40 things Season 7 of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic taught me in 2017 · 8:45pm Dec 27th, 2017
2017 is already agonizing and there's no better way to end this year than reviewing the 40 things that the seventh season of My Little Pony taught me this year, season that could be defined as atypical, because although there were major disappointments, on the other hand the surprises arrived with equal force and has delivered more surprises than calamities, more quality than gossip and more positive news than the various misfortunes that we had to endure in the last season. This will not only cover all the chapters of the season, but also take a look at some pony-related topics occurred this year.
Disclaimer: There's going to be consternations about season 8 massive leak. No footage, all information posted here has officially been revealed via Hasbro. Without further ado, let's begin.
Beginning a year is difficult
Let’s start with a low note. This was a difficult year for me because of many reasons: it was my last year in college, the beginning to “choose life”, the pressure and envy of a family member having easier times than mine, Vanilla Mocha, one of my closest friends in the site, left for most part of the year. But nothing came close on the lesson that finally taught me how harsh and cruel life can be: a relative, a family member passed away just the second day of the year. Throughout the year, the constant thinking of the future and how some movies and series I watched this year dealt with the topics of death or adulthood (LEGO Batman, Logan, Trainpotting 2, The Shack, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Cowboy Bebop, Blade Runner 2049, Coco, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Mussouri) as well as some losses from the media (Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington) made me go back to a depressive, stronger feeling than ever before. Christmas will never be the same for me.
Insects are the most resistant creatures on Earth
Was anyone expecting Josh Haber to return to MLP after season six? Personally, I wouldn’t have been bothered if he didn’t return as a lot of the writing decisions in that season were on him. Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco were the best option for editor of the series, and for the first half it was great. Then the second half came out, with Haber coming back alongside the duet and the effects of his presence were notorious. The second half, although good, didn’t reach the greatness of the first half and some of the episodes, although excellent, were really forgettable. The biggest contribution from this guy was detailing Starlight’s backstory as a key-latch kid. Looks like a great potential for the next season...
Better Late than Never
After years of speculation, we finally got our Celestia episode. After seven seasons, she finally gets major focus for at least half an episode! Other characters were excellent: Discord teasing Trixie, Spike’s reactions to Twilight’s fantasies as to where to send Starlight (that’s what happens to you when you live with someone like Twilight Sparkle your whole life) and Starlight herself taking the final decision on her residence. Overall, Celestial Advice is a strong start to season seven and if it taught me anything, was that even in the bleakest of times for a franchise, there’s almost always a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. 5/5.
Starlight is finally having the proper development
All Bottled Up is a lesser follow-up to the second part of the opening, it has a great moral, good comedy timing and the constant change between the Mane 6 and Starlight is understandable. However, this episode is proof that all these good elements can be ruined by a problem. For me, the majority of the problems lie with Trixie. She constantly brags about how “great and powerful” she is and she practically reverted to being a one-note annoyance that it makes you wonder why Starlight puts up with her in the first place. Good episode overall with some repairs. 3/5.
To value the best things of your life
A Flurry of Emotions, I thought, did do Flurry justice. I feel much of it lies down to her bond with Twilight and how the latter is written; she wants to spend time with her niece, but at the same time, she’s got a schedule to stick to, but ends up getting distracted. Good thing she’s got Spike to help keep her check. The past incidents they mentioned with Flurry’s cheekiness, I think, could be great stories on their own, as well as adorable. Actually, that word is perhaps the best to describe this episode, along with heartwarming, especially when Shining and Cadance were close to crying thinking about their daughter. What I mean is that the designs of Pound and Pumpkin Cake clash against Flurry’s. Flurry has eyes like the older foals and adult ponies, but the Cake twins simply have colored irises with white shine and no eye white. I know animation doesn’t affect the story, but can’t we have visual consistency with the younger ponies? Other than that, there’s not a whole lot I can say about this episode. If Sammie and Whitney were this good here, then I wonder what their writing is like on The Loud House. 5/5.
