Obligatory, annual, elitist AWA 2016 Pro AMV review!

[SeanPNG]

stick it to 'em Shin

[Warlike Swans]

Comments (broken up, because scrolling gets ridiculous):

Videos 020-050

Spoiler :

020 Good video. Song was generic, and didn’t seem challenging, but it was solidly edited.

028 This video had a cute concept, and didn’t try to stretch it longer than needed. Could have had some stronger sync, but cute overall.

037 This is not a song I missed since it last appeared in AWA Pro. The video is cute, though the narrative gets a bit muddled in the middle.

038 It’s nice seeing a softer, more emotional take on Naruto than normal. This video is very unrefined though.

039 It’s a good combination. I wish the video had less effects, a clearer narrative.

042 Fun! There are some technical issues, but it’s a strong video overall.

044 This is a good action AMV that could have been a great one with a few better decisions. The twitch effect is overwhelming when present, and some of the lyrics and changes in song pace were missed opportunities. There’s a lot of good sync and transition work in it though.

045 Lip sync could have been tighter. Not sure the character choices were ideal, though Code Geass seemed like a good choice of show. The main issue is the two characters don’t feel connected to each other in the video.

046 Harambe. Never forget.

050 I like this combination a lot, and I feel like the editor was heading in the right direction with it, but it isn’t a very polished product. A lot of cuts are too long, and scene selection isn’t as tightly focused as it should be.

Videos 051-093

Spoiler :

051 Pretty much the same of 050.

052 Good editing. Good pairing.

053 In a video of this style every distinct sound needs sync of some sort, and while this video had a lot of beautiful moments, it just missed a too many queues to elevate it above the crowd.

054 This video isn’t bad, but I wonder at some of the decision making. The song is about a nuclear apocalypse, but this video shows a mix of explosions and zombies. Also once the music picks up toward the beginning is becomes rather homogenous. Lyrics feel a bit neglected.

060 I would describe this video as having a certain rustic charm. I was often entertained, but it suffered from some crude editing mistakes.

062 Short and to the point.

063 Nice & moody. The beginning and end have great emotional impact. The middle suffers from some unfocused scene selection/narrative. Also didn’t get till like the 3rd watch that the accountant looking guy becomes the Joker.

064 Cute enough, but the quality of both sources is low, and that takes its toll.

065 Trippy. Beginning seemed a bit spastic, and audio was too soft, but was an effective psychedelic vid.

066 The general editing in this is good, but every non-native element stands out like a sore thumb. Senpai probably noticed all of them. (I do like the choice of dangos for the chorus though.)

067 Cute concept. The camera work is somewhat awkward. Would probably work better if one only one of the monster girls had been focused on. Scene selection is a mixed bag. Pacing is good.

070 This is pretty and rather sweetly sad, but there’s some random feeling scene selection in it too.

071 Missed that game. Seems like a nice tribute to it, but I found it hard to connect.

072 This pairing is genius. Lip syncs not perfect, and some of the scenes that are just spoken dialog are suboptimal, but I loved this.

073 It’s an AMV hell. I feel like I’m the worst audience for hells, so it just seems a standard example of the genre to me.

077 Why is the WB logo there? Good pairing, touch monotonous, but fun overall and well edited.

078 This has some smooth editing, but I wish there was a more focused concept here.

079 Sync isn’t always perfect. The sources actually seem too well matched to me. An actual hair metal song would have been flamboyant enough without competing with the video for attention. Solid editing over all.

080 I liked it. Cool and dark. Some sync could have been tightened in the beginning, but I dug it as a whole.

81 Super cute.

82 There was a lot I just didn’t get. Underneath the confusing concept/narrative the more technical aspects of the editing look good.

83 This video has a lot of charm. It reminds me of the Ghost Busters song. It fun and upbeat, and no evil ghoulies can keep ‘em down. There’s some deft handling of the live action during transitions, though some of the fast hard cuts are compositionally too jumpy.

84 Really cute. The use of the “pixels” is mixed. Some of it looks good, some shows clear flaws. The inclusion of the 2nd guy is superfluous.

85 This is another respectable trailer that didn’t entirely click for me. Part of the problem was the woman’s voice on the blond boy, part of it may just be the age of the characters in general. Matches the drama & mystery well though.

87 There are flow issues stemming from scenes with obvious camera movement contrasting with still ones between, and poor attention to composition, especially in the beginning. Lyric sync is good.

88 Scenes linger and are too static. Concept is clearly portrayed, and works.

89 Rouge! Some random lip flap. One gender crossed voice, other voices are well suited, good use of expressions. Sound effect sync is sometime approximated. Good overall.

93 TOO LONG

Videos 101-143

Spoiler :

101 A video with a message.

102 Cute. Older sources don’t harmonize as well as the rest in this. The non anime stuff was a bit awkward. The “next level” verse could have easily been cut, but the editing is good enough that the narrow theme didn’t cause it to drag. … And who cuts butter into a pancake?

103 There’s a lot of good lyric sync here. The pace of movement in the clips doesn’t always fit the music. Attempts at lip-sync here were misguided. Lip flap.

104 Most of her expressions are good, but some are off (why would she be annoyed that the products that she’s advertising works?). Not all composites are the best color-wise. Didn’t seem like there was a need for multiple anime.

105 full dips to black in the beginning were a bit much. The bright classroom scene in the beginning is awkward. Musicality comes and goes through it.

106 It’s nice. The concept is clear. Editing hits the mood of the song well. The piano playing doesn’t always have the tightest sync.

108 I really just want to know why?

109 Clever title. Some light effects (especially in terms of color and lighting) could have helped the flow. The ending is a bit weak. Over all the combo works and the scene selection was effective.

110 I love the dissociative beginning of this. At around the minute point the style shifts and things begin to feel unfocused. The violence at the end is incomprehensible.

