Opinion on G5 so far?

[River wisp 90]

How much do you like G5?

[DPBOX 65]

I really don't like it. Friendship is Magic had a very creative, colorful, and magical world that seemed just as fantastical as the ponies that lived in it, but Mark Your Mark, in a nutshell, just feels like a world with humans dressed in pony costumes. The world looks very similar to our own with similar looking houses, phones and technology, there's no magic or fantasy elements or creativity, which makes this world and its inhabitants feel more artificial and forced, and the ponies really seem like they should not belong in this world.

This brings me to the characters, oh the characters. They are the stupidest and most annoying brats ever! They do the stupidest and most nonsensical things and drone on and on and obsess over the most minor of things. These ponies don't seem to take ANYTHING seriously and are so short sighted and dumb and crazy and not careful. Once a cold and calculating villain appears, the villain would absolutely destroy them without breaking a sweat.

The only exception is Zipp. She seems far more level headed than everyone else and is serious and to the point. She knows what is important and doesn't get bogged down in the minor things. She's even perplexed by the very same things the viewers are and is tying to investigate them. We want to know what is going on with the world and so is Zip, so she is trying to investigate things. I commend her for that. If there is ANYONE who's going to take down Opaline, it's Zip. Her head seems screwed on much more tightly than everyone else's, and she seems to be the only one actually advancing the plot.

Pipp, meanwhile, is just an annoying jerk who goes on and on about the most minor of things and is obsessed with her phone and getting followers. Those are the only things she cares about. It's disgusting. Is there a word that's more obsessed than obsessed? Because I think that's how Pipp is. When Zipp and Pipp got stuck in that cave in that one episode, Pipp did not take the situation seriously and just whined and complained like a little kid! Meanwhile ZIPP is actually trying hard to get them out of that cave, including by trying to dig out or by looking for holes and weaknesses in the structure. Zipp was ultimately the one who advanced the situation and got them out.

And then there's Izzy and Misty in that one episode. Izzy sees a new pony on the street, the villain's henchman Misty, and IMMEDIATELY invites her over for a sleepover at the building that houses THE SOURCE OF THIS WORLD'S MAGIC and is EXACTLY where the villain wants Misty to go! The amount of stupidity here is through the roof! First off, you DON'T just walk up to someone on the street and immediately invite her for a sleepover no matter WHO is is, you have get to know her and trust her first, and you ESPECIALLY don't invite her to a building that keeps the world's BALANCE in check! The sheer stupidity of these ponies is advancing the villains plans, and it only seems like sheer dumb LUCK that the villain's plans are being foiled.

Pinkie Pie in Friendship is Magic may have been weird and annoying but she was NOT stupid! She still knew when to wise up and get serious when the situation called for it, and she still cared deeply about her friends! The Make Your Mark ponies just seems to be running all around acting like stupid and idiotic clowns with no character and personality whatsoever!

As bad as that stuff was, they are not what pushed me over the edge, the YouTube video at the bottom of this post did.  It actually details in great detail what happened to kickstart the events of Make Your Mark in G5, and this situation REALLY makes my blood boil! I mean, read some of these comments on the video!

"In the climax of G4 Chrysalis managed to turn the three tribes against each other really quickly, so there's obviously some buried animosity and distrust between the tribes.  Also, It's not just that Twilight took away their magic to make them get along, it's implied that it was a civil war.  She took their magic to stop them from killing each other."

"And the tribes got back together in like 10 seconds. Plus, what, did the cakes' kids split up when it happened? The ponies were interbred, what happens when a unicorn suddenly has a pegasus child because genetics? And the three races got along for 1000 years under Celestia and the supposed princess of friendship did such a crap job she somehow destroyed that less than a century? I thought they were at least going to say this had happened after twilight already died."

But this one really takes the cake, "Yeah, I agree. The fricking Princess Of Friendship did a horrible job and lasted around 40 - 60 years. Kinda pathetic how they chose to turn Twilight from a strong princess into some wimp unable to keep the peace without removing the magic completely. They basically undid all the character development she got in 9 seasons. They destroyed 9 years of character development."

