RoseLaflesh

While I can't speak for any of the other bronies, I can tell you that, yes, I am freaking out as much as I did with the last one. In fact this one looks even worse. We are meant to assume that these characters are nearly identical to their pony counterparts, which means they are already secure in their talents and interests, and none of them have ever shown any interest in becoming musicians (Pinkie Pie is the closest to doing so, but they've already made it clear she has can break physics to make a friend more comfortable, so I'm not quite sure where to count that). In fact Fluttershy can barely handle one on one interactions with new people, standing confidently on a stage is very out of character for her. In the episode Hearth's Warming Eve they could barely get her on stage. She was hiding in a box because she was thinking about the crowd, and this Fluttershy is likely even worse because of how used she is to just being by herself. Show Stoppers is the closest we've ever come to any MLP character being in a band, and the lesson at the end of that episode was that you should focus on what you love rather than what sounds cool. And seeing as this band thing seems to be the main plot of this story, and the very idea of them in a band ignores who these characters are, then that's already a very big problem that is well worth freaking out over. I'm trying to keep in mind that it could be good (or at least entertaining) as well, but with just the "they're in a band" think to go on, I'm feeling kind of cynical. I really do want to give this movie a fair chance, but I kind of feel like the characters in Bridle Gossip where I don't know what's going on, but I'm assuming the worse. I know I shouldn't, and I know that attitude didn't work out for anyone in Bridle Gossip. I'll still give the movie a fair chance when I watch it, but until then, I'll be listing off all the ways it could go wrong. To help put my mind at ease, I try thinking of reasons why they would be in a band and why they transform. It's just my little theories about what's going on and I'm probably way off, but for some reason it makes me feel better about the movie because even if it may not be the right answer, is an answer I feel comfortable with, and with an answer I stop guessing at how bad it's going to be.

