II2none's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sonic Toonami Opening]

DBZ and Sonic aren't similar enough to copy-paste

Concept:

A tribution toTOONAMI, Sonic, and DBZ by copying the epic TOONAMI promo style featuring DBZ but replacing the DBZ characters with sonic characters.

Aesthetic:

Even though it was based off DBZ I think you should've kept the characters at their original size and not base each characters size in relation to their DBZ counterparts. Otherwise the drawing was well done and the sonic characters replicate their original design. Wouldn't exactly be Dbz, or Sonic for that matter, without good use of vibrant colors, tints and shades, so good job there.

Animation:

Didn't really like the execution, and was disappointed with the lack of originality. Judging by the title I was expecting A more original sonic promo with toonami's flare. Dbz sonic crossovers are always typical, with a few exceptions. and no offense but this one isn't really anything special.

The voice overs felt way off (especially Metal Sonic having Frieza's voice.) I think some other voice actors from this website would've been more appropriate. Or maybe some existing dialogue from the video games would've been easier and still more appropriate. You still would have successfully replicated the promo since the DBZ action will still be there while having the voice more loyal to the Sonic franchise. Making the cross over more sensible and more than just a DBZ promo with disproportionate Sonic characters thrown in for the sake of it.

The animation was successful in recapturing the anime bits in the original DBZ season 4 promo, so good job there.

Overall:

A successful promo that will satisfy your nostalgia if the awkward execution doesn't distract you. From where I sit it does a good enough job honoring a classic anime, a great video game franchise (fan-base aside), and a long missed action-cartoon block That made the golden era of Cartoon Network.

3/5

Chartreuse-Emu responds:

I'm not sure I understand what you meant about the voices... The whole point of this video was to over emphasize the parallels between Sonic and DBZ, which is why I didn't alter the audio track.

As for proportionality issues: Ray, Tails, and Charmy are Krillin, Gohan, and Chiaotzu. Ray has never been seen in the "modern" art style in the games, so it makes sense for him to remain small just like Krillin did. Tails has always been shorter than the others. And on the splash screen, Knuckles isn't taller than any of them, he's just standing behind them (look at the feet).

And seriously, Sonic and DBZ are so similar, it's disgusting. The creators of Sonic have gone on record stating that DB was an inspiration.
Super Sonic = Super Saiyan; Trunks is a Saiyan from the future = Silver is a hedgehog from the future;
Vegeta comes from space, fights with Goku, but eventually becomes his ally = Shadow comes from space, fights Sonic, but eventually becomes his ally.
Piccolo is the last of his kind, starts as a bad guy, quickly becomes good, and is known as the Guardian of the Master Emerald = Knuckles is the last of his kind, starts as a bad guy, quickly becomes good, and is known as the Guardian of Earth.

The list goes on and on. So don't even pretend that they're not similar.

[Sonic VS Meta Knight P3]

That's some serious writers block

Concept: third installment of Sonic Vs meta knight.

Aesthetic: The characters are sprites but some of them seem like they do poses they don't do in their respective games, so if there's some of your work in the stances of these characters forgive me I can't identify them as I'm somewhat ignorant toward rating sprites. Special effects were good i like the wall damage from the hill where kirby was kicked into and the special effect of shadows power being copied into kirby.

Animation:

It was adequate, it's a little slow at times like when shadow was charging his chaos spear after kicking Kirby into the wall. Another slow moment was when sonic and meta knight were clashing all over the place. Also that style of fighting is somewhat lazy considering it was the the majority of the fight. Nothing wrong with copying DBZ's style but when the focus is one aspect of the fighting style. the action comes off as uninspired.

Actual fast paced animation of the characters fighting with their fist and feet would've been way better, and would make more sense considering both characters are stupid-fast. It may have been out of your technical capabilities but improving them further would make a greater impact on this flashes reception.

Also what was up with the random nyan cat reference it wasn't funny or relevant to the mood of the flash's story which seems to be in a serious tone. There's virtually 1,001 ways you could've ended this better. Nothing wrong with humor in an action flash but throwing in a meme and assuming everyone can level and understand why it's humorous is just a poor and obviously forced attempt at comedy, pretty noticeable where the writers block started coming in.

