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Cuddlepug — Why My Little Pony: FiM NEEDS to improve
#applejack #cadence #celestia #crusaders #cutie #cutiemark #dash #death #discord #faust #fluttershy #friendship #lauren #littlepony #luna #magic #mark #mylittle #mylittlepony #pie #pinkie #plot #pony #pornstar #princess #rainbow #rainbowdash #rarity #review #sparkle #spike #tattoo #twilight #brony #laurenfaust #pinkiepie #derpy #mylittleponyfriendshipismagic #princessof #clopper #friendshipismagic #ponyfriendship #princesscelestia #twilightsparkle #cutiemarkcrusaders #friendshipis #mylittleponyfriendship #antibrony #ismagic #dianepie #littleponyfriendship #mylittleponyfriendshipis #pinkiedianepie #ponyfriendshipismagic #sparklepinkie #pierainbow #pinkiepierainbowdash #rarityprincess #littleponyfriendshipismagic #ponyplot #markcrusaders #twilightsparklepinkiepie #princessoffriendship
Published: 2015-01-01 15:58:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 12504; Favourites: 234; Downloads: 160
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Description
According to fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic the show is beginning to stagnate, with character development at a minimum and storylines repeating the same tired concepts. These fans provided me their thoughts and feelings about what improvements must be made to the show going forward to keep it engaging.Are you bored by MLP: FiM?
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Comments: 130
I think some things they could do to improve is
1. have the cutie mark crusader's get their cutie marks in either s5 or any possible seasons after season five if they decide to continue the show after season five.
2. expand upon some of the ideas/ concepts that were introduced early in the show but were never fully explained. one concept I would like them to expand upon is time travel. time travel spells do exist in the my little pony universe but we don't know what their full power is. is there a spell that allows you to travel to the past? if so how far? if there is one could you go back in to when starswirl the breaded was still alive?
starswirl the breaded is a character I want to learn more about. I bet it would be interesting if we got to see a tv movie that allowed us to learn more about him and the time during which he lived in. I want to learn more about equestia past and certain events that took place in the past.
. another concept/idea I would like to see expanded upon is the different worlds in equestia. we have seen some of the other places that exist outside of ponyville for example the crystal empire, manehaton etc) but I want to see more different worlds and how the ponies there act and how their lifestyles differ.
that's all I have at the moment for ideas.
3. another thing I want is I want to see the ponies interact more with their families and more of an explanation of what happened to applejack parents maybe if we got that we would be able to give more development to her.
I think that is all I have to suggest.
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Hehe, you're a clown. I liiiike you! :3
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I can assure you I'm a deeply serious person.
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Ohhh no. I'm on to you. I've been peeking at what you've said from time to time. And you are... RANDOM!
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I think you have the wrong guy.
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Don't worry, every show gets increasingly complex in story and violent... They get much more violent... Family Guy was originally rated G people. I'm excited for the future of MLP: FIM!
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What I find is that you can't just keep introducing new things and concepts, you also need to revisit and deepen existing ones. Take the running of the leaves for example, can't we have an episode where RD and AJ help each other to win? It would provide both an opportunity to expand on the running of the leaves tradition and show character progress AND keep in the happy, learning theme that is prominent in MLP.
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Yeah, I agree. Some more insight on the existing traditions like Hearts Warming Eve and the same Running of the Leaves would be a great.
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I think that as soon as they got rid of Lauren Faust is when everything started rolling downhill... They're her characters after all, and without her to guide them, everything is pretty hit and miss...
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I agree with this comment. S1, to me, is the best season by far.
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Wow! I thought I was the only one with the same opinion! Have to agree!!
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I mean, she had some involvement with season 2, but season 3 and 4 she was not a part of at all, and it really shows. Granted I'm still going to keep up with it in hopes that it'll somehow turn itself around, but that is also why I have latched onto other shows like Gravity Falls and Steven Universe...
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I could tell you're into Steven Universe from your avatar / username!
