FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[EGOT]

Reminds me of the flash cartoons...

...that were made in 1999-2001, such as the Lloyds, Street Life, Portal Detour, and Britney Spears Gets A Dirty Sanchez. Before Arrogancy, RTil, Notorious, ZekeySpaceyLizard, and others of their ilk who think they know everything, but know jack shit. This is the kind of material that's worthy of a much higher score than it has right now, moreso than that Lethal Injection cartoon that I reviewed earlier. With that out of the way, on with the critique.

In terms of art and animation, EGOT may not be up there with Katan or Bitey of Brackenwood; but it gets the point across, which is the way it ought to be on NG. I like the use of manipulated photography for lipsync, which was also well done in a JibJab way. Plus, I also like the use of imported textures when Phil gets a visit from EGOT for the first time. Not to mention, the implementation of those custom gradients was also top-notch. Then there's the sound, which has one flaw that prevents this from getting a ten (more on this later). I liked the music, as well as PMT's voice which was great. On the other hand, It was hard to figure out what EGOT was saying most of the time due to those effects used. I watched this three times in order to get what he was saying during the first visit, but the second time was somewhat incomprehesible. This is one instance where subtitles would have helped, but that's your choice not mine. As for the music, your friend did a good job in that department. As for the content, I thought that this was pretty funny. Not as much as Rats on Cocaine, Premie Petey, or Father Tucker, but funny none-the-less.

What I do like:
-Funny
-Nice use of gradients, manipulated photography, and imported textures
-Good art and animation
-Great voice acting
-Original

What I don't like:
-EGOT is kind of hard to make out with all those voice effects.

Overall: This may not be your best, but still great. Here's a nine out of ten for doing something funny.

[Lethal Injection]

Hmm...

I may be against the death penalty due to how impractical it is, but I'm not going to let my politics or opinion of you affect the score. However, your attempts at being abstract were weakened by how disjointed this was. No offence Notorious, you have the drawing and animation abilities; but lack basic direction skills. If you're going to emulate David Lynch or Em Kaah (Goldilocks, Lick My Chakra), you could at least working on a few short stories before you try something like this. Outside of the directing issues this has, the art and animation are above average except at two areas where the character looks rushed. However, I liked that classical score you used at the poetry parts, which set a good tone. The other songs, by contrast, felt out of place for something like this.

What I like about this:
-Good tone
-Two of the songs fit
-Above-average art and animation in most parts

What I don't like:
-Disjointed
-Some of the drawings were rushed.
-Some of the songs were unfitting.

Overall: Even though I think you are one of the most arrogant, conceited, and whiniest cartoonists on here (I've read your posts on Egoraptor, Xionico, and Alvin-Earthworm), I'm not going to let that affect the score I'm about to give you: 7/10. However, if you were to show this to either Death Penalty advocates such as N0-G0D or critics such as Gel; this will get torn apart. As much as you despise Ego, Xionico, and AE; at least they know how to direct.

[NeoPikachu AFD Collection]

That poor collab.

When it came to collab series, All NG Fads Die! has to be my favorite of them all; combining a music video with the Stick Slayer and NG Assassin. Too bad that Radioactive is having a hard time with people signing up only to drop out. Truth is, I bet there are plenty of fresh meat for you, Rai, Logo, Topz, etc. to go after such as Miss Dynamite, Clock Suckers, Awesome, etc. With that out of the way...

In terms of art and animation, it may not be up to par with Bitey of Brackenwood, but gets the point across. However, in the chaingun scene from AFD 4, the chaingun had next to no recoil. The third Clock scene, on the other hand, shows that you have improved quite a bit. In terms of sound, unlike the actual collabs that those early segments were in, you decided to add sound effects. The music on the other hand, while it may be synonymous with the series, three of the songs didn't really fit; and I like metal myself, but I think you should have used either Superbeast or Reload instead of Columind and Heaven & Hell. As for the subjects, I like how you had target variety in that AFD 4 part, along with the weaponry in all the segments. However, I think that there are many a popular series for you and the rest of the AFD gang for you to trash all to hell.

