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Post by Tross on Aug 16, 2021 4:17:38 GMT -5
The new movie looks interesting, but I'm still not 100% sure if I'll be totally on board with the new show. The animation looks incredible, but 3D animation tends to be choppier on TV, so I have strong doubts that the TV show will look nearly as good as the movie. I'll give it a shot. It looks alright, but it has its work cut out for it if the intent is to try and recapture the, um...magic of FiM. I'll give it a chance though. Maybe I'll see it with a friend.
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Post by Tross on Sept 25, 2021 1:56:30 GMT -5
Apparently the new MLP movie is out on Netflix. I haven't seen it yet, and probably want to wait and see it with my friend. It seems to be well-received by the Brony community so far, so that's a good sign. I'm not going to go into it expecting a FiM killer, because I just don't think that's possible, but it sounds like it's enjoyable in its own right, and I should probably give it a shot. The trailer seemed promising enough.
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Post by Tross on Sept 30, 2021 17:12:18 GMT -5
Ok, I've seen the movie, and without going into too much detail, I think it's quite good and definitely worth seeing. I don't think it's a FiM killer though.
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Post by OttselHero on Oct 1, 2021 10:45:49 GMT -5
Ok, I've seen the movie, and without going into too much detail, I think it's quite good and definitely worth seeing. I don't think it's a FiM killer though. I saw it also, and while I'm still not sure if I'm on board for the show, the movie was enjoyable enough. It still leaves a lot of questions, namely what caused the division between the three pony races in the first place? I'm sure the show will explore that question at some point. It's just a bit unsettling considering the show's [mostly] happy ending. I think it would be interesting if Queen Chrysallis, Tirek, and Cosy Glow had something to do with it. My only nitpick with the movie was the music was so utterly modern (I suppose it's an inevitability given its "target" audience). And the twist regarding the third crystal was obvious from about 100,000 miles away.
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Post by Tross on Oct 1, 2021 13:18:39 GMT -5
Ok, I've seen the movie, and without going into too much detail, I think it's quite good and definitely worth seeing. I don't think it's a FiM killer though. I saw it also, and while I'm still not sure if I'm on board for the show, the movie was enjoyable enough. It still leaves a lot of questions, namely what caused the division between the three pony races in the first place? I'm sure the show will explore that question at some point. It's just a bit unsettling considering the show's [mostly] happy ending. I think it would be interesting if Queen Chrysallis, Tirek, and Cosy Glow had something to do with it. My only nitpick with the movie was the music was so utterly modern (I suppose it's an inevitability given its "target" audience). And the twist regarding the third crystal was obvious from about 100,000 miles away. I feel the same way about the prospect of a show. I think the premise works great for a feature length film, but I'm skeptical that there's enough to keep us invested to fill an entire show without it getting stale. This is not our Equestria, and though the ponies have their magic back, they're still living in a mostly boring post-modern world. I do actually like that the setting is more modern, with smartphones and the like, because that's not a particularly common setting for fantasy, and having a world of both magic and modern technology has potential. Most of all though, it just helps it feel different from the world of the previous series. On the other hand, we left an Equestria that was built around magic, not to mention it had a great deal many fantasy creatures, some of which were inspired by Greek mythology. This movie's world feels empty by comparison. Of course, having a very simple world worked well for the premise at hand. I don't think the plot would have worked nearly as well if, say, some sky pirates showed up in between and captured the ponies. That sort of thing worked for FiM, but here, it's great that the focus could just be on the three pony races and the mission to reunite them. I'm just left thinking "now what?" I'm intrigued by what could have happened to Equestria, but I think trying to make this world the same, albeit after an undisclosed time skip, was unnecessary IMHO. It feels like a backup plan to try and hook the audience if the movie wasn't able to on its own, and I think it's kind of to the film's detriment. While I'm not sure about an entire show (I'll still check it out), the movie stands just fine on its own two feet, and I didn't need those infernal Mane Six dolls to effectively say "remember that other series that you're so fond of?" This Equestria (or whatever it's called now) is its own world for all intents and purposes. The storyline and premise all could have worked just fine if we were just told that it's set in an entirely different world. There would still be interest in learning about the past through world building episodes, but it wouldn't be bothering us so much. Also, while comparisons to FiM would have been inevitable, this movie doesn't let that prospect slip our mind. While modern pop music isn't my favourite, I think it kind of works given the setting. The old Equestria could lend itself just as well to more classic music genres, or just a variety in general. But, this new setting reminds me a bit of Equestria Girls too, which also had some pop-inspired music to correlate to its modern setting. Hopefully if there is to be an entire show, it won't just have pop music though. Yeah, the third crystal was pretty obvious. There are three pony races, not two. Also, I think the villain is kind of weak. Of course, after pondering how so many ponies could rally behind a man-child tyrant who abuses his power and throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, and let him so easily sway their opinions, I realize that accurately describes the last four years under the previous US President, with his cult apparently still going strong, so what do I know? Sprouts song is quite dumb lyrically, but it's quite the ear worm. I guess having technology be the thing the ponies have to face off against at the end works well for the modern-setting. All in all, it's a good movie. I'm still not sure about whether it will work well as a show, but we will see.