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Oh totally! It's a really creative show with a lot of really good characters, great stories, and almost all of the episodes are good. With Steven Universe I don't feel like any of the episodes are 'filler' unlike My Little Pony and Adventure Time, and other popular shows. There's always character development, you're always learning something new about the characters, the town, or how the show's world works!And it's frustrating but exciting that the creator, Rebecca Sugar, only gives out so much information per episode! What exactly are the gems? Where did they come from? Why did some of them turn 'bad'? What was Rose like? What powers does Steven have and when will he be able to fully control them? Are the Gems all female? How/why did Rose and the rest come to Earth? Why are they stuck there? So many questions!
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Steven Universe is a great show for the reasons you listed - plus it has a fairly novel approach to story-telling between episodes with the show-makers running the Keep Beach City Weird blog referenced in the show ( keepbeachcityweird.tumblr.com/ ). This pulls the show out of being an 11-minute-a-week thing on a TV channel to actually having some crossover with real life. Very cool stuff!
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Oh! I did not know that! I agree! Thank you for sharing. ^ ^
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I'm extremely happy with where the show is at the moment. Though I've never been interested in being overly critical of MLP.
While giving new facets to certain characters would be a great, all of the Mane 6 are already developed. They have their Cutie Marks, and thus they know who they are destined to be. They have embraced the destinies they were meant for, the ones they are happy with, and their development has centered around the characters being tempted to change but realizing that those changes don't reflect who they truly are. Twilight was the least developed of the Mane Six since season 1, that's why she's had the most character development. She knew that she was meant to be a powerful unicorn, but she didn't really understand what that meant. But now that path has been fully realized with her ascension to the throne of Princess of Friendship. Just like the others, she's great the way she is. Going forward her development will centered around strengthening who she is, rather than expanding it. This is how the show was written from the beginning, and this is how it should be. While the world of MLP can and should expand, its primary cast of characters are exactly who they should be.
Something else I've seen in the comments is fan service. I'll be honest, I don't pay much attention to the fandom. I've just recently gotten into the fandom on Deviantart. There are some awesome things that I've found, but the fandom isn't the reason I love the show. I love the show for it's own merits. I watched the original MLP when I was little and loved it, so I latched onto this show right away. When "fan service" scenes come up I may have a inkling of "it's fan service" from casually browsing Equestria Daily a few months ago, but by and large I overlook it. There are some fantastic fan ideas out there, but they needn't be used unless the writers choose to use them. As others have said, MLP owes far more to their target audience than they do to the older fan base.
With that said, I have yet to see an episode that didn't appeal to me as an older viewer. I don't expect this to change, because, as the current age group matures so will their tastes in entertainment. MLP has wide, lasting appeal and a fantastic potential to grow with its target audience. In my head I often liken the appeal of MLP to that of Pokémon. Pokémon's fan base from when it first began is largely intact. There are tons of adults who played the game back in the day, and in a few years the young fans of MLP will be there too. MLP will have been taken over by a spinoff series by then, but I imagine Hasbro will continue this show's current universe since it is easily their most popular.
Just my 2 cents.
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This is a great comment that is well constructed and thought out. Thanks!
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Other episodes are genuinely bad (“It Ain't Easy Being Breezies”; “Three's a Crowd”). with wonky writing and villains “who should have really stayed dead” making a return...
How dare you talk shit about my pony husband, Jake from Wyoming.
Anyway, I honestly completely disagree that there's been a dip in quality. Season 2 is still my favorite, but honestly, I'd take Season 3 and 4 over the first season any day and that seems to be the fan favorite for some reason. I'm sorry, Season 1 is just so...boring compared to the other ones. Even the good episodes aren't great, they're just...good. They didn't really resonate with me or leave much of an impression outside of being pleasant to watch. I didn't really get engaged with the show until Season Two aired.
While I don't identify as a Brony, I don't mind the fanservice as long as it's worked into the episodes alright. And so far it has been, so that's really all I can ask of the show runners. I understand they have a brand to sell, and I think they do a nice job keeping up the lighthearted spirit of the show while still giving a nod to the fandom now and again.
I'm really not sure why people are insisting the characters haven't changed at all. For example, re: Rainbow Dash needs to join the Wonderbolts already, Rainbow Dash is now on the Wonderbolt Reserves after having taken the test (that's what Testing, Testing 1,2,3 was ultimately about, after all). And she's definitely undergone a lot of changes since her "I'm so awesome! Did I mention how awesome I am??" stuff in the first season. About the only character I'll agree really needs work is Pinkie Pie, and even then, it's just giving her a little more time in the spotlight.
