This gripping, action packed show is one that touches the depth of your soul and reminds you of the importance of found family. It starts off with very high stakes, as the main character is exiled from her highly privileged society by its ruler to gain a larger fellowship. As the first episodes unfold the main character and a group of commoners from the local village are thrust together on a high stakes mission to defeat the first villain of the show, a local legend that haunts the kingdom and threatens to plunge it into eternal darkness. Despite the groups’ lack of cohesion at the start, they are able to develop both individual and collective strengths, relying on these to defeat the first villain.
It is revealed at the end of this arc that the villain was an essentially akumatised lost member of the royal family, and the sister of the current ruler. This section of the show loses points for its inaccuracy. There is no way siblings would be able to make amends that easily without using it as blackmail at every chance they get.
The show continues following the arc of this new group of heroes in the local village, sometimes with quests taking them to different settings in order to raise the stakes. One such occasion is when the group is forced to confront themes of inequity and the competitive system of capitalism. The episode provides an allegory for hierarchal systems and how difficult it is to climb the corporate ladder without cutting down others around you. This is presented through the storyline of the main character having to choose one person to bring with them to the kingdom’s famous gala. Ultimately, the main character chooses to dismantle the oppressive system and opt for communism instead, securing an invitation for the whole group.
Later seasons see these heroes facing similar challenges, revolving around many different themes. In a two part special the group visit a lost city in which every citizen seems to have developed both amnesia and major depressive disorder, caused by a previously totalitarian dictator. When this dictator threatens to return the heroine is forced to climb extremely lofty stairs (whether they are worse than the Pā stairs remains to be seen). Ultimately, the win of the day falls to the small sidekick who is able to return the object that returns meaning to the citizens’ materialistic asses.
Further characters are introduced such as three small school children that are regularly forced to tackle elitism and classism. These children are yet to prove themselves to be as talented as the rest of their classmates, with no physical proof of their personal accolades. This leads to their ostracisation by certain elitist classmates. Not only this but one of the three characters is disabled and is often manipulated into feeling insecure about her disability, a clear invitation for discussion around ableism.
While the show has some very strong and important themes, I personally feel as though given the genre and source material the creators could have done more. Watching the main heroine commit tax fraud and then end up on the run from the IRS would have provided an important commentary towards the billionaire and upper classes that use their privilege in unlawful and immoral ways.
With all that being said, I believe this show is a cinematic masterpiece. Its critiques of capitalism, materialism, elitism, ableism, and the oppressive nature of staircases really cements its status as an integral part of the television industry. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a show well worth watching.
