The Second Opinion 270 December 16, 2014 Share December 16, 2014 My Favourite Mane 6 Pony: Rainbow DashHow 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! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
碇 シンジン 27,434 December 16, 2014 Share December 16, 2014 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 1 Rarity Fan Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 16, 2014 Author Share December 16, 2014 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponylaces 1,870 December 16, 2014 Share December 16, 2014 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. 1 hello Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flutterfan12 20 December 16, 2014 Share December 16, 2014 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catnet 9,359 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 Hey there, welcome to the forums! 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! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 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) fluttershy_yay_by_cl0setbr0ny-d62mhu8_2.png Hey there, welcome to the forums! 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flutterfan12 20 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 Ah yes, good times (except maybe for turning into Suri) 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 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. Well, it did involve a lot of arguing with myself. But turning into Diamond Tiara... yeah, point taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koukatsu 5,899 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 Welcome to the forum! YAY! I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! 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! 1 || Ponysona || Ask Me Anything || Johari Window || Twitch || Gamer Stuff || Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamato 1,348 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 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. 1 This is the greatest OC of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 Welcome to the forum! YAY! I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! 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! Welcome to the forum! YAY! I hope you make a bunch of friends while your here! And that you stick around for a long time! 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! 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kankuro 233 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 WELCOME!I'm sure you'll enjoy all your time here, let me know if you need anyone to talk to, or you want a friend!!-Forest 2 ANBU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 WELCOME! I'm sure you'll enjoy all your time here, let me know if you need anyone to talk to, or you want a friend!! -Forest Thanks very much! I think so too. And hey, you can never have too many friends, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kankuro 233 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 Thanks very much! I think so too. And hey, you can never have too many friends, right? Never, quite sure it's impossible 1 ANBU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROJECT: Simon 3,955 December 17, 2014 Share December 17, 2014 Emotional intro thanks mate. Welcome to the forums! 1 Equestria Girl Artist / Infernus's adorable brother / PROJECT: Echo, My Little Kohai Having a bad day? Come relax in my profile, I'll try my best to make you at least smile a bit.. http://project-simon.deviantart.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Second Opinion 270 December 17, 2014 Author Share December 17, 2014 Emotional intro thanks mate. Welcome to the forums! Thanks, much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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