FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Double Dragon Live Action]

Great Job!!

I have to say, whenever somebody uploads a video file on here, there's always going to be a couple of retards who are quick to down rate for being a video rather than judge it on the actual product. Seriously, It's a Tank, The Fox and The Mirror, Enjoy Your Heaven, Snow Snow For Lucy, and a good majority of those stop-motion/claymation submissions are video files and they're widely respected. Truth is, I think that video submissions such as this should be treated like regular flash cartoons and games; as in rated on the quality instead of the medium. Besides, this is already on YouTube. Aside from that...

In terms of visuals, for a low resolution, the picture quality is crystal clear for a nine megabyte file. Plus, I also like the clever use of black and white stills. In terms of sound, those rock remixes of the game music is a sweet choice in my book, although it could have used some sound effects. Then there's the content, unlike some people; I have no problem with people using video games as their subject material provided that the actual product is good. Your direction is excellent with clever angles and camera pans, which aided the excellent fight choreography. Plus, those costumes were great for an amateur production. However, I think that you should have slowed down the credits because they went a bit too fast, but I let that slide since that didn't affect me enjoying your production.

What I do like:
-Excellent direction, choreography, and costume design.
-Great music selection
-Great image quality

What I don't like:
-Some sound effects would have been nice
-Credits went by too fast
-The fact that this is another video game submission. Note: I don't have a problem with this as long as it's a good one.

Overall: I think that you have put Fraser Agar and Doomhammr down a few pegs, along with giving the Newgrounds staff some good competition. Here's a ten out of ten for showing that a video game film can be done well.

martiescageda responds:

Thanks a lot for your review. You're right about the credits, but I thought the file would have passed the 10 MB file size limit if it was a little longer.

And for the Sound Effects... Well, since the first time I listened to the song, I envitioned this video as having only the background music. Some people like it better that way... But I do think I should have used step sound effects at the beginning...

The choreography took me quite a time to design, what attack should happen, on which camera angle, and the speed to be in synch with the music... Most people don't have any idea the work behind that, I'm glad you realy took notice :)

And check out my website to watch it on HD and with bloopers :D

[Oh, Mr. Woofykins]

Simple and to the point.

As much as I like your music videos, it's nice of you make a regular cartoon. Plus, it's been a while since there was a pencil-drawn cartoon that wasn't a demo reel. (The last one submitted was The Fox and The Mirror.) I also noticed that you submitted this as a video, and that's ok because I think that video files should be treated like regular flash submissions. Aside from that...

Visually, I really like how you emulated Doug TenNapel's style and put basic animation principles to use. I don't mind tweening, but it gets stale unless used properly. Of course, there are a fair share of bad frame-by-frame animations (the vast majority of cartoons made between 1963 to 1989 come to mind). In terms of sound, there's no music, but it didn't need it at all. The sound effects were perfect for the dog, but I didn't really care for the voices. They weren't the best on here, but they aren't as bad as English-dubbed Voltes 5. As for the content, I thought it was mildly amusing at parts, and it was more about the animation than the sound, so it won't hurt your score very much.

What I do like:
-Another pencil-drawn animation that isn't a demo reel.
-Original, which matters little when compared with the execution.
-Great art and animation
-Fitting sound

What I don't like:
-Middling voice acting

Overall: Here's a nine out of ten for something different, Ryan.

[Turd Eating Cat]

Brilliance is what sums this up!

I must say, you have to be one of the overlooked authors on here. And it also helps that you make good original material without any incessant, pointless bitching. Aside from that...

In terms of graphics, unlike most sprite movies; all of the graphics are custom made, which is nice. However, some of the tiles were oddly shaded in some parts. Well, considering that you were aiming for an old computer look, I'm not going to let that affect your score. As for the music and sound: I really like those custom chiptunes that you made, which adds to the old computer feel, along with those old Mac sounds. Then there's the content: As much as I loved I Dream In Retro, this has the merit of having your Aap character going on a little adventure with references to your other stuff in the background. Plus, the direction, timing and humor are top-notch.

What I liked about this:
-Original
-Great use of sprites
-Clever direction and timing
-Funny
-Nice chiptunes and old Mac sounds

What I don't like:
-Some of the graphics have wonky shading.

Overall: How would you like a ten for this kind of creativity?

aap responds:

The comment on shading makes sense. I don't consider shading something I'm very good at, I should probably look into that a little more.

I'd love to have a 10, thank you very much sir.

[Marisa's Harem]

Catchy!

Finally, a Touhou Project flash that has actual effort put into it! Even though I haven't played any of the PC games, but the cast of characters are a fun, unique bunch in a world of the same old shit. Now, I will begin...

