Equestria Girls 2: RAINBOW ROCKS (shorts + movie, Fall 2014)

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Re: Equestria Girls 2 *~RAINBOW ROCKS~* (Fall 2014)

Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:56 pm

ilcane87 wrote:
I don't think they'd release the EQG3 book in Fall 2014, and the movie in Fall 2015, as much as it doesn't make sense to release it before the movie in general. :v:

While there will be something like a full year between the first two movies, I think the second sequel (and those after that) may be released with 6-months-intervals, reflecting the distance between the book releases.



I never said fall 2015" it'll probably be Spring 2015. Point is we probably get 1 movie a year

Movie 1 Summer 2013
Movie 2 Fall 2014
Movie 3 Spring 2015
Movie 4 ???? 2016


See what I'm getting at. Even if not a whole year passes between releases probably just get 1 EQG film a year.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:58 pm

If they're going to fart out another movie every six months, I wonder who all will be producing them. How many other shows did DHX produce before EqG started?
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Postby Mr. Big (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:17 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:If they're going to fart out another movie every six months, I wonder who all will be producing them. How many other shows did DHX produce before EqG started?

On top of my head, around the time EqG 1 was in production, DHX Vancouver did FiM, Pound Puppies, LPS, Package from Planet X, and Martha Speaks.

So at least five TV shows in the same time frame. There are probably others, too.
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Postby Grue (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 4:59 pm

Haha, the ride never ends!

Really, the show's quality would've dropped with or without EqG, as most shows do, so I'm not sure what it has to do with it. And also if there was a pony pony movie, you would have to forget about TV show for that season, because Hasbro would never do both (they can only have so many lineups of pony toys per year to promote). I'd have honestly preferred if they made a EqG TV show and aired that during pony off-season, but I guess single movie DVDs just sell so much better.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:58 pm

Disagree that the shows quality must drop for any reason, as quality of a work and what a person gets out a work are mainly subjective. But yes sadly people will use things like EQG, Twilicorn, rainbow power, etc, as A scape goat.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:58 pm

I wouldn't call Twilicorn a scapegoat, because unlike EQG, it does present a genuine problem that has been affecting the show. There's the problem of how it hasn't really changed much in the show, other than the occasional reference and random flying scenes, so what was the point of it in the first place? It's not a scapegoat if it does present a problem.

But about Equestria Girls 3, I wonder where they're getting the time for this, and who exactly is producing it. Although each "movie" is really only about 3 episodes, someone has to be working on them while the regular seasons are still going.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:19 pm

ShieldedDiamond wrote:I wouldn't call Twilicorn a scapegoat, because unlike EQG, it does present a genuine problem that has been affecting the show. There's the problem of how it hasn't really changed much in the show, other than the occasional reference and random flying scenes, so what was the point of it in the first place? It's not a scapegoat if it does present a problem.

But about Equestria Girls 3, I wonder where they're getting the time for this, and who exactly is producing it. Although each "movie" is really only about 3 episodes, someone has to be working on them while the regular seasons are still going.



True, but weather Twillcorn or the upcoming Rainbow Powers ruin the show for the viewer is still subjective overall.

As for EQG 3 I'm kind of hoping it's just about the Human world versions of the characters and doesn't have pony Twy going to set world yet again.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:22 pm

I think whether the future EQG movies keep going back to Twilight travelling (and I say "future", because you think they'll stop at 3? :-/ ) is entirely dependent on the next one. If it goes back to Twilight travelling back to the Canterlot High, looks like we have our formula for the future movies. If not, well we might get more independent stories, which might not be bad.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:24 pm

I will be happily waiting until people start calling the series: "Equestria Girls Saga" in the not so distant future :-I

Kinda like how we now call the film series the "Twilight Saga"
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Mar 04, 2014 10:17 pm

Equestria Girls: Still A Better Love Story then Twilight! :v:
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 1:14 pm

ShieldedDiamond wrote:I wouldn't call Twilicorn a scapegoat, because unlike EQG, it does present a genuine problem that has been affecting the show. There's the problem of how it hasn't really changed much in the show, other than the occasional reference and random flying scenes, so what was the point of it in the first place? It's not a scapegoat if it does present a problem.


