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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Railfan Brony Advent Calendar Day #15: Friendship Games Shorts

I know I said I'd do these along with the movie, but I didn't have the time for another Thomas episode as I want to focus on the Friendship Games movie review itself. But anyway, let's get down to the shorts, shall we?

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE MY LITTLE PONY FANDOM IN GENERAL

All shorts directed by Jayson Thiessen.

The Science of Magic
Written by Natasha Levinger
Sunset Shimmer studies her friends' pony hybrid transformations to better understand how magic works in the human world.

I'm gonna be honest; out of all the shorts connected to the film, this is the only one to actually have any relevance to the film itself. Sunset was trying to figure out how magic worked in the human world, but after each Rainboom member played their respective instruments, she got an inconclusive answer. In the actual film, she realized how it worked, in which... well, I'll get to that when I get to the actual film itself. By the way, nice hairdo, Sunset. :P The animation really shone here, especially for when Sunset is bombarded by accident, out of her own control.

Pinkie Spy
Written by Natasha Levinger
Rainbow Dash tries to spy on Crystal Prep Academy's sports team, but Pinkie Pie ruins her attempts to remain unseen.

Can someone help me out here - why was Rainbow Dash spying on Crystal Prep athletes in the first place? I don't think it was even mentioned once in the movie, and it kind of renders this short pointless. To be fair, it was actually funny seeing Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie play off one another.

All's Fair in Love & Friendship Games
Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops try to earn a spot on the Wondercolts team in the Friendship Games tryouts.

Who wrote this short? I know Jim Miller did the storyboard, but why can't the writers be credited in the shorts themselves? What's wrong with a brief ending credits shot at the end? That aside, it felt slightly like fan-pandering, only you can get through it a lot faster (only two minutes!), and the jokes are actually humorous for a change. And if you're wondering, you can tear a phone-book in half, and it doesn't take a strong man (or girl, in Bon Bon's case) to do so. Don't believe me? Ask MythBusters.

However, whilst the short does have connection to the film, it's kind of pointless since... well, I must say no more here.

Photo Finished
Written by Ishi Rudell and Jayson Thiessen
Photo Finish gets carried away when Vice Principal Luna asks her to take pictures for the Canterlot High yearbook.

This, meanwhile, seems to have absolutely no connection to the film whatsoever. In fairness, Tabitha St. Germain must've had fun speaking to herself whilst recording it. Not much else I can say, really.

A Banner Day
Flash Sentry, Micro Chips, and Sandalwood have conflicting ideas on their welcome banner for Crystal Prep Academy.

On the other end of things...!

YES, YES, YES! ALL OF MY YES! - Flash Sentry actually gets a starring role to himself! Okay, so it's an Equestria Girls short and he's partnered with two other background humans, but it's at least something. Just give him a role in an episode of the actual show and we're good to go. For Flash, it's funny how they portray him as a bit egotistical ("Love in a Flash" - no kidding) and vain about his appearance, and seeing him play off Sandalwood and Micro Chips is quite humorous; and yes, Vincent Tong actually gets to extend his range a bit - he also voices Sandalwood. Something tells me this was a way to get the haters mad - well, what's mediocre for some is good for me, I reckon!

The Shorts Overall
On whole, the shorts are hit and miss; the second and fourth shorts were a bit pointless despite how entertaining they were; the fifth didn't add much to the film itself, but it at least showed that sometimes, fanservice can actually be a good thing (no, really!); the third's completely pointless and the first is the only one to have some level of finality (you'll see what I mean).

Combined Rating Overall: 7.5 out of 10

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