Eating too much of the same thing can cause harm
Can I be the first to say that Maud Pie-centric episodes are feeling a bit overused by now? This isn’t necessarily bad, but rather, I’m noticing a trend since her debut episode in season four in which she’s had at least one starring role. Pinkie has two other sisters, which are barely given any time for character development. I mean, can’t we have an episode where they react to a new environment like Ponyville with Pinkie guiding them around? Would make for an interesting story, really. As for the episode the way it is? Generally, I think it’s good, but not quite as good as some people thought it was when it first came out. For one thing, the humor is on the hit or miss spectrum. However, Pinkie was rather obnoxious, perhaps more so than Filli Vanilli. There is a line between helping your friends and acting like an idiot, and she breaches it altogether. Then there’s Starlight. I like seeing her interact with Maud taught Starlight was actually a very good one; it’s what’s inside that’s really important. Rock Solid Friendship, however, does provide a very strong lesson many should take seriously, the moments with Starlight and Maud were nice to see, and the continuity nods are also pretty good. I think that’s enough to rank this episode a good one. Not one of the greatest, but still good. 3.5/5.
One can dream with a promising achievement
I’m gonna say it right now: the themes displayed here are amongst the best of the entire of the show. The ideas from the masters contrasted sharply with Fluttershy’s, and of course, they thought they knew better when it came to animal needs, but didn’t bother listening to Fluttershy. The other big theme of the episode is one I can personally relate to; don’t give up if you don’t succeed first time around. I think that’s a theme anybody can relate to. Now some of you may be thinking the solution was excessively simple and... I partially agree. But I guess it’s possible Big Daddy McColt didn’t cross Fluttershy’s mind the first time around and contacted him when coming up with ideas. There’s also a more subtle message within Fluttershy Leans In; it’s not the destination, it’s the journey that really counts. Which brings me onto Fluttershy herself. I don’t think the episode would’ve been as strong if it took place during the earlier seasons, especially if they contrasted very sharply against Dragonshy and Hurricane Fluttershy. Well done, Gillian Berrow, for a fantastic Fluttershy episode. 4.5/5.
Midlife crisis comes early nowadays
Trainspotting 2, although it wasn’t the best movie of the year, was the one which had more impact in me. The themes it dealt with made me realize that, perhaps midlife crisis is coming closer nowadays thanks to the speed of technology and life itself. Probably the episode that came closest to this experience was Forever Filly. Here, both sisters are relatable and sympathetic; you feel for Sweetie Belle when she doesn’t want to hurt her big sister’s feelings, and you feel for Rarity when she wants to please her little sister but forgets how much she’s grown in the past few seasons. The theme is further strengthened by the subplot with Zipporwhill and her dog Ripley; she wonders why he won’t play with the toys he did as a puppy. There were really no problems with the episode at all; it was beautiful and heartwarming from beginning to end, and it presents some of the most mature themes in a kids’ show. I could say more, but there’s so much you can praise an episode before it becomes old. 5/5.
We finally met Rainbow Dash’s family
A bit conflicted on this one. There are things I liked about it and things that I didn’t. For one thing, I liked Scootaloo’s role in this one. Her reaction to seeing Rainbow Dash’s parents for the first time was equally adorable and hilarious. Given that she’s never met them before, can you blame her? Plus, their reactions to her squealing loudly are priceless. Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof are... alright, I suppose. However, I would never go so far as to keep shoving my support down their throats to the point it becomes childish. And that’s their biggest problem; they’re way too obsessive with their daughter and her achievements (especially in the second act), right down to memorabilia when it comes to Rainbow Dash’s highlights. And that brings me to the themes, which feel... kind of awkward. Rainbow Dash realized she took her parents’ support for granted. Fair enough. And yet her parents don’t apologize for embarrassing her? I don’t know if it’s actually happening or just my interpretation, but it feels confused as to who I’m supposed to root for. Not to say that Parental Glideance is without merit; I mean, it has a good idea, and Rainbow Dash learns something at the end, but the end result comes off as weird at best. 3/5.
