RWBY: Volume 2 (2013/Rooster Teeth/Flatiron Cinedigm Blu-ray w/DVD)

Picture: B/C+ Sound: B Extras: A Main Program: A-

As Team RWBY begins their second semester, as they continue training to be huntresses and saving the world in their spare time, but evil never sleeps as the White Fang continues plan to attack the city and academy. Tensions are high when the military/army enters the city, but RWBY can't help but feel there is someone else behind everything and are they just playing into their hands in RWBY: Volume 2 (2014) from the creators of Red Vs. Blue.

Team RWBY is Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, four girls with high powered/magical weapons protecting the Capital from villains who threaten the peace. They fight the Grimm, creatures of dark outside the city limits. They find themselves caught up in a mysterious plot by the White Fang organization who hate the humans who look down on the Faunus (non humans), but when their own military and school's security is compromised things are a lot worst than they know.

This was a interesting animation, magical girls in mini-skirts who are also WMDs with 3D-ish style in 2D panels. It was obvious they had a bigger budget in this second volume with better 3D animations, but some of the movement was either too fast or could be a bit more realistic.

The 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital high definition image makes this softer still, though some of it is the style of the animation, while the anamorphically enhanced DVD is much weaker with lesser color. Both have lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes not bad for the format. Extras include behind the scenes production diaries and commentary with cast and crew.

- Ricky Chiang