Winter Wishday is Lovable, but Disappointing...

MLP Winter Wishday has finally released, and it has quite a few things to love, but also quite a few problems. And I am here to review it! MLP G5, here we go!
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#MLP #WinterWishday #makeyourmark

[@Star_Strike]

Whew- This was a long one! Many many thoughts on this one! I actually had to cut out a few things because the video was going on too long. (I'm sorry Onyx fans! She was great!) Don't forget to like and tell me your thoughts on Winter Wishday! I'm excited to hear all opinions!

[@jcj268]

The only thing this special was missing was shipping fuel

[@wishingstar8701]

To be honest im starting to think g5 might be a lost cause... I cant take much more of these disappointments so far I've given every episode a chance and every special and none have pulled through...

[@mylittleponyfans3777]

Fun fact Best gift ever Is not on Netflix anymore I looked for it another fun fact you can Watch it on KZbin some one did a full best gift ever on KZbin!

[@wishingstar8701]

@@mylittleponyfans3777 Thats why I downloaded it when it came out, because otherwise these things can disappear whenever. Always have a download because you never know when they plan to take it down or remove it.

[@mylittleponyfans3777]

@@wishingstar8701 Downloaded stuff takes up Storage

[@hlk323]

I feel like the most annoying thing about this was sunny. She literally destroyed the other ponies celebration. Hitch was going to celebrate with his grandma but she ended up making some cookies with them and spending the evening alone. Zipp and pipp rushed through the shopping even tho it would make the concert start sooner. Even the queen got left alone. They all had planes with their family, but just because sunny didn’t have any she made so much stress. I think it would have been ok if it got address that it was a stressful celebration day but they ignored it and completely and I find that annoying

[@VcSaJen]

"Your Dad is dead, your family is dead, your friends will never be a real family, you'll always be alone at Winter Wishday, suck it up, b" Wow, what a "joyous" sociopathic message. Holiday spirit, yay!

[@freddysans412]

@@VcSaJen Why she can spend the Holidays festivities with ONE ponies. So they don't have to make too much travel and ruining the celebrations. In fact, it would have been nice this type of stories. With everypony teaching her the holidays to the point she doesn't know wich one to choose. Because she's sad that she wouldn't spend the Holidays with her dad like before.

[@juilirawal303]

@@freddysans412 Exactly ! Izzy was alone too since she was a social outcast of unicorn society as shown in Tell Your Tale episode "Sisters take flight" so Sunny could have just spent the holiday with her in Bridlewood while Zipp and Pipp do their performance in Zephyr Heights and Hitch spends his holiday with his Grandmare Figgy

[@hlk323]

@@kingtechnology9350 she was with them for like an hour and then had to spend the rest of the evening alone

[@gabrielferreira-gg7fh]

@@freddysans412 this made me think it would have been a very emotional scene for sunny to find out that izzy always spent the winter wishday alone, so sunny de remembers the first holiday she spent without her dad, so she decides to spend the holiday with izzy and herself izzy is happy that the first pony to spend winter wishday with her was her first friend.

[@soniquefus]

The writers really shot themselves in the hoof making this take place in the same universe as G4. It amazes me that Tell Your Tale ended up being the better series.

[@reggielacey2235]

It's not that bad

[@zuniamos]

​@reggielacey2235 it's not necessarily *good* though, but it's admittedly not the worst [My Little Pony Tales (gen1) takes that trophy]

[@hcsandd1212]

200th like! Also, I would like G5 better if the characters models looked similar to that of the designs in Tell Your Tail. The ponies in G5 just look lacking in originality

[@bonniebluebellaextras]

This show in my mind is equated like this: The main MLP (Magic of Friendship) Is the 2000’s Generation Z even if it came out in 2010. This new show is the brain rot half of Gen Z; idiotic, entitled (referring to the Wish to Want method here), and soulless

[@finalfroggitapproaches6418]

The biggest sin of this special: Jazz Hooves STILL DOESN’T HAVE EARS. There’s a scene where the creme pegasus is putting up decorations on Mane Melody, and Jazz is by the door. No ears. I went back and double checked. They STILL haven’t figured out how to stick ears on that one specific model.

[@zuzoscorner]

At this point, it must be a running joke for the animators. like Derpy eyes but for G5

[@sweetdreams1028]

One thing that I'm very happy about this is that Sparky isn't a constant troublemaker and whinner in this special

[@Star_Strike]

Yessssss!

[@BobHershey]

@@Star_Strike Maybe he's finally starting to grow out of that phase. We'll have to wait for Chapter 4 to find out.

