A pretty fitting review. For the most part, I agree with it, especially with the episode length, which isn't giving a lot of time for progression at all, unless this series will be fairly short. I definitely agree with the Weiss statement, I cannot stress that enough to anyone. Either way, a pretty good review I think that addresses the problems the series has as of the moment.
Wow, talk about your Completely Missing The Point on each and every end of the scale.
Let's see if I can address that more, not that it will likely matter as the "don't confuse me with the facts" is strong in this one. The episodes are a few minutes long because for all their fame Rooster Teeth is a small studio that has other projects - and if you take the first four episodes together, you have the length of a normal anime episode (and even a good ending point were it the same). Ruby was still riding an adrenaline rush talking with Ozpin and Glynda at first, now she's realising she's "in this for the long haul". Yang /deliberately/ "got away from her fast enough" - or did you miss Ruby just before that saying why did she need friends when she had her sister? That was "kicking her out of the nest" to force her to socialize (and it worked). Jaune trying to be suave is hilarious (speaking as somebody who would be just like him in that situation) and it reinforces the point: while he might well be a good fighter (only implied so far, true) he's crap at socializing, but that's how people really are. Weiss is a pampered aristocrat who, yes, needs a good dose of reality - but is in position to get it - and also chafes at the restrictions placed on her by her position. So far the only thing I agree on is that we do need to see more of Blake.
As for the "minor classmates" - geez, we just met them, give them time. "Retard train"? Way to go with the crass language and bigotry, well done! "Team bullshit" - you mean, y'know, the way things are done not just in fiction but in reality (ever heard of "teambuilding")? And in a magical/adventurer's world, you HAVE to be part of a team, because if you go solo you are DEAD. "Reckless endangerment of students"? All we have on that is Ozpin's word - for all we know he's taking the piss to make the students nervous/drive in a point, and given what (little, admittedly) we know so far of the rest of the world, this could be the SAFEST thing they experience, and unavoidably so.
TL;DR - Clearly you were expecting an all-action-all-the-time Michael Bey-esque explodapalooza, and since we actually got something interesting instead, have decided you hate it. And that's fine, everyone has different tastes, but saying "it sucks" on the grounds of "I don't like it" is nothing more and nothing less than sour grapes. So feel free not to watch, nothing of value has been lost.
I've got nothing against the short episode lengths inherently, the problem is just the characters seem bland and generic so far and when your episodes are so short, the character interactions are going to be what makes or breaks the show. RWBY's characters so far haven't been all that great, so the show suffers as a result. In fact, I never once complained about a lack of action or explosions. It's not a problem with impatience either; Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure's translators work rather slowly sometimes and not much usually happens in an individual chapter, but the characters at least make me want to come back.
In regards to the teambuilding and everything, I don't think it's required in-universe, since Glynda was able to hold her own against the "Wicked Witch" even without Ruby's assistance. And if you really wanted to form teams, there are much better ways to decide it than something as arbitrary as "the first person you make eye contact with". Perhaps something based on personalities or what they can bring to the table.
Most of what else you've argued is just different interpretations regarding various characters, with a lot of "maybes" thrown in for good measure. Maybe you're right and future episodes will confirm that, or it could just be wishful thinking. Until then that's not enough for me to come back to the show.
You can't give meaningful character development in under 30 minutes when you have this many characters. Give it time.
Maybe not development, but worthwhile character interactions are still possible. The sketchlike nature of Azumanga Daioh's animated adaptation comes to mind.
But at any rate, I do feel that the episode length is a limitation that the staff can work around if they put their minds to it. It almost feels like they're working from the top down, with a full 22 minute episode they're chopping up into bits. Sometimes the episodes feel like they have a proper ending (like the first one or the fourth), and the other times the episodes don't so much end as just stop. Even snippets should have a beginning, middle, and end. 4komas manage that just fine, I've seen other web original series with similar runlength (or shorter, in the case of Starcrafts) do the same.
