CastletonSnob 3,074 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 MLP is a great show, but what flaws would you say it has? I personally don't like how non-pony races are portrayed. They always have to get the ponies to help them. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megas 27,653 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 Any attempt at making a "humbling experience" just turns out to be a vindictive piece of shit 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar159 2,156 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 I honestly don't have any big problems with the show, I generally don't expect much more from the show than entertainment value, so I usually get what I want. If I had to give a problem though, the constantly changing writers and editors does give the show a constantly changing feel. Seasons often feel different or distinct from each other. Even so, the show does a good job enough job that this doesn't really bother me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGrimoire 4,973 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 The only thing that in any way really could be said to be a flaw for me, is the tendency to seemingly drop ideas and do nothing with them. This is due to all the different writers, and the possibility that the team is taking the show in other directions and just trying to abandon some of the old ideas. Still Nothing that bothers me overall. Every show has some sort of flaws and I prefer to watch and enjoy it instead of nitpicking little things within it. 7 ~No profound statement needed~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganondorf8 11,315 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 There are lots of inconsistencies that have occurred over the years resulting in later seasons contradicting events in earlier ones and vice-versa. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CypherHoof 26,483 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 Just now, GrimGrimoire said: The only thing that in any way really could be said to be a flaw for me, is the tendency to seemingly drop ideas and do nothing with them. This is due to all the different writers, and the possibility that the team is taking the show in other directions and just trying to abandon some of the old ideas. That said though - way way back when I used to GM RPGs, I used to make sure there were some loose ends and story hooks when it was convenient to do so; some of that was to give the players choices (if they didn't choose to follow up on something, then fine, it could stay in my notebook for some future group) but some of them I had no real plans to do anything with at the time - they were just there so they could flesh out the world for the players, and if I found something interesting to do with them later, then that was fine, it just made it seem I had some sort of long term plan there that was going on just out of earshot of the players.... ᚾᛖᚹ ᛚᚢᚾᚨ ᚱᛖᛈᚢᛒᛚᛁᚴ - ᚦᛖ ᚠᚢᚾ ᚺᚨᚦ ᛒᛖᛖᚾ ᛞᛟᚢᛒᛚᛖᛞ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlareGun45 2,221 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said: The only thing that in any way really could be said to be a flaw for me, is the tendency to seemingly drop ideas and do nothing with them. This is due to all the different writers, and the possibility that the team is taking the show in other directions and just trying to abandon some of the old ideas. Still Nothing that bothers me overall. Every show has some sort of flaws and I prefer to watch and enjoy it instead of nitpicking little things within it. Exactly this! Probably the biggest flaw I see on the show is abandoning story arcs. Like characters who should really have sequels should come back and them like Peewee, Babs, Lightning Dust, and Scorpan who should've really had episodes that continued their arcs long ago. It's not too late for them to come back to them though! Hopefully the writers can see some sense in this soon! Another flaw I have on the show is the amount of episodes each character has per season, whether it's each of the Mane Six, Spike, CMCs, and Starlight. Some characters get an overwelming amount of starring roles per season while others get underwelmed. Edited August 1, 2017 by MegaSean45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavens-champion 1,905 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 I would say that the pacing in some episodes is too long or too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Qiviut 22,422 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 13 minutes ago, Prowl said: Any attempt at making a "humbling experience" just turns out to be a vindictive piece of shit ^ One of the bigger ones in this show. I made a long laundry list from three years ago. Some have changed (Spike's treatment's much better nowadays; covered points like Rarity's behavior in Sweet & Elite and the art of consequences very poorly), others haven't. Stereotypical or unlikeable characters. This series is rife with them: Snips & Snails, Flash Sentry Walking Cardboard, pre-brainwashed Sunset, Cinch and every other Crystal Prep student sans Twilight, Feather Bangs Stereo Pop, Garble, and Strawberry Sunrise are a host of examples. Unfortunate implications, and some of them are really major. OBA justifying bullying and having an absolute solution to childhood bullying, the sexism and xenophobia in Dragon Quest, Big Mac trying to kiss a mare that hasn't reciprocated his feelings, and Trixie implicating suicide in NSP. Pacing of many episodes, even its good ones, can be really wonky. This series has a tendency to sway away the idea that not everyone can be friends, and that's fine. Griffon the Brush Off tried to handle that as a secondary moral, but it got lost in the shuffle when they painted Gilda as a antagonistic stereotype. (Griffonstone rights the ship.) They hinted that in other episodes, including