RWBY Official Manga Anthology Vol. 1: Red Like Roses

RWBY: Official Manga Anthology #1

by Monty Oum, Various, Rooster Teeth Productions

Vol. 1: Red Like Roses has a total of 20 side stories.

One side story includes Mercury persuading Ruby to dance with him during the Beacon Dance.

Another side story is about Weiss asking the rest of her team to search for a shadow entity that she saw in the middle of Beacon Academy. It turns out to be a sleepwalking Nora, whom Ren finds and brings back to their dorm.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Young Adult, Comics Manga

178 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2017

About the author

Associated Name: Monyreak "Monty" Oum

Oum was an American web-based animator and writer. A self-taught animator, he scripted and produced several crossover fighting video series, drawing the attention of internet production company Rooster Teeth, who hired him. There, he provided custom animations for Red vs. Blue, and created the original animated series RWBY.

Oum attracted attention within the gaming community after releasing the hit video Haloid in 2007 on GameTrailers, which a Destructoid article called "the most interesting Halo-related fan movie in existence".The video has received more than 4 million views and is the most watched user-created content on the site In October of the same year, he released the first video in his Dead Fantasy fan series which, like Haloid, featured fantastical combat sequences between characters from two different established games series (this time Dead or Alive and Final Fantasy). He released five episodes of Dead Fantasy, a preview of an additional episode and two music videos featuring the heroines of the series. After Oum announced that he had started working for Rooster Teeth, the series was put on hold.

Oum suffered a severe allergic reaction during a medical procedure and fell into a coma on January 22, 2015. He died on February 1, 2015.

Reviews

[samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays · Rating 5 out of 5]

really sweet little stories, an awesome read if you're a fan of the show.

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one didn't really entertain me as much as I thought it would. I feel like I've read the story line before a million times and that the author threw different storylines of different genres all into one to try to come up with a fresh idea.
I also didn't care for the illustrations very much. They were way too simplistic but then again I'm looking at a black and white proof copy. They may color it and add more detail, I don't know.
Not really one that I'd say I'd recommend. I didn't hate it but it just wasn't for me.

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun collection of RWBY comics from tons of different manga artists. The quality ranged widely depending on the mangaka, but overall this was still super enjoyable.

That said, I'd only recommend this anthology to mega fans who just want to see their faves in comedic (and sometimes heartfelt) side adventures. None of this is canon, but if you just enjoy seeing the gang make their way through goofy shenanigans, that's what you can expect from this manga anthology!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good manga graphic novel about Ruby Rose and the rest of the characters from the Roosterteeth online web series RWBY and their adventures at Beacon Academy and beyond. The artwork was awesome too. Look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Gladimore]

So confused. I think I must be missing something because nothing makes sense.

[Kate (Reading Through Infinity) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I assumed this was going to be the first volume in a longer series, but instead it was a fun collection of short comics by different mangakas. I felt like I needed to have watched the anime before reading this, as I didn't know some of the side characters, and the stories gave me the impression that I should. I also preferred some of the art styles over others, but on the whole this was an entertaining read.

[jaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really love this. i am a RWBY fan and this explained some questions i had but not a lot. it had some funny scenes. i would recommend this to any RWBY fan like me

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the oneshot volume of manga, I'm going to preface this review by saying that I have pre-existing bias towards the source material, and as such, I enjoyed this immensely.
Likewise with the oneshot, this manga anthology (both this individual volume and the anthology set as a whole) are moreso written for people who are already fans, rather than serving as an introduction for newcomers to RWBY. If you want to read this at any time in the future, I would highly advise that you take the time to start watching the original webseries animation. These anthology volumes serve to give us better insight into the main characters from Team RWBY, this volume in particular focusing on the team's leader, Ruby Rose.

While I personally think that Ruby herself often suffers from the rather bland and generic Main Character Syndrome prominently found in anime protagonists who have a Mission to Save the World, I do feel like this was a much-needed and fun insight into a lot of her dynamics with various friends and her teammates, and it served as a reminder to how young she is and how much she still tries to enjoy the remaining years of her adolescence while she can. Please note that the events in this anthology are meant to take place prior to the season finale of RWBY volume 3 (the animated webseries,) which is a huge part of why these stories can focus on this aspect of Ruby and how young she is.

