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World of RWBY
The official behind-the-scenes guide to the acclaimed animated series.
The definitive companion to the hit animated series, The World of RWBY is the ultimate celebration of a pop-culture phenomenon. Go behind the scenes with exclusive commentary from Rooster Teeth and explore the show’s creation through in-depth interviews with the writers, animators and voice artists. With comprehensive analysis of key characters and iconic episodes, and showcasing stunning visuals from the series, this is the must-have book for RWBY fans around the world.
The definitive companion to the hit animated series, The World of RWBY is the ultimate celebration of a pop-culture phenomenon. Go behind the scenes with exclusive commentary from Rooster Teeth and explore the show’s creation through in-depth interviews with the writers, animators and voice artists. With comprehensive analysis of key characters and iconic episodes, and showcasing stunning visuals from the series, this is the must-have book for RWBY fans around the world.
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
Published October 8, 2019
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266 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 10, 2019
For forty dollars on The World of RWBY: The Official Companion (Hardcover), I expected a lot more material than what was presented. For a companion book, the characters aren't really delved into about their personalities or conflicts. Yang's abandonment issues is glossed over and her losing her arm isn't even mentioned in the book. Ruby is described as innocence and that's all her character is. There's no mention of her relationship with her family, friends or even her enemies. Blake's history with the White Fang isn't dived into at all, nor really about any of her feelings towards the people in her life. All that we know about her is that she's a coward but that's already stated as such in the show. Weiss has nothing really remarkable about her in her section. It's all stuff that the show has already said.
One of the biggest problems with this book is there's not a lot of material to justify buying it. Like usually character books go over things about the character personalities, their struggles, their origin story and even fun facts about what they're like. In Naruto: The Official Character Data Book we have one hundred and forty-two characters we go through. That's way more than what he get in this book and that book only costed twelve dollars. This book doesn't tell us anything new that hardcore fans would be interested in. Cardin is a bully, Cinder is evil, Sienna Khan isn't mentioned and we still really know nothing about team STRQ.
There's also little to no concept art that we haven't already seen before. There's two new concept arts that are in this book. One of Ruby Vs the Geist and the other being Ruby looking over Atlas. That's it. Everything else is old concept art we've seen in trailers, behind the scenes from the DVD's or online. You could say, "What about the new character designs?" Keep in mind this book came out after the new RWBY Volume 7 trailer was released and the new character models for the volume. So these new character concepts weren't really worth the price.
Overall, this book was a huge disappointment to me as a RWBY fan. I own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The Complete Official Guide and that was worth almost the same price as this book. But the key difference is that the Zelda book had so much more information in it. And most of it went into detail about the lore of Hyrule, our characters, the enemies, the shrines and most importantly, they showed us new things that weren't addressed during the games release. This book hasn't done that. The only new thing it's done is tell us what Salem's end goal was. Which is more of a problem with the show rather than the book so I'll let it slide.
Overall, if you're a RWBY fan, don't buy the book. There's no new worthwhile information that you couldn't find online and the new concept art is not worth the price. I was really disappointed in this book. I wanted so much more but I ended up getting so little.
One of the biggest problems with this book is there's not a lot of material to justify buying it. Like usually character books go over things about the character personalities, their struggles, their origin story and even fun facts about what they're like. In Naruto: The Official Character Data Book we have one hundred and forty-two characters we go through. That's way more than what he get in this book and that book only costed twelve dollars. This book doesn't tell us anything new that hardcore fans would be interested in. Cardin is a bully, Cinder is evil, Sienna Khan isn't mentioned and we still really know nothing about team STRQ.
There's also little to no concept art that we haven't already seen before. There's two new concept arts that are in this book. One of Ruby Vs the Geist and the other being Ruby looking over Atlas. That's it. Everything else is old concept art we've seen in trailers, behind the scenes from the DVD's or online. You could say, "What about the new character designs?" Keep in mind this book came out after the new RWBY Volume 7 trailer was released and the new character models for the volume. So these new character concepts weren't really worth the price.