Maud Pie, only to ignore it For most of the series, an episode that deals with a real-life subject that gets very sensitive isn't pull it off so effectively. Back then, @Wind Chaser linked a whole analysis debate between Dr. Wolf and CloudCookooCountry on YouTube off-thread. To echo and paraphrase what I wrote then: Bridle Gossip paralleling racism and suggesting that racism happens because of fright. Racism happens due to irrational hatred of another race. Doesn't help that all six are OOC, unlikeable, and had to be told a very anticlimactic lesson to their face. Over a Barrel's lesson about compromise is fine in itself, but attached with a tone-deaf settlers-Native ponification. Historically, Natives have the moral highground, because European settlers enslaved, maimed, and murdered them, and took over their homeland. One Bad Apple is the worst of the bunch. This entire episode is the second-worst anti-bullying PSA I saw or read (the worst the EQG Holiday Special). This episode makes the Apple Family look very incompetent and useless, DT and SS one-dimensional. On top of that, the episode tells and tries to show us how immoral it is to defend yourself against a bully and has the gall to state that the ONLY way to end it is to tell an adult (who may not care or knowingly encourage the bullying behavior). 3 "Talent is a pursued interest." — Bob Ross Pro-Brony articles: 1/2/3/4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparklefan1234 170,982 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 (edited) Two flaws I know MLP:FiM has/had are: 1. Enemies being defeated by the newest form of the Elements of Harmony in most of the Season Finale's. 2. Enemies suddenly realizing the error of their ways and becoming reformed after said defeat. (Starlight Glimmer & Sunset Shimmer spring to mind immediately.) I know most people won't see these things as flaws but, I'd just like the writers to try something different. Edited August 1, 2017 by Sparklefan1234 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrond 3,263 August 1, 2017 Share August 1, 2017 1 hour ago, VG_Addict said: I personally don't like how non-pony races are portrayed. They always have to get the ponies to help them. This is one of the more irritating recurring trends in my eyes. In cases like the recent "Not Asking for Trouble," where it's clearly because of an individual's decisions, I'm fine with it, but in other cases, the show likes to have non-pony species stand in for specific negative character traits, and I always find those episodes' stories about ponies teaching non-ponies how to friendship uncomfortable. Are we meant to view pony culture as "superior"? If you try to apply that same thinking to the real world, it gets kinda uncomfortable. And we know ponies have their own problems, but with groups like the Griffons, Dragons, and Changelings, we only see their "good" side in the form of individuals who want to be more like ponies, which is both sorta repetitive and rather uncomfortable in its own right. Wish the show would drop that sort of moralizing and commit to more nuanced worldbuilding. In general, the issues I have with the show vary wildly from season to season, so for issues with the show at this very moment my season 7 midway reflections should suffice. A couple other issues I've had with the show in recent years: Having characters act unusually in order to suit a moral. This season, particularly bad examples would be "Forever Filly" and "Honest Apple," in which Rarity and Applejack (respectively) are much more self-absorbed and insensitive than usual. You can sort of see why they'd act this way, but it's still inconsistent with the reasons why people like these characters in the first place, and having some of the main characters reduced to props for a moral is more than a little irritating. Unbalanced morals. I was fine with even "28 Pranks Later" and its disproportionate retribution, but "Parental Glideance" ignoring Rainbow's legitimate frustrations and "Honest Apple" not holding Rarity to task for failing to stop Applejack are especially aggravating. And don't even get me started on Starlight being praised for using magic on the Celestia and Luna without consent. Really hope this doesn't become a trend. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck Testa 5,505 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) The biggest flaw the show has is lack luster and at times just plain terrible writing. This is in reference to the more recent seasons with very few exceptions. Any other flaw is has developed lately is merely a symptom of this issue. The new writers have very little knowledge on who these characters even are. It regrettably shows in how their character development is often shoved to the wayside because the plot they grabbed from the generic bin demands for it. One of the more recent examples of this involved the two sisters in the episode where they were forcibly made to swap cutie marks by a former villain character. One of the more egregious elements of that episode (aside from Starlight receiving NOTHING in the way of punishment for using magic on the princesses) was that they were claiming the sisters took each other for granted. The sisters who had been separated for a thousand years over taking each other for granted and building resentment towards each other...were doing it again like it never happened. Excuse me, what? In what reality does that make sense? That is the tip of the iceberg that is the atrocious writing going on in the recent seasons. Quite frankly its killing my interest in the show entirely. Especially when there are vastly superior shows on the market right now. Edited August 2, 2017 by Buck Testa http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Billy%20G%20Gruff http://billyggruff.deviantart.