Overall: Continue practicing and know what kind of genre of flash you want to make. If you lack motivation take a break and come back to it when you feel that spark again. As you see projects turn out a lot worse when you try and force yourself to make art then waiting a few months for that spark of inspiration to resurface.

2/5

GuitarKirby responds:

Thanks very much. I'm glad to see you took a constructive approach to this rather than just screaming how terrible it was without actual help. All of this is true, of course, and the Nyan reference was something I did for fun. It wasn't a forced attempt at comedy, but I can see where it would come off that way.

[Stickman Can't Fight 4]

Stickman Can still entertain

Concept: This series still retains it's original storyline about a stick man who *GASP* can't fight???

Aesthetic: Notable improvements in many aspects. I still like the increased level of detail in characters during the close up shots for those comedic and dynamic moments. It's a good, fun style to use and not many stick animators do it. The use of shading is used well overall, the shading only looked off on the red stick figure in the beginning, specifically near his neck and left shoulder. The backgrounds are also more detailed with convincing drawn terrain with only the lack of perspective in the opening scene throwing me off.Personally I felt those mountains should've been taller.

Your music is fitting for every scene and does a great job implying the humorous tone of this series. I still love the jingle after the protagonist finds out about his "hidden ability".

Story: Although this is only part 1 of a story arc.It was interesting to follow our protagonist quest to find his hidden (if any) potential in the face combat.

Animation:

Is still fluid, and crisp. It really seems like the author takes pride and joy in his work. The highlight of this flash, in terms of animation was when Firegirl destroyed a waterfall, her movements were dynamic, and intense with of the help of color skill and special effects to get that extra "umph" prior to launching her attack. It makes me ecstatic to imagine what future fights will be like.

Humor:

Although there's a lack of action in comparison to the previous 2 episodes,(As stated by the author) the humor more than makes up for it. From the unexpected return of the P.V. introduced with his dumbfounded expression. to "courage the cowardly dog" reference, to the "noob stick" getting "serious" in one of his third training session resulting in snapping his arms in two. (followed by my sound of satisfied laughter.)

Improvements:

- better use of perspective

-keep your skills in check by practicing when you can, looking good my man.

Overall: Well done you continue to show promise and if this flash doesn't speak for it's self your daily 5th sure as hell does! Readers, If your tired of the same old " one stick vs a million" animations (For the record those never get old.) "Stickman Can't Fight" will give you a satisfied breather. (If you don't keel over from laughing)

4/5

guitan11 responds:

aaaaaaaaaaaa yes, the satisfaction of a fancy looking review :P
thanks a million for the review, i really like your reviews personally for the amount of thought gone into this. im satisfied to know that my references were understood by other people, sometimes i think it might just be me who understands the joke :P

as far as improvements go, others have also states better use of persective and angles. so.... i'll try....... but the setting for the next one might make that tough. ANYWHO, thanks man :D glad you enjoyed it.

[TOME Episode 02]

Trying to hard to be....SOMETHING

Concept: a virtual reality game tied in to real life. Honestly I'm not exactly sure what your aiming for with this series.

Aesthetic:

colors are okay, but nothing eye candy in quality. Drawing is okay although your style is kind of gimmicky ( for "humor" purposes) which would be okay if the characters were interesting to look at let alone listen too for 10+ minutes. I think your characters need better designs if you're trying to be original. Most of them have bland one dimensional personality traits that can be guessed at face value. Pretty forgettable characters and those that are remembered will be for the wrong reasons Nyloc will be remembered because he's annoying, and kirbopher because he looks like Link from Zelda games.

Sound quality is the one thing that doesn't need change in this series. Character dialogue is probably clear enough for those with impaired hearing and the subtitles are a convenience when they are there. The voice actors are pretty good and give the illusion of characters sounding more interesting than they actually are.

Story:

Kurobpher and gang stalk nylocs so-called friend gamecrazed into a mansion where they discover upcoming weapons and events.The execution of the plot was kinda bland. First of all why is Nyloc stalking his friend? If he's known him for a year why couldn't he just ask to go along with him in the first place? A year is enough time to be comfortable around someone enough to simply ask "can i join you?" I mean if gamecraze gave a lame excuse as to why he didn't want company then at least they have a reason to stalk him.

