Tag Archives: Cartoons
“Friendship is Magic, Part 1” and Howard Tayler’s three* levels of worldbuilding
Previously, I observed that “Friendship is Magic, Part 1” packs a ton of exposition into a 22-minute episode. This raises an obvious question: how does it do this without becoming boring? To address that, let’s turn to the Writing Excuses … Continue reading
Cadance and Shining’s foal is a [redacted] — and I’m actually happy about that
WARNING: spoilers ahead! If you haven’t seen the recent sneak-peak and want to go into Season 6 completely blind, turn back now. That said, this is the kind of spoiler that makes me more excited for the episode, rather than … Continue reading
The great exposition of “Friendship is Magic, Part 1”, and why “Equestria Girls” still struggles
As divisive as Equestria Girls is, most people agree that the series has improved over time. And while I believe that’s true, even the otherwise-excellent Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games have moments that make me cringe: Principal Cinch: I know … Continue reading
“Princess Spike” vs. “Party Pooped”: when is failure funny?
I would not call “Princess Spike” a “bad episode”, but I hated watching “Princess Spike”. Apparently, I’m not alone in this. By conventional wisdom, this is not surprising; Spike episodes are frequently unpopular. And “Princess Spike” typifies a common complaint … Continue reading
“Slice of Life” was bad — and I want to see more episodes like it
Hoo, boy — that just happened. And…it wasn’t very good. In fact — it was just bad.
I’m giving a panel at TrotCon! Plus, a search for an artist to commission.
I’m giving a panel at TrotCon! July 17th-19th, Columbus, OH! What the fuck have I gotten myself into!? Regardless, awhile ago I concocted an essay, but decided it would work better in presentation/speech format. If you’re going to be at … Continue reading
Awkwardness is to humor as dissonance is to music: The Pie Sisters demonstrate
Apparently, when Natasha Levinger does fanservice, she doesn’t mess around. Featuring Discord in an episode is enough to get Bronies excited, but she went all-out and brought in Maud as well. Levinger also seemed to be channeling Dave Polsky a … Continue reading
“It’s magic, I ain’t gotta explain s**t (except when I do)”: *My Little Pony* and Sanderson’s Laws of Magics
No matter how much you like this show, it’s clear that FiM‘s magic system isn’t particularly robust. There aren’t many clear rules as to how magic works in Equestria. At first glance, this seems like bad storytelling. I know I’ve … Continue reading
Why Luna is more popular than Celestia, part 2: the long shadow of “Luna Eclipsed”
When it comes to Luna and Celestia, I’m a pretty typical Brony; I certainly like Celestia, but I don’t inwardly cheer when she comes on-screen, the way I do with Luna. As I’ve argued before, much of Luna’s appeal comes … Continue reading
“It’s for kids” is not an excuse (and we don’t need one, anyway)
[EDIT: To clarify, I don’t think for a second that Miller uses “it’s for kids” as an excuse to phone it in. If he did, Season 4 would not be nearly as good as it is. My concern was more … Continue reading
