I really can't say much else. It's a 9/10. Ok, you want more? Let's talk the three plots in this story.
First, the Batman interrogation of Penguin was great and it was fun to see Batman and Alfred doing legitimate detective work. Also, I'm looking forward to this gang war between Cobblepot and the Roman.
Second, the Gotham Police Department had something to do, and the inner workings of what will once again be a corrupt organization will be a fascinating subplot.
Third and finally, the Stephanie Brown story... HELL. YES. I have been waiting for this character to return and I'm thrilled the origin of the Spoiler will be left almost totally intact. She's just as funny as before and I'm really looking forward to her role in this story.
Jason Fabok did the art this issue, and his detail, his paneling, etc. was on its A-game. He's definitely up there with Greg Capullo and Patrick Gleason for top Batman artist. I'm going to miss his work...
Anyway, the only reason not to buy this is if you don't plan to buy each week. This is great stuff.
I'd equate Season 1 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to Ron White's special "They Call Me Tater Salad."
- Worst Episodes
- Best Episodes
Be honest, you didn't think this analogy was happening
when you clicked this.
It was a consistently good-to-great viewing that rarely missed and hit near the bulls-eye most of the time. Season 2 is closer to White's "You Can't Fix Stupid."
By that I mean, it hits as high, if not higher, than the predecessor, but it also misses wildly and has some of the lowest moments in the comedian's run. I really felt that in MLP: FIM Season 2.
You'll hear what I really take issue with in either the audio or YouTube videos (depending on which you choose), but I'll give a little rationale about some episodes following the rankings, so scroll on down if you want some reasoning for why episodes are bad and good.
Ranking
Episode
26
Ponyville Confidential
25
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
24
Hearth's Warming Eve
23
Dragon Quest
22
A Canterlot Wedding I
21
Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
20
A Canterlot Wedding II
19
MMMystery on the Friendship Express
18
May The Best Pet Win
17
Hearts and Hooves Day
16
The Last Roundup
15
Sweet and Elite
14
Baby Cakes
13
A Friend in Deed
12
Return to Harmony II
11
Sisterhooves Social
10
Cutie Pox
9
Return to Harmony I
8
It's About Time
7
Luna Eclipsed
6
Read It and Weep
5
Lesson Zero
4
Secret of My Excess
3
Putting Your Hoof Down
2
Family Appreciation Day
1
Hurricane Fluttershy
I wavered on the rankings for a lot of episodes (heck, 2-8 probably could be interchanged with any in that set of seven and I wouldn't debate it at all), but I feel like the episodes I set as Best and Worst were unquestionably, head-and-shoulders most deserving of those positions.
"LOL WTF R we doing?" or, "What the writing staff of this
episode was doing while working on it."
"Ponyville Confidential" was an episode I was really excited for because it was going to focus on journalism and wound up being unfathomably bad. The characters were either completely brain-dead or unlikable dirtbags; the premise, which started cute, became horrendously nonsensical; no one seems to understand how newspapers (even student-operated newspapers) work, and even the moral that has been repeated successfully in far less competent shows only manages to hit halfway.
I still cannot believe how bad a span of 22 minutes this atrocity was. There are episodes in this series I'm indifferent to, there are some I dislike, but this is the only one I outright LOATHE.
I LOL'ed
By contrast, "Hurricane Fluttershy" is an episode I outright LOVE. FIM earned an honor with this episode that only 4 American animated shows before it have earned with me: It produced a perfect 10/10 episode.
Though I don't rate TV episodes formally, I do keep a mental list of TV episodes that I consider outright great, and MLP found one in HF. They took a simple premise and gave it multiple levels of depth, the supporting characters were likable and helpful, no one was acting inherently badly, they avoided the cliche of 100 percent perfect ending for the main characters but left them happy with what they managed, and it managed to be laugh-out-loud funny while also inducing tears.
Before MLP, Cindy Morrow was the storyboarder for one of my favorite Powerpuff Girls episodes, "The Bare Facts," as I found out while rewatching old PPG episodes. Now she can lay claim to writing an outright great episode of television.
