EG: Spring Breakout

[bwrosas 252]

You can defently tell some scenes were cut out and parts removed. Expect extended scenes and deleted scenes to show up on their youtube page soon.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

sorry, but am I the only one wondering how the hay RD spent 15-17 years of her life without Equestrian Magic having her turn into a superhero, if she was THAT desperate for action and adventure?

 

also why did Pinkie get kicked out of the buffet? It was RD who straight up tackled the chef. Pinkie didn't do anything

Edited March 31, 2019 by Nightmare Muffin

[YoshiAngemon 223]

1 hour ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

sorry, but am I the only one wondering how the hay RD spent 15-17 years of her life without Equestrian Magic having her turn into a superhero, if she was THAT desperate for action and adventure?

 

also why did Pinkie get kicked out of the buffet? It was RD who straight up tackled the chef. Pinkie didn't do anything

Probably because she's too much of a commoner, unlike the EQG Version of Prince Blueblood, who would NEVER touch Carnival Food!

[Toon4Thought 273]

The thing about this special is that I can't quite call it bad in any sense. The characters are all used decently well, the conflict was reasonable, and the whole Equestria part made for an interesting third-act twist.

However, this is probably the most obvious case of EqG being held back from its true potential. It always comes so close to giving the fans what they want to see, but rarely do they manage to land. And just from watching this special, it becomes clear that Hasbro holds EqG on a far tighter creative leash than FiM, where they're essentially only able to do what the heads want and really nothing else. This kind of makes me realize that so many of the things I so very much want to see in EqG probably won't happen, and all it does is make me wish more than ever that this could actually become a full 22-minute series, with arcs as fully realized and stories as properly fleshed out. Seriously, imagine how much better EqG would be if they just got the right format and direction. I guarantee this story, written as is, would be much more accepted if that was a thing.

I could pick apart a few problems that are actually in the special, like the overabundance of gags, scenes, and conversations that just didn't know when to freaking end (especially in the first half), but the mood it indirectly left on me honestly overshadowed all those in my mind anyway. Again, not really the special's fault, but it's really reminded me to keep my hopes and expectations in check for future installments.

[Thrond 3,257]

I really did not enjoy this, though some of the parts with Pinkie were funny. I think a big part of is that I could not care less about whether the girls consider themselves superheroes, and would not complain if this show just completely stopped having them save the world altogether. But it's also that Dash is completely obnoxious throughout this, that it repeats jokes frequently, and that the magical conflict takes too long to appear and is completely generic when it does. I didn't like the Rarity subplot at all - surely this show is above such lowest-common-denominator junk like making fun of accents. And Sunset, for all her gains as a character, still doesn't have a very funny personality, so when the show isn't playing with her anger she comes across as very bland. Mostly I don't see what this special adds to the show, and I don't find it very entertaining; I really wish that the girls had entered Equestria earlier, gotten to mingle with their counterparts more, and that there was generally less peril. When these shows can do long-form sitcom stories like "Rollercoaster of Friendship" and "Best Gift Ever" so well, why does it still trot out uninspired junk like this? For Equestria Girls in particular this is a major regression.

Score:
Entertainment: 3/10
Characters: 4/10
Themes: 4/10
Story: 2/10
Overall: 33/100

[Thrond 3,257]

On 3/30/2019 at 12:55 PM, This Whomps said:

People said the same thing about her portrayal in Rainbow Rocks and I thought that shit was really blown out of proportion. And given what i’ve heard from the criticisms here, as well as what @cmarston1 and similar sentiments like his, i’m getting the same vibes here too

She's way worse here than in Rainbow Rocks.

On 3/30/2019 at 6:32 PM, Nightmare Muffin said:

 Staff of Sacanas in EG means EG is canon to FiM now, apparently.

It always was. The people who said otherwise just weren't willing to face the facts. 

[Thrond 3,257]

Also, it's kinda weird that saving the world has affected Dash so much that she's now constantly expecting some kind of horrible magical event to happen. In any other show that would probably be a sign that she's traumatized. 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I really did not enjoy this, though some of the parts with Pinkie were funny. I think a big part of is that I could not care less about whether the girls consider themselves superheroes, and would not complain if this show just completely stopped having them save the world altogether. But it's also that Dash is completely obnoxious throughout this, that it repeats jokes frequently, and that the magical conflict takes too long to appear and is completely generic when it does. I didn't like the Rarity subplot at all - surely this show is above such lowest-common-denominator junk like making fun of accents. And Sunset, for all her gains as a character, still doesn't have a very funny personality, so when the show isn't playing with her anger she comes across as very bland. Mostly I don't see what this special adds to the show, and I don't find it very entertaining; I really wish that the girls had entered Equestria earlier, gotten to mingle with their counterparts more, and that there was generally less peril. When these shows can do long-form sitcom stories like "Rollercoaster of Friendship" and "Best Gift Ever" so well, why does it still trot out uninspired junk like this? For Equestria Girls in particular this is a major regression.

