RWBY

by Shirow Miwa

In adventures based on Rooster Teeth's hit animation series, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang are students at Beacon Academy, learning to protect the world from the fearsome Grimm.

When the people of Remnant aren't fighting monsters, they still find conflict among themselves. Now they are at fierce odds. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are Team RWBY. Together they are learning the deadly craft of hunting the monstrous species known as the Grimm.

Never before revealed adventures of Team RWBY featuring Ruby, Weiss, Blake & Yang before academy and before they were teammates. Plus, a Team JNPR battle featuring a much-younger Jaune!

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

250 pages, Library Binding

First published May 19, 2017

Reviews

[mith · Rating 3 out of 5]

cool art but slightly confusing stories? it kind of jumped around in the beginning and i wasn't really sure where it was headed. other than that, the art was neat and there were great action scenes, i guess.

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge fan of the RWBY series, I was pretty excited to see a related manga being released. This was as quick read, and although it wasn't perfect, it was still a fun read and a nice additional to the RWBY universe.

One of my favorite things about RWBY is the amazing fight scenes. They're dramatic, they're technical, and they really give the girls a chance to show off their skills. The fights in the manga leave a little something to be desired in terms of being as epic as their show counterparts, and at times the imagery is hard to follow, but the heart of the fight is certainly there. The heart of the story overall really shines in this manga. The dynamics within team RWBY are prominent, and each of the girls has a spotlight on one of their most important battles and how that has led them to Beacon Academy. These 'origins' are shown in the show, but it's nice to see them from a slightly different perspective.

I do think that having some level of familiarity with the show will help in reading this manga. A lot of the background is explained--hunters and huntresses, Grimm, aura--but without really knowing how these different aspects play into the story, it might be a little hard to follow at times. I particularly think that knowing how team RWBY's semblances work and what they look like visually will help explain some of the fight scenes.

Regardless, this is a nice read with some fun extra stories and some very nice artwork. If you're a fan of RWBY, I suggest getting your hands on this one.

[Yub Yub Commander · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This was a cute short story vignette. It's fun to read if you're impatiently awaiting a new season of RWBY and you want to see all your faves (though coulda done with some more JNPR content; just saying :P), but this story will make ZERO sense if you haven't watched the show or at least read the newest manga series. This manga establishes small story points that have been hinted at or briefly shown in the show, so you have to already understand the circumstances of the story and the characters.

Was it a necessary book? No. But it was cute and fluffy and just what I needed.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a RWBY fan, then you've gotta have this manga. I feel it only makes sense if you have watched the show, especially S1 and the trailers. Most of the book is the manga version of the character trailers and "back stories" for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. There's a little addition of a "mission" with JNPR, and I'm sorry but Jaune just looked freaky! I really enjoyed the art style and can't wait for more RWBY manga.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from Edelweiss to see if it's something I should consider for the library. I have no previous knowledge of the series/show and while I found the storyline intriguing, I also found it confusing. The artwork was fine, but it was hard to follow the battle scenes. I was also confused if this was a prelude to the show or just some side and background stories. It felt incomplete if so. I may check out the show to find out more.

[LiLa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Karena saya tidak pernah mengenal universe R.W.B.Y (manga scan atau anime), saya MABOK bacanya, sungguh. Saya beli komik ini karena tertarik dengan deskripsinya dan cover-nya
Pas saya beritahu teman saya kalau saya beli buku ini, dia agak khawatir saya "trauma". Trauma sich enggak cuma makin ga yakin dengan insting saya hahaha. Ini penilaian egois dari pembaca yang baru kenalan udah dibikin: hah? Heh?

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I got this manga from Netgalley and Viz Media for my honest review**

I feel like there’s more to it, but so little really happens in this volume I feel I’d be spoiling everything. But I did enjoy the story enough. I just feel like it was meh.

ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ

Writing: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Personal Thoughts: 3/5
Artwork: 3/5
Overall: 3.4/5 (3 stars)

[Amy M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Manga is a great adaptation of all my favorite elements of the anime series.