I never quite get how this is supposed to be a problem.

As I frequently repeat, the show has already granted several characters enormous power and prestige and done very little with it outside of episodes focused on the subject, even ignored it when it should have mattered, yet we've never let it bug us before. The mane 6 have saved Equestria multiple times with their special status as the Elements of Harmony and have been celebrated in major parades and stained glass windows for it. By all logic they should be highly recognizable V.I.P.s in their world, but throughout seasons 1 and 2 they are still treated as small town nobodies when the plot demands it (which is 95% of the time). Consider the way Rarity is treated in Green Isn't Your Color, or Sweet and Elite. Most of the mane 6's problems in a lot of well regarded episodes would simply evaporate if just one of them said, "sorry, could you give us the extra assistance or consideration we are due as members of the princess's special task force?"

Anyone who became a fan of the show through seasons 1 and 2 just about signed a contract that stated "I am O.K. with this show's light continuity" and shouldn't be surprised or bothered about it now.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 1:20 pm

They make her a princess, then they do nothing with it. Most (if not all) the episodes so far could've easily functioned with or without Twilight being a princess. That's the problem.
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 1:47 pm

Tailspin wrote:They make her a princess, then they do nothing with it. Most (if not all) the episodes so far could've easily functioned with or without Twilight being a princess. That's the problem. I'd hazard a guess that with some rewriting, you could make Twilight Time function without her being a princess and that's so far the only episode where it was actually played any role, but every episode before that wouldn't need much rewriting.

What's the point of a supposed "big change" if nothing changes.


See, I'm never sure where this sort of argument is supposed to end.

Of course you could re-write Princess Twilight or Twilight Time or EQG 1 or the upcoming double-length finale to involve no princess elements... but you could also rewrite the pilot or Return of Harmony to involve no elements of harmony and have them beat the villains through cunning and teamwork instead of super-heroine powers. I'm sure some would argue that would have made both of those episodes better according to some film critic metric.

I could remove all kinds of neat/cute/cool details or elements from the show on the basis of redundancy, or infrequency of use, or "eww Magical Girl Show influence". But that stuff isn't there to be 100% functional and relevant at all logical times. It's there for spectacle. Or it's there to teach the occasional lesson about leadership, status, fame, etc. Whatever.

The crew uses the "big change" when they feel like it, but it's not like we're suffering when they don't, so how is it a "problem"? We're still getting plenty of awesome moments and stories. How is our enjoyment reduced in any way?
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:00 pm

The crew uses the "big change" when they feel like it, but it's not like we're suffering when they don't. We're still getting plenty of awesome moments and stories. How is our enjoyment reduced in any way?


The crew claims the "big change" opens up new story posibilities they didn't have. They then proceed to write the same stories they would've written anyway. That's also what I meant that you could rewrite the episodes and lose nothing. The change ends up being pointless.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that in some episodes the writers forgot that Twilight was a princess and wrote her as a regular unicorn, hence why she doesn't even fly in some episodes.

What people here are talking about is, what was the point of all that if you're not going to do anything with it.
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:04 pm

The point was "doing what Hasbro asked, with minimal detrimental impact on the story and universe".
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:05 pm

Headless Horse wrote:The point was "doing what Hasbro asked, with minimal detrimental impact on the story and universe".


Yeah, it's a Hasbro tie in, but they couid've at least tried to make it work.
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:11 pm

Which would have meant a whole season of Princess Problems episodes, which is exactly what everyone was freaking out about during the ponyless summer.

What we've got is a few gentle arcs involving the old castle, the relationship with Cadance, the tete-a-tete with Discord, and whatever's going on with the box. Plus she flies and does magic and that makes kids treat her like Santa Claus.