- Songs and Honorable Mentions
Best Song: The Smile Song (A Friend in Deed) Best Song Sequence: This Day Aria (A Canterlot Wedding II) Worst Song: Heart Carol Song (Hearth's Warming Eve) Worst Song Sequence: BBBFF (A Canterlot Wedding I)
Funniest Episode: Putting Your Hoof Down, narrowly over Lesson Zero Best Joke: Iron Will doing the extra leg shift while talking to Fluttershy when asking for his payment (Putting Your Hoof Down), narrowly beating Fluttershy in a tree (Hurricane Fluttershy) Video reviews (Going up as they are uploaded):
After A LOT of exploration of satellite areas of this show's fandom, the time has come to discuss the show that serves as its nucleus. It's time to talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
OK, so this audio looks kind of long, but I have a surprise for all of you: I am debuting a video review for this one. Yeah, my first voyage into video reviews will be the season reviews of this show. I'm as surprised as anyone. Check them out at the bottom of the page!
Because 26 episodes is A LOT to cover, I'm formatting it so that I only talk in serious detail about my bottom and top 5 episodes. The second of the three videos, which is the shortest and required the least amount of real work, has my pick for best and worst song, as well as some thoughts on other notable episodes.
Since I put as much effort as I did into the video, I'm going to just have my lists and some end-of-season awards in the text. You want more of my reasoning, check out the videos.
Anyway, to give you some exclusive content, here are my episode rankings from 1-26:
Ranking
Episode
26
Swarm of the Century
25
Owl's Well That Ends Well
24
Over A Barrel
23
Boast Busters
22
Green Isn't Your Color
21
Dog and Pony Show
20
Elements of Harmony (FIM Part 2)
19
Show Stoppers
18
Ticket Master
17
Feeling Pinkie Keen
16
Bridle Gossip
15
Winter Wrap-Up
14
Look Before You Sleep
13
Call of the Cutie
12
Stare Master
11
Dragonshy
10
Griffon the Brush-off
9
A Bird in the Hoof
8
Applebuck Season
7
Cutie Mark Chronicles
6
The Mare in the Moon (FIM Part 1)
5
Sonic Rainboom
4
Fall Weather Friends
3
Party of One
2
Suited For Success
1
The Best Night Ever
Best Song: The Art of the Dress (Suited for Success) Best Song Sequence: At the Gala (The Best Night Ever) Worst Song: Evil Enchantress - Original version (Bridle Gossip) Worst full-length song: Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song (Show Stoppers)
Funniest Episode: Party of One Best Joke: "Were we arguing? I'm sorry." (Sonic Rainboom)
I'm going to save my actual comic reviews for the audio (Give it a listen. We had two good ones this week.) and instead use the print to talk about an announcement from DC Comics.
I freaking love this cover.
It was announced that the 'Batman &' title I recently dropped from my pull list is returning to the title Batman & Robin, and there will be a Robin again come July.
It's generally assumed it will be Damian, as it makes no sense for any of the previous Robins to take up the mantle (as much as I'd like Tim Drake to just do it) and Harper Row is apparently becoming a heroine called Bluebird.
The only other major candidate would be the Carrie Kelley character they created, but it seemed clear she has no fighting skills. At a stretch, Cassandra Cain or Spoiler could take on the role upon introduction, but that wouldn't really make a lot of sense.
If it is indeed going to be Damian, my thoughts are... I have mixed emotions on it.
Don't get me wrong, I thought Damian was a great Robin and there were great stories that could be told with him alive. Heck, my top book of 2013 that would have received a 10/10 had I been giving out ratings was the Batman & Robin Annual #1 issue.
Batman Eternal #2
But the thing is, I think there are real stories that could be told with a dead Robin. I like Jason Todd as Red Hood, but I'd be lying if real emotion didn't shine through in Batman during the 1990s thanks to Todd's death.
It gives the Bat-verse a sense of stakes. Having child sidekicks is, in fact, a risk and a dead Robin is a good reminder of the weight that these battles carry.
It's already heavily implied that Jason came back in this universe thanks to Talia al-Ghul and the Lazarus Pit. And considering the issue before B&R returns to its name is titled 'Batman and Ra's al-Ghul' it looks like Damian will be back through the same means.
