Ghost Mike's Ponyfic Review Monday Musings #86 · 6:00pm Oct 30th, 2023
While I do consider myself an animation connoisseur, I can sometimes be limited in what I watch. I certainly don’t check out as much indie web animation as I should, for a start, and that’s a pity, because a lot of it’s great. I bring this up because just last week, a new show pilot has gone absolutely viral, to the tune of 47+ million views in seventeen days. If you keep even a vague eye on such things, you’ve no doubt already heard of it: it’s The Amazing Digital Circus.
I won’t get too much into the content (the official blurb of ”a psychological dark comedy about cute cartoon characters who hate their lives and want to leave” is a good starting point), though it certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. But existential comedy like this, with visuals as warped as the writing and underpinning everything, is certainly very impressionable, and I must confess, despite some obvious issues (I remain stunned indie animation allows itself to have sloppy pacing over an episode making itself several extra minutes needlessly), I really dug it myself. And was obviously impressed at the further reaches of what’s now possible for a tiny web crew to do for web animation – the animation style may be very plasticky, but it’s in a way that benefits the surreal content. I’m certainly not surprised it has such a huge fandom.
Most importantly to me is indie animation making bigger and bigger hits and becoming, if not a reliable career, at least one that can lead to the big boys (Hazbin Hotel’s A24-backed series arrives on Amazin in January 2024, let’s not forget 
). I may be a washed-up spirit whose efforts in that industry largely petered out, but the continued health and expansion of it in different directions remains a hot topic for me.
Anyway, that was certainly a thematically appropriate lead-in for Halloween! Nothing spooky like the psychologically scary, as they say. It’ll make up for this not being a Nightmare Night-themed week; other than one such fic, just the usual theme-less menagerie today, folks.
This Week’s Spectral Stories:
Day to Night(mare) by AutoPony
We Who with Songs Beguile by Loganberry
Into the Everfree by Obselescence
Passed the Reflex Save by SpectralFury
Inscape by Kwakerjak
Weekly Word Count: 45,335 Words
Day to Night(mare) by AutoPony
Genre: Slice of Life
Celestia, Luna
4,817 Words
October 2018
After discovering how they were unwillingly giving each other the cold shoulder, Celestia and Luna have been spending more time with each other, growing closer once again. Thus it is that Luna invites Celestia to join her on Nightmare Night. Though initially turning it down due to her own feelings about the holiday and her sleep schedule, Celestia quickly rethinks this and sets out to surprise her sister with her appearance. Course, having no idea what the festival entails, she’s the one in for the surprise…
This fic requires a massive suspension of disbelief that, I lead with in full bias, I was not able to overcome. Namely, that Celestia would know next to nothing about what happens on Nightmare Night, both in general and particularly as regards what Luna has done on it since her return. That the topic would never have come up in however many years took place between “Luna Eclipsed” and this shortly-following-”A Royal Problem” timespace. That Celestia wouldn’t have had intelligence inform her of how Luna has fared on the ground in “Luna Eclipsed”, never mind Twilight writing about it to her at the end of that episode. Going in to this fic, I fully expected Celestia being slow to get into the groove of the celebrations with little comic escapades alongside Luna, and while this isn’t that far removed from that, the decision to fabricate a wooden “Celestia doesn’t understand and briefly thinks Luna’s gone bad again in pretending to be Nightmare Moon for Ponyville” conflict does not fly, not outside of a proper comedy. Apart from anything else, it means a fic that should be lots of fun isn’t really.
I’d be lying if I said that was the only main issue – having Luna only ask Celestia about going on this very evening is ridiculous, especially as it could have been weeks earlier with Celestia only changing her mind now – and there’s a rather stilted, wooden feel to the prose that undermines many of the ideas’ in-the-moment execution (Celestia’s final partaking in the festivities absolutely should land better). It’s also really weird to have this happen in Ponyville without a single recognisable face around or mentioned, a sure sign of the fic being written around its idea.
