But the show still sold itself on these four girls being a team. Notice what v4 lacks. There can be darkness, sure. Just have them work through it together. Simple, problem solved, keeps with the show they've been selling us for three and a half years. But now they are alone, and it looks like they will solve all their baggage by themselves before rejoining. Which defeats the purpose of advertising them as a team in the first place.
When? I mean, even with the trailers, which is the main promotion, we have each girl dealing with their own enemies on their own. Their lives intersect with each other, and they grow closer to each other and wishes to become a great team, but they're still their own persons.And here's the thing:
Ruby has always the problem of going ahead on her own, Weiss was always alone and locked in a cage, Blake always runs away and try to deal with her problem alone, and Yang is often reckless and fights alone - similar to Ruby but in a different shade.
All of them has their hearts in the right place, they want to be together with their friends and help others, but there's a theme with each of them: They all have a tendency to be alone. They each have a form of loneliness as part of their issues. That's a thing they all have in common.
RWBY was always the making of a story about four young lonely people whose lives intersect with one another, affects each other, and try to help each others' issues. That they separating the four girls might, at first, a betrayal of being a story about four people being together but is it really so? To me, it's more that their bonds and their very own selves are being tested by the story stating that they can't always be together.
In a good story, a theme or a value is always tested by a counter-theme or value. Well, no, more like
any story that has a conflict, because values clashing with each other is what makes a conflict but in a good it's important that the character's point of view and desires are examined, tested, and directly opposed by the reality of the world of the story - by other characters or the plot. And if the story is
really good, they would give some weight to opposition by giving some credence to the opposing value. A story about how good will always triumph will have a seemingly insurmountable evil - and evil that seemed to have triumphed or close to it - as its enemy. A story that wants to say that "Crime does not pay," would have a plot point or a character embodying the counter-theme of "Crime
does pay," showing how successful they are.
You are arguing that this story is about "Four girls being a team" or being together. Separating them isn't a contradiction to that - it's just the story testing it and perhaps trying to
reinforce it. That even when they're separated and have their own issues, their actions affects or had affected one another, and that they were undeniably together and they
will inevitably be together again.
They say that a relationship is not tested until it hits its first snag - its first argument, trouble, fight. This is just the same - their bonds are being tested. And I have a feeling that they will succeed if the final shot of the opening is any indication. Maybe if they are going full ASoIaF with the Stark family being scattered and having entirely different storylines, then I would be rebelling as well. But it's not, it's just the show testing its characters and temporarily separating them.
So no, I don't think they're lying. Taking a liberal choice of how to execute it, perhaps. Taking an approach that one might not like, more likely. You don't like them being separated at all, and would prefer if they stick together, well, like a real JRPG party - where separation seldom occurs, lasts a short time, and is usually just one party member going away do to their plotline demands. Just say that you would prefer something along that line and that this approach isn't for you and you are not liking it.
There, no need to be all caustic and accusing at all and people would be more understanding to your complaint as well. Being judgemental about things isn't a good way of stating your opinion or view and convince people of something, it often results in the direct opposite result and people being unsympathetic to your statements and point of view. It also isn't a good thing to do unless you have a really foolproof case, but since this is more of a clash of opinion, it's far from foolproof as opinions are subjective.
Now I'm not saying that RT is completely right and that they are blameless, no. But sometimes writers
see and plan things differently from how the audience sees it. It might be an honest mistake on their part, or it could be that audience just isn't open minded enough. Which is what I think you should do - be a little bit more open-minded to it. I think that they're just trying to experiment and try to make their story more interesting or better. You might think that it isn't, but maybe you could lay off the judgemental and harsh attitude a little bit? Or, I don't know, just drop the show and leave the thread if you aren't going to be fair about it.
Or if you're going to re-hash the same topic and argument over and over again. And remember, a lot of people here also have an account in SB, so just changing site doesn't mean we won't remember. Bring a new topic, then we'll talk.
Now I'm going a bit off-topic here, but the fandom's semantics about "volumes" not "seasons" is ludicrous. Like just because it's called a "volume" it does not count as a season. Like, what? Fucking
what? Each SEASON is thirteen episodes long, just like a proper season of anime. Each tells a complete arc, and lasts roughly an in-universe season/semester long. It doesn't matter that the length of episodes is much shorter than an anime. Each "volume" is set up as a season in every single way, so there is literally no difference between the two other than the name.
Which means any arguments about how "waah, it's only the second season, don't criticize it" instantly falls apart. Trying to say otherwise is like claiming
24 isn't divided into seasons, because each season takes place in 24 hours. It's completely arbitrary, and when people try to use it to defend RWBY, it only makes the show look worse in my eyes.
Calling it a Season is not wrong, but equating it with a full anime's season is. Because it implied that it has the same amount a season of anime has to tell its story. It doesn't. At best it had half, on average they have a third of it. So while calling it a Season might not be wrong, judging it as if it has gone through a whole anime's runtime. This is one of those "small things" that could bring down an entire argument if it's not properly accounted for. Just adapt to it.
Besides, seasons play an important part and theme in RWBY. It might get confusing to use it as well here.
I do share part of your frustration at the four main characters being separated. I never liked having to follow multiple storylines at once because I will inevitably find one to be more interesting than the others.
Understandable, but so far they all has been very interesting and quite well-executed.
Ruby is the least interesting character to me, but she's balanced by having the JNR and pursuing the main plot.
Weiss is in Atlas which is a place I, and a lot of people, has been interested with and pulled into a rather interesting political issues and home situation that hits pretty close to home (pun unintended).
Blake is doing her usual thing of fleeing away, but she has Sun as well to balance her emo ways and we're going to Menagerie which should further the halted Faunus plotline, which I have been looking forward to.
Yang is dealing with a nasty case of depression, trauma, loss of limb, and a lingering sense of pain. The way she's coping with it is very relatable so far and the way she's failing at it even after so many months is just tugging on my heartstrings.
Yes, I acknowledge that things might fall apart later on, but so far it's been going good. While I wasn't impressed by the premiere, these three episodes have done quite a lot to assuage my fears and I'm pretty optimistic as to how it will turn out later on. Granted, RWBY does have a tendency to peak in the middle then mess up as it gets closer to the end, but in my opinion, the quality so far is looking better compared to the previous volumes.
