Anybody else have doubts?

[rudecyrusStill the best pony :3]

So I stumbled across another review of the show yesterday (in which the reviewer more or less asserts the show is overrated and the fans are creepy man-children) that got me thinking: is the show overhyped? I mean, I honestly like the animation, the writing, the characters, etc. but is it really that good, or are the good qualities amplified by the sub-par quality of cartoons airing at the moment? Would we love the show as much if it were being aired alongside, say, Animaniacs, or Batman: The Animated Series?

Sometimes, I read the negative reviews and I go, "Pffft, haters gonna hate," but then I wonder if they have a point. Am I being a kneejerk defender? Am I giving the show too much credit? Is the fandom turning off people who might've liked it otherwise? I don't want to turn into one of those people who say "NO, YOU'RE WRONG!" when met with an opposing viewpoint.

I dunno, maybe it's a lack of ponies making me think this way.

[numsOic]

This show often gets compared to shows like Powerpuff Girls or Ed, Edd n Eddy due to the overlap in staff, and I'd say the quality is on par with any of them.

[ScientificPonyIt's a beautiful day]

Yeah, I had a few doubts a while ago, so I rewatched a few episodes and tried to think critically about them and whatnot. Still a good show. Plus it's nice to look at things like how proud the Hub is with it, making commercials mashing MLP with the other shows and of course the fact that this show COULD, and SHOULD, have been just a mindless toy commercial but it evolved into a show of the same quality as the golden days of Cartoon Network.

If you want a reminder how nice MLP is, go try and watch an hour or two of other cartoons(except A.T., it's pretty good) and see how bad they are. You terrible shows, you know who you are

[Lazy]

Well, I don't do anything obsessive about MLP. I just watch it and look at fanart and things like I do with every other show I like. Example: Adventure Time. Another current show that I like about as much, not sure if I could choose a favorite between the two. I don't really push either of them on people, though I may mention them.
So while the fandom may turn people off of the show/take it too far, I don't "have doubts" because I'm not one of those people in the fandom who overhype it. MLP is neat, but it's not an important part of my life, so I don't really do anything besides talk about it sometimes and make a neat little fanart folder on my PC.

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Would those reviewers agree that watching the Power Puff Girls or Foster's Home qualifies someone as a creepy manchild?

If so, then

[Headless Horse]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

I rewatched a few episodes and tried to think critically about them

MLP is neat, but it's not an important part of my life, so I don't really do anything besides talk about it sometimes and make a neat little fanart folder on my PC.

I watch ponies only after removing my head!



Honestly, what keeps me fascinated by the show is how it continues to surprise me with its writing and its artistic attention to detail. I've had my TV playing Boomerang during the evenings recently, so I've had a refresher on Dexter and PPG and the Partible seasons of Johnny Bravo, and really in terms of the characterizations and the crafting of the dialogue and the depth of the universe-building it's honestly a few healthy steps above all of them. It's a show aimed at an audience several years younger than the Golden Age Cartoon Network shows, but standing toe-to-toe story-wise and character-wise and execution-wise and humor-wise with Batman:TAS and Teen Titans and Samurai Jack—meaning it deserves to be compared directly with them, and has the added advantage of punching way above its presumed weight class in order to get there. I think there's any amount of critical analysis that would support saying so, too.

I was thinking about exactly this earlier today, comparing FiM mentally to a few other shows it seems naturally to fit with; and I seriously can't think of any, short of full-scale adult-level stuff like Venture Bros., where the characterizations are given such rich texture and so much care is taken to present them as relatable people you really feel like you know and could care about, rather than just caricatures fitting roles in a sitcom or a comedy troupe reading skits off a script. It does take a certain amount of buy-in; I really think people who dismiss the show as being overhyped after only seeing two or three episodes are by and large not allowing themselves to let the characters grow on them. But if they did, I think most open-minded viewers would see there's something unusually good in play.

Just the fact that it's able to be relentlessly cute without being cutesy (i.e. "the girl next door" vs. "Hello Kitty") reveals a hell of a lot about how self-aware the writers and animators are about it. They know how easy it is to get all lazy about what they're doing and let a show become nauseatingly, emptily sweet with no emotional engagement to back it up. But they keep everything firmly on the overachieving side of that boundary.

Even after stepping back and asking myself whether I'm going overboard by hyping ponies, I still come down with the conclusion that I'm not. It really is that good.