Seriously!? SERIOUSLY! THIS is how G5 started!? Celestia rules Equestria alone for 1,000 years, she picks Twilight as her student, Twilight becomes the Princess of FRIENDSHIP, Celestia picks Twilight as her successor and Twilight has shown herself as being a very capable leader over 9 SEASONS, then she takes the throne and rules for only 40-60 years!? How DARE they make Twilight like this! They basically turned the Princess of ******* FRIENDSHIP into some abysmal pathetic WIMP unable to keep the peace for even a CENTURY and even becomes a ******* DICTATOR after she takes everyone's magic!? I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!! Forget The Crystalling, forget Starlight Glimmer and Cutie Re-Mark, forget To Where and Back Again, forget the Season 9 finale, this is A HUNDRED times worse writing than even the WORST written Friendship is Magic moments! Twilight ABSOLUTELY would NEVER do ANY of those things under ANY circumstances!

After that, I decided I'm done with G5 and won't have anything to do with it anymore and will just say, "Friendship is Magic FOREVER!"

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by DPBOX

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

I thought we already had a thread for this. Anyway, yeah, I'm sure everyone knows how I feel about G5 so far. So misunderstood. I don't dislike any series of G5 media we've gotten so far. I like Tell Your Tale, Make Your Mark, the comics, and the podcast. I love all of the characters, I even enjoy Izzy in TYT and it tickles me how some people take her over-the-top cartoon antics done for comedy so seriously. Of course, I can understand why G5's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but the false information G4 loyalists have to constantly spread does annoy me for legitimate reasons. Number 1 being because it isn't constructive and turns people away. 

2 hours ago, DPBOX said:

But this one really takes the cake, "Yeah, I agree. The fricking Princess Of Friendship did a horrible job and lasted around 40 - 60 years. Kinda pathetic how they chose to turn Twilight from a strong princess into some wimp unable to keep the peace without removing the magic completely. They basically undid all the character development she got in 9 seasons. They destroyed 9 years of character development."

Seriously!? SERIOUSLY! THIS is how G5 started!? Celestia rules Equestria alone for 1,000 years, she picks Twilight as her student, Twilight becomes the Princess of FRIENDSHIP, Celestia picks Twilight as her successor and Twilight has shown herself as being a very capable leader over 9 SEASONS, then she takes the throne and rules for only 40-60 years!? How DARE they make Twilight like this! They basically turned the Princess of ******* FRIENDSHIP into some abysmal pathetic WIMP unable to keep the peace for even a CENTURY and even becomes a ******* DICTATOR after she takes everyone's magic!? I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!! Forget The Crystalling, forget Starlight Glimmer and Cutie Re-Mark, forget To Where and Back Again, forget the Season 9 finale, this is A HUNDRED times worse writing than even the WORST written Friendship is Magic moments! Twilight ABSOLUTELY would NEVER do ANY of those things under ANY circumstances!

After that, I decided I'm done with G5 and won't have anything to do with it anymore and will just say, "Friendship is Magic FOREVER!"

 

CASE IN POINT. You know this has been thoroughly debunked, right? 

https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/Top-10-Bunk-Criticisms-of-MLP-G5-931961860

She didn't remove the magic completely, the ponies always had access to it before they split up. 

 

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

Eh... That is my answer, really. There is nothing else to say so far.

(69 characters. That's what you get for destroying the hard work of Rainbow Dash and her friends. And what does this number mean? It means balance, good sir. To a middling show. A middling finger. Just kidding. I think G5 is kinda stumbling here and there. And I liked the movie. But I don't know. It feels like something is missing. And it may just be my nostalgia speaking right now. You know, I was but an innocent 22 years old kid when I first discovered FiM. But time will tell, I guess. Also, the show deserves a fair chance to prove itself. And I think it is too early to tell, still).

Edited April 20, 2023 by They call me Loyalty

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

I don't like it. And the first reason for it is that it clung to G4 like a tumor. It made me think that the people responsible were afraid they couldn't make it stand on its own. And instead of moving forward, it moved back, pretending to move forward. The alicorn angle was forced and unnecessary. Sprout, with his childish temperament should have evolved into a main villain after the events of the first movie. It's a shame, because I liked Sunny's backstory with her father... I kept waiting for them to give his character more meaning and a legacy into the story other than having raised Sunny. And I can't stand that pegasi just shrugged off the whole royalty nonsense from the movie.

