I used to be a brony (I left because I think the show juimped the shak during season 4) and while I agree with some of the things you say, I don't think there is no reason to watch this show. I thought the humor was pretty great sometimes, and I loved the relationship between the characters.
I think this is a case of Seinfeld is Unfanny. People tend to compare this show to SU, but they often forget that SU came almost five years after MLP. I think My Little Pony, while imperfect, started the trend of good animation that we've been enjoying thes years. Also, admittedly, most of its virtues only shine when you compare the show to other MLP incarnations.
I used to be a brony (I left because I think the show juimped the shak during season 4) and while I agree with some of the things you say, I don't think there is no reason to watch this show. I thought the humor was pretty great sometimes, and I loved the relationship between the characters.
I think this is a case of Seinfeld is Unfanny. People tend to compare this show to SU, but they often forget that SU came almost five years after MLP. I think My Little Pony, while imperfect, started the trend of good animation that we've been enjoying thes years. Also, admittedly, most of its virtues only shine when you compare the show to other MLP incarnations.
You're not fully wrong in some points. I wish we had more complex villains, and that character development noticably stuck. The writers show on occasion that they have the capacity to tell stronger, more mature stories. I'd wager it's the executives holding them back, "no, keep it friendly for the five-year olds." I also know some fans that pointedly don't want that, just give them talking ponies acting funny and they're happy.
I'm finding I prefer the Equestria Girls films over the show these days, it has overarcing character plotlines and story elements that carry over between films. Sunset Shimmer is probably the most complex character the series has given us. Not an animation classic, but still.
However, one point - there was no episode that made fun of transgendered people. Big Mac crossdressed to help out Apple Bloom, there was nothing there about transgenderism. Cartoons have been doing jokes like that for eons.
Oh look, it's yet another hyperbolic rant against MLP thinly disguised as a review. Has it really been two months already? My how time flies.
It's not really hyperbolic. At least it isn't just a "bitch about the fanbase even though I haven't watched the show" review.
Fanfiction I hate.
While I don't think as lowly of the show as the reviewer, I think they raise some good points. I have no problem with simple aesops, but a show that's gone on as long as Friendship is Magic needs to step up its game at some point. I've seen the show waste many opportunities to have more nuanced messages and characters, and it's becoming one of the things I find most irritating about the show. I'm not willing to blame it on the executives, I think the writers just aren't willing to write more complex conflicts, and often seem to miss various implications in they way they execute certain aesops.
I'm honestly not sure how many bronies are left who truly consider the show deep and complicated. It seems like each season results in an increasing number of disillusioned fans who feel the show's not as good as it should be.
...A review that dares to say even one negative thing about Crazy Pony Person Cult Show? And it hasn't been flagged within five minutes? Has the world gone mad, err, sane?
More importantly, is this not a good thing, Bastard?
Most constructive reviews don't get flagged. You shouldn't generalize the fandom.
The reviews that get flagged tend to be reviews that don't talk much about the show and instead just complain about the fandom (in a couple of cases the reviewer hadn't even watched the show).
Fanfiction I hate.
Spanks' review was apparently flagged according to the comments, even though it wasn't at all insulting to the fandom. But yeah, it is true that most of the flagged reviews I've seen here tend to be the ones that are overly critical of the fans, not just the show.
This review was very harsh, but he's not wrong.
For the record, my review was (temporarily) flagged, and a few bronies got upset.
This review pretty much bullseyed why I called this show "perfectly average" in my review. MLP not only doesn't encourage you to think, it actually asks you to NOT think and just take it as is, no matter how senseless it is. As evident by all the times the show would just introduce characters out of the blue, or doing whatever the hell it wants to do when it comes to characterization.
Okay, that's fine. I won't think too hard about the show, but at the same time, I cannot treat the show with the same kind of respect of other kids shows that Bronies demand.
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If you're looking for a clever, fresh cartoon that treats both kids and adults with respect...
Look somewhere else, because this show is bland and typical as hell. The episodes never rise above the level of mediocre, and the characters are almost always one-note cliches, only displaying any semblance of depth when an episode focuses on them specifically, and even then only some of the time. When a character does get development, later episodes will often completely disregard it for the sake of convenience-which in a show that's supposed to be mainly focused on character development, is absolutely inexcusable. How many times has Fluttershy had to learn to be less shy again? The entire point of giving characters character development is so the audience can get attached to the characters, watching their emotional journeys and seeing them grow. When a show is willing to change, ignore, or add character traits to anyone for the sake of convenience, it makes it impossible to get invested in any of the character’s development knowing it could be undone at any time.
Another issue is that, despite what the bafflingly large fanbase will tell you, this show does not treat kids with any sort of respect. While good children’s cartoons like Avatar or Steven Universe will present complex issues that encourage kids to think, this show never even tries to have any semblance of substance-there is always a clear good guy and bad guy in every issue where one side is treated as completely right and the other as completely wrong, there’s very little clever humor or dialogue of any kind, every villain aside from Discord is a cliche-spouting bore-fest with no motivation, and every conflict the show presents is wrapped up in a neat little bow in a single episode with absolutely no lasting consequences. There are occasionally some good moments, but for the most part, the show talks down to the audience, making everything simple and dumbed-down so that they can entertain kids without actually having to put any effort into writing interesting issues. Add in some seriously troubling implications (just look at the horrifically stereotypical portrayal of the one major character who is explicitly the pony equivalent of an African person) and a recent Season 5 episode that was just one big insult towards transgender people, and overall there is NO reason to watch this show when there are several cartoons out there that do EVERYTHING it does several times better.