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVpSXbUpDYTcaFHTPiPjYA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar159 2,156 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said: And we know ponies have their own problems, but with groups like the Griffons, Dragons, and Changelings, we only see their "good" side in the form of individuals who want to be more like ponies, which is both sorta repetitive and rather uncomfortable in its own right. Wish the show would drop that sort of moralizing and commit to more nuanced worldbuilding. I would like to see the griffons shown to embrace friendship and unite their species again. Queen Gilda, anyone? I know they had a throwaway line about a friendship summit in Griffonstone, but I still want to see the real thing at some point. 1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said: Having characters act unusually in order to suit a moral. This season, particularly bad examples would be "Forever Filly" and "Honest Apple," in which Rarity and Applejack (respectively) are much more self-absorbed and insensitive than usual. You can sort of see why they'd act this way, but it's still inconsistent with the reasons why people like these characters in the first place, and having some of the main characters reduced to props for a moral is more than a little irritating. This has been a problem for the show for a while; I blame the constant writer changes. That said, I wouldn't even put Forever Filly in the same category as Honest Apple, Rarity was nowhere near the level of cluelessness that Applejack was, not to mention that while awkwardly put, FF had a clear, relatable lesson. I still have no idea what the mess that was HA was goin for. 1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said: Unbalanced morals. I was fine with even "28 Pranks Later" and its disproportionate retribution, but "Parental Glideance" ignoring Rainbow's legitimate frustrations and "Honest Apple" not holding Rarity to task for failing to stop Applejack are especially aggravating. And don't even get me started on Starlight being praised for using magic on the Celestia and Luna without consent. Really hope this doesn't become a trend. So, these critiques of Parental Glidance and Royal Problems are ones I've seen before, and I've tried to sort out my thoughts around them, but this is the first time I've written them out. Well start with PG; Rainbow's concerns were not ignored, at least not by the ones who needed to hear them the most. Scootaloo didn't ignore her problems, she didn't understand them. And when Dash explained things to her, she pointed out that it still didn't justify Dash's reaction. Screaming at and hitting your parents is not the way you have healthy communication. Looking past that though, Bow and Windy didn't ignore their daughters concerns. During the private air show, there was no yelling or overblown cheering, just entirely appropriate noises of appreciation. They listened to their daughter and made an immediate change. They didn't even get upset with her at how she treated them. I don't think they really had to learn anything. On top of which, they weren't the focus of the episode, Scoots and Dash were, so they lesson between them got the focus; there are only 22 mins per episode, they can't show everything. Moving on to Royal Problems; oh boy, anything having to do with Starlight is a minefield of opinions. So, you can absolutely look at the episode as everyone doing exactly what the map wanted them to do. Starlight was sent because she wasn't biased but Twilight would wind her up and make her nervous so she acts without thinking and switches the princesses Cutie marks in order to teach them a lesson. If everything thing that happened was, in a sense, predestined, I have a hard time blaming Starlight for doing exactly what she was supposed to do. That, however, feels like a massive cop out, so let's examine the critiques instead. Starlight switched their Cutie marks on a split-second impulse. She looks just as surprised as the princesses do when she sees what she did. Even so, she doesn't seem all that torn about what she did... until she talks to Twilight. And that's the point I'm trying to address here, that no one can look at how Twilight reacted and say that Twilight was praising what Starlight did. I know that people wanted to see Celestia and Luna chew her out for what she did at the end of the episode, but why would they? Everything worked out at the end, and Starlight acknowledged that what she did was dangerous. I'd also like to point out that Celestia had nothing critical to say to Twilight after her Lesson Zero fiasco, an event I still consider to be the least excusable misuse of magic in the show. On top of which, again, Starlight and her mistake was not the focus of the episode, Luna and Celestia's relationship was. Again, 22 mins isn't a lot of time. I get that you, and others don't like the way these issues were handled, but they were handled. I don't see a problem with either of these events. Edit: Forgot to point out that it was Twilight's total breakdown over Starlight's actions that probably got Starlight rethinking her decision. Starlight doesn't really care what Luna and Celestia think, so their criticisms wouldn't really resonate with her like Twilight's did. It was that reaction that led to her nightmare, which is what forced the two sisters to help and understand one another. Edited August 2, 2017 by ShootingStar159 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminance 2,186 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 Some ideas that were later dropped or forgetten like the Castle of the Two Sisters, the Friendship journal and the Tree of Harmony. I understand that it's for plot convenience for that given moment neverless but at least show some continual follow-up or mentioning of these places and events afterwards. