The essential difference between FIM and past generations

[Noei 717]

what is the essential difference between FIM and the past gen that make you love FIM more .(or make you like the past gen more?)

 

Plz don't be offensive .

Edited August 17, 2014 by Aileron

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

Well let's see. FIM has better characters, better animation, better art, better songs, better writing, better humor, and pretty much better everything in my eyes. I'd say the most essential thing is the characters since they are the biggest reason I like the show. They are much more developed and interesting than anything from the previous gens.

[_Kurtis 636]

You want to know why I think G1 is better than G4? Sure!

Ahem...

 

G1 had a lot of effort put into it. Everyone behind the show/specials strived to make all of the viewers fall in love with it. What is there to say about it? It's amazing. Better than Friendship is Magic, even. The dangerous plots always took the ponies on some incredible adventure where they always meet some sort of villain. The writers always sneaked in some comedy, emotion, and even suspense at the perfect moments. The lessons that the writers came up with are amazing; in G1, the lessons almost blew me out of my seat - because I realized, kids can actually learn from that, it took real-life problems that kids often struggle with! For me, most of the "lessons" in G4 are often forgettable, and most kids in real-life won't learn from it because it isn't relatable; this goes for some, if not most of the lessons in G4 (that's just my opinion). Creativity is also a very big part in this; the plots, villains, and adventures were incredibly creative. Ponyland being turned into glass? Yes, that's creative. The "heart" of Ponyland being distrubed, causing everything in Ponyland to go hay-wire? Yup, that's awesome to watch (not to mention it's creative). A purple goo that's not only covering and ruining the ponies land, but it always ruins the mood of any pony it touches? Yup, that's awesome and creative.

 

The show/specials isn't the only good thing about G1, though. The G1 toys were AMAZING! Most of you Bronies only watch the G4 show, while thinking the G4 toys are bad. Which is a little odd, considering My Little Pony is a toy franchise. Anyway, back to the G1 toys; they were actually hand crafted. The crafters put every tiny little detail into the pony, and it ultimately worked out, because they are to die for! Not only do fans of G1 have fun watching the show, they have fun collecting the hand crafted toys. I also want to mention that G1 had good variations of the toys. Unlike G4, which has stupid variations like EQG, Ponymania, Pinkie Pie's Boutique, and Rainbow Power. G1 actually has good variations; Colorswirl Ponies? Great. Flutter Ponies? Great. Sea Ponies? Great. Brush 'N Grow Ponies? Super pretty! Baby Ponies? Great. Twice As Fancy Ponies? Great. So as I mentioned, the show isn't the only good part of G1, the toys are too!

 

Honestly, G4 is the worst generation to me. The characters are all typical and un-original. The fashionista, the athlete, the nerd and the shy one... hmmm, do any of those sound familiar? Plus, almost everything in it is copied from the past generations, the characters being the most obvious.  The show itself is boring as heck - the "adventures" are... wait a minute, they don't even HAVE adventures! And the whole "learning about friendship" thing is getting old. And please, DON'T get me started on the G4 toys!

 

There. I made my post, and I'm quickly leaving this topic before 99% of the Brony population overload this topic with older gen hate.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Mami Tomoe

[Shanks 10,811]

Since G1 is the one I know the most about besides G4 I will comment on that. In G1 the ponies are much more child like and rely heavily on the human girl Megan in my opinion a bit much but not so much to where it ruins the show. G1 has a lot more adventure stories and themes than G4 does with some of its villains being able to get away with certain things that probably wouldn't be allowed into G4 like Tirek threatening to decapitate Spike not once but twice for example.The mane cast is not as consistent as in G4 with it constantly switching mane character depending on the episode/episodes/special.

 

My Little Pony Tales which is the follow up to the original cartoon is often attributed to G2 but is actually G1.5, it was in my opinion a step backwards from the original cartoon with it being a rather bland "teen" show but it is way way better than most of the "teen" shows that air today though it still wouldn't be my first choice of something to watch. The setting is very modern human, essentially it is your typical teen show except with slightly anthropomorphic ponies making the ponies not as child like as the original G1 cartoon but a bit more Mary Sue like.

[Eliash147 159]

 

Ahem...

