7149 replies to this topic

[Bfahome]

So how about that Chrysalis toy.  And the Shadowbolt.  And Derpy maybe?  Can't really tell.

[Andrewnuva199]

In other news, MLP:FiM exclusives from Toys 'R' Us! Last year, there was the Zecora brushable and a "Favorites Collection" that included several popular ponies like Nightmare Moon, the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRIXIE, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, along with background ponies Lemony Gem and Flower Wishes. This time, they've got a Shadowbolt brushable, a talking Nightmare Moon, and a favorites collection including such ponies as Diamond Tiara, Queen Chrysalis, Shining Armor (good to have him in something other than the giant pink wedding castle, since he remains our only brushable stallion), Cadance (less exclusive but still an important character), Lyra Heartstrings, and Derpy Hooves.

That's right. You read correctly. Derpy Hooves. In a set available for the general public to purchase. I think any claims that Hasbro is out-of-touch with the brony community have pretty much evaporated now. Clearly there is no conspiracy to eliminate Derpy, and in fact despite not appearing in the show this season, this is a milestone for her in terms of getting official recognition. Can't wait for these to become available, and I hope they produce a good supply, because this might become the most popular MLP toy there has ever been within the brony community.
 

Wow, Hasbro really is giving the goods this year.

I have to look into the NMM doll to counterpart that Celestia one. Maybe the lines won't make me go for the screwdriver to remove the batteries this time.

...

I also just remembered that I'll be entering college by the time these things come out. Man, this might feel a bit awkward.

[Valenti]

Today's episode was nice.

[Applejack]

Actually they do want to eliminate Derpy. Or at least her name. They said they wouldn't ever refer to her as Derpy, because of all the drama people caused.

So this is kinda surprising. And I remember when people didn't want Cadence. It wasnt anywhere as bad as this.


Also new episode was amazing. I loved it! Definitely one of the better episodes of the season!

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Actually they do want to eliminate Derpy. Or at least her name. They said they wouldn't ever refer to her as Derpy, because of all the drama people caused.

So this is kinda surprising. And I remember when people didn't want Cadence. It wasnt anywhere as bad as this.

Also new episode was amazing. I loved it! Definitely one of the better episodes of the season!

Not using her name isn't the same as getting rid of her. If it were, then Derpy wouldn't have even existed prior to "The Last Roundup". Being nameless never harmed her before.

People not wanting Cadance wasn't quite as bad as this, but it was the same general idea. OMG HASBRO HOW DARE YOU BE A TOY COMPANY WITH AN INTEREST IN SELF-SUSTAINING BUSINESS PRACTICES. And of course a lot of whining about how the show had gone completely against Lauren Faust's creative vision, the writers still on board were sacrificing their own creative vision just be pawns for Hasbro, and the brand as a whole was jumping the shark.

It's amazing how people can claim that Hasbro is out-of-touch with the fan community when they as fans are often hopelessly out-of-touch with how Hasbro has operated since the show began. If anything Hasbro has become more aware of and sensitive to the bronies since the show began, targeting them with lots of merchandise. Yes, it's ultimately to make money. Same goes for any products and media that companies put out. That doesn't mean that the money-making has to happen at the expense of creative integrity and a general appreciation for the people and ideas that made the brand so popular and profitable.

[Andrewnuva199]

Spoiler

Oh wow, I can't remember the last time I saw a show pull the "2 episodes based on different perspectives of parallel events." Especially back-to-back airings of said kind of episodes. That's an instant win for cleverness right there.

Though part of me can't help but feel, given how today's episode ended, that this should've been the first one aired.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

More MLP pics from Toy Fair. Yep, Lyrica and Derpy brushables confirmed. On a side note, the new Princess Spoiler Alert toys are much more accurately colored than the non-alicorn versions were.

On another note, Steven Magnet's name confirmed to actually be Steven Magnet.

[Keizah the Kaleidoscope]

Spoiler

Wow, I really could not bring myself to care about this episode.  Having them accidentally welcome the wrong mare was cliché and completely unnecessary to the plot.  Plus, the conclusion flies in the face of logic and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

 

I can only assume that the intended message was that sometimes it is better to take things as they come, rather than worrying about how things will turn out.  However, the episode really didn't explore it all that well.

