I was contemplating how My Little Pony has quickly become one of my all-time favorite television shows despite watching the show last year. In fact, I threw out "favorite show of all time" when discussing media in general during the early seasons. Amongst all-time favorites, it's rare for me to love a long-running show such as MLP. Amongst my all-time favorites are Breaking Bad (62 episodes), Better Call Saul (63 episodes), Gravity Falls (40 episodes), The Owl House (43 episodes), and so forth.

Of course, quantity does not equal quality. When it comes to shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, you can't really just pick out an episode which begins and ends, and when it comes to the stand-alone (or mostly stand-alone) episodes of shows like Gravity Falls and The Owl House, you can only watch them so many times . Of course, amongst my all-time favorites of considerable longevity are shows such as X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which have plenty of standalone episodes, but then again, those can be mood shows, right? Whether it's the occasionally depraved and unsettling horror of the best X-Files episodes or the difficult and challenging emotions of Buffy (or vice versa, depending on the episode), I do have to be in a certain kind of mood to watch those shows. I don't have "go-to" Buffy or X-Files episodes to watch when I just want to watch something. But, wait, Futurama is easily amongst my favorite shows of all time, and there's rarely dour themes, mostly standalone episodes, and I'm sure the label "comfort show" has been applied times over. There's no dissection or mental process in terms of arriving at an "accurate" or "valid" favorite show, but I'm just walking myself through the thought process of what sets MLP apart from the rest.

Well, what do I love about MLP? The setting, the design and style, the writing, the music, the story, the humor, the lore, and, most importantly, the character. The character is the crux of MLP'S qualities. Its not the exclusive standout quality. The other qualities I mentioned are also incredible, but the characters, management thereof, and dynamics between are truly the perfect bow. The Element of Magic amongst the show's Tree of Harmony is character, especially between the Mane Six, and ultimately, I find character is the most important quality amongst any piece of fiction. The narrative, the themes, the style, the storytelling, pacing, all falls apart if you have poor character, and all these elements are improved by good character. MLP, both through effort and thought as well as chance, created a Mane 6 of perfectly characterized ponies who have interesting and energetic dynamics between each other and lives/backgrounds which organically intertwine with the rest of the series' setting and characters to energize the lore. 

Other shows like Breaking Bad and Gravity Falls also have incredible casts, but My Little Pony's cast and how that cast serves as individual stakes to the series' lore and setting, is what creates the potential for quality longevity (for the most part), and it was executed well. Still, these conceptual positions, these comparisons, these distinctions, even though I'm just scratching the surface, mean next-to-nothing when it comes to the final question, what sets My Little Pony apart from the rest? Does anyone else arrive, in a way distinct from other favorites, at the conclusion, I love the way it makes me feel.

I understand the function of specifying, "guilty pleasure," when discussing something one perceives as low quality, but the thing is seemingly tailored to them in a particularized way, but I hate for one to feel as though they must specify its a "guilty pleasure" when they find genuine charm and quality to the thing despite the general consensus. But, what's "This is my guilty pleasure" in a declarative form?

Image Source: A.I. Generations

I love the way it makes me feel.

Something about the show/movie/etc, stimulates you in a way you enjoy despite recognized quality shortcomings. As much as I love these other shows I've mentioned to the extent of rewatching certain scenes over and over, MLP has a unique, "I love the way it makes me feel." All those qualities I mentioned? Style? Writing? Animation? Story? Character? All those elements are presently and consistently of high quality, yet they're all amalgamated into a swift wind blowing over me as an episode begins, and the residual soft breeze overwhelms me as I watch the show. I love it in the way a person loves a "guilty pleasure." The way it makes me feel.

I think this is what we're all celebrating. Wow. We've found this show with all the wholesomeness, heart, emotion, and warmth we crave from less challenging media, yet MLP is both engaging and stimulating as well as worthy of genuine praise. So, the distinction between this show and other shows, even in the greatest shows like Breaking Bad or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is I can pick apart qualities and discuss them as components. My Little Pony? I can't remove one element from the rest. I can look at them individually for moments at a time, and I can force myself to pick apart shot composition, dialogue, etc, but there's the distinction. It all coagulates into one great show, and I say, "I can go into detail, but I love the way it makes me feel." And that, every pony. That is magic.