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What do we expect from My little Pony?


Mesme Rize

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This is a topic that kind of varies to anyone  you might ask this question. If you ask bronies why they like the show, you don't always get the best answer. They always say "The characters are so fleshed out, the world is so big and colorful and the story is so deep." You know what my answer is? "It's cute, simple and brings a smile to my face." That's it.

 

There are people in this fandom, that expect MLP to be this big complicated cartoon, like Avatar, or Batman, or whatever Anime you have, while it actually more resembles the Sitcom Friends then anything else.

 

 

We shouldn't expect deep storytelling in a sitcom like friends. Yes, even there it happens from time to time, but it's not the norm. If you watch something like let's say the big bang theory, you see Sheldon being neurotic and everyone else will make some kind of reaction to that. MLP isn't that much different to that. If we get deep emotional scenes anyway, awesome. But if we don't, nothing was lost in the process.

 

In short, i am just very entertained by the show for what it is. Sure, sometimes there are episodes i don't like, but that's really not often the case.

 

So, what do you expect from the show and do you also think that we expect too much from it?

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FIM is more similar to Star Trek TNG than any other show, and that's what I expect from it--a feel good show with relatable characters, above average storylines, some good feels, some very respectable action, and above all, teaching what it means to be human and inspiring us in our daily lives.

 

Bottom line is I expect it to be more than other kids cartoons because it is.

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(edited)

i always tell myself to expect the worst, that way i can never be dissapointed! :D

tough usually i really don't expect a whole lot of deep story telling and stuff like that. in the end, all i ever really expect is a few nods or easter eggs towards the adult viewers, that's all.

Edited by repsol rave
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i expect it to be cute and funny.

 

Really, i dont expect anything else from it.
 

Sure, sometimes you get actually valuable morals, and greater stories,but i dont count on that.

As long as it is cute and funny, i am satisfied.

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(edited)

This does not bleed over to most other areas of my life, but at this point, I no longer have any expectations whatsoever. Even though I still adore ponies just as much as ever, I have all but lost interest in the show, itself. It's been going downhill at an accelerating rate and I don't see much hope for recovery. I feel like season three was the tipping point, and season four was what ultimately ruined the entire thing for me.

Edited by Kylo Ren
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I am not sure about my fellow Bronies and Pegasisters but all I expect is some good quality episodes with just the slightest hint of fan-service in the form of some well known background ponies getting a little screentime or seeing Big Mac have more lines. Stuff like that..

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i think you about summed up my feelings on the topic. im this way with pretty much everything i enjoy though. everything could use improvements in life but i wouldnt even have bothered being into the things im into if i didnt like it as it were. the only thing i expect is for the creators to do what they feel is right with what they make. im just along for the ride and if i somehow stop enjoying it i can always get off of the ride.

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This does not bleed over to most other areas of my life, but at this point, I no longer have any expectations whatsoever. Even though I still adore ponies just as much as ever, I have all but lost interest in the show, itself. It's been going downhill at an accelerating rate and I don't see much hope for recovery. I feel like season three was the tipping point, and season four was what ultimately ruined the entire thing for me.

might i ask why you think that the show went downhill at that point?

 

i understand that some people didnt like s3, but season 4 had episodes like that one with weird al, or pinkie apple pie etc.

it was, to me at least, the height of the show so far.

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I honestly don't expect alot of the show, And that probably why I end up thinking evry episode is really good :)

 

I think alot of people expect waaaay to much and loose alot if not all enjoyment in the show :(

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I don't really expect much; just a good show with good story-telling, interesting characters, and awesome locations.

 

I just love this show. :D

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(edited)

I think that any interpretation from the show is neither wrong nor right and the only thing that gives it credence is if it has personal value to the individual watching the show. Whether that person is someone who watches MLP and thinks it’s horrible, or who watches it as a distraction, or who watches it as a form of escapism, or who wants to write an in-depth critical analysis on the show’s merit—these ideas and all in between about the show are “right” and though all of these personal interpretations will give a different answer to “Why do you watch a show about colorful ponies?”, anyone of these answers are “the best answer” for the individual.

