There is a reason that MLP is so popular.

[frotaz37]

I am tempted to go back and edit my post just so you wont agree

 

[Zajice]

I have yet to see one person give reasons why they like the show beyond "I like it" and "The fans are great" and "It's not as girly as I thought", all of which have nothing to do with the substance of the show at all.

People have explained why they like the show itself plenty of times...

I could do so again right now, but quite frankly, I'm tired of trying to explain my reasoning to people who's >opinion isn't gonna change regardless of what I or anyone else says.

And I know that me typing a big wall of text about each and every little thing I like about it is just gonna result in people pointing out why all my >opinions are wrong, as the case always is.


And damn it Splet, you have the 2nd most posts in the pony thread. You've seen posts about why people like the show more than anyone else in here.

 

[Reizilla]

Congrats on the 2k mark, Spelt.

 

[Spelt]

And damn it Splet, you have the 2nd most posts in the pony thread. You've seen posts about why people like the show more than anyone else in here.

Okay, so...

The pony thread is 70% posting remixes, fanart, those crappy music video things that i don't understand why anyone likes, etc.
another 25% is a bunch of dumb recycled discussions like tier lists and crap like that.
and then other 5% is criticizing the episodes to unhealthy detail and saying what they could improve on.

Logically someone would assume the only legitimate reason you like the show is for the songs.

 

[Reizilla]

sounds like we're new-episode deprived at the moment.

 

[Spelt]

No that is what i've seen from the thread since the very beginning.

Not just recently.

 

[FoxBlaze71]

No, something everyone agrees with. Save the " I like the pretty ponies " crowd.

 

[Fuelbi]

The exact opposite of pre-teen drama? You must be joking.



No, that's really not true. Not every fanbase is in your face about it like FiM fans, and usually fanbases can actually give people reasons why they like whatever they are into.

I have yet to see one person give reasons why they like the show beyond "I like it" and "The fans are great" and "It's not as girly as I thought", all of which have nothing to do with the substance of the show at all.

But I actually like the show for the story, the personality of the characters, the humor in the lines of the dialogue, the actual animation quality, etc.

Is that good enough besides "it's not as girly as I thought" and "It's good"?

 

[FoxBlaze71]

It IS girly. How are annoying, multicolored creatures not girly?

That's like saying the Barbie Ken doll is manly.

 

[Spelt]

the actual animation quality, etc.

Try again.

 

[Fuelbi]

What are you talking about? Ken is ****ing manly

He clearly works out

EDIT:

Oh come on, the actual animation quality of it is the best I've seen in years imo. The way everything is so well drawn, the way the pony's manes bounces as they walk, etc.

 

[FoxBlaze71]

He's a ******** piece of plastic that lives in a doll house.

 

[Fuelbi]

Says the person with 3 fox postbits, a fox avatar, and the starfox location who frequents a website dedicated to a children's fighter

 

[FoxBlaze71]

Coming from a person who frequents the same website, has a MLP avatar, and frequently discusses a children's show.

 

[Zatchiel]

It IS girly. How are annoying, multicolored creatures not girly?

That's like saying the Barbie Ken doll is manly.

You're mistaken. Annoying, multicolored, *****y, boy craving **** is girly. Rarity suffices to 3/4s of that criteria. Rarity is only 1/6 of the Mane6. This show is 0.125% girly. Your argument is invalid.

What are you talking about? Ken is ****ing manly

He clearly works out

EDIT:

Oh come on, the actual animation quality of it is the best I've seen in years imo. The way everything is so well drawn, the way the pony's manes bounces as they walk, etc.

Says the person with 3 fox postbits, a fox avatar, and the starfox location who frequents a website dedicated to a children's fighter

You, I love you.

 

[Spelt]

Oh come on, the actual animation quality of it is the best I've seen in years imo.

That's like saying mcdonald's food is amazing because you've spent the last 3 years eating nothing but stale bread.

The way everything is so well drawn, the way the pony's manes bounces as they walk, etc.

A horses hair moves when it walks?!?!
Oh my god, What kind of genius came up with that idea?

 

[Fuelbi]

That's like saying mcdonald's food is amazing because you've spent the last 3 years eating nothing but stale bread.

Actually, it's more like saying McDonald's food is amazing because for the last 3 years all the restaurants in town have been pure ****

A horses hair moves when it walks?!?!
Oh my god, What kind of genius came up with that idea?

little details like that is stuff that most people overlook when they're animating something like this

 

[frotaz37]

But I actually like the show for the story, the personality of the characters, the humor in the lines of the dialogue, the actual animation quality, etc.

Is that good enough besides "it's not as girly as I thought" and "It's good"?

