My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Any bronies in C3? I think that it does air in the UK. The first episode of Season 2 premiered this past Saturday -- it was better than I could've hoped.

Right, due to the nature of the show, I need to get this out of the way: chances are that most of you have never seen FiM... and don't plan on it. Consider this you chance to learn about a fantastic series written by Lauren Faust! She also created the PowerPuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. You should know that Friendship is Magic has little to do with previous generations of My Little Pony, and that Faust has taken the series and transformed it into something that is enjoyed by many thousands of adult males enjoy. Honestly.

I was very skeptical in the beginning, but just trust me that it is a brilliant show with fantastic writing and awesome voice acting.

You can learn more about the Brony phenomonon at Know Your Meme.

There are large pony communities at Reddit, PonyChan, and Equestria Daily.

Or just dive right in and watch an episode! (I recommend watching in HD).

My favorite episode, 1x25 "Party of One":

The episode that people usually recommend to start with 1x07 "Dragonshy":

Streaming/download links for every episode: http://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/ikor6/my_little_episode_guide_online_streaming_and/

And check out some of the amazing fan work that bronies have created:

Please, no "are you serious ponies are for girls" replies. At the very least, watch the episode I posted before making judgements!



( Edited 22.09.2011 06:03 by keith )

Moved in General discussion.

Sorry but had to stop watching that episode after one minute, because I was afraid that my brain would be sucked into a black hole or something.

N.B.: I feel the same way about Spongebob for example... it's not directed specifically towards this because because it's got cute little cartooney ponies in it.

( Edited 20.09.2011 13:02 by Kafei2006 )

I loved it!!

lol it ain't bad, I watched that episode you posted. I felt kinda weird watching it though, felt like I shouldn't be watching this. XP At least I know why I see so many Pony pictures in forums now. XD

You posted Pinkie keen as the first episode to watch? I'm not sure thats the best one to try and get people into the show. It starts off waaay too girly. you should put up Dragonshy or something

Sorry but had to stop watching that episode after one minute, because I was afraid that my brain would be sucked into a black hole or something.

If you're willing to give it another chance (and come on, they're only 20 minutes long), why not check out 1x07 Dragonshy, as JohnM suggests? Its initial minute is more dramatic and less candy-flavored.

And it's really not much like Spongebob. It's a lot more plot and character focused, whereas Spongebob is more about general inanity. Yes, a show about ponies is more "serious" than Spongebob (though that admittedly doesn't say much).

1x07 Dragonshy:

lol it ain't bad, I watched that episode you posted. I felt kinda weird watching it though, felt like I shouldn't be watching this. XP At least I know why I see so many Pony pictures in forums now. XD

Haha! The feeling eventually passes. It's okay to keep it a secret from your friends and family. Just remember that we've been trained to associate "girly" things with "crappy". The creator, Lauren Faust, talks about challenging this perception in her interview: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/exclusive-season-1-retrospective.html

Now go watch the remining episodes!

You posted Pinkie keen as the first episode to watch? I'm not sure thats the best one to try and get people into the show. It starts off waaay too girly. you should put up Dragonshy or something

I never thought of the intro as girly -- I've always thought that Pinkie's song was hilarious! But I can see how it could be perceived that way. Everyone always suggests starting out with Dragonshy, but if I'm honest, it's not my favorite episode. But I've posted it on your recommendation.

I liked it. Now go and watch Mister Sprinkles.

( Edited 21.09.2011 20:00 by Martin_ )

Well thank you very much for making me look the fool, two friends just burst through my door whilst I was watching part of an episode. Found it very hard to explain. Haha.

(but as far as cartoons go, that wasn't bad)

About time you guys got a Brony thread. I might stop by more.

Soundworks said:
Well thank you very much for making me look the fool, two friends just burst through my door whilst I was watching part of an episode. Found it very hard to explain. Haha.

"IT WAS PORN!! YEP, FILTHY PORN!"

Martin_ said:
I liked it. Now go and watch Mister Sprinkles.

Thanks for watching, Marzy! I have never heard of Mister Sprinkles, but I will check it out. Your sig leaves a lot open to interpretation...

SuperShyGuy: Brohoof!

( Edited 22.09.2011 05:58 by keith )

You mean Martin, not Marzy. I watched the Mr Sprinkles ep Martin linked to a while back too. Was pretty good.

I've dabbed in the Brony fandom here and there. Watched clips on YouTube and used a few gifs of them on here. Deff not a reg watcher though haha.

I'm a member of the Imagination Funtime League (WOOP, WOOOOP!), are you? Protip: Only those who've seen episode five of Mister Sprinkles will have any idea what I'm talking about.

Sadly not. Which one did I see? One where he was trying to make kids happy and one of their dads ends up shooting him or something? Yeah.

Episode 1. There are 8 episodes, and all of them are shorts between 2 and 3 minutes long. Watch them in order if you're gonna watch them, because they do follow-on from one another.

Google search.

How does UK view the Brony craze compared to the United States?

"Okie dokie wokie"

Love that line.

