Anyway

Now that I've probably thoroughly alienated everyone by airing legitimate grievances with the show but failing to emphasize that I really do still like it, and that I think Season 5 has really helped fix some of the issues with it, it's time to talk about Season 6 thus far

The Crystalling: This episode had two jobs: Tell a two-parter story to start off the season in an exciting manner, and help acclimatize us to Reformed/Reforming Starlight Glimmer. It gets full marks for the latter, but unfortunately, only half points for the former. Starlight feels a lot more believable here than she did at the end of The Cutie Re-Mark, and while the backstory with Sunburst is still stupid as hell, they manage to utilize it to much better effect here. While the scene with exhausted-and-loopy Shining at the train station was great, though, Skyla Flurry Hearts did very little to endear herself to me with her random acts of destruction and freaky proportions, and the whole conflict with the shattered Crystal Heart and the Crystalling itself felt really forced and hard to get invested in. And I'm still not a huge fan of the Crystal Empire. Still, it was a pretty decent episode overall, and while predictable, Sunburst knowing how to fix things was pretty cleverly handled.
3 out of 5 identical Crystalling Crystals

The Gift Of Maud Pie: Maud and her interplay with Pinkie is as solid as always, and adding Rarity to the mix only sweetens the deal. That being said, the conflict itself was merely alright, and the ending, with them intimidating the random dude, was more weird than anything. Still, the main joy of this episode was in the character interactions and banter, and for that I feel it deserves...
4 out of 5 tubes of Party Cannon ammunition

On Your Marks: Hoo boy, the first episode of the CMCs, post-Cutie Marks. Never thought I'd see the day, to be honest, but here we are. Anyway, the episode was... alright, I guess. It needed to happen, but I didn't feel too strongly about it. (beyond smug schadenfreude towards all of the people who wrote super-depressing fics where the CMCs drift apart after getting their Marks) Still, it got a bit more interesting once Dancing Guy was introduced.
4 out of 5 badly-crocheted Hats

Gauntlet Of Fire: Now this was a good episode. Spike treated well! Learning stuff about dragons! Garble! Ember!
I really liked Dragon Quest, much more than other people seem to, but this episode feels like it's what that episode was trying to be.
5 out of 5 Bloodstone Scepters (Take that, Twilicane!)

And I still need to watch the second half of the new episode. I'll get back to you on that soon.

Comments

[Emeral Bookwise]

Long time no chat, old friend. Anyway, speaking for myself, you're last blog post in no way alienated me. It's just that didn't really feel like I had much to discuss on the matter, although I might have if I had checked back later to read the comments and your subsequent replies.

Moving onto the subject hand then, I'm glad you seem to be enjoy the newest season regardless... at least that makes one of us. Which isn't to say I hate the season, and in fact my opinions of the premier where higher than your own. Unfortunately, after that favorable start, I feel like the rest of the season has been just sort of limping along, failing to live up to the standards I've come to expect from previous seasons (excluding Gauntlet of Fire that is, which I agree was a pretty strong episode).

Kind of weird that you're the one with the laundry list of complaints against the series as a whole, but I'm the one who's more disappointed with the newest season.

[ColdGoldLazarus]

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Long time no chat, old friend.

Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it? During the hiatus I got re-invested in RWBY, then introduced to Miraculous Ladybug and Steven Universe.

Anyway, speaking for myself, you're last blog post in no way alienated me. It's just that didn't really feel like I had much to discuss on the matter, although I might have if I had checked back later to read the comments and your subsequent replies.

Alright.

Moving onto the subject hand then, I'm glad you seem to be enjoy the newest season regardless... at least that makes one of us. Which isn't to say I hate the season, and in fact my opinions of the premier where higher than your own. Unfortunately, after that favorable start, I feel like the rest of the season has been just sort of limping along, failing to live up to the standards I've come to expect from previous seasons

I can see where you're coming from, and it certainly seems to be off to a slow start, but seeing as the problems seem less from the presence of upsetting stuff and more from a lack of exciting stuff, (Gauntlet aside) I'm feeling relatively optimistic about it. Plus, we're only five episodes in yet, so it's hard to say yet how things will turn out.