 

I’m fine with however anyone interprets the show in their way and however they give it meaning to themselves as long as they don’t start bashing other people’s view about the show. If you want to criticize that people in general look too deeply or that people in general don’t give the show enough credit, sure but I don’t think it really matters because for you and them the show means something different and that’s how it is.

 

Personally, I see MLP as a smart and creative show that I feel very connected to. It’s not the most intelligent or brilliant form of entertainment, show or literature, I’ve seen or I know is out there but I see a lot of great ideas and effort coming from the show that I really appreciate.  

 

Frankly it’s my favorite show. Yes, I’ve seen and read things much more intellectual, better-written, with better characters and plots, with morals, commentaries, & lessons that relate to our world in a much more direct way—but this show “speaks” to me in a different way.

 

The reason? Well I started watching the show earlier this year when I was going through some hard times. It brought a sense of joy to myself seeing all the innocent jokes, well-written characters, and intriguing and easy-to-follow plotlines. So I binged the first 11 episodes on the first day.

 

The major things that drew me and why I still watch the show are the characters (especially Twilight), their relationships to one another, and the innocent morals it didactically presented (explicitly before, implicitly now). I can relate to the characters well and some of their aspects inspired me to want to become like them—for example, Twilight’s love of learning for its own sake gave me motivation to find that childish curiosity in me again and her willingness to put aside her closeminded ideas about friendship and open herself up to other ponies also drove me to make my current in-real-life friend; Pinkie and Fluttershy’s friendly and amicable attitudes make me want to be the same; Fluttershy made me appreciate nature more, etc.

 

As for bonuses, the stories surrounding them are, for the most part, creative and written in a good way. The “lore” surrounding the MLP universe is fun to play around because it’s simplistic but is fascinating to think about. And the show is soooooooooo cute.  :yay:

 

So I’m not going to write analyses about every single symbol and motif in the show like you have to do for an English class, but I’ll critique the show in the way I think is most important—whether and why I like or dislike a character, plot, episode, etc. Maybe my level of scrutiny isn’t as high as after watching some smart anime or sci-fi show or reading a piece of literature, but I still take it somewhat seriously and MLP holds up to me.

 

I don’t expect anything from MLP. I just hope that they keep going the way it has been going so my personal bond with it can still remain. That’s all. Call me crazy, but the show’s meaning to me has helped me a lot, continues to motivate me in ways that matter to me, and will always have a place in my heart even when the show ends.  :derp:

Edited by estoc
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I don't think MLP is really comparable to friends or the big bang theory considering the fact that those are comedy shows whilst MLP is a mixture of all sorts of things. Comedy is not it's focus, and world exploration isn't as scarce as you think in current seasons, albeit seasons 1 and 2 were more simplistic there is no denying that the show has since pushed it's boundaries. In all honesty recently the show has been exceeding my expectations. So what are my expectations? Well I look for the following:

 

Good likable characters

 

Plot-lines which are interesting and provide further looks into the characters

 

Nothing more then fantastic animation 

 

And that's about it. 

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I think MLP does an excellent job with its characters - all of the M6 are unique, believable, flawed but positive and yes, pretty well fleshed out characters, IMO at least as well as pretty much any other show I've watched, and they, their friendships and development are the main the reason I watch the show. I also think it does a pretty good job with its worldbuilding and story elements (though I see it as really more a SoL type of show with occasional plot, and I'm totally happy with that) - at least by cartoon standards - but I don't expect it to be anything other than a cute and fun kids' show that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I definitely don't expect dark, mature themes or complex plots, or a lot of action or anything - the occasional bits, like the infamous Twilight/Tirek fight, can be awesome, but they're the exception not the rule, and that's why they work so well - if MLP had epic fight scenes every week it would lose its impact.