[The Phoenix]

That Luna Design a Pony looks awesome. I love all these new toys, but I heard that the big Twilight alicorn toy is like $50. And also, I think that my Zecora is one of my favorite toys.

Edited by Silverstar, Feb 11 2013 - 07:06 PM.

[Applejack]

So there's been a leak. About dang time.

Spoiler

Its a mane six song. It's pretty blah. But it's not THAT bad.

Edited by Rarity, Feb 12 2013 - 12:29 AM.

[Andrewnuva199]

So there's been a leak. About dang time.

*facepalm*

Well, this is going to be fun trying to remain spoiler free for the rest of the week.

Last time this happened, I thought I did good, at most, I got caught when some guy I watch on another site posted pictures of his models of the characters in the Wonderbolts AcAcademy episode.

Edited by Andrewnuva199, Feb 12 2013 - 04:46 PM.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Spoiler

So about them Equestria Girls, huh? A possible TV movie where the mane 6 travel to Earth and take human form. With evidence to back it up.

 

I can see the walls of this fandom crumbling around me. I enjoy this destruction.

[Bundalings]

But... why? WHY?

 

After looking at the supposed character designs I am even more confused.

[Valenti]

Why not?

[Samhain]

I maintain a "Trust the writers" attitude when it comes to stuff like this, so I am not going to judge it until I see it. Granted, they have done amazing things time and time again despite people constantly claiming that said thing was going to "ruin the show".

[Applejack]

Another leak. This time non finale related.
And it's bad news.

Spoiler

Equestria Girls has been confirmed.

[Valenti]

Good, bad, it's all relative, lol.

[Applejack]

Wow. The fallout from this is smaller than Alicorn Twi...lol.

So, anyone else surprised we haven't had a FULL leak of the finale, yet? Did they mind wipe the people who went to the coronation thing?

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

Who knows.

Anyway, about the Equestria Girls things, it seems a bit hypocritical to dis a show cause it has girls and all of them are techno colored (reminds me of say... Three-four years ago?),

While I could have thought for better designs for the girls, as we as not making different colors for their skin, and keeping them normal HUMAN skin colors, I still trust the writers and creators no matter what.

Also the series is NON-CANON and its in a different universe, so no problems about the story as that is concerned.

[Keizah the Kaleidoscope]

Spoiler

I find it hilarious that people are getting up in arms about Alicorn Twilight and Equestria Girls when both are things that fans have already been doing since day one.  I suppose fan-made content is easier to avoid, but it's patently absurd to assume that any decision made by Hasbro could "ruin" the fandom without it being partially the fault of the fans for blowing things out of proportion.

Edited by Keizah the Kaleidoscope, Feb 13 2013 - 12:12 PM.

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

Spoiler

I know right? And those are the fanfics I'm drawn to cause its a what if situation

[Bundalings]

Also the series is NON-CANON and its in a different universe, so no problems about the story as that is concerned.

 

That's what bothers me. Equestria Girls seems to be only inspired by MLP. If you're going to make a spinoff, make it a connected to the original. If you're going to take the characters and teleport them to an unrelated universe and change their species, then just make some altogether new characters. It's like the most awful kind of fanfiction come to life (second most awful kind of fanfiction).

 

It could be a decent show but the concept is irritating.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Spoiler

My opinions on Equestria Girls (copypasted/slightly edited from a post of mine on another site):

Eh, I don't have a problem with the idea of it, but I have a feeling this will not be as successful as the main series just by virtue of being derivative. The apparent intent is to create a line of fantasy fashion dolls to compete with Monster High, and thus capture a slightly older demographic of girls who may enjoy MLP:FiM but probably doesn't spend as much on merchandise as the younger girls at whom the toys are generally targeted. And I don't have a problem with that: the idea of human versions of the characters has been a popular one within a significant portion of the fandom, and it's neat to see the brand being pushed in new directions.

However, this will frankly have a hard time making sense to people outside the context of the MLP:FiM brand (after all, even the title "Equestria Girls" doesn't make much sense if people can't make the connection to horses), unlike Monster High which draws its inspiration from well-known horror archetypes. And as such, while this creates a new means of generating revenue from the established fanbase, it does not strike me as something that would be likely to create a whole lot of new fans of the brand as a whole.

