"Flutter Brutter" is another one of those 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' that could have been a good deal more, the potential was there but the episode promised more than it delivered. Really wanted to like it, being somebody that likes Fluttershy when she is written well (mostly she is but she has had blips), was excited about seeing development to her and seeing her family for the first time and who thought on paper the situation was relatable.
By all means "Flutter Brutter" is not a bad episode, far from it. While one aspect brings it down significantly there is actually a lot to recommend about it and it is a marked improvement on the previous episode "Applejack's Day Off". The writing is a lot better here, Fluttershy is brilliantly characterised and developed and the story more involving, if only the situation was more rootable and if one character was written a lot better. Interesting episode but a frustrating one.
There are good things here, quite a lot of them actually. The animation as usual is great, being vibrant and meticulously detailed. Proof that flash animation can be done well. The music has energy and atmosphere. Loved the song "Can I Do It On My Own" too, very heartfelt and it is beautifully sung. Of the uniformly great voice acting, Andrea Libman's is a tour de force of nuance and emotional power as Fluttershy.
Who is so well developed in "Flutter Brutter". Characterisation-wise, it is the most interesting and most likeable she has been in a long time (a far cry from "Scare Master", am one of those people that disliked her in that episode). Really liked to finally see and learn more about her family, up to now in that regard she was the least developed of the Mane 6 (Applejack and Pinkie Pie being the most, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had sisters and seen with them frequently and Twilight went through a fair share of character arcs). So this was long overdue and it arrived here and generally it was interesting, it also showed a big character growth in Fluttershy in her maturity and assertiveness. There is a fair share of genuinely amusing humour and poignancy, and the sibling relationship is handled nicely and not hard to relate to.
Sadly for all of those good things, there are negatives. One of which in particular brings down "Flutter Brutter" significantly. The character of Zephyr Breeze, whose only redeeming qualities pretty much is that he is well animated and that Ryan Neil voices him reasonably. Actually wanted to relate to him, being someone in his situation (though in my case it's physical and mental health problems and a necessity not a choice), but this is a case of having a lot of negative character traits and all of them being taken to extremes so it was impossible to feel any sympathy towards him. This is a big problem as he plays a big part in the episode and unbalances it whenever he appears.
Enough moments of thoughtful and amusing writing here, especially with Rainbow Dash in the second episode in a row where she is a comedy high point, but there is a repetitive running gag in particular here that gets old well before the last time it's used and it was not remotely amusing all the times it features. The pace is a bit erratic, in some parts it's energetic and in other parts it's bland.
Concluding, decent and Fluttershy makes a huge impression here but Zephyr Breeze is a major party pooper here. 6/10
By all means "Flutter Brutter" is not a bad episode, far from it. While one aspect brings it down significantly there is actually a lot to recommend about it and it is a marked improvement on the previous episode "Applejack's Day Off". The writing is a lot better here, Fluttershy is brilliantly characterised and developed and the story more involving, if only the situation was more rootable and if one character was written a lot better. Interesting episode but a frustrating one.
There are good things here, quite a lot of them actually. The animation as usual is great, being vibrant and meticulously detailed. Proof that flash animation can be done well. The music has energy and atmosphere. Loved the song "Can I Do It On My Own" too, very heartfelt and it is beautifully sung. Of the uniformly great voice acting, Andrea Libman's is a tour de force of nuance and emotional power as Fluttershy.
Who is so well developed in "Flutter Brutter". Characterisation-wise, it is the most interesting and most likeable she has been in a long time (a far cry from "Scare Master", am one of those people that disliked her in that episode). Really liked to finally see and learn more about her family, up to now in that regard she was the least developed of the Mane 6 (Applejack and Pinkie Pie being the most, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had sisters and seen with them frequently and Twilight went through a fair share of character arcs). So this was long overdue and it arrived here and generally it was interesting, it also showed a big character growth in Fluttershy in her maturity and assertiveness. There is a fair share of genuinely amusing humour and poignancy, and the sibling relationship is handled nicely and not hard to relate to.
Sadly for all of those good things, there are negatives. One of which in particular brings down "Flutter Brutter" significantly. The character of Zephyr Breeze, whose only redeeming qualities pretty much is that he is well animated and that Ryan Neil voices him reasonably. Actually wanted to relate to him, being someone in his situation (though in my case it's physical and mental health problems and a necessity not a choice), but this is a case of having a lot of negative character traits and all of them being taken to extremes so it was impossible to feel any sympathy towards him. This is a big problem as he plays a big part in the episode and unbalances it whenever he appears.
Enough moments of thoughtful and amusing writing here, especially with Rainbow Dash in the second episode in a row where she is a comedy high point, but there is a repetitive running gag in particular here that gets old well before the last time it's used and it was not remotely amusing all the times it features. The pace is a bit erratic, in some parts it's energetic and in other parts it's bland.
Concluding, decent and Fluttershy makes a huge impression here but Zephyr Breeze is a major party pooper here. 6/10