when analyzing is too much

[Motion Spark 7,806]

The idea of this thread came up when I was watching an mlp episode review, I'll put this as an example, but the episode isn't the main focus of this topic.

 

So the guy reviewing Rainbow Falls said that it was a bad episde with unforgivable faults. One of these was that why would Rainbow Dash choose to fly with Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps (aka worst flyers in Ponyville) as a team in Ponyville, there are like lots and lots of other better pegasus there, why them because it was never cleared up in the episode.

I can only answer this by saying that Fluttershy is Rainbow Dash's close friend and Bulk Biceps was conveniently placed there for comedy, also due to the nature of the episode, it's pretty obvious that Rainbow Dash needed to be paired with a bad team so the difference between the wonderbolts and them wuould have been more obvious. Putting 2 random ponies there would have been really weird, I think.

 

I'll only mention this one, and I think that he's right but he's over thinking things and forgetting that this is meant to be a kids show, so the plot should be as simplistic as possible right? I think that this show is not meant to have applied such deep analysis on it because every episode would end up being crap.

 

So what's your opinion, is over-analysis good or bad in mlp?

[Neon Fire 473]

Yes, he is right, but come on, it is still meant for kids and they don't care.  This is like the whole thing with Flash Sentry in the latest episode.  Everyone is freaking out and he was in it for what, 5 seconds?  He didn't say anything, he just stood there basically for a few seconds and everyone is getting so mad.  I just say sit down and enjoy the show...

[Guest90210 3,567]

I don't really care. Any kind of "analyzing" of a little girl's TV show is pointless speculation and over-thinking to begin with. If you want to analyze something be my guest. It can be fun to over analyze stuff sometimes.

[UserNotFound 964]

It was also mentioned that different pegasi can only partake in one event each... So yeah...

 

Also... I think analysis is ok... But there's a limit to how much we should do...mover analysing anything takes the enjoyment of it away

[ghostfacekiller39 23,857]

Bad for everyone.

 

I really like analyzing the show, as subjective and faulted as my opinions are; I have fun with it. I honestly enjoy reviewing and analyzing the show.

 

Then there's the "it's a kids show" crowd who want to just sit back and enjoy it, apparently. Which is also fine.

 

However, this crowd gets bitchy when people over analyze, and it makes things difficult for people like me who enjoy giving analysis; the second you criticize something, "ITS JUST A KIDS SHOW BE CHILL LIKE ME WAH"

 

So, people who do overanalyze make things difficult on everyone.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Unfortunately the excuse 'It's just a kids show' implies that children's entertainment is by definition stupid and irredeemable. That it's beneficial to shove mental pabulum into these kid's heads because the last thing you want is to challenge and stimulate thought.

 

The show's target demographic is 6-10, which is much higher than the toddler demographic everyone seems to think it's aimed at. This is prime mental growth time. Children's entertainment for this age range needs to be held to a *higher* standard, not a lower one. Since parents are expecting the TV to babysit for them, it might as well be doing so in a way that helps kids become moral and thoughtful adults.

[Sir Hugsalot 8,624]

The idea of this thread came up when I was watching an mlp episode review, I'll put this as an example, but the episode isn't the main focus of this topic.

 

So the guy reviewing Rainbow Falls said that it was a bad episde with unforgivable faults. One of these was that why would Rainbow Dash choose to fly with Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps (aka worst flyers in Ponyville) as a team in Ponyville, there are like lots and lots of other better pegasus there, why them because it was never cleared up in the episode.

I can only answer this by saying that Fluttershy is Rainbow Dash's close friend and Bulk Biceps was conveniently placed there for comedy, also due to the nature of the episode, it's pretty obvious that Rainbow Dash needed to be paired with a bad team so the difference between the wonderbolts and them wuould have been more obvious. Putting 2 random ponies there would have been really weird, I think.

 

I'll only mention this one, and I think that he's right but he's over thinking things and forgetting that this is meant to be a kids show, so the plot should be as simplistic as possible right? I think that this show is not meant to have applied such deep analysis on it because every episode would end up being crap.