 

I liked the characters though. The main characters, at least. Queen Haven feels empty. Alphabittle, or whatever his name, had a solid foundation, but meh. The whole universe of the cartoon feels artificial and pointless. Someone please torch that baby-dragon-thing, please.

[DPBOX 65]

Quote

https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/Top-10-Bunk-Criticisms-of-MLP-G5-931961860 wrote, "Her recorded message explains that there are evil forces that want to exploit the magic and that Opaline tried to steal all of the magic in Equestria for herself. Twilight sealed the magic away because her subjects having to live life without magic if they choose to be divided is the much lesser of two evils compared to Opaline stealing it and using it to rule over her subjects with an iron fist (hoof)."

But there were several other villains who tried to steal Equestria's Magic in Friendship is Magic such as Tirek, the Storm King, and Cozy Glow, but they were all defeated without too many problems, so why does Twilight have to take such drastic measures against Opaline, then? How is she different from the other magic-stealing villains? I would think there HAS to be another way to defeat her that does not involve sealing everyone's magic away just like with the other magic-stealing villains. And there's still the mysteries on how she became an Alicorn, where she came from, how she became evil, etc.

Quote

https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/Top-10-Bunk-Criticisms-of-MLP-G5-931961860 wrote, "This proves that magic disappearing was not Twilight's fault. It was the fault of the ponies not wanting to live together in harmony anymore."

That proves my point on Twilight doing a crap job at keeping the peace and keeping everyone together. The ponies would not be segregating and would not be unwanting to live together in harmony anymore if Twilight was doing a good job, right?

Edited April 20, 2023 by DPBOX

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

37 minutes ago, DPBOX said:

But there were several other villains who tried to steal Equestria's Magic in Friendship is Magic such as Tirek, the Storm King, and Cozy Glow, but they were all defeated without too many problems, so why does Twilight have to take such drastic measures against Opaline, then? How is she different from the other magic-stealing villains? I would think there HAS to be another way to defeat her that does not involve sealing everyone's magic away just like with the other magic-stealing villains. And there's still the mysteries on how she became an Alicorn, where she came from, how she became evil, etc.

That proves my point on Twilight doing a crap job at keeping the peace and keeping everyone together. The ponies would not be segregating and would not be unwanting to live together in harmony anymore if Twilight was doing a good job, right?

Defeated without too many problems? Those three almost destroyed Equestria and ponies almost died. What you're missing about Opaline is that she couldn't be defeated. And of course there are mysteries, that's part of the storytelling, building suspense to make it more engaging. 

No, it proves nothing. It was the lies that Opaline was spreading that created a rift between the ponies, just like in FiM's The Ending of the End where all it took to tear the ponies apart was a fake unicorn (Chrysalis) spreading rumors (this is in that writing I posted a link to). It has nothing to do with Twilight, these ponies are just very easily swayed. 

[DPBOX 65]

But the 3 villains didn't destroy Equestria in the end, they were defeated and Equestria was saved due to the magic of friendship. And, even if Opaline tore the ponies apart by spreading fake rumors, well, then surely the 6 students and/or Twilight and her friends will unite everyone again to take out the villain just like last time or even just take her her out using just the friendship between the 6 of them like they did with King Sombra in the Season 9 opening, right? They defeated a villain who used this tactic once, they can do it again, especially since they now have experiencing at countering this tactic, right? Also, even if Opaline had succeeded in taking all of Equestria's magic, well, Tirek did exactly that in Season 4, he stole every ounce of magic in Equestria including Discord's chaos magic and the Alicorn magic after Twilight willingly gave it up in exchange for her friends, and Tirek was still defeated by friendship magic and rainbow lasers, so surely Opaline could be defeated in exactly the same way if she steals Equestria's magic, right?

