S04:E03 - Castle Mane-ia

[Oblivion 20,266]

Ummmm...Hi I'm new here. But whatever. ou guys keep saying "That episode was awesome!", and I would like to watch it, but I don't know where to find it....

I looked on Youtube to find the episode, and it was there, but...someone removed it....

Is there another way??? :D

Just in case you haven't found it yet!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ijPM9Ynqdc

[Thaliel 116]

not bad, not bad at all. now who might the shadow be...the eyes were definately recycles from Bridle Gossip

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

Watched the new episode and it was a lot of fun!!

I loved the star spiders and the hysterical "disembodied pony legs" line.

 

But I think what I loved the most I think was that entry that Twilight read from Celestia's diary.

So forgetting for a second that I'm surprised Twilight just grabbed her mentor's personal journal and unflinchingly started to read it, I LOVE what she found there:

 

"I love to duck behind the paintings. And though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap-door slide is Luna's favorite!!"

 

Oh my gosh... our Royal Sisters turned their castle into a giant fun-house for themselves...

The mental images that spring from that concept are GLORIOUS!! Just image Luna being flipped through the secret passage behind her throne, or Celestia suddenly getting spun through a wall an being on the roof!! And they'd be giggling like kids!! It's so adorable and hilarious all in one go!! XDD

 

And though seemingly inconsequential, I think it adds some great insight into their characters and relationship, plus adds on to other information. For one, though it's not stated, in the last episode it appears that one of Celestia's EoH was Generosity. It looked to me that Celestia is designing and building these tricks into the building FOR Luna (though of course also enjoying them herself). Sounds pretty Generous to me!! And the this further insight into Luna's love of tricks plus her desire to have fun in Nightmare Night really support Luna wielding Laughter.

 

It also gets into sad territory when you think of what happens later.

I understand being annoyed that your subjects don't seem to pay attention to you, but it's hard to believe Luna would become so bitter towards her sister even after it's now been pretty much confirmed that Celestia was perfectly loving and interested in making Luna happy.

 

But one could say that the castle was being built LONG before any of that drama. The novelty of secret passages and spinning walls would wear off and a combination of things could have started affecting Luna's perspective. Ponies continued to not appreciate her night. Maybe Celestia got busier and couldn't hang out as often. Maybe Luna kept her worries bottled up, and their relationship was strained since Luna would come off as angry, but Celestia didn't know why (hard to get along with someone when they seem angry and snippy at you, but won't tell you WHY). Maybe she started perceiving Celestia as the ROOT of her insecurities. And then of course there's the temptation and goading from the Nightmare Forces (which I totally think exist).

 

Anyway, long story short, I love that teeny bit of insight into the princesses' lives.

What are your favorite parts?

[Noodles 109]

I liked the show to tired right now to go into detail and way to tired to figure out how to do the Spoiler box thing.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Watched the new episode and it was a lot of fun!!I loved the star spiders and the hysterical "disembodied pony legs" line. But I think what I loved the most I think was that entry that Twilight read from Celestia's diary.So forgetting for a second that I'm surprised Twilight just grabbed her mentor's personal journal and unflinchingly started to read it, I LOVE what she found there: "I love to duck behind the paintings. And though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap-door slide is Luna's favorite!!" Oh my gosh... our Royal Sisters turned their castle into a giant fun-house for themselves...The mental images that spring from that concept are GLORIOUS!! Just image Luna being flipped through the secret passage behind her throne, or Celestia suddenly getting spun through a wall an being on the roof!! And they'd be giggling like kids!! It's so adorable and hilarious all in one go!! XDD And though seemingly inconsequential, I think it adds some great insight into their characters and relationship, plus adds on to other information. For one, though it's not stated, in the last episode it appears that one of Celestia's EoH was Generosity. It looked to me that Celestia is designing and building these tricks into the building FOR Luna (though of course also enjoying them herself). Sounds pretty Generous to me!! And the this further insight into Luna's love of tricks plus her desire to have fun in Nightmare Night really support Luna wielding Laughter. It also gets into sad territory when you think of what happens later.I understand being annoyed that your subjects don't seem to pay attention to you, but it's hard to believe Luna would become so bitter towards her sister even after it's now been pretty much confirmed that Celestia was perfectly loving and interested in making Luna happy. But one could say that the castle was being built LONG before any of that drama. The novelty of secret passages and spinning walls would wear off and a combination of things could have started affecting Luna's perspective. Ponies continued to not appreciate her night. Maybe Celestia got busier and couldn't hang out as often. Maybe Luna kept her worries bottled up, and their relationship was strained since Luna would come off as angry, but Celestia didn't know why (hard to get along with someone when they seem angry and snippy at you, but won't tell you WHY). Maybe she started perceiving Celestia as the ROOT of her insecurities. And then of course there's the temptation and goading from the Nightmare Forces (which I totally think exist). Anyway, long story short, I love that teeny bit of insight into the princesses' lives.What are your favorite parts?

