RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku (RWBY: Ice Queendom)

Watch Episodes

Add to My List

Add to Favorites

Alternative Titles

Japanese: RWBY 氷雪帝国

More titles

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 3, 2022 to Sep 18, 2022

Premiered: Summer 2022

Broadcast: Sundays at 22:30 (JST)

Producers: Warner Bros. Japan, Good Smile Company, KLab, Bandai Namco Filmworks, Bandai Namco Music Live

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Shaft

Source: Other

Genre: Action

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 6.35¹ (scored by 34,057 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #7891²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1992

Members: 106,742

Favorites: 629

Available At

Official Site

@TeamRWBYPrj_en

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Streaming Platforms

Crunchyroll

Aniplus Asia

More services

May be unavailable in your region.

6.35

Ranked #7891Popularity #1992Members 106,742

Episodes: /12

Synopsis

Since ancient times, the world of Remnant has been under constant threat by the Grimm: creatures of nightmare obsessed with destroying both humans and the half-human Faunus. To protect themselves, the four kingdoms of the world established academies that train young people to become huntsmen: warriors tasked with destroying Grimm.

In the kingdom of Vale, the cheerful 15-year-old Ruby Rose has always dreamed of a life at the prestigious Beacon Academy. Sadly, being too young, she can only watch as her elder sister, Yang Xiao Long, sets off for the academy alone. But everything changes when Ruby fights off a group of armed robbers, and the news of her skillful exploit reaches Beacon's headmaster, Professor Ozpin.

Ruby is over the moon when she receives an invitation to join the academy alongside her sister. Meanwhile, halfway across the world in the kingdom of Atlas, corporate heiress Weiss Schnee defies her father's wish and sets off for Beacon, her heart brimming with anxious resolve. At the same time, lonesome rogue Blake Belladonna abandons her vigilante group in hopes of finding a better life at the academy. When their paths converge, the meeting between the four girls is anything but friendly. With vastly different personalities and beliefs, they often end up clashing. However, when they work together, team RWBY begins to create ripples across Beacon, the likes of which have never been seen before.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:

Supporting

Inoue, Kazuhiko
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Okada, Kenjirou

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Suzuki, Toshimasa

Director

Aketagawa, Jin

Sound Director

Murakami, Tsutomu

Episode Director

Edit

Opening Theme

"Beyond Selves" by Void_Chords feat. L

Edit

Ending Theme

"Awake" by Saori Hayami

Reviews

Sep 26, 2022

MewMewPurin

Recommended

Ice Queendom offers something that RWBY proper has little time to deal with anymore. Character studies. To start, I watch the original RWBY so these characters are already engraved into my brain so I can't speak for how good of a job it does at introducing them to a new audience because I can't simply get rid of my biases, but as a fan of RWBY I think Ice Queendom handled the characters amazing! One of the things RWBY lacked, in my opinion, was some of the deep dives into what the characters were thinking especially back in Volume 1. Weiss reveals early on that ... the White Fang has harmed her and her family in physical and emotional ways and in the original she just sort of... gets over that. Don't get me wrong, I have such a fondness for Volume 1-3 of RWBY, but getting the chance to dive deeper into the complicated feelings that characters like Weiss and Blake were feeling over the situation was such a treat. Now to break down some of the pieces of the story,

CHARACTERS
Again, I can't get rid of my prior biases so this is coming from someone who has watched these characters for 8+ volumes and I have to say they did a great adaptation here. It's Volume 1 so most of the characters are fairly baseline and perhaps a little trope-y (Ruby = Genki, Weiss = Himedere, Blake = Kuudere, Yang = Onee-san ) but that leaves a lot of area open to expanding their characters. Using "nightmares" to bring out people's fears is such a fun character study that is even more fun with context of many of these characters.

STORY
Probably one of the weaker parts but I still don't think it's bad. There are points in the middle where it drags a bit, but I still found myself engaged. Many, mistakenly, thought this was a re-telling of Volumes 1-3 (prior to the Maya Animation Engine) so they likely found themselves confused and frustrated on the amount of time spent on Anime Original content. However, seeing as it was not advertised as a retelling, to judge it based off that is unfair. The Anime Original Content is unique and makes the team seem even closer for the events of Volume 2.

SETTING
Ice Queendom primarily takes place in The Ice Queendom (hold your gasps). Seeing that this is more of a character study rather than a journey like the original RWBY, this setting works great. Having the team travel all the way around Remnant would have distracted too much from the story that Ice Queendom is trying to tell.

ANIMATION
Shaft is rather notorious for putting out rushed products that are later fixed on the Blu-Ray (Meguca quality as a I call it) and Ice Queendom is no exceptions there were a couple episodes that were just bad with characters floating around and awkward 3D models that make the series original models look like a Pixar Film. But when the animation was good, it was GOOD. Holding out hope for a Blu-Ray fix, but that doesn't excuse the laziness of a few of the episodes especially with fight scenes something that RWBY is known for. On that note...

