My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season Five Scorecard Result

Tags

Chrysalis, CMCs, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Derpy Hooves, King Sombra, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Nightmare Moon, Pinkie Pie, Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, review, Scootaloo, Season Five, Starlight Glimmer, Sweetie Belle, Tirek, top ten, Twilight Sparkle

Well…it took a lot longer than I wanted, but at last the fifth season is over and done with.

As some of you may or may not recall, way back before the season even began I put out a list. Specifically…Ten Things I Want to See in Season Five of MLP:FIM. I wasn’t expecting to get many of them, let alone all of them, but with Season Five finally behind us…let’s see how I ended up doing.

So, to recap, the scorecard for my Top Ten list of things I wanted to see in Season Five!

10.  A Y7-rated episode.

Score: No check.

The season stayed firmly grounded in Y-rated territory, with every episode, just like every one before it, rated “Y” and therefore suitable for everyone.

But…when you think about it, that’s kind of a misnomer. The fact is a lot of episodes this season seemed orientated toward the more teen persuasion. Some of the themes explored in episodes such as not selling out in the name of business, volunteering in your community, cult conformity, and the like were things that don’t really pertain to the seven-year-old-and-under crowd.

The problem with content in cartoons ever since the rating system came out is that content is confined to violence, language, and sexual matters. Anything else is fairly “off limits” unless it offends someone. That’s why MLP:FIM is mistaken for being only appropriate for little kids due to its rating. The fact is a lot of episodes this season probably went over the heads of little kids, even while they were still free to watch them.

9. Chrysalis returns.

Score: Check…sorta.

Yes, Chrysalis did make a brief return in this season…along with King Sombra, Nightmare Moon, Tirek, and even the Flim-Flam brothers. But it doesn’t really “count” as she wasn’t the highlight villain of the episode she appeared in, and it was mostly just a “callback” appearance rather than meant to be anything significant. I kind of feel bad for Kathleen Barr, though. Neither here nor in the new Equestria Girls movie did Trixie have any lines, which means they brought her in to do three or four lines for the entire season.

8. Applejack’s background.

Score: No check.

Applejack’s background remains unexploited territory for this season. About the closest we ever come is a brief line in “Crusaders of the Lost Mark”: (To Apple Bloom) “If mom and dad were here, they’d be so proud of you.” This is actually the first mention they’ve ever even gotten the entire series, but it still does little to shed light on the situation. The implication is that they’re not there because they’ve passed away, but note that Sweetie Belle’s parents never show up that episode, nor Scootaloo’s…and the former of the two we’ve already seen in Season Two. So it’s entirely plausible that they’re “away from home”, however unlikely.

7. Derpy speaks…again.

Score: Check.

Definitely mark this one. Not only did she finally get her voice back in “Slice of Life”, Derpy ended up being one of the main characters in that episode. I’ll note her name is now officially “Muffins”, however.

6. A “Princess Celestia” episode.

Score: No check.

If I could give this one a “minus score”, I would. Princess Celestia has represented virgin territory for the show for a couple seasons now, and yet she’s still untapped. As a matter of fact, since Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn, she has been figuring less and less into the show itself. Luna now officially is on the show as much if not more than her.

Celestia actually only had three real appearances in this season, and all were rather…awkward. The first was in “Make New Friends but Keep Discord”, in which she displayed almost more of her fan-given “Trollestia” side in which she not only loves how Discord destroyed the Grand Galloping Gala worse than the Mane Six did, but she actually snickers when Discord makes a joke at Twilight Sparkle’s expense. The second was in the fan-friendly scene in “Slice of Life” in which she and Luna basically argue like any two sisters would, but, again, this is more fanservice than anything. Finally, she showed up in a few of the dystopian universes in the season finale…but she never even had any lines (unlike Nightmare Moon).

The real irony is that Celestia’s human counterpart had more of a significant role in the third Equestria Girls movie than she did in this season…and more lines as well. Celestia actually helped out a bit in that one by covering up for the girls and standing up to Finch at the end. On that note, I think the actual Princess Celestia might be becoming the “Flash Sentry” of the series: a character the writers can’t find a purpose for.

