"Buckball Season" Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- When did Snails become a Genuinely Entertaining Character?
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Male characters sure are getting alot of justice this season.
True dat! :-)
Your right
Blame the bronies
+Diamond Tiara No one asked you, Diamond Tiara!
Yeah finally spike was given the respect he deserves from the writing staff.
I was also suprised about snails.
I like the part of the moral about how some people thrive on pressure and others don't. That's also why I think this is a family show and not just a kids show.
OK, am I only one who didnt see this episode as cliché? The lesson I got was "different people handle pressure differently". Neither RD or AJ were excessively competitive, but they were pushing Pinkie and Flutters too hard for their personality. They were doing and saying things that would inspire themselves to do better. It is not a rehash of AJ being ashamed of losing but rather seeing her enthusiastic departure from the perspective of a different personality. I will put it a different way. Real life example: a very smart person bombs repeatedly on tests. Or when a teacher stands over someone's shoulder and they suddenly start making mistakes. Or how one can do a better report over the course of a week, while some do better if they start writing the day before. The lesson I got was " AJ and RD thrive under pressure, while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy crack under pressure". That is a great and non-cliche lesson.
naw, I also didn't see it as cliche
Yeah but, the lead up to that "twist" was plagued and I mean PLAGUED with hallmarks of the "don't put too much pressure on people" moral.
I agree that it was plagued with possible clichés, but each time it went to a place like that, it didn't do it. The biggest cliché was that it was about a sport. Cliche: Aj and RD compete against each other. Didn't happen. AJ and RD refused to give way to better players. Didn't happen. Fluttershh and Pinkie Pie don't speak up their feelings, DID happen.
I'm trying really hard to think of another TV show, movie, or book that has a character start off being good at something, then losing their edge when somebody puts too much pressure on them. And none is coming to mind.
It sounds like Trixie whipped the stupidity out of them.
I felt surprised when Rainbow and Applejack figured out the lesson so quickly. I mean like halfway into the episode fast.
I'm really impressed with Snail's telekinetic ability , I mean that had to take a lot of concentration to levitate all those baskets and and focus enough to catch a ball
it could be that unicorn telequinesis is strongly linked to a meditative state of mind like the one Snails showed in this episode.
I guess that would explain why Twilight finds advanced magics hard, despite being an alicorn.
Sweet Celestia's one-pony re-enactment of the Battle of Endor on the back of a rabid Honey Badger literally armed to the teeth with explosive cheeseburgers... You got this review up fast.
"Dennis! Are you in there playing with my ButtBall? So help me God!"
'So help me God, I'll slap you in the face so hard!'
SEVEN ACROSS THE ASS
Sylvia The Sylveon "Don't ask... I had three of my fingers on my right hand blown off in Korea!"
+noodles00p YUS
I'M GONNA LEARN YA HOW TO PLAY BUTTBALL
I LOVED this episode. sure it had a cliche lesson but it handled it really well. from having AJ and rainbow recognize the better players to pinkie and fluttershy standing up for themselves early on. the best part was that none of the cliche parts were pushed too hard so you'd roll your eyes at how predictable it is. it was a nice balance
Snails really took me by surprise in this episode than any other episode he is in, as he and Snips are two of my least favourite characters, so credit to the writers for this. I loved the interactions between Pinkie and Fluttershy especially when they showed off their talents in the game, whilst supporting each other in their conflict of being afraid to let Applejack and Rainbow down, I think this improves on Pinkie's character from the way she was acting towards Fluttershy in Filli Vanilli by being more supportive to Fluttershy in the right way and Fluttershy being more confident in sports from her experiences in the Equestria Games. Although the story was cliche and predictable, the moral was relatable and this episode was really enjoyable to watch. I give it 9/10 ^^
"Snails, I'm sorry I just yelled at ya just then. Now, seeing as you're in my basement, I'mma learn ya how to play Buckball."
EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING OF
SEVEN ACROSS THE FLANK!
Step 1...Never tell your parents
i definitely liked this episode. AJ and Rainbow were willing to step down their positions and they only needed each other to figure out where they went wrong. I loved Pinkie and Fluttershy switching places on the train, Pinkie in tears and Fluttershy speaking up about the actual problem. Snails worked so well. You noticed he just flowed right in? Never did I feel like "yep serious conflict, and here's the comic relief". I had a minor giggle fit when they finished practice and Snails finally got a ball for his basket. That * raise and smack* was so satisfying.
0:00 Yes, repeat that for hours and let it sink in
Are we in an alternate reality?
This must be the work of an enemy stand!
Yup all anyone going to remember about the episode is "snail was a good character" lol kind of like how no remember applejack cause of derpy.
I see a jojo fan in the comments you get a cookie and a sub ZA WARUDO
Hey, think we'll ever get a pony named Slow Dancer in the show?
The pegasi/unicorn/earth setup reminds me of the fire/water/earth setup of Pro-Bending from The Legend Of Korra.
Pinkie seems like a natural choice for games where you need a fair amount of flexibility and improvisation to succeed. Her relentless stamina and near-perfect balance make her able to hit the ball from any position or stance. Fluttershy isn't fast, but her body control (a must for dealing with a variety of animals) would make her a good finesse player. Either that or her tail extensions are allowing her to cheat.
I am SO with you on Snails being made into a likable character! To me, that was one of the most awesome parts of the whole episode!
That ending was golden Doc. Golden.
FINALLY making male characters likeable
brotherhooves social.
Agreed. :)
YOU WANNA FIGHT ME ABOUT SPIKE, BRO?!
Ross Pit: shark hunter No, Spike is awesome.
All Star Exactly. And don't any of you forget it!
Didn't it surprise you that there was a female version of Bulk Biceps on the Appleoosa Team. That makes me wonder if she's his sister, cousin, aunt, or even..... his mother.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode. Snails was actually really funny and I found the sport of Buckball incredibly fascinating. Though, to be honest, I was expecting something similar to American football, what with football season just right around the corner.
I loved that ending gag. That's like me every time people get too caught up in animation errors. It just doesn't need that much thought.
I can only imagine how weird Andrea and Ashley felt having arguments and full on conversations with themselves
fluttershy's tail tricks were adorable X3
i feel that's what seasons 5+ are doing; giving background characters more dimension. i love how they gave Snails the ability to catch things in buckets rather well. it actually inspired me to write a bit of a backstory for it
I actually noticed the missing horn on my first watch through.
I really liked this episode. It was lighthearted, with great characters moments and cool new additions to the show.
and what new additions might those be?
Julio Solano I was thinking about the buck-ball game and Snails as an actuall character.
I really like the general idea of this episode.
The moment a 'game' becomes purely about 'winning', and not having fun... it's no game anymore. Having fun is the most important part. Such a shame that in a lot of games like football/soccer ( the black and white ball) it's seems to all be about winning. If only we'd see the enjoyment of participation a little more.
As long as you are having fun... it doesn't matter if you win or not. ^w^
Glad you enjoyed the episode despite it re-telling a lesson we've seen all too often, Dr. Wolf. Also, glad I was not the only one who picked out that animation goof with Snails' horn. Good eye there, Dr. Wolf.
"Cliche? Certainly. Predictable? For the most part. Entertaining? Most definitely."
It sounds like Dr. Wolf is talking about his own reviews. XD
One other interesting thing about this episode:
This was the first time that an episode focused on _four_ of the main six. We've had episodes that featured the entire cast (such as premieres and finales), and ones that focused on one or two, and occasionally three. But this was the first time that an episode was written for a foursome.
Also, can u do a therapy visit with Diamond Tiara pls? She could use a person to talk to.
All the adult humour in this episode can be summoned up in one way. The buck ball game itself.