What I like about this:
-Finally, something All-Fads-Die-related that just came out in three-and-a-half years.
-Good art and animation
-Good sound effects
-Subject variety

What I don't like about this:
-The fact that its mostly recycled footage from AFD 3 and 4.
-Black Sabbath and Filter, while far from shitty, didn't really fit.

Overall: Razorhawk/Neo Pikachu, here's an eight out of ten for doing what Radioactive24 and Logo/Smac haven't done in years: a new AFD animation.

RazorHawk responds:

Oh man, thank you for an awesome in-depth review.

Yeah, I did recycle footage from AFD 3 and 4, I wouldn't have done that if the AFD 6 part was longer, but that's less than 30 seconds. Not to mention those parts did have a few slight errors on the actual collabs themselves.

And yeah, I've improved a lot over time. As for the music not fitting, its kind of hard to find that one track that's "just right" and sets the mood exactly how you want it to. I thought Heaven and Hell and Columind would have done that, but hey, I respect your opinion when you say they didn't.

In all, thanks for going the extra mile to write all that. I'll keep in mind for all the future flashes I work on.

[Cyberangel 888: Act 1/3]

A good idea that is need of improvements.

After watching the whole thing, this really shows that you could use some help in quite a few areas. While a lot of people here may claim that this is unoriginal, but this is fresh enough to get the attention of those who are actually interested. Truth is, I am against the whole Flash Comic setup because the results almost always turn out to suck (Ex: Thamesis). I think you are someone who has potential, but has yet to properly tap into it. With that out of the way...

The Graphics while not the best, get the point across in most parts. Unfortunately, the lack of animation outside of alpha and motion tweening severely affects this. I think you are need of The Animator's Survival Kit, which will make your flash a whole lot more believeable. Then again, I could probably use that book myself. If you are going to use stills, at least have the characters blink. As for the style; it's better than what Rhete can do, but anime derived art is overused and you'll piss off anime haters such as Oney, TFX, Azure St0ne, and Hans Van Harken. Of course, I'm not too fond of anime myself, but I do like Fist of the North Star, Dragon Half, Tekkaman, and Angel Sanctuary. As for the sound, I liked the voices that Ry-Guy did (he was in MMZ: The Last Cataclysm 2) and some bits of Rinoa (after Chase got his ass kicked), but the other voices weren't very convincing and the music tended to drown them out. Plus, while the song you used wasn't bad, it didn't fit this kind of series. I think it could use a bit more electronica here and there. As for the story, it's better than Arrogancy, Xombie, and Minushi which is saying something. However, I think you could use a co-writer or two. Not to mention, the character names you chose remind me of Star Ocean. (Familiar with that series by any chance?)

What I do like:
-Above-average story
-Decent character design
-Somewhat fresh concept
-Some of the voice acting was great

What I didn't like:
-The drawings need a lot of work and...
-...they're in need of some more actual animation.
-Unfitting music
-The rest of the voices weren't up to par with what Ry-Guy did.

Overall: Chester, here's a seven and keep practicing in the art/animation field.

omegafinal responds:

I personally just think of anime as a style medium rather than a genre, and that it's no different than something like Disney or Saturday morning cartoon in that respect. But I can see where the hate is coming from somewhat. I just like the style overall, because it feels more "controlled", which is more fitting and comfortable for someone like me. I cannot do anything "ballistic" or exaggerated like Van Harken or Egoraptor, which is something I kinda envy at times.

Flash Comics can either be an real easy field to work on, because you can just slap in still images and all it a day, which would be lazy usually; or a hard one in terms of striking up that right amount of animation while retaining the feel of a comic. My inspiration came from Broken Saints, which I still hold as the best flash comic series ever, even purchased the initial box set release. Even that series is more on the mentioned "easy side", the amount of work put into each image and its evolution throughout the years to its finale is just fantastic.

Even though I'm familiar with the Star Ocean series (only the anime based on the first half of Second Story and watched my sister play through Til the End of Time.) The character names are actually inspired by No More Heroes's naming conventions, like Rinoa and Trish having exactly five and eight letters for the first and last names and starting with the same letters. I think her name is Trish in this one, been a long time since I watched my old works. I'm currently writing a new installment where's she's called "Trisha" for a rhythmic balance. Given my slight Boston accent, her name would then sound like "Trisha Transfa" at the end.