On the other hand, the base concept and idea, minus the impossible disbelief suspension, works, and the relationship between the two sisters is fine and agreeable enough. This won’t disappoint much if you’re an avid lover of Celestia/Luna bonding one-shots, but if you need more than just that for them to fly, this will likely leave you a little wanting.
Rating: Passable
We Who with Songs Beguile by Loganberry
Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life
OC, Fluttershy, Rarity
3,289 Words
August 2014
Fluttershy’s choir of songbirds may be in high demand throughout Equestria, but it isn’t all sunshine and roses for them. The bluejay Mazarine is your bird if you want to hear the full story, from what they think of the ponies to how they interpret (and misinterpret) the world around them. Just be prepared to sit for a bit.
Being two things that are usually not done well – stories of someone complaining about the ways of others, and stories from an animal’s POV – I was on pinpricks with this one a bit in the early going. Fortunately, after a slightly wooden couple opening paragraphs (the break comes when the bluejay first alludes to Fluttershy), this settles into being really pleasant. It never stops being an animal complaining about the ways of ponies, but what makes this the charming kind of “old cynical coot” story as opposed to just the irritating kind, is how Mazarine, while exasperated and annoyed, and yes, rather snarky, isn’t just a complainer. There’s just enough hints of things he likes and appreciates throughout – and not just Fluttershy either! – that it feels like a real person, or bird, as it were.
It’s not altogether consistent, as it slips from being world-weary to actively angry on a not-zero number of occasions, but the character voice is really strong here. Helped, of course, by the perfect application of bird lexicon, from the descriptive names for the other ponies (“Lavender-Purple” is especially a target of ire), to other phrases that feel right at home with the kind of puns the show makes. The light, cosy world-building is strong with this one. And unlike many stories of this kind, the bird doesn’t have a “Fluttershy is our guardian angel” complex either, not afraid to throw some shade at her while still always tangibly softening when the conversation returns to her. That was a solid touch.
This is one of those stories that is a little loose and rambly in how it gets to its goal (which is a more-implied-then-explicit retelling of of some key show events) which did make it start to lose me somewhere around the middle third (before the ending’s different events reignite it). And even then, it’s not one with a lot of meat to its bones. But for a rather strong voice and perspective, making a snarky complainer not irritate, and selling the limited perspective of the bird so consistently that his misinterpretations of events (and/or blaming the ponies for it) felt right, I have to tip my hat to this one. Jolly good show, Logan. Just don’t tell Mazarine, he’ll probably misinterpret it as an attack on his character. 
Rating: Pretty Good
Into the Everfree by Obselescence
Genre: Sad
Fluttershy, Angel
5,081 Words
August 2012
A fight with Angel had led Fluttershy out into the depths of the Everfree Forest in search of him after he took off. And the Everfree still being a foreboding place makes this quite a task, one where new danger beyond just the physical lurk. You might even say that you will only find in there what you take with you…
Terrible summary, aye, but I am pleased to see a fic that treats the Everfree Forest seriously without resorting to the usual clichés of just amping up the darkness and danger in doing so. Truthfully, this fic’s depiction of the forest and having pointed references to their first adventures along the way makes it feels set even earlier than its between-Seasons-Two-and-Three publication; you could have told me it was written in early 2012 (we do still need a bead on Angel as a character, after all), and I’d believe you.
Anyway, the bulk of the story is done with Fluttershy progressing through semi-foreboding stretches of forests with only her thoughts for company, flitting between the here and now, and what caused Angel to run off here. There is deep, evocative atmosphere here, with ample mystery and dread, and touches like a voice trying to spook her come across well. At the same time, the style is plain and straightforward, unshowy in a good way, but it did strike me as a fic I was more aware of being atmospheric than actually feeling it (it is this style being cited as like a children’s story by Loganberry in his review that prompted me reading it for a theoretical “children’s stories” week, but honestly I didn’t get that feeling much – not that it wouldn’t work for children, but it fully feels the fanfic written with teenage-and-up fans of the show in mind that it is).