These explanations are no better than "I like it".

What do you like about the story?
What do you like about the personality of the characters?
What humor do you find in the dialogue?
Why do you think the animation is quality animation?

And yeah I'm with Spelt. How bad other recent animation is has no bearing on whether or not the animation in FiM is quality animation.

 

[Spelt]

Actually, it's more like saying McDonald's food is amazing because for the last 3 years all the restaurants in town have been pure ****

Ugh.

little details like that is stuff that most people overlook when they're animating something like this

Lol no it isn't.

Any designer/artist/whatever ... or really even anyone who's ever even taken a class about any of those things will tell you first and foremost that it's the details that make or break the project.

Actually just anyone in general.
I don't even know how I found myself having to clarify this.


Moral of the story: stop giving them brownie points for things that should be there by default.
Just because the animation is better than all of the trash that has been out there recently doesn't automatically make it good.

 

[Fuelbi]

These explanations are no better than "I like it".

What do you like about the story?
What do you like about the personality of the characters?
What humor do you find in the dialogue?
Why do you think the animation is quality animation?

And yeah I'm with Spelt. How bad other recent animation is has no bearing on whether or not the animation in FiM is quality animation.

I enjoy how the story manages to suck me in to the end with it's quality brand of humor. While the ending is always predictable, it's something I've come to expect consider it's a show meant for children

I like how every character in the show is unique in their own way. I mean there's Rainbow Dash who just comes in and doesn't take **** from anyone with her rainbow mane. On the other hand, there's Fluttershy who everything she does is so ****ing adorable you can't help but daaaaaaaaaaaaw at it. Rarity is amazing imo. Sure, she has that prissy personality, but that's because her job demands for her to be that prissy, and she's managed to use that priss on at least one occasion to make her enemies succumb to giving her whatever she wants. AJ is awesome because she looks like a cowboy and picks apples. I mean, she's pretty down to earth, unlike Rarity who might as well be her complete opposite. Then there's Twilight, who I genuinely dislike, but as a character I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a good thing if they actually manage to make me feel anything. I mean, her personality is just abrasive. There's a giant tree in her room, and all she cares about is whether or not her sleepover is supposed to be going as planned, instead of just using her magic to get rid of the thing. I mean, I can tell you about 20 instances that I hate Twilight, but if the animator can make you feel things, then I'm sure the animator's done their job. Besides, I think I'm in the minority who doesn't like her to begin with, so w/e. Pinkie Pie is really funny, because of how cartoony she is, in contrast to everybody else in the show, which is a nice refreshment for when the show starts to get too preachy or too srs. Like if you'd see the episode where she goes ballistic and starts talking to inanimate objects, I think you'd get what I mean. It's funny how she just goes wacky in nearly every episode and you just can't take her seriously at all. I could say more about the other characters, but it's getting late and I want to sleep

The humor in the dialogue is hilarious. I mean, sometimes it's just crappy puns that are so bad they're actually good. Sometimes the humor gets put in there so well that you don't notice and when you do it's hilarious. And then the ones that actually are good manage to bring out some chuckles out of you and then you feel good. Sure, most of the time the humor in the dialogue is actually done by Pinkie Pie, but it's a good balance. There's also the rest of the humor in the show that's pretty funny over all, like when Spike fantasized about being a big buff dragon guy in shining armor to help save Rarity by bashing through 20 bad guys at once, which is pretty cute because it's a little baby dragon who's thinking of that in the first place.

The show is in quality animation because the whole thing is done in flash, and if done right, that's a really good and viable way to animate stuff. I mean, so much detail is put into the way that the characters simply move it's good. Like I pointed out before there's the way that the character's manes bounce up and down as they walk, which is absent in many TV shows, even the old ones as well. Then there's the expressions of the characters. Sure most of the time it's just big chibi eyed eyes with a smile, but a lot of the time they manage to actually make some good facial expressions that hasn't been seen in a while since old shows. Then you could also say there's the "effects" by which I mean just the way the show is so detailed that there's "effects" in stuff that you could see in a movie, except they really aren't and it's just detail into the animation

Look I'm tired right now, if you want I can make a much longer post going into detail why I like MLP, but I'm going to sleep now

 

[MechaWave]

People are huge *** weirdos. They'll go struttin' around in MLP t-shirts like *******.

But other than that it's a nice show. I used to do it but the show is losing its appeal... to me, that is.

 

[ciaza]

I have just ordered my custom MLP T-shirt online and cannot wait to strut around in it like a ******.

Have you finished watching some episodes yet, Suc?

 

[BSP]

If someone wants to support the show that much, who's stopping them? Nothing wrong with that if you ask me.

