Animation Source Forums

I'm gonna post, and I fear I'm gonna face a firestorm over this. But I'm gonna post notwithstanding. These are my opinions. I'm not trying to push them onto anyone else. You're certainly within your rights to disagree with me. But don't tear me down because you don't like what I've said here, or call me insensitive, or a "hater", or sexist or anything else. Show me that what Onyx said about you all is true. lol "Peace and tolerance."

A preface: look, it's okay, I suppose, that MLP fans like the show. Really. Everyone ought to be able to like what they like, just as anyone ought to be able to dis-like what they dislike...without ribbing and bullying. Though people still ought to be able to express their opinions without being lambasted for it (especially those who are brave enough to say they don't like it and to tell those who bug them about becoming "bronies" to leave them alone about it). And I'm not so sure that MLP fans here (at least a few) aren't too sensitive about any dissent concerning the fandom or the series.

I don't like MLP. Didn't like the original stuff (and only caught very little of that though, like most people who were around in the 80s and 90s, I had to tolerate the annoying cutesy-wootsy My Little Pony toy commercials that played ad nauseum), and I don't like this. I even took the time to watch a couple of episodes posted on YouTube, at the suggestions of fans after some discussions in the Balto Source shoutbox (and after some ribbing by them because I dared to say that I didn't care for it, and didn't really get the hype...especially by straight guys). But watching those episodes didn't turn me around. At best, they were mildly amusing. But still way too far over on the cute-o-meter for my tastes. I'm picky about what cartoons I will watch anyway. And I watch very few. This will still not become one of them.

In watching the eps I did, I saw nothing terribly original, in scripting or stories, that hasn't been done on show like "The Power Puff Girls", "Tiny Toons", etc. (and yes I KNOW Faust was a story artist in PPG). I observed the same mildly-pointed humor and situations that can (and often is) inserted into most cartoon series nowadays. Especially into revamps or reimagined series like MLP. The only difference is that it is set in the original MLP milieu...without the overboard level of sweetness and sugariness of the original. I also noticed that the animation style is hardly original...it seems to borrow substantially off of the old Cartoon Network series "Power Puff Girls", "Dexter's Laboratory" (which I do like a lot), and even "Johnny Bravo" (which I like a little bit). I wonder how Genndy Tartakovsky would feel about that?

A few responses to previous posts (and I don't mean to tear anyone down here, okay folks? You saw me say it, right? Good.)


I still see it as a girly show. I just don't see how straight guys could get into this...unless they were very young teens at most. Nothing against gay guys. Hell, not to seem insensitive, but I wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary about homosexual guys liking this. Not straight guys though. Not unless they are boys under the age of, oh, say...eight. I just can't make that journey, no matter how anyone might try to convince me that I'm wrong, or insecure in my masculinity (which is bull) or whatever.

I also don't see what is sexist about the old MLP show. It was aimed at girls, and it was designed as a peaceful, happy-go-lucky, non-violent, non-sarcastic, non-body-fuction-noise-making thing. It would be sexist if it made girls look weaker than guys or stupid. I see no such evidence...even if I still couldn't tolerate it.


Teens? Well, er...I guess not. Allowing for the limitations of what I said above. But adults? Straight adult men? Yes. Most definitely. And I have YET to talk to another single straight adult male (who isn't a college-aged young adult male who appears to be trying to hold onto being a kid with unbridled passion) who calls himself a "brony" or has anything in his computer, in his social networking files, or in his personal belongings which would even remotely indicate his being a fan of this show aimed squarely at children.


And Moki called the old series "sexist"? I don't care if Faust created the series, and/or happens to be a dA member who broke into the animation industry and managed some success (and hey, good for her that she did...that's really wonderful that she's getting on like that). But THAT was most definitely an incredibly sexist thing for her to say, and extraordinarily presumptuous. An example of the way some women like to screw with straight guys' heads and their own sexual identity. No one likes to be manipulated or brow-beaten into liking something because either straight or gay women want straight men to express more of their so-called "feminine side". Baloney.


