Brony Research Questions

[RuqyoHighsong]

So, I suddenly feel compelled to do some research on bronies. I guess I just want to get deeper into the mindset and ideas of the fandom, and also exercise my research muscles, which I haven't used for a good 3 years or so.

I have compiled questions for you bronies to answer. Feel free to answer as much or as little as you wish, but if you can spare the time and thought for it, I'd love to see some bronies answer all of them. Please number the answers so as to make it easier for me to organize things. Thank you, in advance, for your time.

Without further ado, here are the questions:

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

[Whitehawke]

1. The main reaction was to "My Little Pony". Originally, I thought the idea of a My Little Pony show being good was strange. I knew most people consider the franchise to be very merchandise driven (To be honest, it kinda still is) and therefore I felt that, as a rule, I should expect the worst out of it.

But the thing is, I never really was exposed to the franchise in anyway, so I was not comfortable to judge this new show without watching it, regardless of the popular notion (at the time) that it's "supposed" to be only designed for young girls.

Luckily, episodes were regularly uploaded on Youtube, so it was easy to watch it, without having to deal with the hassle of TV channels and time slots. I still think that online episodes is one of the main reasons for the show's massive online fanbase right now.

The subtitle "Friendship is Magic" hardly meant anything to me considering this was my first real exposure to the franchise.

2. Unlike many young kids' television programs, the show is reasonably paced, with a well-established world along with a great balanced cast. Plot outlines are varied and work reasonably well within the rules established about the show. While we're at it, the characters are reasonably capable of acting according to their ages: most shows fall into the trap of making a character unreasonably stupid or crazy in order to create humour, but this creates a fallacy since then comes a question like "How does this character survive every day in his world?".

The show either has to bend around this character's personality by making him survive every problem he comes across, or they simply casually ignore his mistakes and have him back up to status quo by the next scene. This can work, but it's incredibly overdone and works better with small casts, like the Roadrunner or most early Looney Tunes show.

By contrast, Friendship is Magic has all 6 main characters with jobs, hobbies and interests, and manages to create a lot of humour without resorting to out of character behaviors.

Mistakes/conflicts generally happen because characters are not being forthcoming with their personal flaws, which is, in my opinion, a much appreciated change of pace of today's programs. Characters acting irrationally tend to have the age for it - the Cutie Mark Crusaders generally get into trouble because they're young and don't know any better.

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg of why My Little Pony has become incredibly popular: ease of access to episodes online helps introduce and attract newcomers easily. Fan production is also incredible, with an absolutely massive influx of art, games, music remixes, plushies and more being created every day.

But the main reason has to be the show's surprising quality: appealing designs, good animation, interesting lore and the studio fully acknowledging the periphery demographic...it's a perfect storm.

3. a) Animation and appealing designs. Most Flash shows tend to have very "flat" characters, because they only have a "front" and "back" shot being flipped accordingly. Their poses tend to be in 3/4 view, except their design almost always ends up making it look like a profile pose instead, creating a very unappealing "look".

But the ponies of Friendship is Magic are different: for one, they have 5 general poses: a 3/4 front, 3/4 back, a profile pose, a behind pose and a dead-on facing-the-screen pose. However, it doesn't stop there, the ponies are also given new poses for certain scenes in episodes, such as a bird's eye view shot.

This, combined with very simple round shapes used for the ponies, creates a very 3-dimensional view. The ponies are not flat against the invisible walls, they actually look like they're facing a certain direction in 3-dimensional space.

On top of that, there is excellent use of stretch and squash within the show, along with many of the other animation principles being used every scene.

It's incredibly appealing to watch, as a result. Most flash-based shows don't achieve a fraction of this appeal.

3. Although the animation is great, the backgrounds are a tad weak at times. What comes to mind is the Sweet Apple Acres: the apple trees tend to look like 10-second MSpaint jobs, with their "apples" looking nothing like one.

Moreover, the show occasionally has difficulty coming up with a proper moral at the end of an episode.