Score:
Entertainment: 3/10
Characters: 4/10
Themes: 4/10
Story: 2/10
Overall: 33/100

That's a pretty harsh score there... :c

[bigbertha 410]

This is a huge step down from RoF. Rainbow is frustrating and despite seeming like the special is going to teach her a lesson, it proceeds to prove her right and it has Sci-Twi learn a lesson instead of Rainbow. The jokes are mostly dull (especially everything having to do with Ragamuffin). The pacing is pretty bad, most notably in Equestria where the story grinds to a halt to do the same juxtaposition joke for way too long. And finally, most of the mane six barely have any personality and do nothing until the ending.

There are a few funny jokes and I like Sci-Twi since she's the only character who has an interesting personality, but that's about all I like about this.

Score: 3/10

[Toon4Thought 273]

52 minutes ago, bigbertha said:

The pacing is pretty bad, most notably in Equestria where the story grinds to a halt to do the same juxtaposition joke for way too long.

Yeah, I've noticed that virtually every gag, scene, and conversation just didn't know when to end, and thus often overstayed their welcome. That tonal clash was probably the worst example.

It seems Forgotten Friendship has so far been the only 44-minute special to really take full advantage of the runtime. No matter what you feel about the other two, I think most of us can agree that both of them could've been done in 22. Imagine if 22 min eps was the norm for this series...

[bwrosas 252]

Basically, I believe this was suppose to be something else, and then someone (head writer? or executive producer?) decided this would be a great chance to finally confirm that both EQG and FIM are in the same continuity and somewhat same timeline, as well as do a mini-sequel/.5 sequel to the MLP Movie, but instead of using the Mane 6/8 from that film, that decided to with the HuMANE 7 Instead.  But what do you all say to this theory of mine. 

[Will Guide 21,325]

Did anyone noticed that when the ship started to flood below decks, Curly Winds (the blue hair and skin guy) lifted Whiz Kid (the one he hangs out with that bears a resemblance to Featherweight) and carried him to safety?

[Senko 459]

Most of what I'd say has been said but I'd like to add a few things.

 

1) Rainbow Dash made sense to me this isn't the Equestrian version who's had some serious growth moments this is still at the end of the day a normal teenage girl who suddenly got handed awesome amazing magic and saved the world multiple times. She's an adrenaline junkie who used to get her high from sports and pushing herself to the edge but now she's got real superpowers and she's enjoying them so she's looking for new challenges to use them on.

2) That parrot seems remarkably . . . capable of human speech.

3) I agree I wish we could see more of the humans in Equestria especially as quite a few of these crew people never had an encounter with magic before being turned into ponies and Trixie now can do real magic. So much potential there.

4) Interesting that human Applejack is more susceptable to sea sickness than pony Applejack or pony-hybrid Applejack.

5) When did they modify how their geodes are contained I don't recall Dash's being in a wristband before?

6) Their powers seem to be growing Sunset didn't just read that girls emotions or general feelings she browsed through her actual memories.

7) I wonder if this portal has its origin in Midnight Sparkles meltdown and tearing wholes in the fabric between their realities, and if it is how many other people or things have begun to slip through.

8) Amusing Sci-Twi went hunting for a stick to pull Dash out rather than using her telekinesis.

9) That cake can't have tasted right after soaking in sea water for awhile.

10) Is that evil rabbit comment a reference to Angel?

Edited April 8, 2019 by Senko

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

So... it turned out that Equestrian magic was on the loose after all, huh?  Well, we sure didn't see that one coming...

I absolutely love these specials.  I pretty much adore all things EG, but I do wish that they mix it up more often by.... I dunno... once in a while... not having a magical, Earth-shattering calamity?  Maybe?  But they'll never do it.  They just can't get through a single one of these bigger specials or movies without an Equestrian magic threat, and an obligatory super hero transformation.  At least this time there wasn't a Canterlot High student gone mad that needed to be blasted with friendship rainbows.  To be honest, I've never really been a fan of that stuff.  Even on the Pony show from day 1, I often rolled my eyes as the join-hooves-and-rise-up-and-blast-the-enemy-with-friendship-rainbows scenes.  It's something I could do with less of, quite frankly.

