Are opportunities with episodes being squandered?

[ManaMinori 4,149]

 

 

I can't help but see setups where the staff have the opportunity to have thd mane 6 go their seperate ways due to careers, the more logical path not taken, and think that they are. Rarity has been given many opportunities to sty in Canterlot or Manehattan, to work on pieces for big name ponies, but chose to stay with her friends. Rainbow Dash has been given setup to tour with the Wonderbolts across Equestria, but chose to stay with her friends. Twilight chose to stay in Ponyville rather than Canterlot, after making fiiends. Spike had opportunity to stay Dragn Lord, and rule, possibly finding out more about his dragon heritage, but didn't.

 

are vital opportunities to further grow and progress these characters, while introducing the viewers to new characters and morals lost, by not splitting up the mane 6; such as adressing the challenges of long distance friendships (since it looks like they won't be doing that with Sunset Shimmer), and it only making bonds deeper?

 

Othreateningin their frendship? or perhaps the challenge of trying to make friends find new places, or the separated 6.

[Jeric 46,884]

A separation arc would probably be better handled narratively in another medium for several reasons. Especially since you bring up wanting to expand the cast on a more consistent basis. I'm assuming that is what you mean by 'meeting new friends' since they do that already through their current adventures as the character list grows each season.

 

A 12+ issue comic run or book series would allow for this idea to be better fleshed out without concern for altering the established tone and episode cadence. It isn't a horrible idea, but it is one that arguably limits the storytelling a tad and may not fit with the current structure.

 

It also would only work if the payoff is that they reunite at the end.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

It is a nice idea for MLP to better expand its reach and to give more characters the spotlight, but in addition to what @Jeric said, MLP is still bound to a strict formula as far as the structure of its episodes and character dynamics. It would have to change things up a lot and I don't think MLP is a franchise that is well-equipped for that. It's a case where MLP is almost too good for itself, in which the narrative has become so expansive that it is breaking the strict bounds the show is grounded by. Opportunities to expand the show like this have little chance of making it because of the way the show is run.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Wind Chaser

[dekutree64 713]

Nope. There are plenty of fictional and real life stories that cover such "logic over emotion" life planning, and comparatively few that show how you can still achieve your dreams without having to ditch your BFFs.

 

Back between season 3 and 4, they had the opportunity to move the whole group to Canterlot, and I do think that would have been a good thing. But I don't want to see the group split up.