I think that works just fine.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:24 pm

Headless Horse wrote:Which would have meant a whole season of Princess Problems episodes


Not really, one or two episodes that focused on it would've worked just fine.
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Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:50 pm

The old castle is a bit of a joke at this point, it hasn't really come into play since 406.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 3:07 pm

I'll probably write this in the Smarch thread (unless the discussion is long over) but Wayoshi's right. The old castle is another thing about the Season arc that feels bafflingly underplayed (like the rest of the hinted at Season Arc elements from Princess Twilight to the keys). They just mention it once and... that's it? Okay, maybe they'll bring it up again later but boy was this just 'forgotten'/such a long time ago.

And I wonder if it's really because the writers aren't willing to take the risk to try to create a more cohesive narrative fearing that it may stray away from the FiM formula. The same thing happened with S3 too. Twilight's arc was also underplayed. Hinted at but nothing really happened till the end.

I don't exactly care about the castle itself and it wuld be nice if we were given an episode to know more about it other than the perceived hauntedness OR we just have another episode tied to it like say some pony or creature is crashing at the castle and making a mess of it after the girls have been trying to renovate the castle for the princesses/season finale. I dunno... give it some spotlight?

So yeah, maybe it'll change. But so far, none of the season arcs feel actually written well and come off as lazily written in. :pinkieshrug:
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:15 pm

They keep mentioning it, like in every other episode. :rariwhat: Honestly I don't get what more they're supposed to do here. Aside from having MORE CASTLE EPISODES :twonk: which would attract a whole different angle of criticism.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:18 pm

Um, no they don't. The castle hasn't even been brought up in a conversation. The last time it was seen or mentioned was Power Ponies.
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:22 pm

Didn't Twilight just mention it in the Breezies episode?
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:23 pm

Headless Horse wrote:Didn't Twilight just mention it in the Breezies episode?

She said she found that transformation spell in a book from the castle, yes. It isn't that big of a reference but it is definitely something.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:24 pm

I guess it's better than nothing. :pinkieshrug:

Still with them supposedly working on fixing the castle, you'd think they'd talk about it more often. There was quite a lot of episodes between PP and the Breezie one.
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:27 pm

Wayoshi wrote:The old castle is a bit of a joke at this point, it hasn't really come into play since 406.


As defined by who? How many times did the Grand Galloping Gala get mentioned? Not that many as I recall, but we praised that. The castle got the premiere, an entire episode to itself, and a sizeable bit part in another… and it will play backdrop to at least some of the season finale. How much more does it really need? I don’t understand your criterion for evaluating this.

Tailspin wrote:Not really, one or two episodes that focused on it would've worked just fine.


We got EQG 1, the premiere, Twilight Time, unknown moments in upcoming episodes and the finale. Why doesn't this count? Why are you writing off the princess elements of these when you could write off other long accepted elements of the show as I demonstrated but choose not to? I don’t understand where you draw the line.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:So yeah, maybe it'll change. But so far, none of the season arcs feel actually written well and come off as lazily written in. :pinkieshrug:


I disagree. To me this has all been much more subtle than children’s television usually is and I appreciate the light touch.

Season 2 had no continuity build up to its finale at all, yet it generally well regarded despite this “flaw”. The fact that season four has stepped up its game in this department when it didn't have to should be praised.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:47 pm

@ Passport Clean

(Wayoshi and My Point): Well... the thing is that they made a BIG deal of it in the beginning. They tied the season arc with the premiere which was also played to be like this BIG thing. A Gala? Well, no Kingdom, Princess, or box/keys are mentioned. It was like a simple event that the girls were looking forwards too. S4 on the other hand starts out with guns blazing but after reloading found out their new rounds were all blanks.

And I know there will be people saying: "Yeah, isn't it awesome that it's unique and doesn't follow other shows?" but like I said in the Smarch thread, I don't think there's anything wrong with borrowing ideas/concepts (and FiM does it too). Unless you're one of those avant garde movie makers like Terrence Malick or whoever OR you take the story and subvert elements (and no,I don't think 'not making a big deal out of it' is being subversive in this case), then I think being close to the norm isn't bad.