[Vail Chester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not having seen much of the machinima series, I can only imagine how much more impactful and dynamic the action scenes would be than if these weren't STILL IMAGES.
I thought I would get a good feel for the characters, world, and story, but really there is SOMETHING GLARINGLY MISSING when you can't see this in motion.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me be the first to state that I'm entering this review with some pre-existing bias, as I am very much a fan of the RWBY webseries anime by Rooster Teeth.

And make no mistake, this is a book for the fans of the show. If you are someone interested in giving RWBY a shot, I do not recommend that you start with this little stand-alone manga volume (and don't start with the manga character anthologies either.) Start by watching the show, including all of the original Red, White, Black and Yellow trailers and the character shorts, then come back to this.

What this is, is a recreation of the plots from each of the original four trailers, with a few added aspects to each, and additional shorts that detail some information that we were missing from what we see in the first two seasons of the show (and it's not necessarily information we need, but it's nice to have.)

Personally I love and adore the art style, and it was nice to see an expansion on the Red, White, Black and Yellow trailer events as well as get the new information. Is it perfect by any means? No, not at all. Do I absolutely love it anyway? Yes, yes I do.

[Sinclair Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got into RWBY like six years ago and bought this book right around that time, I didn’t read it until now. I’m not super thrilled about the direction the show went, but reading this manga at last felt like a great sense of closure. I understand the heart of the show, the brilliant designs and the simple archetypical characters. RWBY’s early days were of passion and fun, and Shirow Miwa’s manga is an exemplary distillation of this.

As a standalone piece there’s great visuals and efficient storytelling. It’s both a retelling of key scenes in the original two seasons of RWBY and an amusing expansion at the characters’ daily lives.

[R1CEC4KE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gotta be completely real about this one. Nostalgia didn't do it for me. Awkward plot, poor dialogue, no development, just a montage of action sequences. Which, to be fair, is most of what the early part of the show - the part depicted here - is all about.

Altogether, somewhat amateur, which while true to the spirit of RWBY, is not what I was looking for in this.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

(spoilers I guess) I think I should write my opinion on the book before I do the actual summary, just to clear some things up- I'm a big fan of the series itself (the show by Rooster Teeth), and when I realized there was manga of it, I decided to pick it up. This volume, unlike the DC comics and "short-story" manga (like Red Like Roses and Mirror, Mirror), is actually a sort of manga version of each character's trailers and the trailers of the whole series. It was a little confusing for me to figure out at first, but that's essentially what it is, so the story may be a little hard to follow for some people who haven't seen it yet. It'll also give away some things about the show, if you haven't seen it yet. However, the artwork was pretty amazing and the manga was well-done overall. I've seen a lot of reviews saying the story was difficult to read in general, but from what I can tell, each chapter is like a different story, and it may take some re-reading to understand it in full. Some of the information in it can even be inaccurate as it was made in 2015, back when the series first started. For instance, some of the semblances are listed with different names. also rip pyrrha i thought she was annoying but yall liked her anyways
---
Ruby Rose, a young girl, dreams of one thing: to become a huntress. When fighting the monstrous Grimm out in the streets, and old man by the name of Ozpin lets her into his Huntsman Academy- Beacon- early, astounded by her skills. While attending Beacon Academy, she meats the rest of Team RWBY, and together with Weiss, Blake, and her sister Yang, they learn to be huntresses together. When getting called on a mission with Team JNPR, (pronounced "juniper"), they are met with a two-headed snake Grimm and take it down. Afterwords, Team RWBY goes on with their everyday lives... while the villains lurk in the shadows.

