To celebrate the release of RWBY Volume 5 on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms, Rooster Teeth and GeekDad have cooperated to offer our readers a chance to win an awesome RWBY backpack with cool RWBY merchandise inside. Read on to learn more about what’s included in the RWBY Volume 5 release, and complete the form at the bottom of this post if you would like a chance to win the backpack.
Available Formats
RWBY Volume 5 has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, plus digital platforms like Steam, iTunes and Xbox. You can get volume 5 packaged in DVD format, a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, or a special edition Blu-ray with a RWBY manga sampler.
I received an evaluation copy of the special edition Blu-ray, but I believe the digital content is the same across all formats.
What’s Inside?
Volume 5 Episodes
Of course you get all the fun RWBY episodes from volume 5, which are all on Disc 1. In addition to the standard English DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio track, there are two commentary tracks available in 2 channel stereo. On the first commentary track you can listen to RWBY writers/directors Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross discuss each episode as you watch them. The second commentary features members of the RWBY production crew. Both tracks are pretty interesting. On the first you get an entertaining mix of storytelling and production notes. The RWBY crew’s commentary brings a different viewpoint, with lots of attention to technical details.
5 Years of RWBY
Disc 2 includes bonus material, starting with this behind-the-scenes retrospective that is equal parts informative and touching. You get to see how the show has changed over the years, but there is more to the story than that.
Most fans of RWBY know the original creator, Monty Oum, passed away tragically. The Rooster Teeth team had to pull together to deliver on Monty’s vision. This segment provides a wonderful overview of the show’s history, and some truly emotional moments from the show’s creative team.
Character Shorts
The bonus disc contains the character shorts for Weiss, Blake, and Yang, which were originally aired just prior to volume 5. While it is not new content, it is fun to see it here.
CRWBY: Behind the Episode
This feature gives you insight into how RWBY is made. The show provides a weekly peek at the Rooster Teeth’s animation process. You get to meet the animators, engineers, producers, and artists who make RWBY possible.
CRWBY Photos
Disc 2 includes a photo slide show set to music picturing the RWBY production crew.
Trailers
You can check out trailers to RWBY Volume 5, but also other Rooster Teeth productions: Gen:Lock, Nomad of Nowhere, Master and Apprentice, and Becoming Jessica Nigri.
RWBY Manga
Available only with the special edition Blu-ray, and exclusively sold by FYE, the RWBY manga sampler includes some excerpts from RWBY: Official Manga Anthology, Vol. 2, Mirror, Mirror, which is focused on Weiss. Mirror, Mirror is available for pre-order now, but will not be released until August this year. So this is a nice preview.
The RWBY Official Manga Anthology series is produced by VIZ, an anime and manga distributor in the United States. The anthology series starts with RWBY: Official Manga Anthology, Vol. 1, Red Like Roses, which if focused on Ruby. Volume 3 of the manga is titled, From Shadows and Volume 4 is I Burn, which are focused on Blake and Yang, respectively.
The manga contain side stories, and really help to flesh out the characters from the RWBY world. Here’s a nice review of the first volume.
Backpack Giveaway
For a chance to win a RWBY themed backpack, with some fun RWBY merchandise inside, please complete the form below. The giveway is available to be shipped to addresses in the continental United States only. After midnight Eastern/US time on June 30, GeekDad will pick one entry at random. We must be able to contact you via the email address you enter in the form. GeekDad will not use any information collected for anything except this giveaway.
