Thoughts. Lots of thoughts.

[QuestioningLogic 9]

Basically, I'm here to give my perspective on everything this fandom and mlp has to offer.

 

The Show

 

Season 1: Very obviously underdeveloped. Probably my least favorite season. It contains that horrendous premier, along with a bunch of forgettable episodes, save a few like Suited for Success and Sonic Rainboom.  

 

Season 2: Vast improvement, with a much better premier and finale and more memorable episodes. Sure there were duds (Mare Do Well), but overall, much better.

 

Season 3: Why do people hate this season? I dunno. It had fantastic episodes like Wonderbolt Academy and Sleepless in Ponyville. It was short, but that wasn't a huge problem for me.

 

Season 4: My favorite season. Chock-full of memorable characters, moments, and episodes. Flight to the Finish, Maud Pie (the episode and the character), and Pinkie Pride, just to name a few. People say the Rainbow Power sucked? Yeah, it did. But not overwhelmingly so. People also were dissapointed in the Equestria Games? What we got was a good Spike episode. What fans wanted? ....um... Sports? What would the plot be? What would be the conflict? I can't think of anything. I liked the Equestria Games episode, personally.

 

Equestria Girls

 

Ah, EQG. That movie that pretty much everyone hated. I thought it was bad, but not any worse than a bad episode of the show. They should have  had a movie with ponies, not humans. Oh well.

 

EQG 2: Rainbow Rocks

 

I have high hopes for this movie. The villains look interesting, and Sunset Shimmer is a friend now, and that's really awesome. So, I think it will be a vast improvement. 

 

The Fandom

 

There are a lot of problems with this fandom. But, there are problems with ALL fandoms. Clopping isn't too bad in my opinion. But there is one thing people constantly complain about that really gets on my nerves. That thing is...

 

Lauren Faust's Vision

 

I hate this. I hate this so much. I hate this enough that I almost wish Hasbro came up with the show themselves. Then we wouldn't have this phrase. Her vision isn't the end-all be-all of this show. I've seen her "vision," and I like the show better the way it is compared to what she wanted for it. I don't think anyone considers this: what if her vision just... sucked? But enough deep thinking, on to my next thought.

 

The Comic Books

 

I LOVE the mlp comic series. I think they are on par, if not better, than the show, and I look forward to the next issue more than the next episode.

 

Season 5

 

Based on what we know, and based on the animatic, I think this season is gonna raise the bar for this show. High hopes.

 

The Characters

 

This is the last section. I think these characters are fantastic. However, their execution could be done better.

 

Mane 6: Our main characters. Here's a list of my favorite one to my least favorite one.
 

Favorite- Rainbow Dash.   I think she has a lot of potential. I enjoy characters who act like that. I think her confidence and bravado are a mask for a loyal and caring friend.

 

2nd- Pinkie Pie.   So funny! And her personality is so complicated and deep. She really draws me in. Not to mention her episodes are usually some of the best. 

 

3rd-  A tie. Applejack and Twilight.   These two, I don't have strong feelings toward. 

 

4th- Rarity.  I think she can be a prissy bitch. But, her episodes ARE quite good.

 

Least Favorite- Fluttershy. She has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. And it frustrates me to no end that the writers never do anything interesting with her. 90% of her episodes are "be assertive" or "be brave." There are very few exceptions. And even worse, she has a gigantic fanbase. And from what I've seen, their main reason for liking her is "shes soooo cute!" Yeah... that's not enough.

 

Villians

 

All good heroes need good villains, and mlp is no exception.

 

Favorite- King Sombra. He looks cool, and the fandom made him even cooler. A Tale of One Shadow and Fall of the Crystal Empire, to name a few examples. That "worst nightmare" thing is awesome.

 

2nd- Discord.   Do I need a reason?

 

3rd- Chrysalis. She's cool. I guess. Like her voice.

 

4th- Tirek. Probably the smartest villain. And the most powerful.

 

5th- Sunset Shimmer. In the wrong movie, kind of underplayed.

 

Least Favorite- Nightmare Moon. Unimaginative and just total crap.

 

Side Characters

 

Far too many to list.

 

Favorites- Spike, Celestia, Maud, Seabreeze, the CMC.

 

Least Favorites- Luna. :comeatus: So overrated it's mind-boggling.

 

 

So that's my thoughts. Congrats to anyone who made it this far. You're probably bored out of your mind. Or maybe not. Maybe you got a new perspective on stuff. Who knows? Even I'm bored writing this. See you all! 

 

[Jeric 46,878]

Well, I disagree with some of your points and agree with others. I will say I feel that Season 3 isn't on par with the rest because the lack of Best Pony.

[Pastel 7,630]

When you say Fluttershy has so much potential, what are you expecting from her and her episodes?

[Jeric 46,878]

I also think that Rainbow Dash's confidence and bravado are more a mask for her underlying insecurity and fear of failure. That and I like to imagine her insecurity being tied to her amazing skill set (ex: She fears that speed and competitiveness is all she is. She isn't seeing herself as the complex mare she really is).