Regardless, it’s all effective, and other than possibly doing with some tightening up, the only part I found proper fault with is the flashbacks to the falling out with Angel. They’re kept cryptic and vague, more flashes across Fluttershy’s mind then anything, which is a good call. They just happen far too much (putting them on hold for short stretches would have made what was kept leap out more), and actively interfere with the atmosphere of the present-tense parts in the end.
Thankfully, once that’s past, the fic rallies with a nice dialogue scene with Steven Magnet and the resolution brings the brush of Fluttershy’s internal and external conflicts to a suitable close. It’s another case of a fic I admired more than felt, and perhaps not as much on the whole. But it works, plain and simple, even if parts feel a bit “off”.
Rating: Pretty Good
Passed the Reflex Save by SpectralFury
Genre: Dark/Sad
Twilight, Starlight
2,867 Words
September 2020Reread
There’s more to time travel than just pursuing a perpetrator to stop them from committing whatever it is they plan on. Ideally, prevent them from going back at all, but should that fail, there are other options. Options that Twilight hits on before Spike touches the scroll Starlight left behind, allowing her to figure out what Starlight’s doing, the outcome, and their best move.
A story in two parts: the first half concerns Twilight figuring out and breaking down the possible outcomes from Starlight’s travel, and after confirming no ill effects have caught up to them, that it is better to not pursue Starlight into the past. The second half is where the tags comes into play, with Starlight desolate and alone in the alternate timeline, and is far more in line with the reactionary fics to “The Cutie Re-Mark” when it was new: judging and punishing Starlight for what she did, yet not totally withholding some light at the end of the tunnel.
Even that less-well-worn first half still mostly boils down to the same “picking apart/fixing the flaws” of the broken writing of its source episode that was such a common reaction. The fic is a competent and thoughtful version of that, fair and balanced in its approach to the characters and logic, but unless one carries a torch for this genre, it doesn’t stand out much.
Rating: Passable
Inscape by Kwakerjak
Genre: Adventure
Twilight, Pinkie, Nightmare Moon
29,281 Words
July-December 2012Reread
Sequel to Petriculture – Reviewed here
Several months ago, a question Twilight had about the implausibility of Pinkie Pie’s origin on a rock farm led her to find out the truth behind Pinkie’s life. It was a shock, for Pinkie too to come clean, but everypony accepted it and since then life has largely returned to normal. It’s in this normalcy, however, that Pinkie and friends notice something is up about Twilight, pestering Celestia for what she knows about the strange magic behind Pinkie’s origin. And it’s not just her usual curiosity either – she’s soon talking about Celestia’s refusal to investigate it being a sign of her inability to rule! Once it becomes clear Twilight is under the influence of an old enemy, it may fall to Pinkie, expert in matters of the mind, to save the day.
Returning to this sequel to Petriculture (probably one of the strongest and most-gracefully-aged really early fanfics, least of the short-form ones), I remembered the broad end result, and the vague plot that gets us to that point, but not the specifics. And those specifics were… a bit unnerving. Being that this story starts out from Pinkie’s perspective (ensemble scenes play loose with how tight it is, but not until the back half does it switch to being) – which is fair, last time was Twilight investigating Pinkie, now she’s investigating Twi – we get pretty much no character interiority for Twilight’s corruption by Nightmare (nee Moon), it’s just a thing that happens. No buildup either; the story moves from Pinkie’s internal summary of what’s happened since she opened up about her past, and talking about the situation with Luna, straight to Twilight arguing with Celestia, and then poof – she’s a larger princess form (albeit without wings).
On a greater level, the story makes it quite clear this isn’t brainwashing by Nightmare, but fully Twilight’s beliefs, just with a partner to reach different goals, and though later dialogue does explain how she came to believe she’d be a better ruler than Celestia, and the princesses leaving research into a type of magic on the table for over a millennium would certainly irk her, and she approaches her goals in a very un-tyrant like way, it still didn’t feel natural. An after-the-fact justification for the setup, rather than a natural evolution into it. This kind of tonal indifference paired with slightly off characterisation isn’t exclusive to her – the rest of the cast is shockingly okay after initial discussion with banishing Twilight to the moon, and it’s not the last time it takes Pinkie’s interjection to seek a different route.