In terms of art and animation, this is far superior to all of the tripe flash involving this series with nice frame-by-frame animation and cute drawings to boot. Many of those facial expressions are just excellent, and the same goes for the timing. While there may not be any sound effects, it didn't need them for The Benny Hill theme song was just perfect! Then there's the content, which it may not be the funniest thing that I have seen; I smiled the whole way through with all those situations that you put Marisa and friends in. Plus, the direction and pacing were also worth noting for something that appears to have no real structure.

What I like:
-Good art and animation
-Nice song selection
-Underused subject
-Great direction and timing
-Passable filesize

What I don't like:
-Could have been much funnier

Overall: Here's an eight out of ten, and what's next; A RosenkreuzStilette flash movie?

[Stick Slayer Heaven]

True to Ben's vision.

It really sucks that he died because I was waiting for Stick Slayer IX, along with Power of the Geek 4, Deathlands, Lords of Battle, and Pimp's Quest 2. Aside from that, the art and animation look a whole lot better than his SS cartoons. Of course, Ben himself was improving on his skills as well. However, didn't the Stick Slayer have a broken pencil as a weapon? On the other hand, I'm not taking points off because of that. When it comes to the sound, you did a great job on the music and effect selection. It fit like a well-tailored glove. As for the content, The direction and timing are true to the original series, although it ended a bit too quickly for my tastes. Then again, if you had made it longer, that would have increased the file size considerably.

What I approve of:
-Great art and animation
-Reasonable file size
-Great sound selection
-True to what Ben did back then (AKA Excellent direction and timing).

What I disapprove of:
-The length, but if it were longer that would jack up the file size.

Overall: Hulalaoo, I bet if you and biIIgates collaborated sometime, you would make something worthy of a spot in the Top Twenty. Here's a nine out of ten for an astonishing tribute.

[American Politics]

This is political satire done right!

Rather than the same stale, one-sided, boring snoozefests that sums up most political cartoons on this site; you, Sardonic Samurai, have opted to actually innovate by making fun of the ads on TV. It's concise, objective, and actually satirizes unlike certain people's cartoons on here (Not going to mention any names). The only other flash movies that have done that are The Kubby Chronicles, and YAAFM. Now, let's get started shall we?

When it comes to art and animation, for a cartoon with a small filesize, you did a good job drawing and animating it. Plus, it isn't often that you see a frame-by-frame cartoon under a megabyte that isn't from Noiserover. It may not be the best, but it gets the point across. As for your sound, nice use of Audio portal music, which at times usually isn't fitting for any type of Flash. However, those songs you selected fit the parts perfectly. The voice acting, while not up to snuff with Malamite-ltd or Chris Zito, is still good for one guy best known for being a moderator. Contentwise, I have to say that this was pretty funny with how you timed both the sight gags and the voices, which isn't easy. I bet if you kept working on your direction, you could be top 50 material someday. However, when we pull to the fireplace scene, it started to drag a bit. Of course, also worth noting is the aforementioned filesize, I think a lot of people on here ought to consider learning how to properly optimizing their flash. I mean, I've seen flash that have huge filesizes, but have little-to-no animation at all. (Any of those Motion comic flashes come to mind.)

What I liked:
-Funny
-Concise, Objective, and actually satirizes
-Good art and animation
-Good voice acting
-Nice song selection
-Good direction and pace
-Small filesize

What I didn't like:
-Tended to drag at the end.

Overall: Here's an eight out of ten for something that actually qualifies as satire, Steve.

[No More Tricks]

Good effort, boring movie.

I know a lot of people are going to hate me for saying this, but while the effort is respectable; it wasn't funny. Now let me begin...

Jaxxy, your art and animation skills are as up to par with the better frame-by-frame animators on here. Much better than most flash authors anyway. However, Jimbo-Limbo has a point about the uneven art quality, which is usually not a good sign in terms of production value. The music that you selected from the audio portal was a nice fit for the theme of this cartoon, and the voice acting, while not the best, was still good. However, the material of this movie and how it was delivered, quite frankly, sucks. On one hand, you have some nice angle selections and something that's cohesive. On the other, the writing was weak, and it seems that Sapphire isn't that good at writing for comedy when compared to Tomamoto. The whole thing felt like either a bad attempt at a punchline, or a badly delivered gay joke.

What I like:
-Good art and animation
-Fitting music
-Somewhat original
-Good voicework

What I don't like:
-Unfunny
-Uneven art quality

Overall: Even though I didn't like this, I am going to be fair to those involved and give you a six out of ten for trying.

[Evangelion: CGD Footage]

Although I personally dislike NGE...

...I will admit that it had some kickass design work on behalf of the Evas, the plug suits, and some of the angels. (More on this later) On top of that, I'm not going to hold that against you seeing that a lot of effort was put into this tech demo. Aside from that, I'll give you my two cents...

