You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
as someone who joined the fandom in the really early days, "the new FIM" for me is a pretty specific thing that I don't think you can really personally experience again, which I say is for the better (more for the sake of the FIM fandom really)
how people mocked about how the fandom hyped FIM so much and say how revolutionary it is
I was there when it was starting to blow up, and there were a good chunk of them that genuinely thought that FIM is going to change the world (and I managed to fall into that mindset as well)
I was there when it was starting to blow up, and there were a good chunk of them that genuinely thought that FIM is going to change the world (and I managed to fall into that mindset as well)
It kind of already has. I mean it's demonstrated that girls' entertainment doesn't have to be vapid trash in a really big, really noticeable way.
It's not a message that hasn't been delivered before, of course, but it's always welcome and I don't think I've ever seen it stick so enthusiastically.
I was there when it was starting to blow up, and there were a good chunk of them that genuinely thought that FIM is going to change the world (and I managed to fall into that mindset as well)
It kind of already has. I mean it's demonstrated that girls' entertainment doesn't have to be vapid trash in a really big, really noticeable way.
It's not a message that hasn't been delivered before, of course, but it's always welcome and I don't think I've ever seen it stick so enthusiastically.
well yes, and I do think it's a good thing to have for its legacy
it's just how the fandom was going around touting it, making it look like it really was greater than it really was
and now there's all this baggage of all different sorts around it, where along with usual criticisms you also have people saying that the show is/was good but "them awful bronies stole the show from the target audience!!!"
I do contend that FIM was, and still is, a prime second-rate show, and overall, I don't regret joining the ride
What is a network, what does it do, and why does it matter?
(The) Hub (Network) was a joint venture between Discovery Communications, the owner of its predecessor Discovery Kids, and Hasbro. It was doomed from the start because it was chock full of bland toy tie-ins, Hasbro seemed to lack any real ambition, and it inherited the apathy Discovery showed towards its predecessor.
Also, Discovery and Hasbro didn't get along very well. Discovery was frustrated over Hasbro owning their shows 100% and reaping all the benefits of selling them internationally.
It was quite bizarre watching a show on a network that had very few big advertisers (Mattel and LEGO stayed away due to the network's Hasbro ownership) and was interrupted mostly by ads for as-seen-on-TV products.
It's Discovery Family now, and once MLP:FIM is over/has moved somewhere else, no one will give a rat's ass about it. (Hasbro still owns 40% of the channel, and I'm surprised they haven't completely bailed yet)
A network generally will pay for and distribute shows. It matters, or mattered, to build a brand and a stable of quality shows, like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. The Hub just sat there, inert, flopping about not knowing what the hell to do.
I've learned to tolerate drama...except on the boat
The Hub never came close to competing with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or the Disney Channel, all of which had been on the air much longer, had brands associated with nostalgia and quality shows, and were much more widely distributed on pay TV platforms.
how people mocked about how the fandom hyped FIM so much and say how revolutionary it is
I was there when it was starting to blow up, and there were a good chunk of them that genuinely thought that FIM is going to change the world (and I managed to fall into that mindset as well)
and then the disillusionment came, growing around the end of season two, and it hit fairly hard
the fandom never really recovered, though it seems to be getting better very recently
having existed on the periphery of the fandom, and having enjoyed season 2, and having never perceived the show as groundbreaking, this is all *incredibly* strange to me
both are children's shows with a predominantly female central cast and take place in small communities with a substantial supporting cast who become familiar over time
both are North American but take obvious cues from Japanese cartoons aimed at girls, the whole magical girl thing
plus, while SU is obviously more arc based and FIM more episodic, FIM did have a sense of continuity running throughout, and some stories were spread across 2 eps
and of course, both have significant older fan followings on the internet
so while i think the shows are different from one another, in virtually every other respect, there are obvious points of comparison here
i don't feel Star is much like MLP, apart from the use of flash animation, and presence of magical princess character
also i would agree that SU is generally less funny than Gravity Falls but i feel like it has more heart, somehow
and the writing in SU is so good that when it's at its funniest, it's hilarious, but in a very particular way that you have to know the characters to 'get', i think
Also, Steven being friendly towards Peridot when they were fighting her. Peridot vs. the child safety lock. Every name on the chore rota being crossed out and replaced by Pearl's name, in Pearl's handwriting. And that time when Steven zoned out and had an internal monologue about his missing jeans while Pearl delivered important exposition on gem shards.
Also, Steven being friendly towards Peridot when they were fighting her. Peridot vs. the child safety lock. Every name on the chore rota being crossed out and replaced by Pearl's name, in Pearl's handwriting. And that time when Steven zoned out and had an internal monologue about his missing jeans while Pearl delivered important exposition on gem shards.
Another thing that's nifty: People in the show actually laugh at things that are funny.
Even Adventure Time feels more naturalistic than a lot of older or similar shows. It's just that the world itself is intrinsically absurd enough that you kind of see the characters as just taking it all for granted. But Steven Universe is kind of in a category of its own in that respect. There are animated shows that are even more unaffected, but it's pretty rare for a children's show anywhere.
That is true, about AT, it's got this slightly . . . i wanna say lo-fi but that doesn't actually make sense, that's just how it feels.
i feel the difference between the art styles maybe contributes to SU feeling more naturalistic to me. AT is extremely bright and colourful, SU more muted.
Also obviously AT is full blown surrealism a lot of the time, while in SU you've got like this little neighbourhood that could almost exist anywhere and populated by entirely plausible people running little businesses and such.
Comments
no no no no no no no
NOOOOOOOOOO
Also, Transformers Prime was pretty good, even if it had a troubled production. Not that you'd notice it much, watching it.
both are children's shows with a predominantly female central cast and take place in small communities with a substantial supporting cast who become familiar over time
both are North American but take obvious cues from Japanese cartoons aimed at girls, the whole magical girl thing
plus, while SU is obviously more arc based and FIM more episodic, FIM did have a sense of continuity running throughout, and some stories were spread across 2 eps
and of course, both have significant older fan followings on the internet
so while i think the shows are different from one another, in virtually every other respect, there are obvious points of comparison here
i don't feel Star is much like MLP, apart from the use of flash animation, and presence of magical princess character
also i would agree that SU is generally less funny than Gravity Falls but i feel like it has more heart, somehow
and the writing in SU is so good that when it's at its funniest, it's hilarious, but in a very particular way that you have to know the characters to 'get', i think
Also, Steven being friendly towards Peridot when they were fighting her. Peridot vs. the child safety lock. Every name on the chore rota being crossed out and replaced by Pearl's name, in Pearl's handwriting. And that time when Steven zoned out and had an internal monologue about his missing jeans while Pearl delivered important exposition on gem shards.
In general SU feels a lot more naturalistic to me than similar shows like AT or GF, and i think that's part of it.
i feel the difference between the art styles maybe contributes to SU feeling more naturalistic to me. AT is extremely bright and colourful, SU more muted.