Bending is obviously vital for industry, so that may put a wrench in things. And some of his later tactics are less supportable, but we'll see.

@Lurker I dunno

I mean, it's clear he's the villain.

I'm also making pony plushies (or planning to at least, got my templates already), but mine are mostly the small, beanie-sized ones :3

@Ed: Bending obviously fills in more many of the heat/force intensive industrial processes, which is how they got a whole Hong Kong-style city up in just a few decades.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:10:34 AM by AceOfScarabs

I'm going to regret asking this, but I have to know:

What makes this show so popular outside it's demographic?

I watched about half the first season with my youngest when he was home sick, and I saw absolutely nothing special in it. It was more tolerable than some other animated shows he likes, but it's not something I'd ever watch voluntarily on my own. The plots are a pretty standard aesop-of-the-week format, I've seen all the (static) characters before, and the humor is nothing special.

Am I missing something, or is this some weird internet meme?

Do people just love to picket things in America or is it just the state of Michigan? Because seriously there are people picketing the local red cross in the middle of a blood drive.

In my case its the only western animation out right now (Besides Korra) that isn't utterly terrible. I must emphasize YMMV.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:11:38 AM by stevebat

@Ginger: Yes he is. It'll be interesting to see if the show addresses his points fairly, instead of just turning him into Mr.big bad guy.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:11:13 AM by edvedd

@Ginger He's a villain with a point. And on the opposite side, you have Councillor Tarlok, who while not a villain exactly (yet), he's certainly an antagonist.

@ccoa A lot of us just find the characters really relateable and likeable. A lot of us find it hilarious. A lot of us love the writing.

You've clearly seen enough to know you don't like it though. So just leave it. Nothing wrong with that

Ginger how high is your tolerance levels for heroic smugness if there is intelligent competent villains involved?

@ccoa: A lot of the things that you dismiss are actually aspects that people like. Whether that is a difference of taste or just being more "novel" to us then it is to you, I don't know.

Of course the memetic aspect doesn't hurt either.

@steve my tolerance for smugness is really fickle. Sometimes I'm okay with it. Sometimes it's my favourite trait of a particular character. Sometimes I despise it.

Why?

edited 1st Jun '12 10:14:16 AM by gingerninja666

@ccoa: Mostly it's popular because of a combination of factors. It begins with a bunch of article writers bashing Lauren for "selling out" and making the show for Hasbro, luring some Anons from /co/ to watch and see what the fuss is all about. They loved it, drew in more anons, got the attention of the Internet in general, and within a few months, bronies had practically become an Internet Demographic (and one a lot more tolerable than the rabid fandumbs seen elsewhere!) and ponies re-entered the mainstream. Between the refreshingly three-dimensional Mane Six and the astonishingly consistent world, the excellent dialogue and entertaining humor, the show also has a bunch of seriously better-than-so-called-kid's-shows plot points and jokes and plenty of life lessons that adults could do well to learn or re-learn.

Well, at least like their distant relatives the Transformers, ponies are also originally merch-driven, only now Lauren has made the show good on a level that rivals Beast Wars and Transformers Animated.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:16:06 AM by AceOfScarabs

@Ginger you may like the Enders Shadow series. Specifically Shadow of the Hegemon.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:19:13 AM by stevebat

@ ccoa: Have you tried watching the two-part episodes "The Return of Harmony" and "A Canterlot Wedding" in Season 2? Those episodes seem to be the crowning jewels of the show!

edited 1st Jun '12 10:17:07 AM by TiggersAreGreat

This is extremely ironic advice coming from you, ginger.

Guys, don't reccomend episodes to ccoa. If s/he doesn't like it then just leave it. I hate forcing things on people.

I think s/he's seen enough to know that it won't grow on him/her

I'm insane. and I know that not giving up certain things made me miserable. I expect others to have a bit more sense than me

edited 1st Jun '12 10:19:08 AM by gingerninja666

FTFY

If you don't like it you don't like it. Nothing wrong with that.

@ccoa: Also, there are many interest groups drawn into the series by proxy. /tg/ styled guys love the fantasy aspect of the world of Equestria, with the dangerous wildlife taken straight out of Gygax's Monster Manuals and authentic mythological foes which add a cultural depth (just like ZUN did for Touhou).

The music is excellent and addictive, thanks to master bard Daniel Ingram (ZUN also does a mean FM Synth chiptune that results in the oldest and deepest Crowning Music subsection that was for a while the most popular pages of Crowning Music and still are regularly expanded with even more entries, mushrooming so much they page actually got split into several sections! Now does that no sound familiar? ) Between the Deceptive cadence (Hahaha, Daniel you card) and the pseudo-Metal vibes in This Day Aria, Daniel wields his composer's stylus well.

Oops wrong timeline.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:22:04 AM by TheDoctorPony

@steve What is it?

Ginger is Muggle supremacist :P

BTW I don't agree at all with Amon but it's my favortie Avatar villain.

@ccoa: I would say it either clicks with you or it doesn't. I like the animation, I like the writing, and I like the willingness of the show makers not to resort to (or at least subvert) 'girl show' tropes and respect the intended audience. The morals aren't 100% straightforward, there is continuity, and character development tends to accumulate over a period of time and gets referenced in subtle ways.

And there's just enough adult humor to keep it fresh. Oh, and good music, can't forget that.

But, yeah, not everyone will love it, and I don't want to overrate it. It's just fun for me, is all.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:24:15 AM by edvedd

@Death Hell YEAH, I'm a muggle supremicist! Why shouldn't I be?

@ Ginger: Fixed that for you.

Speaking of Daniel Ingram, someone called Kerry Ingram has just been cast to play a character in Game of Thrones. Anyone know if there's a relation there?