Don't understand hate towards previous generations

[Fluttashy 325]

I assume most of you didn't start liking MLP until G4 which is the best version. I believe most of us will agree on that because we have a decent plot and more developed characters unlike the other three versions. G4 offers something the prior three versions didn't and that is it can be highly enjoyable for both genders. It isn't just geared toward "little girls" or however you may put it but let's go back twenty or so years when G1 was premiering. I used to watch my little pony every morning when I would wake up so unlike most of you I grew up on that enstranged G1 version, and I loved it! You may bash the previous generations but let me remind you that without G1 there would be no friendship is magic! You should be thankful for those prior generations because we wouldn't have such a strong fan base without them. You can't build a house without a foundation, and you can't have G4 without G1-3. Friendship is also the rare exception when it comes to a remake because it outranks the other generations. There have been several remakes of popular 80s cartoons such as carebears and strawberry shortcake that didn't turn out so great so before you say something bad about a previous generation of MLP, just remember you wouldn't have the wonderful show we have today without it.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Twinkleshy

[Soundgarden 2,757]

There goes a distinct line between quality and influence. People "bash" things that they think are bad or lacks quality and that's their opinion. However, I do agree that G1 should have some respect for being the foundation of the mlp we know today.

 

G3 was just awful though, it didn't influence the series at all, it just delayed G4

[Fluttashy 325]

I agree that G3 was the worst version and a real abomination, but I feel like the previous two versions were decent especially the first one. I feel like the characters and plot were fairly developed.

[Soundgarden 2,757]

I agree that G3 was the worst version and a real abomination, but I feel like the previous two versions were decent especially the first one. I feel like the characters and plot were fairly developed.

 

You do realize that G2 never had a cartoon or movie. Everything before G3 were a part of G1. So much for having correct facts in a rant

[Orablanco Account 3,706]

You do realize that G2 never had a cartoon or movie. Everything before G3 were a part of G1. So much for having correct facts in a rant

 

You know what she meant.

 

And you can't have a G3 without G2, because you can't logically skip the number 2 when counting to 3. And while G3 was by means awful, it was the direct-to-dvd movie The Princess Promenade that Lauren Faust was asked to watch and make something good out of.

 

Actually, come to think of it, there wasn't a cartoon for G3 either. Just a bunch of DVD releases.

Edited June 6, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[Scootaloodle 1,621]

You do realize that G2 never had a cartoon or movie. Everything before G3 were a part of G1. So much for having correct facts in a rant

 

So what was MLP Tales if it wasn't G2? it wasn't G1 because it was a show for the 90s generation of kids, and it had diffrent characters, plot and stories etc 

[Soundgarden 2,757]

So what was MLP Tales if it wasn't G2? it wasn't G1 because it was a show for the 90s generation of kids, and it had diffrent characters, plot and stories etc 

 

My Little Pony Tales was a part of G1 because it came before the G2 toyline, which is considered to be the transition between G1 and 2

[Scootalove 10,685]

Well, we do have to give the past generations credit. If we didn't have G1, G2, G3, then we would not have G4. But, I guess we all have our opinions on the past and present.

[Jammo 986]

It's a rare case of a fandom liking a later gen the most.

Most fandoms I've encountered if you don't like G1 the best you're the new Hitler.

[TheGr3ml1n 57]

I think it's more the social stigma. People bash the older gens for the same reason they bashed G4 before they watched it, because MLP is branded as a little girls cartoon, and it's easier for their friends to understand that they like a "reboot" version with pop culture references rather than the original.

 

Of course, I personally prefer G4 and do not watch the older versions, but I don't bash them either because I understand their importance in the ponyverse. However when someone questions me on the topic of MLP and starts the sentence off with "Isn't that that 1980's little girls cartoon?" I make sure to point out the differences.

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

True, without the previous generations we wouldn't be here right now. They do have thier flaws mainly generation 3 and 2. I will agree that Generation 1 wasn't too bad ( at least the pilot was) it was fairly decent but it's obvious it lacked the drive gen 4 had and they embraced the femininity of the show too hard to the point it wasn't enjoyable to everyone.

[~Squishy Skies~ 756]

I completely understand. The previous generations weren't well-written. Simple as that. Especially G3. Jeez, my 7-year-old brother could write a better story than some of the G3 writers!

[Argumedies 1,748]

I happen to like G1. Although MLP tales to me is G2 because it was a second remake

 

And I won't go into that abomination that was G3/3.5

 

Now a days. I look at G1 and say "what the hell was I thinking?"

 

I do happen to like FIM much better but in some ways I can still admire G1 for what it was

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

This thread appears to be related to the My Little Pony franchise and/or the Bronydom in general. Thus, it has been sentenced to Sugarcube Corner.

 

This is an automatically generated message, by the way.

[Astrobrony 655]

IMHO, G3 was what Hasbro considered 'safe'.  It was just enough to keep the scores of little girls happy.  What makes G4 special is that they went above and beyond with the source material with a show that could be enjoyed by everyone.

 

Although with that said, G3 still amuses me greatly mainly due to the fact that several of my favorite VAs were a part of it (Tabitha as Minty was just flat out fun    ).