 

So what's your opinion, is over-analysis good or bad in mlp?

Analyzing show isn't bad at all. But as everything - it has its limits. I don't really care if someone analyzes this show to the point where he will complain about some pony having mane 1 cm too short for as long as he does not try to imply that "MLP is bad" and "Hasbro is bad" because of that (and suprisingly some people do!). Everyone has right to enjoy the show in any way he/she wants, but PLEASE, don't ruin other people's fun by forcing Your opinion to them as "the only opinion that is good". And it goes to both - people who analyze show and who don't do it. There was already a big tension between those 2 groups once and I hope it will never be again. 

[mars 4,861]

I personally love people who analyze MLP too deeply (Digibrony and BronyCurious ftw!), and there's wrong with looking too much into it. There's no harm in it, and it makes for interesting conversation.

[Neon Fire 473]

Unfortunately the excuse 'It's just a kids show' implies that children's entertainment is by definition stupid and irredeemable. That it's beneficial to shove mental pabulum into these kid's heads because the last thing you want is to challenge and stimulate thought.

 

The show's target demographic is 6-10, which is much higher than the toddler demographic everyone seems to think it's aimed at. This is prime mental growth time. Children's entertainment for this age range needs to be held to a *higher* standard, not a lower one. Since parents are expecting the TV to babysit for them, it might as well be doing so in a way that helps kids become moral and thoughtful adults.

 

I don't think kids are going to be pointing out all the faults though.  No, analyzing is not bad, however, I don't think kids will care to do so.  They just want to enjoy the show and I don't think they'll picking out bits of it.

[Dashabel 381]

Everyone needs to realise that they can't say "it's a kids' show" anymore. I mean, yes it is. But really, who do they still produce it for? Who do they add fan favourite characters for? Who do they reveal secrets on Twitter for? Not the littluns, that's for sure. And there's the key word. Fan. That would be us.

 

Anyway, that's besides the point. People can analyse what they like, however much they like. Sometimes they go over the top; it annoys me when Bronies go on about the origin of this and the meaning of that and and how it doesn't make sense for this to happen etc. Saying "it's a kids' show" is a poor excuse for NOT analysing the hell out of something you love and others do not approve of it.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

I don't think kids are going to be pointing out all the faults though.  No, analyzing is not bad, however, I don't think kids will care to do so.  They just want to enjoy the show and I don't think they'll picking out bits of it.

They don't write essays or do YouTube videos on it, true. However, I have some friends who have kids in that age range, and they do in fact pick apart episodes after they've watched them. They get confused when the writers/animators make mistakes (or do things deliberately out of character or context), and want to know why things work the way they do. Because of that they notice things that I miss, and come to me with questions.

 

And I'm not about to tell an eight year old to shut up and just accept that anything aimed at them is deliberately stupid.

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

Whenever I see people analyze this show, even making negative comments galore about an episode I thought wasn't that bad, it just ruins it for me.

 

In fact, one of my biggest weaknesses is that I can't make up my own opinions, and rely too much on others to do it for me.  When I see someone say that an episode of MLP sucks, I feel like I'm being told to hate on this episode as well, or else I'll be considered a loser.  When really, I just want to follow what I want to believe, and not follow what an entire crowd of people are doing.  I like the show so far, but I'm not letting people who hate something about this or that episode get in the way of me enjoying it myself.

[Neon Fire 473]

They don't write essays or do YouTube videos on it, true. However, I have some friends who have kids in that age range, and they do in fact pick apart episodes after they've watched them. They get confused when the writers/animators make mistakes (or do things deliberately out of character or context), and want to know why things work the way they do. Because of that they notice things that I miss, and come to me with questions.

 

And I'm not about to tell an eight year old to shut up and just accept that anything aimed at them is deliberately stupid.

 

Yeah, of course.  I'm sure there's plenty of kids who do actually do that.  I just remember when I was 10, I really only wanted to watch the show and know quite a few who don't pick it apart either.  But yeah, I guess I can see that but I still can't imagine them over analyzing it tooooooooo much.

