MLP: The Manga: A Day in the Life of Equestria Volume 1
This was a ton of fun. Unlike the IDW comics, this focuses almost entirely on being cute and silly, as opposed to really trying to tell a story. That said, there are multiple storylines, each focusing on different characters.
First, Pinkie Pie finds herself lost in alternate realities and Twilight and Spike go searching for her. This could have worked for an entire volume, but it's just about 12 pages depending on how you count it. This is a lot of fun regardless, giving brief glimpses of other worlds. It brings in Doctor Hooves to resolve everything, but the nature of the story makes that fine.
Source
Next, Pinkie Pie guides Celestia around Ponyville while Twilight tries to wrangle with a petrifying spell. This is another really fun story, though I feel like Celestia is the one who deviates the most from her normal personality, and appearance. She's a lot more... how do I put it... anime. It also has Celestia send a claw machine she doesn't like to the moon, as a warning to those sick of that joke. This story introduces the closest thing to an overarching story: Star Dancer, the pony who definitely is not an alien.
Source
Third, Rarity is asked to make an outfit for a special client, who turns out to be The Smooze. This becomes true manga in that story, thanks to Rarity getting a bath scene with Sweetie Belle. I liked this one for ojousama style Rarity and because I generally like stories where Rarity has to overcome obstacles. You'll have to get the manga to see Rarity take a bath >_>.
Fourth, Fluttershy is scared to give a speech and hides in her shed. And yes, the manga makes references to SHED.MOV, which disappointed me a bit. There are good moments though, like this.
Source
Fifth is the weakest story of the lot, focusing on Applejack, of course. Flim and Flam show up again to cause trouble, but the special apples they brought turn out to be crab apples, as in apple-shaped crabs that go around pinching everyone. It's a lot of story, not many gags. It also has the odd detail that despite Spike having wings, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are still making fun of blank flanks and Apple Bloom has to be forced to help them instead of watching crabs pinch them.
I wasn't a big fan of the sixth story either. Derpy is wrecking stuff, so Rainbow takes her to Zecora to find a cure for her clumsiness. Instead, Derpy uncovers a dragon claw and accidentally wishes for Rainbow's flying skill, leaving Rainbow as clumsy as Derpy used to be. They fix this.
Seventh is a story focused on our new not-an-alien pony, Star Dancer. We start out with Pinkie and the CMC sneaking into a theater showing a scary alien film, and a suspicious comment from her causes the CMC to trail her.
Source
We do end up learning more about her, and I won't reveal what that is, but it's definitely going to play a major role in Volume 2, which we know will have a continuous story all throughout about a time loop on the day of a festival.
And the last story is pure self indulgence as the ponies play out various manga tropes, with ninja, a giant monster, a magical girl, and a pony running with toast in their mouth. It's a lot of fun, and I would have liked it explored more, particularly since the only ones who get much focus in this part are the Apple Family, Twilight, and Spike.
Overall, I definitely recommend checking it out. This manga won't offer a meaningful story or lessons or character development, but it's super cute and a ton of fun.
Source
