My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

It's been a crappy few years for cartoons. Nickelodeon cartoons are practically dead, Cartoon Network cartoons are made by a bunch of pot heads, and the less I say of Nicktoons originals, the better. Non-random cartoon comedies are almost dead and the only thing worth watching are the few action shows and Phineas and Ferb. Now someone got the bright idea to make a new show for My Little Pony. Great, just what we need, an ultra girly cash-in show. And it's animated in flash. Great, we didn't have enough of those already. All signs point to this show be complete and absolute crap.

But it isn't. It's actually really good. Yeah, I'm not kidding. It's really good. I watched this show because I've heard a few of my favorite internet personalities praising it, and I decided to give it a shot, and I liked it. A lot. Crazy you say? Yes, but still true. My Little Pony is one of the best cartoons I've seen in awhile.

Now, you may be asking, "But Rotten, how could a show like My Little Pony be any good?" Well, if you'll shut up, I'll tell you.

Let's brake down what it is that makes this show good.

Writing
The main difference in the writing between MLP and most cartoon network shows is that it actually has it. Actual thought and effort went into writing this show. It tries to be clever rather than random, and gives solid characters, stories, and dialogue. you can tell more went into it than just smoking a bunch of pot then deciding to animate their ideas.

Animation
This show was animated in flash. Yeah, shows was animated in flash tend to look either "okay" or "god-aweful," but MLP looks down right gorgeous. Everything is fluid and detailed. You can tell this wasn't done in flash just to be cheap and lazy.

Setting
The land of Equestria is both interesting and wondrous. It has it's own flora, fauna, and even mythology. It's fascinating just seeing how this world works.

Morals
Hey, remember back when shows had morals because parents were to lazy to raise their kids? Now a days the only one you can find are Family Guy's self-righteous ultra-liberal morals and South Park's satirical ones. MLP is actively trying to make kids not grow up to be total shit-heads. I gotta respect them for that.

Characters
This is where MLP really shines. The characters are fun and likable with distinct personalties. There all well developed and have strong characterization. It's easy to latch on to your favorite (and you will have a favorite, guaranteed). They're the main reason I keep watching this show. If you can't like the characters, then you probably have no soul. Also, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are awesome.

It's Not as Girly as You'd Think
Chances are the main reason you won't watch this is because "My Little Pony is for girls" and while you wouldn't be completely wrong for thinking that, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic isn't heavy on the ultra girly elements. The show is for the most part gender neutral, with the only really girly things are one of the main ponies who is obsessed with beauty and the fact that they're, well, ponies. Just look at the main group, out of the seven you've got a cow-girl, a nut-job, and the spawn of the robot unicorn from robot unicorn attack.

Now, I'm not saying it perfect. The fact that they replace "Everyone" and "Anyone" with "Every pony" and "Any pony" is grating, the lesson can be heavy handed, and people are going to give you weird looks if you say you like it, but it's still a great show and shouldn't be overlooked just because it feels a little emasculating.

You can find all the episodes episodes so far on YouTube (hell, the studio is putting it up themselves). And I'll even save you some time by posting the two part premier here. Give it a look. Trust me, you won't regret it.