4. a) This is a tricky question. For one, I wouldn't like this show nearly a much if it's cast was not so balanced. Most shows feature a set of 5 "main" characters, except 1 tends to have far more spotlight than s/he needs and another(or several) are treated like simple recurring secondary characters.

In this show's case, Twilight could be determined as the main character because she has a 100% rate of showing up, but in quite a few episodes she is very much a practical secondary character, while the focal character(s) of the current episode are in the spotlight. There are also episodes where all of the main characters are playing important roles.

Of course, it also helps that secondary and background characters make good-use of their short time to showcase their personality. This is generally done well. As a result, I admire nearly all of the cast.

4. Owlowiscious, Twilight's pet owl from episode 24, Owl's Well That Ends Well. His range of personality is unacceptably low compared to the rest of the cast, including background characters. His design also leaves much to be desired. Season 2 may redeem him but he's definitely my least favorite pet and character in the show due to his (lack of?)attitude.

5. a) The show hasn't changed my personality, but it did change my priorities. I'm far more focused into equine drawings than before, and a good portion of my youtube videos are from the show itself. I've also been far more involved in this community than any other before.

5. I've told a few friends/family members about my enthusiasm of the show, but most reactions have been quite dry, although positive. I haven't shared my obsession any further since season 1 ended.

6. a) Part of the appeal, or gimmick, is that this is a rare instance of a complete female cast working out very well for both genders. The closest to a male main character so far is Spike, Twilight's dragon assistant, who's been occasionally compared to being her pet. Most shows struggle to create a good variety of female characters because of gender expectations and general hesitation of giving them unusual personalities, but Friendship is Magic overcomes this by making females the main gender of it's world, allowing a far greater array of expression. Male representation has admittedly suffered because of this, but males are so varied and over-represented in other media, that it's difficult to see them as a "secondary" gender, even in a world where they are outnumbered 25 to 1.

I think I would still watch the show if the main cast was male, so long as the quality was the same, but I most likely would not have been exposed to it as quickly as I did.

6. It's hard to say where the show would be if it had a male lead character now, or ever before. As I typed a while ago, part of the "gimmick" is that a children's show (known to be merchandise driven) with a complete cast of 6 females turned out to be great.

Another part of the reason Friendship Is Magic's current popularity is huge is that it largely stems from a blog's message about merchandise driven animation taking over television networks all over, with original content from great directors being left to fry. It is from this blog's post that the popularity of the show started (for the most part).

Perhaps I'm over-blowing the requirement of the 6 main characters being female though. It's just that the opposite of My Little Pony in Merchandise Driven Shows is...Transformers, which received far more care and love over the last 20 years, including receiving highly popular TV-series with cutting-edge technology at disposal (at their respective times). At it's current stage, Transformers had a theater-release trilogy created for it, and has a 3d animated show being aired.

Would Transformers have received just as much care and love with an all-"female" cast?

It is my belief that robots have been given more personality and care than rainbow-colored ponies simply because the robots could pass off as males easier, regardless of what the directors at the time may have said about the robots not having a gender, and therefore appeal to males easier.

My Little Pony got considerably worse over time compared to it's initial tv specials and movie, losing it's feel of adventure for unusually human settings (but with ponies). Combined with a lack of effort, we got, well, a pretty terrible bunch of shows.

It feels as though the only difference now is that this time, My Little Pony got someone who cared to make the show good. Lauren Faust and the studios working on it have given it far more love than it ever got before, and fortunately for them, a perfect storm brewed and their work has not gone unnoticed. The franchise now feels just as prominent as Transformers despite the massive difference in marketing and allotted resources.

And it did it without resorting to a single lead male character.

Right now, a male lead would probably not hurt the show at all, provided the character is as equally interesting as the current characters, but had the show been ordered to HAVE male leads from the start, would Lauren Faust have cared to make the show as good as it currently is? Would she have joined at all? Would she have still made it as an example of how female leads in television shows can work?

Food for thought.

My post is stupid huge at this point and I think I'm presuming too much stuff, so I'll cut it off here. Hope this helps.