That alone kinda makes two of your characters seem unintelligent or socially inexperienced.

Humor:

When you use a gimmick to define a characters personality in a painfully obvious way (racial stereotypes, over zealous anime stylized screaming) it's not funny and the lack of effort shows.You have alot of unnecessary and badly timed humor. And the "stealth" scene choreographed with cheesy music, made want to click the back button. What happened to the humor between episode 1 and 2? The comedic timing in episode one was God-like compared to this.

Animation:

Kinda lacking in it's own genre. I know it's an MMO but it doesn't mean you have to animate it like one. Aside from the first fight with kibopher vs robot with the only downside being choppy animation. All the others were to slow and not that intense. Faster action and better action choreography would've made a huge difference. Not good since this is my only motivation for watching this episode.

IMPROVEMENTS:

-Study up and GREATLY improve your character design both in drawing aswell as giving your characters interesting personalities.

-Work on presenting stronger action scenes

-Quality of humor is pretty low.Either get rid of it, be subtle, or GREATLY improve on it with better variations of humor. Cause as of now your random attempts are painful to watch.

I've notice you have the interest of alot of talented artist/Good reviewers here on Newgrounds. Please don't brush criticism aside, if you can't take it from some anonymous user present it to a colleague or a former teacher and see what he/she thinks. Doing your own thing is fine but when you submit to NG it's here to be reviewed not mindlessly praised with 10's and 5's.

OVERALL: Your desire to pump these out as soon as possible is revealing the lack of quality in your work. Granted you have potential but I think you should take more care in your work. Until then...

2/5

[COMET]

Animation and music in (almost) perfect harmony

Concept:Author express his christmas spirit through this eye candy of an animation.

Aesthetic: One of the strongest point of this flash the environments were nothing short of beautiful, excellent uses of shading, color depth, Tints, and well drawn objects made them look organic. The music sounds like it was a scrapped level theme for a HALO game. perfectly matching the intensity of its melodies simultaneously with the visual beautiful imagery and action taking place on screen.

I was only bothered by how weird the kid look. I have to agree with some other criticisms that his facial expressions didn't feel unnatural.

Story: Pretty much a fantasied interpretation on how awesome his new toy will be.Taking it seriously and addressing the" plotholes" as if a dream sequence is suppose to make complete sense would make me feel like a jackass.

Animation:

While overall it was well done, the kids lack of expression bothers me. Includin whatever facial expression he conveys just looks unnatural and creepy. He hardly appears healthy as his walking posture makes him seem as though he's sickly. The eyes are buggy and to me kind of sticks out to far from his face. In the beginning he kinda looked like a zombie that was reanimated while on a sugar high.

Outside of our awkward looking protagonist there was another issue I caught almost hidden underneath the flashes beauty. The wheels on the bicycles weren't drawn in for some scenes, but with all the effort put into this flash I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that mistake just went unnoticed.

OVERALL: An good animation that succeeds in delivering christmas joy. While the protagonist feels unnatural the excellent choreography of visual imagery, animation, and music would leave many young children ecstatic with Christmas Eve goosebumps.

[Villainy - The New Toys]

A good comedy to begin/end the holidays.

Concept: The author expressing his christmas spirit through one of the best original comedies on NG.

Story: Last years(Why last year, just cause?) recording of Seymour's Christmas with his wacko mother.

Aesthetic: The author retains his drawing style with what looks like a darker and thicker outlining of characters. Colors are bright and vibrant with good uses of tints and shades on each object.

Animation: Although I favor Chronomonator and his sarcastic personality. Seymour was a joy to watch in this flash being just as lively and expressive as he was in his debut Villainy ep 1 flash as well as the P.I flash. The animation was smooth and crystal clear with no glitchy movement.

Humor: Spot on as usual James and Skuffster. The Mother, although off screen until the end (BTW,gross.) really stole the spotlight from the main character. Her sex jokes were humorous, but combined with great facial animation responses from Seymour, made the humor even stronger. As the audience probably would react in a very similar manner discovering how their mother plans to spend there christmas while scarring themselves in the process. My humor got the most satisfaction when the mom stated Seymour will understand when he's older. To which Seymour replied with a face that says " I'm fucking 40. "

OVERALL: This series has been on a roll since it's Villainy trailers. With great body animation not seen in many authors work and offers some of the best sense of humor sense the golden days of another original comedy "MASTERMIND".

