Scoring Each Season of Friendship is Magic (Season 1)

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

I want to get an overall feel for how much people like/dislike every season of Friendship is Magic and assessing which season is the most popular and which is the least. To test the waters, I thought I'd just do Season 1 to see if I want to do the rest.

Edited January 2, 2019 by TheAnimationFana

[Megas 27,065]

If we're ranking all the seasons, all of them I can see ranging from Love to Like, with the exception of one season. As for S1, I love it, yeah, it's really shown its age, but there's a real charm to it that keeps me coming back to it every now and then

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

Just now, This Whomps said:

If we're ranking all the seasons, all of them I can see ranging from Love to Like, with the exception of one season. As for S1, I love it, yeah, it's really shown its age, but there's a real charm to it that keeps me coming back to it every now and then

I feel the all of the seasons are good overall.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

Every season (EXCEPT SEASON 3) were all at least okay to me, and Season 1 is no exception. Season 1 was really good, though it has a few episodes that aren't really that good like "The Showstoppers" and "Boast Busters." Overall, though, I find that the first season was consistently good aside from those very few exceptions.

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

S1 is a solid and underrated season. There are definitely a few duds amidst the run (mainly episodes such as "Boast Busters" and "The Show Stoppers" which fail largely due to lazy writing as opposed to the more specific issues of the bad episodes in subsequent seasons) and the E/I standard confined to the season led to a handful of hamhanded moments, albeit the lighthearted and charming style employed by the season (leading to a number of otherwise cliched plots being reinvigorated into surprisingly strong and entertaining experiences), in addition to the effective comedy (S1 and S2 debatably feature the show's comedy at its most consistent until around the S8 period) and the admirably subtle and consistent character arcs undergone by the M6 throughout the season (particularly the way that Faust and Renzetti paced their flow, leading to possibly the most balanced season in terms of character focus in regards to the M6) creates a unique, almost avant-garde quality which a number of later seasons (approximately S3 and onwards), despite their objectively more ambitious and outwardly complex highs, somehow lack (although S1 actually contains some of the show's best installments anyway, such as "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", "Party of One", "The Best Night Ever", "Sonic Rainboom" and the like). 

Edited January 2, 2019 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

8 minutes ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

S1 is a solid and underrated season, There are definitely a few duds amidst the run (mainly episodes such as "Boast Busters" and "The Show Stoppers" which fail largely due to lazy writing as opposed to the more specific issues of the bad episodes in subsequent seasons) and the E/I standard confined to the season led to a handful of hamhanded moments, albeit the lighthearted and charming style employed by the season (leading to a number of otherwise cliched plots being reinvigorated into surprisingly strong and entertaining experiences), in addition to the effective comedy (S1 and S2 debatably feature the show's comedy at its most consistent until around the S8 period) and the admirably subtle and consistent character arcs undergone by the M6 throughout the season (particularly the way that Faust and Renzetti paced their flow, leading to possibly the most balanced season in terms of character focus in regards to the M6) creates a unique, almost avant-garde quality which a number of later seasons (approximately S3 and onwards), despite their objectively more ambitious and outwardly complex highs, somehow lack (although S1 actually contains some of the show's best anyway, such as "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", "Party of One", "The Best Night Ever", "Sonic Rainboom" and the like). 

It does its job in setting the show up, but does suffer from many of the issues that plague the first season of every show.

Edited January 2, 2019 by TheAnimationFana

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

Season 1 was additionally saddled with the E/I rating, which led to a number of issues in the type of content they could express (Faust notably described this in that 2011 EqD interview), which is why I'm inclined to judge S1 on a slightly different level from other seasons, considering that the content of episodes such as "Lesson Zero" and "The Cutie Map" would have been radically modified by the rating's limitations, although the rating isn't the sole contributing factors to S1's more awkward moments, which, while not exactly majorly egregious, can lead to several examples of early-installment weirdness (such as Rarity being treated as more of a mandated 'feminine' character in several earlier S1 episodes prior to the advent of her more dignified portrayal in "Suited for Success").