[King Sejong 858]

   My favourite internet reviewer is the Nostalgia Critic, if the movie is overtly bad he would not hold back, but if the movie has some kind of appeal, and is redeemable he would point that out. Doug might knit pick certain moments, especially if it is out of place, or just some random line, like his review of "The Room", I love his reviews because he does not analyse too much, or too deeply, he just presents the facts, and it's the role of the audience to ruminate on that, moreover the Critic can find some humorous moments, and shares that with us, after all some movies are so bad their good. Now, Tommy Oliver or Digibrony, are fine reviewers, but think too hard, and express too little, especially if there is a very funny scene, they would mention it, then move past that too fast, so when it comes to pointing out plot holes, continuity, and character assassination both Tommy and Digi are impeccable, but my favourite MLP reviewers are the Fiery Joker, the mysterious Mr. Enter, Voice of Reason and now Silver Quill, they have some of the charm and energy of the Nostalgia Critic, and would point out the silver lining, and also let the audience in on the laugh, although analysing is all right, and for those who like that, fine, but if you like balance between thinking and feeling, check out the other brony reviewers, you might like what they have to say.     

Edited January 28, 2014 by Emperor Peter

[zev_zev The outcast 415]

I admit that over analyzing of mlp it's a very dumb action. But I just can't change myself And I admit that over analyzing sometimes hurt me very much (remember my butthurt about Slanderman in ep 9?) It's prevents me from enjoying the cartoon!

Edited January 27, 2014 by zev_zev

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Yeah, of course.  I'm sure there's plenty of kids who do actually do that.  I just remember when I was 10, I really only wanted to watch the show and know quite a few who don't pick it apart either.  But yeah, I guess I can see that but I still can't imagine them over analyzing it tooooooooo much.

Probably not tooooooo much, but the kids I deal with do notice things and want to understand. It bothers them if they don't understand something in at least a general way. For example, in the recent Discord song when he dresses up as Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. They knew he was dressed like *somebody* but were baffled as to who. They wanted to know, because they didn't want to miss the joke. I told them it was a weird road trip movie, the guy had a unique costume that made him stand out.

[FNGRpony 655]

I don't really care. Any kind of "analyzing" of a little girl's TV show is pointless speculation and over-thinking to begin with. If you want to analyze something be my guest. It can be fun to over analyze stuff sometimes.

it's not pointless.  I wouldn't have touched MLP if it wasn't for analysis.   I think your missing that might be the case that mlp is the only little girls cartoon that has a sea of fan analysis (and if their others it has good analysis.)

 

There are some deeper things on the show.  it's nice to hear peoples thoughts.

Sometimes there aren't.

some times when people pear into the darkness, it pears back.

And if it was just a little girls cartoon we wouldn't watch it. 

[Nature's Spell 526]

One problem is that people are confusing analyzing with reviewing.

For me "analyzing" is a way to understand the show and see where it is heading. It's combining what we see with what we think, so it's similar to head canons or fanfic, but different since you are looking for hints or suggestions in the plot. Plus it's a more formal process since you are hopefully putting it out for peer review. It's similar to the Sherlockian game or the way fans of Sherlock Homes try to better understand the stories.

 

Now "reviewing" is attempting to determine if the story is good or bad and if viewing it is worthwhile, being a critic. It's looking at the mechanics of the story, but doesn't have to bother itself with the meaning of the episode long term.

 

An episode could be horrible, but might bring in lot of new canon and world building. I think these two different ways of approaching the show cause tension. The whole "it's a kids show" is also a huge problem, as we all know. I think the analyst community needs to stop using the word analyze and switch to review, which is better understood as a way to gauge the quality of a show. Yes it's semantics but words matter.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Nature's Spell

[Megas 27,103]

There's nothing inherently wrong with analyzing this show, but I can't help but feel that fans complain about either things that don't even matter or take several things out of context 

[Legacy Dash 438]

I'd say the brony fandom really does over analyze the show...