It doesn't help that they did hype this season as having bigger story arcs and will be more cohesive compared to the past seasons (from a writer panel). And yes, there are bigger elements but again, they're not being treated with much attention. So there was that expectation I got from the panels (and the Castle, Princess, etc. alone are worthy of attention in their own right).

Maybe if you're jaded by the norms, then yeah, I guess that could be understandable. It's the same way I haven't given Anime another chance since 2011-12 and it's because I'm tired of those 'recurring' traits.

I just think those things I mentioned are pretty big stuff and yet underplayed so far. Is it unique? Yes. Is it good? Eh.... not so far :yikes: And that's my biggest point of contention. :pinkieshrug:

Edit: Regarding S2. Not the biggest fan of it though I do like it (S1>>>>S2>>S3>>>>S4) and while it was a flaw that they didn't have a season arc, at least it didn't kinda blunder around with it if it did have one. Maybe you could say that S4 is therefore more risque and deserve praise, which I will give it some but it's not being executed well. S2 didn't have to try to lie about it hide it so there was some leeway there with S2.
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:09 pm

AppleCobbler44 wrote:S4 on the other hand starts out with guns blazing but after reloading found out their new rounds were all blanks.


By what standards? I'm so confused. What does "blanks" even mean when talking about this show? Seasons 1, 2, and 3 started with two-part struggles against powerful ancient forces of evil and then proceeded to tell stories about girly sleepovers, fashion modeling and the romantic lives of donkeys in toupes. This clearly satisfied most people and it's what they still want judging by the ratings and DVD/toy sales, only now we also have a subtle arc in the background too. It's season two + arc as a cherry on top. Why are our standards so high all of a sudden? We've got four substantial episodes for the castle so far, Twilight's princess shit took up the entire "guns blazing" premiere and a movie and a mid-season episode and will dominate the big-deal finale, we’ve got a mystery box with mystery keys popping up all over… and we’re upset that the show didn’t go all the way and turn into a Naruto style serial?

Or wait, am I exaggerating with the Naruto thing? I don’t know, people are presenting so many conflicting criteria. On the other end of the spectrum there are people who are upset that things aren’t slice-of-life enough, and people who are upset at how unusual some of the episode premises are.

So confused. :psyduck: I'd hate to be in DHX's shoes, looking at this they'd probably feel they have no room to maneuver (assuming they pay attention to anything other than ratings and DVD/toy sales).
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:53 pm

Passport Clean wrote:
By what standards? I'm so confused. What does "blanks" even mean when talking about this show? Seasons 1, 2, and 3 started with two-part struggles against powerful ancient forces of evil and then proceeded to tell stories about girly sleepovers, fashion modeling and the romantic lives of donkeys in toupes. This clearly satisfied most people and it's what they still want judging by the ratings and DVD/toy sales, only now we also have a subtle arc in the background too. It's season two + arc as a cherry on top. Why are our standards so high all of a sudden? We've got four substantial episodes for the castle so far, Twilight's princess shit took up the entire "guns blazing" premiere and a movie and a mid-season episode and will dominate the big-deal finale, we’ve got a mystery box with mystery keys popping up all over… and we’re upset that the show didn’t go all the way and turn into a Naruto style serial?

Or wait, am I exaggerating with the Naruto thing? I don’t know, people are presenting so many conflicting criteria. On the other end of the spectrum there are people who are upset that things aren’t slice-of-life enough, and people who are upset at how unusual some of the episode premises are.

So confused. :psyduck: I'd hate to be in DHX's shoes, looking at this they'd probably feel they have no room to maneuver (assuming they pay attention to anything other than ratings and DVD/toy sales).


