S09:E07 - She's All Yak

[KH7672 1,604]

 Repeat after me, Yona: The fair in Baltimare is rarely without flair.

Or how about: The gale over Cloudsdale helps sail without fail.

No wait I got it: This flan from Yakyakistan is came out tan according to plan.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Take a hard look. This is how idea bankruptcy looks like.

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

Rainbow made an appearance, so it was acceptable I guess.

[cmarston1 5,959]

To be honest, I didn't really know what to think about this episode when I first read the synopsis.

However after watching it, I thought the episode was fine.

I liked the song, and thought it was neat that it got a reprise, I also thought the conflict of Yona trying to fit in to pony society was something that makes sense for stories regarding the young six, and was at the very least a little bit interesting.  Plus getting more episodes focusing on the young six are needed to help get more attached to them.  I also thought that Sandbar and Yona's interactions at the tree house were pretty cute.  Overall I thought this was a decent Yona episode that helped make me like her, and Sandbar a little bit more.

[Will Guide 21,360]

Okay before I go. My favorite ending moments.

The Crystal Tree Shrine in the old castle makes a return appearance. 

The Shooting Star was a nice romantic touch

And the episode ends with everyone bouncing. They make Tigger Proud.

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

The episode was alright. If I had to be honest, I would give a 6/10. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst.

[Twilight Luna 31,352]

The episode was alright. It followed a very predictable formula. Yona thought she had to change who she was to fit in, fail at it, and then realize that it was alright to be who she really was. The end.

So is Yonabar a ship now? 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Twilight Luna

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

10/10 and don't jump!

[PoisonClaw 8,164]

Me like pony episode. Yona is best Yak!

I await the deluge of SandbarXYona shipping fics/art that will no doubt result from this episode.

[MangoFoalix 24,944]

5 minutes ago, Booker said:

Rainbow made an appearance, so it was acceptable I guess.

this

Don't hate me, but I still think this is the cutest moment of the episode.

This almost killed me with cuteness

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

While the premise of "She's All Yak" is somewhat stock and predictable, it's elevated by its execution. Brian Hohlfeld once again strikes a good balance of humor and heart, doing a good job of not painting anyone as the bad guy or "out of character". I have a hard time imagining anything will keep this one off of my Top 10 list of the season.

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

Two words : Ssssimpal weeiz.

[Zantetsuken 364]

This is the worst episode of season 9 so far 

I am going to shine a spotlight on the major problem I have with the episode 
it's the same thing that made Non-Compete Clause completely reprehensible for me 

Why is it that Yona ruins the dance, ruins everyone's night, makes a mess of everything, Basically does everything you SHOULDN'T do to win the best pony pals award... but her and Sandbar still win the award?

T~T I'm sorry but that shouldn't happen 

And for all of you thinking "well they won the award cause it's My Little Pony and it has to have a happy ending."

To these people I point out the season 2 episode Hurricane Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had aspirations of not only getting the water up to Cloudsdale but also breaking the previous wing power record. They didn't end up breaking that record, they just got the water up to Cloudsdale and I really REALLY LIKE THAT, it shows you can't get everything you want! I am convinced that if that episode was written today they would have broke the record. Cause it just seems today like if there is an award, trophy or title up for grabs you can accidentally kill 3 ponies and still get it cause why not. 

I just really hate these "well you screwed everything up but you kinda sorta did the thing so here's the reward anyway" episodes. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's not subverting expectation, it's not a happy ending, it's ANNOYING! Yona and Sandbar could have had a great night without getting the award. The award shouldn't matter! Yet by giving it to them the show is basically saying it's all that matters (at least to me)

trash 5.5/10 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Zantetsuken

[Odyssey 5,716]

It was a really simple episode, for better or worse. I like the Student Six as characters and I don't mind repeated morals generally. But for this episode, I guess I wanted to see more of Yona and Sandbar than what we saw, and the moral wasn't twisted in the way that's interesting.  Overall, definitely not a terrible episode! But it also plays things safe.

The highlight for me is all the little things. It's a formulaic episode, but it has a lot of heart, which I give it a lot of credit for. The song, Spike's goofy helmet, the Twister mat, all of it was all so cute.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Odyssey

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

4 minutes ago, Zantetsuken said:

This is the worst episode of season 9 so far 

I am going to shine a spotlight on the major problem I have with the episode 
it's the same thing that made Non-Compete Clause completely reprehensible for me 

Why is it that Yona ruins the dance, ruins everyone's night, makes a mess of everything, Basically does everything you SHOULDN'T do to win the best pony pals award... but her and Sandbar still win the award?

T~T I'm sorry but that shouldn't happen 

And for all of you thinking "well they won the award cause it's My Little Pony and it has to have a happy ending."