Overall, this book was a huge disappointment to me as a RWBY fan. I own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The Complete Official Guide and that was worth almost the same price as this book. But the key difference is that the Zelda book had so much more information in it. And most of it went into detail about the lore of Hyrule, our characters, the enemies, the shrines and most importantly, they showed us new things that weren't addressed during the games release. This book hasn't done that. The only new thing it's done is tell us what Salem's end goal was. Which is more of a problem with the show rather than the book so I'll let it slide.
Overall, if you're a RWBY fan, don't buy the book. There's no new worthwhile information that you couldn't find online and the new concept art is not worth the price. I was really disappointed in this book. I wanted so much more but I ended up getting so little.
October 13, 2019
A disappointment. While it’s nice to read about the creative process, there wasn’t that much concept art or explanation of characters. The reviews below put it better but I was expecting more out of this. I’d like something where each character gets more than a page devoted to them. Let’s see multiple designs, the evolution of costumes, the reasoning behind them. Everything could be so much more detailed.
October 10, 2019
Overpriced book full of stuff we already know about the show or stuff that's contradicting to the show. Not as bad as the comic but it's still not very good. As a freelance artist, I was upset that we didn't get more new artwork. I'm a huge fan of Einlee's work but there's not much of it in there. The artwork we do get is stuff we've seen before and ones that were poorly drawn.
But like I said, there's no reason to spend money on this book. No new information is presented and if it is, it's not important. Oh cool, I now know the name of Raven's weapon! Too bad she's not in the show anymore and there's still no explanation as to why she abandoned Yang. Great...
Skip this book. Watch the show.
But like I said, there's no reason to spend money on this book. No new information is presented and if it is, it's not important. Oh cool, I now know the name of Raven's weapon! Too bad she's not in the show anymore and there's still no explanation as to why she abandoned Yang. Great...
Skip this book. Watch the show.
October 11, 2019
Nothing against Daniel Wallace, but I was kind of let down with the book. Was hoping to see new material about the characters, the world of RWBY and artwork. But as a RWBY fan, most of this book is repeated information that I already knew. I've listened to the RWBY DVD's behind the scenes and they basically go over the same thing that was in the book.
Not to mention there's was a part of the book that I found odd. Vic Mignogna voiced Qrow for four years and yet he's not credited as the voice actor. I understand that there was a controversy around him but you can't erase the past. He did work on that role, he should at least have been credited. They credited Shane Newville and he's caused controversy at Rooster Teeth as well. I feel like this is kind of a low blow.
I also wish this book went into more on the characters since it was a book about RWBY's characters after all. But unfortunately, we don't get that much new information. Like how did Mercury lose him semblance to his father? Why was Emerald a stray the first time we saw her? What was Adam's past before Blake? How did Ironwood get his cybernetic body? Ruby's feelings towards her mom? I feel like some of this information should have been talked about considering that this is a book about the characters.
The World of RWBY part is honestly just World of Remnant but in book format. Vague explanations as to certain elements of the world that are never delved into. There's still no explanation as to how Dust was created, how humans were born after the God of Darkness killed them, how Faunus came about or a clear difference between Semblance and Magic. Like I said, I don't really blame the author that much but I wish this aspect was more looked into.
Artwork isn't all that impressive because most of it is reused from other RWBY source material. From the Grimm Eclipse game, to the DVD's and even the merchandise. I wanted to see more concept art that we had never seen before. And we got maybe one or two, not including the new RWBY outfits that were already leaked to the public before the book came out.
Would I recommend this book to RWBY fans? No. I think your money is better spent on the DVD's or manga's instead. This is regurgitated info about the show that was already explained to us before. I bought this book hoping to find more new information but I barely got anything. The 25-40 dollars for this book should be spent elsewhere.
