Support NeoGAF

[Foxix Von]

Stop this list war nonsense. All of the mane 6 are fantastic .

Dragonshy and sonic rainboom are the beat IMO. Avoid party of one at all costs.

Yeah I sorta think party of one works best when you already know all the characters.... especially Pinkie. Using that as a first episode doesn't necessarily seem like a good idea.

 

[Dai101]

Are we actually cool with posting lists? I PMed for the official rankings a while back but I never posted it for public scrutiny.

Applejack
Rainbow Dash
Rarity (She and Twilight were almost a complete tie, but Art of the Dress propelled her)
Twilight Sparkle
Pinkie Pie
Fluttershy

I'll understand if you want to banish me, or throw me in a dungeon. Or banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banished me to.

<<<<<<<<<< Samus Jack is pleased

 

[DeadPhoenix]

I would love to sit down and play a DnD themed pony game. That'd be down right amazing.

There's a bit of D&D stuff already out there for MLP, though probably not enough to make a campaign on(as far as I'm aware of anyways). If you are willing to go outside of D&D though, some have gone though the process of actually making a Savage Worlds book for FIM, and there are probably others as well.

 

[AdawgDaFAB]

Yay for Applejack fans making their presence known!

That said:

Stop this list war nonsense. All of the mane 6 are fantastic.

I agree with this!

Also, while Party of One is a fantastic episode I would say it is a horrible episode to introduce someone to the show with. Something like Dragonshy w/ all of the mane 6 having good showings in the episode works way better.

 

[Pancakes]

Ninja luna is the best luna.

Source

 

[Mirimar]

Pon-3 Rockband

 

[EatChildren]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

 

[Pandaman]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

thats unfortunate that you feel that way.

here in ponyGAF we try to love and tolerate all people, so i hope you can stay and maybe even reconsider the amount of deep-seated rage you feel towards the hated apple devil.

 

[Ellis Kim]

This prejudice of ponies between ponies is tearing us apart, guys. You're ruining PonyGAF

Equestria Daily did this poll a few months ago

Bridle gossip is NOT better than swarm of the century.

 

[Pancakes]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

 

[Mirimar]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

Aren't they all equally terrible?

 

[2th]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

 

[Neki]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

You're a great man. you know this right?

 

[2th]

egophiliac does some great stuff yet again.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Personally, I think Dragonshy or Sonic Rainboom are the best introductory episodes. The latter doesn't really have much AJ but who cares about her.

 

[Dark Phoenix]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

 

[Quinnjaminn]

Actually, now that I think of it, I've been starting to avoid more and more fan based material lately because it seems to be more of the same such as 'Rainbow Dash ships with everything' or 'Down with Trollestia, up with the Lunar Republic!'. I guess I'm just feeling the effects of the drought and I'm really looking forward to some new material the fanbase is able to come up with once the second season comes out. Also it seems like the deeper into the drought we get the more outrageous some of the fan works get from what I've seen out there.

So what do you guys think? Are any of you getting a little burned out from the fan made stuff, especially if you have been a fan of the show for a long time?

Hmm, I also find I'm getting less excited about every random comic, PMV, and whatnot. I'm not sure if it's simply a matter of getting burned out or if it's a side effect of the lack of new content. I started watching in February, and one of my favorite parts of the fandom was watching new memes spring up from each episode. Over A Barrel aired, then a flood of "Fluttershy is a Tree" stuff started popping up. I think it's more of an issue of there only being so much you can do with 26 episodes of content. As such, we get a lot of content that is reminiscent of earlier work (The "Rainbow Dash with Everything" effect).

Recently, I've found myself actually reading some more fan-fiction. As I've mentioned before, I really enjoyed Fallout: Equestria, and I think fan-fiction is a medium that can continue to excel even between seasons. In some ways, I have become a bit burnt out on pony stuff, in the sense that I no longer freak out about every PMV with a sonic rainboom. However, I still get just as excited about any genuinely interesting pony related fan works. Egophilliac's work continues to make me smile, and the occasional videos pop up that blow me away.

