MLP:FiM; A more serious show?

[cuteycindyhoney 13,284]

Doh! Fixed.

 

 

No problem! I was just going to brohoof your post, but suddenly the site says I "Do not have permission for reputation vote" Oh well!

[ponyvangelist 732]

That's odd. I would think your unicorn powers could do just about anything.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

/This

Surely I can't be the only one who saw a little bit of fan service in season 2.

 

Definitely lots of fan service; from obvious references to media/pop culture to more direct things like giving Derpy her name and making it canon.

 

The developers certainly did a nice job in applying mythology into the show; a dragon represents greed (typically), a Cerberus (of all things) guarding the gates of Tartarus (AKA, hell), and a Phoenix can resurrect itself from its own ashes. This is the kind of thing that's not only entertaining to watch for little kids (since they're into action and stuff), but the fact they've added all this makes it very appealing to the older fans as well because it inclines them to make connections from olden times to the show (hence the mass fanfics out there). It's a win-win situation.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Necromancer Devin

[FLARE 951]

Definitely lots of fan service; from obvious references to media/pop culture to more direct things like giving Derpy her name and making it canon.

 

The developers certainly did a nice job in applying mythology into the show; a dragon represents greed (typically), a Cerberus (of all things) guarding the gates of Tartarus (AKA, hell), and a Phoenix can resurrect itself from its own ashes. This is the kind of thing that's not only entertaining to watch for little kids (since they're into action and stuff), but the fact they've added all this makes it very appealing to the older fans as well because it inclines them to make connections from olden times to the show (hence the mass fanfics out there). It's a win-win situation.

 

I can see how it is currently a win-win situation, however I hope it doesn't become more and more obvious to the point where it is no longer the original show and is over done fan service. In fact, I'd prefer if season 3 was more like season 1 than season 2, even though season 2 was fine in my opinion.

[BetaWolf 97]

Like others have said, it works the way it is. To make it more serious (every episode being like A Royal Canterlot Wedding) would be a degradation. It's for children first, and bronies second. If a show like My Little Pony took a dark turn, it truly would be a sign of defeat for the entire cartoon industry. The series would be mocked for conformity; it'd be falling into the trend of gritty interpretations of classic franchises.

 

Friendship is Magic has shown our generation that young children's shows can be good. The vast majority of other good cartoons, including Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Transformers Prime, and Young Justice, are aimed at the tween demographic. Friendship is Magic has managed to become more popular than those shows among an even older audience. Things are working the way they are.

 

I'll say it again: the day that Friendship is Magic is written for bronies, and not children, is the day I stop watching.

Edited July 1, 2012 by BetaWolf

[Crazy Misty 653]

I like how the show isn't too serious, it makes the 2 parters feel more epic, while the others are amusing and enjoyable to watch

[hᴀrᴍoɴy 107]

Well the non-serious behavior is one of the things that drew me into the show, because I'm the type of person who likes to joke around at any given time. So if it was a more serious show I probably wouldn't be as big of the fan on the show as I am now. More serious enemies and awesome bossfights might give it more actions, but MLP isn't about action. I like MLP, because it's adorable and very funny. Take those elements away and I wouldn't have ever gotten into the show.

[Twiliscael 3,960]

I like my ponies cute and light-hearted. Kepp it the way it is!

[ponyvangelist 732]

Big adventure

Tons of fun

A beautiful heart

Faithful and strong

Sharing kindness

It's an easy feat

And magic makes it all complete

 

That's their formula and they're sticking to it.

[Archangel 143]

I would love it if they had this show continue how it is. Slightly tilted towards the unexpected fandom.

 

BUT!

 

It would be awesome if they came out with a more mature spin off. Say, something BattleStar Galactica like. That would be for us older folk to enjoy.

[Vega 107]

Overall more serious? No. The occasional serious episode here and there? Absolutely, and when I say more serious, I'm not talking about violence and blood; I mean more serious or somber everyday things. Perhaps my idea of depicting Derpy as a physically handicapped pony who has to overcome her disability and the mockery of others, or an episode focusing on Pinkie's unstable psyche, or maybe Dash trying out for the Wonderbolts and failing.

[Twilight Dash 28]

I do want more serious episodes with more complexed and unpredictable plots. I don't want every episode to have random fantasy violence like the season 2 final since it would turn the show into a Y7-FV or PG-V cartoon. I am also did not find any of the random pinkie pie episodes in season 2 to be as good as the rest of the series. I don't hate pinkie pie, but all of her episodes in season 2 seemed boring.

 

 

There also have been anti racist episodes in the series (Bridle Gossip, Over A Barrel, and Hearts Warming Eve).

[Espionage 113]

Finales and Specials should be serious, kind of dark. Like the Season 2 finale. That was great!

