S09:E07 - She's All Yak

[Barnstormer 112]

Was glad to see more unique, expressive, and funny facial expressions make a return in this episode. I feel like those have been kinda absent this season.

As far as actual content, I didn't think I was gonna like this episode, since I tend not to enjoy the whole 'stereotypical teen/pre-teen dance/romance' shtick, but it was cute. Deadmau5 Spike gave me a giggle.

Also can we talk about how adorable this face is?

[Silver Letter 1,830]

I, for one, do not have a problem with some of the underlying messages that the song may be pushing. There's nothing wrong with an outsider learning more about the culture of the host country. If the student six don't want to learn about pony ways then there would be no point in them even attending that school. The dance is a pony tradition so I don't feel that changing the name suited it well because it doesn't belong to the student six or their respective groups. I think this is where the episode pushes some unfortunate messages (i.e., the host culture should be neutralized for the benefit of multiculturalism). 

I also wish that the issue with Yona was a bit less predictable (i.e., Yona ruined the party through her own accidents). 

It's a decent episode, I suppose. 

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

Did I just like an episode about school and balls? Also, finally a new song that I like!

I don't really understand. I just watched an episode that was so similar, but this one, instead of cringy and moronic, is cute and funny. I think it's because Yona is cute and actually different. Her 'out-of-water-ness' isn't so forced. Not to mention that, while the episode uses her for jokes, the way Yona is trying feels less of a caricature and I also think that helping out the way the ponies did was more down to earth than Rainbow in the past episode.

In retrospect, it's pretty sad what they did to Quibble Pants in the previous episode.

Then they had to overdo it with the prize. Subtle, DHX...

Still a great episode though. And I'm happy Twilight found something she can dance.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Note: When Yona and Sandbar hugged, there was a very obvious shooting star that went across the sky.

Question: Has there been a shooting star in any other episodes this season?

It's just an odd thought, but I'm going to keep an eye out for more shooting stars.

[Van123 29]

it was a good episode. 

[bigbertha 410]

This is such a barebones episode. Other episodes have had been done stories this season, but they've all had at least something else to them, even if they didn't help. This episode however, does absolutely nothing with its premise except the bare minimum. 

Score: 4/10

[heavens-champion 1,893]

.... Honestly, I always thought Rainbow Dash would be the main character of this kind of episode, because she seemed like the kind of character who would go through this kind of scenario: Tough character being taught how to be all fancy and stuff, but ditches it and decides to be tough. Or is that predictable?

[Allen 1,371]

Rarity makes things fashionate for Yona in this episode!  As well, Yona is not a mess for tonight's dance but we want her to look beautiful without slipping out on her back hoof! The conclusion of this episode should be a great ending, for Yona when cleaning things up from this mess. I will say that Yona's a rumble for the official dance event like other yaks in Yakyakistan, not just an earthquake when stomping too hard on the ground. 

Also, Spike is a DJ in this episode for this dance event at the School of Friendship, I can call him DJ Spike for this.  I know why Vinyl Scratch (DJ-P0N3) didn't make her appearance in this episode for this dance event. 

[Cash In 21,517]

There isn't much I can say about this one. I liked the episode, even though it felt pretty predictable at times. The song was pretty solid and while the moral may not be the most original, I feel that it was executed in a way that felt unique. I guess I may be a little biased, considering that the concept of trying to fit in is something that I can easily connect with. Yona was already one of my favourites of the Student Six, but this episode accentuated that. She had good intentions, but she was paranoid that she would let others down by being herself, which is something that really resonates with me. I'm positive that the various facial expressions and whatnot will be quite a worthy inspiration for fanart and memes to come, which should be fairly interesting.

[Turiel 6]

Yeah I didn’t like this episode. Especially when one of the characters said they weren’t trying to change Yona. Except that is exactly what they wanted to do. Though I suppose Yona did technically ask for that. I guess I didn’t really find it funny because I really like Yona and I didn’t like seeing her be hurt. 

[PacificGreen 1,163]

On 5/12/2019 at 1:29 PM, StitchandMLPlover said:

You make a good point. Yona is interested in the culture she is an exchange student in, and wants to show it respect by learning pony habits. Just like I try to show my friends who are of different religions or who were born in other cultures respect by asking them what their traditions mean and using their greetings and timings for things. That's part of friendship too. Pinkie followed Yak culture the same way in the past. 

I kind of have to agree with this point (and the point about the writers seeming to "punish" Yona for trying to learn pony ways). I think the issue was that they took this to an extreme by making Yona actually think she had to be pony-like from the very beginning. Which, from a storytelling perspective, actually reinforces the moral, but made it more or less just another "don't feel pressured to fit in, be yourself" episode moral. I think the episode could have been more nuanced if it was merely about Yona wanting to learn pony traditions as, like you said, Pinkie did when she visited Yakyakistan, and having to find a balance between that and still being true to her yak self.

