Episode Reviews
Friendship Is Magic - Part 1 (Mare in the Moon)
Being the first, this episode introduces all our main characters and sets up a pretty intense cliffhanger for the second episode. This is the only story arc in the series, but it works very well. Nightmare Moon is a pretty threatening villain, and has a really awesome design. This episode may be a good litmus test for how well you'll like a certain character later on in the show, though they all go through a fair amount of development throughout the show. I really liked Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie from the get-go, personally.
Score: 9/10
Friendship is Magic - Part 2 (Elements of Harmony)
The Elements of Harmony are the major plot point of these episodes, but do not take an important role until this part. It is also in this episode where we get a glimpse of just how strong Twilight's magic is. There's also a cool fight scene and a lot of great animation. This one was definitely one of my favorites, even if a lot of people take less kindly to these than others. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Sentai-esque plots.
Score: 10/10
The Ticket Master
From here on, there are no more two-parters, the rest are all one shots. Thankfully, they are all up to standards and this one was another one I liked a lot. The character this episode helped me warm up to in particular was Applejack. Poor Rarity - though she gets some fantastic episodes later on. This episode introduces the Grand Galloping Gala, and it is built up to be a grand spectacle that everypony looks forward to attending. This was also one of the episodes that focuses on all the ponies together, and there's a good amount of friendliness and teamwork working at the end.
Score: 9/10
Apple Buck Season
This was the first episode to focus on a single pony more specifically - obviously, Applejack. She is currently my representative pony, and my favorite. There are a lot of good comedic moments in this one, especially when they make the baked bads. I really like the lesson here as well, I'm all about groups of friends that are very close.
Score: 9/10
Griffon the Brush Off
I don't mind Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, but in my personal opinion, they don't work together in a pair as well as others do sometimes. This wasn't a bad episode, by any means, but in my opinion it's not quite as good as the first few. Gilda was just a jerk and it was good to see Dash grow a little from her initial days as a flier. Pinkie is pretty consistently a fun character, and that's still present here. Gilda is definitely low on my list of guest characters, because this show is definitely better when it's fun, and she just...wasn't.
Score: 6/10
Boast Busters
This episode gives us the guest character "The Great and Powerful" Trixie. She really hams it up here, and uses some very flashy magic. In my opinion, she was much more fun than Gilda, though this episode did give us Snips and Snails...not the greatest. Still, Trixie was rather funny since she was in conflict with most of the characters. The climax of the episode was pretty high-action, too. It came at the cost of Pinkie but this was the better of the antagonist episodes. Also a Twilight episode, we don't get a lot of those.
Score: 8/10
Dragonshy
The first Fluttershy episode, and for me personally, the best one. The Charlie's Angels/A-Team reference is definitely my favorite part of the episode. Fluttershy does great, and it was good to see the ponies going somewhere to do something even though I doubt the fate of Equestria was really in the hooves of our cast. Was still fun and gave Fluttershy some well-needed assertiveness.
Score: 8/10
Look Before You Sleep
Applejack and Rarity in this one. Twilight is blissfully unaware of how to handle a slumber party as she's only read about it, and that gives her some fairly funny lines, as well as the Headless Horse bit. The contrast is much more apparent with AJ and Rarity than it is between another pair of ponies, and their pillow fight is pretty intense. Although restricted by the setting of the rain and storm, it managed to get some pretty hearty laughs out.
Score: 7/10
Bridle Gossip
This episode features two lesser characters - one new one, Zecora, and Applebloom. Applebloom does pretty well and is a character I like a little better when she's by herself, though the Crusaders have gotten much better. It was blatantly obvious that the episode was about treating people differently, though it didn't end up too bad even with Twilight being a bit stubborn. The poison joke gave a lot of funny parts, Flutterguy in particular.
Score: 8/10
Swarm of the Century
This episode could have very well been resolved had everyone just listened to Pinkie, but...no. This is another of the lower points of the first ten episodes for me, though the end is very good and there are plenty of other good parts throughout. I didn't feel like the episode was focused on anyone in particular, though, and that makes it a little weak. I mean sure, Pinkie did great, but it didn't give anything else to her. Not that she needs it, there are plenty of episodes with a good focus on her.
Score: 6/10
Winter Wrap Up
Winter Wrap Up is one of the best songs we've gotten throughout the whole show, and everyone got to sing, too! There was plenty of good characterization for Twilight here. This is another one that gives a good amount of screen time to everyone, except maybe Dash. One wonders how long Ponyville has been late to spring, though...I mean, who's in charge here? Still, good episode and we saw a lot of side ponies too.
