A great Introduction
Do not take it given that I hand out highest ratings, this is totally deserved.
Let us begin with the graphics. I think this usage of flash animation is top notch. The whole setting is drawn with much love to the detail, every creature, plant and part of the landscape. Of course there always is room to improve, so I am not going to call a thing perfect, but when someone told me he/she wanted to improve this submission, I would doubt I would notice the difference without forcing myself to scan every pixel. The shadowing, colors and perspectives all fit together. The bright colors support the flowing action and the music, which is my next point.
There is no use of speech in this movie, the music carries the story aswell as a foreshadowing of the future you can guess from the second episode. An overview of "The Story of Khale" can be watched in the trailer submission.
The soundtrack is quite soft and therefore supports the atmossphere. The vocals however are about begin, end and rebirth and what matters in life. I am sure during the series I will keep this first episode in mind and I think it would be good if you watched this episode after the end of "The Story of Khale". I am sure it will make everything very round and immerged fans of the series will be crying in nostalgia and opposites.
The atmossphere developing is one of the strongest you can see on Newgrounds. It begins with a dark spot turning into a sun reflexion which already carries a lot of the meaning. You can feel Khale's emotions very clearly through the style of art and the music. He lives in a fantastic world with freedom, he is happy. This becomes very clear and not only because of various smiles.
We learn a lot about the world and its main character together without a speaker. We feel the information flowing over sound and graphics and that is a wonderful thing. "A picture can say more than a thousand words", well then this animation is worth a book.
If this project is keeping its high quality standart and its lovely character and universe design aswell as the messages, I am sure this will be a great success for the author. Let us hope all 42 episodes will stay outstanding and be worth to be rewatched again and again and only if you want to play with your own imagination with your eyes closed and listening to the music.
I think this submission has already surpassed the Brackenwood stories in its flow. Maybe this is just because my taste differs a bit, but I strongly prefer Khale. The meanings and feelings flowing through the screen are far more living, but by that I don't want to insult Brackenwood or its fans. Brackenwood sure is a great thing, but still I can better feel with the story here. It is almost asif I would run through the woods and breath the air of freedom, playing with the skies and be happy to exist on this day.