Finally watched all of Make Your Mark · 10:35pm January 5th
Not too long ago I came across an excellent fic covering G4 and G5.
I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that it brought back recollections of my discussion with Olden Bronie and dustysculptures about how it was worth watching the G5 series. I think it does an excellent job of addressing the differences and strengths of each generation, so it helped me be more motivated into giving G5 a chance.
So I did end up watching all of Make Your Mark... and well. What can I say?
Overall I liked it. I mean, I had fun, and it has its good sides, but there were several things that just didn't feel right for me, especially as an intentional successor for G4.
I'll start with those things... Many of you might remember that I have a son, and when he was five he used to watch a show called "Octonauts" and G5 reminded me too much of it to really immerse myself without feeling like I truly was just watching a show for a very young audience.
First of all, I feel like the animation in G5 is much more childish than G4. Yes, it's 3D and as such it will and should feel different than 2D, but it's not the difference in style that makes me draw the relation there.
The way the characters act, how they move, talk and do things is much more simplistic and it reflects on the animation itself, giving it a very young feeling, which… okay? But it's one of the indisputable things about G4 was that the writing, animation, and themes were universal enough to appeal to people of all ages.
This one? Really feels like I'm one step away from Paw Patrol.
I don't feel like G5 is attempting that unifying global appeal its predecessor had. And I don't mean that disparagingly: it is clearly aimed at a specific age group, and it is abundantly clear that's the only thing they were truly going for.
The villains are simple, the dialogue predictable, and its reliance on G4 really doesn't help.
To begin with, the personal peeve:
You're telling me Opaline is what forced Twilight to seal magic? Really? Opaline? That was more challenging than Sombra, Tirek, Cozy Glow, AND Chrysalis working together against them AFTER absorbing all of Discord's power?
It is literally the dumbest, least accurate interpretation of Twilight Sparkle as a character which tells me that they didn't give a flying f**k about G4 and our beloved characters to even keep them consistent.
This?
This. Really.
Now, before you go ahead and tell me she's a good villain (as in, there's more to her) that's not what I mean. But I'm going to call it right now that there's no way in hell Opaline was enough of a threat AT HER BEST to take on the M6, S6, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Cadance, Luna, Celestia, Shining Armor, Starswirl and Co, Trixie & Starlight Glimmer, a possibly unruly teen Flurry, AND Discord to the point of pushing Twilight to the extent that she'd rather take magic away than confront Opaline.
I don't think I need to point out how inconsistent she is with her schemes, motivations and overall reasoning, since others have noted it and summarized it quite well to really dig into how out of her depth she would have been had she faced a fraction of that opposition.
What this boils down to is not a failure on Opaline as a character, but a failure on the producers and writers to rip the bandaid off, accept that G4 shouldn't have been used as a base for this, and done their own thing with a more clear, non-G4-dependent plot.
I can guarantee it would have been better. And if they couldn't because of the little toys in the first movie? Just leave it as a mystery of ages past. Do your own thing. Forcing G4 into this world just effs up your worldbuilding.
Don't ruin dragons. Even Spike was OOC in a condescending way. He literally isn't Spike. He's just another dragon that happens to be purple, who is surrounded by cardboard dragons that seem to be grown up with no concept of their original traditions or worth.
See, G4 had a very rich world that you can't just dismiss and bring back later remade into some plastic model imitation of the original. It alienates those that love the original material, and really does nothing to make your series shine.
And G5 has great characters to explore. I mean, Opaline is a nice villain for an audience that doesn't demand much from a villain. Simple, low challenge rating, and reeks of possible redemption, and the new rabbit and cat duo are sort of meh, but… no, they are definitely meh.
I digress, when I think about G5s strengths, I'm talking about Izzy and the rest of the main cast. Solid ponies with distinct personalities that really make them stand out from everyone else and especially "Spike", who feels like your generic "old guard" guy with no sass and no style.
Their adventures don't actually need G4 to work at all. These are new characters who seem to like doing the Scooby Doo thing, so have them do that without it boiling down to G4.
Izzy, Pipp, Sunny, Zipp, Hitch and Misty cover your basic needs quite well, and as all pony races were already separated before, it would be an excellent way to tackle differences in traditions, culture, perceptions, ect while enforcing the "together we are stronger" approach they seem to be going for.
Hell, that way having an actual "Alicorn" city like they bring up actually makes sense.
So, to conclude… I think G5 has potential and it's being wasted by clinging to something they can never live up to, which is really a shame. I like the characters, I like that there's more pony to explore, but I wish the producers and writers would stop trying give me G4 and destroying its legacy when this could have been a fantastic, if younger-audience-focused new world.
Peace!
-WD
Pretty much this.
they wanted to drag the G4 fanbase into G5... but didn't want to appeal to what the G4 fanbase wanted.
Shallow. Corporate. Thinking.
That's all it is.
The Equestria connection was Hasbro-mandated and the writers clearly wanted to NOT do that.
I FELT the push and pull of that disagreement in the writing.
Frankly, I don't blame Hasbro for going specifically for kids with G5, given that much of the fandom kinda forgets about the fact that, yes, MLP IS a franchise for kids.
