In which I finally succumb to the lure of Equestria Girls

Apparently everyone counts as a Student for this showing

Oh yes. Things have changed since I made this post, and it turns out that I'm now going to be free on 10 August after all. So I've decided that I can't miss this opportunity to see ponies on the big screen (even if they are only ponies for a few minutes) and, yes, I've bought a ticket to see Equestria Girls. As you can see, it's showing in Walsall a week on Saturday; not the easiest cinema to get to but not too bad. There should be some other bronies going to the same showing; at least, I sincerely hope so! Will I like it? No idea. :D

Comic review: My Little Pony Treasury Edition

If they do one of #2, will it have a cover design from #1?

I suppose this counts as a comic review rather than a book one, but who knows? Certainly not me, and since I'm the one in charge of this blog that's a bit of a drawback. Ah, shoot, let's get on with it. You can pick this up in person in some branches of Forbidden Planet and the like, but I bought my own copy for £9.00 including p&p from A Place in Space on eBay. A very, very reliable seller, incidentally, and one whose combination of keen prices and one-copy-per-person policy means ordinary fans actually have a chance of having nice things. Come with me beyond the jump, though, for the actual review!

Fluttershy Collector's Box

Also includes exciting glossy cling-film wrap :P

("At last!" I hear you cry.) Yes, I admit it: for a thoroughly devoted Flutterfan, it really has taken me far too long to pick up this box. But since Toys R Us in Bristol had it for a perfectly reasonable £7.99 the other day, I was left with little choice. You can see the outer box above and the special trading card (the only Series 2 card officially on sale in the UK!) below, but you do get a few other things. To wit: a few more Series 1 trading cards, a mini-poster of Fluttershy with a card checklist on the other side and a sticker of... well, who do you think? That's right: Fluttershy. So I'm happy. :)

This actually looks very, very nice

Ponypic: Fluttershy Top Hat by FrenchyToastyy

Fluttershy Top Hat by FrenchyToastyy, Jun 2012. CC by-nc-sa 3.0

It's been a while since we had a Ponypic in these parts, so here's an excellent pastel painting of everyone's (and that means everyone's, right?) Best Pony, the one and only Fluttershy. I highly recommend you check out this guy's other MLP-related artwork, incidentally: he has a great, distinctive style that I think looks fantastic. This picture is dedicated to a certain someone who told me a little while ago that something else Fluttershy-related "need[ed] more top hats". Well, I hope this is satisfactory, sir! ;)

SDCC Season Four preview clip video!

The YouTube clip above was taken with someone's phone camera, so it's not the greatest quality, but you can make out what's going on. This shows several clips from Season Four, with black-and-white storyboards and the dialogue only. I shall refrain from spoilers here, but what I can say is that there's one CMC clip, one Spike clip and one Twilight clip, plus a very catchy little song. The first clip is the one that excited me most, as it touches on an issue I've wanted to see explored for ages. You'll have to watch the clip to see what I mean...!

This is really, really annoying

Showcase Cinemas are putting on screenings of Equestria Girls all over the country over the weekend of 10/11 August. Having seen the film via a dodgy YouTube video, I know that it's not as bad as I'd feared — and in places is actually fun — so I'd have been quite interested in going to see it. But this is the one and only time in the whole of August (other than BUCK, of course) when I simply can't break other commitments. Argh, and argh again. Hopefully one day we'll get a true FiM movie to make up for this.

What's particularly annoying from a personal point of view is that I've never, ever watched an episode of the show in company, unless you count virtual things like Bronystate streams. Licensing problems mean that this year's BUCK won't have the "Pony Odeon" and I have to confess that that's a big disappointment. Yes, there are occasional meetups for things like season finales and premieres, but they tend to be huge-scale "spend an entire day drinking and partying" things in London, which is not really my scene. Grump.

Wave 7 blind bags back at last!

Barber Groomsby has a natty little bow tie as well as that 'tache

After the false start a few weeks back, when a number of retailers jumped the gun — and were duly pulled up on it by Hasbro — it seems that we really are into Wave 7 time now. I know several shops around the country have had them for a little while, but it's only now that I've seen them again with my own eyes. Asda in Worcester, for example, had a nice new box, seemingly entirely unsifted. Well, until I came along... these are the three I chose: Barber Groomsby, "Sweetie Drops" and Soarin. Not a bad little trio, I think!