And, if Equestria still had magic before the Unity Crystals and the ponies could still use magic even after Equestria's magic was supposedly sealed in the Unity Crystals, then what, exactly, was put in the Unity Crystals, then? If there was still magic even after Equestria's magic was supposedly sealed in the Unity Crystals, then Opaline could steal that magic, right?

Edited April 20, 2023 by DPBOX

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

11 hours ago, DPBOX said:

But the 3 villains didn't destroy Equestria in the end, they were defeated and Equestria was saved due to the magic of friendship. And, even if Opaline tore the ponies apart by spreading fake rumors, well, then surely the 6 students and/or Twilight and her friends will unite everyone again to take out the villain just like last time or even just take her her out using just the friendship between the 6 of them like they did with King Sombra in the Season 9 opening, right? They defeated a villain who used this tactic once, they can do it again, especially since they now have experiencing at countering this tactic, right? Also, even if Opaline had succeeded in taking all of Equestria's magic, well, Tirek did exactly that in Season 4, he stole every ounce of magic in Equestria including Discord's chaos magic and the Alicorn magic after Twilight willingly gave it up in exchange for her friends, and Tirek was still defeated by friendship magic and rainbow lasers, so surely Opaline could be defeated in exactly the same way if she steals Equestria's magic, right?

And, if Equestria still had magic before the Unity Crystals and the ponies could still use magic even after Equestria's magic was supposedly sealed in the Unity Crystals, then what, exactly, was put in the Unity Crystals, then? If there was still magic even after Equestria's magic was supposedly sealed in the Unity Crystals, then Opaline could steal that magic, right?

Who's to say Opaline isn't different from those villains? She's a fire alicorn unlike them, after all. But more importantly, it's very likely the damage she did to Equestria's unity and the friendship of the ponies was something that could not be so easily repaired, even after the ponies were temporarily reunited, considering it was so bad that Discord said it was so terrible he couldn't even describe it. Therefore, it's likely she could not be defeated with unity and friendship the same way as those villains.

No, that's not how it works. The magic was put in the Unity Crystals, it's just that it only spreads to the ponies of Equestria if they're living in harmony. Opaline couldn't steal the Crystals or the magic because the Crystals were protected and she had lost her own magic. Twilight sealed Opaline's magic inside the Crystals too. 

[DPBOX 65]

11 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

it was so bad that Discord said it was so terrible he couldn't even describe it

Oh man, I REALLY hope we eventually find out exactly what that is and exactly what happened.

Though my friends in my Discord server said that it likely won't be explained until the VERY end of the Make Your Mark saga, which may even last ANOTHER 10 years, well, I'm doubting Make Your Mark will last that long, but

... gulp, there's a chance that they might not even explain it at all, and I think said chance is not a low chance.

I'm hoping this fan fic https://www.fimfiction.net/story/515349/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-14 will provide a plausible explanation even if it's only fanon, but that fan fic series tries to be a continuation of Friendship is Magic starting from here, https://www.fimfiction.net/story/449326/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-10 though I REALLY don't agree with some parts. 

I'm still reading Season 13 and Opaline doesn't come until Season 14, but guess what? Opaline has a huge advantage in this fan fic series and has a better chance at doing some serious damage to Equestria because the ponies spent the last several SEASONS, 10 through 13, fighting Grogar. When Grogar is finally defeated at the end of Season 13 ... Equestria is incredibly weak and is trying to repair the damage Grogar has done and return back to normal life.

This would give Opaline the perfect time to strike. Like I said, I'm still reading Season 13 and don't know the exact details, but I have a really general and broad idea of what Season 14 is like.

Still, the fan fic series has several battles where the villain is defeated without any magic or rainbows or friendship at all, such as this chapter https://www.fimfiction.net/story/492572/20/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-13/episode-20-20000-leagues-under-the-seaquestria that I read a few days ago.

The villain is defeated by pure military might using artillery weapons such as spears and bows, and the way the villain is defeated is basically exactly the way Smaug the Dragon is defeated in the Hobbit including with the use of a black arrow to hit the weak spot, so, ugh, that just makes it seem even less plausible that Opaline could do some real damage if it is possible for some villains to be defeated completely without magic or rainbows. And that villain's defeat used another work as inspiration, the Hobbit in this case.