 

[Narag]

Sounds like you're just developing discerning taste.

 

[Regulus Tera]

A vote for Rainbow Dash is a vote for XTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM.

And that's lame.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

I'm crying right now

 

[Orcastar]

I sure do miss a lot when I don't check on the thread for a couple of days. So we're back to lists, huh? Well, here is the one I submitted a few weeks ago when we were compiling the ultimate list:
1.Twilight
2.Pinkie Pie
3.Fluttershy
4.Rarity
5.Rainbow Dash
6.Applejack

Spoiler

Please don't lynch me

It was really hard even coming up with a list. All of them are so likable that the only one I could even put ahead of the others by a smidgen would be Twilight with everyone else tied for second place.

As for the Pinkamena tumblr mentioned earlier, I love the artwork, but the content doesn't do much for me. While crazy, murderous Pinkie Pie was kind of funny at first it's kind of worn out its welcome for me after having had to see that sort of stuff for months pop up here and there ever since 'Cupcakes' came out in February I believe (doesn't help that I don't care too much for grimdark in ponies anyway).

Actually, now that I think of it, I've been starting to avoid more and more fan based material lately because it seems to be more of the same such as 'Rainbow Dash ships with everything' or 'Down with Trollestia, up with the Lunar Republic!'. I guess I'm just feeling the effects of the drought and I'm really looking forward to some new material the fanbase is able to come up with once the second season comes out. Also it seems like the deeper into the drought we get the more outrageous some of the fan works get from what I've seen out there.

So what do you guys think? Are any of you getting a little burned out from the fan made stuff, especially if you have been a fan of the show for a long time?

Lynch you? For an awesome list like that?

Spoiler

Couldn't find a Twilight & Pinkie brohoof image...

I've noticed myself devoting less time to the fan stuff too. A few months ago I would watch practically every PMV that was posted on EQ, but now I've constantly got almost 200 pony videos on my Youtube 'watch later' list and little enthusiasm to go over all of them. I still get a kick out of seeing a really good PMV or hearing a great fan song, but I just can't trudge through all the mediocre ones that use the same tired clips over and over again to get to the good stuff anymore.

I'm sure season 2 will get us all back on track though. Then again, looking at the amount of fanworks that are being made now during the drought, it'll be impossible to keep up with the explosion of new stuff once the fans get their hands on official new material.

 

[Myke Greywolf]

Alright Pony-GAFfers! I need some assistance in a dire matter.

Apparently my girlfriend's younger sister has yet to experience the wonder of My Little Pony and we are unsure how to best lure her into the series. She's a bit skeptical of ponies but me and the lady pretty sure we can get her on board.

So what's the consensus on the single best episode to introduce someone new to the series?

I'd personally go for Dragonshy or Swarm of the Century, because these two:

- Are adventure-based episodes
- Have great moments for all of the mane six
- Are just all-around great quality episodes

I think it would be hard for any open-minded person with some tolerance for cute stuff not to love these episodes.

 

[akira28]

http://askpinkaminadianepie.tumblr.com/


Wow. Inspired.

 

[Whogie]

^^^ What in the hell?

I think the best introductory episodes are Party of One and Sonic Rainboom. Both because they're some of the better episodes, but in Sonic Rainboom's case, it's also good introduction to most of the characters (and as a Rarity fan, she's hilarious in this episode.) For Party of One, Pinkie's dementia scenes demonstrate the show's ability for the humor to go beyond what one would probably expect to see from "My Little Pony".

 

[Choppasmith]

Speaking of Scoot. It's Dawwsome!

http://i.imgur.com/ZsVnW.jpg

Okay, I'm not big on Scootaloo or Dash, but that's an awesome pic!

Anyway, while cleaning up today, found a bunch of VHS tapes I recorded over a decade ago of various shows I watched. Mostly Toonami. Had some Tenchi Muyo and Reboot.

