I'm not saying you can't like it. I'm wondering why people do, and furthermore if there is a valid reason for people who are well into their teens and/or 20's who have most likely been exposed to higher caliber entertainment to fawn over it like they do. I don't see an internet cult forming around a like for Adventure Time (no Adventure Time Bros or something?). So why "Bronies"? It just seems too selective and ironic to be sincere.
I think the 'love' for the show IS a bit out of hand, I mean, so far as to have it's own culture emerge out of it, consisting of anything BUT the intended audience? That's just a bit odd to me.
You can like it, but when you get with your posse and wear rainbow colored everything, ponies shirts, and talk about ponies, that's just.... Yknow, wtf.
Not to say I don't occasionally like children's stuff myself. Blues Clues with Steve is still the shit, yo.
I never really understood the MLP fandom. Before now, I've seen little clips and it looked like a typical kids show. Just now I decided to watch the first episode, heres my general thoughts:
-I enjoy the animation and style. It's smooth and nice, and I respect good animation
-The humour is typical kid's show humour.
-The characters are cute. I mean they're talking ponies, come on
Final thoughts: It's a nice show, and I understand the likability. Lauren Faust is awesome in general and has worked on fantastic stuff. What I do not understand, however, is the extreme fan base. I think people just enjoy belonging to a group and having common interests with each other, so after kind of enjoying the show, they decide they are suddenly bronies and repost a ton of MLP stuff. The same thing happens with every other fandom. If I had to compare this with other newer kids shows, I'd prefer Regular Show and Adventure Time.
Also, this fandom started in /b/. Remember people, this is where the boxxy fandom was sparked.
o (◡‿◡✿)
(ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･
That's exactly it. I can't help but feel like it exists merely to be ironic. Like a sheer statement of cultural deviance. The fact that these grown men are so loud and proud about the fandom which is more saturated with them than the little girls it's meant for strikes me as being a "statement" more so than an earnest fandom.Originally Posted by GunZet
And yeah, toast, I agree. The show itself is thoroughly mediocre in most aspects, but excellent in few (namely animation).
I've seen every episode up to recent and the value it holds is that of humour and a masterwork animation. While maybe not as intense as any anime, it does have its spots of insanity. I'm sure if you gave it a try you would love it. Generally bronies practice love and tolerance which is what this show represents, but many do not and they are generally the rabid fans. It isn't a cliche to like the show but it probably isn't wise to become crazy over it. (Sorry about the strange reply. I could have done better but I'm in class. Quite amusing.)
The whole thing about it is that character development is actually a theme in the show. The episodes are completely dedicated to the characters growing as (people). It's essentially a tool designed to teach children about being good people, but the pacing in the show is blisteringly fantastic. I can't watch most children's shows for more than a few minutes because they're so horribly slow, but My Little Pony actually plays out like a TV show for older kids. As far as how it moves, it's a lot like The Rugrats. It also contains theming that's not exactly just for little girls. The conflict in the show honestly can reach absolute boiling points, to the extent of physical harm, and complete negligence of one another's feelings. For what it's worth, it's not really super funny, it's just fun.
Alright, well, let me ask you a question:
are you judging MLP based on the standard of kids shows, or based on the standard of the full gamut of entertainment you've seen in your lifetime?
I can see MLP being an excellent "kids show", but I feel like it's highly overstated versus many other things I've seen. Especially since so many adult (men) are enjoying it, I feel like they're grasping for straws when they say the "character development is excellent" and such. So the ponies do something cool and get a little sticker on their flank. That's great for kids, but versus the many anime I've watched where characters will spend dozens of episodes mulling over their personal identity and exploring themselves, I wouldn't bill it as "excellent". But maybe that's why my opinion differs vastly from Bronies'? Or maybe it's the novelty of a kids' show doing occasional "non-kid" stuff that gets people riled up?
Are Bronies being especially lenient when they judge MLP (ie. comparing it solely to other kids' shows instead of comparing it to relatively more serious media)? In that case I can sort of understand where this fandom comes from. But that still wouldn't explain why it's such a statement to be a Brony. As I asked before, how come Adventure Time (which is also excellent and has adult-themed humor) doesn't have an "ism" behind it? It seems like Bronies take pride in the aberrant nature of their fandom.
Quote: The big labowsky has a reference in MLP.
Quote: Spike is unconscious in punch. "Someone spiked the punch".
Quote: There are quite a few sex references in MLP.
End Quote: Dat Flank.
These are more like quotes of other quotes but it's all the same.
I'm judging it on the entirety of things I've seen in my lifetime. Don't get me wrong, Ponies are not the only thing I watch, by any means. It's a small portion of my entertainment life, but among the newest, so it has the highest novelty value.Alright, well, let me ask you a question:
are you judging MLP based on the standard of kids shows, or based on the standard of the full gamut of entertainment you've seen in your lifetime?
It's not that the characters are mulling over their identities, it's that their character flaws are presented in the episodes, and are dealt with by themselves and their friends. For instance, a deal of the shows are just misunderstandings, or other small things that turn into more horrible things (Spike changes from a little guy into a giant dragon and destroys Ponyville).I can see MLP being an excellent "kids show", but I feel like it's highly overstated versus many other things I've seen. Especially since so many adult (men) are enjoying it, I feel like they're grasping for straws when they say the "character development is excellent" and such. So the ponies do something cool and get a little sticker on their flank. That's great for kids, but versus the many anime I've watched where characters will spend dozens of episodes mulling over their personal identity and exploring themselves, I wouldn't bill it as "excellent". But maybe that's why my opinion differs vastly from Bronies'? Or maybe it's the novelty of a kids' show doing occasional "non-kid" stuff that gets people riled up?
No, I don't really think it's even a comparative thing. I believe that we just enjoy the show; that's the end of it. It also could be the innocent nature of the show. If you can recall, I've actually been banned on the forums a few times for outright display of extremely negative speech (sexual desires dependent on the non-consent and/or extreme youth of the other participating party). It can draw a person who behaves terribly, but was raised in a highly acceptable surrounding with outstandingly "good" parents, or outstanding "good" influences at the least.Are Bronies being especially lenient when they judge MLP (ie. comparing it solely to other kids' shows instead of comparing it to relatively more serious media)? In that case I can sort of understand where this fandom comes from. But that still wouldn't explain why it's such a statement to be a Brony. As I asked before, how come Adventure Time (which is also excellent and has adult-themed humor) doesn't have an "ism" behind it? It seems like Bronies take pride in the aberrant nature of their fandom.
Honestly, a lot of the episodes aren't as good as I would have liked; the first one included. Hasbro also wrestled away Lauren Faust's influence early on in Season 1 and then took away her the director job by Season 2, instead keeping her on as a consultant. This makes me sad, because she had all these great plans about the series that never came about.
I would have liked a more adventurous feel and some some consistent antagonists (as Faust was planning to do) but they opted out on that in favor slice-of-life content more fitting for filler material. They also should've made gaining those magical doo-dads everyone got by Episode 2 of the first season a lot harder. Friendship is something people work on - everything would have made more sense if they had slowly earned those. You know, the first half should have established friendships while the second half involved journeying far away for the magical MacGuffin and whatnot.
But yeah. In my opinion, you should watch Season 2 Episodes 12 before you make any further judgments. The episode right after that was awful, but I keep watching with the hopes of stumbling across a good episode. It happens every so often.
whut
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