Edited January 2, 2019 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[Thrond 3,257]

I like a lot of episodes from this season. On one hand, it takes a while to find its footing - I wouldn't say the show's identity really congeals until at least "Dragonshy" and maybe even "Winter Wrap Up," but on the other hand, the fact that the characters' personalities aren't so firmly established means that character development feels more consistent among these episodes than in any of the show's subsequent years. Its simplicity makes it a bit more homogeneous than the later seasons, but also means there's a purity and innocence to it that was arguably lost by season 2. That's probably why I think season 1 is more consistently funny than any batch of episodes except season 2, because it has more wiggle room to define these characters, and because its story structures don't get in the way of charming or funny doodling in the margins. There's a wit to a lot of these episodes that you don't get in a lot of other cartoons, and which I'd argue becomes less common the further you get in the show. 

[imawesome 449]

Season 1 definitely set the tone for FiM as a lighthearted but still very enjoyable show. (Later, the show would have more deeper episode, but I digress). However, I feel like Season 1 was the opposite of Season 2, where a large portion of the episodes are mediocre, not strongly good or bad. 

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

1 minute ago, imawesome said:

Season 1 definitely set the tone for FiM as a lighthearted but still very enjoyable show. (Later, the show would have more deeper episode, but I digress). However, I feel like Season 1 was the opposite of Season 2, where a large portion of the episodes are mediocre, not strongly good or bad. 

As is the case with a lot of shows in their first season.

[bigbertha 410]

This season is okay. Sure, it got a bad start with a lot of really boring episodes like The Ticket Master, Dragonshy, and Applebuck Season, but once it got its groove with Bridle Gossip, the season got really good. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Season 1 is relatively simple. It wasn’t as complex a world and universe as today with all the species, locations, settings, and new lore, but it holds up quite decently in spite of its restrictive E/I rating. Looking back, there are portions of the season that won’t fly at all today, including…

1. The characters, in particular Twilight, being quite immature, occasionally to the point of being unlikeable. Rarity, Twilight, and the CMCs have it the worst for acting like a stereotypically conceited fashionista, sarcastic and judgmental, and one-dimensional and annoying, respectively.
2. Many of the worst episodes of the entire series take place here: Boast Busters, Bridle Gossip, Show Stoppers, and Owl’s Well. Spikeabuse was frequent in the first five seasons, the latter initiating it.

At the same time, Pinkie was a joy here with probably her most balanced characterization. Fluttershy was at her best here till the later ends of the series. Dash’s quest to reachieve the Sonic Rainboom was a really big deal. Twilight had to make some friends and learn how to be one back. Following a bad lull to start the show, Winter Wrap Up aired, and then starting with Suited for Success, FIM took off. Beginning. With Green Isn’t Your Color, Friendship Is Magic began its first great streak, continuing into the beginning of next season.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Dark Qiviut

[Sparklefan1234 161,877]

 I love 19 out of the 26 episodes from the first season of Friendship is Magic. I like this season way more than I thought I did. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Sparklefan1234

[ShadowPhoenix 153]

Looking at the results of these 8 polls, as much as I love the first half of the show seasons, a lot of people view them with rose-tinted glasses.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

50 minutes ago, ShadowPhoenix said:

Looking at the results of these 8 polls, as much as I love the first half of the show seasons, a lot of people view them with rose-tinted glasses.

Oh, clearly. While I can see why some might feel that way, I still hold true to the idea that the later seasons are better overall.

[Sparklefan1234 161,877]

2 hours ago, ShadowPhoenix said:

Looking at the results of these 8 polls, as much as I love the first half of the show seasons, a lot of people view them with rose-tinted glasses.

 

1 hour ago, TheAnimationFana said:

Oh, clearly. While I can see why some might feel that way, I still hold true to the idea that the later seasons are better overall.

 

I think that the later seasons are a lot better, too, tbh.

[ChB 18,532]

If I didn't love this season, I wouldn't be here! The Pilot has to be one of the best series opening I have ever seen. Very dramatic and exciting for a cartoon for young girls, a lot of character depth, and a great climax scene that demonstrates how the two parts of the episode fit together. Sure, it has it's flaws like its pacing, but I cannot be thankful enough for how much thought and effort was put into it. At the very least, it was enough for me to understand how the Brony fandom came to be!

Other great episodes? Where to start?! Look Before You Sleep, Suited For Success, Sonic Rainboom, Over A Barrel, Cutie Mark Chronicles, etc, etc! The former two were so well-written, it got me to appreciate slice-of-life type episodes and series a lot more. I was so amazed by the art work, music, and animation in Rarity's fashion show, that I ended up re-watching it at least ten times. Sonic Rainboom got me to like Rainbow Dash because it explores her character with far more depth than her pride. Over A Barrel has struck me as a nice adventure story, and Best Night Ever, although gave me pause on first watch, has really broadened my perspective on how to enjoy a cartoon.  