[碇 シンジン 27,439]

Well  I like Flutteshy not only because she is cute but because I can relate to her. I'm shy just like she is and those "be assertive" or "be brave" episodes (which may not interest you) show me that I can overcome my shyness. I totally understand that everyone may not relate to Fluttershy and may not understand these assets, but I feel that Fluttershy has helped me grow as a person and I hope that they keep doing those "be assertive" or "be brave" episodes in the future.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

Luna is vastly underdeveloped but I am hoping for some Character development so I dont headcanon her to pieces.

 

For Flutters I agree she has so much potential. What they need to do is take all the interpretations of her character and make then into a cohesive base to work from. She needs a free spirit like Discord and Iron will to bring out her confident side WITHOUT going overboard. I also would love when she does go over the edge to change into Flutterbat. I would love it if the three of them formed their own group.

[Jeric 46,878]

 

 

She needs a free spirit like Discord and Iron will to bring out her confident side WITHOUT going overboard.

 

That's the hope I have as well. Dash helped a little ... but Discord is the key I think to making Flutters really evolve.

[Old Fluttershy 349]

I like Fluttershy BECAUSE she has so much potential. Think about it, this Pegasus pony is basically scared of everything, the question is why?

I do agree that Hasbro is overplaying the whole "be assertive" though.

[chirox the pony 1,336]

I think the reason why I and others have a particular hatred for EG is because of how much potential there was in the concept, but it was all thrown away for a cliched high school drama because according to hasbro that's what little girls like.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Agree with about half the stuff you said (like Lauren Faust's vision. I honestly couldn't care less).

 

Completely disagree about Fluttershy. I don't quite understand all of the criticism she receives from certain people. I recently had a very long debate with MrAwkwardReviewer on the subject and in the end his argument dissolved into "Fluttershy sucks cuz u suck. Go watch adventure time, that's how you make real characters."

 

Idk, honestly I don't understand all the Fluttershy hate I see

[Abia 258]

Season 3: Why do people hate this season? I dunno. It had fantastic episodes like Wonderbolt Academy and Sleepless in Ponyville. It was short, but that wasn't a huge problem for me.

I agree-- I enjoyed season three a lot. I think it consists of very strong and very weak episodes, with little middle ground, which is why it's one of the less popular seasons. For me, the episodes were hit-or-miss, and luckily most of them were right on target.

 

People say the Rainbow Power sucked? Yeah, it did. But not overwhelmingly so.

I... I can't agree with that. Rainbow Power was just a grab for new merchandise. It... gah. Agh. Erk. I loved season four's finale, but the Rainbow Power was a bit overwhelmingly suckish in my opinion.

 

Ah, EQG. That movie that pretty much everyone hated. I thought it was bad, but not any worse than a bad episode of the show. They should have had a movie with ponies, not humans. Oh well.

I enjoyed EqG. I mean, it's not a great movie--I definitely can't call it a good one from a technical standpoint--but I enjoyed it. it was only the clichés that put me off. Those were bad--especially the entire high school thing. Which, I suppose, was the whole movie. Eh, I still didn't hate it.

 

Clopping isn't too bad in my opinion.

This is a discussion for a different topic, but clopping actually has my support. I don't think it's immoral, and even if it was, it's not like cartoon pornography is anything new. The one problem I have with clopping--and it is a big one--is how the artwork is rarely labelled, and how tons of it sneaks into Google's Safe Search. When I Google pictures of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor, I want pictures of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. Not their appendages.

...but as long as it's labelled properly, clop is fine by me.

 

Favorite- Rainbow Dash. I think she has a lot of potential. I enjoy characters who act like that. I think her confidence and bravado are a mask for a loyal and caring friend.

I agree that Rainbow Dash has tons of potential, but I disagree with... pretty much everything else you said. I believe that RD's outward impression is a mask, but I do not think she realizes this. I think she's insecure and unable to see any real value in herself, but has tricked herself into thinking she's the most awesome pony ever. Her experience with reading Daring Do summarizes this nicely: her denial was not just pride, but deep-seated worries surfacing at the simple problem. How could she be wrong about reading? How could she be wrong about anything? And if she's wrong about this... what else is she wrong about?

Speaking of, Daring Don't provided a nicer look into her character and further evidence to support my belief. But RD is not introspective, she doesn't realize how much growing she has to do, and her constant arrogance even after learning lessons about humility is what makes me dislike her.

 

2nd- Pinkie Pie. So funny! And her personality is so complicated and deep. She really draws me in. Not to mention her episodes are usually some of the best.

Eef, I definitely agree here! Pinkie Pie is easily and by far my favorite character. She is very similar to myself, in a way. Exteriorly, we're extremely (extremely) different, but I feel like we have similar moods: it seems that Pinkie is either really, genuinely happy, or desperately lonely and sad. I find her an extremely relatable character, and her oblivious and silly nature is very appealing to me. As someone who is constantly trying to put myself more out there, Pinkie Pie's friendliness is actually a bit inspiring to me. And, of course, her humor is often fantastic.