My sister and I had a fun time comparing the Tenchi cast to the Mane 6. Mostly agreeing that Ayeka would totally get her ass kicked by Rarity.

And for Reboot, well did you know little Andraia was voiced by Andrea Libman (Pinkie Pie/Fluttershy)? Yeah, she VERY young in this. Her voice is so squeaky it's almost like there's a voice changer effect going on. But you can still hear a little from her future Pony voices

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Z58rwgNk4

Only clip I could find sorry.

 

[Songbird]

Okay, I found something just now that you guys might appreciate: Seventh Sanctum now has a Magical Legend Pony generator, "not necessarily related to a large, popular re-envisioning of a pony-based cartoon/merchandise series."

Why do I like it so much? It gave us G-Fex Pony.

This small stallion is an earth pony who is quiet. His coat is white. He has an elaborately-styled mane. His eyes are umber. His mark is a card.

 

[DrForester]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

Your trolling has no effect on us!

 

[Boss Doggie]

Sign me up for the anti-Rainbow Sue party.

 

[DrForester]

 

[Captain Fish]

As for the Pinkamena tumblr mentioned earlier, I love the artwork, but the content doesn't do much for me. While crazy, murderous Pinkie Pie was kind of funny at first it's kind of worn out its welcome for me after having had to see that sort of stuff for months pop up here and there ever since 'Cupcakes' came out in February I believe (doesn't help that I don't care too much for grimdark in ponies anyway).

Actually, now that I think of it, I've been starting to avoid more and more fan based material lately because it seems to be more of the same such as 'Rainbow Dash ships with everything' or 'Down with Trollestia, up with the Lunar Republic!'. I guess I'm just feeling the effects of the drought and I'm really looking forward to some new material the fanbase is able to come up with once the second season comes out. Also it seems like the deeper into the drought we get the more outrageous some of the fan works get from what I've seen out there.

So what do you guys think? Are any of you getting a little burned out from the fan made stuff, especially if you have been a fan of the show for a long time?

I've definitely been feeling some season break fatigue. I didn't expand on it before, but as far as I'm concerned the next season can't come fast enough.

Most of my issue comes from 'serious' content that's treated as if it were in-universe. It often comes across in a sloppy way that makes me less excited about the official content. A good example is any comic in which a character is 'beaten up' (usually emotionally, but not always) just so the contrast of the final daaaaw panel (characters hugging or similar) is stronger. It's a pretty cheap way to elicit an emotional response, and usually involves characters from the show acting in extreme ways (my main issue). The Luna Celestia fan mail comic springs to mind.

I still really enjoy the more outrageous fan comics, all of the fan art and well done serious stuff like Carek's North Star comic. I find the outrageous stuff easy to ignore because it doesn't position itself as taking the canon and just expanding on it. That's why stuff like the Pinkamena Tumblr doesn't really bother me.

 

[Boss Doggie]

That's why you avoid the fandom at all costs.

 

[LosDaddie]

Thought of you guys while we were out grocery shopping this weekend:

and here's a better pic of the box:

 

[Calpain]

Hmm, I also find I'm getting less excited about every random comic, PMV, and whatnot. I'm not sure if it's simply a matter of getting burned out or if it's a side effect of the lack of new content. I started watching in February, and one of my favorite parts of the fandom was watching new memes spring up from each episode. Over A Barrel aired, then a flood of "Fluttershy is a Tree" stuff started popping up. I think it's more of an issue of there only being so much you can do with 26 episodes of content. As such, we get a lot of content that is reminiscent of earlier work (The "Rainbow Dash with Everything" effect).

I also started watching back in February and I agree it was wonderful to watch each new episode come out and see the reactions! Made me wish I had started watching the series earlier considering the epic flip outs people would have and then the flood of material that would come afterwards.

