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[Kintobor]

Alright, it's officially down to crunch time. Only one more hour and a half until the season premiere of MLP.

And then this topic gets flooded.

Brace yourselves for impact, winter is coming, we're going to need a bigger boat.

[Mr Breden]

Hmm, remarkably quiet so far.....

[Kintobor]

So it seems all the bronies on this forum opted out and saw Day of the Doctor, which makes no sense, since they aired at two separate times.

Well, I'll talk about it, while it's fresh. It was pretty damn good.

I saw it live via stream, and it was neat being in the loop for once. Discord's back, and that's always fun. We got some background information on what drove Luna to becoming Nightmare Moon, so that's always cool. There's a bunch more stuff going on, but for those who haven't seen it, go and do so. It was a good starter to the season, and a nice retrospect back to season one, particularly the ending. Can't wait for the next episode!

[Oky]

So it seems all the bronies on this forum opted out and saw Day of the Doctor, which makes no sense, since they aired at two separate times.

Not all of them. I didn't even know there was a Day of the Doctor. I saw the premiere last night and thought it was pretty good, but a bit bland.

It was nice seeing Twilight deal with the responsibilities of being royalty. I love Discord, so it was also great to see him again, even though he wasn't as great as in the season 2 opener (being reformed and all), and I was very happy to see that he was the villain of this story, albeit a rather passive one. The fact that he had the foresight to plant seeds that would take out his enemies in his absence makes him even more awesome! My favorite part were the flashbacks as they gave us some backstory on Luna and the Elements, and the fight between Luna and Celestia was neat. I wish their fight with Discord would have been equally as epic, but oh well.

Other than that, though, there wasn't much going on in this episode. No songs, no new characters, not many good jokes (aside from Pinkie and Discord being themselves), just a basic story about the mane six looking for a way to defeat the plants. There was not enough going on for a 2-part story for my liking and some of the non-flashback parts seemed to drag on a bit. There were also a few minor plot holes, like Twilight forgetting about her teleportation ability on numerous occasions, and the one time she uses it, she only uses it on herself, leaving Spike to crash into a window (although that can be forgiven since she panicked), but those are just nitpicks. And they still didn't explain the no-king-or-queen thing, but I guess we'll just have to accept that there are only princesses and princes in this world.

I'm not saying it was a bad episode; it just could have been better in my opinion. Maybe it's just because I was tired when I watched it though.

Overall it was a decent start to the season, more so than the season 3 opener, so I'm looking forward to the next episodes.

By the way, has anyone finished watching Korra yet? I would like to hear your thoughts on the finale.

[Amset-Rah]

I thought the MLP opener was good, though a little bland compared to the previous openers. Discord was awesome, as always, and the flashbacks were neat. Twilight learning how to take responsibility with her newfound royalty is a good move, and helped the story nicely.

Overall, a good way to kick off the season, but it could have had a little more spice to it.

[Kintobor]

By the way, has anyone finished watching Korra yet? I would like to hear your thoughts on the finale.

<- That face. That face sums up season two as a whole for me.

On one hand, the stuff in the spirit realm and Wan was . I liked Varrick as a character, and thought he was fun. I like that Korra and Mako is finished and we can move on. I love seeing what the happened to some of the characters that didn't get full resolutions in the original show. Seeing Zhao and the professor's fates was a nice, and incredibly dark touch. This show had some really genius moments, and some really goddamn stupid ones too.

Varrick pretty much stole the show for half the season, which I felt was squandered. If I wanted to see Varrick, I'd create a Varrick miniseries, which it pretty much turned into. What are we doing today? Oh, more Varrick.... cool... I guess.