[Xavier GenisiLike I said, princesses are pretty, Jack. And I am very in touch with my inner princess.]

Me? Not really. I like the show, I think it's like Powerpuff Girls or Ed, Edd and Eddy in terms of quality, and I like some fanart and videos, but as far as that goes, that's pretty much it. What keeps me here is the fact that I like the show, and that I can talk to people here who also like the show.

Sure, it can be overhyped, and it probobly is overhyped. But as far as it goes for me, I feel like I don't overhype it, and I don't have doubts about the show or doubts about my opinion.

[Aurora]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

I eat a lot and watch the show and cry all the time.

To be frank, this is something I thought about recently, too. I don't know if it would be as great to me if it weren't so talked about.

[DarkMatter]

I don't think it's overhyped either. As others have said above me, I find it to be on par with the Cartoon Network cartoons of the 90s. In some cases even better.

That said, some people do try too hard to push the show on others. No show is for everyone, and ponies are no exception. Not everyone is going to be able to get into it and the more you try to push it the more they're going to dislike it.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

I'd agree with comparing the show to golden age Cartoon Network, or Nick. I would make an exception to comparing it to Batman TAS. Much as I love the ponies, and as enjoyable as the show was, Batman was something at the pinnacle of animation for me. Where FiM appeals well beyond it's demographic, it's still a cartoon, a very well written and animated cartoon, and never tries to be anything else (nor does it have to. Batman TAS took things past that and went for something that wasn't just a cartoon. FiM makes something for little girls enjoyable to all. While I'm not dismissing that accomplishment, it's been done before. Look at Pixar, or even Disney. Batman was an adult show made entertaining (and appropriate) for children.

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

I only had doubt one time, and my Karach blade left me. Never again. I now know, and in knowing the teachings of Zerthimon, I have become stronger.

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

I think the simple fact of the matter is that it's a legitimately good show. It's not perfect and it's definitely not for everyone, but it's a well-crafted piece of entertainment with a lot of thought and care and skill put into its production. I know we goons tend to look down on people who care about stuff, but if something's good and you enjoy it, I don't think there's anything wrong with talking about it or recommending it to people or even letting it inspire you to do creative things based on it.

Of course, there are some people who take it way too far. Pushing something on absolutely everybody you meet and letting your enjoyment of it come to actually be how you define yourself as a person so that you freak out and get offended if somebody happens not to like it is always a bad thing, whether the object of your obsession is ponies or Star Trek or the Bible. At the end of the day, it's still just a television show; a show that we happen to like and enjoy discussing, but not something that should define your life. I'm probably preaching to the choir on that one, though.

[Herr Generalfabulous]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

I only watch the German dubs. (not as good)

Anyway, I NEVER watched cartoons as a kid- I caught the occasional episode of Spongebob, and I did watch that weird-ass Code Lyoko show for a while, but I never watched them to the extent others did. So I suppose I've got a relatively untainted view. And my conclusion: It's still incredibly well done, and the effort put into it rivals any other thing I've ever seen.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

Hi. Welcome to the future. Ponyville, Equestira, 2688 and I'm telling you it's great here. The air is clean. The water's clean. Even the dirt is clean. Bowling scores are way up. Mini-golf scores are way down. And we have more excellent water slides than any other planet we communicate with. I'm telling you this place is great. But it almost wasn't. 700 years ago, the two great ones ( )ran into a few problems. So now I have to travel back in time to help them out. If I should fail to keep these two on the correct path the basis of our society will be in danger. Don't worry, it'll all make sense.


Wrong time traveling phonebox, but it was based on me anyways....

[Herr Generalfabulous]

Luna emote must become official immediately.

[Headless Horse]

I'd agree with comparing the show to golden age Cartoon Network, or Nick. I would make an exception to comparing it to Batman TAS. Much as I love the ponies, and as enjoyable as the show was, Batman was something at the pinnacle of animation for me. Where FiM appeals well beyond it's demographic, it's still a cartoon, a very well written and animated cartoon, and never tries to be anything else (nor does it have to. Batman TAS took things past that and went for something that wasn't just a cartoon. FiM makes something for little girls enjoyable to all. While I'm not dismissing that accomplishment, it's been done before. Look at Pixar, or even Disney. Batman was an adult show made entertaining (and appropriate) for children.