5. More Cutie Mark Crusader “exclusive” episodes.

Score: Check…sorta.

About the closest we came to one of the CMCs highlighting an episode solo this season was with Apple Bloom, and it’s a bit of a stretch on hers. Granted she was the only CMC in “Hearthbreakers”, but that kind of figures as that was about the whole Apple Family…not just her.

She stood out more in “Bloom & Gloom”, and, granted, the episode did indeed focus mostly on her…but at the last minute the rest of the CMCs came in. To me, the real purpose of that episode was to “cap the mini-Luna arc”. Note that in Season Three Luna visited Scootaloo in a dream, while in Season Four Luna visited Sweetie Belle in a dream. This was completing the set and, in retrospect, paving the way for “Crusaders of the Lost Mark”.

While this season featured the best CMC episode ever, the only one it really gave a chance to “shine” is Apple Bloom…which, again, is kind of a tragedy to me. But with the CMCs now having their Cutie Marks, I’m optimistic that will change in Season Six.

On that note…

4. Give the CMCs their damn Cutie Marks already.

Score: Check and double-check.

I don’t think it was quite as good as everyone made it out to be…but it was still phenomenal. I honestly wasn’t expecting this to happen, but not only did it happen, it did so in a way that blew the similar-themed “Magical Mystery Cure” out of the water. Rightly rated as one of the best episodes in the series, I’ll praise this one more when I get to the actual review.

3. Rainbow Dash becomes a Wonderbolt.

Score: No check.

“Rarity Investigates!” featured Rainbow Dash filling in for an actual Wonderbolt who was stripped of his rank, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s any higher than the Wonderbolt Reserve. Therefore, I’d say this plot thread is one that is still unresolved and is prime material for a Season Six or series finale episode.

However, it’s worth noting that Rarity’s own dream from the series pilot, which was not nearly as publicized or highlighted but is no less special, was fulfilled in this season with her opening a franchise in Canterlot.

2. Nightmare Rarity.

Score: No check, BUUUUUT…

Obviously Nightmare Rarity from the comics never showed up, and if she had I would have been far more aghast than I was at the CMCs getting their Cutie Marks this season. That said…

The “Nightmare Rarity” arc really featured two main factors to it. One was Nightmare Rarity herself, with the idea that one of the Mane Six was corrupted into a dark version of herself obsessed with power. Well…that theme was kinda-sorta hit on in “Equestria Girls: Friendship Games”. While it was Sci-Twi who temporarily turned evil, the implication was clearly there that this was a “dark version” of the Princess Twilight Sparkle we all know and love. She didn’t quite have the charisma or sense of doom, however.

The other factor was that Princess Luna had to learn to stop letting her guilt over her actions as Nightmare Moon stop her from being the best she could be now, and that the ponies of Equestria are behind her. That theme was definitely handled in “Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?” Maybe not quite as “epicly” as the comic, but it was definitely the highlight of the episode.

So while we may never see Nightmare Rarity on the show, we definitely got some “vibes” from it. I’d rate this as “half a check” if I could.

1. Go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Score: (Deep breath)…No check.

This season had a lot of episodes that were full of heart. It lacked ones that were sillier and funnier, but it had a good share of those. It made viewers feel for a lot of side characters and new characters. So…it’s rather disappointing that it ended on a note with Starlight Glimmer rather spontaneously “becoming good” after revealing she was only evil for an extremely petty reason.

My biggest fear coming out of this season is that the finale will actually “taint” the rest of it. This was actually a really good season. In certain ways, it might have been the best thus far. But I’m afraid what happened with Starlight Glimmer in the finale might ruin all of it and leave it with a more “sour” taste in one’s mouth.

Time will tell.

Final Score: 4 out of 10

That’s not as bad as it sounds. Some of those are effectively “half” so in reality it’s more 5 out of 10, while I expected only 2 out of 10 at the most. Welp…there’s always next season (for now…)…

That and the feature film.