Well... the thing with S1 and S2 was that they kinda did feel self contained. Nightmare Moon is defeated. Discord is defeated. It's not like both left something lying and waiting for the girls in the season. You could even say S1 did promise a story arc and it did deliver it.... it was Twilight's journey to learn more about friendship and yes, S1 did follow through with it by having Twilight be (sometimes unnecessarily) the audience and was present in a handful of episodes as well as being socially awkward
:flattered:

I guess the only drawback of S1 was that it didn't follow up with Luna until S2 :v:

S2's premiere like I said was self contained. Girls defeat Discord, get A New Hope ending, the end (and goodbye to Lauren's supposedly last fully committed episode). And for S3... well, the problem I mentioned was that it did set up that Twilight would further in her studies (book at the end of CE pt2) and I personally got that feeling when Luna was all unimpressed with Twilight in the palace as if she was going to have to teach Twilight a thing or two about magick. And it pretty much never happened. The most we got before "SURPRISE! The book actually is important now... in the last episode" was Twilight and Zecora which even then you could argue she didn't learn any magic but REAL magic (illusions) instead which alicorns/unicorns dont really use so I don't really know if that helped her get closer to becoming an Alicorn princess
:ponder:

So S3 had that problem which I think a handful of people may have pointed out as S3's missed opportunities. And comparing S3 to S4, well, S3 is shorter so some people will be more forgiving and unlike S4, S3's season arc (or so we thought) was just her learning more about magic. S4 on the other hand is juggling keys/box, Kingdom, and princesses
:psyduck:

Why are our standards so high all of a sudden?


My previous points do kidna answer it but it's a good question that I myself ask. The easiest explanation probably is: Expectation. I dont think it's a secret that there are people who want things to exceed or meet their growing expectations as the series or franchise continues. You yourself said recently that you envied newcomers to the show. People who dont have to wait through the drama, schedules, and pony-less summers for the next stuff. That wait no doubt will affect people's expectations. There's many stuff affecting my view on the show, especially how I like to read into Behind the Scenes stuff which I would very much think does affect my expectations. My thoughts on EqG 1 was hurt after seeing the Behind the Scenes stuff because the Hasbro execs were salivating over the ideas of sequels and spin offs like "My Little Fishes". Sure they were mostly joking but you knew they would continue EqG/etc. onwards.

Perhaps you could argue that people should separate the show from things outside of it but there's also arguments for it (but that's another discussion about media theory...)

So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if people (myself included) fell into the trap of just having higher expectations due to factors outside the show :pinkieshrug:

and we’re upset that the show didn’t go all the way and turn into a Naruto style serial?


Have you even seen Naruto (at least Shippuden lately)? :-I Cuz boy I dont think ANYONE would want that :v: Me personally, I just want a few more stuff relating to these season arcs. Like S3, one episode about Twilight's training (again, Magic Duel didnt really add to her in relation to MMC) would have been enough in the middle of the Season. Here, I think they could do more. And no,I still want slice of life eps and the occasional random adventure episode so I'm not saying the Narrative should be so strict like the Avatar: LoK series where if you miss the last episode you'll be confused.

I'd hate to be in DHX's shoes, looking at this they'd probably feel they have no room to maneuver


Speaking of 'maneuver', I feel like the show has kinda fallen into the 'We built up so much that we can't juggle it all' like some series I watched before. Basically we've gotten to this point where characters have changed, grown, and explored more of the world and rules of it that it's becoming harder for them to maneuver around with a lot of things. I guess it's not uncommon though for that to happen (it happened to Battlestar Galactica. Started out feeling fresh and perfect to build upon. Then by the end, things felt really recycled/nothing new happened. Kinda like Mass Effect 3 too).

Again, that's just me. I feel like the show is finding it harder to maneuver around after so.many.episodes the series has went through. I guess it was to be expected. I dont think it still excuses the lack of a slightly more (keyword "slightly" and not "like a serial TV live action show") coherent narrative that should engage the characters and audience towards these goals that the team has revealed to us all since the beginning.
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:38 pm

AppleCobbler44 wrote:Well... the thing with S1 and S2 was that they kinda did feel self contained.


So you're either a "self-contained" (I'm not sure that's the word you want) season and good, or a season that pushes a very heavy arc and good (but a huge turn off to a lot of fans of the mixed adventure/slice episode styles), and anything in between with subtly inserted arc points is weak writing? Keeping in mind we still haven't seen the payoff.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:You could even say S1 did promise a story arc and it did deliver it....


