Bronies:
The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony (2013/MVD
Visual DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: C Extras: D Documentary: B+
What
are Bronies? They are adult men who love the My Little Pony
franchise. Unexpectedly and surprising, there has been a growing fan
base of adults for the show, toys and recent revival. Why are grown
men and woman being attracted to a show that was intended for little
girls? Like with the evolution of any series, it now has a new
generation of characters and watchers, and has become a world wide
phenomenon, with the creators, fans, conventions and even famous
voice actors they share their views on who 'Bronies' are. This is
examined in Laurent
Malaquais' new documentary Bronies
(2013).
Why
are adults willing to watch what is considered a little girl's
cartoon at the risk of being ridiculed by society? The latest series
is on the 'Friendship is Magic' with characters symbolizing Honesty,
Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic... somehow these
adult fans can find themselves relating and enjoying this series,
from teenage boys to military men they travel far and wide to share
their love for these ponies. Mind you, this is happening even though
the new versions have not relaunched the franchise to its peak
heights of many years ago, though it is hard to say whether that is
actually helping the case or not.
Respect,
it takes a brave man to admit what they like and like people who like
Science Fiction and Anime, they also deserve respect. Normal people
would think people who like those kind of things are some kind of
pedophiles, man-children, hikikomori or socially inept, but this
series shows people who have a genuine love and how they came to be
fans. They are actually more normal than you think and maybe closer
to you than you realize. Personally I think it is mentally healthier
to have an active fantasy than be a conservative bigot, and it is
better to challenge age, gender and social rules in order to create a
more kinder, open minded and gentler future.
The
anamorphically enhanced image is not bad, but lossy Dolby Digital
sound is uneven and there are no extras.
-
Ricky Chiang