 

The Biggest WTF Moments In Final Fantasy (I-XII)

Tags

final fantasy, rpg, Square Enix, top ten, wtf

What makes a good plotline? A lot of things…most of which video games aren’t renown for. Often, you only need just enough plot to give the character motivation, especially in the older days of gaming. Players used to be far more tolerant, after all. Did we really care why Pacman had the need to eat those little pellets and ghosts? Or how Donkey Kong managed to get so large without crushing himself under the weight of his own skeleton and why he had a fondness for attractive women who weren’t his species?

However, times have changed. Players demand more story, especially in RPGs. And with any good story comes plot twists and things that simply shock the reader. In other words…a WTF moment. RPGs are renown for these.

Because of that, I present to you yet another pointless Final Fantasy orientated list I have constructed, as I am (or was) an avid Final Fantasy fan: the biggest WTF moments in the games from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy XII.

(Sorry that I have nothing past that. I still feel violated by Square Enix after Final Fantasy XII.)

“Final Fantasy”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Scooby Doo Reveal”

By that I mean the one and only twist to the entire game…that the first boss, Garland, ends up being the final boss as well after he was sent back in time and embued with the power of Chaos. And he would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for you meddling kids.

“Final Fantasy II”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Is Big Bird Giving Me A Lift?”

At this point in the series, horses were still prevalent. Many of the weakling enemies ride horses. So, when you see a little tuft of forest in the middle of the Palamecian landscape and walk inside only to find an odd bird sprite that lets you get on it and plays a quirky tune as it allows you to run through the world…you may raise an eyebrow. However, you’ll shortly realize that you aren’t getting mutilated by the super-strong enemies all the way back to Fynn. Other than that, the first chocobo ever has no use or relevance whatsoever to the game and is effectively a “game secret”, so it gets a WTF.

“Final Fantasy III”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Female Plot Armor – Negated”

While major NPCs had been getting the axe liberally ever since Final Fantasy II, it had been confined to the male gender. Both Hilda and Leila got through almost every city in the world getting smashed and literally Hell breaking out on Earth without a scratch. Elia wasn’t so lucky. We hardly knew ye.

“Final Fantasy IV”

Biggest WTF Moment: “I Am Your Father…Er, Brother”

This game actually had a couple of good WTF moments, considering it was the most plot-intensive game to date. Another good one would be “Deus Ex Rydia”. (“…Did the first boss really just drop in to save my ass?”) Yet I’ll give it to this pseudo-Star-Wars-Original-Series knock off scene when Vader, I mean, Golbez drops the bomb on Cecil. Alright…so, ultimately, it was kind of a “more sophisticated” version of a similar sequence in Final Fantasy II…but no one likes Leon anyway. 😛

“Final Fantasy V”

Biggest WTF Moment: “It’s Only A Flesh Wound!”

I give credit to Galuf for going out like the biggest badass in the entire Final Fantasy series. For one time only in the history of the game, you enter a fight where you are immortal. Even after Exdeath/XDeath/X-Death/Exodus/whatever reduces your HP to zero, Galuf continues to take piece after piece outta him until the boss croaks. Even Exdeath(there, I decided on one) is shocked at how he can’t kill you, and is left vainly hitting you with powerful attack after powerful attack which does nothing since your HP is already 0. Makes sense why he can’t be revived afterward…as he’s gotten about “OVER 9000!!!” KOs at that point.

“Final Fantasy VI”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Kefka…’Nuff Said”

Seriously…the selling point for a good part of this game was a villain who blew away the mold of every previous Final Fantasy villain, who were all interested in boring, dumb things like world domination. Kefka’s just out to see the world burn. His personality alone made it enough to have everyone hate him for poisoning Doma while, by comparison, people just fell asleep when Mateus destroyed one city and everyone in them after another. (…Seriously, why do I keep comparing everything to Final Fantasy II?)

