FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[RHG Demo - Lumen]

That's a good demo.

Even though FluidAnims may be synonymous with stick fights, but what you had shows that you have potential. I bet that you'll just get better over time and not waste it like some people who won't be mentioned.

Graphics: It may be simple stickmen, but you animated those sticks like a pro! In addition, I also like your color selection and use of silhouette. Unfortunately, this isn't going to faze stick haters regardless of the effort that went into this.
Sound: Great job with the sound effects, and I really liked the background music you selected. Usually, these FluidAnims cartoons suffer from questionable music selections made during production. However, I think that you should have credited the song used in this. As for the voices, not bad and kudos for not putting in voice-filler dialogue.
Content: This is the only major problem this has, but I don't mean that in a bad way. On one hand, there have been so many stick fights made throughout the years that it's not even funny. On the other, your choreography and direction are excellent. As said before, I see a lot of potential from you.

[+]
-Great animation and colors
-Excellent choreography and direction
-Fitting music
-Nice voicework

[-]
-Not very original, but still well-done.

Overall: Here's an eight from me and I think you should try learning constructive drawing. (4/5)

EXHellfire responds:

Wow, that's a pretty awesome review, thanks a lot for it, I'll take those words into account for my next one, and try to brainstorm a lil bit for ideas so they stand out more. And well, the song, it's from an old videogame, Prince of Persia Warrior Within, and it's even un named, so I can't possibly credit it :/

[Street Fighter Epic Final]

I haven't really paid attention to this series, but as an individual movie; it's good.

Graphics: Great job on importing the sprites and cautious use of blur effects. I don't have a problem with flash made out of sprites as long as the movie is good. Plus, it was also a smart move to do many of the blur effects with Photoshop rather than do it directly in flash. However, aside from the custom palettes and aforementioned blur; there wasn't much in terms of customization.
Sound: Great job on the sound effects, and I liked the non-use of voice acting. It's a breath of fresh air after hearing the same damned voice actors over and over again. On the other hand, the music while good, isn't really fitting for a series finale. I think that you should have gotten some music from the Audio Portal. (Examples: Bosa, Waterflame, Xarnor, Box-Killa, and Nemesis Theory come to mind.)
Content: Goddamn, your fight choreography was fucking amazing! It may not have the wow factor that Alvin Earthworm has, but it was solid none-the-less. While a lot of people may bitch at the lack of cinematography; the fact that it was easy to follow made up for that. Of course, the story may not be up to par with Dual Arms or Cooljaw, it was solid. On the other hand, this isn't that much different from similar flash aside from the SNK and Melty Blood characters.

The Good:
-Great spritework
-Excellent direction and choreography
-Fitting sound effects and non-use of voices
-Top-notch pace
-Decent plot

The Bad:
-Not that much different from similar flash.
-Could have used better music

Overall: Here's a nine out of ten from me. (4.5/5)

TechLeSSWaYz responds:

Thank you very much :) glad you enjoyed it!

[Father Tucker #11]

This deserves a higher rating!

Unfortunately, this isn't going to get the score it deserves due to your brand of shock humor. It's obvious that you were inspired by John Kricfalusi while being original at the same time.

Graphics: While I did like your lipsync and unique style; this could use some adjustments. First, while I am appreciative of you keyframing the individual pieces to simulate gestures, there wasn't much in terms of character animation. I suggest you study up on lines of action/dynamic poses to make it more salient. Second, I would also recommend that you cut back on your usage of flash gradients. They may be great for special effects and shiny surfaces (Namely the roadway, Pope-Mobile, and the bi-plane propeller); they aren't a good substitute for actual shading unless you really know what your doing. (Example: Anything by GoshaDole) I would also recommend that you try more conventional shading.
Sound: I think that new microphone you got helped with the already-excellent voice acting. Plus, Ryan did a great job on the remade theme song. By the way, have you and the Mitiska brothers considered submitting the music you guys made onto the Audio Portal?
Content: You have never truly disappointed me at all. This was funny from beginning to end, and the direction is up to par with many of the all time great cartoon directors. In addition, your brand of originality is sorely needed these days. The only other people that can compare with you are Catoblepas, Wooden Sneakers, Peixeaquatico, and Golfinho.

{+}
-Great voice acting
-Funny as hell
-Fitting music
-Original
-Top-tier direction

{-}
-Overuse of flash gradients
-Could have been better animated

Overall: Dean, I think another ten from me is proof that you haven't lost it.