[@jacobpearce3118]

@@BobHershey we just need to hear him talk alot more to

[@parycartoons6840]

I like the fact that it seems like he's matured a bit in this special. There are several moments where he reacts to what's going on with whatever the ponies are talking about and isn't just a mindless baby who only responds to food and shiny things anymore suggesting he's at a point where he actually understands what's going on.

[@DawnSkyStudios]

He’s a baby. Many fans have a double standards about babies in the MLP. They often hate Flurry Heart (daughter of Dad Unicorn and Mom Alicorn), but not Pound and Pumpkin Cakes, who was born as Pegasus and Unicorn by Earth Ponies! What a heck? I sometimes can’t understand a hypocrite around MLP babies.

[@PearmareAnimation]

Sparky was a lot better this special because he kinda was just chillin' and did not do anything. One would wonder why he was there in the first place lmao. Awesome review♥

[@chloenieuwsma4846]

Because Hitch wanted to take him to celebrate and couldn't find a dragonsitter?

[@javierfebronio8907]

1.) I liked the concert part as it reminded me of Salvation Army and the Christmas church performances I would see growing up 2.) According to Zipp and Pipp, it was a concert. My best guess is that the song was a poetic/metaphorical retelling of the history of Wishentine and we only heard the chorus. But if there was an actual play going on, the least Hasbro could've done is show fragments of it and tell the whole story in a book or an IDW comic. 3.) If anything, this special should've been inspired by Best Gift Ever: each pony has their own subplot. This is how I would make it: the beginning starts out mostly the same, as Sunny is reluctant but agrees to use the Marestream to drop off Izzy, Zipp and Pipp before going to Figgy's home. After decorating the tree with her friends, Izzy goes to have a feast with her family, but they have the same food every year, so Izzy "unicycles" the traditional recipes into something her family enjoys. Zipp and Pipp were originally going to watch the show with their mother (like they do every year), but when the lead stars are unavailable, they have to fill in, and Zipp ends up enjoying it as it's something different for both her and her mother After evading the blizzard (not caused by magic) Sunny and Hitch make it just in time to Figgy's home. We learn that every year, Sunny's family and Hitch and Figgy have always celebrated together. But then over the years, Sunny lost her mother, then her father. While drinking cocoa and making Gingerbread houses, Sunny laments this and admits that she wanted all of her friends to celebrate together to fill the hole in her heart, but she understands that they have plans of their own. Hitch and Figgy comfort her and tell her that things don't always go as planned and that she must embrace change (or something along the lines of that). The Mane 5 all watch the Wishing Star at the same time, their cutie marks glowing, and the special ends

[@oceanmythjormundgandr3891]

Hasbro should hire you to make their episodes. You managed to write a good story, bring in some important but not too heavy topics, and then also keep it "on brand" with G5 while not explaining everything away with "because magic"

[@forestgrump4723]

If they really wanted that reunion they could have had the lantern hear Sunny’s wish and broadcast it to the others. Then they hurry home through various means (maybe the Pegasi invoke help to fly in a v pattern to cut through the wind while Izzy realizes about the spell and fixes the snow problem?) I probably would have had hitch hanging out with granny on his own, insisting on the traditions then have her ask about Sunny and he says she didn’t want to intrude on their traditions. Then Figgy shows tiny Sunny, with her dad (and mom!) in pics and explains he was too young to remember but they all used to celebrate together but once it was just Sunny and her dad it was too hard for him, but she’s worried because this will be Sunny’s first one on her own. Hitch is horrified that he didn’t realize that and then he I don’t know, invokes the help of a moose to clear him a path home through the snow or something. They all arrive just in time for Sunny to make her wish only she says her wish already came true all she wanted was her friends.

[@PocketDeerBoy]

Like- they were SO CLOSE to a really cool idea. A weather spell that turned into a seasonal greeting? Because the ponies forgot that it was a spell? The idea of unicorn magic essentially turning into superstition or tradition is really cool. It makes me wonder what the magical properties of mayonnaise are that makes it so jynxie. But then they’re just like “haha do a warm spell” and it just works. No effort is put into like, idk, backwards engineering the spell, finding a different spell that works, etc. No unicorns note how odd it is their horns are glowing now when they’re saying it. Heck, even one unicorn pointing it out and thinking “it’s neat and it must mean the words are truly blessed” would’ve been fine. When i watched this special together with my friends we legitimately thought a part of the story was going to be that holiday traditions kind of suck. Hitch’s aversion to changing the season made the holiday boring for his grandma. Alphabittle’s betting games could’ve ruined Izzy’s holiday cause he’s just kind of a jerk. Zipp and Pipp hate window shopping with their mother and hate the overly long song performance - all of it seems to set up that maybe filling the holidays with The Most Amount of Stuff and making it as spectacular or perfect as possible makes the holidays kind of suck. My belief is that this message was completely unintentional and the writers just forgot to make it seem like the characters were actually enjoying any of this.