Oh, thanks for reminding me of season 4's "teaching others what we've learned" arc. I realize now it was being overlooked in the conversation so far.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:S1 did follow through with it by having Twilight be (sometimes unnecessarily)...


So a flaw in season 1's arc?

AppleCobbler44 wrote:I guess the only drawback of S1 was that it didn't follow up with Luna until S2 :v:


I'm still curious about that actually. Lauren expressed regret over not using her again sooner.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:And for S3... well, the problem I mentioned was that it did set up that Twilight would further in her studies (book at the end of CE pt2) and I personally got that feeling when Luna was all unimpressed with Twilight in the palace as if she was going to have to teach Twilight a thing or two about magick.


But in the end the test in the Crystal Empire was enough to resolve Luna's doubts. The rest of this seems like your expectations and headcanon trumped your ability to enjoy what was given to you. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't have the perspective to follow you to that place.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:So S3 had that problem which I think a handful of people may have pointed out as S3's missed opportunities. And comparing S3 to S4, well, S3 is shorter so some people will be more forgiving...


We can say a lot of things about the general reaction to season 3 a year ago, but "forgiving" isn't an adjective I would use. Now, with the passage of time and rewatches, people are giving season 3 more of its due, just like season 2's esteem rose after the fact. Oh yes, remember when season 2 was ongoing a lot of people were fretting, but poll after poll now shows that it is widely regarded as the favorite complete season so far. I find dissection of season 4 somewhat premature for this reason. Tailspin revised his opinion of one of the most hated episodes of the show upward after further consideration - a lot of dust has yet to settle.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:My previous points do kidna answer it but it's a good question that I myself ask. The easiest explanation probably is: Expectation. I dont think it's a secret that there are people who want things to exceed or meet their growing expectations as the series or franchise continues. You yourself said recently that you envied newcomers to the show. People who dont have to wait through the drama, schedules, and pony-less summers for the next stuff. That wait no doubt will affect people's expectations. There's many stuff affecting my view on the show, especially how I like to read into Behind the Scenes stuff which I would very much think does affect my expectations.


Yeah, it sounds like you've danced too close to the fire for too long and gotten burned. I've been there for other things too. Nothing as flimsy as a TV show can withstand this level of devotion. I've met religious people who've burned themselves out on faiths that have been tested by centuries of examination. How the hell can pony match that?

AppleCobbler44 wrote:Me personally, I just want a few more stuff relating to these season arcs.


And there are a lot of people who would resent any more than what we've had so far. I can understand why the crew is being cautious.

AppleCobbler44 wrote:Again, that's just me.


And I respect that, but I can only partially understand it.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 8:52 pm

This will be an endless night :shepspike:

So you're either a "self-contained" (I'm not sure that's the word you want) season and good, or


Well, I did try to mean that the premieres of it were self contained (NMM, Discord) so it didn't really lead to the entire season being affected by their impact. The problems come about when you try including a 'bigger' theme (even if you do hint at it a bit, some people will expect to see it) from the onset. Then you expect to see those more often (again, not ENTIRELY throughout the season but just more)

Keeping in mind we still haven't seen the payoff.


Tis why I keep saying: "So far" :-P And I forgot to mention that the payoff was already leaked thanks to the Toys. I mean, we don't know exactly what they do (well, the EqG2 trailer revealed a bit of it and... well, this magical power from a world of magic and ponies now being used to win a Battle of the Bands contest?... yeah...) but we already know what they look like and again, EqG2 has already hinted that they'll be used to win the contest.

Oh, thanks for reminding me of season 4's "teaching others what we've learned" arc.


