Tuesday, 29 March 2011 03:37 pm
(no subject)
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nefaria linked to the pilot of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” I assumed it was one of those cutesy things with which he had a love-hate relationship, like the Schnuffel Bunny. I was impressed at the differences from what little I’d seen and remembered of the ‘80s TV series, but I expected not to see or hear more about the new show. Then a comic forum with a prominent unicorn avatar known as White Pony called attention to it. Fair enough. But now I can name at least nine adult male Web cartoonists and many adult male non-cartoonists who enjoy it regularly and un-ironically. For this reason, I have watched about half the 20 episodes in existence and am not ashamed to admit it.
What’s different? For starters, if the art reminds you vaguely of “The Powerpuff Girls,” it’s because of developer Lauren Faust, who set out specifically to show how respectable a girly program could be. Not everyone prefers the new style—the simplicity brings to mind Adobe FLASH and chibi—but at least it’s signature. The title is misleading, because there are no humans or other potential owners for the ponies; they run civilization themselves. All characters are distinctive and not one-dimensional, tho often exaggerated enough to be funny. There’s been an increase in action sequences and Warnerian antics, tho the heroes’ occasional use of violence never solves anything or comes anywhere near the average “Powerpuff” smackdown, which would cost them the TV-Y rating. Some lines present subtle referential humor for adults without making kids feel left out.
But is it really fun enough for me to keep up with, or am I still high on the satisfaction that it’s any good for anyone besides little girls? Putting the brand name and commercial nature aside, it has largely retained the very elements that always made the franchise cloying. All major ponies and more than half the minor ones are female, some of them very feminine indeed, with names like Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. While they usually wear little if any clothing, one Rarity has a career in fashion design. The most prominent male character is identified as a baby of his species, despite acting like a preteen (hey, dragons live long). Nearly every frame of animation is packed with candy colors. Ponyville is quite idyllic overall, albeit without the communist undercurrent of “The Smurfs.” Equestria has a magical so-called princess for a supreme ruler, and she has no evident flaws. And every episode ends with the moral put into words.
Well, the merciful thing about cloying stuff is that it gets less so with more exposure. Even the bubbly, aptly named Pinkie Pie amuses me more than annoys me now. Rarity may be the weakest link for me, but I still feel sorry for her when she’s down. Heck, the very fact that at least one pony gets very unhappy in each episode, sometimes with life on the line, means that the utopia has its limits. The main problem remaining is that plots are frequently predictable, so only details surprise me. You kinda have to expect that from a family show.
I’m still unsure how it got to be so popular, even in the furry fandom. Maybe people find it just the right level of cute. Maybe they like to imagine a world where the dominant species walks on four hooves and some have wings or telekinesis. Maybe they see themselves and their friends represented in certain ponies. Maybe it’s the kick we all needed to get in touch with an even younger inner child.
Who knows? Maybe I could use the explicit reminders of friendship-related lessons. At my level of introversion (one reason Fluttershy’s my probable fave), I can’t count on myself to improve on that weakness unassisted.
Then there’s the indirect benefit of sharing the phenomenon with others of my demographic. It lends itself to affectionate spoofs, like various recuts on YouTube. It inspires threads on questions like “What would your cutie mark be?” and “How can earth ponies not be marginalized by unicorns and pegasi?” Of course, there’s a dark side to them having adult man fans, perhaps especially in light of the two butchest ponies, but I can avoid that side easily enough.
So yeah, I’ll stick with it for the time being. Just don’t expect me to buy any of the merchandise.
nefaria linked to the pilot of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” I assumed it was one of those cutesy things with which he had a love-hate relationship, like the Schnuffel Bunny. I was impressed at the differences from what little I’d seen and remembered of the ‘80s TV series, but I expected not to see or hear more about the new show. Then a comic forum with a prominent unicorn avatar known as White Pony called attention to it. Fair enough. But now I can name at least nine adult male Web cartoonists and many adult male non-cartoonists who enjoy it regularly and un-ironically. For this reason, I have watched about half the 20 episodes in existence and am not ashamed to admit it.What’s different? For starters, if the art reminds you vaguely of “The Powerpuff Girls,” it’s because of developer Lauren Faust, who set out specifically to show how respectable a girly program could be. Not everyone prefers the new style—the simplicity brings to mind Adobe FLASH and chibi—but at least it’s signature. The title is misleading, because there are no humans or other potential owners for the ponies; they run civilization themselves. All characters are distinctive and not one-dimensional, tho often exaggerated enough to be funny. There’s been an increase in action sequences and Warnerian antics, tho the heroes’ occasional use of violence never solves anything or comes anywhere near the average “Powerpuff” smackdown, which would cost them the TV-Y rating. Some lines present subtle referential humor for adults without making kids feel left out.
But is it really fun enough for me to keep up with, or am I still high on the satisfaction that it’s any good for anyone besides little girls? Putting the brand name and commercial nature aside, it has largely retained the very elements that always made the franchise cloying. All major ponies and more than half the minor ones are female, some of them very feminine indeed, with names like Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. While they usually wear little if any clothing, one Rarity has a career in fashion design. The most prominent male character is identified as a baby of his species, despite acting like a preteen (hey, dragons live long). Nearly every frame of animation is packed with candy colors. Ponyville is quite idyllic overall, albeit without the communist undercurrent of “The Smurfs.” Equestria has a magical so-called princess for a supreme ruler, and she has no evident flaws. And every episode ends with the moral put into words.
Well, the merciful thing about cloying stuff is that it gets less so with more exposure. Even the bubbly, aptly named Pinkie Pie amuses me more than annoys me now. Rarity may be the weakest link for me, but I still feel sorry for her when she’s down. Heck, the very fact that at least one pony gets very unhappy in each episode, sometimes with life on the line, means that the utopia has its limits. The main problem remaining is that plots are frequently predictable, so only details surprise me. You kinda have to expect that from a family show.
I’m still unsure how it got to be so popular, even in the furry fandom. Maybe people find it just the right level of cute. Maybe they like to imagine a world where the dominant species walks on four hooves and some have wings or telekinesis. Maybe they see themselves and their friends represented in certain ponies. Maybe it’s the kick we all needed to get in touch with an even younger inner child.
Who knows? Maybe I could use the explicit reminders of friendship-related lessons. At my level of introversion (one reason Fluttershy’s my probable fave), I can’t count on myself to improve on that weakness unassisted.
Then there’s the indirect benefit of sharing the phenomenon with others of my demographic. It lends itself to affectionate spoofs, like various recuts on YouTube. It inspires threads on questions like “What would your cutie mark be?” and “How can earth ponies not be marginalized by unicorns and pegasi?” Of course, there’s a dark side to them having adult man fans, perhaps especially in light of the two butchest ponies, but I can avoid that side easily enough.
So yeah, I’ll stick with it for the time being. Just don’t expect me to buy any of the merchandise.
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no subject
The main six ponies have personalities complicated enough to make them appealing, and you can get a good story by picking any two at random and locking them in a room for an episode, just watching them bounce off each other.
The writers like to defy audience expectations once in a while. Like last week's episode, when the singing, dancing, cheerleading Pinkie Pie started a riot instead of preventing it (twice!)
I must confess, I've bought merchandise, so far entirely as gifts, but I may snag a Rainbow Dash sometime just for fun. She can join Dejiko, the ceramic squirrels, and the caged bunny Buzzy sent me, perched on the shelf above my computer monitor.