Batbrony

*channeling 1950s Alice in Wonderland*

A very happy forumversary to you! To you!

Sorry I'm a bit late on this, but so very happy to know you Sparklefan! 

10 hours ago, Ashen Pathfinder said:

AHHH BAT BRO! It's been too long! So good to see yah! ^^

So happy to see you're prospering in life; all with a wife, puppers, and kid! Very much deserved! ^^

Ah, deer pone friend, CLEVERLY disguised as an anime girl, I see. Clever deer pone, very clever.

8 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

*GASP* Batbrony, long time, no see, my man!

OhmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH! Congratulations on your marriage and being a father to your pup and daughter!

Thank you, mah yak friend, it's good being back around and not just lurking menacingly (though lurking can be fun sometimes).

53 minutes ago, Js250476 said:

Welcome back it’s great to see one of my favorite users here make a return.

D'awwwwwwwwwwwww shucks, you're too kind!  Thanks so much, glad to be back! 

22 hours ago, Woohoo said:

Welcome back. Here, have some muffins. 

*gasp* GIMME!!!

In all honesty, for a guy in your situation, you've probably been far too generous in the time and attention you've given to so many of us this past year.  Not that doing so makes you a bad person or anything, but when I consider some of the advice you've managed to give to me alone in the past year, the time and attention you've given to anything going on in my own life, it just goes to show what a giving person you are.  You are a truly generous spirit, and given that, along with the fact that you have felt compelled in the past year to be a rock for both your family and so many others, both here and in other areas of your life, it's easy to see how you could neglect or bury your own needs.  Going forward, I want you to know that I and many of your other close friends here will do anything we can to not ask much of you as well as to offer you anything we can as you start paying more attention to your own health and well-being.  We love you buddy, and want to give back to you as you've given back to us in so many ways, even at times where you didn't need to. 

1 hour ago, Jeric said:

Best line in this episode came from Maud, and it was one that works to both elevate the episode, but also slightly undermine the conflict resolution gag that the others pulled off at the end.

Good grief show, you let a superbly crafted moment and moral slip from a character's lips and drop into the Mirror Pool to swim away. 

Could you remind me which line it was again?  Only watched the episode once so far. 

17 minutes ago, Sly said:

Good review as always Bat. It's almost time for me to go now, but before I have to tell to two people something... you are one of them. But first I have to read your finale's review, so I will have to wait after its airing. I won't get to detail for now, I will just say... please Bat, don't let me down you too...

Well I'll certainly try not to let you down, friend!  I'm sorry you still feel you have to go soon, trust me, lots of folks around here are going to miss you if you decide to leave, but again, it's certainly your choice.  Glad you liked the review, friend! 

50 minutes ago, FallenStar47 said:

I finally registered just to say thank you for this review. I cried most of the way through the episode, and most of the way through the review. My new favourite episode of all time. Apologies for not putting tags, emoticons or anything. I'm still a little emotional and just wanted to say thanks. 

Oh my, why thank you!  That's incredibly kind and generous of you to say, and I can't believe you created a profile just to comment on this.  Thank you so much again for the kind words! 

1 hour ago, Artimis Whooves said:

If you want to find more, the tag for it on derpibooru is "Kettle draws"

Lol, nice.

2 hours ago, Artimis Whooves said:

Kettle corn also gave us a pretty good meme

Which one was that?  I haven't seen it.

12 minutes ago, Kolth said:

Probably more time efficient for me to just read your reviews, rather than try to catch up on the last however many seasons I've missed.  

Hey, go for it, I sure won't stop ya. 

2 hours ago, Nature Tune said:

This was suggested to me by @CypherHoof because I haveposted a few posts on buttercup and bright mac. This brought tears to my eyes, I have no words. Thank you for making this amazing piece.

But of course, thank you so much for reading it, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! 