“Final Fantasy VII”

Biggest WTF Moment: “…” (Do I REALLY need to tell you which one it was?)

Yeah…you all know what was the biggest WTF moment, whether you thought it was great or thought it was pathetic because you hated the character (…BTW, you’re a liar. You cried like a baby, didn’t you?). So instead I’ll give the runner up: “Faceless Stormtrooper Hero”. I honestly didn’t see that one coming and it was about as much a WTF as the one above…plus, it helped wrap up what the *bleep* was going on with Cloud.

“Final Fantasy VIII”

Biggest WTF Moment: The Plot

Seriously…what the heck was going on? Starting with Final Fantasy VII, Squaresoft (and eventually Square Enix) decided to increase their replay value by making it so you couldn’t fully understand the plot of any of their games unless you played them through more than once. But even this game was in a league of its own. The only more indecipherable plot done by the company was “Chrono Cross”.

“Final Fantasy IX”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Alexander vs. Bahamut”

After this scene, everything else in the game, even the White Dragon assault, was just kind of…empty. The two biggests summons/espers/GFs/eidolons/metaphors/half-kaiju/whatevers go against each other in the most beautiful FMV to date. After all, we had to have something artistic to look at in the game after the disproportionate characters and she-male Kuja. (On a side note, there was a lot of things the series could have done to make villains more appealing…and nowhere on that list do I think “make them androgynous” was on it.)

“Final Fantasy X”

Biggest WTF Moment: “The Opening”

The writers of the plot for Final Fantasy X were presented with a simple task…create the most head-scratching, confusing opening sequence in history to make the audience have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Between the kindergarden-level cyberpunk city to the water-polo/team-handball-sequence to the sphere of water destroying everything to the mystery-one-armed-guy treating the whole thing as routine (Exactly why did Auron wait until after Tidus was sent to Spira to explain anything about what happened to Jecht again? And how did he age about 40 years in 10, especially since he was already dead and shouldn’t have aged at all?) to the loss of the ATB battle system to everything going into white oblivion before getting stuck in the ocean…not to mention the fact the entire sequence is in a flashback from an equally confusing opening shot…the player’s head falls off before you even reach your first “town”.

“Final Fantasy XI”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Pry Your Next Level Out Of Our Cold, Dead Fingers”

It’s bad enough being dumb enough to pick a White Mage since, after years of playing FF, you know the healer is the single most important member of a group. Yet seeing as most FF players are used to playing solo for years they aren’t very conducive to groups, so when you try doing some solo leveling-up you find that weakling enemies don’t give you experience anymore while they’re still able to kill you. That’d be bad enough if you had to get the same amount of experience each time, but since you also need more for each new level like in any other FF game, that’s kind of a slap in the face if you’re a White Mage. Worse yet, the game decides to mug you of your experience if you get killed and shove you back a level. Jerks… A close runner up is how ridiculously hard it is to revive in that game. Not only do you have to be at an insanely high level and have a friend who can do it for you (and you’re screwed if that friend gets whacked), it takes about 10 full minutes…and you better hope no enemies decide to just come along and kill you while you’re doing it.

“Final Fantasy X-2”

Biggest WTF Moment: “Minus Infinite Respect Points”

Final Fantasy X was serious but lacked the “darkness” and “substance” of other dark entries in the series…choosing to rely on almost grotesque and improbable eye candy instead. So making a “lighter” version only really served to make Yuna and Rikku, who were already incredibly annoying, even more annoying…so much that they need Raven, I mean, Paine to level them out simply by reminding us all how stupid and annoying Yuna and Rikku are with her own unimpressed reactions. Did we really need Paine to tell us that?

“Final Fantasy XII”

Biggest WTF Moment: Absolutely nothing

This game was so bland, boring, colorless, mundane, and just plain not fun that it didn’t even have anything that made anyone go WTF. The summons being former FF final bosses is almost noteworthy, but not quite. It’s more indicative of how this game set out to find whatever was left in the series that initially attracted players in the first place and made sure to destroy it. Good job, Square Enix. 😛