I tried watching a few episodes of that show, and to give my opinions of it:
- It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
- The first two episodes did introduce the series quite well. I feel they were necessary to explain the general origins/plot of the series but I think you can genuinely start with any episode and familiarise yourself with the characters. The episodes don't really feel interlinked in any way and each focus on a different moral or situation.
- It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality, turning from ultra-reclusive to the somewhat sociable voice of reason.
- The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
- The morals presented at the end of each episode are solid. I cannot deny that fact at all.
From a male perspective, I think it doesn't have as much crossover appeal as the Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid.
PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly when you looked at it, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains and the plot, involving three young kintergarten girls who have been artifically created by accident with superpowers. It doesn't sound that girly.
A peaceful world of cute, pretty, colourful ponies that stemmed originally from a series of girls toys is incredibly girly.
Plus compare the theme tunes.
I'd say the MLP:FIM theme is at least two degrees more girly than the PPG one. I mean don't get me wrong, the show does very well to appeal to its target audience but I don't think it has quite as much crossover appeal as PPG did.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: I tried watching a few episodes of that show, and to give my opinions of it:
- It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
- The two introductory episodes (The ones involving Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna) did introduce the series quite well. I feel they were necessary to explain the general origins/plot of the series but I think you can genuinely start with any episode and familiarise yourself with the characters. The episodes don't really feel interlinked in any way and each focus on a different moral or situation.
- It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality. She turned from an ultra-reclusive bookworm to the surprisingly sociable voice of reason just like that.
- The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
- The morals presented at the end of each episode are solid. I cannot deny that fact at all.
I dunno if I like this show that much. From a male perspective, it's alright I guess but not something I plan on following. It just feels wierd as a guy to watch a show about animated anthropomorphic ponies intended for a target audience of young girls. PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains i.e. Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo, Him, the Rowdyruff Boys, the Gangrene Gang etc.)
Mojo jojo!!!!!! THAT was his name. For the past couple of days I'd been trying to remember what his name was without cheating with Google, and the most I came up with was "jojo?" (I never watched more than 5 minutes of that show, but I thought his name was amusing)
I think the reason MLP has attracted such an audience is because it possesses a certain peaceful serenity that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. While so many TV shows try everything they can to rile you up in order to raise ratings (look how sitcoms deliberately put characters into the most awkward situations possible), MLP is never actually frightening*, and I can't compare it to any of the cartoons you mentioned as I've watched none of them, but I suspect that again, MLP has a special sort of serenity. It's got nicer animation than some of the ones you mentioned, at least, lol.
Either way, your post was extremely reasonable and I'm glad to have read your perspective. My initial perspective was something similar, though I was harping on different things.
*I think it takes a creative mind or a mind that's seen too much Sci-fi in order to make the mental jump between strange Pinkie and truly frightening Pinkie... but even if I'm wrong, so what, that's just a one episode exception =)
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: I tried watching a few episodes of that show, and to give my opinions of it:
- It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
- The first two episodes did introduce the series quite well. I feel they were necessary to explain the general origins/plot of the series but I think you can genuinely start with any episode and familiarise yourself with the characters. The episodes don't really feel interlinked in any way and each focus on a different moral or situation.
- It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality, turning from ultra-reclusive to the somewhat sociable voice of reason.
- The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
- The morals presented at the end of each episode are solid. I cannot deny that fact at all.
From a male perspective, I think it doesn't have as much crossover appeal as the Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid.
PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly when you looked at it, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains and the plot, involving three young kintergarten girls who have been artifically created by accident with superpowers. It doesn't sound that girly.
A peaceful world of cute, pretty, colourful ponies that stemmed originally from a series of girls toys is incredibly girly.
I'd say the MLP:FIM theme is at least two degrees more girly than the PPG one. I mean don't get me wrong, the show does very well to appeal to its target audience but I don't think it has quite as much crossover appeal as PPG did.
This is how it begins! You may have watched only a few episodes, but in a few days you will find yourself on youtube watching more! Muahahaha.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: I tried watching a few episodes of that show, and to give my opinions of it:
- It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
- The two introductory episodes (The ones involving Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna) did introduce the series quite well. I feel they were necessary to explain the general origins/plot of the series but I think you can genuinely start with any episode and familiarise yourself with the characters. The episodes don't really feel interlinked in any way and each focus on a different moral or situation.
- It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality. She turned from an ultra-reclusive bookworm to the surprisingly sociable voice of reason just like that.
