Wow, soldiers too? Cool. I think the fact that my brother was getting married like 5 days later partly interested him in the MLP wedding. But I know he’s listened to me watch it as well because I would hear him shout comments to me about it from adjacent rooms 
So, John de Lancie has accidentally revealed that he’s coming back season three. Skip to 8:15.
Um, should I even admit how much I flipped out when I heard that? 
CAN’T. FRIGGIN. WAIT.
lennonluvr: Haha turn your bro into a brony, man! Get him to join the herd!
Rac: Wow, this is incredible news. I wonder if he returns as Discord or voices a different character.
Also, self-plug here, but it’s the last day for WeLoveFine’s T-shirt design contest. My entry for Twilight Sparkle is below, do gimme a hand and click on it, sign up and vote 5 stars.
And to all those who voted for me, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! 
Awesome! Discord is to Twilight as Q is to Capt. Picard 
Sorry if this is common knowledge and I’m just ignorant but - when is the show coming back? I hope it’s coming back this month like last year…
Well, thedriveintheatre got me into this show, and I’ve just finished the first season. The first thing that I liked was the animation, because it’s really really good. The show is colorful, with cute characters, and is overall well-drawn. As for the series… Let’s start with the things I didn’t like. I know it’s silly to rant about the predictability of a kids’ show, but the first half of the season IS predictable. You can just see the episodes through. The second half gets better. Another thing I must admit is that the whole idea of “writing letters about friendship to your ruler” seems a bit forced to me. But oh well, if there must be a way to sum up the episode’s idea, this one is fine. So, enough with disadvantages. What did I love in this show? Characters and their quirks, jokes, songs, references, breaking the fourth wall from time to time. I like that when the show gets too sweet or cheesy, there is a character (usually Spike) who points that out. Speaking of which, I think Spike might be my favorite (or one of them) character. I love a character with a healthy amount of sarcasm. 
Actually, I thing this show is a bit overrated, and I’m surprised at the HUMONGOUS amount of praise it gets from adult audience. For example, since I’m helping to fan-sub Fraggle Rock now, I can’t help comparing these two shows. They are similar in some ways (with the “message of the episode” and stuff), and I think MLP loses to Fraggle Rock. And no guess which show gets more love.
To sum up all my rant, MLP may not be my favorite show, but it’s definitely a good one. Onward to the second season!
Last I saw it was sometime in November though I dont remember what the date was
I’m a huge fan of this show, but the episodes that feature The Cutie Mark Crusaders aren’t that great to me. I always find myself struggling to stay interested during their episodes.
I can understand that. I love the CMC, but I’m not sure if their episodes are a strong suit of the series.
Glad you like it though!
I have to agree. Their episodes, stink IMO. I dislike them. Like, I like the characters, but separate, not as a group. 
I don’t personally think that the CMC episodes are all that bad; at least not the ones I’ve seen so far. But maybe half the reason is because I gawk at how insanely adorable the CMC character design is! I can’t begin to tell you guys how many times I’ve taken an hour to go through one episode just because I kept pausing on the frames to “awww” over them (especially lil’ AppleBloom!) Of course, I think all the ponies are insanely cute – and of course, I’ve enjoyed every episode I’ve seen thus far. That’s just me, of course; once I find something I get obsessed over you’d have to try really hard to make me not love it! 
I didn’t like The Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes very much either, though I liked the episodes about Granny Smith’s backstory and when Rarity with Sweetie Belle took part in a race (do they ever count as CMC episodes, anyway? I guess not quite.)
Ouch. 
No, no, I see what you mean and respect your opinion. They’re not very strong episodes.
Agreed! I really am bored with those. I just wanna shake em and be like “You can sing, you can make stuff, and you uh, scoot”
^Scoot, haha. 
In other news—this show is coming back later this month, isn’t it?
That is correct. In fact, it premiered today.
Here’s a Youtube link for those who need one: youtube.com/watch?v=Mzf9wI29neA
To be honest, I’m kind of surprised I never came here and announced my love for this show. There are multiple reasons why I gave this show a shot, although TDIT sure did help there. The first time I heard about this was when Sonic X Parody writers Cyberlink and GameBuddy did a MLP:FiM Parody for April fools last year. (Link: youtube.com/watch?v=6Nv8gZ8jGAA&feature=plcp )
Then I started seeing Pixar Planeteers praising it and it really got me thinking… There must be something interesting here if these guys like it. So I asked TDIT what episode(s) to watch and he sent me an episode recommended list which was mentioned earlier in this thread. I ended up choosing Fall Weather Friends. That was all I watched. Next day at school, I couldn’t stop wondering why I couldn’t stop thinking about the show. It must be good if it’s making me think and I’m not having any initial problems with it. So that night I started at the beginning and marathoned up to Season 2 episode 2 (Which had not aired yet) within a few nights.
