Review: "Code Lyoko: EG" · 1:33am May 20th, 2016
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, or to the work being reviewed. All rights are to their respective owners. Furthermore, this review is my own personal, subjective thoughts, protected under Fair Use, and should be treated as such. Spoilers, for the most part, have been avoided, but I'm not responsible for any part of the story that I may have, intentionally or not, spoiled.
Note: This was made before it's completion due to the fact that the next arc is basically a post-event arc(like Code Lyoko: Evolution) of the story. I will be reading that as well, but perhaps not making a separate review. Regardless of my timing, I'm positive that Sapphire will do an outstanding job with that part of the story as well, and I look forward to reading it when it comes.
Story Link: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/277806/code-lyoko-eg
Author's Profile: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/SapphireLibra3
Code Lyoko: EG is a story by the super-talented SapphireLibra3, also the creator of the Inner Demons Universe, 4 stories within that universe. I haven't had the pleasure to read any of them, at least to my recollection, but I plan to in due time, when I get the chance.
In any case, Code Lyoko: EG is about the human(yes, that EG does stand for what you think) versions of the Mane 6 and others, whom I won't spoil, battling against a sentient computer virus known as XANA, who lived inside a long-dormant supercomputer near the school of the mane cast. XANA, the same one as in the actual Code Lyoko, is a highly-dangerous virus who wishes for power and control over the real world. How he does so is through towers in Lyoko, which, when activated, allows for access to electronics and the like within the real world.
With the basics out of the way, let’s delve into the real review itself:
This was, quite honestly, one of my favorite pieces of writing to date, over even that of My Little Dashie and Past Sins(though I do love both of them on their own merit). Code Lyoko was my favorite show growing up, and seeing it put into writing in a universe similar to that of my present favorite show, it’s a great feeling, and I’m really happy I found it. I enjoyed watching the characters we all know and love be placed in a situation completely foreign to the relative peace of Equestria and “Earth”(I honestly have no clue if Equestria Girls is supposed to take place on “Earth” or something else). Also, Russian Rarity is best Rarity(this author made me interested in learning Russian, hat off to you madame).
Alongside that, Sapphire did an outstanding job with XANA. In a later Author’s Note, she mentioned many complaining that XANA was overpowered, too perfect, etc. etc., but I found, and agreed with her logic, that something/someone like XANA wouldn’t be prone to as many mistakes as different medias(movies, shows, books) tend to portray them. I won’t spoil why exactly they thought that, or what happened with all of that, but I will say, it was truly remarkable, and made very good, logical sense.
Another positive to note about this writing, something that, at times, is far overlooked, is the care to detail as to the nature of all the characters. Despite the fact that they are modified in many aspects from what we know, you can still connect with them the same way as the show allows you to. It opens up a brand new way of thinking about each individual character, allowing for a strengthening of who they are, instead of being so drastically different that it throws away who they are and replaces them with some foreign character(well, Rarity is Russian, but still).
Despite the love of this story, there were some drawbacks throughout my reading:
-The main one for me is the presence of two lesbian couples in the story(that I won't spoil). As a Conservative Christian, this is a rough spot for me. I'm not one to condemn and throw rocks at sinners, for such accomplishes nothing. Regardless, I do hate the sin, and I really hate homosexuality shoehorned into otherwise perfect works of fiction. Having said that though, the way the two were done, and the situations surrounding it, made it feel natural and logical, and didn't turn me away. Alongside that, there were straight couples involved and really good examples of true friendship, that balanced it out perfectly. Regardless of my beliefs, I was able to enjoy it just fine due to all of that, so nonetheless I enjoyed the story.
-Another drawback to the story were a few bits of grammatical and spelling errors, though obviously nothing is perfect, so that's not a huge deal.
-Lastly, I would've loved to have more on the translation side of what Rarity was saying in Russian. You can easily make out the basics by contextual clues, but I would've preferred to have the actual translation, in parentheses or whatever.
All in all, this is a reading I would recommend to Code Lyoko Fans, MLP:FIM Fans, and even just people looking for a great story. The story is long but interesting, and could easily enrapture anyone who has a love for a story with great writing, wonderful characters, and an amazing villain.
My grade for this story: A+
Personal note to the author: Keep gold of your love of the pen, and keep writing. You have a real talent for it, and I see you having a very bright future ahead of you with the written word. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Good luck, and I look forward to one day reading a book written by you(hopefully you'll message me if you ever write one!)
Thank you very much for the review and your kind words.