Hey there ShadOBabe, just letting you know that I merged the topic you created asking about favorite moments from the episode Castle Mane-ia with our official episode thread, which is the kind of thing these topics are made for! Try not to create duplicate episode threads in the future please, because chances are we're gonna already have one. Thanks for your understanding.

[Sectus 246]

I am really uncomfortable with the fact that they included a shipping reference in this episode. I don't know what it is about the hoof comment, but it just seemed out of place, as if it were added solely for that tribute.

 

My full review of the episode, though far less forgiving than my initial snipe, is one I stand by. The only thing I would change is my appreciation of Josh Haber's development of Fluttershy's character. For instance, when she is frightened or worried now, she worries for the safety of others, and not her own self.

 

I was looking forward to this episode, mainly because it gives us an opportunity to see what Josh Haber has on his agenda for his take on the series. While I wasn’t entirely disappointed by today’s episode, it could have been much better than it turned out to be. As it stands, it seems like a 20 minute Scooby Doo tribute that nobody really wanted. 

 

Story - The story had a decent basis, but in the end it turned out to be a complete waste of time for the mane six. Sure, they found a diary that will lead to continuity improvements in the next episode, and also gives them a method of relaying morals that isn’t a letter to the princess, but that doesn’t bode well for this episode. 

 

Animation - No complaints for the animation on this episode. In all honesty, this is the only field that just seems to be getting better and better, regardless of an episode’s quality. The rack focuses and motion blurs definitely put an interesting touch to scenarios that I wouldn’t have noticed in the past.

 

Characters -  I’m trying to live by the policy that just because a pony is tied to an element doesn’t mean they need to represent it all the time, but it is becoming difficult. At this point, it feels like Rarity is just being written for cheap gags here and there about her being lazy or pushing work off on others. For instance, take into consideration her having Fluttershy come along to the castle. Rarity understands that Fluttershy is afraid, but ignores it and carries on. ‘Generoisty’, am I right?

 

Continuity - Right from the get go, this was a strong point in this episode’s timeline. I loved that the first thing they addressed was the important event that happened in the past episode. It means that they haven’t forgotten its importance just yet, and I definitely appreciate that; focus on bolder, over arching plot lines should clearly be the initial objective.

 

Message - I will not acknowledge the moral of this episode as having been an important one, because I have a direct relation back to season one. If I am correct, the message in this episode was ‘don’t let your imagination get the better of you’. Seem familiar? Good, because this message has already been covered by ‘Giggle at the Ghostie’ from season one. Normally I’m a forgiving person, but a direct recycle from a song’s message is not acceptable to me, nor to anyone else in this fandom. You can do better.

Story: [16/20]
Animation: [19/20]
Characters: [13/20]
Continuity: [20/20]
Message: [0/20]
—-
Final Score: 68/100 - [68% D]

 

 

Edited December 1, 2013 by Sectus

[akalink 163]

I like the episode except for Pinkie. Pinkie is usually one of my favorite characters but it seems her character is becoming more and more flanderized into a random ball of energy instead of a ADHD extrovert.

[Galen 1,354]

Watched the new episode and it was a lot of fun!!

I loved the star spiders and the hysterical "disembodied pony legs" line.

 

But I think what I loved the most I think was that entry that Twilight read from Celestia's diary.

So forgetting for a second that I'm surprised Twilight just grabbed her mentor's personal journal and unflinchingly started to read it, I LOVE what she found there:

 

"I love to duck behind the paintings. And though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap-door slide is Luna's favorite!!"

 

Oh my gosh... our Royal Sisters turned their castle into a giant fun-house for themselves...

