Alright, alright, alright everypony, we are back in business. Welcome back, yet again, to another Batbrony Reviews. Did ya'll miss me? Cause I missed you! Season 5 is underway, and quite frankly I couldn't be happier with how things have gone so far. This season's already established for itself a pretty unique feel compared to previous seasons, so let's jump right in and take a look at what I thought worked so very well in these first two episodes. This is Batbrony Reviews "S05:E1+2 - The Cutie Map"

Story and Themes

I normally wouldn't overlap these two sections, but in this case, I really thought they were really interconnected in both of these episodes. If there is anything that truly stands out about this opener compared to the previous ones we've had, it's just how very smartly it was all written! The pacing was absolutely phenomenal, no section felt like it ever dragged or was rushed, the dialogue was almost always relevant to the plot without coming across as forced or convenient, and the story itself was a pleasant deviation from what we've gotten in the past. As opposed to a godlike, tyrannical being capable of conquering Equestria through sheer force of strength, we got for the first time a villain in Starlight Glimmer who really relied off of her wits, charm, charisma, and overwhelming force of personality to manipulate others around her, even more than Chrysalis or Discord ever did, at least in comparison to the level of magic at her disposal. Not only that, but the conflict itself was not readily apparent from the beginning, even though it was clear that something was off about the town that the Mane 6 were sent to by the Cutie Map.

The way this conflict was resolved, however, is where the storytelling really shined, namely in how it helped deliver the episodes themes and philosophy as well. The overarching philosophy of both episodes was obviously that ponies' cutie marks are a part of what makes them special, unique individuals, and those individual qualities help them be the best they can be both individually and as friends and neighbors with one another. They may not always agree about everything, but those disagreements cannot possibly sunder the deeper bonds they have with one another if they truly share friendship with each other. And hey, no pony's going to be friends with everypony, that's simply not possible, but that's just another component of the magic of friendship and individuality. They're all different, they all have their own likes and dislikes, but they learn from the Mane 6 that they should celebrate those differences, not shun them or try to suppress them in favor of a false and repressive equality. I especially appreciated this message because right now (and for quite a long time, really) it seems like in far too many places around the world people are under the impression that it is simply impossible to tolerate or coexist with others who hold different values or opinions from them. This is quite simply complete bunk; our very own fandom is proof of this! There are all kinds of bronies all over the world who live their lives in different ways, believe different things, and excel at varying activities, and we should and often do celebrate those differences, as do so many other communities around the world. Our individual personalities, beliefs, and behavior are a part of what makes this world special, and the fact that so many communities coexist harmoniously with each other show that the celebration of this individuality is something truly worth striving for, now and always. Sadly, too many places around the world, even in countries like the United States, fear individual or communal differences, and don't believe that such coexistence is possible. That fear drives people to seek "safe", "comforting", and "secure" homogeneity in thought and behavior, and so it's always a struggle to promote the celebration of individuality in all kinds of places. But again, it truly is something worth doing, so no matter how hard it may ever seem, we all should never fear embracing each other for who we are, as no matter what our differences may be, most of us truly do just desire love and shoulders to lean on from others. Thus, we find that the celebration of individuality really is a key component of the magic of friendship itself, as it requires hope, kindness, love, loyalty, honesty, generosity of spirit, and a desire to understand one another to achieve.

As I said before, the episode did an excellent job of conveying this message, and not just by preaching it. There was a lot more of 'show' than 'tell' going on here, namely in the Mane 6's actions. Each of their individual personalities shone in different ways, and always for the better. Some suspected the town from the very beginning more than others, they disagreed and debated with one another over what exactly they were supposed to do there, but through it all they remained true to one another, and ultimately their individual qualities only helped them overcome this new threat they faced, rather than splinter them. Fluttershy's kindness and openness to the town proved crucial later on in the story, Pinkie's suspicions helped them all stay on their guard, all the others made their own contributions which helped direct and guide the entire group's behavior the entire time. When they were at their lowest point, they didn't give in to Starlight Glimmer's magic, but rather, even without the cutie marks that help make each of them so special, leaned on each other for support and relied on their deep bonds of friendship to stay strong and overcome these travails. Their example eventually rubbed off on the entire town and pushed the rest of them, after discovering Starlight's ruse, not only to be the best they could be, but to lean on their fellow townsponies for support as well more than they ever did in their so-called utopia. Put simply, the story's execution was simply phenomenal, and marvelously conveyed both episodes messages so very well. In my humble opinion, it's some of the smartest, if not the smartest, writing and pacing I've ever seen in any season opener this show's given us to date, and definitely some of the smartest storytelling we've seen in general throughout the entire series.