Buckball kinda remind me of Quidditch.
Snails may actually be my new favorite male character in the show now.
It's kinda funny I only care about 3 Sports but only if I get to play them instead of watch them. But pony Sports are fun to watch so I think I would like to see more pony sports in the future.
Quidditch in it's regular form isn't a sport, it is a plot device with at least one part that kills it as a "sport": The Golden Snitch. This turns something that could have been a group sport into something that is a one-on-one test of flying speed and skill, rendering the rest of the team's endeavour's useless. This is not good for ANY sport. Buckball doesn't have that problem.
I sort of thought this until we got to the quidditch world cup. Where it was finally clear that yes a team can lose regardless of getting the snitch. I think there should have just been a difference in how many points a snitch earns between school teams and professional teams.
IceLena
Good point.
But it often requires either team to be really good or really bad compared to the other.
I agree that reducing the points given for the snitch can be reduced to make it more of an actual team sport, but personally i'd rather remove it entirely.
The various reaction faces were new and hilarious!
One of the things I like about MLP is when the characters start thinking about their friends.
I thought it was kind of funny how this was the first time we see Snails without him being with his constant companion, Snips.
I have to admit I never thought I would enjoy the presence of Snails.
While I don't remember there really being any demand for Snails to come back, but the way he was done, was very relieving.
It's official, I LOVE SNAILS NOW. When I first seen this episode I thought to myself "who's going to be the unicorn who plays buckball for ponyville? My face when snails came on screen 😧. They got me good with that shock. He's just like me! Sorta.
The episode was very enjoyable for me. Also that opening made me LOL. We present you the mighty IRON APPLE.
I'm happy that in the show that's been kind of downplaying the fantasy elements and world building for this world and been more focused on "ponies doing human things" (something that's been boring me silly this season), they've finally at least done one thing right and invented a unique sport for this alien, fantasy world instead of just doing "Ponies playing football" or "Ponies playing baseball" like I expected. I'm a person who's more interested in the "fantasy world" and the "fantasy elements" and the "world building" than the characters and kid stories so it's good to have SOMETHING. For people like me, this season has been boring as the focus has been to move away from the fantasy stuff, fantasy adventure stuff, and magic stuff, and more toward cartoon tropes and ponies doing human stuff that just mimics our world stuff. This season might be enjoyable for people who just like cartoons but it's not fun for people who enjoy the fantasy, magic, adventure, world building, etc... side of things. It's been boring.
Dash: "Even though you clearly use your tail exclusively for defending, you must undergo this rigourous training course that focuses on wing and hoof control"
About time they made Snails into more than a slack-jawed goofball or a mindless minion! I wanted to Snails and Snips for some time.
It might just be me, but when Fluttershy and Pinkie were getting pressured and pushed by AJ and Rainbow, it reminded me of the Spongebob episode, The Great Snail Race, when Spongebob was pressuring Gary to win first place to the point of exhaustion
it was nice to see them explore the idea of the ponies having other skills other than their special talents.
Doc, that ending? You made that scene at the end your fave moment?
That made me laugh and was my fave too! XD XD
Back in Boast Buster's Snails could barely use a light spell, now he can levitate 6 buckets with ease and even have one support his weight.
The episode was good. I'm just glad they made Braeburn talk at the end and didn't limit his character to a simple appearance. And Snails was great, I was as surprised as you !
In the opening segment I recognize the sound effect used in AJ´s slow motion kick from MGS-V, wich they apparently got from The Six Million Dollar Man.
Anyway the part on the train when the penny drop’s for AJ and Dash it felt a bit like “The Cart Before the Ponies”…the look is a bit
“we did it again”.
This entire series seams to play on the old saying
“treat others like you want to be treated”, but it would rather be:
“treat others like they want to be treated (whiten reason)”.
5:40 look at how he walks
when he carries the weather compared to when his horn is gone,
birdlike vs. completely straight and levelled.
