Like Anime? Try My Little Pony

With Bronycon wrapping up a week or so ago, it seems that bronies and My Little Pony are entering the nation’s consciousness like never before, with tons of news articles and other coverage about both the event and the fandom making the rounds. There’s even a documentary being made by John de Lancie (Star Trek’s Q) and Michael Brockhoff about the brony fandom, and why a show originally intended for girls has taken such a hold on an unlikely demographic.

While some people have reacted with suspicion and downright cruelty to adults (specifically adult men) who like the show, as an anime fan, I don’t find it strange that people of any age or gender would be drawn to a show that is cute or innocent. In fact, I think those are two huge draws of many animated shows, the moe genre of anime in particular. In the case of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it has wonderful characters, quality animation, and great storytelling: the recipe for any good show, never mind the intended age group.

While it might not be anime per-say, I feel that if you like most anime (especially more light-hearted anime) or animated shows in general, you might enjoy MLP:FiM. And, if you’re a fandom kind of person, there are very few fandom’s that are quite as vibrant and active as the brony community. In addition to artwork, fan-fiction, music, and some adorable tumblr blogs, they also do some awesome charity work.

So why not sit down and see what you think of the ‘mane six‘? Or, if you’ve already watched MLP:FiM, I highly recommend the parody series Friendship is Witchcraft (second list of videos below). It’s actually what got me to watch MLP:FiM in the first place.

So, here you go, the first two episodes of MLP:FiM. Enjoy!

If you’re a Netflix user, they have both seasons on streaming. You can also purchase the episodes from iTunes or check them out on YouTube if you want to test out the waters before making a purchase.

And here’s the first two episodes of Friendship is Witchcraft!

What about the rest of you? Have you watched MLP: FiM, and would you recommend it to others who like anime or other animated series?

MLP FIM: Keep Calm … KazeXDesigns $4.00	Twilight Sparkle Sc… WeeabooWarehou… $29.95	MLP Pony T-Shirt (P… geeklingdesign… $16.00	MLP Princess Luna 5… tinrobo $5.00
CHIBI Vinyl Scratch… CutieCorral $75.00	My Little Ponies Sp… Vinylbot $7.00	MLP “Bronie&qu… Pandachan666 $53.00	MLP Doctor Whooves … WistfulBird $4.00
MLP: AppleJack Pill… FreakinCuteDes… $29.00	Pony ears & Pegasus… yayahan $39.99	Tiny My Little Pony… VisualShojo $16.00	Spike My Little Pon… TragicStitches $30.00

(You can also view this as a treasury on Etsy here.)

Tags: anime, art, bronies, brony, brony fandom, bronycon, bronycon documentary, community, cute, etsy, fandom, FIM, friendship is majic, friendship is witchcraft, geek, handmade, kawaii, mane 6, melvin, merchandise, mlp, mlp handmade, mlp:fim, moms basement, momsbasement, music, my little pony, parody, ponies, pony, recommendation, videos, watch