 

It had a lot of effort put into it. Everyone behind the show/specials strived to make all of the viewers fall in love with it. What is there to say about it? It's amazing. Better than Friendship is Magic, even. The dangerous plots always took the ponies on some incredible adventure where they always meet some sort of villain. The writers always sneaked in some comedy, emotion, and even suspense at the perfect moments. The lessons that the writers came up with are amazing; in G1, the lessons almost blew me out of my seat - because I realized, kids can actually learn from that, it took real-life problems that kids often struggle with! For me, most of the "lessons" in G4 are often forgettable, and most kids in real-life won't learn from it because it isn't relatable; this goes for some, if not most of the lessons in G4 (that's just my opinion). Creativity is also a very big part in this; the plots, villains, and adventures were incredibly creative. Ponyland being turned into glass? Yes, that's creative. The "heart" of Ponyland being distrubed, causing everything in Ponyland to go hay-wire? Yup, that's awesome to watch (not to mention it's creative). A purple goo that's not only covering and ruining the ponies land, but it always ruins the mood of any pony it touches? Yup, that's awesome and creative.

 

The show/specials isn't the only good thing about G1, though. The G1 toys were AMAZING! Most of you Bronies only watch the G4 show, while thinking the G4 toys are bad. Which is a little odd, considering My Little Pony is a toy franchise. Anyway, back to the G1 toys; they were actually hand crafted. The crafters put every tiny little detail into the pony, and it ultimately worked out, because they are to die for! Not only do fans of G1 have fun watching the show, they have fun collecting the hand crafted toys. I also want to mention that G1 had good variations of the toys. Unlike G4, which has stupid variations like EQG, Ponymania, Pinkie Pie's Boutique, and Rainbow Power. G1 actually has good variations; Colorswirl Ponies? Great. Flutter Ponies? Great. Sea Ponies? Great. Brush 'N Grow Ponies? Super pretty! Baby Ponies? Great. Twice As Fancy Ponies? Great. So as I mentioned, the show isn't the only good part of G1, the toys are too!

 

Honestly, G4 is the worst generation to me. The characters are all typical stereotypes. The fashionista, the athlete, the nerd... hmmm, do any of those sound familiar? Plus, almost everything in it is copied from the past generations, the characters being the most obvious.  The show itself is boring as heck - the "adventures" are... wait a minute, they don't even HAVE adventures! And the whole "learning about friendship" thing is getting old. And please, DON'T get me started on the G4 toys!

 

There. I made my post, and I'm quickly leaving this topic before 99% of the Brony population overload this topic with older gen hate.

 

While I Dont hate the older gens that post baffles me a bit

1 G4 Lessons are very relateable Because (as a 13 year old boy) I have been through many of them

2 Toys dont matter jack shit its the shows

3 The mane 6 are made to BREAK stereotypes 

Rarity: Typical fashonista whos not afraid to get down and dirty

Rainbow Dash: Typical Athelete who has a large form of Anxiety 

Fluttershy: Shy one who will stand up for her freinds when needed

Pinkie Pie: Crazy one who will think the worst when sad and has alot of heart

Twilight: Nerd I didnt study this one enough :/

Applejack: Redneck with a large backstory

4 Its A slice of life The ponies arent supposed to go on many adventures They're supposed to through a Relateable Daily life

5 If you think the G4 toys are bad

A: Refer to Reason 2

B: If you think the toys are bad because they dont resemble real horses then I really dont know what to say

6 I dont understand how you like something like G3 or G3.5 Because G3 is just really badly made with all the ponies cardboard cutouts and G3.5 Is not justified its lack of everything just cause the little girls enjoy it because they only enjoy it because what they're watching is made out to be "good" and they're not smart enough to realize that its bad because they're newborns

While I Understand you liking something like G1 for adventure factor And sorta understand you liking G2 as its a guilty pleasure for me I would like a larger explanation on why you like G3 and G3.5 is just bad and you cant argue with that

This is my Large Totes not hate response

[_Kurtis 636]

1 G4 Lessons are very relateable Because (as a 13 year old boy) I have been through many of them

 

2 Toys dont matter jack shit its the shows

 

3 The mane 6 are made to BREAK stereotypes 

Rarity: Typical fashonista whos not afraid to get down and dirty

Rainbow Dash: Typical Athelete who has a large form of Anxiety 

Fluttershy: Shy one who will stand up for her freinds when needed

Pinkie Pie: Crazy one who will think the worst when sad and has alot of heart

Twilight: Nerd I didnt study this one enough :/

Applejack: Redneck with a large backstory

 