If any Batman character dies, there's essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card in place. If you go through the emotion of a silent issue and have Batman go through the five stages of grief, I'd rather Ra's destroy the body and leave the emotional scar.
Besides, Bluebird could serve as a great sidekick to Batman and could help distinguish New 52 Batman from pre-Flashpoint Batman. Why not make it 'Batman and Bluebird?' Or turn B&R into a true 'Brave and the Bold' style book?
See you soon, Damian?
And if you are going to do something like this, why not surprise your audience and not give them months to analyze it? I'm sure some people in DC's offices watch wrestling. Did you see the reaction to Undertaker's loss? That's going to stick with people for a LONG time.
WrestleMania XXX became must-see for any wrestling fan, even if they didn't watch it live. WWE will make lots of money off that decision. Without an issue for people to judge, this announcement could be long forgotten by the time Damian comes back or the new Robin is named.
I may still rejoin the B&R reading brigade because Bruce and Damian are great in the hands of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, but it's more likely to be like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior's second runs with WWF - unable to recapture the magic - more than a true restoration like Shawn Michaels' second run.
But hey, if you're going to take a risk, at least it's with a capable creative team.
So it's time to talk about the most powerful element of any fan base: its ability to create original stories with the characters.
I make suggestions in the audio above, but I'll do a brief synopsis of each of my major picks below. (The audio also includes "Cupcakes" thoughts, but I'm not linking it on principle.)
My Little Dashie by Robcakeran53
Synopsis: A human dealing with loneliness and a lack of closure in his life finds a young Rainbow Dash in a box and raises her for more than a decade.
The legitimate gold standard for MLP fanfictions. People rave about this story, and honestly, the hype is justified.
It's very much an 'Old Yeller' kind of story where it's mostly a chronicle of life the two have together. If anything, it needed to be longer so that the emotional punch was that much harder.
If you read ANY fic from this franchise, make it this one.
My Little Dashie: A sequel by TY 500600
Synopsis: A 'what if' where Dashie's memories aren't corrected, due to a reason explained later, and she looks to return home.
This is the best sequel of the unofficial sequels. The voice matches perfectly and there's a real theme of making sacrifices for those you care for that is present throughout. I'd say this story nearly matches the original, and I wish there was a sequel that took place after the epilogue.
My Little Dashie: The Return
Synopsis: Rainbow Dash's memories return and now she wants to see her adoptive father.
Let's move on to my other high recommendation:
Her Own Pony by Jorofrarie
Synopsis: What if the Mane 6 missed a Pinkie Pie clone during "Too Many Pinkie Pies" and she saw her fellow clones' destruction?
This one is a legitimately good story that needed to be told in my opinion. It presents a realistic 'what if' scenario and dives into what would happen if a being who had six hours life experience suddenly dealt with a massive trauma and existential crisis.
Admittedly, much of chapters 2-5 are 'sadfic' territory and really harp on what she's feeling when such detail is understood, but the actual plot gives a glimpse into a person trying to find their place in the world, all while the clone tries to reach the palace so her life might be pardoned.
It's beautifully done and kudos to this writer.
A Look into Witchcraft by Masterweaver
Synopsis: Twilight discovers the FIW universe and characters of both universes have to react to each other.
This has been both a hilarious and heartfelt story, which makes it all the more upsetting that it hasn't been updated in so long.
Seriously get on this writer to finish the story! In the meantime, check out one of his other hilarious works:
Dance of the Rainbow
Synopsis: Rainbow Dash has a family secret that she doesn't want anyone to know. What follows has to be shown, not told.
Yeah I laughed big at this thing. The end is so absurd it's amazing. The only downside is that there are clear ethical flaws in the characters that make it seem like no one learned anything from the Mare-do-well story.
My Little Powerpuff: Teamwork is Magic by PrinceofBrony
Synopsis: The Powerpuff Girls, Utonium, Mojo and Princess are thrown into Equestria and meet the Mane 6.
Much like Masterweaver's crossover, this one has had a long delay, but this one does go 7 chapters deep first. All characters are written properly and there's no faked conflict. Overall, it's a good story that could be great if an end was written for it.
Once again, get on the writer.
Bride of Discord by DisneyFanatic2364
Synopsis: The events of 'Keep Calm and Flutter On' don't happen and Discord gets free, and requests a bride in exchange for the princesses.