Not to mention there's was a part of the book that I found odd. Vic Mignogna voiced Qrow for four years and yet he's not credited as the voice actor. I understand that there was a controversy around him but you can't erase the past. He did work on that role, he should at least have been credited. They credited Shane Newville and he's caused controversy at Rooster Teeth as well. I feel like this is kind of a low blow.
I also wish this book went into more on the characters since it was a book about RWBY's characters after all. But unfortunately, we don't get that much new information. Like how did Mercury lose him semblance to his father? Why was Emerald a stray the first time we saw her? What was Adam's past before Blake? How did Ironwood get his cybernetic body? Ruby's feelings towards her mom? I feel like some of this information should have been talked about considering that this is a book about the characters.
The World of RWBY part is honestly just World of Remnant but in book format. Vague explanations as to certain elements of the world that are never delved into. There's still no explanation as to how Dust was created, how humans were born after the God of Darkness killed them, how Faunus came about or a clear difference between Semblance and Magic. Like I said, I don't really blame the author that much but I wish this aspect was more looked into.
Artwork isn't all that impressive because most of it is reused from other RWBY source material. From the Grimm Eclipse game, to the DVD's and even the merchandise. I wanted to see more concept art that we had never seen before. And we got maybe one or two, not including the new RWBY outfits that were already leaked to the public before the book came out.
Would I recommend this book to RWBY fans? No. I think your money is better spent on the DVD's or manga's instead. This is regurgitated info about the show that was already explained to us before. I bought this book hoping to find more new information but I barely got anything. The 25-40 dollars for this book should be spent elsewhere.
October 14, 2019
I was hoping this book had more information that fans like me would really enjoy. Fun trivia about the show, interesting facts about the characters, art of characters like Professor Peach and lots of concept art. I didn't get that unfortunately.
This book is full of repeated information and that's honestly the biggest problem. I already know most of the information that's presented in the book. So what's the point in buying it? I felt that my reward for reading this book was empty and unearned. I would have liked some backstory on the characters that don't get shown a lot. Jaune's past with his family, Nora's life before Ren, Ruby coping with the loss of her mother and even Cinder's past I wanted to know. But the character's aren't really looked into. We could have at least have had some small details about the characters birthdays, hobbies, dislikes or even their favorite food.
I don't really see a purpose in buying the book. The art we get is stuff we've already seen before and it's on the internet for you to view for free. The lore of RWBY in this book is stuff that's been talked about in the show and in World of Remnant. So again, more repetitive information. My boyfriend bought me the book and I'm probably going to return it to Amazon because I don't see a reason for keeping it. Sorry babe.
This book is full of repeated information and that's honestly the biggest problem. I already know most of the information that's presented in the book. So what's the point in buying it? I felt that my reward for reading this book was empty and unearned. I would have liked some backstory on the characters that don't get shown a lot. Jaune's past with his family, Nora's life before Ren, Ruby coping with the loss of her mother and even Cinder's past I wanted to know. But the character's aren't really looked into. We could have at least have had some small details about the characters birthdays, hobbies, dislikes or even their favorite food.
I don't really see a purpose in buying the book. The art we get is stuff we've already seen before and it's on the internet for you to view for free. The lore of RWBY in this book is stuff that's been talked about in the show and in World of Remnant. So again, more repetitive information. My boyfriend bought me the book and I'm probably going to return it to Amazon because I don't see a reason for keeping it. Sorry babe.
November 8, 2019
Here's my list of complaints I have with this book:
- The book is too pricey for what you get. This has been a lot of people's complaints with the book and I understand why after reading it. 40 dollars is too expensive for a book that has barely any new information. The Warrior Cats Ultimate Guide Book gives you more information and that book is 12 dollars. This RWBY: Official Companion feels like a cash grab.
- For some reason the book got Summer's grave wrong. It says "Thus kindly I scatter" Not "Thus I kindly scatter" Whoops.
- Dust is somehow the only source of energy in Remnant. I have so many questions about this part that I'm breaking down below.