[BlackFang]

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I read of it from the internet, and the 3rd party opinions were great, i wasnt entirely cautious but wasnt really expecting it to be THAT great either.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

simple, is a great show, from nicely developed characters with great personalities (most important) to a nice art and great animation (not as important)

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

again, the characters, they are really well developed and are really "human" so to speak, with their good and bad traits. is easy to relate to some of them in one or more (all?) aspects.

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

some cliches every here and there, and the whole "moral of story" thingy (although 100% understandable) is rather lame.

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

Twilight... making true friends like that is not easy and she managed it and Fluttershy, that once something she cares about is in danger, she puts her fears apart to stand for them/it.

Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

guilda cause she's a f***** b*** and made Fluttershy cry

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

hard to tell, i havent really paid any attention to my behavior lately... but it is true that i hear less complains about it lately

How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

its a secret so far.

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

i find it EXTREMELY difficult to picture such an scenario...

How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

see above

[crumpton]

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I thought it was the girliest thing I had ever seen. The general title of "My Little Pony" kept me away, even on the commercials of the actual pony toys. During school, every guy I was friends with said it was the best show ever. Then my mom showed me the "Equestria Gurls" ad during an airing of Muppets Treasure Island. She thought it was the cutest thing ever. I took the risk and started watch the episodes.

Best...decision...ever.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

The show isn't just aimed for young kids. There's adult references and stuff that only teenagers and older would get, but in general, it's aimed for younger girls. The show itself is written amazingly, and the show reminds me a lot of what cartoons were like when I was kid. But besides that, the show itself is just awesome, from the characters' personalities and the beautifully drawn backgrounds. I think that the majority of the guys who like it are just 4channers who like it for its trollish value, but there are others (myself included) who like it from a artistic and fan perspective.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

All the characters are done brilliantly with differentiating personalities that make you know who is who.

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

It uses stereotypes for its "abnormal" characters, like Zecora and the buffaloes.

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

Fluttershy. Because she's so adorable, and while she's usually shy, she's a good role model for those kids who are so shy. All they need is a little help and even somebody as shy as her can make friends.

My other favorite character is Rarity. She's a good example of "that" friend, who likes to put herself over everything else, but when your friends are in danger or something's major at stake, she'll put herself behind to help, even if she "gets dirty."

Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

Gilda. I know she was probably a one-shot character, but she's a total b---h, let's be honest. How Dash ever made friends with her is beyond me.

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

I haven't really changed, but the show definitely gave me inspiration to write fanfics again. I'm still my normal self in terms of personality and stuff like that.

How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

My parents look at me like I'm a freak...which, isn't any different, but they thing the name "My Little Pony" is enough to insult me. I keep on telling them to actually watch it, but they're stubborn to not. Their loss.

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

It depends on the personality of the character. If they were male...it'd be different. It might lose the "cute" factor by a good proportion, and the "moral" thing would be weird with males.

How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

Look Above

[RarityDash]

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I first heard about it in February from two separate sources at about the same time, my little sister and this internet friend of mine in Japan. Both of them had nice things to say about the show, but it was not unusual for them to like girly things. To my friend I replied word for word: "Heh... I somehow don't see myself watching this." And I didn't. I had absolutely no interest in a My Little Pony anything, and the Friendship is Magic part just made it sound even more unappealingly girly. I wrote the show off then. It wasn't until late May, when another friend of mine posted some sexy pics of humanized Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and told me he was into this My Little Pony show that I decided to at least try it. It still took a fair amount of courage to jump into something with that title. And at first, even when I started to fall in love with it, I kind of avoided calling it by name, referring to it as "that pony thing" and such.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

I think it's the characters and the way they bounce off each other. The mane six are all very well rounded character. Each of them is thoroughly flawed and a little crazy. They're also so different from each other in wonderful ways, which makes seeing them interact just great. No two characters are very alike at all. Beyond that, there is the bright, eye catching animation and the strong sense of humor carried throughout the show.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

The relatable characters, I"d say. I also appreciate the example it sets for the intended, young female audience, presenting these six ponies as sort of role models. I mean, you have a scholar, a farmer, an aspiring athlete, a fashion designer, etc, and they're all presented appealingly. I just think that's kind of cool. Also, everything about the show is just infectiously cute.

