Uphill or Downhill: to be, or not to be?

[Comet Tail 809]

Okay, let me re-hash this: where does everypony think the show is going in terms of quality?

 

I've seen some people say that it's gone on too long and needs to come to an end. It seems rather popular on certain sites to criticize and be pessimistic about the direction and quality of the show.

 

But at the same time, I see plenty of ponies who remain optimistic about the quality and think it's going uphill.

 

I belong in the latter category.

 

I understand the first season had a certain charm to it - everything was new then. We got a lot of defining moments, and that's when we first fell in love with whatever it is we love about the show - for me this was the setting, the ponies, the social interactions and the upbeat nature of the show, along with its slice of life endearing tales.

 

But season 1 had things that I don't particularly think of as "high quality entertainment," like looney-tunes type "anvil and piano dropping on Twilight's head" and yakkity sax chase scenes. What I love about the show seems to have blossomed in later seasons; episodes like "Flight to the Finish" and "Bloom and Gloom," and especially "Amending Fences" are all relatively slice-of-life yet have emotional depth, complexity, and realism that simply didn't exist in the first two seasons.

 

Those ponies in the first category I mentioned earlier have also expressed concern that the creators are running out of ideas. Here's why I'm not too concerned about that: The show has changed. Twilight stopped being the only one to write to Celestia, all the mane 6 started sending letters. Twilight got wings and became a princess. The Golden Oaks library exploded and was replaced with a crystal palace, and now there's a Cutie Map that points them on adventures. Rainbow Dash learned to enjoy reading, became a Daring Do fan, and Daring Do became real. Twilight gained a brother and an entire new Kingdom appeared (The Crystal Empire). The Yaks - another entirely new kingdom - were introduced as late as this season. We even discovered that Pinkie Pie has a secret party-planning bunker this late into the series.

 

In short, they're not afraid to shake things up, and when you shake things up like that, introduce new concepts and ideas, you create a plethora of new possibilities that allows the show to stay fresh and original, however long it keeps going. Given all these changes, I wouldn't even be surprised if the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks - especially given "Bloom and Gloom" and the cutie mark emphasis of this season.

 

So I think the show is going to be able to keep going, well, pretty much indefinitely and remain consistently high-quality, fresh, and original.

 

If nothing else, the animation quality has objectively gone up.

 

But what do you think? Are you a Bloom and Gloomer or a Spark of Hoper? Is the series going to keep going for a long time, is its quality going to stay consistent, and should it go on for a long time?

 

There's some shows that have gone downhill and would warn against it (some might cite The Simpsons). Some, though, I think show that the contrary is possible (say, Star Trek - though that's not a claim without controversy!)

 

What do you think?

Edited July 10, 2015 by Comet Tail

[SolyWack 482]

For me, the show was definitely better in earlier seasons. Now thats like saying chocolate ice creams worse than Vanilla. They are still both bucking great, but one has to be better.

 

And its for a lot of the reasons you put above

 

It was new. It was an amazing new adventure with characters i wanted to see blossom. The show is like a flower.

 

S1:seed. I was exited for the new experience, i liked the characters and their interactions. It compelled me to continue

 

S2:Bud. The show really started kicking off, with the best premiere and arguably the best finale (it was the one that made me watch the show), the show really started to grow. With incredible character development and new villians. The mane 6 were being pushed into new territories.

 

S3)Bulb. The show was ready to show its true colors. It set up everything. It had sone good episodes, but we couldnt wait for more

 

S4)Flower. The show used its new power of twilicorn. It also got rid of the elements, a staple deus e... I mean plot device of the show. The rainbow connection arc was most certainly the best of the show.

 

S5)Winter is coming. We can see it on the horizon. The end of an era. The show gives off its last bit of waning color, but we want it to stay, WE NEED IT TO.

 

S6) ????? Will it die? Or will we keep it alive?

 

That was completely unnecessary, but i was feeling cryptic. Pretty much i just liked the older stuff. It was better. Nuff said.

 

But i dont want the new stuff to end. Mlp is turning into Pokemon 2.0. I want to keep loving it, but my heart must go on ( Celine Dion starts singing).

[RarityFan01 2,445]

What is something that Season 5 lacks that the previous seasons don't? 

 

Music! 

 

We barely had any music this season, and unless we get a song next episode, there won't be another song for months.. 

 

Season 5 also has lots delayed episodes. 

 

I wouldn't say the show quality is going down, but I would say that Season 5 is so far tied with Season 3 as the worst season yet. 

[----------------------- 171]

Season 1 wasn't bad at all, but like you mentioned, it wasn't amazing in terms of quality. It gave a good chunk of episodes introducing the characters with plots that summarized their personalities in entertaining ways, but then there were others that didn't really stand out that much. In my opinion, Season 2 kicked the show off with a great secondary chance. Discord was introduced, we had more memorable episodes, and the finale was very intense and unique with the usage of changelings. 

 

Season 3 was meh at best, at least for me. The finale was a bit rushed and undoubtedly left a huge mark on the fandom, and most of the episodes didn't surpass the quality of the first two seasons. However, it still had some highlights, and the animation was a big improvement.

 

Season 4 was better than the previous season, and a brand new arc being introduced was nice. Like Season 1, it had many good episodes and then there were some that weren't that great - but that goes for every season. I liked it, and it proved that the show can move on with differences and expand on them. 