Big Mac sank many ships
Hard to Say Anything is filled with great plot pacing, plenty of good humor via the Crusaders’ humorous, but failed attempts to hook Apple Bloom’s brother up with Sugar Belle, a superb moral, a bearable Justin Bieber and excellent portrayals of the Crusaders, Big Mac, Feather Bangs, and Sugar Belle. Even if it isn’t perfect what with its flawed song by Big Mac and his rival against Sugar Belle, the episode’s laugh-out-loud moments, gripping storyline, and the excellent moral that comes across it, it still all adds up to an appreciative outing by newbie writer Becky Wangberg. That being said, it does expose a genuine problem with how the actual show handles romance, so this is my advice to the writers: leave the romance to the fandom. Like bad guy redemptions, writing for romance in MLP is a two-edged sword; yes, it’s a nice idea to try and add a few subtle mature themes (or at least, as subtle as you can get) in the show, but you have to consider that there are fans out there who aren’t a fan of romance being in the show. There’s a reason the show is called Friendship is Magic. Nevertheless, I’m a Cheerimac shipper, but I don’t mind Sugarmac. I’m pretty sure she’s ok with...
Oh God... 4/5.
The staff continues to recycle rejected scripts
When it comes to characterization, this episode does it exactly right thanks to keeping Applejack as her usual honest self, while Rarity remained generous as to give her honest friend a chance at judging the dresses. It should be noted that Applejack’s hurtful honesty though does make the overall pacing not too watchable as harsh moments are uncomfortable for me to sit through, but harshness here at least serves a purpose like Green Isn’t Your Color did. Plenty of other good scenes add to the episode’s charm even if they don’t entirely make up for Applejack’s hurtful honesty Rarity’s mean guitar solo, anypony? In the end, Honest Apple is still an enjoyable installment for all die-hard Applejack and Rarity fans (myself included), but by my standards, doesn’t quite meet up with the previous installments they’ve done as a duo. Applejack’s hurtful honesty doesn’t make it rewatchable after one viewing, but rewatchability isn’t everything you need to make an episode good, as long as the story is good. And I feel this episode delivers exactly that. 3.5/5.
Evil Celestia is best Celestia
A Royal Problem is perhaps Starlight’s best role overall. Here, she’s perhaps one of the few characters who could’ve filled in this role. Another point of discussion is Celestia and Luna; the only times we ever saw them being sisterly toward one another was the ending of Elements of Harmony (that is, the second part of Friendship is Magic) and a small one-off gag in Slice of Life. Never had there been a full episode about that aspect of their relationship... until now, and they pull it off fantastically. One could argue that they should’ve resolved their fight by now, but the conflict in the present day feels more nuanced; Luna thinks that Celestia’s duties are easier than her own and vice-versa. As I mentioned earlier, adding Starlight to the conflict was a great move. Yes, her actions could be seen as impulsive, but if an argument is about to get bad, you might have no choice but to interfere before it gets worse. Not only that, both sisters end up realizing on their own that the other’s duties were not as simple as they initially believed. Oh, and you can’t review the episode without talking about Daybreaker. Seriously, is this evil form of Celestia a badass or what? She is the day equivalent of Nightmare Moon, only the insanity levels are cranked up to eleven... times ten. Bit of a shame that she may never appear again, but it’s still a great addition to an already great episode. 5/5.
Yaks don’t work, just don’t
I know that is important to expand Equestria’s lore and give background elements to the world to make it more believable, but did anyone really wanted another episode with the yaks, characters that haven’t been interesting or appealing since its first appearance? For a start, the plot was painfully sluggish. They try adding humor, but the jokes are extremely forced and... actually, it’s the same joke they recycle. And like Party Pooped, Rutherford is an incompetent ruler who can’t even build a hut to save his hair. But the episode’s biggest downfall is the moral. It comes off as a stupid joke and it sends mixed messages to an impressionable audience! Heck, even the animation feels a bit lazy there. Not Asking for Trouble feels like there was no heart put into the story whatsoever and that they relied on humor as a crutch. 1/5.
To don’t mix fantasy with reality
On May 24th, one big tragedy shook the world: a terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena in England. Bombings took the life of 22 people. The author twilightsparkle3562 wrote a story about Rara and Applejack, talking about how the first was involved in a terrorist attack that occurred in one of her concerts and the familiars of the ponies who died in the attack blame her, serving as a parallelism to what happened to Ariana Grande during the incident. The criticism took over the story, many saying it wasn’t appropriate at the time he wrote it. Although they know he did it with the best intentions, that he wasn’t trying to offend anyone and instead was simply paying tribute to the victims and nothing more, the readers spoke. It received mixed-to-negative reviews and damaged more the author’s image, who had already other similar cases in the past. twilightsparkle3562 became one of the most controversial writers of the site unintentionally.