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

I struggle to think of too much. I'm mostly all positive with this show. If I had to say something though, I'd probably go with the CMC. I know they wanted to include characters more relatable to the target audience in terms of age, but it just doesn't work for me really. These three characters just aren't as likable or interesting to watch. I don't hate them, and I know they only get a few episodes, but it still feels like they're over utilized somewhat

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

Applejack. Because she's so cute... I also love how she's tough, hard working and bold yet at the same time kind and just warm. Also, Rarity. I just think she's a cool example for all the young girls out there. She's girly, but boldly assertive, hard working and creative. I don't know if admire is really quite the right word, but I also really love Dash; she's just so cute and cool. There are few characters I don't at least like though.

B) Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

The minor characters in the episode Call of the Cutie. Twist is annoying and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are just bland villains with flat characters and, unlike earlier villains Gilda and Trixie, hardly very appealing designs.

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

I now think about ponies all the time. Other than that, not much.

B) How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

My friends don't seem to mind. Most of them are into it too by now.

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

I probably actually wouldn't watch it if they were male. Part of the reason I watch is it's about cute girls, even if they're ponies. I tend to gravitate toward shows with female characters as it is. I kind of equate FiM to a moe anime, so yeah, them being female is a huge part of the appeal. It just wouldn't be the same with male characters and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't watch it.

B) How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

I really just don't think it would work. Not for me at least.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

1. I didn't really have much of a reaction to the title. I was looking for something specific in the episode as it was linked to me, so it didn't really matter what the title was.

2. There is a lot of violence, cynicism, fear, mistrust, selfishness and apathy in our culture these days; so it is nice to watch a show that reminds us about the better angels of our nature, bravery, honesty, kindness, empathy and trust. It is a counter-example to a world view that is black and white, self vs others, one or the other; giving expression to something a lot of people felt was right, but didn't have the words for. It is humorous. It has complex characters that are not defined by the clothes they wear or the items they possess. It covers a variety of subjects both simple and complex. There is a certain amount of "forbidden fruit," effect that draws in male viewers initially.

3a. You can work together, reach greater heights, and still be uniquely you.

3b. Some stories feel like they are left unfinished.

4a. This question is hard to answer, each of the mane cast has a trait that I wish I had in greater abundance myself. Twilight has the kind of diligence that I wish I'd had when I was younger, she doesn't hesitate to help when its needed and she's good at solving problems. Rarity has the kind of self confidence that I only wish I could muster when I make art myself and she can recognize the worth of others when I might be too quick to dismiss. Applejack can finish those difficult tasks and does not get disheartened by the hardships that come along the way. Pinkie Pie is outgoing in a way that I can only dream of being and doesn't fear getting to know anypony else, or letting herself be known. Fluttershy, with the exception of the last episode, has a sort of patience that I wish I had at least once or twice a week. Rainbow Dash has a style of bravery where she can be herself without fear of judgement that I feel that I greatly lack.

4b. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Bullies are bad news. I wan't to be angry with the two of them, but then at the same time I feel a tug of empathy because I realize that at that young age, there's probably something missing in their lives. So I get upset in two different directions.

5a. While I still have my ups and downs, as I'm sure anyone does, some of the downs have felt a little bit more cushioned. Occasionally a song will pop in my head and brighten my day a little bit. When I read the news, I know that not everyone is as greedy/corrupt as the people that are steering the ship.

5b. Most of my friends already considered me to be somewhat eccentric, so I don't think there's much of a change there.

6a. I come from a family where a lot of the traditional gender roles didn't apply. My mother has a box full of gold medals under her bed from various sports while my dad was always the one who cooked dinner, for example. I guess I identify more with female lead characters because they more often than not lack many of the traits that I find annoying in your average hollywood male action hero, but these aren't traits inherent to their sex, rather they are mass media stereotypes.