[Spring Storm 276]

I agree. While other gens aren't as good as gen 4, bashing on them isn't really a good thing. I watch older gens sometimes, with the exception of 3.5. I kinda like it when something is flawed - it makes for tons of fun jokes, but even I have my limits when it comes to how much godawfulness I can take.

 

That said, I can totally see why people wouldn't like earlier gens. The first G1 cartoon suffers from things most 80's cartoons suffered from: bad pacing, awkward writing, sometimes-terrible voice acting, and lots of awkward facial expressions and other such animation flaws. However, that is not the fault of G1, but rather a problem that seemed to universally plague 80's cartoons. He-Man and Transformers suffer from it as well.

 

The second G1 cartoon, which I also consider to be a G2 cartoon, was a nosedive in the wrong direction. It took out all the fantasy elements of G1 and placed the ponies in what was essentially the human world. Not only that, but it pretty much boiled both genders down to stereotypes.

 

The G3 movies offered further descent into the wrong direction, with the voice acting and writing being even more mind numbing. Boys pretty much disappeared from the series (with the exception of Spike), and unicorns and pegasi were much more rare, giving the series less variety. As for 3.5, I vote we just wipe that from our memories.

 

With that in mind, it's not difficult to see why older gens get so much hate, though each gen does have a few redeeming qualities as well. At the very least, though, they deserve some respect for being the stepping stones that gave us G4.

[MLPFan14 73]

Well i can tell you,the older mlp generations were a little bit creeepy,the newer version is more animated and cool looking,and they had weird voices back then than now.

[Shanks 10,811]

Though I didn't get into ponies until G4 and do agree that it is the best generation, I did go back and watch some previous generation episodes and though it is not nearly as good G1 is actually not too bad. It has it's share of flaws but is actually not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, I think its strongest point is its villains especially Tirek and Grogar those suckers are way way darker than I expected. The closest villain we have to those guys would be King Sombra who is a tad underdeveloped but has great potential, sure there is Discord but he is more of a troll/trickster villain than a traditional "evil" villain like those guys.

[Argumedies 1,748]

I've said this before.... you gotta rember, back then people were more lenient when it came to content.

 

If we had that kind of attitude combined with what we have today. I believe FIM could have some really grim moments.

 

The problem is that everything today "must" be politicly correct. After all, just look at the S.S.B.S over Derpy

 

G1 was good for it's time. But time and technology have advanced so at least we've learned from the mistakes and we now have FIM today

Edited June 7, 2013 by Argumedies

[Dark Qiviut 22,216]

I'm not a fan of any of the previous generations, but the only one that can actually be called somewhat factually good is the original G1 (NOT MLP Tales). I'm not a fan of the early generation because the scripts can be very lackluster and the animation really aged horribly (part of the constrained budget from the hey day). But I can appreciate effort and appreciation for trying to appeal to the family-friendly market. The original G1 doesn't try to talk down to people of any age, and founder Bonnie Zacherle's gender-neutral roots are everywhere. We can all see the original G1's heavy influence in G4/Friendship Is Magic, but makes it better.

 

MLP Tales, G3, and G3.5, however, I honestly hate with my heart's discontent. Instead of being family-friendly, they are executive meddling at its finest worst. The three resort to firly stereotypes, bland personalities, and sometimes horrid animation (I'm looking at you, G3.5! <_<) Instead of continuing to respect Zacherle's vision, Tales, G3, and G3.5 spits in her face and ransacks her vision. Tales, G3, and G3.5 deserve the vitriol it gets nor deserves an ounce of respect. Just because they're the prior generations doesn't mean they all deserve to be held up in a semi-respectful regard.

 

Here's what I what in my essay about FIM returning to the franchise's roots:

Zacherle intended it to be its own gender-neutral creation and have it suited for families. The original G1 show, movie, and toyline showed heart, care, and passion from themselves and the audience it seeks. But under MLP Tales, G2's toyline, G3, and G3.5, its quality suffered, and the roots of the franchise were alienated so Hasbro can cash with the very young girls, female toddlers, and their parents. G2 flopped, but G3/3.5 barely succeeded enough for the product to stay afloat. Yet, it still disrespected the founder, and older fans noticed this. This is the reason why Tales, G3, and G3.5 get no respect from me and don't deserve it whatsoever: They take Zacherle's bold vision and ransack it.

MLP Tales shows little respect for her and the original G1 tales because its sexist, stereotypical characterization is intellectually insulting.

G2 I'm neutral with despite its narrow audience and poor financial success, because it was advertised poorly and never fully got off the ground.

G3 and G3.5 gets none because of its lazy production regardless of budget flexibility.

The original G1 series, however, gave Zacherle that respect, and I give it that respect in return.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Dark Qiviut

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

There's a good reason why we like to rip the previous gens a new one. Any animators that would let G3 Scootaloo be a thing deserve all the fanboi rage the internet can muster.

 

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

People these days just love to hate things.

 

While I don't particularly like the previous generations, I don't have much of an aversion to them. Sure, they don't have much that will prompt you to think or reflect and the art style is entirely different, but it's not that hard for me simply to enjoy things at face value when they have no bearing on something else that I like. If I was sitting on the couch/laying in bed and comfortable with nothing else to do, I could chill and watch any of the other generations for a few hours.