EPTMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Page 568
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No, this is not a joke/trolling thread. We don't need more filler posts asking if it is. Remember to spoiler season 6 content, and clearly label your spoilers. | ||
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Gary Oak
Canada2381 Posts
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CrazyF1r3f0x
United States2120 Posts
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carloselcoco
United States2302 Posts
On May 01 2012 14:48 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I still don't get what makes this show attractive to so many older males. Very odd indeed. Day9 and me included  | ||
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Brutaxilos
United States2622 Posts
On May 01 2012 14:48 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I still don't get what makes this show attractive to so many older males. Very odd indeed. Give it a shot! Some may like it, some may not. But why question something that makes people happy? | ||
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Nub4ever
Canada1981 Posts
Edit: someone beat me to it.  | ||
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GGTeMpLaR
United States7226 Posts
On May 01 2012 14:48 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I still don't get what makes this show attractive to so many older males. Very odd indeed. It's not really that odd when so many like it, especially with that number constantly on the rise. | ||
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CrazyF1r3f0x
United States2120 Posts
I'm not trying to attack the show or anything, I am just wondering what qualities draw such an audience, MLP seems like a children's cartoon, yet it's audience is anything but; I am just wondering what makes this show different from other children's cartoons, and especially why it's audience is seemingly a paradox. To clarify further, cartoons like Spongebob; are sprinkled with fairly tasteful and ageless humor; while having more "mature" humor placed in the show, so that it is--in a sense--hidden from the younger viewers. This is of course to make the show watchable for all ages, but most so that the parents can have a good time watching the show along side their kid. many shows--along with Pixar movies, use this same formula. Yet the audience for these shows is primarly children, and their parents. Yet MLP attracts and audience, with the avg age range bing 15-30; or something like that, so obviously there is something different about MLP compared to other "children's" cartoons, otherwise this thread wouldn't even exist. What makes this show so special compared to other shows of similar genre? | ||
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Witten
United States2094 Posts
On May 01 2012 15:09 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I'm not going to get a real answer am I >_> I'm not trying to attack the show or anything, I am just wondering what qualities draw such an audience, MLP seems like a children's cartoon, yet it's audience is anything but; I am just wondering what makes this show different from other children's cartoons, and especially why it's audience is seemingly a paradox. To clarify further, cartoons like Spongebob; are sprinkled with fairly tasteful and ageless humor; while having more "mature" humor placed in the show, so that it is--in a sense--hidden from the younger viewers. This is of course to make the show watchable for all ages, but most so that the parents can have a good time watching the show along side their kid. many shows--along with Pixar movies, use this same formula. Yet the audience for these shows is primarly children, and their parents. Yet MLP attracts and audience, with the avg age range bing 15-30; or something like that, so obviously there is something different about MLP compared to other "children's" cartoons, otherwise this thread wouldn't even exist. What makes this show so special compared to other shows of similar genre? Maybe you should try to watch it and find out. If you don't like it, good for you, just move on to something. I enjoy the show because it makes me happy. The characters all have very clear archetypes and the writers did a great job of making all the mane 6 likeable, though of course everyone is bound to have their favorite (Pinkie Pie ftw). It's a show about friendship and laughter and happiness and that's something I really appreciate and cherish. | ||
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GGTeMpLaR
United States7226 Posts
On May 01 2012 15:09 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I'm not going to get a real answer am I >_> I'm not trying to attack the show or anything, I am just wondering what qualities draw such an audience, MLP seems like a children's cartoon, yet it's audience is anything but; I am just wondering what makes this show different from other children's cartoons, and especially why it's audience is seemingly a paradox. To clarify further, cartoons like Spongebob; are sprinkled with fairly tasteful and ageless humor; while having more "mature" humor placed in the show, so that it is--in a sense--hidden from the younger viewers. This is of course to make the show watchable for all ages, but most so that the parents can have a good time watching the show along side their kid. many shows--along with Pixar movies, use this same formula. Yet the audience for these shows is primarly children, and their parents. Yet MLP attracts and audience, with the avg age range bing 15-30; or something like that, so obviously there is something different about MLP compared to other "children's" cartoons, otherwise this thread wouldn't even exist. What makes this show so special compared to other shows of similar genre? Before I try to