>>12573
>The feeling of this Season is comfy and haunting, both from my nostalgic memories for those earlier feelings and for the fact that the show had an innocence, untainted by fandom interaction.
I'd agree, although I would say that I find those feelings much stronger in the Friendship Is Magic 2-parter. I've thought of a comparison, bizarre as it might be, to my feeling when watching that episode and getting a glimpse into the world before the show changed it, and that comparison is to The Phantom Menace. Now, I personally rate Star Wars enjoyment-wise a lot lower than MLP, but it was the first media I ever engaged with (aged 3!) so it's something I have a lot of thoughts about even if I'm a lot less attached to that franchise, and what's interesting about The Phantom Menace is that you get these glimpses of the universe before it gets really into the hallmarks that come to define the prequel era, such as the clones not being around yet and instead you have these 'enforcers', like on the red republic cruiser at the beginning of the movie, and like Chancellor Valorum, who is voted out in the movie but had a whole career prior. It's a feeling that is both mysterious and makes the setting feel much more real, alive, immersive, as though there really is something to know about the time immediately before the events of the story, even though if the creators have not filled in the canon of that prior period, there is in fact nothing to know, in spite of how tangible it feels.
> I still suspect Season 2 or Season 4 might beat it, but it is one I don't say with confidence.
My bias says Season 1 will win out for me, but I am open to being proven wrong!