RWBY: The official Manga vol 1 by Bunta Kinami

Ok,  a little needed background on RWBY.  RWBY was originally a web series, but the creator passed away during the third season.  The crew carried on and finished out the season, and created a fourth season.  Then came some manga.  There's RWBY that followed the storyline of the original series and then veered off.  There's RWBY: Official Manga Anthology, which contains side stories and other adventures, but basically works off of the assumption that you've seen the show.  NOW there's RWBY: The Official Manga, which again follows the series, but with much more detail than the first iteration.  My buying advice, grab this one and the manga anthology, skip the original one.

OK! On to the review.  Ruby and her half sister Yang are enrolled at Beacon Academy, training to become huntresses, so they can fight Grimm and save people. There is also a magical substance called Dust that helps hunters and huntresses with their spell casting, in addition to having an innate magical skill.  In this volume, the students are formed into teams during an initiation task, and thus Team RWBY is formed: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.  

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The story is very interesting, taking cues from Wizard of Oz in the form of anthropomorphic animals, with some of the names like Ruby, Ozpin, and Glynda.  I think the world is interesting and I really like the magical school archetype that became so popular with Harry Potter.  However, the art style is very confusing, and not detailed at all when it comes to scenery.  Most big pieces are outlines with a bit of shading, and the details on faces of people not in the foreground can be lost.  I would continue reading this for the story, not the art.  

VIZ's rating is teen, and that is appropriate.  There is fantasy violence, but no blood.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley. 

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: July 21, 2020​
ISBN: 9781974710096 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy, Magic, ​VIZ Media