The Rabbit Hutch

Vote for Me!

2012-01-31T22:37:00.002-05:00

Check out my entry into Mionetta's Mixology Masters Contest, the Sky of Blue Cocktail, and be sure to vote for me. I wouldn't have really posted about this here, but everyone who votes is also entered into a drawing for a VIP trip to Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit, so it's win-win.

The First Half of SSCBBA in a Nutshell

2012-01-27T11:11:00.000-05:00

With new episodes of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures starting up again tomorrow, here's a refresher on what went down in the first half of season two:

Berry Bitty Harvest
Strawberry Shortcake: Things sure are slow at the cafe lately.
Berrykin Bloom: Mind taking my new perfectly-sized-for-us produce to Orange Blossom's?
Strawberry Shortcake: Not at all!
Orange: Despite this sudden overload of overly popular fruits and veggies, I can handle it all on my own, thanks to my handy dandy umbrellas and fans system. And with the addition of pneumatic tubes, distribution is a breeze!
Berrykins: These tubes make a great thrill ride!
Tubes: *get overloaded with berrykins*
Tubes: *explode, creating a huge mess all over Berry Bitty City*
Strawberry: Obviously, someone must do something about this. Hey, Orange, I was thinking, since things are so slow everywhere, but especially at my cafe, howzabout I open up a marketplace to sell the produce?
Orange: Oh, thank you, thank you, tha- Wait, are you just doing this because I couldn't handle all the produce on my own?
Strawberry: Actually, it's because Hasbro already came up with the playset.
Orange, Oh, okay, then.
*Construction begins*
Berrykin Bill: The marketplace will be ready in four weeks. See you tomorrow!
Berrykin Bloom: Bad news, everyone! The next harvest is in two weeks!
Strawberry: what.

Room at the Top
Berrykin Bill: The marketplace construction is going according to the revised schedule, Strawberry. I just need you to finalize the blueprints for the upstairs bedroom.
Strawberry: Sure thing, I know just what I want.
Friends: As do we! Let us handle it, Strawberry!
Strawberry: Um...sure, I guess. Wouldn't want to disappoint my friends.
Berrykin Bloom: Oh no, the harvest is ready TODAY! Must hide fruits so as not to disappoint anyone!
Friends: Although we are all friends, suddenly we can't agree on anything. But surely this won't create a problem in designing Strawberry's new bedroom, especially if we get her to sign off on everything first.
Berrykin Bloom: Oh, gee, Berrykin Bill, it's too bad you can't have the marketplace finished by say, tomorrow, since that's the deadline for being featured in Better Berry Bitty Buildings Digest, and I just know you're a shoo-in for the front cover.
Bill: Who says we can't have it done by tomorrow? Berrykins, doubletime!
Berrykins: *are glad they now have to work twice as fast*
Strawberry: Wow, who would have guessed that a bunch of suggestions made one at a time wouldn't actually work out when put all together? This room is not what I dreamed, but I can't insult my friends by telling them I don't like it.
Floor: *shakes*
Berrykins: *futilely try to hold up first floor ceiling, only to be pummeled by kiwis*
Berrykin Bloom: The truth is out! The produce is ready two weeks too early!
Strawberry: Well, that explains where the mystery pineapples in my closet came from. Speaking of, Princess Berrykin, would you like some pineapple upside down cake?
Princess: Thanks for offering, but pineapples just aren't my thing.
Strawberry: *suddenly realizes you can turn something down and still be polite about it*
Berrykins: *work through the night*
Girls: *make the bedroom the way Strawberry actually wanted it*
Strawberry: Thank goodness that's done. Oh, the girls left me a housewarming gift? A notebook specifically for writing down ideas for the marketplace's grand opening that's now two weeks sooner than expected, how sweet. Wait, what?

Starlight, Star Bright
Strawberry: Okay, girls, we need something really awesome for the marketplace's grand opening. Any ideas?
Raspberry Torte: How about getting super pop star Cherry Jam? Like she'd ever come to a bitty city like this.
Blueberry Muffin: Well, why not? *writes an e-mail*
Cherry Jam: *agrees*
Girls: SQUEEEEEEEE!
Strawberry: *helps a mystery girl write a song*
Mystery Girl: *has an on-again-off-again southern accent*
Mystery Girl: *is obviously Cherry Jam*
Strawberry: Mind if I ask what you're doing out here?
Cherry Jam: I just always wanted to have a picnic. It's been my dream!
Strawberry: Okay, see you later.
Cherry Jam: *drives into town under the cover of darkness*
Girls: *are dressed like groupies*
Girls: Where's your entourage?
Cherry Jam: Actually, I only took this gig because it was in such a tiny place. I want to fulfill all my city girl dreams of what living in the country is like! Like sleeping under the stars!
Girls: .....
Girls: We can't let a big star like you sleep on the ground! How about we make a house look like a tent?
Cherry Jam: *sneaks out*
Girls: She hates us.
Cherry Jam: Next up, eating a sandwich in peace, with no nosy fans around, followed by a walk in the woods, picking flowers.
Girls: Strawberry, meet Cherry Jam!
Strawberry: The mystery girl? I thought you looked familiar.
Cherry Jam: Can I be honest with you, Strawberry? My whole persona is a complete fabrication, made up by my publicist for the magazines. And your friends have bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
Strawberry: Oh, so that's why they're sneaking around planting roses for your flower picking excursion.
Cherry: *only picks wildflowers*
Girls: She hates us.
Orange: *kicks flower petals in spite*
Flower petals: *were Cherry's path markers*
Strawberry: Okay, girls, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that Cherry Jam lost her voice due to calling for help in the woods all day yesterday. The good news is that she'll be mostly better by tonight's performance, but she needs me to sing the high notes. And she wants you all to be the back-up singers on one condition.
Girls: What's that?
Strawberry: Forget what you read about her in the magazines and just treat her like a normal girl.
Girls: It's a deal!
Performance: *has no high notes*
Performance: *goes off without a hitch*

Practice Makes Perfect
Cherry Jam: My manager won't appreciate it, but I'm putting off planning my upcoming tour and extending my vacation in Berry Bitty City!
Girls: Yay! But we all have to go back to work, sorry.
Cherry Jam: *feels unproductive but doesn't want to go back to the city yet*
Cherry Jam: If only there was a way for me to use my musical talent here in town.
Berrykin Bloom: *bassoon playing is earth-shakingly loud*
Cherry Jam: Strawberry, I know what I'm gonna do today!
Cherry Jam: *gives lessons in Plum's dance studio*
Berrykin Bloom: *can now play the bassoon like a normal person*
BBC residents: If she can teach Berrykin Bloom, she can teach anyone! Teach us, Cherry Jam!
Cherry Jam: Sure thing! And at the end of the week, we can have a recital.
Plum Pudding: What?!
Cherry Jam: It's what music teachers do, right? Give recitals?
Plum: Must practice!
Plum: *practices nonstop*
Plum: *sprains wrist*
Cherry Jam: Oh, that's too bad. I guess we'll have to postpone the recital, huh?
Plum: Wait, it's that easy? Hm....
Cherry Jam: Boy, Plum, you sure have rotten luck. First the wrist, then your dress wasn't done, then you hurt your rear, and now your drumsticks are lost.
Strawberry: Yeah, rotten luck.
Strawberry: Okay, Plum, what's up? You love to perform. What about all those dance recitals you've forced us to attend?
Plum: Duh, I'm good at dancing, and I'm no good at drumming.
Strawberry: Well, you must be a little good at it, what with all this extra practice time. How about you play for me, and I'll let you know if you're ready or not.
Plum: If it's just you, sure.
Plum: *drums, loses hold of sticks at the end*
Strawberry: Not too bad, but why don't we get Lemon's opinion?
Strawberry: *manages to sneak in all the other students*
Cherry: Since everyone's here, let's open the recital with a group number.
Plum: Okay, I can live with that. Let in the audience.
Princess Berrykin: *is the only audience member*
Princess Berrykin: And soon I'll be a student, too. I'm thinking of taking up the bassoon. *winks at Berrykin Bloom*
Berrykin Bloom: Why, Princess!
Audience at home: *did not need to see that*
Recital: *goes great*

Top Talent
Cherry Jam: *is serenaded by the Berrykin-Bug Marching Band*
Cherry Jam: That's great, but y'all are aware it's six in the morning, right?
Band leader: You've inspired us, Cherry Jam! Include us in your next recital?
Cherry Jam: Sorry, but I'm heading home. I've put off my tour planning long enough.
Cherry Jam: *has a heartfelt goodbye with the other girls*
Cherry Jam's bus: *breaks down*
Berrykin Bruce: Your hydraulic juicer-mixer is busted, gonna take two to three weeks to get a new one.
Cherry Jam: Well, since I'm sticking around a little longer, let's throw a talent show!
BBC Residents: Yeah!
Cherry Jam: I told my manager about the show, and my publicist mentioned it in a magazine, and now a talent scout from Big Bitty City is coming to see the show.
Girls: SQUEEEEE! Fame and fortune will be ours!
Lemon: So we said, but only one girl can take home the top prize, and that girl is going to be me! And thanks to Berrykin Bloom's inadvertent inspiration, I have just the thing to net me first place: hair topiary (scented)!
BBC Residents: *work on a stage for the talent show*
Girls: *get help from each other for the show and their acts*
Lemon: *rejects all requests for help*
Lemon: *rejects all offers of help*
Lemon: *hears Raspberry crying*
Raspberry: My keyboard is gone! How can I be in the show without it?
Lemon: I now see that I have been selfish in devoting all my time to practicing for the show, and will instead devote the rest of my day to finding your keyboard, Raspberry!
Raspberry's keyboard: *is not found*
Raspberry: All I have left is a recording of my piece and the dress I made especially for the talent show!
Lemon: That gives me an idea! And no, not one that involves cheating.
Talent show: *is hosted by Berrykin Bloom*
Berrykin Bloom: *tells terrible jokes between acts*
Lemon: *gets her friends to display all her topiaries at once*
Raspberry: *wears the Berry Dazzling dress*
Raspberry: *had time to make ones for Cherry Jam and Strawberry, too*
Raspberry: *wins third place*
Lemon: *wins second place*
Berrykin Bloom: *wins first place, despite not being an actual contestant*
Talent Scout: Raspberry, here's my card. Have your people call mine. You could be big!
Raspberry: There are not enough Es for the squee I'm about to let out.

A Star is Fashioned
Berrykin Mechanics: It sure is a shame Cherry's gonna leave once the part for her bus is delivered.
Bees: *deliver the part*
Berrykin Mechanics: If Berrykin Bruce never finds this, he'll never fix the bus, and Cherry will stay in Berry Bitty City forever!
Berrykin Mechanics: *hide part*
Berrykin Bruce: *is none the wiser*
Raspberry: Girls, there's something I have to tell you! After the show last night, the talent scout gave me her card!
Girls: Call her, call her!
Raspberry: But what if it's some kind of scam? They have me head down to what I think is a fancy boutique, but really it's a warehouse and they trick me into working in a sweatshop for the rest of my life!
Girls: If you won't call her, we will!
Blueberry: *dials the number*
Raspberry: Uh huh...uh huh...uh huh...uh huh.. yes, yes, yes! They want me to head to the city right away to start my own fashion line!
Girls: Woohoo!
Cherry Jam: ....
Girls: Let's get you packed!
Berrykin Bruce: I'm so sorry, Miss Jam, but your part isn't in yet. I know you must want to get back to the city and start working on your tour.
Cherry Jam: Part? City? Tour? Oh, right. I keep forgetting I didn't always live in Berry Bitty City.
Raspberry: *heads off to Berry Big City*
Girls: *miss her*
Raspberry: *e-mail* They're giving me my own studio in the city!
Girls: Woohoo!
Raspberry: *e-mail* So I'm coming back to pack up my studio and move to the city.
Girls: Woohoo?
Cherry: *shakes head ominously*
Raspberry: *returns*
Raspberry: *has become an urbanite to the core*
Girls: Welcome back, Raspberry! What's Joan Rivers doing with you?
Mavis: I'm not Joan Rivers, I'm Mavis Maraschino, host of Fashion Further Forward, and I represent everything that's terrible about people from the big city! Like stepping on the little people, barking orders into cellphones, and especially thinking anything that isn't from the big city isn't worth the time of day.
Cherry: Raspberry, do not get sucked in. Remember all the good things about small town life.
Mavis: What do you know about small time life? You've been here, what, a month? Raspberry, let's get out of here.
Raspberry: What was that all about?
Mavis: She's just jealous, darling, and trying to keep you here in the sticks while she goes back to the city.
Raspberry: Really?
Mavis: Yes, really.
Cherry: *practices a touching goodbye song for Raspberry's farewell party*
Raspberry: *doesn't show up*
Lemon: What's happening to the Raspberry we know and love?
Cherry: She's been bitten by the big city bug. There's just something about the city that brings out the worst in people.
Strawberry: So you're not jealous of her?
Cherry: Nope.
Mavis: How can there only be one restaurant in town, and it's not even open?
Berrykins: It's boat racing day!
Raspberry: Must boat race!
Mavis: Honey, you're a star now, you never step on anything smaller than a yacht.
Cherry: *is borrowing Raspberry's boat*
Cherry: We didn't think you'd show, after you blew off last night's party.
Raspberry: The party! I completely forgot! And I'd never miss the boat race. Come on, Mavis, this'll be a blast!
Mavis: Mavis Maraschino does not ride around in dinghies. And neither does the Raspberry I know.
Raspberry: Then I guess you don't really know me. Forget Berry Big City, I'm staying right here.
Cherry: You know what? Me, too.
Mavis: You haven't seen the last of Mavis Maraschino!
Mavis: *drives off in Cherry's tour bus in disgrace*
Tour bus: *works, despite Berrykin Bruce never discovering the other mechanics' deception*

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 36

2012-01-26T21:03:00.002-05:00

Spike gets another episode to himself, and we learn a little bit about dragon physiology in the process

Secret of My Excess
It's reshelving day, and Twilight Sparkle is ready! With all distractions taken care of, she removes all the books from the shelves and begins resorting them with her magic. Not long into the process, the sound of Spike's self-satisfied laughter causes her to lose her concentration and all the books come crashing down. It seems he was checking on the ripeness of a fire ruby he's been saving for his birthday (gems can apparently age in this universe, I guess), and it will be ready just in time. As Spike admires his soon-to-be birthday treat, Rarity enters the library and is instantly taken by the jewel. Though she's actually there for a book on historical fiction (to get a jump on the next nostalgic fashion trend), she can't help casting an envious eye on Spike's jewel. Though she wishes Spike well, she admires it just a little too much. The little dragon's crush gets the better of him and he bestows the fire ruby to Rarity, who rewards him with a kiss on the cheek. As Rarity bounds out of the library, Twilight commends Spike on his generous deed, while Spike vows to never wash his cheek again.
Skip to one week later, and the library is all set for Spike's birthday party. The only thing that remains to be done is wash Spike's Rarity-kissed cheek, which, true to his word, hasn't been touched by soap and water for a week. Twilight closes in with a wash cloth, and Spike tries to run, but gets caught in Twilight's short-range teleportation spell. Twilight finally gets him after accidentally teleporting in Pinkie Pie, who distracted Spike with a shower of confetti. The rest of their friends weren't far behind, all bearing presents for Spike, to his confused delight. In turns out that this is his first birthday celebrated in Ponyville, and before this, he only hung out with Twilight, so he only got a present from her. Speaking of presents, Rarity shows off her latest creation, a taffeta cape, and promises to make one for each of her friends, having been inspired by Spike's gift to her.

Once the cake has been eaten and the presents opened, Spike revels in his gifts and thanks his friends repeatedly. As he wishes the party could last forever, Pinkie Pie informs him that it would have to end sometime, or when would he go get his birthday surprise from the Cakes? Hearing this, Spike rushes off to Sugar Cube Corners immediately, leaving the ponies to party without him. The Cakes are ready for him with a sapphire-encrusted cupcake, and as he heads home, Spike exults in his amazing luck: presents from his friends and a dragon-specific cupcake! In the midst of his exultation, he bumps right into Miss Cheerilee, knocking over all her groceries. As he attempts to help her without dropping his cupcake, the subject of his birthday comes up, and Cheerilee, wanting to wish him a happy birthday, gives him a snazzy hat she just happened to have with her.
Musing on this turn of events, Spike begins to see a trend, and tests his hypothesis by approaching Lickety Split, a boy in this incarnation. When the mere mention of his birthday is all it takes to get the foal's ball, Spike goes on the prowl for more "birthday presents." His assumption is proven false, however, after Junebug merely wishes him "happy birthday" and trots off. Spike persists, trying to get some of her flowers, until Twilight finds him. She admonishes him, and Spike comes to his senses. He promises to return his ill-gotten gifts, but once Twilight heads home, he goes on the prowl again, his tongue becoming more forked and another set of eyelids blinking.
Once the next day dawns, Twilight is shocked to find a pile of stuff where Spike's bed should be, proof positive that he lied to her the day before. She clears away the stuff to give him a stern talking to, but her lecture slips away when she sees Spike has apparently had a growth spurt in the night. As Twilight consults her books, Spike freaks out. He examines his new body, and notices that the world looks....different. Twilight tries to get him to remember what happened the day before, but Spike is too easily distracted by things like a globe and books, which he adds to his pile.

When his voice starts changing, Twilight seeks outside help. She takes him first to a pediatrician, who, not knowing anything about dragons, sends her to the vet. She isn't much help either, though Spike does respond to her commands. With the professionals stumped, there's only one place to go: Zecora's! Zecora's diagnosis: Spike is going through puberty. Which makes sense to Twilight, except for the constant hoarding. Zecora explains that dragons are prone to being greedy, and that this actually fuels their growth. Thus, the more Spike hoards, the larger he will get, and the more he will want to hoard, ad infinitum. The only cure is to keep Spike from collecting anything more, but seeing as he made off with all the stuff in Zecora's hut while they were talking, this will be easier said than done.
Twilight races back to Ponyville, only to find Spike stealing Scootaloo's scooter. Twilight distracts him with a broom before he actually takes the scooter, but he has another growth spurt in the process and can barely fit inside the library door. Twilight traps Spike in one of the library rooms, but he just makes a hoard from all the books, much to Twilight's annoyance (she did just reshelve them all a week ago). She removes the books, and with nothing to hoard, Spike makes a door and goes off in search of more things.
With Spike running wild, Twilight turns to Applejack for help, but the farmpony is simply too amused by the thought of a baby dragon on the rampage, unaware as she is of Spike's growth spurts. But when Spike runs by with all the apples and leaves from her trees, it's time to get serious. Applejack and Twilight chase after Spike, but in trying to get him, accidentally tie themselves to a tree, which Rainbow Dash, passing by, finds exceedingly funny. Her laughter is cut short by a scream from Fluttershy, and the three ponies race to Fluttershy's cottage. Naturally, the sight of a (nearly) full-grown dragon sent her hiding in the trees, though hearing it was Spike makes it a little better, though it doesn't explain to her why Spike would steal her chicken coop. There's no time to explain, as the air is pierced by a scream from Pinkie Pie.
The others head for Sugar Cube Corners, where they find Pinkie Pie pelting Spike with anything she can get her hands on, mostly cakes. Despite her efforts, Spike steals the rest of the cakes (and that's terrible) and has yet another growth spurt, this time growing larger than the building. With his newfound size, Spike makes for Rarity's boutique and takes what he could never have before: Rarity herself.

By this time, Spike has been declared a national crisis, leading to panicking in the streets and much rampaging from Spike. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly in to Rarity's rescue, though their good cop/bad cop routine just gets them flung into the river, tearing Rarity's cape along the way. Spike continues to rampage, and the Wonderbolts are called in (why them and not the royal guards or something? I always thought they were just a performing team, not an actual defense force...). They divebomb him a few times, shaving off Spike's spikes (somehow?), and Spike seeks solace on a nearby mountain. As he climbs, the Wonderbolts continue to attack him, so Spike empties his hoard from the water tower's tank to a cave in the mountain side and then uses the tank to trap the pegasi.
Spike roars with pride, but Rarity is having none of it, and (unaware that the dragon she's addressing is Spike) starts to call him out on all the terrible things he's done. She illustrates the absolute worst thing he did by tearing off her ruined cape and forcing him to look at the damage, which reveals the collar she made from the fire ruby. Spike recognizes the gem, but Rarity mistakes this recognition as mere desire, and insists that he will not have it, since it was a gift from the most generous dragon she knows and thus too precious to give to anyone, especially an exceedingly greedy brute of a dragon like him. Either Rarity's words or simply the sight of the jewel reminds Spike of how he gave it to her, and the memory of the kiss brings him back to his normal size. Unfortunately, this leaves both him and Rarity hanging in the air for a moment, with no time to explain what just happened as gravity kicks in and they plummet to their deaths. Seeing as they might not make it, Spike starts to confess his crush, but Rarity stops him.
All is well, however, as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy take up the torn half of Rarity's cloak and make a break for their falling friends, catching them well before the nick of time. They gently let the two of them down, and everyone is pleased with a job well done. But Spike, surveying the damage he did, can't help but be bummed out. Before he can get too depressed, Rarity tells him she's proud of him, though he doesn't understand why. So Rarity explains that in the end, he was the one who stopped himself from rampaging, making him the hero of this tale, and earning him another kiss on the cheek.
As Spike writes of how it feels better to give a special present to a special pony than to get lots of generic stuff for yourself, Rarity shows off the fruits of her labor and presents all the promised capes. Spike is not one of the recipients, but as far as he's concerned, he already got something even better.

Not really sure how I feel about this one. The Godzilla and King Kong references were fun, but it raises a lot of questions about dragons. Do all dragons go through this, just growing huge one day, or is it more gradual with dragons who weren't raised by ponies? Is greed essential to dragon growth, and if so, will Spike stay a baby dragon forever just so long as he never gets greedy? Is that healthy?
I'm probably overthinking this.

Misc. Screenshots
Horrified ponies
Spike's hand

Upcoming Dan Vs. Episode

2012-01-21T11:53:00.001-05:00

In two weeks, Dan Vs. Dancing:

Dan's anti-dance crusade gets in the way of Elise's dancing queen dreams, so she sends him to the dancing capital of the world.

I don't know if that sounds like the most awesome episode or a weird fanfic, but I'm looking forward to it regardless. If it doesn't feature Dan in top hat and tails at some point, I will be sorely disappointed.
(And for the record, there's a new episode next week, "The Neighbors.")

Lorax Movie meets a Meme

2012-01-20T23:34:00.000-05:00

I admit, I laughed harder at these than I probably should have:

Cut All The Trees by ~Ca14 on deviantART
Cut All the Trees? by *ThinkerGirl96 on deviantART

New SSC DVDs Coming

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000-05:00

The latest Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures DVD and the last of the DiC series will be coming out on March 6th. From the description, Bloomin' Berry Garden will have "Vanishing Violets" and "Trading Sizes," but there's no indication of what the third episode will be. My guess: "Pop Goes the Garden."
And in case it interests you, I stumbled onto the site of the person who designed the logos for both these DVDs.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 35

2012-01-14T21:50:00.003-05:00

There truly is nothing like a Rarity episode, and this one is no exception.