On 9/13/2017 at 9:55 AM, Sly said:

..... the species maybe? XD

(because effectively I myself thought originally that they would be switched but I haven't seen their characterizations and I based my theory only on the species)

In any case this arc will be VERY important for me, because its conclusion will be POTENTIALLY the last time the Mane 6 will be the focus (there is not a 100% confirmation for now actually, but most of the clues point it being that), before the S8 will shift again the focus on Starlight Glimmer while the Mane 6 will.... ugh.... be turned into damzelleses in distress... again (if you saw the S8 animatic preview, you know what I'm talking about). 

I haven't seen the Season 8 animatic, so no spoilers please.

On 9/5/2017 at 4:08 PM, Sly said:

I'm not gonna lie here: so far I'm not liking the second half of the season AS MUCH AS the first one, for a simple reason: lack of focus on the Mane 6. The first half was balanced under this point of view between main and secondary characters, but in the second half, Fame and Misfortune aside, I'm seeing close to no focus on the Mane 6: Triple Treat and This episode, as much I loved them were more focused on secondary characters and (Twilight aside in TT) none of the Mane 6 even appeared, Campfire Tales had cute moments between the three couples of sisters, but aside those the stories were the juicy part of the episode, and lastly while Daring Done (the leaked episode) is focused on two of the Mane 6.... there was something that REALLY bugged me.... you will see when you will see the episode. I liked or loved all the episodes of the second half so far, but none had the mindblowing effect that most of the first half's ones had to me. Oh yeah and also the worst of the worst, while the problem of Daring Done theorically has nothing to do with this fact... HE has returned Bat....

I can understand that being a problem for some people, it's just not a problem for me, not at this point in the show.  The theme of this season, by Big Jim's own admission (the primary director on the show at this point in time) is family and legacy, so it was always going to be a season with a ton of world building and delving into other characters pasts and families.  Ideally some of this will also help serve as set up for episodes going forward in Season 8 and other potential seasons, including for the Mane 6; for example, maybe we needed to see the Apple siblings' parents story before seeing something happen like Big Mac getting married or Applejack herself falling in love with somepony.  If either of those two things happen, they will be all the more special since we now know their parents story as well.

The Mane 6 will always be at the core of the show, but seven seasons in, we don't need it being as focused on them as it used to be.  Doing so would risk exhausting what stories there are to tell about them and waste opportunities to explore the lives of characters around them, which helps both make the world seem ever-larger as well as emphasizes how many lives they've touched at this point through their actions.

Also, what do you mean by "HE has returned"?  I just don't know who you're referring to is all.  Do you mean Feather Bangs or someone else?  Or is it someone working on the show?

On 9/8/2017 at 6:42 PM, Sly said:

About the analogy part: in the comics Somnambula feels more closer to Pinkie thought. 

But anyway, yeah, I agree about the wasted potential of this episode. While we are not at the same levels of Dragon Quest, the generic Plot and RD's portrayal heavely damaged an episode that could have been a masterpiece. What a shame.

Just one question: as the 7th issue of legends of magic ties in with the S7 finale, and involves the six legends united to fight a great evil, it's obvious that the legends are the story arc of this season. Despite my disappointment in this episode, I'm still liking how the arc is turning out so far, but as you believe that Pinkie and Fluttershy should be switched with the respective legends, would that factor ruin the arc to you?

No, it's not going to ruin the overall Legends arc for me, I just would prefer Fluttershy's analogue among the Legends group be Somnambula just because I think it would have been a more unique road to take (and yeah, I've seen some bits from the Legends comic and can agree that Somnambula is far more Pinkie-like in there, but something about her still struck me as resonating more with Fluttershy, don't know what).

Just now, Woohoo said:

How would you rank S7's episodes... if you don't mind me asking 

I don't usually put out rankings of every episode from a season, especially not in the middle of it, but I can name a few.

"The Perfect Pear" is in a league of its own and is perfection that will never be touched, and while "To Change a Changeling" isn't quite as amazing as "Celestial Advice," "All Bottled Up," "Parental Glideance," or "A Royal Problem," it's HIGHLY exceptional.  "Hard to Say Anything" is the worst garbage I've ever seen on this show, and everything else has ranged from highly exceptional to OK.

