Xortberg Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Simple premise, really. After finally caving and deciding to see what all the fuss was about, I spent two weekends watching every episode to this point. I normally wouldn't even consider watching My Little Pony, but several of our members here seem to be fans, so I gave it a shot and, to my surprise, I loved it. Everything I had heard was true: the animation was good, the characters were fun and well written, and most of the music was fairly good or, in a few cases, downright awesome. Even so, I don't think the show is really deserving of all the hype. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, I'm eagerly awaiting an Internet posting of the newest episode. But in all honesty, it basically follows the same formula as every other popular kids' show in existence: protagonists are faced with a problem that, no matter what, always presents some sort of moral dilemma, protagonists initially make the wrong choice, learn the error of their ways and make the right choice. I'm currently posting on my PS3, so the character limit is... ... forcing me to finish my post in a reply. Now, like I said, I love this show, so I`m not just some hater or anything. I just don't think that My Little Pony: FIM is objectively good enough to warrant all the hype it gets. Prove me wrong, Bronies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Inari Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I think the reasons for the hype is: 1. It blows away the expectation that MLP is "just another girly, girl-girl" show. Which is kinda what they were intending to do and are doing a pretty good job of it. It has that multi-demographic appeal despite looking like a typical girl show at first glance. 2. I blame the band wagon. The show get its hype because, as of now, the hype has been established. You hear from a friend how awesome and hyped the show is. You bite. You end up agreeing. And a lot of people repeat the process, ala "pass it forward." It's hyped because it's cool to hype the show. 3. Why fix what's broken? It's a proven story-telling formula that works. Sure it can get a little stale from the lack of an arcing plot, but that's not entirely the show's fault. The show was gonna be more like the pilot, but the executives shot down that idea and wanted to go with a more self-contained, episodic format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deploy Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 It's a fine show, but really nothing super special IMO I think people love it because it's fun to say you like something weird (by general consensus) like MLP... especially if your a guy. But I have nothing against those who really like it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I think people love it because it's fun to say you like something weird (by general consensus) like MLP... especially if your a guy. But I have nothing against those who really like it. Well, it's not just the "shock factor" of being a fan. The show -is- good and the buzz around it -is- well placed. It's a meme, but a meme for a reason. I've watched the entire first season now. Or more correctly, Xort has while I took in most of it doing my business over here on the computer. It's a good show as detailed in Xort and Gene's posts and you should certainly throw your dignity aside and check it out if you have the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deploy Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Well, it's not just the "shock factor" of being a fan. The show -is- good and the buzz around it -is- well placed. It's a meme, but a meme for a reason. I've watched the entire first season now. Or more correctly, Xort has while I took in most of it doing my business over here on the computer. It's a good show as detailed in Xort and Gene's posts and you should certainly throw your dignity aside and check it out if you have the time. I've watched 2 or 3 episodes already. And, so far, I'm not that impressed, but it's ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarita Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I just finished watching the season finale on YouTube. ): I was rather disappointed with it. I wish the executives hadn't shot down the more story focused show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Man, I'm curious as to what all the hype is about, but seriously? My Little Pony? Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I remember when I made a thread asking about MLP and was mocked. I watched it, it wasnt bad. Writing is canny, animation is arse, but overcomes some of that arse with art style. WAS it up to hype? I'd say no. Not great, but good enough to be worth watching in the current sea of crap that is cartoons. How about NOW? No. The problem is that, like all popular memes, it started out as something that niche fans (animation fans in this case) enjoy, hit 4cahn and 'went mainstream'. Now the show is synonyminous for irritating 4chan knob heads. To mention it is to be accused with said knobs, and everyone and their dog will claim you (I) only like it for the meme. To watch it now is nothing but a reminder of how annoiying the fanbase has become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I remember when I made a thread asking about MLP and was mocked. I watched it, it wasnt bad. Writing is canny, animation is arse, but overcomes some of that arse