The other major issues I found with the story did exist in Petriculture, in a somewhat circular approach to prose and a tendency towards talking heads scenes, but this being a novella and ostensibly an adventure fic (it is far too domestic in scope for me to advocate for that myself) make them stick out far more. They tend to come in extremes; a whole chapter can be literally nothing but talking in one room, while another can be Pinkie pacing and observing things (when dialogue is not involved, paragraphs tend to be 100+ words). It does make the fic’s often imaginative ideas – nothing is as brilliant as Pinkie Pie’s origin from last time, but there’s a lot more here – feel rather pedestrian.
This all was absolutely enough to make it not nearly as solid as the first story, a very classical case of an author, enlivened off the success of their first work, plunging into the sequel with the ideas and the ambition but not the discipline or the technique to carry them off. And yet, it is still largely enjoyable. Despite the extremes of scene types, this bouncy-and-bubbly-yet-super-smart depiction of Pinkie clicks really well, and makes for a compelling lead when the story’s with her and not bogged down in discussion with the princesses. And she has a way of looking out for the best in everyone that gives the fic a good spirit (one it needs to balance the character and tone issues mentioned above). It clicks by at enough of a breezy pace to rarely drag, the above effects making the imagination feel mundane is not in so high quantities as to make it a mush, and the very start and end of it bookend the piece in appropriate manners.
Rereading this has reminded me why, after this, I only took this series further to the next two fics, a short story and a novelette, and jumped ship before its first novel. It’s certainly flawed enough I can’t praise it more than mildly on balance, and it goes in such a different, wild direction than Petriculture that I can’t even say all who loved that should go for this. But it works on balance, no mean feat for a fic of its type this old.
Rating: Decent
Spooky Summary of Scores:
Excellent: 0
Really Good: 0
Pretty Good: 2
Decent: 1
Passable: 2
Weak: 0
Bad: 0
While beautifully executed, The Amazing Digital Circus felt like a colossal bore narrative-wise. Like, it just plays into the tropes, there's no weight to the stakes, and I don't see how they can adequately expand on that premise. Glad if I'll be proven wrong.
But then again, I've been spoiled by things like the movie Cube and its sequel, that had took somewhat similar concepts and already made a good spin on it. Hell, there's a lot of media like that. And the comedy was weak anyway.
...
Alright, this feels just like an old man's rant. Happy Halloween to you!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Amazing Digital Circus. I thought it was a lot of fun! Don't know how well it will do going forward, but I won't object to seeing more of it down the line.
In addition: Luna is best pumpkin carver.
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I will say, I noticed a not-zero number of comments from folks who had watched the studio's prior works saying this felt like a deliberate effort to make something more "mainstream" (for a relative definition of that word), and that it thus felt safer and more calculated. Not having watched any of their other works, I can't comment on that.
That said, I can see why someone who's watched/read many other spins on something like this mind find it a little tame and lacking. Certainly, there is a little of that Pilot syndrome of it not being quite clear how it might expand to a sustainable series (and indeed they've said in interviews they haven't yet committed to more), and I've already gone on record above saying the visual pacing has that Indie Animation thing of being lethargic and slow at points due to the lack of a filter that keeps the attachment production develops from getting to be too much. I kept thinking "this is like a tv episode before the storyboard pacing trims that shave off 3 mins".
It's enough to make it not quite something I adore enough to actively want to rewatch a lot, as many have felt. But I can't go nearly as far as it just applying the tropes mindlessly or being stake-less.
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Assuming you meant more episodes and not the traffic of this one (it's been consistent – it was only half of its current views a week ago, it's a true sleeper hit, even on this scale!), considering they haven't yet started active development on more, it could be a fair while before we see any. That said, I'm confident it'll evolve enough for it, even if this had a little Pilot Syndrome going on.
That cover did play a crucial role in getting me to read the fic. As I love carving a pumpkin of a different design each year (though I passed on it this year due to other obligations), were Luna real, I would relish getting to do that with her sometime.