And what was his whole plot anyways? To initiate a war between Republic City and the Northern Water tribe to gain profits? It's hinted at that, but it's never explained. He's just a villain for the plot connivence's sake. And then there's Unalock. What an uninspired villain. He's evil because he's power hungry. He could have been so good, manipulating Korra, believing that the world's lost touch with the spirits and going on a divine purge to regain the connection. But nope, he's just with Vatuu to gain power. And kill Ravaa. And cause Korra to turn into Dr. Manhattan. And not actually kill Ravaa but lose connection to the past avatars. The season was a mess. A disorganized mess. It had it's ups, but for every awesome, amazing episode, I can point to three pointless, filler ones. I wasn't too happy with the season as a whole. The ending I thought was fine, if a little bit weird. So the spirits can come and go as they please? What's that going to solve? What does that even assist in doing?

I don't know, I wasn't all to impressed really. They better pick the ball up, or else I'm out next season.

On a separate note, Twilight Sparkle's Sceptre is apparently a thing now.

[Amset-Rah]

^I can see why Twilight's scepter is a meme. That sheepish grin is priceless and some of the memes are amazing (Ever see the Pink Floyd/The Wall pic with the marching Twilight Scepters instead of the hammers?)

As for Korra, I never really checked it out, mainly because I never saw Avatar either, but I hear it's great. Should I give it a watch sometime, because I'm a bit curious.

[Aanchir]

^I can see why Twilight's scepter is a meme. That sheepish grin is priceless and some of the memes are amazing (Ever see the Pink Floyd/The Wall pic with the marching Twilight Scepters instead of the hammers?)

As for Korra, I never really checked it out, mainly because I never saw Avatar either, but I hear it's great. Should I give it a watch sometime, because I'm a bit curious.

My brother and I started watching Avatar somewhat late (I can't remember if it was partway through season 2 or partway through season 3). I can't remember what it was specifically that got us to watch it, but it probably came on before or after some other program we wanted to watch like Spongebob.

Anyway, watching episodes on TV was a sort of haphazard way of getting caught up, so we ended up getting the Book 1, 2, and 3 collections used from a store called F.Y.E., which I mostly see in malls. I forget what each season cost but it was a good deal compared to getting them new. Having the DVD collections is great because it makes it easy to introduce other friends and family members to the series.

[Kintobor]

Speaking of which, Pony, Pony, Pony.

Castle-Mania I thought was fun. Nothing truly spectacular, but definitely funny! Rarity had me laughing out loud when she just blurted out "She's with me." I don't know why, but the way Tabitha read that was hysterical! The animation just keeps getting better! The shadow effects, the scene with Rainbow and Applejack going down the staircase, I remember those scenes vividly! But, I feel Pinkie was a bit out of character, particularly since she's my favorite of the bunch. Its hard to write Pinkie, but she's sort of like Starfire from Teen Titans in a sense. She's not stupid, far from it. Pinkie just tends to miss the point. Hilariously. With Pinkie, I assume it's because Pinkie's on an ascended plane of thinking, Star's a foreigner and doesn't get the customs. Two of my favorite characters, and I now realize how similar they are!

Fillerish, yes, but we at least have a potential villain and we have a substitute to the letters. Oh, how I'm going to miss "Dear Princess Celestia..." All in all, it was good fun.

Daring Don't has already been controversial enough. People either love it or hate it and I'm... neither really. I thought it was okay, really. It just boggles the mind that Daring Do is real. I loved Read it and Weep, so this new episode sort of feels... weird coupled with it. However, I do certainly don't hate theidea! We now have all these other things going on! Equestria feels bigger! It feels like a world with various things going on, instead of a world centred around the Mane 6. Overall, I certainly don't hate the episode, but it's not one I'm going to remember down the line.

[Oky]

It's been surprisingly quiet in here lately, so here are my thoughts on season 4 so far:

Castle Mane-ia - This one was a lot of fun. Not a whole lot of story, but the excellent animation and interactions between the characters were what really made this episode entertaining. I also did not see that twist about the identity of the Shadow pony coming.

Daring Don't - This one was just okay. The twist about Daring Do being real was good, but everything after that wasn't very interesting. They didn't even really explain why she doesn't trust anyone. A flashback of someone close to her betraying her in the past or something would have been nice, but oh well.

Flight to the Finish - a decent CMC episode. A nice song and some good comedy from RD. Not much else to say.

