thoughts before watching MLP:FIM

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

I had nothing to say, positive or negative wise when I first heard about it.

 

I mainly thought it was just a trend for the time being until I gave it a watch, and man was I wrong.

[Midnight and Shira 123]

Well, I honestly didn't even know that Bronies existed... I was just at a friend's house when her little brother turned on the T.V. and MLP was on. I thought it was stupid at first, but I watched the episode... And loved it! 

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

I learned about the show during the summer of 2011 on other message boards that I frequented. It seemed like no matter where I went online, I was sure to run into pictures of these cute and colorful ponies. Eventually I stumbled upon a thread about the show on one of my favorite forums and a lot of people were hailing it as some kind of heaven-sent TV show. Anything that captured the hearts of so many teenage and adult men, which caught me by surprise to say the very least, had to be something truly remarkable, as bronies really were a big internet phenomenon even then. So after seeing some pictures of the characters, I decided to read up on the show on Wikipedia as I do for most things I'm curious about, and once I found out more about the creators of the show, the main characters, and all of the positive reception the show had received, I figured this was definitely something to look into. Even as a female, I was somewhat uncomfortable about watching the show at first because I knew MLP was always a little girl's toyline, but I tried my best to keep an open mind in spite of that. One episode later, I was hooked.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Sugar Cube

[Thrashy 2,800]

To be honest, I didn't even know this particular incarnation of MLP existed up until the point where I got into the show. I was aware of the '80s cartoon, as well as the ongoing toy line, but otherwise I had no idea there'd been a reboot / reimagining going on since 2010...not surprising, as my former cable provider didn't offer the Hub. I guess if you'd asked me a couple years ago, when one of the toy commercials came on TV, "Do you ever see yourself watching that?", I'd have probably laughed uproariously.

 

Of course, it was about late '12 when I started noticing the pony memes flooding the web, and I was shocked to learn that "bronies" were a thing. More than anything, I was shocked that they called themselves this particular portmanteau of "bro ponies" (which I laughed about for a good 10 minutes) and had a large, extensive fandom surrounding the show, but I otherwise shrugged it off as a hipster fad. But after continuing to see ponies invade sites like deviantArt and others I frequented, I began to ponder whether I should give the show a look myself - after all, if a bunch of other college-aged dudes could enjoy a cartoon to the point of making memes about it (much like they've been doing with Spongebob since the beginning of time), then what earthly reason do I have not to give it a watch? Especially after I sat through Princess Tutu, a very girly anime that managed to be awesome in spite of its girliness?

 

The first couple episodes I thought were okay, but didn't really see where all the hubbub was coming from. Then I saw "Applebuck Season", and immediately I began to see what everyone else was seeing. And then, with each passing episode, I became hooked...and then progressively more hooked...and then borderline obsessed...yeah, this has become a pretty expensive addiction so far.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Lowline Champ

[SpoofhoofAl 1]

I felt uncertain about it at first; but I enjoy horses in real life and honestly, I already had a feeling I'd like mlp gen4 regardless of the hate. I tried to make myself watch cartoons in order to alleviate some dark times in my life, which I found that I'm a kid at heart; but to also gain some inspiration to my own stories and non mlp characters, despite the contrast of subject material. To say the least; I ended up really liking mlp.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

Honestly, my best friend, Super2379, is why I even knew about MLP FIM to begin with.

 

When he told me about the fandom, it sounded so ridiculous. Teenage and young adult guys, not to mention guys and girls, watching a show about My Little Pony and liking it? Why? It didn't seem right to me. Though, before I became a brony, I just carried on with my life and let them do their thing.

[SanityNotIncluded 335]

Funnily enough, I didn't even know of the fandom's existence when I first watched the show. My first exposure was actually a speech that someone I knew gave at an oratory tournament. I knew it was about MLP FIM in some capacity, but it honestly didn't stick with me.

 

I decided to watch the show after seeing joshscorcher's review of the pilot. I only found about Bronies after watching analysis videos which was actually some time into season one.

[Castle Bleck 19,338]

First FIM clip I ever saw was Fluttershy's "LOVE ME!!!"

 

I thought it was pretty funny, and that she looked like a pretty cute/attractive(WTF?!) animesque humanoid with that art style.

 

But it wasn't until last year that I saw Turnabout Storm, and then I was like, 'That's it; I have to see what this craze is about.'

