CaveShinobi wrote:
I watched the first episode. I swore I'd never watch that again (or I'd get addicted to it). So yeah, am I one of those rare people who just isn't into this fandom?
Not surprising.
It takes the average person around 3 or so episodes (depending on height, weight, diet etc.) to develop a full-fledged pony addiction. Furthermore, the show's writing undeniably gets better and more tuned for the fanbase they ended up reaching later on, throwing many more curveballs and oddities in the script (such as the fact that at this point in time, several of the main ponies have basically had mental breakdowns ranging from momentary lapses in sanity to full-fledged extreme personality shifts). Nevertheless, exposure inevitably leads to absorption, either at-present or in the long-run. Why, you ask? It's simple really.
http://flashhost.heanet.ie/dotconf/SabrinaDent.htmlhttp://zectblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/ex ... -pony.htmlWhat started as a simple flash-cartoon series geared at selling a vintage franchise of girls toys has, through a completely unique, "lightning strikes" sort of instance, become a massive phenomenon that has undeniably left its mark on the general nerd/otaku/internet culture, and is proving to be a seriously one-of-a-kind case that speaks worlds about the nature of fandom, social norms, prejudice, open-mindedness and online community. To be blunt, Ponies is one of those things that has, at this point, grown to such volume that you will, inevitably come to terms with it in some way or another. There are just SO many memes, so many iconic characters and SUCH fan-presence at this point that anyone that considers themselves even SOMEWHAT nerd probably has a better chance of remaining ignorant to where "the cake is a lie" comes from then to remain unaware of the Pony presence. So many quotes and inside jokes have and will continue to emerge that I suspect a large number of people will convert to Bronyism simply so they can get the context, and won't feel completely in-the-dark at conventions and the like.
Very few people go into Ponies without being completely turned-off by its context (I know I did), but that is actually part of the charm really. It wouldn't be fun if it were "just another well-written, well-animated, genuinely GOOD cartoon", it's the fact that it is a "well-written, well-animated, genuinely GOOD cartoon that was NEVER supposed to be anything of the sort" that made its surprising impact all the more poignant. Yes, there are haters, there will always be sticks-in-the-mud about everything and anything. Jesus could descend from Asgard, cure all diseases and offer everyone a golden rocket-launcher that fires happiness and love, and some wankers would still say "L@LZ u are teh gay" and attempt to teabag him. So yeah, you can choose to be one of those people, who are just so drastically (almost suspiciously) riled by the concept that they basically devote themselves to aggroing something in order to appease some non-existant high-school-esque judge who hangs day and night over their heads telling them that they need to be "cool and manly" lest their testicles and self-worth (which are apparently not very well-secured in the first place) somehow detach from their bodies, sprout legs and run for the border. And yet, those with an open-mind and a lack of judging something simply by it's cover will find the series has a lot to offer. I am an avid fan of games, television, books, comics, manga and anime, and I can honestly tell you that these are some of the most well-rounded, memorable and (most importantly) genuinely fun characters I've had the pleasure of knowing in quite some time. And sure it isn't riddled with bullet-time, absurdly complex story-lines, tragic drama, anime cleavage or yet-another incarnation of space marines with a somewhat overcompensating relation to guns and rocket launchers, but in a world caught in a repetitive trend of formulaic spamming of the same predictable gunmetal-gray and brown plot-lines we've seen 1000 times before, oversexualization and violence-whoring that we've gotten to a point that we've somehow managed to make exploding heads and tits boring, and tragedy-spamming anime that seems hell-bent on showing us just how miserable and cruel life can be (I thought this was escapism 0_o), I can't tell you how revitalizing and joyous it is to find something that is just. plain. FUN. Maybe you won't laugh your head off, but if you can honestly sit through all 26 episodes of MLP:FiM without genuinely smiling at either the great cast, sly sense of humor or downright-charm then congrats my friend because you've officially gone dead inside.
Regardless of your opinion on Ponies, at the very least you must give it this; Ponies arose from 4chan, also known as the puss-strewn, abominable cesspool where just-about every hate-spewing, grief-inducing, utter dickbaggish aspect of the internet goes to die in a pool of its own excrement. Against all odds, MLP endured, survived and fought-back against the very assholisness of the interweb itself on a wave of tolerance and friendship, and ultimately managed to flourish like some sort of lone daisy blooming untouched in a sea of shit. It's almost poetic, really. Says a lot about the strength of people working together for a genuinely endearing cause, and that alone is cause to celebrate. And personally, I'll tip my glass to that.
So here's to you Bronys in arms.
Cheers.