See, I don't know. It's not that B:TAS is less than what you say, or a product of its time, but I have a feeling that rewatching it today would reveal that at least by modern, post-Adult-Swim standards it's not quite as much of a genre-breaking paragon for the ages as it could have been. It had moments of absolute brilliance, and the artistic execution (and the black-paper backgrounds and so on) were pretty unbelievable, and of course it set the standard for all its descendant shows that keep coming out to this day; but I remember quite a few rough and clumsy spots that showed they weren't quite willing to commit to it being what it really wanted to be. I remember Robin tiresomely reciting to the camera that "E. Nygma" was a pun on "enigma", which he will now proceed to define for us out of a dictionary while the director gesticulates to the ratings board and holds up big E/I flashcards. I've actually found FiM's writing to be quite a bit smoother, even when doing the same thing (i.e. "uncouth"). And think about all the Twilight vocabulary they don't even bother explaining.

Obviously that's not the only axis on which to judge; the genres are very different, and the complexity of the stories and how they're executed is on two very different levels. And both shows have their off days, just like they have their major high points ("would not, could not... could not join the dance"). But I really think the two shows are more alike than different, and probably will be seen that way when we look back on them.

(Just playing devil's advocate here, because it's a neat thought experiment. Don't take any of this too seriously. )

[Wayoshi]

I've been wondering about this myself... I feel like watching a full season live after catching up this summer will help me judge the show better instead of the mega-rush of earlier.

Already this season we've dipped decently low (MDW) and gone pretty high (Harmony, Zero, Social), although I wouldn't say S1 high. It's good to experience a full season with its ebbs and flows

[reidransom]

It's a good show and if you don't all agree immediately I'll kill a hostage?


But seriously, no doubts really. I'm not going to plan my life around the show or anything, but I enjoy it and will continue to watch it as long as it seems like the folks working on it are enjoying making it. If they don't enjoy it, I probably won't either. But it's still fun now, so you know, may as well enjoy it.

[Frosthawkwhat is this. what is this SHIT]

From a critical standpoint I have no idea, but as far as personal taste goes it's a fun, quality show that brings me happiness, which is the only criteria I care about.

[Doctor Wheeze]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

Ponies... give me coughing fits?

I know MLP is a good show because if I'm feeling down I can put on an episode and then I'll feel better

[OmniponyWelcome to Good Burgeryou son of a bitch.]

The show is definitely over hyped by a lot of people and I find the majority of the fandom to be pretty annoying, honestly. The animation isn't the most amazing/life-like thing ever, the writing isn't brilliantly complex/deep, and the songs aren't the amazing works of a genius.

That said, this show is good, without even adding the qualifier "for a kid's show." I myself am not exactly an artist/writer, but as someone who creates/performs/critiques on a regular basis, I think I have some authority to speak on the quality of a product. In general terms the art/animation is absolutely lively in a way that I haven't seen in many other programs. It makes me think back to how I got tired of the cartoons/anime/whatever I used to watch when I was younger, because of how flat and dull they were in their presentation. I feel like even if the ponies were discussing something completely dry/inane, I could be entertained just by watching them emote about it. I think it partially has to do with my own bias on how I believe an artist should convey emotion/emphasis when a character is acting/reacting; because they can't exactly wave their arms around when they go on about a subject: their heads perk up, their eyes widen, they put their whole body into whatever they're saying. That's one of the biggest things for me in terms of animation. As I said, it's something I really look for because I've gotten tired of shows (anime) where they just stand around flapping their mouths and occasionally striking dramatic poses. I think this aspect of animation really ties in to an element of the writing that, as Headless has brilliantly put it many times, is really what drew us all in; that being the characterization of the...characters.

I love character driven stuff. I love them because, to be honest, I really like people, (in a weird, scientific way). I think people are generally fascinating. Talking to people, analyzing people, reading about people, I love it. I really like writers who craft characters that feel drawn from life. Characters that are memorable and entertaining, while still being believable and relatable. At this point, I'm having a hard time thinking of how to best summarize all the different things I think are done right with these characters, as :words: isn't exactly my thing. Basically, these ponies are different, uhh...people(?) and they act accordingly. At this point, I could be in a situation and really think to myself, "what would Rainbow Dash do?" and answer it in a way that other people would probably agree with. They are all entertaining in different ways, and unique enough that if you put them all into the same situation, the outcome would never be exactly the same. They are archetypes, but with enough layers and characterization for me to like them. I can't really emphasize enough how amazing that is when a work can do that. You're basically taking the idea of a personality, attaching some images and sounds to it, and hoping that your audience will treat them like real people in their minds, and I certainly do!