Visually, the 3D models are better than Starlight Odyssey and the animation smoother than Gunchest. While it may not be a fully-fledged flash such as Combat Instinct: Unregulated; It doesn't have the problem that most 3D Flash movies suffer from: Good models ruined by bad animation or Vice-versa. Truth is, I would like to see more Flash cartoonists make these types of movies. Of course, I'm still for 2D animation on here. Audio isn't much of an issue here, but that song you used fit this little demo reel quite nicely. In terms of content, I may find NGE to be boring when compared to Fist of the North Star, Dragon Pink, or Riki-Oh; but you did a good job directing what you had here. As for original characters; on one hand, being original is good, but only if the idea works. Otherwise, you end up with Throwback the Duck and Xombie. On the other hand, I'm ok with derived projects as long as it's a good movie. If you're scared of coming up with your own characters; just team up with someone who has their own creations, but lacks your animation skills. And having anime-style art is alright with me, but you might want to make your stuff more distinctive.

What I do like:
-Underused subject
-Great 3D graphics
-Nice direction
-Fitting music

What I don't like:
-Unoriginal, I know a lot of people have gotten on your ass about this.
-The fact that anime haters will still trash this.

Overall: All I have to say is keep practicing on your drawing and animation. (This is one of the reasons why I have yet to complete and submit a flash of passable quality.) Here's a nice nine out of ten for having the balls to make this, and as for those rated this low; I usually just ignore them because they're not worth the trouble unless they have helpful pointers on how to improve (which they usually don't).

Nanashi responds:

Thanks again for another helpful review.

I can't say a word against what you've said, both pros and cons. I think the issue of Unoriginality is a big part of my lack of motivation anymore. Its really a give take. If I'm working in someone's IP, I can draw in viewers with that, and it gives the animation a little hope. Its really hard to sell people on something new.

But I don't think its a bad thing that I've been holding off on doing more stuff like this. If it keeps me working on original projects I suppose.

[Coffee, boy!]

Funny, but could use some improvements...

Even though you provided a translation for this, it would have been better if you have subtitled it instead. Of course, your last three submissions have been enjoyable, you have some minor quirks that I'm going to explain now.

The art may not be up to par with Ryan Khatam, Adam Phillips, Leafworthy, or Johnny Utah; but just enough to get the point across. However, I noticed that like your last submission, the main character has a nose when viewed from the side; but when viewed from the front, it's flat. You need to keep an eye out for that because it sticks out like a bad paint job. In terms of sound, that song may be in German, but it was one of the better songs with lyrics on here. Speaking of which, this very cartoon was pretty funny, albeit random.

What I do like:
-Funny
-Original, which means little when compared to the substance.
-Good singing
-Nice art and animation

What I don't like:
-A bit too random for my taste.
-Minor continuity error

Overall: Why can't Sinitron make stuff as good as this? Aside from that, here's a nine out of ten.

Hildebrandt responds:

Wow, thanks for your review-
I get a little lazy when drwaing the same character over and over again... I know that I could do verything nicely and as clean and correct as it could be, but I am not a professional animator and even adding one layer of shading or even a nose could drasticly extend the process of finishing my cartoon...
Very well, thanks again-
H.

[Minecraft Pals]

I never expected you to make...

...a sprite movie, much less one based on an independently made one. What's even more notable that this has even more animation than most of your drawn flash. Of course, considering the nature of this, the likes of Zekey Spacey Lizard, Fawx, Notorious, RTil, and whoelse will tear you a new asshole. However, who are they to criticize when:
A: Zekey, along with RTil, Cool Dr. Money, and Fawx, have supported various Clock/Lock Imitators.
B: Notorious has absolutely no direction skills what-so-ever; and he has about 56 cartoons under his belt. (Try watching Lethal Injection or Cupid V. Hate Demons and you'll know exactly what I mean.)
Now, I'm all for originality, but stuff like this is fine as long as it's good. Aside from that...

In terms of art and animation; it may be the stock graphics from the actual game, but I will admit that the body language and the lip sync are far better than any other sprite movie. Plus, for a first attempt at one of these, they don't look all distorted. In terms of sound, that song from Conor McCauley fit the flash, and the voicework is still as superb as the first Tankmen cartoon. As always, the content is still what can make or break a flash; and it made it pretty damned funny. When it comes to writing for flash movies, you sure know how make it believable, along with hilarious. Especially when compared with Miss Dynamite or the likes of Broken Saints.

What I do like:
-Underused subject
-Funny
-Clever use of the game's graphics.
-Great Dialogue

What I don't like:
-The fact that this is another game parody. (Note: I don't have a problem with these as long as it's a good one.)

Overall: Here's a nine out of ten for making something better than the vast majority of sprite movies. What's next, You collaborating with Wade Fulp or a new Assassin scenario?