I generally black out during the morals because like Bats!, that felt awfully put in there "because". However, I have said in the not so distant past that what was great about the earlier seasons is that the characters we follow are learning about the world and others around them. Kinda like how the audience too are learning with the characters (even if the morals are quite common). I'm not entirely against the characters getting older and passing down their knowledge to the next generation but... I'ts just me yet I wish the lessons would be more meaningful or at least better portrayed. I like the moral of FttF but it lacked that certain 'mentoring' from say Sisterhooves Social. I know they're not sisters but I think the scene in Sleepless in Ponyville was a great scene (even if some people will say it was forced at the very last second). Maybe it was but I thought it built up well, that characters CAN actually be written 'out of character' enough to be believable either to serve the plot or either because sometimes humans act out of the ordinary too.

I know the big elephant in the room is Twilight Sparkle and... yeah, I'm not feeling her too (minority, I guess). I think I'm one of those people who liked it when she was socially awkward and had to learn about those around her. It sorta went away in S2 though you could say that it was resolved in RtH (Twilight saving her friends ala reversal from FiM part 1-2) or even Lesson Zero but we did miss seeing her being that awkward somewhat shy character. So with S4, Twilight is now a princess and alicorn right? Is she going to teach us anything wise?

...

Eh... I dunno. I just find her boring now that she's all mature yet not that level of wise you'd see in characters like Obi Wan in the Clone Wars series (he actually had a few interesting things to say and teach). Maybe someone else said this already but the lack of any Princess-y stuff or big responsibility (unles you count the castle which even then is underplayed so far) also makes her less interesting I guess this is another argument but yeah, Twilight too hasn't been teaching any worthwhile lessons. At least for me.

But yeah, it is a theme I guess but for the most part that aspect hasn't been hitting right for me. Their words of wisdom aren't exactly profound and their attempts to portray a heavy scene with a good moral hasn't really worked. Granted, I haven't seen the recent AB episode and I have been dying for some Big Sister + Little Sister interaction so that may turn out well
:allears:

So a flaw in season 1's arc?


There's a few episodes where I felt Twilight wasn't needed (i.e. Green isn't Your Color because we're talking about Honesty here :angry: ) but for the most part she felt at the very least helpful as being the eyes and fish out of water character for the audience to follow from. And she did learn things from them. Were there any callbacks to the earlier episodes? I can't really remember but even then you could argue that it's because it's the first season that you didn't need to remind the audience that Twilight thinks Pinkie Pie is alright now. And you could again argue that RtH did show how Twilight is willing to go all out for them.

I'm still curious about that actually. Lauren expressed regret over not using her again sooner.


I have no doubt she probably wanted to but maybe due to production problems (well, not really problems but more that they couldn't do many 'big' episodes back then cuz less experience, 26 episodes, budget, etc.) it never happened. I recall Lauren saying she wanted to visit Luna's palace which the Batponies would be guarding. Somewhere in the mountains.

But in the end the test in the Crystal Empire was enough to resolve Luna's doubts. The rest of this seems like your expectations and headcanon trumped your ability to enjoy what was given to you.


True, there's always going to be some of the blame deserved on the part of the audience but I, when watching it and even rewatching, feel like it all foreshadowed something in the following episodes. Just before Twilight arrives, the whole scene between the two seem quite tense, y'know. The shadows, talking about Twilight being ready and Luna thinking she should go. The scene really felt like: "Oh boy, Twilight's gonna be needing help soon (either now or later)". And hey, the book at the end was BLACK!


Princess of the Night + Black Book + Dark Magic that Twilight used in the CE??? Yeah, I think those things (and the scene I explained) really justified why I thought there'd be something larger in store in the season (even the dark magic and Princess Luna didn't play a role afterwards).
:unenthused:

[Season 3 stuff and how seasons improve over time and premature]


Tis possible. I myself have been known to change my opinions on episodes frequently. I may like TLR, then dislike it, then like it okay, then like it. The same for TCE. Liked it okay, liked it, disliked it, hated it, okay with it, like it (enough). Maybe I'll stop hating the least liked episode in the series (Pinkie Apple Pie) which funnily made AFR (my previous hated ep of all time) look much better
(S5 will probably then make Pinkie Apple Pie look like a masterpiece because of episode S05Exx)

So yeah, i'm not going to say I'm not willing to change and I expect my thoughts to change over time as shown in my updated S4 episode ranking list which I refuse to post because I'll get death threats
:-P

Yeah, it sounds like you've danced too close to the fire for too long and gotten burned.