 

Regular episodes should just be regular episodes. Some sexual undertones like the old '90s cartoons, pop culture references, references only older people would get, and all that stuff that's already there. But overall, it should be a light show.

 

Oh yeah: And depends on what you mean by more serious for the regular episodes. All I want that's more serious is the "Dear Princess Celestia" morals to be more serious and applicable to the real world (not the namby pamby "real world" that we see from over optimistic people and the public school system) as much as it is in a little kid's school.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Espionage

[Guest]

They have already done it slightly to accomodate to the unexpected brony fanbase. If they do make it more serious I would like something similar to what Espinoage said above me.

[Comet Tail 808]

I think it's fine the way it is. The "norm" should be slice-of-life type stuff, it develops characters and makes you attach to them, and I don't know what the heck the show does, but somehow it manages to make realistically emotional everyday life stuff.

 

I mean, if any other show tried to pull it off, it'd be meladramatic or boring. Yet somehow, MLP:FiM manages to cover "boring" things, and somehow make them emotional without being meladramatic. It defies logic, and it stumps me, but it's amazing.

 

I mean, a sleepover? Making dress gone wrong? Getting tired from overworking? Getting a pet? I would've scratched every one of those ideas as boring. And if I was forced to use them, they'd end up being majorly changed (a sleepover... Until Red Dawn happens!). Because normally I wouldn't possibly believe they could possibly be made emotionally involving stories. YET THEY ARE. That stumps me. It's like they manage to hit that silk-thread-wide line in-between "meladrama" and "boring", and land on "real-life emotional".

 

I wouldn't disturb that mix, and I think they have a good life/adventure ratio already, what, with the "Mare in the Moon", slice of life, then Dragonshy, slice of life, then Sonic Rainboom (where Rarity almost died), slice of life, then Pinkie Loses it really bad, slice of life, then The Return of Harmony, slice of life... etc.

 

Also if there's fighting all the time, you become numb to it, and it's not a big deal.

 

And if there's any shipping, it'd better be with a well-established male character, and it'd better not go too far.

 

And they had better NEVER turn Equestria into anything any more gritty than it already is. I couldn't stand "Iron Will"'s explosion of jerks. It partially destroyed the optimistic appeal of the show, though it was nice to have a real emotional episode instead of more slice-of-life, but they still could've done it without all the jerk ponies. Rarity and Pinkie, then Fluttershy crying was enough darkness.

 

It's like the show's on this narrow path of optimism in-between naive and pessmistic. Pessimistic isn't appealing, naive is unreal, too little conflict and unrelatable, but the optimism it has strikes a balance.

 

 

And anyways, it's already a lot more serious than most shows. I can't stand Spongebob because every time something emotional happens, you don't care, it's all a joke. It can be funny, yeah, but it's all a joke.

 

But MLP:FiM has some real meaning to it. I admit I laugh a little at them being sad, but only in a sort of "d'aww!" way, like you really want to comfort them, because you actually care that they're sad: It's not just a joke.

 

And then there's the heartwarming, or just touching emotional moments, like the end of "Cutie Mark Chronicles", or when Twilight gave up hope against Discord, and when she regained it (actually, that scene, how it relates back to the entire first season, is what made me a brony. I saw it by itself on Youtube, and I thought: "this show has a serious, big, meaningful/emotional plot, taking all that average life and giving it strong emotional meaning. This is legit. MLP isn't what I thought it was!"), those are things no other western animation series has, and that last one about Twi regaining hope - no other TV series has, period. At least that I've ever seen.

 

I mean, it's really like friendships and relationships. You have a ton of slice-of-life time together, and in the moment, they're not emotional, they're just average life, though they may be fun, sweet, sad, whatever, but not extremely emotional.

 

But when you reflect on all those years, it becomes very emotional. That's kinda what the show does. It attaches you to the characters in slice-of-life, you get to know them like it's real life because slice-of-life is very relatable, then because you know the characters, when it has serious moments, you care about them and they're really touching.

 

Finales and Specials should be serious, kind of dark. Like the Season 2 finale. That was great!

 

Regular episodes should just be regular episodes. Some sexual undertones like the old '90s cartoons, pop culture references, references only older people would get, and all that stuff that's already there. But overall, it should be a light show.

 

Oh yeah: And depends on what you mean by more serious for the regular episodes. All I want that's more serious is the "Dear Princess Celestia" morals to be more serious and applicable to the real world (not the namby pamby "real world" that we see from over optimistic people and the public school system) as much as it is in a little kid's school.

 

Personally, I found those morals pretty good, and surprisingly applicable. Particularly touching was the letter at the end of "Cutie Mark Chronicles" - S1E23.