I wonder if the canon My Little Pony's villain defeats are inspired by other works like this.

11 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

No, that's not how it works. The magic was put in the Unity Crystals, it's just that it only spreads to the ponies of Equestria if they're living in harmony. Opaline couldn't steal the Crystals or the magic because the Crystals were protected and she had lost her own magic. Twilight sealed Opaline's magic inside the Crystals too. 

Oh, I understand.

[Steve Piranha 28,782]

These past TYT episodes have gotten better. Gives me hope MYM will follow suit

[nataalya 38]

Honestly, I think the G5 enthusiasts are as right as the G4 loyalists, of which I belong. I understand DPBOX's opinion and I like it... even though it's very rough. I also understand a lot of comments on Youtube. People have a right to be pissed that their favorite show has been replaced with something that isn't as good... there's no arguing that gen 5 is worse than gen 4 on every point. All right? 

A good show will defend itself, no need to blame it on G4 loyalists if it will fail or failing. When I was younger watching FiM was the last thing you could admit to and everyone was doing it... but now? Everyone is very happy to be a part of this. G4 is the Grail. 

I think the most we can talk about is the technical and marketing side. It's hard to judge G5 now, two years ago and in general for now. When it's over, maybe then. What I'm most pissed off about is that TyT being so short. Episode ideas are fantastic! I'm annoyed by the gap between Chapters with MyM... Because of all these things, a lot of people rate G5 similarly to DPBOX'a and damn... aren't they right? They're right... and besides, they're just opinions, everyone's entitled to their own. Someone likes the G4, someone else prefers the G5 and I, for example, like both generations. I would love TyT to last 15-20 minutes. This is a good time to feel the vibe of the episode, to understand the atmosphere. I wish the chapters were a bit longer too and less lazy. In chapter 2, I had the impression that Opaline would start playing the next... and the next... and the next... until the chapter ended.

The least objective thing is that it annoys me that people in the comments on Youtube have such great ideas and concepts for history and development it. And I'm not talking about the fandom that created such cupcakes pasta or made the characters sexual threat... but really about people who feel the atmosphere, know who the main target is and can write a script in front of a computer being only fans. They know how to add some darkness to it for the more mature audience, which is in MLP, but they also know how to interest the younger part. This is exactly what the script looked like in the 2017 film. It was divine.
 
I'm optimistic and looking forward to what's next. I think I would like the characters a lot more if I could spend more time with them. This is why I don't like generation 5. It's just underdeveloped.

 

[Gabriel Sava 32]

Haven't really watched the thing, but I don't find it promising tbh - it seems way too Gen-Zish and edgy as a late Gen-Z myself

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

3 hours ago, nataalya said:

Honestly, I think the G5 enthusiasts are as right as the G4 loyalists, of which I belong. I understand DPBOX's opinion and I like it... even though it's very rough. I also understand a lot of comments on Youtube. People have a right to be pissed that their favorite show has been replaced with something that isn't as good... there's no arguing that gen 5 is worse than gen 4 on every point. All right? 

A good show will defend itself, no need to blame it on G4 loyalists if it will fail or failing. When I was younger watching FiM was the last thing you could admit to and everyone was doing it... but now? Everyone is very happy to be a part of this. G4 is the Grail. 

...Well, I wouldn't go so far to say that G4 loyalists would be to blame when it's the market of mostly kids that decides everything. HOWEVER, misinformation does unfairly discredit this generation, turning people away. Thus, I reserve the right to be unhappy when I see misinfo. No one should be enjoying watching something's reputation being ruined over something that's not true. And while of course I wouldn't be happy if my favorite show was replaced with something not as good...that's not really what happened. FiM was going downhill in the eyes of many fans and many fans wanted the show to end before it became like Spongebob or The Simpsons, going on for too long past its prime. It was never intended to go on forever, so to see fans backtracking and acting like they wanted G4 to go on forever is another cause to be rightfully annoyed. 

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

7 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

G4 loyalists

Gee, where did I put my musket?

[Props Valroa 26,046]

G5 only gets better with time. I cannot believe I was so against it when it first came out.

