FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[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.

[Premie Petey #06]

The funniest of the Premie Petey episodes...

...so far. Even though I would like for you to submit the other five on here; this one is the funniest of that series so far. Sure it was disgusting, but I'm fucking sick of family-friendly animation. Why can't this site have more nasty shit like this? With that out of the way, on with the review...

In terms of the art and animation, you have improved on the character models and added some nicely-done lip sync. Sure the art isn't the best, but it gets the point across; unlike Arrogancy and Minushi, which have excellent art but don't have the content to supplement that. I like the new characters that you have introduced here, which shows that you can make something gross and disturbing into something funny and worth watching. Soundwise, it was audible although the voices could have used subtitles. Speaking of voices, they were above the NG average and I like how you got a woman to do some of the lines. Plus, I like that photo of your studio in the part where Petey discovers internet cartoons. As for anyone who will downrate this for how obscene this series is, along with the rest of your stuff: I seriously question your intelligence and ability to take a goddamned joke.

What I like about this:
-Sick and twisted
-Funnier than the other episodes on your site.
-Nice character development
-Good voice acting
-Something fresh and original, which means little especially if the subject in question is either boring or shitty.

What I didn't like:
-Could have used some subtitles.

Overall: Dean Packis, you are an underappreciated genius who is sorely needed these days. Here's a ten out of ten and feel free to submit the rest of your cartoons on here. As for those who scoff, whine, and bitch at you and your crazy creations; don't listen to those dumb shits.

ApocalypseCartoons responds:

now that's a review!

[2,000,000 Pageviews]

That was fuckin' hilarious!!!

This is the exact opposite to VG Jokez 4 Kidz, which was well-drawn but unfunny. Then again, you are a good voice actor judging from that alone, but I have yet to check out the rest of your stuff. With that out of the way on with the review...

Graphically, it was simple but it got the point across; which is the way it ought to be on NG. However, you animated those simple drawings really well, although the lip sync could have been worked on a bit more. Then there's your song, which along with the shot choices, made this shine like a blue dwarf star that just formed in a nebula. Judging by this, you have improved since those early Nameless cartoons that you did.

What I liked about this:
-Really funny
-Great song
-Nice art and animation
-Good choice of shots

What I didn't like about this:
-Lip sync could use some work.

Overall: Yotam Perel, I think the likes of Rhete, Chester Kwan, Notorious, and a whole lot of others could learn something from you. How would you like a nine out of ten?

LazyMuffin responds:

I'll TAKE it!

IN MY MOUTH.

[R-Type Troubles]

Funny, but needs a few improvements.

With that said, I'll go into detail. Graphically, the mechanic was decent, but with segmented body parts; don't completely outline the arm and leg parts at the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles. The actual ships are one of those instances where sprites could have made it better. Soundwise, for something with a low filesize, the quality is above-average and the acting is good. As I said before, I found this to be pretty damn funny.

What I do like:
-Underused subject. Note: I don't have a beef with video game flash as long as they are good.
-Small filesize
-Good sound quality and voice acting
-Good lip sync and the facial expression at the end.

What I didn't like:
-Actual R-Type Sprites could have helped.
-The arm and leg segments need a bit of work.

Overall: Here's an Eight out of Ten for spoofing an underappreciated series of space shooters. Plus, it's about time that IREM got the recognition that they sorely need.

RecD responds:

hey, thanks. I also believe I have an idea for a sequel that I may be putting up soon. I'm working on making the limbs better, too. just got mah wacom :)

[Don't Sleep, Robby!]

Excellence!!

Rob, you have just outdone yourself again with this follow-up to Don't Wake Robby. Plus, this is the first Siblings cartoon that has more than you and your family doing the voices. Now, if only Baron von Brunk finished up his current projects, I would be completely satisfied for 2010's flash comedy quota. Other than that, on with the review...

Art and animationwise, it's still the same as the other five, but I also have noticed the additional locations and that awesome-looking dream sequence you did. This, in other words, shows that you've improved in your directing quite a bit. If you keep working on your directing, you might be up there with Adam Philips (Bitey and Hitchhiker), Doug Sauncy (Keegan's Truck), Sangmin Bang (Gunchest), and Em Kaah (Goldilocks). The sound quality is still another one of your strong points with above-average recording quality and great voice acting. Plus, as I mentioned before, I like how you got more people doing voices in this one, such as Oney for example (even though I ignore Grand Theft Awesome and Left 4 Speed). There's a difference between compressed sound (smaller file size) and crappy recordings (big size, but hard to make out). As for the humor, it's just as funny as the other episodes, and the aforementioned dream sequence was very imaginative. However, my only gripe is the file size (Ten Megabytes is a bit much for those still on narrowband connections).

