I am a brony.
I've taken a lot of shit for that. Probably will for a long time. I don't care. I love this show. And I never know how to explain that to people. Problem is, the only way to understand it is to watch it, and who's secure enough these days to watch a show about cartoon ponies?
The answer is very few people, which is a shame because My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic may be one of the best shows on television.
You read that right. Before I go further, I'll admit to a few things. Many of the hardcore fans are weirdos and, having been to Bronycon more than once, a lot of them are autistic (nothing wrong with that, but it is what it is). But a lot of fans are also normal, socially well-adjusted mid-twenties males, which isn't surprising. You kind of have to be well-adjusted to admit you watch a show about cartoon ponies when you get right down to it, because you have to be comfortable enough with yourself to not give a damn about what other people think and comfortable enough with yourself to realize people will still like you even when you watch a show like this. It's not surprising so many bronies are male. Neo-masculinity (and probably femininity as well) is all about being comfortable in your own skin and not giving a damn if someone else wants to put you down for it.
Understanding the culture of MLP is important, because it plays directly into why the show itself is so damn good. The culture and the show itself are intertwined in a way that is distinctly and uniquely early 2000s. For the uninitiated, MLP draws from and integrates original content from its own vast fan base to such an extent that an entire episode is devoted to making canon most major fan theories and thanking the fandom. Name me another show like that. Just one. MLP may be about cartoon ponies, but is also the first show to heavily invest in its fans and crowdsource ideas for episodes in a seamless manner, and what is this millennium about if not integration and communication? The Internet, where most MLP media takes shape, is THE technology of the early 21st century, and MLP is the first, and so far only, show to understand that and allow it to shape the direction of its series.
It's a simple concept, but an important one. Most shows attempt to invest the watcher, but what greater investment is there than integrating fan-generated art and narrative into the show itself? MLP: FiM is not just a show; it is a living organism, and a symbiotic one. The show creates content; the fans create content based on that content; the writers incorporate it; the show evolves in a way no other show on television does. It is unique. It is a phenomenon. It is unmatched in most media even 15 years into the millennium. MLP is the present and future.
But people are afraid to like it, because ponies. And that's fucking stupid.
What you have to understand about MLP is that it's not just a show; it's a culture. There is a slang and a mematic form of communication built around it in a way no other show has matched. Sure, you can quote other shows. You can reference them. But there's not a culture built around them in the same way. You're familiar with the premise of other shows, maybe even the episodes. There are (many) novels about, say Star Trek: TNG (another show I love, and as a sidenote, features an actor who does major voice work for and loves MLP: John DeLancie), but are those novels an integral and official part of the canon? No. In MLP, they absolutely are. The show and the fan base are inseparable.
Again, name me another show like that. Just one.
This is the main draw of MLP: FiM, but it is by no means the only one. A show for little girls? Watch this clip:
Yeah. I'm sure tons of little girls get that monologue. It's socially acceptable to watch Spongebob and Adventure Time (and should be, because they're great shows), so get it through your head that this show is on that level. Just because there are pink and purple ponies in it doesn't detract from that fact.
And what if little girls watch this show too? The lessons, about loyalty, friendship, culture, individuality and community balance? What's the harm there? And why can't adults learn that shit too? What's to disagree with in MLP exactly? That friends and relationships are good and important? That people matter? That striving to grow as a person is good? God forbid anyone watch a show with those messages. In a cynical world, MLP is about being happy and loving the people around you. Who in the the hell is such a total asshole that they want to trash that?
Watching an episode of MLP takes 20 minutes. If you're embarrassed, fucking watch it in your own home. No one will know. It's been my experience -and I've found this to be universal in the community- that once you watch one, you watch another. Then another. Then another. Then you're a brony. And you know what? That's ok. That's great. Because this is a good show and there's no other show like it on TV. Yes the main characters are ponies.
So fucking what?