To be honest, the fact that the confrontation between AJ, RD, PP and FS came at the train kind of surprised me. I had expected it to come somewhere during the game itself and that AJ and RD would take over from PP and FS out of a sense of guilt, but I got to admit that this set up is both quite surprising - as usually these lessons don't get learned until after everything goes to hack in a haystack - and very enjoyable. But I could be the only one who got surprised by that. Although I will admit, my mouth dropped the first time Snails caught those three balls in his teeny tiny water buckets. I seriously didn't see that coming. Then again, I went into the entire episode as blind as I usually do.
I agree completely. It was great that FS and PP spoke up and AJ and RD listened well before the game began. That surprised me and why this episode ranks high in my season six standing.
Doc, usually when I receive a miracle, I usually don't ask for more than I was given, and what the writers have done with Snails is a miracle.
Snails just knows a disappearing horn trick I guess.
I'm beginning to think AJ and Dash should be banned from coaching sporting events.
Maybe AJ, Rainbow Dash is a bit more debateable as she's usually been a good coach.
+JCBro2014 More like drill-sergrent. Lol
Well she is a wonderbolt now, meaning she is in a elite military unit.
I was really expecting the unicorn they'd get for the team would be Rarity. Kudos for the writers for getting Snails into it
For someone that has the same feeling Pinkie and Fluttershy have before game, this episode really relates to me. I do not work well in sports under pressure. I say this because I run short sprints in track, in sprinting the start is literally everything. If you mess up, you're screwed. No matter what, it is a lot of pressure. This is why I like this episode.
Snails forgot his horn because he doesn't think.
i liked this episode, when rainbowdash and applejack were out of unicorns in training i found myself wondering what odd ball were they going to pull out of the back ground, when i seen snails i was like "yep here we go" but i was not expecting him to be a cookoolander, (someone who may seem odd to us but to them they make perfect scene in there p.o.v and infact despite seeming dumb are infact quite intelligent, they just have a hard time relaying what they mean or want to do, in a way that seems odd or funny to us.) i think its a great sort of roll for the young stallion :) and i loved how the mlp team portrayed a male roll as a good one, i hope to see more of him.
One interesting Snails point. He was levitating himself, something we have only ever seen Starlight do. I think that we have with snails is an incredibly magically talented pony with no ambition. Since he also has such natural talent, he also never really has to apply himself.
He just developed into a zen pony up that just likes to observe the world around him and not think any deep thoughts about the world. Watch him go from almost asleep to catching the ball. He knows what's going on but he is not really invested in it.
I'm also sure that if both Twilight and Starlight spent any time with him they would be driven crazy by his lack of drive. But Snails acknowledge and move on attitude would at least mollify them.
Also the cuteness of flutter shy this episode, *squee*
it's like a game of both Qutitch and the Scoer mix with the USA foot ball
and put Pony's to play it you get Buckball.
sorry about the spelling.
Personally, I liked Snails already, even though he's awfully dense. But, it is weird to see him in such a key role, good weird though. And, THANK YOU! I've been saying they should try racing games for forever. Since Fighting is Magic didn't pan out, racing is the second most popular form of video game, and Equestria could serve a key provider of the fun and entertaining game mechanics found in others like Mario Kart. Though not go cart racing (that's been done to death), maybe cart racing like in The Last Roundup, when they were chasing after Applejack.
There were times where I was saying "SUBSTITUTIONS!"
What would make buckball better is if the kicker could run around within a circle and the other ponies rotate around within their rings. As it stands, all the players are pretty stationary. They could even expand the center to fit more ponies, making it like a basketball/soccer hybrid but with floating goals. It'd be harder to animate, but make the game much more dynamic.
Snails is using the training from his past life as the Wild Stallion.