What I do like:
-Funny
-Above-average art and animation
-Great directing
-Top notch voice acting
-The dream sequence
-Original subject, but that takes a backseat position to the actual product

What I don't like:
-Huge filesize might put off those on dial-up.

Overall: Here's a well-deserved Ten out of ten for you and Oney. Now if only Siblings had it's own collection/series page on here...

Bobert-Rob responds:

Well, the huge filesize was basically a necessity. I mean, it was 10 minutes long. That's 1 MB per minute, I'd say that's pretty good. The audio quality didn't suffer either, and with the song in the dream sequence being the way it was, it would've suffered greatly had I made it any smaller. And I've had plenty of times when I'd have to wait ungodly times on dial up for animations to load... what really blows my mind is some of the animations on here get as big as 30+ MB in size.. I mean, holy shit, that's huge. I suppose it would be a deterrent for some, anyhow.
Thanks for the huge compliments as far as all the other factors are concerned, though! I do hope I can become that good with the directing, I think I've almost got timing down. And while I did do a lot of practice with camera angles with this, I still have a ways to go... still, I'm getting there. Thanks for watching!

[G.I.N.A]

Almost perfect!

Rick, it's safe to say that you took all the capabilities of Flash and put them to excellent use. I noticed that several reviewers compared this to the Heavy Metal films. *Side Note: I've only seen 2000 and it wasn't as bad as its detractors say it was in spite of the numerous mistakes made in the animation production.* Of course this also reminds me of the following:
-Dirty Pair, a series of novels that was adapted into an anime and a comic by Dark Horse. (You should check that out some time.)
-Burning Angels, a TurboGrafx-16 game that wasn't released stateside judging by the cockpit of her spaceship.
-Don Bluth's Titan A. E.
With that out of the way, on with the actual critique:
Graphically speaking, it may not be up to par with what Spike Valentine or Adam Phillips have done, but you managed to put gradients, shaded colors, Tweens, frame-by-frame, etc. to excellent use. Plus, I like the ammount of detail that you put into this even though it lags on older computers. However, I think this could have used some 3D models for the spacecraft. On the other hand, I don't know how good you are at 3D modeling. Speaking of the spacecraft, on one hand, they have a more utilitarian function to them, at the cost of the aesthetics. Soundwise, the music was suitable for the mood you were aiming for unlike that of Arrogancy and Minushi. Although voices would have been nice, I'd rather take subtitles over the shitty voice acting that those aforementioned Flash series are synonymous with. The sound effects are good, but they could have used a bit more diversity. Then there is the directing, which compensates for whatever flaws that this had. To put it another way, the pacing was perfect for what you were aiming for, and a lot of people on here could learn something from you.

What I liked about this:
-The length and the directing
-The animation, while not the best, gets the point across
-Something fresh
-The Music selection
-The character and creature design. Plus, I liked the blood variation.

What I didn't like:
-The spacecraft, while functional, could have been designed better.
-Swift 3D/Milkshape 3D would have helped. Then again, It might not.
-Could have used some subtitles
-The plot could use some improvements, but that's what interquels are for.
-The sound effects, while passable, could have used some more variety.

Overall: In spite of its flaws, this is going to get a nine out of ten.

RickMarin responds:

Wow , you got me, while I was doing this I had (no Lie) a couple of Dark Horse's Dirty Pair and other anime books on my desk and Titan A.E playing on the screen and also Heavy Metal 2000 . but I am working on the second one and I will use your advise on it . Thanks for the advise.

[Vulvagaiyumi Happy Day]

Funny, but needs improvement in the sound.

This reminds me of The Lloyds, Dean Packis (Rats on Cocaine), Dave Lovelace (Retarded Animal Babies), and Marc M in one succinct, semi-sick, and somewhat hilarious way. At first, I thought that this was made by Kenkoku and Rina-Chan, but when I noticed that it was from you; I just had to watch. The art and animation may not be up to par with Necropolis Xenophobe...oh wait it is up to par. However, the sound needs to be redone for it was topped-out and scratchy. Other than that, I found it to be pretty funny.

What I did like:
-Chuckleworthy
-Sick and Twisted
-High-end art and animation

What I didn't like:
-The sound quality
-Could have been funnier.

Overall: Eight out of ten for doing something different, YungJazz. I think you need to watch more sick-and-twisted cartoons such as what Dean Packis, Marc M, The Lloyds, Retarded Animal Babies, and Math Debate if you do any more like this.

JazLyte responds:

Thanks for the detailed review, and I love the Lloyds by the way. But this was just a quick, stoopid idea I came up with and animated in an hour, there was really no thought. Glad you got a kick out of it though.

[The Adventures of Loto]

It's about time somebody did something...

...related to Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior. Part 5 for the Super NES is a personal favorite, although it could have used better sound effects. With that out of the way, on with the review.