I just want to make you think. Take this, for example... Who would you be if ponies never came around? Would you be a different person? What would you like? How would you spend your time? Who would you be friends with?

I'd be exactly who I was before I watched ponies. I wouldn't be that much different, except I wouldn't know that I'd enjoy watching MLP I guess. I'd still like the same things. I'd spend my time the same way. My friends would be the same too. (btw, i started watching MLP this past july, just so you know)

I'm a fan of the show, but ponies didn't radically change me in any way. The largest affect they've had is that I've changed my avatar to them on some sites. Why? My avatar usually displays anything I like. Before ponies, it was either Mario, Luigi, or Sonic. Like I said earlier though, my biggest reason for identification is to find other fans.

 

[Vinylic.]

I enjoy how the story manages to suck me in to the end with it's quality brand of humor. While the ending is always predictable, it's something I've come to expect consider it's a show meant for children

I like how every character in the show is unique in their own way. I mean there's Rainbow Dash who just comes in and doesn't take **** from anyone with her rainbow mane. On the other hand, there's Fluttershy who everything she does is so ****ing adorable you can't help but daaaaaaaaaaaaw at it. Rarity is amazing imo. Sure, she has that prissy personality, but that's because her job demands for her to be that prissy, and she's managed to use that priss on at least one occasion to make her enemies succumb to giving her whatever she wants. AJ is awesome because she looks like a cowboy and picks apples. I mean, she's pretty down to earth, unlike Rarity who might as well be her complete opposite. Then there's Twilight, who I genuinely dislike, but as a character I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a good thing if they actually manage to make me feel anything. I mean, her personality is just abrasive. There's a giant tree in her room, and all she cares about is whether or not her sleepover is supposed to be going as planned, instead of just using her magic to get rid of the thing. I mean, I can tell you about 20 instances that I hate Twilight, but if the animator can make you feel things, then I'm sure the animator's done their job. Besides, I think I'm in the minority who doesn't like her to begin with, so w/e. Pinkie Pie is really funny, because of how cartoony she is, in contrast to everybody else in the show, which is a nice refreshment for when the show starts to get too preachy or too srs. Like if you'd see the episode where she goes ballistic and starts talking to inanimate objects, I think you'd get what I mean. It's funny how she just goes wacky in nearly every episode and you just can't take her seriously at all. I could say more about the other characters, but it's getting late and I want to sleep

The humor in the dialogue is hilarious. I mean, sometimes it's just crappy puns that are so bad they're actually good. Sometimes the humor gets put in there so well that you don't notice and when you do it's hilarious. And then the ones that actually are good manage to bring out some chuckles out of you and then you feel good. Sure, most of the time the humor in the dialogue is actually done by Pinkie Pie, but it's a good balance. There's also the rest of the humor in the show that's pretty funny over all, like when Spike fantasized about being a big buff dragon guy in shining armor to help save Rarity by bashing through 20 bad guys at once, which is pretty cute because it's a little baby dragon who's thinking of that in the first place.

The show is in quality animation because the whole thing is done in flash, and if done right, that's a really good and viable way to animate stuff. I mean, so much detail is put into the way that the characters simply move it's good. Like I pointed out before there's the way that the character's manes bounce up and down as they walk, which is absent in many TV shows, even the old ones as well. Then there's the expressions of the characters. Sure most of the time it's just big chibi eyed eyes with a smile, but a lot of the time they manage to actually make some good facial expressions that hasn't been seen in a while since old shows. Then you could also say there's the "effects" by which I mean just the way the show is so detailed that there's "effects" in stuff that you could see in a movie, except they really aren't and it's just detail into the animation

Look I'm tired right now, if you want I can make a much longer post going into detail why I like MLP, but I'm going to sleep now

So.

Out of all this, you're saying people watch the show...


Because it's an Adult magnet.

 

[El Nino]

Some of you are taking this topic too seriously.

I remember when My Little Pony looked like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP_rIAkb_v8

It's okay to like bad things.

 

[Spelt]

lol at the comments on that video.

 

[Vinylic.]

That was too good.

 

[Zajice]

FoxBlaze, stop talking when you don't know what you're talking about.

Fuelbi/Steadfast/Dense/whatever. I'd type out a wall of text as big as, if not bigger than that, but again, I don't find it worth it to explain it to somebody who isn't interested like I have before. It's like talking to a wall.

Now if somebody came to me and was genuinely interested, I'd tell them. But here it seems more like a "hey, try and prove me wrong" scenario.

Logically someone would assume the only legitimate reason you like the show is for the songs.

The songs ARE pretty sexy.