Since then I’ve been keeping up with the series, watching new episodes as the air via Brony State or waiting for them to go up on Youtube later that day. It turns out most of my friends also became fans of the show and we all slowly kinda “came out” about it to one another and now we have one more thing to talk about in our daily Skype chat.
Also, since I’m also a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, doing an art piece like this one seemed fitting:
So I’m wondering what anyone’s thoughts were on the Season 3 Premiere? My thoughts done super-fast in spoiler form:
I thought it was okay.
Personally I feel it’s the weakest villain so far, even less then Nightmare Moon. He looked like an OC pony and only had like 2 lines. Also he only excisted so there was a time crunch.
There was some slightly dark imagery in the beginning though. I do like the idea of this unknown empire of Ponies and what their history is. The design of the empire was at least a little interesting. Characters were still in character, so it’s not like it was bad.
Love the drawing!
And I enjoyed the premiere. Terrific songs! But I will agree [spoil]that the villain was pretty weak. Didn’t have the charisma of Discord or the appeal of Nightmare Moon. But he was alright.[/spoil]
I like the idea of this Crystal Empire though and think that if they really build on it, this universe could become really interesting.
Haha, I’m so glad that you took up on my advice, MyGames19! Thanks for sharing your joining-the-herd experience, it’s great that you had more luck with IRL brony friends, which is more than I can say for mine. 
But they respect my interest, though, and sometimes humour me with memes. I also just insta-faved that Sonic-RD crossover pic on dA (which I’m logged in to at the same time now) after seeing it here. Dunno how I hadn’t discovered that artpiece by you before, haha!
I share MyGames and Leirin’s sentiments on the latest antagonist. He really did feel like an OC with that garish colour scheme, although the outfit and voice is menancing enough. I was disappointed we didn’t get to know him better or hear “his side” of the story.
I just watched The Crystal Empire premiere with my bro who flew in from Australia last night. Unfortunately he crossed the border to Dreamland after Part 1. He blames it on the jet lag.
Did I have better luck than him in staying awake to find out if Twilight survives meeting her darkest fear? Why not take a deep breath and read my review of the two-parter on Tumblr?
thedriveintheatre.tumblr.com/pos … he-crystal
Or… you can just scroll down after the break. !!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Seeing as the episode is one-week old and available on Youtube, I’m not redacting it.
MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC S3E1&2 ‘THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE’ REVIEW
SNOW WAY OUT: Twilight Sparkle (centre) faces her darkest fear in the two-parter Season 3 premiere, The Crystal Empire.
Last Monday, a Pixar Planet forum member asked me on Facebook if I’ve seen the Season 3 premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I told her I haven’t, but that I would see it on Youtube “tonight”.
“Tonight” turned out to be six nights later on Saturday.
My abhorrent procrastination habit and graveyard-shift working hours aside, I finally caught up with Twilight and Company’s latest adventure yesterday (probably a few hours before the next episode’s debut). It turns out Equestria is facing yet another apocalyptic crisis, and it’s up to the unicorn version of John McClane and her crack team of elite operatives to save the day again.
I can just imagine the film adaptation title - Twi Hard: With A Vengeance. Or The Neigh Team.
This time, though, Princess Celestia has defined the mission as some sort of “test”, before her “faithful student” can move on the next phase of her studies in friendship. It is not only Princess Luna who has a lack of faith on Twilight’s chance of success – for the first time in the series, our protagonist experiences… self-doubt (gasp!). She even elaborates on this in a musical number, of which there are a few in this double-episode season premiere.
The premise is that an alternate kingdom populated by Crystal Ponies (as the name implies, they are ponies who appear to be literally made of crystal) has re-emerged after a thousand-year curse by its former ruler, King Sombra, has been lifted. Apparently King Sombra was not a very benevolent monarch, although no explanation is given for his tyranny. Twilight and her friends are tasked with returning the “Crystal Empire” to its former glory with “love and hope”, while not letting “hate and fear” take hold.
The Mane Six journey to the Crystal Empire, where they meet Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, who we last saw being wed in the Season 2 Finale. The couple are desperately trying to protect the kingdom from falling to King Sombra again, who lurks in the Arctic Tundra outside a force-field being cast by Princess Cadence. Much like Season 2’s invasion of the Changelings, a lot hangs on one character “watching the yard” while the rest race against time to solve a mystery. One wonders why Princess Celestia doesn’t train more mages as backup after this many world-threatening catastrophes.
