Score: 10

"Talk about original"

submission: Underneath

date: April 14, 2008

I was really tickled to death at this flash; what an innovative idea!
The musical selection was choice and it matched the action very well.
I am not a flash movie producer myself (mainly because my six year old looks at my doodles and says, "what's that supposed to be?"), so I honestly don't have a working knowledge of how making these movies goes. Still, I do know that getting a mouse to do anything precisely is a tricky process, so I am amazed that you were able to draw something so impressive with one.
Honestly, it was really great and I am excited to see another submission from you. Thanks!

Score: 5

"I assume you are pro-life"

submission: Birds n' Bees

date: April 13, 2008

Okay... my fault for clicking on it, so I am not going to go into a whole rant about my personal beliefs on the subject.
All I am going to suggest is that you put either in the Author Comments or in the synopsis that it is about abortion. In the synopsis, it said it was about birth control, which is a far cry from wire hangers, okay? The fact of the matter is that abortion is a touchy subject, and though you have every right to express your thoughts on the matter, it's only fair to let people know that is what you are going to do so that they have the option of whether or not to listen to you.
So, please ass a note to the Author Comments about it. Thank you.

Score: 10

"A Beautiful Work of Art"

submission: Jinas 1: A New Friend

date: April 10, 2008

It's incredible to see how much love, time and effort was put into this flash! I am so glad you recommended it to me.
There's so much I want to say. Okay, I'll start with the basics.
First off, your mastery of movement has greatly improved. Believe it or not, I actually double checked to make sure you were the same person who did "Alive", because it was just so different. Everything had a great flow; I am so impressed.
Secondly, I have to say how beautiful your backgrounds were. I just seem to be ga-ga for your artistry. They reminded me of these gorgeous pastoral paintings my grandma has in her home, so I felt instantly engaged and warm. No surprise that you've wowed me again here. :)
Music was perfect because it followed the flow very well. I loved the banjo tune towards the end. I always think of it as "travelling music". Also, the voice acting was awesome. Each character had a distinct voice, way of speaking, and tone. These never varried from scene to scene, which is so hard to find in most flashes.
And now for the thing I really wanted to talk about: the story. What a beautiful, charming story. To my vast surprise, I actually found myself caring about the characters! Normally in a flash movie you don't get to know the characters well enough to grow to care about them, at least not in the first episode. But, as I watched the eel peak around the bend just as Emy was being rescued, I actually felt my eyes widen and my breath catch. You actually got a physical response out of me: go out and celebrate! :)
They say the greatest compliment an artist can recieve is when an onlooker is rendered speechless, and though I think I'd have to be dead in order for that to happen, you came close. I could sense just by watching that you really care about this work, and though the inspiration comes and goes, you've really put a lot of soul into it. It's beautiful and I can't wait to see more of it. Thank you for sharing it.

Score: 10

"Hee hee hee"

submission: Chatty Katty

date: April 4, 2008

First off, that was really hillarious! I just finished watching my friends two ADHD-riddled children for the weekend, and I swear that movie sumed it up perfectly. :) Just too damn funny!
The voice acting was perfect, expressive with tons of inflection. I loved the "Bacon Nation" part!
My only complaint was that the volume jumped SO much. When he first started screaming about "Bacon Nation" I actually yelped in fright. Might want to tone it down a notch.
Otherwise, awesome-ness! :)

Score: 5

"Irritating"

submission: Mysteryville

date: April 4, 2008

I am sorry to have to rate the game so low, but there are quite a few things that need to be addressed, especially if you want people to buy it.
1. The screen was much too small. I found it near impossible to see any details and when the witch asked me to find the dice, I nearly screamed because they were just too small to see. The pretty graphics were lost on such a small screen... mainly because the detailing hid everything you were looking for.
2. Each task ("find the wine bottles", "find my cards") was exactly like the others, and this made it borning after a while. I'd suggest doing something more riddle based, like " eight legged creepy crawly" = spider, or something. Some variance would make you really get into it.
3. I would have liked to see some sort of animation from either the characters or the background. It would have been fun if every once in a while you scrolled over a book and the pages fluttered. Or if you passed over the crystal ball and a card appeared out of the mist.
4. The music did get repetitious after a while.
There is some great potential here, but there does need to be some more work put in. Keep trying and I am sure it'll be great!

