Tag: Hasbro

Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Buckball Season)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of The Bad News Mares!  Sports haven’t really come up in the show other than when it comes to the Wonderbolts, and even then it’s more akin to air shows and Top Gun stuff rather than any of the various ball based sports that other ponies can participate in.  Sure, there was the Equestrian Games, but we the focus was on setting up for the games rather than participating in them, and probably spent more time with the CMC practicing their routine than on any of the events.  Even with this episode incorporating a new sport into the series though, I get the feeling we’ll be talking about sportsmanship rather than… well sports.  Does this episode manage to take full advantage of its premise and the give us an interesting game to go along with the drama, or are the writers just throwing darts at the wall and seeing what sticks?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Applejack practicing some sort of advanced bucking technique when she’s rudely interrupted by Rainbow Dash who’s just bored and is looking for something to do.  Lucky for her, Applejack could use some help as her cousin Braeburn from Appleloosa challenged her to a game of Buckball after getting some badass partners and she needs a team for the big game… which is tomorrow… and in Appleloosa.  So Applejack is out there polishing her own skills when she hadn’t even gotten a team together!?  Eh, maybe she figured Rainbow Dash would come by to bug her at some point and she’d be an easy mark for anything competitive.  Sure enough, Rainbow Dash is ready to kick some pony ass at the upcoming game, but there is one problem.  SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT BUCKBALL IS!!

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Cue the eye roll and start the laugh track!

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Dungeons & Discords)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of the Discord Diaries!  Now the last season used John de Lancie’s iconic character a whole bunch, so maybe the thinking on this season is to not overload us with his presence; lest he end up overtaking the show which can happen when side characters get to popular (*cough* Jack Sparrow *cough*), so saving Discord for when the show really needs it might be the right move.  Does this new strategy pan out as we get a REALLY great Discord episode for the sixth season, or is this just another mediocre romp for the season’s mostly disappointing second half?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Discord acting all pissy (as is his nature) because Fluttershy has to go to Yakakistan (ugh…) on some sort of goodwill trip with Princess Celestia and the other protectors of Friendship.  Discord obviously can’t go because he’s not known for his tact and grace… and I’m pretty sure that brining a destructive God of chaos sends the wrong message on a peacekeeping mission.  That and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has arrest warrants all over Equestria; not just for enslaving everyone thousands of years ago, but for shit he’s done recently.

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“You know I can’t go back there after… the incident.”     “Is Celestia still made at you for that?”     “Luna thought it was funny, so she’s been keeping me at arm’s length from the Sun Butt’s wrath.”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (The Times They Are a Changeling)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

Ugh… we’ve got two lousy episodes in a row following the return of the season which actually managed to kick off with a good episode, but it all went downhill from there.  Maybe it’s just me, but episodes about pranks and go kart racing just don’t hold much appeal in a fantasy world with dragons, champions of good, and colorful villains who should be the focus of every episode rather than every once in a while.  Hopefully this episode will mix things up as it has two of the best things the series has going for it; the Crystal Empire and Changelings!  Can this episode turn the tide on the post hiatus episodes, or are we doomed for mediocrity no matter what they try?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Twilight and Starlight getting the hell out of Ponyville to visit Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire; a move I whole heartedly endorse because since we got back from our mid-season hiatus, the only episode worth a damn was decidedly OUTISDE of Ponyville.  This also gives us a chance to catch up with Starlight who’s been missing in action since we got back and is still the most interesting aspect of this new season (though only half as interesting since she’s not with Trixie).  So what’s the story for this episode?  Well… I can only guess at this point, but Twilight has a VERY specific line that, when combined with the title of the episode, gives me an idea as to what’s about to happen.  During the train ride, she offhandedly mentions that Baby Flurry Heart might have grown so much that she won’t even recognize her.  Hmm…

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“You ever stare a Changeling right in the eyes?  It’s like staring into the depths of Tartarus itself!”     “Okay… well I think you’ve read enough Edgar Allen Pony stories for now.  Let’s try to lose that attitude before you see the baby, okay?”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (28 Pranks Later)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 3 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of Everybody Hates Dash!  Now the episode from last week was pretty disappointing and felt like a script they had rejected three seasons ago but decided to fish out of the junk drawer to fill out this season.  Sure, the episode before that was pretty excellent, but this is still not how you want to come back from a mid-season hiatus.  Can this episode make up for that lackluster effort, or did they expend all their creative energy bringing Patton Oswalt into an episode?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins on a DARK and (not quite) STORMY night where Fluttershy is trying REALLY hard to ace that slasher movie audition by getting into character and walking through the woods at night.  Her excuse for this is that a picnic went on too long (things got WAY too crazy when they brought out the Dijon mustard!) but you’d think the ONE person who’d be looking out for that would be the one who’s already terrified of everything!