Each of the stories are very short and the art style varies as such, due to all of the guest artists who were asked to write pieces for the anthology. However canon each of these stories is, is probably up to the individual reader to decide. According to Word of God, anything in this or other manga and book installments is officially canon unless something contradicts existing aspects of the animation, and the rule there is that the animation wins out. Take that as you will; personally I think that there's enough fluidity in interpreting these stories as character studies for Ruby Rose, rather than taking each one as an event that absolutely happened.

Again, I enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the volumes that are out for Team RWBY.

[Sam Whale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty solid read. RWBY has been a series I've always wanted to love but the shows first 6 seasons have rushed through a dozen or so quite interesting ideas with such speed that little beyond the main characters have ever been given much time to grow and develop. The RWBY mana seems to be looking at one of those ideas, a school for teeagers who want to grow up and become monster hunters, and expand upon it, retroactively letting us see more of team RWBY's time at Beacon Academy. This is where the book really excels and it's anthology format really allows them to fill as many gaps as possible. Some gaps are literal, like a short story on how Weiss and Ruby ended up on that Nevermore, while others are more thematic or character arc based but all do a good job at making p for some areas the show breezed over. The strongest stories are the ones that really allow the girls to act like teenagers in School as well as the ones that really delve into Ruby and Wiess' friendship. The art is all quite pretty too, though nothing massively stands out, it does however capture the look of the show if it were on page quite well.

While I think it really sucks that a book like this is needed to expand upon thing the show left out (Expanded universes shouldn't be essential to enjoying the main stories and is a problem growing more prevalent in fiction in recent years) I am happy to report that RWBY: Red Like Roses does a bang up job of filling said gaps while being entertaining and interesting in its own right.

[Amber ☾♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t quite as entertaining as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty fun.

Just some quick, cute stories with these characters which was still enjoyable.

[EuleAnnalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably only something for ultra-fans and even then you might be disappointed.

Because yes: I am a fan of the RWBY series, with its flaws and all. But this didn’t really work for me. This is mostly due to this being an anthology of really short stories by a bunch of different artists. So it is a mixed bag in nature alone. Especially due to how short most of the stories were, none of them really had a lasting impact on me.

The stories all ended up being inconsequential and therefore often felt pointless. How often can you tell us about Ruby wanting to prove she’s capable to be a team leader without it feeling really repetitive?

There were only a small number of stories I can say I actively enjoyed.
Most of the stories where fun, yes, but they read more like fanfiction than something that has the word "official" in the title (nothing against fanfiction, it's just not what I had expected). Some were just really silly, some were maybe heartwarming, but again: none of this really stuck with me, unfortunately.

That said: I have already started volume two (since I bulk-bought the entire series, oops, did I mention I am a fan of the webseries?), that centers Weiss as a character, and am already enjoying this so much more? So I am hopeful that I might enjoy the other installments more as they focus on different characters. I like Ruby but she often gets boxed as the "quirky, silly optimist" that just doesn't always work for me as the central focus of the story.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was disappointing. It’s more of a collection of short stories about the same characters than a single plot line. I wish it was just one story.

[connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this can be found over onmy blog!

[Rebeckah Sypik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this manga a rating of 3.5 out of 5. It is an anthology, so it has many different writters. Which is what makes it so hard to rate. Some of the storys where pretty good; but some where luke warm.

I was pretty happy to read this. Since I recently finished season 7, I have really been craving more RWBY. That said its more the fluff of RWBY, then alot of the epic fight scenes you associate with RWBY. Not to say there's no action, but only two fights in the whole book. Which were very brief and left me wanting more.

Weiss was the most in character among the team. It showed her hotheadedness and seriousness side. Some of the best humor in the book was around Weiss.

Ruby was hit and miss in some of the chapters. Some of the chapters captured her personality well, while some others she came across as a generic shonen protagonist.

Both Yang and Blake were a little blank. They were used as a comical foil for Ruby and Weiss during thier antics. Which means they acted alot more seriously then they normaly do. Yang's protectiveness of ruby was about her only unique charater trait left intact.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dived into RWBY a couple of months ago, and after my newfound obsession spurred me to watch through the first 6 volumes three times over five months, I decided to go into the manga realm for the anthologies! Ruby's stories were nice little one-offs with a couple of interesting looks into her character beyond just what we see in the show proper and the Chibi series.