(I forgot to put this fic in the original audio, so it's here.)
Admittedly, I haven't read this one; I've listened to the in-progress audio series. But this is the one and only 'shipfic' that will get mention from me (Discord/Fluttershy, if you're curious). It's kept itself from going over the line into creepy territory and is actually plausible, heartfelt and funny.
The only thing I find off is the Applejack subplot (AJ/Spike, again, if you're curious), as it feels like I need more in their history to be added to make it feel in character. Otherwise, though, it's a really nicely done work. The audio series' first chapter is below.
Two very different approaches to parody humor can be seen by the two parody series I'm looking at today.
You'll get my full thoughts on each in the audio, but let me just say that both series execute their styles about equally well. It just so happens that my style of humor is more tailored to one over the other
The two series today are Friendship is Witchcraft and The Mentally Advanced Series.
Before I start, let me say that I believe there are 3 schools of thought on how to handle a parody series:
1. Traditional abridged series (ex: Dragon Ball Z Abridged, Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged, Gargoyles Abridged) - The story and characters follow the plot of the source material and personalities are just exaggerations of the source counterparts. Most of the humor comes from the dialogue being written more as a comedy and the characters doing meta-jokes about better paths that could be taken.
2. Alternate-Universe Parody (ex: Alternate Reality Dragon Ball Z, Friendship is Witchcraft) - All rules are thrown out. The plot can deviate in order and tone, anything from any story can be shoehorned into the story, there is no real direction for the story, and the characters can be vastly different from the source. Humor comes from matching the voices and inflection enough that you're drawn into the illusion that these are the source characters JUST long enough for the show to drop something nonsensical on you.
3. Combination of 1 and 2 (ex: Mentally Advanced Series) - A story that follows the plot of the source but does so with characters that are drastically different in tone from the original source characters. Much of the humor comes from meta-commentaries about how these characters perceive the world in comparison to their source, as well as the occasional random character/joke.
I am a fan of the first two, but while I can tell what the third is going for, there's too much explaining of the joke and not enough creation of the illusion for me to really enjoy it consistently.
My audio will give my full thoughts, but here are some brief bits of information.
Friendship is Witchcraft
Style of series: AU-Parody
People who will like it: Fans who want to see the characters they're used to re-imagined in as random and crazy a way as possible.
Number of Episodes: 9 (full)
Top Episodes: Episode 3 (Dragone Baby Gone), Ep. 5 (Neigh Soul Sister), Ep. 8-9 (Foaly Matripony/Seed No Evil)
Best aspects: Voice actress has similar-sounding voice to most cast members, NAILS character speaking patterns, can't go in with any expectations as to what jokes will be used, musical numbers are strong, Sweetie Bot.
Worst aspects: Random humor and anti-humor don't work on everyone, people expecting a proper abridged series will struggle to alter their mindset to see the show as intended (in an ARDBZ alternate universe style), jokes can get REALLY out there.
Mentally Advanced Series
Style of series: Combination
People who will like it: Fans who like to see morals turned on their head by simply changing the approach a character takes, as well as those who like to have plot holes kicked at.
Number of Episodes: 11 (Most recent is numbered 12 because 11 was skipped)
Top Episodes: Ep. 5-6 (Retellings of Dragonshy and Look Before You Sleep). Admittedly, I stopped after these so the quality may have improved, but based on what little I saw of the later episodes, it's not much different from its earlier episodes
Rainbow Dash Presents: As a spinoff, its best episodes are ones where it's turning a more twisted story on its head, like with RDP: Captain Hook The Biker Gorilla or RDP: Cupcakes. Any time it tries to take on a more emotional story, like in RDP: My Little Dashie, it tends to reach for jokes and doesn't work very well.
Best aspects: Show tries to incorporate its own sense of logic into the stories, Pinkie Pie and Thrackerzod, occasional dark humor tends to hit its mark.
Worst aspects: Long-winded explanations to set up jokes, leading to half the joke being missed to evaluate the validity of the first half; Cannot maintain any sort of illusion that the characters are acutally saying the lines because of no similar voice sound, speaking patterns or lip matching.