After several compelling villains and their respective attempts at world domination in the series, it comes as a bit of a disappointment to me that King Sombra and his threats don’t stand up to their predecessors. Besides the fact that Twilight is saving a “foreign country” and not her home like in previous conflicts (although I think there was a mention that the fall of the Crystal Empire would have an adverse effect on Equestria), there are no personal stakes involved beyond Twilight’s idea of self-worth. Although the change in locale was refreshing, there is nothing that distinguishes the Crystal Empire from Ponyville or Canterlot in terms of its architecture or denizens. Sure, there’s a neat spire in the middle giving it a Art Deco-futurism vibe, but it would’ve been more interesting if more exotic architecture or species were played with.
King Sombra also doesn’t get much screentime beyond skulking on the periphery as a whispy apparition. I wished that there was a scene where he would personally taunt Twilight and friends or at least have a one-minute conversation on his motivations or ideals, but no dice. We are left with a one-dimensional villain who is being bad for no reason, unlike Nightmare Moon (banished by alter-ego’s sister), Discord (imprisoned in stone and has a penchant for mischief) and Chrysalis (feeds on love for survival). He does have a pretty cool outfit and voice, though.
The plot is also rather convoluted and drawn-out. After questioning a few of the mopey-looking Crystal Ponies and conducting some research in a library, the Mane Six discover they have to host a fair to restore the citizens’ joi de vivre, which will then be channelled through a mechanism called a Crystal Heart to protect the kingdom. But the Crystal Heart is missing, so Twilight has to go look for it, while her friends scramble to buy time with the increasingly curious fair visitors, and so on. My brother, who watched the first part with me, didn’t understand why Applejack was trying to hide the Crystal Heart until I explained it to him the next day.
Granted, it’s no more complicated than the previous premiere/finale adventures, but for some reason, I felt a little underwhelmed with this one. Maybe it’s the Crystal Ponies concept (Are they literally made of crystal? Or do they look that way because of the Crystal Heart?), or how King Sombra’s challenges of Penrose stairs and electrical spikes don’t really make sense or tie in to his “theme”, unlike, say, Discord who turns everything topsy-turvy in line with his mischievous personality or Nightmare Moon who sets up Odysseus-like trials that test the Elements of Harmony.
Despite all these shortcomings, it’s still a great two-parter overall. The Mane Six get to bounce jokes and small talk off each other amid the impending crisis, and there are some cute moments involving Pinkie playing Sam Fisher and Rainbow and Fluttershy engaging in a poniefied version of jousting. There was also a moving scene where Twilight encounters one of Sombra’s traps which makes its viewers experience their darkest fear. For our insecure heroine, it was her self-validation by the Princess, and the despair and hopelessness of her brief exchange with a disappointed Princess Celestia alone is on a par with the dramatic endings of The Return of Harmony Part 1 and A Canterlot Wedding Part 1. Spike also gets to “stare into the abyss”, and it’s interesting to ponder what other characters would have witnessed had they tried the same thing.
Daniel Ingram and Megan McCarthy’s songs are a treat to listen to (as usual) and the whole Disney-musical vibe is one of my favourite aspects of the series. It’s also nice to see returning characters like Armor and Cadence, which brings some sense of continuity to the series. A major hint is dropped that there’s more in store for Twilight, with an enigmatic MacGuffin introduced by the Princess sisters at the end of Part 2. There were also rumours that John de Lancie would be returning as a voice actor for the series, although he’s not in this episode.
Overall, this is an above-average, if serviceable, start to the new season. I am a little disappointed that the villain didn’t have more to do or say, and that the story just felt a bit weaker than previous Big Bad adventures. But the wonderful animation, catchy music, adorable humour (Rarity pulls off a sartorial feat that you have to see to believe) and heartwarming moments make up for the shortfalls, and there’s a long way to go before MLP: FIM loses its magic touch.
And that’s a test I believe the makers won’t fail for a long time.
…
Thanks for reading! If you liked it, do reblog or reply on Tumblr. Looking forward to Episode 3, which should be out now.
I finally got around to finishing the second season. I thought the two part wedding episode was awesome overall and a few thoughts. First, when was there ever a reference to the fact that Twilight had a brother? Second, as much as I enjoyed the finale, I always think it’s kind of weird to see episodes when there’s so much action. I wonder, does this want to be an action or a comedy show? Third, the music and songs were awesome. They had a Disney fell to them. I wonder what was with all the hype when the finale originally aired on The Hub. I was thinking that a major character was getting married with the way they hyped the episodes.