This episode was awsome but I have to say im a bit dissapointed. Now I know people are already disagreeing with me but hear me out. I just feel like this episode was lacking the game feel of it. I dont like how the focus of this episode was on Alpha. I know he is the main character but he just seems so unoriginal like I have seen his character everywhere. Were are my hackers with funny personalities not this douche bag (not talking about alpha im talking about the guy he got owed from). Even the main villain of smashtasm was funny. I dont know if this is because i just found this show. Please dont turn this into a unoriginal anime. Thank you for your time.
Reviews for "TOME Episode 05"
Congratulations, I think this is the first genuinely interesting episode of TOME. Things are finally going somewhere and an actual plot is starting to form. Better yet, you've dropped the 'hacker of the week' format in favor of introducing a far more threatening villain who, unlike the hackers, actually defeated the heroes for once.
The scene with the argument was probably one of the strongest as we finally got to see how the main troupe react when things get a little emotional and personal. I especially liked how defensive the players were getting when it came to their reasons for playing the game, that was great. Nylock sheepishly trying to break things up, Alpha raising his voice, and Kirb and Flame Girl just mouthing off at each other. The only thing that annoyed me was GC, who just sat there and did nothing like he pretty much always does.
This episode isn't without its faults. For starters, following all the tension that escalated with the argument, the audience is suddenly dragged into a long series of action sequences and we never get to taste the repercussions of Kirb/Flamegirl spitting bile at one another.
On a technical side I think the voice acting is fine (especially Shadyvox who plays a great 'anime main character guy'), I'm glad you've dropped Nylock's tiring catchphrase to a sort of 'once an episode' gag now. However the animation still seems rather lousy and half-assed (especially when Zetto used the grappling hook); I know you're quite capable of animating well since I saw Balancing Act, but to be honest those text boxes and avatars have just got to go. They tend to take me out of the story and they remind me that I'm watching a Flash that's pretending it's a video game.
Speaking of the whole 'video game' angle, there is a gigantic plot hole that has always been apparent in TOME, but never as apparent as it is in this episode. Whenever the characters are in extreme 'danger' (which occurs alot in this episode), I just think to myself "why not just log out of the game"? To me, the only way that things can be 'dangerous' is if they're fully hooked up to a matrix-like system that can hurt or kill them - but this causes another loophoole because only a fucking masochist would play a game that can potentially cause them physical pain. Furthermore, aren't there any moderators that can simply ban or delete the hackers' accounts? Some backstory on how the game works regarding 'real life' would probably be beneficial, even as supplementary material. Are the characters in a sort of virtual reality environment, are they sat at their computers, are they playing this on a console? My point basically is, why even dress TOME up as a video game in the first place when you could just make it a fantasy world or something?
Regarding the video game's setup, another thing that confuses me is how battles are initiated. You'd think players would just be able to accept a battle, but then at some points, Alpha and Zetto literally just blow players' avatars up. What exactly happens to the player when their avatar explodes? I can't see it more than an inconvenience, like they just get kicked out of the game and then have to log back on.
Another major thing, and I think someone else may have mentioned this about previous episodes - all the 'adult' comedy in this feels very forced. Jokes like Kirb implying Flamegirl is only on TOME to get a boyfriend are fine, but then you've got Alpha saying shit like "who bottoms?" when he confronts the swordsmen and it feels sort of jarring considering the rest of the cartoon would probably be fine for kids.
All that said, whilst it's not particularly great, it's definitely heading somewhere, and the shorter format is helping too.
I don't really know where to start with this. Probably that from my perspective it just doesn't work.
I'm serious. For a moment, during the cartoon, I tried to distance myself from my own opinion and simply look at it like a television executive would- devoid of any opinion or feeling and simply looking at it from a marketing position. Could it sell?
No. Not in my opinion. And for a lot of reasons- the most prominent and repeated one being that it's incredibly hard to take any moment of it seriously when the premise is literally people interacting in a game world where there is no real threat other than people at computer screens not being able to play their game.
It's essentially as pointless and draining as, well, an MMORPG.
This is my take on it: MMOs are more adult based games. Yes, you have teenagers in them and the occasional brat who shouldn't own a microphone, but overall one could say that the market is at least at the M rating. The problem with this show's marketability is that you're taking an adult concept (MMORPGs) and developing it into a Saturday morning cartoon aimed towards adolescents and preteens. Kids won't get it or relate to it, and adults sane enough to not love ponys won't care for it.
I think a remedy for this would base the overall premise in the real world, on a remote island whose sole purpose is to be a virtual interface for a worldwide game. "Hackers" are notorious and more dangerous because they can actually hurt players physically. And a virus stemming from the virtual interface would pull some kind of year 2000 scare where all technology in the world falls flat. Hell, how about pulling something like "the virus that infects the main character is the ancient Y2K bug manifesting itself in the year 21-whatever." That would certainly justify why he can make things drop dead for a reason other than "he simply can".
Now as for the characters, I don't want to dwell too much on them. Because suffice it to say I can keep it in one sentence. They're every anime cliche in the book, and should be completely revamped and rewritten. No more to say.
I once read a line in one of those "idiot's guide to write a book" books. The line said "Take that one idea you have- the one you've always dreamed about writing and making- and scrap it; 90% of the time it won't work." It may seem cruel to say, and almost contradictory to the solid 10/10s you're getting on this, but this series IS that concept of yours.
You can succeed with this as something free to watch over the internet with a donation button gleaming in the corner, but nothing past that. Nothing would make me happier or more willing to eat my own words if I was wrong, but I would bet my life that I'm not.
Ok I feel like this episode was just really lacking. I enjoyed the first two episodes, and I kinda thought the third was iffy too, but I kinda feel like either you lost track of what you were doing with this reboot or I have lost track of what I thought you intended to do with this. It seems like you're just pushing the story back in the same direction of the TTA.
Normally I'd be ok with that, but Zetto's design and "voice acting" was really cheesy and I guess lame. I was hoping he'd be more of a character like who he was in the Paordy Rangers, but I see you're making him the major antagonist again. I dunno, I feel like for all the implied effort you put in, Zetto's design wouldn't seem so weird and thrown together along with his animations being the same thing.
I was really excited for TOME but I'm kinda having second thoughts about where its going now.
i'm not going to review the story or plot, because i find it incredibly bad to begin with (Serious drama + MMORPG's do not mix well)
The animation was just as lazy as the other episodes. the majority of the lip-syncing was just looping frames. The Backgrounds were just basic shapes with heavy gradiant use, which looks lazy as well.
Constant text font change made it incredibly hard to read, it's not even necessary, the voicing is clear enough to not need it, but it's to go with the MMORPG feel, alright, but not every character need their own unique(?) text font. And eye-wrenching color use made my eyes hurt (that green ring the monster used, and other moments).
One of my major (of many) problems with this episode is when Zetto and Alpha fight, you switched Zetto's hands constantly, i could understand if it was a one time mistake, but it happend EIGHT times, you should at least make the effort to fix something that's obviously wrong even if it means you have to upload the video on a later date.
One thing i will say looked nice was the tournment poster, BUT i couldn't read any of it soooo.....
Needs much improvement, please work on your quality. I don't want to hate this series but i feel it's incredibly lacking in many areas.