Expectations were not high for either "Potion Mystery" or "Sick Day", despite being wowed on the whole by 'Friendship is Magic'. None of the previous 'My Little Pony: Pony Life', overall a very poor show, episodes are good, the least bad being Episode 12 and even that was still very average. None of the Season 1 episodes after this double bill were much better in quality either. The former segment did have some potential, as someone who loves mysteries, but the latter was not appealing at all from the get go.
Neither segment is done well, with "Sick Day" (an example of something with an unappealing concept executed even worse) being especially weak. "Potion Mystery" was an example of a quite decent concept done nothing with. All the usual flaws of the previous episodes are here in both segments. Most of them did them worse than this double bill, but almost everything apart from one component (that was a consistent redeeming quality) is done badly in both segment.
There is one aspect that is done right, which is the voice acting, all of the voice actors voicing with enthusiasm and nuance which is remarkable seeing as there isn't any of those in the writing or storytelling.
Unfortunately, nothing else works. The potential was there in "Potion Mystery", but there is nothing imaginative in it and it is extremely bland and derivative with a wafer-thin mystery. "Sick Day" is near non-existent in terms of plot and is little more than a constant stringing along of very childish and not particularly tasteful humour. None of the characters are particularly interesting, they continue to be stripped of their complexity, their flaws are overdone and their personalities are either bland or annoying. Rainbow Dash comes off least badly, but is still too pushy.
Have no better news to say about the writing, which is again over simple and has no fun or soul. The attempts at humour are too few and what there is is childish and predictable, the worst of it also out of place.
Animation is rushed and careless looking with no imagination whatsoever, indicative of lower budgets and tighter deadlines. The music is like cheesy high school quality and never fits with what goes on and the theme tune is grating.
Very poor episode all in all. 2/10.
Neither segment is done well, with "Sick Day" (an example of something with an unappealing concept executed even worse) being especially weak. "Potion Mystery" was an example of a quite decent concept done nothing with. All the usual flaws of the previous episodes are here in both segments. Most of them did them worse than this double bill, but almost everything apart from one component (that was a consistent redeeming quality) is done badly in both segment.
There is one aspect that is done right, which is the voice acting, all of the voice actors voicing with enthusiasm and nuance which is remarkable seeing as there isn't any of those in the writing or storytelling.
Unfortunately, nothing else works. The potential was there in "Potion Mystery", but there is nothing imaginative in it and it is extremely bland and derivative with a wafer-thin mystery. "Sick Day" is near non-existent in terms of plot and is little more than a constant stringing along of very childish and not particularly tasteful humour. None of the characters are particularly interesting, they continue to be stripped of their complexity, their flaws are overdone and their personalities are either bland or annoying. Rainbow Dash comes off least badly, but is still too pushy.
Have no better news to say about the writing, which is again over simple and has no fun or soul. The attempts at humour are too few and what there is is childish and predictable, the worst of it also out of place.
Animation is rushed and careless looking with no imagination whatsoever, indicative of lower budgets and tighter deadlines. The music is like cheesy high school quality and never fits with what goes on and the theme tune is grating.
Very poor episode all in all. 2/10.