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From the Files of a Non-Brony

The Second Opinion

By The Second Opinion, User

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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

My Favourite Mane 6 Pony: Rainbow Dash

How did you find MLP Forums?:


How you became a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:

You'll probably get a kick out of this story. 

 

The first time I heard about bronies, it was from my girlfriend in college complaining that her friend had become one and was trying to get her to watch the show with him. It wasn't the best possible first impression (especially for a guy raised in a house where both parents considered Sunday football and amateur wrestling family traditions). Plus, when I met this guy, he seemed like the kind of carefree goofball I was expecting, and I ended up assuming that bronies were some sort of cult based on irony. But when I heard that they really just thought the show was that good, I actually didn't have too much trouble believing it. As a hopeful up-and-coming movie and TV critic, I was well aware that animation had crossed age and gender barriers before (Avatar: The Last Airbender, countless movies from Studio Ghibli, etc.).

 

Flash forward to when I finally checked it out, and I didn't actually think it was anything special at first. I started with Sweet and Elite, and out of context, it seemed like the same old My Little Pony - smarter and better made but the same show none-the-less. But after a couple more episodes, I warmed up to it just enough to get curious. What was the big secret to the phenomenon? Did the show really deserve the following? And most interesting of all, why were so many bronies saying that the third season and the first movie had jumped the shark? 

 

I ended up starting a series of v-logs reviewing the show episode by episode. I wanted it to be a big "is it or isn't it?" type series about whether the show was any good, as I had no intention of ever becoming a brony. But it grew on me very quickly. In context, it didn't take me long to see how good the show was, not only at general creativity but at portraying and exploring its characters, even (horror of horrors) making me identify with them - Rainbow Dash in particular. Not to mention that Pinkie Pie was funnier than anything I'd seen in a long time. It soon became clear that my series was for fans of the show who wanted to see a fresh reaction and a new perspective.

 

In spite of this, my own reaction was sort of complicated. As a viewer, I still didn't quite think it was good enough to place alongside my all time favorite shows, but as critic, I was absolutely fascinated. This was probably the only show I'd ever seen succeed so well for the reasons it did. It was a beautiful example of the barriers that can be crossed when you focus on character first and gender second. So in my own way, I was hooked, and I kept looking for ways to make my series better, trying everything from commentaries to Channel Awesome style reviews. Then, I got a message from Channel Frederator saying they wanted me to make videos for them.

 

So yeah, My Little Pony is my job now, and I couldn't be happier. (Though I do sometimes look back wondering how the heck this happened.) But it's clear that if it's going to work, I need to start getting more involved in this fanbase and seeing a wider range of opinions. So here's looking forward to getting to know you guys!

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碇 シンジン

碇 シンジン 27,427

That is a very interesting story you got there it is always neat to read and see what got other people into the happy land of pastel ponies :)

 

Anyway Welcome here on this forum dedicated to this show and I'm sure you will enjoy here. The community is so friendly and nice it is so wonderful <3

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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

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That is a very interesting story you got there it is always neat to read and see what got other people into the happy land of pastel ponies :)

 

Anyway Welcome here on this forum dedicated to this show and I'm sure you will enjoy here. The community is so friendly and nice it is so wonderful <3

Hey, thanks a lot! I'm definitely looking forward to getting involved around here.

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ponylaces

ponylaces 1,869

Amazing story! It sounds like you have a very interesting job. Welcome to the forums! We're glad to have you here :)

 

By the way, I love Channel Frederator! It's awesome that you'll be working with them. I've always wanted to see a video about MLP on there.

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flutterfan12

flutterfan12 20

I  can attest for Second  Opinion,  he's  a good  guy.  On  another site, Manic Expression,  we reviewed  part of   season 4  together starting with Twilight's  Kingdom  and going up to Rarity  Takes Manehattan.  We've  done  some fun reviews  together from our Power Ponies review  being a tribute  to Power Rangers, or in our  Bats review,  me turning into a vampire,  or  in our  review of Rairty Takes  Manehattan,   The Second Opinion became Suri and Rarity.  Now keep in mind, that these are all text  based reviews but they were still a lot of fun to write.  and this here is  a good guy.

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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

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Amazing story! It sounds like you have a very interesting job. Welcome to the forums! We're glad to have you here :)

 

By the way, I love Channel Frederator! It's awesome that you'll be working with them. I've always wanted to see a video about MLP on there.

Thank you! Definitely glad somebody pointed this out to me.