There are exceptions, of course. Somebody on [art hosting site] recently posted a long, hateful rant against MLP:FiM and bronies, but then later posted something about how they are intrigued by this spin-off. So perhaps this might be an avenue through which some people embarrassed about the perceived childishness of MLP:FiM might be able to better appreciate the show's characters and mythology.

[The Phoenix]

The movie sounds pretty cool, although the skin colors bother me a little. You know, I saw some leaked art that suggests Trixie being humanized in the movie too.

 

And what about that princess Skyla toy? She seems like she could be Cadance and Shining Armor's daughter.

[Andrewnuva199]

Do NOT bypass the filter. -B6, that finale. My thoughts:

Spoiler

So... how 'bout them apples?

I cautioned myself against expectations, like I had with the Discord & Trixie episodes this season, and overall, I feel like this was an outstanding conclusion to things this season.

First of all, half this episode is songs. This is the first gawddaym musical episode we've gotten. Holy bricks, that's incredible! Made this all the more thrilling to watch.

Also, much enjoyed the way the plot was delivered. A little weird that we're shown the start of things in flashback, but for that opening, it seems to have been worth it. I was expecting this accident to be caused with a bang, not a whimper. Clever off-guard catch on the show's part, brilliant job there.

Pacing didn't felt rushed to me, not at all. The story was compact and did all it needed to do in its 22 minutes. Maybe it seems weak without the whole princess thing, but really, I think that it and the whole cutie mark jumblie tied together pretty well.

Perhaps Twilight's way of finding the solutions were a little too out of the blue, but in context, it all seemed to roll steadily. Maybe we just needed more insight into how her mind was making deductions, but whatever.

Jeeze, I didn't expect that the whole Princess thing would tie so smoothly with the main plot. A bit of out the blue and without too much reason (though the same can be said for the ending of BIONICLE: Mask of Light, and I still adore that movie), but it felt right in context, and it was awesome.

Personally, I'm for keeping the change, and considering how much Hasbro's going to bank on this for the toy marketing, I have doubts about the writers' ability to write a story where it's undone from the status quo. I hear the next season will have a 2-parter addressing the matter further, though. We'll have to see how that goes.

Overall, my gut's treating this like the Trixie & Discord episodes. Grand-scale, fun-to-watch incidents that have won my fanish instincts over. Congratulations, people, I am impressed.

Just heard about the Equestrian Girls thing when coming out of my spoiler-lockout shelter. A bit surprised, but not really impressed overall. That angle it approaches never really appealed to me, and I'm a bit saddened to hear that's what the TV movie may be about. But eh, live & let live.

Edited by Black Six, Feb 16 2013 - 10:42 PM.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Oh my gosh, that My Little Pony season finale was stellar. I went to a local meetup to watch it, and it was definitely a great experience. (Copying and pasting these reactions from another site, don't mind me...)

Spoiler

First of all, it was full of songs. Seven songs total in a half-hour episode-- makes me wonder just what percentage of the running time was taken up by singing. But it didn't at all get tiresome-- the songs consistently moved the plot forward, giving voice to the emotional continuity of the action as various events were being shown. Some of the scenes were montages that could have been done with just background music and snippets of dialogue, like in "The Return of Harmony", but the songs made them that much more enjoyable (especially when so many characters got a chance to sing). The lyrics of the opening number were sweet without being syrupy, much like Pinkie Pie's "Smile Song", and additional musical numbers added a greater level of emotional resonance with the cast.

The animation and visuals in this episode were top-notch. The opening sequence was stellar, echoing the opening titles while still showing a new perspective-- Twilight's perspective-- on the town of Ponyville. All the characters' movements were very fluid, and a lot of effects-- like the reflections on the Mane Six's eyes when their Elements of Harmony and cutie marks were put back in sync-- were completely new to the series. It was easy to see some animé inspiration in the various magical effects that occurred throughout the episode. All the visuals were also well-matched to the music.