Score: 8/10
Call of the Cutie
Applebloom is probably my favorite Cutie Mark Crusader by a small margin, and this episode shows why. She really isn't much like Applejack at all, which is something I can really respect from the character as well as the writers. This one's just a lot of fun, and Cupcakes is one of my favorite Pinkie songs. I wished this had given more about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, but they come into their roles pretty well.
Score: 8/10
Fall Weather Friends
SPORTS. That makes up a large amount of this episode, and it's really interesting to see how two ponies so similar being in such a large-scale competition. There are lots of good lines here, and more Applejack is always good with me. Of course, of the Dash-focused episodes, this is the weaker one. Still very good, and it highlights that even ponies that are very alike are still very distinct. The announcing was great too.
Score: 7/10
Suited for Success
Our first Rarity episode, and she gets a song! There's also a lot of everypony here, and Spike hams it up pretty well. Hoity-Toity isn't the best guest character, though I do like how often Rarity gets to interact with guests. The dress designs were really cool too. And yes, that is about as manly as I can say it. This also shows to what extent Rarity will go to make people happy, which is pretty important in a show about friendship. In the end, it all works out. Still, Rarity gets better episodes.
Score: 7/10
Feeling Pinkie Keen
This one is pretty darn controversial, and I can see why. The lesson is basically that you can believe in things that can't be proven, which many say is...well, the basis of religion. But hey, I can't argue that a religion based on Pinkie Pie is all too bad. Still, Twilight kinda takes backwards steps here since there have been plenty of time where there have been questionable situations. Not my favorite Pinkie episode, but the animations where she flips out are fun.
Score: 6/10
Sonic Rainboom
Here's one everybody likes, no matter what. Featuring everypony, and in particular Fluttershy, Rarity, and of course, Dash. We also see what Twilight can do some more, and we know why she doesn't often try to alter animals. While Rarity was a bit too prideful, she did cause Dash to attain her goal and got Fluttershy to cheer to the best she could, so that can't be too bad.
Score: 9/10
Stare Master
My least favorite CMC episode, since they're a bit too rambunctious to Fluttershy. I did like a lot of bits they did, and since they're kids you can forgive them. More Fluttershy being better than shy is good too. Odd how Opal isn't too keen on Rarity this time around, but we did get a good amount of Sweetie Belle and her relationship with her sister. Not great, but not horrible.
Score: 6/10
The Show Stoppers
The Crusaders really make up for Stare Master here. Sweetie Belle gets a lot of good singing in, and their theme song is a good way to give them more than just "they're here in place of the main six". It's a lot of fun to see them try all their different ways of getting Cutie Marks, even if they don't succeed. You feel a lot of heart for them and you really want them to get their marks, no matter how long it takes.
Score: 8/10
A Dog and Pony Show
If you like Rarity, this episode's great! If not, then you'll probably see her as pretty weak. Still, her voice actor gets to have a ton of fun and it's very impressive to hear how much her voice can change. Spike gets some good lines here too, and THAT CHIN. It's good to see that he does care for Rarity, weird as that is. The Diamond Dogs were pretty okay, and they give Rarity a lot of great lines and animation. Sapphire Shores is alright, though a little weird.
Score: 8/10
Green Isn't Your Color
More Rarity! With Fluttershy too! Photofinish is definitely my favorite guest character, and she'd better be yours too. Why wouldn't she be? It's fun to see how miscommunication can make friends get along so well, and the show never really focused on relations between the two before. They work well together and end up without much conflict. Pinkie gets a lot of fun parts too, though she doesn't really make anything happen, heh. Photofinish adds quite a few points in this one, so really, the episode is about her.
Score: 8/10
Over a Barrel
This episode features the most guest characters, including a tree. And for good reason, this is the first episode where the setting is somewhere that isn't Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, or Canterlot. Pinkie's song is rather silly, and it was quite a subversion to make it not affect anyone's stance at all, rather making everyone angry. Braeburn is pretty good, and the buffalo are fun while they last. Not the best Applejack episode, but not bad.