Power Ponies - I was looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. Lots of nice references and hilariously bad puns, and Fluttershy as the Hulk was brilliant! The story was good and the villain was fun. The three writers did a good job here.

Bats! - Flutterbat. Need I say more?

Overall, I'm enjoying the season so far. It's not as good as season 2, but definitely fun. So far the episodes haven't done much to further the story arc introduced in the season opener, but I'm sure we'll get there eventually. The one thing that bothers me are those weird cliffhanger endings. I hope that these aren't just nothing but teasers and that they will actually follow up on those. We'll have to wait and see.

Oh, and has anyone been watching the new [as] series Rick & Morty? I find myself liking it quite a bit. It's like Adventure Time crossed with Back to the Future and every other sci-fi movie ever made. It's not the greatest show ever or anything, but pretty entertaining for a sci-fi fan like me.

[Kintobor]

I guess I'll do a review with every episode that's released, since it seems fun.

Flight to the Finish: It was good. Really good. I'm glad the Equestria games isn't a one off thing that was just brought up for the sake of going back to the Crystal Empire (despite the fact I really dig the design of the Crystal Empire). I also really liked Scootaloo in this. She's probably one of the best developed characters in the show, and I really love the whole last few minutes where Rainbow and the rest of the CMC go and get her back. Honestly, this is probably the best episode of the season so far. I also think Diamond Tiara is one of the most despicable characters in existence, right up there with King Geoffrey from Game of Thrones. After this episode, just seeing her makes my blood boil. She's a villain I love to hate. The song was pretty good, nothing really great, but good and catchy. Not one of my favourites, but a incredibly well done, dare I say excellent episode.

Power Ponies: In terms of trying to take MLP and put it in a comic book setting, it was good. On it's own, reviewed as a whole, it's good. Spike learns his efforts are noticed by the group, and he's not the groups Humdrum. That's fine and dandy, but in "BATS!!!", he goes right back into Humdrum mode. I know the show needs that character, but couldn't Power Ponies come a bit later in the season then? Oh well. The individual little moments though is where I think this episode really shines! The villain is gleefully entertaining, and if Tabitha's voicing any villain, you know it's going to be relatively over the top, and the Mane-iac was oh so campy I adored it! The fact she operates in a shampoo factory with neon lights and her henchmen all had fabulous hair was also just flat out funny! It felt like good Silver Age stuff. I also really love Rarity in this episode. She had the best moments next to certain someone we'll get to in a minute, and I love that moment when when she creates the stairs and regally trots down them as everyone else just leaps down! And of course, lets settle the elephant in the room: Flutterhulk. The execution of Fluttershy's transformation was well done, and I'm glad they kept this under wraps, it was an excellent surprise! Just seeing Fluttershy destroy the Hair Dryer cannon thing was hysterical! All in all, a little light, and not perfect, but very entertaining. Sort of on the same scale of Equestria Girls, which I also really liked.

Bats!!!: Hey look, an episode I wasn't 100% sold on! It's a good episode, and all of it's flaws have been picked apart by everyone, the main one being just how exactly is Fluttershy a Batpony, and what does that make Luna's chariot drivers and every batpony OC, but there were some other things I wasn't really into, the song being one of them. I just couldn't get into it, and I really like Danny Elfman's style, so that's not it. I felt it wasn't necessary to get the point across that Applejack hates the darn things and wants them gone, and Fluttershy's trying to get Applejack to do it humanely. That and why the hell is Twilight Sparkle an Alicorn if this is what they use her for? No, I'm dead serious! Equestria Girls did an excellent job of dealing with Twilight's ascended form and her princess hood, so I expected Twilight to be in the middle ground on this episode's issue, but instead, she's jumping on the bandwagon and demonizing the bats! I feel this episode would have benefitted if we just had the Apple's and Fluttershy, since it seems the episode was cramming the Mane Six in for no reason! Did Twilight really need to be there, or Rarity or Pinkie for that matter? I'd of given Granny Smith, Applebloom, Big Mac, and Rainbow the episode with Applejack and Fluttershy, so that the Apple's immediately outbid Fluttershy's claims, and Rainbow acts as a character the audience relates to for the episode. I get why the Mane Six is there, but it felt awkward. Once again though, the little additions were great! I love Pinkie's little "Fruitbat Round Up!", and the slew of Batman reference! That and Flutterbat! I honestly hope that ending shot with the fangs isn't a cop out like all the other ending shots! Why else would they highlight it if it won't be brought up again? Oh well, bottom line: Bats!!! was good.