Equestria Girls flooded Internet
The Humane 6 invaded online media thanks to the marketing and advertising. I mean, let’s take a look: 3 summer shorts, more “BUY OUR TOYS!” moments, and a mini-series with plans for more material in the future. I may not be a fan of Equestria Girls, but credit where credit’s due. Perhaps the summer shorts were the highlights of the series thanks to the return of the Shadowbolts and the highly anticipated encounter between Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer.
Everything good needs to end
Dawn Somewhere forged himself a reputation of mocking the show and parodying the events of each season with the Mentally Advanced Series. For three years, he brought joy, happiness and laughs to most of us. However, he stipulated that because of how much the original show has changed over the years, continuing the series didn’t make any sense and its main purpose run out of the course. With his new project, the Nepotism Adventure Series, which is more focused on mocking the morals of the show, I hope it makes an impact like the original.
The Fluttercord felt real
So much of the humor is derived from Discord; whenever he’s literally speaking to himself, using his fingers to eat, his initial indifference to fading away and the irony on how being normal isn’t... well, normal for him. Every other character is brilliant: Pinkie giving Discord advice for his tea party, the old mare’s confusion, and the clerks ponies questioning his friendship with Fluttershy. Once again, Fluttershy is the standout character; for the last four years, she knows Discord inside and out and her confusion over his “normal” persona is great to see. And that leads me onto the themes. Yeah, I’ve got some issues with the “be yourself” moral being overdone, but it makes sense for Discord to learn it. The same goes for the theme about differences. People will judge others for being different from their friends, but those who are different shouldn’t let those words get to them. There’s not a whole lot I can say in regards to Discordant Harmony. It’s fun to watch, has some really good themes, and continues the development to Fluttershy and Discord. 4.5/5.
Captain James T. Kirk reincarnated and turned into a pony
One of the biggest surprises from this season was the appearance of William Shatner as another member of the Apple Family. Only he could’ve fit the role of the Apple siblings’ grandfather, and pull off a phenomenal performance. When he was first announced, everyone thought he would play Starswirl or another draconequus, but now I can’t even imagine other person playing Grand Pear. This is an excellent transition to...
With effort, you can do everything you want
The Perfect Pear is considered the best episode of the season, and I can see why. Whilst it’s an episode from what’s generally a comedy show, this plays the Romeo and Juliet tropes a little more seriously than what you'd normally expect. Whilst there are little comedic moments like Applejack’s reaction to the pear jam and Goldie Delicious’ entrance, for the most part, the flashbacks are taken seriously and they hit the right emotions, especially in the third act. The episode’s theme is great: holding onto grudges for a long time isn’t healthy. You never know what may happen to those you’ve hurt in the past, and if they die without you knowing, it may end up haunting you for the rest of your days. But even then, there’s the possibility they may have been willing to forgive you and would want you to be happy. I also want to extend my thanks to Joanna and Kristine; they didn’t have to write this episode, let alone act as script editors for the season. They could’ve let someone else take the reigns and chances are that someone may have screwed them up. So thank you, ladies, for bringing us a wonderful episode. Keep up the good work, and I know you’ll make even the lamest ideas work. 5/5.
Love can surge from anywhere
“Mag, I love you with my whole heart, and I can't wait to start the next chapter of my life and spend forever with you.” Lost.
One of the most romantic moments of the year was the proposal between TheLostNarrator and Magpiepony. Lost tricked Magpie into thinking that they were recording the video for a special unboxing, but the notice took the latter by surprise because nobody, either the audience or her, expected this to happen. Either way, I wanted to share this with you all here. They have received nothing but support and love from this fandom, and both will be forever grateful for that. Find the love of your life is one thing, but to find the love of your life in a fandom about multi-colored talking ponies is something you have to see to believe!
Things may last longer than we expected
This is an excellent transition from the last fact. This series has ended after 3 years of laughs, suspense, drama and songs. I’ve already talk about this audio series before, but it’s worth mentioning all the problems Magpie had to dealt with all this time. It was worth it: she created an instant classic for brony culture.