[nataalya 38]

On 2023-04-23 at 12:13 AM, CloudMistDragon said:

...Well, I wouldn't go so far to say that G4 loyalists would be to blame when it's the market of mostly kids that decides everything. HOWEVER, misinformation does unfairly discredit this generation, turning people away. Thus, I reserve the right to be unhappy when I see misinfo. No one should be enjoying watching something's reputation being ruined over something that's not true. And while of course I wouldn't be happy if my favorite show was replaced with something not as good...that's not really what happened. FiM was going downhill in the eyes of many fans and many fans wanted the show to end before it became like Spongebob or The Simpsons, going on for too long past its prime. It was never intended to go on forever, so to see fans backtracking and acting like they wanted G4 to go on forever is another cause to be rightfully annoyed. 

Hm... I think the biggest problem in this type of conversation is mixing emotional opinions with those that have some really logical things to speak. It's easy to tell when first type of people are making emotional claims and and second type when they're actually seeing real issues. I think that opinions built on emotions should not be simply negated, anyway they never have any value in a discussion and lead to unnecessary quarrels when someone additionally hits it... but it is true that people who have similar feelings always form groups . If it helps them vent their frustration and make them feel better, they'll find someone to company with then hell why not? They won't become G5 fans anyway and I don't think they've done much harm to the new generation.

I can't comment your whole message, I haven't been in the fandom that long... I joined when season 9 ended. That's why I don't know what the mood here was in previous seasons So sorry, but I appreciate and trust what you write.  I know a bit of what you're talking about because I liked the first seasons a bit more. The next ones were simply better made in my opinion - more vivid colors, animation... needless to say what I mean. The script suffered in my opinion, but that's just my own feeling

Personally, after chapter two, I really liked the new team and I say that they need time...  I can't wait for new chapters.   Fim was almost 10 years old, G5 is barely 3...

[User without a name 46]

It's ok, based on what I know. I watched the movie, and I enjoyed it! I read some of the new comics too, but I'm not planning to watch the series.

It just doesn't sit right with me, doesn't feel like it has the same characters and world as the movie did

[The Recherche 29,965]

It's... alright. I did my best to be charitable towards G5 when MYM and TYT began to air, but frankly, I have not noticed any serious improvement in either series. They both have their moments, but if I am to be perfectly honest, G5's worst moments remind me of G3. There are some additions that I enjoy; Earth ponies have something to do besides kicking trees now, and the cast is overall enjoyable. Zipp and Hitch's dynamic is one I particularly enjoy. But really, nothing about either series has managed to impress me at all. If anything, characters like Sparky make it feel as though the series is actively devolving. And even with that aside, I agree with the popular opinion that G5 being a sequel to G4 was ultimately not the right choice. Continuity does not have to be followed to the letter in something like My Little Pony, but there is no getting around the fact that G4 had an explicitly happy ending that G5 threw away.

There is always room for improvement, or to turn things around, but it seems that Friendship is Magic may have just been lightning in a bottle after all.

[Shrug 9,922]

Only seen the first two episodes of I believe Make Your Mark? Can’t say that they did anything for me, honestly. I don’t see myself returning to it. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Shrug

[Guest]

I thought G5 was alright when it first came out, but it started getting better over time. I'm really enjoying more of the recent TYT and MYM specials. Continuity is all over the place, but from everything I recall from G4, it follows the trend. I do think people should try to watch a lot more of it to see the progress that they have made. There are some characters that I don't like, especially Sparky, however I feel there is a purpose for this in the long run. I do think it was an odd choice to make G5 the sequel to G4, but as a business strategy it makes sense. Go with your most popular series and profit off of it with a sequel, revamp, and different look on a variety of platforms. The numbers behind this are proof that they got enough eyes watching the product, while keeping a low budget and not changing the standard formula too much. It's very cost effective with their target audience being 4-6 year old girls. G4 and G5 are connected, but people keep drawing unfair comparisons as they are completely different teams working on both series as far as I heard of. I think the G5 team is making the best of a bad situation and adapting the best way they can.

[Sparklefan1234 161,875]

I absolutely love the ponies of Gen 5 but the situations they find themselves in seem to repeat themselves over and over again.