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A Breakdown of Episode 11

Welcome back yet another edition of RWBY Tuesday. In the last episode getting the breakdown, we finally see Weiss come to terms with Ruby being chosen as leader of Team RWBY. We got to see some surprises not just with the girls reconciling but also in getting to see Ozpin share some words of wisdom with Ruby and Professor Port putting Weiss in her place. Now with the series feeling it has a “clean slate” to begin to build on what was put in place last episode let’s take a look at episode 11: Jaunedice

We start off with this episode seeing Jaune and Cardin Winchester facing off in some sort of duel. Jaune does his best to attack Cardin but is sadly outmatched. Before Carline can bring down the finishing blow, Goodwitch steps in to finish the duel. It turns out the duel was a school demonstration about how students need to keep tabs on “scrolls” that sends critical information to their users about their energy strengths, Dust levels and stamina (basically the fighting video game equivalent of a life bar). Goodwitch mentions It’s been weeks about Jaune’s training and scroll use and adds that no one wants to see him gobbled up by a monster. Winchester shares a snide remark to the contrary before exiting the stage. Goodwitch then goes on to inform the gathered students in the auditorium that the “Vital festival?” is only a few months away and that soon other students from the other kingdoms would be arriving shortly. Apparently there is going to be some sort of tournament to be held so Goodwitch informs the students to train and prepare for if they choose to participate they would be representing Vale. Team RWBY seems excited about the competition though Pyrrah notices that Jaune looks disappointed about something, as well as noticing he’s still sitting on the floor from his failed duel.

The scene changes to the school lunch hall where Nora is telling both members of Team RWBY and Team JuNiPeR about a recurring dream she’s been having about herself and Lie. Though she exaggerates Lie helps to bring the dream back to perspective. Pyrrah and Ruby notice that Jaune still looks depressed and ask him if something is bothering him. Jaune says there isn’t and everything is fine though both Pyrrah and Ruby don’t buy it.  The group then sees Winchester and the rest of his Team CaRDinL making fun of a girl nearby who happens to have bunny ears. This prompts Pyrrah to mention how Cardin has been picking on him ever since the first day of school. Jaune at that moment appears to be more upset over Cardin picking on the bunny eared girl than to notice Pyrrah’s comment but quickly recovers and tries to brush off what Cardin has done to him as merely practical joking. Ruby doesn’t agree and says Cardin is a bully instead. Jaune once again tries to brush it off and asks the group name one time when he’s every “bullied” him.

We then get a short montage of moments from Cardin bullying Jaune during run-ins in the hallway to being stuffed in a rocket locker and launched away from the school. Jaune tries to brush it off again but Pyrrah mentions to him that if he needs any help he can just ask them, with Nora offering the suggestion that they could break his legs. Jaune still says it’s nothing and that it’s not like he’s just a bully to him but to pretty much everybody. As if on cue we then see Cardin pulling on the ears of the bunny eared girl while the rest of his team laughs along with him. She begs him to stop doing that upon Cardin’s statement that they are indeed “real”. One of the members of Team CaRDinaL then calls her a freak and she runs off hiding her face.  Pyrrah is disgusted over the incident that she witnessed and makes her displeasure known to the group. Blake mentions that he’s not the only one with Yang commenting that it must be to be a “Faunus”. The episode ends with Jaune walking away from the group and sighs to himself as the camera zooms in on Cardin as he watches Jaune go with ominous music playing to imply he has more planned toward Jaune. Roll credits with bunny eared girl backdrop.

High Points

 

Plot progression

Looks like there is going to be more school activities in store for the group as theirs talk of some festival taking place. We might get to see some more action in the future, but instead of Team RWBY and Team Phantasy Star facing off against monsters; it’ll be a good old fashion person vs person matched. Though it’s been awesome seeing them take on the creatures of grim (see episode it would be nice to see the group duel with other humans like what we saw in the “Black” and “Yellow” trailers.

 

A mystery solved!

Back in episode 1 I wasn’t sure what to make of the news report that was being watched by Ruby and Yang on the air ship. It mentioned something about the “White Fang” but I didn’t know exactly what it was. It did show people in the shot that appeared to have animal like characteristics like teeth and ears, along with them protesting something, but after that mere mention I didn’t give it much thought. Now as it turns out there are appears to be a separate species on this world called “Faunus”, that are humanoid looking in nature but have some animal appearances. Not exactly “furries” but not exactly “beastmen/beasts” either. Glad this episode finally clears that up.

 

Nora’s idea

Between Pyrrah’s offer of help and Nora’s idea on how to tend with Cardin best, I like Nora’s idea better. Thus making Nora more of a favorite for me.

Low Points

 

Cardin Winchester

Bullies? Really? Do we actually need something like this to create the next antagonistic setting? I can understand needing something to keep Team RWBY and Team Phantasy Star occupied but did we have to go that route? I understand it’s meant to be this way given the meaning of the names with Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester but did it have to resort to bullying? Why not go with a “personal rivalry” instead like is shown in other shows that deal with the school setting. Have it like in the Halo web movie “Forward Unto Dawn” with the two dueling characters in there? Both have potential but both have much to prove and end up butting heads over it. But instead we get a “Harry Potter-ish/high school bully drama” that just rubs me the wrong way personally.

 

Don’t just sit there, DO SOMETHING.

Team RWBY and Team Phantasy Star witness the bullying of another student AND THEY JUST SIT THERE AND WATCH IT HAPPEN! Really? Instead of standing up and defending the girl being bullied they just look on with only the words of Yang saying “it must be hard being a faunus”? I was expecting Yang to go “super saiyan” and punch Cardin thru the lunch hall wall. But no! Instead the whole group just looks on and watches it happen. I understand it’s a school of warriors. I understand their reason for being there is to train and learn to fight monsters. But if the group there doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to bullying then where are they going to grow the spine to face off with Grim creatures. Sure one of them is only interested in killing you but you have to be around the other at school. Go with Nora’s plan: break the bully’s legs!

 

Jaune’s attitude

This is going to get old real fast. I was able to tolerate his overcompensation of bravado and confidence. I was able to handle his role as possible joke and possible hidden potential as a leader. But seeing him acting all broody and unsure of what to do with Cardin Winchester is really going to test my patience. It’s the same problem I had when I saw the exact same thing in school when I saw a bully bullying someone. It got to the point where I just ended up starting a fight just to stop seeing it. Hey Jaune, take my advice from a virtual reality sociopath: take that sword of yours and take some points from Deadpool on how to use it against people in stealth kills.

If you haven’t guessed I didn’t really enjoy this episode that much. It’s bad enough it will be a two parter but that it’ll be a two parter of this subject matter does not instill much confidence on where this show will go. They had a clean start after Ruby and Weiss settled their differences but they had to create a new antagonistic setting with the usual high school staple of bullying? I guess you can throw out the bias card on me given my distaste for bully subplots. I personally prefer the rivalry approach better than a bully one. I’m sure there is a reason Rooster Teeth went this route so hopefully it pays off. But after seeing Episode 12 I can’t say for sure. If you haven’t seen episode 12 you can check it on Rooster Teeth’s website or on Crunchyroll. Till next time let’s see if there was a purpose to all of this and hopefully we see Cardin’s legs broken in the process.

Any thoughts about this episode? Agree? Disagree? Undecided? Let me know in the comments!

Ta-ta

“N”