Edited January 1, 2014 by Kintobor

[Kintobor]

I guess I'll also throw this in, since it's sort of relevant, anyone read Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels? I received all of The Search for Christmas, and I really got to say, it was really well done. Show quality writing, the art was excellent, and I felt like was reading an actual continuation of the show. It's really well done!

On a side note, I also purchased a graphic novel which contained the first six issues of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic miniseries. Overall, it's a mixed bag, but a good mixed bag. Nothing is really awful, but some of the story's are a bit lacking. Rarity's and Pinkie's stories though are brilliant, and I'm surprised to see Ben Bates as the artist for the Pinkie issue, since he's generally known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Speaking of Sonic, apparently he's getting a new show. I know Dave Polsky's involved, who wrote quite a few episodes of MLP:FIM, mainly comedic ones, so I'm actually somewhat optimistic for this show. I just hope it's not too hyperactive and doesn't turn into yet another Post Movie Spongebob Squarepants like every other animated comedy.

[Aanchir]

I guess I'll also throw this in, since it's sort of relevant, anyone read Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels? I received all of The Search for Christmas, and I really got to say, it was really well done. Show quality writing, the art was excellent, and I felt like was reading an actual continuation of the show. It's really well done!

On a side note, I also purchased a graphic novel which contained the first six issues of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic miniseries. Overall, it's a mixed bag, but a good mixed bag. Nothing is really awful, but some of the story's are a bit lacking. Rarity's and Pinkie's stories though are brilliant, and I'm surprised to see Ben Bates as the artist for the Pinkie issue, since he's generally known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Speaking of Sonic, apparently he's getting a new show. I know Dave Polsky's involved, who wrote quite a few episodes of MLP:FIM, mainly comedic ones, so I'm actually somewhat optimistic for this show. I just hope it's not too hyperactive and doesn't turn into yet another Post Movie Spongebob Squarepants like every other animated comedy.

Yeah, the A:TLA graphic novels are excellent. The MLP:FiM comic series is also good, even though it's a different sort of good. Unlike the A:TLA graphic novels, which tell new stories with more or less the same storytelling style and voice as the show, the MLP:FiM comics tell stories that are more or less optimized for comics as a medium. Some story arcs, like the Big Mac arc in issues 9 and 10, would never work in the show. But generally, they still remain true to the characters and values of the animated series.

I recently watched the anime film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, a movie based on the Professor Layton video games but telling a new story that takes place between the fourth and fifth games. Overall, its story was of the same quality as the game series, and had an appropriate emphasis on puzzle-solving, just like the games. The voice acting and music were also top notch, which was to be expected since it shares some of its voice talent and music with the games. My only complaints are the amount of conspicuous CGI and the over-the-top nature of some plot elements (the villain's evil plan looks like it would have been crazy expensive). I would recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed the Professor Layton video games, and I'd recommend it AND the video games to anyone who hasn't experienced either.

[Kintobor]

I recently watched the anime film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, a movie based on the Professor Layton video games but telling a new story that takes place between the fourth and fifth games. Overall, its story was of the same quality as the game series, and had an appropriate emphasis on puzzle-solving, just like the games. The voice acting and music were also top notch, which was to be expected since it shares some of its voice talent and music with the games. My only complaints are the amount of conspicuous CGI and the over-the-top nature of some plot elements (the villain's evil plan looks like it would have been crazy expensive). I would recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed the Professor Layton video games, and I'd recommend it AND the video games to anyone who hasn't experienced either.

I'll second that notion.