I also think you're correct about the content issue. There are only so many scenes from the episodes that you can lip synch songs to or make game trailers from. Fanfics can only go so far with the canon material so as they exhaust what's plausible they have to start to stretch what's canon in order to come up with an original story.

Recently, I've found myself actually reading some more fan-fiction. As I've mentioned before, I really enjoyed Fallout: Equestria, and I think fan-fiction is a medium that can continue to excel even between seasons. In some ways, I have become a bit burnt out on pony stuff, in the sense that I no longer freak out about every PMV with a sonic rainboom. However, I still get just as excited about any genuinely interesting pony related fan works. Egophilliac's work continues to make me smile, and the occasional videos pop up that blow me away.

Unfortunately, I've never really been able to get into fanfics (especially ship fics). I've read a couple off of EqD as I trust the prereaders there to help filter out the bad stories, but while what I have read was actually quite nice, stories with multiple chapters just don't catch enough of my interest to keep me reading them.

At the same time, I'm not saying there isn't anything still worth looking at. As you said, Ego still puts out some grin worthy stuff, it looks like Madmax is back with some pictures and comics and we have Carek as well of course! Plus I see a decent number of good pics a day from various artists as I post images to Ponibooru.

There's still much to look forward to as long as original ideas keep surfacing, but it's just the old hat stuff that gets tiresome for sure.

I still really enjoy the more outrageous fan comics, all of the fan art and well done serious stuff like Carek's North Star comic. I find the outrageous stuff easy to ignore because it doesn't position itself as taking the canon and just expanding on it. That's why stuff like the Pinkamena Tumblr doesn't really bother me.

The outrageous stuff can actually be really funny and I agree that it is due to it being so far out there from canon that you can't really take it seriously at all.
As for the serious stuff taken too seriously by some of the fans that has been a concern of mine as well, especially since the drought hit. There's having fun with canon material and then there's stretching it to meet some sort of special view you, and maybe others, have of the world.
Some interpretations have made me sometimes rethink certain episodes and made me a little less excited about them, but the best thing to do is just to try and ignore those sorts of interpretations and stick with your own interpretation.

 

[Wolf Akela]

???

 

[Nishastra]

It's a harp at an angle.

Like Lyra.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Oh, I thought it was a necklace after some thinking.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

I dont think Party of One is a good introductory episode, its really awesome but it doesnt work if you dont know Pinkie Pie before hand. Thats why its one of the last of the series. And thats how it has to stay, is like the surprise (if you dont know about it) you are going to get if you are watching the series in order, and the one that will probably will get you say "damn, even if I find the series good i never thought there were going to cross that line, this feels awesome".

Thats how I expereince it, and thats what caused an impact of me.

I also think you need to know well Rainbow Dash (and Rarity) to see the amazing things that occur during Sonic Rainboom being as awesoe as they are.

I think Dragonshy has the perfect amount of jokes you would be surprised of this type of series, you can clearly see how the characters are, even if you dont know nothing about them, and you can see all the episode that Fluttershy is in her usual cute mode, to then at the end do what she does, without breaking her typical character (something I think that Party of One does, as you see too much of Pinkeamena and too little of normal Pinkie in that episode to judge the character beforehand), and creating a funny alteration. The Dragon character is also really good as a "villian" in the episode. Thats why it works really well as introductory episode for the series.
BUT I will always like to stay to the original order, thats how I think you grow on the series, and thats how I told my friends to watch it. I always tell them to give the show a chance until Dragonshy, and if they dont like Dragonshy nor the rest of the episodes, they can stop watching, and it has always work and are now fans.
I like how the first two episodes act as an intro, and I think they are really good for the start of a series, with the plot and the introduction of all the main charcaters.

 

[Calpain]

I'm going to also agree that awesome character centered episodes like Party of One and Sonic Rainboom aren't the best for new comers. Character centered episodes need some introduction to how the characters tick before hand so you can experience the full effect of those episodes.