Score: 7/10
A Bird in the Hoof
Trollestia! Philomena is quite the guest this time around, but I'm not a huge fan of the guest animals since they don't talk and the writing is a big part of the show's strength. Rainbow Dash gets the funniest moment in this episode, personally. We've already had plenty of Fluttershy episodes too, so this one was a little on the weaker side. Trollestia was fun, though, and Philomena has a great design.
Score: 6/10
The Cutie Mark Chronicles
How does it get any more perfect than this? Well...it doesn't. This really is the show at its best, and it features every great main character. With fillies of the main six, if you don't like this episode you've probably got a deep-seated hatred for good things. Not only cute, but very tightly written and gives a new layer to the main six's friendship as well as adding character strength to the Crusaders. Hopefully they get a linking with their marks too.
Score: 10/10
Owl's Well That Ends Well
It's good that we got such a good episode before, because this one is also on the weak side. Spike is a good enough character, but he's not made much impact on the show as a whole. He has good lines here, and his disguise is pretty good. It's just that we've gotten the jealous story a fair few times already, so to do it with Spike is a bit of a letdown. Owlicious is good when he comes in to save Spike but otherwise doesn't do a whole lot.
Score: 6/10
Party of One
With a character as crazy as Pinkie, you need a crazy focus episode to keep up the standard. And what better time than when it's her birthday? More Gummy was fun, and it's interesting that his birthday comes right before. Crazy Pinkie is...pretty scary. Thankfully, it gave us plenty of faces for exploitation. I wish they'd dance to more than one song, but hey. There's also my favorite Pinkie animations here, so that can't be a bad thing.
Score: 9/10
The Best Night Ever
Here we go. The one everypony was waiting for. Twenty-three episodes of anticipation, and was it worth it? Oh yes. Yes it was. The lesson here is that you can't always let what you expect overtake what's important in the end, and in the context of the show, it's being with your friends. Hopefully that's the same for everyone else. A lot of great moments for everyone involved, including Spike. The Gala song was also one of the best, if not THE best of the bunch. Crazy Fluttershy might be even more frightening than Pinkie, though...
Probably the best way to have a season finale.
Score: 10/10
So now you know my favorite episodes and obviously I like the show a lot. But what about everything else?
Characters
They're all great, really. I can't pick a least favorite, though my favorite main is Applejack and my favorite CMC is Applebloom. Apples, apples, apples! I really love how everyone is distinct in personality and how they're not defined by the main tropes writers will use with female characters. It probably helps that the show is written by many females, but hey. I appreciate that humor can be taken from all of them, whether it is sarcastic or laughable just because.
Spike
While Spike is the black sheep for many, I think he's still got a lot of heart. I appreciate his sarcasm a lot of the time, and he does care a lot about Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle
My second favorite character, she's probably the driest when it comes to humor. (That's a good thing.) I like how she's a little naive because all she knows is books. I love reading too, so there's a lot of similarity there. Now, if only I had magical powers.
Applejack
I can always appreciate an honest character, and that's a big reason why AJ is my favorite pony. Determined and hardworking, always giving herself something to do. Respect. I also like how she has skills as an earth pony, without any outside help.
Pinkie Pie
My third favorite. I just love how crazy she is, for...well, who knows what reason? And who cares? I can always appreciate a good party. She is a large part of the funnest parts of the show, and it's easy to see why she's a fan favorite. Many episodes would be a lot more boring without Pinkie.
Rainbow Dash
In my humble opinion, Dash is the pony for guys that watch the show but are insecure about their masculinity. Sure, they say she's their favorite, but you know they love Fluttershy more. Still, I like Dash. She's brave and impulsive, but with the stuff to back it up.
Fluttershy
Fluttershy, on the other hand, is a big target for the creepy dudes who are into...that. If you're not a creeper dude and she's your favorite, more power to you! I think as far as pegasi go, Fluttershy edges it out just a bit. Scary as she is in the finale, Fluttershy is still a very strong character when it comes down to the wire.
Rarity
The most girly of the ponies, Rarity I think is one of those characters that the odd fan either loves or doesn't. I think she's great, and gets some of the best episodes in the later half of the show. Though, her fantasizing and hamminess can get a little overbearing. Slightly.
Applebloom
From the first episode, it was clear that everyone loved Applebloom. One line's all it takes. She's my favorite Crusader for being a sort of median between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Kung-fu is always a plus in my book, too. Being brave enough to go into the Everfree Forest alone is a big step from someone so little, which is pretty fun. She also stands up to her sister when she can, and that's pretty cool.
