The last 2 RWBY seasons were some of the most interesting in the entire series. Not only was it because seasons 4-5 are largely hated among the RWBY community, but because of how I personally saw these seasons as well. For example, as underrated as I thought Season 4 was, I also considered the hate for it understandable, and I personally believe it's the worst season as of yet. Where as for Season 5, the one most fans term the worst in the franchise, I found to be the saddest piece of animation ever created!
To put it this way, Seasons 4-5 were nowhere near similar to 1-3. They felt entirely different, like I was watching a while other show. It's not exactly bad, but it's probably why the first 3 seasons are so close to so many peoples hearts. They had this certain feeling to them. They were exciting, they were fun, and they were able to balance so many genres at once without feeling like an identity crisis.
After finally watching the entirety of Volume 6, I can happily say that the love for this season is entirely well deserved! Volume 6 has that energy that made the first 3 seasons feel so alive, and feels like what the show should've been like once reaching Volume 4. There wasn't a single second when I watched Volume 6 and didn't reflect back at the previous seasons, because that's how similar it felt.
Let's start off with the soundtrack, seeing as that's what I seem to bring up a lot. I made a slight joke where I said the soundtrack seems to get better every season. As incredible and breathtaking this seasons soundtrack is, I personally find Volume 4 and 5's music to be slightly better, which is odd. In fact, as "bad" as Volume 4 may be, it could possibly have the best soundtrack in the entire show in my opinion.
But I'm getting off topic. I should probably state that this season may be the greatest when it comes to blending several genres in the span of an entire volume. Just when things get gruesome, they can eventually turn sad. When things get sad, they then turn into surprise. And just when you least expect it, things get so much more happy, and heck, even funny!
I think what makes Volume 6 such a breath of fresh air for so many fans is returning back to the comedic route. I never spoke of this, but Volumes 1-3 are extremely quoteable, and I find myself looking back and laughing at so many moments. This season brought that feeling back, which is shocking since Volume 4 and 5 basically banished everything comedy related.
I don't exactly Look at RWBY and immediately think of "comedy", since I'm very aware the show wants its viewers to focus mainly on the action and dramatic side of things. But trust me, I feel like the comedy in this series is so underrated and doesn't get as appreciated as it should be. Several moments in this season had me laughing, heck, I might have even laughed as much as I did when I watched Volume 1.
The characters are each amazing too! The problem I had with 4 is that characters would either be doing nothing, or they were constantly changing emotions in the span of seconds. And even as someone who will defend Volume 5 with every fibre of my being, I can even admit that the whole volume felt way too serious and sad to feel like I was watching RWBY of all things.
Volume 6 does not do any of these things, and if it does (say, be sad or dramatic for example), it doesn't centre it's entire genre around it. Just like Volume 3, comedy and seriousness are perfectly balanced, and you never feel the need to question how you should feel about certain things, because every scene feels perfectly paced.
So many secrets are revealed in this season as well. If you had any questions while watching RWBY until Volume 5, then it will likely be beautifully explained in this season. I was genuinely shocked by some of the backstories on certain characters, or what happens to them later on. Trust me when I say every character serves a deep purpose in this season and should be heavily focused on.
I think one last thing that had me appreciate this season as much as the first 3 were it's referenced. Of course, I will not spoil anything, but several references, callbacks, flashbacks, and mentions to Volumes 1-3 were placed almost everywhere in this Volume. It never comes off as mindless nostalgia bait either, because just like I mentioned before, every scene and character serves such an important purpose.
For anyone heavily disappointed with Volumes 4-5, I mean it when I say please do not stop watching. If I haven't made myself clear about my love for Volume 6 already, then I shall follow up by saying this... This volume is the most fun season of RWBY I have seen so far, and I don't see how any other further season could top this level of entertainment.
Now, does that mean Volume 6 is the best season of RWBY... well no. But dang it, it's pretty bloody close to! In fact, for those who symbolise this as the peak of RWBY, I do not blame you at all. Even while watching in the middle of the night, I couldn't help but stay wide awake as I smiled at the several twists and turns, the backstories of characters, and finally seeing the team reunite and return back to its original routes.
This feels like a love letter to the classic era of RWBY, something that fans had been begging for at the time or Volume 4 and 5. I cannot express enough how true to the original formula this season is, it truly checks off every box that made the first 3 seasons so quoteable, memorable, funny, dramatic, and universally loved by the fandom.
Volume 6 stays just behind Volume 3 in my eyes, because while it's so much more fun and exciting, I still find Volume 3 to be a shockingly well written piece of animation, that has absolutely no faults at all. If your just not a fan of what RWBY has become over the last two seasons, then this season will have you at the edge of your seat, your eyes glued to the screen, and take you back to the reason why you loved RWBY in the very first place!