111 Forced pairing. The part after the audio cut fits the mood well, but the rest of the video just isn’t happy-dancy enough for the song.

112 I don’t get it.

113 Not a fan of the anime’s audio. Some scene selection in random. Concept of repairing a relationship after cheating is clear enough.

114 This is very deftly handled. I feel so bad for that girl. It’s bizarre how much neater that headband makes her hair though.

115 Not bad. I like the use of the childhood shots. I wish the storytelling in the beginning were more focused. Sync could be more consistent.

117 Really nice encapsulation of the plot. Clever source combo. Played a bit too simple.

118 I think manipulating lighting/backgrounds would have made scenes feel more natural together and with the audio. Pairing and editing are decent, but the whole thing never clicked together for me.

119 I wish the first 20 seconds were as good as the rest of it. Powerful Madoka pairing with some great flow.

120 Cute concept. Lip sync needs to be better, and can’t have lip flap nearby. The blurry lines effect looks weird.

121 Narrative is somewhat confusing. Boy plays videos games. Girls play guitar. Boy mysteriously knows this. Then they are friends. Then she puts him on the stop, and he is a jerk. So she because a rocks star and he cries. Why was he a jerk is he was just going to immediately cry about it?

123 Not sure you had the footage to do what you wanted to do with this. A lot of static scenes.

124 I’m not entirely sure what this is, but it is very long.

125 I like the combo, and a lot of the scene selection. More control needs to be taken over the color/tone of clips. Could sync more of the music.

126 that was everything it needed to be.

127 I feel overwhelmed but the amount of random jammed into this. There are some good examples of lyric sync, and some just scenes that felt packed in just to show off the amount of absurd they found.

128 Sync & flow are good. Not sure if there is a message her beyond, “we love fighting.”

129 Well edited.

130 The AR mistakes drag this down. The combo is beautiful and a lot of the scene selection is wonderful. I wish the end showed a contrast from the violence, or that the river was clearly forever barred. The contradiction there bothered me.

131 Cute concept. Execution seems a bit lazy.

133 Looks like a commercial, and has better technicals than a lot of commercials. Lot of smoothly edited anime & happy weebs.

134 Shine on you crazy diamond.

135 Flow suffers from too many static scenes. Musicality could be better too. Sources seem like a good match, and the ending has heart.

137 Far too much camera work & mask transitions. The sounds effects did not add.

141 Talking heads in the beginning didn’t click the best with the voices. Some of the scene selection is excellent, but the “faster” with the chainsaw sound was weak. Natural pairing.

142 This pairing felt somewhat forced; the environment/style in Hellsing just didn’t seem right for it. Some good editing in it though.

143 Really lovely. Nice use of the two motifs throughout.

I may mark out personal favorites with emotes later, but too lazy just now.

There were many fine ducks in a few of these videos. If your video did not feature a duck or duck-like bird, I am not mad. Just disappointed.

[ngsilver]

you guys are slow

Not slow... just have issues with these hooves...

[Rider4Z]

[Shin-AMV]

[Xophilarus]

[siny]

Totally copying the emojis idea

= reallyyyy liked it!
= you get a cupcake for the feels (you either made me weep or laugh)
= absolutely loved it

Ok, let's do this...