• How did humanity survive before dust?
• Does coal and oil not count as a source of energy since we've seen lanterns in this show before?
• Dust is a limited resource yet no has no one tried using solar or wind energy before? Especially, the outside villages of the kingdoms who don't have easy access to these winds of sources.
• Does plastic just not exist in this universe? Because you need stuff like natural gas, oil and coal in order to make it.
• In a futuristic world filled with giant mechs, floating cities, robots with souls, lockers that shoot to your location with rockets attached to them, why hasn't anyone tried other energy sources other than dust?
• What happens when dust is gone? Have the kingdoms thought about a back up plan for that?
-Maiden magic can somehow influence the Grimm. The book literally states that "Cinder Fall uses the powers of the Fall Maiden to influence the Wyvern's instinctual behavior." How do maiden powers affect the Grimm in anyway? They aren't even tied to the God of Darkness in anyway. Why was Raven so concerned about the Grimm in Volume when she can just influence them? How Not To World Build 101.
-Our heroes are barely looked into. They don't go more into depth or detail over them. Ruby in the show was apparently "torn up" about her mother's death but they never go over how it affected her in the book. Weiss goal's should have been made more clearer on what she's planning on doing after Beacon. Plus more into her family dynamic. Blake's past with the White Fang, Ilia, her parents and Adam is glossed over and instead it talks about how sad her life was rather than why it was so sad. Yang losing her arm and the abandonment issues she has with her mother are once again not mentioned. And these are the main characters. The side characters get it worse. Jaune's family isn't looked into, how Nora became an orphan isn't stated and it doesn't even say how Nora and Ren got into Beacon when they were both orphans or how they managed to survive. This book just raises more questions than answers.
-The villains and their backstory or motivations are even worse than the heroes. The only one who has any sort of final goal is Salem but even then they don't really explore it. She wants to take over the world but is gathering the relics that will cause Judgement Day and wipe out Remnant forever? The other villains aren't looked into either. Cinder's backstory isn't fully explained along with Neo, Roman, Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Watts, Hazel and Adam. The bits we do get about them are stuff that the show already told us. There's nothing new or engaging with them. Why is Watts a "disgraced Atlesian scientist"? How precisely did Hazel's sister die? How did Adam receive his brand on his face? Why is Neo so dedicated to avenging Roman? None of these questions are addressed. I know some people will say SPOILERS but then what's the purpose of this Official Companion Guide if it doesn't go through the official data of these characters?
- None of the cosplayers we see in this book are credited. These are some fantastic cosplays and you didn't even decide to credit the people who did this. Why? Did you just not bother trying to credit them? I'm sure they would have been delighted to see their names in the book. One of the Ruby cosplayers in the book even tweeted out "Hi - I'm the Ruby in the book. While its an honor to be in the book.. I do wish cosplayers were credited. I do understand these photos were taken at RTX so we essentially give them permission for RT to use them for promotional purposes. We are all content creators.. it would be nice to credit everyone. RT has an amazing community & I love to think that we all support one another. @roosterteeth @viz media if we can get a list of cosplayers named in the cosplay section... maybe do a little shoutout on Twitter?" But they still aren't credited. It's a shame because I don't know who most of the people are in these photos. They deserve some kind of credit.
Overall Thoughts:
This is disappointment to its core. Everything about it feels like marketing gimmick so you can watch Volume 7 when it comes out. It's a lazy mess that didn't take it's time to do proper justice to RWBY. From how it uses art work that's already been shown, to hastily explaining things that don't make sense, our characters are just there because they have to be and this book costs 40 dollars for some strange reason. I know you can point out that it costs 25 dollars on Amazon, but on the official Rooster Teeth website is where I got it. I wanted to support them directly and this is what I got. A very rushed product that should have been looked into more before release. Skip this book. Watch the show or read the manga instead. Those are much better options.