Group centric episodes tend to be the best with Dragon Shy, Bridle Gossip, and Swarm of the Century being what I would recommend to new comers. Dragon Shy I would say is the best as each character gets a little bit of the spot light and stays very much in character for the most part, plus it has more focus on adventure which can help dispel the 'girly' stigma that surrounds the show.

The only problem I might have with the episode is that it shows Rainbow Dash to be a much larger jerk than usual as she constantly rags on Fluttershy and doesn't even apologize by the end of the episode. I know she is usually rather brash and can be pretty blunt, but her depiction in that episode might give the first time viewer the impression that she is a much larger jerk than she is.

 

[Dai101]

Rainbow Dash is the worst.

You're my very best friend now

 

[Orcastar]

Well lookie what the mailman brought for me today:

This was a "Men's Classic T-Shirt" (brand: B&C) from the European shirt store, size L. I must admit I'm a bit disappointed in the size of the print; it looked a lot bigger on the Spreadshirt website, and looking at the pics Threesix posted earlier, this one is definitely smaller. Makes the shirt look bigger than it really is too. Other than that, the quality seems good and it's just the right size for me.

Still, as awesome as the design itself is, the shirt isn't quite as awesome as I though. Maybe the AA shirt would have had a bigger print, but for some reason the European store didn't have that option when I ordered this one. Right now I'm thinking I'll order Myke's design on an AA shirt too see how different the print is and possibly rebuy Ellis' design if it turns out to be significantly better.

 

[Amibguous Cad]

Dragonshy strikes me as a character-centric episode that requires knowledge of and love for one of the characters to really work, I think. I'd you're going to change the order, I think Bridle Gossip and Swarm of the Century are the no-brainers. In any case, I'd suggest going to the characterization-heavy episodes pretty soon after the introduction. I think the reason why the show tends to be a slow burn for some people is that much of the appeal and humor comes from knowing the characters. As a result, I'd suggest going to the pilots, Ticket Master, or Cutie Mark Chronicles after the first episode.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

I wonder how diehard retro MLP fans think about the FIM episodes. I mean, there are retro Transformers fans, He-Man fans, Thundercats fans who all didn't like the new episodes of "their" cartoon, surely there have to be MLP fans with the same mindset. Right?

 

[Adelor Lyon]

I dont think Party of One is a good introductory episode, its really awesome but it doesnt work if you dont know Pinkie Pie before hand. Thats why its one of the last of the series. And thats how it has to stay, is like the surprise (if you dont know about it) you are going to get if you are watching the series in order, and the one that will probably will get you say "damn, even if I find the series good i never thought there were going to cross that line, this feels awesome".

Came to post this.

Also, I still show people the pilot, and then if they've got time/patience, episode 3. Those aren't the strongest episodes, but it's a great introduction to each character and the world, and IMO that's what makes this show so special. Even though most people think those three aren't particularly strong episodes, I respond with "it just keeps getting better and better and better." Most people are interested by that point, and occasionally I'll throw on Winter Wrap Up to show how absolutely crazy the production values get to halfway through the series.

I wonder how diehard retro MLP fans think about the FIM episodes. I mean, there are retro Transformers fans, He-Man fans, Thundercats fans who all didn't like the new episodes of "their" cartoon, surely there have to be MLP fans with the same mindset. Right?

I was a fan of Thundercats back in the day but I find it almost intolerable now (why do they, all, talk so, slowly?). That said, I loved the pilot of the new Thundercats and couldn't wait to see more, but the third episode (if you consider the pilot to be two back to back) was so terrible I almost didn't bother with the fourth episode. I still haven't watched it yet; perhaps if I get home soon enough today I'll give it a shot over dinner.

 

[Nocturnowl]

If we are still debating best introductory episodes I have to go with The Ticket Master.
All ponies play a part and allow their personalities to shine through their reasons for wanting the ticket, solid dialogue with some light humour, i'd say the episode just hits all the right notes where it counts for an introduction.
No it isn't the best episode but It serves as a good introduction. Keep in mind that chronologically it's the first episode after the starting duo and what did everyone always say about this show? "The first two episodes aren't that great an indicator of the whole show" (or something along those lines at least), clearly the third episode which is Ticket Master is the one that greatly influenced this standard statement, ergo most of us are here because the ticket master convinced us to keep watching.
I rest my air tight and irrefutable case.