 

I do think it's dumb when people compare it to stuff aimed at adults, or even cartoons like Avatar etc which I haven't watched, but is obviously aimed at an older audience than MLP even if both are cartoons, so it can explore more mature themes. Obviously people watching MLP expecting a complex plot or tons of action are gonna be disappointed, because that's not what the show is about, and it's never pretended to be otherwise. It's fine if people lose interest or just don't enjoy where the show's going in future seasons, etc, but fans shouldn't blame the show for failing to meet unrealistic expectations just because of (some of) the fandom making it out to be something it never was. If you want ponies with more mature themes, complex plots, etc, there is a ton of fan works. IMO, if the show tried to pander or change too much just to please the older fanbase, it would lose a lot of what made us all fall in love with it in the first place. (Although I also think on the other side, some people exaggerate and think every tiny reference is "omg brony pandering!!!", when as long as they don't go too overboard, those have always been part of the show)

 

 

...So yes basically I agree with you :please:

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I don't expect every episode to play out like an epic poem, or a deep drama but I do expect some degree of quality which is not at all unreasonable. What do I mean by quality? I mean that the characters are for the most part in character, character development is natural and believable with a fine balance between things they constantly struggle to work on and having some degree of advancement. I expect plot devices to actually make sense and have a good reason for there instead of being arbitrarily shoe horned in at the last second like twilicorn was. I expect plot holes and inconsistencies to be minimal and any fanservicey stuff to actually make sense for the story and not just be there just to be there.

 

There are some episodes that I believe do fit this category but there is also an increase in episodes which do not, season 3 gets picked on and I can understand some of the criticism but I honestly think that is the most underrated season though on the flipside season 4 is the most overrated season with granted a few really good episodes but with most of the episodes either being mediocre or bad and season 5 has mostly been the same so far but the most recent episode leaves me with some hope.

 

I don't expect MLP to be as dark as Batman the Animated Series but like I said before I expect some reasonable degree of quality, MLP has shown us that just because a show is appropriate for children dosen't mean it has to suck. With that said I don't see why the flaws that do exist in the show are dismissed even by its fans as "it is a kids show" when the irony is that the quality of "mature" shows is falling farther and faster than the quality of "kids shows".

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(edited)

To compare FIM with a sitcom like Friends makes absolutely no sense. Friends is a comedic-centric because that's where its roots are. Comedy is not Friendship Is Magic's central focus; that's part of why we got failures like Somepony to Watch Over Me and Trade Ya!: They sacrificed character for comedy.

 

Friendship Is Magic has a lot more than that. It hast humor, sure, but it has fleshed out storylines. It has characterization, character development, plots that every single one of us can relate to, and a hell of a lot more than that. We've got very mature stories with extremely mature messages such as Rarity Takes Manhattan's messages about plagiarism and not letting go of your biggest qualities because someone manipulated you and The Cutie Map's dangers of cults. When Friendship Is Magic is at its best, it not only transcends the demographics it speaks to (kids and their parents), but also exceeds expectations. When done right, there's a level of both tangible and intangible quality in its stories. Tangible in how it's written, intangible by how it connects to people. The characters, world, and stories feel real even though it's a fantasy setting. The analysis sub-community isn't born for no reason.

 

In other words, it's disrespectful to the show to compare FIM with a sitcom like Friends. The best "sitcom"/comedy comparison that I know of is The Golden Girls: different demographic targets/markets and different content ratings, but their messages and morals aren't to be taken lightly. Like The Golden Girls, Friendship Is Magic is ahead of its time. That should be commended, but FIM can also do more even with the TV-Y content rating.

 

Do we expect too much? No. We all expect too little.

Edited by Dark Qiviut
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Hm, yeah, some people do expect too much of the show. If you ask me, they're killing the show for themselves if they keep holding the show up too high.

 

It might be that this exaggeration of the show's depth and quality comes - at least in part - from bronies attempting to validate themselves when placed under scrutiny by outsiders or even haters.

 

Anyway, because I wish to enjoy the show to its fullest, I don't do much speculation, I don't bother too much with "potential" and I usually avoid spoilers and synopses. It's one thing to be excited but it's a different thing entirely to have expectations. The latter only increases the chance of being disappointed, so no thanks.

 

That's how I think and that's what I do on the matter.

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I fun and good and cute characters. I don't mind seeing more complexity in the show and for the most part the show handles it well, but imo, shines with simplicity

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I expect Rainbow Dash.  And I expect to enjoy myself (with some exceptions).  That the fandom tears this or that episode apart, seriously, critically analyzes the series and individual ponies (in forms of beefy blog posts and review videos and what not), or conjures these ridiculous and elaborate theories out of practically nothing makes absolutely no sense to me.

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