The episode managed to offset the many feels with a bit of lighthearted humor from time to time. Perhaps the most memorable instance has to be Pinkie Pie's off-the-cuff spit take towards the end. There were lots of great background gags, such as the baffling non-equine anatomies of some of Applejack's awful dresses. And of course let's not forget the return of Derpy Hooves, who many people were ready to assume had been killed off by executive meddling (which is baffling at this point, since she's going to be appearing in a toy on store shelves later this year-- perhaps, though, some people feel that a character's appearance in the show amounts to greater legitimacy than appearance in a toy).

Overall, some parts of the episode seemed to go a bit quickly, but I don't think that was a bad thing. The episode didn't move in an abrupt, jerky fashion, but rather flowed very smoothly from exposition to climax to resolution. I think making this episode a two-parter would have stretched it out unnecessarily and possibly made it feel a bit less cohesive. And on the whole, this episode was a great capstone to what has transpired in the series so far, and presents a great number of storytelling opportunities for the seasons to come. Truly it's a more ambitious episode than many cartoons of this kind would attempt, given its capacity to shake up the status quo. I think that should be viewed with admiration, not skepticism.

A big congratulations to the people at DHX Media, the bronies who were willing to give this episode a chance, and of course Her Royal Highness Twilight Sparkle.

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Feb 16 2013 - 07:53 PM.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Spoiler

Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. What did I just watch?

 

First off, I'll say bye bye to all the folks who left the fandom because of a certain alicorn issue. The fandom was getting pretty bloated as it was and needed some fat trimming. Well, as for my thoughts on it overall, fears later. For now, I like the episode. It was sweet, it was cute, it portrayed the characters in a really nice manner. And yet, something seemed off about it. The second half seemed so completely disconnected from the first it was like two different episodes. I would actually have liked to have seen the cutie mark swapping stuff done for an entire episode rather than having to share screen time with something else. That something else being the hilariously controversial Alicorn Twilight which has upset more fans than My Little Dashie. And what did I think about it? ...Egh. Yeah, it shows promise. It seems a little cheesy overall and I'm concerned that they're portraying Twilight as even more powerful than Celestia herself, which is something I really don't like the idea of.

 

Now, my biggest concern. I fear for the future of these characters. The ending was just far, far too perfect. This was Twilight's destiny completed. Every one of her friends had rediscovered that one bit about their lives that makes them special. Celestia had completed her task as Twilight's mentor. Her entire family was overwhelmed with happiness to see her success. She was clearly going to live happily ever after. The whole thing just screamed of "goodbye" to all of these characters. I know it's a ridiculous prospect given there are still plotlines, like the Crystal Empire games, to resolve yet I can't help but shake the idea that season 4 will follow an entirely new set of protagonists, for the sake of marketability or something like that. And that would be seriously disappointing given how endearing the mane 6 have become.

 

Do I hate the show because of it? No, not really. Am I hesitant and eager for as much info on season 4 as I can get? Yes and it hasn't even been 12 hours since the episode...

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

The season finale was awesome, a bit rushed, but awesome

Spoiler

Apparently, we have two more episodes to go with the season finale. Who knows how long but still, its obvious something is gonna happen,

Also, Derpy appeared about five to six times so that's an upside, and hopefully, that will make others happy and no longer be upset about the Twilicorn. Also, the Doctor appeared a lot as well, same with Dinky.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Spoiler

Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. What did I just watch?
 
First off, I'll say bye bye to all the folks who left the fandom because of a certain alicorn issue. The fandom was getting pretty bloated as it was and needed some fat trimming. Well, as for my thoughts on it overall, fears later. For now, I like the episode. It was sweet, it was cute, it portrayed the characters in a really nice manner. And yet, something seemed off about it. The second half seemed so completely disconnected from the first it was like two different episodes. I would actually have liked to have seen the cutie mark swapping stuff done for an entire episode rather than having to share screen time with something else. That something else being the hilariously controversial Alicorn Twilight which has upset more fans than My Little Dashie. And what did I think about it? ...Egh. Yeah, it shows promise. It seems a little cheesy overall and I'm concerned that they're portraying Twilight as even more powerful than Celestia herself, which is something I really don't like the idea of.
 
