My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Page 37

Obviously they are getting a lot of love. Maybe I'm a sucker for lore, but they hooked me in too, gave it a sense of scale that I felt was missing in every other american cartoon but Avatar (The Last Airbender). By having a strong plot in the first episodes, it told me that the writers were interested in telling a story, not a series of cheap gags. That really set them apart in my eyes.

Some of you have explained to me how the characterization feels flat in the first episodes. And yet, it never came across that way to me. If that was the extent of their personality, yes they would be flat. But, who upon meeting a person for the first time, expects to know much depth at all about them? The fact that Twilight was rushing through to get all the jobs done... well, it just set my expectation that we weren't going to get to know the ponies in depth at all. It was a light introduction, for them to be explored later in depth once the series had time to grow.

To that extent, Applejack's introduction made me laugh a lot and characterized Twilight (her resisting and then giving in to staying after Applebloom gives beggy eyes), and I like big families, so it made me partial to Applejack. That's a pretty biased look at that introduction, and probably wouldn't resonate with most, so fair enough, that intro may not have been that great for some people. But Applejack was show as a sort of leader of the group, so obviously she deserved some respect in that regard.

Rainbow Dash's intro was awesome. It was a dawning moment when I realized all the characters weren't going to be stereotypes, and I had a reason to respect each one so far. Twilights reaction to Rainbow Dash's skill also characterize both of them, and it was really funny to see how Pegasus ponies interact with the world. That quirkyness, and Rainbow's skill, reassured me that I could become invested in the story a little bit more, that it was a fascinating place.

Rarity's introduction I didn't care for, but it helped us know the significance of where Twilight came from, and Spikes humor made it funny. Unfortunately, because of that introduction, I didn't appreciate Rarity much until far later in the series.

Fluttershy's intro was also great for me. He shyness made me laugh, squeeking her name out. Again, it could have gone straight to a stereotype, but she bodychecks Twilight out of the way so she can talk to Spike an instant faster. It made her fascinating, because she's not just shy, she's also interested enough in creatures to totally forget her shyness. It made me think of her as a bag of surprises, and wonder what else would reveal another aspect of her. She's also passionate about something (animals and curiosity), and isn't letting her own weaknesses (extreme shyness) stand in the way, another thing I can respect.

From there, we have Pinkie Pie's party (woah, alliteration), in which she made me laugh. She seemed like she could be an annoyance, but she was just too funny. And behaved bizzarely, which, with all the other non-cartoonish personalities I'd seen so far, I couldn't just chalk it off to her being in a cartoon. So, again, I'm genuinely curious about her (if still cringing that she might be annoying).

Then we have Twilight cement more of her personality by avoiding the party and worrying about the bigger things going one, in other words, continuing to take on responsibility even when it's not convenient or fun. She's authentically worried about something everyone else has told her to chill about, in a way, sticking to her guns that it can't just be dismissed as a myth. With the story recentering back on the plot, a decent feel for each of the Mane Cast and a reason to respect most of them, I'm very into the show. Then Nightmare Moon appears, Pinkie makes me laugh again, and an air of actual drama returns, I WANT MOAR!

I don't see how this isn't an excellent introduction. Except, if you were expecting the show to portray more of the complexity each pony's personality in such a limited time frame. I expected that to come later, which, with the plot of the episode, is a very reasonable expectation. Having reasons to respect almost every pony, having a plot with a sense of scale, laughing, and having an engaging drama... is anyone understanding why I don't get how the first episode isn't a good introduction?

The second comes off as weaker for the first viewing, IMO. I was cringing as I began seeing the pattern of things (every pony 'tested', and succeeding with their special gift). But, especially with the water serpant and his mustache (lulz), I could see the execution of even an over used concept was entertaining. And, of great importance, was the pony's reaction to Pinkie bursting out in song. It said exactly how the show was going to take itself. It was giving us something more akin to actual characters who are surprised by her antics, not strange fiction people who see it as perfectly normal. We see that again and again by the rarity of cartoon physics, or injuries not just disappearing. It said that their delivery, even of these kidish concepts, were going to have verisimilitude that other kids stories were far to lazy to do. (To my delight later episodes rarely are centered around kidish concepts. This one of the reasons I count the second episode as weaker [the first episode was centered around a story that would work well in an adult-targeted show]).