To these people I point out the season 2 episode Hurricane Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had aspirations of not only getting the water up to Cloudsdale but also breaking the previous wing power record. They didn't end up breaking that record, they just got the water up to Cloudsdale and I really REALLY LIKE THAT, it shows you can't get everything you want! I am convinced that if that episode was written today they would have broke the record. Cause it just seems today like if there is an award, trophy or title up for grabs you can accidentally kill 3 ponies and still get it cause why not. 

I just really hate these "well you screwed everything up but you kinda sorta did the thing so here's the reward anyway" episodes. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's not subverting expectation, it's not a happy ending, it's ANNOYING! Yona and Sandbar could have had a great night without getting the award. The award shouldn't matter! yet by giving it to them the show is basically saying it's all that matters (at least to me)

trash 5.5/10 

Every party needs a pooper, I guess.

[Sparklefan1234 170,037]

What I took from "She's All Yak": Yona is Best Pony Pal & Rarity is Best Pony! 

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

Surprised to see so many people being down on this one. 

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

SPOILER ALERT! This episode was really cute. It was nice to see a dance other than the Grand Galloping Gala. I enjoyed the “My Fair Lady” reference. Even though the plot is predictable it was nice to see how well it was executed with the sweet Friendship between Yona and Sandbar and see Sandbar not be as clueless as he was in “Uprooted”. In case people here are confused, Yona and Sandbar got the friends award because they stuck by each other, not because Yona ruined the dance. I know some Bronies always wonder why we don’t see much of the non pony creatures teaching non pony culture to ponies so the ending with everybody stomping like Yona was probably very satisfying to them as well as for me. The song was sweet. I liked how the new tree house was used as Yona’s hiding place. I just wish we had seen more of the inside of the treehouse.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

This episode kinda touched me really, though I will agree the moral feels a tad repeated here. That isn't a bad thing as what matters in a case like this is general execution, and I feel that was pulled off without much issue. Overall, it reminds me of that Discord episode where he tries to change himself for a Fluttershy tea party, but unlike there where Discord should've known better, Yona is from a totally different culture that was isolated from ponies for quite a long time. Her actions and reactions here felt completely natural and I could invest my attention and interest into it as a result.

While it's not my top fave from season 9, I really did enjoy it. And Yona is best Student 6. <3

[Adamgreen 1,129]

Decent episode. It's pretty much what I thought it would be tbh.

We have a nice song tho  

[KH7672 1,604]

37 minutes ago, Zantetsuken said:

Why is it that Yona ruins the dance, ruins everyone's night, makes a mess of everything, Basically does everything you SHOULDN'T do to win the best pony pals award... but her and Sandbar still win the award?

T~T I'm sorry but that shouldn't happen 

And for all of you thinking "well they won the award cause it's My Little Pony and it has to have a happy ending."

To these people I point out the season 2 episode Hurricane Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had aspirations of not only getting the water up to Cloudsdale but also breaking the previous wing power record. They didn't end up breaking that record, they just got the water up to Cloudsdale and I really REALLY LIKE THAT, it shows you can't get everything you want! I am convinced that if that episode was written today they would have broke the record. Cause it just seems today like if there is an award, trophy or title up for grabs you can accidentally kill 3 ponies and still get it cause why not. 

I just really hate these "well you screwed everything up but you kinda sorta did the thing so here's the reward anyway" episodes. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's not subverting expectation, it's not a happy ending, it's ANNOYING! Yona and Sandbar could have had a great night without getting the award. The award shouldn't matter! Yet by giving it to them the show is basically saying it's all that matters (at least to me)

I agree with you on the bland execution but when it comes to your counter-example of a better execution it doesn't work quite the same. With Hurricane Fluttershy, the stretch in reach was a physical, objective goal. Either you break the record or you don't and if you don't then, oh well nothing can be done.

But with these "Best _____" awards it's ALWAYS subjective decision. Anything whether it be plot, characterization can impact the choice of such an award. And with a show so furiously focused on Friendship and an award solely focused on such a thing there is no way they would get around it with the characters involved. Twilight was never going to give a Friendship/pal based award away unless a great example was done. Plus it threw in more of that underlying inclusion she's pushing with her event.

The series is trying to do so many things that unfortunately implications are going to pop up regardless what decision.

I personally would have liked to see Yona present it to someone else, but then you have her subjectivity to factor in where there wasn't any present to use. Or just have her reject the prize out right or not even bring it up in the end, but then that's a Chekhov's gun that never went off.

[Adamgreen 1,129]

18 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

This episode kinda touched me really, though I will agree the moral feels a tad repeated here. That isn't a bad thing as what matters in a case like this is general execution, and I feel that was pulled off without much issue. Overall, it reminds me of that Discord episode where he tries to change himself for a Fluttershy tea party, but unlike there where Discord should've known better, Yona is from a totally different culture that was isolated from ponies for quite a long time. Her actions and reactions here felt completely natural and I could invest my attention and interest into it as a result.

