Of course they don't. No one who's concerned about a meaningful narrative should preoccupy themselves with such relative trivialities. (Hence the Naruto series' qualitative decline.)
Anyways, what'd you think of the series itself? As a lifelong avid Smash fan and aspiring creator, I personally loved it. I'll detail my opinion further as discussion progresses.
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Last edited by Etherean Fire on Oct 2nd, 2014 at 06:17 PM
I consider it a challenge to stay consistent with lore/power, but I digress.
I enjoyed it overall, though it was not without issues. Seemed like it was trying too hard to be grimdark at points and some things (like Peach) just came off a funny rather than creepy. Alternate character interpretations bug me, though most of them were pretty okay. While Samus being a stripper is a cute in-joke about Metroid endings, it kind of stops making sense when she pulls the Power Suit out of nowhere. (In a city this rife with crime, a bounty hunter needs to strip to make ends meet?)
Just minor things like that. I thought the series was hilarious, though the end was a little meh.
If you want to get technical, they do stay consistent with Smash lore (the one that matters, in this context).
I agree that, as much as I'd wish to say otherwise, it's not without shortcoming (no work of art is), but I am glad to say that I find it's achievements heavily outweigh them. As a fellow writer/artist/creator, I can't help but be thoroughly impressed with the level of thought and effort put into the story, atmosphere, and characters. You would think that those behind it would inevitably display some level of bias when it comes to this, but they were remarkably objective with the decision making. Despite their admitted initial deficit in resources, they did well with what they had to appropriately represent everyone and everything as per the direction and vision.
Sure, there were some cinematographic issues along with a few minor inconsistencies in costume and practical effects quality, but I knew what I was getting into when deciding to watch an independent fan film. I was aware going into this that I couldn't expect absolutely everything to be hyper-realistic (though, the Mario and Zelda roster serve as positive examples). Although, some of the costumes and character presentations (the Kirby, Starfox, and Pokemon casts) were slightly distracting when I first saw them, but the moment soon came and went, as I was so engrossed and invested in the plot that I found myself easily able to seamlessly disconcern myself with it.
Admittedly, I didn't know it was classified as a parody darkfic the first time watching, but I'm amazed to see just how well it actually worked. I honestly thought it was mostly drama-intensive at first, but now I'm actually considering rewatching with adjusted expectations to see what it does differently (if anything) for my experience. As it stands, though, I'm glad it turned out the way it did. To see such a rare, unlikely combination pulled off like this honestly takes care of most personal issues one could have. If you don't find something disturbing or serious, you'll likely find it hilarious, and vice-versa. That said, that darkness in the air is balanced well enough with the humor that it doesn't keep you from taking it seriously.
Personally, I found the narrative darkness to be its greatest selling point, and it's the very thing that grasped my attention from the moment I hit 'play' and held on to it to the rolling of the credits. The decision to deconstuctively set everything in a noir-style AU is nothing short of imaginative and original, and most of the characters' assigned roles, despite the requirement for some of them to operate out-of-character, made sense, even if I don't wholeheartedly agree with all of them. The intriguing concepts, engaging plot, well-written dialogue and sequences, and performances, most of which were incredibly convincing, captivating, believable, and even powerful at times (especially Mario), simply demand praise, and it could be said that they very well deserve it.
To sum it up, I can easily say, with absolute certainty, that this is the greatest, most refined work of fanfiction I've ever spent my attention on, and I'm glad to have done it. It's an absolute treat for Smash fans, and I would recommend that anyone who calls themselves such see it, even if they only see it once.
Now, to address your personal points, [SPOILER - highlight to read]: Samus briefly explained that bounties were "dry", hence her and Captain Falcon having to make career compromises. You actually said it yourself; corruption, avarice, and animosity are basically the remaining driving forces and governing laws of the Mushroom Kingdom, which is now running on a shittacular economy, so who's left to put out bounties? The law certainly wasn't going to do it since they were half f**king dirty anyways, and even if they did want to spend money they didn't have to just shoot themselves in the foot like that, their offer would simply be superseded by that any of the four Dons. In which case, they could just as well buy off law enforcement monetarily or informatively (which is practically what happened).
In fact, if you want to look at it that way, it makes even less sense that the Starfox cast was under no one's employ (You know, since they're mercenaries?), and instead, they were diminished (again, by way of economic downturn) to petty black arms dealers stationed in immigrant ghetto. I mean, you would think that the Dons would at least want some hired guns around, but they reasonably didn't believe they would need it. Besides, I'm OK with it for the sake of fluid plot continuity.
Sadly, I do kind of agree with you here on the 'Silence of the Lambs'-esque ending. I get what they were trying to do with it, but I just personally would have preferred the conclusion to provide us with at least a slightly greater sense of closure and completion. Still, I was ultimately satisfied, so I'm not complaining.
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Oct 2nd, 2014 03:31 AM
Still waiting on Paul Bunyan v.s. C'Thulhu.
