tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106648781852702786.post528577901332890800..comments2023-11-10T00:18:38.053+00:00Comments on A.T.D.I.: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic "Simple Ways"James Corckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16994731268585922124noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106648781852702786.post-21632156887125108282014-02-13T22:38:06.492+00:002014-02-13T22:38:06.492+00:00Thanks for the great -and perhaps final- review!
N...Thanks for the great -and perhaps final- review!<br />Now, I go along with the best part of it.<br /><br />I loved this episode, so I give it 4/5! It was a nostalgic experience because it reminded me of Season 1 both in story, personalities and character interactions.<br /><br />The humor was just perfect. It is one of the funniest episodes in the season, but it wasn't just for fun, it provided a strong moral for us.<br />Moral: changing yourself to impress others isn't the right way. Real friends will like you for who you are.<br /><br />There was a very original voice acting in the episode. For example, Rarity's crying is something marvelous from Tabitha St. Germain. The new accents of both Rarity and Applejack were just as priceless. Moreover, we got a new farm-style design for Rarity! I also have to mention the moment when Rarity explores Twilight's ass. (Or better to say, Twilight's prince-ass. NO, NOT with her horn! It would fall into the clopfic category.)<br /><br />I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with Applejack! If I think Rarity was funny, then Applejack totally outshone her. It rarely happens that I 'fall in love' with a character. The few examples are Twilight in Season 1 and Rarity in Season 2. And now, I'm starting to appreciate Applejack in this show.<br />Se was so well-portrayed. I laughed every time when she was on screen. When she was bucking apples and streaming with perspiration (aww, she is so sexy); what she did with this chicken-coop; and when she became a super hot fashion pony.<br /><br />The confrontation between Rarity and AJ was well done. It could have been boring if the conflict would have been the same old fashion-'farm life' conflict. However, it was a love affair! I'm starting to admire Josh Haber's creativity.<br /><br />AJ is fully responsible now and proved to be a good friend (in agreement with your opinion), as we have seen the same thing emphasized in other episodes of Season 4. It seems to be a permanent improvement. Rarity was selfish again, but I don't blame her for that. It is a significant part of her personality and she wouldn't be herself without it. Plus we all know very well the eternal truth: love makes people blind.<br /><br /><br />On the other hand, there were some flaws. They weren't too embarrassing, though.<br /><br />The tension was almost insensible. Thus, the dramatic side of the story was destined to remain in the background. It isn't a disaster, just a lost potential.<br /><br />Spike wasn't really taken into the story. This thread should have been more developed. He could have become very jealous and set a trap for Trenderhoof or something like this.<br /><br />It was a funny twist that Trenderhoof had a crush on AJ. Aside from that, the story was linear and too simple. I agree, the second act had big flaws in it.<br />For that matter, Trenderhoof wasn't an interesting supportive character. He was just born to be cliché without any background story.<br /><br />Finally, I concluded that Josh Haber and Pinkie Pie are completely orthogonal beings. Let's leave it at that.<br /><br /><br />All in all, I am satisfied with the outcome, and why I think it is one of the best episodes in Season 4 is the fact that it is EPIC. Every single moment of it is very original and memorable.nemderogatoriushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11479519156593310864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106648781852702786.post-63142765121276140522014-02-12T23:28:43.996+00:002014-02-12T23:28:43.996+00:00While I'm sorry that you're taking a break...While I'm sorry that you're taking a break from reviews, I do totally understand why, and I'm glad I got to sit down and read this one, it was fantastic. ^__^Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01017732598776037577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106648781852702786.post-84517196269903407492014-02-11T20:42:19.754+00:002014-02-11T20:42:19.754+00:00I had been waiting in long time for this episode a...I had been waiting in long time for this episode as I read about this episode on a twitter at first.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106648781852702786.post-85605036468097257402014-02-11T17:14:39.550+00:002014-02-11T17:14:39.550+00:00-I feel like the episode had all the right ingredi...-I feel like the episode had all the right ingredients to be one of the funniest episodes in the entire show right out of the box, but then, there was a voice in the back of my head about halfway through the episode that kept going "Why isn't this funny?"<br />-I think the root of the problem is Trenderhoof, in that there isn't much character for the viewer to be engaged with him. He starts out fine as he's conversing with Rarity, but the moment he goes gaga for AJ, he has nothing to do but to follow her around trying to get her attention. Considering that he's the prime motivation for Rarity's actions, and by association also Applejack, in this story, there isn't enough character to keep me engaged or make me believe that he's the kind of guy for whom everything Rarity does in this episode is worth doing, especially when he disappears for most of Act 3 and then the story decides to give him some kind of arc.<br />-Applejack is fine throught most of this episode, simply being herself, which means that it's up to Rarity to carry the rest of the episode, but unfortunately, she falls completely flat on her face.<br />-Rarity's attempts at impressing TH are awkward at best and cringe-inducing at worst. I feel like having this whole thing being intentionally awful, right down to Rarity's fake southern accent, is supposed to be part of the joke, but unfortunately the joke isn't very funny at all.<br />-It would help if Rarity was actually trying to imitate AJ, but honestly, it feels more like she's either trying to imitate a bad pastiche of AJ or trying to incorporate said pastiche of AJ into a style that suits her own personality. It started out pretty sad, but escalated into downright infuriating when it stuck me that the episode is telling us that her "Rarihick" appearance is apparently the way she sees one of her closest friends, basically less Jessie from Toy Story and more Cletus from The Simpsons. What the fuck?!<br />-And yes, having her accuse AJ for trying to steal TH away from her is mean spirited for all the wrong reasons. Also, her friends keep pointing out how she's slacking off with the Ponyville Days festival, yet it never comes back to bite her in the butt. Again, what the fuck?!<br />-We've seen episodes where Rarity is mean and scornful to her friends, but the reason it worked in, say, "Manehattan" is because of our understanding of how important fashion is to her. All of Rarity's bad behavior in this episodes comes from wrongfully feeling that one of her best friends is trying to steal a guy the audience has no familiarity with and hasn't come to understand if there's something that makes him special as a character. This is easily the most hateful (not in a good way as pointed by James above) portrayal of Rarity since Sonic Rainboom.<br /><br />So, after all this, why do I think this episode is still redeemable?<br />APPLE JEWEL. OH MY GOD APPLE JEWEL.<br /><br />When I heard that name and saw the lights go down, I exclaimed out loud, expecting to be blown away by what was to come, and it was everything I could've asked for and more. It's very funny in and of itself how AJ is better at imitating Rarity than Rarity is at imitating AJ (I've been kinda waiting for the show to make a callback to AJ's backstory from Cutie Mark Chronicles). It's the funniest and most unexpected thing the show has ever done with AJ, and easily one of the best standalone scenes of any episode of the show. The scene is so good, I think it redeems the rest of the episode, and makes it rewatchable. It's worth it just for that scene, even if you have to sit through the rest of it.<br />-Oh yeah, Spike was pretty good as well.Arturohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07660813614072812727noreply@blogger.com