My favorite stories in the collection were "As A Hunter" (where she and her friend Jaune learn to prioritize their duties as team leaders over personal glory), "That Is Why I'm Here" (which expounds on the scene in which she and Weiss first reluctantly team up, providing Ruby with a personalized drive to become a Huntress), "Partner" (where the team gets invited to a fancy ceremony to honor their capture of early series antagonist Roman Torchwick) and "Just Trying to Help" (in which Ruby puts the team in trouble after getting into a fight with school bully Cardin).

There are a LOT of stories centered on the Ruby-Weiss friendship. While most of these stories are well done and keep with the character traits from the series, I would have liked to have seen more stories focusing on how Ruby interacts with more of the wider cast of characters. It was refreshing seeing her have a story just with Jaune and a few parts throughout where she had conversations with Prof. Ozpin and her sister Yang, but so many of the stories go back to building her relationship with Weiss. While that is a strong point of the series proper and does make for interesting stories, these stories largely just pile on top of what already has been set up, especially when they outnumber the other stories so vastly.

Overall, "Red Like Roses" is a fun read for fans of the series, even if it doesn't offer much in depth. The handful of true character-building moments do make it a worthwhile read -- especially for those aboard the White Rose ship!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't seen the series yet, and probably not planning to as I am not a fan of the animation style. But I bought this one for my husband, who is a BIG BIG fan of the show, and decided after he read it to also try it out. At times I missed a couple of references, but in overall I had no problem reading this one, it helps that I know a bit about the show and the characters. I loved the tons of shipping, the various art styles were fun and I liked the stories. From serious to silly to sweet, it was such a fun read. I laughed quite a bit at Ruby and how she acted in some of the stories (which involved either her saying something embarrassing to Weiss or stuffing her face with food). I definitely need to buy the next on in this series as I also want more of this.

[Bontix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi sembra strano non assegnare le 5 stelle ad un'opera inerente al mondo di RWBY, davvero. Di solito adoro tutto e probabilmente avevo delle aspettative talmente alte per questo manga che alla fine sono rimasta... perplessa. Non mi aspettavo che l'antologia ufficiale fosse composta da 20 racconti non ufficiali. Con questo non voglio dire che sia brutto, assolutamente no, però mi aspettavo qualcosa di più ufficiale, magari un qualche dietro le quinte o delle storie che nella serie non hanno trovato spazio, non lo so...
Ruby Rose resta la mia preferita tra le quattro Cacciatrici del Team RWBY e in effetti alcuni sketch mi hanno fatta sbellicare, ma in altri mi è sembrata fin troppo stupida, come se gli autori avessero voluto creare situazioni divertenti senza però centrare l'obiettivo. Altri invece mi sono sembrati incompleti, come se mancasse qualcosa alla storia.
Tutto sommato il voto è positivo nonostante la punta di delusione.

[J. Jammy May · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whelp, this is not in fact the first of a manga adaptation of the anime series, but rather a collection of fan-made short stories around the series. Very little makes sense if you haven’t watched the show (I would know, because I myself haven’t seen it) so was not as enjoyable as it might be to someone that already knows and understands the world, who the characters are, and their stories that brought them together.

All of the art styles were vastly different; some being really awesome and others super cute, but for almost all of them they’ve got two of the - and I can’t emphasise this enough - YOUNG TEENAGERS’ chests being massively enhanced in drawing and exposed in their outfits… like come on! If it’s an adult character, I get it - whatever. But not kids. Just stop.

[Tara-Jayne (♥ I Read, I Love ♥) Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What more can I say. It had moments that I really wished was put in the Show but my gosh ^_^ So cute, adorable and AMAZING!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and cute collection of little stories centred around Ruby. They did vary in quality, but some of the artwork was really lovely and I was engaged the whole way through.

[Plague Rat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Instead of reading this …? Maybe just re-watch the show.

I was going to be excited for this manga if it was a straight show to manga adaption or if it was a new story with the characters I had grown to love, but it was neither… threw me for a huge loop.

This manga is like a collection of short stories that doesn’t really further the character relationships or give us much of anything. I thought some of them had potential but they ended up being too short, as someone who thought there was no possible way I could be disappointed I bought all four in this collection ( whoops ) I hope if anything I learn my lesson to read the first one before buying them all haha.