Sweet and Elite
There are certain perks to being friends with Princess Celestia's personal protege, such as getting to stay in a suite at the castle when you're in Canterlot. That doesn't mean that Rarity expected such a thing, though, and she can only express her gratitude through excessive kissing of the princess' hooves. The bellhop, meanwhile, collapses under the weight of Rarity's excessive luggage.
Though Rarity is in Canterlot for business purposes, she takes some time to enjoy the hustle and bustle of Canterlot life with her kitty, Opalescence, and muses that she should make Twilight an outfit for her upcoming birthday to thank her for getting her the room in the castle. As she sips her cafe au lait, she's approached by two unicorns who introduce themselves as Jet Set and Upper Crust, inquiring about her lovely hat. Before Rarity can hopefully impress them with the fact that she made it herself, she's interrupted by a window-washing pony, A.C. Turnip Truck, who recognizes her from last fall's hoe down. He embarrasses her in front of the Canterlotters, but Rarity is too nice to say anything. Hearing that she's from Ponyville, the two unicorns reverse their initial thoughts on her hat and walk off with their snoots in the air.
Burning with indignation, Rarity designs her fanciest dress ever, and immediately writes to Twilight to let her know about the forthcoming gift. She rushes out to buy the materials, but on her way back accidentally bumps into Fancy Pants, the most important pony in Canterlot society! In the course of apologizing and picking up her things, Rarity offhandedly mentions that she's staying at the castle and knows the princess. This garners her an invitation to Fancy Pant's VIP box for the Wonderbolts Derby that afternoon. Stunned, Rarity can only mumble out "Sure."
Back at her suite, Rarity weighs the pros and cons of going to the derby versus working on Twilight's dress: though making connections in Canterlot could be very good for her and her business, her friends appreciate her work more than anyone, so shouldn't she throw her whole self into making the dress? In the end, she decides that going to the derby will still leave time for the dress, and so she goes! Jet Set and Upper Crust are also at the derby, in the regular seats, so they are shocked when Rarity is welcomed into the VIP box by Fancy Pants himself. She is, of course, roundly ignored by Fancy Pants' other guests, until he drops the word that she's staying at the castle. But the race is about to begin, and according to Fancy Pants, Rapid Fire is the one to beat. His guests all agree, except for Rarity, who thinks Fleet Foot will come out the winner. Her treacherous words are proved right, and she credits her prediction to her friend Rainbow Dash. When questioned about this "Rainbow Dash," Rarity, rather than lose face by admitting she's just a pegasus from Ponyville, says that Dash is the Wonderbolts' trainer. This ruse works, and Fancy Pants declares her his new favorite. As his other guests cheer for her, she winks at the utterly gobsmacked Upper Crust and Jet Set.

With Fancy Pants' stamp of approval, Rarity quickly charms the rest of his guests, who extend invitations to their upcoming functions. Though she would love to, Rarity must stick to her convictions and work on Twilight's dress. However, the other ponies insists that their functions would simply be defunct without her there, and fix her with such puppy-dog-eyes that she can't say no, though she wonders how she'll have time to pull off such a fancy dress and attend all their functions. She justifies all this to Opal by explaining the dress is still her top priority, but she can't stand to disappoint the VIPs of Canterlot by turning down their invitations.
And thus, Rarity's ascent into the Canterlot Elite begins, set to a montage song. She attends art house openings, charity auctions, dinner parties, the opera, yacht parties, even christens an airship. And each event has a specific wardrobe:

But despite her earlier promise, she leaves exceedingly little time for working on Twilight's dress, and on the day of her return to Ponyville, it is merely a simple frock. She intends to finish it up once she gets back to Ponyville, but just as she's about to leave, an invitation to the Canterlot Garden Party arrives from Jet Set and Upper Crust. At first she's ecstatic, as it's the most premiere party after the Grand Galloping Gala, but in the next moment she remembers that it's at the same time as Twilight's birthday party! She can't miss that, but if she doesn't go to the garden party, then her all her function-attending was for naught. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she makes the only decision she can: she writes to Twilight, but blames her inability to be at her party on Opal being sick.
The next day, Rarity gets herself ready for the garden party, only to find Twilight Sparkle herself outside her door, quickly joined by the rest of her friends. The shock knocks her out, but only for a moment. It's still a few moments more before she can properly express herself to ask what the hay they're all doing there. Twilight explains that, considerate friend that she is, she asked Pinkie Pie if they could move the party to Canterlot so Rarity wouldn't miss it. Rarity is touched by this gesture, but then Rainbow Dash demands to know what she's wearing such a fancy outfit for. Rarity, remembering her initial lie, claims it's to bolster poor Opal's spirits, and Fluttershy asks to see the sick kitty. To her friends' confusion, Rarity shuts her door, claiming to need a minute, and, apologizing to Opal, runs her under the shower to maintain her lie. This manages to fool Fluttershy, and reveals that Rarity actually puts eye shadow on her cat. As the other ponies filter into the suite, Twilight spots her dress, but much to Rarity's surprise and relief, she actually likes it for how simple it is.

Another perk of being the princess' personal protege is being able to use the ballroom for your own parties, which Pinkie describes as "fancypants." Rarity hides in fear of being seen by Canterlot's most important pony in the company of her Ponyville friends, but quickly realizes that's not what Pinkie Pie meant, and instead asks how she decorated so quickly. Two Words: Party. Cannon. Rarity hides again when she sees that the castle grounds, where the garden party is being held, is clearly visible from the ballroom windows, but she doesn't have time to dwell on it, as Pinkie Pie declares it time to get this party started! And so the friends celebrate as only they can, which includes cake fights and conga lines.
Rarity, however, finds her attention divided. No matter how much fun she's having with her friends, she can't help but notice the garden party outside. So she sneaks away to make an appearance at the garden party, then sneaks away from there just as quickly. She continues to go back and forth between the two parties, sneaking off either when no one is looking or by inventing excuses (and even using the "what's that over there?" trick). And no one is the wiser, until she accidentally brings a croquet mallet back with her to Twilight's party. Twilight figures out that Rarity was at the garden party, but surprises Rarity once again by not being upset by this. She assumes Rarity was just there to drum up some business (the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up, you know), and gives Rarity full permission to go to other party. Rarity is once again touched, and thanks Twilight for being an awesome friend, then heads off to the garden party.
Rainbow Dash, however, insists that they all go and show those Canterlotters how to party Ponyville-style, much to Rarity's horror. The other ponies agree, and they crash the garden party, party cannon in tow. Rarity watches, helpless, as Rainbow Dash takes over the croquet game and knocks off a lady's wig, Fluttershy attracts all the birds, Pinkie Pie devours the snacks, Applejack puts actual gardening into the garden party, and Twilight dances like a dork. As Rarity downs a drink to get her mind off her friends, Jet Set comments on the plainness of Twilight's outfit, unaware he's talking to its creator, and Rarity can't bring herself to correct him.

Twilight is approached by Fancy Pants, who asks about her dress. Twilight is quick to let him know it was made for her by a very close friend from Ponyville, causing Rarity to spit-take all over Jet Set and Upper Crust when she hears this. She rushes over to get Fancy Pants away before Twilight can mention her name, but Fancy Pants, used to being dragged away from talking to ponies by other ponies who think they're more worth his time, gently brushes her off. And once Twilight drops the bomb that Rarity made the dress, there's shocked gasps all around from the Canterlot elite. Not reading the mood, Twilight adds that all her friends think it's a lovely dress, and the rest of the Ponyvillians gather around. "You know these ponies?" Fancy Pants asks Rarity, and as the gossip starts to buzz around her, Rarity turns from her friends to the Canterlot ponies and answers, "Yes." She gives them all a speech about how her friends may not have status, but they are the most important ponies she knows. Jet Set and Upper Crust don't buy it, and laugh at them until Fancy Pants tells them he finds these Ponyville ponies "charmingly rustic." He also compliments the dress Rarity made for Twilight, predicting that it may become the next big thing, and asks to be formally introduced to Rarity's friends.
On the new day of her return to Ponyville, Rarity begins writing a letter to Princess Celestia to tell her what she learned while in Canterlot (never be ashamed of where you came from), but the princess shows up to hear it in person. While they both agree it's a good lesson, the bellhop would have appreciated it if they could have finished up a little sooner, as he collapses under Rarity's luggage yet again.

As expected, this episode was very entertaining. Rarity can make almost any situation worth watching, and it was nice to see Opal going back to her snarky kitty role, as lately she's only been used as a mean kitty. And "Becoming Popular" is totally the song that should have been the premiere song of Season Two. Way more worthy than "Find a Pet" IMO.
One thing I loved about this episode was that Rarity essentially got away with it. Normally I hate episodes where a character tells a lie and has to go to lengths to keep it up, since I'm always waiting for that moment when it comes crashing down, and everybody is all disappointed with that character. But that doesn't happen in this episode. Rarity flakes on making Twilight's dress...and Twilight actually likes it better than the super fancy dress Rarity had planned. Her "Opal is sick lie" isn't found out, and even though her sneaking between parties is, Twilight isn't upset at all. I guess the more important thing for Rarity to learn was to stand by her friends, so she was allowed to get away with it, but it was very, very refreshing.

Misc. Screenshots
Fancy Pants and Girlfriend
Canterlot Race Track
Did I mention it's for charity?
The Canterlot Bunch
Wrong move, Rainbow Dash
Golf clap
Upper Crust and Jet Set change their tune

That One Video

2012-01-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

So I'm watching Obscurus Lupa's 30 Genre Films that DON'T Suck, and she mentions that one of the films on her list, Little Monsters, was her favorite as a kid and the one that she rented all the time from the video store. Which got me to thinking about how my sisters and I also had a video that we rented more than any other when we were kids. Actually, come to think of it, there were two. We took Yellow Submarine out from the library as often as we could, until their copy got lost, or stolen, and they never bothered to replace it (still!). But what I really meant to write about here was the video we rented from the video store: Unico in the Island of Magic.

In case you don't know, and when we were kids, my sisters and I certainly didn't, Unico was a character created by Osamu Tezuka, a unicorn who brought happiness to people, and for this was banished by the gods. But the West Wind took pity on him and kept moving him from place to place, trying to keep him hidden from the gods. Unico in the Island of Magic was actually the second movie based on the Unico manga, and follows Unico after the West Wind places him on an island which turns out to be ruled by an evil puppet named Lord Kuruku. He makes friends with a girl named Cherie whose older brother works for Kuruku in hopes of keeping his family safe from being turned into living puppet people that Kuruku uses to build up his castle walls. But this doesn't work, as Toby and Cherie's parents are turned into puppets, and so Unico and Cherie travel to the ends of the earth to find out how to stop Kuruku. There's all kinds of crazy stuff and great characters, so it's no wonder my sisters and I loved it so much. I should rewatch it sometime. It's on YouTube, after all.
What videos do you remember renting all the time? I asked my husband, but he can't think of any specific examples.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 34

2012-01-04T17:24:00.001-05:00

It's back-to-back Rainbow Dash, as this episode has her in the focus again, proving that no matter how many lessons she may learn, "not being a jerk" is not one of them.

The Mysterious Mare Do Well
Scootaloo, in her quest to spread Rainbow Dash's awesomeness to the world, has put together an official fan club which has a pretty good number of members, including Snips and Snails. First order of business: which adjective properly conveys all that is Rainbow Dash? A voice from the crowd suggests "Super-ultra-extreme-awesome-mazing" which is voted for unanimously. Considering it came from Rainbow Dash herself, how could it not?
After trolling the kids, Rainbow Dash relaxes in the clouds, until she hears a voice calling for help coming from a nearby abandoned well. Without hesitation, Dash leaps into the fray and rescues a young filly, attracting quite a crowd in the process. Surprised by the cheering crowd, Dash modestly tells them it was nothing, though the filly she rescued disagrees. With the cheers of the crowd echoing in her ears, she flies off.
Sometime later, a scream pierces the air, as a mother watches her baby go careening wildly down the hill in her carriage. Once again, Rainbow Dash leaps into action, managing to stop the carriage just before it went over a cliff. And once again, she attracts a cheering crowd, though this time she plays it up for them a bit. When the newsponies start taking her picture, she casually tosses the rescued baby to her mother so she can pose. Twilight and Applejack think she might be overdoing it, but then again, she is pretty awesome.
Later still, the balcony at the old ponies home starts to crack, but luckily, Rainbow Dash is ready to save the day, even alerting the crowd that their "friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" And just in time, she catches the balcony and gently guides it (and the ponies on it) to the ground. As the surrounding crowd cheers, Rainbow Dash fully embraces their adulation, showing off some aerial tricks for them. And showing her friends that she may be getting a little full of herself.
Or a lot full of herself, as she tells the story of her recent rescues to her adoring fans over at Sugar Cube Corners. She's even hired Spike to ghost-write her autobiography. It's painfully clear to her friends (even Pinkie Pie) that Rainbow Dash's ego is going out of control, as she poses for pictures with all her fans, never once shutting up about what an awesome and heroic pony she is.

Out in Ponyville Square, Rainbow Dash signs autographs for her fans, and seemingly ignores a cry for help from a luckless hot air balloonist. But no, she just wants squeeze in a few more autographs, knowing she still has time to make it. Finally, Rainbow Dash takes to the sky, but as she flies, a masked mare suddenly appears. Leaping across the rooftops, the mare manages to reach the falling balloonist before Rainbow Dash, and receives the crowd's applause. As the mare gallops off into the sunset, the mayor declares her the town's new hero, dubbing her The Mysterious Mare Do Well. As far as Rainbow Dash is concerned, the town only needs one hero: her!
Case in point, who shows up when a wagon full of tourists goes out of control on the same hill the baby carriage was careening down earlier? Rainbow Dash! However, stopping a baby carriage is one thing, but a wagon is considerably heavier, especially when it's full of tourists. Despite her best efforts, Rainbow Dash is unable to stop it. As the wagon heads straight for the cliff, Mare Do Well appears out of nowhere and stops the wagon, then takes off as soon as the tourists are safe. Rainbow Dash is astonished that this interloper is stronger than she is, but reminds herself that there's more to being a hero than being strong.
Down at the construction yard, the equipment suddenly goes haywire. Seeing this, Rainbow Dash starts to give her catchphrase, but is interrupted by a falling piece of lumber, which hits the tower under construction, sending it toppling to the ground. Rainbow Dash attempts to save ponies, but there's just too much falling debris. And once again, Mare Do Well appears, leaping into the fray and navigating with ease. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash saves a pony from being squashed by a falling load of bricks and gets him out of the danger zone. She gloats about this to Mare Do Well, only to find out that in the time it took her to save one pony, Mare Do Well saved four. Faster than Rainbow Dash?! How can this be?
Rainbow Dash resolves to beat this newcomer, and flies off in search of something heroic to do. She spots a crack in the Ponyville dam, and figures the valiant thing to do is block it herself, unaware that in doing so, she actually made it bigger. Unfortunately, she failed to alert any ponies of her heroic deed, and thus has to congratulate herself herself. Which unblocks the now bigger crack, sending forth a torrent of water, washing the pegasus down the river. Rainbow Dash calls for help and is answered, but is displeased to see her savior is the dreaded Mare Do Well. Before Dash has time to get two words out, Mare Do Well reveals a unicorn horn, and uses rocks to repair the dam, once again disappearing once the deed is done. Rainbow Dash wonders how she's supposed to compete with somepony who is stronger than her, more agile, and has magical abilities, until she realizes that a unicorn doesn't have wings. Her glee is short-lived, as she is suddenly passed by Mare Do Well in flight.

Back at Sugar Cube Corner, Dash sulks while her friends praise Mare Do Well's recent actions. However, when Applejack points out MDW's modesty, Rainbow Dash loses it, vowing to prove herself the better hero. She flies about town, looking for trouble, but finds only normalcy. Then she spots Granny Smith, and figures helping a little old lady across the street has to count for something. But rather than praise, she gets a whack from Granny's purse, as the elderly pony didn't want to cross the street. Not one to give up, Rainbow Dash hears the sounds of a pony in trouble and leaps into action, even if the trouble was simply opening a jar of peanut butter. She calls for praise, but as she didn't really do anything, the unicorn she "helped" is loathe to give her any. But Dash is off to bigger and better things anyway, as she spots a lawn mower and mows all the grass! She plays this up like she saved the grass by mowing it, but no one is buying it, and she is left alone.
Her day officially ruined, Rainbow Dash broods on a storm cloud, wondering how Mare Do Well stole her thunder. After all, as far as she can tell, she's still as awesome as ever, yet everyone has abandoned her. Not everyone, it seems, as Scootaloo calls her down. But is she there to apologize for her lapse of fangirling? Actually, no, she's there to invite Dash to the town's parade in honor of Mare Do Well. Dash, of course, turns her down flat, until a thought strikes her and she comes along. She bides her time until the Mayor introduces the guest of honor, Mare Do Well herself, and then confronts the mysterious pony, demanding to see under the mask. Mare Do Well takes off, and Rainbow Dash chases her through the streets and back alleys of Ponyville. Somehow, Mare Do Well stays a step ahead of Rainbow Dash, even appearing to be in more than one place at once. At last, Rainbow Dash manages to tackle the masked mare, and pulls off the mask.

To her utter astonishment, she finds none other than Pinkie Pie under the mask, smiling sheepishly. Even more surprising, another Mare Do Well stands just a few feet away and reveals herself to be Twilight Sparkle. And yet another one steps out, this time revealing Applejack. They explain that they each were the Mysterious Mare Do Well at different times: Applejack stopped the tourist wagon with her apple-buck-strengthened legs, Pinkie Pie saved the construction workers using her Pinkie Sense to avoid the debris, and Twilight fixed the dam. Fluttershy chimes in that she did the flyby afterwards, and of course Rarity made the costumes.
Rainbow Dash is confounded by her friends' actions; wasn't she enough of a hero? Applejack points out that a real hero doesn't brag about it. Rainbow Dash concedes that she got carried away with the adulation, and the others continue on that while it's natural to want to be praised, you shouldn't force anyone to acknowledge your accomplishments. The important thing is be gracious and humble. Rainbow Dash finally gets it, and adds that acting with humility and grace when you're outdone by someone else is important, too. Twilight tells her that sounds like Grade A material for a letter to the princess, but Spike, still on Dash's payroll, has a letter already on hand. Rainbow Dash distracts him, and then takes up the quill to write her letter herself.

This is another episode that doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts. While there's a lot of fun and interesting things and scenes, the episode as a whole just doesn't do it for me. And a big part of that is because it's mostly All Dash, All the Time. Really, a little Dash goes a long way, and the last episode being so Dash-centric doesn't help, either. But I loved seeing all the new background ponies, the RD fan club, and other little things like that. And this ep had some really awesome expressions, seriously:

I wonder whether the mayor was in on the whole "Mare Do Well is just a thing to teach Dash a lesson." She was pretty quick to declare the town's new hero. Hm....

Misc. Screenshots
Blushing Dash
Peeved Dash
Opening Peanut Butter
Noogie!
Mare Do Well fans

Not Such a Smart Muffin?

2012-01-01T22:26:00.001-05:00

So, apparently the next SSCBBA episode is about Blueberry Muffin assuming that Strawberry is sending them all on vacation, or some such, which is pretty par for the course for this series (yes, but how will the usual plot be affected by Cherry Jam? Which is not actually what I'm writing about). The fact that it's Blueberry specifically that does the assuming (the episode is even titled after her, "No Blueberry is an Island") got me thinking. Now, Blueberry is supposedly the Smart Guy of the girls (her official profile calls her "super smart"), yet it seems like all her focus episodes do their best to prove the exact opposite. Granted, a lot of the time, it's to cement Strawberry's position as the voice of reason, but some of these are just inexcusable. Mild spoilers ahoy.
Pop Goes the Garden - Blueberry orders daisies from a mail-order catalog and just can't understand how she ended up with popcorn instead, in comparison with Strawberry, who found a typo in a cookbook and was just "Eh, people make mistakes."
Where Oh Where Has My Blueberry Gone - Most egregious example. Blueberry goes crazy for the Patty Persimmon series of books and not only empties her store of any books but those, but seeks to emulate Patty in all her doings, especially when investigating a real mystery. It's been a while since I've seen this one, but I seem to recall even the other characters pointing out the stupidity of getting rid of the other books. Really, Blueberry, even in a fangirl mania, you should have known better.
Manners Meltdown - Blueberry goes crazy observing obscure manners rules when the Berry Bitty Derby is reinstated, to the point of lacking both common sense and tact.
Happy First Frost - Again, Blueberry just can't understand why no one but her would want a huge book on organizing books. For someone who reads a lot, she sure can be obtuse.
Truth be told, none of the characters really fare that well in their spotlight episodes, which as I mentioned before, is due to the writers needing Strawberry to be the one to deliver the lesson of the episode most of the time. But no one else usually ends up being the opposite of their character traits. How weird is that?

What I'm Looking Forward to in 2012

2012-01-01T13:34:00.002-05:00

2012 is going to be quite the year, as there's a lot coming up:

My younger sister's wedding
My older sister's first child being born
Renewing the things that are only renewed every four years
Presidential election

And on the non-real life side of things, there's plenty I'm anticipating:

The rest of season two of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Season 3!
The rest of season two of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures (the next episode isn't until the 28th, what's up with that?)
The Lorax movie

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 33

2011-12-29T21:19:00.002-05:00

Rainbow Dash takes the focus and finally gets a pet of her own, managing to be both awesome and kind of a jerk in the process.

May the Best Pet Win!
Rainbow Dash zooms through the sky, as she is wont to do, performing many aerial tricks before being joined by Owloysius (last seen in episode 24). To her surprise, the owl is able to keep up with her, and to her even bigger surprise, he suddenly sprouts Winona's head and barks at her. To her further surprise, Owloysius adds Angel and Gummy to the mix, and Opalescense pops out, xenomorph-like, fully freaking Rainbow Dash out and causing her to fall from the sky and back into waking life. That's right, she was just dreaming, with her dream influenced by the noises of the other ponies' pets, who are all hanging around the tree she was napping in. Speaking of, the others are not far behind, and Rarity apologizes for the pets.
It seems that the rest of the mane casts have a weekly playdate for the pets, which Rainbow Dash wasn't privy to seeing as 1. she doesn't have a pet and 2. she usually takes a nap around that time anyway. Which Rainbow totally understands. So the others get back to playing with their pets and Dash gets back to her nap. However, she then gets offended that they all assumed she would never have a pet, and tells them so. This sends Fluttershy into a rhapsody, literally, as she drags Dash back to her treehouse and tells her, in song, all about the many potential pets she has. And Dash replies, in song, that it has to be a pet that is cool, fast, and can fly. After a few false starts, in song, Fluttershy finally brings in the animals that fit the bill, but there's too many choices, so Rainbow Dash decides, in song, to hold a contest to see which animal is worthy of being her pet.
Once everything is set up, Rainbow Dash gives the prospective pets a rousing speech about what is expected of them, causing to the other ponies to wonder if Dash really "gets" what having a pet is about. But her contest, her rules. Fluttershy, despite knowing Dash's prerequisites quite well, brings in one more competitor: a tortoise. Dash flat out refuses to let him even try, but Fluttershy's continual wheedling gets her to give in. But she lets the tortoise know that this isn't going to be a walk in the park. With the line-up settled on, Dash describes the various tests: Speed, Agility, Guts, Style, Coolness, Awesomeness, and Radicalness. Twilight objects that the last three are all the same thing, which just proves she would never make a good pet for Rainbow Dash.