ApocalypseCartoons responds:

thank you very much for the elaborate and positive response. yes, i was influenced by krisfaluci, but i'm more influenced by the old masters that influenced him, like avery, clampett, jones. i know flash gradients are old hat, but that's how i do it. i draw it all in flash, nice and straightforward. and i'm rubbish at drawing backgrounds, so a vague color usually does the trick for me. lazy, but at least it draws more attention to the main action. i thought this one came out well. i'm also glad i haven't lost it. thanks again for all the kind words.

[contrast: a love story]

Very Sweet and Symbolic!

I may not be familiar with your cartoons aside from your Robot Day submission, but this is your best submission to date. In addition, this is proof that you don't need a huge file in order to be worth watching.

Graphics: Clever use of silhouette, cutout tweening, and selective color. I really like how you eased the tweens during the last part. Some people could learn a thing or two from you.
Music: I loved the non-usage of sound effects and voices. However, it could have used more emotional music. (Search the Audio Portal for Buffalo Lullaby.)
Content: You had Nice direction, staging, and pacing for something like this. On the other hand, this wasn't the first flash of its kind considering "In Memory of Elle" and "A Lovely Dream." Then again, I understand that not everything needs to be 100 percent original in order to be enjoyable.

What's good:
-Great tween animation, although I'm more into Frame-by-Frame animation.
-Excellent direction, staging, and pace.
-Clever use of symbolism, silhouette, and selective color.
-Small filesize

What's left to be desired:
-Could have used more emotional music
-Not the first flash to deal with a loved one.

Overall: Pants, would you like a ten from me?

Horsenwelles responds:

the "whats left to be desired" list about made me cry with joy. thank you so much for such a professional review =)

and i'd love a ten, even if it seems slightly forced lol

[Love on the Cliff]

Middling.

While this did have the potential to be comedy gold due to the current score it received. Unfortunately, the execution was really awkward and unbearable at times.

Graphics: Cooli, I'll admit that you did a good job on this with your usage of rendering, frame-by-frame, and tweening. Plus, you did a great job with the facial expressions. Therefore, this gets a passing grade in this department.
Sound: The music you chose was fitting though you didn't credit the creator, which just isn't right. Plus, you and Solrac also did a good job on the voicework. In other words, I have nothing to complain about this either.
Content: This is a bad case of an original idea ruined by a bad execution. All of the jokes in this felt forced and were very predictable. It doesn't help that this was drawn out, which exacerbated this. If you're going to do gay jokes and shock humor; study the likes of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, the Fleischer brothers, John K, Retarded Animal Babies, and Rats on Cocaine. Of course, I'm also appreciative you doing something under five megs with actual effort, along with doing something original.

What I do like:
-Passable file size
-Good art and animation
-Okay direction
-Original
-Fitting music
-Good voice acting

What I didn't like:
-Every joke in this was forced and felt predictable, which makes this unfunny.
-Needlessly drawn out
-The ending didn't match the buildup.

Overall: I know you guys are going to get bent out of shape upon reading this. (And your fans will probably hate me for it as well.) However, I am going to be fair and give you a six for trying. Just keep at it and study the right material from now on.

CooliSushi responds:

Okay! Thanks for the review ;)

[Bunnykill 5 Part 2]

This review covers both parts.

Juuso, Matti, I have to say that this is probably the best Bunnykill flash to date. Although, BK3 is still my favorite, this has some very inventive ideas that were superbly executed. Let's get started...

Graphics: A lot of people will scoff at this and say that this was tweened. However, I'm willing to bet that the character animation was individually keyframed like Episode 4. Regardless, this was pretty badass and I liked how you guys used scale tweening to simulate perspective. Plus, clever use of gradients for ceiling lights, great weapon design, and tile usage. However, many of your tiles didn't line up properly at times, and as a result looked seamy. You should pay attention to that for future projects. Plus, two of the screenshots in the flashback had the crosshair exposed, which I thought was a little bit jarring.
Music and Sound: Matti did an excellent job at the music for this, and the sound effects are great. Too bad he has trouble uploading the music onto the Audio Portal.
Content: Sure, it may have the kill everyone in your way formula like every other movie like this. However, You managed to include an explicitly stated story like the previous BK cartoons. The story in this one was cohesive, easy-to-follow (mainly due to your top-notch staging), and well boarded. (I'll also bet that you did this with just a storyboard just like old cartoons.) Juuso, your direction and pace is every bit as great as it was and I can hope that it will get better. Plus, you also did a great job on the dialogue.

What I did like about this:
-Great animation
-Top notch direction
-Splendid music
-Excellent choreography
-Good plot

What I didn't like:
-Some of the tiles didn't line up properly.
-Two of the screenshots weren't properly exported.

