I finally got around to watching the new my little pony series. I figured if enough people had good things to say about it then it was worth checking out. I'm only around 7 episodes in so far so I don't know if I can properly judge it yet but it doesn't seem that bad. Since its the start of the series they're still going through the typical kids show staples like 'character x and y are very different and don't get along, but then they put thir differences aside and do get along'. I've heard fans of the show say that it doesn't insult their intelligence, but that aspect still remains to be seen. Again its fairly early on in the show so I assume that part will improve as the episodes go on.

The surprising part to me was that it didn't seem specifically directed at girls, a lot of their actions would make just as much sense if it was a guy doing them compared to a girl. I'm getting vibes of shows like Recess and the Weekenders from it, albeit with more fantasy and the characters are ponies. But its a similar style of show to be sure. I expected it to be something that would be for girls, but I guess if it's from the same creator as powerpuff girls, and that show wasn't too girly. At least it wasn't too girly for my tastes when I was a young lad.

I've told some people i work with that I started watching it and they can't fathom the idea that I might watch a show that is "for 6 year old girls" and now I think they're just waiting for me to go full Brony. They're joking about all the wonderful pony parephernelia I could buy, which gets pretty frustrating after a while. I think the show is decent childrens entertainment, but as we all know you can't be a partial fan of something- I either have to hate the show or be an obsessed brony. But that's a discussion for another time.

So I'll keep watching it, for at least the rest of the first season, and maybe report back on what the show becomes. It's a nice way to relax after having watched most of breaking bad in July.

For those of you who have watched it and either stuck with it or stopped, does the show get past the typical childrens show tropes soon?

they are probably expecting you to go full brony because most of the people that watch that are insecure about watching a kids show and so end up defending it to an absurd extend and defining their own identity by it, a lot more than any other show.

If you are capable of watching and enjoying a kids show and not going crazy about it and talking about it all the time then great, you are a normal person.

Google image search "Clop" with safesearch off.

There's nothing right about My Little Pony. It needs to die.

@Toxeia said:

Google image search "Clop" with safesearch off.

There's nothing right about My Little Pony. It needs to die.

I'm so tempted to.. but I don't want to risk self-inflicted psychological trauma.

@Toxeia: I have a feeling that I don't want to do that, but I assume most of the content would be from die-hard bronies? Some people who take their love of the show to an extreme are a little creepy but is that the fault of the show? We don't blame J.K. Rowling if people decide they want to write disgusting Snape/Harry slash fiction.

There's nothing wrong per se about My Little Pony, and I've heard it's actually quite a well written kid's show. However, the awful "brony" subculture makes me never want to watch it.

@zombiebigfoot: It turns out so much of my hatred of all that is Brony is due to me discovering I'm exactly what I've hated.

@Hyuzen: J.K. Rowling used pen-names to write those homo-erotic "fan"-fics. Don't let the lame-stream media convince you other wise.

@FreakAche is right though, it's that weird culture that set up around the show that's the issue. Something seems pathological that grown men would go so far as to call themselves bronies. While only being tangentially related, I miss when men fixed things and worked on cars. That needs to come back.

It never really gets rid of the kids show trappings completely, but they start thinning out more toward the end of season 1. It mixes things up enough, though, that it ends up being more like an occasional, subtle reminder that you're still watching a kids show here and there.

@FreakAche said:

There's nothing wrong per se about My Little Pony, and I've heard it's actually quite a well written kid's show. However, the awful "brony" subculture makes me never want to watch it.

Exactly, similarly to My Little Pony, other kids' shows like Adventure Time and The Regular Show have a lot of stuff that appeals to more mature audiences too. But they don't have the same stigma attached to them that MLP does because they don't have their own equivalent of bronies. It's a shame because it makes it creates an unnecessarily big barrier to entry for new viewers.

What would be nice is if it got to a level of something like Avatar, where you know that they'll learn a lesson about something by the end of each episode, but its still an enjoyable piece of television.

It's the kind of show that you try out because you don't understand why people are watching, then before you know it you're on episode 16. My friend made fun of me for watching it for forever but one day I got him to try it out. He had a flight a week later and he downloaded and watched all of season 2 on the flight, so he enjoyed it too. It's a fun show, even if it is clearly a children's show.

However, yes, a lot of the "brony" subculture is completely dreadful. I like the song remixes and shit that people make but I'm not into the fan art and I'm not into going onto forums and convincing people its the best thing ever and that they are haters and whatever other dumb stuff the hardcore brony does. I don't even like being defined as a brony. I'm playing P4A right now, does that make me a Brosona?

Yes, yes it does.

I think the show is absolutely delightful, but the fanbase give me a serious case of waja.

As for how the show progresses, it's more that you grow a certain kind of familiarity with the characters and it's just a joyous little romp every time you get a peek into their fluffy little pony world. I can't say that it turns into a deep deconstruction of pressing social issues or is an allegory to existensial quandries, but it's nice, wholesome entertainment which doesn't condescend even though it is primarily aimed at children. It does manage to bring a surprising amount to depth to the personalities of these tiny technicolor ponies. Also the animation, musical score and voice acting keeps reaching new heights of quality. It's fun to see some of the more ambitious ideas they try pan out.

It manages to retain that all ages appeal that old Disney and Looney Tunes shorts has. And if you're a bit of a cartoon geek you will notice tons of refrences and classic easter eggs that allude to that golden era.

I wouldn't consider myself a brony, but I certainly am a man who appreciates the pony sciences and arts.

This whole pony thing is pretty amazing, I'v never seen the show but I would imagine the writing has to be intriguing to pull the fan base that it has. I wonder if the creators of My Little Pony are aware of how big this show is with people outside the shows target demographic.

I watched two eps to see what it was. It's a fairly sharply written kids show for young girls. It's entirely disposable and there is better entertainment that won't alienate you from your colleagues and put you on a watch list. Like LazyTown.

I actually prefer the more conventional "let's side aside our differences and be friends" messages because, well, a lot of people seem to forget that and its refreshing to see that simple (dare I say, profound) message reiterated in a colorful way for the next generation and those who have lost sight of it due to fear-mongering news media and the stresses of adult life. But yes, the storylines get more inventive, they actually start developing backstories for the primary characters and everything keeps growing and changing slightly as it proceeds. Call-backs are made involving jokes and lessons learned, and its really quite satisfying.

As for those condemning the show because Rule 34 also applies to it, congratulations, you discovered sexual insecurities you can work through! Or continue to ignore them and project your self-hatred onto a television program you haven't even seen. I guess you could do that too.

@Insectecutor said:

I watched two eps to see what it was. It's a fairly sharply written kids show for young girls. It's entirely disposable and there is better entertainment that won't alienate you from your colleagues and put you on a watch list. Like LazyTown.

I'm pretty sure if you're on several watchlists if you're watching LazyTown. You have no idea what kind of audience that show has.

Trust me.

@Vigil said:

This whole pony thing is pretty amazing, I'v never seen the show but I would imagine the writing has to be intriguing to pull the fan base that it has. I wonder if the creators of My Little Pony are aware of how big this show is with people outside the shows target demographic.

They're definitely aware of it and they fully embrace it.

I just have no interest in watching a show about magical ponies. And like others have said, the insane fanbase just scares me away.

You should watch a real man's show instead like Gravity Falls.

The Beatles were Bronies before it was cool.

/anachronistichipster