The falcon is the clear winner of the Speed test, and the hummingbird takes the Agility test, though it loses points for being unable to high-five without falling. As for Guts, only the monarch butterfly is brave enough to get Opal's toy away from her, with bonus points for essentially hypnotizing her to do it. The Style test involves posing for photos, and Coolness is judged solely on their calls, with the Eagle winning for an inaccurate call. Awesomeness is a test of natural talents, with the owl's head-turn trumping the rest, and the Radicalness test is all about performance, which the bat wins, though with points off for being awesome rather than radical. And the tortoise is pathetic at each test, which Rainbow Dash is quick to point out.
When the points are tallied, it's the tie between the falcon, the owl, the eagle, and the bat. Since there can only be one, Rainbow Dash declares the final test will be a race against herself through Ghastly Gorge. She also declares that the winner will have to cross the finish line with her in order to win. Despite not making the cut, the tortoise joins in anyway, but is left woefully in the dust. Rainbow Dash takes off like a flash, flying through the many obstacles in the gorge, (including Quarray Eels) and the potential pets following behind the best they can.
Getting cocky, Rainbow Dash flies backwards and smacks right into the gorge wall, getting caught in a rockslide that leaves her wing pinned. The potential pets, unaware of her plight, fly right on by. Worrying that she'll be stuck in the gorge forever, Rainbow Dash starts to panic, and begins to succumb to despair, when she suddenly hears the sound of (hopefully) a rescuer. She rejoices at her good fortune, until she sees her would-be savior: the tortoise. Despite her lamentations, the tortoise manages to lift the rock.

At the finish line, the other ponies cheer as the challengers come into view, and the falcon crosses first. However, it soon becomes clear that all is not right, as the potential pets are all there, but there's no sign of Rainbow Dash. Twilight pulls out her binoculars, which are commandeered first by Fluttershy and then Applejack, who spots the fallen rocks. As the others discuss what to do, Pinkie Pie catches sight of Rainbow Dash riding on the tortoise's back. Accommodating the tortoise's slow speed, the others bring the finish line to him and celebrate. Rainbow Dash thanks to the tortoise for rescuing her, and Fluttershy introduces her new pet, the falcon. Rainbow Dash, however, is not so sure any more. The others point out that it's just what she wanted in a pet, and Rarity commemorates the event with a photo. The camera's flash sends the tortoise back into his shell, and Rainbow Dash tries to coax him out. She has a conundrum, as she has the pet she thought she wanted, but finds that she now wants a different one. But she remembers that her exact words were that the pet who crossed the finish line with her would be the winner, and only the tortoise did that. The falcon, though disappointed, takes his loss like a gentleman.
With things settled, Rainbow Dash calls for Spike to take a letter to the princess, and as she dictates what she's learned (there are more important traits in a pet or friend than just being cool), the tortoise manages to get Opal's toy away from the cat, passing the Guts test. Dash praises the tortoise for his tenacity, which gives her the perfect name for him: Tank. Fluttershy, however, points out that one of the reasons Rainbow Dash turned down the tortoise in the first place was that it couldn't fly, but in a magical land, anything is possible, even magic-powered tortoise-copters, which Tank debuts at his first pony-pet playdate.

There's a lot of fun stuff in this one, but it was pretty obvious that the tortoise was going to end up as Rainbow Dash's pet. For me, it was when he put on the sunglasses during the song. All the tests were interesting to watch, and it was great having Flight of the Valkyries as BGM (and Rainbow Dash whistling it? Priceless!). The Find a Pet song, while nice, doesn't feel worthy of being the first song of season two. And see these faces:

I don't like them. I know this puts me in the minority, but I really, really hope they don't show up again. There's just something off-putting about them to me.

Misc. Screenshots
Headsucker Gummy
Applejack and Winona

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:45:00.002-05:00

I know it's almost over (on the east coast, anyway), but I hope you all had a happy holiday. And I also hope that you enjoy this video. Seriously, I was dying watching it:

Cranberry Christmas

2011-12-25T00:49:00.002-05:00

Working in a library, I am well acquainted with the Cranberryport series written by Wende and Harry Devlin. Yet I was surprised, but pleased, to find out that the appropriate book had been turned into an animated Christmas special, and that it was available online. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get it to load except on random occasions, but I did eventually get to see it.

The special is all right, but it is quite obviously animated in Flash, which I found distracting at times. The voice acting is pretty good, but Rob Paulsen is just too high pitched for Mr. Whiskers. Reading the books, I always imagined him with a much deeper voice. Scott McNeil using his Chief Thunder Hooves voice would have been a better match, in my opinion, but ah well. But there is just one major thing about it that bugs me, and that is the expanded role of Cyrus Grape. In the book, Mr. Grape only shows up at the beginning and end of the book, claiming ownership of a skating pond and forbidding anyone to use it. Mr. Whiskers disagrees with this, but has no way to prove Mr. Grape doesn't own the pond, until, in the course of cleaning up for his sister's visit, he comes across a deed which proves the pond is actually on his property. In the special, Mr. Whiskers and Cyrus both claim ownership of the pond, which leads to Cyrus examining his deed and finding no mention of the pond. Which in turn leads to him sneaking around outside Mr. Whisker's house and talking to the camera a lot, plus sabotaging Mr. Whisker's house cleaning to the tune of a "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"-like song (Barry Manilow is no Thurl Ravenscroft, but the song is kind of catchy), all to keep Mr. Whiskers from finding his deed.

I should mention that there is precedent for this expansion. Cranberry Christmas is the fourth book in the series, and the second appearance of Cyrus Grape. While in this book, he's mostly just a curmudgeon, in his first appearance (Cranberry Halloween) and later appearances, he doesn't hesitate to try something shady. So it makes sense to use him being up to no good as a way to expand the book into a 24-minute television special. Knowing this, I still find it annoying. Probably because all the Cyrus sneaking around stuff means that Mr. Whiskers freaking out about Maggie and her grandmother cleaning out his house is pretty much eliminated, and that actually would have been pretty funny to hear in Rob Paulsen's voice.

It's about time!

2011-12-16T23:28:00.002-05:00

At long last, Cherry Jam is part of Strawberry Shortcake's section of AGKidzone. I'm assuming that they put off adding her until this week because in this past episode, she decided to make Berry Bitty City her home for good. It's not like they had a lot of extra work to do that kept them from adding her. Clicking on her just brings up a profile blurb, aim icon, a non-existent coloring page (I assume it'll surface eventually) and her music video. For all I know, the video might have been on the site earlier, since every time I checked, I only bothered looking at the front page, assuming that, as the newest video, would be the very first one. But no, now that it's on the site, it's the last video, on page two. Why? Who knows? At any rate, the music video has been up on The Hub for a couple of weeks now (in better quality), and even SSC's youtube had it before AGP put it up (assuming they only put it up this week).

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 32

2011-12-14T21:05:00.002-05:00

The first Cutie Mark Crusader episode of Season Two, though it mostly focuses on Apple Bloom.

The Cutie Pox
Today the CMC plan to get cutie marks in bowling. In fact, Apple Bloom is so certain that all three of them will get bowling marks, she starts brainstorming a new name for their group before they even set hoof inside the bowling alley. Her hopes may have been set too high, as Sweetie Belle gets a gutterball, and Scootaloo's attempt sends her ball careening around the alley like a pinball. Apple Bloom's turn is immediately followed by cries of "A bowling cutie mark!" but not for her, as her ball didn't even manage to knock over one pin. The other two are able to shrug off this failure pretty easily, but Apple Bloom is more bummed out than usual. The other two crusaders attempt to cheer up their friend, but nothing works. Not a cupcake, a party, or even a new hat. All Apple Bloom wants to do is wander around in a desolate haze, and she wanders right into the Everfree Forest, despite her friends' warnings.
It doesn't take long for Apple Bloom to run into trouble, though thankfully all that happened was tripping on a rock and chipping her tooth. And fortunately, Zecora was nearby and just happens to have a remedy for chipped teeth. As the potion brews, Apple Bloom vents her frustration at not being able to get a cutie mark, and Zecora prescribes patience. That's something Apple Bloom's heard before, and she doesn't take too kindly to hearing it again. But Zecora's potion does the trick, which gets Apple Bloom to thinking. If Zecora has a potion to heal almost anything, surely she can mix up something to make cutie marks appear. But Zecora just tells her there's no such thing, and goes on to work on her next brew, to bring back a rooster's crow. She adds a few petals from a flower called Heart's Desire, explaining that it will bring forth the rooster's talent. As this fact runs through Apple Bloom's mind, Zecora steps out to pick up another flower she needs for the potion, leaving the young filly alone.

The next morning, as the young ponies play before school, Apple Bloom proudly flaunts her no-longer-blank flank, which now sports the image of a round ring. According to Apple Bloom, the ring is a loopty hoop, a toy that Applejack made for her a while ago. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon scoff, as hula hooping is hardly a "special" talent, but Apple Bloom shows off a couple of tricks using the hoop, garnering praise from all the other ponies. So amazing are her tricks, in fact, that everyone ignores the school bell. Even Cheerilee insists she continue, though by turning it into a lesson. And so Apple Bloom instructs them all in loopty hooping, before getting sucked into showing off her tricks again.
In the middle of using the hoop to hover, another cutie mark appears on Apple Bloom's flank: spinning plates. Diamond Tiara accuses Apple Bloom of faking the cutie marks, but she's able to spin the plates and the hoop without any trouble. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo enthuse at their luck of being friends with such a special pony, and Apple Bloom takes her act into town, class in tow. She involves the nearby ponies in her tricks (including most of the mane six), and is cheered by all.
After a full day of hooping and plate spinning, Apple Bloom is ready for bed. However, as Applejack discovers, a third cutie mark appears, a pair of shoes, compelling her to tap dance (while still spinning plates and hooping) against her will. Applejack attempts to stop her, but brute force doesn't work. So, it's off to Twilight's, to see if she can help. Luckily for them, she happened to read about strange pony illnesses the other day, and as usual, Spike knows just what book it was in. A few flips, and Twilight has the answer: Apple Bloom's contracted the Cutie Pox, a mysterious illness that caused the ponies afflicted to act out the talents displayed all over their bodies. Unfortunately, there's no known cure but time, as the cutie marks will eventually vanish. But there's no telling how long that will take, and Apple Bloom gains another cutie mark: speaking French. Seeing that the pox is progressing, Twilight realizes they need to see if Zecora can mix up a cure.

The two ponies race off, but Apple Bloom can only go as fast as she can tap. Her progress is further hindered when a mark for sculpting appears, quickly followed by chimney sweeping, accordion playing, lion taming, playing chess, fencing, and more. Watching this crazy display, the other ponies in town start to think Apple Bloom has been cursed, but Spike sets them straight about the cutie pox. Which is worse, as the very mention of the disease's name sends all the ponies back to their homes, bolting the doors. Zecora happens to show up then, and assumes that the ponies have gone back to their zebra-fearing ways. Since they were just about to go see her, Applejack wonders if she has a "zebra sense." But no, Zecora is in town because her supply of Heart's Desire has gone missing. She asks Apple Bloom, but the pony is mum on the subject (too busy window washing).
Zecora does have a cure for the cutie pox: the seeds of truth. When planted and fed true words, they'll grow the cure, she says, giving Apple Bloom the stink eye. This is missed by Applejack, who simply plants the seeds and calls for somepony to tell the truth. No one will speak up, even as Apple Bloom suddenly develops a whirling dervish talent. As the silence grows, Pinkie Pie cracks and confesses to eating three corncakes when she said she only ate two. When nothing sprouts, she confesses it was really six. Still nothing. Finally Apple Bloom, sick of spinning, admits that she didn't really earn her cutie mark. This not only stops her spinning, but the mound with the seeds begins to move. Apple Bloom further admits that she used the Heart's Desire to mix up a potion, and the seeds grow into a plant with a beautiful flower.
Apple Bloom bolts down the flower, and one by one the false cutie marks disappear. The other members of the CMC venture forth to make sure Apple Bloom's okay, and Apple Bloom apologizes for lying to them about her cutie mark. She also apologizes to Zecora for stealing the Heart's Desire, but Zecora forgives her, reminding her that making mistakes is how one grows, after all. And just like that, she's gone.
Twilight asks Apple Bloom to write this week's friendship report, and she accepts. Through her misadventure, she learned that taking a shortcut for what you really want doesn't lead to true satisfaction, since you know that you didn't get it fairly. Being honest (and patient) is the way to go. However, just because she's learned to wait doesn't mean she has to just sit around, and she and the rest of the CMC are off again, this time to see if, based on her little escapade, Apple Bloom might have an aptitude for potion making.

My favorite part of this episode, really, is the opening scene, introducing, as it does, a few new background ponies, and pony versions of characters from The Big Lewbowski. Plus I just love the concept of a bowling alley in Ponyville. But this episode was a lot of fun in and of itself, even if I don't think I'd rewatch it all that often. It's always nice to see Zecora again. Weird how Apple Bloom was able to mix up a potion that perfectly matched an ancient disease on the first try. Then again, it was probably mostly the effects of the Heart's Desire. Which is probably also why everyone, even the teacher, was so enamored of Apple Bloom's hooping talent. Not only did it make cutie marks (and matching talents) appear, but it compelled everyone to watch, reflecting (perhaps) a desire in Apple Bloom not just to have a cutie mark, but an amazing one at that.

Misc. Screenshots
Eheheh....
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are aghast
Blushing Snips
Twilight with Rarity's 'do

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 31

2011-12-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

After the craziness of the past few episodes, this one takes things down a few notches, focusing on the sisterly duos of Rarity & Sweetie Belle and Applejack & Apple Bloom.

Sisterhooves Social
Rarity awakens one morning to the smell of a delicious breakfast and...smoke? It can only mean one thing: Sweetie Belle's cooking. Sure enough, Rarity finds her sister in the kitchen, annoyed that her surprise breakfast-in-bed plan has been found out. Rarity also finds her parents, pleased as punch at the charred work of their youngest daughter. They're dropping off Sweetie Belle, since Rarity promised to watch her while they're on vacation, which Rarity had completely forgotten about.
As soon as their parents pull away, Rarity heads back into the kitchen to cook them both a proper breakfast. Though she promises Sweetie Belle can help, she ends up doing most of the work herself, until Sweetie Belle complains. So Rarity lets her place the garnish on the plates. However, she micromanages the whole process, which causes Sweetie Belle to slip and knock everything off the table. The garnish does land perfectly, though.
By the time the kitchen is cleaned up, it's time for Rarity to get to work, so she has Sweetie Belle take the used towels to the laundry room. Her little sister, wanting to be useful, takes it upon herself to do the laundry, which wouldn't have been a problem, except that she included Rarity's incredibly expensive, one-of-a-kind designer crocheted wool sweater. Which promptly shrinks. With great effort, Rarity manages to control her anger, and heads back inside, warning her sister to stay out of trouble.
But Rarity's boutique is not that kid-friendly, and Sweetie Belle soon finds herself bored out of her skull. Remembering her sister's warning, she spots some crayons and paper, and since she's never been yelled at for drawing, gets to work. She feels her artwork needs a little something extra, and she proves she is most definitely Rarity's sister when she decides that something is pretty light blue gems, and Rarity just happens to have a whole trunkful. But when she shows Rarity the finished product, it creates screams of horror rather than delight. It seems that these were no ordinary gems, but extremely rare baby blue sapphires, which Rarity procured for a very important client's outfit. And Sweetie Belle used every single one. Going off to get more, if she even can, Rarity instructs Sweetie Belle to clean up the art supplies, and to try and find something to do that doesn't end in a big mess.

Fortunately for Rarity, she was able to find more (they can't be that rare, then), which has her in high spirits once more. But not for long, once she sees what Sweetie Belle did to her workshop. The entire room is tidied up and organized, much to Rarity's dismay. Sweetie Belle is confused by Rarity's reaction, since normally the unicorn is all about cleaning and being organized. But her workshop is the one place Rarity needs a mess for inspiration, and now she has to start all over. With even greater effort, Rarity keeps her temper in check, telling Sweetie Belle she just needs some alone time.
So Sweetie Belle, feeling low, heads into town, where she runs into Apple Bloom, who is promoting the heck out of the Sisterhooves Social. She plugs it as the sisterly bonding activity Sweetie Belle and Rarity need, and Sweetie Belle immediately agrees. However, when she brings it up to Rarity, her sister disagrees, mostly because it's being held at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle insists that any sisters who care about each other go to the social, but Rarity counter-insists that playing around in the dirt is just too uncouth for her to deal with, sisterly or not. This is the last straw for young Sweetie Belle, who renounces Rarity as her sister. Rarity is shocked and annoyed at this, feeling that if anyone should be renouncing sisterhood around here, it should be her, based on all the trauma Sweetie Belle has put her through. Tempers flare, and Sweetie Belle storms out, which suits Rarity perfectly fine.
Sweetie Belle airs her woes at Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh are getting things ready for the Sisterhooves Social. Applejack advises her to just give Rarity a little time to cool down, and asks her to help them get ready. Sweetie Belle is hesitant, considering her earlier forays into "helping," and is mystified when she sees how Applejack and Apple Bloom have turned collecting bruised apples into a game. Her try doesn't go as well, and seeing how well Applejack and Apple Bloom work together just reminds her of how Rarity wouldn't let her help out. Speaking of Rarity, she's still fuming over Sweetie Belle neatening up her workshop, until she notices how her fabrics are now lined up in rainbow order. This inspires her for a new line, which she dubs Full Spectrum Fashions. Despite this, she's still miffed over Sweetie Belle's unsolicited help.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom gets a turn at stomping on grapes for grape juice, but gets a little overenthusiastic and splashes Applejack. To Sweetie Belle's surprise, Applejack doesn't get mad, but just joins her in the tub to get her covered in grape juice, too. Meanwhile, Rarity prepares to wash her latest creations, but spots her shrunken sweater and fumes again. Until she realizes it's the perfect size for Opal now. Still, she isn't quite ready to forgive her little sister. Applejack and Apple Bloom corral some sheep, amazing Sweetie Belle with their oneness of purpose. And Rarity finishes up her commissioned outfit, but needs just one more sapphire. Again raging at the Sweetie Belle-emptied trunk, she goes to see if she can't pry one off of her sister's art project. And is rendered speechless, as this time she actually sees the image: her and Sweetie Belle, surrounded by a heart of sapphires. Seeing this, she dramatically agonizes over the way she treated her one and only sister, and with a speech inspired by Gone With The Wind, she vows to get Sweetie Belle back and make it up to her!

Night falls, and Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle gather around a campfire, which is where Rarity finds them. Sweetie Belle is still miffed, but when Rarity apologizes, she tells her that spending the day with Applejack and Apple Bloom has shown her she needs a sister. Just not Rarity. So instead, she's decided to make Applejack her new sister, which is a shock to everyone. Applejack tries to get her to reconsider, and Apple Bloom refuses to share her sister. So Sweetie Belle suggests that Rarity take on Applejack as her new big sister, to show her what a sister should be. Rarity insists she doesn't need lessons on sistering, and to prove it, offers to teach Sweetie Belle all manner of things that she (but not necessarily Sweetie Belle) enjoys. Sweetie Belle is having none of it, and huffs off. Rarity complains to Applejack for making her look bad, but Applejack just explains to her that being sisters is like apple pie: it's only together that they become something special. Once this sinks in, Rarity realizes what she has to do!
On the day of the Sisterhooves Social, Sweetie Belle checks out the various competitions with Applejack and Apple Bloom, and considers what her sister would think of it. As the starting time for the big obstacle course race arrives, Applejack gives her their surprise: she gets to be Applejack's honorary sister for a day and run the race with her. Sweetie Belle is overjoyed, but Apple Bloom is quick to emphasize the "for a day" part. Repeatedly. Granny Smith announces the beginning of the race, and the five sister teams get started. Sweetie Belle skips across the mud, but Applejack falls in, covering herself head to toe. But she continues on, and the two of them move on to the next obstacles, passing each one with ease. Though they seem to have the lead, another team comes up from behind, giving them a challenge. In the end, it was close, but the other team made it across the finish line first.
Sweetie Belle doesn't care, though, as she just had such a good time. She leaps up to give Applejack a hug, knocking off her hat and revealing a horn? Sweetie Belle pushes more of the mud off, revealing it was Rarity all along! Applejack explains that they switched places at the mudhole so that the two sisters could compete together. Even Apple Bloom was in on it. With their sisterly bond repaired, Rarity suggests celebrating at the spa, but no one takes her suggestion seriously.
After a week's worth of sisterly activities, Rarity and Sweetie Belle have Spike take a letter for the princess detailing what they've learned about being sisters: it isn't easy, it takes teamwork, compromise, and accepting each others differences, but mostly it's about having fun together. The two fail to agree on how much dirt that should entail, so Spike intervenes, and all ends happily.

This one was really sweet, and it was great to see the sister relationships between Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, and Apple Bloom. And Rarity's parents! And of course, I loved that the sweater that got shrunk was crocheted. Even if you can't really tell from the art style.
I'll admit, the first time through, I totally did not pick up on the whole Rarity and Applejack switching until the reveal, but if you go back and watch, sure enough, "Applejack" has Rarity's blue eyes.

Misc. Screenshots:
Applejack and Apple Bloom
Right?
Sweetie Belle is touched

The Hub's Naughty or Nice

2011-11-24T20:59:00.001-05:00

Just as they did last year, The Hub is giving viewers the chance to vote for who's the nicest and naughtiest characters from their shows. This year, however, it's set up like a tournament, with the pool of candidates dwindling the closer we get to Christmas. They're also starting way earlier this year than last.

I feel bad for Chris, since the way things are set up, he's vs. Pinkie Pie, and there's just no way he can win that. At least Dan is vs. McLeish, which makes him a shoo-in to move on to the next round.

Dan Vs. This Game

2011-11-23T10:48:00.001-05:00

Dan Vs. finally has a game on The Hub, aptly titled Dan Vs. This Game. It's a side-scroller with just three levels, each based on a different episode of the show. While it isn't too difficult in theory, I had a hard time beating it simply because of all the enemies making my computer lag. That, and jumping is not as easy as it should be. Just trying to get from one platform to another slowed me down considerably. But even so, it took less than an hour to play the whole thing.
Still, I enjoyed playing it, even if level three's super-lagging got on my nerves. The level transitions are fun, and level themes work well with the show's style.