 

I kinda miss Twilight's letters, though I'm glad someone still has to write them at the end of each episode

 

And actually, I didn't like it so much in "Super Cider Squeezy" when AJ broke the tradition of "namby pamby" letters. They were innocent, optimistic, even touching, and that's why I love this whole show so much. It's all three of those things.

[sᴜᴍᴍoɴᴇᴅ 55]

We feel that if this does happen, the show won't be like what it was before.

 

Even though the Brony Community is using MLP characters to do/act differently than how they would in the show, that shouldn't mean that the writers should be following that as well.

Though, we don't think that would happen in the first place. Hasbro is pretty fixed in their ways.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

They'd have to axe Pinkie Pie, or cut back on her character in order to do away with her fourth-wall antics, seeing as she's governed by Averyan squash-and-stretch a-la the old Roadrunner Cartoons. That just won't do in a serious cartoon.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Blue

[JhonHipster 124]

Me and almost everyone else here like the show the way it is, or we would be watching it and discussing it.

 

I really couldn't imagine hasbro making the ahoy more serious with the theme still intact and overall keeping the atmosphere of the show already exsisting.

 

If a sudden high change where to happen I dont think I could watch and veiw the show the way I do now. It would just feel weird.

[Juggler 345]

Why should they make the show more serious? Everypony of us already loves the show, so what's to change?

 

Our fanbase is really big, and increases every day. It's not often that I hear about people who have watched a whole episode and didn't like it (and most of the time I think they did, but don't want to be "gay").

 

I think it's already great as it is now, and hope that it never changes

[Smitty91 57]

I wish it would become more serious. Why are people so afraid of pushing boundaries? Don Bluth wasn't. All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Secret of NIMH had some very dark and mature themes and scenes. Carface was a menacing villain. I don't understand why the staff writers are afraid to go the extra mile and try to make the show more mature. I'm not saying that there should swearing, adult jokes, and having the ponies and drinking, but I don't feel like the villains are very menacing and the main characters rarely get any development. I think the show would be better if it were more serious. The writers shouldn't be afraid of pushing the envelope just because the audience is kids. Kids are able to handle intense stuff. '90s kids are proof of this considering the films we grew up with that tackled tough topics like death, losing a parent, abandonment, etc. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. 

[Venomshank 120]

Don't take out the silliness. Don't take out the rainbows and the sparkles and the pink. Leave it be. It's fantastic. I feel like if they made it more serious I would be more okay with watching it around my friends. But I wouldn't enjoy it anymore.

[Rappy0 338]

I don't watch the show to see ponies dealing with real world problems. I want to see ponies living their (mostly) carefree lives.

 

There wouldn't be a point in me watching the show if the stuff they deal with is stuff I have to deal with everyday.

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

I'm sure Friendship is Magic is going to stay primarily aimed at little girls since that was the original intention.

 

Still, now that it's known that it's possible to target this stuff at an older audience, a later MLP series or other series featuring a cute, girly concept might be more adult.  But they'd have to be careful since little girls and their parents might get confused.  So, while they could maybe tackle some more mature subject matter, they'd have to still keep it morally sound and not too frightening.

[Xabekrn 47]

I'm sure Friendship is Magic is going to stay primarily aimed at little girls since that was the original intention.

 

Still, now that it's known that it's possible to target this stuff at an older audience, a later MLP series or other series featuring a cute, girly concept might be more adult.  But they'd have to be careful since little girls and their parents might get confused.  So, while they could maybe tackle some more mature subject matter, they'd have to still keep it morally sound and not too frightening.

 I think the show will stay the same way it is. Aimed for little girls with subtly references for the Bronies to laugh at or pick up on.

I mean look at the success of the show, Hasbro has to have the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. 

[Mywas 687]

I wish it would become more serious. Why are people so afraid of pushing boundaries? Don Bluth wasn't. All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Secret of NIMH had some very dark and mature themes and scenes. Carface was a menacing villain. I don't understand why the staff writers are afraid to go the extra mile and try to make the show more mature. I'm not saying that there should swearing, adult jokes, and having the ponies and drinking, but I don't feel like the villains are very menacing and the main characters rarely get any development. I think the show would be better if it were more serious. The writers shouldn't be afraid of pushing the envelope just because the audience is kids. Kids are able to handle intense stuff. '90s kids are proof of this considering the films we grew up with that tackled tough topics like death, losing a parent, abandonment, etc. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion.

 

What about Courage the cowardly dog show and its grimdark monsters and ghosts, Samurai Jack with aku and some filler villains, Powerpuff Girls with Mojo Jojo and HIM being badass, heck even Cow and Chiken had a really creepy villain.

And heck even nowdays Adventure Time has some Really scary villains like Lich.