So excited for Azran Legacies!!

[PenPlays]

I recently watched the anime film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, a movie based on the Professor Layton video games but telling a new story that takes place between the fourth and fifth games. Overall, its story was of the same quality as the game series, and had an appropriate emphasis on puzzle-solving, just like the games. The voice acting and music were also top notch, which was to be expected since it shares some of its voice talent and music with the games. My only complaints are the amount of conspicuous CGI and the over-the-top nature of some plot elements (the villain's evil plan looks like it would have been crazy expensive). I would recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed the Professor Layton video games, and I'd recommend it AND the video games to anyone who hasn't experienced either.

Absolutely love that movie.

And a note: Descole is filthy rich. Most of Layton's villains are filthy rich and/or liars, so this isn't anything new. Speaking of Descole, Azran Legacies looks absolutely fantastic, but will it be the next Unwound Future?

Speaking of anime. I just finished the anime Steins;Gate. It's about a self proclaimed mad scientist that discovers his microwave oven is a time-travel device. He succeeds in sending a text into the past, but through these texts he fundamentally alters the world in such a way that all of his "assistants" are in danger.

It's a very vague description, yes, but I'd feel horrible if I spoiled anything more. I absolutely loved it. It was suspenseful, but hilarious. Touching, yet intense.

I just started my second watch-through of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It's a Sci-fi meets slice-of-life about a girl that has the ability to alter the world to her liking. She, however, has no idea she has these powers, and it begins to affect the lives of her fellow students. Watch the movie The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya as well, as it is icing on the cake!

Other Anime that I suggest:

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Angel Beats!

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and it's sequel

Sword Art Online

K-On! and its movie

Lucky*Star

and Fairy Tail

Being that it's anime inspired (meaning that if you don't like Anime, this is tolerable) I also highly suggest

. Edited January 2, 2014 by Penkid11

[Oky]

there were some other things I wasn't really into, the song being one of them. I just couldn't get into it, and I really like Danny Elfman's style, so that's not it.

Same here. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't like the song too much. I think AJ should stick to country songs.

I guess I'll also throw this in, since it's sort of relevant, anyone read Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels? I received all of The Search for Christmas, and I really got to say, it was really well done. Show quality writing, the art was excellent, and I felt like was reading an actual continuation of the show. It's really well done!

Yes, the A:TLA comics are great. I posted my thoughts on the first issue of The Search in the Which Comic Do You Read thread. I received Part 3 for Xmas as well, but haven't read it yet. You should definitely check out The Promise as well as it explains the founding of Republic City. Can't wait for the next story arc!

Speaking of Sonic, apparently he's getting a new show.

Interesting. I'll keep an eye out for that, thanks.

By the way, what do you guys think of this?

I don't mind seeing more Powerpuff Girls, but the new CG animation just looks terrible. It looks like cutscenes from an early 90's videogame.

[Kintobor]

Absolutely love that movie.

And a note: Descole is filthy rich. Most of Layton's villains are filthy rich and/or liars, so this isn't anything new. Speaking of Descole, Azran Legacies looks absolutely fantastic, but will it be the next Unwound Future?

I just started my second watch-through of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It's a Sci-fi meets slice-of-life about a girl that has the ability to alter the world to her liking. She, however, has no idea she has these powers, and it begins to affect the lives of her fellow students. Watch the movie The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya as well, as it is icing on the cake!

I'm a bit weird, since my opinion on best game in the series is Unwound Future, but my personal favourite is Diabolical Box. I adore Unwound Future, don't get me wrong. The whole third act is probably one of the best finales in the history of storytelling in any medium, and it wraps up everything with a nice blue ribbon on top. However, Diabolical Box is just my personal favourite. I love the fact it's on a train, I love the mystery, I love the ending, and I love the characters. It's just my personal favourite of the lot.

Haruhi was the first anime I sat "all" the way through, and it's weird seeing anime after and before. It really was a big game changer for the industry, and the fans. People still perform the dance from the end of that show at conventions. I will say my one gripe with that show though is the Endless Eight. It's why I never watched the whole thing. I saw about three or four episodes of the darn arc, then moved on. It's honestly the show's only major let down, and it takes up a good chunk of season 2.