Basically, for me, this show is great on many levels. I was practically gushing about it (kinda?), but I don't consider it a masterpiece as some people (not really on here) tend to make it seem. There's a lot of reasons to like this show, and of course there are some reasons not to; it's really up to an individual's taste.


sorry if that was a bit incoherent/awkward/superior-sounding, this was my first real attempt at :words: and I think I've been looking at the submit post page for like an hour.

[NisslMarching bravely into a bold new pony future]

I'd like to see this review. I still have yet to see an intelligent, fair-minded negative review that didn't boil down to "I watched the pilot and the characters seemed like stock stereotypes" or "animation isn't my thing, but I checked this out based on internet hype and it didn't do much for me" or "I expected trope inversion, cynicism, and "so wrong" moments because that equals good humor and I didn't get it." I'm still waiting for a review from someone taking the line "I love Pixar movies and golden age CN/Nick shows, and I gave this a chance through several episodes and it doesn't measure up." On the flipside, I think the reviews from fairly tough places like The Onion, Anime World Order, SFDebris, Bakacast etc. speak to the show's high quality.

Would MLP stick out if it were running during golden era CN or Nick? Not as much as now, but I think it would stand out on the strength of its characterization, sprawling yet detailed setting, and progression elements. That said, it's not the best show ever created, it doesn't appeal that much to most people who don't already like animation, and it's not going to be the world-changing force that some of the die-hard bronies think it is. And a sizable portion of the fanbase is in fact creepy manchildren, as in pretty much any other internet fandom, and they have a messianic zeal that most other fanbases don't.

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Beep boop I boop find beep ponies beep to be really quite enjoyable no matter how I slice it? beep boop.

[Brunellus]

So I stumbled across another review of the show yesterday (in which the reviewer more or less asserts the show is overrated and the fans are creepy man-children) that got me thinking: is the show overhyped? I mean, I honestly like the animation, the writing, the characters, etc. but is it really that good, or are the good qualities amplified by the sub-par quality of cartoons airing at the moment? Would we love the show as much if it were being aired alongside, say, Animaniacs, or Batman: The Animated Series?

Animaniacs missed more than it hit. Batman TAS was great aside from occasionally bad dialog (examples available upon request). I have sympathy for good voice actors having to deliver dumb lines. On the whole, I would say that Pony is roughly on par with the latter but with notably better writing.

...
Sometimes, I read the negative reviews and I go, "Pffft, haters gonna hate," but then I wonder if they have a point. Am I being a kneejerk defender? Am I giving the show too much credit? Is the fandom turning off people who might've liked it otherwise? I don't want to turn into one of those people who say "NO, YOU'RE WRONG!" when met with an opposing viewpoint.

I dunno, maybe it's a lack of ponies making me think this way.

I introduced a few friends of mine to Pony. Seeing their opinions change once I finally got them to watch a few episodes was somewhat akin to .

EDIT:

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

Also, have I ever mentioned that I am brown and that you should read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco?

[WylieCIDER CIDER CIDER]

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"

[Scoutaloo"In the midst of life, there is death. But in the midst of death, there is life."]

Appreciate Fim according to your username.

Yo play ball! Pony time! You watch mlp? No other class gonna do that! Let's waste 'em! Where's my scooter? Oh there's my scooter. I love my scooter.
Back to OP:
Me? No. I freaking love this show. I watch a lot of classic cartoons such as Dexter's laboratory, Angry Beavers, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and I think the show pits up to all of them, despite being intended for a younger audience.
Plus, you have to consider the fact that the show is written largely by the same writers who wrote those shows.

[rudecyrusStill the best pony :3]

Ponies make me impolite. Also, I founded the Persian Empire.

I'd like to see this review..

Well, okay.

[Ramarren]

For me a large component of my enjoyment of the show is the reversal on the darker-and-edgier trend which has been seemingly consuming at least the sci-fi/fantasy culture, which is what I mostly pay attention to. Although that might be amplified by my choices of things to read/watch, since I might very well have terrible taste .

Anyway, that means for me it is not really separable from the context it is airing in. If ponies aired before I got saturated with darker-and-edgier, or after some hypothetical point where "neosincerity" and "post-postmodernism" (which is apparently a real term, how lazy can you be) actually takes hold, then the impact would be greatly lessened. As it is, something actually being produced and popular at this point in time which shows that you can be cheerful, bright and generally nice without being naive and stupid has an effect beyond just the quality of the show itself.