Hasbro tried to take over the world
Hasbro had taken several steps to increase its presence in the entertainment business as a way to increase toy sales around the world. The negotiations with Lions Gate ended on August because of price disagreements, the sources said, asking not to be identify because the talks were confidential. It’s not clear whether negotiations could restart in the future. Maybe this is why Hasbro changed plans and tried to acquire Mattel. However, Mattel eventually responded with a rejection, citing worries of anti-trust laws and complaints that their offer undervalued the company. These companies are massive, so a deal like this probably wasn’t going to happen in any kind of quick time frame. Although, considering the recent adquisition, I won’t be shocked if this happens in the near future:
M. A. Larson is a bipolar with the fandom
Although Larson has stated that this episode was supposed to aired in Season 5 and that he had the idea, but didn’t write the script, it’s time to face the facts. This episode is so bad that even makes other fan-dedicated episodes (like Slice of Life and Stranger than Fan Fiction) look like a masterpiece in comparison. Yeah, this episode is a straight-up satire of fans who have had complaints about the show for the last few years and it’s handled with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the crotch. Not only that, but a lot of the “jokes” are outdated and the message is how insulting it comes off as. Fame and Misfortune is a complete disgrace to the series, and has literally no reason to exist at all. It’s the worst episode of season seven and it’s also Larson’s worst script, and the tragic part is that it didn’t have to be! Although, to be fair, it could’ve been worse: we could be like this guy...
1/5.
The Cutie Map makes no more sense
The main issue I got with this episode is that it borders on predictability. The plot comes off as confusing, and Spike kind of backpedals when it comes to character development. Considering Spike’s competence during season six you’d think he’d have gotten over that issue by now. Another oddity is Spike being connected to the Cutie Map, and that sends some odd implications: does that mean every creature in Equestria is connected to it somehow? At least with Starlight in A Royal Problem, she had fiddled with the map prior to said episode, so her connection to it made sense... sort of. That being said, I think the episode really shines with Ember; for the screen time she’s given, she’s displayed more charisma than Thorax in his season six starring roles, and her reactions to how friendship is handled in Ponyville are really fun to watch. The highlight was probably her eating Twilight’s castle walls and the gag where she confuses Starlight with Twilight. Her bondage with Thorax seems like an interesting trait (he was... ok for the most part). For a plot that comes off as predictable at best and muddled at worst, the theme is probably the best Josh Hamilton has displayed so far in regards to Thorax and Ember: nobody’s a perfect leader. The same also applies to all cultures being different. This episode just barely avoids mediocrity and, despite its flaws, Triple Threat is funny to watch, so I can’t be too harsh. 3/5.
The show has its first Anthology of Interest
Thanks to its new idea in all three tales from the three Mane Six sisters, they tell to their younger sisters, along with brilliant pacing for each story and heartwarming relationships between them all. From Applejack’s tale of Rockhoof’s determination to save a village, to Rarity’s tale of Mistmane sacrificing her own beauty for her hideous sister, not to mention the best tale from Rainbow Dash telling of Flash Magnus saving his comrades from two vicious dragons, there’s just no reason to see this episode as something dull. Powerful small stories all in one episode, and their new ideas put aside, the characters have all been done greatly in their portrayals during storytelling, and the episode comes to a very good end just to make its plot even more similar to its predecessor of Season 3. It had a higher grade when I first watch it, but it has going down thanks to future installments dealing with the legends themselves, since it feels weird to dedicate half of an episode to a couple of them, while the ones presented here have to reduce their screen time. But looking past those small grudges, Campfire Tales comes out as a near flawless experience from start to finish. 4/5.
Thorax’s journey is the DC Extended Universe
Wonder Woman proved to be a lucky shot in the dark: it became a box office success and many claimed it to be the only good movie from the DC Extended Universe. This can be applied to Thorax’s story arc: where The Times They Are A Changeling was his Man of Steel (in spite of its divisiveness amongst both fans and critics alike) whilst To Where and Back Again was his Suicide Squad. With To Change a Changeling, it’s exactly Thorax’s Wonder Woman where it’s surprisingly good for his own arc. It’s all paced out brilliantly, with characterization that’s even impressive as Pharynx himself as a character. What also adds to its good qualities how good Starlight is portrayed in her role, even if Trixie’s status as a character amongst me is untouched. The plot may not be the most entertaining of the season and the ending downgrades the episode a bit, but it’s backed up by great characterization from our main character and even a great moral of not forcing anyone to change their ways. 3/5.