give you a real answer, don't be a martyr and say you won't get one. I'm a little confused on whether you're asking what makes it different from "other cartoons" or "other great cartoons". The first one is easy, second one might be a little harder but I'll try to address the second as even if it fails to meet that criteria, it will surely meet the criteria of the first question. It's a combination of several factors that alone, would only make it a mediocre show (maybe above average at best), but when combined secure it's position in the top tier of "cartoons" For one, it immediately exceeds expectations for anyone who decides to "give it a shot" and ends up loving it way more than they would have ever thought they would. First impressions are fairly strong, and when an extremely negative first impression is eventually torn down and replaced, the rebuilt positive structure is just going to be that much stronger. The whole "don't judge a book by it's cover" thing really hits home as something most people can relate to so I think it's always going to be a positive influential factor in how they perceive what they're watching in every episode as soon as they admit to themselves "well, this isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be". Everyone loves to root for an underdog. From there, it's also got a close-to-perfect combination of "childish humor" and "adult humor" which just serves to give more points. Just like Spongebob as you mentioned, but in some senses even better than Spongebob, while in other senses worse. It's not exactly the same humor as Spongebob, but I would say its on or above the Spongebob level of quality when it comes to humor for the majority of the episodes. Throw in a feel-good story every episode with an optimistic message, extremely like-able characters, and a sort of mini-lesson to make you feel that you've learned a little about being a better person... Add a pinch of extremely adorable and polished animations (the popularity of cute cat pictures on the internet can give some insight into how significant this one actually is when given the proper context). Mix it all up with energetic, catchy tunes and great singing (Try to think of how many cartoons even have full songs period, let alone songs of the quality we see in this show, some of which might even be on the level of "Disney Quality"). And you've got a top tier cartoon. Maybe you not might see why this is the best cartoon ever, but it would but much harder to argue that this isn't at the very least in the top-tier in light of all it's merits which often end up shattering the individual preconceived expectations going into the show for the first time. | ||
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PencilZerg
Denmark76 Posts
On May 01 2012 15:09 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: What makes this show so special compared to other shows of similar genre? Undoubtedly the whole craze started partly because it was odd in the first place to watch a show for little girls. The awkwardness would have also helped attract attention. When I finished watching the episodes that had been released when I started, I didn't really take the show for anything special. The show is a lot better than most kids show these days, don't get me wrong - but to me it was still a kids show. More or less accidentally I got involved with the community and that was when I got caught. The community is full of artists, musicians, game developers, animators and there are so many ambitious projects in the works I can't help but want to see to the end. Above all, the people in the fandom are super friendly. The show is marvellous and does have content solely for a mature audience - like references to everything from Indiana Jones to the big Lebowski. It's also amazingly animated and the characters are intriguing. For me, however, it was the community that made it stand out from the rest of the phenomena on the internet. | ||
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RoKetha
United States211 Posts
Why people stick around is really hard to say, honestly. It varies for each person and I honestly struggle with pinning the reason down myself. I am definitely really attached to the characters. Though the base archetypes used are very relatable and familiar, the characterization is not all that deep, but it is full of surprises and I'm always compelled to find out what will end up happening to them when there's some kind of conflict that personally affects them. The humor is also quite good; I mentioned in my previous similar analysis (linked in the OP) that I really don't like the type of humor that is only made possible when the characters are unnaturally stupid and random. Here, the humor comes from a combination of cartoon antics, puns, and especially the characters themselves; popular moments include the times when the characters quite literally lose their sanity or when one character escaped kidnapping by being cooperative in the most whiny and annoying way possible. And I can absolutely say that the songs are catchy as hell. Even if most of the lyrics are absolutely stupid--although some songs such as Rarity's tend to actually be quite intelligent--some of them have ended up stuck in my head for days, off and on. Whether I like it or not. Or can remember more than one verse. Yeah, it has downsides. But I can already tell I'm overanalyzing. The reality is that I really can't tell why I like the show, just that I do. I sorta liked it by episode four, and then I just found myself watching more and more and enjoying myself a lot. I can also say that watching stuff like Pinkie's mental breakdown or Derpy's scene live the first time they aired and watching the chat explode as I stared in disbelief is a pretty amazing experience. As for the amount of fan content, that's a bit easier to explain. First, the nature of the show makes it an incredibly easy target for parody, plus it adds a nice bit of irony to any mashup done with it. Second, the art style is very simple, making it easy to reproduce while also freeing the artist to interpret unshown details any way they like. Third, there's a very compelling mythology and history behind the world that has tons of missing pieces, which encourages fans to try to fill in those holes. And finally, since the characters are based off archetypes, it's easy to just match those archetypes up with any situation or existing character and work from there. | ||