DonkeysBazooka responds:

now THAT'S what I call a review! Thanks, man. glad ya like what you're seeing.

yeah, the art style's evolving with each new cartoon we make. I'm impressed/pleased you noticed. I think it's a lot cleaner now than it was even in Episode 1. You're just the type of guy that makes me wanna keep this train rolling. Ep2 is on the way.

Thanks for the review.

[The Great Chimp Heist]

Humorless and bland

Concept: More random scenarios for the manwhore to encounter, but now 3X the fernando's!

Aesthetic: The authors accustomed drawing style is present once again. However I don't really like the fact that there's two characters almost 100% similar to the main characters design, just feels kind of uninspired. (I'm sure it was for comedic purpose but,well it didn't work.) Color is just as stylized as the drawings, decent use of tints and shades and okay special effects.

The sound quality is fine overall, but the voice for Fernando needs to stop eating so much nails for breakfast. And no, subtitles does not excuse the lack of quality in his voice because I'm not death and shouldn't be forced to read his lyrics. You don't have to get rid of the voice entirely if you know how to make Fernando understandable, but as of now your Christian Bale impression needs more work to be acceptable.

The music is appropriate and suits the ridiculousness of this flash.

Story(?): Steal a chimp full of drugs for money. Just another day for manwhore. Though granted its far more down to earth than any of the previous Adventures. Just an interesting mention but whether that's good or bad is up to the author.

Lyrics: some good rhymes such as "detonation" and "situation". but nothing really impressive the switch between naturally talking and actually rhyming made the flow of the song inconsistent. Although I gotta say, the line "This plan is weak as piss who the hell put you up to this?" Has a great ring to it.

Humor: Try as hard as I may I didn't even get a smirk, from the reference of drug wars in Mexico to the silliness of most of the characters. You can make different versions of fernando all you want it's not enough if they can't bring any humor to the table. The lyrics failed, the story supporting it failed and the little dance scene at the end all failed. I'm very shocked this episode has taken such a step backward to the point where not even the concept of the story is enough to even spark a smirk. I don't think the "comedic" aspect took much thought at all if even I can't get any humor out of it. Although I never really took a strong liking to this series, at least with the randomness your previous flashes had there was still some humor, even some unexpected humor (Example: nipple slap) to make it somewhat enjoyable.

Overall: It's just randomness on top of randomness with songs and sub par vocals with no humor whatsoever. This episode is a dangerous sign that the series is loosing the absurd creativity its previous installments had and while the humor was questionable in its satisfaction value at they were actually TRYING. Pretty evident nothing but HARDCORE FANS are keeping this flash in the top 50.

Although the aesthetic and animation is okay its overshadowed by its basic and overall horrible attempts at humor.

Improvements:

Fernando voice actor needs work

Smarter and far more appealing humor

1/5

[PokeAwesome]

humourous, but exhausted the final joke

Concept: Make a Pokemon parody.

Aesthetic: Classic ego raptor style making the characters drawn silly for added humor. Mostly usage of cool colors making everything look somewhat pale but not to the point of lifelessness. Sound quality is perfect, nough said.

Animation: Smooth overall although I think the transitions are somewhat choppy. It almost looks as though some moments of animation are skipped over particularly when Venasaur starts getting pissy at his masters incompetence. Special effects are somewhat mediocre, but it works.

Humor: Despite how exhausted and repetitive the Pokemon franchise has become. I still managed to find humor in this parody, the joke where Venasaur doesn't know any of his own attacks was humorous and would've made this flash successful on it's own if done right. The voices for the pokemon were so out of place it provided even more humor.

But what really broke my smile was how much of a pansy Pikachu was acting when he took a solar beam to his "fucking knee". All that punishment he was giving Venasaur and he can't even take a blow that didn't even damage his entire body. But then it just kept going on, and on, and eventually just went out on a whimper.

Overall: Well done, but the slightly choppy transitions in animation and milking the final joke makes you just 2 points away from perfect.

4/5