020 - it was a bit slow at times, but the transitions were smooth and I think picking only 3D movies really helped!
028 - well, the song really fits ;D I wish it was bigger so I could understand what the anime is about
037 - oh my GOD this was super cute and then I learned the footage is only a few minutes, so kudos!
038 - I gotta say, for someone who doesn't really care about Naruto (me), this video got me curious from start to end because you were able to tell a story with it, so good job! I think the music was also a nice combo for this too
039 - it was slowlish at times, for a video about someone like Kenshi it needs more action, though I admit I wasn't able to watch the live action yet, so I don't know if you would even have the material to work with. But some of the "running" parts needed a bit more spice to it, know what I mean?
042 - I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a funny video, it might just not be my thing ;D but the lip sync looked ok
044 - action with good and smooth transitions, I enjoyed it!
045 - this was especially funny because of the character you used, which is not often used as much. although I think some of the scenes were a bit random, maybe some more of their relationship with Lelouch would make it more 'special'? just a thought!
046 - I wish we could have seen more
050 - I wish you would have made this more... emotional? the song is really pretty and you did use pretty scenes, but they were too slow at times and lacked emotion. I mean, I know some of the scenes are emotional but that's because I watched anime and that's just not enough imo...
051 - lots of hard cuts that didn't really create a smooth transition. i think you can revisit this video and make an ironic version of it, maybe, because the song allows you to do that with this anime
052 - i simply love this video, it's funny and that's an odd thing to say about ping pong! also, this song was totally stuck in my mind for a whole day after watching this
053 - you started really good, then got a bit lost in the middle with the sync, but then got back to it at the end! I think it would have been better to be shorter, because this was overall really nice!
054 - cool and nicely done idea! I really dig the internal sync in some of the scenes
060 - the designer in me cringed at the text... I also think the song didn't help me follow your idea much, I'm sorry
062 - congrats, you made me want to listen to this song again ahah. i like how the robot ended it all
063 - for someone that doesn't care about Batman, this video totally made me feel for him. you were consistent through the entire video and tell a story from beginning to end. the song is a really nice combo and overall, transitions and sync were nicely done
064 - well, she's definitely not an easy girl to deal with! I wish the audio would have better quality...
065 - you know that scene from Dumbo when he gets drunk? this made me think of it ;D it's really nicely done; 'artistic', I would say
066 - omg this was even better because you used Clannad and turned the most innocent character into such a creepy one ;D I laughed way too much with this! there were some things, if I want to be picky, but it was funny enough to ignore them ahah
067 - cute, but a bit confusing...? transitions and flow were good!
070 - I enjoyed this, but I couldn't understand who was suppose to "say something" since there's a bit of a lot going on. Overall, it was really pretty and the flow was great
071 - I can't imagine how hard it was to work with this footage, but you surely created a beautiful video! I never played Zelda, but this totally caught me. It left me with that warm feeling P.S.: Awesome song choice!
072 - this was reallyyyy awesome and I might be the only person in the planet that didn't really dig Stranger Things lol
073 - I didn't get this one...
077 - cool, good sync, just think it could have been shorter I guess!
078 - really well done! audio was very low though? it made me want to watch the anime
079 - well that was HOT ahah. I really dig the subtle sarcasm and comedy in this
080 - creepy and smoothly well done. some scenes could use a bit of work, especially the ending that was so... random I guess? but I liked it overall!
081 - this got better and better as I watched it and I know myself too well to know that I'll be rewatching this one a lot more ahah. Also, it's one of my OTPs, duh. you won me at that! Either way, for romance this is my top choice
082 - cute, but I think it's one of those videos that will mean more for someone who watched the anime
083 - for someone who never watched SPN, I guess this has everything I need to get it, which is a compliment, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get the story. it felt slow during some parts, especially the chorus
084 - this was adorable and I loved the editing! the running scene was funny lol. you also made me want to watch the anime, idk if the ending was suppose to do that, but omg is that a plot twist?!?
085 - dudeeee that was really cool. only complain I have is the girl voice on the guy, but I don't know the anime to know if it even has a girl you could work with on this
087 - it's so hard to judge this and the other video, it feels unfair too. both are great and well done. the scene choice is so funny! I totally want to watch this anime ahah
088 - I don't know the anime so I don't how helpful this will be... but it all looks like from the same episode? which it didn't help to captivate
089 - this looks really cool! some scenes the lip sync was spot on!
093 - i hate you a little bit, tiny bit, but still a bit ;_;
101 - i hope this song comes out of my mind soon or things might get awkward
102 - i'm on a diet, so this made me hungry ;( it's cute!
103 - i still feel bad for this, but this one made me "feel" the video and anime more... both this and 87 are awesome! This one has really nice sync and smooth transitions, I especially like the kids scene walking behind him lol. That made me laugh hard.
104 - oh my GOD! small story: I totally googled this commercial and linked it to my coworkers, we had a blast!!! seriously, this made me laugh so much. I think you picked the right girl for this and the scenes were so funny ahah!
105 - I'm reallyyyyy sorry, but I couldn't watch it all sensitive girl here
108 - I didn't get this one ;_; the effects look cool?
109 - bit slowlish. it's funny because the part I enjoyed the most was the middle, where the guy is not singing, but the sync was better and more interesting there
110 - i got it and then i got confused, then i got it and then i got confused again... I dunno if this is one of those cases where I would understand it better if I had watched the anime
111 - i loved the beginning, but then it got sad and it felt... that it didn't fit? i think it would have been fun to add some noise when things go bad and totally change to a different song, idk. you made me sad!!! aww lol kidding! editing was good
112 - i feel trolled lol
113 - i didn't get the story... i think the guy was an asshole, but the girl also went psycho? a bit confusing
114 - whoa this was emotional and well done
115 - it felt a bit slow in some scenes, but I liked it. the flasback scenes were very well done
117 - kudos for editing such an old movie! that's really amazing and unique. and I liked it!
118 - from the small knowledge I have about the Marvel universe, the relationship between Suzaku and Rolo feels kinda odd here? I mean, I guess to those who don't know the anime will not be bothered with this, but... I dunno! Some color correction would have helped to make the scenes flow better.
119 - sync porn basically, but even tho it's Madoka, it's amazing that it can still be this enjoyable ;D
120 - daww this was cute! i liked the contrast between the two of them
121 - wait, you broke them up??? *super sad face*
123 - no sound
124 - this was very long and since I've been wanting to watch this show, I admit that I stopped when I realized I was getting too spoiled. but from what I saw, I liked it!
125 - some scenes felt too random. i didn't get some of the story. but i like how you tried new things, that was refreshing!
126 - same!
127 - why so violent D: ok but seriously, I didn't get it lol
128 - super bitter i don't get to play this game because I have a MAC, but i really like this
129 - fabulous just like them
130 - i don't think i'll ever get tired of watching videos about Kenshi. i wish the aspect ratio was the right one, but overall that's it
131 - ahah the idea is funny
133 - this one is memorable and it's the kind of video I wish I could see on the big screen and look around to see how people react to it. imo, it's THE video, if you know what I mean. you know what would be awesome? second version but with just old anime
134 - lol what
135 - slowish in some parts and i feel like you used the best scenes all at once, so it made the more powerful part bits of the song a bit still
137 - some flip flap and maybe too much fx. just needs to be polished
141 - oh you totally found an awesome combo here lol. I enjoyed this!
142 - neither the movie or the anime mean anything to me, but this was so great! i liked it a lot! editing was quite cool
143 - a bit like the video of Ouran Host Club, i'm totally biased on this one because I love the anime. i don't dig the beginning, but i like how it manipulated their story to look more like the manga

[Pysh]

There are so many entries... I didn't get to write 'em properly. There are many of 'em I didn't mention below and don't take it the wrong way, it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them or something. I'll be updating the list as I watch remaining ones. And Yea there are some of my favorites to which I didn't reply much but I'll once they release it publicly.

Spoiler :

003
One of the Best Works I've seen to date.

017
Didn't get the meaning... I felt there's overuse of effects making the video quiet messed up.

018
Start was too less on energy. But atleast someone made a satisfying video on the chosen song. I'd say the start and end were quiet low but other than that it was so touching. Great Work!

020
I get the atmosphere You wanted to create and tht's nice but I think You need to work on selection a bit more and too many fades of which many were quiet long, so work on transitions too. Also, following the Lyrics would be a great Advantage.

037
Nice Work with the Fades there and Transitions too. The Second Half was damn good and had a Great Flow. While for the first half I just have one word... Kawaii!