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“A whole lot of help YOU turned out to be Mr. Bear!  GO OUT THERE AND KICK THAT MONSTER’S ASS!!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (The Cart Before the Ponies)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 6 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of CMC: After Story!  The CMC have had their Cutie Marks for some time now, but since they’re the only other group that episodes in this series can focus on (something I’d like to change at some point, but whatever), there has to be new justifications for them to go on their wacky adventures.  Not really a tall order considering the Mane6 have episodes that don’t tie directly into their duties as Warriors of Friendship or whatever, but so far there hasn’t been enough episodes post crusade to get a sense of how they’ll work without that specific goal to get things started.  Will this be a sign of things to come for the CMC, or are we going to get more of the same only now it’s less interesting?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins in the Ponyville Schoolhouse (it’s a good thing all the kids are the same age) where everything is… fine.  The CMC aren’t blowing up the playground, Diamond Tiara isn’t spreading anti-Cutie Mark propaganda, and Pip’s reign as Student Body President hasn’t ended in catastrophic failure!  Things are just… okay.  Cheerilee must have realized how boring this is (either consciously or subconsciously) and has decided to have the class do the most dangerously stupid (and lawsuit inducing) thing she could imagine!

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“You’ve got twenty four hours to build a fully functioning four wheel vehicle to strap yourselves into and be thrown down a cliff in.  Any questions?”     “Can we use power tools without adult supervision??”     “I don’t see why not!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Stranger Than Fan Fiction)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 4 Comments

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re FINALLY back with another episode of The Daring Doo Chronicles!  After a month long hiatus that felt like it would go on forever (I should know; I have the view counts to prove it!), we’ve got more pony goodness to keep us all entertained in between Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and the recently concluded Wander Over Yonder!  Does the series come back in full form; rejuvenated from the break it took, or did ALL that free time make them sloppy and dispassionate about returning to the show?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins as a dramatization of the latest Daring Doo novel, though the franchise seems to be running out of steam considering how lackluster the situation is.  How is she afraid of falling off a collapsing bridge when she can FLY?  Oh well.  The fans will eat this latest book up just like the other hundred bajillion books in this series, and we get confirmation of that as the dramatization turns out to be Twilight reading about the latest adventure to Rainbow Dash; the latter packing up for Saddle Diego PonyCon while the former is lamenting the fact that she can’t go.  Even a princess can’t get a ticket to that!  Well, not really.  I’m sure she’s already received an engraved invitation begging her to lend her star power to the convention, but she’s got work to do at some friendship summit in Griffonstone which, if I were to guess, is about five percent about actual friendship problems and ninety-five percent about stimulating their failing economy.  The worst part though is that AK Yearling who they met in Daring Don’t and is the author of Daring Doo who’s apparently ALSO the real life Daring Doo (so which one is her real name!?) is going to be there and she never goes to conventions to Twilight’s chagrin.  Basically AK Yearling is Alan Moore if the guy learned what razors are and merely let the hatred of their own work simmer inside them rather than broadcasting it to the world.  Rainbow Dash does her best to try and undersell how awesome the convention is going to be, but is doing (or should I say… DARING DOOING!?  Hee hee hee) a poor job of it, especially when we smash cut to her surrounded by all the nerds of Equestria and loving it!

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Hope they have a strong harassment policy!