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Post by OttselHero on Oct 8, 2021 11:47:13 GMT -5
Some theories I had while watching: the pegasi appear to have occupied the former sight of Canterlot (evidenced by the stained glass window depicting the three crystals), Sheriff Hitch is descended from Fluttershy (animals seem drawn to him without payoff in the movie itself), and Sunny is descended from Twilight Sparkle (her mane is the same color(s) and Twilight's cutie mark appears all over her house, and of course on the journal itself).
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Post by Tross on Oct 9, 2021 18:10:36 GMT -5
Some theories I had while watching: the pegasi appear to have occupied the former sight of Canterlot (evidenced by the stained glass window depicting the three crystals), Sheriff Hitch is descended from Fluttershy (animals seem drawn to him without payoff in the movie itself), and Sunny is descended from Twilight Sparkle (her mane is the same color(s) and Twilight's cutie mark appears all over her house, and of course on the journal itself). That first observation may very well be true, especially given that Zephyr Heights seems to be on a mountain, which is where Canterlot once was. That's especially interesting considering Unicorns probably comprised the bulk of Canterlot's population. Also...Zephyr Heights? Is that a reference to Fluttershy's brother? He was last depicted as a member of the Canterlot Royal Guard, and given how useless the lot of them were, that was probably a job he was destined for. Maybe he made a name for himself as a slightly less incompetent guard who rose up in the ranks. It seems each of the cast members have traits of at least one member of the Mane Six. That's probably intentional, and it especially makes sense considering the early concepts for the new series actually had the cast be variants of the Mane Six. That said, Hitch strikes me as being more like Applejack with his down to earth nature. The animal thing may also be an attempt to have him be a throwback to Fluttershy, but I agree that it really has no payoff. I guess he's the one member of the cast who represents two Mane Six ponies. As for Sunny, she definitely represents Twilight, but I really hope the upcoming series explores her character more as it was pretty evident who Twilight was from day 1 even outside of her friendship studies, while I'm not entirely sure who Sunny is outside of pursuing friendship with other pony races. Actually, maybe exploring that is a good arc for her character, as there are real world examples of people who dedicate their lives to a goal and if they're able to see it through, they often don't know what to do with themselves afterwards. That idea alone wouldn't be enough to sustain an entire series for very long, but it could work as a stepping stone for plots to come. Dr. Wolf came up with the most interesting idea I've heard: My only criticism with this is, as I was saying before, this would just extra cement this world as one that can't exist without the Equestria of old, and therefore, limit the potential of this series as one that stands on its own in favour of it just being an extension of FiM. On the other hand, it would make for the most engaging plot out of all the theories I've heard, and is certainly better than what I've come up with. One theory I had is that it's basically going to be another mostly slice of life series set in this new world. I'm just kind of skeptical that this world is nearly as interesting as the old Equestria, so it may get old fast. Sure, there's potential for world building to make it more interesting, and I certainly think that keeping the world simple worked really well for the purposes of a film, but hopefully adding magic back into this world will inject it with more life as there was a lot about Equestria that made it especially interesting. Another theory I had is that other races are still out there, and haven't regained their magic, and so are living in their own post-modern capitalist societies unaware of what they're missing. That premise could work for maybe a season, or even a second movie, but even that would get old. Nah, I think Dr. Wolf's idea wins in terms of being the most entertaining, even if it's a double-edged sword.
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Post by OttselHero on Apr 17, 2022 18:04:37 GMT -5
It was a long, long time coming, but I finally placed an order on Vol. 5 and 6 of the omnibuses. I'm aware that there is also a Vol. 7, but I'll hang on and see how long it takes for the price to drop (hopefully not 2–3 years this time).