Now, my biggest concern. I fear for the future of these characters. The ending was just far, far too perfect. This was Twilight's destiny completed. Every one of her friends had rediscovered that one bit about their lives that makes them special. Celestia had completed her task as Twilight's mentor. Her entire family was overwhelmed with happiness to see her success. She was clearly going to live happily ever after. The whole thing just screamed of "goodbye" to all of these characters. I know it's a ridiculous prospect given there are still plotlines, like the Crystal Empire games, to resolve yet I can't help but shake the idea that season 4 will follow an entirely new set of protagonists, for the sake of marketability or something like that. And that would be seriously disappointing given how endearing the mane 6 have become.
 
Do I hate the show because of it? No, not really. Am I hesitant and eager for as much info on season 4 as I can get? Yes and it hasn't even been 12 hours since the episode...

I didn't get any sense that the protagonists would be going away, particularly for the sake of marketability. Why would new protagonists be more marketable? The sense I got from this episode was that of a capstone to MLP:FiM's first overarching story arc, much like how BIONICLE: Mask of Light was the capstone to the first chapter of the BIONICLE story.

Spoiler

There are still plenty more stories to be told. Twilight getting flying lessons from Rainbow Dash, having to learn to balance her royal duties with time with her friends (up until now, spending time with her friends has been her SOLE duty, and it'd be interesting to see an episode where she struggles to keep those two sides of her life in balance), traveling to exciting new places on diplomatic missions, and perhaps even some episodes that deal with having to deal with other less glamorous side of being a princess, like the things we've seen Princess Celestia struggle with in previous episodes.

Also, I don't get the impression that Celestia was saying Twilight was more powerful than her. What Celestia was implying, though, is that Twilight has learned things in her studies that she didn't learn from Celestia's mentorship directly, and that now even Celestia has things she can learn from Twilight.

Regardless, it's heavily implied that Twilight isn't yet as powerful as Celestia. Her mane's not all flowy, after all.

[Kung Fu Rahkshi Destroyer]

I liked this episode. It was well done.

Also, we need to hear Celestia sing more. Her VA is pretty good.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Spoiler

Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. What did I just watch?
 
First off, I'll say bye bye to all the folks who left the fandom because of a certain alicorn issue. The fandom was getting pretty bloated as it was and needed some fat trimming. Well, as for my thoughts on it overall, fears later. For now, I like the episode. It was sweet, it was cute, it portrayed the characters in a really nice manner. And yet, something seemed off about it. The second half seemed so completely disconnected from the first it was like two different episodes. I would actually have liked to have seen the cutie mark swapping stuff done for an entire episode rather than having to share screen time with something else. That something else being the hilariously controversial Alicorn Twilight which has upset more fans than My Little Dashie. And what did I think about it? ...Egh. Yeah, it shows promise. It seems a little cheesy overall and I'm concerned that they're portraying Twilight as even more powerful than Celestia herself, which is something I really don't like the idea of.
 
Now, my biggest concern. I fear for the future of these characters. The ending was just far, far too perfect. This was Twilight's destiny completed. Every one of her friends had rediscovered that one bit about their lives that makes them special. Celestia had completed her task as Twilight's mentor. Her entire family was overwhelmed with happiness to see her success. She was clearly going to live happily ever after. The whole thing just screamed of "goodbye" to all of these characters. I know it's a ridiculous prospect given there are still plotlines, like the Crystal Empire games, to resolve yet I can't help but shake the idea that season 4 will follow an entirely new set of protagonists, for the sake of marketability or something like that. And that would be seriously disappointing given how endearing the mane 6 have become.
 
Do I hate the show because of it? No, not really. Am I hesitant and eager for as much info on season 4 as I can get? Yes and it hasn't even been 12 hours since the episode...

I didn't get any sense that the protagonists would be going away, particularly for the sake of marketability. Why would new protagonists be more marketable? The sense I got from this episode was that of a capstone to MLP:FiM's first overarching story arc, much like how BIONICLE: Mask of Light was the capstone to the first chapter of the BIONICLE story.

