I'm just going to post this for the record: I'm not a subscriber, so I haven't seen episode 2 yet.
This post probably should've been down earlier, before discussing the first episode. I wasn't sure how to do this, since the RWBY soundtrack has a lot of recurring motifs and imagery in the lyrics. I could probably get a few blog posts out of comparing some commonly used ideas and comparing two or three song lyrics.
The opening theme starts with piano music and a shot of beautiful blue trees. A single rose petal falls onto a rose. Then the metal parts (I am not a music expert) of the song start up as a stampede of Grimm, most of which seem to be Ursa rush by. The trampling Grimm take the flower off. Last volume ended with a massive Grimm attack, so I feel like a literal Grimm attack is unlikely this volume. The Grimm are probably symbolic in this song.
The rose is associated with three characters: Ruby, Adam, and Summer. The first lyric of the song “Maybe red’s like roses” brings the songs from the Volume 1 trailers to mind. The title and part of the first line of the first song are “Red Like Roses.” The reference to Ruby’s song continues with the mention of blood. Ruby’s second song, “Red Like Roses Part II,” features the lyric “it’s [Summer Rose’s] blood that’s red like roses.” This volume probably won’t end well for Ruby and/or Adam.
The song continues to show Team RWBY, Team SSSN, Team JNPR, and Cinder’s group in Amity Coliseum, which means those four groups are likely to be major players in this volume, and maybe the semi-finalists in the tournament. Last volume’s opening featured a quick display of groups of characters similar to this, but a lot less appear this time. Penny, Professor Port, Dr. Oobleck, Team CFVY, Team CRDL, and Team ABRN do not appear in this opening. We know RWBY beats ABRN, and they probably fade into the background. CFVY and CRDL will probably stay in the background too this season, with a possibility of them and all the other defeated teams helping in a final battle. Penny might have some battle moments during the singles rounds of the tournament, since her introduction was tied to the tournament.
The song screams “Their Dying Eyes” as the animation zooms in on Cinder’s eye then switches to the eye of a Grimm. The Grimm are revealed to be charging at Beacon Academy. “And now they know the cost of trusting you’s obliteration” is sung as the view switches to the main tower of Beacon which is being climbed by Grimm. Last volume, Ironwood had trouble trusting Ozpin, and that may have had something to do with Ironwood being placed in charge of Vytal Festival security. There may be more Ironwood vs. Ozpin moves.
“Mirrors will shatter” is sung as an image of Ozpin and Glynda separated from the Grimm by a mirror. Mirrors have had some interesting use in past RWBY songs. Weiss’s theme, “Mirror, Mirror” is sung in a way that suggests that she’s talking with the mirror as if it’s a protector and a confidant. I think Weiss may lose something when Beacon falls.
“Crushed by the weight of the world” is sung as the video shows a hostile and combat-ready General Ironwood with the force of the Atlas military behind him. Atlas is named for a figure in Greek mythology who bore the weight of the world as punishment for fighting the Greek gods. I don’t think Ironwood or Atlas will be crushed though. Mistral seems to be more in danger. Characters who are known to be from Mistral (Pyrrha, Neptune) are linked to Greek mythology, and Mistral provides the pillars used in Amity Coliseum.
“Pillars collapse in shame” is accompanied by an animation of Blake seeing Adam in front of a group of White Fang fighters. Adam seems hesitant. In “From Shadows,” shame is one of the things that Blake/Adam/the White Fang want to rise above. The White Fang will probably get a hollow victory at some point this volume, where they destroy something that’s oppressing them, but at great cost. Perhaps an all out war against the White Fang will be part of future volumes, or of course the White Fang could lose a lot of followers to death, or possibly a different cause. Blake is not fighting in the tournament, and the White Fang was on her mind a lot last season, and Dr. Oobleck asked how being a huntress will help her make a difference. The combination means that Blake may be trying to think of another approach for dealing with Faunus rights and the White Fang. Blake may reveal herself as a Faunus this volume and try to rally the White Fang against Cinder.
The animation shows Team RWBY and Team JNPR fighting along side Atlas soldiers against Grimm with Beacon in the background. Becaon is in one piece but looks empty. Ironwood took command of Vytal security after the Vale council doubted Ozpin’s skill. Perhaps, if something were to happen to Ozpin, Ironwood would take command of Beacon students.
Now back to the lyrics. There are some theories that Summer Rose may still be alive. All that’s said is that “she never came back,” so her being alive hasn’t been denied by the Rooster Teeth crew. Summer could stop “resting” since “there’ll be no rest.”
“There’ll be no love” is more ominous when paired with the animation. Volume 2 gives Pyrrha and Nora songs, and they’re all love songs. When Team RWBY and Team JNPR are falling together, Pyrrha is the first to fall, and Nora falls so fast that it’s hard to see. There has been a lot of foreshadowing that Pyrrha will face some misfortune since she’s on Cinder’s list. Nora reveals some vulnerability in “Round One,” and at the very least, Nora will lose a friend, one of her greatest fears.
Team RWBY fighting against the leaders of Cinder’s group accompanies “There will be no hero in the end who will rise above.” Adam naturally takes Roman’s place as Blake’s opponent. The fights are too quick to show a winner or anyone having an advantage, so perhaps Team RWBY will face defeat.
The images of the families is shown when “and when it ends” is sung. Winter and Qrow face off while “victory for hate incarnate,” which suggests that the conflict between Ozpin’s group and Ironwood’s will contribute to whatever falls. Weiss seems concerned when Winter goes to face off against Qrow, while Yang and Ruby aren’t. Weiss is worried about either her sister’s well-being or her relation with her teammates, or both.
“Victory” has appeared in all of the openings so far. “Victory is in a simple soul” from “This Will Be the Day” is optimistic, and there’s a tiny bit of that optimism at the end. Yang, Weiss, and Blake all have their heads down in the final shot of Team Ruby on the ground. Ruby’s eyes are open, and she’s looking up, possibly for hope. “Time to Say Goodbye” is more ominous with “or are we weapons?//Pointed at the enemy//so someone else can claim the victory.” With the semblance steal theory that I’ve been running with, it seems likely that the semblances, a part of the heroes, could contribute to another villain victory.
The imagery of light and darkness has reoccurred a lot in the songs. In the yin and yang, light is one of the things that are associated with the yang element. One of Pyrrha’s songs from Volume 2 is titled with “Shine.” There have been concerns about Yang being killed, because kill the mentor. Yang is showing signs of being suspicious of Emerald and Mercury and may try to confront them about information. Also, Yang’s semblance is pretty spectacular, so she could be on Cinder’s list. Granted, the semblances we’ve seen—Team RWBY’s, Pyrrha’s, and Sun’s—all seem pretty great and would be more deadly when used by a skilled Dust user. Cinder leaving clones made of fire or lava to destroy her enemies with Blake or Sun’s semblance or using Ruby’s speed/rose motif to leave a trail of lava in her wake would be dangerous.
“Misery and pain for all” is sung when the photo is in the screen. The group in the photo has already faced some misery with Raven’s departure and Summer’s disappearance. These incidents are shown to have had a serious effect on Tai Yang, even to this day based on Ruby’s talk with Summer’s memorial. The group may reunite this season, only for one to die because mentors are often killed off for the main characters to transition to adulthood. Also, after the zoom in on Qrow’s sword, it shows the black and red energy that Raven seems to use to teleport. I think this means that the teleport/black and red energy is a Branwen family skill, which means that Yang’s semblance is probably similar to Tai Yang’s, and Ruby’s is similar to Summer’s.
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