- The book is too pricey for what you get. This has been a lot of people's complaints with the book and I understand why after reading it. 40 dollars is too expensive for a book that has barely any new information. The Warrior Cats Ultimate Guide Book gives you more information and that book is 12 dollars. This RWBY: Official Companion feels like a cash grab.
- For some reason the book got Summer's grave wrong. It says "Thus kindly I scatter" Not "Thus I kindly scatter" Whoops.
- Dust is somehow the only source of energy in Remnant. I have so many questions about this part that I'm breaking down below.
• How did humanity survive before dust?
• Does coal and oil not count as a source of energy since we've seen lanterns in this show before?
• Dust is a limited resource yet no has no one tried using solar or wind energy before? Especially, the outside villages of the kingdoms who don't have easy access to these winds of sources.
• Does plastic just not exist in this universe? Because you need stuff like natural gas, oil and coal in order to make it.
• In a futuristic world filled with giant mechs, floating cities, robots with souls, lockers that shoot to your location with rockets attached to them, why hasn't anyone tried other energy sources other than dust?
• What happens when dust is gone? Have the kingdoms thought about a back up plan for that?
-Maiden magic can somehow influence the Grimm. The book literally states that "Cinder Fall uses the powers of the Fall Maiden to influence the Wyvern's instinctual behavior." How do maiden powers affect the Grimm in anyway? They aren't even tied to the God of Darkness in anyway. Why was Raven so concerned about the Grimm in Volume when she can just influence them? How Not To World Build 101.
-Our heroes are barely looked into. They don't go more into depth or detail over them. Ruby in the show was apparently "torn up" about her mother's death but they never go over how it affected her in the book. Weiss goal's should have been made more clearer on what she's planning on doing after Beacon. Plus more into her family dynamic. Blake's past with the White Fang, Ilia, her parents and Adam is glossed over and instead it talks about how sad her life was rather than why it was so sad. Yang losing her arm and the abandonment issues she has with her mother are once again not mentioned. And these are the main characters. The side characters get it worse. Jaune's family isn't looked into, how Nora became an orphan isn't stated and it doesn't even say how Nora and Ren got into Beacon when they were both orphans or how they managed to survive. This book just raises more questions than answers.
-The villains and their backstory or motivations are even worse than the heroes. The only one who has any sort of final goal is Salem but even then they don't really explore it. She wants to take over the world but is gathering the relics that will cause Judgement Day and wipe out Remnant forever? The other villains aren't looked into either. Cinder's backstory isn't fully explained along with Neo, Roman, Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Watts, Hazel and Adam. The bits we do get about them are stuff that the show already told us. There's nothing new or engaging with them. Why is Watts a "disgraced Atlesian scientist"? How precisely did Hazel's sister die? How did Adam receive his brand on his face? Why is Neo so dedicated to avenging Roman? None of these questions are addressed. I know some people will say SPOILERS but then what's the purpose of this Official Companion Guide if it doesn't go through the official data of these characters?
- None of the cosplayers we see in this book are credited. These are some fantastic cosplays and you didn't even decide to credit the people who did this. Why? Did you just not bother trying to credit them? I'm sure they would have been delighted to see their names in the book. One of the Ruby cosplayers in the book even tweeted out "Hi - I'm the Ruby in the book. While its an honor to be in the book.. I do wish cosplayers were credited. I do understand these photos were taken at RTX so we essentially give them permission for RT to use them for promotional purposes. We are all content creators.. it would be nice to credit everyone. RT has an amazing community & I love to think that we all support one another. @roosterteeth @viz media if we can get a list of cosplayers named in the cosplay section... maybe do a little shoutout on Twitter?" But they still aren't credited. It's a shame because I don't know who most of the people are in these photos. They deserve some kind of credit.