I actually really enjoyed Snails to, I was quite surprised. My favorite part isn when he was sitting cross legged in a meditation position while catching everything. For some reason it didn't feel out of place at all. Finally a male character besides Big Mac that is likable. True, he may not have much in the way of a brain, but his mindset itself can be a good lesson for releasing stress, as we saw in the episode. I myself tend to try and not over think think, even to the point of forgetting most of a conversation I had minutes ago. I tell ya, if you let stress invade you life, it's hard to rid yourself of it.
Snails use 'The Force'. Good you right now ready for Buck Ball.
The one thing that I liked about Snails is that he's voiced by Richard Ian Cox, the same person who voiced Inuyasha.
Beautiful review! LOVED Snails (What?! Haha)
Now please do the same with Snips (Idk if that's possible)
other nice little things were seeing the staff test out some new 3d animation styles with the train ride.
also, was the unicorn in Braeburn's team a little too similar to a McColt? If the valley is close to Appleloosa then I guess we got some geography world-building. Not everypony wants to stay on the farm for a feud after all :)
Snails was awesome! His appearance was quite the surprise for me and I agree with everything you said about him. :-)
What I didn't like is the fact that two beginners were able to easily beat a pro and a very athletic beginner. Talent doesn't get you quite that far. Talent only allows you to progress faster than others when practicing. If you want to be a pro, you have to work hard, period.
I have no trouble overlooking the usual problems with light hearted cartoons, e.g.
- "What happens to a GK if he has to catch AJ's ball if AJ is able to break a wooden target?" or
- "You just can't hit the bucket 100% of the time, not even basket ball pros can do that" or
- "How is RD letting so many balls pass if she could just stay afloat in front of the goal, especially in the final practice match where it was fixed on a pole and you can't make the excuse that the unicorn can run around with the bucket?",
but while I overlook these issues, talent besting expertise like that is the thing that never sits well with me.
The episode was nice it showed a lot of progress with the characters. Pinkie pie and Fluttershy both stood up and said they didn't want to play because it wasn't fun anymore. Applejack and Dash showed they can step down and let others in the spot light and admit they are not the best and support there friends by not pressuring them and helping them have fun again. And Fluttershy was playing a competitive game stepping way out of her comfort zone and having almost all of Ponyville and Appleoosa watching her. She has grown so much.The writers showed they can make characters more likable and as for Snails he doesn't think about it.
Buckball made me think a bit about the Bending sport in Legend of Korra, in that it teams up the three main groups of society. in Korra, that being Earth Benders, Fire Benders, and Water Benders, then here with Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies.
I've always liked Snips & Snails (they're so CUTE!), so I was really happy to see Snails in this episode. He was such a funny and adorable addition! ^-^
me too
I personally like the concept of the sport. It's like a combination of tennis, basketball, and either soccer or hockey, while also throwing in pony physics.
I was in shock when Fluttershy had her outburst.
When I saw Snails walking down the path, I already knew he was gonna be chosen, and I metaphorically groaned. But as you said, he was likable, without changing a single character trait. Perhaps it's not Snails specifically that's the issue, but rather when he's paired with Snips that causes it. I'm curious as to if Snips is the issue, or just the pairing of Snips and Snails that's the issue. If it's the latter, I'm curious as to what Snips is like on his own.
Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed, Snails's missing horn Doc. Snails is Spy!! No wonder he was more likable! In a all seriousness though I'm happy for Snails being in a episode in a positive light for a change. Here's hoping we have more side characters have bigger parts in future episodes. :-)
I really liked how they made Snails likable, without changing his character, but I have to wonder: what do they need a unicorn for? They replaced the "basket holder" on RD's and AJ's side easily with a long stick so I don't really understand why they need unicorns for this sport.
Same reason there's a catcher in Baseball. Granted, I don't know what that reason is, but it probably exists.
yeah I was pretty confused what the unicorns role was in the game they just hold the basket are they suppose to catch it while the Pegasus blocks it
Maybe its too easy for a Pegasus to guard such a small area so they made it so the baskets can be moved by a pony so more dynamic shots can be pulled off. Also makes unicorns possible to be players.