038
Could have been a lot better with coloring. Also, at some places the timing wasn't proper. Anyway, it had a nice atmosphere Keep it up.

042
... WTF is that?
... It get's Interesting
... WTF was that?

So Overall, it's Awesome I'd just choose it for it's Outstanding Concept. I Enjoyed it a lot. Good Work!

046
First it feels like this is gonna be good... & then it suddenly ends!

052
One of my Favorite in Upbeat I just think You should have avoided the lisping scenes there...

054
The feel was really Good... It's a nice amv. Good Work.

061
The Scenes had such a Great Timing. The AMV is Simple but it has such an amazing Scene Selection, Song, Timing and Flow. Actually that makes it's one of 'Simple but Great' AMVs. Great Work!

063
One of the Best in Entries.

065
Good Piece of Art It's the only Artistic Video to this point I've seen in this list.

067
Well Synchronized & Good Flow One of the most enjoyable AMVs in the list.

070
If the Video is following the lyrics then I think I may not get the complete feeling as I've not watched the anime. But it is so rare such AMVs are made and this is the only one in entries to this point I feel like keeping in my Collection. Everything's on Point and it really has a Good Flow Very Nice.

071
That's Good. Nice Work

072
Woow! Parody of one of the Most Unique and Great Series 'Stranger Things' I'm impressed. I didn't expect that You'd imitate the titling too. It's actually one of the best Parody Trailer I've seen to date. So Nicely Made.

077
That's one of the best live action videos in entries

078
Very Well Done

Remaining Ones...

Spoiler :

Favorites

16-084 But too long

16-089

16-110

16-114

16-119

16-137

Good Attempt

16-082

16-085

16-102

16-103

16-128
But Technically Great.

133
One Of the Most Memorable AMVs of all time... actually I'm myself working on something similar to this but You did Great and it is so because of the way You put this. You could have end it on a much better point but tht's o.k. What's important is that You showcased all of the emotions in there, maybe except a few and I think it couldn't have been any better technically. Yea the Intensity of the video was something else too.

[GloryQuestor]

Here are my notes on the Pro contest this year.

- Videos I liked
- Videos I loved

001 - 060

Spoiler :

003 - A nice techincal video, but the flashes and abuse of text is very distracting and makes the video harder to watch.
020 - A solid video that travels through a lot of 21st century animated works. Really like the flow of the video and the presentation of it all.
028 - This is an unfinished video in feeling. I was sucked in at the beginning, but then it just abruptly ends and left me feeling like there should have been a lot more to this one.
037 - Impressive work. The video source fits the music very well here, and the bond between them shines through.
038 - Rough footage and lip flap, although the theme itself was pretty nice.
039 - Aspect Ratio is way off. Action and transitions are off the beats of the song, which makes the video more random and less focused.
042 - Lip flaps sometime synch and sometimes not. Interesting mixing of different sources--not sure if they are all the same source, though, but the other scenes look pretty off.
044 - Abrupt ending and some loose lips, but I really liked the pacing of this one and the scene selection.
045 - It was merely okay, not a bad one but nothing really stood out either.
046 - This is only the beginning of a video, not a complete work. If this were completed beyond this intro, maybe there would be something here to like.
050 - That was a pretty nice look at Madoka Magica. Not the best video I’ve seen based on it, but good. The only negative point is the slow beginning, which feels a bit off.
051 - Solid video, from start to finish, with the right song choice to add that creep factor that is inherent in the video source.
052 - Pretty nice action-oriented ping-pong video. Keeps its pace with the song for the most part.
053 - Action-oriented from start to finish. Nothing really wrong with the video – action was on point, scenes were nice, and it kept itself busy from start to finish.
054 - Another video that feels rushed and unfinished. It was doing well for what it was doing, but decided to chop whole sections of the song for making the video shorter, which really felt weird when watching it. If there was more meat on this bone, I might have bit. As it is, though, it’s rushed out and not very engaging because of it.
060 - So many loose lips that don’t even try to match the song, the titles utilize an unattractive font with a lot of bad colorization effects, and said titles distract from the video itself. Could not even finish watching it, it was that bad to me.

061-090

Spoiler :

062 - Another unfinished video that’s a piece of an introduction to what could have been a bigger video.
063 - Perfect pacing throughout, great focus on the Joker and what his life has wrought, and communicates the torture of Batman having to live through tragedies to his “family” because of it.
064 - The audio is a bit squeeful (although the song is from a Nintendo DS game and probably does not have a completely "clean" copy) and Video Girl Ai is a pretty rough and old source to work with. Still, for what it is, the song seems to fit the character well.
065 - Trippy.
066 - This one is very inconsistent in the use of lip sync – sometimes she sings along, sometimes not. Others flap their lips, but they are not the singer. It’s an interesting concept and the additional characters help give it charm, but the inconsistent lip sync and pacing are really what drag this video down.
067 - A nice harem situational romance. I like it.
070 - A solid drama video, not much else to say.
071 - The music choice for this AMV went along well for a bit, but the video and the lyrics just didn’t match up IMHO. Still, a good video for what it is.
072 - Very professional presentation for a trailer video, which works well with the trailer audio source.
073 - Oh… we were supposed to laugh? Needed more time, better situational comedic moments, and better pacing with the inherent jokes.
077 - Mad Max video with the right pacing and som really great scene selection that focuses mostly on the women than on Max.
078 - Good Magi video, but lacking enough drive to push it into great territory. Just scene after scene with a rather paced song, no surprises, no real fuel to it.
080 - A solid and creepy, but ultimately average video with little that draws the watcher into the creepiness of the anime.
081 - This one made me laugh so hard in places, it was just awesome! Great melding of sources with the music, excellent lip sync and focus, starts slow but easily sneaks in to you.
082 - Solid romance video, not much more to say.
083 - Might have liked it more if I watched Supernatural, but as it is, it flows well enough and keeps with its beat.
084 - Did not really feel this one in comparison to other Ore Monogatari videos that have been making the contest rounds. The pixel effect does nothing to add to the video, and it just does not follow the beat of the song well.
085 - Great trailer parody with some nice text effects and good video sync.
087 - A fun little video that seems to work well with the video source.
088 - Everything that could go wrong in this video did. Technically a lot of after-ghosting, all kinds of lip flap after a talking scene, and the action does not go anywhere near the beats that the song sets. It’s simple plop-down-and-run, which is not very professional. I really wanted to like this, but I just can’t.
089 - Another great trailer, using DieBuster to tie together Star Wars, and the “sneak peek” ending crossover was very fitting.