Overall: Juuso, Maksu, Matti, would you guys like a ten from me for having another consistently good series on here?

Mottis responds:

Thanks!

I was aware of the tiles not matching 100%, but as far as I know, the problem only exists if you use low quality. Also rarely on normal quality I guess. This is why I didn't see it as much of an issue. But I will look into making the tiles overlap a little more next time.

As for the cursor, that was just a plain oversight on my part. It's not even the cursor, but the middle part of the object i'm editing (In this case, the entire scene was an object) as flash marks it with a tiny cross. I simply didn't see it untill now. It's too much trouble to fix it atm though, so it will stay, at least for now.

[Echo Force Zero: Vol1]

Really not that good.

Chad, Mick, I'm going to be honest with you: most of the things that you two have done after Sixgun Space were pretty disappointing. While I may approve of doing something with your own characters, it doesn't make up for how generic and uninspired this is.

Graphics: I will admit that you have nice colors for this, but the art and animation are inconsistent in quality. Examples:
-Stiff looking walk cycles in contrast with the gestures: I mean, they have some nice poses, but their walk cycles have no real weight or secondary motion.
-Proportion mistakes: Sometimes the characters ears are too high, other times their arms are misproportioned.
In addition, I would also recommend that you cut back on the blur effects a bit. On the other hand, you do have excellent backgrounds. Therefore, I suggest you work on your weaknesses for a bit.
Sound: I may appreciate you getting music from the Audio Portal, but the songs you selected didn't really contribute to anything. Try xenith800, Xarnor, Solus Lunes, Bosa, Obsidian Snow, DJ Harlock/Cross 666 and Waterflame for fitting music. The sound effects were alright considering finding "free-to-use" sound effects that are as good as professionally made ones is not easy. However, the voice acting was just uninspired akin to Tome. They weren't very distinct, nor were they expressive. Plus, by including Rina-Chan in this, you're going to piss off her detractors.
Content: While you do have a nice space setting; the characters and plot in this are just generic. They didn't have much in terms of personality, but at the same time weren't annoying. Plus, there wasn't much in terms of development for something this long. Look, I know not everything needs to be like the Stick Slayer in terms of direction, but for something that doesn't have much in terms of plot; it could have been a bit faster. On the other hand, you do have some nice angle choices.

The Good:
-Nice color selection
-Good backgrounds
-Decent sound effects
-Interesting setting

The Bad:
-Uninspired plot and characters
-Not much in terms of story development.
-The voice acting wasn't very good
-The music didn't really set any mood.

Overall: I have no right to give you a zero since I'm not much better at storywriting either. Here's a six for the effort and I hope you improve on this.

LewToons responds:

the voice acting wasnt any good?....

kind of makes is seem like you don't quite know what you are talking about...perhaps you didnt perfer the story, but i think the voice actors are top notch and i think you dont quite have the best scope on things - - i think you should put a bit more effort into your further reviews considering most of the actors do professional work

oh also, i forgot to mention - - - please do not return to watch the next one - -
peace bitch :)

[PP - Parable of the Lute]

Hmm...

While you do have an interesting philosophy, you aren't really a philosopher/theoretician. On the other hand, this isn't as preposterous as Spirit Science.

Visuals: Look, I don't believe that everything should have perfect animation with high-bitrate music, but enough to get the point across. However, there was hardly any character animation except for one or two scenes. Of course, I really like your layouts. If you're going do a weekly/monthy flash series, you better be really good and quick in order to make it convincing.
Sound: I really like the voices and the music on this, so no problems here.
Content: The only reason I watched this just so I can critique it. While you do have an interesting philosophy, decent direction, and a nice pace; it wasn't much to offer. I mean I appreciate that you're trying to prove that NG has potential beyond entertainment, but the way you're going about this seems uncompelling. I've seen flash movies with this kind of filesize that had much more in terms of content. In other words, this feels like a step up from Chester Kwan and Marsoupskin.

[+]
-Nice layouts and voices
-Decent direction
-Fitting sound
-Somewhat interesting philosophy

[-]
-Hardly any animation for a four meg flash.

Overall: Jordan, I hope you put more thought into the animation next time unless you want to end up like certain has-beens & Never-will-bes? Here's a six from me.

RiverJordan responds:

I'm thinking a little bigger than Newgrounds personally. I'm not making this for the newgrounds community, but rather, the global community. This video is for anyone and everyone who is willing to see it, which is why it's also on youtube and a number of conscious media network sites.

You're right in that the animation was more still frames than full animations, but doing it that way allows me to make many of them and keep my message without going super intense in animation. Honestly, i don't feel like it needs that much extra animation work, because the message is there and that's whats important. No amount of extra animation would make the message more powerful, at least, not at this calibur of video.

