My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

[Spark Of Spirit]

Inevitable topic.

Since this show is absolutely exploding right now, I just have to point out why it is so many people are enjoying a show from the MLP franchise. And here it is:


1. The people behind the show

Yes, Lauren Faust is pretty much heading up the whole show, designed the characters and so on, but the rest of the staff has worked on many other shows (one even has credits on season 1 of South Park, IIRC) in the cartoon world and their experience shines through here. Every aspect of the show is polished to a shine, making it just a joy to watch.


2. It's fun, dammit!

Seriously fun. The characters were all given stock tropes as personalities but within mere episodes had already transcended them into fun characters, and not just them, the side characters and plots are all well established within mere episodes as well. But of course none of that wouldn't matter if the writing wasn't as strong as it is here, not to mention the clever animation and direction that knows exactly what works. The show is just fun to watch.


3. How about th-OH ENOUGH OF THIS, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE CONVINCING YOU THAT IT'S GOOD!

Watch an episode or two! Unless you have some kind of a weird bias against the color pink or ponies, then this shouldn't even be a freaking discussion. Go watch it and bring back some impressions, and don't just shrug it off because of the title!


Now, who else is ready to discus this?

[Angus]

Is it appropriate for little kids, or is this an adult show spoofing?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Is it appropriate for little kids, or is this an adult show spoofing?

Yep, it's perfect for kids. There's nothing objectional here whatsoever.

It just happens to appeal to all ages very well.

[Daxdiv]

Is it appropriate for little kids, or is this an adult show spoofing?

It's rated TV-Y with an E/I image appearing on the corner of every broadcast, has a moral that the main characters learned through the episode, which mostly are about social skills, it airs on a network that likes to promote kids and families bonding together, and it airs around the same time that Nick Jr is still on. With that said, I think it's safe to say that this is pretty much a kid's series. But it does have a very high adult fan base attached to it. Besides, I highly doubt that Hasbro would approve of something like that.


To help Desensitized get this topic rolling, let's talk favorite ponies/characters. Right now my favorites are Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy has been growing on me recently. Episodes like Staremaster and Green Isn't Your Color are great episodes that show case what Fluttershy is capable of doing in any given episode. As for Pinkie Pie, everything she does make me laugh. From things like popping out of nowhere in Green Isn't Your Color to the Sharing song in the recent episode with the Buffalo tribe, she always makes me laugh. It also helps that she is pretty cartoony for a pony, considering that she has had her moments where she sort of acknowledges that she is a character on a cartoon show. As for Rarity, what I like about her is how despite having the attitude of most fashion designers, she really subverts that with being good pals with the main cast and using her talents to her advantage, aka the Dog and Pony Show episode. That and she is one giant ham.

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

I watched 3 episodes, and wished I hadn't eaten my pizza at the same time.

[Angus]

Nice. Haven't seen a kids cartoon in that range with such addictive appeal since Wonder Pets, and Peep and the Big Wide World.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I think A Dog & Pony Show was the best episode so far. It made Rarity from the classic fashion obsessed character into probably the funniest character on the show. Well, that and the episode where she turned into a crazy cat lady. She probably has the funniest dialogue of any character. And then there's Pinkie Pie... What do you say about Pinkie? She breaks into song at the drop of a hat, she always seems to be just out of the loop, she's always ready to have fun and throw a party, and she frequently carries the weirdest plots.

All the characters are really good, though.

Part of the appeal is that they never talk down to the audience, aren't afraid to throw in a joke anywhere ("You gotta caaaaaare, you gotta shaaaaaare") out of nowhere, but they do it in a universal way that works for all audiences.

[Avaitor]

I finally sat down to watch the first 3 episodes, and my overall thoughts are this:

So this is what the internet has been raving about for months now? I... don't get it. Really.

[Daxdiv]

To me, the first 2 episodes are cock teases due to how I was expecting something like a magic girl show from them. Then they became more episodic due to how Hasbro wanted the series to be more accessible to their audience and for anyone else to jump in. Personally, I would recommend Griffon the Brush-Off, A Dog and Pony Show, Bridle Gossip, and Swarm of the Century.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I finally sat down to watch the first 3 episodes, and my overall thoughts are this:

So this is what the internet has been raving about for months now? I... don't get it. Really.

Keep watching. Seriously. The first 3 episodes are just set up episodes, they aren't as good as what comes later. Watch the episodes Dax mentioned.

[Avaitor]

I'm on episode 7 now, and passed through one of the eps Dax mentioned. I can see some appeal here, but I still don't get it.

I haven't laughed once, and none of the characters have wowed me so far.

There's an article in here, which is why I'm watching so much of it, and why I'm not delving much on what I like and don't like about the show. But yeah, so far, not really feeling it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Well, maybe it just isn't for you. All I know is that by Griffon The Brush Off I was really into it.

[Avaitor]

To me, it still feels like a show for little girls. I'm sure it's great for its demographic, but I'm not understanding the fascination people in my age group have with it.

I don't think I'm going to get into it, but I'll admit that it's loads better than Panty & Stocking. I wasn't disgusted by the show after it's first episode to the point where I the thought of watching any more physically hurts me.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Well, that is the main demographic after all. I appreciate the amount of effort and quality packed into the series, but the first few episodes definitely seem a bit smaller in scope compared to later. As they went along they opened it up more and made the humor more universal, rarely does the humor revolve around "girly" ideas but I could see one finding it too "kiddy" for their tastes.

Still, if you're looking to get an article out of it, at least watch all of them. I do think it gets better as it goes and the characters get more comfortable in the universe.

[Avaitor]

Eh, I feel like there's some better things I can do in between living my life, like listen to more music, catch up on Level E, or start Macross, but I might as well finish the season. I do find good here, but I'm just not feeling it.

I do see why you guys like Pinkie Pie, though. Looking through the show's threads, Huntsy seems to be a typical killjoy by skipping her songs. Those are usually the best part, too.