I actually loved The Disappearance. You need to see the rest of the show before going into it though. It sort of acts like Season 3 of the show, for those uninitiated.

*snip*

I've heard of it, but seeing it now, I might watch it. The animation is less bad, and more confusing as to why they'd go that route instead of either updating the style, or just keeping to the old one. It's less of a deciding factor, and more of an annoyance.

[PenPlays]

Haruhi was the first anime I sat "all" the way through, and it's weird seeing anime after and before. It really was a big game changer for the industry, and the fans. People still perform the dance from the end of that show at conventions. I will say my one gripe with that show though is the Endless Eight. It's why I never watched the whole thing. I saw about three or four episodes of the darn arc, then moved on. It's honestly the show's only major let down, and it takes up a good chunk of season 2.

I actually loved The Disappearance. You need to see the rest of the show before going into it though. It sort of acts like Season 3 of the show, for those uninitiated.

I just made it to the Endless 8 last night. I'm only watching the first, fifth, and eighth, being that it gives you all three "complete" variations of the eight episodes.

I also notice a bunch of "Endless" and "8" numbers scattered throughout the episodes.

The series is actually incomplete without watching The Disappearance, a 3-hour-long season 3 that's worth every second.

Speaking of more seasons of Anime, Sword Art Online 2 is being created...

I guess I'll also throw this in, since it's sort of relevant, anyone read Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels? I received all of The Search for Christmas, and I really got to say, it was really well done. Show quality writing, the art was excellent, and I felt like was reading an actual continuation of the show. It's really well done!

On a side note, I also purchased a graphic novel which contained the first six issues of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic miniseries. Overall, it's a mixed bag, but a good mixed bag. Nothing is really awful, but some of the story's are a bit lacking. Rarity's and Pinkie's stories though are brilliant, and I'm surprised to see Ben Bates as the artist for the Pinkie issue, since he's generally known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Speaking of Sonic, apparently he's getting a new show. I know Dave Polsky's involved, who wrote quite a few episodes of MLP:FIM, mainly comedic ones, so I'm actually somewhat optimistic for this show.

Please tell me you read the StH comics! I swear I can't find anyone who's read them!

The writers of the new Sonic show seems nice, but the design is more or less the problem...

"Here I come,

Rougher than the rest of them,

The best of them,

Tougher than leather,

You can call me Knuckles,

Unlike Sonic I don't chuckle,

I'd rather flex my muscles."

-Unknown from M.E. (Sonic Adventure)

...

Yeah.

If designs stay this way, it's gonna take some getting used to.

[Kintobor]

I keep up with the comics, and I do like to know what's going on, I just haven't read any. Although, now would be a good time, thanks to Penders.

If one man infuriates me more at the moment, it's him. Not a lick of sense in the man it seems. You don't go and do what he did to a fan base, particularly on as divide as the Sonic fan base. The whole legal battle more or less ruined 20 years worth of continuity. You just don't do that. Pender's will never be hired again after the stunt he pulled.

[Aanchir]

By the way, what do you guys think of this?

I don't mind seeing more Powerpuff Girls, but the new CG animation just looks terrible. It looks like cutscenes from an early 90's videogame.

What early 90s video games were YOU playing? I grew up in the 90s and I don't recall any games from those early years with graphics this smooth — I still cringe when I look at screenshots from Super Mario 64, and that game was released in 1996! The "lineless", cel-shaded style is very neat and reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but perhaps even more well-polished. In this trailer, you can barely tell that the characters are rendered in 3D from stills, which look almost like they're made from craft paper, but the dynamic movement of the characters still takes full advantage of the animation style.

I don't expect I'll end up watching this. After all, I was never a PowerPuff Girls fan growing up, though I now know enough about the series to realize that I probably should have been. It's neat that they're getting Ringo Starr as a guest star! (Guest starr?)