Overall Thoughts:
This is disappointment to its core. Everything about it feels like marketing gimmick so you can watch Volume 7 when it comes out. It's a lazy mess that didn't take it's time to do proper justice to RWBY. From how it uses art work that's already been shown, to hastily explaining things that don't make sense, our characters are just there because they have to be and this book costs 40 dollars for some strange reason. I know you can point out that it costs 25 dollars on Amazon, but on the official Rooster Teeth website is where I got it. I wanted to support them directly and this is what I got. A very rushed product that should have been looked into more before release. Skip this book. Watch the show or read the manga instead. Those are much better options.
June 8, 2025
Obviously, I am a fan of the RWBY series. This book is for fans. But I think it isn't for uber fans as there isn't any new information or art you wouldn't be able to find when scouring the fandom wiki. Though, I was usually not very preoccupied with eg. the names of the weapons, so to have all this information organised and presented in this way is rather nice, but I can see how others might be disappointed by it.
I do like how honest the input by the production crew was. Telling how difficult certain parts were or that some plot points hadn't been fully thought through. I like how they admit how some decisions were made because of fandom response and they share their own opinions on developments (that aren't always congruent to one another)
I think it's well produced and there was some cool art (eg. double page illustrations), but I somehow wanted more of that art and some of the screenshots of the show were...less ideal? (I personally think that could have been achieved better!)
But: all in all, I just like having this piece of fandom merch in my bookshelve and flipping through it has reignited my love for the show, so I guess it achieved its goal?
I do like how honest the input by the production crew was. Telling how difficult certain parts were or that some plot points hadn't been fully thought through. I like how they admit how some decisions were made because of fandom response and they share their own opinions on developments (that aren't always congruent to one another)
I think it's well produced and there was some cool art (eg. double page illustrations), but I somehow wanted more of that art and some of the screenshots of the show were...less ideal? (I personally think that could have been achieved better!)
But: all in all, I just like having this piece of fandom merch in my bookshelve and flipping through it has reignited my love for the show, so I guess it achieved its goal?
December 24, 2019
Misleadingly titled “The World of RWBY”, if you’re looking for any information about the world of the show you won’t find it here. Characters are given basic explanations and entire continents are given a bare few sentences. There’s no extra information you won’t get in the show - less in fact, though it does go out of its way to spoil every season that’s currently out. It does have some nice concept art every now and again, and the glossy images are nice. You might have a good time if you’re looking for a lot of interviews about the creators and how they came up with their ideas, but otherwise just browse the pictures.
March 20, 2020
As of about two weeks ago, I'm an official
RWBY
fan. God, there is some good stuff out there on the 'net, people! Go watch it immediately!
It's an official companion, so, well, yes, obviously I just had to buy this, even though it cost me freaking €40. That's €1 per 5 pages, *ahem*. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, my wallet is, too, it's glad that you're asking.
The first thing I noticed? Well, the cover is just gorgeous, that's a given. But mainly: The letters - all of them! - are surrounded by a 'pressed-in' (I don't really know how to say this, sorry people) part of the cover. So basically the cover is one layer, and around the letters that layer is a bit thinner, which makes the letters jump out. Awe. Some.
This book gives you an insight in the world behind the web series (I almost wrote 'TV series' there). All the characters are discussed, there's a making-of, the Grimm are explained... There are some interesting little details to be found.
Yet, there is something missing. I'd hoped to discover some more background information. I'm not sure in what way, just more of a more general and more detailed making-of, I think. That could have been a bit better. But, well, fine, it's still okay.
One of the reasons I'm hooked on RWBY - apart from the storyline, the world and obviously the main characters - are the colours and drawings. And those are amazing in the book as well. There is some concept art, some extra drawings (two pages, sometimes!) and they're just wonderful to look at! I'm in love with them, I swear. Rooster Teeth clearly has some very talented people there!