Spoiler

There are still plenty more stories to be told. Twilight getting flying lessons from Rainbow Dash, having to learn to balance her royal duties with time with her friends (up until now, spending time with her friends has been her SOLE duty, and it'd be interesting to see an episode where she struggles to keep those two sides of her life in balance), traveling to exciting new places on diplomatic missions, and perhaps even some episodes that deal with having to deal with other less glamorous side of being a princess, like the things we've seen Princess Celestia struggle with in previous episodes.

Also, I don't get the impression that Celestia was saying Twilight was more powerful than her. What Celestia was implying, though, is that Twilight has learned things in her studies that she didn't learn from Celestia's mentorship directly, and that now even Celestia has things she can learn from Twilight.

Regardless, it's heavily implied that Twilight isn't yet as powerful as Celestia. Her mane's not all flowy, after all.

 

Well, as I said I'm completely without evidence here but I still get the idea that it might be considered more profitable to introduce a new set of protagonists, thus creating a new set of toys to be sold. If they have new protagonists, the kids are gonna want those toys because they're the important ones, as opposed to yet another Fluttershy. It's the same kind of thing they did in Bionicle and while that turned out well enough, I don't think everyone got as attached to Tahu as to some of the mane 6.

 

But yeah, this is pretty much speculation on my part and hopefully you're right.

 

Spoiler

And as for Celestia...I dunno. We haven't actually seen her do anything powerful besides cancelling Twilight's magic and creating a few illusions, but we've seen plenty of examples of Twilight's power. I guess the sight of her bowing to Twilight and calling her an inspiration sent sirens wailing in my head because it suggested that she was now doing things even Celestia couldn't accomplish.

[Valenti]

It was a nice episode.

 

Time to wait for season 4.

 

What sold the episode for me, was

Spoiler

Ali!Twilight asking for a book on how to be a princess.

Edited by Valenti, Feb 17 2013 - 09:53 AM.

[Andrewnuva199]

It's the same kind of thing they did in Bionicle and while that turned out well enough, I don't think everyone got as attached to Tahu as to some of the mane 6.

While I wasn't here for it, I do believe there was some rage over the Toa Nuva changes. I think they got over it pretty well, though.

Now the Mistika/Phantoka changes, that's what got people's jimmies rustled.

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

I honestly felt like I was the only one who loved the phantoka/mistika. I was overjoyed to see my favorite Toa returning.

Back on topic, I don't know whether or not they would change protagonists or not, but if they did, could be the CMC and three other fillies (if they do a timeskip) but I doubt it.

But considering the fact that the show was told to implament Twilicorn, Cadence, Crystal Empire and other things, it is a possibility, unlikely, but possible.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

It was a nice episode.
 
Time to wait for season 4.

What sold the episode for me, was

Spoiler

Ali!Twilight asking for a book on how to be a princess.

Spoiler

There are really a lot of great references to Twilight's personality remaining important, even in places you wouldn't expect. The show's writers obviously have a deep respect for her character and role among the Mane Six, but the creators of the toys would be more willing to just present her as a generic frilly princess in a generic frilly castle, right?

Wrong. While Twilight's coronation castle playset is in quite garish colors and hardly show-accurate to any location that has ever been seen, in these three pictures you can see some of the new features molded for it include Twilight's bookshelf and telescope. Her intellectual role has not been forgotten even if she's getting put in pretty (or garish, take your pic) dresses.

A'course there are other places where the toys are a little less careful with detail. One of Twilight's accessories in that set is clearly Shining Armor's wedding ring from last year's Wedding Castle. I suppose they figured that the cutie mark emblem was close enough that nobody would see any issue, though considering this same playset is designed to join up with the wedding castle, it's hard to imagine even the girls in the show's core audience aren't liable to notice the somewhat jarring repetition.

It's the same kind of thing they did in Bionicle and while that turned out well enough, I don't think everyone got as attached to Tahu as to some of the mane 6.

While I wasn't here for it, I do believe there was some rage over the Toa Nuva changes. I think they got over it pretty well, though.

Now the Mistika/Phantoka changes, that's what got people's jimmies rustled.
 

