Soapbox time, where the fandom expresses its opinions! As always, we are open for submissions on these. If you'd like to submit your own soapbox, hit up this post for infos.
As always, these are the opinions of fandom members, not us here at EQD.
Have some headlines:
- Could MLP Be an Anime?
- Friendship is Magic was the Pinnacle of Animation
- The Term "Sarosian" Is Due For a Revival
- IDW Should Continue Romance Stories For Gen 5
By: Fracture
It's about time Pony got the anime treatment. Imagine fluid sakuga animation capturing high-speed flight through the skies of Equestria, expressive character designs that lean into the magic of their world, and dramatic, emotionally charged storytelling with the weight it deserves. While Friendship is Magic set a high bar for character-driven narratives, an anime adaptation could take it even further—pushing action, lore, and world-building into a whole new dimension. Picture a series with the visual flair of Made in Abyss and the heart of Precure, seamlessly blending high-stakes adventure with the warmth of the franchise’s core message.
The character arcs alone would be something special. Twilight’s journey from student to princess could take on a more introspective, philosophical edge, much like the coming-of-age stories in classic shoujo anime. Rainbow Dash’s dream of becoming a Wonderbolt could get the full Haikyuu!! or Yowamushi Pedal treatment, with detailed training sequences and pulse-pounding aerial battles. And imagine a Celestia/Luna backstory told through a Demon Slayer-style flashback—gorgeous, tragic, and filled with mythical grandeur. The right studio could take the lore hints sprinkled throughout the series and expand them into a breathtaking, interconnected world worthy of a true fantasy epic.
And let’s talk about the animation potential. Pony magic could be given the Madoka Magica treatment—intricate spell circles, ethereal transformations, and reality-bending effects that elevate unicorn magic to a spectacle. Pegasus flight scenes could rival the aerial acrobatics of The Dragon Prince or Macross. The emotional beats? Gut-punching. Give Pinkie Pie a Kill la Kill-level energy boost, let Rarity have the aesthetic drama of a CLAMP protagonist, and you’ve got something unforgettable.
An MLP anime wouldn’t just be a novelty—it would be a natural evolution, a perfect fusion of a beloved world with the storytelling strengths of the medium. The emotional highs would hit harder, the adventure would soar further, and the magic of Equestria would shine like never before. The only question is: which studio is brave enough to make it happen?
Friendship is Magic was the Pinnacle of Animation
By: Escape Goat
There is an argument to be made that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is one of the greatest animated series of all time, and I am here to make it. This is not a claim rooted in nostalgia, nor is it one bolstered by ironic fandom adoration. No, the strength of Friendship is Magic lies in its craftsmanship—the synthesis of tight writing, strong character arcs, and vibrant, expressive animation that elevates it beyond the confines of a so-called "kids’ show."
To appreciate Friendship is Magic as a paragon of animation, one must first understand the dire state of its predecessors. Before Lauren Faust revitalized the brand, My Little Pony was synonymous with saccharine, low-effort toy commercials. The G3 era of the franchise, in particular, lacked a sense of character or stakes—every episode played out like an animated greeting card. The 2010 reboot had every reason to follow suit, existing primarily to sell toys, but instead, it defied expectations at every turn.
Visually, Friendship is Magic showcased what Flash animation could be when handled with care. The character rigs were complex enough to allow for fluid, exaggerated motion, giving the ponies a dynamic range of expressions that rivaled hand-drawn animation. Compare any given reaction shot from Friendship is Magic to its contemporaries (Johnny Test, Total Drama Island), and the difference is staggering. Every ear twitch, every wing flap, and every subtle smirk served to enhance the characters’ emotions, turning even simple conversations into engaging moments.
And the writing! Friendship is Magic rejected the meandering, consequence-free storytelling of its predecessors and instead embraced serialized arcs and tangible character growth. Twilight Sparkle’s transformation from an isolated bookworm to the Princess of Friendship was not an overnight change but a slow, deliberate evolution across multiple seasons. The show excelled at making small moments matter—Rainbow Dash struggling with humility, Rarity learning to balance generosity with self-respect, Fluttershy discovering that kindness does not mean weakness. These were not static characters; they were individuals who grew alongside their audience.
