documentary on Bronies, Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony, come to Blu Ray Feb 2013

[Vasili]

[Adrian Ţepeş]

Originally Posted by Runermanyoyo

Most of the comments here are only pro-ponies. Very biased especially since you have comment approval on.

Originally Posted by BronyDoc

Yes, it is biased. Happy to allow thoughtful or funny comments that don't agree, but won't allow just plain nasty comments or trolls.

[FileTrekker]

Aw, man, that Bronycon thing was held here in Manchester, I can see from the video.

I am so ashamed now.

[The-Bleh-Bleh]

Over the few months I've watched my roommates turn into bronies. Two game design students and a mechanical engineer. The ones who didn't get converted are a software engineering student and myself, a computer science student. So we're divided.

It's kind of interesting to wonder why there's this division. I do notice that neither me or the software engineering student are particularly emotional. Heck he has aspergers. And my sister jokingly calls me a robot. When I watch something so cheery whether it's My Little Pony or The Sound of Music I feel tricked in a way. I feel like I'm being manipulated. Same goes for scary movies, emotional music or artwork. I want rational control over my emotions. I don't think this is either good or bad.

But I think my roommates who enjoy the show genuinely find meaning in it. I've discussed with them why they like it. One said that before nothing made him happy, but now something's there. I was kind of taken aback by how straight forward that was. It's not someone I would expect to hear that from. In the past I've joked about how dumb MLP is but in person I've got nothing to say. It's a show that makes grown adults genuinely happy despite the social stigma. So shit good for them.

[Nemmerle]

I've written enough on this subject before that I'll just quote myself:

Originally Posted by Nemmerle

It's not dreadfully interesting. You're not going into it wondering what's going to happen. The characters in it don't really have anything to say on any issue that you couldn't equally get out of a supermarket rag. They don't have anything interesting to say, or show, about emotional experience. And the humour, good god the humour; so horrible - it's not funny, it's just an awkward comment on creatures that seem to lack any significant social skills or ability to find those who truly share their interests.

It's basically a collection of the worst stereotypes from American high-school sitcoms... watered down. Its narrative methodology is insistent on beating people over the head with the simplest things.

I see the niche. So much of what's out there at the moment has horrible horrible characters, who tear each other down just because they can - or to reinforce a rather malign* world-view, (hi House,) - and horrible things happening just for cheap drama. But, MLPs defining characteristics seem to have more to do with the low quality of media in general than they do with any particular virtue. It's not really particularly good, it's just better than a lot of the other stuff out there.

It bores me in the same sense that Aria bores me - (in so far as Aria is like being on tranquillisers) - it bores me in all the ways that Porco Rosso and Haibane Renmei (as examples of shows that also have socially-damaged individuals but actually manage to go somewhere interesting with it) don't.

It's bright and it doesn't have teeth. And maybe some people need that, that's certainly something I'm liable to be sympathetic towards. But there's little there for those of us who don't.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it. I'm not like "I'D HAVE WON IF IT WASN'T FOR THOSE DAMNED KIDS PONIES! BWAHAHAHAA". I just... don't really have a lot of time for it.

#

* When people are taught that it's okay to be a total arsehole if you know better, and everyone's told they're above average, you just end up with a bunch of total fuckwads absorbed in an unjustified illusion of their own superiority.

[The-Bleh-Bleh]

I've got to agree with you it all seems pretty shallow to me. From the two episodes I watched I have no idea what people are talking about when they praise the plot and characters. It stands out from other cartoons that it actually has a plot and character development. But I can't help but wonder if people are rationalizing emotions incorrectly that are coming from elsewhere. I mean the character's huge eyes and cheeriness probably have something to do with why people like the show. Just speculation though.