4 Its A slice of life The ponies arent supposed to go on many adventures They're supposed to through a Relateable Daily life

 

5 If you think the G4 toys are bad

A: Refer to Reason 2

B: If you think the toys are bad because they dont resemble real horses then I really dont know what to say

 

6 I dont understand how you like something like G3 or G3.5 Because G3 is just really badly made with all the ponies cardboard cutouts and G3.5 Is not justified its lack of everything just cause the little girls enjoy it because they only enjoy it because what they're watching is made out to be "good" and they're not smart enough to realize that its bad because they're newborns

While I Understand you liking something like G1 for adventure factor And sorta understand you liking G2 as its a guilty pleasure for me I would like a larger explanation on why you like G3 and G3.5 is just bad and you cant argue with that

This is my Large Totes not hate response

 

I replied to each of your numbered opinions in order.

 

 

1. All I'm saying is that the G1 lessons are better.

 

2. The toys do matter because My Little Pony is a TOY FRANCHISE.

 

3. Well, they didn't do a very good job of breaking them.

 

4. Exactly, that's why it's boring.

 

5. Yes, the toys suck. While I agree that they don't resemble ponies, that's NOT the reason why I think the G4 toys are bad.

 

6. It's all a matter of opinion.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Mami Tomoe

[MilesTheLunar 67]

I wanna say my piece before the inevitable flame war consisting entirely of the two sides bouncing "my gen's better than yours," and the "don't like, don't watch," fallacy back and forth.

The biggest difference that I can find is the amount of effort.

The G4 writers treat children's cartoons as a valid artistic medium, often going as far as to hide secondary morals behind symbolism and lines that, at first, come off as plot holes. ("As long as it's within our budget.")

Edited August 17, 2014 by MilesTheLunar

[Eliash147 159]

@Mami tomoe

GODDAMNIT MAMI

We're talking about the SHOW ON TV and not the toys

Edited August 17, 2014 by Eliash147

[Noei 717]

plz ，I really do not wish this topic to became the next flame war

All I wanted is to hear different opinions from people.

We should know that no one can really define anything for being good or bad, because different people have different feelings about different things.

Honestly? I adore FIM. Honestly? I am curious why there are people that like the past gen while they dislike FIM.

But I totally respect everyone's opinions, and everyone have the right to write them without criticizing anyone or being critized

Edited August 17, 2014 by Aileron

[Eliash147 159]

plz ，I really do not wish this topic to became the next flame war

All I wanted is to hear different opinions from people.

We should know that no one can really define anything for being good or bad, because different people have different feelings about different things.

Honestly? I adore FIM. Honestly? I am curious why there are people that like the past gen while they dislike FIM.

But I totally respect everyone's opinions, and everyone have the right to write them without criticizing anyone or being critized

Well sorry if i came across as harsh 

[BronySteel 79]

I have absolutely zero connection to G1-3. G4 is the only one I know, and therefore my favourite automatically. I have no interest in looking into the older generations. Honestly, the older ponies are creepy looking... the cartoonish look of the G4 ponies is awesome.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Mister_SGG

[Shanks 10,811]

2. The toys do matter because My Little Pony is a TOY FRANCHISE.

That is true, but that is not the reason most of us have gotten into the franchise. I started getting plushies but only after I actually got into the show, I got plushies because I liked the characters. While we are on the subject of toys though I think that most of the toys from all generations are not that good, but because of demands from fans to make the toys more show accurate there are a few out there that are actually fairly good like 4DE's plushie line or these pony figurines they started releasing not too long ago like these Big Mac and AJ ones for example.

 

[IcyHaze 593]

It looks cute as fuck, and the animations can be damn hilarious xD

[Mythic Pony 16]

I think honestly everything is up a few notches. The story-lines, character development, humor, and design of the show itself are all really nicely done. Plus everything about the show is somewhat relatable, character-wise and message-wise. 

[chaos rains 190]

You want to know why I think G1 is better than G4? Sure!

Ahem...