OML, Unicorns _aren't_ Master Race in this game!
Proof that unicorns aren't master race...at least most unicorns anyway.
I feel the side lesson is quite unique, unlike when Apple Jack struggled with her blue ribbon deal, it's not a situation of pride and being under pressure to win that messes you up (in this case). We're shown how pressure to do things one way and get punished or pushed for doing it otherwise can seriously grind your confidence over. That can hurt the wonder of exploration and trying out new things, one would be afraid to try the new because of intimidation by all the technicalities and miss out on a fun experience for Celestia-knows how long in one's life.
It takes time to remember yourself that you're awesome and capable when you could have been improving if the instructor could have recognized they had to adapt to YOU and your process. I felt it's a lesson that's also similar to Rainbow Dash's Exam episode. It could have been better written but I felt that is an important side lesson to recognize.
Also next fanfic of the sport should be based on som'n like this >XD :
th-cam.com/video/GXR08gMi4Is/w-d-xo.html (Slam Dunk intro - I only could see it in spanish as a kid >XD)
I didn't mind at all not seeing any more of the "big" game. While I had been a little disappointed in the low coverage of "The Equestria Games" and even last week's "Dungeons & Discords," I came to realize what Silver Quill has said: To shift the focus to them would be to distract from the point.
I'm glad they given my favorite character snails' character, lets hope they do the same with Snips.
I may be alone on this one, but I felt Snips and Snails were always likable. :/ A bit annoying, but never unlikable. In Boast Busters, they accept their punishment willingly and take responsibility for their actions. And honestly, those actions never had bad intentions. They were just so confident in their idol that they truly believed she could do what she said she could, and they wanted to prove it to every pony as well. Misguided and poorly thought out, sure, but never evil or malicious. In Ponyville Confidential, when they wanted to try and repeat the little gum incident, I felt really bad for them. Almost like their self esteem was so low, that they were trying to hold on to whatever scrap of popularity they could. Pretty sympathetic if you ask me. Plus I give them serious props in episodes like Flight to the Finish (where no one cheered for them, but they still had confidence that they could win the contest) and Rainbow Rocks (they got next to no applause and yet they're still satisfied simply because they had fun). Way to stay positive boys! ^w^ I've always loved Snails and his little buddy, and considering they've been in the opening since season 4, I feel they deserve to have more moments to shine like this one. ^^
Animation error, or a changeling?
Snails had serious problems to cast "Lumos" (ilumination) one and a half year before in "Boast Busters" [S1E06].
Also, his horn aura was yellow (but that could be just another animation mistake from the "early times" of StudioB).
Now, he can levitate himself indirectly (same "highest level unicorn" than Starlight and S3E02 Unicorn!Twilight); plus moving multiple medium sized heavy objects around (with the same magical dexterity than Rarity or S3E05 Unicorn!Twilight).
If he starts to think on something (ANYTHING), he may spontáneously become the first ascended male alicorn in Equestria´s history...
i enjoyed this episode ive done this from time to time in a game were i thought i knew what was best but eventually realised the way i wanted to do it was not the best option
If Hasbro makes a videogame. They could make like a Equestria games game and make buck-ball one of the sports.
I find it funny how there's never been an 'MLP' console game yet. There were some hand held games, but those were based off of 'Gen 3'. Also, I'm amazed that the animators forgot to add in Snail's horn in one scene. It's pretty rare to find animation errors in this series since it's all bright, and colorful, but one flaw I DO remember was from 'Read 'Em & Weep' where Applejack's mouth didn't move when she spoke a small line of dialog in one scene. You'd think they could just go back into the master file, and fix any mistake, but I guess the only time they do fix an episode is for something like 'Derpygate'.
