The setting was one of the most appetising ones of the season, quite different for 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' at this point of the show's run, and the idea of the story also appealed to me. While Applejack is a compelling character on the most part, she has always to me being the most inconsistently characterised of the Mane 6. She is likeable and fun when written well, but there are also episodes where she is out of character to a quite obnoxious degree.
It is fortunate that "The Last Round Up" is not one of them (the latter type that is). It is a very good episode, in the solid high middle tier of all the episodes from the second season, with relatable moralising, a fair share of inventive moments in the writing. Yet, for all the great thing it has, "The Last Round Up" was one episode that was very nearly great but didn't quite make it, and it would have been if one regular character was handled better and if one character wasn't as annoying as she was.
Once again, the animation is fine. Especially with the rest of the Mane 6's search at the rodeo station. Another example of clever animation is with the pestering attempts. The music is very characterful and lush. "The Last Round Up" is very successful regarding the humour, with some witty dialogue and a lot of very well timed and inventive slapstick. The beginning is great and the cherry factory scene is clever and fun without going overboard on anything.
Applejack is a well written and faithfully written character and worth sympathising with. The same applies with the rest of the Mane 6 and with Applebloom. The moralising was very easy to relate to. There is some great voice acting from particularly Ashleigh Ball.
My problems with "The Last Round Up" are actually very few and they are debatably nit-picky. Mayor Mare to me is very annoying here.
Plus while Pinkie Pie is not unfaithfully characterised as such (other episodes have done that much worse) and her motor-mouthing served a purpose perhaps, this aspect was overdone here and her anger is uncharacteristically borderline psychotic.
Summing up, very well done episode with a couple of not so great things. 8/10
It is fortunate that "The Last Round Up" is not one of them (the latter type that is). It is a very good episode, in the solid high middle tier of all the episodes from the second season, with relatable moralising, a fair share of inventive moments in the writing. Yet, for all the great thing it has, "The Last Round Up" was one episode that was very nearly great but didn't quite make it, and it would have been if one regular character was handled better and if one character wasn't as annoying as she was.
Once again, the animation is fine. Especially with the rest of the Mane 6's search at the rodeo station. Another example of clever animation is with the pestering attempts. The music is very characterful and lush. "The Last Round Up" is very successful regarding the humour, with some witty dialogue and a lot of very well timed and inventive slapstick. The beginning is great and the cherry factory scene is clever and fun without going overboard on anything.
Applejack is a well written and faithfully written character and worth sympathising with. The same applies with the rest of the Mane 6 and with Applebloom. The moralising was very easy to relate to. There is some great voice acting from particularly Ashleigh Ball.
My problems with "The Last Round Up" are actually very few and they are debatably nit-picky. Mayor Mare to me is very annoying here.
Plus while Pinkie Pie is not unfaithfully characterised as such (other episodes have done that much worse) and her motor-mouthing served a purpose perhaps, this aspect was overdone here and her anger is uncharacteristically borderline psychotic.
Summing up, very well done episode with a couple of not so great things. 8/10