The potential for a great story is there, I need no convincing of that. But the execution and the characters need some tweaking (and in some cases overhauls) for it to live up to that potential.
I'm with Steam on this one. Without any action or anything moving the plot forward, it's up to the characters to salvage this series until something interesting happens, and as is they're "ok" at best.
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This seems a rather rushed assessment of a series considering that at the time this review was posted (August 12 judging by the date of the comments) it had only had four episodes totaling less than thirty three minutes (only about ten minutes more than a single conventional episode of a Japanese anime). Whether or not the reviewer is correct I won't address here, simply say that perhaps it would be better to write a review after the series has finished Season 1 (at this time it's unclear if there's a second season).
Not gonna be a jerk and undermine your opinion, but I did want to address a few things. At least, how I interpreted some of the potentially seen inconsistencies.
1. Ruby is OK being herself around Ozpin and Glynda because she was trying to get the confidence of the former and was fangirling over the latter. People can be introverted and not team players but still give a good interview and/or gush over someone they admire. I thought the fact that she was a dorky introvert seemed pretty inconsistent with what we'd seen up to that point. She's someone who dreams big and is part idealist part weapon otaku but hasn't the faintest idea how to get to the point where she can accomplish anything.
2. Yang is excited for Ruby, but she also probably doesn't appreciate her clingy-ness and wants to form her own social circle. This is something that's common with older siblings.
3. Weiss' entire thing is that she's a bitch. Blaming Ruby for something that was her fault was the entire point. She thinks she's a perfectionist and has control but is deep down probably a scared kid.
4. Ozpin and Glynda both from the very first episode seemed like they were going to be "get with it or get the hell out," especially the former, who screamed odd and quirky to even shove her into Beacon that soon.
I can understand how a lot of them being stock characters is irritating, but it doesn't bother me as I was expecting some shades of that. This feels very shonen anime tribute. This review was posted 8/13, so a bit more of the initiation has aired since then, so I'm wondering if you've been happy with the interactions since. They feel very genuine to me.
Oh, I forgot Jaune.
Yeah, he's an insufferable dork and is extremely awkward to be around. That felt like the point as well.
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Interesting backstory undermined by a lack of consistency and characterization
The first episode of RWBY left me feeling a little bit iffy, but at the same time it wasn't terrible. The backstory seemed interesting and was well presented, and the feel of things in the city gave me Giant Robo or Demonbane vibes. Gangsters and wizards and people with unusual weaponry and all of that. I wasn't entirely sold on the series, but I wanted to at least see where it would be going.
Unfortunately, the subsequent episodes -and the series as a whole- has become a disappointment. With episodes that are only a few minutes long and with the plot proceeding at a snail's pace, characterization and interactions become the cornerstone of the narrative and that's RWBY's greatest weakness. Characters simply feel inconsistent. Ruby had no problem just being herself in front of Ozpin and Glynda in the first episode, but when interacting with Weiss, Jaune, and Blake she just stumbles over everything she says. Yang goes from being so happy about going to school with her sister to not being able to get away from her fast enough, to hanging all over her once more and pushing her into talking with other people. Jaune himself has had his own share of awkward dialogue mixed with a joke of a lady's man who's painful to watch. Weiss is simply a bitch who is the only reason Ruby "exploded" in the first place, and the interactions with her don't feel any better. Blake still seems pretty likeable though, on account of being consistent and responding to annoying people properly, but she's also had minimal screentime.
The other minor classmates don't really feel very notable either. You've got Shy Girl, Energetic Girl, Weary Guy Who Must Put Up With Energetic Girl, ad Ozpin and Glynda don't feel any better. They were pretty decent in the first episode, but nope, episode 4 had them join the retard train with all of this team bullshit combined with what reckless endangerment of students.
Another thing: what the fuck is with stories with a school setting and forcing people to form teams with no rhyme or reason. At best, the team will synergize, at worst, one or more people will be a ball and chain who undermine the futures of everyone else.
Honestly, give it a pass unless/until it improves.