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Spice Up Your Life)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of Friendship is… well pretty much anything as long as we can fit a moral in by the end of the story.  Sadly enough, this is ALSO the last episode before the hiatus where they’ll finish the second half of the season later this year.  I don’t remember shows pulling these kind of shenanigans before!  In MY day, we got twenty six episodes IN A ROW before the show went off for a couple of months!  Well as is the rule with shows that go on hiatus, they need to end it on a high note so that the audience will leave wanting more and be ready to pick it back up once the season resumes.  Do they manage to pull it off here, or will we be thankful that the show is going on a break by the end of this episode?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with The Knights of the Friendship Table gathered once again to discuss their latest efforts in fighting against the forces of enmity with the land of Equestria!  The purpose of this meeting is that Twilight and Starlight can finally cast a magic spell to get the Cutie Map working back in working order which means somepony’s about to go on another mission.  I wasn’t even aware that it WASN’T working, but whatever.  At least we have our Plot-O-Tron 5000 up and running again!

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Well geez.  Don’t look TOO excited about it.

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Flutter Brutter)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of Fluttershy in the Middle as this is an episode that drops a pretty sizable bombshell on us which is that Fluttershy actually has a family!  PONY SHOCK!!  For such a big revelation to put in an episode, does this manage to do all it can with this latest development, or is it too little too late to be of any significance?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash (the latter decided to tag along to get a break from the Wonderbolts) having a nice lunch at her parents’ house which is still something I’ll have to get used to.  Seriously, of the three major pegasi in the series (Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo), none of them have had families that have shown up in the six seasons this show has been running.  Hell, now that THAT cat is out of the bag, I guess we might as well move onto the tragic death of Applejack’s parents!  Her mother doesn’t seem to have much going on design wise, but Dear old dad is basically if you took Mr. Rogers and Ned Flanders and put them in the teleporter from The Fly.  Not OG Ned Flanders who was kind of a pompous ass or modern day Ned Flanders who has stopped taking Homer’s crap; the middle Ned who was a total pushover.

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“Well howdily doodily Flutter-rino!  I would let you borrow our lawnmower, but the neighbors been borrowing it for about seven years now.”     “SHUT THE HELL UP OVER THERE!  I’M TRYING TO DRINK!”     “You’ve got it best buddy!”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (Applejack’s “Day” Off)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of The Rarity and Applejack Adventures, which is the closest thing we’ll get to an American Absolutely Fabulous!  Okay, CANADIAN Absolutely Fabulous!  Whatever!  Despite their differences in occupation and lifestyles, Rarity and Applejack do have quite a bit in common; not the least of which is their business sense and drive for personal success.  We haven’t gotten an episode with these two characters specifically since Made in Manehattan from season five, and that ended up being a highlight of that rather underwhelming season.  Does this episode accomplish the same for season six, or has the dynamic between the two been explored to the extent the writers are willing to go?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Rarity enjoying a day at the spa and eagerly waiting for the arrival of Applejack in the steam room.  Sadly enough Applejack is overburdened with chores recently and doesn’t arrive until several hours later; setting up the conflict for the rest of the episode and giving us a sight gag in the process.  I don’t think that steaming can cause your face to melt off, but maybe they’re using magic steam.

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“LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE!  Do you KNOW how long it will take for them to put my face back on!?”

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Super Recaps: My Little Pony season 6 (A Hearth’s Warming Tail)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Hasbro.

Episode directed by Denny Lu and Tim Stuby

We’re back with another episode of The Taming of the Starlight!  After last week’s respite from the newest member of Twilight’s inner circle to focus on Rainbow Dash, it’s time to check back in with our not-quite-yet reformed former dictator.  Not only that, but it’s SOMEHOW Hearth’s Warming Eve time already which is odd considering it looked very much like Spring in the last episode, so maybe the show is trying to make up for lost time or something.  Anyway!  Will Starlight learn about the magic of Hearth’s Warming Eve, or will they let her be a Grumpy Gus until the ornaments are put away?  Well you can probably guess which one it is, but let’s find out!!

The episode begins with everypony singing a Hearth’s Warming Eve carol throughout the town and leading into Twilight’s Doom fortress where the main festivities are happening; presumably leaving the chosen people of Pony-rael to their own devices as they celebrate Horse-anukah in the privacy of their own homes.

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“Can I go home now?  It’s the last night and we’ve got to light the mare-norah.”     “Oh quit being a spoil sport!”

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