Ah, a part of me was wondering when this site'd start talking about Digital Circus! I'd definitely call myself a fan thus far, even if I couldn't quite shake the sense the pilot was just going through the motions of what constitutes a viral hit nowadays (the "cryptic retraux gone grimly awry" premise brings many a "mascot horror" game to mind, and I may or may not have audibly groaned when Pomni stepped into the totally-not-just-the-Backrooms). An "industry plantcore" putdown I saw elsewhere kinda hit my nail on its head, even if I'd much rather put the sentiment in far less condemnatory terms. Still, regardless of those early misgivings — and the burgeoning community's apparent desperation to speedrun its way through every category in The Big Book of Fandom Controversies — I'm definitely picking up what the pilot and its lovable* gaggle of characters are putting down and laying out. You described the plusses far more succinctly than I possibly could've, so here's hoping the team behind the scenes keeps up the good work!
*As much as I enjoy Vivziepop's Helluva/Hotel duology, I do think it's sapped my tolerance for the "unapologetically snarkoholic asshole" archetype that get-go fan favorite Jax embodies. I'm not saying I hate him, but I am saying that his all-but-inevitable "This is how he copes with his past and/or present trauma" arc better be damn good.
Anyway, not particularly familiar with this installment's batch of fics. Seems I gave Nightmare and Reflex thumbs up at one point or another… which makes the fact they were the worst-rated of the five feel like even more proof that the nine Muses are having a laugh at my expense. :P
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That little two weeks in? Guess the social side of blogs here really has trickled downward… Also, I'd actually had this blurb for last week, but figured I had enough to say that week, and as I'm often straining for something to say, had little to lose holding it in reserve.
Given its rate of views has literally not dipped, and has actually gone up, in the week since, that worked out!
Possibly this is what some aficionados of the studio meant when they said this feels a bit more mainstream, calculated and safe for their work. We'll have to wait and see.
And I barely said much at all, so this is a big compliment!
Cheers bud.
Yeah, he's far from my favourite too, and for the same reason. The show's not really reading to me as having some sort of especially tragic backstory to him (beyond the same they all face, of course). I've only seen the Helluva Hotel duopoly once myself, and long ago enough I don't readily recall more than the surface details of its embodiment of that type of character, but I can believe it. These kind of shows are ones I watch and enjoy and am enthusiastic for new content for, but my appreciation doesn't go much beyond that. Certainly not to their fandoms.
I mean, as a reviewer, I kind have to judge fics with wobbly writing that don't have enough to circumvent that fairly relative to others, don't I? I don't judge anyone for enjoying them or leaving a thumbs-up; that just means they liked it more than they didn't, after all, and I can still see that with both of these.
I suspect you were slightly too late on the scene to encounter Inquisitor M (if you did, you'll remember) but it amuses me that the basic summary of how you felt about my fic, ie a bit rickety at times in the middle, not much meat on the bones but a strong character voice, is very similar to how he saw it. Even given the fic was written for a contest which required me to write about ponies from a non-pony's POV, it was a bit of a flyer to go with a bird rather than something like a donkey, but I've always been glad I took the chance. As ever, thank you!
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Never in person, but oh boy, have I seen the trail of
destructiondiscussion his comments have left on many fics here (and occasionally over on Louder Yay, though he tended to be more restrained there). Makes Titanium Dragon looks like an easy-to-impress guy. By Inquisitor's standards, he gave this fic a glowing recommendation!I do agree that going with a non-mammal was an odd but ultimately inspired choice. I fully see why this is one of your most well-regarded fics. Good job, bud!
Also, I've now read what are often considered to be three of your most acclaimed fics (this, The Book of Ended Lives, and It Doesn't Matter Now). Not a bad trilogy at all!
Fixed that for you, bud!
Bad pacing used to be the hallmark of amateur productions, but now that it's becoming more and more common everywhere the pros are calling it "relaxed narrative" or "expanded storytelling" to disguise the fact that they can't frikkin' get on with it! Yes, I was recently dragged into watching another TYT episode, why do you ask? (At 1.5x speed, it only dragged a little bit.)