That's true - from what I have seen, as I have looked into this, not only do MLP fans have their own corny dialogue (based upon catch words and catch phrases the characters say in the series), but they tend to be VERY overreactive and hostile whenever someone criticizes the show or the fan base. I've seen no actual arguments, to be sure...YET. I've seen no bullying or trolling either. On either side. YET. What I have seen is MLP fans get verrrrrry pushy with those who say they are either not sure, or completely not interested, in the MLP series. They poke and poke at them ("come oooooon...you know you can't resist! It's really cool! You should try it! Come on, try it! You KNOW you'll like it! Don't be a hater! How can you know whether or not you like it unless you watch it? Trust me, if you watch it, you WILL become a 'brony' like me/us! Only real men like MLP!")...sometimes even gang up on them. And, if a person who is not a fan puts his or her foot down and says, once and for all, he or she doesn't like it, won't watch it, whatever...then they get less-than-enthusiastic treatment. And I have seen at least one MLP fan (a guy...and not an AS newbie either) get testy in the Balto Source shoutbox with those who are not fans and thought they could say why without fear of abuse. Granted, he doesn't represent the norm of you MLP fans, but he is an example of the fact that such things can and sometimes do happen...and get carried away at times.


Give it time. It is inevitable. And if not acting like wolfaboos, certainly at least a percentage of the fandom will start getting carried away in some manner or another. Besides, as I have said above, I have already seen evidence of that very thing happening. And worse. LOL Elsewhere for now, but it is happening.




That being said, if you think I am saying any of you are wrong for liking it, you've misjudged what I have said. And misread it. These are my opinions. And they will not change. Not even after watching a couple of episodes JUST to arm myself with some degree of knowledge and to avoid the "how can you judge without having even watched the show?" thing. Like I said, if you're a fan, enjoy it. I can't. It's still too freakin' cutesy-wootsy-woo for my tastes.

^ I was a posting as a mod, but I suppose if you care to hear it, I can give my opinion:

It is simply the same as I view Balto anymore.
I like/love the show/movie, but the fans are a bit out of hand.
MLP is a good show. Good characters, good stories,
and like you mentioned yourself, it's funny.
But it's as JC said with the fans pressuring non-fans that's getting ridiculous.

[PS: A simple "^" (as I've done in this post) or "@ JC:", would've been much better rather than copying his ENTIRE post.]

JC- I agree with ALOT of what you said.

and now....

To me, the voices are incredibly annoying, the only ones I can stand are Twilight's and AppleJack's.

The stories are....okay...they're not interesting to me, they seem too directed towards young children who have a lot to learn. As young adults, we should have this stuff figured out about now.

Some situations are...kind of funny...but I don't find them omfg HILARIOUS.
Overall, it's just...too...ugh...uninteresting and "cutesy-wootsy-LOVE ME" to put it one way. And because of that, they just aren't cute..it's so overbearingly in your face.

Annnnd I watched some episodes, and my opinions are still justified. I'm not interested and I never will be. If I want to watch rainbow poop sprout wings and fly around spouting nonsense, I will watch this show. But until I get that incredibly weird urging, I'm going to spend my time productively.

That's my opinion.

and the badgering fans need to back off. -.-

I won't deny that, as I had said, it was mildly funny in a few instances. There is a bit of wry wit in there. But overall, it's predictable and boring...to me. And far too cutesy-wootsy.

As pertains to the fans, well, again...I have seen no over-the-top behavior on Animation Source (again, YET), but when I see things such as the linked dA profile below...with a person who alleges to be a fifteen-year-old teenaged boy who speaks in that ridiculous MLP-ese (check out his journal entries), I become seriously disturbed:

http://fuzzynecro.deviantart.com

A kid like that would have been quickly ostracized and actively ridiculed back when I was in high school. Maybe things have changed since, with the whole political correctness movement since the 90s (the whole "what's normal?" and "don't be a hater" and "you don't know me" and so on, and so on, ad nauseum). But back then, such behavior as this kid exhibits would be tantamount to asking for abuse. This kid weirds me out big time. If you ask me, he deserves all the attention he gets from the trolls who have already created an ED page about MLP and bronies. And since he loves to troll them back (as lame as his attempts at it are), he doubly deserves what he gets as far as I can see...

Aaaa-ha-haaaand I have seen worse evidence so far. lol


I do tend to be very detailed in my posts, don't I?


Thank. You. For all of that post, actually. *Whew!* So far, so good. Heh...

^ Yeah, most "bronies" I see are on DA, but a few fans
here are getting a little too enthusiastic about MLP as well.
It's tolerable though as long as it doesn't get as bad as Balto.
...however, wait 'til MLP Source is made. *headdesk*

LAWL, yes. Yes you do have much to say.
Myself, it seems even it writing, I am as laconic as possible. ^^;

And when that day arrives, I shall be most bemused. ROFL Because, as I am sure you realize, all bets shall be off.


