#94 - RWBY: Ice Queendom | Co-created by Rooster Teeth Productions and Shaft (with Jackson Leight)

Tune in as return guest Jackson Leight (creator of the satirical RWBY news website https://bumbleby.com) dives back into more RWBY content with Arthur. This time, they’re focusing on RWBY: Ice Queendom, the 2022 spinoff series that anime studio Shaft produced for the Rooster Teeth web series RWBY. Primarily set between the events of Volumes 1 and 2, Ice Queendom is, to say the least, an interesting spinoff to dissect. Discussion topics include the spin-off weaving video game mechanics into its plot, the ways in which it succeeds and fails to adapt the original show’s racism allegory, Weiss’s dysfunctional family dynamic, and the introduction of a Nightmare Hunter named Shion Zaiden. Co-created by Rooster Teeth Productions and Shaft, RWBY: Ice Queendom stars: • Japanese cast: Saori Hayami, Yōko Hikasa, Yū Shimamura, Ami Koshimizu, Hiro Shimono, Aya Suzaki, Megumi Toyoguchi, Soma Saito, Kazuhiko Inoue, Masumi Asano, Soichi Abe, Megumi Han, Tomoaki Maeno, Kenyu Horiuchi, Shin-ichiro Miki, Hiroki Nanami, Madoka Shiga, Ayako Kawasumi, Marina Inoue, Ken Uo, Yuichi Nakamura, Arisa Sakuraba, and Kikuko Inoue. • English cast: Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech, Barbara Dunkelman, Miles Luna, Samantha Ireland, Jen Brown, Neath Oum, Shannon McCormick, Tiana Camacho, Anthony Sardinha, Taylor McNee, Michael Jones, Burnie Burns, Christopher Wehkamp, Kdin Jenzen, Jason Douglas, Elizabeth Maxwell, Howard Wang, J. Michael Tatum, Garrett Hunter, John Swasey, and Jen Taylor. Spoilers start at 39:50 Note 1: during the start of the podcast, Arthur and Jackson spend a bit of time focusing on the bigotry that former Rooster Teeth employee Kdin Jenzen had endured for years at the company and the generally toxic work environment that we now know exists there. It’s necessary to have this conversation, particularly since Jenzen is the voice of Shion in the English dub of Ice Queendom. If you want to skip past this talk and go straight into the Ice Queendom coverage, you’re free to go to 13:10. However, it might be best to listen to the beginning portion anyways and get the context surrounding RT’s current state. Note 2: this episode was recorded back in December, so it’s not up-to-date on all the latest RWBY news, including the long-awaited release of Volume 9. Good Word: • Jackson: RWBY: Combat Ready • Arthur: Grave of the Fireflies Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms! Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18 Follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram: @two_centscritic Follow Arthur on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144101970-arthur-howell