But, this is 2023: kid shows these days are more encouraged to tell stories that get kids to think about stuff.
Yes, G5 has heart and I thank the writers for at least trying to get that right. Sunny is a lovable Pegasus Sister and Misty is this generation's Best Mare to me.
But, much of its problems stem from Hasbro's choice to milk G4 just a little bit more to ease up their financial issues.
Oh, and Hasbro doesn't seem to own Season 5-9 of FiM... that probably explains the outright avoidance of anything regarding those seasons in terms of old plot points (ex: The Legion of Doom, Luster Dawn, etc)
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And the writing team has had to deal with that from their positions as creatives.
This is why I prefer to critique, not belittle, the writing team.
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It's too bad, it's obvious that they could've done something entirely unique, but if it was Hasbro, they really effed up their own product.
I really want to like G5 more than I do! The original movie was great, but after that the problems began... MYM suffers from being split into five-minute episodes; that's not enough time to do much anything. And TYT suffered from being 3D but lacking the budget for it, which meant stuff like the dragons very obviously using the same rigs as pony characters, or the dearth of new places and creatures and such.
I mean, the setting has so much potential, the new main characters are cool, there are some neat supporting characters and ideas, and even Opaline could be a really good villain if handled a bit better. It's superb fanfic fodder if you ask me! But as a follow-up to FiM, it leaves a lot to be desired...
this review did not answer my main questions:
1) Did they make their mark, one way or another?
2) Did they make Equestria so proud?
:V
I'd overall agree with MYM is enjoyable episode to episode but the series seems less than the sum of it's parts.
G4-G5 link? Frankly they either should have leaned into it fully or not touched it. As it is, it's there but they don't really do anything with it.
Honestly it really feels like we'll be seeing G6 a lot sooner rather than later. I can see G5 ending up a lot like the G3 cartoon. It'll have its passionate fans, but like G3 most will consider it poor when compared to what came before and after.
I found what enjoyment I could in G5. The new mane 6 is filled with fun characters. A lot of the songs are good. The comics are genuinely a treat with some really fun storylines and original characters. But I definitely came out feeling a little empty. Like I watched a show that had squandered massive potential.
Maybe we can start up a new Octonauts fandom? Let your son take up the mantle of his mom/dad and write stories for us Octornies as we make Octonaut ocs and over analyse a show for babies.
They’ve even resorted to clickbaiting at this point.
Like, come on, they named a special Secrets of Starlight when, in fact, it had nothing to do with Starlight Glimmer.
Before someone types in the comments saying that the word “Starlight” can mean anything, you cannot tell me that the color palette for the logo was coincidental.
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Fimfiction can make a better stories, so I'm not so upset
maybe G6 will be better~
"That was more challenging than Sombra, Tirek, Cozy Glow, AND Chrysalis working together against them AFTER absorbing all of Discord's power?"
If one didn't decide to just ignore that bit, it seems potentially plausible that Opaline was a lot more powerful and competent both before magic was sealed and she spent howevermany centuries alone.
Personally, I find the way the show creators had the recording of Twilight stress that earth ponies had magic for the first time, and they they had Spike mention Opaline's origin, more annoying.
Though now I'm wondering how much influence my enjoyment of various Fallout Equestria works has had on my perception of G5. I was, after all, already used to the idea that this Equestria went boom, but seeking interesting stories in the aftermath doesn't threaten other Equestrias where that didn't happen. And my RPG group actually did something similar years ago, too.
But, yeah, I as for what G5 actually is, the above-mentioned attempted links to G4 are probably the parts I'm most inclined to ignore, while the most interesting and consistent arc plot (distinct from individual character bits) I think I've noticed so far is Zephyr Heights taking over the world in the background... which I'm pretty sure wasn't at all intended by the show's creators. Then there's wondering what the fae are up to, and only then Opaline's actual intended arc plot after that. And even then, to an extent I think Opaline comes across as something Misty can have character development in relation to; Opaline herself, despite actually being fairly dangerous still in the present day, seems more a figure of pity than threat.
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Yeah like, if I ignore or they don't mention it, I actually enjoy it. G4 should simply not have been part of it. I think it's a disservice to everyone involved, and regardless the bronies that went in for it would have done so without the G4 'connection'.
Still, I don't buy their excuse. No matter who she was, she wouldn't be able to do that. It feels forced and fake because it was just a convenient thing they threw there to have a connection that they could've done without and then Opaline would've been an overall better accepted villain without being compared to quite honestly bigger threats.
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Well, I'm glad we've been able to enjoy some parts of G5 in spite of that. It could have been handled better or not done at all, though, aye.
See, these are exactly my thoughts on G5. It felt like they made it kid-friendly, which G4 did do (lest we forget FiM had that E/I symbol for a while), but also took risks and did things that made it appeal to the periphery demographic. G5 feels like they made something PBS Kids-esque and went adventurous with it because it's Netflix, but not too adventurous outside of G4 links. Like they saw G4, thought it inappropriately strayed from its core demo, and decided to take a hard 180 and segue back into that while also sprinkling little bits of G4 in there for bronies to do Leonardo DiCaprio points at.
