The Brony Contentions Part 1: MLP:FIM

Here we are, at the beginning. Ultimately, this is what first needs to be addressed: why is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic worthy of its fanbase?

There are a few key points to examine. First, the cultural expectation.

  This issue has longed plagued bronies. The first obstacle surmounted in the creation of bronies is the inevitable threat to their maturity, manliness, and whatnot they feel. Let me open with a quote from C.S. Lewis, renowned Christian apologetic, writer of Mere Christianity, the Screwtape Letters, and the Chronicles of Narnia:
   "Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

  If your maturity is threatened by the mere viewing of a children's show, one has to wonder how strong it was in the first place. Ultimate maturity can transcend these prejudices- they see past the bias and judge on the actuality. In retrospect, there have been many historic occurrences where the manliest, most violent, etc, has a love of ponies. This phenomena is found in Tangled:

One would hope not.

In Toy Story, Sid says in his dream: "I want to ride the pony." Or something like that. Red, a one episode character, (and quite likely Madame Foster) from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends liked ponies.
Not only are there many more examples, but countless more of masculine individuals loving small animals, like the Abominable Snowman from Bugs Bunny, dozens of cartoons, books, and so on. The gentle giant idea fundamentally fits this, from Fezzik in the Princess Bride to Ham in Mistborn (though he was admittedly more of a philosopher). These characters are loved, not scorned.

  One notes that they are never mocked for this- they still retain their full popularity and role in whatever story they are a part of. To pull this point to a close, I quote Jayson Thiessen, Season 2 director of MLP:FIM: "Good has no demographic."

  If you have extra fears for the fact it's for girls, Lauren Faust, the key figure in the revival of MLP into its current form stated this:

  The evidence against writing off on the principle it's for 7-year old girls is overwhelming. However, that by no means prove this show is good- these biases had to have had their base somewhere. That's where MLP: FIM is spectacular- it is one of those few cartoons that retains quality. It is story-driven, with diverse plots and plentiful characters, each with their own personality. Lauren Faust, the director for season 1 (and still onboard in season 2, if to a lesser degree) previously worked on such hits as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and the Powerpuff Girls, both of which had popularity past its demographic. She also compiled a team of highly skilled artists, and we got the result we have.

  One of the biggest things that stands out for MLP is its animation- it's not afraid to be unique. It's excellent but retains its originality. These days, most animators are drifting towards realistic animation, in what I believe is a mistake. Nothing is better than an original but creative art. Bugs Bunny, the Pink Panther, all the great cartoons were atrociously unrealistic, but it gave them style, a feel to them, and the art of MLP syncs with its mood masterfully.

  Another thing that is remarkable about MLP is the songwriting. For most shows, songs are an add-on, thrown in to please little girls. However, the songs in MLP are brilliantly written and have universally catchy tunes. Produced by Daniel Ingram, there is a reason that much of brony culture is centered on music (more on that in part 2).
Here's the first song: Giggle at the Ghosties, and then fan favorite, Winter Wrap-Up.

One also finds a certain sophistication in these songs, such as in Art of the Dress, where the line "a stitch in time saves nine" can be found. This is an homage to 1930s politics, when part of FDRs New Deal was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, only to have FDR threaten to increase the amount of justices on the SC, rendering the opposition harmless. Ultimately, the decision was undone, saving nine justices from being appointed.

  Such references are another of the prevalent features recommending MLP. In episode 19, the main antagonists are the Diamond Dogs, often likened to Gollum from the Lord of the Rings and kobolds from DnD. In the 4th episode of season 2, a background pony is dressed as a character from Mortal Combat. Another prominent background pony is an homage to the BBC television series Doctor Who (a personal favorite). Doctor Whooves, as he is called, is found in multiple incarnations of the Doctor, though the most prominent is that of the 10th.

Allons-y!

Even MLP's advertising contains referencing, such as this ad, the Ponygeist, after the movie the Poltergeist:

and the TV spot Equestria Girls, referring to California Girls:

Others include the Mysterious Mare Do Well in S2 E8, with the hero being likened to Batman in paraphernalia and references to Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.


  Finally, the writing itself is of high quality. While it uses some common themes, it spins them to become original. For example, instead of evil doppelgangers/clones/twins, the main characters are corrupted by the villain to be evil themselves. Each character has there own strengths and weaknesses, from kindness and shyness to generosity and vanity. They are not black and white- they suffer from moral quandaries.  In the most recent episode, Hearth's Warming Eve, there is even a political commentary on the proper performance of leaders.
  Likewise, there is an overabundance of great one-liners. Here are some fan favorites:
"The fun has been doubled!" -Luna
"It needs to be about 20% Cooler." -Rainbow Dash
"10 seconds flat" -Rainbow Dash
"Muffins" -Derpy Hooves
"She's speaking fancy!" -Applejack
"Can you do that? Can you explode twice?" -Spike
"Oatmeal? Are you crazy?" -Pinkie Pie
"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!" -Fluttershy
"Don't use your fancy mathematics to muddle the issue!" -Applejack
"Um, I'm just wondering if it's okay if I hold you down against your will for a little bit?" -Fluttershy
Plus all the others that are best in context:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTZctTG6cE -Fluttershy

-Luna

  However, the one thing that is really spectacular in this point is when it reminds you that these can be overcome- it does not fall into pessimism but retains its realism- life is tough, but doable, and ultimately pretty much great. And when one gets right down to it, we are never to old to learn about friendship.


  The cumulative result is: you can't just say it's bad. Societal dislike is baseless, and it is abounding in quality, from the animation, to the writing. Adults can actually enjoy it more than kids, as they pick up the subtle humor and references, and everyone enjoys the songs.

Found in MLP is a fundamental advocacy to improve, to make great things, to take action. Be a good person, don't hate: appreciate, and above all, LOVE AND TOLERATE. And today, with the bombarding of media and society to the contrary, anything that makes people want to be good is worthwhile in my book.

  Here's a 20-minute video by Saberspark that also covers a lot of this, plus some other points. I'll be posting one of these at the end of most of these, but this one is all about the show. I have some things he doesn't mention, and he covers things I don't. If you're up to watching it:

As I bid adieu:

And of course, the link to the first episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZryW1J_wj4