[@moonbow7590]

Well, words ARE spells and the intention behind the words are a little more important, so, backwards-engineering a spell doesn’t need to be so complicated. How would “finding a different spell that works” make a difference if the intention is the exact same? Sometimes, a simple solution may be all you need. No overthinking or overexerting yourself. I think Twilight had that as a lesson, one or more times 🤔 or somepony else

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

Despite my own thoughts on this special, I have to agree that this special made me miss Best Gift Ever. Is it the most lore-heavy holiday special? No... But is it a lot of fun, with some additional worldbuilding, plenty of interesting character moments, and is surprisingly memeable? YES. YES, it is! At this point, I've made it a personal tradition to rewatch Best Gift Ever, although not necessarily the episode itself. That I am going to do this holiday season. My tradition is rewatching DWK's Totally Legit Recap episode of it.

[@BobHershey]

Yes, watch DWK's recap of Best Gift Ever! I love it!

[@reggielacey2235]

I mean who really cares about lore to begin with

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

@@reggielacey2235 People who care about consistency and worldbuilding, that's who.

[@TheRavenir]

The special did actually make me laugh quite a few times. It was nothing deep and it had some serious issues, but it was at least enjoyable enough, I guess. The Best Gift Ever really was better in basically every single way, though.

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

I don't know what your actual user name was but I love your email handle. I was SilverSpoony01 before youtube decided to leak my email.

[@renamon5658]

So unicorns can cast magic without knowing it?

[@Star_Strike]

Apparently.

[@BennieBunfox]

@@Star_Strike I think they forgot it was a spell in the first place and thought of it as just a normal greeting when the magic left

[@somerandomdude7785]

No need to, they have to figure it out by themselves.

[@DannyDirewolf]

But aren't pegasai meant to control the weather? I mean there was a whole episode about the weather factory in FIM. And while we're questioning things why did Scootaloo have no magic? I mean that's why she couldn't fly right? If G5 makes any sense at all. Which it doesn't.

[@renamon5658]

@@DannyDirewolf it might be a magic disability as to why scootaloo could not fly. Though she can still walk on clouds in the episode where she meets rainbow dash's parents. So maybe scootaloo does not have magic in her wings

[@mohammedal-mustafamirghani5010]

It seems that the tell your tale staff and make your mark staff aren't communicating that well, in the tell your tale episode dumpster diving we follow Izzy working on Sunny's lantern, that means the episode should take before maretime bay day in make your mark. However, in dumpster diving Izzy has her craftsmanship bike(which she gets in Izzy does it a.k.a the 2nd episode of make your mark). When does dumpster diving take place, I HAVE NO IDEA.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

Tell Your Tale can't pick and choose when it wants to be canon and when it wants to not be canon. It can't have episodes about characters turning into babies, dumpster diving or just having cliche winter hijinxs, and then turn around and have stuff like Sunny feeling insecure about her alicorn status, or a follow up to Misty trying to catch Sparky for Opaline, or Sunny spending time trying to make treats for Grandma Figgy and Alphabittle. All Tell Your Tale really accomplishes is waste time and money, and divide the creative talent.

[@WerehogFan18]

Winter Wishday feels like a generic Christmas special. It seems after getting magic back at the end of the movie, magic can solve any problem--because reasons.

[@kadendusk]

