmate I don’t care who she ends up with. Just make sure it makes sense at the end and isn’t being forced down our throats), Weiss goes to the movies with Oscar and Jaune (oh hey, the White Knight returns. Maybe it is the new haircut), and Ruby goes with Nora and Ren to Robyn’s pre-celebration party. We follow Ruby, Nora, and Ren’s side of the story where there’s tension between Nora and Ren in the form of them arguing over Yang and Blake’s relationship (clever shot at the fandom). We see Penny is there for security reasons and as the polls begin to close, the lights go out (a woman screams), and Tyrian begins killing people only to disappear and make it look like Penny attacked everyone (why they would believe that I have no idea. Her weapons glow green in the dark. This is why minor details matter). In a shocking turn of events, Jacque wins the election (gah~ you made the same mistake we made in our election) and this attracts the Grimm to Mantle (scene here: https://youtu.be/vA8Kt02N9GE). On the bright side, Ren and Nora kiss each other (scene here: https://youtu.be/iX2T0XNuaB8, finally).
Things just keep getting bad in episode 7 as lines are being drawn. Robyn goes full vigilante on us and begins obstructing dust shipments for Ironwood’s project. Ironwood thinks about declaring martial law in Mantle (dude, Mantle is already a powder keg set to explode, don’t be the flame that sets it off) but Nora and Ruby talk him out of it and tell him to stop with the secrets and tell Robyn but he’s not sure if he can trust her. The people of Mantle are calling for Penny to be put out of commission for a crime she didn’t commit, and we learn that her aura came from Pietro who gave her half of his aura. Yang and Blake manage to make contact with Robyn where they tell her about the satellite and ask her to stop messing with their shipments (never. Not until Ironwood shaves his beard). We get a good scene between Oscar and Ironwood where Oscar tells Ironwood that he needs to be upfront with people he’s the most afraid to talk to (good words of wisdom). It looks like Oscar will be getting his wish because Ironwood and everyone else have been invited to a dinner party hosted by Jacque where Ironwood will be defending his seat on the council.
In episode 8 everyone goes to the Schnee mansion (would it kill you to dress up for a change?) where Ironwood, Winter, Clover, and Penny go to speak with Jacque, council representatives, and Robyn (oh good, we’re inviting the vigilante to the party). Quick talk, the conversation doesn’t go in Ironwood’s favor. In another part of the mansion, Weiss sneaks into Jacque’s study to see what she can find. What she finds is her mom, Willow. We get a short scene between the two where we get an idea of what they’re relationship is like. Willow is a woman who’s afraid to stand up to Jacque and seems to be paranoid about everything as she drinks and has installed hidden cameras throughout the mansion to spy on her family (geez, the Schnee family needs their own sitcom. That and family therapy). Willow gives Weiss a recording of Jacque’s meeting with Watts and takes her leave asking Weiss to look after Whitney (no, he’s a prick). Speaking of Watts, we see him continue to go Watchdog on Mantle by disabling the city’s heating system (it’s about to get cold real fast).
Episodes 9-13
Episode 9 serves as a precursor to what seems to be the endgame of this season. With the heating system offline people begin to riot (up until now I was letting all the evil deeds go. Even framing Penny, that was downright evil. But taking away their heat? You’ve gone so far). Weiss exposes Jacque’s deal with Watts to rig the election in his favor and he gets arrested but it’s too late. Watts has taken control of their system and has locked them out (geez, probably should have updated that system when you had the chance). As if that wasn’t bad enough, Grimm have begun attacking Mantle. Ruby and the others head out to fight where as she leaves she and Oscar have a cute and awkward moment where they agree to tell Ironwood the truth about Salem (she was once a sarcastic cat and before that a man plotting to take over the world). Oscar breaks the news to Ironwood (and to be fair he handles it better than the others) and even though this news is shocking he decides to press on. As everyone prepares for battle and Jacque gets taken away, we see Neo and Cinder are in the Schnee mansion looking for something.
The action begins in episode 10 as Ruby and the others fight in Mantle to get everyone to safety and evacuate them to Atlas (about damn time. Scene here: https://youtu.be/mjMMbariGto). Ironwood and Robyn go on the tele and tell everyone about Salem which brings them all together. As for our villians, Cinder wants Neo to get Oscar while she searches for the Winter Maiden (she is just greedy for those maiden powers). Tyrian goes after Robyn who just arrived in Mantle, but Qrow and Clover are there to help her out. As for Watts, he gets tricked into going to the satellite where Ironwood was waiting for him (the Watchdog is with you Watts, but you are no AAA game yet).