[BONK!]

Another great flash from...

...The great El Cid! I never really expected you to make another videogame flash since that segment in the Street Fighter Collab. Plus, it was a clever decision to export this as a video since the .swf file would have made most computers shit bricks.

When it comes down to the animation, it's still as excellent since Mega Man vs Quick Man and it was nice of Edgar to help out with this. Plus, I liked Heavy's facial expressions and the layouts. However, be careful with the filters since not everyone has custom made PCs that have power equivalent to four PS3s. On the other hand, due to this being video, it didn't lag at all. The sound is also great with actual Team Fortress 2 sounds and hpanic's music was quite fitting. Last, but not least, the content was superb. The direction was top notch and the gag at the end with the spy had me laughing. Were you watching Stick Slayer while working on this?

[+]
-Great animation
-Badass direction
-Excellent joke at the end
-Top notch sound selection

[-]
-The fact that this is another video game flash. (Not that I have anything against them.)
-The fact that Flash zealots will trash this for being a video file.
-Huge filesize, but I'll let this slide due to the .swf being processor intensive.

Overall: For proving that you haven't lost it, how would you like a ten from me?

El-Cid responds:

I'll take it with relish!

[TOME Episode 01]

Hmm...

I know that I have been harsh on you since Parody Rangers 3 was submitted. While I do acknowledge that you have talent, my friend Zombie Pimp was right: most of your flash has been disappointing since then. It doesn't help that I have a rule against reviewing more than two or three submissions per author, but I think that something like this was needed.

Graphics: This was a case of being inconsistent in quality. While you did have some nice fights, backgrounds, poses, facial expressions, and special effects gradients; it doesn't mask the following-
1. Lack of in-between frames for the poses: I mean, this feels like a step up from Spirit Science and any flash by Chester Kwan outside of his "Totally BS" cartoons with the lip-sync and blinking.
2. No real shading and misuse of flash gradients: While gradients may be a great aid for shiny surfaces, lights, and special effects; they're a lousy-ass substitute for actual rendering UNLESS you really know what you're doing. (Example: Any flash by GoshaDole.)
3. Your walk cycles looked odd. Make sure that when doing a character walk cycle, have the characters lift their legs when they walk unless it's for a very specific part.
One more thing, when exporting vector art, use PNG instead of Jpeg unless you had to compress the backgrounds.
Sound: I also have mixed feelings to this as well. On one hand, I really liked what Kajet did in terms of music with his Super NES chiptunes. On the other, the theme song at the end was kind of annoying to listen to, akin to Hania Lee. (Whose voice annoys me to no end, although she knows how to sing.) The sound effects are good, but I'm also divided on the voices. They're distinctive, but could have been done better. Then again, what you guys had beats VG Exiles Episode 3.
Content: Another case of one step forward and two steps back. While I did laugh at the first fight, along with Nylocke's introduction; this felt like a bad case of too much dialogue, not enough things going on. Nylocke's trademark got old really fast, and a bit annoying too. Maybe instead writing your jokes on a script, try drawing them on a storyboard. In addition, I concur with Psychic Pebble's complaint on the characters' personalities. They could have been more distinctive and better developed. It didn't help that the pacing could have been a bit faster to boot. There's a lot of things that you can learn from Popeye, Bob Clampett, and Tex Avery.

The Good:
-Original characters
-Nice layouts
-Decent fight choreography
-Good music and sound effects
-Decent staging

The Bad:
-Inconsistent animation quality
-Middling voice acting
-Annoying end theme
-A better plot and actual character development would be nice.
-Improper gradient usage and no real shading

Overall: I'm going to be fair and give you a seven. However, I hope you take my advice as a means to better yourself.

Kirbopher responds:

Hey, thanks for taking the time. Chalk up the use of gradients to my streamlining the animation process for this project; I don't personally have an issue with the look of them, but I try to use them sparingly. The lack of in-betweens on the "talking" drawings also has to do with the streamlining, as it's intended to be like old video game cutscenes, although I've gotten response from people that seem to get that and it resonates with them. The walk cycles for the 5 main characters will probably be updated, as I'm not super happy with all of them. Voices I can't really help you on, as I'm pretty set on the five of them and don't plan on changing them in future episodes. Lastly, while I love Clampett and Avery...I fail to see how studying Looney Tunes for a series done in -this- style would be beneficial. I study WB animation in general, but their format is a completely different animal to what I'm doing with TOME, so maybe you might wanna send me a separate note explaining that? Sorry for not understanding that last point.