While it's not my top fave from season 9, I really did enjoy it. And Yona is best Student 6. <3

Yona will always be best Yak  

[Zestanor 98]

Whoever animated Rarity in this episode made a lot of new faces for her. I think this episode was technically good; only problem is I don't really care about Yona. I liked the dynamic of the other four in this episode though. Boo Twilight. School dances are always awful.

Episodes like this naturally raise the question. Among the students, there are six different species, right?

In my head, there are actually only five, and griffons and hippogriffs are the same species. The only difference I can see are the back legs, which are hooves for hippogriffs, and paws for griffons. The difference isn't greater than the difference between unicorns and pegasi. So of all the viable parings, this is the only one that would work.

Fluttershy's line: "You are so well spoken." Already hear the complaints about yak prejudice dog whistles.

Ember's line: "She's gone full pony." You never go full pony, as we saw.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

On 5/7/2019 at 12:49 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

A few years ago, Rarity co-sung It’s Gonna Work, claiming that Saffron and Coriander had to become the clichéd, generic restaurant in order to attract customers. That song and her motives completely contradicted both continuity dating back from Canterlot Boutique, but also her creative morale. Those reasons made it the worst song of the season.

This clip adds little touches so Yona can “fit right in” without making her out of character.

1. In the beginning, Rarity wanted to make her stand out, only for Yona to correct her.
2. Rarity still wants to make her stand out by stylizing her and getting her attracted to Sandbar. During the song, she eschewed some ideas for being too trendy in favor of wanting a style that works well with her.

You are completely entitled to your opinion, so no offense, but, sorry, I just adore “It’s Gonna Work” because of the beat and its reference to India which my friends who were born in India tell me is actually pretty accurate. Plus as some others have noticed, Rarity is comfortable standing out when it comes to fashion and her own business but tends to want to fit in when other cultural things are involved, especially when what she views as high society comes into play. We see this tendency in “Sweet and Elite” and in some other episodes in smaller doses when she goes to Manehattan, like her desire to open “Rarity For You” on a particular day regardless of how overworked she is because she believes that is what is expected of her. She wanted to ensure Coriander’s success and didn’t want to take the same type of creative risk because its not her business to risk and Coriander had his whole living situation riding on the restaurant because he moved halfway across Equestria to open it. Rarity understands that a business must still please its customer, and probably remembers how angry the customer was when Rarity made changes to the princess dress that were not part of the original order. (What Sassy Saddles failed to grasp was Rarity definitely wanted to please customers but her shop is for items that cannot be massed produced) Pinkie Pie however is not a business pony and is does not care in the slightest what others think. But yes I totally agree this “She’s All Yak” episode showed great character growth in Rarity. The writing was brilliantly subtle. Rarity learned from her mistakes in “Spice Up Your Life” and “Suited For Success” here. Rarity still tries to please Yona, not herself, just as she had done with many other characters. Its part of her element.

[Zantetsuken 364]

1 hour ago, KH7672 said:

I agree with you on the bland execution but when it comes to your counter-example of a better execution it doesn't work quite the same. With Hurricane Fluttershy, the stretch in reach was a physical, objective goal. Either you break the record or you don't and if you don't then, oh well nothing can be done.

But with these "Best _____" awards it's ALWAYS subjective decision. Anything whether it be plot, characterization can impact the choice of such an award. And with a show so furiously focused on Friendship and an award solely focused on such a thing there is no way they would get around it with the characters involved. Twilight was never going to give a Friendship/pal based award away unless a great example was done. Plus it threw in more of that underlying inclusion she's pushing with her event.

The series is trying to do so many things that unfortunately implications are going to pop up regardless what decision.

I personally would have liked to see Yona present it to someone else, but then you have her subjectivity to factor in where there wasn't any present to use. Or just have her reject the prize out right or not even bring it up in the end, but then that's a Chekhov's gun that never went off.

I'll agree that my Hurricane Fluttershy example wasn't 100% accurate but I still do believe if it was written today they still would have broken the record. 

I also think Yona rejecting the award would have been a very interesting and mature move. That wouldn't have made the trophy a Checkov's gun cause it was still used, it was just not accepted by the recipient. Yona could have said she didn't deserve it cause of how she ruined the dance and I would smiled and bumped my rating for the episode up by about 0.4 or 0.5 points for that.

These awards are supposed to be a motivator for the characters actions but in MLP they prove to be more of a major hindrance as they cause the characters to make stupid decisions. More often than not causing collateral damage and ruining something for everyone around them, it's not right when that is essentially what they are awarded for. If you ask me they should be punished... but that wouldn't fit the tone of the show. I think would have just been straight up better without the award. 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Zantetsuken