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Post by Tross on Apr 20, 2022 21:19:17 GMT -5
It was a long, long time coming, but I finally placed an order on Vol. 5 and 6 of the omnibuses. I'm aware that there is also a Vol. 7, but I'll hang on and see how long it takes for the price to drop (hopefully not 2–3 years this time). TBH I've only just ordered Vol. 2 of the Season 10 comic, so I've fallen behind on the series as well. It's almost as if the spell it had over me has been lifted. I can still enjoy a good FiM story, but it's not an obsession anymore.
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Post by OttselHero on Apr 24, 2022 18:12:44 GMT -5
It was a long, long time coming, but I finally placed an order on Vol. 5 and 6 of the omnibuses. I'm aware that there is also a Vol. 7, but I'll hang on and see how long it takes for the price to drop (hopefully not 2–3 years this time). TBH I've only just ordered Vol. 2 of the Season 10 comic, so I've fallen behind on the series as well. It's almost as if the spell it had over me has been lifted. I can still enjoy a good FiM story, but it's not an obsession anymore. That's only natural after some time has passed after a show ends its run. Still, it would have been nice to have had one last G4 movie before G5 came around. That being said, we almost got one. I assume it was canceled once the decision was made to end the show.
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Post by Tross on Apr 25, 2022 1:12:02 GMT -5
TBH I've only just ordered Vol. 2 of the Season 10 comic, so I've fallen behind on the series as well. It's almost as if the spell it had over me has been lifted. I can still enjoy a good FiM story, but it's not an obsession anymore. That's only natural after some time has passed after a show ends its run. Still, it would have been nice to have had one last G4 movie before G5 came around. That being said, we almost got one. I assume it was canceled once the decision was made to end the show. Wow. That definitely would have been a more interesting film than A New Generation (SNS). The deeper and deeper I go into analysis of the latest film, the less it holds up IMHO. By the way, the series of YouTube shorts entitled Tell Your Tale has started. Here's the trailer: You can watch all six episodes that are up on that same YouTube channel. I have, and I can confidently say that this sums up my reaction: I suppose that's consistent with my impression of the movie though, so...I guess it does its job.
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Post by Tross on May 13, 2022 15:34:27 GMT -5
By the way, I'm kind of curious what your thoughts on the latest generation of MLP are. Here's the trailer for the second attempt at a pilot for what's supposed to be the mane series, Make Your Mark: For me it's kind of going through the motions, and doubling down on references to FiM as a shallow means to generate interest, and none of it has helped me appreciate these characters as distinct and original characters. Sure, I'm all for them containing elements of various members of the Mane Six as a bit of a homage while adding their own spin to create a character that feels different, but in some cases it just seems aspects of previous characters have been copied and pasted.
Also, this whole generation is still missing a spark for me that FiM had, and I can't quite put my hoof on it. Maybe it's that while it's all well and good that this world is seeing its magic return, and apparently even dragons...it's possible that I just prefer a world that has that stuff in it and focuses on being interesting and engaging. It took maybe two minutes to set up FiM's Equestria. G5 borrows from that and I still don't really understand its world even now. Maybe, as mentioned previously, it's that I appreciate original characters over rehashes. It could just be nostalgia, but I can't help but think if it really was just blind nostalgia I wouldn't be able to articulate clear areas where FiM has a leg up over its successor.
Most of all though, it would be easy to just say I'm out and ignore G5, if it didn't desecrate FiM by virtue of these two series being force-tied together, probably due to corporate meddling. Yeah, apparently everything Twilight and the Mane Six worked for was eventually lost to time. Fantastic. Still, I seem to be missing something, as the Brony fandom seems to largely be excited for this new generation.
I will say, I can go a little easier on Tell Your Tale, because it's not trying to be all that deep...and it also avoids acknowledging ties to FiM while keeping references to a minimum, although it is a bit distracting when a character does something distinctly like a member of the Mane Six and we're just supposed to brush it off as a trait of this new character now. Still...it's not as big a problem here. I do feel like I'm missing a plot beat though, given that this is episode 1: I think my favourite episodes so far focus on the relationship between the Pegasus Sisters: With that said, while all of the supporting characters have had one decent and one less great episode (Sunny has just had one less great episode, as seen above), Pipp definitely has the most cringe episode of them all, which probably sums up how I feel about this gen: So, it's a gen about references, memes and cashing in on all the surface aspects of what made FiM successful without truly understanding it on a deeper level. Cool. That "*Squee* Ponies!" clip needs to be a meme if it isn't already, because I think that sums up who this gen is for. It's not for fans looking for a series that captures the essense of FiM on a deeper level, but rather for those who are drawn to anything pony related and will get excited for any new content.