 

[Browny]

That's like saying mcdonald's food is amazing because you've spent the last 3 years eating nothing but stale bread.

Wow I randomly check this thread and this is the best post I've read in forever.

Also BSP, everything you say makes total sense. If only all MLP fans thought and acted the way you do to other people, the fandom would be infinitely more tolerable.

 

[Spelt]

The songs ARE pretty sexy.

Well I was talking about the original songs from the show.

 

[Vinylic.]

Shoo be doo

Something like that?

edit: Oh wait you mean Art of the dress and others...

 

[Zajice]

They're pretty good too.


Anyway.


>this thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PttBQO8T4e4

 

[Matador]

Some of you are taking this topic too seriously.

I remember when My Little Pony looked like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP_rIAkb_v8

It's okay to like bad things.

These ponies are not sexually attractive.

Butterface

 

[Vinylic.]

You and them wing boners.

 

[Zajice]

Old ponies don't even look like ponies.

Well I guess the new ones don't either, but at least they're not hideous.

 

[Vinylic.]

There's a thing in there, zaj.

That rock....

 

[Espy Rose]

Also BSP, everything you say makes total sense. If only all MLP fans thought and acted the way you do to other people, the fandom would be infinitely more tolerable.

So much this, and it applies to most fandoms that are simply overzealous about the content they're fans of (furries, MLP, Sonic, whatever you can come up with).

What do you like about the story?
What do you like about the personality of the characters?
What humor do you find in the dialogue?
Why do you think the animation is quality animation?

I'll answer this on my own behalf just because I have the opportunity, but I'll try to avoid making something stupid and long:

The initial appeal to My Little Pony for me was that Faust was working on it. I've always been enthusiastic about cartoons, and I've found her work over the years to be incredibly enjoyable (Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home, of course), but to also learn that she had a certain amount of influence on her husband's (Craig McCracken) work also helped to encourage me to watch MLP (Mc did work on Dexter's Laboratory, just in case you didn't already know that).

Curiosity got the better of me concerning the show, so before I watched, I also checked out some feedback from others, as well as the cast for the voices (Voice acting in general isn't an end all decision to whether or not I watch a show, but it definitely helps to know that voices that I'm familiar with are working on a project. Plus, it's fun to recognize some of them from other forms of media). The voice cast was pretty solid (too lazy to post it up, but many of the voices are familiar if you're a great deal into popular animations here in America (including major animes that have been dubbed, as well as some decent video games). To add onto that, the feedback was primarily positive.

Gave the show a shot, and though it was weird at first (though I'll also account that to the shoddy pilot of Season 1, as well as the fact that I was watching what was originally a show about a franchise that catered primarily to young girls), I found that the mechanics just seemed to work for me. The animation was pretty solid, and the colors provided for the characters and settings kept catching my eyes, something I attribute to my experiences with Foster's Home (everything felt incredibly similar, so I found myself quickly becoming comfortable with the format the show was in).

The story? There's nothing incredibly special about the story in terms of what the plot contains in every episode. The issues dealt with in the show are no different from real life scenarios. Nothing any more special than something out of cartoons in the 90s. However, what I enjoyed about the continuity (whatever amount you can get out of a series that only barely had any continuity because of its formatting) was how simple everything was set to be. Weather is controlled by pegasi, and the seasons are influenced by the ponies themselves (Winter Wrap Up and The Running of the Leaves are good examples from the show).

I guess what made the storyline in most of the episodes so fun for me was simply that it all took place in a universe that had such a different set of rules. This applies to quite a few other cartoons (Fosters and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy), and though MLP is, I've found, more subtle in how the characters and plot-of-the-episode interact with the environment, I still find it more or less enjoyable to watch.

Simply put, I like the story because though the issues they handle are the same as our own, they take place in a universe that allows for creative solutions (or experiences that are simply too absurd NOT to like. A Western Cowboys vs. Natives using pie was something that tickled my funny bone).

What I find so interesting about the characters is that unlike the previous incarnations of MLP, G4 happens to make their characters more complex, to the degree where their personalities are on the same level as beloved characters like, say, Courage the Cowardly Dog (you can compare Fluttershy to Courage on several attributes that they share, but they're also so different that it's impossible to say that one is a cookie cutter of another). The characters have become so much more fleshed out than any of the other generations, so much so that people can relate to them more intimately than they could to any other incarnation. Hell, when I was much younger, I found myself attached to characters like Courage, Blossom, and even characters like Garfield and Eureeka because their attitudes just stuck to me as something that entertained me to no end. I suppose as far as the characters go, the way they function and act on a whole is something that I see as so similar to the characters of the toons I've watched throughout my childhood, that I'm able to easily attach myself to their personalities.