Thoughts on Cherry Jam's debut episode

2011-11-19T18:05:00.001-05:00

Not sure how I feel about her southern accent
I love all the highlights in her hair
I'll need to see a few more episodes to really feel her as a character, but overall, I like her
I loved the fangirl outfits the girls wore:

Special mention goes to Plum's Lady Gaga-esque hair bow:

I find it a little bit odd that Cherry Jam is voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent, the singing voice of Pinkie Pie on MLP:FiM, yet her singing here is done by Victoria Duffield. Which is probably why I preferred her singing when she was working on the song to her actual performance. Seriously, Duffield, what is up with the squeaking?

Hoops and Yoyo Christmas Special?

2011-11-16T20:58:00.001-05:00

Don't know if anyone else is interested in this, but I figured I'd spread the word. In the grand tradition of greeting card characters getting animated specials, CBS is going to be airing a Christmas special starring Hoops and Yoyo, aptly titled "Hoops and Yoyo Ruin Christmas," on November 25th. You can read more about it and watch a trailer on the official page.

How my mind works sometimes

2011-11-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

Checking out the images from the MLP blind bags over at Equestria Daily, I spot this:

And instantly think:
Meadow Song is so musical! How musical is he? He's so musical, he can make an instrument out of blanks.
*doot doot doo doo doot de doo doot* <---Match Game music
Feel free to fill in the blank, btw.

ETA on Cherry Jam!

2011-11-05T15:46:00.002-04:00

As I suspected, this morning's episode ("Berry Bitty Harvest") did not feature the debut of Cherry Jam, instead acting as the gateway for the Berry Bitty Market Playset, which will actually be built in next week's episode, "Room at the Top." But, if Zap2It is to be believed, then the episode airing on the 19th, "Starlight, Star Bright," will finally bring Cherry Jam to Berry Bitty City. Now if we could just get her over to the AGKidzone....

Strawberry Shortcake - Bright Lights, Big Dreams

2011-11-01T22:42:00.001-04:00

In honor of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventure's second season (finally) starting this Saturday, I'm tackling the latest DVD release in a much more timely manner than I did the last one. Of course, it helps that this one opens with my favorite episode of season one, as it shows Strawberry actually getting annoyed with someone, plus, it has the largest Jadeybug role to date.

Strawberry's House Pest
In fact, it even starts off with Jadeybug interrupting Strawberry practicing "Home Sweet Home" (from the first DVD) for the upcoming Cafe Caberet night. She's looking for some warm, comforting tea, making chamomile the obvious choice. Seeing how jumpy the ladybug is, Strawberry asks her what's up. It seems that Katiebug and Sadiebug are in fact, not Jadeybug's daughters (as I'd assumed), but her cousins, and they have invited themselves over a for week. I'm guessing this is supposed to be their first apearance in the series, though even when the episodes aired on The Hub, this one came after they'd already shown up. Jadeybug does not relish telling them they can't visit, since her guest room is being quote-unquote painted. Strawberry offers to let them stay with her at the cafe, and doesn't suspect anything when Jadeybug does not leap at this chance, and instead tries to head Strawberry off. But Strawberry won't take no for an answer, and so Jadeybug has no choice but to acquiesce.
Over at Blueberry's bookshop, Strawberry borrows a book about being the perfect hostess. The other berry girls brainstorm ideas to welcome the bugs, and decide to put together little giftbags and throw a tea party in their honor. On the day of Katie and Sadie's arrival, Jadeybug can't believe all the trouble the girls have gone to to welcome her cousins, but not in a good way. She accidentally lets slip that her cousins may not even be staying that long, but tries to cover it up with "You never know what may happen."
Katie and Sadie arrive by bus and are met by all the girls and a few berrykins. Jadeybug goes up to greet them, but has no words when their first sentence is "What's to eat?" Strawberry doesn't seem to notice, though, and introduces the bugs to the other girls. She explains that she'll be hosting them and offers to help with their bags. Katie and Sadie not only leave the bags they were holding for her, but a huge pile behind them. Good thing all the girls came along. As they make their way from the bus stop to the cafe, Strawberry explains that they'll be staying in the cafe's upper room, when they're not visiting with Jadeybug. But the twins comment that they have no intention of hanging out with Jadeybug if they can be near the food. The other girls take this as a joke, but Strawberry sees the look on Jadeybug's face and suspects that they weren't kidding. But she gives them the benefit of the doubt.

As the party gets under way, Katie and Sadie unceremoniously dump out the contents of their gift bags and fight over who has better stuff. Mr. Longface pours their tea, Sadie demands a straw, and Katie steals one from a berrykin when she doesn't get one. While the twins fight over the straw, Strawberry tries to tell them that straws and tea don't go together, only for Plum to remind her that the hostess book specifically mentioned tolerating your guests' quirks. Eventually the straw breaks, which leads to peace for a moment, until the twins decide to have a tea fight. At last the truth comes out, as Jadeybug admits that her cousins are totally uncouth. And bad examples, to boot, as the berrykins join in, creating an all-out food fight in the cafe. Strawberry tries to put a positive spin on it, and tells Jadeybug that since she volunteer to host the twins, she'll stick with it.
The next day, Strawberry visits Orange Blossom's store to deliver some muffins, with the twins in tow, who immediately begin running around and pulling stuff off the shelves. She has an easier time delivering the rest of the muffins, as all the other girls are practicing at Plum's dance studio. Sadie and Katie, of course, want to show off their dance skills, and leap into action. Watching their crazy moves, Plum comments that they should start a comedy routine, to which Strawberry replies, "Please don't encourage them." As the twins continue to dance, the other girls talk to Strawberry about how being a hostess is going, and are shocked to learn that Katie and Sadie took her bedroom over the newly-fixed up guest room. This encounter ends with the twins knocking over a curtain. Most of the berry girls just laugh it off, but Blueberry is starting to have her misgivings about the twins.
Though getting used to the twins' self-centeredness by now, Strawberry is still shocked, shocked! to discover the bugs using her kitchen tools to build a mud castle. And again when she finds them rooting through the fridge, helping themselves. Each time, she tries to steer them toward the right behavior, but their selfishness knows no bounds. It's all that Strawberry can do just to get a little practice time for herself, waiting until the girls are firmly situated outside, ready to get a little sun. But though she tries to be quieter than their boombox, the twins are soon back inside, fighting over the microphone. Strawberry hopes that explaining about the upcoming caberet night will get them to let her practice in peace, but that just makes them want to help her out. And by "help out" they mean screech and squawk into the microphone, upsetting life all over Berry Bitty City. Finally, Strawberry pulls the power, and very nearly snaps at the twins. But she pulls herself together and manages to get them to keep the power off, though can't stop them from caterwauling.
During all this, Mr. Longface shows up to see how Strawberry is doing. In an uncharacteristically generous move, Mr. Longface offers to keep an eye on the cafe and the twins while Strawberry takes a little time for herself. Strawberry tries not to inflict them on him, but Mr. Longface knows exactly what he's getting into, and won't let her say no. Strawberry gratefully takes him up on his offer, but she can't stay away for long, knowing that even with supervision, the twins are bound to get into trouble of one kind or another. And indeed, the moment she walks up, she finds Mr. Longface making a break for it. Before he goes, though, he warns her that the twins buttered the floor. Strawberry wonders what purpose that could serve.

To slide across it, of course. Katie and Sadie have not only covered the floor in butter, but let the juice machine overflow, creating a kind of water park for the berrykins. Seeing the chaos in her cafe, Strawberry puts on her maddest face and kicks all the berrykins out. The berrykins apologize, promising to help clean up later, but Katie and Sadie are not contrite, even as they are washed out the cafe by the mix of juice and melted butter. The twins apparently make themselves scarce when it's time to clean up, as only berrykins are seen helping Strawberry out. Blueberry shows up to help, too, and tells Strawberry to send the twins back home. Though this should be the last straw, even for Strawberry, she just can't send them off, since she invited them. Blueberry tells her it might help to talk about it with a friend, but Strawberry has another idea.
She sits the twins down and explains to them why their behavior is unacceptable, but in a gentle way, and tells them that she's willing to give them another chance, if they're willing to listen. However, Sadie and Katie accuse her of being rude to them, and march out in a huff. Their attempts to find room and board with the other girls, however, is met with excuse after excuse for why they can't stay. The twins, having gotten this treatment every other place they've visited, are not surprised. Only Blueberry tells them the real reason she won't put them up, and the other girls show up for some reason to confess to just giving excuses. They also confront the girls about being inconsiderate, and it seems that this time, the message sinks in.
Meanwhile, Jadeybug comforts Strawberry in the cafe, pointing out that she held out longer than anyone else who hosted the twins. Which is when Katie and Sadie come back, ready to apologize, but finding old habits die hard. But they manage to get through it without too much rudeness, much to Jadey's delighted surprise. Strawberry promises to let them stay and teach them actual manners if she can also give them singing lessons. The twins agree, but are skeptical on whether she can actually teach them, being fully aware of how bad they are. But, lo and behold, by the next Cafe Caberet, they are good enough to back her up.

There is something so refreshing about seeing the perpetually upbeat characters getting mad. I don't know what it is, but I like it.

Berry Bitty World Record
Orange Blossom stocks her highest shelves, thanks to her pogostick, a gift from Berrykin Bloom. Speaking of, the elderly berrykin shows up to check for a package. Unfortunately, Jadeybug has all the day's packages in hand, and doesn't see the still-unstacked cans, which means she inevitably slips and drops everything. But she manages to catch all of them except for Berrykin Bloom's, which he catches, and one that Orange Blossom catches. She assumes Bloom's package is the vacation brochure he's been waiting for, but he breaks the news that he's not taking a vacation this year, opting instead to use the money for seeds. This isn't the first year he's done this, either, and he says's he's okay, but he can't bring himself to look at the latest issue of Berry Bitty World Traveler.
His ennui is evident even to Strawberry, but Orange has the solution! It seems Berry Bitty World Traveler is holding a contest where anyone who breaks a world record wins a vacation. Must be a ploy to sell more copies of Berry Bitty World Records. So Orange calls a clandestine meeting of the berry girls to suggest they all work on breaking a world record, upping the chances that at least one of them will do it. They all agree that Berrykin Bloom deserves a vacation, but do they have record-breaking abilities? Strawberry declares Orange is in charge, which she wasn't expecting, but seeing as it was her plan, she goes along with it.
The next day, Strawberry tries her hand at baking the highest souffle, but is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Longface and Berrykin Bloom. Since winning Berrykin Bloom a vacation is meant to be secret, she quickly covers her souffles, though she does offer them up as the daily special. While Strawberry slices up one of her previous efforts, Longface tells Bloom all about this book he's been reading, a history of contagious diseases, including one that makes people do strange things for no apparent reason.
Blueberry, meanwhile, sends her assistant, a bookworm named Bosley (has he shown up before? I forget), off to lunch so Orange can call up the magazine and have them send down a representative to judge their record-breaking feats. The magazine agrees to send a judge on Friday, to Orange's delight and Strawberry's (she came in during the call) trepidation. Going by her own efforts, she doesn't think the girls are ready, but Orange is certain that her can-stacking prowess will win the vacation for sure! Strawberry reminds Orange that she's in charge, and should be more involved, so Orange goes forth to see what records the other girls are planning to break. In the meantime, Strawberry hopes to find a record easier to break than Highest Souffle by helping Blueberry come up with a record to break. Highest Stack of Books is a bust, since Blueberry refuses to stack outside (it would make her inventory dirty).

Orange's first stop is Raspberry's dress shop, where she approves of World's Biggest Dress, but doesn't do Raspberry any favors by telling her that the judge is coming on Friday. Lemon, however, is having trouble figuring out a record to break that uses her talents, as most of her attempts have been less than optimal. Orange just tells her to keep at it, since she's only got two days. Back with Blueberry, the record for reading while standing on your head is a no-go. Plum is having similar problems, as she tries to dance while standing on her hands. Orange gets in on the "fun" which is observed by a passing Berrykin Bloom. After falling over, Plum comments that she feels sick, which Bloom overhears. You can see where this is going, can't you?
Berrykin Bloom's suspicions are only confirmed when he overhears Blueberry trying to break the record for reading backwards and spots Plum cartwheeling down the street. He goes to check on Lemon, and is startled by her tie-dyed 'do, but more concerned by Plum now skipping backwards. He tries to get Lemon to share his concern, but as Lemon is sworn to secrecy, she tries to convince him that Plum's just exercising. This seems to satisfy Berrykin Bloom, so she offers him a mineral foot soak, but he'd rather get back to what he was doing in the first place, transplanting a berry plant.
Due to Berrykin Bloom's suspicions, the girls hold another clandestine meeting, and since Bloom is checking on his night-blooming jasmines, they have to hold it in the dark. Most of them lament their inability to find a record they can break, and even Raspberry is losing faith in her biggest dress.

Strawberry: Where's our can-do spirit?
Blueberry: Orange is the only one who has can-do spirit
Plum: Stacking can-do spirit, that is.
Orange: *dryly* Ha ha ha.

Strawberry points out that, all jokes aside, it's important for the one in charge to have can-do spirit, so Orange charges the girls to keep thinking, and to remember that they're doing it for Berrykin Bloom. Things then devolve into a flashlight fight, just as Berrykin Bloom wanders by, which just worries him all the more.
Once the girls compose themselves, Strawberry comes up with an idea based on Orange's stacking cans: she can stack fruit! She proposes they share ideas rather than come up with them on their own, so Lemon takes her cue from Strawberry's former record: highest hairdo! The rest of the girls brainstorm together, coming up with Dress with Most Stitches for Raspberry, Fastest Reader for Blueberry, and The Most Pirouettes in a Row for Plum.

Friday arrives, and Berrykin Bloom shares his worries with Mr. Longface, who insists they call in a doctor for the girls. Orange, meanwhile, dons her pogostick to go check on everyone before the judge gets there. She only has time to check on Raspberry and Lemon before she spots a squirrel entering the town and assume she's the judge. Despite her hurry to tell the others, she pauses (though never stops pogo-ing) to share a few words with Bosley. The squirrel, however, is not the judge, but the doctor. Berrykin Bloom and Mr. Longface inform her of the girl's strange behavior, and after observing Orange's stack of cans, she asks to see the other patients.
Lemon, already informed of the judge's arrival, panics when her hairdo loses it's poof. Plum gets too dizzy to continue her pirouettes, and Raspberry takes the doctor's warning not to exert herself as evidence that her record has already been surpassed. The truth finally comes out when Strawberry's stack of strawberries collapses, and the squirrel tries to take her temperature. When questioned on their strange behavior, the girls confess to trying to break a world record to win a vacation for Berrykin Bloom. But it seems their bid has failed. Strawberry, however, points out that Orange (eventually) took charge and inspired them all to do better than their best, even if their best wasn't record breaking.
But one of them did break a world record, points out Bosley, now wearing a nifty hat. It turns out that he's the judge (shouldn't he be disqualified since he works for one of the contestants?), and was keeping track of Orange's pogostick bounces, which happened to be ten over the previous record. Berrykin Bloom, though pleased about finally getting a vacation, is just relieved that the girls don't have the disease from the book, which Mr. Longface happens to have with him. Seeing the book, the doctor reveals that it's a book of fake diseases, a gag gift for doctors. Strawberry holds no ill will, though, and invites everyone into the cafe to celebrate with the rest of her souffles.

Different Waltz for Different Faults
It's dance class time, but before things get started, Strawberry offers everyone a muffin. Might as well, since Plum hasn't let them into her studio yet. Attempts to get her out are hampered by the loud music and thumps coming from inside, but Strawberry manages to cut through all that with a piercing whistle. Plum comes to the door, unaware that it's already time for rehearsal, as she's been hard at work choreographing their routine for the annual Dance-Off. It seems that the top prize has been taken by the Big Bitty City Dancers year after year, and Plum is sick of it. And since the BBCD always do a complicated routine, Plum has put together a dance that out-complicates them all. The other girls do not share her determination, and are rather unsure of their ability to learn such a complicated dance in just one week.
To stoke their competitive flames, Plum shows a video of the BBCD's performance from the previous year, but it fails to inspire the girls in the way she wants. A rousing speech, edited by Blueberry, also falls flat, as the girls simply don't have the ability to dance as well as Plum wants. But Plum is certain they'll change their tune once she shows them the dance, which wears even her out. The girls, however, are more inclined to remember the good things about their dance last year, which, even though it didn't win, was fun for all of them and garnered plenty of applause. But Plum. Must. Have. That. Trophy. so her friends offer to help her simplify the dance into something, still award-winning, that they can do. However, Plum has a vision for this dance, and refuses to see it compromised. Seeing the levels of devotion Plum has reached, the others agree to at least give the dance a chance, and get to practicing.

They work all day and into the night before they finally get Plum to agree to let them go home and rest. Just one week, then they can relax, at least. But what a week! For one thing, Plum forces everyone to practice while they're working, with mixed results. And before she knows it, it's the day before the Dance-Off, and not only are they barely close to ready, but the BBCD are set to arrive! These Jadeybug clones are so in synch that they even shake hands in unison. Seeing the precise movements of the BBCD, Plum calls an emergency dance rehearsal, and prescribes special techniques to help them all. She gives Lemon a sketch of a "team hairdo" to unify them, orders Raspberry to balance a vase on her head until the Dance-Off, and gives Blueberry a book on dancing to read. She tasks Orange with picking tons of Glimmerberries for their nutritious properties, and tells Strawberry to just keep practicing, no matter what.
While Lemon works on turning Plum's sketch into reality, Raspberry accidentally drops the vase and steps in it, getting stuck, and Blueberry despairs of reading the whole book in one night. Orange, meanwhile, grapples with the fact that the only Glimmerberries left at this point are the ones too high for the
Berrykins to reach. Springs manage to solve that problem, but how many qualify for a ton, anyway? Strawberry doesn't seem to be having a problem, managing to cook, serve, and dance, and so Plum feels confident that come the morning, her dancers will be the best.
But when the next day dawns and no one shows up for the last rehearsal, Plum goes to investigate. Lemon, it turns out, couldn't turn Plum's sketch into an actual hairdo, and refuses to leave the salon. Raspberry couldn't get the vase off her foot, and not even help from Plum will get it off. Disguising it doesn't work, either. Blueberry read the whole book, and now her eyes won't focus. Orange mashed all the Glimmerberries herself, and now she can't get the juice to wash off. And Strawberry danced so hard she gave herself horrible blisters. So Plum is down five dancers with no time to replace them.

Strawberry suggests calling in some of the berrykins, since they were on the team last year. Plum isn't as confident, but she's got no other options. So she tries to teach a modified version of her dance to the berrykins, but they just do what they want to do, not taking it seriously at all. And there's no time left!
The Dance-Off begins, as it always does, with a performance by the BBCD, which takes advantage of the fact that they can fly. Despite there being only two teams, there's an intermission in between performances, and Plum decides that she just can't go on and be humiliated. Strawberry points out that Plum's only been thinking of her own status this whole time, when there's a lot of people who put work into the dance in one way or another. Even the dancers from Big Bitty City have to be considered, since they came not just to dance, but to see what the Berry Bitty folks have planned. With nothing left to lose, Plum agrees that the dance should at least be fun, and gives the berrykins free rein.
The berrykins' joyous bouncing around is infectious, and even Plum forgets her misgivings and joins in the dance. For no apparent reason, the ending leaves the audience stunned for just a moment, long enough for Plum's misgivings to return, but they all start applauding after a moment. The BBCD even commend the dance for its diversity, and when the judges put in their votes, the prize goes to Plum and the berrykins. Plum readily admits that it was due to everyone's ideas showing up in the dance, and is ready to plan her dance for next year's Dance-Off.

Not a bad collection of episodes. These are some of the few that don't feel like they would have done better as 11 minute episodes, but then again, they're all ones that emphasis working towards a goal rather than trying to solve a specific problem. And they all had Jadeybug in a speaking role, if you count her Big Bitty City clones.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the special features. As usual, there's printable coloring pages, but there's also a music video. Being so close to the debut of season two, I was hoping it would be something Cherry Jam related, but it was actually an island-themed tune called "Sunshine Girls." Which would have been fine if there had been new animation to go with it, but it was all just clips from season one. And even that wouldn't have been so bad if the song wasn't all tropical. It comes off more like a bad AMV on youtube than an official video.

Misc. Screenshots
Welcome Banner
Hopometer
Dance-Off Judges

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 30

2011-10-31T17:41:00.004-04:00

I'll admit, I put off posting this one so I could post it on Halloween. Fitting, since the subject of this episode is Equestria's equivalent, Night Mare Night.

Luna Eclipsed
Spike (paradoxically dressed as a dragon) paces as he waits for Twilight Sparkle to put the finishing touches on her costume for Night Mare Night, and what a costume it is! Just not a very recognizable one, as Twilight learns throughout the evening. She informs Spike that she's dressed as Starswirl the Bearded, but as Spike failed to read the book on unicorn history she gave him, he's completely lost. Fortunately for him, their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of trick or treaters, including the tiny Pipsqueak, recently moved from Trottingham, celebrating his first ever Night Mare Night. His exposition is interrupted by Pinkie Pie, dressed a chicken, clamoring for candy. She also fails to recognize Twilight's costume, and quickly moves on to the next house. Twilight fumes over this as she and Spike head into town for the annual festival.
So incensed is she, in fact, that she seems to completely miss all the fun going on around her, in the form of hayrides, dances, and of course, free candy, which isn't lost on Spike. Or Pinkie Pie, who shows up again to show off her haul, only to get spooked by a Shadowbolt-dressed Rainbow Dash. Twilight attempts to admonish Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus insists there's no better night for pranks, and races off to frighten another group. Twilight grabs a comatose Spike (either Rainbow Dash or too much candy induced) and moves along to scarecrow Applejack's stall. Her bob-for-apples game is put on hold after Derpy gets a scene to herself, but it's just as well, as it's time for the mayor's speech.
The mayor invites the young ponies in town to follow Zecora and hear the legend of Night Mare Moon. Her attempts to be spooky, however, are hampered by her choice of costume, a clown. Zecora, on the other hand, has a suitably spooky costume (an evil enchantress?), and she leads a group of children (plus a few adults) to a statue of Night Mare Moon inside the Everfree Forest. Using some type of smoke magic, she explains the background of Night Mare Night: apparently Night Mare Moon not only wanted to create eternal night, but also to eat ponies. Thus, the ponies dress up in the hopes that she'll leave them be if she doesn't find any, plus they leave a tribute of candy, just in case. Her storytelling royally freaks out the kids, plus Pinkie, and they dump their candy out in front of the statue.