[Sir Wulfington 276]

 

 

the resume of my life in 5 minutes or less

 

For me I recall immediately being okay with it, but that's because I had already learned to accept that being a fan of the show, regardless of age or gender, was perfectly fine. I watched my first episode, Party of One, due to the fact that I had just read the evil that was Cupcakes and wanted something so much the opposite of that to watch in order to purge my mind of the horrors from that fic, so I figured the show itself was nice and happy enough to do the trick. That and I was curious to see why people liked it so damn much. I was immediately at step 5 upon watching it

[Super Derpy 535]

My brother told me he was a brony and my first impression was "Why the fuck is a show for little girls this popular!" but then I watched an episode, then another, and another, and another, and then I was hooked.

[Legacy Dash 438]

I thought nothing really. Didn't think bronies were bad, didn't think bronies were good. I thought they were just... people that watch a show.

I sort of wish others would think the same as I used to.  -_-

[34908734bdjofh73 61]

I just thought nothing.. Untill I watched the show, then loved it! I actually lost a friend because I watched the show. Well, i guess he was not much of a "friend"

[Bold Shadow 23]

A few years back I heard some people talking about it and I was like.... Okay? Isn't it a little weird for a teen/adult guy to like a show with little colorful ponies in it? I never thought I would ever become a Brony. It wasn't until 4-5 months ago when I thought maybe it's not that bad? Maybe it's a good show? Obviously so many people like it for a reason. Then I decided to watch the first episode out of curiosity and I fell in love with it!

[KirbyFluttershy 2,523]

Well Before I watched the show, I thought the show was for girls, but I was completely wrong by many fans and viewers who watched the show, Mostly many people who were talking about the show that got me into it (the TV show to be more specific). I was looking at the video of it to see what the show was like and then the show wasn't that bad after Taking a quick look of the show. I thought to myself and said to myself that I would become a fan of the show just by watching the show every day. When I Searched for the hub network channel on my TV listings in my cable, I Didn't realize that I had the show on my lineup and started to record the show with new episodes only which I started recording the show 2-3 days ago before secret of my excess episode. I didn't find the show too creepy to me, I find the show cute and adorable to me, but I love everything about the TV show.

[Celli 4,338]

I already liked cute and colorful things before I watched it, so I didn't really think anything of it.

[Dani_uwu 211]

Hehe I thought my Brony friend was gay. (But he is gay so......) but then I said "ok I'm going to see what the heck is going on with this pony stuff" I wanted to watch season one with a straight face (no pun intended) but crashed and burned at how cute Fluttershy is.

[Simon 4,557]

I was honestly afraid before I watched it.  I thought the entire Brony thing was weird, but I already was in a fandom for a cartoon so I had a bad feeling I would end up liking it (mixed standards for the win).  Turns out I was right to be afraid xD

 

But I'm glad I ended up getting involved in the fandom.  Once you go beyond the surface and start looking at the things the fandom does, you start to realize just what an amazing community it really is.

[Blaze Bronson 343]

I actually thought that it was just another cartoon people were watching. Like fans of SpongeBob or Dexter's Laboratory.

Later did I realize how big it had become before I knew this had to contain something different, and here I am

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

I found out about the show shortly before I started watching it. This was my reaction before watching it.
 

"This looks interesting. It really is popular isn't it? I suppose I'll give it a chance."

[Dani_uwu 211]

I now think we are one of the most generous fandoms because of all the donations and community service done by various Brony groups. We only have the best people (even though I don't give a flying buck about most of the human race)

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

My first clip I saw was of Pinkie Pie's tail twitching scene, and I was just like "Wat."
I didn't realize the show had a fanbase at that point, and I just forgot about it until I saw the brony section on memebase, which is when I decided to look into the show.

[Jackleberry 1,921]

At first I just figured it was another show for kids, no big deal.

 

After finding out about the fandom, I still didn't pay much attention, but I didn't think it was weird or anything, in fact it sort of piqued my interest just a teeeny bit.

 

Eventually I slowly, but suddenly, started getting into some pony stuff ... then I watched the first episode, and not even a few minutes in I loved it.

[Moonlight Magician 494]

My initial reaction to people liking the show:

 

My reaction after watching one episode:

 

I learned not to judge and I'm glad I gave the show a chance! I thought the show was still girly and corny. But now the show is just complete awesomeness

[Denim&Venöm 18,785]

Grab some popcorn, this will take a while. 