6b. If the writers could do the same job they're doing now of avoiding stereotypes, then I don't think the show would be much different at all. They've hit upon things that everyone can relate to in this show. It'd probably have the popularity of Adventure Time, if it was freely available on youtube.

[DottyDroll]

1. I'm going to mix my first react with the react of seeing the first episode. I figured the characters would be pretty flat and the show would follow a sort of anime magical girl/quest story.

2. Well if they are like me they like because of how much of a surprise it is. Its not what you would expect and considering past My Little Ponies it is vastly improved. The characters are distinguishable, flawed and relatable. The stories aren't cliche and overdone. Lauren Faust said it was a show meant for children AND their parents.

3. a) Bits with Fluttershy when her lack of assertiveness get her stepped on. So she has to step up for herself. Basically character flaws causing snowballing problems. I like that there is no character safe from this. Except maybe Celestia. I like the other creatures that have featured in the show like the Diamond Dogs(i also love the reference), the ursa minor, the buffalo. I like the idea of the ponies having control over their weather. Oh and the houses of course!

It did bug me in the Bridle Gossip episode how no one offered to clean up Zecora's after they trashed it. I guess ponies are nonchalant about property damage.

4. a) Admire? Rarity. I was so sure in the beginning she'd be the snobby rich girl we love to hate. But I was delightfully wrong. She is by all accounts a self made pony. She has her own business and home. She is very passionate about her work and works very hard. Who wouldn't want to support themselves doing something they love?

B) Rainbow Dash. I just don't relate to jock characters. And I feel like she gets away with being rude more than the others.

5. a) I gives me hope for animation and children's programming.

B) Not much. I watch lots of animated things so I don't thing it's a shock to anyone. Just a few rolled eyes here and there.

6. a) Honestly yes. But I think it's also a matter of how deep the characters are. I feel too often female leads are under developed when there's a group of them. I would probably still watch because my initial reason for watching was the animation style.

b)The yaoi slashery would be rampant.

[RuqyoHighsong]

Many thanks to the bronies who have contributed to this! I am very appreciate of you six (wait a sec, six...hehe...) bronies for taking the time to answer, and I will read your answers in full when I get the chance.

Thanks to Sethisto and Equestria Daily, I have quite a few questionnaire responses in my email inbox, and so I'm pretty much set. Your six responses will be used for sure in the data collection, you can be assured of that. However, that being said, I've got enough responses now, so I'll see about locking/closing this thread so that I don't receive any more.

[ZephyrBurst]

I know you said not to post any more of these, but I have been meaning to get an answer to you ever since you mentioned it in irc... which btw, feel free to RAWR at me in irc for posting despite what you said above.

-----------------------------------------------------

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I was recommended the show by an online friend, who periodically recommends me movies or games. Nearly all of his recommendations have agreed with my tastes. But when he recommended I check out the new My Little Pony, I was immediately skeptical. I had never heard of it and my skeptisism rose from my previous experiences with My Little Pony. To me, it has always been a less than mediocre franchise not worth anyone's time, so to hear about yet, another generation of it, I was willing to just say no outright. Which I did, though I took a mental note of the name of the show for later. He hadn't let me down before so I decided to go on youtube to see if there were clips of the show. You know the rest from there.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

There's a lot of reasons for this. The first thing people see when they watch it is the quality and effort put into it. The style and design is appealing, the animation is great as is the voice acting. Best of all are the diverse and interesting characters that lead the show. Each with believable and well rounded personalities. The stories are interesting due to not feeling so contrived and more driven from the characters being themselves with their perks and flaws. This makes it more believable and more importantly, relatable to the audience.

A big reason, I think, is the studio acknowledging and interacting with the fans quite often. This creates a more personal connection with the show that isn't seen a lot with other media.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

The relatable characters and how their differing personalities together get them through hardships and create them as well. The conflicts are typically created by the characters themselves. There's really no set villain and instead, the lead characters act as antagonists for the others depending on the situation. It's done in a great way without feeling forced.

