( Text link )
Well. It's not Friendship is Magic, is it? But actually, I don't hate it. Really. I think the key is going to be accepting that it isn't the show we've known and (mostly) loved for the past decade, despite the presence of the regular G4 VAs. Celestia mentioning television would make that clear, even if all the rest didn't. Pony Life is clearly going to be fast, frantic and – hopefully – fun. Quite honestly, I might end up enjoying this.
Note that the video above is on Hasbro's channel but is unlisted. The same goes for the 30-second theme tune video that's also appeared. We'll see before too long whether the "Coming Summer 2020" caption on the main video, and the "funny side of friendship" line in both video descriptions, will actually come true in the end.
I'm not a fan, but it's not for the obvious reasons. I actually don't have a problem with the animation; on the whole it's pretty cute and fun. I don't particularly care that it's not G5, or that it's smushing over G4 (or whatever that argument is really about).
ReplyDeleteMy main gripe is that it just feels like a continuation of an approach to producing cartoons that I don't particularly enjoy or agree with. Do I have a problem with PL, TTG or that Thundercats show? Individually, no, but I just don't agree that rebooting shows in this manner produces good content. It's very... Uh, fast food. I'm not the target market though, and I'm sure viewing figures and ratings for these shows argue the case against mine. Personal preference, I guess.
Still, it's fine. The show will happen, and if people enjoy it then that's great. And it's not as though I haven't been losing myself into plenty of other franchises anyway.
I think "fast food" is exactly what it's going to be. And that's all right by me. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a nice sit-down meal, sometimes I'm in the mood for a sausage roll from Greggs. I seriously, seriously doubt that Pony Life is going to charm me the way FiM has, but I'm not expecting it to. Bite-sized and fun but forgettable? That will do me fine while we wait for the (hopefully) more in-depth G5.
DeleteThar's nowt wrong wi' a sausage roll from Greggs!
DeleteCertainly not! Usually the meat one, but their vegan version is nearly spot on as well, which is rare for cheap such. It's not as if they claim to be making haute cuisine, and by all accounts they treat their staff pretty well too. Plus all their hot drinks are Fairtrade. So I have more time for Greggs than for many fast food places anyway.
Delete*sigh* Another reason I need to get back to GB sometime... that and Tikka Massala Pringles.
DeleteMy biggest reservation is that this looks like it will hew towards the overwhelmingly "wacky".
ReplyDeleteUsually, I'm not against wacky, nor am I in a position to claim MLP:FiM was some deep and complex psychodrama that happened to be comedic. But it managed to avoid coming across as pure frivolity and delivered some genuine emotion, awesome, and even intelligence at its best.
This... looks like someone took the "fun fun fun!" Pinkie clones from "Too Many Pinkie Pies" and made a show out of them. Little confidence has been inspired in me so far.
As I said to paperhearts, I can't see this charming me as FiM has done. But in small doses, wacky isn't something I object to. Right from the start, I've seen Pony Life as a stopgap to fill the wait between the two "proper" generations of G4 and G5. If G5 is as lightweight as this promises to be, then I will be sorely disappointed. But for now, I'm okay with it.
DeleteI keep telling myself not to expect things like good character writing or interesting continuity. That's realistic. But it's also hard to step away from when it's what I liked so much about MLPFiM. And it's hard when they've done basically nothing to make the characters less recognizable as the ones I've known for the last decade.
DeleteAt least Fluttershy's still heckin' cute.
I'm with the consensus here: fast food without depth that's basically inoffensive and probably a bit of fun, but I wouldn't be too worried if I missed it.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty much how I currently feel about the Equestria Girls shorts. So I'd be okay with these feeling similar.
Delete