As you can probably tell, I answered the first choice of this poll.   

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

Just now, ChB said:

If I didn't love this season, I wouldn't be here! The Pilot has to be one of the best series opening I have ever seen. Very dramatic and exciting for a cartoon for young girls, a lot of character depth, and a great climax scene that demonstrates how the two parts of the episode fit together. Sure, it has it's flaws like its pacing, but I cannot be thankful enough for how much thought and effort was put into it. At the very least, it was enough for me to understand how the Brony fandom came to be!

Other great episodes? Where to start?! Look Before You Sleep, Suited For Success, Sonic Rainboom, Over A Barrel, Cutie Mark Chronicles, etc, etc! The former two were so well-written, it got me to appreciate slice-of-life type episodes and series a lot more. I was so amazed by the art work, music, and animation in Rarity's fashion show, that I ended up re-watching it at least ten times. Sonic Rainboom got me to like Rainbow Dash because it explores her character with far more depth than her pride. Over A Barrel has struck me as a nice adventure story, and Best Night Ever, although gave me pause on first watch, has really broadened my perspective on how to enjoy a cartoon.  

As you can probably tell, I answered the first choice of this poll.   

Despite some aspects not holding up quite as well, the show's first season did a great job laying the foundation for the rest of the series and it would only get better from here.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

After rewatching it, Season 1 held up a bit better than I remember. Like with most debut seasons, it suffers from growing pains of the showrunners trying to find their groove, and WOW, they milked the "My Little Pony" theme song for all it was worth in almost every episode. But it's still very funny and charming. Showing a lot of promise that would later be capitalized on. 

[Rushing cash 824]

It wasn't ground breaking for the most part, but it was consistent and the characters were engaging. Some amazing episodes but mostly safe. It isnt one the best season but it hooked me to the show so, it was good and did its job well.  

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

Just now, Rushing cash said:

It wasn't ground breaking for the most part, but it was consistent and the characters were engaging. Some amazing episodes but mostly safe. It isnt one the best season but it hooked me to the show so, it was good and did its job well.  

That tends to be the case with a lot of TV shows in their first season. It's like watching an orchestra tune-up, you can see that they've got all the instruments to play good music, they just need to warm up a bit.

[Rushing cash 824]

5 minutes ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

That tends to be the case with a lot of TV shows in their first season. It's like watching an orchestra tune-up, you can see that they've got all the instruments to play good music, they just need to warm up a bit.

Yeah, it takes a few season before the show founds its footing and niche. Some shows end before it, but mlp lasted long and reached its peak in seasons 4-7 in my opinion, and never got dull.

[bigbertha 410]

Season 1 is a very solid season. While it takes a couple episodes to get going, I think almost every episode from Bridle Gossip onwards is good. The comedy is on point in most episodes, the visuals are very expressive and help to make the season funnier and more charming, and the charm really is at its peak with this season. Even the bad episodes have redeemable traits and don't even come close to the worst of the series, while the best episodes certainly reach best of the series levels. 

[Shigaraki 270]

really love season 1 even when there is a few episodes that are boring.

[Splashee 28,537]

I didn't really care for FIM when Season 1 was new. The first episode i saw was a clip on Youtube showing Rainbow Dash trying to outrun Pinkie over and over, and I wasn't into that kind of cartoon stuff anymore. Then the internet buzz happened, and everyone started having Rainbow Dash pictures in their profiles at different forums. A rumor spread that the creator of the show was visiting the very 4chan, a place not associated with cute little ponies unless they were... We have this kind of forums in Sweden as well, where anyone, even criminals can post freely about anything. It just made things really take off, and I had to watch "Bronies reacts to Teens react to MLP" on Youtube to see why... really Why on earth would this be a thing? A few documentaries later and I knew Q from Star Trek would be in it, and that some content was not really aimed just for little girls, so I gave it a shot, and this is my conclusion of Season 1:

"Friendship Is Magic" part 1 and part 2: I wasn't invested too much in the back story of the two sisters, but when the story followed one character, Twilight Sparke, and she was so "different" and similar to how I feel around people, I started to hope more episodes would be based like this, just not merchandise but real characters that evolve. Part 2's adventure with a way too short song was not enough to complete that story. I still had my doubts about the show when the episode ended.