091-120

Spoiler :

093 - It's a one-trick pony that gets old fast.
101 - That was definitely a fappening. Good parody, nice use of its sources, and a very funny song.
102 - Amusing concept, but not as funny as it really should be. Maybe in front of an audience it would amuse a crowd, just not getting it.
103 - Same exact paring as #87, but this one is focused on more fun with the song choice, and includes more of the text effects from the anime. Tough to decide, as both are good videos.
104 - Funny commercial parody with a great character, excellent melding between the live-action sets and the anime characters, and the ending fits Saitama & Genos.
105 - This could have been an awesome Corpse Party video – if the video didn’t have all that useless distracting lip flap and did something to follow the lyrics and theme of the music at all. As it is, it just plods along and relies on the CP visuals to carry it. Just so very disappointed in whoever made this, they could have done so much to make this work.
108 - I would definitely call this a “professional” video. The technical merits were flawless, every motion had a purpose and followed the beat with great effects to support the creepy (in another way) feeling that gave the original Into The Labyrinth video such good vibes.
109 - Now this invokes the creep factor I was looking for in video #105. It was the right pacing for a horror creepshow and the right song-to-video choice for a vampire anime.
110 - A nice drama video, but somewhat forgettable. There was no real hook to draw the viewer into these characters – they were close friends, one of them suddenly attacks the other, why?
111 - Short but sweet romance video that assumes the viewer has seen Gurren Lagann. To those who have not seen it, it might feel rushed and not giving the characters enough time to build on the romance.
112 - I am a DOS guru, and I only mildly chuckled at this when it started. Still, a good effort for trying something new in this competition.
113 - Another video I really wanted to like, but the spoken parts really interrupt the flow of the video, some spoken parts are never heard (which makes it even more unsettling), and the entire video feels a bit loose around the beat of the music source.
114 - This was a really solid drama video, with a mother and a look back at her life while watching her daughter perform. It’s clear, concise, and stays within the feelings of the mother without deviation.
115 - Another solid drama video focusing on the brothers of Blue Exorcist. A nice song that the video follows through and uses it to convey the differences between the two and their connection. Just brilliant storytelling here.
117 - While some of the lyrics and source make sense, there is just too many instances here where it does not. The pacing is screwed up because of it, and the match just falls flat.
118 - I really like the character selection and the mashup works generally well, but the titles at the end make this feel more like a B-movie than an honest trailer.
119 - Nothing here to draw the viewer into it. It needed to up the game using a very overused source, but it does nothing to do that. It’s a good video, just not one that tries to push beyond other AMVs using this source.
120 - A very cute and relationship-oriented video that could have been better if they chose to either use more lip sync or just drop the lip flaps altogether.

121-150

Spoiler :

121 - This seems like a nice romance video, again troubled by so many technical issues. All kinds of unnecessary lip flap throughout, and the spoken audio (even with subtitles) cannot be heard over the louder music track still playing. This is a great concept and what looks like a good pair to focus on, just wish the technical gaffs did not get in the way of it.
123 - Another romance video once again troubled by technical issues like unnecessary lip flap and bad pacing with the song. This feels more like the creator just plopped a lot of scenes down without doing much work to make it flow properly.
124 - A nice attempt at a retrospective look at Person Of Interest, but it’s way too long to be a trailer-type video and ends rather flatly, without any sort of closure needed for this type of video nor a title sequence that could have given it more of a trailer vibe.
125 - A nice look at Roy Mustang and his choices, but the editing is loose and lazy at times, distracting from the video.
126 - Seems like it could lead to a funny video using Free!, but it just ends abruptly.
127 - Lewd, crude, and has a lot going for it. Nice use of “assets”, good effects work, good song/video mix, overall just a solid video.
128 - Nice use of the footage, syncs well with the song, although I wish it were a bit more focused on a few characters and not moving around schizophrenically to all of the Overwatch characters.
129 - It’s an interesting peek at the Try Guys, but I just do not swing that way. -_-;
130 - Really love this one. A good look into the life of Kenshin and his world, using other sources to reinforce the video beyond its main source use. The pacing and the match with the music is spot-on, and it’s grand storytelling at its best
131 - A fun romantic guy video featuring a lot of gods. Keeps within the scope of the song, although the beginning was confusing and the ending did not take advantage of the song cues.
133 - Yet another video that I would consider a “professional” class video. This could very well be a commercial for any of the big companies, or even the entire fandom. It takes people back to what being a fan is.
134 - Just could not understand this one. If it is supposed to be funny, it missed the mark.
135 - A video with some great thematics and could have been a good drama piece, if only it did not fall flat at the end (with an orphan segment to boot) and not give us enough to understand things – how did he get this monster inside? So, he saves the girl, fade to black…? Just too many questions left unanswered.
137 - Such a schizophrenic video – music overlapped onto English dialogue, then the end has one character going, “It’s going to rain.” … what? All kinds of lip flap issues abound, although the transition effects are nice and there is a good concept here, just executed rather lazily.
141 - Such a good match of movie trailer to anime source, and the effects and pacing really add some value to this.
142 - Using Hellsing as the Suicide Squad is a genius move, although some of the voices tend to float among different characters.
143 - This is really a great video to end the contest on. The flow is perfect, just so spot-on, and the music complements everything being shown well.