No sooner do they do this than the wind kicks up and the clouds part, revealing a mysterious, batwinged pegasi-pulled carriage. Pinkie Pie declares this must be Night Mare Moon, and she and the kids (and Zecora) make a break for it. The carriage does not stop, however, until it reaches Ponyville town square. With a generous dose of lightning for atmosphere, the carriage's occupant, Princess Luna, leaps down to address the villiagers. The terrified ponyfolk immediately bow in supplication, but Twilight, feeling a familiarity with the princess, attempts to go and greet her, only to be pulled down by Spike. Princess Luna addresses the crowd using the Royal We and a powerful, booming voice, beckoning the citizens to turn Night Mare Night into a night of joyous feasting, not terror. Pinkie hears this as "feast on us all," and once again runs off with the kids. This doesn't go unnoticed by Princess Luna, who drops the booming voice to call them back, and seeing this is no good, instead goes to the mayor for a formal welcome, as befits a princess. However, all that booming, plus the lightning, didn't really help things, and neither the mayor, nor her aide, is brave enough to take her hoof. Nor is anyone else in town, so Luna leaves them without even a Royal Farewell.
Twilight finally gets free from Spike and goes to talk to Princess Luna, recognizing her terror-inducing ways as "trouble fitting in." She finds the princess moping in the shadow of the Night Mare Moon statue, and is pleased that Luna correctly identifies her costume. Luna commends Twilight for using changing her back, but Twilight points out it sounds like she's upset about it. Turns out the princess is just using the traditional Royal Voice for addressing those of a lower station. Twilight recommends she change her methods in order to get a better reception from her subjects, but the princess, lacking in a thousand years of social graces, is unsure she can do that. But if Twilight has learned anything over the past episodes, it's that anything is possible with the help of her friends. So, it's off for some help.
First stop, Fluttershy's, for lessons on being demure. Fluttershy, however, reacts to Night Mare Night much the same way Harmony did to Surprise Day, though when she hears that it's just Twilight, she opens the door. Until she spots Princess Luna looking severe, and slams it shut again. It takes some "coercion" by Twilight to get Fluttershy back out, which Luna ruins by using the Royal Voice again. This time Twilight just magicks Fluttershy into place, and Luna asks for a lesson on speaking quietly.

Luna: SHALL OUR LESSONS BEGIN?
Fluttershy: okay.
Luna: SHALL WE MIMIC THY VOICE?
Fluttershy: okay.
Luna: HOW IS THIS?
Fluttershy: Perfect. Lesson over.

Twilight prevents Fluttershy from retreating yet again, and advises the princess to just tone down the volume a bit. It takes a little practice, but Princess Luna gets down to a normal speaking voice, and uses her magic to thank Fluttershy against her will. Which is when Pinkie Pie arrives, kids in tow, looking for a good hiding place from Night Mare Moon. Of course, the sight of Princess Luna and a nearly-comatose Fluttershy draws all the wrong conclusions and they run away again. Luna tries to call after them, but neither the Royal Voice or her new, normal voice works, so Twilight calls for Plan B.

Back in town, the festivities have continued on, with ponies partaking of Night Mare Night-themed games, such as Smashing Pumpkins and Spider Toss. But the return of Princess Luna sends all activity to a halt, bringing back memories of the old days for the princess. Twilight is optimistic that Applejack can help them up Luna's likability quotient, despite the farmpony falling to the ground the moment the princess shows up. Twilight asks her to help out the princess, but it takes her own brand of stare to get Applejack to do it. Applejack tells Princess Luna to have a positive attitude, relax and have some fun. A foreign concept to the princess, so Twilight and Applejack introduce her to spider toss. A successful toss makes Luna a convert, and she takes on Smashing Pumpkins. As her gourds hits the target, she cries out, "The fun has been doubled!" and this new side of the princess seems to loosen up the citizens of Ponyville, too.
The princess declares that all may call her simply "Luna," and goes to bob for apples. She spots Pipsqueak falling into the water, and fishes him out. Pinkie Pie, spotting this, insists that Luna was going to gobble him up, and she and the kids, including Pipsqueak, make another break for it. Luna's ire at this ungrattitude undoes everything she had just done in the villagers eyes, and when they begin to back away in fear, she tries to reclaim it by enchanting all the fake spiders for Spider Toss into real spiders and having them swarm the web (and some Ponyvillians, too). This creates panic and hysteria in the streets which Luna tries to stop, but cannot until she busts out the ultimate Royal Voice. When Twilight tries to remind her of Fluttershy's lessons, she tells her that she's using the Royal Voice for a Royal Proclamation. Bringing forth clouds, Princess Luna decrees that this insulting holiday shall henceforth be cancelled permanently!

As the disappointed ponies take in this information, Twilight decides to go after the princess and do what she does best: lecture ponies! She spots the dejected princess on a bridge, and though Luna asks to be left alone, Twilight simply tells her that Night Mare Night is one of the most popular holidays in Equestria. This doesn't cheer her up in the slightest, and so Twilight must think of a new tactic. She does this by luring Pinkie Pie to a secluded area using a trail of candy, and then forcing the pink pony to promise not to scream. She introduces her to Princess Luna, and the two make amends, until Rainbow Dash does her cloud prank again, making Luna look scary. Twilight teleports and tackles the fleeing Pinkie Pie, trying to make her see that Luna =/= Night Mare Moon. Pinkie reveals that she's known that the whole time and was hamming it up for the kids. Night Mare Night's supposed to be scary, after all. This gives Twilight the idea she's needed all night, though Luna is not as enthusiastic this time around. But she goes with Twilight all the same.
As the little ponies lament the end of Night Mare Night forever, Zecora reminds them that there's still this Night Mare Night, which doesn't end until the official Candy Offering. So it's back to the Everfree forest to leave their candy by the statue. But once the last pony, Pipsqueak, offers his candy, the wind picks up and the Royal Voice of Princess Luna addresses them all, expressing pleasure with the offering, and the statue of Night Mare Moon comes to life. As before, the kids scream in terror and run off, and Night Mare Moon morphs back into Princess Luna, spitting out fake fangs. She isn't sure Twilight's plan has worked, but Pipsqueak returns, asking if she'll come back and scare them next year, too. Hearing that being scared can be fun, Princess Luna decrees the return of Night Mare Night, and Pipsqueak declares her his favorite princess. With the true meaning of Night Mare Night ringing true, Luna rejoices and rejoins the festivities. With the problem finally solved, Twilight writes her letter to Princess Celestia, all about how she was able to share what she's learned about friendship with Luna, and how Ponyville learned to give scary ponies a chance. Rainbow Dash sneaks up on Twilight for one last prank, but is pranked by Luna instead.

A very good episode all around. Not only did we finally get a canon version of Luna's personality, it was great to see all the attention paid to the costumes of the background characters. While a lot of fun, this episode does raise a lot of questions. How exactly did the legend of Night Mare Moon evolve that way? Since it appears to have been at least a year since the first two episodes, how has Luna not acclimated even just a little by now? Would Celestia have helped her? And just where was Rarity, a pony known for wearing outrageous costumes any time of the year, during the whole celebration?
That question at least has an answer. While it's easy to assume that she spent the whole celebration collapsed in exhaustion from making all the costumes for the ponies in town (and there were some really good costumes, to be sure), according to Lauren Faust, the original script had a scene with her, ever the perfectionist, still working on getting her costume just right.
Despite knowing Luna is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, I swear she sounds just like Mona Marshall when she uses the Royal Voice.

Misc. Screenshots
Mr. and Mrs. Cake as Raggedy Ann and Andy
Luna cracks the ground
E.T. reference?
Another offering
Luna and apple

Sushi Pack - The Yam Yakkers

2011-10-29T11:41:00.001-04:00

I forgot how nice it is to do an episode that's only 11 minutes long. Doesn't mean I take any fewer screenshots, though.

The Yam Yakkers
Aquabot-boy's new movie is premiering in Wharf City, and the Sushi Pack is ready, thanks to Maguro preordering the tickets. Kani's excited that Vince Face, the actor playing Aquabot-boy, will be making an appearance, but Tako claims he's only a fan of the character; whoever plays him is incidental. Ikura and Wasabi, on the other hand, are already set to get autographs. Unfortunately, there's no day off for being a superhero, and Chief Flume arrives to let them know about the myriad of crimes going on all over the city: Sir Darkly invaded the mall, Oleander broke into all the nearby farms, and Titanium Chef raided the virus research facility! She also belittles her own force for all taking the day off to see the movie, but no sooner does Tako pledge the Sushi Pack's help, she reveals she did the exact same thing.
Though Tako promised the Pack would take care of the problems, Ikura and Wasabi are not feeling it, and stay behind while the others roll out. This doesn't go unnoticed by Tako, who is unmoved when Ikura states that waiting three years for a sequel is a valid excuse for not fighting crime. Kani and Maguro try to get Ikura and Wasabi into the crime-fighting spirit with some snappy catchphrases, but no dice. After all, there's always crime in Wharf City, but celebrities don't come around every day.
Tako goes into the many-headed thinking routine to process this information. Is it so wrong to want a day off once in a while? Kani interrupts him before he can finish, so he brushes her off and completes his thoughts: how to balance responsibility and pleasure? He comes up with a compromise: Ikura and Wasabi can keep their place in line while he, Maguro, and Kani go after the villains, hopefully making it back in time. Though not sure the plan will work, Tako and the others head off, while Ikura and Wasabi high five.

On the outskirts of town, Oleander drives away from the last farm and informs someone through a radio that she's "got them. Phase one complete." The abridged Sushi Pack spot her erratic driving, and Kani goes in to investigate, using her pincers to open a hole in the truck and find out just what Oleander was after. But what she sees gives her a shock: three tons of yams? Tako and Maguro, meanwhile, investigate the virus research facility, but they're too late, Titanium Chef is already gone with a whole van of yogurt canisters. To be used in a sinister recipe, no doubt. Tako and Maguro take off in the Sushi Craft and spot him driving down the road, also talking into a radio. Phase two complete!
Maguro leaps onto the stolen van, leaving Tako to chase down Sir Darkly alone. Which isn't too hard, considering the spectre's totally conspicuous (and awesome) vehicle. Tako attaches the Sushi Craft to it via magnet, just in time to hear him tell the others that Phase Three of Operation Yam Yakkers (obtain mannequins) is complete. Not wanting to see any operation set in motion by Sir Darkly, Tako takes control of the wheel. Sir Darkly isn't worried.
As Kani confronts Oleander, Maguro uses her powers to make the Titanium Chef drive in place, but he gets rid of her with a little soy sauce (he is, after all, a master sushi chef). Sir Darkly manages to knock Tako off the steering wheel, but the octopus is not to be deterred, clinging instead to the windshield. Which leaves him vulnerable to the wipers, of course.
Back at the movie theater, Ikura can't help but worry about how long the others have been gone. With the movie about to start, he wonders what to do. Wasabi has the answer: see the movie, naturally! Ikura agrees, and the two head inside. However, the big climax of the movie reveals that Aquabot-boy gave up personal pleasure for responsibility, which is not lost on either Pack member.

Meanwhile, Maguro manages to catch up with Titanium Chef, Kani annoys Oleander, but doesn't get her to stop, and Tako finally maneuvers himself into a position to block out Sir Darkly's windshield with his ink. The three vehicles end up on a collision course, with villains and Sushi Pack members alike bailing out just in time. Looks like the end of Operation Yam Yakkers, but why are the villains bro-fisting each other? The pile of crashed contents begin to glow, creating very odd looking vegetable...things, which immediately scoop up Tako, Maguro, and Kani.

Tako: Tell your sweet potatoes to let us go!
Oleander: They're not sweet potatoes, they are yams.

Just love the delivery there. But it turns out those things are the Yam Yakkers, a special recipe from the Book of Chum Chop. Not sure if they were supposed to come out looking so weird, but their main selling point is their loyalty to the villains. To demonstrate, Titanium Chef orders the Yakkers to crush the Sushi Pack, and they oblige. But all is not lost, as Ikura and Wasabi arrive to avenge their friends' deaths! No need for that, though, as Maguro's forcefield was (just barely) strong enough to keep the Yakker's hand at bay. Seeing the rest of the pack still alive, Ikura apologizes for putting his desires over his responsibilities, but Kani just tells him they can discuss it later. Right now, they've got some potatoes to mash! (Or rather, yams, as Oleander once again points out.)
The Pack attack from all sides, but the Yakkers are just too big! Just when it seems they've got no chance of winning, Wasabi points out a glowing building, and the Pack heads on over. Seeing this as a retreat, Oleander orders the Yakkers to follow suit, sending them right into the Sushi Pack's trap. They slip on Ikura's orange roe and Wasabi's....whatever, and Maguro opens a cargo bay door just as they approach it. The other villains also fall victim to the slippery path, though they merely fall on their faces. It turns out that the building is the Wharf City Cannery, a fitting end for yams. And, as Tako points out, the other villains are headed for "the can" as well.
With everything taken care of, Ikura and Wasabi apologize again, but Maguro insists that the important thing is that they recognized their wrong and rectified it. And, since they saved Wharf City yet again, Vince Face saw fit to stick around (in full Aquabot-boy costume) and give them a special screening of the movie. Face-to-face with, well, Face, Tako abandons his earlier stance and asks for an autograph, with Maguro mocking him for it. But hey, the guy is still in costume.

Not too much to say about this one, but I did like Titanium Chef's radio handle (Big Daddy Fish). The whole thing felt a little rushed, but I like it anyway.

Misc. Screenshots
Tako gets in Ikura's face
Happy villains
Tako helps Kani up
High five!

The Lorax Movie Trailer finally debuts

2011-10-28T11:19:00.001-04:00

Back in July, a work-in-progress trailer for upcoming Lorax movie was uploaded to youtube, but Universal had it taken down right quick, along with any images that people had used to blog about it. I completely missed this, so I was glad to catch it when a chinese site leaked it again last month, though once again Universal had it taken down almost immediately. So it's probably in light of these leaks that the official trailer has finally been released.

Some parts are a little different from what was in the leaked trailer, and some things were left out, specifically one scene where the Once-ler accuses Ted of just doing this for a girl. And the scene at the end of this trailer with (I assume) the Once-ler's relatives wasn't in the leaked trailer at all.

The Hub Mashup Promos

2011-10-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

The Hub continues to be awesome promo-wise, with a couple of new commercials that mix characters from the most popular shows, such as Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures and Transformers Prime:

And Dan Vs. and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: (gotta watch it on the site, but if they upload it to youtube, I'll add it here):

"My car!"

"...bedazzled..."

Keep being awesome, The Hub Promos!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 29

2011-10-22T00:59:00.003-04:00

For the first official episode of season two, Twilight fully descends into madness, and the opening theme gets redone. Now there's a train!

Lesson Zero
Twilight Sparkle and Spike get an early start, as Twilight has a lot of things to accomplish, including checking her checklist for making a checklist. After taking her cape to the cleaners, among other things, it's time to pick up a parcel of cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corners for a picnic later that day. All seems to be going according to plan, except Mrs. Cake saw fit to give Twilight a baker's dozen, which means they don't quite fit in the box, and Twilight gets anal over the cupcakes all having the same amount of frosting. Which they do once she gets through with them. Not very much frosting, to be sure, but at least it's even. Thanks to her frosting escapades, "washing Spike" almost makes the checklist, but Spike's tongue is apparently long enough that he's able to lick himself clean. Kind of neat, but kind of disgusting, too.
Once all their tasks are complete, Twilight and Spike return to the library, and Spike comments he's glad they don't have a friendship report to write up this week, since all that checking gave him a cramp. This comment fills Twilight with panic, as she had completely forgotten about the letter, and since she's supposed to send Princess Celestia a report every week, she only has until sundown to do so! Spike gets a bit of "leaning on the fourth wall" bits here, as he moves the background out from behind Twilight, and otherwise removes her fantasies from the screen. The purple unicorn freaks out about being late with an assignment, but Spike points out that the princess will most likely grant her an extension. But Twilight can only imagine the worst, a scenario that ends with her back in Magic Kindergarten. Spike tries to tell her she's being unrealistic, but Twilight misses his point, and instead decides to go in search of a situation that will result in a friendship report. She turns to Spike for just such a problem, but he has none, so she takes off into to town as Spike predicts the end of the episode.

Out in Ponyville Square, Twilight is certain she'll find a pony who needs her help, and is elated when she hears Rarity's scream. She makes her way toward the sound of the scream, kicking down the door of Rarity's boutique. Rarity declares her problem to be the worst possible thing: losing her diamond-encrusted purple ribbon. Though she has searched, she cannot find it, and conjures her chaise lounge to lie upon in anguish. Twilight sees this as the perfect opportunity to procure a friendship lesson, but before she can finish pledging her help, Rarity spots the ribbon just lying on the floor. With the ribbon problem solved, Twilight asks if there isn't something else Rarity needs help with, but when Rarity just asks for her measuring tape, Twilight moves on without even saying goodbye.
Twilight isn't discouraged, though, since she still has four other friends that might need help. And indeed, it seems that she's hit the jackpot when she spots Rainbow Dash smashing up Applejack's barn. Seeing a potential friendship in need of mending, Twilight stops the pegasus and goes all therapist on her, ready to root out a report. But it turns out that Applejack, bunkered in a nearby ditch, actually asked Rainbow Dash to destroy the barn in order to make way for a new one. With Twilight's misunderstanding cleared up, Dash goes in for the kill, demolishing the barn with a sonic rain-mushroom cloud.
A little worse for wear both from stress and Dash's destruction, Twilight chides herself for not visiting Fluttershy first. The timid pony must surely have an issue to deal with, she assures herself, yet when she peeks behind Fluttershy's cottage, she spots Fluttershy going all kung-fu on a giant grizzly. Panicking over her bad luck, Twilight leaves before the punchline of the scene: all that fighting was actually some kind of chiropractic technique.

Having failed at finding problems with her other friends, Twilight doesn't even bother visiting Pinkie Pie, and instead starts losing it on a park bench, which is where Spike finds her. She doesn't even notice his presence, distracted by the sound of churlish laughter that she imagines is directed at her. Spike manages to bring her out of her reverie, revealing the laughter was just from some nearby fillies. He reminds her of the picnic, hoping that relaxing with her friends will bring her back to normal. Twilight, however, sees this as the solution to all her problems.
As the others set up for the picnic, Rarity declares forgetting the plates to be the worst possible thing and conjures her chaise lounge again. Her woe is forgotten when Twilight shows up, her dementia plain to see. Tired of hoping for a problem to just fall in her lap, Twilight outright tells her friends about her problem. They don't find "being late with a report" quite as terrible as she does, and invite her to just enjoy the picnic for a while. But this Twilight cannot do, and she storms off.
Back at the library, Twilight's delirium continues to grow, and she soon sees the only way to find a problem to solve is to make that problem herself. Venturing into the park, she spots the Cutie Mark Crusaders happily playing ball. Dropping in on their game, she thoroughly creeps them all out before presenting them with her old doll, Smartypants (complete with play quill and notebook for doing her homework). Her plan is for the one-doll-to-three-girls ratio to cause a rift in the girls' friendship, but as Smartypants has obviously seen better days, none of the CMC bite. In her desperation, Twilight casts a "Want it, Need it" spell on the doll, which makes all three of the girls want it instantly. Finally getting the results she wanted, Twilight pulls herself together to act as an authority figure, but her spell was too powerful, and the girls resist her attempts to wrest it away form them.

Luckily for her, Big Macintosh was passing by, so she asks him to help her out. Big Macintosh is easily able to get the doll, but having seen it, he's affected by the spell, and takes off with it. Soon almost the whole town has spotted the doll, and they all swarm on Big Macintosh to get it for themselves, leaving Twilight unable to get a clear shot to cast the counterspell. The mayor manages to get the doll, and makes a mad dash across the field, heading toward where the rest of the mane cast is still picnicking. As the town chases after the doll, Twilight warns her friends not to look, lest they, too, fall prey to her foolish spell. She confesses to her insane plan as the day finally comes to an end, making her officially tardy.
With the setting of the sun, a regal voice calls for Twilight. Princess Celestia has arrived, just as Twilight feared, and she isn't happy. With a dose of royal magic, Celestia cancels the effects of Twilight's spell, leaving the townsfolk dazed and slightly embarrassed. They all disperse, though Big Macintosh grabs Smartypants before he leaves. Twilight and her friends cringe, waiting for Celestia's pronouncement, but the princess simply tells Twilight to meet her in the library. Twilight bids her friends adieu, certain that it's Magic Kindergarten for her. Realizing they may never see Twilight again, Rarity declares this the worst possible thing, for real this time.
At the library, Twilight attempts to justify her actions, but as the sun has set, she has no recourse but to declare herself a bad student. As this wasn't what Celestia was planning to address, she has to reassure her most faithful student that a weekly letter is not actually a requirement. Before she can get any further, Twilight's friends bust in to say that they were to blame for the craziness in town, not Twilight, since they knew she was upset, yet they discounted her feelings due to her worries not seeming worth worrying about. They beg the princess not to send Twilight away from them, and Celestia makes a bargain with them: if they all report on friendship from now on (and only when there's actually something worth reporting), she'll let Twilight off the hook. The ponies accept her proposition.
With her worries allayed, it occurs to Twilight that the princess showed up awfully quickly, and so she asks how the princess knew what was up. Celestia reveals that Spike wrote to her, and commends him for doing the right thing. And with that, she returns to Canterlot, eager to read the first of the group reports. Before the girls can get down to business, though, Twilight takes a moment to thank Spike. The letter is written round-robin style, with each girl adding a piece of the lesson they all learned: treat your friends' worries seriously, even if they sound stupid to you, and don't let your own worries grow out of control. Spike tries to add his own post script, stating that since he's such an awesome friend already, he didn't have to learn this lesson, but Twilight nixes it.

It'll be interesting to see how this whole "everyone reports on friendship" bit plays out. Will it always be round-robin style, or will only those who actually learned a lesson write the letter? At least it gets rid of the "Twilight hijacks another pony's lesson" problem from season one.
I'll admit, my first time watching this episode, all of Twilight's craziness started to get old, but on the repeat viewings, I was able to appreciate it more. I guess that knowing where the story would end up going helps. That whole doll part was the best part of the episode, IMO, though I also loved Twilight getting starry-eyed every time she thought she'd be able to help a friend. And Big Macintosh as a brony? Priceless. I gotta ask, though, how come Twilight didn't decide to just fudge it? Y'know, make up a friendship scenario to write about. Then again, Princess Celestia can probably cast some kind of spell that would let her know whether what she was reading was true or not.
The animation really stood out in this one. Not just all the Twilight crazy faces, though those were superb, but in lots of little things, too. You can tell that the animators have really improved since season one.

Misc. Screenshots:
Taking cover
"You don't expect me to lay on the ground, do you?"
Stop looking at me like that, Twilight
You're in trouble now, Twilight
No, now you're really in trouble
That's not exactly a reassuring face, Celestia
Frustrated Spike

Share Bear Shines at last!

2011-10-15T23:53:00.004-04:00

Well, two years after it was slated to come out, Share Bear Shines, the first (but now last) of the Care Power Team movies, finally made it to the states.