The art style is cool ! And I love the characters…. So If ten page one shots that mostly feature Ruby doing something mundane like… making cookies… talking to teachers or writing in her diary is what you’re looking for ? Do pick this up.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a generous 2-stars because this book is basically just manga fan-art.

First things first; none of the stories (thank God!) are canon. The quality of the art ranges from "not bad" to "not good." The stories don't fair much better. As far as I can tell, the artists were responsible for the words as well as the art, and almost all of them were better on the art side of things than the writing side.

In my opinion, the best overall is "That is Why I'm Here," which actually takes place (I think) during volume 1, chapter 7 and into chapter 8 of the show. "Chocolate Chip Cookies" is okay and "Change" isn't half-bad. Most of the rest is Weiss yelling at Ruby for not doing her homework and/or about how important it is to be a good leader, and just other general goofiness.

Is it worth a read? Sure, flip through it at the bookstore and see if something entertaining catches your eye.

Is it worth buying? Not unless you're a really hardcore and tolerant RWBY fan, otherwise wait for the next anthology; maybe they'll have something better in that one.

Also, on a nit-picking note, the book "ends" with a "Message from Lindsay Jones." Nowhere in the book does it credit Lindsay as the voice of Ruby Rose! I'm guessing most of the readers who pick up the book already know that she's Ruby, but what about that small percentage that don't know who she is? Her message hints that she works on the show, but it doesn't identify what she does on the show.

[Amber Bismillah (scriptedsolstice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a massive fan of the show and the stories in here were really fun, though they didn’t really entertain me or leave a lasting impression. However, that is not this books purpose, so if you’re looking for a short read, and just some more time with these amazing characters, I’d say give it a go!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She always said she wanted to be like the heroes in the stories...”
“I guess we have to help her though it. We are her team, after all.”

Ruby Rose:
Ruby is such a gem. (Yang was here). As Blake would say she’s the embodiment of purity, and this without a doubt shines through in her enthusiasm, determination and immense compassion for her team. Manga format also allows us to see her thoughts, adding so much depth to her character. One of my favourite things explored is her love for stories and how this inspired her to be a huntress. Ruby talks about her mother Summer Rose, which is so well done, and being something so rarely mentioned in the show, it was delightfully refreshing to hear- heart wrenching, but so beautiful. A++ for character development.

Other Characters:
Although this volume focuses on Ruby, Weiss too gets plenty of attention. How they went from enemies to friends and Weiss’ reasons for studying at Beacon are explored. Also worth mentioning, this is definitely for WhiteRose fans.

Blake and Yang also appear, though not as frequently as Weiss, but as always some of the best moments are when team RWBY come together. Many other characters appear too: team JNPR, SSSN, CRDL, Penny, Torchwick, Glynda and Ozpin. Ozpin is rather amusing, and of course Nora’s involved, so... <3 pancakes.

Plot:
The events of the manga take place prior to volume 3. A lot of the stories could have been inserted into the show as extra content, and although there are a couple of action scenes, it focuses more on the day-to-day lives of Ruby and friends. The stories either a) delve deeper into the characters and their interactions, or b) provide moments of absolute hilarity, (often both).

Art and Community:
There are four full-colour illustrations of Ruby and twenty short stories, the first of which is also in colour. The illustrations are by several different artists from the Ruby community, each with their own story. So many people coming together to work on these stories was fantastic to see and the different art styles worked really well, bringing new flavour to each story. All the artists also got a panel on a double page spread at the end of the manga, creating such a warm community feel. There are also afterwords from Ein Lee (character designer) and the voice of Ruby Rose, Lindsay Jones. Such an excellent addition, and once again, literally the best community ever!

Overall, Red Like Roses is phenomenal; Ruby stumbles through life and comes into her own, she tries, fails, gets back up, dreams, aspires, and becomes the best team leader she can.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright but I was expecting a bit more substance from it, kind of like RWBY.

You get tons of stories in this, from boyfriends to armor to ghost, it's got a range of stuff. A lot of the time it tries to funny, but I didn't even chuckle, I think the show is much funnier. Each story is jumbled up in the timeline so it spans throughout the series, it never really adds anything to the story though. There seemed to be a lot of sexual tension between Ruby and Weiss, it's referenced a few times but as the stories are so short nothing really happens. You also have a lot of retreading between stories, I think 3 of them covered Ruby's first day at the academia telling the exact same story. Not sure that's because they wanted to focus on it or there was a lack of leadership from the editors.

