My Little Pony Equestria Girls - Achterbahn der Freundschaft

The Equestria Girls have returned once more for their second 1 hour long special of the year, and it sure was a roller coaster of an experience. We're brought into an amusement park themed special this time around, as well as another test of friendship when it comes to the crucial words of honesty, and the pivotal moments of generosity.

We're now into the perspectives of human Applejack and Rarity for this special, as the two of them try to enjoy the amusement park for the day as much as they can with their friends, but Applejack can't help but notice Rarity's constant stress over her new fashion designing job at the park. To make matters worse, Equestrian magic leaking from the crack on the statue at Canterlot High has only been leading the Equestria Girls to an even more feared circumstance than they imagined, and all it takes to cause further chaos is as simple as the click of a photo.

The special was fairly enjoyable to watch, especially since we got to see some of the best interactions and pairings between the Equestria girls. We got to see the crazy rides from the eyes of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and her times as the fun inspector among all the people within the park, and the mathematical minds of Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle with the challenging fair games.

The main issue I had with this special however was that certain concepts felt rather similar in regards to other Equestria Girls specials in the past. For example, the concept of trapping someone into a small space room was similar to Juniper Montage's plan from the special Mirror Magic.

But even so, I still liked how the special represented honesty for Applejack in a way that all the Equestria Girls would be on her side, especially since they know by now about the kind of person she is and always has been. It was also used as a good tool for not just testing to see how well each of them truly trust one another, but also allowing the aspect of Generosity to come into place for a character like Rarity. In this case, her trust in Applejack's Honesty is what leads to her generosity by choosing her friends over her work if it means stopping the villain.

Overall, another well-entertaining special that the Equestria Girls has brought us. If you're a fan of the series and have yet to watch it, you will most likely enjoy it as much as any other special that's come out so far. It's hard to tell what and when other specials will be nearing for Equestria Girls, but as long as they're as creative as the other 1 hour long specials for this year including this one, then it will surely be worth the wait.

I thought this was an interesting episode. There was lots of great comedy and heart, and it was a perfectly character-driven plot if I may say. I especially enjoyed the focus on Applejack & Rarity.

However, I do think that the way everyone is interacting with each other needs to be toned down a little bit. It's nothing personal, but, there were certain things about the way each character interacted, such as Rarity & Applejack, that made me a little uncomfortable, and it made me wonder if Confalone is forgetting that everyone is supposed to be friends and nothing more. I have felt the same way with some parts of "Forgotten Friendship" & FiM's "The Break Up Break Down", as well as the book series written by Michael Vogel & Nicole Dubuc.

My only other issue comes in the form of Vignette Valencia.

As a villain, she just wasn't very original, new, different, or fresh. Like the other villains, I enjoyed how she was made as an individual character, especially her personality & comedic timings.

But...

Overall, how she came out, and the outcomes with her, especially what her intentions were, and getting reformed in the end...

Well, it gives you the feeling that it's the same thing over and over again, and it kind of makes me think that a brony like me can do a lot better than the actual show staff when it comes to storytelling & villains.

In the end, "Rollercoaster of Friendship" was at the most a rather neutral episode for me. In a way, it has a certain sense of fun about it, but...it's literally the weakest of the EG episodes. One of my least favorites, definitely.