Dunno really, it's all online stuffs innit, so I guess Bronies all hang out on the same forums, whether they're Americans, British or whatever. Hardcore UK Bronies could probably answer that better.

I didn't know who Lauren Faust was, but when you mentioned she created the Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home, I was intrigued. The Powerpuff Girls was one of my favorites growing up (Blossom FTW!). I watched several episodes of Foster's and remembered it being really creative. So, I had pretty high expectations for FiM. I watched the two episodes you posted above.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed. But first, let me highlight some things I liked. The animation was drop dead gorgeous. There was just something about it that was aesthetically attractive. The voice acting was superb too. It was definitely approaching the line of getting annoying, but never got there (and that's a good thing, as it preserves its cuteness without becoming distracting). Another thing I liked was its overall sense of positivism and optimism. If I had a daughter or something, I would most likely encourage her to watch a show like this.

Now my disappointment rests in the writing and format of the show. It's really formulaic. While watching the two episodes I knew exactly what was going to happen. And this was not only the case of the overall plots of the episodes, like figuring out that Fluttershy would overcome her sense of fearing things in the first couple minutes, but also of specific jokes, like when two of the ponies (I think one was Rainbowdash, forgot who the other was) were talking about how Fluttershy was afraid of her own shadow. As soon as they said this, I knew that sooner or later, it would cut to Fluttershy being scared of her shadow. And what do you know, that's exactly what happened. Another thing I really didn't like were the endings. Ok, it was a surprise birthday party and everyone is happy yay, or the dragon is kicked out and the country is saved yay. I'm not mad at the endings per say. I actually think that they are really uplifting. What I was mad about was after the endings happened, there was like a minute or two of one of the ponies telling the audience what the lesson was. Maybe it's because one of my majors is film, but I just can't stand it when this happens. There has to be some sense of subtlety. It makes the lesson have much more of an impact. And I know that this show is geared toward a younger audience who might not get what the lesson is, but AHHHHH!!!!!! I'm assuming this is how all episodes end as the two I watched ended like this. If I'm wrong, correct me, but this made me disappointed to say the least.

This is sort of a tangent, but I've noticed that I can go back and enjoy certain kids shows like Spongebob, Rugrats, Fairly Odd Parents, or Avatar for pretty much one reason. Even though they are aimed at kids, they have lots of more "grown up" features. And these either get implemented in the overarching story, like themes of death and revenge in Avatar, innuendos (Spongebob http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T83krnZ-sD8 and Fairly Odd Parents are filled with em), or stuff that would go way over a kids head (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vs55Z7t7bk - Rugrats).

Thanks for the insightful post! It is fun to discuss ponies.

The animation was drop dead gorgeous. There was just something about it that was aesthetically attractive. The voice acting was superb too.

Isn't it? The animation is done in Flash, and the voice actors are all established professionals. Tara Strong voices Twilight -- you would know her as the voice of Timmy Turner. In the recent season 2 premier, John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek) voices Discord, the spirit of disharmony!

It was definitely approaching the line of getting annoying, but never got there (and that's a good thing, as it preserves its cuteness without becoming distracting).

Do you mean Pinkie? She's supposed to sit right on that edge. In 1x10, Swarm of the Century, the other ponies are annoyed by her antics and ignore her. Pinkie is also the only pony in the show to regularly break the fourth wall and also engage in classic cartoon stereotypes.

Regarding the writing, I do agree that the two episodes I posted are a bit formalistic and predictable. "Party of One" is my favorite solely for the brilliant scene where Pinkie has a mental breakdown. I guess it makes the most sense if you are familiar with the character of Pinkie. Dragonshy actually isn't high on my list of favorite episodes, for the reasons you posted. I'm not exactly sure why it's the recommended episode to introduce new folks to.

What I was mad about was after the endings happened, there was like a minute or two of one of the ponies telling the audience what the lesson was.

Almost each episode ends with an Aesop because Twilight Sparkle is in Ponyville to study the "magic of friendship". She attended Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and studied so frequently that she completely neglected making friends. She only warmed up to the idea of friendship after saving Equestria from the Wicked Mare of Darkness in episode 1x02, and she is now tasked with sending a report on friendship to the princess at the end of each day.

The Aesops are usually quite short, and I don't think they detract from the show too much. The writing for the characters more than makes up for it; I honestly feel that character development is the strongest asset to the show.

If you're willing to watch some more ponies, here are a few more complex episodes:

1x22 Bird in the Hoof
1x11 Winter Wrap Up

One of the cool things about this cartoon is that it exhibits continuity. Watch the girls get tickets, build dresses, then finally attend the Grand Galloping Gala. (It's not as bad/girly as it sounds).

Ticket Master is a really good one.

1x03 Ticket Master
1x14 Suited for Success
Homage to "Putting it Together" from "Sunday in the Park with George"
Best Night Ever (season finale)
Homage to Into the Woods.

Anyway, I hope you check a few out! There are several writers on the show; you'll find that their styles are a bit different.

( Edited 25.09.2011 15:38 by keith )

Winter Wrap Up was my favorite.