Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3496661-20131113034013

Well, we're back at the off-season folks; time to reflect on both the positives and negatives of the latest season. You know, just as a side question, why can't RvB seasons air during the September-April period; you know when people are most stressed with school and the holiday clusterfuck (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christams) and whatnot. We need something to relieve that stress besides drugs and porn.

Anyway, this is my review on Season 11 and I personally think this was a very well done season from start to finish, at least compared to the last two seasons. This is all my opinion, & feel free to disagree and/or agree below. I will be tackling the Story, the Characters, and the Presentation. So let's get started:

The Story:
The first act of Season 11 starts off very slow, but I think this is an advantage. We get used to the situation the characters are in and see what they will do to overcome it. The main problem is fixing the Comm Tower in order to get help; that is the main conflict of the first act, the thing that's driving the Reds and Blues' actions as well as the story. Here, the Reds build Lopez 2.0, Wash trains Tucker, and Caboose messes with something mysterious. Things pick up in S.O.S., where all of the characters gather together & make contact with Donut, are introduced to Freckles, and even the antagonist makes an appearance.

I appreciate how the 1st act has the characters actually doing something that will benifit the story later on. I also like the fact that we get introduced to some new characters early on, as well as old (Donut). However, some of the dialogue is a bit weak, mainly with the Reds. While Tucker has some funny moments with his training & the flashback with Epsilon and Caboose, I can't really remember anything else that was really stand-out funny.

The story gets more creative in Act II, where the main conflict becomes Freckles himself. I found it interesting that Freckles made the teams feel more restricted and Caboose becoming "leader" only made things worse. Again, the characters are still doing things that benefit the story and what really surprised me was the use of Donut, Doc, and Lopez.

What always pissed me off about S9 & S10 was the use of returning characters (mainly for present day scenes). Andy wasn't needed, nor was he really funny, in S9; Vic can easily be glanced over in S9, I don't even know why he made an appearance; Doc only made a speech and was then ditched (wtf?); Lopez was just a scarecrow, Epsilon-Lopez was killed off too early; and Donut played a minor role. These returns just seemed forced in order to get everyone's favorite characters back in the show. This is why I believe Reconstruction is so beloved, the season only featured characters that were needed and it felt like the creators did what they wanted to do rather than what the fans wanted. This is also why I think the Project Freelancer Saga is kind of a mess: the pacing of the story is just off and the Reds and Blues come off as boring and repetitive at times.

What S11 got right I believe, was the way Donut, Doc, and Lopez were utilized: Donut's return felt very natural and unexpected and the latter had some very enjoyable moments, Doc had lots of good moments, & my personal favorite: Lopez's relationship with 2.0. Rather than the two being enemies they became great buddies and had LOTS of good moments, arguably the best. With the cast all together, the Reds and Blues try to destroy/avoid Freckles, but soon meet Felix and Locus instead. This Act has better comedy, more character development, and better dialogue than the previous. I felt much more appreciative and hopeful towards the season and felt that it was getting many things right, keeping my attention throughout.

Now onto Act III, the Star Wars act, where the REAL story comes in: the Chorus Civil War. Here is where all the action is. We've gotten acquainted with both our new and old characters, we've made our speculations and predictions, and our questions have been answered (I like how this season answers the questions it began relatively quickly rather than keep them hidden until the last minute [*cough* FLORIDA! *cough*]). Now things that began in the previous 2 acts are utilized here: Tucker's training, Basebook, the future cubes, sticky grenades, C.C. & 2.0, and Freckles' "shake". Rooster Teeth also show some balls and takes out a few main characters, which only pumps up the excitement (and put me on edge). In the end, the remaining Reds and Blues become involved in the war and have a purpose for fighting: to save their friends.

Summary (Story)
Season 11's story is fantastic as it sets things up very well and delivers some great payoffs. It's always keeping its audience guessing, introduces new characters and a new story, and I believe it successfully returned to the roots of RvB, with a blend of comedy, story, and action. Miles Luna has proved himself as a writer (with both Season 11 and RWBY) and excels in the subject of character relationships. He does this by putting the characters in specific situations and forces them to do things they've never done before, which in turn leads to character development. He also makes the characters seem more natural and relaxed, making them come across as more 3-dimensional.

Each character is always doing something or has a motivation, which is one of the strongest factors for the season. The story is very tight and doesn't waste anything it introduces; it uses every part of the buffalo! I can remember a memorable moment for each character. While the story doesn't surpass the terms of the Recollections seasons, S11 takes some great risks, gives us something fresh, and leaves wanting more.

The Characters
Coming Soon... 