Edited January 2, 2014 by Aanchir

[PenPlays]

I keep up with the comics, and I do like to know what's going on, I just haven't read any. Although, now would be a good time, thanks to Penders.

If one man infuriates me more at the moment, it's him. Not a lick of sense in the man it seems. You don't go and do what he did to a fan base, particularly on as divide as the Sonic fan base. The whole legal battle more or less ruined 20 years worth of continuity. You just don't do that. Pender's will never be hired again after the stunt he pulled.

From what I heard, there's been some resolve, and that Countdown to Chaos (and probably several issues after) were written and desgined during the "unknown" period.

Now if Ian Flynn were to write the new StH show, then something amazing would be on the way!

[Kintobor]

I'm a bit torn on Ian. He seems like a nice guy, and when he writes something good, it's usually really good. I was a but torn on the whole Mecha Sally ordeal, but it grew on me. I just wish his execution of the arc was better. Sonic just seemed to shrug off Mecha Sally eventually. I really wish she was used as both a physical and psychological threat. Of course, some of the issue is Sega's mandates. Oh well. He's doing fine with the hand that's been dealt to him.

[Oky]

If designs stay this way, it's gonna take some getting used to.

I don't see any problem with these designs so far. The silhouettes look pretty much how they always do, except Knuckles looks a bit taller. But these are just shadows on a teaser picture, so I wouldn't judge it before we see some actual footage from the show.

I've heard of it, but seeing it now, I might watch it. The animation is less bad, and more confusing as to why they'd go that route instead of either updating the style, or just keeping to the old one. It's less of a deciding factor, and more of an annoyance.

It is indeed confusing. When they made the 10th Anniversary special a few years back, they animated it in Flash and it was a very acceptable update of the animation as it still looked like the original show. This on the other hand looks like something else entirely. Why didn't they just stick to the Flash animation?

The fact that the creator was not involved in the production is not giving me much hope either. I will still watch it, but the animation is going to be distracting.

What early 90s video games were YOU playing? I grew up in the 90s and I don't recall any games from those early years with graphics this smooth — I still cringe when I look at screenshots from Super Mario 64, and that game was released in 1996! The "lineless", cel-shaded style is very neat and reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but perhaps even more well-polished. In this trailer, you can barely tell that the characters are rendered in 3D from stills, which look almost like they're made from craft paper, but the dynamic movement of the characters still takes full advantage of the animation style.

OK, maybe I was thinking of late 90's games, whatever. What I meant is that the 3D models look very low-poly like they were back in those games. Everything looks very straight and pointy, giving it that paper cut-out look. Things that should be round are now made out of jagged lines, such as the girls' hair and the bottle of Chemical X. They even did it on the hearts in the ending title screen. The shading also looks off as it is just a straight vertical line on the characters. This really ruins the soft, dynamic art style of the original cartoon and makes it look flat and surreal.

Art style aside, I was never a fan of cell-shading anyway. You can always tell that it is 3D animation that they are trying to pass off as 2D animation, but it usually doesn't work. Wind Waker is one of the few times where this technique was utilized effectively. I think this animation might have worked for the Powerpuff Girls if they wouldn't have used that new style with mostly straight lines. I just don't get why they had to change the look so much, but I guess it could be worse.

[Kintobor]

I feel I'm going to go back and rewatch Rarity Takes Manehattan since it's one I haven't got a solid opinion on, but for now I'm going to talk about it a little since there's still a bunch I want to talk about.