(excluding Gauntlet of Fire that is, which I agree was a pretty strong episode).

Ember for president! XD

Kind of weird that you're the one with the laundry list of complaints against the series as a whole

Eh, mostly 'I wish they'd done this' with a side of 'I wish they'd done these better'
I think I made my opinion sound a bit more negative than it actually is

but I'm the one who's more disappointed with the newest season.

Heh. Hopefully it'll get better for you.

[Emeral Bookwise]

3914803
I've generally heard pretty good things about RWBY and Steven Universe from other friends, but haven't really taken the time to get invested myself. From what little I've seen of each, however I'm inclined to agree with the good things I hear. Can't say I've ever heard of Miraculous Ladybug though.

As for myself, I've been getting somewhat back into DragonBall, not really so much the revived anime directly, but rather more so by proxy of the Xenoverse video game. I've also discovered a new passions for masochism, or rather that is to say playing Dark Souls.

Anyway...

and it certainly seems to be off to a slow start, but seeing as the problems seem less from the presence of upsetting stuff and more from a lack of exciting stuff,

I guess so, but still rather cold comfort in the moment. Maybe it's just rose tinted nostalgia unfairly biasing me, but I can't recall ever having been this disappointed at the start of a new season. It's not that it's bad by any means, it's just that as were it used to be a shining example of how even a show targeted for younger kids can still be appealing to an all ages audience, now it feels more like the typical show of its demographic ilk.

It certainly doesn't help though that the newest episode especially has left me with a sour taste. Doubly so since it was a Starlight focused episode, whose addition to the cast was my biggest concern going into the new season. Granted the premier went a long way to giving her a strong start, but this last episode pretty much reaffirmed all of my apprehensions in full.

Heh. Hopefully it'll get better for you.

Can't say I'm feeling very optimistic about that right now, but I'm still hoping all the same.

[ColdGoldLazarus]

3915534

I've generally heard pretty good things about RWBY and Steven Universe from other friends, but haven't really taken the time to get invested myself. From what little I've seen of each, however I'm inclined to agree with the good things I hear. Can't say I've ever heard of Miraculous Ladybug though.

RWBY is pretty good, though the first season is kind of awkward and amateur.
Steven Universe is downright great! I mean, it's kind of slow paced and takes a while to get really invested in (episode 20 was about where I went from 'this is interesting' to 'this is awesome') but I like that it takes the time to set things up properly.
Miraculous Ladybug is a french CGI show about a teenaged superhero in Paris. It's not amazing, but it is pretty fun, and it seems like it could go in some interesting directions in the future.

As for myself, I've been getting somewhat back into DragonBall, not really so much the revived anime directly, but rather more so by proxy of the Xenoverse video game.

Ooh. I don't know much about Dragonball, myself, but that's cool to hear.

I've also discovered a new passions for masochism, or rather that is to say playing Dark Souls.

Heh, yeah, I've heard that one's pretty tough. XD

I guess so, but still rather cold comfort in the moment. Maybe it's just rose tinted nostalgia unfairly biasing me, but I can't recall ever having been this disappointed at the start of a new season. It's not that it's bad by any means, it's just that as were it used to be a shining example of how even a show targeted for younger kids can still be appealing to an all ages audience, now it feels more like the typical show of its demographic ilk.

I can see that, yeah.

It certainly doesn't help though that the newest episode especially has left me with a sour taste. Doubly so since it was a Starlight focused episode, whose addition to the cast was my biggest concern going into the new season. Granted the premier went a long way to giving her a strong start, but this last episode pretty much reaffirmed all of my apprehensions in full.

Huh, okay. I still need to watch that one.

Can't say I'm feeling very optimistic about that right now, but I'm still hoping all the same.

That seems fair. Fingers crossed!