It's much more of a gag manga like Aho-Girl: A Clueless Girl, Vol. 1 andMy Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 1, so if you like those this might be for you. I'm grateful this wasn't a four panel manga, as I can't stand those.

[Susan]

I've heard so much about this series, I had to jump in, but this may not be the best entry point for someone who doesn't have prior experience with the anime. I almost don't even feel fully prepared to even give an accurate synopsis. While I did get the basic gist that the girls are training to be huntresses and the Grimms are bad beasties, but the logistics of the world weren't really that clear and the story never engaged me. Weiss and Ruby seem to have the most defined personality of the team members, but I didn't have much of a sense of who the others were and how they functioned in the team. There are plenty of series that counterbalance drama with a sprinkling of lighthearted, even slapsticky interpersonal moments (I'm thinking of Library Wars and even Vampire Knight to an extent, but with this particular volume these components didn't really seem to jive well together at all--even to the point where it felt like it derailed the storytelling a little bit.

Based on the popularity of the series, I'm thinking I probably must be missing something, so I'm holding off on a rating, but again--I will say, if you're coming into this completely without context as I did, you may be a bit at sea.

[Imogen S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading the back of this book, I thought it would be interesting; a teenage girl living as a heroine in a fantasy realm while having to face real world problems. Those "real world problems" however focus on being feminine only if you have a boyfriend and longer hair. There isn't much 'fantasy' as there is the genre 'girl diary.'
This story doesn't seem to have much of a plot as the story jumps from timelines in the RWBY team's history making it confusing to follow a straight-forward story of what the girls' struggles, hardships, triumphs, losses, and friendships are leading into the other books. (Unless I'm mistaken that this is indeed the first book of a series).
I did like the idea of Ruby. A young girl wanting to work up to being a heroine like she had heard of in stories as a child. I would've liked to see more of that build-up of her becoming that heroine from her dream as a young child not so much her desires of having a boyfriend and feeling imperfect because her hair is short.

Overall, this is definitely not my favorite manga.

[Kasey Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this anthology so much!!

There's so much heart and humor in these stories. There were so many times that I found myself chuckling at the antics Ruby and the team got up to — everything from Ruby trying to find a boyfriend (and contemplating what a love triangle between her, Jaune, and Pryhha would be like) to her using a Torchwick action figure for target practice to her considering dying her hair (and causing her team some anxiety). So many of these stories would fit right into the main series, and the others fit right in with the humor of RWBY Chibi (that's a good thing, in my opinion).

Besides the aforementioned shorts, another favorite of mine was "RWBY No Doubt: Ruby" by Umiya. Those mini shorts were so cute and amazing!

Honestly, this anthology is all around wonderful. 10/10, would recommend :)

Also, side note: Could we get a villain anthology? I would love to see short stories like this about Neo (both on her own and with Torchwick), Cinder, Adam, and Salem.

[Priyansh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very biased review! I have been in love with the animated series since 2015. I’ve been a roosterteeth fan and a member of their community ever since. Goes without sayin, I bring a lot of feelings into this book.

So the review: depending on the mangaka stories were hit or miss but even with the ones that were a miss, I had a smile! The artwork is so beautiful!! I love all the unique ways everyone has been drawn! The first few colour panels were a nice touch as well! While buying the book I didn’t know when in the series the anthology would be based in? I was surprised to realize all stories are between the first two seasons. There was one or two stories that mentioned cinder.
I don’t know what else to add, it’s the usual cast to some new fun antics. I’m glad I purchased it, it was a quick fun read that left me with a smile on my face and wanting the next one. Solid 3/5 arrrr... 4/5 ( bias :P )

[Chris Petruccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the late Monty Oum prior to his employment at RoosterTeeth, so when he first debuted what would come to be RWBY, I was going to be fan and pretty much have been since. But like some of the other universes I fell in love with in their primary medium, I was worried that this was going to be the story I already knew just illustrated instead of animated.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that much of this are original one offs of Rwby and her team. It fleshes them out more as characters and provides a lot of fun little asides from various different manga artists. If you are looking to learn the story of RWBY this probably won't deliver. But if you are looking to just expand the universe have more little asides and flavor to the girls you already love, this was a pleasant surprise.

Except for that one angry face Ruby makes early on. That expression is straight out of Junji Ito's book and it was friggen terrifying.