BTW, I have seen Digital Circus and I like it well enough—so far. Great premise; I hope they can stick the reveal. I've also been following the studio's other series, Murder Drones, which is fun and creative, and the fact that it isn't "mainstream" is a plus for me.
Speaking of good indie work, here I am, wondering when Helluva Boss became a "comfort watch" for me.
I'm hoping Hazbin doesn't get watered down by the Big River in South America, but they're usually pretty hands-off for indie studios, so I'm not tooo pessimistic.
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Not unreasonable points, my friend, but I think you knew I was talking specifically about visual pacing. An episode like this seems to weirdly go for a lot of overheld reaction shots and silent moments of character thinking that rather belabour the point. Something that is commonplace in indie animation yet weirder to see for something like this made in something almost akin to a studio pipeline. It’s a little strange.
Also, my observation on the extra minutes was specifically because these things don’t have a specific runtime to adhere to, so why it opted to be 25 mins instead of, say, 22, to no real benefit except extra work for the animators, is a little strange. Not remotely applicable to stuff like TYT or MYM, which have three opposite issue of not writing content suited for that runtime.
I suppose I am obliged to give it a look in now, heh. Initial visual style, to judge from the thumbnails, definitely doesn’t scratch my itch and idiosyncrasies as much, but Digital Circus has earned them the benefit of the doubt from me.
Also, it feels so weird to be using the term mainstream for what is still unmistakably indie animation done by a skeleton crew with no backing beyond fan support, but I suppose the hefty amount of merch available for Digital Circus already will do that.
I am so behind on that. Another one to play catch-up on! Even if I won’t be seeing the official, Amazon-backed series when it debuts, I should still try and be caught up by then.
Adult animation on streaming services is an odd thing, in that it’s very hands-off, by the standards of corporations, it also very prone to quick-fire trigger cancellations over viewership figures. Considering Hazbin/Helluva has not quite managed to capture the views of its debut thereafter, I remain a little alarmed it being on a sub service (and not Big Boi Netflix either) could result in a short shelf life off inflated expectations. But we’ll see.
Admittedly, to join all the others just talking about Digital Circus:
I found the time watching digital circus passed pleasantly, though I retain doubts and reservations. The breathlessly-paced nihilistic comedy that was a delight for 25 minutes feels like it would wear out its welcome across a 6-episode mini-series, let alone anything more. But if they stop recycling jokes and started diving into lore and characters it would lose the fast-pitch humor that made the pilot so watchable.
More positive for me is less the show itself than what it represents: another viral indy sensation to hopefully inspire more. While Hazbin Hotel showed what could be done with brilliant animation and the time/resources to do it perfectly, DC shows you don't need such massive ground-floor investment to go viral (which yes, is a very positive spin on 'it doesn't look great'). That Indy animation can be both budget and successful makes the genre seem more inviting to newcomers, and I don't mind the idea of more less-brilliant animation if it means good stories, voices, and antics.
Another bad note for Digital Circus is I'm... not curious? Like aside from the big reveal, what was set up to discover? The exit door - the only in-universe mystery - was explained. None of the characters have any past to uncover, limiting much chance for development (drinking game for the pilot, take a shot whenever someone says some variant of 'we're trapped here and it sucks'). Aside from Eyeballmouth they all have fundamentally the same story with no real potential for good secrets. Their personalities were all one-note gag-reels, including the main character. The others have already clarified they tried to escape, so what reason do we have to think Pomni will be different? She brings no insight, talent, or specialty, making her the main character merely by dint of being the audience stand-in.
This feel more like the setup for a copycat mascot horror game than a series. Mind, unlike some of those there is clear passion and effort behind the scenes here and kudos to the makers. I'm just not sure where they can go with it.
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Yes, it's nice to have as much time as needed to tell a story, but adding padding? (Particularly in animation!)