^_^ What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

While it doesn't really bug me and I understand why it's done, I don't really care for the 'moral of the day' aspect that comes from Twilight at the end of the show. Though sometimes, it's handled really well.

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

While my favorite character is Rainbow Dash, I admire Rarity's character the most. A lot of times in media, her character archetype is rather shallow. They are typically single-minded shop-a-holics with no real goals other than to look the best in a shallow way. I expected this from Rarity and I figured she would be my least favored character of the main cast, but to my surprise, she completely shatters this. She still portrays a few of those very feminine traits, but does so with care and charm. She's seen as a hard working pony and in many moments, she's shown to have a lot of responsibility in that she has to give up something so she can make a dead line for a client. She displays passion and effort for her work and understands that hard work is how to get to where she wants. This, to me, makes her an exceptional role model for viewers.

B) Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

This is a hard one and I'm not sure how to answer it properly.

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

I'm a closed person in that I don't typically share how I really feel with others. This show has honestly gotten me to be more vocal about what's going on in my head. [see 5b for the rest of the answer]

B) How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

Not at all, most people already know my taste in media can be odd for what would be expected of me, except for one person. I'm a very hard person to get passionate about anything and it's something my roommate has picked up on. I like a lot of stuff, but he's noted that I don't really involve myself in a lot of media out there. He described it once as being emotionally distant from everything around me. It wasn't an insult, it was just an observation he made and he's quite observant of other people's emotions.

I've been fairly active about following the artists and people behind the show as well as pretty much every other aspect of it. While he doesn't care for the show, (though he hasn't watched it himself, with the excuse of 'he knows he'll like it too' (Though he did say he'd watch it when I buy the DVD)) he said he really liked it that I was so into the show because it was relieving for him to see that I was actually passionate about something for once.

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

I'm not sure if I identify with female leads or not, but if the lead characters were male, I'd still watch it if they portrayed the depth and complexity that they do now. I think they're relatable to both genders, not because of their gender, but because of their strong personalities. Which on a side note, it is great to see a female led cast of well rounded characters.

B) How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

This is a hard one. Though if the characters personalities were kept intact, I say it would be just as successful since, as I said above, it's not the gender, but the characters themselves that are appealing.

[Motion Paradox]

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

Well the first time I read the title I thought it was simply My Little Pony and that Friendship Is Magic was part of my friend's comment, but after finding out it was a separate and new series my impression was that the art work was much cleaner than the previous series. I'm not really sure what I thought of it

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

Because unlike many shows meant for younger audiences it dosen't talk down to the viewers, become overly preachy or feel pressure to make everything funny (really the pressure many western shows seem to feel that something animated should have a joke every minute ruins the more emotional moments) and that the characters are believable and have their own quirks rather than just being defined by what their hobby is

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

Well the above but also the nods to older shows, films. etc (hmm, I watch a lot of shows and films that are older than I am so it's nice being able to pick up refernces and not to feel hesitant about looking up the ones I miss) and how it has a Shoujo Anime sort of feel (after all those shows that tried to achieve the same popularity as anime by copying the artstyle (often badly) and missing the psychology and finally somebody has done it properly)

I also appreciate how many of my animation related hang ups are avoided in the series (Yes, I mean you eyes pop three feet out of the character's head, you creepy thing) and the ones they don't avoid are handled in a much better way than most shows handle them (for example the smores scene in episode 8)

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

Hmm, well there isn't anything that I out right dislike that comes to mind

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

Well all of the mane 6 have traits I can admire

Fluttershy's ability to keep herself from being bothered by things that would bother me, namely that when somebody upsets her she (usually) handles it well instead of letting it sit in her mind for ages

Rarity having a job that, stress aside, she loves (something I hope to have going into animation)

Twilight Sparkle being able to put things in laypony's terms, I used to and sometimes still have trouble putting things in a way others will understand

Pinkie Pie Being able to do as she likes, It's happened alot to me that I've felt the need to hide things to avoid being bothered about it (it's also lead to me trying hide things that I like several times even though nobody bothered me about them once they found out)