 

For example...

 

Friend: Hey, did you see the latest episode?

Me: Yeah.

Friend: What did you think?

Me: Awesome! =D

Friend: I *hated* the blade of grass at 10 mins and 23 seconds. It looked out of place! MLP is getting worse and worse!!

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

Every-time I hear the "it's just a kid's show" argument I want to tell people to read up on Don Bluth because he believed the average person underestimates kids and that they can comprehend a lot more than we give them credit for as long as there's a happy ending to tie it all up.    

 

Now, I do agree nitpicking a show to death while ignoring everything good about it is bad. 

Edited January 27, 2014 by Shoboni

[Argumedies 1,748]

I am more neutral on this but I do agree that while even children shows should be held to a higher standard, some of the analysis video do tend to go rather overboard in their scrutiny.

 

The ones that I have a problem with, are the analyzers whos videos are just as vomit laden as their commentary. These videos are not amusing in any way unless your a total drooly.

 

Its one thing to scrutinize an episode, but to rip it apart because a freckle was out of place is nothing more then youtubeing whiny banter.

 

I like to make my own decisions on whether an episode was good or not and leave the rest of the bull to the droolies

Edited January 27, 2014 by Argumedies

[Nuke87654 1,849]

While I myself a reviewer, I dislike overly negative reviews where they start nitpicking stuff without any good reason to back up said complaint that enforces why it negatively impacts an episode.

However, I also dislike it when people complain about somebody scrutinizing an episode, regardless if he pointed those flaws out very well, simply because they don't want to hear unfavorable opinions over an episode they like. I mean just because you may not want to hear a negative opinion doesn't mean you should attack the person without pointing out why you believe his reasoning is wrong in a logical manner and not using asinine excuses as the basis for your case.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Nuke87654

[Vixor 80]

I like over-analyzing, but I'm not such a big fan of all the grim and negative theories people pull out of it; examples include tyrant Celestia, people claiming Equestria is sexist or racist in some way, or maybe just hate filled in general. Basically things that essentially take a sledgehammer to the 'feel good' nature of the show, or in some cases go against what the show or maybe Equestria stands for in the first place. Normally those things would be okay if they were kept as just theories made for fun, but a lot of people have the gall to claim it's canon or at least fitting for the canon, when in reality it's generally total nonsense.

 

Not really a fan of anyone making such bold claims about the show from over-analyzing in general either, but the ones that conflict too strongly with the good nature of the show are the ones that bother me the most. I worry too much about this stuff, but it's like nobody else ever contests people who say that "Celestia is a tyrant!" or "Equestria obviously has serious racism issues!" or "Equestria has slavery!" or "Equestria is some sort of legitimate matriarchy!" or "Ponies have to follow their cutie mark even if it makes them miserable!" or "Ponies are horrible, hateful things in general!" or maybe just "My theory is obviously logical" when the person making that theory is pulling out ridiculous things that the writers of the show surely didn't intend to imply, at least in any serious manner or in a way that's anything other than a plot device.

 

And those theories above are just some of the worst ones, and are usually ones that people are dumb enough to say is canon, usually without backing it up with legitimate evidence, though that's a tall order as there is no real evidence. There are also probably plenty of common ones that I am forgetting.

 

/end rant

Edited January 27, 2014 by Vixor

[Radiance64 7,051]

Yeah, some analyzers are better than others, but I can't say I'm a fan of too many of them myself.

I'd say analysis is a good thing though, as long as it isn't overly subjective. MLP:FiM is supposed to just be a fun, entertaining kid's show with a little something for everyone thrown in, and I'd say that every episode so far, good or bad, delivers on that note always at least. I try to throw in a little analysis of the characters and storylines here and there in my own thoughts on episodes usually, but for the most part I take an episode on how entertaining it was overall at the highest merits rather than any nitpicky fault in plot or character development(which the show has a bit of here and there, admittedly, but not enough to be a huge problem imo).