It is deeply sad that we went from what we had in G4 to this, like no hate to most of the people that are making the show but whoever is writing the plots needs to pull their finger out, like the stories aren't just badly written, they are badly written for a kid's show and it's not just this ep it is almost all of them. Like, for real, the best gift ever is a normal length episode, winter wish day has twice the time and does nothing with it. That's not even getting into the whole magic solves everything every single time, even when it could have been literally just a sound system but it was instead made to be magic because... Reasons... #Sparkyhurtseverythinghetuches... Also, Sunny actively makes everyone's holiday worse, like she could have spent her time with Hitch, her childhood friend, or maybe go be with Izzy since they both are lacking in family or hell, even gone to be with Zipp, Pipp and Haven and have some lines about how it's nice to be celebrating with a family again, even if it's not her family, then you could have the royals be like "you're family to us (hugs)" But no, she has to spend time with all of them and if it was just that, then maybe that would have been ok but she drags them all around with her, cutting all of their plans and time with family (or just at home for Izzy) short, it's not a good message, it wasn't about coming together or about finding family in your friends or just accepting that sometimes you and your friends will do different things and that's ok, no, instead we learn you should rope everyone into your plans and if they say they already have plans for the day then just tell them to rush and not spend what seems to be a significant holiday with their families because what you want to do has to happen..... Sorry for the long ass rant but it's just kind of heartbreaking to see, this world has so much potential, there is so many stories you could write and so many ways the characters could be interesting but we can't even have that, most of them felt like new characters in the movie but now we just have "ignorant and less intelligent earthpony Twilight (i'e has main character syndrome), male season 8 or 9 Fluttershy (for real what happened to Hitch's charisma?) Pinky but off her meds again and wearing one of her pony suits to look like a unicorn, Rainbow Dash if she acted as intelligent as she would need to be so good at flying but still wanted to be the coolest ever and Rarity but with wings. Other than Pipp they all felt at least somewhat different to the g4 main6 in the movie but now they are literally just them with tiny changes, instead of making a new party dynamic they just copied g4 but changed a few words so they didn't get caught... Okay, I'll stop now, again sorry for reeeing out about the horse show but... no, no I said I would stop so I'm going to stop.

[@bluestudios4734]

I understand and you know what else that I don’t understand is that why is it wishingtine’s day instead of hearts warming because it takes the same place as G4! And second I’m much more of watching the best gift ever G4 holiday special

[@kadendusk]

@@bluestudios4734 I can somewhat understand since history is meant to be lost and all that but still, even if the meaning is lost having the name change is odd, especially since (from almost everything we've seen) it's not been like a thousand years but maybe like 200ish so the name changing is just odd, if it was a small holiday then sure but this is the big one, it seems to be Christmas(/insert relevant winter holiday) and new years rolled into one. I guess it's just another one of the "ignore the continuity( unless we really want to bring a pony back as nostalgia bait) and just write something that sounds wintery and festive" I just don't know why they are doing this badly. It's like they actively want it to not be as popular as fim was but there is no way that is the case because Hasbro doesn't give a flying horse who or how old the people watching the show or buying the toys are as long as they get the money and I can tell you now, there is no way they are making as much money now as they were in the mid to late fim days. And I'm not one of the people that wanted fim to just go on forever, it ended and tbh the ending was better than a lot of shows get, especially kid's shows, and they even did a pretty good job with the G5 movie, sure the story was just kind of ok but at least the characters (other than Pipp, sorry movie Pipp) felt like pretty good characters that I wanted to see more of but they are just not the same characters in the show, like almost at all, Zipp and Pip feel like the closest and Sunny is kind of like a shadow of herself but Hitch and Izzy are not the same charters all, like not even close. Wow, I devolved into a rant again lol, sorry about that.

[@bluestudios4734]

@@kadendusk that’s a lot of explanation but I really don’t enjoy the G5 series I only watch the FIM and Equestria Girls series

[@aiyanahmed6967]

Did you notice the scene on displayed on 16:39 the colors appearing from the rainbow are the same as the colors the mane 5 cutie marks the crystals displayed in the sky at 16:20 but they were 5: orange(Sunny) red(Zipp) purple(Izzy) pink(Pipp) and yellow(Hitch), but at 16:39 there is one extra color blue so could it be representing Misty being added as the main member or was it just put there? Also really disappointed that Misty wasn't present in this special last time we saw her in make your mark she was crying and I wanted her to have a happier ending in the chapter

[@editor8608]

It was also mentioned how when they were inside the plane or whatever, there was an extra seat and were confused as to why it was there because it’s only five of them. Izzy then comes off as comic relief saying it’s for her donkey friend but I could it see it as foreshadowing for misty being included as the mane 6 later on in the series

[@elinasakura]

