RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7

RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7

Untwisting the Sign

It’s wild that we’re 7 weeks into the summer anime season and the worst 2 anime I’m watching are by Shaft. Both RWBY: Ice Queendom and Luminous Witches are by Shaft. What happened to animating good anime, like Monogatari, Madoka Magica, and 3-gatsu?

I can’t overstate how bad RWBY is. The only reason I’m still watching it is that people (you) read the reviews. Please, if you’re reading this, tell me why in the comments. Do you actually like RWBY? Do you just want to see me suffer?

Anyway, we finally got some sort of explanation for the sign near the “entrance” to Weiss’s dream. It’s not a real explanation, but it’s good enough for now. When Team RWBY helps along events that Weiss wants to happen in the world, the sign untwists a bit.

The twisted sign in Weiss's dream world from the anime series RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7
The twisted sign in Weiss’s dream world

The other two times we were in the dream, White Fang successfully derailed the train. That’s something Weiss doesn’t want to happen. This time, Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Jaune defeat the White Fang attackers. When they do this, the sign untwists a bit, implying they’re on the right track.

If this is actually what the sign represents, I’m not a huge fan. It does make sense, though. There’s an object right near the “start” of the dream that displays the state of the dream world. When the whole thing becomes untangled, Team RWBY will be able to save Weiss from the Nightmare.

I’d rather the sign represent something a lot more cliché, which I wouldn’t normally want. But, because the sign points in various directions, I’d rather it represent how Weiss feels. Different aspects of her personality are pulling her in different directions. For example, there’s what she wants vs. what her family wants.

Railway to Weiss’s Heart

I guess Shion told Ruby not to interfere with the Faunas’ attack on the train the first time as a precaution. If Ruby got involved right from the start, that could have made her investigation harder. And, at that point, it wasn’t clear how it would impact the dream.

One of the first things we learned about Nightmares is that they can cause the victim’s heart to lock itself up. If a perceived threat appears within the dream, it can prevent the victim from ever being saved. This is the last thing they want to happen to Weiss.

But, Ruby, Yang, and Blake know Weiss better than Shion does. Shion doesn’t actually know Weiss at all. So, after they gained some experience in Weiss’s dream world, they knew rescuing the train was okay. In fact, as I already mentioned, it was the right thing to do.

Blake, Yang, Jaune, and Ruby from the anime series RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7
Blake, Yang, Jaune, and Ruby

The question now is, “why was that the right thing to do?” Is it because Weiss wanted White Fang defeated? Is it because she wanted the train to reach the city? Or, could it be because that’s what she thought her father wanted? My bet is on the latter.

But, that doesn’t quite add up with what I said earlier. I said the sign represents how far along Team RWBY is at doing things Weiss wants to happen in her dream. So, it could be that these are things Weiss needs to happen to escape from her father.

Even when the train was going to make it to the city for the first time, she hesitated to open the doors. But, by opening the doors, she’s choosing to let her friends in. And she’s destroying the “utopia” governed by her father in her mind.

Mini Weiss Army

Something I’m struggling to understand is why Team RWBY would waste their trump card. Remember that whole thing about Jaune being “immune” to the Nightmare? Why didn’t they actually take advantage of that? Is there something I’m missing here? They made him play the wrong role.

Jaune can slip past the Nightmare. Because he still has its DNA within him, the Nightmare views Jaune as its own creation. Even if Jaune is acting against the Nightmare, it can’t recognize that. So, the obvious choice would be to have Jaune locate and slay the Nightmare before his immunity wears off.

It’s possible that Jaune wouldn’t be able to slay the Nightmare and save Weiss on his own. Weiss’s close friends might need to be the ones to save her. Or, maybe the Nightmare is too strong for Jaune to defeat on his own.

Multiple mini Weiss from the anime series RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7
Multiple mini Weiss

If either of those is the case, then Jaune should at least open the path to the Nightmare. As long as he can get to the Nightmare, he can help Team RWBY make it there as well. But, Jaune instead plays the role of the distraction. This makes no sense.

Jaune’s the one person the Nightmare can’t see and recognize. So why is he the one causing a commotion and drawing the Nightmare’s attention? All he’s accomplished by doing that is invalidating his immunity to the Nightmare. Now it knows exactly where he is and that he’s causing trouble.

Sure, that takes some of the heat away from Team RWBY, for the time being. But, anyone could have been the distraction. Why did the series bother setting up that Jaune was immune? Okay, he was able to walk right into the Sillies Jail. So what? Any of them could have done that.

Conclusion

What do you think of RWBY: Ice Queendom Episode 7? Could you untwist the sign with your bare hands? How many times do you think the train failed to reach the city? And how many mini Weiss could you beat in a fight at once? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 8 is available now.

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