[Bontix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non posso farci nulla, adoro il Team RWBY e ho trovato questi extra davvero molto carini e divertenti.
Il manga è suddiviso in 12 capitoli, anche se in realtà è come se fossero 6, dove sono alternati passato e presente. Viene raccontato un episodio particolare del passato di ognuna delle ragazze, mentre i capitoli ambientati al presente alternano la routine delle ragazze alla Beacon Academy e le solite interferenze di Roman Torchwick. Ho apprezzato particolarmente la battaglia contro i Grimm che ha visto la collaborazione del Team RWBY e del Team JNPR. Che posso farci, io Jaune Arc e Ruby Rose li adoro sopra ogni cosa. Peccato che non li shippo. XD
Sicuramente appena riesco comprerò anche i 4 volumi RWBY Official Manga Anthology e i nuovi fumetti DC con le illustrazioni di Mirka Andolfo.

[Chihoe Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched the first episode of this web animated series a while ago but wasn't particularly taken by the animation production even though the storyline showed promise. This manga does feel like a marked improvement from the original source material in its visual presentation and in its more obvious manga influence. Its storyline is quite different too, and despite plenty of introductory context to the world of RWBY being provided here, it felt like you had to have some sort of prior exposure to this franchise and have grown to be attached to the characters in some way already. Because of how much of an introduction this manga was, I doubt it's a standalone even though it isn't marked as a first volume - regardless, I'm on board with that as I'd like to see more of Team RWBY.

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este volumen se trata de la adaptación del manga de los 4 trailers introductorios de RWBY, y tiene como extra una misión con el Team JNPR.

La verdad es que se disfruta si eres fan de la serie porque, de otra manera, no tiene mucho sentido. El dibujo no es de mi total agrado y siento que es demasiado oscuro y difícil de seguir en las escenas de acción, pero bueno, eso tiene que ver con el artista ya que en la serie original las batallas son mucho más complicadas.

Creo que esperaba algo mucho más entretenido pero bueno, al menos es una edición interesante. Y fue curioso volver a ver a todos los aspirantes a Hunters.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I really enjoyed this, it was fun and fast and a good addition to read if youre interested in the show. My only thing is that i wish itd been a little long and that ruby herself had had a chapter dedicated to her like the others had. I liked seeing Adam and Roman. Whish Neo had made an appearance especially since Roman did. Theyre kinda a package deal. Imo. Anyway! Fun and entertaining, would recommend if you enjoy the show.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
Me gusto el dibujo aunque me hubiese gustado un poco más de desarrollo de la historia pues en sí solo hablan un poco de las protagonistas pero dejan al aire la trama principal por qué se están preparando? Quién es su verdadero enemigo ? Cómo llegaron las chicas a formar un grupo?

[Kasey Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have previously watched and loved anime shows and movies, I never really tried reading manga. This was the first manga I have ever read, and it was really good!

I have watched RWBY: Volume 1 (I'm working my way through Volume 2 right now), which is enough background to understand the characters and concepts of the manga. In this book, each character on team RWBY has a story or two focused on just them and their history. It's really interesting and fun to see where each of the girls come from — and the relationships they are forming and strengthening.

It's hard to pick a favorite team RWBY member in this book. I love Ruby's character design, fighting style, and weapon. Weiss and Yang are both given a little more depth than the show provides in Volume 1. I have to say that if I was forced to pick a favorite, I loved Blake's section the most. Not comparing her character to the show (in Volume 1, at least), she has the most interesting and complex backstory out of the four girls in the manga.

The art is excellent. The overall story flowed well, despite skipping around in time. The first four pages of the manga have full color illustrations, which are gorgeous. And for those who have not seen the anime, there is a chart at the beginning of the book providing quick character bios and blurbs explaining basics of the universe (things like: Semblances, Dust, and Faunus).

This is one that I will have to re-read soon, as I flew through it the first time.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I just love RWBY!! This was a fun addition to the show and got me more excited to rewatch the show!

[Adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars.

I love, love, LOVE how this manga was put together. (You DO have to have seen RWBY to fully understand and appreciate everything!)

[BumfuzzledNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein actiongeladener Band mit einigen coolen Charakteren. Ich mag die Mädels von RWBY sehr und mochte die einzelnen Rückblicke.

