Depends on if you were a fan of the whole "friendship lessons and letters to princess sunbutt" or are a fan of the "slice of life with ponies!" route the show has taken.
i remember the crystal ponies, alicorn twilight and the human ponies felt very blatantly only-there-to-sell-toys in a way that the earlier stuff didn't
like it was all there to sell toys from a business standpoint, but before the crystal ponies stuff i got the impression the people doing the writing were making it a priority to make the show hold up on its own
You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
I liked season 1 because it consistently exceeded my expectations of what a Flash-animated toy-based cartoon would be like.
Season 2 was pretty good, more or less living up to the standard set by season 1.
Season 3...eh. It had some fun moments but I couldn't help but feel like, at that point, the "toy commercial" aspect got a lot more blatant in a way that interfered with my enjoyment of the show. The Crystal Ponies, alicorn Twilight, etc.
I didn't get more than a few episodes into season 4 but it did seem like an improvement over 3 in that regard.
Also, I need to watch the Equestria Girls movies because Buttershannon and her sister like them.
I'll continue to defend S4 and S5, no matter how much that defense may fall on deaf ears.
I also liked the first EQG movie for much the same reason CA liked S1 of MLP. I found the second EQG movie more enjoyable on its own terms, which I suspect is partially because the villains of that film are basically the Hex Girls with the serial numbers filed off. I haven't watched the third EQG movie yet, but probably will eventually.
Not only did the season 5 opener avert the "Twilight saves the day while all her friends are useless" device that too many other two-parters fell prey to, but it involved four random background ponies saving the day because the mane six inspired them.
In fact, the mane six teaching/inspiring other ponies about Friendship was an ongoing theme of season 4. Season 5 is expanding on that, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting in on the act, while the mane six are now teaching/inspiring entire communities.
Pony "Harrison Bergeron" happened.
Remember how Twilight blew off Moondancer's birthday party in the very first episode? Twi finally apologized for that, and it was glorious.
When Rainbow Dash goes through the Five Stages of Grief, her version of "bargaining" involves turning into The Grinch.
Not only can Rarity be a hard-boiled private detective and a femme fatale, but she can be both at the same time.
Sorry, fanfic writers, but Applejack's hat is not some kind of precious family heirloom.
Princess Luna's guilt complex over becoming Nightmare Moon is even worse than anyone suspected.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders finally figure out that getting their cutie marks just might not be the solution to every single problem, ever. Also, apparently it's possible for a pony to not know what their cutie mark means, and to screw their life up until they figure it out.
The show came this close to saying that Lyra and Bon Bon are lesbian lovers.
It's undisputedly 100% canon now that the previous four seasons took place in just a bit over a year. No matter how little sense that timeline makes.
I think the cheap marketing feel of S3's alicorn finale was mostly just how rushed it was and how little they built up to it. S4 took the ball and ran with it in a very satisfying way.
S5 might be the strongest they've had, honestly. Rarity Seduces Everypony Investigates might be my favorite episode of the series.
That would be the difficult part, I think. Weird time compression aside, S4/5 have been hitting continuity really hard, to the point that a throwaway line in the first episode turned into something very poignant four seasons later.
Comments
s3 was never downright horrible but i just kinda lost interest
aside from that nothing really happened
and i don't think i ever got around to watching GPP
like it was all there to sell toys from a business standpoint, but before the crystal ponies stuff i got the impression the people doing the writing were making it a priority to make the show hold up on its own
Season 2 was pretty good, more or less living up to the standard set by season 1.
Season 3...eh. It had some fun moments but I couldn't help but feel like, at that point, the "toy commercial" aspect got a lot more blatant in a way that interfered with my enjoyment of the show. The Crystal Ponies, alicorn Twilight, etc.
I didn't get more than a few episodes into season 4 but it did seem like an improvement over 3 in that regard.
Also, I need to watch the Equestria Girls movies because Buttershannon and her sister like them.
I also liked the first EQG movie for much the same reason CA liked S1 of MLP. I found the second EQG movie more enjoyable on its own terms, which I suspect is partially because the villains of that film are basically the Hex Girls with the serial numbers filed off. I haven't watched the third EQG movie yet, but probably will eventually.
[Insert Buffy joke here.]
but yes, if i were going to get back into MLP i'd want to watch it through, not skip stuff