I'd prefer more down-to-Earth stuff, more normal conflicts.  I like that they have magic--I like their geode powers, but I just wish that every special wasn't a magical calamity.  My favorite EG stuff are the things with no magic at all, which we only get in some of the shorts.  I mean, I think something like Display of Affection is better is better than the movies.  I think my favorite EG thing is the ironically named Dance Magic, which had nothing to do with actual magic.  It was just a great story about fun, music, dance, and the power of setting aside difference to work together.  No magic calamity.  I want more of that kind of thing.  I coulda done with the entire spring break special just being about lighter stuff aboard the yacht.  I really enjoyed the first half before sh*t got real.  I wish it had just been more of that.  I just love watching them have fun and chat and sing and play music and be friends.  But I dunno.  I'm weird.  Most folks, including their target audience for sure, probably feel like they've been cheated if they don't get an epic magic scene.

That said, I thought that what they did was well done.  I've been anxiously awaiting the scene when the girls would finally go to Equestria.  I liked it.  It didn't disappoint.  I just hope we get more of that in the next movie.  I want to see all the girls meet their pony counterparts.  I like that they introduced the concept of multiple portals.  I mean, why would there be only one?  There's a lot of questions.  Like, why is the mirror portal a movable object, but the island portal seems to be a stationary, naturally occurring portal?  How and why do they form?  I hope they explore this concept further.

I really liked Ragamuffin.  That is, until he turned out to be a faker.  Did I hear that right?  Was he faking that accent?  The hell was that about?  What was he trying to pull?

Good special.  Really good song, as well.  Too bad they didn't FINISH IT. 

[Toon4Thought 273]

3 hours ago, Justin_Case001 said:

So... it turned out that Equestrian magic was on the loose after all, huh?  Well, we sure didn't see that one coming...

I absolutely love these specials.  I pretty much adore all things EG, but I do wish that they mix it up more often by.... I dunno... once in a while... not having a magical, Earth-shattering calamity?  Maybe?  But they'll never do it.  They just can't get through a single one of these bigger specials or movies without an Equestrian magic threat, and an obligatory super hero transformation.  At least this time there wasn't a Canterlot High student gone mad that needed to be blasted with friendship rainbows.  To be honest, I've never really been a fan of that stuff.  Even on the Pony show from day 1, I often rolled my eyes as the join-hooves-and-rise-up-and-blast-the-enemy-with-friendship-rainbows scenes.  It's something I could do with less of, quite frankly.

I'd prefer more down-to-Earth stuff, more normal conflicts.  I like that they have magic--I like their geode powers, but I just wish that every special wasn't a magical calamity.  My favorite EG stuff are the things with no magic at all, which we only get in some of the shorts.  I mean, I think something like Display of Affection is better is better than the movies.  I think my favorite EG thing is the ironically named Dance Magic, which had nothing to do with actual magic.  It was just a great story about fun, music, dance, and the power of setting aside difference to work together.  No magic calamity.  I want more of that kind of thing.  I coulda done with the entire spring break special just being about lighter stuff aboard the yacht.  I really enjoyed the first half before sh*t got real.  I wish it had just been more of that.  I just love watching them have fun and chat and sing and play music and be friends.  But I dunno.  I'm weird.  Most folks, including their target audience for sure, probably feel like they've been cheated if they don't get an epic magic scene.

That's kind of why I firmly think EqG should just become a 22 minute series already, specifically so we could get both magical antics and more mundane conflicts. Those 2017 specials proved it could work, and I think this special and Rollercoaster would've been better at 22 minutes each anyway. They could've freed up the resources to make two additional 22-minute stories, but nope.

It always upsets me to know how fantastic EqG could be but it just isn't allowed to be.

[Lucas Pacheco MLP 6]

This series is already happening here in Brazil now, on the channel Discovery Kids.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

On 4/13/2019 at 3:13 PM, Toon4Thought said:

That's kind of why I firmly think EqG should just become a 22 minute series already, specifically so we could get both magical antics and more mundane conflicts. Those 2017 specials proved it could work, and I think this special and Rollercoaster would've been better at 22 minutes each anyway. They could've freed up the resources to make two additional 22-minute stories, but nope.

It always upsets me to know how fantastic EqG could be but it just isn't allowed to be.

I think they should abandon the length constraints entirely and make it the length the storyline dictates - that would only work in an on-demand, netflix-like environment though, and kill any chance of broadcast syndication.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Oh yeah, something I forgot in my OP.  When we saw the big reveal of the girls as ponies, I immediately imagined the DWK Totally Legit jokes.  He'd probably have Rainbow say, "Holy sh*t!  Ponies are naked in Equestria!??  DAMN.  I can definitely see the appeal of living here.  I mean, you guys have no idea how much time and energy I spend trying to picture all of you naked.  This is really gonna free up a lot of my time."