This one starts up with Oopsy stranded in the middle of nowhere on a rapidly deteriorating cloud. Fortunately for him, the CPT is on the job! Once they spot him, Share calls for them to activate their care power, though that shouldn't be necessary, as they're not that far from him. Just drive up and get him, seriously. But of course it's not that simple, as the last of the cloud dissapates, sending Oopsy plummeting towards his doom. And apparently the powered up bears are faster than their cloud cars, because the Team leaps out and follow Oopsy down, streaming sparkles all the way. They even fall faster than Oopsy and manage to get beneath him. Using their badges, they slow their descent, and then create a pool of light that catches Oopsy without much trouble. With Oopsy safe, Grumpy demands to know what he was doing out in the middle of nowhere, but before Oopsy can explain, Bedtime falls asleep, breaking the pool of light and sending the other bear falling again. Cheer quickly rigs up a rainbow slide to catch Oopsy, and Share rushes to the bottom to grab him. He survives, but his berries do not.

With the rescue complete, the main titles show up, set to the modified AiCaL theme song. Back in Care-A-Lot, Grumpy again demands to know what Oopsy was up to, and Oopsy explains that he went to pick berries in a cloud canyon, when a piece of the cloud floated off with him on it. Which is why no one's supposed to go there alone, Funshine points out, even if the best berries grow there. And they do, as Grumpy forgets himself for a minute to fanboy over them. Oopsy is chastised by everyone, then sent to clean himself up before the night's festivities. It seems that it's time for the twinklet migration, last seen in Adventures in Care-A-Lot episode 6. The CPT plan on watching from the Care Tower, but there haven't been that many Twinklets these past few years. Share is optimistic that this year there'll be more to make up for the deficit, and she fantasizes about the baby stars meeting Princess Starglo, the mother of all wishing stars. When Grumpy scoffs at her for believing in a fairy tale, she responds by singing a song about believing in things and having hope. Despite the catchy song, even Funshine has his doubts, but Cheer humors her.
As night falls, bears all over Care-A-Lot get into position to watch the migration. Up in Care Tower, Share shows off her holographic Princess Starglo storybook, telling of how the baby stars live in Glitter City until the princess grants their wish to be full-grown stars, then places them in the night sky. By the time she's done, the first star of the evening appears, so Share wishes on it, to Grumpy's consternation. The others force him to humor Share, who doesn't seem to have noticed him anyway. But the time for the migration to start has arrived, so the bears keep their eyes on the sky.
As the night wears on, one by one the bears fall asleep, except for Share, who keeps watching, but no twinklets show up. She wakes the other with a shout, then rushes off to do something about the situation. Grumpy tells her not to panic, that maybe the migration is really tomorrow. The others agree, and Bedtime sends everyone off to bed, much to Share's dismay. But just as she's about to head home herself, a lone twinklet appears in the sky and makes a crash landing in Care Square. Share and the rest of the CPT rush to its rescue, but it seems all right. Grumpy claims this proves his hypothesis, that the migration is tomorrow, and this twinklet is just ahead of the group. Share decides to take care of the twinklet in the meantime, naming it Gleamer. But she still can't shake the feeling that something has gone wrong.
The others start to leave, but Share calls for all of them to go to Glitter City themselves and discuss what's going on with Princess Starglo. Grumpy and Funshine tell her that no one's ever been to Glitter City, and that Princess Starglo is just a story. But Grumpy promises to bring his telescope to Care Tower in the morning so they can look for the rest of the twinklets. Share starts to protest, but Bedtime intervenes, sending her home to bed. Though she tries to sleep, Share just can't forget her worries, and decides to go to Glitter City with Gleamer on her own! Grabbing her book, she climbs into her cloud car, only to realize she has no clue where Glitter City actually is. Neither does Gleamer, but this does not dissuade Share from her trip. She resolves to simply find it, and takes off.
Share isn't completely without direction, though, as she knows the direction that the twinklets go when they migrate, plus, the poem from her book has a clue, too. And as she has the poem memorized, she doesn't notice the book fell out of her car when she took off. She looks to the right of the Big Dipper, as in the poem, but there's nothing there. But since all stars, even twinklets, have a connection to Glitter City, she asks Gleamer to try sending out a signal, and sure enough, a tiny pinprick of light appears. And so Share and Gleamer drive off into the night, heading for what must be Glitter City.

As they travel, they come to a green-gold cloud, and Gleamer warns Share not to go any further. It's a cloud of stardust, apparently, so Share uses her badge to blow some of it out of the way. This creates a hole in the cloud for them to go through, though why they didn't just fly over the cloud, I don't know. Sure it was big, but not that big. But that was just one cloud of many, and though the rest of the clouds are smaller, they're also stormclouds, so Share picks up the pace, narrowly avoiding lightning bolts. That danger over, they suddenly see an island of sparkling spires right before them: Glitter City!
Back in Care-A-Lot, morning has arrived, but the sky is still dark. As the CPT wonder what's going on, the stars in the sky start disappearing right before their eyes!
Share lands her cloud car and approaches the main gate, which is open, and notices the city is devoid of any type of activity. She wonders what's going on, and Gleamer has no clue, so they simply enter the city. Share wonders where Princess Starglo is, and is bombarded with a bright light. It seems that hearing her name summoned the princess herself. Seeing that she was right along, Share is beside herself, and introduces herself and Gleamer. But the princess is not glad to see her, proclaiming that she no longer makes stars, and sends both Share and Gleamer on their way. She tells them to visit the gift shop, and disappears in a flash of stardust. She reappears and disappears a few more times, spouting various non sequiters. Share's surprised at how weird the princess really is, not at all what she expected. Still, she follows after Starglo as she enters the tallest spire, asking for her help.
Starglo insists she's busy and sends them off yet again, flying to the very top of the spire. Share unexpectedly finds an elevator and follows her up. She and Gleamer find themselves in an observatory room, and watch as Princess Starglo mutters to herself and touches lights on an orb in the center in the room. As she does, the corresponding stars in the sky go out. Share can't understand why the princess would do that, so Starglo explains that the stars are still there, just not lit up, due to a lack of power. It seems that believing in Princess Starglo and wishing on stars power the entire city and all the stars, but not very many folks do either these days. Share points out that she believes and wishes, and while Princess Starglo is grateful, the belief of just one bear just isn't enough. She heads off to turn off the rest of the city, ignoring Share's cries that without the city, the twinklets will have no place to go, which will lead, in turn, to no more stars. Seems to me that there's plenty of stars already, but Share refuses to let that happen.
Down in Care-A-Lot, Bedtime despairs as the last of the stars go out, but no one is awake to help him do something about it. So he heads into Dreamland, where everyone seems to be having gravity-defying dreams. He comes across the rest of the CPT having a surreal game of Belly Badge Ball and uses his badge to wake them up. Seeing all the stars gone, they start to band together to find out what happened, but realize that Share is missing. They can't find her at her house, but Bedtime's slippers, which are sentient in the CPT universe, I guess, notice the book that fell, and bring it to Bedtime's attention. This piece of evidence makes it obvious where Share's gone, but without daylight, all anyone wants to do is sleep. So Funshine creates a mini-sun with his badge, bringing Care-A-Lot back to life. Since the mini-sun is only temporary, the rest of the CPT get ready to roll out. Bedtime suggests that he stay behind, just in case, and so Funshine, Grumpy, and Cheer get going.

In Glitter City, Share tries in vain to get Princess Starglo to stop powering down the city. For some reason she thinks that she can turn everything back on with just a touch, ala Princess Starglo, but the real Starglo sets her straight: only she has that power. As she laughs with glee, more of the city goes dark, and she prepares to leave. Shares insists that she just can't do that, reminding her of her heritage as the first twinklet and mother of all the stars. Starglo is not impressed, however, as she's heard all those stories, too. For the first time, Share's belief starts to waver, but Starglo admits that all the stories are true. This leads to a call-and-response song for the two of them, with Share trying to convince Starglo that she's still important, and the princess not quite buying it.
The song does lower the princess' defenses, and she reminisces about watching her stars take their place in the sky for the very first time. But, she points out once again, without belief and wishes, there's nothing to be done. Her point is made very clear when Gleamer suddenly grows weak and starts to fade. Starglo gives him a jolt of power, but explains she can only help him for so long. This right here is why she's putting out all the stars. As she goes to her orb to make sure she didn't miss any, she sees the other members of the CPT heading their way. Gleamer spots this and tries to alert Share, but as she doesn't speak star, she instead follows him to the orb. Starglo tries to keep Share from spotting the image of her friends, but she spots it anyway.
With a wave of her hands, Starglo creates a cloud of stardust for the others to fly through. Unlike Share, they immediately think to go around, rather than through it, but the cloud won't let them. With another wave of her hands, Starglo has the cloud become a tornado, claiming that since Share got in too easily, she'll have to up the danger levels this time. Share tells her to stop, but Starglo refuses, stating that Share set her back in her plans enough as it is. But she promises not to actually hurt anyone, just spin them around until they go on their way. Of course, she doesn't know the Care Bears very well, and they manage to hatch a plan to get out of there. Funshine figures that stardust likes light, so he uses his badge to create a giant ball of light, which the stardust cloud takes off after immediately.
Not to be defeated so easily, Starglo ups the lightning in the stormclouds Share flew through earlier, which knocks Grumpy out of the cloud car. Unlike last time, the other CPT members stay in the cloud car and fly down to catch him. Seeing her lightning failed, Starglo makes sure the gates are closed this time, keeping them out, and her and Share in. Share has finally come to realization that the real Starglo is nothing like the one in her storybook, but Starglo has no rebuttal for her.
The others finally make it to Glitter City and spot Share's car. Finding the gates locked, Grumpy attempts to "coax them open" with a lightning bolt, which hits a few of the locks, but then makes a beeline for his bottom. Starglo crows over her apparent victory, but Share goes to open the gates herself. But of course Princess Starglo shuts off power to the elevator, trapping both Share and Gleamer while she goes to take care of other things.

Meanwhile, Funshine declares unlocking the gates unattainable, so Cheer suggests just going over them. However, each time they try, then end up mysteriously back where they started. So it's back to trying to unlock the gates. This time, Cheer notes a pattern, and remembers Grumpy's lightning bolt changing it when he used it earlier. Grumpy declines to try that method, though, since he still has singe marks on his behind. But there's no other alternative, so try it they must. Grumpy sends off his bolt and then gets well out of the way. The locks begin to flash in a pattern, and so the reduced CPT turn on their Care Power and go in to investigate. Cheer finds the answer, and fortunately they only have to turn three of the locks to get the gates to open. The three bears enter the darkened city, remarking on how empty it is.
Share, meanwhile, attempts to get the elevator to work again by using the touchpad, despite Princess Starglo already demonstrating that only she has that kind of power. She surmises it must be a "star thing," and asks Gleamer to give it a try. And it works! For a split second. Oh, well. Just then, Share spots her friends in Starglo's orb, and seeing they've gotten into the city ups her resolve to get out of the spire, one way or another. And since Gleamer was almost able to make the elevator work, she assumes two Gleamers will do the trick, and uses her badge powers to double it. The two Gleamers get it working for a full second this time, and Share, remembering what Princess Starglo has been saying this whole time about wishes and belief, repeatedly states her belief in the Gleamers, which gives them the power to get the elevator working for real. The two Gleamers become one, and Share heads out with twinklet in tow.
Princess Starglo continues powering down the buildings in the city and hears the other bears calling for Share. Funshine worries for Share, since she was so worked up about Princess Starglo, and now there's no one in Glitter City at all, but Grumpy is just adamant about the nonexistance of any Starglo. Which of course is when Princess Starglo decides to show herself to them. Grumpy freaks out, certain that she plans to eat them, and Cheer and Funshine's "Oh, you really are real," comments don't win them any points either. Starglo rants at them about taking the stars for granted, and Grumpy starts to protest that he doesn't, but she shuts him up right quick and tells them all to leave. (I'm kind of curious, how does Grumpy believe he doesn't take stars for granted?) But they won't go without Share, so it's convenient that she shows up right then, isn't it?
The others apologize to Share for not believing in her belief, but Share tells them her belief wasn't entirely right, either, since she's learned the real Starglo is nothing like the one in her book. As Princess Starglo continues about her business, Share explains the whole "no one believes in her or wishes on stars" thing, and they point out that they believe now, doesn't that count? Nope, according to Starglo. At last, she powers down the last building. The Care Bears look around the darkened city, and Share just can't take it. She demands Princess Starglo turn everything back on and call back the twinklets, but Starglo refuses. As the princess flies off, Share tells the others she's tried everything to change Starglo's mind, but Starglo points out that she didn't try offering her a cookie. Not that it would have worked, but the point is made. This last non sequiter is the last straw, and so the CPT decide it's time to help Starglo "understand." Saying she's too upset to think clearly, they surround her for a Care Bear Stare, but first they have to sing the Care Power theme.

The Care Bear Stare leaves Princess Starglo feeling radiant, and optimistic that the belief of four bears and one twinklet is enough to give her the power she needs to restart the city and light all the stars! She starts with the tallest spire, and for a second it looks like everything's going to be okay. But then the light fades away, and Princess Starglo remembers that she can't turn the city back on once it's been turned off. Not with just the belief of four bears and one twinklet, anyway. Her very existence hinges on people's belief, after all, and sure enough, she's beginning to fade away. Gleamer also feels this lack of belief, fading like it did before. Share calls on the princess to help the twinklet, and despite the fact that Starglo is facing the end of her own life, she tries, but can't do anything.
Cheer immediately makes the leap from the end of Starglo to the end of Care-A-Lot, which is news to Share. Funshine fills her in on what happened down there, which fills Starglo with remorse, as she didn't realize the ramifications of turning off all the stars (including the sun). As the princess openly weeps, Share finds it in her heart to forgive her, and this belief in Starglo gives her a second wind. If only more people believed in her, she could turn things around! So Grumpy hatches a plan to make more people believe: send a beacon out to Care-A-Lot, and they'll know what to do.
Speaking of Care-A-Lot, Funshine's mini-sun finally gives out, leaving the others wondering what to do. Bedtime, as the current representative of the Care Power Team, advocates waiting for the other members to get back. The other Care Bears aren't so sure that those guys even made it to Glitter City, so Bedtime distracts everyone by reading from Share's storybook. He reads the story of how Princess Starglo was once the only star, so she built Glitter City, and if everyone believes, all the twinklets will join her there, and together they'll fill the sky with stars. The bears listening affirm their belief in Princess Starglo, but more than anything, they just want the stars back. And just when it looks like things are going to get wistful, they all spontaneously burst out into Share's song of belief from earlier.

As the song ends, a spark of light twinkles in the night sky, and Bedtime recognizes it as Glitter City (somehow). It's actually the other members of the Care Power Team shining light from their belly badges. Princess Starglo can tell that it's working, but advises more sparkle from Grumpy, who doesn't appreciate the constructive criticism. Gleamer, meanwhile, is getting worse, so Share gives it all she's got. Down in Care-A-Lot, the bears cheer to see the light, and Gleamer starts to shine again, and even Starglo becomes more solid. Bit by bit, the city comes back to light, shining radiantly in the night sky.
With belief reinstated, Princess Starglo goes to turn the stars back on. Seeing that their job is done, the CPT prepare to leave, though Share wishes she could stay. But Starglo is adamant, Glitter City is for twinklets and stars only. Still, she's glad that they came, and even makes them honorary stars. As for Gleamer, she makes him her personal assistant, and even gives him the entire show, which involves spotlights, a big announcement, and Starglo using her powers to make him the official wishing star.
The bears start to go, but Share hangs back, and Starglo gives her a hug, thanking her for everything. Share also says her goodbyes to Gleamer, and Princess Starglo reminds them all to believe.
One year later, the CPT unveil a new light on the Care Tower, to guide twinklets and remind Princess Starglo that they believe in her. When night falls, the CPT rush to the top of the tower to watch, and Princess Starglo materializes to join them, much to their surprise. It seems she's letting Gleamer guide the twinklets this time, and is using the opportunity to view the migration from the other side. She doesn't stick around long, though, as she has to train the new recruits. As Grumpy wonders how she can blink through glass, the movie ends.

Watching this one, it's easy to see why the other CPT movies went the "glorified episode" route. To stretch the story out, the whole "not enough wishes and belief" thing is repeated over and over, which just serves to make Share look like an idiot who doesn't pay attention to what people are telling her. Speaking of which, that whole thing really was not handled well, at all. Princess Starglo makes it clear that her and the stars' very existence is at stake, giving her the audience's sympathy. Cheer keeps trying to convince her not to go ahead with her plan without giving any particularly good reasons why she shouldn't, yet the audience is asked to view her point as the right one. Thus, when the other Care Bears show up and give her a Care Bear Stare, it feels like they're forcing her to go along with their views without considering all the facts. And when Starglo uses up nearly the last of her power in the misguided attempt to relight Glitter City thanks to said Stare, it is the princess who ends up apologizing. On the other hand, by turning off all the stars, including the sun, she nearly doomed all life on Earth and Care-a-Lot, for the sake of her own life. But this point is barely touched on in the movie, and not until the end.
I guess the real problem is that Share left Care-a-Lot before seeing the stars going out, thus she had no real argument for why Starglo shouldn't turn them off. So for most of the movie, Starglo's reasoning seems like the right choice, even though it isn't, really. Maybe if she'd just left the sun on and turned off the rest of the stars, that could of worked? And if the belief of four bears and one twinklet wasn't enough power to light up the city, how did the belief of twenty five Care Bears max do it? And if Gleamer's belief counted, then shouldn't the belief of all the stars in the sky have counted? That would have powered Starglo up for sure! Then again, maybe Starglo was just humoring Gleamer.
Plotholes aside, there were a bunch of things I liked about the movie. For one thing, it was nice to see the Care Bears having dreams that seemed like actual dreams, rather than the mundane dreams they had back in Adventures in Care-a-Lot. As usual, Bedtime is adorable when he gets to be part of the action. And Princess Starglo has the best expressions. Seriously, the real reason I waited for the DVD to come out over here before writing this up is because I needed to be able to use the frame-by-frame tool to get her expressions just right:

The only special feature on the DVD is a game where you have to figure out the locks on Glitter City's gates, in case you were wondering. Oh, and some trailers, but I don't really count those.

Misc. Screenshots:
Share rides a star
Fireworks
In Dreamland, the trees are smiling
There really is a Starglo
Happy Starglo
Cheering for the stars

And so the Care Power Team/AiCaL era comes to an end. Sad to see it go, really. While the new series might be good, I have severe doubts. And no matter what, it will never be as cute as the AiCaL style.

Sushi Pack - No Clowning Around

2011-10-10T01:55:00.002-04:00

It's been a while, huh? I never really meant to stop posting Sushi Pack recaps, though I also never meant to post every single episode, either. Much as I love the show, there are episodes that I just didn't feel warranted a full write up. Granted, my feelings have changed by now, in both directions (i.e. some of the shows I wrote up probably didn't deserve it), but this is one I always meant to get to.

No Clowning Around - "There are no small jobs, just small sushi."
It's a typical day in Wharf City: the sun is shining, kids are having fun playing in the park, and lovers are having their romantic interludes interrupted by the sudden arrival of clouds. No, wait, this isn't a typical onset of clouds, it's the doing of Sir Darkly, the personification of misery. His very presence causes flowers to wilt, seesaws to break, and makes everyone in the vicinity burst into tears, much to his deadpan delight.
Over at The Green Donut, the Sushi Pack are testing out their new periscope viewer and manage to get it working, thanks to teamwork! Thanks to the viewer, they catch sight of Sir Darkly, and as this is his first episode, Maguro points out some of his villainous quality, with Tako adding the most important one three times. They're also aware of his ultimate goal: collecting enough tears of sorrow to seed the clouds, making misery literally rain down on the entire world. While the Pack contemplates this, Ben calls for them to see the weather report. Sophia Tucker is on location to report on the strange storm that appears to be moving in, right in the middle of the mayor's annual picnic! And even this perky reporter is no match for Sir Darkly's gloom.

Seeing Sir Darkly on screen, Ben flashes back to the last time that guy was in town, and how he was carried off by the north wind, vowing revenge on the Sushi Pack. Though we are not privy to what exactly happened that time (did the Sushi Pack cause the wind? Was it serendipity?), we get a clue from Ben, who warns the Pack that they won't be able to sneak up on Sir Darkly the way they did last time. And having jumped into their action pose to do this, he abruptly falls over when they stop to come up with a plan. Ikura suggests a plan that's all him, but Maguro reminds him that they're a team, and Ben chimes in about teamwork, as he is wont to do. Tako surmises they'll need a disguise, and luckily, Kani has just the thing.
Down in the basement, she unveils her latest creation: B.O.B. (Being Of Bamboo), a giant robot (giant to them, anyway) that they all operate. Though impressed, Maguro has a feeling B.O.B. won't exactly blend in, but Kani already has the answer. With her handy remote, she activates B.O.B.'s disguise mode, turning him into a clown, the perfect camouflage for a party. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to learn how B.O.B. actually works. Kani dons her science gear (so cute!) to explain that each member of the Pack controls a different part of B.O.B.: Wasabi controls the right hand, Ikura has the left foot (he isn't impressed), Maguro takes the right foot, Tako gets the left foot, and Kani forms the head! She instructs everyone to strap in and wait for the command. With everyone in place, it's time for action! Unfortunately, no one but Kani takes the whole thing seriously, with Ikura and Wasabi being overenthusiastic and Maguro and Tako not feeling terribly needed, and thus B.O.B. wanders about haphazardly.

Sir Darkly is able to breeze right in to the mayor's picnic, thanks to his cloud of sadness, and continues collecting tears. The inconsolable security guards also let B.O.B. right in, and so Kani again tries to get the rest of the Pack to follow her instructions, but to no avail. B.O.B. continues his willy-nilly gambol, catching the attention of Sir Darkly. Noticing no tears coming from B.O.B.'s eyes, he goes in to investigate. Kani, as B.O.B.'s voice, introduces the robot as "Bob the Party Clown," then instructs Wasabi and Ikura to wave hello. They overdo it, whacking B.O.B.'s head, so Kani to tell them both to knock it off. Wasabi gets offended, making his flame shoot up into the cooling chamber, melting the ice. This causes water to drip on Ikura's head, so he plugs the hole up with a sticky orange ball, which just fills up with water and dumps itself all over him.
Wet and sticky, Ikura quits being the left hand and tries to take Wasabi with him, despite Kani's protests. This causes B.O.B. to become even more unbalanced than he was before, and he ends up smashing into the cake and collapsing. Unable to get B.O.B. to lift up, Kani proclaims herself a failure. Tako quickly points out that it was the rest of them, not her, that failed, and even Ikura begrudgingly admits that teamwork means working together. Which is all well and good, but what can they do now?
To the rest of the party guests, it appears that Bob the Party Clown is dead, and Sir Darkly seizes upon this opportunity to have everyone shed a tear for the departed clown. While he collects tears, the Sushi Pack decides it's never too late, and work together to get B.O.B. back on his feet. With their resolve to act as a team renewed, the others follow Kani's instructions to the letter, and manage to hit Sir Darkly with some slapstick, making the guests laugh. The laughter starts breaking up Sir Darkly's clouds, and sends the specter himself to the sky, as he and the clouds disappear in a twinkling. Kani congratulates everyone on a job well done and lesson well learned, and B.O.B. does a little dance.