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GGTeMpLaR
United States7226 Posts
Think of the contribution of local PC-bangs in the rise of SCBW's social success. You get a sort of exponential growth going on at a certain level as the more popular it gets, the more people flock to it, which in turn makes it more popular. There's definitely a Rarity clip that would be relevant to this phenomenon but I couldn't find it on youtube ;/ | ||
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Camail
United States1030 Posts
This has to be like the fourth time a post like mine has been written, so please please please lets start trying to approach these people a tad differently. We can't jump at the chance to explain, if they are genuinely interest in why we like this show there are plenty of resources in the OP (as well as the hypothetical set of posts mentioned above) to sate them. I think we have a right to require people to be informed if they want to have a discussion about this show, and to give it and its fandom the respect they deserve. EDIT: AND LINKS [01:57] <+Camail> http://cresento.deviantart.com/art/Contract-299308535 [01:57] <+Camail> http://deathpwny.deviantart.com/art/Andrea-Libman-you-rock-299313657 [01:57] <+Camail> http://tartii.deviantart.com/art/Dashies-Cloud-299314351 [01:57] <+Camail> http://giuliabeck.deviantart.com/art/Chaotic-Couple-299318392 [01:57] <+Camail> http://imalou.deviantart.com/art/the-cute-evil-299319667 [01:57] <+Camail> http://britishstarr.deviantart.com/art/Fancy-Pants-299318415 [01:57] <+Camail> http://britishstarr.deviantart.com/art/Spike-doodle-299322546 [01:57] <+Camail> http://annakat101.deviantart.com/art/Fluttershy-299322993 [01:57] <+Camail> http://egophiliac.deviantart.com/art/commission-makin-bakin-299324556 [01:57] <+Bloodynoob> FUCK YOU CAMAIL YOU SHOULD BE ASLEEP [01:57] <+Camail> http://egophiliac.deviantart.com/art/commission-regular-business-299325743 [01:57] <+Camail> http://kohtek.deviantart.com/art/Trade-razorwing-299327313 [01:57] <+Camail> anthro http://monstrenoir.deviantart.com/art/Stripeys-Prom-Dress-299328590 [01:57] <+Camail> http://haute-claire.deviantart.com/art/Goodbye-Muffin-299330478 [01:57] <+Camail> http://haute-claire.deviantart.com/art/Pizzahat-299345866 [01:57] <+Camail> http://hattonslayden.deviantart.com/art/BroDerp-286702120 [01:58] <+Camail> Lok http://suirobo.deviantart.com/art/feed-all-the-fire-ferrets-299362164 [01:58] <+Camail> morra korra http://kevinsano.deviantart.com/art/KorraKorraKorra-299366652 [01:58] <+Camail> http://arrkhal.deviantart.com/art/Eww-yuck-299368044 [01:58] <+Camail> http://peachpalette.deviantart.com/art/Charmer-299391125 [01:58] <+Camail> http://sbshouseofpancakes.deviantart.com/art/Sleeping-299384617 [01:58] <+Camail> http://tridgeon.deviantart.com/art/Gn-299308483 [01:58] <+Camail> http://tridgeon.deviantart.com/art/Mg-299383139 [01:58] <+Camail> http://theknysh.deviantart.com/art/MLP-Cutie-Pie-299381448 [01:58] <+Camail> http://hinoraito.deviantart.com/art/Welovefine-Queen-Chrysalis-tshirt-299376265 [01:58] <+Camail> http://llamaswithkatanas.deviantart.com/art/Derpy-Wallpaper-299374146 [01:58] <+Camail> http://ruffu.deviantart.com/art/Flutter-Below-299399209 [01:58] <+Camail> http://dreampaw.deviantart.com/art/Fleur-De-Lis-My-Little-Pony-299411815 [01:59] <+Camail> http://sunflic.deviantart.com/art/Blue-Compilation-299410379 [01:59] <+Camail> http://peachiekeenie.deviantart.com/art/Discordery-Night-Life-299403032 [01:59] <+Camail> http://uc77.deviantart.com/art/Genesis-of-Pinkie-299409139 [01:59] <+Camail> boop Fuck you too, bloody. | ||
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ixi.genocide
United States981 Posts
On May 01 2012 15:09 CrazyF1r3f0x wrote: I'm not going to get a real answer am I >_> I'm not trying to attack the show or anything, I am just wondering what qualities draw such an audience, MLP seems like a children's cartoon, yet it's audience is anything but; I am just wondering what makes this show different from other children's cartoons, and especially why it's audience is seemingly a paradox. To clarify further, cartoons like Spongebob; are sprinkled with fairly tasteful and ageless humor; while having more "mature" humor placed in the show, so that it is--in a sense--hidden from the younger viewers. This is of course to make the show watchable for all ages, but most so that the parents can have a good time watching the show along side their kid. many shows--along with Pixar movies, use this same formula. Yet the audience for these shows is primarly children, and their parents. Yet MLP attracts and audience, with the avg age range bing 15-30; or something like that, so obviously there is something different about MLP compared to other "children's" cartoons, otherwise this thread wouldn't even exist. What makes this show so special compared to other shows of similar genre? The powerpuff girls had the same thing going on. I think it has something to do with the show being a medium for men 15+ that gives a non-sexual interaction with female characters. That and the show isn't dark at all, it doesn't play to the testosterone filled day that we usually have and instead you can go to a completely different part of yourself. And people that watch the show think that they are weird and unique. | ||