The book was written before Volume 7 was released, so it's up-to-date up to Volume 6. Early buyers of this book had a chance to get a preview at Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang's new look. Later buyers don't, obviously, and also know more than there's in the book. (Because for obvious reasons, no details from Volume 7 are to be found here.) I hadn't counted on it, I was thinking Volume 7 would also be present already in the book, so that was a bit of a minor shock since some important events and twists aren't yet in here. However, it's clear that the series is far from finished (Volumes 8 and 9 are in the works, apparently), so I'm guessing this book will get an update in a few years, hopefully right when the series is ending so the new edition can encompass everything.
Yeah, my wallet, right? I know, believe me, I know. Here goes another €40. Or more. Because, you know, nine or however-many volumes is more than seven, so I'm looking at probably at least €50. Yay me.
Fine. So without the drawings and art and colours, this would have been... something like 7.7/10 (★★★★✩), probably. But heck. There are so many of those beautiful, utterly gorgeous drawings in here.
9.5/10 (★★★★★)
It's an official companion, so, well, yes, obviously I just had to buy this, even though it cost me freaking €40. That's €1 per 5 pages, *ahem*. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, my wallet is, too, it's glad that you're asking.
The first thing I noticed? Well, the cover is just gorgeous, that's a given. But mainly: The letters - all of them! - are surrounded by a 'pressed-in' (I don't really know how to say this, sorry people) part of the cover. So basically the cover is one layer, and around the letters that layer is a bit thinner, which makes the letters jump out. Awe. Some.
This book gives you an insight in the world behind the web series (I almost wrote 'TV series' there). All the characters are discussed, there's a making-of, the Grimm are explained... There are some interesting little details to be found.
Yet, there is something missing. I'd hoped to discover some more background information. I'm not sure in what way, just more of a more general and more detailed making-of, I think. That could have been a bit better. But, well, fine, it's still okay.
One of the reasons I'm hooked on RWBY - apart from the storyline, the world and obviously the main characters - are the colours and drawings. And those are amazing in the book as well. There is some concept art, some extra drawings (two pages, sometimes!) and they're just wonderful to look at! I'm in love with them, I swear. Rooster Teeth clearly has some very talented people there!
The book was written before Volume 7 was released, so it's up-to-date up to Volume 6. Early buyers of this book had a chance to get a preview at Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang's new look. Later buyers don't, obviously, and also know more than there's in the book. (Because for obvious reasons, no details from Volume 7 are to be found here.) I hadn't counted on it, I was thinking Volume 7 would also be present already in the book, so that was a bit of a minor shock since some important events and twists aren't yet in here. However, it's clear that the series is far from finished (Volumes 8 and 9 are in the works, apparently), so I'm guessing this book will get an update in a few years, hopefully right when the series is ending so the new edition can encompass everything.
Yeah, my wallet, right? I know, believe me, I know. Here goes another €40. Or more. Because, you know, nine or however-many volumes is more than seven, so I'm looking at probably at least €50. Yay me.
Fine. So without the drawings and art and colours, this would have been... something like 7.7/10 (★★★★✩), probably. But heck. There are so many of those beautiful, utterly gorgeous drawings in here.
9.5/10 (★★★★★)
February 12, 2020
A great read for fans of the show.
Some quick notes/highlights:
- Casey Lee Williams was only 12 when she started as a vocalist on RWBY!
- Winter Maiden is tied to Creation relic - makes sense for Penny to be her!
- Blake is Belle (likes books...) > “Blake was conceived as beauty & the beast in one body: a stunning huntress who concealed her animal origins” > Adam is Gaston
- Oz is Wizard of Oz, Ironwood = Tin Man
- Love the art!
- Some gems I hadn’t picked up on (e.g Cinder controlling the wyvern - apparently as part of her maiden power? - Fall is linked to choice relic.)
- Spring = Knowledge, Fall = choice, Summer = Destruction, Winter = creation
- Wanted more on the music though - would love a lyric analysis!
- Covers volumes 1-6
- Would like to see a part two - maybe once they’ve finished all 13 volumes?
Some quick notes/highlights:
- Casey Lee Williams was only 12 when she started as a vocalist on RWBY!