I'll admit it, my main reason for wanting to do this one was Kani in her scientist get-up. I love it!
Watching this ep again, I wonder if Sir Darkly's earlier appearance in Wharf City was supposed to be an actual episode, or it was never written on purpose. You know, kind of a tongue-in-cheek reference to how most superheroes have a Rogue's Gallery. In fact, it might have been an interesting concept for there to be no recurring villains on the show, but each new one treated as if they had shown up before. With the only exceptions being Titanium Chef and the Legion of Low Tide, obviously. I'm glad that they didn't go in that direction, though, since then we wouldn't have gotten the next episode I'll be covering: Yam Yakkers.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 28

2011-10-02T21:19:00.000-04:00

The Return of Harmony, Part Two
Picking up where the last episode left off, Discord laughs himself silly over how easily the ponies were defeated, which gets Pinkie Pie all up in his face. Seeing how laughter sets her off, Fluttershy mocks Pinkie Pie, while Applejack gets on Rarity's case. Twilight still can't figure out what's going on, and accuses Discord of not playing fair. Discord points out it's illogical to expect a being of chaos to play by the rules, but Twilight continues to rail against him for taking away the labyrinth before they could find the Elements of Harmony. So Discord takes her back to when he gave her the original clue, and tells her that at no point in time did he ever mention a maze. He blinks off to wreak havoc elsewhere, leaving behind only more chocolate rain.
Twilight tries to think of what Discord meant by "back where you began," but her friends going at each other in the background is not exactly conducive to critical thinking. With chocolate milk trickling down her back, she just longs for home. Which, she realizes, is the answer! She leads the others on a charge for Ponyville, only to get trampled by the giraffe-bunnies. "Good boy, Angel," Fluttershy coos. Suddenly, day becomes night, the roads become soapy and slick, and night is once again day. All the work of Discord, of course, who arrives to tell Twilight of his intention to make Ponyville his homebase, then blinks out again.

At long last (or maybe not, who can tell?), Twilight and the others make it to the library. Twilight begs her friends to please just go inside, and they all do, turning from desaturated versions of themselves to completely grey as they go in. Rarity refuses to go in without her "gem," now named Tom, certain that the second she leaves him alone, Twilight will sic her "minion" (i.e. Spike) on him. So Twilight takes it upon herself to drag Tom into the library, which Spike just finished cleaning. He gets a rude awaking via Fluttershy, and is completely confused by everyone's behavior and lack of color. Twilight has no time to explain, though, and sets to work finding "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide." Or tries to, but is hampered by Fluttershy. But Spike knows the book's exact location, though the moment he pulls it out, Fluttershy steals it from him and instigates a game of Keep Away.
Her efforts hindered, Twilight's last nerve snaps, and she pounces on anypony who gets near, until finally she gets her hooves on the book. With Spike standing guard, she flips through the pages, only to find the Elements of Harmony hidden inside! Twilight crows happily, but her joy is short lived, as the others are incredible blase about this turn of events. Not quite realizing what this means, Twilight places each Element on the proper pony and calls for them to go defeat Discord. Spike points out Rainbow Dash is missing, so Twilight dubs him the new Rainbow Dash, complete with matching Element necklace. Spike shudders to think what the real Rainbow Dash will do to him when she finds out, but Twilight is unsympathetic. She gets everyone moving with the promise that they'll never have to speak to each other again once their task is over with, and finally thinks to use magic to move Tom.
Discord is already outside the library, waiting for them. He claims to be ready for his defeat, even giving them a clearly marked target. Twilight calls for everyone to get into formation, and the Elements appear to be working just fine. But then the glowing stops and everypony falls to the ground. Twilight just can't figure out what went wrong, and Spike gets the heck out of there, citing the library needing to be cleaned again. Discord officially declares his reign and skates off on the soapy road. Pinkie Pie takes off in a huff, and the other grey ponies do likewise. Twilight is glad to see them go, declaring, "With friends like you, who needs enemies." With their friendship completely over, Twilight herself turns grey.

As Twilight wanders a chaos-filled Ponyville, Discord shows up to rub her face in his victory, telling her to get used to her new, improved home. But Twilight can't see Ponyville, new or old, as her home anymore, which was apparently Discord's plan all along? At any rate, he's very glad to see her decide to leave.
Back at the library, Twilight tells Spike to get packing. She doesn't know where they'll go, but they can't stay here. Spike, however, is in no condition to do much of anything, as Celestia has been sending Twilight letters ever since he got back. Twilight is surprised to find that they're all the letters she's sent to Celestia over season one, but she rereads them anyway. As she does, she remembers why she and her friends were friends in the first place, and regains her color. She finally gets that Discord was responsible for her friends' change in attitude, and that it's friendship that will win the day. Throughout her whole triumphant realization, she swings Spike around, which he doesn't appreciate in the slightest, so she leaves him to rest while she goes forth to fight for her friendships!
First stop, Sweet Apple Acres. Discord's touch is apparent, as Big Mac pants like a dog and burrows like a gopher, and Granny Smith tap dances nonstop. Applejack continues to only be able to lie, so Twilight tackles her and uses a memory spell to remind her of all the good times they all had as friends. The spell works, and her color returns. When she comes to, she confesses that she started lying because she couldn't face the truth that their friendship would break up. Twilight easily forgives her, and the two take off for the next stop, Fluttershy's. One by one, Twilight works her magic on the girls, returning them to their former selves. ("Let us never speak of this again," says Rarity, once her eyes are opened to Discord's trickery.)

There's just one problem: Rainbow Dash isn't at her house, and the other ponies have no idea where she might have gone. Fortunately, Pinkie Pie spots her lounging on a cloud not too far from her house. It seems that Discord worked a spell similar to the one he put on Rarity that makes her think the cloud is Cloudsdale, where everything is awesome. Since Rainbow Dash won't come down on her own, Twilight pulls out Plan B: Fluttershy will hold Rainbow Dash down, then Applejack will lower Twilight down from the hot air balloon so she can cast the memory spell. Of course this hinges on Fluttershy being able to hold Rainbow Dash down in the first place, so the fact that it fails isn't a huge surprise. Rainbow Dash takes off, cloud in tow, so Twilight hitches up Fluttershy to chase after her.
Seeing the other ponies following after her, Rainbow Dash switches to displaying some aerial maneuvers too fast for them to follow. Applejack manages to lasso the pegasus, but this doesn't stop Rainbow Dash for a minute, since Pinkie Pie forgot to secure the rope, leaving her and Rarity dangling behind Dash. This manages to slow Dash down, but not enough for Fluttershy to catch up. Twilight reminds her this is all Discord's doing, bringing forth a righteous rage in Fluttershy, which gives her the speed she needs to get them close enough for Applejack to lasso Dash again. This is enough for them to get her down to the ground, but it still takes four of them to keep her in one place long enough for Twilight to give her the memory spell. With Rainbow Dash back to normal, the others embrace her in a group hug, but a passing herd of ballerina buffalo remind them that it's too soon to celebrate.
The ponies don their respective Elements and confront Discord once again. Discord is not impressed, apparently not caring that they've all regained their color and proper attitudes. Or perhaps not even aware that they've broken off his spell, as he tells Applejack not to lie to him. He uses his powers to drag all the ponies toward him against their will. But Twilight is able to create a protective bubble around them, creating a small patch of normalcy in the chaotic landscape. She also tells him that they've learned friendship is worth fighting for, but Discord still isn't buying that they've actually thrown off his hypnosis. He's so confident that they'll fail, in fact, that he just sits on his throne, waiting for the their beam to fizzle like it did earlier. Twilight calls for the others to "show him what friendship can do," but Pinkie calls for a time out so she can get one last drink of chocolate rain.

With everyone in position, the girls start powering up, and each Element emits its own special beam before the powered up ponies come together to emit a sonic rainboom-esque friendship beam. Much like Night Mare Moon before him, Discord lets out a Big No as the beam works its magic, turning him to stone once more. The beam also undoes all the chaos Discord created, bringing the world back to normal.
In a scene that is pretty much a shot-for-shot reference to the end of the first Star Wars movie, Twilight and the others are hailed as heroes by Princess Celestia and the court of Canterlot. Celestia unveils a new stained glass window commemorating Discord's defeat, and the awesome background music continues over the credits.

Like part one, this felt a little rushed, but it was still very good. I especially love the animation when Rarity says "Fluttershy, would you be a dear and fly faster, please!" It's just so fluid...
I'm a little surprised that Discord was defeated the same way that he was in the past. I was expecting something different, since the last time the mane six used the Elements of Harmony, they didn't just repeat what the last user did. But I guess Discord's reality warping powers are just too powerful to be removed, so he had to be neutralized. It does bring up the question of what will happen when Twilight and her friends are no longer connected to the Elements of Harmony, either by death or some other reason, but as this is a kids show, I guess we don't really have to worry about actually getting to that point.

Misc. Screenshots
"Friendship"
Power flows
Broken heart tear
Fluttershy can't go faster
Discord drinks a "glass" of milk
Pinkie is satisfied

What I Read - Waking Up in the Land of Glitter

2011-09-30T23:43:00.002-04:00

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter gets an endorsement from me just for the very fact that one of the characters finds her salvation through crochet, but it's a pretty good book anyway. Basically, the plot follows three ladies through the disasters of their lives from August to December: Star, a would-be artist who has six months to get her life on track and sell 347 pounds of glass glitter, Ofie, who dedicates her life to crafts of all kinds even though she has no talent, and Chloe, an up-and-coming TV personality who uses crafts as her springboard, yet hates the very thing that is her claim to fame. The three come together, along with Benecio, a high school boy with an interest in designing handbags, as part of a craft group thrown together by Star, with the sole purpose of creating the centerpieces for the upcoming Craft Olympics.
When everything was going badly, I couldn't put the book down, eager to see how things would work out, or if they even would. And of course they do, which is slightly to the book's detriment. It isn't that I didn't want to see the ladies succeed and come out happy, but everything wrapped up just a little too nicely. *Spoilers Ahead* Star finally has an art show, and of course everything sells, plus she finally gets the love of her life and doesn't even have to try and make a long distance relationship work. Ofie discovers she's a natural at crochet, and of course she wins the speed crochet tournament at the Craft Olympics and ends up with all kinds of endorsements and a book deal. Chloe not only discovers true love, but, despite being completely disgraced on her own news show, gets an endorsement from a Rachel Ray-alike and a potential TV show. Even Benecio gets endorsements and guest spots, and his dad, a former workaholic, dedicates the rest of his time to his son.
And there's one thing that keeps niggling at me: at various points in the book, Ofie's mother-in-law tells her to take up crochet and offers to teach her, yet Ofie turns her down. But later, she has Benecio teach her (for no mentioned reason), without the book ever addressing that fact. The mother-in-law doesn't even bring it up. Not to mention the fact that Ofie claims to only know one stitch, double crochet. Wouldn't she have started with single crochet?
So yeah, while I enjoyed reading this book, the too-neat ending keeps me from really loving it. Still, it is very nice to have a book where crochet plays a good-sized part of the story without it being a mystery.

Cherry Jam Music Video

2011-09-24T11:19:00.003-04:00

After discovering WorldScreen, a little poking around revealed that they have Cherry Jam's video for her hit single, Anything is Possible. I gotta admit, the song is pretty darn catchy, and Cherry Jam is too cute, especially with her hair swept up:

(I wish the video was better quality, though.) Okay, so when are the new episodes going to air, The Hub?

First look at New Care Bears Series

2011-09-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Over at WorldScreen, a licensing book reveals what the new Care Bears will look like in CGI. Truth be told, it's a little freaky.
Now, a couple of months ago I stumbled onto two audition videos for the series (which have since been set to private, naturally), but I didn't post about those here, since I didn't know if the info in the dialogue was legit. But it appears that it was, as WorldScreen also has a video section where you can catch a short clip from (what I assume is) the first episode.

Tenderheart's niece, Wonderheart

From the clip, we learn that the new series will once again focus on the bears helping kids (though whether it'll be just one ala Makena remains to be seen). And what's up with Tenderheart having a niece, anyway? The bears look a little better when they're actually in motion, and I like the fuzziness. But I have to wonder, is the animation supposed to be emulating stop motion, or is it just bad?

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode 27 (Season Two!)

2011-09-23T22:24:00.000-04:00

And so a new season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic begins. Technically, this episode and the one after it are part of season one, but they were saved to open season two, most likely due to the Elements of Harmony making a return, harkening back to the two-parter that opened season one.

The Return of Harmony, Part One
As the episode begins, Cheerilee's class takes a field trip to the world-famous sculpture garden over in Canterlot. While Cheerilee discusses the various statues, the Cutie Mark Crusaders lag behind and get into arguments. They catch up once the class reaches a statue of a draconequus, a Mix-and-Match Critter who represents discord. As the CMC scuffle in front of it, the statue begins to shake and something within it throbs, which goes unnoticed by Cheerilee. Probably because she's too busy assigning the girls an essay as punishment. As the class moves on, a crack forms in the statue, followed by evil laughter...
Back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash's flight is interrupted by a strange, pink cloud that turns out to be made of cotton candy. Despite Dash's protests that it isn't supposed to rain until the next day, the cloud starts pouring down (say it with me) chocolate rain. Her attempts to corral the cloud only chase it and others like it toward Applejack's farm, where the farmpony is harvesting corn. She demands to know what's going on, and though Dash doesn't know, she vows not to leave until she has the clouds under control. Meanwhile, all the ears of corn spontaneously combust, filling the field with corn, much to Pinkie Pie's delight. Somehow news of this reached Rarity already, and so she busted out her rain ensemble and came over to see if there's anything she can do, but not really. And especially not when all the apples grow to gigantic proportions, immediately prompting all the squirrels, and even Fluttershy's bunny Angel, to chow down. Before Fluttershy has a chance to call them off, all the rabbits in the vicinity suddenly sprout giraffe legs. By this time, Twilight Sparkle has a new spell at the ready that she promises will fix everything, but despite her best efforts, it does nothing.

To aid in Twilight thinking up a new plan, Rarity gives up her umbrella, and the gift sparks Twilight into delegation mode. She has Rainbow Dash get all the clouds in one spot, Applejack tie them up, and Fluttershy use reverse psychology on the animals to get them to eat the clouds. Just as Twilight declares victory due to teamwork, Spike belches up a message from Princess Celestia, summoning all of them to Canterlot immediately.
Things must be grim, as Celestia is actually worried. She silences Twilight's questions with a hoof, and then leads them down a hall of stained glass windows. She explains that Discord, the trickster spirit, has returned. It seems that he was the previous ruler of Equestria who delighted in the misery of his subjects, and was ousted by Celestia and Luna using the Elements of Harmony. They turned him to stone, but now that they're no longer connected to the Elements of Harmony, he was able to break free. Celestia calls on Twilight and her friends to defeat him this time, since they're the new wielders of Harmony. Twilight starts to tell her to count on them, but Pinkie Pie has an objection. She points out that Discord may be bringing eternal chaos to Equestria, but he created (say it with me) chocolate rain, so he can't be all bad, right? Her objection is denied, so Celestia opens the magical lock on the door to Canterlot Tower, where the Elements are currently housed. She opens the box, proclaiming her confidence in Twilight and her friends, only to find it empty! While the others are in shock, Pinkie Pie blithely saunters out to partake once again of the chocolate puddles. (She's back by the end of the commercial break, though.)

Considering that only Celestia should have been able to open the lock, there's one explanation, which comes in the form of maniacal laughter surrounding the room. A voice addresses them, one that Celestia instantly recognizes: Q Discord! She orders him to show himself, and he takes form in the stained glass windows, interacting with them as he banters. He reveals that he's "borrowed" the Elements of Harmony, and furthermore, he already knows all about the new wielders. Celestia demands to know what he's done with the Elements, and so he answers with a riddle: "To retrieve your missing Elements/Just make sense of this chain of events./Twists and turns are my master plan/Then find the Elements back where you began." Twilight takes this to mean the Elements are hidden in the palace labyrinth, and so Celestia sends them off, with the fate of Equestria resting on their shoulders.
Once the ponies reach the maze, Rainbow Dash decides to bypass it entirely by just flying over, only to find her wings suddenly gone. Fluttershy's, too. Not to mention Rarity and Twilight's horns. With a flash of light, Discord finally makes his appearance, and can't help cackling, "You should see the looks on your faces!" Twilight demands he return their respective wings and horns, but Discord declines, stating that he only took them to even the playing field. Their finding the Elements is a game, complete with rules, including that if anyone doesn't play, he wins by default. He wishes them luck and disappears just as suddenly as he appeared.
Despite their setback, Twilight is still optimistic. After all, what challenge can't they face as long as they're together? The six ponies enter the maze, and immediately hedges spring up, separating them. Twilight calls over the hedges for them to head for the center to regroup, and they're off. Applejack makes good progress until she spots three apples lying on the ground. The apples start to roll, so she follows after them, and ends up in an apple orchard. She's soon surrounded by three piles of apples, which form into faces and introduce themselves as the Keepers of the Grove of Truth. They tell her she may ask them one question, but she may not like the answer. Though she has her misgivings, Applejack just has to know: what's the outcome of their quest? The keepers lead her to a lake, and she sees a vision of her friends calling it quits. Shocked by this, she's easily swayed by Discord, who hypnotizes her through the Keepers, telling her that the truth hurts, but a lie is comfort. As she turns grey, the orchard disappears, and part of the hedge opens, just as Twilight passes by. She's glad to see her friend, but confused at AJ's strange behavior.

Elsewhere in the labyrinth, Pinkie Pie stumbles upon an area filled with balloons and cheery laughter. As she frolics, one of the balloons trips her up and she falls in a puddle of mud. Suddenly the laughter turns nasty, and Pinkie wonders what's going on. Discord shows up, since she, like he, appreciates a good laugh, but Pinkie explains that the balloons are laughing at her, rather than with her, and that's no good. Discord, now also a balloon, doesn't see the difference, pointing out that her friends laugh at her all the time. As he spins her head around, the laughter swells, and the voices of her friends (as well as their balloon likenesses) join in, until Pinkie just can't take it anymore. Discord hypnotizes her directly, turning her grey and mirthless. As the balloons in the background pop, the exit is revealed, with Twilight and Applejack standing right there. Again, Twilight is glad to see Pinkie, and chalks her odd attitude to stress.
Rarity, meanwhile, literally bumps into three of the most beautiful diamonds she's ever seen. Discord appears in each one and hypnotizes her with its sheen. However, she's able to shake it off, probably because there wasn't as much build up as Pinkie Pie and Applejack's. But she doesn't last long, and as she chips away at the rocks surrounding the diamonds, she, too, turns grey. The three diamonds turn out to be one enormous gem, which she heaves onto her back just as a nearby column of rock crumbles, revealing Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Which also reveals that Discord's played a particularly nasty trick this time, as what Rarity thought was a giant gem is actually a boulder. The four ponies continue on, with Rarity warning them all not to touch her "diamond."
As for Fluttershy, she's been having a particularly hard time of it, jumping at every little sound, so when she spots three butterflies, she's relieved, and follows them to a crossroads. The butterflies, with the heads of Discord, address her, pointing out she's been left behind by her friends, but Fluttershy is not perturbed, certain her friends are looking for her. The Discord-butterflies continue to needle her, but Fluttershy rebuffs them each time, until finally Discord gets so frustrated that he just zaps her into being grey and cruel, no hypnotism at all. The hedge wall falls, and Twilight hopes for best as she approaches Fluttershy, but instead gets snide remarks and a tail whip.

Lastly, Rainbow Dash spots a wayward cloud shooting rainbow lightning bolts, and figuring it's a disguised Element, takes off after it. The cloud leads her to Discord, hanging out on a cloud hammock, and she challenges him to a hooffight. He claims he just has a message for her: "The foundations of home will crumble without you." He shows her a vision of Cloudsdale falling to pieces, which is enough for his hypnotism to work on her. He offers her a box with her wings and tells her she can either take them or keep wandering the maze. Meanwhile, the other ponies continue to make their way toward the center. Twilight holds out the hope that once they find Rainbow Dash, their team will once again gel. However, Applejack spots Rainbow Dash flying off into the distance, and as Twilight wonders how that could have happened, the sky clouds over and the entire maze disappears. Discord appears before them, complaining that "someone" broke the rules, meaning the game is over. He returns the remaining horns and wings and crows over his victory. To be continued....

When The Hub first posted a preview clip of Discord, I thought he was pretty goofy, and while that is true, he's also a lot more menacing than I gave him credit for. I'm really curious about how Twilight is going to get her friends back to normal and how they'll defeat Discord. Or even if they'll defeat him. I've heard rumors of a recurring villain in season two, and he could very well be it. Well, all will be answered tomorrow.
One thing I will say, this episode felt kind of rushed. Even as a two-parter, there's a lot crammed into this, what with the CMC bit at the beginning, the teamwork, the exposition, and then the corruption maze.

Misc. Screenshots
Serious Celestia
Creepy Discord is creepy
Discord pulls the strings
Grey Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity

Ponies and Les Mis

2011-09-15T18:48:00.002-04:00

Okay, this officially wins Best PMV Ever from me.

MLPFiM Season Two Sneak Peek

2011-09-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Hub's official YouTube channel posted a short clip of the first episode of Season Two. Beware of Spoilers, especially regarding the appearance and nature of Dischord:

Lite Sprites - The Cartoon

2011-09-11T17:01:00.000-04:00

In a rather strange move, Lite Sprites only gets 11 minutes for its special, which I guess is a sign of the times, but still strikes me as odd. The special also has an official title, so I guess it's more of a pilot.

Shine On
The special opens with Prisma using her color wand to make multicolor marshmallows, and then ~~call up~~ "glimmer" the other Sprites to remind them about their upcoming slumber party. Oh, it's one of these. Geh. So yeah, the girls have wands that not only spread color, but act as cell phones, apparently? Each of the Sprites takes a moment from their work (or in Astra's case, snoozing), to confirms their plans, though Bleak refuses to commit to actually showing up. Prisma also reminds Astra not to fall asleep, but of course that's just what she does.

Cut to that evening, with all the girls, even Bleak, gathered to celebrate the new moon. Prisma calls on Astra to light up the sky with stars, as not doing so will let the shadows take over Lite-Topia. Since this is only an eleven minute special, Astra is ready to comply. And apparently she has to keep doing this through the night, as Prisma brings up the second matter of business, keeping Astra awake all night. Okay, if it's so important for Astra to stay up at night, then how come she wouldn't let the girl catch her z's during the day? Regardless, no sooner are the words out of Prisma's mouth than Astra falls asleep again, which Bleak, our resident snarker it seems, blames on how dull this "party" has been so far.
Meadow's in charge of fun and games, so she pulls out what she considers to be the most fun thing ever: magazine quizzes! Bleak is not convinced, especially when the first one is "Reveal your inner lipgloss!" The other girls are into it, though, and clamor for another, which Meadow readily provides: "When did your BF become your BFF?" For these girls, it's a no-brainer: the day they found their light wands! Bleak points out she wasn't actually there, but that turns out to be only half true, as Meadow decides to recount the story for them.