 

Least Favorite- Fluttershy. She has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. And it frustrates me to no end that the writers never do anything interesting with her. 90% of her episodes are "be assertive" or "be brave." There are very few exceptions. And even worse, she has a gigantic fanbase. And from what I've seen, their main reason for liking her is "shes soooo cute!" Yeah... that's not enough.

When I first began watching the series, I agreed wholeheartedly with everything you've just said. But recently, my opinion's changed. It really disappoints me that the writers never have her actually remember any lessons she learns about being assertive. But seeing her in Putting Your Hoof Down opened up a world of possibilities for her character, possibilities that even now I haven't tired of. I don't find her character on its own that appealing, but enjoy how she interacts with characters like Pinkie Pie and Discord--characters who have little or nothing in common with her.

 

Favorite- King Sombra. He looks cool, and the fandom made him even cooler. A Tale of One Shadow and Fall of the Crystal Empire, to name a few examples. That "worst nightmare" thing is awesome.

You're the first person I've met whose favorite villain has been King Sombra. I like him, but he doesn't have enough depth for me to really appreciate. I haven't looked up much into the fandom's interpretation of Sombra, largely because we simply have so little information to go off on and interpret.

 

3rd- Chrysalis. She's cool. I guess. Like her voice.

Ack, I love Chrysalis! She's got a huge amount of potential, and the Changelings are a fascinating race I'd love to see explored in the show. Chrysalis has so many different personality branches that the fandom has looked at. I also find her design absolutely stunning. I think she's probably my favorite villain. I love Discord as a character, but find it difficult to relate to him and appreciate him more as a troublemaking pony errand boy than a villain.

 

Least Favorite- Nightmare Moon. Unimaginative and just total crap.

I think Nightmare Moon is a good idea, one that has a lot of potential, but her appearance in season one's premiere was dreadful. Still, I loved the flashbacks with her in season four, and found SillyFillyStudios' interpretation of her (Fall of the Crystal Empire) really great.

 

Least Favorites- Luna. :comeatus: So overrated it's mind-boggling.

Oof, I've got to agree. While I do think Luna's overrated and don't like her all that much, I don't think she's as bad a character as I initially did. Her appearances aren't bad, but I don't find them all that exciting and find the fandom's enthusiasm for her a bit tiring.

 

Interesting thoughts you have there. I enjoyed reading them, and was surprised by how much I agreed with. (Is that a good thing?)

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

Hey look... A place to dump my dumb opinions. Let's get to it...

 

I like all the seasons about the same way. Every season has had excellent episodes and BAAAAD episodes. Now, I think that the way the episodes are organized, up to the end of season 3, the real important episodes are the openers and the finales. My favorite openers were The Return of Harmony and (despite it's problems) Friendship is Magic and The Crystal Empire (I can't choose one...) while the favorite finales were Best Night Ever and Magical Mystery Cure. Now, the reason I like Friendship is Magic is because of Nightmare Moon.

 

Nightmare Moon was not a bad villain. It was a terribly ill-implemented villain. If they did with Nightmare Moon what they did with Tirek, and did with the Elements of Harmony what they did with the Rainbow Power... Damn... An entire season for the girls to develop a relationship to come in the end of season so that Twilight realizes that they are friends and that is the "spark" that brings forth the sixth element. It would have been better than what happened in the fourth season because anyone paying attention knew what was going to happen from the first "key episode". The reason I think this is that the Rainbow Power is almost the same thing as the Elements, only the Elements look a lot better, and this way it would have been a lot more subtle.

 

I'm not sure what was Tirek's motivation. I liked him, but, the best villains for me were Queen Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon. Both Discord and Tirek (at least for me) felt like very well utilized villains but I couldn't care about their motivations. Much like Sombra is evil because he is a tyrannical jerk who doesn't care about others' lives, so are Tirek and Discord, just with different methods. Queen Chrysalis wanted to feed her changelings (despite the mess that was her execution of her plan... Or even it's logic). Nightmare Moon, was, at the time, like a fallen goddess. She had a background full of drama, full of resentment to be explored but went through the drain because of how she was used. Not to mention Celestia's side of it. But I guess that was back when, when the show didn't know it was famous.

 

About the Mane Six... A really can't choose a favorite. I love all of them and they play very nicely off each other IMO.

 

And I can't really find a character I don't like. If anything, I think that Luna is a bit "off". I don't understand her power of going into dreams and her desire to have the ponies awake during the night... Doesn't make sense to me and I get the feeling that the producers don't care. 

[Darker 1,352]

I agree with you in a lot of things, you give reasonable opinions and I cannot really judge what you think because... These are your opinions.

 

Though, just putting Sombra above the others because the fandom made him better? I agree, but, it's not canon... 

Edited August 28, 2014 by Darker