Wow this comment ended up being kinda long, oops. Ponies are very srs bsns, you see.
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Thanks for your large comment - interesting perspectives!
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I'm glad my jumping in to defend the honor of noodlehorsedragon contributed something productive to the conversation.
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At the end of the day, the show is catering to the little girls on this planet. Not the grown men watching it.
They shouldn't have to improve themselves to appease to a crowd that they were not aiming for. The brony community has become very entitled to a show that wasn't meant to attract them at all. That's the part that irritates me. The show doesn't need to improve because it's fine where it is.
Did I like the show? Yes, I've seen every episode of it. At the end of the day I know that I'm not the target audience for the show and I leave it at just that, a show.
MLP:FIM is not trying to be the next biggest show, it's just a show for little kids to watch in the mornings and afternoons.
Fan service is fine I guess, but the show owes the bronies nothing.
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The best the show could do is raise money to ensure every brony gets at least one bath a week.
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To be honest, complaining about the lack of character development in recent seasons may be due to some people not understanding the risk that comes with adding to an established character. The more development one character gets, the more possible traits can be named that contradict it. Like a stack of boxes; the more you add, the more difficult it becomes to keep adding. Plus, a weak base or adding something large and/or heavy on top will topple the whole stack. And then what do you have? It only takes one thing to ruin a character, and if that happens to a mane character, there will be backlash.
They could expand the setting more. I'd like to see how MLP handles foreign customs within it's settings in their land, not Equestria. Namely, Saddle Arabia has been mentioned once or twice and that could provide a dialogue on xenophobia and it's implications.
Though one character that sorely needs something new if anypony does is Applejack. Like Dash learning to like reading, that kind of character addition. Beyond working on the farm, her dreams and aspirations are somewhat of an unknown value. I came to realize this when trying to decide to do with her character in the big picture within the MLP novel I'm writing; I have an idea but I'd rather keep it under wraps. Her Element also makes it difficult to write plots around alone, as misinformation/lying/dishonesty in general is a key ingredient in conflict.
Twilight's Element is somewhat nebulous in definition, which allowed a fair amount of leeway early on. Actually, now that I think about it, the nature of each character's Element of Harmony both constrains and guides what additions can be safely added. Fluttershy is already accused of being a Mary Sue in some circles, so that puts her under extra scrutiny over character additions. I'm not sure what they could add to Pinkie, however... As far as I can think at the moment, they've analyzed every pertinent facet of her character; they'd need to add something to keep her character fresh.
Overall, if S5 is the last one, there certainly needs to be some plot loops closed. The CMC's Marks, for instance, is a huge one. Dash's and Rarity's respective dreams achieved in also a big one. I've already mentioned AJ needing a more relatable dream (as tending to a farm isn't exactly a widely held dream), but in general, all the M6 could use an achievable dream to strive towards. I feel Dash is the most advanced in this aspect, as comparing her post-S4 self to her S1 self, there is an absolute chasm of difference.
I hear episode 100 will be a lower deck episode for some BG ponies (and Coco Pommel, for some reason) That alone sounds like a breath of fresh air, taking a break from the CMC-centered or M6 centered episodes.
But I end with one final thing. If I go to watch a puppet show, I watch it for the puppets. I don't pay to watch the strings, so why would I watch a TV show just to complain about how or why the characters are as they are? It needlessly ruins the experience, so while I watch a show or play, I never think about it. I just enjoy myself and let the oddities shine in the reviews. To base an opinion of a review is foolhardy.
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I just want to mention that S5 won't be the last one, because according to what I learned, they'll keep making new episodes until sometime in 2019
But you're right about a lot of things, especially with the CMC
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That doesn't necessarily mean that the show will continue until 2019, that means that Hasbro has plans for toy sales of the 4th generation of MLP until 2019. I doubt that the show could continue for that long, considering they have a movie (a REAL movie) to work on, if S5 is the last, then that movie could come out earlier, and we could have a solid conclusion to the show.