The mental images that spring from that concept are GLORIOUS!! Just image Luna being flipped through the secret passage behind her throne, or Celestia suddenly getting spun through a wall an being on the roof!! And they'd be giggling like kids!! It's so adorable and hilarious all in one go!! XDD

 

And though seemingly inconsequential, I think it adds some great insight into their characters and relationship, plus adds on to other information. For one, though it's not stated, in the last episode it appears that one of Celestia's EoH was Generosity. It looked to me that Celestia is designing and building these tricks into the building FOR Luna (though of course also enjoying them herself). Sounds pretty Generous to me!! And the this further insight into Luna's love of tricks plus her desire to have fun in Nightmare Night really support Luna wielding Laughter.

 

It also gets into sad territory when you think of what happens later.

I understand being annoyed that your subjects don't seem to pay attention to you, but it's hard to believe Luna would become so bitter towards her sister even after it's now been pretty much confirmed that Celestia was perfectly loving and interested in making Luna happy.

 

But one could say that the castle was being built LONG before any of that drama. The novelty of secret passages and spinning walls would wear off and a combination of things could have started affecting Luna's perspective. Ponies continued to not appreciate her night. Maybe Celestia got busier and couldn't hang out as often. Maybe Luna kept her worries bottled up, and their relationship was strained since Luna would come off as angry, but Celestia didn't know why (hard to get along with someone when they seem angry and snippy at you, but won't tell you WHY). Maybe she started perceiving Celestia as the ROOT of her insecurities. And then of course there's the temptation and goading from the Nightmare Forces (which I totally think exist).

 

Anyway, long story short, I love that teeny bit of insight into the princesses' lives.

What are your favorite parts?

I agree with everything here. This episode was a lot of fun precisely because the castle itself was tons of fun. I also think it does give plenty of insight into what Celestia and Luna are like. Previous seasons didn't give much in terms of what sort of character Celestia is like, but thanks to this episode as well as the first one, I think now it's safe to assume that this season will tell us a lot more about the Celestial sisters. That would be quite fitting given that Twilight herself is now royalty and thus much more involved with them on a more equal and personal level compared to when she was simply Tia's student.

 

The episode was also really fun because it gave all of the mane 6 equal weight in the story progression. It was amazingly successful in showing every single character without sacrificing the other. Everyone was there for their own reasons, and you could tell how real they all felt, which is great. There aren't a lot of episodes even from the earlier seasons that successfully do this. The more eps come out, the more I expect s4 to be incredibly successful!

 

The quality of the animation was fantastic in this episode too. You can tell from the very subtle expressions that a lot of the ponies, Twilight in particular, show at certain parts. Such as when Twilight buries herself in books. I'm very impressed.

 

 

Also, I totally knew that was Pinkie on the organ

 

Edited December 1, 2013 by Freedan

[Toastie 110]

I liked the episode but the one thing which really bugged me about it really was I cannot find a 1080p version anywhere! *wink* *nudge*

[Noodles 109]

perhaps this episode didn't have a moral. just a slice of life thing with the Diary thing thrown in at the end.

[OtakuBrony 349]

Howdy all!

 

The episode is hillarious.

It did reminded me of the Castlevaina games and mix in some Scooby Doo.

 

Pinkie was being Pinkie. AJ & RD dueling again, Rarity & Fluttershy was cutel.

And Twilight being her bookworm self.

 

Cant wait for next episode.

 

See ya!

[IlikeBoris 13]

This was a quiet little episode.  For a "let's find a new way to deliver the moral" episode, it was excellent.

 

I'd be pretty disappointed if it ended up being my favorite episode of the season.  The episode I'm looking forward to is going to be number five, I think.

[Silverhoof 2,844]

@@OtakuBrony,

I agree. I enjoyed how each pony got a chance to shine. and the comedy duos worked just great.

 

What I did enjoy was the intact library....My OC has been toying with the idea of looting that old castle. There may be more than old books left amid the ruins.

 

as for the villain at the end...he may just be window dressing or may be something more. I'm not sure what to think just yet.

[Galen 1,354]

perhaps this episode didn't have a moral. just a slice of life thing with the Diary thing thrown in at the end.

 

There was a moral. Learning from the past can help you learn how to deal with future events through the experience of others. To extend from that, it can also help you in not repeating those same mistakes.

