Why do people in the fandom want to change the show?

[silvadel 1,393]

Actually I think the show needs more slice of life.

[Passion 3,489]

 

I must sign under this, even though I know it's just a matter of preference. I know the show is not innocent. As with many different shows, there's an abundance of references aimed towards adults. And I guess saying that allows me to keep my reasoning pretty short.

 

These references are subtle. So the show's general image feels and looks pure, even though its depth is greater than one could expect. I have absolutely NOTHING against implementing a variety of darker/more serious references in the show as long as they are subtle. (a lot of stuff that DQ pointed out, for example).

 

However, making the show approach a lot of issues openly/directly (Just as S5 premiere did [and thus being the reason behind me disliking the premiere]) in their plots kills the spirit of the show for me (Tanks for the Memories, even if insanely predictable, was a lot more better in this field imo).

 

Why change something that's wonderful the way it is and you love it already, and potentially ruin it for the others just for your own satisfaction ?

[Thunderlane 550]

I like how they calmly tackled racism in 'Bridle Gossip' and I do want it possibly in the future to view more social issues, but for now, I like it the way it is. The show could start to get boring to be honest, and facing new issues to make new friends (That's what the cutie map is all about, right?) will be a good theme to keep the series up.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Thunderlane

[Daring_Do 552]

I've seen many people in this fandom want one member or even the entirety of the mane six be lesbian or bi

Can't say I've ever seen this, but... Sadly, I don't think LGBT representation is why those people wanted that... :/

[Shanks 10,817]

I think there isn't anywhere near as many fans that want to change the show as drastically as you claim. Yes there are plenty of fans that want more adventure themed episodes and certain mature themes to be explored like Appleack's parents for example but I just haven't seen many fans clamoring for something like the death scene that was shown in the OP. Saying you want a certain themes explored in certain episodes is very very different than demanding a show be uprooted and completely changed to where it is unrecognizable from its original intent. I know that MLP is not the same as Transformers but as Dark Quiviut pointed out there are plenty of examples where MLP has taken a darker turn and yet it has not negatively impacted the shows more light hearted moments, in some cases I would argue even added to them.

 

This idea that just because a show is geared toward children that it must always be sunshine and lolipops is actually kind of insulting, when I grew up in the 90's shows like Batman the Animated Series challenged the conventions of what was considered a "childrens show" and MLP is doing the same thing in its own way. MLP is not the same thing, I think that is understood but if we were take all "darkness" out of MLP than it would be a hollow shell of what it is now, it would be like G3 except with better animation and voice acting. This does not mean that darkness or conflict should be there just to be there, but by the examples Dark Qiuvuit gave it is not entirely out of place or as unprecedented as the OP is arguing here.

[pony.colin 156]

 

As for people who state things like "there should be an on-screen death"...

 

I just cry a little on the inside at those asinine types of comments.   

 

 

We've already had that actually.  It took me a while to remember poor old Jim's passing, he will be missed. 

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

For me I think a decent amount of it has to deal with a piece of advice Kurt Vonnegut came up with when writing short stories:

 

6.Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

 

Basically people want to see what to see what our heroes are made of and pushing more mature topics like death, sexuality and politics allows one to be more sadistic towards the characters and as such we get to see there will and characters and see how they can triumph over the task that has been placed in front of them.

 

 For example, some of Superman's best stories were by Alan Moore, such as For the Man Whose Has Everything, in which Superman is subjected to an ordinary life on Krypton but the fantasy is a far darker representation than what had been shown in the Silver Age as well as Superman being emotionally devastated by the plant that cause the hallucination that he was almost willing to kill Mongol, and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? where all of Superman's villains actually become serious threats to him and his loved ones and he kills Mr. Mxyzptlk (who had decided to become an evil god basically) and so Superman subjects himself to Gold Kryptonite (which robs him of his superpowers permanently) as penance.

Of course the problem comes in where you take this stuff to the other extreme, such as what happened in the 90s with comics and everything was anti-hereos and brooding and other stuff that's not well received or looked back on very fondly today because they thought that simply having mature issues was mature, but completely forgot that focusing on the characters is far more mature and what people actually want to see. 

So if anything it's a balancing act. So long as we're given characters that are engaging and worth rooting for, I'm game for anything.