Episode 11 starts off where episode 10 left off. We get the fight between Ironwood and Watts where I have to admit it is a good fight sequence (I especially like the camerawork). I love how even though this is Ironwood’s home turf, Watts once again goes Watchdog on us and controls the arena to gain a homefield advantage and shows us that he’s no slouch when it comes to CQC. In the end, Ironwood manages to beat Watts (scene here: https://youtu.be/_bmxWH_sgYc). We then go to the fight between Tyrian, Qrow, Clover, and Robyn. While not as good as the previous fight, I did like the coordination between Qrow, Clover, and Robyn (scene here: (scene here: https://youtu.be/2J_PdfGgX_E. Robyn provides support from behind all while stopping Tyrian from gaining momentum, Clover and Qrow attack one after the other). Just when it seems like our heroes are finally gaining control of the situation, things take a dark turn. Ironwood finds out about the secrets they’ve been keeping from him and he’s not too happy about it (to be fair, you were under a lot of stress already and you’re not the best when it comes to decision making). An astral form of Salem shows up where she says she’s on her way and reveals that she’s the one who killed Ruby’s mom (scene here: https://youtu.be/BX0slZTz-Io, you bitch). With the reveal of Salem coming and their forces exhausted, Ironwood decides to change up the plan (no~ don’t be a dick). Rather than tell the world about Salem, he plans to leave all the remaining people in Mantle behind, take the Relics, and winter maiden high into the sky out of Salem’s reach (oh~ so we ain’t worth shit to you huh Ironwood? This is why people say you have no heart). Ruby tries to tell Jaune and the others what’s going on, but Ironwood shuts off her communicator and places them under arrest. Oh, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Oscar missing.
We’re all about the action in episode 12. We finally get the confrontation between Team RWBY and ACE (which let’s be honest we all knew this was coming). I will admit the fight scene is good between these teams as it’s clear what their strengths and weaknesses are. If this was a one on one fight ACE would most likely win, but when it comes to team battles and trusting your allies RWBY has the advantage. RWBY watches each other’s back and work in unison with each other to perform double teams and catch their opponents off guard. ACE on the other hand are a team but they don’t work as a team, it’s just a collection of very talented fighters and nothing else (they admitted this in episode 4. They’re not friends, they’re just co-workers and nothing more). In the end, RWBY wins (scene here: https://youtu.be/du6jnp12BFs). Meanwhile, Qrow and Robyn have their hands full with Clover and Tyrian who crashes the ship (remind me again why the crazed serial killer wasn’t locked in a cage or cell on the flight?). Robyn gets knocked out from the crash and Qrow forms an unlikely partnership with Tyrian to take down Clover (Qrow are you familiar with the story of the frog and the scorpion? It doesn’t end well). Qrow is able to take down Clover, but Tyrian proves he’s a scorpion by killing Clover with Qrow’s weapon to make it look like it was Qrow who killed him before escaping (scene here: https://youtu.be/sT6LHIavnOw). In other parts of the episode Winter and Penny try to transfer the Winter Maiden’s power to Winter, but get stopped by Cinder (liking the new look Cinder). Team JNPR and Oscar also have their troubles when they come across Neo who wants the Relic.
In the final episode we have an ending that’s on par with the Empire Strikes Back from Star Wars. Neo gets the Relic from Oscar (scene here: https://youtu.be/catRiBUvj24), Oscar goes to confront Ironwood where Ironwood straight up shoots him (scene here: https://youtu.be/OuSVBWeuUiY. What the fuck Ironwood, you just shot a child), Qrow and Robyn get captured, and the Winter Maiden transfers her powers to Penny making her the new Winter Maiden (scene here: https://youtu.be/w04OyNRgXiQ). Ruby and the others reunite where they commandeer a ship and escape while Ozpin returns to help Oscar land safely and recover after being shot. As if all of this wasn’t bad enough Salem shows up with an army of Grimm and she’s going to destroy Atlas (scene here: https://youtu.be/EmxSNrJH2Zk).
Final Thoughts
And that was Volume 7 of RWBY. I will give this volume credit the fight scenes have definitely improved greatly and are starting to look more and more like the fights from the first 3 volumes and the animation along with the soundtrack were impressive as always. I did like the design of Mantle and seeing Dr. Watts go all Watchdog on them was cool and totally shows off his strengths. The new outfits and character designs are nice although I am going to miss Blake’s long hair. Seeing Penny again was a surprise and did put a smile on my face. I actually do like how she appears to be more human then most of the characters in Atlas. Also, Nora kissing Ren was great, but they never capitalize on it. It just happens and it never gets bought back up again. This was the main problem of this season, no capitalization on stories.
The volume has a good start and finish, but the middle is where it all falls apart. They spend too much time on the politics of Atlas that nobody really cares about and don’t get much development on the part of the characters. They finally get their huntsmen licenses and we don’t get to see them do missions around Atlas or do some training such as Ruby learning to control her eyes more. Ironwood’s decision to turn tail and run was handled rather poorly and made no sense. Once again, the show does a good job building up the danger of Salem as we see everything fall apart around them with everyone knowing about her existence. Everyone is trying to do what they believe is right but when their ideas don’t match up with each other they turn on each other showing how much they’re afraid and becoming what they sought to fight against. It’s quite tragic and this volume captures that as it is heartbreaking to see allies turn on each other when in truth they should be fighting the main villain.
Final Score
Volume 7 of RWBY earns a 6/10. A score lower than the last volume. Like I said the beginning and end of the volume are good but it’s the middle part where they fall short as they really don’t do much with it. It’s been confirmed that we have two more volumes to get through and with the way volume 7 ended I think the opening moments of volume 8 are going to be crazy. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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