- The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
- The morals presented at the end of each episode are solid. I cannot deny that fact at all.
I dunno if I like this show that much. From a male perspective, it's alright I guess but not something I plan on following. It just feels wierd as a guy to watch a show about animated anthropomorphic ponies intended for a target audience of young girls. PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains i.e. Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo, Him, the Rowdyruff Boys, the Gangrene Gang etc.)
Mojo jojo!!!!!! THAT was his name. For the past couple of days I'd been trying to remember what his name was without cheating with Google, and the most I came up with was "jojo?" (I never watched more than 5 minutes of that show, but I thought his name was amusing)
I think the reason MLP has attracted such an audience is because it possesses a certain peaceful serenity that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. While so many TV shows try everything they can to rile you up in order to raise ratings (look how sitcoms deliberately put characters into the most awkward situations possible), MLP is never actually frightening*, and I can't compare it to any of the cartoons you mentioned as I've watched none of them, but I suspect that again, MLP has a special sort of serenity. It's got nicer animation than some of the ones you mentioned, at least, lol.
Either way, your post was extremely reasonable and I'm glad to have read your perspective. My initial perspective was something similar, though I was harping on different things.
*I think it takes a creative mind or a mind that's seen too much Sci-fi in order to make the mental jump between strange Pinkie and truly frightening Pinkie... but even if I'm wrong, so what, that's just a one episode exception =)
I wasn't really bashing the show for its themes anyway. I'm just saying I wasn't really feeling the crossover appeal for it that everyone said it had.
Besides, I agree with you on how producers try to make things as dramatic or hyped up as possible. Look at Big Brother for instance when the show was hyped up a few years ago in a "Which housemates will fight/make a fool of themselves/shag first?" kind of way. Plus compare the cast of the first BB series to later series.
EDIT: Jojo was his name as a regular monkey. He took on the name Mojo Jojo when his brain accidentally had Chemical X spilled on it.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: I tried watching a few episodes of that show, and to give my opinions of it:
- It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
- The first two episodes did introduce the series quite well. I feel they were necessary to explain the general origins/plot of the series but I think you can genuinely start with any episode and familiarise yourself with the characters. The episodes don't really feel interlinked in any way and each focus on a different moral or situation.
- It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality, turning from ultra-reclusive to the somewhat sociable voice of reason.
- The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
- The morals presented at the end of each episode are solid. I cannot deny that fact at all.
From a male perspective, I think it doesn't have as much crossover appeal as the Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid.
PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly when you looked at it, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains and the plot, involving three young kintergarten girls who have been artifically created by accident with superpowers. It doesn't sound that girly.
A peaceful world of cute, pretty, colourful ponies that stemmed originally from a series of girls toys is incredibly girly.
I'd say the MLP:FIM theme is at least two degrees more girly than the PPG one. I mean don't get me wrong, the show does very well to appeal to its target audience but I don't think it has quite as much crossover appeal as PPG did.
Just as a note, Twilight's change in personality is totally legit. In fact, I identify FURIOUSLY with her, as that was basically what occurred to me when I was 13-14, and it occurred when I started swimming training: by joining a social environment(rather than the occlusive internet+mmorpg one), I started socializing much more and now I can make friends with anyone, provided I consider him/her "decent"(I keep jerks away).
And yeah, considering old cartoons, its not THAT good. But if you think about it, there was certain freedom on old cartoons that cannot be seen on newer cartoons. I mean, I hardly thing Bugs Bunny could be considered, nowadays, a character for children. Consider the fact that he constantly shoots the duck. How often do you see a cartoon with GUNS period?
Surely MLP:FiM does not appeal to that side, nor it should, but the point is: it is capable, under nowadays restrictions AND with the bad reputation it had(ugh 80s ponies), to become a solid top-notch cartoon. That's why it is so good, that is why so many people like it.
I don't really like "old" cartoons, a lot of their appeal is the animation itself, although they are head and shoulders above the crap that's pushed today. I tend to like well-thought, modern cartoons like Fairly OddParents or Phineas and Ferb that stretch the barrier of reasonable to amuse you, as opposed to something like SpongeBob that's basically out of the stupidity of the characters.
MLP:FiM is amazing though because it may be girly, cheesy, the last thing a man would admit to like, but if you can get over that shit it`s so damn funny. Think Friends with more stereotypical characters and none of the relashionship bullshit and you'd hit very close, I think that is a huge compliment to any show.
On September 09 2011 16:22 Frigo wrote: Yup, checked a few posts of theirs, it is amazing how aggressive specimens of the Greater Internet Fuckwad genus were they.