Even in its worldbuilding, Friendship is Magic stood head and shoulders above its genre peers. Equestria was not a static backdrop but a living, breathing setting with its own history, legends, and political structures. The show’s mythology drew from classical fantasy, folklore, and even cosmic horror, as seen in the eerie, dreamlike elements of Luna’s Tantabus and the existential dread of The Mean Six. The depth of Equestria allowed the fandom to flourish, spinning off countless interpretations and expansions, many of which rival the show itself in complexity.
It is easy to dismiss Friendship is Magic as just another in a long line of toy-based cartoons, but to do so is to ignore what made it special. It was lightning in a bottle, a rare convergence of talent, passion, and genuine effort that transcended its commercial origins. It did not just redefine My Little Pony—it redefined what an animated series for children could be.
A paragon, indeed.
IDW Should Continue Romance Stories For Gen 5
By Double C
Since both Tell Your Tales and Make Your Mark have been canceled, IDW comics is said to continue the story. While there are many possibilities of what the Gen 5 Mane 6 will have, it would be interesting and fun if they did some romance stories. There are some characters including the Mane 6 that could have some romance since there might not be much time left.
Queen Haven and Alphabittle are among the well-known couples of A New Generation. Both Tell Your Tall and Make Your Mark had helped developed it further as the stories progress. It also gains approval by their daughters Zipp, Pipp, and Misty who enjoy seeing them happy and not alone. While seeing the ups and downs of their relationship, seeing how Alphabittle will proposed to Haven would be as exciting as Big Mac proposing to Sugar Belle. Zipp, Pipp, and Misty would help out with the both the proposal and wedding with some problems making sure it goes right.
Perhaps the one we would like to see is Hitch of who he wants to be with. Being the only guy in the new Mane 6, fans have enjoyed shipping him with either girl. The ones that are the most popular are Sunny, Zipp, and Pipp. Sunny and Hitch have been close friends and care about each other which would become romance like many other couples have. Zipp and Hitch both solve many cases together to preserve justice and one case could bring them together. Plus Zipp is the only one who has few times flirted with Hitch. Pipp and Hitch both enjoy music which the movie and series showed him enjoying listing to her song. They even showed they make a perfect duet which would help them grow closer.
The Term "Sarosian" Is Due For a Revival
By Wintergleam
There are a lot of alternative names for batponies within the fandom, but the one that has seemingly been forgotten is "sarosian"—a bitter irony, as it was first used in Short Skirts and Explosions's "Background Pony." It enjoyed a brief period of usage among fic writers and bat enthusiasts, and was even one of the candidates for the tribe's name in the 2013 4Chan Bat Threads (the place Echo came from).
The explosion in batpony popularity was something of a miracle. Unlike every other race and creature in the show, batponies had no basis in mythology, and received no official worldbuilding outside of "Princess Luna and the Winter Moon Celebration," a chapter book released in 2015. So practically all of their lore, including their de-facto name, "batponies," came from the fandom.
Which is why I find it unfortunate that the main alternative name the fandom settled on is "thestral"—a word borrowed from Harry Potter, which in turn was borrowed from an older word meaning "darkness." True, Harry Potter's thestrals look a bit like our batponies, but there is no deeper symbolic connection. It can't possibly have any deeper meaning, because we did not create the term.
The Saros, from which SS&E derived the name, refers to an astronomical cycle that predicts eclipses. There's a beautiful intentionality behind the term, if we subscribe to the idea that the tribe has an intrinsic connection to Princess Luna (or, at the very least, the Moon). It goes beyond a mere association with darkness and the night, and implies a cosmological connection befitting of Friendship is Magic's mythological elements.
Of course, I don't see anything ever beating the laconic simplicity of "batpony," but there is a place for "sarosian" in the lexicons of writers and artists looking to use a more interesting term. More importantly, I see its revival as an homage to the fandom's history, as well as the collaborative worldbuilding that made the bats into more than just a handful of background ponies.