The musical choice is an odd one, because Rinoa is pretty much an emo character, so I needed some decent "emo-sounding" music. If I didn't cancel it, then the second and third episode would progressively move to a more electronic-based music for its grand finale.

I remember you reviewing my latest LoZ work, and I think you can see some of the improvements (or DEprovements here lol). Still improving though.

[Katan]

Beyond Excellent!!

This is the best goddamn one-off Flash movie I have ever seen. Tarboy may have style, but was weakened by a convoluted, contrived, and overclichéd story. It's also much better than anything Notorious has ever done, or most other cartoons on here, regardless of how original or banal. Plus, I also like the silent approach you took. Enough of that, on with the actual critique...

In terms of art and animation, Katan* is stylish, supremely animated, and the direction is just phenomenal. There are no drawing/coloring mistakes, the animation is both fluid and detailed enough without causing lag on outdated/low-end computers, the characters are very expressive, and I like those character designs of yours. Plus, great job on the masking that you used with the god's smoke trail. Of course, not every Flash production on here needs to have this kind of animation, just enough to get the point across. In terms of sound, there may be no sound effects or voices, but this just doesn't need them. Besides, the music makes up for it. Then there's the story, which in my viewpoint, is splendid and would put whatever Disney/Pixar/Hayao Miyazaki are churning out to shame. The only gripe with this is the huge filesize, which will put off those on narrowband connections.

What I do like about this:
-Excellent art and animation
-Great song choice
-Excellent directing
-Original
-Great story

What I didn't like about this:
-The filesize will put off those on Dial-up.

Overall: FutureSquirrel, how would you like a Ten out of ten from someone who has been coming here for years? As for Josh Laider and others who rated this low, at least you could have given FS a 5/10 instead of 0-3. *Fun Fact=Katan is also the name of a character in Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary.

[Apocalypse Please EP 1 B]

Far from bad, but it still needs work...

Five Iron, I will thank you for doing something original, but the application is in need of improvements. (More on this later)
To Josh Tomar: I think I misjudged you because I liked what you did for this.
To Omahdon: This is Much Better than what you did for Life point 1 and Xennethy.

With that out of the way, the animation was pretty good for what you have, but the art has some negative space in two of the backgrounds. You might want to clean that up a bit when you get the chance. Truth is, I think internet cartoons don't need to have great animation, but just to get the point across. Soundwise, I liked what Tomamoto and Omahdon did, even if they were involved in animated aberrations that had no reason to exist. To Mystic and Fran: You'll hate me for saying this, but your parts were not as good as the other two guys. On the other hand, it's better than Arrogancy and Minushi's really crappy voice acting. Then there's the directing, while you have some good shot/angle selections; the pacing reminds me of Notorious, who can't direct worth a damn. As in it felt way too slow and hurt your attempts at comedy. For the next episode, tighten up the pacing as a means to be funnier and more energetic.

What I do like:
-Decent animation
-Original
-Good character designs
-Nice angle choices
-Josh Tomar and Omahdon's voices were good...

What I didn't like:
-...but, what MysticShinHanKu and Fran Louise did was not up to snuff with the previous pair did.
-Bad pacing
-Negative space in the backgrounds
-Wasn't funny

Overall: While this isn't bad by any means, it still has a ways to go to catch up with the following:
-Siblings
-Rats on Cocaine
-Joe Zombie
-The Stick Slayer
Of course, this is better written than Xombie (James Farr isn't the best writer, but he knows how to put together a fight scene.), but you have to improve on the directing some more. Here's a seven out of ten.

[A New Bunny: Anniversary]

That was hilarious and well-done!

Parody humor may be oversaturated, but you TLG guys along with Egoraptor and Chase from Tomorrow's Nobodies/Explosm did something worth my time. Even though I like the original 'New Bunny' cartoon, this came close to it in terms of hilarity. In terms of art and animation, there have been improvements made since the original and Another New Bunny. Plus, the voice acting is much better (even if Chase and the rest of Tomorrow's Nobodies hate most of the stuff Egoraptor does). However, you guys should have included subtitles for those who have trouble hearing what the characters say and that metal song.

