Franchise Better than one might expect
I recently did an episode-by-episode review (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=489807) of the original cartoon (including the specials and movie). In retrospect, MLP was actually a surprisingly good cartoon for its era.
The writing is reasonably intelligent (romantic clichés occasionally get subverted, Wind Whistler can be The Spock without becoming a Straw Vulcan...); the setting is a rich fantasy world; the story is darker and more epic than most people seem to expect. There's a certain dichotomy between the sugary sweetness of the main cast and how DANGEROUS their world can get, giving the show a "the Disney princess move to Sunnydale" vibe.
Among the many things I appreciate about this show is Megan's character: She's both uncompromisingly girly AND a smart, competent, badass heroine, without there being any apparent conflict.
Now, it's still an 80s cartoon, with all that this entails...But, overall, it's one of the better cartoons of its era.
Franchise No. (REDUX)
Since my previous review was inexplicably removed, I have decided to do it again. Now, before you decide to delete this, take in account opinions. I have sat through the entire first season of the Fi M series. I hate it more than I used to. I hate it so much. I hate the fandom, the commercials, and the merchandise. The fandom is what brought up my hatred in the first place, but this review isn't about that. It's about the pathetic nature of the show. I find that the plot lines go horribly (they make Flapjack look good) and despite the decent artwork (it's the only reason this review is not in all capitals), the character development does not exist. It seriously stands out that this was made for little kids, as the mind of one who is almost completely matured finds all of the bad things and finds all the bad aspects of the bad things. And, please, don't get me started about the fanbase. Very few of the fans are nice, which appears to be counterintuitive towards the show. Please, just stay away from this.