I really liked this episode. As a person who gets very anxious under pressure, particularly when working under a boss or authority figure who is constantly yelling and taking their anger out on others, I find this lesson very relatable. It is amazing how much a group of people can achieve and how well they can do, on the odd occasion that no one is shouting, cursing or threatening them. Although it's not sport-related, for years I always thought the working world was all about getting scolded and made to panic and stress for 8 hours straight, but then I noticed how well the employees and myself worked when our regular bosses were away. For the first time, we were allowed to talk and communicate with one another, and we were treated fairly by their replacements, and were able to talk to them just as easily. We had a temporary boss for 2 months and our business thrived, until the regular bosses returned and everyone became miserable and stressed again. This realisation made me search for a job working for a fair employer, and now I am much happier for it and doing far better. This episode made me think so much about that, and therefore cliche or not I loved it ^_^
I'm gonna remember this as I'm looking for a new job... Thanks for sharing your realisation.
Iagi Flamevictor No problem. Make sure you don't let anybody bully you. One thing my old boss would do is call me in on short notice on my days off (and I'm talking like an hour before he wanted me to get there, and I lived half an hour away). If I had made plans and was busy that day, or couldn't get there at the time he demanded, he would get angry and cut my shifts for the next week or so to punish me. Then he would act really horrid when he saw me, or give me the silent treatment, and try to make me feel guilty about it. I was stupid and naive and thought this was normal for a no fixed hours job, but now I know it definitely wasn't.
Just remember that no amount of money is worth you being miserable :)
I was very impressed with the Doc Wolf, and Yes, yes they made him Likable. I was expecting a trouble making side to show but it was exciting, and we get a chance see more sports society of Equestria which i'm glad that they showed more of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
To steal a Rainbow dash Frazer ,"THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME, "go snails!!!
Seeing Snails' involvement is now making me hope Snips would as well. :3
depending on how often the equestrian Olympics happen, perhaps we can see buckball return in a future episode featuring the equestria games in how they should be seen and not a bumbling spike episode.
i also like the concept of a sport in which all pony races have thier own unique part to play. doesn't get bland with only unicorn floating the ball and buckets everywhere.
Are we going to ignore that we might've seen one of Bulk's relatives in the show? I can't really unsees that. and the unicorn next to Braeburn was cute and awesome looking.
The Snails missing his horn moment was probably a goof made by the animators.
When pinkie mentioned the unicorn costume my first thought was "a fake horn?" Then my students thought was remembering something called blackface........ and I started to get veryyyyyyy uncomfortable with the implications....... then I started to think about the implications of the horn and started to get uncomfortable to that as well.------
But pinkie being good at sports isn't surprising but fluttershy liking a sport strangely enough is both surprising and yet makes sense. As far as snails goes (must not make dumb jock joke, must not make dumb jock joke.) Did they make a overwatch reference?------
One thing of interest to note is that it complete paid with my expectations as to what the life lesson of the day was supposed to be until applejack said serious. Though it I say this is completely encounter for the two 'jocks' in the group -----
I do like the idea of the new game...... aaaand the fans are going to create their own variant like the Harry Potter fans, or can be a videogame.
"This is the best game since Grifball!"
Male characters are getting a good deal this season, and Snails was made a more dynamic character. Perhaps there's hope for Flash Sentry in the fourth Equestria Girls that's coming in four weeks?
Throughout the first half of the episode, all I was thinking was "oh boy, it's the Cart Before the Ponies episode all over again." And the episode really did play out that way at first. RD and AJ were being their prideful, light-minded selves again (I was close to replacing AJ with Rarity for the 3rd spot on my top 3 ponies list), BUT this time around, they actually come to their senses BEFORE disaster struck. I'd call that continuity there! And seeing them initially attempt to replace Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie for the game and practice beforehand was also unexpected, in the good way. The cliches may still be there, but it made the ending more appropriate. During the time I was facepalming at AJ and RD, I was pleasantly surprised to see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie interact on this level! I don't recall seeing these two just by themselves for part of any episode I've seen thus far, and you can't help but cheer them on! They really held the episode together when everything else was falling flat. Seeing them having fun and later rediscovering that fun also exposed some elements of Pinkie and Fluttershy we've never seen before (Who else almost had a heart attack after seeing Fluttershy get the hang of Buckball in her trademark adorable way?). And making Fluttershy completely lose her cool was very well done. These animators never cease to amaze me by giving outrageous facial expressions to these ponies. Aside from the conflict, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, along with Snails, really do make a great team, and I really want to see them tackle another episode together soon.
