'My Little Pony; Pony Life' "Playwright or Wrong"/"The Shows Must Go On" (2021)
Opening thoughts: My expectations were mixed for "Playwright or Wrong" and "The Shows Must Go On". Liked the idea for the latter and Season 2 on the whole, or at least the first half of it, was an improvement over Season 1, with two episodes that were actually decent. Most of the episodes from the second half of Season 2 were though a disappointment, on the same level as the best that Season 1 got (lacklustre), and it was like the improvement had not happened. 'Pony Life' generally didn't execute the theatrical-set episodes well.
This is another one of the disappointments on the whole. The latter did have its moments and was very pleasantly surprised by the way Rarity was written, as too many of 'Pony Life's' episodes did not characterise her well. There is not however much to recommend about the former, and the double bill mostly did not work. Again it felt like the improvement had not happened. The double bill is not terrible and "The Shows Must Go On" is reasonably watchable, plus it is never anywhere near as bad as the worst of Season 1. It is a pretty lacklustre outing though that fails in too many areas.
Good things: There are good things here. The voice work is energetic and nuanced, with Rarity's conflicts emotions being voiced very well indeed.
Did think that "The Shows Must Go On" had amusing moments and ones of relatability. Rarity's character writing was a big pleasant surprise, she tends to be too much of a melodramatic diva in these and similar situations, but here she is surprisingly relatable.
Good things: Having said that, that segment's story is too conventionally told and is still very thin, with some very dull pacing and a too simple and rehashed moral. Worse is the incredibly bland "Playwright or Wrong". It does nothing new with an old hat premise, has no creativity and doesn't really go anywhere. The plotting is barely there and the pace drags a lot. Charm and heart are completely absent, the too little humour being too juvenile.
Both segments have real problems individually. Nothing is imaginative or vibrant about the animation, which is rushed and careless looking throughout. Indicative of rushed deadlines and low budget. The music is like cheesy high school quality and never fits with what goes on. The theme tune is grating. Both segments are low on laughs and what there are is mostly forced and juvenile. The character writing is one dimensional with none of the rest of the characters having much to them. After 'Friendship is Magic' did so well breaking away from the "only for primary school period girls" stereotypes wrongly associated with the franchise for so long, the characters come over as dumbed down stereotypes with that target audience stereotype being reinforced.
Closing thoughts: Very weak double bill overall.
3/10.
Opening thoughts: My expectations were mixed for "Playwright or Wrong" and "The Shows Must Go On". Liked the idea for the latter and Season 2 on the whole, or at least the first half of it, was an improvement over Season 1, with two episodes that were actually decent. Most of the episodes from the second half of Season 2 were though a disappointment, on the same level as the best that Season 1 got (lacklustre), and it was like the improvement had not happened. 'Pony Life' generally didn't execute the theatrical-set episodes well.
This is another one of the disappointments on the whole. The latter did have its moments and was very pleasantly surprised by the way Rarity was written, as too many of 'Pony Life's' episodes did not characterise her well. There is not however much to recommend about the former, and the double bill mostly did not work. Again it felt like the improvement had not happened. The double bill is not terrible and "The Shows Must Go On" is reasonably watchable, plus it is never anywhere near as bad as the worst of Season 1. It is a pretty lacklustre outing though that fails in too many areas.
Good things: There are good things here. The voice work is energetic and nuanced, with Rarity's conflicts emotions being voiced very well indeed.
Did think that "The Shows Must Go On" had amusing moments and ones of relatability. Rarity's character writing was a big pleasant surprise, she tends to be too much of a melodramatic diva in these and similar situations, but here she is surprisingly relatable.
Good things: Having said that, that segment's story is too conventionally told and is still very thin, with some very dull pacing and a too simple and rehashed moral. Worse is the incredibly bland "Playwright or Wrong". It does nothing new with an old hat premise, has no creativity and doesn't really go anywhere. The plotting is barely there and the pace drags a lot. Charm and heart are completely absent, the too little humour being too juvenile.
Both segments have real problems individually. Nothing is imaginative or vibrant about the animation, which is rushed and careless looking throughout. Indicative of rushed deadlines and low budget. The music is like cheesy high school quality and never fits with what goes on. The theme tune is grating. Both segments are low on laughs and what there are is mostly forced and juvenile. The character writing is one dimensional with none of the rest of the characters having much to them. After 'Friendship is Magic' did so well breaking away from the "only for primary school period girls" stereotypes wrongly associated with the franchise for so long, the characters come over as dumbed down stereotypes with that target audience stereotype being reinforced.
Closing thoughts: Very weak double bill overall.
3/10.