ACTION
If you've watched the original RWBY, you are probably expecting some amazing fight animation and unfortunately Ice Queendom rarely delivers on that front. Much like the animation, when it delivers on a fight scene it is a spectacle to behold. However, having a few really amazing fight scenes sprinkled throughout a collection of mid to bad fight scenes is not a good look. Given that I believe Ice Queendom to be a character study and therefore more focused on in depth view of the characters, the action is far from a deal breaker for me. However, if you don't care greatly for the characters (in particular team RWBY) and primarily watch/enjoy RWBY for the fight choreography then you would be better off watching clips of the good fights on Youtube and calling it a day.

OVERALL
This series was a treat for fans of the show, like myself, and hopefully an enjoyable series for new fans as well. It wasn't the best series in the world but it wasn't the worst. It told the story I felt like it was trying to tell and it made me smile so I can't ask for much more than that out of a series. I recommend everyone to give it a try if you like character study series and especially if you're a fan of the designs.

Open

Gift

Sep 18, 2022

Mcsuper

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Ah, Studio Shaft, how I loved you. From the Monogatari series, to 3-gatsu no Lion, to Madoka Magica, I have enjoyed many of the amazing shows from Shaft that really pushed the boundaries of animation and storytelling. Let’s be real though, they haven’t been on their A-game for a while, and although RWBY’s visuals are a clear improvement to the original from Rooster Teeth, I can’t say that any other aspects were all that impressive and immersive.

This show is a bit of an enigma to me, because it feels drawn out and rushed at the same time. The first couple of volumes were rushed in ...

Open

Gift

Sep 18, 2022

KANLen09

Not Recommended

On an international stage, it's of utmost doubt that Western media would have enough influence to trickle its presence down to Japan, and throughout the decades many have made its way into various forms of media. But anime? Never in a million years...that is until now with (Rest In Peace) Monty Oum's highly praised animated series that is RWBY. And yes, even though RWBY had already made its influence on Japan years before, it's for the same exact reason that Japan LOVES the hell outta RWBY, so much so that Ice Queendom was commissioned and was in planning for a few years before it got ... the announcement in early of this year.

***Side note: You can read the ANN interview (which was well documented) on the development of Ice Queendom, and normally the details are filled here, but there's so much insight to share that I will spare the explanation in this review (some excerpts will be taken and reviewed here).

It must be said that every die-hard RWBY fan will tell you to go watch the original 3 volumes in its entirety, and this is mentioned with merit that this "canon-adjacent" series tries to pump as much content as it does, trying to ensure in a way that the introductory stages don't feel rushed (which it certainly does). And as scriptwriter Tow Ubukata and executive producer Mitsutoshi Kubota mentions in the interview, that the first 3 episodes a.k.a the 3-episode rule is the trickiest to lay down the narrative since the original RWBY actually took time to flesh out its story and pacing beats, and all of this (Volumes 1 to 2, scraping Volume 3's beginnings) to be cut short in 3 episodes of 20 mins runtime each (minus the OP & ED) isn't a cinch and was at times, hard to overcome and quote "almost like we were making a (recap) movie". It's only at Episode 4 onwards that the Ice Queendom's story starts, and this is stereotypical fare for anime standards, and progress the story however they wish according to the concepts that were laid down by the scriptwriters.

And for better or worse, the scriptwriting in RWBY: Ice Queendom may have been its own Achilles' Heel into trying to make RWBY an anime where all people can enjoy despite its origins. First and foremost, the segregation between "Dust", "Semblance" and pure magic for newcomers (like myself) would've been better integrated if they had more time to flesh this pointer out (which they did only basically describe but didn't explain no more), and then again, only the die-hard RWBY fans can easily identify which is which. Secondly, the Grimm is and always has been the core feature of RWBY, and Tow Ubukata's version of a "Nightmare" Grimm that branches out a newly developed side story certainly is no gold, no silver nor bronze at best, but just getting Rooster Teeth's approval for a self-contained series is just good enough, which basically hints that people crave for more RWBY content, even if it's a spin-off or what-have-yous to at least earn the commendation of the new fans. This is especially hinted towards established RWBY fans whom already have a firm grasp on the Grimm, and the Nightmare Grimm that's keeping it true to the Rooster Teeth formula while being the basis for the new story, certainly helps set a story path to come for Ice Queendom.

Don't get me wrong, the belief that Gen Urobuchi is still "the man, the legend" himself that has created countless memorable series over the years, but the fact that he's largely worked like a freelancer who's more into animation concepts since the mid-2010s (as is such the case for Ice Queendom here), there's a noticeable gap to fill. And this leaves the scriptwriting work to others like Tow Ubukata, whom was a cinch for freelance director Toshimasa Suzuki, who has worked with him in the past on Soukyu no Fafner (Fafner in the Azure) and Heroic Age, and the stage is set for Urobuchi's concept story that would turn out to be Weiss's dream sequence of her own Ice Queendom reign. So, a recap if the gist isn't understood: Gen Urobuchi on the concepts, and Tow Ubukata (plus the rest) on taking all of the concepts and making it into a cohesive narrative while adding his own ideas.