 

G1 had a lot of effort put into it. Everyone behind the show/specials strived to make all of the viewers fall in love with it. What is there to say about it? It's amazing. Better than Friendship is Magic, even. The dangerous plots always took the ponies on some incredible adventure where they always meet some sort of villain. The writers always sneaked in some comedy, emotion, and even suspense at the perfect moments. The lessons that the writers came up with are amazing; in G1, the lessons almost blew me out of my seat - because I realized, kids can actually learn from that, it took real-life problems that kids often struggle with! For me, most of the "lessons" in G4 are often forgettable, and most kids in real-life won't learn from it because it isn't relatable; this goes for some, if not most of the lessons in G4 (that's just my opinion). Creativity is also a very big part in this; the plots, villains, and adventures were incredibly creative. Ponyland being turned into glass? Yes, that's creative. The "heart" of Ponyland being distrubed, causing everything in Ponyland to go hay-wire? Yup, that's awesome to watch (not to mention it's creative). A purple goo that's not only covering and ruining the ponies land, but it always ruins the mood of any pony it touches? Yup, that's awesome and creative.

 

The show/specials isn't the only good thing about G1, though. The G1 toys were AMAZING! Most of you Bronies only watch the G4 show, while thinking the G4 toys are bad. Which is a little odd, considering My Little Pony is a toy franchise. Anyway, back to the G1 toys; they were actually hand crafted. The crafters put every tiny little detail into the pony, and it ultimately worked out, because they are to die for! Not only do fans of G1 have fun watching the show, they have fun collecting the hand crafted toys. I also want to mention that G1 had good variations of the toys. Unlike G4, which has stupid variations like EQG, Ponymania, Pinkie Pie's Boutique, and Rainbow Power. G1 actually has good variations; Colorswirl Ponies? Great. Flutter Ponies? Great. Sea Ponies? Great. Brush 'N Grow Ponies? Super pretty! Baby Ponies? Great. Twice As Fancy Ponies? Great. So as I mentioned, the show isn't the only good part of G1, the toys are too!

 

Honestly, G4 is the worst generation to me. The characters are all typical and un-original. The fashionista, the athlete, the nerd and the shy one... hmmm, do any of those sound familiar? Plus, almost everything in it is copied from the past generations, the characters being the most obvious.  The show itself is boring as heck - the "adventures" are... wait a minute, they don't even HAVE adventures! And the whole "learning about friendship" thing is getting old. And please, DON'T get me started on the G4 toys!

 

There. I made my post, and I'm quickly leaving this topic before 99% of the Brony population overload this topic with older gen hate.

ok my reply to you is simply this generation 4 is the only one most people relate to and as it progressed there was more villains and to be honest g1 lacked character g4 created it and made something massive happen and we are it the older ones at the begining may have ben ok but g3 and 3.5 near destroyed the show completely. G4 gave us real characters and real issues like how to deal with our friends and what society should be like rather than an extremely hateful fearful society which it is. It gives us new ways to think for ourselves and makes us question should we be divided by things we cant understand or should we try to understand and not hate or fear the differences. Everything in the series has a question and an answer and always makes a big deal out of real issues like how women can be just as strong as men in many ways and how we should learn to accept each other and not be so vile due to age appearance or so on. This is my view and yes I am an equalist which by that I mean im heavily against the ideas of class gender roles race and anything that can severely discriminate and divide. This is my opinion. G4 is a break in a very old divide.

[Envy 6,028]

I enjoyed the original series going back and watching it, but I think the appeal to G4's cartoon for me is mainly a matter of the fact that it is 'balanced'. The original series was not at all bad, and was entertaining, but almost every episode was a life-or-death situation with villains. The characters had personality, but it can be hard to keep up with them and their personalities with the aforementioned frantic villain plots in every episode (although that could have been helped if I had followed the show when it was releasing, as I would have more time to stop and think about each individual episode before watching the next lol). Tales (and G3, I'm assuming, although I haven't watched enough of it yet) took a complete 180 and became completely slice-of-life.

 

As I said, neither approach is wrong, but I just think that FiM's approach of being primarily slice-of-life with the occasional villain story thrown in helps balance it all out. You easily learn to love the characters in the regular season, but get the action as well.

 

That is true, but that is not the reason most of us have gotten into the franchise. I started getting plushies but only after I actually got into the show, I got plushies because I liked the characters.