 

On 5/12/2019 at 9:07 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

Yeah, the question of immigrants adopting the dominant culture’s mannerisms is a complex one, and this episode just reduces it to a handful of signifiers which do nothing but make the show more depressing. It has no way to show the problems caused beyond contrived accidents, so there’s not much to the moral beyond “be yourself.” Anything else depends on how you react to, say, Rarity telling Yona that the way she’s speaking is wrong; personally, I want to think that Rarity would be much more sensitive about such things, which is why I found the writing of the mane six here depressing. 

I don't really know if they were going for an "immigrants" angle, but I agree that I would have also expected the Mane Six to have been more sensitive to this kind of thing, given their encounters with Chancellor Neighsay, and their interactions with creatures like Zecora in the past. They made it pretty clear that they wanted to be welcoming and accepting of all creatures in the last season, so I found it rather surprising that they, especially Rarity, were so eager to change Yona so much and make her so unlike the culture from which she comes. (Honestly, the rest of the Mane Six seemed to be less at fault, as they were merely helping Yona learn their customs.)

I think my biggest problems with this episode is about how pretty much everything was done to the extreme. From the small things (like Fluttershy going way too fast during the dance lesson and Yona subsequently destroying the gym during the Prance) to bigger things like Rarity making Yona talk in a way that even seemed a bit overdone for someone like Rarity, pretty much the whole episode had me struggling to suspend my disbelief (even in a show like FiM, suspension of disbelief has its limits, especially in more slice-of-life oriented episodes). Again, this doesn't really invalidate the lesson; I just think they could have approached this episode from a more moderate angle, thus delivering a more nuanced lesson in the process. But, then again, that's more of what I'd like to have seen, so maybe this post will come across as me complaining an episode didn't turn out the way I would have liked. :/

Overall, an okay episode. Not bad, but not particularly enjoyable.

[Thrond 3,257]

1 hour ago, PacificGreen said:

I don't really know if they were going for an "immigrants" angle, but I agree that I would have also expected the Mane Six to have been more sensitive to this kind of thing, given their encounters with Chancellor Neighsay, and their interactions with creatures like Zecora in the past. They made it pretty clear that they wanted to be welcoming and accepting of all creatures in the last season, so I found it rather surprising that they, especially Rarity, were so eager to change Yona so much and make her so unlike the culture from which she comes. 

Based on previous episodes, I would more expect the mane six to be really self-conscious about whether or not they’re being culturally sensitive. That would make more sense with what season 8 was about.

[Senko 459]

7 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Based on previous episodes, I would more expect the mane six to be really self-conscious about whether or not they’re being culturally sensitive. That would make more sense with what season 8 was about.

It's something I've noticed in season 9 there's a lot more episodes where the writers have a specific story they want to tell and are quite happy to make characters out of character to ensure they fit in with that story rather than shaping the story to fit the characters.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

9 hours ago, Senko said:

It's something I've noticed in season 9 there's a lot more episodes where the writers have a specific story they want to tell and are quite happy to make characters out of character to ensure they fit in with that story rather than shaping the story to fit the characters.

While I agree with most people out there that the term "out-of-character" is kinda overused (especially since characters aren't perfect), I also think it is applicable in a lot of instances, usually when the character does something completely contrary to one of their core values or personality traits knowingly or without giving a second thought (think Fluttershy in Fake it 'Til You Make it). Or if they've been down a pretty consistent road of development only to have it completely ignored for most of an episode (like I mentioned, last season acceptance of people (creatures?) who are different from you was a pretty important theme, and we've had numerous "be yourself" episodes in the series, so it seemed kind of strange that they would transform Yona so much without giving a second thought).

I haven't seen much of S9 so far, but episodes where the characters are made to fit a certain plot line rather than the other way around seem to be a sign that they may be running out of ideas. Not saying that applies to S9, as I haven't seen most of it like I said, but it's my opinion.

[Senko 459]

4 hours ago, PacificGreen said:

While I agree with most people out there that the term "out-of-character" is kinda overused (especially since characters aren't perfect), I also think it is applicable in a lot of instances, usually when the character does something completely contrary to one of their core values or personality traits knowingly or without giving a second thought (think Fluttershy in Fake it 'Til You Make it). Or if they've been down a pretty consistent road of development only to have it completely ignored for most of an episode (like I mentioned, last season acceptance of people (creatures?) who are different from you was a pretty important theme, and we've had numerous "be yourself" episodes in the series, so it seemed kind of strange that they would transform Yona so much without giving a second thought).

I haven't seen much of S9 so far, but episodes where the characters are made to fit a certain plot line rather than the other way around seem to be a sign that they may be running out of ideas. Not saying that applies to S9, as I haven't seen most of it like I said, but it's my opinion.