Sweetie Belle
I can respect a young sibling wanting to be like her older one, but still able to be herself - my sister's eleven this year, and we're fairly alike, but she's still unique and very intelligent for her age. Kinda like Sweetie Belle, of course. Singing helps. I think Sweetie is probably the most innocent of the three, and it gives her a different vibe than the others.
Scootaloo
Idolizing Rainbow Dash? Sure. Being annoyed with everypony else's Cutie Mark story? Not so cool. But hey, she's got sweet scooter tricks. I do like that she does seem a lot like a more impulsive young Dash. It means when she discovers who she is, you can appreciate her for who she is. It's also kind of endearing that she wants to be like Dash so much.
Princess Celestia
Is the Bestia! Seriously, she's like the coolest ruler ever. A lot of the show's good side character moments come from her, and she really seems like the kind of princess you could just hang out with and have fun. If she were as stuffy as the Gala ponies, then there would certainly be a much more boring Canterlot. After all, the best way to improve a party is to crash it.
Photofinish
DE MAGICKS.
Animation/Art
The art is very cartoony - as it should be. It envokes the very nature of the show, as it's best when it's being funny. It's rather unique, even compared to cartoons on now. You wouldn't be able to guess the animations were done in Flash, they're so fluid. Expressions are also done very well, and even if they don't look like ponies the show is still very well made.
Writing
The characters are very consistent with a couple of hiccups here and there. I also like that even though the episodes can basically be watched in nearly any order, there's still some continuity kept throughout like the Gala as well as small things here and there. The jokes are also not reliant on pop culture and satire - rather, the show takes its humor from itself, which is a very strong point when it comes to cartoons. It's something a lot of shows don't do nowadays and is very refreshing.
Music
The music in this show is fantastic. Composer Daniel Ingram and William Anderson really help the show come alive. Without the excellent instrumentation, the songs would probably be compared to those shoehorned into "educational" shows nowadays, but thankfully that problem is not present at all. It's also very remix-friendly, something I'll get into later. Otherwise, just all-around great.
Voice Acting
And how! We've got Tara Strong, who you might recognize as Bubbles of The Powerpuff Girls, another great cartoon, as well as some of the best voice acting in all of animation. There isn't anyone I think is bad, except for a few times the side characters are weird. But even so, guest characters are just as perfect as the main characters, and if the voice acting wasn't, this show definitely wouldn't have the impact it has had.
Staff
Clearly, someone at Hasbro was using their head, because The Hub - the network the show comes on - costs extra, and that's considering you have cable. Thankfully, they put the episodes up on their website, and are pretty good about letting them be available for watching on Youtube. The money the show generates is mostly about the toys, so they don't have a problem. The show's creator, Lauren Faust, is one of the main staff that was on The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, so it's no wonder the show has such a great quality to it. They also answer lots of fan questions and are very friendly at large.
Fandom
Speaking of fans, I haven't seen a fandom quite like this. There's new remixes, videos, art, and everything every single day. It's great to see a fandom that loves its show so much. Sure, you get those weird ones that like ponies a little too much sometimes, but they are thankfully few and far between. If you just glance at Equestria Daily, you'll see just how many people the show has caught. There's so much good original work, too. I've got plenty.
Merchandise
This is really the only low point of the entire show thus far. The show is supposed to be merchandise driven, but all the toys we've gotten are inaccurate in some way or form. Hasbro clearly just wants the money from them. Applejack doesn't even come with the right hat - given that she comes with a hat at all! Still, there are unofficial clothes and official backpacks, so clearly someone is doing something right. Yes, my friends and I have some of the toys. While they're not perfect, they're about as good as we can get on a college budget. If only the show was as wildly popular in Japan, where collector's toys are made on a regular basis. Make it happen!
Overall
I unashamedly love the show. It's one of the best cartoons ever made, and actually fairly complex for a kids' show. Since it's garnered so much attention, obviously it's doing something right. It's made it into my favorite television shows of all time, though where that is isn't 100% yet. Still, I don't think there's any going back now. I am greatly looking forward to season two, and I think the four videos on my Youtube I've made are a pretty good reason to say I've got pony fever. I'd go as far to say that if you enjoy Animaniacs, you'll enjoy this, and that's the highest honor I can give any show.
(Note: PICTURE FIXED, YAY)
Are you a Brony?
ReplyDeleteNot much reason for me to do this at all if I wasn't. :P
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