For some random bit of theorizing, I thought I’d do a bit of spitballing on Ruby’s Ice Queendom redesign. Specifically, the presence of the prominent ‘RWBY’ on Ruby’s hat.
At this point, it’s looking likely that the ‘Ice Queendom’ of the title is some kind of dreamlike reality that Weiss is trapped in, representing an alternate timeline wherein Team RWBY was never formed. And Ruby (as well as potentially others) enters this reality to rescue Weiss.
So what if when Ruby enters the Ice Queendom, she doesn’t appear as ‘herself’, but rather manifests as the Ruby Rose of the Ice Queendom timeline, just as Weiss likely has with her own counterpart. Hence the new outfit and snowboard Crescent Rose. Additionally, if Blake and Yang go in as well, the same thing likely happens to them.
This in turn would force Ruby to deal with just how different this reality is to her own. And in turn, Ruby could end up actually putting the ‘RWBY’ on her hat as a symbolic reminder of the true reality she’s trying to bring Weiss back to.
I’ve seen some people wonder if Ice Queendom will be better than original RWBY and what that means for the show, but I think that misses the point. Will IQ be better? Yeah, probably.
Well, sort of.
On paper, it has every advantage you can think of. Unlike original V1/2, it has a full budget, an experienced animation studio, and writers and actors that aren’t literally taking on their first original project. It’s pulling from an established universe without having to create the world and characters from scratch. They have the guidance of the original writers to keep RWBY’s themes and characterizations intact.
In addition, this appears to be a side story that takes place during Beacon, a setting that’s a spring board for ideas. It’s a sandbox that doesn’t have to worry about fitting into post-V3’s tight narrative.
The only thing that could kill the project is if it got the Gen:Lock S2 treatment, but with CRWBY’s involvement and excitement for it, I can’t imagine that happening. Cautiously optimistic is how I’d describe my feelings for this project.
Ice Queendom looks to be a love letter to RWBY, which was a love letter to anime. Treating this as a competition misses the point. The two shows can and will compliment each other.