Score: 8

"Great style"

submission: Orange Rhymes

date: April 4, 2008

I like your new style; it's different and different is fun. I liked that you didn't use any black outlines, mainly because everyone does and it's refreshing to see something new.
And though this is going to sound goofey, I really liked your credits. The music was perfect and I loved how the graphics just seemed to explode.
Still, I wish it was longer.

Score: 10

"Wonderful"

submission: Fairy Sorrow

date: April 2, 2008

The thing that first hit me was the music selection. It's very rare that I see a submission where the music choice and flow fits so perfectly with the flash. I could tell that you really paid attention to it and I wanted to applaud you for it.
Plot-wise, I wouldn't say that it represented karma to me. It actually reminded me of a a manga that I love, "Pet Shop of Horrors". Count D talks about how the ancient Japanese believe there were people living on the moon, divine peoples, but that when we landed on the moon we killed them. Not literaly, but we proved they do not exist, thereby killing them.
Seriously, if an angel came down to Earth it'd be on the operating table by sundown.
There is only one suggestion I have as far as the art is concerned. I wanted to see a harsher difference between the fairy's world and the modern world graphically. I noticed there were some style differences, but I would have liked a real smack in the face difference.
Thanks so much for a beautiful flash!

Score: 10

"Great submission"

submission: Autumn Tree

date: April 2, 2008

Wow, you guys really put in the time to investigate these things. That really impressed me. While I was watching the beginning part about how the two boys met and the way they were filming one another, all I could think of was how many times you must have had to watch those real home movies and how hard that must have been. The details really made it powerful.
Now, i don't know whether or not this was intentional, but I watch a lot of your guys' stuff and usually your art is sharper and cleaner, whereas this flash had more of a careless, scribbled look. I felt that it added a lot to the story, honestly, so please don't take that as a cut. I think it showed everything more from the boys' point of view, as if it all was fun and not a big deal at all.
I sis have one problem, though. I wanted to watch the flash before I read the author's comments, but when I went back to read them the flash wouldn't let me. It kept skipping right to the movie. Just wanted to let you know. If you could fix that, it' be great because I would really like to read those comments.

Score: 9

"Beautiful"

submission: Alive

date: April 2, 2008

The thing that struck me most about this flash was how each location had a different style, color palette, and texture. For instance, in the shots where the kids were playing Spiderman vs Darth Vader, the background looked as if it was a child's crayon drawing. Then the cityscapes were linear and scratchy, making them look gritty and corrupt. I really like this detailing and I think it made the flash more rich and interesting.
The choice of music worked very well. I liked that it was ambivalent to what was happening in the animation, as if the narrator was a mere observer that took no sides and made no judgments. I think that was what you were trying to get across with this was that everyone does the best they know how to, and I think the music really carried that message.
The only suggestion I would have would be that the movement wasn't smooth. It seemed that a lot of the characters had limited movement, and that made them seem more like paper dolls.
Otherwise, a great flash! Thanks!

Score: 10

"Another excellent submission"

submission: Valhalla Knights 2

date: April 2, 2008

First off, I wanted to say that your command of light and shadows is amazing. I especially liked the part where the character that looks like an undead king breaks out of the theif's necklace. His face is all in shadow, near featureless, but then you see the whites of his eyes and the cruel outline of his teeth. That is a great shot and you do it incredibly well. Also, the use of highlight and shadow on the girl made her seem so glossy, newly born, and not of the world that Ken is living in. It's the attention to details that make this series so special.
Your movement has become much smoother I thought. I wanted to tell you how much I loved the way the bad guys seemed to zip from 0 to 60 in a heart beat; it made them all the more otherworldly and frightening. And the glow of the monster's ribs when the girl zaps him was very well done.
Truly, this is one of the best series on Newgrounds right now. Please, keep it up! And for heaven sakes, don't make them shorter! I am already groaning when they are over. I would rather patiently await a long segment than get shorties. :)