[Haylee Huddleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good supplemental background on not only the original four trailers but also some never-before-seen side adventures! Also, loved the spread of characters at the end!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RWBY is a manga based on the animation series by Rooster Teeth. It contains 12 short stories about the adventures of team RWBY, as well as many other loved characters.

This manga gives a more ‘behind the scenes’ look on the characters. That’s not to say there aren’t any action sequences (there’s plenty of action alright) the stories followed are just more side plots to the events that occur in the show. Although I will say quite a lot of the content is pretty much a repeat of the original Red, White, Black and Yellow trailers, it certainly gave me a fresh view on them and they are definitely worth the read.

Overall RWBY is a really fun read and an essential for any fan who can’t bear the wait until next volume’s release.

[Erik Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this manga on my flight to Vegas in one sitting. RWBY is such an odd IP, but one that conjures good memories for me. Back when I was in college, one of my roommates and good friends was OBSESSED with RWBY. As a result, we all became obsessed with it too. We watched all the trailers an untold number of times. We threw watch parties when new episodes came out. We bought RWBY pint glasses and even made RWBY themed cocktails, all while blasting that iconic soundtrack.

I could write paragraphs about how and why RWBY never really lived up to its premise, but I'll focus on this manga adaptation, which, unfortunately, suffers from a lot of the same pitfalls as the show. The pacing is all over the place, the plot is not explained well, the mechanics of the world of Remnant don't make sense even though they are explained in the story and the helpful world-guide insert this manga comes with, but the art and action scenes are drawn beautifully. The story is paper-thin, and relies heavily on previous knowledge of the show, even though this is supposed to be the first installment of a long running manga series. If you're a fan of the Rooster Teeth series, you'll probably enjoy this. If you're picking up RWBY for the first time and are starting here, I'm not so sure you'll have the same experience.

[Yin Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched the original show and this book does a great job of adapting it, if I was rating it as just an adaption or fan it would be four stars, but as a book the ending is really the only part of the book that is four stars , the rest feels more like stuffed in world building and character exposition that is being jumped to right away. I understand why this was done, it does a good job of setting up the books for being great now that most of the world building is done. I hope the next book explores the characters more now that their backstories are out of the way, because while good, it does feel a bit weirdly paced in how they go from character to character as if they didn't want to just let the reader breath a bit with just one character. Again, because I already knew the characters I liked it but I could imagine for people who know nothing about RWBY it might have been overwhelming for so many characters and backstories to be immediately shoved in their face.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely flawless. if you're a fan of RWBY at all this is something to read straight away. love having a couple chapters focusing on each girl and then a cohesive story feat. a new grimm.

For any fan of Rooster Teeth or RWBY; this is definitely something to pick up. The novel takes place before anything in season 3 happens and quite a few characters make some fun cameos including but not limited too Cardin, Ozpin, & Torchwick.

This manga makes a great addition to the series and provides some great insight to each of the girls of RWBY.

Like all Manga it is read from Right to Left & is grayscale. Though it would have been nice to have it be in full color; mostly bc of all of the beauty in the show like Ruby's Silver eyes and more.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

- It's kinda sad that the characterization in this is better than that of the show. Ruby actually has character traits and thoughts in this!

- I love that they're so blunt about Jaune's motives to impress Pyrrha and Weiss lol.

- I'm not a fan of the redesigned outfits for team RWBY, but that's only for 1-2 chapters, so ok.

- Doesn't really tell a continuous story. They retell the individual character trailers and there's some original story in the last few chapters.

- The action scenes are well drawn, but hard to follow.

- I'm glad the english edition includes colored pages.

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic artwork, and of course, I love these kids. Everything about this is just beautiful, from facial expressions that reveal the intensity of emotions to the sarcasm between sisters in the dialogue - a must for fans of the anime.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Contrary to fact that I could not get into the anime/cartoon, I did enjoy this manga. It was a quick read with lots of action/fight/battle scenes.