Spoiler

There's definitely also a case to be made with how much better LEGO did at keeping some of their big secrets... well, secret, than Hasbro's done. And that probably plays into some of the differing reactions. The fact that Takua becoming a Toa came as a genuine surprise, for instance, made it hard for people to spend too much time arguing about the idea. Once it happened, people generally accepted that the context for it was right and moved on from there.

Granted, Hasbro doesn't exactly have that option, since their characters' identities are very obvious in the toy line, and so even if they kept it a secret in their promotional spots just who was being crowned a princess, they couldn't really hide it at Toy Fair. Takanuva, on the other hand, was never even revealed to be a previously-released character-- since Takua and Jaller were on a quest to find the Seventh Toa, the idea that someone we already knew would become the Seventh Toa was a much easier secret to keep.

Likewise, the nature of the Matoran Universe was kept pretty secret, although towards the end some people started putting the pieces together. Still, that DID see a lot of outrage, for a lot of the same reasons as Twilight Sparkle's coronation. To many it was symptomatic of a franchise that had completely lost sight of what originally made the franchise work, and had gone completely against the writers' original intent. This, of a plot device that was written as the driving force behind the entire story from year one!

It's a bit ironic, though, that a lot of people's complaints about changes to BIONICLE characters were about the reverse of this issue. A lot of people are now concerned that Twilight Sparkle is being presented as too powerful and important and it hurts the relationship dynamic she has with her friends. In BIONICLE, though, people got upset any time power imbalance was minimized or a character was nerfed in any way. When Makuta was presented less as a mysterious, shadowy, godlike entity and more as a physical villain, for instance, or when Mata Nui was revealed to be a giant robot rather than a godlike spirit-entity, or when Mata Nui was given a new character design of average stature in which he had to-- gasp-- depend on others for protection!

Of course, there's some of that in MLP:FiM's fanbase as well, with people concerned that the existence of more than two alicorns is diminishing Celestia and Luna's importance (ignoring that they are still the only 1000-year-old alicorns we know to have magical command of the skies themselves). But the greater concern seems to be that Twilight is becoming potentially overpowered and that the story might suffer as a result. The common thread is that people don't seem to like it when characters' power/importance dynamics change, and every character should remain more or less on the same tier as where they began.

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Feb 17 2013 - 10:47 AM.

[Bundalings]

The episode was pretty good, but I admit I was really tired of the singing by the end.

[Applejack]

Celestia singing is amazing.


Also I have a theory... Twilight has been in a changling pod the whole time.

[Bfahome]

I liked the finale, but yeah too many songs.  A couple of them were pretty great, though.

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

Bout time we had Celestia sing, next Luna

[Keizah the Kaleidoscope]

Spoiler

Well, time for my standard wild speculation:

• Did it disturb anyone else that transforming a pony's cutie mark apparently causes them to immediately forget their past life and dedicate themselves to their supposed "talent"?  Does this mean that a cutie mark does not merely represent a pony's talent, but their purpose in life?  Do ponies actually have a say in following their talent, or does the cutie mark overwrite free will once it is discovered?  Does this effectively make all cutie marks the same as those gained through cutie pox?  Am I asking a ridiculous number of questions about a minute detail?!?
• I find it surprising that incantations would be part of the magic in the MLP universe.  The strangest part is that Twilight did not show any sign of effort either time she cast a spell this way.  Are incantations a completely separate field of magic than unicorn intuitive magic?
• Since Cadance effectively has the same job as Twilight, does this mean that Cadance underwent a similar test?  I know that she appeared as a "teenager" in Twilight's flashback, but it could easily be that she either has a different body type to begin with or she was transformed at an earlier age.  Hm...I wonder what kind of test would prove her talent at spreading love.  Perhaps her love spell is original?
• The sequence where Twilight visited the celestial plane was interesting, to say the least.  Perhaps it's Celestia's equivalent to Luna's dreamscape?
• Why did Rarity's mark cause Applejack to make dresses, when the mark itself is a trio of gems?  Wouldn't it make more sense for her to go on a gem-hunting rampage?  Of course, she would probably actually be pretty decent at digging up gems, so M.A. Larsen probably stretched the meaning of the mark so that he could put Applejack in a miserable situation.

Edited by Keizah the Kaleidoscope, Feb 17 2013 - 07:57 PM.