 

So far, Season 5 has been enjoyable. I've appreciated each episode in its own way so far, and the main focus on cutiemarks is interesting. I also love the callbacks to the first season, with Gilda and Stephen returning, as well as the recent episode. The delays may have impacted the ratings and such, but show-wise, it's been in good standing.

 

Overall, the show has been strutting through rather nicely, and I can see it going towards that route for quite some time. There's just so many ideas that can be stretched out and, of course, world-building. 

[Flint Sparklehooves 37]

Well I'm up to season 3 ep 13 so far, and I'm definitely sensing a weakening in quality, with this 3rd season.  Between season 1 and 2, I think 1 slightly edges out 2, for me.  But they're close.

 

I also haven't really cared for any of the season opening or finale episodes/2-parters.  The ones meant to be big and epic with super-duper villains--they just don't do it for me.  Though I did enjoy Keep Calm and Flutter On, with Discord.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Season 5 isn't worse, it's just different and it'll take a little time to get used to. Also, we need more songs.

[cider float 2,539]

The fact that people keep needing to have clarification on the state of the show like this means they got serious doubts

Edited July 10, 2015 by cider float

[Megas 28,357]

I'm really enjoying season 5 for the most part, and I feel the show has been fairly consistent in quality(personally I find Season 3 horribly underrated)

 

As for how long it should last, that really depends. Normally I'd say they should end it while it's still good, but it's still possible for a long running show to still stay consistently good(King of the Hill comes to mind)

 

As for S5's issues, it more has to do with Discovery's shitty scheduling than anything

Edited July 10, 2015 by Megas75

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I watched old episodes of season 1 in few days  . Suddenly I feel Season 5 has lacked something ...Something it has lost a bit from season to season ... Now I do not know what it is anymore...   . I dont doubt Season 5's quality, but everytime I re-watched some episodes from season 1 to season 2, i feel that Mlp has lost something after season 2...  and after seasons. Mlp just like my life, it lost something every year... 

[BastementSparkle 20,335]

I think it's done nothing but get better. Season 4 is my favorite season so far, and season 5 has only had a single episode I've had a real problem with, and even then I still liked it. Every other episode has been...not necessarily flawless, but all of them I'd consider great for one reason or another. "Make new Friends but keep Discord", "The Cutie Map", "Amending Fences", and plenty of others could all easily fit onto my favorites list.

 

 I've been around since late season one, the show definitely has a different feel now. Some people will like it less, or like it more, and that's fine. Honestly though, some people's obsession with the show "Losing quality and dying!" is a little irritating. It's like nobody can imagine the idea of a show lasting long and still being good, even though that's entirely possible.

[Jammo 986]

They are taking bigger risks, expanding the mythology and going into more complex, often adult morals.  Yes.  Better.  I don't want to go back to "Dear Princess Celestia" spelling out what was just told to me.  It's gotten so sharp the episode can speak for itself.

[Manman20x6 359]

What is something that Season 5 lacks that the previous seasons don't? 

 

Music! 

 

We barely had any music this season, and unless we get a song next episode, there won't be another song for months.. 

 

Funny, I feel the other way around. Maybe not season 5 specifically, but the more recent seasons feel like they're shoehorning in way too many songs, and as a result they tend lose their effectiveness. Season 4 in particular felt like it had a song in every other episode, and I can't remember how half of them go. Compare that to season 1; practically every brony can sing "Winter Wrap-Up" and "Art of the Dress" by heart.

 

Personally, I feel like the show is slowly going downhill. Not to say that season 5 doesn't have some great episodes (The Cutie Map is the best season premiere yet), but it also has some of the worst ones (Tanks For The Memories ruined Rainbow Dash) and plenty of "meh" episodes (Princess Spike, Party Pooped).

 

I would rather see the show end with the release of the movie in 2017 than see it milked dry and leaving the fans with bitter last memories.

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

It's really complicated. We had great episodes this season like Amending Fences and The cutie map, but then yu have episodes like Appleloosas most wanted and Princess Spike. But i would say that S5 so far is really strong and if the episode tomorrow is also really great, we can go into the mini hiatus, with a good calm mind, knowing that the next 13 episodes will also be mostly great.

 

Now when it comes to the shows length, i would say that they should stop at Season 6 and then put the icing on the cake with the Movie that comes out in 2 years. We would have had 7 great years and we could be proud to look back on it, because after awhile, there could be a certain sign of fatigue in the show and i fear that the writers will get tired of writing for ponies.

[cider float 2,539]

I feel like the episodes are getting way more generic and watered down.

[Comet Tail 809]

I'm not sure what else I can add, here, since I've already laid out my thoughts quite extensively in the OP, but I did have this thought; You know, some people don't like the show at all, and some people are just going to be such picky critics that nothing can satisfy them. But no matter how much you argue with someone who doesn't like the show about why it's a good show, it's not going to make them like it any more than arguing that recent seasons are just as good is going to be effective. It's really just "do you like it?" And for me, yes, I still love dem ponies.

[Cirrus. 1,093]

I think the show definitely has a different feel to it now, but I don't think it has gone down in quality at all. There's still so much that can be done with it!

 

In my opinion, the show hasn't gone to stupidville yet. When it does I'll probably move on. Stupidity is the reason why I don't like a lot of the newer cartoons out there.