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megas 27,653 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said: Unbalanced morals. I was fine with even "28 Pranks Later" and its disproportionate retribution, but "Parental Glideance" ignoring Rainbow's legitimate frustrations and "Honest Apple" not holding Rarity to task for failing to stop Applejack are especially aggravating. And don't even get me started on Starlight being praised for using magic on the Celestia and Luna without consent. Really hope this doesn't become a trend. Agreed with Honest Apple, disagreed with PG, ARP and 28PL. 28PL is one of the most vindictive episodes in the show with a lot of the blame lying on the ponies, notably AJ and Rarity for goading RD into putting more effort into her pranks, and has by far some of the worst disproportionate retribution in the whole show. In PG, even if the episode probably could have explained it better, it implies that RD's parents did learn to dial it down through their actions during the private airshow, one made just for them no less, and even if I agreed that they didn't learn anything(which I don't) I don't know what universe some critics are from to believe RD's outburst was acceptable behavior, and even then, at the very least, the episode didn't pull a S6 and beat her over the head with a sledgehammer for the rest of the episode for it. As for ARP, Starlight was grilled for using magic on the Royal Sisters, and unlike past episodes, she didn't do it out of laziness or maliciousness, she did it under risk and desperation, but with good intentions 1 hour ago, ShootingStar159 said: So, these critiques of Parental Glidance and Royal Problems are ones I've seen before, and I've tried to sort out my thoughts around them, but this is the first time I've written them out. Well start with PG; Rainbow's concerns were not ignored, at least not by the ones who needed to hear them the most. Scootaloo didn't ignore her problems, she didn't understand them. And when Dash explained things to her, she pointed out that it still didn't justify Dash's reaction. Screaming at and hitting your parents is not the way you have healthy communication. Looking past that though, Bow and Windy didn't ignore their daughters concerns. During the private air show, there was no yelling or overblown cheering, just entirely appropriate noises of appreciation. They listened to their daughter and made an immediate change. They didn't even get upset with her at how she treated them. I don't think they really had to learn anything. On top of which, they weren't the focus of the episode, Scoots and Dash were, so they lesson between them got the focus; there are only 22 mins per episode, they can't show everything. Moving on to Royal Problems; oh boy, anything having to do with Starlight is a minefield of opinions. So, you can absolutely look at the episode as everyone doing exactly what the map wanted them to do. Starlight was sent because she wasn't biased but Twilight would wind her up and make her nervous so she acts without thinking and switches the princesses Cutie marks in order to teach them a lesson. If everything thing that happened was, in a sense, predestined, I have a hard time blaming Starlight for doing exactly what she was supposed to do. That, however, feels like a massive cop out, so let's examine the critiques instead. Starlight switched their Cutie marks on a split-second impulse. She looks just as surprised as the princesses do when she sees what she did. Even so, she doesn't seem all that torn about what she did... until she talks to Twilight. And that's the point I'm trying to address here, that no one can look at how Twilight reacted and say that Twilight was praising what Starlight did. I know that people wanted to see Celestia and Luna chew her out for what she did at the end of the episode, but would they? Everything worked out at the end, and Starlight acknowledged that what she did was dangerous. I'd also like to point out that Celestia had nothing critical to say to Twilight after her Lesson Zero fiasco, an event I still consider to be the least excusable misuse of magic in the show. On top of which, again, Starlight and her mistake was not the focus of the episode, Luna and Celestia's relationship was. Again, 22 mins isn't a lot of time. Edit: Forgot to point out that it was Twilight's total breakdown over Starlight's actions that probably got Starlight rethinking her decision. Starlight doesn't really care what Luna and Celestia think, so their criticisms wouldn't really resonate with her like Twilight's did. It was that reaction that led to her nightmare, which is what forced the two sisters to help and understand one another. this Edited August 2, 2017 by Prowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,074 August 2, 2017 Author Share August 2, 2017 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Buck Testa said: The biggest flaw the show has is lack luster and at times just plain terrible writing. This is in reference to the more recent seasons with very few exceptions. Any other flaw is has developed lately is merely a symptom of this issue. The new writers have very little knowledge on who these characters even are. It regrettably shows in how their character development is often shoved to the wayside because the plot they grabbed from the generic bin demands for it. One of the more recent examples of this involved the two sisters in the episode where they were forcibly made to swap cutie marks by a former villain character. One of the more egregious elements of that episode (aside from Starlight receiving NOTHING in the way of punishment for using magic on the princesses) was that they were claiming the sisters took each other for granted. The sisters who had been separated for a thousand years over taking each other for granted and building resentment towards each other...were doing it again like it never happened. Excuse me, what? In what reality does that make sense? That is the tip of the iceberg that is the atrocious writing going on in the