with art style. WAS it up to hype? I'd say no. Not great, but good enough to be worth watching in the current sea of crap that is cartoons. How about NOW? No. The problem is that, like all popular memes, it started out as something that niche fans (animation fans in this case) enjoy, hit 4cahn and 'went mainstream'. Now the show is synonyminous for irritating 4chan knob heads. To mention it is to be accused with said knobs, and everyone and their dog will claim you (I) only like it for the meme. To watch it now is nothing but a reminder of how annoiying the fanbase has become. I'm disappointed that a man once following objectivity and truth now judges something's quality by what 4chan thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xortberg Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 Man, I'm curious as to what all the hype is about, but seriously?My Little Pony?Seriously? Yes, seriously. My Little Pony. It's a good show, and I recommend you watch it before coming into my topic and contributing absolutely nothing. I remember when I made a thread asking about MLP and was mocked. I watched it, it wasnt bad. Writing is canny, animation is arse, but overcomes some of that arse with art style.WAS it up to hype? I'd say no. Not great, but good enough to be worth watching in the current sea of crap that is cartoons. My current beliefs on it mirror this almost exactly. How about NOW? No. The problem is that, like all popular memes, it started out as something that niche fans (animation fans in this case) enjoy, hit 4cahn and 'went mainstream'. Now the show is synonyminous for irritating 4chan knob heads. To mention it is to be accused with said knobs, and everyone and their dog will claim you (I) only like it for the meme. To watch it now is nothing but a reminder of how annoiying the fanbase has become. And here is where your argument loses credibility. The show itself is just as good right now as it was in the early episodes. The season finale was a bit disappointing, but entertaining all the same with a pretty amazing musical number to go with it. The only thing that has changed is that it's now more mainstream than it was when you first started liking it, and if that's your only reason for hating it, I'm going to have to hate you for being a hipster. It's a show. Meant to entertain. The show is separate from the fanbase. Do you like the show? If yes, then the fanbase shouldn't affect it. If no, then quit talking about the fanbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Fox Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 As a person who has enjoyed cartoons for a long time, I can say MLP FiM is pretty good. The reason is it is a smart show. Anyone can make a cartoon for little kids by having random characters in awkward situations. MLP actually has characters that are unique and tolerable to watch, a plot that so far has not become stale, and a message for children that is subtle for each episode. Now I know people won't like it because it is a meme. But memes are short-lived. MLP will remain a cartoon after the meme hype. So I will not judge any cartoon by whether it is a meme or not. I look at a cartoon like a novel: the characters, settiing, plot, moral, themes, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Come on guys... Tell me THIS IS NOT AWESOME... Manliest shit youve ever seen, You just cant comprehend it! Meanwhile Me and every other /b/ronie are just beefin it out with Rainbow Dash. Y'all are haters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xortberg Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 Ooh, big surprise. Nova completely ignores everything in the topic and posts mindlessly. The only person here being a hater might be Lonewolf. The only reason Sabre doesn't like it is that he's a hipster. Protip: read the whole topic before posting, and post something with some actual value. This is not the Rec Room. Post intelligently, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 As a person who has enjoyed cartoons for a long time, I can say MLP FiM is pretty good. The reason is it is a smart show. Anyone can make a cartoon for little kids by having random characters in awkward situations. MLP actually has characters that are unique and tolerable to watch, a plot that so far has not become stale, and a message for children that is subtle for each episode. Now I know people won't like it because it is a meme. But memes are short-lived. MLP will remain a cartoon after the meme hype. So I will not judge any cartoon by whether it is a meme or not. I look at a cartoon like a novel: the characters, settiing, plot, moral, themes, etc. True. However, I think you overestermate the lasting effect of the show, and underestermating the near future effect it could have. There will likely be plenty of MLP knock offs for a while. Plus, I doubt MLP will stand the test of time outside of nostalgia of the current generation. It stnads out because it's above average in a sea of crap. Pitt and Kantrop, Buzz Lightyear, Roughnecks, all disappeared fairly quickly. I heard Captain Scarlett 2000 was canny and that seemingly vanished before it was finished. I wouldn't rank MLP above those shows and they disappeared into the aether, and they never even got a proper DVD release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Fox Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Interesting update to MLP. Apparantly Lauren Faust, the creator/producer of this new incarnation of MLP is not doing Season 2. Instead she is a consulting producer. Yet MLP will still continue under the rest of the team. Read here: http://fyre-flye.deviantart.com/journal/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DZComposer Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 *POSTMERGE!