After watching the trailer a few times, and going through some of the usual reactions, panic that they are just taking the easy route, confusion because why are they in a rock bad (especially since they are supposed to be almost the same as their pony counterparts which means they are already comfortable with their strengths and talents and none of their talents even closely resemble anything that would go into a rock bad. Not to mention Fluttershy can barely handle one on one interactions, so I can easily see her passing out at the thought of being on stage), why is there Twilight (and it must be the pony universe Twilight because there's no reason why human universe Twilight would ascend to alicorn state because a) even if there is enough magic in this universe no one knows how to access it well enough to allow for this kind of ascension and b ) our Twilight ascended because she mastered the magic of friendship, something human universe Twilight wouldn't have done because she never met the other and most likely continued living her life of books and solitude with only Spike to keep her company, which is even sadder when you consider the fact that he's a dog in this universe and dogs don't talk), how are they able to access these powers when it seemed to me that the proximity to an open portal to a world of magical ponies is what helped them access their pony(ish) state, which is why when the portal closed, the magic faded away (or it could be Twilight's presence or the proximity to her element of harmony, or all of the above, but which ever it is, none of these factors should be present for another 30 moons (how ever long a moon is in this world)). Yeah, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered and I had a lot of trouble thinking up of an answer to them that didn't involve removing all the wants, strengths, and characterization already set in place, or abandoning the band plot all together (which seems like it's the driving force of the story), but I think I came up with something that doesn't have to ignore the already set characters but it still makes sense with what they've showed us so far. After the events of the first movie, the mane 5 humans become fascinated with the magic they wielded. They aren't quite sure how they did it (because Twilight was really the one controlling the magic and they rest have only heard of such things from stories and fairy-tales), but they figure it must have something to do with their friendship with Twilight. Knowing they can't access pony Twilight because the portal is closed, they go looking for her human counterpart and to see if they can recreate the events in the first movie. When they realize it's more than just friendship that triggers the elements (or because this Twilight would be similar to the Twilight of the first episode, and they are trying to force a friendship out of greed, they begin to realize they are trying to force a deep bond for reasons that end up pushing this Twilight away because they all seem crazy to her). After failing the song and dance thing, they begin to feel frustrated because they just aren't getting it. While putting away the sound equipment, one of (either Applejack, Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie) them plays a bit with an instrument and they notice a bit of magic. Seeing this, they all grab instruments (after encouraging a still reluctant Twilight), and they transform into their pony shapes. They create a band to learn more about the magic of friendship and the power they can control together. With a little help from Flash Sentry (because let's not forget he had a band so not having him in the movie would make no sense (after all, I'm pretty sure all of them will need music lessons), and it will also add an interesting subplot with the human universe Twilight Sparkle because she wouldn't be the same person he (fell in love with? likes?) in the first movie because without her friends to learn and grow from and because he barely knows her, he'll be confronted with a frustrated, loner rather than the awkward but outgoing version he met, and thus he'll be torn between his affections for pony Twilight but knowing that that in some ways this is the same person but in other ways, she isn't), they learn about the power of music and of friendship. As for why they kind of look more like a glam rock band, Rarity. I've even come up with a reason why this is a human Twilight and not our pony Twilight despite the wings and being unlikely to have earned them herself. When you think about it, why did Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash get wings, or why did they take on somewhat pony forms? Because these are the forms Twilight projected on them (of course this doesn't explain why no one got horns, but maybe Twilight's so used to unicorn horns that she doesn't even think about them but because she's unused to wings, that's an appendage that stands out in her mind). Even though they weren't really her friends, because of the way they acted and their names, in the back of her mind, she almost believed they were the same people/ponies she knew back in Equestria. Rationally she knew they weren't, but a part of her (maybe a bit out of homesickness) projected her friends onto these people and thus, when she accessed the elements of harmony through them, she also transformed them into forms she was more comfortable with. When they find a way to recreate the elements of harmony in the story I came up with, they re-projected those images onto themselves because that's what they think they should look like when they use this power, and when they bring in human Twilight, they project the alicorn/human/pony image onto her because that's what they think she should look like, when in reality they probably wouldn't have transformed at all if they found a way to access this power without Twilight's help (after all, the pony versions of them didn't transform at all while using the elements and I think that's because they never expected to transform while using this magic, and because friendship, magic, and harmony don't seem to be pony exclusive, I'm pretty sure that it's not that the elements of harmony come from Equestria that transformed them but because Twilight has a certain bias to the form of herself and her friends), but then again, they probably wouldn't have recognized the power for what it is and control it without Twilight's help. So that's my idea on what this story's going to be like. I doubt anything I've said will turn out to be right (especially the Flash Sentry part because nearly every other background character in the first movie has screen time in this trailer and yet a character they set up as interested in Twilight, and already is a talented musician and thus can at least act as a mentor, is not there), but it makes sense with the clips in the trailer and maybe it's just because it's the story I came up with, but I kind of like it and rather than worry about how bad it could be, coming up with this helps me focus on how good it could be (although I will take the realistic approach, and say that it will be similar to the first movie: a good 1-2 hour distraction but nowhere near as well written as the show).

Well, I don't really have as much of a list as everyone else. There's nothing I really want to see in the next season, but I do have a few things that would be nice if they happened. Like an episode where Apple Jack feels like she's the only one of her friends who knows how to work hard. Granted, this belief would be unfounded, but with Twilight living the princess life, Pinkie Pie being... Pinkie Pie, Rarity dress shopping, etc. Apple Jack starts feeling like she's the only one who cares about a hard day's work. Perhaps Apple Jack even has a song to that effect. Or maybe an episode that talks about how Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy met. After all, we know she was friends with Gilda when she was young, and it's strongly suggested that the two of them were kind of bullies to the others, so how did Rainbow Dash end up becoming friends with Fluttershy? Of course, it's fine if this doesn't happen. It might ruin my head cannon that Rainbow Dash was one of the ponies taunting Fluttershy and didn't think anything of it until she came across a very upset Fluttershy and felt guilty. I know this is cliched, overused, and all sorts of bad things, but I kind of want a body switching episode. It would make sense because Twilight is even more powerful than the time she switched her friend's very destinies, and since she's still learning new spells, perhaps she comes across a body switching spell, and maybe she has to try and work without magic. I don't want the whole "in the shoes of another pony" sort of lesson to go with this episode. I don't want her to switch bodies just to understand how another sees the world. Since in the Magical Mystery Cure, Celestia says that they are all her students now, it would give Twilight a chance to learn how to teach some pony how to use magic when she can't just show how it's done. I also really hope that since they've upped Twilight's powers, they also increase the danger and difficulty Twilight has to face. I'm not sure how they will do this since from episode one the fate of Equestria was in her hooves, but maybe it becomes more difficult because the challenges become more personal.