 

[Adelor Lyon]

If we are still debating best introductory episodes I have to go with The Ticket Master.

It's also interesting to note that the only episodes Lauren Faust wrote were Episodes 1 and 2, and she co-wrote "Ticket Master" (Episode 3) with Amy Keating Rogers. Amy also wrote "Apple Buck Season," "Bridle Gossip," "Fall Weather Friends," and "A Dog and Pony Show."

 

[Orcastar]

If we are still debating best introductory episodes I have to go with The Ticket Master.
All ponies play a part and allow their personalities to shine through their reasons for wanting the ticket, solid dialogue with some light humour, i'd say the episode just hits all the right notes where it counts for an introduction.
No it isn't the best episode but It serves as a good introduction. Keep in mind that chronologically it's the first episode after the starting duo and what did everyone always say about this show? "The first two episodes aren't that great an indicator of the whole show" (or something along those lines at least), clearly the third episode which is Ticket Master is the one that greatly influenced this standard statement, ergo most of us are here because the ticket master convinced us to keep watching.
I rest my air tight and irrefutable case.

I'll have to disagree with you on the Ticket Master. Yes, it's a great episode, but the whole premise is very cliched and typical of shows aimed at girls. In fact, I remember being somewhat disappointed when first seeing Ticket Master just for this reason; after the adventury pilot episodes (which I really liked), it felt like a step back, like the rest of the show might turn out to be exactly the kind of vapid entertainment that the franchise is known for. Luckily I persisted, but someone on the fence might make the decision to give up before realizing how well the tired premise is actually handled.

In most cases I'd go with Dragonshy as a first episode.

 

[brian577]

My friend participated in an International Friendship Day gift exchange last month and got this today. It was made by the person who makes the Cutiemark pins, and she included a Fluttershy pin in addition to the figurine. Interestingly enough her Deviant Art page says she's planning to make a Belle Eve figurine. http://kanamai.deviantart.com/

 

[Pandaman]

the cutiemark pin person is a gaffer too?

doth GAFs reach exceed its grasp?
neigh.

Spoiler

it might be a commision, but we got carek so maybe we're just that awesome

 

[Nocturnowl]

I'll have to disagree with you on the Ticket Master. Yes, it's a great episode, but the whole premise is very cliched and typical of shows aimed at girls. In fact, I remember being somewhat disappointed when first seeing Ticket Master just for this reason; after the adventury pilot episodes (which I really liked), it felt like a step back, like the rest of the show might turn out to be exactly the kind of vapid entertainment that the franchise is known for. Luckily I persisted, but someone on the fence might make the decision to give up before realizing how well the tired premise is actually handled.

In most cases I'd go with Dragonshy as a first episode.

Each to their own, i've never quite got the use of Dragonshy as an introduction myself. The episode is too focused on Fluttershy and her crippling fear. I'd say that an episode based around the adorable character of the bunch being afraid of a Dragon is a more shall we say "girly" approach than most episodes. Hell she even deals with her fears in the end with a "don't hurt my friends" statement combined with giving the dragon a talking to in the manner that a mother does to a child that's not on their best behavior.

But I think i'm on my own train of thought with this one judging by most recommendations

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Well lookie what the mailman brought for me today:

This was a "Men's Classic T-Shirt" (brand: B&C) from the European shirt store, size L. I must admit I'm a bit disappointed in the size of the print; it looked a lot bigger on the Spreadshirt website, and looking at the pics Threesix posted earlier, this one is definitely smaller. Makes the shirt look bigger than it really is too. Other than that, the quality seems good and it's just the right size for me.

.

Its the european store finally open? Time to buy!