- Winter Maiden is tied to Creation relic - makes sense for Penny to be her!
- Blake is Belle (likes books...) > “Blake was conceived as beauty & the beast in one body: a stunning huntress who concealed her animal origins” > Adam is Gaston
- Oz is Wizard of Oz, Ironwood = Tin Man
- Love the art!
- Some gems I hadn’t picked up on (e.g Cinder controlling the wyvern - apparently as part of her maiden power? - Fall is linked to choice relic.)
- Spring = Knowledge, Fall = choice, Summer = Destruction, Winter = creation
- Wanted more on the music though - would love a lyric analysis!
- Covers volumes 1-6
- Would like to see a part two - maybe once they’ve finished all 13 volumes?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2019
Normally I don't care for these type of companion books because they just rehash the same information in the show/movie, but this wasn't bad. It's really beautiful and I even learned stuff I didn't know. I did notice a few things were actually wrong in the book so score one for my compulsiveness to know everything about a property I like. Nothing from volume 6 is included, though, and storyboards are used in some volume 5 sections. Since I'm in publishing, I recognize this is probably due to the constraint of the industry (books have such long lead times after all), but as a fan, I'm disappointed. I want books like this to be as updated as possible. However, I reserve the right to retract this comment if they do another edition of this book after 10 volumes.
November 22, 2019
A deep look into the creative process of Monty Oum and the entire RWBY crew. A lot of people are complaining that there wasn't 'new' information in the book, but it went into why or how decisions were made. I learned a lot about what inspired each of the main characters, and I feel I understand them and the show as a whole better now. Entertaining and beautiful!
December 17, 2021
Molto belle e particolareggiate le parti riguardanti la creazione del mondo, i combattimenti e i Grimm, però la parte riguardante i personaggi, soprattutto i personaggi principali, è un po' povera. Mi aspettavo di più. Anyway, è un volume graficamente bellissimo e sono proprio felice di avere a casa mia in cartaceo immagini così belle.
October 21, 2019
Got some great insight to the series and learned a lot of fun things! Glad to have it to confirm some stuff I already thought. Plus, it's gorgeous and full colour.
May 4, 2020
This is a great companion to a great series! A must-have for any fan of the show.
August 1, 2020
A great addition to any RWBY fan collection. It covers art, mechanics, show development, and more.
December 28, 2020
It was nice to read but could have more content
May 19, 2021
Good companion book for a series that has so many unique aspects that it is fun to see where these ideas stemmed from.
December 26, 2021
Rwby is my favorite show, I love it so much. However, I must say I feel like there is only a tad in this book that I didn’t already know, and I don’t look up a ton of extra stuff
March 22, 2022
You can read most of the things in the book for free on the Rwby wiki
August 15, 2022
took this on the bus for light reading - the power of a special interest <3
May 3, 2023
Incredibly insightful, a must read for all RWBY fans.
December 5, 2019
it was very descriptive and showed even the less seen charters in the series. Also, it spits into sections which makes things easier to look at.
January 8, 2021
As someone who wanted to jump back into RWBY after not watching for a while, this book served as a fantastic overview and recap of all the characters, villains, enemies, places and everything in between.
Learning about the inspiration behind many of the iconic cast and Grimm was interesting, as well as the process the animators and writers used to make the show.
The information in each section is quite brief, don’t expect lots of new never-before-seen art or concept sketches or you’ll be disappointed.
For someone that likes the show and wants to know a bit more about the team and ideas/inspirations behind it, or someone like me that wants a quick recap of the characters, places, enemies and world, this works rather well!
Learning about the inspiration behind many of the iconic cast and Grimm was interesting, as well as the process the animators and writers used to make the show.
The information in each section is quite brief, don’t expect lots of new never-before-seen art or concept sketches or you’ll be disappointed.
For someone that likes the show and wants to know a bit more about the team and ideas/inspirations behind it, or someone like me that wants a quick recap of the characters, places, enemies and world, this works rather well!
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