I'll have to look at TADC again, but I think a lot of that flab could be trimmed simply by tighter editing. That's something that it's hard to learn outside of a formal school or professional environment. I seem to remember an MLP fan film made at—I want to say Savanna. Double Rainboom, I think? Good art and animation, but it suffered from glacial pacing. Some other fan did a re-edit of it, which really improved* it. The fallout and fan-drama from that was about what you'd expect. No lessons were learned.
---------------------------
* In My Curmudgeonly Opinion, of course.
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I was actually thinking of the original and 22-min edits of Double Rainboom in my original point! By the time I came along the original was only available via a subtitled upload, largely superseded by the shorter variant, but I watched it that was out of curiosity. So glacial.
And yes, my point on Digital Circus was largely of the “a tighter edit could do some of it, though it would be more natural done pre-animation” variety. I do notice that Glitch’s prior shows tend to have their pilots be longer than the following episodes, so possibly it’s just a thing they do. Who’s to say.
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I held back on delving into much of what you said in my opener above as I still did my want to assume everyone had seen it, despite the 47 million views. I do agree on the concern for the future and that some of these characters, and their type of comedy, had worn a little thin right by the end – it wil be a delicate balancing act to expand them without losing the show’s unique flavour and energy.
Your point on this showing indie animation can be huge without having to be so perfect in the opening pitch is a good one, and provided the right lessons are taken from it (though the nature of how audiences consume this does kinda rule out a similar doomed trajectory as that of Hollywood history), it’s a helpful sign for the future. As it’s mostly the visuals and the music that I’m in love with here, and not as much the rest, it’s one I’m inclined to agree on.
While I did mostly find the characters as you said (Jax in particular wore out his welcome right at the end), the particular cadence and way they went about showing Ragatha did make her come across as one that could be expanded on well and a good counterpoint and sounding board for Powmi going forward.
These pilots are in production for so long that the vision and details for the series can change radically by the time they’re done, so I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the details about the characters and the world change if/when it moves to series. It is one I’m only marginally excited about as something to watch going forward, for the reasons you say,but I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
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I want to say "Yes, you can't just milk endless cynical nihilism and one-note character jokes forever," but I seem to be the only one in the world who doesn't like Rick and Morty.
I think the 'right lessons' bit is the beauty of it. If the right lessons aren't learned, an indy cartoon will be just another Newgrounds schtick. If they are, (ideally) word-of-mouth will help it rise. With no giant companies to back them, it is the indy cream which will mostly rise to the top (although mediocre memes and copycats will always slip by).
I do think DC deserves its popularity. I'm just a bit dubious on what happens next.
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Yeah, I was really pleased when he noted the strong character voice and (something he felt a lot of the other entries fell down on) adherence to the contest prompt, since those were the two elements I thought I'd got right. Character voicing in particular has always been a big deal for me, so that was particularly satisfying.
Apologies for this intrusion of ponyfic in this comments section about that Digital Circus thing... which you can tell has got everywhere by the fact that even I've heard of it!
And I'm someone who's never seen a single minute of, say, Helluva Boss.
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As well it should be, considering how important it is. If it’s solid, it can really compensate for other shortcomings, as you’re invested in the story and compelled by the characters.
Not at all, I welcome it!
It would be a bit weird if the nearly-twenty comments here were exclusively about the unrelated thing in the opening blurb and the Ponyfic barely got a mention, after all.
Ah, but you had heard of it (unless I’m reading your sentence wrong).
Which puts it on the same level as Digital Circus as far as your exposure goes.
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Oh I never liked it much myself either. I have a low tolerance for adult animation that’s just mean and cynical without purpose and based on shock value, which has been the primary mode for much American adult animation for much of the industry’s lifespan, alas. So it’s worth treasure the more intelligent and respectful stuff when it comes along.
Agreed on both fronts. It’ll be the better part of a year, if not longer, before we see anything else from it, though. Little to do but shelve it in our minds and wait it out.
Helluva Boss!
In the comments, true, cos I'm not interested in Digital Circus, but still! I'll take what I can get.
It's weird how I latched onto the Vivziepop/Spindlehorse duology, seeing as I've barely scratched the surface of indie YouTube shows at all*.