Well, I actually wasn't intending to look for the stuff about S4 overall. I was trying to find out what they had in store for AJ... so obviously I was going to hear that other 99% from the panels since she only gets mentioned like once or twice when the panels are about two hours long each
:notthisshitagain:

Regardless, I do enjoy Behind the Scenes stuff and I wish there was more of it from an actual properly produce BtS or Documentary and that I didn't have to watch hours upon hours of the same questions and same introductions and same shenanigans from the panels

And there are a lot of people who would resent any more than what we've had so far. I can understand why the crew is being cautious.


Fans. Amirite? :amazing: In the eternal words of TotalBiscuit which even he can't prevent: "Never be a fan. You'll set yourself up for disappointment"

It's a given since this show has been around for so long and things have happened in the show, behind, and the fandom around it. Unless you're a new comer like you said, you will probably notice the deep divisions.

And I respect that, but I can only partially understand it.


The same back to ya :twasnothin: (though I was at least hoping that it was more of a: "Dont agree but understand" instead of "Don't agree and don't really understand" :-I )
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Postby Passport Clean (?) » Sat Mar 08, 2014 9:00 pm

AppleCobbler44 wrote:
The same back to ya :twasnothin: (though I was at least hoping that it was more of a: "Dont agree but understand" instead of "Don't agree and don't really understand" :-I )


Well I said "partially" understand, so that's more than "don't really", and I do agree with some of your points, so it kind of balances out... or adds up... or something. Eck! :-P

Anyway, we've derailed long enough.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 1:13 am

Long text is looooooooooooong. :v: I'd try to read some of that, but my attention span can be short. :-I
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Postby Rarietty (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 1:29 am

Change of subject: I really am kind of dreading to see how they'll address Sunset Shimmer. I hope that she isn't too suddenly nice or willing to make friends. That would be a tragic waste of potential character development. Besides, I have a huge thing for "jerk with a heart of gold" type characters and she would act as an excellent foil to the rest of the main cast (particularly Twilight) if she continued to be considered a main Equestria Girls character. Her entire backstory and jealousy of Twilight has such potential. However, she was nonexistant in the trailer so I have a bad feeling about all of this. She would have been the one shimmer of hope that this movie could be genuinely good for me aside from maybe the music.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 1:37 am

My concern is that they'll barely address her, and she'll pop up once or twice, but will barely have a role. It'll just be "Oh look, she's reformed. It's all good."

I wonder if anything will happen with Flash though. I hope that cheap "love interest" can be tossed away and forgotten about, we don't need that shoved in this one, too. :-/
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 2:46 am

I'd be incredibly surprised if Sunset Shimmer even shows up. Compare her to Nightmare Moon, for instance. Sure, Luna came back thanks to what happened in the pilot, but Luna didn't actually appear in the show until over a year later. I expect that Hasbro will trot out a new Bad Girl for the Humane Six to befriend play music at.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 4:49 am

Im sure SS will Appear to Adress her reformation, but im guessing that will be the gist of it. Maybe have her sing in Brad, er Flash Sentry's Band. But id imagine thats it.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 4:56 am

Why did we start calling him Brad again? I know that was his nickname before his name reveal, but where did it come from?
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:01 am

There wasn't any one specific source. "Brad" is just a stereotypical name for flat, shallow pretty boys in teen-oriented media and everyone correctly predicted that Flash Sentry would fit perfectly into that stereotype.
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Postby ilcane87 (?) » Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:35 pm

I just remembered, there was another trademark registered very close to Rainbow Rocks, and pertaining to Equestria Girls:

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Chances are, 'Rainbooms' will be the theme of the third movie, so I suppose it will still involve Rainbow Power in some measure. :fancyhat:
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