More importantly, I doubt a show like MLP can survive going on considering its status quo. Notice how at the ends of season 3 and 4, we had a major change made to look like it will be the last episode, but then the show is renewed; it will ultimately become harder and harder for the writers to work around it-unless somebody else steps in as lead writer-and less fans will be able to cope with all of these changes. I almost left the fandom because I kept getting into fights with people over Equestria Girls, but that was me out of instinct. These kinds of arguments I have seen happen on a daily basis, and the more changes they make to the show, the further the lines are drawn between people's opinion creating nothing but discord (no pun intended).
I would rather have the show end of a high note like the last two finales than have it trudge on dealing with a new change every week.
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That's news to me; I was of the impression that S5 was the last. All I've heard confirmed in the way of new MLP content is S5, a spin-off TV series being aired only in France as a test, and another movie non-EG coming out sometime in 2017. If episodes until '19 is true, that's at least another 2 Seasons beyond 5.
...I'd love to believe that's true, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I want this Friendship Express to keep rolling, but at the same time I know it won't go on forever. There's a lot of ground to cover in the way of content, but not a whole lot of it seems necessary beyond the things they need to address (like AJ, the CMC, M6's dreams in general) *is reminded to begin updating Top 50 ponies list*
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The show needs to lighten up on fan service. Having it appear once in a while is fine, but when it comes out non-stop or when the whole episode is filled to the brim with fan-service *cough*Equestria Girls*cough*, the idea loses its value. When derpy was taken out of the Last Roundup, McCarthy now seems to think that she needs to make up for it by putting in everything else as much as possible. On that note, I also worry that McCarthy has somewhat found a disconnection between focusing on the characters outside of Twilight and pleasing the fans. I personally think that somebody else should take over as Lead Writer, as I don't want this trend to continue. Don't get me wrong, season 4 was mostly great, especially McCarthy's work in the premiere and finale were excellent, but her work in the movies has been awful so far from what I saw (I've only seen the first one and I don't plan seeing the second one as a good friend of mine said that I probably wouldn't like it either). This is mainly due to the seemingly rushed and clichéd script coupled with endless fan-service, at least in my opinion.
The show will end one day, and I want it to end good.
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I personally find myself cringing during most of the fan-service scenes.
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Like I said it's fine once or twice but when it's filled to the brim, it loses its value.
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Much as I loved this show, there's one thing to keep in mind here... Their target audience is still young girls age 4-10. I see it more as a happy coincidence that it also appealed so much to a more adult audience, but I doubt they'll turn the entire show around in order to keep us bronies engaged. The My Little Pony franchise has managed itself very well in the past when adult fans were a rare oddity.
Personally, I did watch S4, but it was just barely. I don't intend to watch S5, unless the reviews from the brony community are all positive. I don't care if it reverts to being a kids show again - I'm just happy I could enjoy the first three seasons.
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I don't personally believe that a show being aimed at 4-10 year olds means it can't evolve and progress its characters. I recall plenty of cartoons I watched when I was 4-10 that had plots that grew in complexity over multiple episodes, characters who assumed different roles and so on.
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Indeed, it's not impossible for a show to grow beyond what it used to be... But if they have decide what fangroup to keep (mature vs. kids), I think it makes more sense for them to appeal to the children.
Of course, I'm not saying they can't evolve the show and keep it enjoyable for both young and old, but it's much harder to please both groups. I do hope they manage to make it engaging for both audiences again though
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Honestly I think they should start exploring some of the bg characters, to add some more character arch types to the show. Go more places outside of Equestria, lets see this saddle arabia, where do the griffins live? I think these risk are small enough to take, but engaging enough to breath in some new life.
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In many respects they aren't even risks - why not have the characters explore another land?
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Well, i am still entertained by MLP and look forward to S5. I actually say that S4 was my favorite season so far, with great episodes like Pinkie Pride, Maud Pie and testing, testing, 1 2 3. I admit that S3 wasn't the best Season under the sun, but to say that everything is shit now because of it, is just "stinkin thinkin."
What i really would wish for is that the show has the right time to say "Stop, we're finished now." If they don't do this, they run into danger of turning into Spongebob.
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