3.5 stars
Yes RWBY!! This manga had terrific art and would have been nostalgic for any anime fan that watched RWBY when it first aired on Crunchyroll (subbed.) However, I think that for those who have not seen the anime, volume 1 of the manga would have been a wildly, confusing turn off to the series. I saw places where the storyline was trying to be mysterious and purposefully leaving a lot of information out but sometimes first-time readers need a guiding hand, especially if they don’t bindge read manga (like I do) and know common manga tropes.
Thanks VIZ Media for the opportunity to read RWBY: The Official Mange Vol. 1!

Disclaimer: I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

Recently I have been trying to read more manga and watch more anime on the recommendation of my boyfriend. Before reading RWBY: The Official Manga, Vol. 1 I was familiar with the YouTube show and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I also really enjoyed reading the first volume of the manga. The artwork was truly beautiful, and I loved the storyline. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the YouTube show and who enjoys reading manga in general.

*3 Stars*

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "RWBY: The Official Manga, Vol. 1" by Bunta Kinami. As someone who has never seen the anime, I was a little lost. I am interested in the story line. Art was enjoyable.

I'm not quite sure what I've just read but I didn't enjoy it. From this I don't really know what the story is about at all.

I found the art style made it quite hard to follow and make out what things were or the landscape. For the most part I couldn't tell what was going on.

For me there was not enough text to get an idea of the story there was so many pages with nothing more than a few question marks or exclamation points. This made it hard to follow.

I don't feel we got any insight into the characters and their motivations or even what the plot is. I don't think I'd continue with this series.

Wasn’t able to access file. Let publisher know. Of the difficulty. Unable to review book due to being unable to open file. Netgalley requires a Star rating - will give a 3 so that can close review but again, be aware that I was not able to access this title.

This was OK and a solid start. I do however think this would be more enjoyable for someone who has seen the anime. Some parts of this were confusing specifically during any action. I do not know if the Anime is based on the Manga or the other way around. I have never seen the anime which I think is why this did not draw me in as much. I have only read a few prior to this one so it might be a me problem.

RWBY is about a girl, Ruby, and her friends, who are attending a school called Beacon, where they will learn to fight monsters called Grimm. Ruby is the youngest, and is attending early. RWBY was a show first, and I did actually watch the first series, but it was quite a long time ago and I don't remember much about it. Reading this manga makes me want to watch it again!

The manga starts with action straight away, drawing the reader in. It's fun and exciting. Also, we meet Roman Torchwick, who I loved instantly. I mean look at that smile. He's an asshole and I love it. He's set up as a big bad, although after the introduction he doesn't do anything elso in this volume. I can tell he's going to show up later and I'm really looking forward to it.

I love the character designs and the weapons! Ruby's scythe thing is particularly cool.

This volume feels like an introduction to the world and characters, setting up for a bigger plot in future volumes. There are lots of characters introduced in this volume. I found them a little difficult to keep track of, but I imagine that if you're a big fan of the show that wouldn't be an issue for you. Also, Yang is a literal ray of sunshine.

Overall this manga is a nice balance of cuteness, fun, action and drama, friendship and teamwork. I'm looking forward to volume 2.

First of all, the art style for this is gorgeous. They did a great job at translating how the characters in the anime look onto the page. While the story closes follows the early on adventures in the show, the scenes flow slightly differently which helps with this format. Even if you aren't already a fan of the anime, people can find themselves enjoying the story of these four females learning and growing together while fighting the evil of their world.

This is a classic manga and will you exactly what your craving. The are it clear and concise with the story line and everything flows together great.

RWBY is packed with action, brimming with gorgeous illustrations, and a fan-favorite must read for those who have seen the anime!

Okay. Full disclosure. I was intrigued by the description of the book, but I had no idea as to its popularity until now. I am just blown away by the story and after watching the anime, the illustrations in this manga are spot on!

I am sure that fans of the anime series will love to have the manga series lining their bookshelves. The storyline in this book remains unchanged from the anime. There is still the same sense of excitement as Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang (RWBY) battle the Grimm and the Nevermore as part of their initiation in their first year at Beacon Academy. So, of course, because it is a series, you will have that cliffhanger of an ending with Roman Torchwick gracing the last few pages. Can't wait to read Vol. 2!