[Shin-AMV]

I ended up nitpicking a bit, and the amount I wrote doesn't fully correlate to if I thought the video was good or bad, although I do think I wrote more on videos I thought were above average or better. I hope what I wrote feels constructive when I offer criticism, opinions, or even kinda just stream of conscious analysis. I'd say take it with a grain of salt, but if you're going to get salty about my opinions you probably don't need the extra sodium to begin with.

= I liked it
= made you look, this doesn't mean anything I just wanted to throw it in.
= I think the video is above average and falls into the upper percentile. It ranges from just really solid videos i think could use a shoutout, to videos basically knocking on the door of the top 10%.
= This video is in the top 10% of videos this year. Only 7 videos can get this tag since there are only about 72 or 73 vids left after DQs I rounded down to 7, I ended up only choosing 5 since there were a lot of close contenders to really call it so you gotta look to the cupcakes a little bit.


003 – This video was pretty cool. It took me awhile to be sold on the grain, but after awhile it seemed like it helped the overall style and aesthetic. I generally like the things it was doing, but some of the scenes that was just text, black background, and a character lipsyncing could have felt better, sometimes they seemed liked bored hookers just going through the motions of lip sync. Family guy joke, while I did laugh, felt kinda tacked on and removed me from the aesthetic the video had built up. Fun vid overall.

020 - I really liked that you kept pretty strict to 3D animation and didn't mix in any 2D stuff. It kept it tight and cohesive in that regards. I think the pacing could have been upped a bit, a lot of scenes kinda linger around for too long, and while you get this clever lyric sync element going on it kind of insists upon itself to the point where its like a "I get it" moment and probably should have intermingled more scenes from a variety of the sources for each particular line to really interplay with a lot more and not just one scene for each line.

028 – The pairing of the source and the song is pretty amusing, but the entire video just seems to rely on that for the entirety and doesn't really grow from there. I did appreciate some of the subtle sync elements, but sometimes it felt too subtle and there wasn't enough of it.

037 – This was pretty solid, you hit the majority of notes and tones you need to give impact for the most part, but there were a few that seemed liked missed opportunities to really go for that home run, but I think thats largely due more or less to what the source is providing you work with. The end felt drab to me for some reason and I think its because it ends with a fade to black when a fade to white would leave things feeling more cohesive, bright, and not gray. Could make the case for getting the wizard.

038 – Its nice to see a Naruto video that’s not just shounen action, but a lot of the visual quality is pretty degraded because of upscaling.

039 – I think the song and show combine nicely, but it seemed like there was something off about the aspect ratio. The beginning and middle felt a lot stronger then the end. The end seemed to drift off a bit and missed hitting a lot of sync and flowing with the lyrics.

042 – I dug this. It was funny and amusing. The only issue I had was the masks weren't clean and you could see the rough edges. Some of the lip sync wasn't as tight as it could be, but you did have moments where it seemed pretty spot on. Regardless, I still found a lot of enjoyment from this video. Probably a strong contender in comedy. Would have probably gotten an easy wizard if the masks were clean and the areas with loose sync were more spot on.

044 – For the most part it was a pretty smooth action. About half of the effects seemed to work, while the other half felt tacked on and would have felt better if they were left out. A few refinements and it would have bumped this video up easily and really drive it all the way home.

045 – Code Geass seems like a good pairing in general, but I dunno if I'm sold on the characters used and cast in their respective roles. The lip sync could have been a lot tighter in areas.

046 – Never Forget. God Bless Harambe.

050 - This pairing seems like a great idea, but it didn't quite get there in its execution. Scenes linger for too long, and lots of scenes are fairly static without much going on which made it feel under-paced. I liked that it was relatively focused on madoka and homura though.

051 – Similar issues to 50. This one feels a little more refined in some areas, but still could use work on more aggressive cuts and pushing up the pacing and impact.

052 – Good editing for the most part. It starts really strong but has this drop off somewhere in the middle, but it did a good job of picking it back home and finished pretty strong. Overall good sync, fun video. I can see an argument made for the wizard here.

053 – The first 18 seconds built up pretty strong, but it didn't really hit it as hard as it should have when the song really kicks in. You have some strong sync every now and then, but they're kinda spaced out in between moments that felt undersynced that really prevented the video from taking off.

054 – Had some solid sync and impact. Ending felt kinda abrupt.

060 – Animation felt stuttery and staggered a lot. Some basic elements needed to be cleaned up just to fix up issues with regards to visual quality.

062 – Domo Arigatou. You told the joke and knew not to overstay the welcome.

063 – Liked the focus on the relationship between batman and the joker. May have gotten muddled with the other characters showing up for too long when you just needed to introduce them to show how those characters from the bat family affect said relationship between bats and the joker. That wasn't a huge issue though, but it was still strongest when its really highlighting and pushing those 2 as opposing forces and how they kind of have a strange symbiotic relationship and that the nature of their existence and fate are intertwined. Good mood overall.

064 – I just couldn't connect with the video. I mean I'm old, but I'm not old enough to relate to these two sources. I realize that this might probably be the best audio quality for the audio source out there, but it was just a huge hurdle to get over.

065 – This video is basically bae for 420. It spoke directly to the inner depths of my psyche somehow. One of my personal favorites. Visuals complimented the audio and vice versa. Really close to getting a wizard.

066 – I liked the little dango guys, but the other technicals elements weren't really implemented well and stood out really crazy. Although I think it was the point to make them like that to kinda highlight how silly things get, but it kinda lost its charm as the video went on.

067 – Some of the camera stuff felt a little awkward. It opens showing the Harem, but then spends too much time on the snake girl that when the harem showed up again I was like 'oh yeah, that’s a thing' So I think it needed to be more careful with regards to the screentime of the different monster girls to not defocus from the big picture of the harem. Fun scene selection at times. I liked that you used masks to either do the lip sync or remove lip flap, but a few times the edges showed on them.