But a lot of good still came out of that episode for setting my expectations. And the little twist with Nightmare Moon shattering the elements of harmony felt like an extra loving touch from the writers that they weren't just heartlessly going through the cliche "we each have a special talent" story, but were telling an actual story. It told me that even of they were going to do something cliche, they were going to execute it in an interesting way (a reassurance I was please to have on the second Pinkie Pie-centric episode, you know the one).

The only slightly rough transition was going to an episodic format that didn't carry drama across episodes, but the delight of the episodes to follow made it rather smooth in spite.

So again, the only main reason I can see these episodes not working well as intros is if the viewer assumes that the 1 minute and 30 seconds we get with each pony in the opening episode is the extent of their personality. To those who do think it's a bad intro to the series, is this what you assumed? If not, I have to ask again, why did you think it was bad? I'm really curious. I'm a writer, and seeing so many people dislike what I thought was excellent makes me really want to know what's going on. Because if I don't, it could be very bad for my work, you see?

First of all, great write up. As I said, I *like* the first two episodes, the issue is we are trying to introduce skeptics to the show, not people who are predisposed to liking it, so they *aren't* going to think "gee, it was only 1:30 seconds of introduction, I'm sure to get more later" they are going to think "wow, one dimensional characters, this show sucks, moving on" which is why some people are arguing its not the best introduction to the series. Again, it really fails to showcase character growth, each pony is doing what they are good at to solve the problem, rather than overcoming their defects to solve an issue. I guess its the difference between an external threat and an internal threat, in most episodes we see the ponies overcome *their* defects to defeat the challenge, in 1 and 2 we see them use their already clearly defined traits to beat what seem like cliche challenges.

Also, linked your post in the OP.

1) Yes, skeptics who are looking for 1-dimensionality will be able to find it in those episodes (if they squint, which they will). If you're trying to argue that point with a skeptic, a different episode as an introduction will certainly serve better.

2) The point about the later shows focusing on internal conflicts is dead on. Well said. It's a key reason for why I feel the second half of the season takes it up a notch. And the lack of internal conflicts (except a bit on Twilight's part) is clearly evident in those first two episodes. With the large external conflict and the burden of introducing all the characters, there just isn't room. As one person said, it feels more like the plot for a finale at times. If it was for an hour or two finale, there'd have been plenty of room for internal conflicts, but as it stands, that's not the case.

That being said, for people who are entering the series favorable, neutrally, or slightly skeptically (as I was), the first episodes can provide a good introduction, mostly for its strong outer conflict and sense of scale Of course, I'm also a fan of anime and look for depth in animated characters as a result, so those who aren't used to seeing animated characters as deep should be introduced by another episode, perhaps. For those who are looking to dismiss it as flat, a different episode is essential.

Twilight repeats the "what am I supposed to do" bit about 5 times, when 3 would have sufficed (two times they're delivered back to back without no explanation). Whether this happened because of time limitations on the studio's part or something slipping through the cracks, I don't know. But it implies that the viewer is too dense to follow Twilight's problem without it being hammered into them. Three times expresses great distress, five just felt unnecessary.

Add to that the fact that everyone is singing and dancing... well, remember how I said the other pony's response to Pinkie Pie breaking out in song was one of the better qualities of the second episode? This has none of that, it's like the "musical episode" in a series is more self-aware than Winter Wrap Up implies. And for me to get into a show with its primary target being younguns, that self-awareness is critical. I can relate with the characters more, because they're behaving more human rather than absurdly bursting out into song. (I still enjoyed Winter Wrap Up, mind you.)

That, and Twilight forgets she doesn't have wings, asking Rainbow Dash to help first. Wat? Maybe if she was at her whit's end and just asking the nearest pony at that point, it would make sense. (Also, lulz at Rainbow's 'BM', she just shows off her wings and then flies away super fast from the earth-bound pony). But for organized mis Twi to ask her first is just bizarre.

And the contraption to wake all the critters at the same time, the bells suspended and connected by ropes -- that thing was supposed to be enhancing efficiency, but there's no way that setup and take down of it was swifter than going to each den one by one. This and Twilight asking Rainbow to help shows a disconnect with how the world works that just doesn't appear in any episode I can think of off the top of my head. In other words, it show weaknesses that the rest of the series does not have.