[DarkMatter]

Well, he's right about one thing, "Over a Barrel" is one of the weaker episodes of season one. But I do think people are digging too deep to find the episode offensive. Yes, the buffalo were used like Native Americans, but the episode wasn't saying the dispute between the settlers and Native Americans could be settled with sharing apple pie and they weren't going to delve into all the horrible things the settlers did to them. This is still a kid's cartoon about ponies. Oh, and "Feeling Pinkie Keen" isn't about God. People need to stop saying that.

But, hey, if the show isn't his thing than it isn't his thing. For what it's worth he thinks season two is showing more promise and that it's getting better.

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

As it is, something actually being produced and popular at this point in time which shows that you can be cheerful, bright and generally nice without being naive and stupid has an effect beyond just the quality of the show itself.

For some reason, this makes me think of Harvey.

"In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart; I recommend pleasant."

[HollowThis place needs a miracle.]

See, I don't know. It's not that B:TAS is less than what you say, or a product of its time, but I have a feeling that rewatching it today would reveal that at least by modern, post-Adult-Swim standards it's not quite as much of a genre-breaking paragon for the ages as it could have been. It had moments of absolute brilliance, and the artistic execution (and the black-paper backgrounds and so on) were pretty unbelievable, and of course it set the standard for all its descendant shows that keep coming out to this day; but I remember quite a few rough and clumsy spots that showed they weren't quite willing to commit to it being what it really wanted to be.

TAS would still hold up if aired today. Infact, somehow, some way, TAS is censored when shown nowadays, because it was just that hardcore. I don't see the "rough and clumsy" spots unless you mean they couldn't make it violent and bloody and gory? (and therefore stupid) Unless you mean some of the eps were bad, but some FiM eps are bad too, so.

Aside from that, yeah FiM is overhyped by fad-leeches. It happens. Hell, I'm the biggest fan of Chrono Trigger I know, and I outright hate it when some nerd says it's the best RPG ever made, or "epic", or some sort of...essay on existentialism given digital flesh. I avoid fan communities like the plague due to this kind of Lucca-esque fan reaction.

[BartonFink]

Well, okay.

Huh, I fundamentally disagree with his assessment of the show (and incidentally I tend to hate "random dude reviews show with some humor" stuff like this), but I found a large amount of that quite agreeable.

As a nitpick, I would say at one point he identifies the Native American conflict at being way beyond something this show can structurally treat fairly and that basing an episode on that starting point is a dumb idea. I agree, and it's part of the reason why Barrel isn't one of my favorites. But then he criticizes the Buffalo's motive as being only based on the settlers taking their stampeding ground. That specific part was pretty obviously just for the show, that in and of itself doesn't have anything to do with the starting point of the Native American conflict.

But generally, I would go so far as to say I agreed with a good amount of that as a review of that particular episode; same favorite scene, notes the song was clever, weighted down by the premise. It's a bit odd though since he starts off talking about the show in general, then does a specific episode review of what he IDs as the worst episode (while even giving that episode some credit!)...for a negative review, it's really not, like, hyper negative. I'd be (sincerely) interested to see his take on a "good" episode. His shots at the fandom were fine by me, and the point about the Rainbow Dash "thing" was spot on.



edit: few people beat me to the punch while I was watching it, oh well

Yes, the buffalo were used like Native Americans, but the episode wasn't saying the dispute between the settlers and Native Americans could be settled with sharing apple pie and they weren't going to delve into all the horrible things the settlers did to them. This is still a kid's cartoon about ponies.

I sort of agree, hence my complaint about the "stampede ground" criticism, but I do think the idea of basing an episode on the Native American conflicts (which I would say it pretty unarguably was as a starting point) is fundamentally a pretty bad idea. It's just a better idea not to go there.

[reidransom]

OK, I watched the review, and though he makes a few points, they're nothing that hasn't already been said by someone who wasn't sort of a tool.

And some of the other stuff he criticizes is a bit of a stretch, putting him in the same 'reading too much into it' camp as much of the fandom that he rightly dogs.

[PinkemonIts SO limited edition! :'D]

Well, yeah, I know that this show isn't actually a grand masterpiece of entertainment or something like that. However, to me it doesn't NEED to be. It's cute, quirky, and generally just fun to watch. The characters have both flaws and good sides, and they learn lessons which make them develop, the world is colorful and lively, and like others have said, the music and animation only strengthen that.