Characters

Characters was another area where these episodes really shined, starting with the Mane 6, of course. I think more than anything these episodes highlighted (as many have for some time now) just how far this entire group has progressed in their learning about the magic of friendship since the first season. Yeah, they argued at points like friends do, but never to a point where their friendships were jeopardized. Their individual personalities were each apparent, they cooperated and leaned on each other for support the whole way through, and from start to finish their friendship was the biggest strength they had at their disposal. It wasn't the Princess Twilight hour either (an unfortunate trend since really the start of Season 3 that has very much come to define many season openers and finales), and I really appreciated that, it felt more like a Season 1 or Season 2 opener or finale. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie especially shone, the former because her not always apparent bravery and inner strength came through a number of times for the group and town, along with the strength of her kind and loving personality in general, and the latter because she was very level headed actually (by Pinkie Pie's standards, at least), but every single one of them played their own part, if only in being there for each other from start to finish with no wavering in their resolve. That was wonderful to see, and it seems that compared to the last two seasons, the group, with their positions as the Guardians of Friendship really secured (and Twilight herself as the Princess of Friendship) are now much more certain and sure of the direction that their lives and role in Equestria must take, and I like that, I really do. It shows growth as characters, how more and more they are stepping into mature adulthood and closer to fulfilling their true potential and destinies for all of Equestria. Brilliant stuff, really, absolutely brilliant characterization all around.

Starlight Glimmer, as I mentioned earlier, makes for a very unique villain to this show. She's the first completely normal pony we've seen starring as a full-fledged villain (even Sombra, despite being a unicorn, was clearly a vastly powerful magic-wielder compared to her), and she's quite a sinister one, at that. Deceptive, manipulative, hiding her motivations and the totalitarian nature of her actions under the guise of friendship and harmony? This is something we've never really seen before out of an MLP villain. There is also a bitterness to her that seemed to really drive her actions throughout, and became more and more apparent as the episodes continued; clearly she has a deeply rooted hatred for the individualism she so loathes. We still aren't entirely sure of what exactly her motivations were, and given that she escaped at the end still determined to spread her twisted worldview across all of Equestria, I expect that as the season unfolds we may very well learn more and more about why she hates things the way they are. I loved, really, the delving into the magical nature of cutie marks; I myself have actually extensively explored this in a similar, but still different, manner in my only fanfiction to date, because it really does make for some interesting world building and intriguing story arcs and development in the series. I'm very excited to see what exactly may play out with our first (to date) villain in the show with, most likely, her very own, season-spanning story arc, and I imagine that before all things are said and done, she'll cause only more trouble and mischief for the Mane 6 and all of Equestria. Should be fun to watch.

Finally, I simply have to speak about the townsponies themselves. It was a real treat getting to finally see background ponies get so involved in the show, as it too really hammered away the message of the value of individuality and just what special things each and every pony is capable of, no matter who they may be, when they simply embrace who they are and what they can do. On top of that, there was a pleasantly surprising equity in the male-to-female ratio that we really haven't seen in the show before, and each one of the new characters introduced more extensively were quite delightful to meet and learn about. Their designs were cool, their personalities were unique and distinguished from one another, and it was great to see not just what they could do at their best, but also just how much they too craved the magic of friendship. We got to see that friendship is not just particularly reserved in a special manner for the Mane 6, that really it is a key component in the lives of each and every pony in Equestria. I expect that we will see this more from other background ponies (including, Lord willing, ones we are far more familiar with already ) as the season continues, and if it plays out like it did here, then boy oh boy, we are in for a treat.