There isn't much humor in the dialogue that doesn't involve Pinkie Pie to some extent, so I can't say much about that. The jokes are solid, but not something I find myself outwardly reacting to (though I'll be honest, several points in this show DID make me chuckle a bit).

I can't say that it's primarily the comedy that's in the show that makes me enjoy it.

I can go back and reiterate how crazy this show can get during the episode, and that's one of the major reasons why I enjoy the HELL out of this cartoon. The musical numbers range from absolutely crazy (Pinkie Pie's performance in Over a Barrel made me simply CRINGE because you can tell almost immediately that the outcome was going to be terrible. The same applies for the Cutie Mark Crusaders' performance in The Show Stoppers), to amazingly clever (Suited for Success' originates from Putting It Together, and curiosity actually got me to investigate and take part in watching the original scene and eventual song that came from the original source. Pony, in this case, actually helped me dive deeper into another culture that I had originally been COMPLETELY unaware of, and that's something I must simply commend).

The show also catches my fancy because it's actually surprised the HECK out of me with how many pop culture references it can have. I've seen nods to the Looney Tunes (Pepe Le Pew/Penelope scenes have happened on at least two occasions), classic slapstick (It's been eons since I've seen a cartoon character crushed by an anvil or a piano, and this show did BOTH of those things simultaneously), and even popular performances. Into the Woods song "Ever After" was CLEARLY the inspiration for "At the Gala" from Season 1's final episode. What made it that much more of a mind blowing scene for me was that I had just watched that very performance only a few weeks before that episode aired. Once I saw the connection, I was absolutely blown away.

Let's not forget the COMPLETE STAR WARS ending to the Season 2 pilot.

The shows done plenty of things that have given me a reason to continue watching it, and I continue to watch because I enjoy the HELL out of the "fanservice" the show does with all of these references.

As for the animation, I'll be the first to say that it isn't unbelievably amazing. However, it's good enough for me to disregard the errors and whatnot that occasionally slip under the radar. Plus, though it's simply exploiting the creator's laziness, trying to spot errors in the show has now become a game for the viewer, and it's always fun to find something that isn't supposed to/shouldn't be there.

Is that wrong? Some might say so, but I for one am glad that the animation is what it is, simply because not only is it good enough, but in and of itself, it's entertaining.

I suppose the feel of the show in its entirety is appealing to me because of how much it reminds me of my childhood. Nostalgia is a powerful tool for someone like me, and this show reminds me of the simple, pure elements of entertainment that kept me glued to the television screen for hours back in the day. It's just clean fun.

=====

As for the fans themselves...on the whole, they're not much different than those I've mentioned in the first part of my post. However, there's always a few pockets of fans that I simply enjoy interacting with, or services that are provided that I'm excited to take part in. The SWF pony crew is really fun to be a part of, and it's a treat to share our differing views of the show to each other. The music remixes are usually good, some fanfiction (SOME) is actually quite spectacular, the art community never disappoints, and some of the projects the fanbase is working on actually have me excited.

It's been a long time coming since I've been hyped for a non-Sonic the Hedgehog game, and a new MLP Fighting Game has me absolutely pumped.

=====

I've rambled on for a long, long time. I guess I could say more about several aspects of the show, as there's definitely more I can elaborate on (and I would be glad to), but I need a stopping point for now.

I know that some people will disagree with me, and that's perfectly fine. I may not like it, but deep down, I'm okay with the fact that some people will dislike the show because of the very same things I find enjoyable. In the end, everyone will either find enough elements of the show to compel them to continue watching it, or they will be turned off of the show altogether.

I do admit that in the end, the fact that some pony fans impose heavily on the show DOES hurt the overall image, but in the same vein, the uneducated hate doesn't do any more good. In any case, the haters just need to educate themselves (or not, whatever floats their boat), and the bronies need to learn how to moderate their content. It's totally okay to represent something you're a fan of (pony shirts, merch, etc is a-okay in my book), but throwing it around consistently in all situations is showing that they clearly disregard being considerate to other people. That's something that I just can't stand. Be a fan, not an overbearing jerk.

I hope I've been a bit helpful in typing this massive post out, since it's primarily to try and help Frotaz and Wretched find a new perspective. It's been fun to type up for the most part. I'd be glad to answer some questions if either of you, or anyone else who reads this monstrosity, asks.

Til next time, I guess.

 

[Zajice]

I know you said you were making a monster post but god damn.

 

[Reizilla]

I'll answer this on my own behalf just because I have the opportunity, but I'll try to avoid making something stupid and long:

Mission complete.

 

[Espy Rose]

Well, it could've been much, much longer, Rei.