Rainbowdash being so open about her feelings, there have been several times where I've kept my feelings to myself and ended up having people step on my feelings because they didn't realise they were in the way (though one of those cases lead to me first looking into the series)

Applejack's ability to fjust do things, I have the worst time finish things wheither it's a creative project or something for my schoolwork and I'll often end up submitting things ages after I started them because I'll end up worrying if I'm doing my best or not

Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

Snips & Snails, they're well....they're what they're supposed to be, a pair of knuckleheads you can laugh at, the same applies to those bullies from Sonic Rainboom

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

Well I'm not sure if I've been a fan long enough for any really big changes and the one that I have some people might dispute but:

That I'm calmer than before.

I still have the same anxiety issues I've always had but there are somethings that I've stopped getting as mad about as I used to

B) How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

It hasn't, it's fairly typical for me to like this sort of thing

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

Hmm, I'm not really sure. I have watched quite a few shows where the majority of the cast is male but I'm not sure if that would effect my views on this show

B) How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

Well I'm not not sure, though I think that the fandom might be a bit different in terms of which characters where saddled with which stereo-types (hmm, that was a terribe pun....)

[Angie Cakes]

lets do this thing ò^ó *reads questions* oh god, what is this? english class? I hate english class lets do this thing anyways ò^ó

1. When you first heard about ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’, how did you feel? What were your reactions (if any) to the title?

I saw the toys before I heard about the show. I saw the title on the box and I was all "shouldn't it be friendship is magical?". after watching the show I get why it's friendship is magic :3 the first mlp video I ever saw was a derpy video, so I didn't have any problems understanding why this show would be popular with older fans. that being said, at first I thought it was going to be one of those shows that exists on youtube mostly to make youtube poops out of. I felt interested ._.

2. Though originally meant for young girls, the show has expanded to a wider audience of differing age and gender. Explain, in your own words, why you believe this to be so.

hipsters ._. then some not hipsters came after.

this question has ben answered so many times on so many websites by so many people. almost all the answers are the same. I really don't feel like going into it.

3. a) What themes/aspects of the show resonate with you the most?

the animation... and the fanbase if that counts. oh and the music is catchy ºUº and I LOVE the art style.

What themes/aspects of the show do you dislike?

I wouldn't say that I dislike it, actually it's pretty awesome, but I'd have to say the actual show ._. I love everything about the show except the show itself. I just strongly like the show U_U

4. a) Which character(s) do you admire the most? Why?

ah, Rarity ._. such good work ethic and creativity. I'd like to be like that.

Which character(s) do you dislike the most? Why?

mmmmmmmmmmgilda ._. not because she was mean, but because she was fake. you could tell that she was really trying to be cool instead of being herself, and I can't stand that in a person.

5. a) How has being a fan of this show changed you? Has it changed your personality/emotions/thoughts?

I SEE NO CHANGE U_U no, I'm sure there's something, lets think... I've kinda been drawn away from my fanime roots. my youtube channel has been sort of suffering since I became a brony -_-

How has being a fan of this show changed the way others view you?

most people still know me as the girl that's dating that annoying weird kid ._. if I hadn't dated him, most people I know would have no idea I exist. so yeah, it really hasn't changed the way people view me at all. I was into this kind of thing long before fim came around, so I don't think it's changed the way people close to me view me. although I have been getting tons of G3.5 junk for birthdays and christmas presents lately

6. a) Do you identify more with female lead characters? Would you watch this show if the lead characters were male rather than female?

I dunno... I know I wouldn't make fan art if they were male. I have a really hard time making things look masculine... no, I don't think I'd watch the show if the characters were all male. my reasons for this will be kept to myself U_U

B) How might the show be affected if the lead characters were male?

I think it would become popular for being a girls' show with male characters. I think it would probably be called gay a lot and there would be internet discussion about it and such from the old mlp fans ._. I dunno what else to say about it...

I didn't edit this because it's time for diner~