Just now, Woohoo said:

I don't know about you but I really liked Pharynx's voice  Great episode 

Oh he's hilarious, I honestly can't wait to see more of him.  The show could use some more cynical humor, and if we get a guy who says deadpan lines on a regular basis like "That's ridiculous" or "The Hive looked better with holes!" I will not complain in the slightest. 

On 8/18/2017 at 2:25 PM, Adamgreen said:

I never realized a review this powerful would let me to tears once more 

Not gonna lie, this review feels like a cozy story to get ready to sleep, it gives me a warm feeling when reading it XD

Of course, this episode is perfect and the most mature MLP episode we have ever had for the longest time now. It goes to show that MLP can handle adult topics like this in a meaningful way and not being dark directly. Nothing will ever beat this episode. It's a personal yet relateable episode that will always be remember.

And guess what? We're in season 7! This series is still going strong! XD

Well thank you so much for the kind words and compliments, my friend, that was all super nice of you to say!  Glad you enjoyed the review so much, and yes, this episode will probably always be my favorite episode of the show as well and will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Also, for the record, you are at least the third person I know of (one of them being me, but hey, it counts) who has cried after reading this review.  And I certainly don't think that's a bad thing at all, sometimes crying is a good thing indeed.

Hey, thanks so much for taking a look at my review and responding to my comments.  Now that I know even more about your particular perspective, I can better appreciate where you were coming from.  I would never demand that EVERYBODY consider this their favorite episode, that'd be contrary to the type of fan I try to be in general.  This is still art, and the appreciation of it is thus ultimately subjective, so if it didn't personally resonate with you as much as it did with me, absolutely nothing wrong with that.  And I apologize if at any point I came across as aggressive at all in my first reply, that wasn't directed at you at all so much as just a reflection of how passionate I am about this episode.  Thanks again for reading my review and hearing out my points, and have a nice evening! 

A very solid review overall, though I will disagree with you that the "avoidance" of explicitly stating the Apple parents fate is "cowardly."  Neither I nor @Jeric felt that the episode was vague at all; we both understand that there is a very vocal set of bronies who believe that it needs to be flat out stated what happened, but this episode was about as clear cut as the show could be without straight up stating they died (I mention Jeric here mostly because he's had some very personal connections to this episode and seemed very impressed by their handling of the subject of death here, but he could tell you his feelings about that in his own words better than I can).

(1) Multiple characters tearing up or just saddening at the mention of the parents, namely their own parents (i.e. Grand Pear - Pear Butter's father, Granny Smith - Bright Mac's mother, Burnt Oak - Bright Mac's best friend, when Big Mac asked if he could talk to him more about his dad, Mrs. Cake - Pear Butter's best friend, sadly frowning when AJ initially asks about their mom).

(2) Most characters, including the children, referring to them in the past tense many times.  They wouldn't do that if they simply didn't know where they are (i.e. Hey Arnold style, and frankly that's a show that had a bucking weird way of dealing with his parents for most of its run).

I know it's not an actual declaration, but it's as close as this show may be willing to come to making one.  I don't even think it's because they think kids can't handle the concept of death, it just may not be that they believe that being so explicit about it is appropriate for the nature of this show.

You're also not the first person I've seen complaining that we don't seem to know how much the Apple siblings knew their parents, but I believe you may be missing a very simple explanation.

Big Mac and Applejack clearly had somewhere from 10-12 and 8-10 years of knowing their parents, respectively; Apple Bloom is the only one who may have been a foal when they passed away.  Jeric himself has pointed this out, being a parent himself, and I agree readily with it, that very often there is a lot about their parents that children don't know for years.  At the age of 8-12, would you have most likely asked your parents how they fell in love or got married?  More than likely not, since that's really not something children worry about at that age; they mostly just care at that point that their parents have always been there for them, and they're not quite at the point of wondering how they got together in the first place, unless they're VERY inquisitive ones.  So did Big Mac and Applejack at least know their parents well enough that they knew what wonderful ponies they were and how much they loved them?  Absolutely, I have no doubt about that.  Apple Bloom may even have minor memories depending on how old she was when they passed away.  But it's not surprising at all to me that they'd never heard this story, especially considering there was such an awkward family situation at the heart of it.