Hey nayow, where fer yu yusin' all them thar hah-falootin' werds n'sech?

Forgive me for double-posting here, but I said in a previous post that it was only a matter of time before the MLP fandom got out of hand. Certainly there is enough evidence on other forums and sites dedicated to the show. But I really didn't have to look that far to find out just how badly it's fallen overboard. And from my point of view, this is waaaaay out of control for what I consider to be normal levels of fandom. ROFL Again - my opinions here. I realize some of you find this stuff to be totally within the confines of "normality". How that's possible, I cannot fathom. But I realize that it is possible.

Now, I don't want to argue with either of you (because that's the farthest thing from my intent, and I would hate arguing with you, Tibbster!), or anyone else, but I have to tell you that I just can't un-see this. I just can't. And believe me, I tried. Dear God in Heaven, I tried so very hard!

So now, while I try to feel around for my eyes, as I have just clawed them out, I present the evidence I was talking about before (and anticipating the totally-unnecessary smack-down as a result, even though this is very much on-topic). Some of those girly-looking folks, incidentally (the two photos I enclosed in borders...certainly the first one is if not the second), are guys :
























































Well, you certainly get the idea. This is disturbing to me. Explains why, to those of us are who not fans, that it's not the show but the fans that are really way out of control (and the above are ample evidence of that). And that is certainly not exclusive to MLP. People have said that for ages about fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight, Balto, The Lion King, etc. etc.

I completely agree. I'm not looking forward to it and unfortunately anyone can take anything too far. Look at essentially every fandom that has been created... This MLP is slowly beginning to go too far. -.-

I admit that I do like the show...a LOT, but I certainly wouldn't pressure anyone into watching it, especially if I know they won't like stuff like this.

As far as fandom goes for me. Sure, I'll make some fan art/images and I have already created a ponysona for myself. But that's as far as I'm gonna get. The pictures above are downright disturbing and no way in heck am I gonna dress up in one of those outfits.

Sometimes I do question why I do like the show. The target audience is 8 year old girls, basically, and here I am, a 16 year old girl, watching every episode in awe. It's creepy how much I like it.

Lastly, once my little pony source is created, all the pony hype going on in other sources will (hopefully) just die, so you are free to wander about not reading the word "pony" 5 million times XD.

I respect that, Imagine. And once again, you're a girl (in this case, I don't think it really matters much to me whether you're 8, 16 or 21...your gender is the key). The situation (again, at the risk of sounding sexist, which I think you know is not my intent here) is different than if I guy just said what you said. It's just fundamentally different.

While I will admit that I got four of the images from the Encyclopaedia Dramatica page about MLP fans (which I stumbled upon while researching the show and its fan base), MOST of those images were pulled off of nothing more than a general browser search for "MLP cosplay images"...not on sites making fun of MLP fans. Conjures up some disturbing thoughts, doesn't it? LOL

As to the last thing, though? There's still the shoutboxes. lol And I really don't think the planned MLP Source is gonna change anything much by existing here...even with its own shoutbox. If anything, it's liable to bring in a slew of more MLP fans, including many of the crazier, more temperamental ones we've all been talking about. Hell, we've already got SOME temperamental ones in the mix. I think they just know they have to rein in the bronyisms a bit because they're not in a place specifically devoted to the cartoon.

And let me say again, for the record - the cartoon is the cartoon. I really haven't a major problem with it, beyond my low-level criticisms mentioned earlier. It's the cornballs who are the more extreme fans whom I, and plenty of other folks, have (or are GOING to have) problems with. And since Encyclopaedia Dramatica already has its page for this, you know that the opening of MLP Source is also going to be a fresh invite to the trolls to get their rocks off on Animation Source all over again. Since MLP has already become a fan phenomenon, it is inevitable. The bad comes with the good. I hope everyone is ready for that...and I hope that doesn't give those basement-dwellers (the trolls I mean) renewed inspiration to resume attacks on Balto Source and the other sources...or the site as a whole.

Hmm. You do have a good point about MLP source and the trolls, JC. MLP has such a huge and questionable fan base that I could certainly see why someone would troll a fan site about it. Of course I know as well as everyone else how demeaning and utterly stupid trolling is, but if it's what's going on in Animation Source, I'll just have to be ready for the storm that may be upon us in the near future, and hope it doesn't end badly.

My response to MLP source.

^ I couldn't agree with you more Mighty... -.-

oh NO. Please say it's not so..PLEASE....MLP Source....oh Lordy..NO..