Obviously, in terms of production focal points, there is a distinct divide between both Western and Japanese counterparts, such as is with the case of racism and discrimination between Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladona, something that is not widely shown or emphasized in Japanese media, and certainly something that's very new in terms of concept for Ubukata and his team. And taking thos into focal aspect on Ice Queendom, it was done decently to show the disparity between Weiss and Blake being that of the discrimination between humans and Faunus (creature-like humans). As for Weiss's dream sequence and introducing the standalone character that is the professional Nightmare Grimm hunter Shion Zaiden, I don't know about you, but even by anime standards, say what the staff will about concocting a great story that'll satiate old and new fans, it's certainly a mixed bag towards the average side. Trying to nail a canonical story within the space of the remainder of 8 episodes feels like a chore to watch that's largely no thanks to the amount of padding, which might suggest that Tow Ubukata's story is "all show and no go/substance". I would've liked to believe that this story should have been just as grand, or at least matched to Monty Oum's standards of storytelling despite the cultural difference even if the original creator isn't around anymore and supervised by series writer Miles Luna, together with the production team with original character designer Huke (who's the original creator and character designer for Black Rock Shooter). But like said series, it's hard nailing what a side story wants to be, and for established classics, it almost screams like there shouldn't be any room for error, and unfortunately for both, Ice Queendom (like Dawn Fall) got the short end of the stick as a standalone series that's "connected, but not connected" to the main plot.

This spatial disconnect also takes a nosedive in the production schedule of Ice Queendom. Due to COVID, the staff were all working separately, and this is apparent in the final product's showcase where there are many inconsistencies with its overall presentation, despite the fact that it's Shaft at the helm of it all with its unique levels of "in your face" sakuga and animation to boot. However, when even the OP has to use recycled assets from the show to showcase its best efforts, I think this speaks for itself of the endless arguments that "animation didn't carry the show" (and so too, did the story), something which cannot be revised. It's such a shame, that it took 9 years for RWBY to reach from wonky-ass Ameerican-ized 3DCG to stylish 2D with the CG mix, and then even again got me thinking that how Monty Oum animated it (that was really ahead of its time) just looks so much better than the 2D treatment that it got here just for flashes and hooks.

Where Ice Queendom didn't skimp out was with the OST, which certainly was one way to make it a Japanese Nippon-ified version of RWBY for the fans at home. It wasn't a surprise that Ice Queendom was actually hyped up before the pre-screening the week before the official release, and the best thing that came out of it was the involvement with Ryo Takahashi's Void_Chords for the OST, with a specialized song for the OP, which actually slaps. "Beyond Selves" is just perfect at how I imagined RWBY was like in the transition from the US of A to Japan, which speaks volumes for the fans in Japan to get a banger of an accompanying OST just to energize its action. Saori Hayami's "Awake" for the ED, I thought it was fantastic as well for literally being the Japanese version of Whitney Houston for high-pitched insane-but-clear vocals that's a novelty to be praised.

When it all comes down to it, RWBY: Ice Queendom is in a league of its own. And what I meant was barring all of the various media affiliated with the IP, this standalone story just allows me to take notes that animation isn't gonna carry the entire show if even one aspect of it screws up a.k.a a shallow story, some janky character development etc. The era of Shaft being the standard of animation when everything else is shallow has long since gone, and good luck trying to convince global fans that RWBY will always be superior in its home country.

A better analogy would be this: You think that the Earth is flat, but you ain't seen how the Earth is round yet a.k.a the disparity of differences between Western and Eastern media.

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Trans Anime part 2

by Keizakomu

50 Entries · 18 Restacks

Fantasy is Back on the Menu

by eli_shmeli

21 Entries · 7 Restacks

Unfaithful adaptations of source material

by jyagan0

40 Entries · 13 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for March. Week 1: March 5 - 11 Anime Releases Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi (Redo of Healer) Com...read more

Mar 12, 9:00 AM by Aiimee | Discuss (1 comment)

Summer 2022 Simulcast List [Update 8/25]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of television anime acquired for simulcast release during the Summer 2022 season. Anime series licensed for hom...read more

Jul 2, 2022 1:16 PM by Snow | Discuss (38 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) KANLen09 - Jun 24, 2022	51 replies	by Pingl0sek »» Nov 26, 2023 12:00 PM
Which will happen first Tank895 - Aug 26, 2023	14 replies	by PinkRawChicken »» Aug 30, 2023 9:43 AM
Poll: RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) KANLen09 - Jun 24, 2022	104 replies	by MABEL_APPLE »» Mar 14, 2023 7:29 AM
Poll: RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku Episode 8 Discussion KANLen09 - Aug 21, 2022	40 replies	by kitsune0 »» Feb 25, 2023 12:22 AM
Poll: RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) KANLen09 - Sep 18, 2022	81 replies	by Jagermeister-kun »» Feb 24, 2023 6:26 AM

RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Rose, Ruby

Schnee, Weiss

Xiao Long, Yang

Belladonna, Blake

Nikos, Pyrrha

Valkyrie, Nora

Arc, Jaune

Polendina, Penny

Torchwick, Roman

Ozpin

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-