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nohbrows
United States653 Posts
Because a modnote on top telling you not to do that is not enough to deter you from asking that question. Because some people in here still like to respond that question. Because I am sick and tired of having any meaningful discussion pertaining to show itself being interrupted. Because MLP:FiM. Edit: As it turns out, people have posted below this so I guess I'll put it into a separate reply. | ||
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d3_crescentia
United States4054 Posts
It's good because it's a show being produced by a company that wants to market toys to little girls, but is written and directed by a team that makes the assumption that little girls are, in fact, not stupid. Funnily enough, non-stupidity is the key factor in being enjoyable on a long-term (read: episodic) basis, no matter what age or gender you are. The reason why the viewerbase grew beyond its target demographic, and continues to grow today, is because not only is the show good, but the producers and the fan community have a positive relationship. The writers love that we watch the show, give nearly-instantaneous feedback (via the internet), and enjoy the tremendous amount of fanwork that emerges, so much of the shame of "but it's for little girls!" is largely non-existent. Not to mention that, because the show is so good, it's incredibly easy to extract meme-fodder out of, which is a positive feedback loop as the fandom essentially creates new material for the writers to work with as well. Quite frankly, the more I think about it, the more I feel that such shame shouldn't exist in the first place - much like how declaring your passion for Starcraft and all-things ESPORTS shouldn't cause others to automatically label you a societal outcast/nerd. If we enjoy MLP:FIM, it doesn't mean that we're weird, it just means that the show is good. | ||
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RoKetha
United States211 Posts
On May 01 2012 16:12 nohbrows wrote: Reserving this post for a link compiltation of a standard response we should give to people who come in here and ask "Why do you guys watch this show?" Because a modnote on top telling you not to do that is not enough to deter you from asking that question. Because some people in here still like to respond that question. Because I am sick and tired of having any meaningful discussion pertaining to show itself being interrupted. Because MLP:FiM. There isn't a modnote that says don't ask why. And meaningful discussion about the show? That was by far the most meaningful thing related to show in several pages that wasn't just a repost of EqD news or an aggregation of fan content. Yeah it gets annoying if it happens every page, but it's okay to revisit the topic since people's ideas tend to change over time and new people show up. It's not like the thread is going to run out of space or there was some other important topic at hand. It is a bit disrespectful not to read the whole OP though, even if this one is huge and the section is merely called "notable posts" which might be skipped over when looking for something more specific. | ||
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nohbrows
United States653 Posts
On May 01 2012 16:33 RoKetha wrote: There isn't a modnote that says don't ask why. And meaningful discussion about the show? That was by far the most meaningful thing related to show in several pages that wasn't just a repost of EqD news or an aggregation of fan content. Yeah it gets annoying if it happens every page, but it's okay to revisit the topic since people's ideas tend to change over time and new people show up. It's not like the thread is going to run out of space or there was some other important topic at hand. It is a bit disrespectful not to read the whole OP though, even if this one is huge and the section is merely called "notable posts" which might be skipped over when looking for something more specific. No but see the thing is, every time the topic gets revisited, you guys say the exact same thing in response, while they ask the exact same questions. No ones ideas are changing here. I've been looking at the first 100 pages of this thread, a place when we were still taking off as a sub community and the thread was still being visited by people who didn't understand us. There were a lot of posts asking whether or not we were trolling or not, why grown men were watching this show, etc. etc. Jibba put that mod note on top for a reason. And the stuff they were saying all the way back 468 pages is the same exact things you guys are saying right now. In fact, I think every single time a troll/unbeliever/hater has asked "why?" we respond with the same exact thing. So why waste our time and energy responding to the same question over and over again in the same exact manner over and over again. Hell, one of the rules (or at least manners) of TL is to read through an OP before making a post. People get dinged for it all the time, banned even. So why should this thread be any different? We are past page 500, dammit. We've been here for almost a good two solid years and we are not going away. We are past justification. The last time anyone brought up anything new to the dicussion was SirKibbleX back in page 480 somethingish. And his point was pretty inane and shot down rather quickly IIRC. Now if you excuse me, I have to back to compiling this thing. Edit: Edit2: nvm the above quip. It's a bit fallacious. | ||
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Jojo131
Brazil1631 Posts
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pettter
Sweden1032 Posts
Aaaaand... this is further explanation | ||
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