I can understand why they didn't use some G4 elements -- Discovery Family still had a vicegrip on some things that the team working on G5 legally couldn't use -- but for the things they could, they didn't really use them very well. Discovery Family having a vicegrip on everything probably would have worked out to G5's benefit, so it could be its own independent thing. The way it stands now, it just feels like fanservice in the form of "nostalgia is not a substitute for an actual story" and a way to ride the brony wave that fueled a lot of G4 that, at least the way I see it, ultimately flopped because G5 doesn't get nearly as much attention as G4 did even with the addition of those like Misty.
Personally, my gripe with Make Your Mark in particular lies in the animation. It did get better over the "seasons", and it has a bit of a good story in some parts (plus, I mean...tinny lil' Canadian voice actor pool, you can't go wrong with the tinny lil' Canadian voice actor pool), but it's overall incredibly weak. Definitely could have been better. Opaline could have been better too, now that I see it. A fire alicorn doesn't hold a candle against villains Twilight's faced in the past who were far more credible threats. And her plan is just...all over the place. It's not linear enough.
For Tell Your Tale...5-minute episodes ain't it. It's a Catch-22, though -- kids of my generation don't necessarily have good attention spans, and the same can be said for a lot of Gen Alpha in the wake of "iPad kids". Plus, people in general get a lot of content online nowadays instead of just straight cable TV. I can bet at least a cookie or two a conversation of that nature came up in an executive meeting at Hasbro HQ, and they decided to roll with it. But 5 minutes is not enough to tell a whole story that isn't slice-of-life or off-the-walls random. It can intertwine with MYM; just make it longer. Even the most lore-heavy ones, like the episode where Sunny has to stitch her family's blanket back together, feel rushed and aren't given enough time to develop. And I don't see that changing for Season 2.
I'd sooner put the blame on the higher-ups, though, than the writers and the animators and the like. As they say, a job's a job, even if it's one that sucks butt.
I get it. MLP is a kids franchise and has been since its creation. But don't shoot for the moon and go for fanservice to try and win back bronies. You could easily get more money by leaving bronies and G4 out of the equation and letting G5 be its own thing geared towards kids and parents. Including them just seems like a shameless and expectedly greedy grab at money that failed horribly and is still failing to this day. G5 does not want to make me gallivant all the way to Target to go buy an Izzy Moonbow pony toy. Even if Izzy is a precious bean. G5 makes me want to say "well I watched this thing and it was...okay".
5762507 5762439 After sleeping on it, I wondered how I would have handled the "forced" elements of G4 if Hasbro was indeed forcing them on the story... and personally, as cliched as it might be, I would have gone for the multiverse/other universe approach. Have Sunny's dad be from originally from Twilight's world, that's why he has a different perspective. You can include some elements of that in your narrative without destroying the original work too. Plus, the multiverse was the big thing around the time those guys came out. By then even non-comicbook, non-scifi readers knew about it.
Another world where ponies of all races lived together in harmony! Let's aim for that! But no, they went with "It's the same world. Everything your favorite characters did was for nothing." That... that I can place on the writers. They could have done it better even within those constraints.
And as a reminder to everyone, if nothing else but to curtail the doom and gloom caused by YouTube grifters:
No, G5 as a whole is not a viewership bomb on Netflix or YouTube, to my knowledge.
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How do they... not own those seasons? Ugh, god I hate copyright/trademarks/whatever issues!
As for Make your Mark... there is this trend nowadays to make everything connected, and I hate it. It's unnecessary. G1 through G4, none of them were connected and it was fine. Transformers has done some sequel series and the whole flustercluck with the Aligned Continuity, but it's quite separate too. Not everything needs to be one big damned metaverse, people!
G5 Fan Alert!!
I will have to admit, as much as I enjoy this generation, yeah, the backstory is kind of overly complicated when it really didn’t need to be.
As is, I consider this an alternate timeline from the G4 we all know and love. And I’m assuming many of you would rather agree with me than explain what happened as all I got is Opaline waited till Twilight was alone (which is possible but just a headcannon with little evidence).
I read your commentary about MYM and it definitely reminded me of the conversation you, Dusty and I shared during EFNW. I’m glad you decided to watch the series.
I have to agree with pretty much all your points. The characters are good and really are very interesting. The movie was great and the story was pretty solid. I think we all were hoping that there would be some small connection to Gen4 in so much that there would be an explanation of what happened to Harmony in Equestria…at least that’s what I was looking for.
But I believe you are correct in that the writers should have focused on telling the story of this new world and not so much trying to connect the former with the new. And though the story and the writing were good, it was very obvious that they were going for a younger audience, rather than trying to include the parents of that audience also. I have always thought that was a bit a the spark that set it apart. I know it was something that caught my attention early on.
Did I enjoy it? Of course! It’s ponies! I love the characters and the ‘verse and the lore. The story was a bit soft in places. Whether that was a directing choice or a corporate decision, I suppose we might never know. That would be my only complaint. That, and Spike should have been a bit more like Smaug but again, that’s me!