 

On a side note, I think this makes a good theme song for this ep

 

 

 

[Hansel 1,512]

I enjoyed  it. A lot. If it keeps this quality up with future episodes, I dare say it might even be better then Season 2! 

It was was off to a wobbly start, but ended up being hilarious and exciting. The chemistry between the characters was brilliant, and over all, the pacing was fantastic. The concept has been done a lot in cartoons, but they handled and executed it so well that it didn't bother me at all.

 

Judging buy this episode, it looks like the writers are trying to balance an on-going story arc with the slice-of-life and self-contained episodes that we're used to. I also really liked how they're slowly starting to tell us more about Luna and Celestia and flesh out the world a bit more.                  

Edited December 1, 2013 by Hansel

[Inactive01 5,299]

This was a great episode, although I already knew what was coming at the end of the episode.

 

 

 

I was wondering where Pinkie was after she rang the school bell. Surely she had to have needed to come by near the end of the episode...

 

 

[roptiriolg 49]

Hmm usually there is some HD version by now on YT, I only saw 360p.

[BalanceBrony 259]

Hmm usually there is some HD version by now on YT, I only saw 360p.

Go to the original leaked video at dailmotion... HD and no commercials.

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17oq13_castle-mania-s4-e3-mlp-fim-hd_shortfilms

[yayayayayala 1,668]

I wish the organ player had been Luna. All the same, it was an interesting episode. And we get the third lol-worthy Pinkie quote of the season!

 

Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1 - "Creamy, creamy frosting..." and all that

Part 2 - "Take the staaairs, silly!"

Castle-Mania - "I always let my imagination run away from me! And then it comes back - with cake!"

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

I liked the episode but the one thing which really bugged me about it really was I cannot find a 1080p version anywhere! *wink* *nudge*

 

Hmm usually there is some HD version by now on YT, I only saw 360p.

 

Behold!  You'll have to change the quality in the Settings, but I think that this is what you're looking for.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st9NbTRqLRM

[Viricide Filly 4]

I loved the episode. I think it was a really good set up, having all the ponies in the castle at once messing thingsup for eachother by accident, but not even knowing the others were there. Irony galore!

I'm considering making a song about it maybe in a day or so ^^

[Lateon 589]

Am I the only one who forgot alllll about Pinkie and didn't suspect her as being the organ player at the end?

 

Great episode, lots of laughs, lol'd hard at Rarity bawling her eyes out.

Edited December 1, 2013 by FerroceneSandwichMan

[SparkBrony 379]

I thought this was an awesome episode! Fluttershy was just too cute

[King Sejong 859]

   Though I messed the première, because of thanksgiving weekend with my mother, who is against many things that are fun, but never mind, I saw Castle Mane-ia this morning, and I was genuinely impressed with Luke Farber, he knows what he's doing with the ponies, and we can expect great episodes from him, it had this nostalgic feeling like watching Scooby Doo, or playing a haunted house game like the original Resident Evil, with traps and hidden passages with a spooky library, furthermore it is nice to see Twilight Sparkle back in Ponyville. I really love the dialogue in this episode, it was true to the characters, it had natural flow and movement, this is the sort of script I want in the past seasons more often, yet to hear it on season four is quite a treat. We also may have a season long villain, true it was kept in shadows, but the reveal will be astonishing, I would like to see where this goes, most of the villains last one or two episodes, this could be a threatening villain, or an abstract antagonist, that would require the deus ex machina in the chest with six keys, I would keep building up and reveal some of the plot as the season progresses, but for now to see all of the mane six together is one episode is marvellous, and to develop the character relationships after so many changes was done quite well, I have high hopes for this season and I am very amused thus so far.      

[Kulstor 254]

I really enjoyed the episode.  Funny.  I also liked the way it had a tie into the previous episode and the obvious influence of scooby doo.  Including the bit where, occasionally Velma will carry the whole rest of the Scooby Gang in her arms as she runs. Though in Twilight's case she was walking and they were not on her arms.  Still pretty funny.  I was wondering who the person would be revealed to be.  My only guesses were either Luna, who may visit there to recall the happy memories she had, and maybe Pinky since she can pop up in odd places, even if it makes no sense.  And she wasn't there except in the early part of the episode in the initial scene between Applejack & Rainbow Dash.