1.) Yes, the song is repetitive, but its one of the best (if not the best at least most liked) songs in the series, and it certainly does a good job of giving you a brief overview of what stereotype each pony is going to fit into, the animation is superb and the song is catchy.

2.) Yes, I agree that the fact that they spontaneously burst into song detracts from the suspension of disbelief (looks at magical flying ponies, giggles at "suspension of disbelief") however it actually fits, and the animation makes it all actually fit, I mean it makes some sense that the workers would be singing while performing hard work. Its not entirely jarring, although perhaps slightly odd.

Twilight forgetting she doesn't have wings is... silly, but it also reveals the fact that she is *entirely* out of her depth, she has no clue what is going on, what is this "menial labor" thing they are speaking about? This reinforces the original conception someone seeing this as their first episode gets of twilight being an egghead that lives in a library, sure she's organized, but she's also somewhat socialy inept, and the fact that they *didn't* give her a vest/designated job throws off her "gameplan" she expected to be told "do this this and this" rather than being just left to find her own way.

Your complaint about the contraption is fair, however they are trying to showcase the value of organization, its conceivable that having a single pony run down the line with a rope and tying it at the end might be more efficient, but either way, its not that big of a deal, from a big picture perspective that isn't going to make or break the episode for converting someone over to the fandom.

As I see it, other than the song you major quibble with this episode are minor things, essentially details, yes they can bug some people, but from the point of view of converting someone it has quite a few things going for it.

It has a fairly warm song, just listening to it makes me break into a smile, and the fact is it gives you enough of a glimpse of each of the ponies to get some idea of who/what they are. It also portrays the fact that this episode is going to be about internal conflict from the start, its not going to be about defeating the spiritworms of doom that come to eat ponies, but about someone who has to learn to apply their talents in a different way. That by itself serves to give anyone watching for the first time a good idea of what is going to be happening and its a better representation of the whole tone of the series

The pacing is solid, you spend the first 15 or so minutes watching twilight go from a confident magic user who is ready to help to a quivering emotional wreck, and we can all sympathies with that. Almost everyone has had a day where they were ready to rock the world and then proceeded to get stomped. The fact that twilight then sees an issue and picks herself the fuck up and fixes it is so admirable and desirable a trait that you can't help sympathies with her. Not only that, but after having seen her fail time and time again you *want* her to succeed. All this makes a first time watcher form a sort of emotional bond or understanding with twilight, and for getting someone hooked that is vital. By the end of the episode you both like and admire twilight.

Finally as you said, the animation is awesome, and that's another vital selling point. The whole episode radiates a feeling of having been thought out and lovingly crafted, it *flows* and that is an important selling point.

Lets see, Dragonshy vs Sonic Rainboom.

Both are really solid episodes, I chose Dragonshy because Fluttershy seems to be more popular than rainbowdash, also the fact is a core trait of fluttershy is her shyness, which is here challenge to overcome in fluttershy, it also has pinkie pies "hop skip and jump" which also calls back to the no fear song in episode two in the sense that TS complains about it. Sonic rainboom is about dealing with stage fright, which is odd in the supremely confident rainbow dash, you need to know rainbow to understand that, which means it has less emotional impact if you don't know that "hey this is the Pegasus pony who never backs down from anything" its sort of the defining moment for dashy, yet without knowing her its robbed of some of its power. For fluttershy the whole "overcome shyness" deal is more recurring, so starting with that you aren't diluting the whole series. In a more extreme example, starting with rainboom would be like starting with "party of one", it would strip a lot of the power of seeing the character under stress.

Also rarity is a huge jerk that episode, and it gives new viewers a miss-impression of her, since I like rarity I don't want others to have a terrible first impression of her. Furthermore the only impression you get of applejack/ts/pinkipie in rainboom is that they are pretty one dimensional one trait characters, again when dealing with a cynic that's not a good thing. In Dragonshy you at least *see* more of the other characters, especially when they face the dragon/pack for the trip, you get more than just a basic impression but you see that TS is both confident and not too good at talking with people, you see that rairity is a sweet talker with too much vanity. Basically for each trait you get to see its flaw, and that gives a good idea of how the series is going to go.

In the end it boils down to personal preference, I think dragonshy is *slightly* stronger than rainboom. Also more people suggested it, so I went along with it ^_^