In terms of visuals, I liked how you mixed sprites and hand-drawn animation. Sprite haters may scoff at the use of imported graphics, but they were put to good use. The drawn parts may not be the best, but you had some good frame by frame during that battle with the slime. As for the sound, nice use of the old NES sound, although some might be put off by that. Not to mention, I found this worthy of a chuckle or two; a little throwback to those flash cartoons made back in 2000-2001.

What I liked about this:
-Chuckleworthy
-The fact that you did a game that hasn't been spoofed except for one time by Teflan Dan. I like it when people do games that haven't been done before.
-Nice mix between sprites and hand-drawn animation.
-Nice use of NES sound effects

What I didn't like:
-The fact that this is a game parody, which whiny shitheads like Zekey Spacey Lizard will bash this all to hell. Note: I don't have a beef with Video Game flash as long as they are good.

Overall: Here's an eight out of ten, and I'd like to see what else are you capable of.

scartheatre responds:

Thank you for the very helpful review! I think I would have reviewed it in the same way if I were not the one to have made the subject matter :P

In response to a very crucial part of your review, I'm totally in agreement about what seems to be your opinion on videogame Flashes. They really do seem to be horrendously overdone to the point of where I refuse to watch any animation with a Mario sprite in it, but I'm thankful for the fact that I was able to conceive of something that was original in its balance; a Flash featuring sprites can be okay - it just can't be the ONLY art in a piece if anyone is to respect it, especially with how many videogame Flashes flood the portal currently.

That opinion aside, thank you so much for taking the time to give me a thorough, thoughtful review. I look forward to seeing anything you produce and/or to accepting your criticisms in my future animations!

[Legacy of Zelda: DLC [00]]

Not bad, but needs some improvements.

I don't have a beef with video game flash, but this has a bit of potential. First of all, I like that technological direction that you took. However, this is in need of much more in the animation department, especially the lip synchronization. There are plenty of tutorials on this site that can help you in the animation criteria, and it will help make your cartoons better. Then there's the designs that you used. I like what you have right now, but you should try adding shadows and highlights to make them even better. Storywise, as I said before, it has a bit of potential, yet your directing skills are reminiscent of the overrated likes of Arrogancy and Notorious. I recommend that you remedy that as soon as possible. If you don't know what I'm trying to say; check out the Stick Slayer and Keegan's Truck Chronicles Ep. 1 for an example of top-notch directing. Voice wise, not bad by any means, but the characters could have been more believable.

What I liked about this:
-A different take on the LoZ.
-Nice aesthetic
-Decent diologue

What I didn't like about this:
-The voice acting, while not bad, could be better.
-Very little animation
-Too slow
-The fact that it's another Zelda flash. Note: I don't have a beef with video game flash, as long as they are good.
-The artwork could be improved upon.

Overall: Here's a seven out of ten, Chester; and you might want to study anatomy as soon as possible.

omegafinal responds:

Don't worry about it, at least you're honest, which I respect. My direction, at least for dramas, which is how I'm treating this, side more on character interaction rather than battles, which is not to say that there won't be any, just not as much as some would expect from a Zelda fan flash. Scoot's Unknown Origins series is maybe the most perfect if what you are looking for in a dramatic action-packed Zelda fan flash, but the last thing I want to do is just copy him. Since he placed the series on hiatus, last thing I want to is replace him. This is my style, let the characters show and tell the story from their perspective.

The anatomy part I'll work on, to be honest, this flash comic is a rush job. Done in two weeks and my usual DVD-style extras are missing, and I never expected this to earn an award, let alone third place. Not to say I don't want it, but I'll accept it out of humility...if that's possible.

[Press Start: Familiar]

I agree with what ]{ombat/Tabmok99 has said.

Sure, it's more of the same, but I heard on your website that you're doing a new animated series. With that out of the way, on with the critique...

The Art and animation may not be the best, but it gets the point across and that's the way it ought to be on Newgrounds. However, I like how Kevin drew that Gears-of-War-style gun that Johnson had; possibly the best-drawn prop in the entire series. The voice acting is pretty much perfect, so there won't be any complaints from me in that department. As for Egoraptor's detractors: most of them can't draw, direct, voice act, animate, time comedy, etc. as well as he can, so they can go screw. Last, but not least, the humor: still top-notch as it can be and I can expect it to only get better.

What I liked about this:
-Funny as hell
-Excellent voice acting
-Top-notch timing
-The Gears of War gun that Johnson had
-Good story

What I didn't like:
-The fact that it's more of the same, but that isn't bad by any means.

Overall: Ed Glaser, here's another nine out of ten from me.
P.S. Can I do a Press Start fan cartoon sometime?

DarkMazeStudios responds:

Thanks very much! And absolutely, fan stuff is always encouraged. :-D