recent seasons. Quite frankly its killing my interest in the show entirely. Especially when there are vastly superior shows on the market right now. What shows would you say are better than MLP? I might have already said this before, but I feel MLP varies wildly in quality. For every Perfect Pear or Amending Fences, there's a Mysterious Mare Do Well or Spike at Your Service. Edited August 2, 2017 by VG_Addict Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerdy Luigi 2,065 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) The only real flaw with the show is how inconsistent it can be. If only they could have just a few good writers, instead of having horrible writers along with them. I understand that all series will have their bad episodes (like Steven Universe's Together Breakfast or SVFE's Banagic Incident), but MLP ends up being hit or miss a lot of the time. There are always a good handful of bad episodes in a season. But, at the same time, the really good episodes more than make up for it. Yet again, sure it's that way for every series, but in my opinion, MLP is much worse about it than any other cartoon that I like. Seriously, I usually don't like a quarter of the episodes of most seasons (main exception being season 3 where I didn't like ALL OF THEM). That's a few too many bad apples. That really needs to be fixed before I consider this show as good as Steven Universe or We Bare Bears, or potentially even better with how good some of the episodes are. Edited August 2, 2017 by Barik the Luigineer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Piranha 29,424 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 I think creating a world so rich in lore, but so little explored, like that Explore Equestria arc scam 2 Sig by Discords Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megas 27,653 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 8 minutes ago, Steve Piranha said: I think creating a world so rich in lore, but so little explored, like that Explore Equestria arc scam Should have been renamed "Explore Manehattan" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Qiviut 22,422 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 1 hour ago, Buck Testa said: One of the more egregious elements of that episode (aside from Starlight receiving NOTHING in the way of punishment for using magic on the princesses) was that they were claiming the sisters took each other for granted. Punishing Starlight would be a really stupid decision by the writers. She regretted the decision right off the bat and was punishing herself in her nightmare to the point of needing rescue. To hammer in MORE punishment adds salt into the wound. 5 "Talent is a pursued interest." — Bob Ross Pro-Brony articles: 1/2/3/4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar159 2,156 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said: Punishing Starlight would be a really stupid decision by the writers. She regretted the decision right off the bat and was punishing herself in her nightmare to the point of needing rescue. To hammer in MORE punishment adds salt into the wound. An interesting thing I noticed about Starlight's dream Is that she never used her own magic to try and stop NMM or Daybreaker. Really speaks to how helpless she felt about the situation. Edited August 2, 2017 by ShootingStar159 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Qiviut 22,422 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) 5 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said: An interesting thing I noticed about Starlight's dream I said that she never used her own magic to try and stop NMM or Daybreaker. Really speaks to how helpless she felt about the situation. Starlight was asleep, so she can't really use her own magic to stop her nightmare. At least not what we know of. Doesn't help that she used the Daybreaker/NMM fight to subconsciously beat herself up with, either. Edited August 2, 2017 by Dark Qiviut "Talent is a pursued interest." — Bob Ross Pro-Brony articles: 1/2/3/4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar159 2,156 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 2 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said: Starlight was asleep, so she can't really use her own magic to stop her nightmare. At least not what we know of. Doesn't help that she used the Daybreaker/NMM fight to subconsciously beat herself up with, either. We saw lots of ponies use magic in their dreams in Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep, even Big Mac who's never used magic before. My assumption was that she couldn't use magic because of how helpless she felt. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadHorse 39 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 (edited) The biggest problem is the complete disregard for world-building or any kind of proper lore exploration/development. The show takes place in a high-fantasy setting, with a potentially rich mythos, but the writing staff doesn't really seem to want to do anything with it. All the show's fantasy elements are pretty much only used just to make typical slice of life plots slightly more interesting. The only consistent exceptions to this would be the 2-parters. But, they haven't been that great lately, so... Edited August 2, 2017 by BadHorse 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambdadelta 1,462 August 2, 2017 Share August 2, 2017 5 hours ago, VG_Addict said: I personally don't like how non-pony races are portrayed. They always have to get the ponies to help them. That my very very big problems of the show. One of reason i dont like about Asking For Trouble. 1 hour ago, Steve Piranha said: I think creating a world so rich in lore, but so little explored, like that Explore Equestria arc scam Never trust Hasbro's advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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