 

And yeah, I can definitely vouch for Channel Frederator. Just my first month working with them already seems to have improved my work in spades. Maybe I'll start posting my videos here in the blog section :)  

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catnet

catnet 9,353

 

 

Hey there, welcome to the forums! :squee:

 

Reviewing a show like MLP must be an interesting occupation, indeed. ;) Even with these (sometimes harshly enforced) expectations in society about what is 'acceptable' for each gender and age group to pursue, after watching just a small amount of what the show has to offer, so many people (including yourself, myself, and many of the people here) just left them behind (if they hadn't already) and grew fond of the show with ease, even if they've consciously made every effort to avoid that possibility. For a show originally intended for young girls, there sure is a lot of things to look into with it. :)

 

Anyway, it's great to have you here, Second Opinion. I hope that you enjoy your time here on the forums! ;)

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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

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I  can attest for Second  Opinion,  he's  a good  guy.  On  another site, Manic Expression,  we reviewed  part of   season 4  together starting with Twilight's  Kingdom  and going up to Rarity  Takes Manehattan.  We've  done  some fun reviews  together from our Power Ponies review  being a tribute  to Power Rangers, or in our  Bats review,  me turning into a vampire,  or  in our  review of Rairty Takes  Manehattan,   The Second Opinion became Suri and Rarity.  Now keep in mind, that these are all text  based reviews but they were still a lot of fun to write.  and this here is  a good guy.

Ah yes, good times (except maybe for turning into Suri)  :lol:  

attachicon.giffluttershy_yay_by_cl0setbr0ny-d62mhu8_2.png

 

Hey there, welcome to the forums! :squee:

 

Reviewing a show like MLP must be an interesting occupation, indeed. ;) Even with these (sometimes harshly enforced) expectations in society about what is 'acceptable' for each gender and age group to pursue, after watching just a small amount of what the show has to offer, so many people (including yourself, myself, and many of the people here) just left them behind (if they hadn't already) and grew fond of the show with ease, even if they've consciously made every effort to avoid that possibility. For a show originally intended for young girls, there sure is a lot of things to look into with it. :)

 

Anyway, it's great to have you here, Second Opinion. I hope that you enjoy your time here on the forums! ;)

Much appreciated!

 

It's definitely an interesting phenomenon, as you pretty much summed up. In my case, I wasn't unwilling or (at first) even reluctant to be tough on it. In fact, sometimes I was exactly that. But in the end, yeah, even I ended up conceding that it was among the best shows of its kind airing today. It's definitely an accomplished creation. 

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flutterfan12

flutterfan12 20

Ah yes, good times (except maybe for turning into Suri)   :lol:  

 

 

 

Hey,  at least you didn't turn into Diamond Tiara after coming back from Equestira  searching for Fausticorn  and  start  calling ponies, blank flanks.   You got to turn into Miss Rarity,  that is simply fabulous darling. :confused:

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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

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Hey,  at least you didn't turn into Diamond Tiara after coming back from Equestira  searching for Fausticorn  and  start  calling ponies, blank flanks.   You got to turn into Miss Rarity,  that is simply fabulous darling. :confused:

Well, it did involve a lot of arguing with myself. But turning into Diamond Tiara... yeah, point taken.

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Koukatsu

Koukatsu 5,898

Welcome to the forum! YAY!

img-3329361-1-fluffle_puff__special_some

I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! :muffins:

Also, if you have any questions, concerns, or experience any issues, please feel free to let us know by creating a thread in the Site Questions & Tech Support forum, so we can get you answers, assurances, and/or solutions! :muffins:

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Yamato

Yamato 1,347

 

 

a wider range of opinions

Ooooohhhh boooooy, I got plenty of those... 

But anyway, welcome to the forums, man. If you're looking to infiltrate and gain intel on our subculture like a deep-cover Soviet spy, you came to the right place. Enjoy yourself and good luck.
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The Second Opinion

The Second Opinion 269

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Welcome to the forum! YAY!

img-3329361-1-fluffle_puff__special_some

I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! :muffins:

Also, if you have any questions, concerns, or experience any issues, please feel free to let us know by creating a thread in the Site Questions & Tech Support forum, so we can get you answers, assurances, and/or solutions! :muffins:

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the forum! YAY!

img-3329361-1-fluffle_puff__special_some

I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! :muffins:

Also, if you have any questions, concerns, or experience any issues, please feel free to let us know by creating a thread in the Site Questions & Tech Support forum, so we can get you answers, assurances, and/or solutions! :muffins:

 

I hope so too. Thanks for the welcome and the tip!

Ooooohhhh boooooy, I got plenty of those... 

 

But anyway, welcome to the forums, man. If you're looking to infiltrate and gain intel on our subculture like a deep-cover Soviet spy, you came to the right place. Enjoy yourself and good luck.

Good to know! And I suppose you could see it that way, but infiltration doesn't really work if you can't at least get into the spirit of things a bit  ;)

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