Rarity Takes Manehattan: Starts of a little weak, then hits it's peak halfway through, and I think it's one of the season's better episodes so far. I liked seeing more of Manehattan, I liked the episode's plot, it was good. I felt it much more humble than the previous two weeks episodes, which was good! The song was alright, and the reprise was much better from last week's episode too, so I'm happy. I also adored the little jab Rainbow makes at musical's in general with people breaking out into song for no reason, only for Rarity to break out into song! The villain was good, I like how we're seeing more jerk ponies like Flim and Flam, and I also liked Coco Pommel, the villain's assistant. The episode did good looking at Rarity's generosity being a weakness, with the villain stealing her fabric that Rarity allowed her to use for accents, only to find out she used it for her entire line. I also like the fact we get Bridleway. I actually was working on an OC who lives in Manehattan and his sister was a famous actress. Needing a substitute for Broadway, I called the district Bridleway. Huh. I guess me and the writers have sharing taste in our puns. However, I got a few complaints, and it's little stuff really. Rarity almost seemed "too" generous. She can be a stuck up snob at points, and here we didn't see enough of that I think. Although, she did abuse her friends rather selfishly, so I'll let it slide. Also, why was Rarity tossing gems about? Is it meant to be currency, because we know the currency in Equestria is the Bit. So I'm guessing it's the writer goofing up. Which is weird, since it's veteran writer Dave Polsky. One last nitpick, I wished Applejack was less cheery. We know she has bad memories of Manehattan, so even a line about her being reluctant to go would have been nice, since this season's continuity has been pretty amazing. Oh well, really good episode for once! I really liked it!

Next week: Pinkie Apple Pie!

[Aanchir]

I feel I'm going to go back and rewatch Rarity Takes Manehattan since it's one I haven't got a solid opinion on, but for now I'm going to talk about it a little since there's still a bunch I want to talk about.

Rarity Takes Manehattan: Starts of a little weak, then hits it's peak halfway through, and I think it's one of the season's better episodes so far. I liked seeing more of Manehattan, I liked the episode's plot, it was good. I felt it much more humble than the previous two weeks episodes, which was good! The song was alright, and the reprise was much better from last week's episode too, so I'm happy. I also adored the little jab Rainbow makes at musical's in general with people breaking out into song for no reason, only for Rarity to break out into song! The villain was good, I like how we're seeing more jerk ponies like Flim and Flam, and I also liked Coco Pommel, the villain's assistant. The episode did good looking at Rarity's generosity being a weakness, with the villain stealing her fabric that Rarity allowed her to use for accents, only to find out she used it for her entire line. I also like the fact we get Bridleway. I actually was working on an OC who lives in Manehattan and his sister was a famous actress. Needing a substitute for Broadway, I called the district Bridleway. Huh. I guess me and the writers have sharing taste in our puns. However, I got a few complaints, and it's little stuff really. Rarity almost seemed "too" generous. She can be a stuck up snob at points, and here we didn't see enough of that I think. Although, she did abuse her friends rather selfishly, so I'll let it slide. Also, why was Rarity tossing gems about? Is it meant to be currency, because we know the currency in Equestria is the Bit. So I'm guessing it's the writer goofing up. Which is weird, since it's veteran writer Dave Polsky. One last nitpick, I wished Applejack was less cheery. We know she has bad memories of Manehattan, so even a line about her being reluctant to go would have been nice, since this season's continuity has been pretty amazing. Oh well, really good episode for once! I really liked it!

Next week: Pinkie Apple Pie!

Rarity's casual generosity makes a bit more sense when you remember just how easily she accumulates gems. Of course, that doesn't make her actions seem cheap, either, since I imagine gems are probably more valuable in Manehattan than in the Ponyville countryside where a few ponies (or baby dragons) working together can dig them right out of the ground. I like to imagine that Equestrian society uses gems and bits alike as currency, with bits being a more modern and standardized currency and gems (which are bound to vary in value and quality) being a holdover from an older but not entirely obsolete barter system.

I think Applejack's attitude towards Manehattan can probably be summed up with the old saying, "Nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there." I feel like her experience in Manehattan before was unpleasant, but not so traumatic that she would be uneasy about visiting the place years later. If she had run into her Aunt and Uncle Orange, that would be more of the sort of thing to stir up and force her to confront those unpleasant memories, but just being there shouldn't be too much of an ordeal for her.

I loved the new episode. It had a great lesson, great songs, and a great look at a setting that we haven't ever gotten to see in a whole lot of depth. And it was a Rarity episode, so it had some rather high standards to live up to. I look forward to watching it again!