RWBY: "Black" Trailer Analysis
With RWBY now on Hulu and coming to Apple and the recent announcement of Volume 10, I want to celebrate by looking at the "Black" Trailer, where everything began to shift for the then-upcoming series.
The "Black" trailer first premiered on Crunchyroll on 22nd, 2013. Not more than 2 hours later, it was uploaded onto the Rooster Teeth website.
We start with another 'RWBY-ism', this one about how expectations, even positive ones, can be oppressive. Combating that oppression, what one does to fight it, will be a mainstay of the series to come.
As always, our feature starts with a young miss all by herself.
"Blake...It's time."
Remember what I said about a shift? Well, this is it. For once, our young warrior isn't fighting alone. She's sharing the spotlight, and not just in a small way.
The masked man will be very prominent during this showing. In fact, one gets the feeling that he's deliberately showing Blake up.
And not only that, this time our show has actually back and forth dialogue. This isn't just a combat demonstration, but a very clear story being told. As the RWBY-verse expands, it's plots become more detailed and intricate. It's barebones now, but compared to the Red and White Trailers, this is a clear step up.
And speaking of the Red Trailer, see all these red trees? Don't the leaves being scattered and blowing in the wind remind you of little "Red"'s petals when she zips about? No? Just me? Oh well. I'm sure that's not important.
And speaking of the set up, before the other girls were approached by monsters to fight, this time our main characters are the one ones instigating the conflict. Though honestly, being jumped by an army of robots for boarding a train is probably an overreaction...
Ohhh, that's right, robots! Before, the antagonists of RWBY were supernatural, with the shadow wolves 'Red' fought and the suit of armor Weiss dueled. But with this trailer, our setting shifts away from the fantasy and into science fiction.
As Blake and her companion fight the robots, pay close attention to the lyrics of the song that's played. It's no longer ethereal, but closer to metal (Fitting), and the words...
From shadows, We'll descend upon the world, Take back what you stole. From shadows, We'll reclaim our destiny, Set our future free,
This sounds more like the anthem of a rebellion. And given that Blake and masked man are the ones fighting, it's clear they are part of it. Furthermore, robots have always been a symbol of dehumanization in media, of uncaring, unsympathetic hordes that crush people under their feet. The implication is clear; Blake and her sidekick are fighting against a corrupt regime. Which they do quite handily.
Then we get to second phase of the trailer, when Blake plus one reaches what is unmistakably the cargo hold.
Mask man: I'll set the charges.
Blake: What about the crew members?
Mask man: What about them?
Yup. This exchange should tell you something very important here; While Blake is issues with needless killing, her friend has no such compulsions. Before they can really hash it out, however, they are attacked by this mother hubbard;
Actually, if you look closely when Blake's friend Whom we learn is named Adam (geddit, because he's the first man on screen, so he's named after the first man according to Christianity?) opens the chest, the shot shows something moving in the ceiling, where the spider-bot is. It's very faint, so I won't blame you if you missed it.
That Blake reveals Adam's name siginifies the shift in how the battle is run. Before, Blake and Adam fought as equals. Now, the fight agains the spider has Adam taking control while Blake is put into a supporting role. I should note that when Blake protested against Adam bombing the train's crew, she sounded fearful.
Tragically, it's Adam who delivers the visually-stunning final blow to the robot, seemingly supplanting Blake as the MC of the trailer.
But it's Blake who has the final word;
"Goodbye."
The RWBY-ism at the beginning was about Blake and Adam, with Blake becoming unhappy with how Adam did things. So she cuts him out of her life, represented by her cutting their train cars apart. She moves on, moving on with her life. And Adam is left behind...