I realize I posted half of TYT. You can find the rest on MLP's official YouTube channel. Most of it is...alright, I guess. Some of it makes me think of better episodes in FiM though. I do get the sense that MYM was supposed to come first, hence why episode 1 feels like it skipped something, but this whole generation seems poorly managed. I will be surprised if it lasts for more than a couple seasons.
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Post by OttselHero on May 19, 2022 5:45:20 GMT -5
I have to admit that I'm impressed by the trailer from an animation standpoint. Usually in 3D television animation, you either have textures or smooth frame rate, not both. Make Your Mark appears to retain most of the movie's textural quality with only a slightly reduced frame rate. But it is like you said: it does not appear to understand FiM on a deeper level, and it's going to be hard to adjust without FiM's Mane 6. I would probably pass on this myself if I didn't have friends who I know are going to watch it (one even had the audacity to claim the movie was better than the 2017 film).
I'm most of the way through Omnibus Vol. 5. I like how this omnibus in particular adds context to episodes from the show. The first arc acted as a prelude to the season 7 finale, though it left me with questions. What was the unicorn's name? Why does his brooch resemble Twilight's cutie mark? I also really enjoyed the issue where Pinkie Pie resumes her attempts to find a pie that Rainbow Dash likes. It more or less had the same resolution as the episode when Rarity selected Applejack to be a fashion judge, but it was no less entertaining.
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Post by Tross on May 21, 2022 14:35:27 GMT -5
I have to admit that I'm impressed by the trailer from an animation standpoint. Usually in 3D television animation, you either have textures or smooth frame rate, not both. Make Your Mark appears to retain most of the movie's textural quality with only a slightly reduced frame rate. But it is like you said: it does not appear to understand FiM on a deeper level, and it's going to be hard to adjust without FiM's Mane 6. I would probably pass on this myself if I didn't have friends who I know are going to watch it (one even had the audacity to claim the movie was better than the 2017 film). I'm most of the way through Omnibus Vol. 5. I like how this omnibus in particular adds context to episodes from the show. The first arc acted as a prelude to the season 7 finale, though it left me with questions. What was the unicorn's name? Why does his brooch resemble Twilight's cutie mark? I also really enjoyed the issue where Pinkie Pie resumes her attempts to find a pie that Rainbow Dash likes. It more or less had the same resolution as the episode when Rarity selected Applejack to be a fashion judge, but it was no less entertaining. There are people who claim A New Generation is a better pilot than FiM, which I strongly disagree with. For one, FiM set the stage for what its show would be like (at least during Season 1), while I still don't know what kind of show Make Your Mark is going to be, even now. I'm guessing the upcoming special is supposed to be a take 2 for a pilot, but FiM only needed one of those. From a worldbuilding standpoint, FiM set up its world in maybe a couple minutes. ANG borrowed FiM's Equestria and I'm still confused by its world. Sunny got a whole flashback to her childhood followed by a song, but even after the entire film (and I think ten episodes of Tell Your Tale), I feel like I don't know a whole lot about Sunny other than what she does for work, while I instantly had an idea of what a typical day in the life of Twilight Sparkle looked like, even back in Canterlot. The Mane Six all had a role to play in FiM's pilot, and there was time to flesh out each of their characters, but in ANG there somehow wasn't enough time to flesh out one less character in double the runtime? Nightmare Moon is a good villain too, while whiny colt playing wannabe dictator is really...not. I still want to give the pilot for the new show a chance, and maybe check out the next few episodes. I'm not expecting I'll keep following this series much longer though. Nice! Yeah, I really liked that comic with Shadowlock. You still have more great comics to check out, full of story setups that I don't think G5's bland world really lends itself to at all.
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Post by OttselHero on May 28, 2022 13:01:56 GMT -5
I am near the end of Omnibus Vol. 6, in the middle of the Cosmos arc. Celestia's basement is a delightful treasure trove of easter eggs (including an actual car). I liked the issue where Applejack recreates her mother's pie recipe, and the halloween issue was also a ton of fun. My favorite parts were the little doodles in the margins.
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