Ro994 :
MY. BOY. GOT. A. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!
It's been days but somehow I'm still not over this fact, hehe.
I keep saying over and over again that I'm going to do a full review of the video, but I've come to realize that I've basically said everything I had in mind through my Twitter, hehe. Regardless, here are my extended thoughts: (and for those who don't have a Twitter account)
Sappy long speech incoming!
I admit, the very first time I heard "Cheer You On", it wasn't love at first sight. Granted, maybe it's because it was a Sunday at 6:00 am, three of my friends were bombarding me with messages with the link (which, thanks guys, for reals xD), and I wasn't even fully awake. I remember my first reaction was being very weirded out with how low Vincent's voice sounded (I later realized it wasn't even that low, my ear is just weird first thing in the morning), REALLY liking Flash's shoes, and feeling sort of… dissapointed? Not because I hadn't liked what I just saw, but because, from the lose words I was able to gather, I felt like Hasbro was basically telling us that Flash was never going to be more than a side character with no real relevance.
Then I went to wash my face as I processed the whole thing a bit more. I returned to my room only to realize that I had forgotten to record a blind reaction as I had wanted (it wouldn't have been use anyways, it was too early and my whole family was asleep, so I couldn't scream properly even LOL). I watched it again. This time it was a whole 'nother story. I was able to appreciate every scene, every frame. To get excited about the fact that Flash Drive was playing together for the first time since probably Rainbow Rocks. To realize how good (and surprisingly familiar) that red shirt looked on Flash. To fangirl that epic and courageous slide under the robot. To truly listen to the lyrics.
I cried of joy at the end of this second viewing. Guys, it was just perfect.
Everyone who's followed me for a while knows how much love I have for Flash Sentry. I've been defending him with my life and BEGGING for him to get a chance to shine since I entered the fandom in 2014. Although I was aware that he was never going to be given a leading role (the franchise is called "Equestria Girls", after all), I, as pretty much every single fan of this character, saw all the potential he had. He was never given much to do in the films, but we all saw in him someone just, kind, and with sincere good intentions. Even if he didn't have magic powers, there was still so many great things he could do, just being Flash!
And this song proved exactly that. After us losing our minds over the small snippets of character building he had received through the years (him being dorky yet stubborn in "Banner Day", him being in chemistry and baking clubs, owning a dog, saving a lady in the cruise…), just how AMAZING was it to, not only at last hear him sing, but to be shown as a FULL character as oppossed to just some dude in the background with an occasional line of dialogue?? Even better, he showed many of the traits that a lot of fans have portrayed him with in fanfics, fanarts and comics! Many of us believed him to be humble, sweet, and supportive, but also brave, willing to help in every way he possibly can, even potentially coming off as impulsive. It was just… beautiful!
And on top of all of this, and this is my most personal reason for loving this short: it fitted pretty much perfectly with my fanfic "Fire Pit". I don't know, I guess I just kept thinking how in that story Flash had felt insecure and unfulfilled about not having magical powers to help in battle, and how here, he was perfectly happy to support and help the magic warrior girls with his human abilities, not being the ultimate hero, but bringing a spark of hope to the rest. I'm just saying, if "Fire Pit" was a canon story, this song would've been A+ character development for Flash, and potentially his equivalent of Sunset Shimmer's "My Past Is Not Today". But, like I said, that last reason in personal and mostly an inside thought I had during my third or fourth watch onwards x'D
(And as a little side-note, Sandalwood's small rapping was totally wicked)
Was there anything I didn't like about this song? Yeah, I can think of a few things. First of all, I kinda felt like Flash's voice used a bit much autotune. Vincent Tong is a GREAT singer and has a beautiful voice, so I don't think that much autotune was really needed (But I don't know, maybe the style of this song required it). Flash didn't play his guitar, which is a real shame, because it is pretty iconic to his character. I also would've liked a little SciFlash scene (which, I KNOW, I KNOW, the ship isn't canon, and it's never going to be, I'm aware. But you know me, I can't help myself. At least we got a little bashful look from Sci-Twi when Flash sung at the start, so I guess it's better than nothing). Oh, and also they showed us a shot of Flash shirtless… only to prove he has a flat tummy :'D Well, Abs Sentry will always be canon in my heart, as will SciFlash…
BUT REGARDLESS! These negative points didn't even come close to lessening my overall enjoyment of the absolute gift that was this song. There are certain dates with significant events in the fandom that I will never forget: September 26th, 2015 (the premiere of "Friendship Games", my favorite Equestria Girls movie which introduced not only my favorite character but also my OTP), December 17th, 2017 (the day Flash Sentry first debuted his epic new hairdo in the shorts "Best Trends Forever" and "Pinkie Pie Snack Psychic", the latter of which included SciFlash), and now, September 1st, 2019. The day the dream of many Flash Sentry fans finally became a reality.
Wow, if you read through all of that, I love you almost as much as I love Flash. Almost.
Now I'm going to bed, my fingers hurt and it's late, hehe…