 

Before anything G4, the last time I payed attention to anything remotely related to MLP was in Dexter Laboratory, the episode where Dexter & DeeDee were fans of Action Hank and Pretty Pink Ponies I think. I'm not sure but I think Tara strong might have voiced the ponies in that episode. The only other contact I would have with ponies would be the G3 commercials, thinking them the same I think with any other commercial: get off my TV and back to my show. 

 

Fast forward a decade or so, I'm attending Anime Central 2012, I'm attending a panel on DJ-ing while waiting for a Phoenix Wright/Trigun crossover skit to start. One of the panelists is setting things up on his computer linked to a projector screen, and his desktop is

 

At first thought was "this is amusing, he likes characters form a show about little girl toys" but then I thought "should I really be surprised at this though? I am at an anime con after all, where girlyness is interwoven with spectacle, comedy, sex and violence. And besides, there were lots of guys who liked Power Puff Girls way back when (heck I was one of them)" So in retrospect it wasn't really all that strange. Allthough I was a little curious how a little kids show about ponies could fit in a DJ? Little did I know that I just had my first exposure to MLP: FiM and my path to destiny had begun. 

 

During the next month or so, I see some pics, or memes, or a Youtube video suggestion, and that piques my interest, enough to investigate. But not enough to actually wiki search and read upon it, let alone watch an episode or video about it. So I began looking into MLP without actually looking into it or compromising on my masculinity, by watching PMVs (I was surprised to learn that PMV was actually a thing, so that's warning flag #1), mostly metal and rock ones featuring Slayer, Sum 41, Spineshank & Saliva. And I was genuinely surprised by how good it was, the expressions the characters had, the animation style and design appealed to me.

 

But even then I didn't give it a chance because I was afraid. A show this good looking is too good to be true. There has to be a catch. Being girly wasn't a point of contention for me. My problem was that it I feared MLP would be immature, a show for little kids, and by extension, dumbed down for their understanding. A show with classy animation and beautiful design, was going to have content, dialogue, and characters plain, simple and and rudimentary enough for toddlers and grade school kids to be amused at. Thoughts of how bad shows like Teletubbies and Dora the Explorer were, even as a young child, came back, and I associated MLP with that, afraid that the same type of content would be paired with that animation. I pretty much avoided MLP initially just because I was afraid of being dissapointed. 

 

Even still, I still continued on with my tedious courtship/ investigation of MLP, checking out all the memes and demotivational posters, finding humor in the show that the fans themselves had created. Pretty much how I stumbled upon the My Little Brony section of Memebase, looking at all sorts of funny pics and jokes, many of them relating to the stories of the show, thinking "man I hope the show is as good as these pictures are telling me."  This was around the time of the season 2 finale, and who appears in a bunch of these posts but this fine creature

And I'm thinking "Holy s##t! This is a character in a little girls show? No. No way this is just a little girls show now. Gotta be something more to have a character that vicious and dark looking."

 

I don't know how or why, but my brother came across the videos for MLP: Turnabout Storm. He shows me the first episode, mostly because of the Pheonix wright aspect, ponies were just a bonus. But while watching, it crossed my mind that this was a fan project, something that took time, effort and dedication from a lot of people. To warrant that kind of passion must mean that MLP is one hell of a show.  Not only that but Turnabout Storm introduced the cast to me, and they weren't the dumbed down, infantile characters I feared they were. Each had a personality, believibility and realism. To see characters complex enough to interact and debate with an attorney and fit seemlessly in a courtroom drama, eased me fears about the show, and at the same time garnered my first respects for this fandom. It's really that type of dedication for the show that the bronies had, all the creativity and passion they possessed, and later on their generious and accepting nature which gained my loyalty. I'd probably still be a brony even if I never watched an episode. Speaking of episodes, I still wouldn't watch, namely because I didn't have the Hub until months later. Still didn't make a difference, because then Netfilix came and everything changed. Me being hyped for new episodes, watching them the day they aired wouldn't start until season 3, a practice I try to continue to this day. 

 

You want my story. You just got it. And yes, I am working on both a book deal and a screenplay for it. 

[Zekromic 1,054]

I just didn't minded that some dudes liked it. However, once a brony classmate of mine persisted on me watching MLP and showing some scenes and naming Twily and Pinkie constantly,  gave it a try. At first, I was like "duuuuude, what the fuck I am doing?". I decided it was so so, too soon to judge, but I didn't felt like watching another episode on my PC (I don't really like watching ANYTHING in my PC), so, a week later , I watched some episodes on tv, and since I watched Canterlot Wedding, I joined the herd