It started with them all (minus Prisma) at the Lite Tree, just as they are now, and she had just told a most hilarious joke. As she remembers them all laughing uproariously, Bleak cuts in to remind her of what really happened: nobody got the joke. At all. Brooke continues the story with the entrance of Prisma, who had just had a crazy dream. They were all there, making Lite-Topia just the most colorful thing you'd ever seen with awesome wands. Bleak was quick to point out that it was just a dream, but when Prisma reveals that her dream started with them drinking peach nectar, just like they were then, the other girls were hooked. Prisma continued to tell them about her dream, and how they went to a waterfall, and wouldn't you know it, Brooke was planning to show them a waterfall that day. Convinced of her psychic powers, Prisma called for them to all visit the waterfall, and the girls quickly followed her lead. Except for Bleak, who just rolled her eyes.
Down at the waterfall, Prisma spotted some colors from her dream behind it, and Brooke, by way of falling out of a tree and getting tangled in a vine, found a secret passageway inside. Deep inside, they came to a fork, and it seems Prisma's dream didn't include which one of the two they took. While the girls wondered what to do, Meadow imitated a game show host, and started to glow. Which was in Prisma's dream, so off they went, finally ending in a crystal cavern. There they discovered the wands, hanging from the ceiling, and since she dreamed it, Prisma goes right ahead and grabs one. This knocks the others down right into the hands of the waiting sprites, but since Bleak wasn't there to grab hers, it instead cracked the ground and caused an earthquake that caved-in the entrance. Definitely not part of Prisma's dream.

Back in the present, Prisma blames herself for getting them all stuck, but remembers that this is the part where Bleak saved the day. It turned out that while Bleak was just hanging out at the Lite Tree, the earthquake shook open the opening of a passageway leading to the crystal cavern. Hearing the other sprites' voices coming from the hole, Bleak leapt into action, climbing down the stairs, and found the other sprites completely unaware the stairs behind them.
In the present, she insists that this was nothing, and when the other sprites persist in hailing her as a hero, she turns to the story towards Astra, who was the one who brought along the extra wand for her. With everyone safe and sound, Prisma remembered the next part of her dream, and thus the girls put their wands together with a call of "Shine on!" (Um, why?) and blammo, Lite-Topia was suddenly way more colorful than before. Each girl waved her wand for a flash of light, but Bleak's instead made a zapping sound, making the others think it didn't work. But for Bleak, it worked just fine, stealing the color from the door.
Best day ever, now that Bleak thinks about it. With the story wrapped up, the other girls realize that Astra hasn't fallen asleep once. Unlike Prisma's pet butterfly, which gorged itself into a food coma. Which is hilarious, of course. Astra refreshes the stars and even creates some aurora borealis for good measure, closing out the show.

Misc. Screenshots
Bleak steals color
Meadow shows off her breakdancing moves

So yeah, that's basically it. For what it is, it's pretty good, though there are a few niggling things that keep coming to mind. Like what was the point of making the main plot of the special a flashback? I mean, 40% of the show was just getting the girls into position. Why not not just have the story start where the flashback does, and use the extra time to do more showing and less telling? (I'd be all for actually seeing Brooke fall out of the tree, rather than just hearing one of the girls mention it.)
Another thing that bothers me is bringing up the whole "shadows will take over if Astra falls asleep" thing. Mostly because it turns this special from a cute little toy commercial into a bundle of wasted potential. Who cares how the girls got their wands? Show the shadows trying to take over! Are the shadows sentient creatures, or just a force of nature? What kept them at bay before the girls got their wands? Don't get me wrong, the special works as is (again, for what it is), but if you're not going to pay off the mention of shadows, then don't bring it up at all. Keep Astra up because it's a slumber party, or because the stars need extra help without the moon, but don't tease the viewers.
Speaking of the shadows, I find it interesting that they're (apparently) the antagonists in this world, and not Bleak. After all, from the doll descriptions, she seems to fit that bill, being a rebel color-stealer. Instead, she's one of the main girls, considered a friend, even if she'd rather be doing something else. She's also what makes this special worth watchign, at least for me. I tend to prefer the characters who, when living in a Sugar Bowl, buck the usual characteristic of everyone being nice and friendly (unless they're a villain), and being rather cynical. Bleak pretty much echoed my thoughts during the most targetting-the-demographic parts of the special, and while I know I shouldn't be too hard on a special that is, after all, airing during the Hub's preschool block, it still amused me to have at least one character being sarcastic toward the others' never-ending upbeat attitudes.
Animation-wise, the special actually looks pretty good. The girls suffer from basically being the same shape with different hair, but that really only stands out when you look at still images. The voice acting is decent, but Meadow, Brooke, and Astra's VAs don't quite have a handle on their voices, making the characters sound slightly different from scene to scene. None of the VAs have done much else (if anything), so that probably has something to do with it.

Lite Sprites - The Toys

2011-09-08T23:13:00.001-04:00

Chalk this one up to the Hub. As I was scrolling through the schedule page, checking for any new info, I noticed that Maryoku Yummy was sharing its timeslot with something called Lite Sprites. Having never heard of this, I did a quick search and discovered that it was a set of toys that got an animated special. The general gist of the toys is that they're dolls that can light up with color. Not only that, but you can take colors from everyday objects and transfer them to the dolls, and the dolls can share that color with each other and their various playsets. It kind of reminds me of Glo Friends, with a dash of Rainbow Brite and Star Fairies.
The story behind the dolls is that they're in charge of keeping their home, the land of Lite-Topia, full of color. Each one of them is in charge of a different area, with names to match. Prisma is the unofficial leader, in charge of color in general, Astra is in charge of the night sky, Meadow has all the plants, and anything watery falls to Brooke. Bleak is actually a rebel sprite, who prefers to zap away all the colors the other sprites work so hard on. This translates to her doll being able to "steal" the color of the other dolls, and if you try to give her a color, it fades away in seconds. Which is actually pretty cool.
The dolls themselves look a little funky, but I know that if these had been out when I was a kid, I would have been all over them. But does the animated special do the dolls justice? Stay tuned.

The odangos remain the same

2011-09-06T01:23:00.003-04:00

It seems Ojamajo Doremi may be making a comeback. According to Moetron, a new light novel is coming out titled "Ojamajo Doremi 16" that shows the girls as high schoolers, presumably (as the title indicates) at age 16. An anime is most likely coming, but I'm mostly curious about how they're going to pick the storyline up again, considering how the last series ended.

Late Night Video: Shugo Chara Mixes it Up

2011-08-24T01:43:00.001-04:00

I have to admit, I love these kind of videos, though I do wish a few of the clips here were longer. Almost makes me want to go back and watch all the episodes I never finished.

Friendship is Magic Season Two debut date!

2011-08-23T00:34:00.000-04:00

According to Nick and More, season two of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will start on September 17, just under a month from now. And like season one before it, season two will kick off with a two-parter, "The Return of Harmony, Part One."
Now if only the Hub would reveal when new episodes of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures are going to air. The only thing I have to go on right now is this video which mentions October, but I don't know how much to trust information from someone who can't even get the name of the show she's promoting right.

Late Night Video: a musical review

2011-07-31T23:27:00.001-04:00

Oancitizen is quickly becoming one of my favorite reviewers over at That Guy With The Glasses, but his review of The Man Who Fell To Earth departs from his usual style. Seeing as it stars David Bowie as the title character, the entire review is done in song. And it is amazing. I seriously did not expect him to keep it up the entire time, but he did.
Still, as cool as the musical review is, I kind of would have liked him to do it in his usual style. But only because this is one of the few films he's reviewed that I've actually seen.

SDCC Exclusive MLPFiM Poster

2011-07-20T13:44:00.001-04:00

Click for full-size awesome

For this year's Comic Con, Hasbro has an exclusive My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic poster that is an absolute smorgasbord of characters, major and minor alike. I mean, even Pinkie Pie's inanimate "guests" are in there! And there are lots of little nods to the popular fanon, such as Bon Bon and Lyra eyeing each other, the flower sisters freaking out over the cockatrice, and Dr. Whooves being in a position to show off his cutie mark. Though bronies may complain that Hasbro doesn't care about them, this poster definitely proves otherwise.

SSC - Puttin' On The Glitz

2011-07-18T17:15:00.001-04:00

With another DVD coming up at the end of next month, it's about time I covered Puttin' on the Glitz, the first DVD release of Berry Bitty Adventures that doesn't try to pretend it's actually a movie. As par for the course, there are three episodes here, starting with...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Strawberry Shortcake shows up for her usual appointment at Lemon Meringue's salon, but finds the other girls in town are all still there. As Lemon juggles her clients, all wanting to look their best for the grand opening of Mr. Longface Caterpillar's croquet court, her equipment suddenly turns on her. The other girls, completely missing Lemon's look of horrified distress, just laugh, until they get a look at what her treacherous equipment has wrought. But even the sight of their disastrous hair-dos isn't enough to keep them from laughing it up, completely ignoring Lemon's attempts to fix things. Seriously, it's kind of frightening how their laughter never, ever lets up.
Eventually the girls calm down enough for Lemon to get them looking normal again, and they head over to the croquet court. The door, however, is locked, and Lemon worries it's because she made them all late. But Strawberry suspects otherwise and has the others give her a boost so she can see what's what. Beyond the gates, she spies Mr. Longface obsessing over the length of the grass in the court, which is why he's delayed the court's opening. The girls see nothing wrong with the grass length, and come in anyway, but Mr. Longface stops their game so that the clipper berrykins can cut the grass to his satisfaction. With their plans cancelled, Strawberry proposes a picnic instead, and the girls go to get ready. All except Lemon, who begs off so she can work on fixing her salon.

Working late into the night, Lemon spruces up her salon, and notices an ad in a magazine that seems to be just what she's looking for. Sometime later, she invites the girls over to check out her newly arrived Salon-o-Matic! Despite Lemon's enthusiasm, her friends are a little more apprehensive about the strange looking chair, and it's up to Strawberry to act as test subject. With just the touch of a button, Strawberry's hair is washed, dried, and styled, and her nails are given a perfect manicure. As the other girls line up to try it out, Strawberry checks out the magazine Lemon saw the ad in, and soon makes a purchase of her own: the Wonder Waffler, which spits out perfect waffles, completely with butter and syrup, every time. Even Blueberry Muffin gets in on things, picking up a spiffy Clean-O-Matic that has all the girls asking to borrow it.
But all is not as rosy as it might seem. With the Salon-O-Matic getting all her work done in the blink of an eye, Lemon finds herself with more free time than she knows what to do with. To fill the time, she tries helping out at Strawberry's cafe, and though she does a fine job busing tables and making smoothies, her heart just isn't into it. Her attempt at being a dance teacher at Plum Pudding's studio is both dreadful and superfluous, and helping out at Orange Blossom's store just isn't enough to make her feel useful. Orange encourages her to come up with a new business, and thus Lemon Meringue's Ferry Boat Service is born.
In order to support their friend, the girls visit Lemon's new ferry every day, but soon Lemon grows suspicious. She's realized that a ferry isn't needed as often as she had hoped, and doesn't want her friends to go out of their way day after day. So, just like that, Lemon Meringue's Ferry Boat Service is closed for the season. Fearing the worst, Blueberry and Orange head to Lemon's and find her packing her things. Seeing no real way to contribute to the town, she's heading for Berry Big City, hoping to find her way in the world, though she promises to visit.

In a last ditch effort to keep Lemon from leaving, Orange convinces the other girls (minus Strawberry) to sabotage their hairstyles and claim it was the work of the Salon-O-Matic. When Lemon sees their crazy 'dos, she rushes back to the salon to try and salvage what she can of their styles. Only Blueberry sees the ending of this episode coming, as she wonders what Strawberry would think of their plan. Soon Lemon's salon is once again humming the way it was before, which is when Lemon finds a handful of screws haphazardly hidden under a magazine. She recognizes them as coming from the Salon-O-Matic, and soon the truth is out: her friends removed the screws so Lemon would think she was needed agan.
Strawberry, meanwhile, is busy trying to convince Mr. Longface to give up on getting the perfect lawn and come rejoin society. After listening to Mr. Longface spout out about needing a level field, she finally has enough and grabs the clippers right out of his hands. Unaware of everything going on with Lemon that day, she entices the caterpillar with the promise of a picnic and boatride, reminding him that she and the other residents of Berry Bitty City care more about him than any old lawn. Hearing herself say this, she realizes what Lemon needs to hear, and postpones their outing.
Strawberry arrives at Lemon's salon just as Lemon's about to leave again, and the other girls call upon her to stop the blonde. Strawberry is shocked to hear that Lemon is leaving town, and so Lemon reiterates that she wants to feel useful. So Strawberry tells her that they need her there to handle the complaints about the Salon-O-Matic, namely, that it isn't her. Strawberry even adds that she sent back her Wonder Waffler for making waffles that were too perfect, making Blueberry worry that, since the moral seems to be Ludd Was Right, this means she also has to send back her Clean-O-Matic, which Plum points out she hasn't had a chance to borrow. So Strawberry clarifies her point: they like Lemon for who she is, not for what she does for them, and asks her to stay.
Lemon agrees, and just then, Mr. Longface shows up, apologizing for not visiting her ferry. He asks how he can make it up to her, so she asks for his help in getting the Salon-O-Matic back to the post office. But as he pushes it out the door, the machine suddenly takes off of its own accord and winds up in the croquet court. The top comes off, and the girls chase it across the lawn until Lemon finally manages to push the off switch. She apologizes for the trouble, but it turns out the half-o-matic finally got the lawn trimmed to the proper length. Lemon bestows the half-o-matic to Mr. Longface, and the croquet court is officially open for business! In honor of her gift, Lemon gets to hit the first ball, which she does...in the wrong direction.

Too Cool For Rules
A group of berrykins head to the pond, all ready to go on a picnic on the other side, but find the ferry, no longer run by Lemon, but still available for anyone who needs it, has floated away from the dock. They try pulling it back in, but whoever used the boat last didn't tie the rope, and they come up empty. So they put together a raft from the items in their lunch, and send two of them out on it to get the boat. This works about as well as you'd think, and as the two berrykins head back to the dock, they get stuck in the muck at the bottom of the pond. And the others, rather than use the rope to pull them out, go in after them and all get stuck, too. Luckily for them, Strawberry had forgotten to pack their dessert, and arrives with it just in time to help them all out. She also helps them get the boat back to the dock and sends them on their way. Just before the boat pulls away, one of the berrykins tosses her a purple cellphone someone left behind.
Later that day, Strawberry literally bumps into Orange Blossom and Plum Pudding on her way to Blueberry's book club meeting. Strawberry hands Plum the cellphone and mentions how the boat floated away. Plum is certain she tied it up, though she may have only used one knot. Strawberry reminds her that using two knots is "the rule", but Plum is just dismissive. After all, she's too busy practicing for her upcoming recital to worry about any silly rules.

Speaking of her recital, Plum has more than just practicing to take care of. She heads over to Orange's store (where the post office is) to mail out handmade invitations for everyone in Berry Bitty City and every last berrykin. Jadeybug, who finally gets a speaking part, is impressed not only by the number of invitations, but that Plum wants to send them Extra Special Super Urgent Ultra Fast Delivery, which means she actually gets to use the special stamp. Everyone is pleased to get an invitation, except for Strawberry and Blueberry, since Plum's holding the recital at Strawberry's cafe, and Blueberry already signed up for that night. Strawberry reassures Blueberry that since she signed up, it's still her night, and steels herself to go break the bad news to Plum. Hearing that the date she picked is already taken, Plum tries to bargain with Strawberry, to see if Blueberry will switch, but Strawberry insists that it's not about the date, it's about upholding the rules. Strawberry offers to help Plum make new invitations, but Plum just sends her away.
Over at Lemon's salon, Orange gossips with Raspberry about Plum's new joke invitations, though Strawberry overhears and tells them that Plum is actually serious. It seems that in a fit of pique, she made new rules for her dance studio: No admittance without a yellow hat, knocking three times, and guessing the password. Despite Strawberry's warning, Lemon, Raspberry, and Mr. Longface arrive for a dance lesson, and are forced to knock three times and guess the password, but are turned away for not having yellow hats. "Rules are rules," Plum tells them.

The next day, Strawberry goes over to talk to Plum and try to convince her to let go of her grudge, but to her surprise and dismay, she learns that Raspberry, Lemon, and Mr. Longface have been instituting their own silly rules to get back at Plum. So she calls them all over to her cafe to tell them they're just making things worse, and it isn't fair to have silly rules for just Plum (calling Mr. Longface "Sir Highness Longface" for example). Of course, the message they all take away from this is not "stop enforcing silly rules," but "make everyone follow the silly rules." But as this just leads to everyone avoiding them, the three of them soon put a stop to it. Strawberry's glad to hear it, but she won't be fully satisfied until Plum gets the message, too.

Which may be happening sooner than she thinks. Almost everyone turned down the invitation to her postponed recital, due to her new rules, so she decides to waive all her rules, just for the recital. Her ploy succeeds, and her recital is well attended. As the guests head outside for refreshments, Plum notices little puncture marks in her dance floor that weren't there a minute ago. The culprit: Jadeybug's high heels! Plum is aghast, as everyone knows her rule about no heels in the studio, but Jadeybug reminds her that she waived all the rules, even the shoe rule. Now that she sees the reason for the rule, she's terribly sorry, and offers to help refinish the floor, as does Strawberry. Plum is surprised to hear this, since she's been acting so stupid this whole time, but unlike Plum, Strawberry isn't the type to hold a grudge, so long as people learn their lessons.
And Plum has indeed learned her lesson about respecting the rules, even if she doesn't understand them, as evidenced by her reminding the others to use two knots when tying up the boat, bringing the episode full circle.

I have to admit, I was kind of amused by the whole "taking the wrong thing from Strawberry's talk" portion, and hearing Mr. Longface refer to himself as Sir Highness Longface made me laugh. Probably the only time that'll happen.

Nice as Nails
Lemon bursts out of her salon, exclaiming "I did it!" and proceeds to run all the way through town, telling her friends to come to her salon to see her newest creation. With all her friends gathered, she shows off her sparkly, bejeweled, musical manicure, dubbed a "glamicure." Her friends, naturally, all want one, and so Lemon delivers, pleased that her glamicures are going over so well. And at first, they're a big hit, bringing music and joy to each of her friends' daily routines. But all too soon, the inherent problems of having music wherever you go begin to appear. Strawberry accidentally ruins Mr. Longface's oboe concert, and then adds too much vanilla to a recipe by following the beat.

The other girls are having problems of their own with the glamicures. They're too noisy, too bright, and worst of all, waterproof. Blueberry proposes they just tell Lemon that they don't like the glamicures, but since she's been going around town with an absolutely euphoric look on her face every time she sees someone with a glamicure, they worry that hearing nobody actually likes them anymore might break the poor girl's spirit and send her packing, as in the first episode on this disc. They even point out that Strawberry, who isn't there, would never do anything so inconsiderate. Thus, to preserve Lemon's feelings, they vow to just put up with their glamicures. Easier said than done, especially for Plum, who more often than not ends up dancing to two, or even three, different beats.
As the days roll by, Lemon starts to worry that the other girls are avoiding her, even when she has a picnic planned with some them. She runs into Strawberry, doing a little pruning by the gazebo, and she advises her to ask the other girls what's up, even if she's afraid of the answer. Better to know the truth than imagine the worst, right? Lemon agrees, but can't quite bring herself to do it right away, so Strawberry goes on the picnic in Orange and Raspberry's stead. The two girls are unaware that Orange and Raspberry are actually not that far off, hiding in the unpruned grass. They praise Strawberry for being brave enough to endure her glamicure with Lemon, and reinforce their vow to endure their own.
After the picnic, Lemon decides to visit all her friends, with Strawberry along for moral support. First stop, Orange Blossom's store. Orange apologizes for missing the picnic, blaming business picking up at the store, and insists everything, especially her glamicure, is fine. Lemon gets the same story from each of the other girls, and is satisfied, though she can't help feeling that something still isn't quite right. Strawberry seems to have caught on to what is really going on, but keeps quiet for her own amusement (she's also been going around with her hands behind her back this whole time).

Having secretly observed each girl hastily covering their glamicure after Lemon's departure, Strawberry calls them all together at her cafe. The other girls are shocked, shocked! to see that Strawberry is glamicure-free, and wonder how she got rid of hers. No big mystery here, Strawberry simply told Lemon the glamicure wasn't working out, and she took it off. The other girls are amazed that Lemon's heart didn't break at this revelation, but Strawberry points out that part of being a good friend is being able to give and take constructive criticism. The others realize that by trying to keep from hurting Lemon's feelings because of the glamicures, they inadvertently hurt her feelings by avoiding her. Strawberry tells them to set the record straight with Lemon, and the girls agree to go right away.
Of course, it takes courage to hand out bad news, and so the girls end up hiding outside Lemon's door, daring each other to go first, until Strawberry makes the first move, and the rest of the girls follow. With Strawberry's prompting, they admit that the glamicures are not for them, which Lemon fully understands when she hears all four of them playing at once. The others are astounded that she understands, but Lemon just wishes they would have told her sooner. This gives her an idea for new, improved glamicures, based completely on input from her friends. The most popular suggestion: an off switch.

Another batch of fun episodes, though not my favorites. I'm a little surprised that they didn't include A Stitch in Time, since the theme of this disc seems to be fashion and style, instead opting for Too Cool For Rules. I guess it's because of the continuity of Lemon's boat, but really, I don't think that's a particularly good reason for including it. If anything, they should have included another Lemon-focused episode, and saved Too Cool For Rules for a disc focused on Plum (i.e. Different Waltz for Different Faults).
As with the last disc, the only special feature is printable pages.

Misc. Screenshots
Longface playing against Custard
Plum's recital costume
Strawberry air-quotes
Raspberry's a little tied up right now

Midmorning Video - Another PMV

2011-07-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

If I'd been thinking about it, I would have held off uploading this on youtube until today, being as it's Brony Appreciation Day, apparently.

This one is pure nostalgia for me, since the second Care Bear movie was the one I saw the most as a kid, and I still love all the songs from it. I was actually trying to find a Fruits Basket AMV that was in my favorites on my old account, but no dice. Anyway, in listening to the song, I could easily fit it to the mane six from FiM, although I had to fudge it a little bit. I mean, Pinkie Pie fits both Funshine and Cheer (as described in the song, I mean), and Twilight Sparkle could be either Bright Heart Raccoon or Grumpy Bear. But on the whole, I'm pleased with how this video came out.

Late Night Video: Equestrian Knights

2011-07-12T23:35:00.001-04:00

Combining two of my favorite things, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and That Guy With The Glasses:

I assume that most of you guys check out Equestria Daily, which is why I don't post too many PMVs here. Most of the ones I would bother posting are either already there, or that's where I first saw them. Otherwise, I would be posting tons of Pony-related videos. I don't think I've seen so many good AMVs since I first discovered animemusicvideos.org.