 

Well, that just kind of proves the point... The show exists to advertise the toy line, and it has successfully done just that for you. =P

Edited August 17, 2014 by Envy

[Fractured 2,683]

Simply put, G1 is an adventure arc, the only My Little Pony series to actually follow that style. It's more focused on development of the action rather than the characters. While you get a small amount of character development, it's not a lot because that's not what it was made for. Instead, you get really impressive villains, and more dire circumstances, which gives the show the tense edge you see in all of the 80's cartoons like He-man and Transformers. Is it corny at times? Yes, but it was the 80's, it's more of a trademark than a defining point.

 

The later generations became slice of life. I can't really say much more than that because i've only seen one episode of G3 and G3.5

 

G4 is also slice of life, but it's even more of a character driven arc than the previous generations. Characters are fully fleshed out, with exceptionally defined characters. The bulk of the show tends to focus on the thoughts and feelings of the characters. While this may make the characters more relatable, the action is harder to come by, and the stakes are usually low risk. The villains, while impressive in their own rights, are never quite as formidable as they could be, because the focus often stays on the heroes.
You can't really compare G1 and G4 in storylines, they're too different in ideas. I suppose it's a battle of aesthetics.

G1's ponies were made to look lifelike, in stark contrast to the 80's cartoons habit of being...bigger than life. It does its job by making the horses more realistic, similar to the Lion King in scope. The world is amazingly detailed and fleshed out, and because it's an adventure arc, we get to see some exotic locations. It's effects aren't bad either; Tirek's death scene in particular was done really well, as was the scene with Smooze. Oftentimes, though, sometimes settles on the horse version of the uncanny valley,however, which can be distracting. The music...is rather corny, with a few exceptions. The cartoon itself also has a rather dark background, which is odd considering the ideals. It's colorful, but seems almost drab at times.

G4 ponies settled on a more cartoonish feel, almost anime in nature. They lack the realism, but the big eyes and odd proprtions make them endearing nonetheless. They also serve a dual purpose, big eyes are also better able to convey emotion, which is essential given the character driven narrative. As a byproduct, it lets them do more with characters actions, like the "put your hoofs up" scene in Return of Harmony Everything is more brightly colored too, which works well, which works extremely well with the former ideas. The music is really well done, with few exceptions. The animation is well done, but large scope effects are only rarely done(Sonic Rainboom, a royal Canterlot Wedding,etc.). The world itself is large, but even exact locations are never really fleshed out.(Ponyville is a good example of this; it oftentimes lacks consistency even between episodes).

Pick your poison, I suppose. Each show has good sides and not so good sides.

[Solecistic Miss 20]

I like the animation style of G4, but I wish they would have incorporated more stuff from G1 (all the different pony types, etc) but hopefully they might do that in G5 when it comes around

[Shanks 10,811]

Well, that just kind of proves the point... The show exists to advertise the toy line, and it has successfully done just that for you. =P

Kind of, but to a limited extent I do expect the plushies I get to be fairly accurate, they don't have to be perfect but at least close. Something like this, at the very least.

 

 

 

 

What I am NOT looking for is something like this.

 

 

 

[Venomous 18,820]

1. Generation 4 and past generations have strikingly different character designs.

 

2. Generation 4 doesn't try so hard to hammer in the stereotypical girl image, unlike past generations.

[Twilight Dirac 720]

 

 

2. The toys do matter because My Little Pony is a TOY FRANCHISE.

 

This only matters to Hasbro's accountants, not us.  We are going to like and dislike the show based on its own merits. 

[Jatuyu 33]

g1-3 hurts to watch (the girly-ness, thanks lauren for g4)

[Miles 2,512]

Applejack: Redneck with a large backstory

 

Smh.  Let me tell you something, kid.  If you think Applejack is a redneck, then you don't truly know what redneck means.  But, you're only 13 so I can understand this simple error.  Nonetheless, as a country boy myself, I had to correct you here.

[Eliash147 159]

Smh.  Let me tell you something, kid.  If you think Applejack is a redneck, then you don't truly know what redneck means.  But, you're only 13 so I can understand this simple error.  Nonetheless, as a country boy myself, I had to correct you here.

Heh, Yeah sorry

Stereotypes are getting to me

[Miles 2,512]

Heh, Yeah sorry

Stereotypes are getting to me

 

It's alright.  I pretty much have corrected people about things like that out of habit, because I know the difference, and I've seen it with my own eyes.

 

Hakuna Matata.  (It means no worries!)