Daring Do’s identity is all over the place
Like Campfire Tales, this episode takes influence from real-world folklore. This time, from Egypt! The story of Somnambula and how she outsmarted the Sphinx and saved the Pharaoh was a brilliant tie-in to the episode’s theme about hope. And honestly, I felt for Daring Do here. There have been lots of times I felt like giving up right here and then, but then I remember that there’s friends and company that have my back, and it motivates me to continue doing what I love most. The moral works incredibly well too, and is one of the best to teach all audiences when you are in situations where giving up is never the right option, and is truly a friendship lesson of complete encouragement. As well as that, we get a great cold open intro to introduce us the main elements of the episode’s primary plot point where RD and Pinkie must search for A.K. Yearling and encourage her to never lose her hope, which only adds more strength to the main storyline. Daring Done? is more than just a solid masterpiece for a character who already seems to fascinate a lot of Indiana Jones fans, it’s definitely a fun recommendation. 4.5/5.
The present doesn’t have room for Sparity anymore
I really like how the scenes with the flower ponies, Mr. Breezy, and Davenport (that pony selling couches) play out in the story. First time round, Rarity gives them suggestions for improvement. Second time round, she sees the impact they’ve made but nopony recognizes her. Third time round, she works with the situation she’s in and makes tweaks to her previous suggestions. Though, there are a couple of nitpicks I have with the episode. One: who has a sneeze-iversary? Two: I feel there was a missed opportunity to have Spike talking and interacting with Rarity’s new look, prove that their relationship is beyond a simple crush. It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You had everything to canonize or de-confirmed Sparity, but they didn’t. However, the theme was one of the best of the show (even if it is a bit overused) and it suited Rarity’s character brilliantly. 4/5.
A new civil war is about to begin
The Smash tournament based on the rivalry between the professionals Ally and ZeRo was one of the highlights of the Smash competitive community. Then, Hasbro released another bombshell this year with the animatic of the Season 8 premiere: a pony taking photos of the Mane 6, but she doesn’t take one of Starlight. It would be a normal episode if it wasn’t for the surprise at the end: the pony behind this secret was none other than Chrysalis. This is how you promote a series! It opens many possibilities such as a war between good and bad changelings or Chrysalis vs Thorax (and more with Tirek’s confirmation for the season finale) However, showing this clip did more damage than good in the end, because the surprise factor vanished immediately, which is an excellent transition to...
Everything is a fucking spoiler
As many have realized at this point if our flooded inboxes are any indication, the last months of the year played host to a MASSIVE leak of show assets. Not only did some of the episodes of season 8 had been released, but the entire show bible (what Lauren Faust used to pitch pony and what subsequent teams use to continue the show), movie scripts, episode scripts, and more were dropped. Someone over at DHX, Hasbro, Lions Gate, or wherever they originated is probably back on the job market after this one. Lots of people are posting and sharing these leaks, and asking why we aren’t slapping them up here. This is a little bit different from your usual pony leak. Something of this magnitude is something Hasbro will most likely go out and police if they see. Consider the actions sites such as Equestria Daily, Derpibooru and, of course, have been taken, posting this material could end up getting you into trouble. As a Smash fan, I’ve been dealing with leaks over the years and I’m used to them, but I’m going to ask it again: Why do people do this?! The best we can do to stop this tendency is to stop watching leaked material and stop uploading it.
Toys are an endangered species
Suddenly, “BUY OUR TOYS!” makes sense...
This is kind of fringe pony news, but still somewhat important for pony as a whole. Toys R’ Us has officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This doesn’t mean they are immediately going out of business, but with a bit more financial freedom we will probably see some pretty heavy changes coming soon. On the pony side, Toys R’ Us has always been a big deal with companies like Hasbro. We’ve seen countless exclusives come out of them, they adopted the dark purple packaging, edgier ponies and had an entire section that looked straight out of Hot Topic. I hope that they will get through this, but in a world where kids are increasingly, more interested in tablets over toys it’s going to be a challenge. Companies like Hasbro are weathering the change via pumping resources into countries that can’t quite afford to buy every kid a tablet and fill it with apps.
