[MBR] Seth vs. ScarfKanye

Theme: Story / Plot
Have something going on in your animation. Something too simple such as two dudes bashing at each other's shoulders and starting a fight for it is not acceptable.

Deadline: 7th of September, extended to 15th of September.

"Seth's Entry"

MBR PROFILE: http://maplemation.com/threads/seths-mbr-profile.35233/
[MEDIA=youtube]c499V-UkmMI[/MEDIA]
Note: Holy damn, MBRing is scary. I never have put so much effort into one thing, and even then i still feel a bit embarassed for what it turned out to be, but at the same time i'm a bit proud. I recognize that my biggest mistakes was the pacing, too much trash talk and little fighting, which often makes things seem rushed/random, but on my side i have the excuse of having a deadline that limits me. Besides that, the swordfight scene seemed a bit bad, but i've learned the reason as to why, and lastly, though it's a minor thing, there are misplacements and bad alignements here and there.

Though i'm not sure wether this could be called a flaw or not, i did not give Scarf's OC enough protagonism... In the end, in the fight he relied of the help of others.

Either way, with this concludes the uber-edgy introduction of my new OC. Hope you all enjoyed what a ripoff Gilgamesh looks like!

"Scarf's Entry"

MBR PROFILE: http://maplemation.com/threads/scarfkanyes-mbr-profile.34179/
[MEDIA=youtube]ySlls9dWu0o[/MEDIA]
Notes: I had quite fun with this actually, though there are some problems I have with some shots with the camera, it's fine. I tried to add more story to this thing other than fighting. Maybe that was a bad idea since the fighting is short.

For me, my vote goes to Seth. As for why,

In terms of the actual theme, I felt like Seth pulled it off better. It definitely felt more plot-based than ScarfKanye, and the fight wasn't just a simple bash either. There were conversations going on between the fight instead of just a straight-up bash. For ScarfKanye's, it still just felt like I was watching a typical freestyle MBR instead of a plot-driven one.

In terms of the actual animation, still, I feel like Seth did better for this case. It just was more interesting to me with his utilization of magic abilities, as well as combat. Now, I guess I'll drop my criticism for both, which is just a couple of points.

Seth
Honestly, the only thing that really bothered me was the pauses on the hits at 1:31. The first two weren't as bad, but the last one was really the one that was questionable. I feel like there still should be some kind of movement going on during the pauses, either camera shake (especially for the last shot), have the camera still move a tad bit, have the characters move a little bit from the impact, or have the effect still going on.


ScarfKanye
1. One thing I noticed you did a lot was the movements you did for instances like 0:16. When people land, they go a little lower to absorb the impact, and then go back up, and I guess for that angle, they'll slide a little bit. I assumed at first it was just more for comedic effect, but you did it throughout the whole animation. As much as I understand it is a stylistic choice, I think you should consider whether or not it really makes sense for certain cases, such as that moment where the character is landing from a jump.

2. I personally think you need to make it more clear of how strong certain impacts are. If it wasn't for the knockback, it would be hard to tell what is considered a strong hit or not. For weak hits, you want it to be fast, and for stronger hits, you want to slow the movement more down, so there's more anticipation to show that it's a strong hit.

Regardless, good job to both of you, I still found both of them entertaining! Can't wait to see how your other stuff comes along! :]

On a random note, Seth, is that Gae Bolg weapon a reference to Fire Emblem?

This is the most evenly matched MBR I've seen in a very very long time and you two should take great pride in what you made, the winner will likely come down solely to personal preferences. That being said both entries had their strong points and weak points that are worth exploring.

Seth: You have a fantastic sense of impact, especially whenever your character shot a weapon from his gates it felt fantastic, and your combat bits in general are very creative, stylistic, and powerful. And as a fan of fate (and specifically MY BOY, GILGAMESH!!) it was very cool to see you implement the Gates of Babylon into your character. but at the same time you must be cautious, you'll end up taking away your character's entire identity if he's just Gilgamesh.

Now for the negatives i feel you did get a little too wrapped up in the story based theme and let it take away from the overall animation, the text based moments weren't very engaging and on repeat viewings i feel like most people would skip them all together. in an animation like this balancing the story and the action is the absolute most important thing. and in that regard i feel there was definite room for improvement. Which i know you've already acknowledged but i feel its worth hammering home.
(also the craters in the ground were repulsive but i can forgive that as a lack of proper resources.)

Kanye: The floaty style you've adopted for yourself is very unique, i personally love it but i can see how others would be turned away by it, while still not perfect i feel you handled the story aspect better by condensing it to a more reasonable time frame and the visuals along the way kept to hold interest, your fight itself was also very good but as stated before your heaviest hits lack the impact they need, more build up and camera shake will benefit you greatly.

And for negatives, well, there's just not enough here, the fight seemed incredibly short, the ending is very abrupt and unsatisfying, and the story was rather lackluster as it felt less like a story being told and more like an inside joke between friends.

I won't say who i cast my vote for, just know you both showed your potential and i will be eagerly waiting for what you put out next.

This is gonna be a big decision shit nigga lol

You guys did great! I loved both of your parts and they both have their fair share in strengths and weaknesses.
Seth:
Your story was pretty good, although the beginning was really hard to watch, there wasn't really much tension built up to really feel anything for the fight. The fight itself was a bit lack luster in the beginning too, but as you kept going on with the story, it became a lot more enjoyable to watch! Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to what you make in the future!
Kayne
Your part was very enjoyable to watch throughout, I love the different angles you added in too, your part is definitely better than an average MBR, but what really pulls it apart is the theme that you didn't incorporate into as much. Story wasn't really too interesting, your did well on the fighting animation, but in this situation it doesn't seem like it would help you win this fight. Overall, you still did great and I'm also looking forward to what you make in the future!

In conclusion: I voted for Seth for the attention to detail on his animation and how well he did with the theme, although I would've thought twice if the theme was about freestyle instead. Again, you guys are lovely people and you two did a great job with your animations, GLHF with future fights~

Both entries were fire, guys; good shit.

Congrats on your win Seth.
I'll update your profile soon.