*While I'm at it, I LOVE Long Gone Gulch, which definitely deserves to become a series. Although that might just be my love for the animated fantasy western style they go for, crossed with a more family-friendly style of absurd comedy, and it definitely has a better sense of what multiple episodes of same would be like.
Weirdly, I think it was the comparisons between Charlie and the ethos of MLP:FiM and other feel-good girly styles in subsequent works.
Or maybe I just loved the hell concept from the get-go. I love the obscure demonology and how it gets a pretty creative and beautifully designed take here.
5752948
I get the impression the show struggles a little to juggle two balls there. On the one hand, it's a heavily cynical premise where even our protagonists (Immediate Murder Professionals) have no problem with casual murder. On the other hand, we're supposed to find them charming and loveable company. Sometimes, it works well (the first proper ep actually makes it a great plot point), but there have been eps where it's worked too much at cross-purposes.
5752967
I find it depends on the episode. There was a run in season two where - for me - it never rose better than "good in the moment, but felt a bit muddled". And then the last two episodes came out, and I'm like "HOORAY! HELLUVA BOSS IS F***ING GREAT AGAIN!"
(Seriously, Fizzarolli might be my new favourite character in the show.)
Have to admit I've got my fingers crossed for the new and improved Hazbin. On the one hand, the pilot was amazing and Helluva Boss strikes me as good-to-great proof of concept.
On the other hand, there are sooo many ways this could get screwed over.
5752990
I go one further: I never got into it to begin with. It just doesn't look appealing to me, like, at all.
5753019
The sad part is that the pilot - which should give a good idea of what the show's like - feels really "Early Installment Weirdness" by now. Apart from the dark, dark comedy, that is, and maybe a tiny bit of lore, because it doesn't showcase the drama or the ongoing plot focus or the character complexity, like, at all. (If anything, some character notes are completely off compared with how the show proper depicts them, and I don't just mean the voice actor changes).
It's kinda necessary to get the full details of the premise, though I suppose otherwise I'd recommend skipping to episode two as the first great, comprehensive experience (and then maybe going back and getting the whole experience if that does it for you).
Not saying you have to watch it, of course. But your comment did get me thinking how I'd put it, say, if I did have to make a Helluva Boss recommendation to a newcomer.
5752948
To be fair, it has been posted a couple times already, and there's even a group for it (I guarantee you a milquetoast but nonetheless amusing crossover will hit the Feature box by the end of the year). This was just the first post I saw to well and truly break it down, if that makes sense. I'm sure I missed something.
It was admittedly a little frustrating that I could recite my personal cons so candidly, all whilst the pros eluded me beneath je ne sais quoi blanket statements. Any uncovering of the latter wins by default, I reckon, so yeah, thanks for putting it so concisely!
In hindsight, "archetype" might've been too all-encompassing. Let's just say that Jax would take to Hell like a duck to water if he could actually drop the f-bomb.
(I'm sure there's a joke in there about the old rabbit-duck illusion, but eh, someone else can use that allusion.)
At the very least, I anticipate future installments may prod at his and the rest of the cast's inner machinations to one extent or another, simply by virtue of needing to give them an arc to roll around over a full season's course.
5753021
It would... but this comments section very nearly achieves it! I suppose the relatively low-scoring slate will do that, but it doesn't really feel like a ponyfic blog comments section very much this time.¹ I'll add one note, which is that I did read Into the Everfree quite some while ago (it was 2015, egad!) and liked it a bit more than you, though eight years on I can't really remember fine details. I've thought of reading Inscape given that I liked Petriculture, but I do wonder whether I'll ever get round to it now. I know nothing about the other two, and your reviews don't really inspire me to make a huge effort there.
¹ Not that I can talk, having recently had one of my blog comments sections dominated by a discussion about brackets terminology...
5753256
Come off it. Have you seriously never heard of My Little Bracket: Punctuation is Magic?
5753265
Is there someone around these parts who is to mathemetical terminology what Pineta is to particle physics? Because if so, that idea would be made for them!