Blu-Ray Review: RWBY Vol. 4

Should you get the new home release from Rooster Teeth?

RWBY Vol. 4 came as one of the strongest seasons. While it wasn’t sans flaws, RWBY Vol. 4 concluded with a satisfactory finale. The four main protagonists make their way to Mistral with their own motivations, and it’s a stronger season overall than RWBY Vol. 3. The home video release is feature-laden and packed with goodies.

The packaging is your typical Blu-ray plastic case. There’s no cardboard slipcover unlike my copy of Wonder Woman Commemorative Edition. There’s also no figurine like the Blue Beetle that arrived packaged with my Teen Titans: The Judas Contract Blu-ray.

But inside there’s a copy of RWBY Vol. 4 on Blu-ray and DVD. No digital copy, however, but you can always stream it on Roosterteeth.com. Also on the inside is an action card. It alternates between saying “It’s also a gun” and alternates between showing the text “it’s also a gun” and showing Ruby’s scythe. Which is also a gun. Or a “customizable highly impact sniper rifle.”

Yet while the action card and two copies of RWBY Vol. 4 are awesome, it’s the extras where this Blu-ray release really shines. There’s “A Grimm Introduction” with an overview of RWBY specifically focusing on the Grimm. This featurette clocks in at about 8 minutes and includes interviews with the likes of writer/director Kerry Shawcross, writer/co-director Miles Luna, art director Patrick Rodric, and production artist Erin Winn. This special discusses everything from creature design to the decision to make the Grimm soulless. The latter derived from a desire to not appear as frightening to small children. My favorite part of this shows the renowned voice actor William Orendorff chatting about making noises for the Grimm as well as how he liked up with Rooster Teeth. It turns out that a tree fell on his car, and he accidentally met the crew of RWBY.

RWBY 4 Production Diary” interviews the creative team. It’s a refreshing mix of discussions on sound design to the work on RWBY as more of a career than a job, and even a hilarious segment of Rooster Teeth employees regrouping during an office power outage. There’s also a bit on how the entire team contributes to the success of RWBY. It’s about 9 minutes long.

“CRWBY Photos” presents pictures of the RWBY crew. There’s RWBY music playing in the background of the montage which slides in at just shy of a minute. Then there’s  “World of Remnant” which includes “Kingdoms,” “Between Kingdoms,” “Faunus,” “Schnee Dust Company,” and “The Great War.” It’s a neat overview of the universe of RWBY that delves into the different locations. I really appreciated this, as it further reinforces part of what makes RWBY so utterly enjoyable: its expansiveness. This feels like that Game of Thrones interactive map, albeit with a voiceover and fun narration. Plus, there are two commentary tracks: director commentary and crew commentary. These lend loads of replay value, offering a playthrough of the vanilla RWBY Vol. 4, as well as the Vol. 4 with both commentary tracks.

If you’re an RWBY fan, this a great set. Not only do you get a copy of Vol. 4 on Blu-ray and DVD, but it’s loaded with extras. There’s over an hour of extras which vary from creative team interviews to an entertaining romp through the people and places of RWBY. Additionally, the two commentary tracks further make this a robust set. For collectible junkies, there’s an action card. This set is perfect for both hardcore RWBY fans as well as series newcomers with its plethora of videos detailing the series universe.

SCORE
8.0/10