The best way to deal with people like that is to ignore them, or hug them, depending on circumstance.
Speaking of kids trying to troll us, I have developed one of the perfect countertrolls to MLP haters.
Step 1 - Find out what/who these people like.
Step 2 - Find out if these things/people like MLP.
Step 3 - Break the news to the hater, presenting proof.
Step 4 - Smile.
It works wonders. The amount of rage that comes from a Stephen Colbert fan that hates MLP when they find out that he's a brony is pretty amazing. You never know who bronies are, even Deadmau5 and Bill Clinton are among us. =D
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: It's better than the crap cartoon channels have shown in recent years. However, I don't think it's topped the golden age of cartoons i.e. Cow & Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, Dexter's Laboratory, Ren & Stimpy, Family Guy's first three seasons, the early episodes of the Simpsons etc.
We're not gushing as we are out of some delusion that the twenty-six episodes would amount to a peerless masterpiece. We do so because between character attachment, active developer interaction, broad yet close-knit community, daily stream of high-standard fan works, collective hype and speculation, thrills and triumphs of conquest, and everything else that make up the experience, we're having the time of our lives with the show.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: It seems wierd that the protagonist of the story (Twilight Sparkle) took on a sudden change in attitude and personality, turning from ultra-reclusive to the somewhat sociable voice of reason.
Is it? She's never really meek or miserable like, say, Lisa Simpson. Her reclusiveness springs from what starts out as almost arrogance towards distractions like friends. As a fledging wizard and personal protegée of the god-empress, she's a big fish in a small pond, not your usual emo "I just want to fit in" high school kid. For a similar dynamic, see Dexter vs. Dee Dee.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: The other main characters seem unique and quite honest, even if some of them (i.e. Pinkie Pie and Rarity) are annoying.
Most subscribe to the idea that, in the end, it's quite simply impossible to dislike any of the primary cast. You may need to watch a little further to find out just why that is.
On September 09 2011 09:34 Clbull wrote: From a male perspective, I think it doesn't have as much crossover appeal as the Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid. + Show Spoiler +
PPG was very different because it wasn't really that girly when you looked at it, at least when you look at all the antagonists/villains and the plot, involving three young kintergarten girls who have been artifically created by accident with superpowers. It doesn't sound that girly.
A peaceful world of cute, pretty, colourful ponies that stemmed originally from a series of girls toys is incredibly girly.
I'd say the MLP:FIM theme is at least two degrees more girly than the PPG one. I mean don't get me wrong, the show does very well to appeal to its target audience but I don't think it has quite as much crossover appeal as PPG did.
Oh, you're not mistaken. Why do you think we need to make this much noise to be taken seriously?
On September 10 2011 00:56 Chaosvuistje wrote: Just passed my theory exam for driving again while humming the MLP theme between the easy questions. Was a lot less anxious than last time
Can't wait for the next season!
Congrats on passing!
Yeh its my Birthday on the 13th but I have eyes for only one date this september :p
On September 10 2011 00:56 Chaosvuistje wrote: Just passed my theory exam for driving again while humming the MLP theme between the easy questions. Was a lot less anxious than last time
Can't wait for the next season!
Congrats on passing!
Yeh its my Birthday on the 13th but I have eyes for only one date this september :p
On September 09 2011 16:22 Frigo wrote: Yup, checked a few posts of theirs, it is amazing how aggressive specimens of the Greater Internet Fuckwad genus were they.
The best way to deal with people like that is to ignore them, or hug them, depending on circumstance.
Speaking of kids trying to troll us, I have developed one of the perfect countertrolls to MLP haters.
Step 1 - Find out what/who these people like.
Step 2 - Find out if these things/people like MLP.
Step 3 - Break the news to the hater, presenting proof.
Step 4 - Smile.
It works wonders. The amount of rage that comes from a Stephen Colbert fan that hates MLP when they find out that he's a brony is pretty amazing. You never know who bronies are, even Deadmau5 and Bill Clinton are among us. =D
Hate to burst your bubble but I don't think Bill Clinton has ever watched the show...
He answered some questions right about MLP on NPR, but if you heard the questions they asked him, they were like "Is Rarity's favorite hobby (a.)Making clothes or (b.)Eating paste?". Don't need to be a brony to answer questions like those.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J2MVQ.png)
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pORikgqoT88/TmpoojHg-uI/AAAAAAAAL0U/HGcOJq-8KtM/s640/ILtNQ.jpg)