Indies and videogames are losing people’s confidence
Indie games were all over the place this year. With the success of the Nintendo Switch, some wanted to cooperate and join, others don’t. Yooka-Laylee didn’t live up to the high and Mass Effect Andromeda, although good, was forgotten pretty quickly. I’m bringing this to the table because of Them’s Fightin’ Herds. I’m hyped to the heavens, it’s good looking and it’s creative... but I’m getting fucking tired of seeing this game being delayed and delayed and delayed. First, it was May as the release date, then no notices, then November or December and finally release date pending. I don’t know what the creators are trying to do! They stopped to upload videos and livestreams to their Youtube account and when they finally released the demo, the game is still not fucking over; the graphics are still half-done! I don’t want to kill my hype, I’ve been waiting for two years for this game and I know videogames take time to develop, but if this continues, we’ll probably have our next Mighty No. 9 and No Man’s Sky.
Connections and parallelisms are strange
A Health of Information is quite possibly Fluttershy’s best starring role since Hurricane Fluttershy. The fact that she was so determined in helping Zecora when the zebra ended up catching Swamp Fever really shows how far Fluttershy has come in seven seasons. And then there’s our fifth legend: Mage Meadowbrooke here has taken influence from the Cajuns of New Orleans, and her story plays into the episode’s theme nicely. There’s funny bits to be found like Fluttershy rhyming in the cold open, and the brick joke with the doctor catching Swamp Fever (how ironic!) Like I’ve said, it’s one of Fluttershy’s best episodes yet. Her character has reached its peak, the themes are among the show’s best. 4.5/5.
Supporting characters begin their post-graduation road
Although there was a missed opportunity with bringing Starlight into the story, (she could tell Rumble she understands what he’s going through) the rest of the episode is actually fairly solid, it’s great to see the Crusaders’ respective characters develop. The themes about growing up, trying new things, and finding yourself are still really good. It was also great to see Thunderlane have a role, and Kettle Corn and her circle drawing deserves a mention. Marks and Recreation, although it’s a remake of Crusaders of the Lost Mark in some aspects, deserves more recognition. 4/5.
Twilight learned from Dan how to go crazy
In some aspects, Once Upon a Zeppelin reminded me of Dan Vs. (officially the most underrated animated show of the decade) and does have its fair share of good moments; ranging from Twilight’s moments of standing up against Iron Will (who had a surprising comeback) to showing her desire of spending time with her family, even if all things don’t go as according to plan. The plot might be well paced, but the episode itself sadly isn’t without fault. Any newer characters don’t interest me throughout and Twilight’s parents haven’t become more interesting even with all the development they got throughout the episode. That’s not to say it makes the episode unwatchable, but it does make the plot an extremely bizarre one to sit through. Oh, and Spike forcing Twilight to take a vacation and his reaction to her asking if she’s to make a schedule for said vacation? Definitely deserves its own mention. It’s little things that can be so entertaining at times, and even the mention of him being part of the family was really sweet. 3/5.
Absurdity has its limits
This is an episode I knew was going to suck just from its plot synopsis before it aired on TV (how the heck could Pinkie come with all those ridiculous excuses to give Rainbow Dash all those pies?! And why is Rainbow Dash a loathsome liar towards everyone besides Pinkie?!) There is no redeeming value and the plot is flawed in so many senses. Pinkie’s suspicious stalking on Rainbow Dash? Totally weird. Rainbow Dash disposing of Pinkie’s pies behind her back when she clearly often notices? Yeah, like that’s totally reasonable (when it’s actually not!) The episode’s moral telling you it’s okay to dislike something for (absolutely) no reason? Aside from some fairly remarkable portrayals from Twilight and Applejack, Secrets and Pies is undeniably a huge step in the wrong direction for both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. 1/5.
Over time you’ll miss the old friends that you let go
While there were a bit of new ideas thrown into the mix, like that board game Starlight loved to play with Sunburst, and the antique shop he wanted to visit after the episode’s prologue, at most there’s not too much thrown into the mix. I mean, I’m not saying they didn’t try, but Sunburst’s character doesn’t have a proper development like the rest. Not only that, Sunburst is in an episode with Twilight, Trixie, and Maud Pie, and all three of have far more character and charisma than him, meaning that Sunburst is constantly overshadowed. Sure, Starlight feels relatable, they try giving Sunburst character and the theme is good, but there needed to be more development given to Sunburst’s character prior to this episode. Uncommon Bond at best is an acceptable installment, but not along the lines of good or bad necessarily. 2.5/5.