What I like about this:
-Improved visuals
-Great Voice acting
-Funny as fuck

What I don't like:
-The fact that it's a remake.
-Could have used subtitles.

Overall: Here's a nine since I like the original and almost as good as it.

[The Undead]

It's too bad that you stopped submitting...

...because this is one original, well-animated, well-acted, and nice looking Flash that stands the test of time. With that out of the way, on with the review...

Graphically, a lot of people will complain about the shades of green with some blue and red here-and-there, but the characters were well-drawn and animated. It may look like it was rotoscoped, but I won't mark you down because of that. Plus, I like how you put a small ammount of camera angles to great use. Then there's the sound, it may not have music, but the acting and the sound effects were great. Besides, any music would have ruined the mood that you achieved, as well as jacked up the filesize. Not to mention, I thought it was funny with the Merman/Mermaid conversation.

What I like:
-Small filesize (I wish more people on here had your Flash optimization skills.)
-Great voice acting, as much as I like MMZ-The Last Cataclysm, the acting was much more believable and the sound quality is pretty good.
-Nice art and animation, sure it may look like it was rotoscoped, but you put what you had to great use.
-Good atmosphere

What I didn't like:
-People will get all bent out of shape due to the rotoscoped look.

Overall: Jesse Simpson, you have created my new all-time favorite Flash movie. Here's a ten out of ten, and you should write a Flash optimization tutorial sometime.

[Popeye's Adventure]

It's good, but unfinished.

It's about time someone did another Flash involving Popeye, and I like it when people use underused subjects like the spinich-eating sailor. However, this really needs to be completed. You might want to get someone to supervise over something like this. Now with that out of the way, on with the review.

In terms of art and animation, it's mostly well done in the style of Keicho and Natenation. However, the uncolored frames, shadows overlapping the characters, lack of easing, the Gaia-style walk cycles, and the fact that you didn't know what to do with that 'too hard to animate section' is what resulted in this losing a few points. Plus, the continuity errors regarding the red dragon and Bluto were rather grating. However, I did like that free meat part that you put in; true to what Elzie Segar and the Fleischer brothers did. Soundwise, I like the music you used, but the sound effects could have used some more diversity. What saves this movie is the directing, which makes this a mix between Popeye, Stick Slayer, Primal War, and Keegan's Truck Chronicles.

What I liked about this:
-Above-average art and animation
-Decent BG music
-Underused subject
-Well-directed

What I don't like:
-Continuity mistakes
-Incomplete animation
-Huge Filesize
-Needs more sound effect variety

Overall: Here's a seven out of ten for what you have at the moment, but finish this up when you get the chance.

[Mr. Literal]

That was both original and funny!

Egoraptor, it looks like that you have proved to NG that you can do something original. With that out of the way, on with the critique...

In terms of art and animation, it's much better than both Awesome (animation > art) and Girl-Chan (animation < art). You finally balanced the two parts and made something that is actually fresh, and this is coming from someone who thinks that internet cartoons don't need to have high-end art and animation; just enough to get the point across. Even though dipshits like PiGPEN will complain about how over-exposed you are; your voicework rarely disappoints. Speaking of which, even though I think his stuff is funny; he can't draw or voice act as well as you can. Not to mention your directing skills are improving with some good shot choices. If you keep working on that and your animation; you could be up there with Adam Philips (Brackenwood), Em Kaah (Goldilocks), Ben Spurgin(Stick Slayer), Doug Sauncy (Keegan's Truck), and Rob DenBleyker(Joe Zombie). As I said before, I thought this was hilarious. Plus, I liked the arm rip scene at the end.

What I like about this:
-Original
-Great Voicework
-Good art and animation
-Funny
-Good directing

What I don't like:
-Short, but if it were longer, that would defeat the point.

Overall: Here's a ten out of ten for proving that you can do something original, even though I don't mind parody humor.