I want to make something very clear, when it comes to most pieces of media, I'm not usually the kind that can easily have their eyes water. There have been incredibly rare moments where I can, but even so, most of those times usually involve video games, I've never felt emotional at all towards anything film related before... until today.
Almost everything about this volume could be considered near perfection, so close to perfection in fact that this is the very first show/season that I have ever watched where I almost had tears run down my face. I cannot express enough how rare this is, I have never ever cried at any piece of media ever, and yet, this season was enough to have my eyes water and for a lump to from inside my throat.
As you have probably seen from my previous RWBY reviews, I usually like to get a good idea of the fandoms thoughts on a volume before I watch and review it, and volume 5 was... very strange. Across sites such as Reddit, YouTube, or heck, even here on IMDb, I've only found users praise this season and title it one of the greatest in the entire show, or others beat it senseless to the point this is (sort of) widely considered the worst volume of the show.
That's it, no in between. I didn't find a single review calling it "okay", it was either "a masterpiece" or "terrible". I was much more curious for this season than I was Volume 4, because at least with 4, it was blandly just titled the "jump-the-shark" for the show, while this Volume was so mixed among all fans.
Now, here's what strange. As amazing as this Volume was, I also feel like I can weirdly understand the hate. By no means do I dislike this volume in the slightest, I think it's almost on par with volume 3, but... it's weird. If I met someone and they were to say this was the worst volume, I feel like I could somewhat understand...? It's a feeling I can't understand.
Because of this, I like to term this volume as a "you either love it or hate it" kind of season. If someone were to say this was the best volume in the entire series, I could perfectly understand why. If someone were to say this is one of, if not, the worst in the show, as much as I disagree, I wouldn't argue with that opinion very much.
I also want to mention how incredible this Volume's soundtrack is. I brought up in my Volume 4 review how amazing the music was in there, but somehow, it got so much better! I feel as though that while many may argue about the overall writing and quality of passing RWBY volumes, we can all admit that as the show progresses, the music always tends to be better. I don't think I'll even be too surprised if Volume 6 now has an outstanding soundtrack!! That's how good it is!!
The injuries that characters face in this season also hit really close to my heart! While Season 1, and arguably even 2 (even as amazing as it is) mostly had some cases of slapstick and funny uses of pain, this volume flipped that on its head and shows us some of the most gruesome injuries shown in the show so far. I genuinely cringed and looked away at some of the ways the characters would get hurt, that's how bad it was!
Lastly, I want to speak about just how sad this season is. I know I briefly mentioned it at the beginning, but I don't even know where to start when it comes to how depressing some of the situations in these episodes are. Of course, I won't spoil them at all, but some subject matter not only hit really close to him for me personally, but there's one large reason I think I felt so easily saddened... the characters.
Over the course of 5 volumes, I have felt like I have grown attached to these main characters, I have watched them face their biggest struggles, watched them consistently hitting the ground and getting back up again, and even learnt every single characters backstory. It almost feels like I know them to a personal degree, I know what makes every character tick, what makes them smile, what makes them cry, what makes them scared, and so on!
RWBY, and this volume in particular, is a true gem when it comes to having you grow close to the characters. They might seem funny little protagonists at first, but once you get to know every inch of their personalities, I just can't help but find myself nearly bursting into tears alongside them, almost like I know them.
Although, I'll be perfectly truthful... I don't think this is the best season. Is it close to? Your couldn't be more right! This is honestly a few steps away from Volume 3 for being the best RWBY season, and I may even change my mind if I were to rewatch the two someday. Both do certain things differently in such special ways, it's so difficult to find which is better. While this season almost made me cry, volume 3 was enough for me to appreciate the world of art and creation as a whole, and that's no exaggeration.
So far, I think I'm happy with each of my RWBY review and ratings, and stand by them as of now. I have yet to stumble upon a bad, or even "mid" season of this show, and I'm not even sure if I will encounter any. I've been pleasantly surprised with each of these Volumes, and find myself smiling constantly every time I watched each of them.
Next on my Watchlist is volume 6, another volume I am incredibly excited for, as many fans who weren't fond of Volumes 4-5 claim Volume 6 to not only be the comeback, but I've even seen many say it's the best in the entire show. Let's see if it lives up to the standards this volume had. It'll have to try really hard to make my tears form again.