070 – I like the tone. Consistent pacing is a plus. While I feel the scene selection was good for the most part, especially for the internal and lyric sync elements, there were a few moments where the scene selection missed and felt kinda out of place. It had some strong poignant moments that really highlighted and emphasized the overall mood very well.

071 – When I went into this video I was expecting a kind of average video game type thing, but I actually rather enjoyed this. Good cuts and pacing. It does a good job of utilizing the song in establishing this nostalgic atmosphere of adventuring as Link but in a very particular way of celebrating Windwaker and what made Windwaker special as a Zelda game. I'm not entirely sure how difficult it is to get footage in general, but it seemed like the quality could have been a tad better, but I think once people get invested into the video that’s not much of hindrance or issue. Overall I liked what it tried to do and the identity it established for itself.

072 – This was a really well done trailer. Hit the audio cues really nicely. Although I didn't like how two characters end up voicing the same guy from the trailer. Overall it'll be real competitive in a Trailer category.

073 – Its a lot of shounen sources trying to be funny amvhell/anime crack style but it all felt flat and not all that funny. Sorry :/

077 – Something about this video feels really good to me. The pacing, cuts, and flow of the video are all done with meaning and purpose. It felt really clean and the editor had a strong control of the sources and paired them together really well. I really enjoyed it. One of my favorites. I can see others just feeling kind of luke warm on this video, but to me a lot of the scenes show a lot of smart editing decisions and sound judgment that I just can't help but to appreciate and take note.

078 – Can feel the editor likes this anime and I appreciate that. Has some pretty good flow, sync, and pacing. Towards the end the scenes didn't feel as strong as the beginning but it still worked. Overall a strong action video.

079 – It was funny. Good combination. Manly.

080 – The tone and atmosphere are strong. I like how strong it starts with both the audio and visuals. The video basically knew what it wanted to be from the start and it asserted itself. The quick zooms in could have been adjusted though, they felt a little awkward or abrupt.

081 – I was amused. The lip sync could be cleaned up. The extra visual gags I enjoyed.

082 – I think it would have been better to focus on the relationship without whatever it was that was going on for no reason. I understand the basic premise of the show, but I don't know what was going on, just like random action with crazy eyed people or something? I guess those things might make sense in the context of the whole show but it felt really disjointed with those random segments that didn't seem to relate to anything and kinda lost a core concept to ground everything. Pacing and beat sync felt good at most parts though.

083 – Good cuts and pacing. I really like the cutting back and forth of clips of the characters at the end. Feels like the editor really loves this source and just wants to celebrate the series and share that love to everyone. I feel like fans of the source will really get a lot out of this video, probably a little moreso than non fans.

084 – Fun and Enjoyable. The sync was pretty solid with some really spot on, and others being passable enough. I like the implementation of the pixels, but think the masks could have been sharper and less feathered. The end kinda strayed away from what the rest of the video set up for a kind of cheap gag though, I kinda feel mixed about it cause while its funny it is a little disjointed from the whole. Still Probably best romance. Pretty close to getting a wizard.

085 – Solid trailer. Character mismatch with the Ancient One I think, but overall scene selection was pretty good and audio matched really well.

087 – Solid fun character profile. Has strong sync and fun pacing. Pretty enjoyable. I'm back and forth on giving it a cupcake.

088 – Good pairing but is really underpaced and slow visually. Needs more aggressive cutting and syncing to keep it compelling.

089 – Some of the scene selection felt reaaaallly good. Like the Robot extending his hand downward to the girl with the dialogue. Stuff like that felt really good. There were some moments where the sounds could have been synced or matched better but overall another solid trailer to compete in a trailer category.

093 - Sure

101 – Someone likes their Hentai from 2013 and 2014.

102 – It was cute, fun, and relatively simple. Didn't really like the use of text and the crossfades would have been a lot better as cuts. I think it accomplishes what it wants to accomplish but it felt a little long. Also, now I'm hungry.

103 – Good sync and pacing for the most part. Solid character profile. Lip flap/Lip sync elements could be cleaned up in a few places. Overall fun though. Debated on this one as well whether it should get the cupcake or not.

104 – Was funny for the most part. Some of the expressions felt a little off but I appreciate the plop of the cow patty. 50/50 on how much the audio is doing the work vs you complimenting it with visuals and stuff. Felt like it tried to do some things to be more than just funny audio paired with any anime at times, and others just felt like the audio was doing the work and you could have any scene with a character as long as their lips where moving. Regardless, will probably be a contender in the comedy category.

105 – It was kinda long and underpaced. I noticed some lyric sync every now and then.

108 – When I saw the title and song I was hoping it was a parody and was happy that it was. Its Meta as fuck and I love that. Also 60fps boob bouncing is hard not to enjoy. Although in parody form it kinda takes any of the issues I had with the original and amplifies it up by a lot and the whole concept kinda wore off for me about halfway through. My initial reaction to the vid would give it the thumbsup, but kinda wavers back and forth when I take everything into consideration. Feel like it deserves the cupcake at least.

109 – It was hard for me to get into it. I appreciated the interplay of internal, beat, and lyric sync in the video.

110 – I like this video, I think the beggining is great and really builds up nicely. I kinda wanted it to go into a different direction then it did though, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Some subtle panning or zooming would help the static scenes a lot though. After more reflection I have decided to give it a cupcake

111 – Audio cut was a little distracting. I think the pairing works at some points.

112 – ping 162.252.205.157 -t

113 – I don't like the subtitles and added audio over the music. I like how the video is shipping these two. Crossfades and overlay elements felt off. Felt a little rushed at the end. Some moments felt really good, but it felt like overall it needed more polish and probably needs some more scenes to seal the deal so hopefully the last few episodes can give you something to come back and clean this up a bit more. It struck my inner weeb for shipping these two, but needs more polish.