It may just be me but its a feeling I get a lot in this season and I am using OOC as in different to their established character from the previous 8 seasons. For example Twilight going into a nervous wreck in response to things is not something she really does anymore but their using it to the point others have a name for it is in my opinion in character. She doesn't do it nearly to the extent they seem to imply but it is an established part of her character. Having the two princesses who have consistently been calm, collected and largely hands off rulers who try to guide others to the solution even after multiple direct attacks (Tirek, Chrysalis, the storm kings army) suddenly start running around the country trying to solve every little problem personaly because they got a taste of adventure earlier in the season and want more is OOC. This is not in character, its in fact directly opposite to their established characters and the reason doesn't make sense when they've had similar circumstances without this kind of reaction before.

[Thrond 3,257]

On 7/13/2019 at 1:52 AM, Senko said:

It's something I've noticed in season 9 there's a lot more episodes where the writers have a specific story they want to tell and are quite happy to make characters out of character to ensure they fit in with that story rather than shaping the story to fit the characters.

 

As someone who felt that way about the last three or four seasons, I don't really see a lot of that in season 9. 

 

[Here No Longer 5,270]

This is the new worst of the season, now that I've finally gotten to watch it. I found the episode very difficult to watch and a bit predictable to say the least. 

 

All of this episodes problems: 

• Even considering Yona's lack of intelligence, it makes no sense to me that she would think she'd have to be more like a pony at a school dance... When the school ITSELF incorporates multitudes of species and that should have been long obvious by now that wouldn't be an issue.
• Everyone complying with this idea of trying to turn Yona into what she isn't... Seriously, they know MUCH better than to go along with that stupid idea.
• Most of the attempts of humor to me ended up backfiring and instead just making me cringe. 
• An awful lot of filler. Like seriously, this episode's story could have been told in half the time the way they told it.
• From the get-go, I already knew it would be one of two bad premises. Luckily it was the less bad of the two, but the execution was mediocre enough.

 

I mean the episode itself wasn't awful, but it was very far from good. Mediocre might be putting it a bit kindly. 5/10.

Edited July 24, 2019 by ~Dusky~

[CypherHoof 26,479]

43 minutes ago, ~Dusky~ said:

Even considering Yona's lack of intelligence, it makes no sense to me that she would think she'd have to be more like a pony at a school dance... When the school ITSELF incorporates multitudes of species and that should have been long obvious by now that wouldn't be an issue.

I am not sure that is true. Excepting five of the Young Six, every other student seems to be a pony, and she was asked to the dance BY a pony. While it is true that Sandbar didn't want her to "pony up" for the occasion, and the final moral was that she hadn't needed to, it wasn't an unreasonable conclusion, re-inforced by rarity's obvious eagerness to ponify her.

45 minutes ago, ~Dusky~ said:

Everyone complying with this idea of trying to turn Yona into what she isn't... Seriously, they know MUCH better than to go along with that stupid idea.

I do agree with that.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

I liked the episode, but I thought one thing should have been skipped. I didn't find it funny that apparently ponies find Yona to be so filthy and putridly disgusting that they need to wear radiation suits and scrub her with brooms. I think the animators went too far with that.  It implies that ponies think other species, or creatures from another country are dirty with themselves and stink. The sight gag was totally uncalled for.

Edited October 24, 2019 by cuteycindyhoney

[Jane 121]

On 5/12/2019 at 1:47 AM, ShootingStar159 said:

If the writers were serious about Starlights future role, they would have had her plan the ball instead of Twilight.

Actually, it would have been very interesting that Twilight had asked Starlight to organize the dance.

[Stardust 640]

Yeah I disliked this one kinda I felt like the the teachers went too far especially Rarity though yeah I know she is just trying to help.

I mean I get that was the point of the ep but wow. And meh I didn't enjoy the setting. It did get better later but I couldn't help cringe being like Rarity what are you doing STAP  I mean it was kinda cool but weird oof

[HedonismBot 218]

The plot felt to me like not much more than a cookie-cutter "just be yourself" story, of which I've seen more than enough. It also doesn't help that the last episode also had some version of that same moral.

Plus others were talking about Yona getting familiar with the culture in which she had been living - implying that she was in the wrong for doing that seems like a not-so-great message to be sending.

[Thrond 3,257]

7 hours ago, HedonismBot said:

Plus others were talking about Yona getting familiar with the culture in which she had been living - implying that she was in the wrong for doing that seems like a not-so-great message to be sending.

The basic premise of the episode is that they're wrong to be saying that. Really not a fan of the mane six saying such things in the first place, though; I much preferred the previous season where they were standing against racism (speciesism?).

[Splashee 28,537]

This episode had a nice love story, be yourself, vibe to it.

 

It was absolutely not my episode. And as soon as Rarity's new singing voice kicked in, I was somewhere else.

[Moony the Cat 3,697]

I enjoyed this Episode. And i loved the Expressions from Silverstream and Ocellus in this Episode once Yona showed up to the ball, specially Ocellus was so cute.