[Toon4Thought 273]

With part 2 now being up on YouTube, I just want to say that the All Good song has really grown on me. The instrumentals especially sound really nice.

Shame we probably won't get a full version of that anytime soon; heaven knows Invisible never made it to the public (fittingly enough).

[Thrond 3,257]

On 4/13/2019 at 8:13 AM, Toon4Thought said:

That's kind of why I firmly think EqG should just become a 22 minute series already, specifically so we could get both magical antics and more mundane conflicts. Those 2017 specials proved it could work, and I think this special and Rollercoaster would've been better at 22 minutes each anyway. They could've freed up the resources to make two additional 22-minute stories, but nope.

It always upsets me to know how fantastic EqG could be but it just isn't allowed to be.

There is no part of the Rollercoaster short that I would want to get rid of, though.

[Roughshod 719]

On 3/31/2019 at 11:05 PM, Toon4Thought said:

The thing about this special is that I can't quite call it bad in any sense. The characters are all used decently well, the conflict was reasonable, and the whole Equestria part made for an interesting third-act twist.

However, this is probably the most obvious case of EqG being held back from its true potential. It always comes so close to giving the fans what they want to see, but rarely do they manage to land. And just from watching this special, it becomes clear that Hasbro holds EqG on a far tighter creative leash than FiM, where they're essentially only able to do what the heads want and really nothing else. This kind of makes me realize that so many of the things I so very much want to see in EqG probably won't happen, and all it does is make me wish more than ever that this could actually become a full 22-minute series, with arcs as fully realized and stories as properly fleshed out. Seriously, imagine how much better EqG would be if they just got the right format and direction. I guarantee this story, written as is, would be much more accepted if that was a thing.

I could pick apart a few problems that are actually in the special, like the overabundance of gags, scenes, and conversations that just didn't know when to freaking end (especially in the first half), but the mood it indirectly left on me honestly overshadowed all those in my mind anyway. Again, not really the special's fault, but it's really reminded me to keep my hopes and expectations in check for future installments.

You've basically stated everything I have to say about both this special and the series as a whole at this point.

I didn't hate this one. It could have been better in several ways but it was far from horrible. I agree that a regular series would do so much more for the potential of these characters in this alternate world and would open up so many possibilities for crossovers and unexplored ideas and character growth.

But it will never happen. The creative license is so restricted and stunted. We're stuck with a lot of filler which ends up leaving me unsatisfied. 

Although, even with that said I'm still holding onto hope for one thing to happen in EqD...

(Also, to everyone complaining about Rainbow Dash I don't feel like she was that annoying. She's allowed to have moments of imperfection. Geez.)

Edited April 29, 2019 by Roughshod

[Roughshod 719]

On 4/13/2019 at 11:13 AM, Toon4Thought said:

That's kind of why I firmly think EqG should just become a 22 minute series already, specifically so we could get both magical antics and more mundane conflicts. Those 2017 specials proved it could work, and I think this special and Rollercoaster would've been better at 22 minutes each anyway. They could've freed up the resources to make two additional 22-minute stories, but nope.

It always upsets me to know how fantastic EqG could be but it just isn't allowed to be.

I'd be willing to settle for a final feature length film to cap it off. Maybe bring back some old familiar faces? 

But a full series would be fantastic. If it kept going after G5 started it would be like a continuation of G4(assuming they didn't totally reboot everything).

[Toon4Thought 273]

2 hours ago, Roughshod said:

I'd be willing to settle for a final feature length film to cap it off. Maybe bring back some old familiar faces?

I would love that too. I actually have an idea in mind that I'm probably turning into a fanfic.

[Roughshod 719]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:54 PM, Toon4Thought said:

I would love that too. I actually have an idea in mind that I'm probably turning into a fanfic.

It's getting a little weird wirh you saying everything I'm about to but great minds think alike. I think I'd be interested in what you're cooking. I've heard through the grapevine that another special is on the way for Equestria Girls later this year which may or may not have some callbacks. But that's all I'll say on that subject here.

With Breakdown it looks like a major was nor seeing more pony. Everybody always wants more pony. While including Equestria in Equestria Girls may seem self-evident it does kind of miss the point. I suspect some may go into watching the series simply for the similarities and less so for the distinction of EqG. What I mean is that if you're just looking for ponies then FiM is the primary spot for that.

Loving the characters is great but they're in seperate worlds for a reason because otherwise the series would have no purpose. I'm not saying I want less magic but I wouldn't mind seeing more humanistic elements explored in greater detail and maturity.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Roughshod

[TheRedHoodedWraith 52]

Did anyone else notice the Ben 10 references from Rainbow Dash throughout this episode series, like this scene?

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by TheRedHoodedWraith