"The Ticket Master": Oh boy, this episode was straightly ripped from an episode from My Little Pony Tales called "And the Winner Is...", and I didn't like that because i was a fan of the old show.. Already knowing that bronies kept attacking My Little Pony Tales constantly on Youtube at that time didn't help.

"Applebuck Season": At this point, I knew that Applejack had a huge family, and a farm. This episode... Really, it was another one I had to get through to the next part, knowing that somewhere in this show would great things happen. All new cartoon shows seem to go through the same stories, and this was one of those.

"Griffon the Brush-Off": Okay, here is an episode that I finally saw being more than just a children's show. The complexity of having friends and getting jealous is not what you give 3-7 year old kids to watch. It was excellently executed as well, making Pinkie feel like a smart pony for once and not just a joke. Yes Griffons are cool!

"Boast Busters": Again, really well executed plot, and the new character that we all love today (Snips and Snails) just stole the show from Twilight Sparkle. I felt like Twilight actually had to struggle with her own self to defeat them (lol, you know what I mean). Twilight again growing as a character. This is the episode where I started to dislike Spike to a point where i just didn't want to see more of him. The dynamic between a master and a servant (slave?) doesn't feel right to me in this kind of a show.

"Dragonshy": I don't have to say more than this: Awesome animation sequences and a good adventure! I already loved the way they used Flash to draw the ponies, but this is where you could actually see they put effort into it!

"Look Before You Sleep": Zzzzzzz.

"Swarm of the Century": The ending took mw by surprise, and i mean the Princess Celestia one, not Pinkies, that one was obvious. Good one!

"Winter Wrap Up": I had heard a rumor about a song, but how the song would affect me I had no idea. This is where Daniel Ingram's music started interesting me on a very detailed level. I was spending quality time listening to the background music of the song trying to figure out what he did to make it the way it was. The song was almost the entire episode to me, and it made me accept the show more than the MLP that had come before. Again, Spike though.

"Call of the Cutie": Okay.... Okay, this one. So I had already watched a 45 year old male, bold, talking about how good the show was, EXCEPT this episode and how mad it made him feel, about teaching little girls to get tattoos. Yes, my mind was set to think the same, but NO! I loved the CMC as soon as they formed, and the cutie marks were a great idea to have as it put a target to aim for, I was longing for the next CMC episode as I liked continuity (who doesn't?). Also, Apple Bloom was something (hey this was almost 10 years ago, give me a break!).

"Fall Weather Friends": An unique story, excellently done. I always to this day wonder what happened to that "cleaning up winter" or "making fall" events, they just dropped off the radar of the story writers. The dynamic between Applejack and Rainbow Dash was fun to watch as a like "friendly" competition.

"Suited for Success": The second song from Daniel Ingram, and this time it was the playfully stepping bass that I was loving! Rarity was now one of my favorites, as you could feel her struggle. She became a character!

"Sonic Rainboom": Probably one of the best episodes of the season story wise. I was on edge the entire time.

"Stare Master": Fluttershy being somewhat overpowerful, I liked that. CMCs I liked too. I liked Sweetie's song, though at the time was sung by Apple Bloom's voice actor, I really thought like the rest of the world that she would end up being a singer!

"The Show Stoppers": CMC's doing their thing, being childish, and completely missing the point. This is where I knew they would keep CMC for a long time and I loved that idea! That is continuity which at the time was not normal for a cartoon show (we had to wait until Steven universe to get that kind of stuff on a normal basis, or watch Anime).

"Episodes 19 - 22": Pain, pain and pain to watch.

"The Cutie Mark Chronicles": CMC episode! But then they did the whole thing and, yea. When you choose to bind the past together into a single event, you will be forced to explain why. I loved that because I knew the show was now forced to build stories that couldn't deviate from this single event.

"Owl's Well That Ends Well": My only favorite Spike episode where I was hoping he would win. I felt sorry for him. I loved the owl!

"Party of One": Hahahahahahahahaaaaahhahaha! Typical children cartoon, NOT!

"The Best Night Ever": Yea, and that's it. The season is over. My final thoughts... Except for the song, and the crazy Fluttershy, the epsidoe was so-so. What was the deal about getting those tickets anyway? Seems like all background ponies got in without being Twilight's friend!

So I was a brony the moment "Winter Wrap Up" song started. I am not the first to say that. I am not the last who will. The song was so powerful for a show like this, and you felt for Twilight (Rebecca Shoichet).

I rate the Season 1 as "Liked it".