* Fixed yer PS3 Double-Post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 The show is...rather adorable. It deals with every day situations regarding friendship in a matter that isn't condescending to its audience, and the characters are relatable and with an appealing design. Everything about it is cute, but it also carries a certain innocent truth to it. It really does feel like a kid's show in the sense that it captures the fun and imagination of a child, and doesn't at all feel like an adult simply writing what they assume children like. There will likely be plenty of MLP knock offs for a while. Plus, I doubt MLP will stand the test of time outside of nostalgia of the current generation. The My Little Pony franchise was introduced in 1983. I think it's done more than well so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoservix Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I will add my inestimably esteemed voice or my eternally hated voice or my inestimably eternally mediocre voice or whatever my voice is to this chorus of ponyness. This show is awesome. It manages to be girl-empowering and entirely charming and witty and entertaining and relentlessly adorable and it will completely destroy your crusty congealed Gen-Y cynicism by about episode three. It is not exactly an intricate and subtle tale of interwoven character arcs and profound themes, but it is entertaining and actually manages to get some impressive-for-a-kids'-show-marketing-brightly-colored-horse-toys writing and educational messaging out of what you'd expect to be braindead stupid stuff like "cutie marks." If you aren't allowed to have a man card after watching Lauren Faust's My Little Pony, then you don't need a man card. Friendship is magic, bitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xortberg Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Just so you know, unoservix, I love you. Forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thu'um Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 ponies are prwetty, and these ones have big eyes that appeal to my inner furry (hides shame) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deploy Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I still don't get it. :? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I still don't get it. What part of it are you thick on? The appeal of the show itself to animation fans, as I already said, it's well written with decent characters and enough humour to appeal to adults and kids. It has morals without being overly anvilous (most of the time) and in the barran wasteland of the current cartoon scene, it's a standout. The appeal of a meme is a niche reference and identifier that went mainstream. It's a social commodity. Think of it like this. The newer a meme is the more points it's worth. This is used to establish a pecking order of 'who is cool'. If a person doesn't have enough cool points, then they are considered a badwagon jumper. Ironically memes themselves are just niche bandwagons. Understanding the original reference is not important. Just as long as you know the meme itself you are fine. So, the MLP meme was basicly a way for animation fans to express they had seen and enjoied the show. When a certain number of people were doing this meme followers, worried about their cool points, started to parrot what they were seeing, without the context however it comes out a confused and annoiying mess. As such 99.9% of MLP references have nothing to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deploy Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 What part of it are you thick on? The appeal of the show itself to animation fans, as I already said, it's well written with decent characters and enough humour to appeal to adults and kids. It has morals without being overly anvilous (most of the time) and in the barran wasteland of the current cartoon scene, it's a standout. First off, I'm a HUGE animation fan. In fact, I can't get enough of it. Second, I don't dislike the show. In fact, it is kinda enjoyable. The thing is... it's nothing special IMO. Yeah, sure, it's better than most cartoons on these days, but nothing great compared to many other ones early 2000s and before. It's a step in the right direction for great cartoons in the future, but it's no Animaniacs, Invader Zim, or Duck Tales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 My feelings exactly. Only I conpaired it to Buzz Lightyear, Pitt and Kantrop, and Roughnecks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 One must be man enough to admit this show is good. To tell the truth, I was expecting it to be....girlish crap, like the original pony show, and I'm glad I was wrong, I was obligated, by Sara, to at least watch one episode. I'm man enough to say...it's good stuff, really original and funny. I ended up watching all the episodes (1-26), and no one had to make me watch them, I'm a grow up man now. . See? ponies demand love too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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