114 – Good mix of beat sync and internal sync to create good pacing. Good atmosphere. I think its hard to portray what extreme anxiety can do to people so a few people who don't understand that might miss what the video is trying to portray, I think people who do understand it will latch onto the message and themes. Overall really strong storytelling and close to wizardly.

115 – I thought it was pretty good for the most part. Sometimes the pacing and sync go under for a bit, but usually comes back up to about where it should be. The static shots could have used some subtle panning and zooming.

117 – This video felt alright. I like the use of older sources, but it feels like it played it a little too safe editing wise. While it gave it consistency in its pacing and felt really clean, it had trouble being really interesting and didn't have as strong an impact it could have had.

118 – Lip sync needed to be tighter. Felt a little loose on the audio syncing.

119 – Really strong sync. Good pacing and it follows the rise and the fall of the lyrics and feels really clean and complete. The ramped scenes and action segment were pretty swag too. One of my favorites and probably a strong contender overall I think. I guess one could argue that Madoka is overused, but this didn't feel like generic madoka and to knock it down just because of source choice overlooks the editing a little too much I think.

120 – I liked how it used soul eater differently. Lip sync was really loose though and I dunno how I feel about the cartooner effect. It kinda felt out of place the first time it showed, but felt more ok by the 2nd time it shows up. Was a cute vid.

121 – I got confused. At first it was building to be a ship between these two and then it just was like no. I feel like the narrative got a little lost to present the concept it wanted attempt.

123 – Too many scenes were really static, I appreciate what it was trying to do, but I dunno if the scenes were available to do what you really wanted to portray.

124 – Editing wise it does some good things, but it feels really long and it wasn't keeping me compelled and engaged in it. I think this might be more appreciated by fans of the series since I gave up on the show somewhere in season 2.

125 – I didn't like the mixing of the old source and new source because there was a quality mismatch. I like how it seemed you were attempting something new effect wise but think it could have been a little more refined. I like the focus on Mustang and those around him and appreciated the lyric sync.

126 – It did what it needed to do. No Complaints here.

127 – I found this pretty hilarious and enjoyable. I think the 'aye aye aye' lip sync was a bit awkward looking, but the rest of the sync was pretty amusing. Fun sync and solid upbeat/action/comedy or whatever genre it is. Nice cry for help in the toilet at the end.

128 – I liked this, but I wanted more scenes that showed the plight or what they all were fighting against rather then just feeling like action shots with dramatic music. For what you had to work with tho it turned out pretty strong still.

129 – I don't even know how to approach this video. It feels like the landing page video on a youtube channel. I think it works, a fun edit, but I have no idea who these guys are and why I should care that they're acting like hipster nerds. Kinda feel it deserves a cupcake, but at the same time I just dunno. Oh well, might as well I guess. This video is fun, just like awkward to jump into and appreciate I think.

130 – /2 I think the editor knew what they were doing with regards to the pacing and flow for this video, but its a shame that there are some aspect ratio issues. I thought it took command of timing and did some pretty fantastic cuts that the zooms weren't entirely needed. It hit the major notes pretty hard sync wise and added to the drama. It wasn't just a random action Kenshin video and felt more like an artsy mood piece. I think if it had fixed up the technical issues it would have been higher up on the ladder. I want to give it a cupcake, but the AR is kinda holding me back a bit so it gets half a cupcake for now.

131 – I get the idea its doing, but it feels kinda lackluster or underpaced. I have mixed feelings on the editor shoutout stuff that showed up in the middle. I think I generally got the inside jokes there, but it kinda just felt thrown in and kinda distracting from what the video had built up as its identity. Maybe if you just threw in a lot of stuff like that everywhere it might have given it the extra boost to its identity and upped the silliness.

133 – This is really clean in terms of editing. The flow and transitions are pretty slick. I'm 50/50 on whether it should have done more with the live action, it might have just needed a few more sprinkled in to reinforce that idea of weebs being weebs reacting to or watching anime or whatever it is that weebs do. Although some of the 'weebs' didn't really look the part, or maybe the video is trying to suggest that weebs come in all shapes, colors, and photogenicness? I enjoyed it overall and embrace the weebiness. Most likely a contender for at least technical.

134 – I can't wait for the third one for the shocking conclusion.

135 – It seems like towards the end it got rushed and suddenly shifts to focus on a particular moment on the train with the girl. I think it had a good idea, but needed more scenes to really show the inner torment of the characters dealing with being a monster and to help the thematic narrative. Sources seem to match well.

137 – A lot of effects were unneccessary and felt just thrown in. The mixed in dialogue and sound effects felt awkward. This video attempts to do a lot of things but I think it needs to take a step back and reevaluate when and why its using effects. I'm not a minimalist, but I think if you're going to be adding effects you need to make them feel natural to both the sources and establish flow, pacing, and style and work from there. Right now it feels a little chaotic.

141 – This is a good example of finding a great conceptual match between a show and a trailer. That being said I think some of the lip sync could be tighter, and some of the sounds synced or matched better. The chainsaw/motorcyle sound or whatever it was felt really off with just some sword swinging. Pretty close to a cupcake, but I think certain parts need to be smoothed out. Still this is equally competitive with all the trailers so far.

142 – The technical aspects look really slick. The pairing works, but something about it to me felt like it lost some of the idea of what makes Suicide Squad interesting, a cast of characters not normally together. Whoever edited this I think has the talent to put together multiple anime together and look really clean and I think that would retain the Suicide Squad charm. Regardless for what it did, it was pretty clean and I think the audio matching felt approriate for the most part. This video I think just adds to Trailer being a competitive category.

143 – Pretty solid video. I was going into the video with kind of a bias, but the video sold me on what its identity was and what it was trying to do and I rather enjoyed it. I think some of the technical stuff in the beginning could be smoothed out. Well used motifs to tie things together. I can see a case made for giving it a wizard.