Just going to leave this
as my primary rebuttal to most of that.
Does the story have some issues, yes. But overall it is just plain amazing and one of the best stories I've ever read.
I do agree with the "read the first four (though I'd say 5) chapters." If you are just not interested at all by that point, it's not for you. And no work is for everyone. If you are at least somewhat interested, give it to chapter 13, which is where the story really begins to pick up.
Completely disagree on you feelings about the characters. And with the final arc. I do have some issues with the climax, but again, on the whole it is just as amazing as the rest of the story, if not more so.
"This is the best story I've ever read" isn't exactly a good starter for a discussion, friend.
What is your comment trying to prove? That the original reviewer is wrong because they disagree? That's really what it looks like right now.
Why? Do you believe discussion can only start from hating something?
His comment looks to me like he's linked an extremely complete analysis of the story that shows why Pannic is wrong. What is your comment trying to prove, tripps? That you can make pointless comments and use "friend" sarcastically? That's really what it looks like right now.
Correction to tripps, Seraphem was merely giving a rebuttal. He was by no means saying that Pannic was wrong because he thought differently of his opinion, and I honestly think you were too selectively looking for means to condescend. As for DJ, no opinion on any matter can disprove a person of what he thinks, and I think you were also being a tad complacent.
To be fair, given history, Seraph's comment can be read a bit belligerently.
That said, I believe I should at least point to Pannic's liveblog, as that gives some more detailed reasoning for his conclusions.
A few caveats about the liveblog: There are a few complaints I make in there that aren't valid. Mainly, up to a point I complain about the author's use of parentheses, but it turns out I'm wrong. I also complain fairly frequently about what I see as skewed gender rations, but as the story progresses that complaint becomes increasingly inaccurate.
All in all, I don't see what's faulty about saying that if you don't like the characters you'll find it hard to care about the story.
Fanfiction I hate.
I actually fully agree with Pannic. The story is entirely character driven, and if you don't like them, you're pretty much GONNA have a bad time.
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Conditional
It's difficult to really lay down a criteria for how to recommend this story. It's very popular, but I think it has a few caveats. The first thing that bears mentioning is that it gets off to a very slow start. The overall plot isn't so much "slow-cooking" as "it takes twenty chapters to show up." The first few chapters in particular are very slow, as they largely serve to introduce the setting and are pretty light on character interaction.
Basically, what I would say is this: read the first three or four chapters, and ask yourself two questions:
1. Do I find the protagonist, Littlepip, to be likable or interesting?
2. Do I like the action scenes?
If you answer both of these questions is "yes," then you can proceed without fear, because it is unlikely that the story will really put you off until its final act, which is honestly, apart from a decent climactic confrontation with the Big Bad, an awful, awful mess.
If your answer to either or both of these questions is "no," however, that poses a problem. I answered "no."
If you don't like the action scenes, you're pretty screwed, as the story insists on resolving almost every conflict with them. It's one thing to overload the story with action, it's another thing when the action is completely boring, and there's only so many ways of saying "I shot him." More often than not, I found myself just skimming through the action scenes as they recounted Littlepip going through a succession of rooms, shooting everyone she hates, which she does quite a lot of.
I found Littlepip was kind of a dick. This isn't itself so much of a problem, but it makes me less inclined to care about her frequent bouts of angst, and I found it quite annoying how every character (including the token pseudo-pacifist) went on singing her praises. By the end of the story I found I had absolutely no reason to root for her.
The central party members who accompany her fare little better, as I found they were all unlikable in their own unique ways. The less said about Littlepip's love interest, the better.
That isn't to say everything is bad. The author has a nice flair for detail, the backstory is pretty well-crafted, and the blending of the two franchises is done in a way more crossover fics should strive for. Sadly, I just couldn't bring myself to care.