Although it has progressed a lot, the show still doesn’t know how to end its seasons
Why you give a character buffs in every area except in the most critical ones? That was my question with this episode. This was built from months and it had the potential to be the best, but then I remembered my past experiences with the previous finales and reality showed its ugly face. I like the idea of all of the legends of the pony world teaming up Avengers-style to take down an ancient evil with the Mane 6, but it was all boggled down between lack of coherent development from any of the characters and lack of logic in some aspects (the legends in a modern big city... that should’ve driven them crazy, like Fred Flintstone in that Billy & Mandy episode), the fact that every character was dumbed down or pushed aside, rushed pacing (the fact that the Mane 6 had to recover all the objects in this episode affected Campfire Tales in the long run) and plot (some thought this deserved to be the Movie plot instead of the one we got [and I agree with]) and ANOTHER villain reformation (even if it works here) hurt this episode (not to mention the leaks ruined the surprise for many, including me). I’ve noticed some didn’t like Starswirl’s attitude, but it’s comprehensible due to the situation he’s been dealing with. Plus, he does acknowledge in the end how foolish and petty he was, opening up the chance of redemption for him. Many consider Shadow Play to be the best finale of the show, others the best since season 4 (and for me, the best since season 2) and to be fair, is not bad, but in the end it stays half on what it proposes. And people wonder why I still consider The Best Night Ever as the best finale. 3/5.
It was a hard year for animation
If we exclude LEGO Batman, Loving Vincent and the new series Villainous, animation was not at its best this year: Regular Show finished after 7 years, both Chris Savino and John Lasseter are fired from their respective companies, Disney cancels Gigantic (ending its current era), Rick and Morty becomes the new toxic fanbase of the Internet, The Emoji Movie dethrones Foodfight and the animated Titanic movies as the worst animated film of all time, Cartoon Network announces a Teen Titans Go movie, Hey Arn
I'm sorry to hear about what you went through so early in the new year
I guess different people have different experiences with the episodes. My top pick would be a toss-up between Uncommon Bond, The Perfect Pear, and Hard To Say Anything. I liked all the ones that involved the Pillars, even though I thought Shadow Play finished with an anticlimactic ending, and Celestial Advice for me was . . . not exactly boring, but not very remarkable either.
Personally, I loved this season more than any other, mostly because it did a lot for expanding Equestrian history and giving more hints of a greater world than just what's happening with Twilight and the others. I love how it gave some backstory with the Apple parents and the Pillars, and the insight into Sunburst's character (he's one of my fave characters, btw). I love how it gave Big Mac a good episode, even if his singing was slightly cringe-worthy. I also liked Marks and Recreation for a similar reason. More expansion on the younger ponies.
I agree with you on the lost opportunity in It Isn't The Mane Thing About You, but I'm not too concerned about it. I've been wondering if the show has been leaving the whole Sparity thing in the last few seasons, considering I can't think of any real hints since before Season 3 (probably earlier).
For Fame and Misfortune, I liked it and felt it was a great episode. Yes, it did do some satire, but I honestly thought it gave a needed wake-up call to those fans who are constantly complaining about one thing or another and completely passing over the entire message of the show (and even to this day, I've come across people complaining about Twilight's wings, or bashing characters, and it annoys me to no end). I especially loved the song, Flawless, and I liked it's message about the ponies being flawed and to not expect them to be perfect. But I understand that a lot of fans were offended by this episode, and I think they could have been a bit more subtle with this episode.
As for the movie, I really don't know why a lot of people don't like it that much. I felt like it was an awesome story, and that it did a good job of giving a greater look at the world at large.
As for what you've had to deal with this year, I'm sorry to hear about it. I hope things look up for you in the upcoming year, and that your life becomes happier and easier to handle.
It's sad that Hiromi and her baby died.
4760909
4760982
4761026
Thank you all, I won't falter again and don't worry, they're in a better placer.