A fantastic read and I am so excited that I got to experience the popularity of RWBY in manga. Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I adore the art style for this manga!

RWBY is set in a world where dark creatures called Grimm exist. Hunters and huntresses are taught to fight these creatures at four academies throughout the realm. Each team is comprised of four members, the name of each created by taking the first letter of each member's name (Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang). The fact that nearly every weapon doubles as a gun is pretty cool. The set-up for the first part of the series is done quite well in this book! The pacing is good, the intro for each of the characters is interesting, and the introduction at the beginning to the first main character also introduces the readers to some of the problems, villains, and a specific type of magic that exists in the world, as well as the capabilities of one of the main characters. There's a bit of an info-dump in the beginning, but it's necessary to properly introduce the world to give context to the rest of the book!

Great to read, but some visuals that were difficult to parse out into elements and movement.

Recommended: yes!
For those who like the supernatural-hunter kind of manga, for very clearly defined character personalities, for some intriguing lore and monsters, and of course for anyone who's seen the Rooster Teeth production it's based on

Thoughts:
I'm in an unusual position I think, as I have been aware of this series since it started with Rooster Teeth. However at that time I didn't enjoy the animation style they used, and wasn't able to watch more than a few episodes before being turned off despite what seemed like a promising plot. So when I heard there was a manga version of it... WELL. That sounded perfect - I could finally get the story without the animation!

Which leads to my one issue with this. With some of the panels, it was really difficult to parse out what was happening. This is in part due to the line and shading styling used, which can make the page really full and busy in complicated scenes. Since there are a lot of action scenes here (unsurprisingly), it was enough of a problem to bring the whole experience down a bit.

That said, though, the characters are an absolute delight and I am so interested in the story behind it all! I want to know more about each of them individually, and about how they'll work together, and what the school is like, and what's up with Ruby's past, and find out what's going on in Jaune's brain. 🤣 God, I laughed so much. I also gasped and had that wide-eyed moment of fright when the sheer size of the Nevermore was revealed.

Oh, right - there are also some very obvious references and meanings with the names. Don't expect much subtlety!

Definitely a fun read, and to be honest, I'm so interested that I plan to load up the RT animated version and give it another shot. Because I just have to know how it goes on!

Thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a story about how the four main characters for this series meet at their school for magical and gifted students. These girls all have gifts that allow them to do different things but when they come together they are able to work together and win against any foe. The first volume does a great job at laying down the ground work for the magic and for the school. It also makes sure to present the villain. I wish we were able to get more of the story I must say but that is just because it hooked me. Ruby who is the leader of these four girls is the youngest (she skipped two grades) so she may not have the experience as all her peers. Though since she is a wallflower she is extremely perceptive and is able to plan a mode of attack for them when they get into sticky situations. I will definitely be trying to read more manga in this series!

For those that are fans of the anime, this will be an interesting revisit back to the start. For those that have never seen the anime, I'm not sure if the manga version will really get you to want to read or watch more. Overall it is ok, but since I have not seen the anime myself I didn't love it.

I love how RWBY translated to manga from the anime. This manga was really fast-paced and fun, I loved seeing the characters in book format.

As a person that fell in love with the RWBY animation I instantly loved this manga. Each of the scenes are well drawn, but there is still some room for the readers imagination. It is well done and while the diction is a little different from the animation it is still just as awesome and I am looking forward to reading more like this in the future. Thank you Netgalley and Viz Media for allowing me to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

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.

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. This graphic novel is set to release on July 21, 2020.

Average manga based on the anime show of the same name. While the character design is ok, the action is not clear in most cases. Maybe for someone who watched it, this is ok, but for me it didn't work

I enjoyed this one it was fun and exciting and it seems to have a great plot, I can't wist to see where it goes. I did find it a little hard to distinguish between a couple of character but that could be because it was on my phone so it was really small 😔 I found the watermark distracting and it made it hard to read some panels

I did like to read about the budding friendships between the characters and I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow and develop as a team and individuals 😊