Now for the elephant in the room. Snails, so far, is definitely better than Snips by a long shot, not just because he's been given a LOT more screen time now. Much like what Dr. Wolf stated, I was very pleasantly surprised to see Snails play a bigger role in an episode, without changing his character in any way. And it is mindblowing to see that he played such a major role in conveying the moral of the story. Never would I have imagined that Snails...the dim-witted background pony who's either been slightly funny or slightly annoying in the past...would not only be incredibly hilarious in this episode, but also essential to the plot! When the writers were exploring things we haven't seen before, they really pulled through with having Snails in this episode. They still added a bunch of cliches that were painful to watch, but hey, those cliches really do make the good storytelling stand out more. Again, like Dr. Wolf stated, I really hope that we see more background ponies getting what I'd like to call the "Snails Treatment."
Overall, a great episode. There are quite a few flaws at times, some of them being cringe-worthy, but all the good parts do more than make up for them. I'd give this episode an 8/10.
1) I see Buck-ball as a convention game. But a video game is also good.
2) A story with a moral must be retold until the lesson is learned. Aesop's fables have been around for a long time but I bet most people never get one lesson out of them. So, people have to keep coming up with new ways to tell the same story.
3) Snails is enjoyable but also has a smaller lessons himself. Don't over think things. Speed is not every thing. Just be yourself, and true, then good thing will return to you. I that one all the Bronies are leaning, even you Doctor Wolf.
4) I can see a retelling of the 'Tortoise and the Hare' in an MLP episode. "Dashie and Snails" Snails gets a new pet friend, her name is Lighting, a peregrine falcon. This somehow sets off a race between team Dash and Tank vs. team Snails and Lighting. With only Snails and Tank making over the finish line. Just to add to the joke Snails and Tank have to go back and help Dash and Lighting get out of some, like a mud pit.
This episode is one of my favorites now! And I think Snails worked here because Snips was nowhere to be seen. It's a nice change of pace in my opinion. Whenever Snips is around he seems to take the spotlight (also, he's kind of annoying)
Highlights of this episode were: Fluttershy enjoying herself instead of cowering all the time, Pinkie Pie not being super over the top, Flutters and Pinkie in an episode having fun together and Snails' calm demeanor.
5:27 Darn it! In chat they were naming it "f*ckball" and now I'm hearing it!
More pony sports in future episodes? Uh, YEAH!! Love my sports! Want to see some foot(hoof)ball in here. Maybe some basketball or baseball too
Excited to see Snails as a significant character and look forward to his buddy, Snips. I was disappointed, though, to see him portrayed somewhat empty headed, not thinking about anything. Ever. Fan fiction does him more justice.
He's got some impressive magic skills!!!
I enjoyed Snails in this episode. I wonder if they'll make Snips likable next. The way I see it, while it's almost 100% guaranteed that we won't get an entire episode focusing on a specific background pony (or pair such as a Derpy and Doc episode), I do think there's a possibility of future episodes in which background characters do contribute something to the overall story (as we saw in here). Next time Dash meets up with Daring Do, they should find some excuse to bring BonBon in on the monster fighting action. The characters themselves would probably be a bit surprised at BonBons skills, but those who had seen episode 100, would know why she was so good. Anyway, that's just one idea.
jedi master Snails.. now we know why Order 66 was created..
I wish I could like your comment more then once!