MLP:EG Dance Magic

This is the first half hour Equestria Girls TV special. It was written by Gillian M. Berrow, who has written two episodes of the TV show (The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Fluttershy Leans In). It was directed by Ishi Rudell (who directed the last two Equestria Girls feature films and co directed the second one) and Katrina Hadley (who has worked as a storyboard artist for the show).

 To be honest it is entertaining but resembles the TV episode Rarity Takes Manehatten too much to really stand out. The similarities are very strong and it feels like you have seen this story before. The jokes work but are nothing too special to make this stand as anything new. Probably the most delightful part is the childlike drawing for Pinkie's fantasy. The characters are all just as likable as ever as well. Again the problem is this is pretty much a remake of an episode of the show without adding anything to make it stand out to the equation, but it is still quite entertaining.

-Michael J. Ruhland

MLP:FIM Not Asking For Trouble

This episode introduces us to another new writer, May Chan. It was storyboarded by Megan Willis and Jen Davreux (both started boarding for the show last season).

This is a Pinkie episode and that means plenty of really cartoony humor. It seems rarer and rarer to find good cartoony humor in modern animation, and that is what makes these episodes such a delight. All the jokes really hit. This includes both the slapstick and the verbal humor. These jokes are perfectly timed to work as well as possible. The animation is really well done and supports the jokes very well. On top of that Pinkie is both at her most eccentric and funny and at her most believable and relatable. This is because all of her over the topness comes from places we understand. We relate to and feel all her emotions with her, which makes us understand her over the top reactions and slapstick humor.

If this episode has one problem it is that Applebuck Season already did the moral, but this episode is so enjoyable that that is not a big deal at all.

By the way Pinkie is a car.

-Michael J. Ruhland

MlP:FIM A Royal Problem

Sorry this is late I had a really busy day. Luckily for you I am staying up a tiny bit late to write this (Hooray!).

This is the eighth episode written by the team of Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco (who have previously written Castle Sweet Castle, Rarity Investigates, The Hofffeilds and McColts, Gauntlet of Fire, Top Bolt, Celestial Advice and All Bottled Up). This episode was storyboarded by Roxana Beiklik and Aynsley King, both of who started boarding for the show with the Season 4 premiere.

This is a really enjoyable episode and I am glad to see another Starlight episode as I truly love this character. There is much more to recommend about this episode though. The characters are written perfectly. It is great that in this season Princess Celestia seems to be handled with more depth than she has been in previous seasons. She is no longer presented as nearly faultless, but rather to have her own anxieties. This makes her much more interesting to watch, and it is handled very well here. Luna is equally relatable and also feels very real. Speaking of Princesses, it is so great to see Twilight return to her geeky and adorkable, as she was starting to become more bland as this stuff was shown less and less. This episode though showed her being written fantastically though and much of the episodes best humor comes from her. Of course this is a Starlight episode though and she is handled amazingly though. To show her admittedly regret what she did and worry that she messed everything up, just show how much she has grown as a character.

The storyline is really good, except for one problem. It raises a question that will probably never be answered. If Celestia can't handle Luna's job, how did things work when Luna was imprisoned. This does not make much sense at all. However the storyline is told so well and despite this is a good self contained story, that if you simply overlook this you will see that this is truly an excellent episode.

-Michael J. Ruhland        

MLP:FIM Honest Apple

This episode introduces us to another one of the show's new writers, Kevin Lappin. The story board artists were Steve LeCouilliard and Mike Alcock. Both our new comers, This is Mike Alcock's first episode as a storyboard artist and Steve LeCouilliard's second (All Bottled Up was his first).

Personally I'm looking forward to Kevin Lappin maybe writing an episode that centers around Pinkie. She was perfect in this episode. By far my favorite part was her keeping a guitar in her mane. Pinkie was really funny in this episode, but fully remained her very caring self. She was in many ways the episode's comedy relief but she was put in here perfectly and each joke she was given was fantastic.

On to the story itself and it was good. The story was may be a bit too predictable, as you can always guess what is going to happen next, however the episode is more than fun enough to make up for this. Applejack's comments can be quite funny, and Rarity trying to defend her friend is quite touching. Both characters remain very relatable. We understand how hard it is for Applejack to talk about something she doesn't care much for and her desire to be honest and make her friend happy. Rarity we also understand perfectly. We know what it is like to want to stand by a friend when they mess up. Even if we haven't been through that situation before, we know it would be hard for us to decide between those we love and what we feel we need to do. If I had one compliant about the characters (minor spoilers) it is that I think Applejack should have realized what she did was wrong earlier.

While not one of the show's best episodes this is a very enjoyable one, and Pinkie is so great everypony that likes her needs to see this episode.

By the way it is strange that with this being the 7th season, they had not actually used the title Honest Apple before this.

-Michael J. Ruhland