In summary, its just FUN. And honestly, that's the most important thing to me.

[Captain RufusThe derpin rolls, and the lightning strikes!Another muffin grows cold on an Equestrian night!As the storm goes on out of control,deep in her heart the derpin rolls!]

That review was generally fair albeit one by someone who went in looking to hate it or at least hate the fanbase. CR did a MUCH better job reviewing it IMHO.

Now on to my opinions of the show as my user name, Captain Rufus Landale, commander of the Eternal Decay chapter of Chaos Space Marines in at least one version of him.

"This is an excellent show, and is the polar opposite of what the False Emperor of Man would want for the misguided sheep who toil and die for him in the untold billions each day. While it does not reach the heights of Doctor Who or the New Battlestar Galactica, it is a fun entertaining show well worth watching if you have the time."

Back to me...

I mean I wouldn't put the show even over Batman TAS, Kim Possible, Robotech, or Transformers Animated/Beast Wars (the best TF shows), but its VERY good and its a nice cute fun shot in the arm each week. Can the Bronies be annoying?

YES BUT NEARLY EVERY ONLINE FANBASE OF EVERYTHING IS ANNOYING, OVERBEARING, CULTISH, AND CREEPY.

(The UK Retrogaming community doesn't have too much creepy from what I can tell. As much as they blat on and on about how the Spectrum was great (its not), I don't think they have a large Rule 34 contingent where someone claims Miner Willy and Dizzy as their OTP...)

I've found the best way to hate anything you enjoy is to read online discussions of it in general. Honestly all the Phantom Menace hate in SW circles? It only existed online and the detractors pushed it to be accepted truth. Everyone enjoyed it at the opening night showing I went to. And most of the early Force.net discussion was positive. It just got retconned as complete suck by loud online people who reject your reality and substitute their own so join in or shut up. (Which is how most online forums sadly become. Like those friends whose friends act like complete jackasses in public and they do nothing to stop them outside of looking embarrassed.)

People turn into nutsos online about what they want.

This site is one of the few places it really doesn't get there though to be fair sometimes the episode threads seem hell bent on diminishing all enjoyment of any given episode.
(Needless to say I generally avoid most current show discussion. BSG, Doctor Who, Thundercats, Transformers Prime.. all full of people raging on every damned episode and I just shake my head in confusion. Opinions are, will, and SHOULD differ but online entertainment discussions usually become very things.)

[brakelessA pegasus will fly long and hard for a bit of gilded brass.]

In summary, its just FUN. And honestly, that's the most important thing to me.

Wisdom.

[Boom]

Oi I clicked on that guys site and his entire body of work is just reviews of "bad" movies. Based on that and the poor reviews of his review, I didn't watch it. But I still want to say that if his criticism of FiM rests so heavily on the premise of Over a Barrel, as it seems it does from the comments here and his own synopsis, he's making a really amateur mistake. Because in that way, Over a Barrel is an aberration. Ponies aren't South Park, the show does not draw these shallow, self-validating allegories often if ever again. Call of the Cutie temporarily feigns at puberty, but other than that, that's about it. Picking that episode is such a poor choice it honestly makes me suspicious. Fan memes also do not serve any place in a review of the show itself, but whatever.
If I were going to choose an epsiode to review for MLP I'd pick from Ticket Master, Art of the Dress, Show Stoppers, Return of Harmony or Hearth's Warming.

And this is like, just an aside here but literally every single Santa Claus special that I've seen over the last weeks has had an identical "moral" as Pinkie Keen.

[IsaakEquus Ludens :3]

I think of these questions "is it overhyped?", "Is it a masterpiece?", et cetera and try to come up with an answer. Then I think "why do I have to come up with an answer?".
Oh, it's amazing fun to discover why people like this show and what makes it good, I learn a lot with every discussion, but I get the feeling these questions only exist to satisfy one's ego.

I love the show and I don't need to explain to anyone why.

[londonarbuckleAND SOMEDAY YOU WILL BUCK LIKE I BUCK.]

I have doubts about EVERYTHING I like. My policy lately has been not to worry about it.

[The Ghost Of EmberPINKIE VSWATERSPOUTS]

I think it's a pretty good show. I don't think it's the best thing on television, but I enjoy watching it and ever go a little sometimes. If I have any doubts it's about the fandom.

New thread title: "Appreciate FiM According To Your Username"