Alright so I did rewatch Volume 9 recently and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. Especially since there’s more “permanence” on this site than /trash/. I already liked Volume 9 to begin with but I liked it even more upon rewatch and think it’s actually quite a bit better than I first thought. It’s definitely a lot better on a binge watch, treating it like a movie, than one episode a week.
>Most cohesive story of any Volume thanks to its small cast and heavy focus on Ruby
>Curious Cat is great
>Jaune is great
>Show is the most relaxed its been in ages even with Ruby’s inner turmoil, gives us a break from all the shit that went down
>The show making a choice to give a “filler” Volume just to focus on our main characters was smart and it works well
>I hate Bumblebee but at least its finally in the open
>Neo is great
>The atmosphere in a lot of the episodes is really strong
>The story and the girls adventure through the Ever After is just plain interesting, it’s an unusual world and very different from the rest of RWBY
>Alice in Wonderland (I will admit to being biased whenever a show does something like this as I love Alice in Wonderland)
>Actually ties into the main story and elaborates on the Brothers
Thanks to following just one linear story it really is way more coherent than any Volume since 3. We’re not jumping all over the place or splitting up the cast. The Ever After is fun, as are most of the new characters, especially Little and the Curious Cat. Blake’s genuine excitement at being in the Ever After is cute too. Weiss is mostly comic relief in the Volume but those moments are pretty funny and she, like the others, gets a really nice moment with the Herbalist. And her thirst for adult Jaune is good.
The Volume needs to be binge watched like a movie. It feels more like a movie than any other Volume and it helps this story in particular. When I first watched 9, my biggest issue was I didn’t like how Ruby just decides to be Ruby and she doesn’t become more jaded or rage at how unfair everything is, but watching it all at once again I didn’t have as much of an issue with this anymore. Her moment with the Blacksmith, her vision of her mom, it’s all really good and it helps set-up her return well and why she makes the decision she does. And she really angsted the rest of the Volume already, which was a nice change for her character. It really makes you feel for Ruby and how awful she feels the entire Volume. When Little “dies” and Ruby drinks the potion it’s a really gutwrenching moment. The only major problem here is that I wish Weiss had noticed her issues more and got to talk to Ruby about it, and Yang also not supporting her and being more defensive of Blake. But at least everyone comes around soon after and I think seeing Ruby essentially kill herself was a wake up call.
Neo is fantastic as she fucks with Ruby’s head, that whole episode and her illusions of everyone who’s died is really good and it’s some of the darkest and most psychological stuff the show has done. And Neo immediately just feeling empty after its over is a good use of her character. Neo was never given a reason for anything she does aside from Roman and then revenge for Roman, so she just has nothing to live for after getting that revenge. I think the sudden shot of how unhappy she is after Ruby drinks the potion and dies is really good. When I first watched the Volume I thought her “redemption” was unearned but frankly it’s not really a redemption. It’s more like everyone just decides to move on and not hate each other anymore, seeing the pointlessness of it all. Neo accepts that and that’s why she gives herself to the tree after and the girls don’t hold any spiteful feelings towards her anymore either.
Jaune’s struggles are really good, you see the mental toll everything has taken on him and I really think that moment when they meet the crystal helpers after they “Ascended” from being the origami people is one of the more beautiful and poignant moments of the show. I just wish he stayed old, that would’ve been a cool decision and not just giving him a reset button.
And the Curious Cat, a fantastic villain who’s genuinely difficult to pin down and predict. At first he seems like just another random member of the Ever After like the Red Prince, you wouldn’t think he has the roll he does. Even the opening doesn’t make it seem like he’s anything special. And he’s so genuinely helpful at first and disarming, he doesn’t seem like a villain. Even after meeting up with Jaune and suspicious stuff coming up there’s enough genuine reason to think Jaune is mistaken or wrong or that the Curious Cat isn’t evil but just views things in a different way. And he’s based on the Cheshire Cat which while kind of a problem at times was never an actual enemy or threat to Alice. He’s a good character, interesting, and tragic when you learn the truth about him. But tragic doesn’t mean he gets to automatically be forgiven for the stuff he’s done and he shows zero remorse for any of it, so that’s why he still dies. But frankly I love his character, I thought the reveal of his true nature and desires was great, and I think he’s one of the better villains in RWBY.
So yeah. I think Volume 9 is just plain good now. Maybe second best Volume even with it being so different and “filler”. It’s funny that despite how miserable Ruby is and how much she’s angsting most of the Volume, it ends on the happiest, most hopeful and optimistic note the show has had since... god since almost ever.