To me, with the anthropomorphized design, it kind of looks like they were too scared to go full on human. OK, so Twilight is jumping into a different dimension and physical changes aren't out of the ordinary, but other than the ears and wings, there's nothing separating these characters from oddly coloured humans. Overall I don't have too big a bone to pick about the designs. Yeah, they do look like some sort of knock off. Also, why are all the characters wearing skirts? Most of the girls I know wear jeans. After all, it's not the 50's, girls have been allowed to wear pants for decades. Pants are also easier to animate, so you know, they could have saved themselves some time by just drawing pants, and judging by their poses, these not-Twilight's friends have similar personalities to the characters we already know. So, if I am to assume that these characters are exactly like the others, but not, then why is the Rainbow Dash looking one wearing a skirt? In fact, why are they all wearing skirts? I can see the Rarity and Fluttershy looking ones wearing skirts and dresses. Rarity loves fashion and a good skirt does wonders for your figure, and Fluttershy would probably pick something simple that doesn't stand out too much and yet is still comfortable or course, she's still just as likely to wear a worn pair of jeans rather than a flowing skirt. But Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash are more tomboyish, especially Rainbow Dash. Apple Jack would wear something more practical, that doesn't get in the way during hard work, and Rainbow Dash would wear something that doesn't impede movement as she moves. Also, dresses and skirts aren't very aerodynamic, and since these characters still have wings, I'm sure Rainbow Dash would hate the drag. She also likes to run and fly, and I can't see anyone like that wearing a skirt. Pinkie Pie is a wild card. I admit, that skirt does look nice on her, and I do like the design of the character in a more humanized form. I could see Pinkie wearing a dress, but I could see her wearing anything you could party in, which doesn't exclude many clothes. Twilight I could also see wearing a dress or skirt, but like Fluttershy, I imagine she wears something simple and comfortable. I'm trying to reserve judgement about the show/movie until I see it, but is anyone else wondering why Twilight couldn't bring her friends along? I mean, of course she's very powerful,. but a lot of her power comes from her friends, and it's clear from the synopsis that she still needs her friends to accomplish her task. And if all she needs to do is recover a crown, then why is she masquerading as a high school girl? She clearly has better and more important things to do than go to school. I also find it a little off putting that only Twilight is actually the character we've grown attached to. I can get that she needs allies in this strange new world, but why is it that the only people (can we call them that?) she has to learn friendship with, are this universe's version of her friends? Surely this would be a great time to expand her character by introducing new characters and personalities to challenge and help her. Oh, I know why the characters look like her friends, because it's an easy way to explain why there are anthropomorphized versions of the Mane Six. After all, it would be so much harder to write a story where Twilight brings ALL her friends with her. I really am trying to keep an open mind about this because, who knows, Equestria Girls could turn out very good, but the synopsis already reveals plot holes, lazy writing, and cliches. I will watch it and try to give it a fair chance. I know it's not fair to judge it before I even see it, but what I have seen of it isn't setting very high expectations. I just hope that Twilight keeps getting the names of her new friends wrong and calling then Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Apple Jack because I still don't see why they have to write out her friends and replace them with the EXACT SAME CHARACTERS.

I'm kind of split about the Japanese intro. One one hand, I love the music and I think it fits really well with the feel of the show. It's cheery and high energy. However, I'm not so sure about the images they paired with it. There's not exactly anything wrong with it, but I do like the English opening better. This kind of comes off like a fan made music video that some brony made with Movie Maker. It's not bad, but I think it could be better.

I think it's because the major point of the brony culture is that things aimed at girls can be enjoyed by boys. It's the sense of the line blurring between girls stuff and boy stuff, a step forward (I'm not sure how big a step, but it is a step) to gender equality. But separating male and female fans into bronies and pegasisters feels like a step back to the gender segregation that made being a male loving My Little Pony such an odd thing to be.