As for it being mushy (which I know you said you liked), I will say there is more truth to that than you may think.  It may seem on the surface that it was cliche stuff they were showing, but speaking as someone who is currently very much in love with my own girlfriend (to the point that we have both told each other we very well could be each other's "THE ONE"), what made Pear Butter and Bright Mac so endearing was how very normal all of their acts of love were.  They felt, somehow, in a 22 minute episode like a couple you could see getting together exactly like this in real life.  I go into much greater detail into all of this in my episode review (which I will link you to below), but that's the best way I can explain it; the whole episode is a celebration of the remarkable beauty one can find in the normal, normal meaning a couple who, on the surface weren't anypony particularly remarkable, and yet they created something truly remarkable and beautiful simply in their loving each other.

I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you or anything, overall you had a very good review.  And if you didn't like this episode as much as I did, that's perfectly alright, not everyone needs to have.  You just brought up a number of complaints I've seen others making about elements in the episode which I believe can be defended quite ardently.  But overall, I agree with most of your points and am glad you enjoyed the episode.  Like I said, I would be honored if you read my own review of it; it's considerably longer than yours, I must admit, but it was a real treat getting to write it and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to write a better review for any episode.  This is undoubtedly my favorite episode of MLP now, and I don't believe that will change anytime soon.  Thank you for the fun review read, and have a nice day.

https://mlpforums.com/blogs/entry/22618-batbrony-reviews-s07e13-the-perfect-pear/

3 hours ago, Mesme Rize said:

Wow...a really beautiful review to a beautiful episode.

Like Jeric, this is also an episode that felt kinda personal. I lost my girlfriend almost 5 years ago, who went back to Berlin. While i got over it, i still remember it and it makes me kinda sad.

Great Review man.

Thanks Mesme, glad you enjoyed it.  It was a true pleasure getting to write this one, no other review has ever felt more fulfilling to make for me. 

@Mesme Rize here buddy, thought you might like taking a look at my review of "The Perfect Pear" since you seem to have really liked that episode.  Enjoy! 

https://mlpforums.com/blogs/entry/22618-batbrony-reviews-s07e13-the-perfect-pear/

2 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

I like how they handle the ending of this episode, not by SONGS, what i dont like about "A Times They are a Changeling" is how they resolve everything by a song. The mane 6 simply just ignore the angry mob and apprieciate two fillies who understand their friendship lesson. I have to mention Starlight in this episode, she is so supportive but not steal any spotline, i thought her solution to the conflict is using some magics to make those angry ponies shut up or something but no, she just bring 2 fillies who truly appreciate their friendship lesson, just to make Twilight and her friends happy, that is so sweet, that is what i call Bittersweet Ending.

Your observation about Starlight is a very good one, this was a rare time where she plays a major supportive role; usually if she has a lot of screen time, it's because she's the main character of the show.  I think in many ways it hammers home the point that no matter how many folks may either miss the point or take their love of something to an unhealthy length, the most meaningful ones will still be those who've taken the lessons to heart and let them change them for the better the most (Starlight obviously being a great example of the latter given everything she's learned from the Mane 6).

I can't call it a flawed masterpiece myself, no matter how much I like the lesson, but again, I won't say anyone is necessarily wrong for loving or hating this episode, as long as they can at least provide solid reasons for it.  Like I said, the one thing no one should come away from this episode feeling is personally insulted; that just means they're looking for something to be insulted about, not to learn an actual, introspective lesson, even if it is delivered in a biting manner.

@Jeric thank you so much, my friend, I'm glad that I could be a part of an episode that was so special and personal to you in such a way.  I'm sorry it was rough getting through the review at times, and believe me, I get it, I had the same experience both writing and reading it (especially the latter when it was all done).  Anything involving this episode can easily turn into an emotional experience to some extent, it's simply that great.

2 minutes ago, Duality said:

That expressed why I love this episode better than I could've ever said myself.

Thank you for that, Bat.

It's why I love writing these reviews so much.  Sometimes you can put into words what other people may not be able to, and it's nice getting to put that to good use when I can.  Glad you enjoyed the review!