While the rest of Volume 9 ranged from ok to somewhat good in quality, ‘Confessions with Cumulonimbus Clouds’ is the episode where the collective fandom either exploded or rejoiced. It’s nothing to do with the story, but it is something many fans have eagerly anticipated for years.
‘Confessions within Cumulonimbus Clouds’ opens with Jaune’s experience arriving in the Ever After. While this was the most likely direction the story was going to take after episode 5, it doesn’t stay there for long. Jaune finds a timepiece that accelerates time which he breaks and waits for RWBY’s arrival in the Ever After. Is that it? No explanation as to how he became the Rusted Knight? No hint as to what that timepiece was? No hypothesising on why Jaune arrived first and RWBY last? Even most of RWBY’s questions for him go unanswered. Also, Weiss finding him attractive after their questionable relationship in the first couple of volumes is simultaneously weird and mildly amusing.
As the group advance through the Ever After, the Cat catches up with the group, much to Jaune’s anger. The scene is pretty decent, with the dialogue creating tension for the audience and the music in the background adding to the mistrust towards the Cat. There’s also mention of Lewis, Alyx’s neglected brother – a nod to Lewis Carroll, the writer of Alice in Wonderland. Also, it’s intriguing how Jaune is still carrying his broken sword. It’s very Aragorn carrying the shards of Narsil.
This dialogue leads the group into a ponder-storm – something that Jaune describes as “a weather pattern that creates a physical manifestation of a mental or emotional problem.” Admittedly, this is an interesting narrative device that could be used to explore character development and the inner turmoil they’ve been experiencing. Also, I wonder if, aesthetically, the maze was at least partially inspired by the design of Weiss’ dreamscape in Ice Queendom.
Though there is much in-depth exploration of the characters, there is a very significant change. Yang and Blake are separated from the rest of the group for their shared emotional problem. This results in a love confession between the pair. Despite the very conspicuous setup, it did end up feeling like a nice moment. Though the fandom is split on the Bumblebee ship, the writers can finally stop queerbaiting the relationship and develop it, along with Blake and Yang as characters.
Elsewhere, there is further exposition. There is a reveal from Jaune that Alyx lied or neglected parts of her experience in the Ever After, and she, as a character, was cruel while her brother was the kinder one. It’s a case of telling instead of showing. Perhaps this could’ve been revealed if Alyx shows up later in the story. Though there isn’t much about Jaune’s transformation into the Rusted Knight, there is an interesting character reflection where Jaune mentions, “I couldn’t even be the make-believe hero.” As I’ve mentioned before, Jaune always wanted to be just that, which could provide an intriguing development in his character’s resolve or potential deterioration.
After confronting the Cat, who separates from the group, the group exits the ponder-storm. ‘Confessions within Cumulonimbus Clouds’ concludes with RWBY reaching Jaune’s home. Jaune has recovered Crescent Rose for Ruby and ends the episode with his theory that Alyx sacrificed her brother to the tree at the centre of the Ever After in exchange for returning to Remnant.
The biggest moment of ‘Confessions Within Cumulonimbus Clouds’ was the confession between Yang and Blake. It is probably the most noteworthy moment of the volume yet. The fandom has either been waiting years for it to be confirmed or was against the idea of Blake and Yang being in a romantic relationship. However, as for the rest of the episode? It was alright. It would have been nice to see more about Jaune becoming the Rusted Knight – hopefully, they’ll bring it up in future episodes. But excluding the Bumblebee moment, it was just fine.
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