Hey, just wanted to drop in and say this is a great thread and very instructive - great work guys!
I think one last thing that could maybe be done with the bow animation is to shift his shadow back slightly as he moves back his point of balance and twists his torso.
In the idle animation I feel like everything is moving at cross purposes just for the sake of movement. You need to do a little research (real fighters or other sprites) to figure out that motion you actually want to convey.