| Did you know 'Friendship is Magic' in My Little Pony? |
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| Written by Curtis Lanning |
| Friday, 30 September 2011 13:36 |
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I know what you’re thinking. You looked at the picture next to this article... read the title... then noticed that the author (me) is a 21 year old male college student. So, what on earth would drive me to watch, let alone fall in love with a show mainly thought to be designed for little girls?
The topic seems crazy enough, so it’s more than worth it to follow me down the proverbial rabbit hole as I explain just how magical the friendship of six ponies can be.
This particular tale starts during the summer of 2011. A good friend of mine named Travis had returned home from art school in Memphis. Upon coming over to my house for another round in our Steven Seagal marathon, he told Randy (Randy being another close friend of mine) and I about a new television show he had been introduced to.
All of us being cartoon fans, we suspected he had found a true gem. We were right, but not in the way we expected. When he told us we needed to watch the first two episodes of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” we were flabbergasted to say the least.
Randy left that night thinking he wouldn’t ever watch the first episodes of that “little girl’s” cartoon. My thoughts were the same. Sure enough, curiosity got the better of us, as it did you when you decided to keep reading this article. My personal experience was that I first watched a few videos on YouTube made to make fun of the series. I noted that the animation was actually quite good, so I decided to watch the first episode, determined to get more material to make fun of my friend with.
It didn’t take longer than five minutes for me to become hooked. The story, the characters, the setting, the animation, the voice acting, and the plot of the first episode (which had a cliffhanger ending) made me scramble to find the second episode. I had to discover the fate of the six ponies as they battled the evil Nightmare Moon.
After watching the first two episodes, I went to Denny’s with Randy and Travis late one night. It was around 2 am when we started talking about ponies, and we didn’t stop until closer to 4 am.
Travis was right. Everyone thinks that it’s ridiculous to watch a show made for five-year-old girls, but then one of two things happen. They either live in denial without ever actually watching “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” and continue to make fun of something they don’t understand, or they watch the first episode, thinking they’re gonna make fun of it, and then instantly become addicted.
Needless to say, I finished all twenty-six episodes of season one over the summer. Not too long afterwards, Travis, Randy, and I attended an anime convention in Dallas known as AKON. It’s one of the largest in the country where thousands gather to celebrate their love for anime and video games (another story entirely).
At the convention, I noticed a guy with a t-shirt labeled “Brony Meetup.” Now you’re wondering, “what is a “brony?”
A brony is an older fan of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” In other words, a person who watches the show, despite the fact that it may not have been designed for them intentionally.
All over the Internet, the popularity of this show has exploded. At AKON, more than 60 bronies met and discussed, in great length, what they loved about this cartoon.
I’d never been a fan of the other generations of My Little Pony (a generation is when they make a major change to the product) so what made the fourth generation so special?
There are several things.
First, the creator of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” worked on other cartoons that I grew up and loved like “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Quest for Camelot,” “The Iron Giant,” and more. Her name is Lauren Faust, and she brought such creativity and life into this series with her touch, that I couldn’t help but love the cartoon.
Other fans of Faust may recognize her as the husband of Craig McCracken, who directed cartoon classics like “Dexter’s Lab.”
Second, the animation really is top notch. The colors are vibrant, the backgrounds and settings are creative, and the ponies are drawn better than they were in the previous generations, with more emphasis on looking “cartoony,” as opposed to trying to look like realistic horses.
Third, the story is amazing. The tales of these ponies and their friendships aren’t childish in the least. Sure, they teach kids good morals and whatnot, but to the older viewer, you get a lighthearted tale that usually involves some kind of mythological creature and the ponies being involved with it.
Fourth, the voice acting is something out of this world. All of the voice actors really do a great job at portraying their characters.
The main character (Twilight Sparkle) is actually voiced by Tara Strong... if you, as a cartoon lover, don’t recognize that name, she did the voice for Timmy Turner in the hit series, “The Fairly Oddparents.”
She was also the voice of Raven in the “Teen Titans” cartoon, and that’s just one of the main voice actors in the series. All of the others have their own unique experience that they can tap into to really bring a relatable dimension to their pony role.
Finally, Lauren Faust has made her own brand of “magic” here. I’m not talking about Disney “magic.” This is something completely new. The energy that just surges out from this cartoon is something else entirely. It’s a new brand of magic that really is underrated at best.
Lauren Faust stepped down to the position of Consultant Producer from Executive Producer for season two of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” Despite this, season two started off with a bang. The opening to season two was just as good as the opening to season one, keeping the magic fresh.
If you’ve got even the slightest bit of curiosity about how magical this show is, then you owe it to yourself to catch an episode or two on The Hub (the television network this show airs on) or to look up the first episodes on the Internet.
There’s nothing wrong with being a brony, in fact, I pride myself in it. If there are other bronies across the campus, I encourage you to not be discouraged by people who mock the show or don’t understand how awesome it is. Everyone has something that makes them happy, and if part of your happiness comes from watching Pinkie Pie make cupcakes and throw parties, so be it.
If you love the show or even disagree with me, shoot me a letter to the editor, and bring it by the Arkatech office for publication.
On a final note, brony is not gender specific. Older girls are fully capable of enjoying the show as well and are included within the term.
So, to all the bronies out there across Tech’s vast campus, I say, “Brohoof!” |