Music

We only had one musical number this time around, "In Our Town", and to be honest and frank, I loved it. I really, really did. For one, it was a villain song, the first one we've had in the actual show itself since "This Day Aria" (not counting "Under Our Spell" in "Rainbow Rocks", which is also a pretty awesome number). The tune was quite pleasant but also helped build this sense of dread and hammer away that there was really something not right about this whole place, supplemented by the choreography and visuals of the number as well. The lyrics handily explained in just over 2 minutes Starlight Glimmer's utopian/dystopian/totalitarian vision for all of ponykind and Equestria, and it fit very well into the first episode's plot. It felt stiff, forced, and staged, but in a good way, seeing as all of the behavior in the entire town was forced and staged, so it really complimented the town's atmosphere very nicely. All in all, I loved this song, and Daniel Ingram and the DHX music team delivered yet again. I look forward to seeing what else they've come up with for this season music-wise; I can only imagine we have some phenomenal numbers to look forward to.

Animation

The animation, as has been par for the course for DHX for some time now, was phenomenal and flawless as usual. I think this time what really stuck out was the characters themselves, in a number of ways. Some of the facial expressions were fantastic; the forced and creepy smiles on all of the townsponies, Pinkie's wide range of facial expressions, and many more stood out. The motion of characters was also quite impressive, if that makes sense; the choreography of the townsponies in particular really helped convey the homogeneity and uniformity of the town, as did the visual symbolism. The equal sign kept popping up throughout, sometimes in obvious and apparent ways, other times not so much and in far more subtle ways, and it all nicely reinforced the fabricated nature of the dystopian community, as did other symbolic visuals, such as the fact that Starlight Glimmer's home sat at the head of the community rather than in the two rows of cottages themselves. It was an impressive example of the visuals and animation being utilized in the storytelling in ways that we often haven't seen in the show; subtle, but impressive and definitely there as well, and my hat's off to the DHX animation team for looking yet again for new ways to improve their craft and deliver the best MLP experience possible in their own way.

Miscellaneous

Before I wrap up my final thoughts, here's a few more miscellaneous notes for this first review of Season 5. The comedy was, as usual, delightful, and it was also quite nice to see none of the dialogue or comedic bits really deviated too much from the action or plot itself. Pinkie as always had some fantastic dialogue, Applejack had a few funny moments herself, especially in her losing and regaining her "countryisms", Fluttershy had some very funny physical humor (I always find it delightfully hilarious to see how panicky and on edge she can be when the fate of the rest of the group is on her shoulders; she's still brave, don't get me wrong, but she always still looks two steps away from just absolutely losing it), and the rest in general all had their own moments of humor throughout. Spike, for the little that he was in it, was quite funny himself; I don't know why, but for some reason I thought his "Is that new?... I like it!" line was oddly hilarious, and I look forward to seeing more of the little guy. The map itself is a wonderful bit of animation (not to mention it doesn't seem like a particularly forced plot device, but rather came across as quite natural in its appearance), and I look forward to seeing what new locations the Mane 6 will travel to this season. Beyond that, there's not much else for me to talk about with these two, so let's wrap things up, shall we?

Concluding Remarks

Season 5 is off to a grand start, if I do say so myself. For some reason, going into today I felt more confident about DHX's handle over this season's direction than the previous two. I don't know why I felt that way, but it seems my confidence was well placed. As I said before, more than anything, this was a smart season opener! It was excellently written, paced, animated, and executed, and even though it wasn't exactly grand in scale, it seems to portend greater things to come, and I for one look forward to seeing just how exactly this very promising season unfolds. I get the feeling that this season's going to explore some very interesting canon and facets of Equestria and the magical world these ponies inhabit itself, and I think it's going to be just wonderful to watch. Most importantly of all, the ponies are back, they're better than ever, and I just can't wait to see what new and wonderful adventures they all embark on. I'm sure we're all going to have a simply marvelous time watching it all together, and can't wait to share in the fun, laughs, and magic of friendship with each and every one of you. Until next week, this is Batbrony signing off. I'm off! *cue dramatic exit... of friendship!*