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There is no question that the folks behind the martial arts and parkour choreography know their stuff. The question is, can Team2X and crew take this series and continue to raise the bar? Queue Ultimate Fan Fights 6, a non-stop explosion of effects that dazzle and confuse even the most attentive viewer.

Past episodes blend in muted and playful visual effects. Most of the time, these effects work as turning points in each battle. Taking this approach controls the pace, builds suspense and aims to wow audiences. In UFF 6 we see Sasuke and Ichigo face off in an anime power struggle. Before you get oriented with the characters and surroundings the two are trade explosive blows and sword swings. They dash around, fly, sprint, disappear, shoot fire and piss lightning…okay maybe not that last part, but you get the point.

The VFX components are pretty sweet and they work, the problem is that it slows down the action that we’ve come to love, after all, this is supposed to be a “fan fight”. Sadly, this episode feels like a Michael Bay movie, but less cool. A lot of things happen and blow up but neither fighter seems phased by the brutal combat. Most distracting, is the weak background, a trait shared by UFF 3. Close ups work okay, but when the camera is brought back you can make out harsh edges, green glow and more from a green screen.

My last point, is that the fighters don’t appear motivated or into their characters. In UFF 1 and 2 you could tell that the combatants were embracing their roles and putting everything they had into the shoot. I’m not saying that the UFF 6 fighters didn’t care, but they certainly seem less passionate.

Overall, Team2X is struggling to find a consistent style that works. Embracing new challenges and ideas is never a bad thing, but as they say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Bring back the choreography, real backgrounds and direct your actors to carry the same passion as their characters. It’s worth a watch, but in a week it’ll fade from your memory and worse, you won’t forget how long you waited between episodes.

You can watch Ultimate Fan Fights 6 here or down below.

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