I finally watched the Wishdays special, and what I would say is what makes the special lacklustered was that there was no internal conflicts and character arcs. The ponies didn’t learn anything, there is no tension or conflicts, and they remain the same in the end. It’s just so stale and lifeless. And the worst part? They had so many opportunities for different character arcs like you said with Hitch, or to me with Pipp and Zipp and their mother. But the biggest waste of opportunity of the cast was Sunny’s character. Her motivation to stick together with her friends, hang out with them for the holidays, and go as far as to drag them to other traditions just to do so. My theory based on her backstory is that Sunny most likely have spent many Wishdays alone since her father’s passing, and being kind of an outcast to her town (and I know Hitch would probably spent a little time with her, but he did say he always go visit his grandmother for the holidays). That motivation could have been the drive for starting the plot of the special, it could have push for the main conflict of the special. There could have been a scene where the group (mainly Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp) blows up at Sunny for her pushiness when they are at a state that could have them miss the holidays with their loved ones. I say Izzy is an exception because she would empathize with Sunny, and it could lead to an emotional moment where Sunny and Izzy spend the holidays together while the rest go spend the holidays with their loved ones. Seriously, the set-up was right there, and they did nothing! Also, you missed a good opportunity to call Sunny’s lantern “Sunny’s Plot Device.”

[@Angeli-Kay]

Hi, Star Strike! I want to let you know I enjoy your reviews! Without them, I probably would have slowly lost all my interest in G5, but your analyses highlight the parts of the show I was originally interested in (like the potential character development for Hitch -that would have worked so well!). I enjoy shows for good stories and characters. Cute, well-animated visuals alone just won’t cut it for me personally. Also, as an animator, it saddens me so much to see people dismiss, or even get offended from, anyone critiquing these shows just because they’re animated. I adore animation and know the work that goes behind it. Animation deserves the respect of not instantly being treated like it’s meaningless kiddie fluff. A cartoon should be allowed to be treated like other entertainment, which can just mean discussing whether or not it was entertaining. The show’s writing has an effect on that. In animation, even the silliest of ideas can be made possible but can still be held to the standard of good writing, such as consistency. This doesn’t mean it has to be deep or serious! When it comes to kid shows, I’ve seen eps of Strawberry Shortcake, and while it’s cringy, I’d argue the writing works. They kept it simple and it works for what it is (from what I’ve seen anyway). Characters at the least would have to think through their problems and conflict, they would struggle through negative feelings. This special, with random uses of deus ex machina everywhere, the writing comes out as messy and not very engaging. Doesn’t mean I hate it or it shouldn’t exist or there’s anything wrong with anyone who loves it. It’s just a critique. So this doesn’t mean EVERYbody should demand more for shows like this, but I just wish people would not instantly discourage the people who critique them.

[@Star_Strike]

Thank you! I'm super glad to hear you enjoy my videos! I'm in full agreement on the animation thing. It is a medium for art in just the same way cinematography is. Good story telling is very important to me, which is why I critique at all. Without critique, there is no demand for improvement, and so there is no quality in the stories we get. (Plus no one would know how to write a good story is we didn't critique :P) Thanks for the wonderful, thoughtful comment!

[@jeweltara]

Hey remember how one of the big jokes in G4 was "The OP princesses are useless,why don't they solve all the problems?" THIS IS WHY ...if a deus ex Machina isn't used sparingly no one actually gets any growth. atleast Izzt solved a provlem without the lantern...speaking of which I now want Lantern corps in this world

[@Everither]

"but this is g5, everyone's stupid"

[@Lambdefeatuber]

Wow, the mane 5 claim to be friends, yet can't even stay awake during their performance. GEE, WHAT GREAT FRIENDS! Sarcasm.

[@0hvist]

Never have I felt more validated in _"G5 being D.O.A."_ than here in Winter Wishday: where the story is rampant with Deus Ex Machinas, and its plot feels like how The Grind describes M. Night Shayamalan Films: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o567haGmf9eKd7c The characters aren't being tested or putting in effort to try bettering themselves, and have no sense of direction or drive to do anything. Honestly; because there's no meaningful sense of conflict in this series, there's no investment for the audience to want the characters to come out on top because the villain is a Self-Disposing Villain: one that's just as likely to kill herself off without the Protagonists ever knowing that she even existed in the first place. The Audience has absolutely zero reasons to care about this show.

[@Lambdefeatuber]

"DUES EX LANTERN!" Funniest line of this video

[@katmaresparkles9578]

I noticed that when watching this there are references to Opaline's cutie mark. Even though she doesn't appear. The first one is in the cabin of the marestream, on the back wall. The second one is the design on the wall behind Pipp and Zipp when they are singing at the concert. So I am thinking that part of the lore for Wishentine has to do with Opaline. Particularly considering that the latest Tell Your Tale episode has Opaline being festive with dressing up and singing for a bit. There are so many problems with the way that they have made g5. Because essentially you need to watch both MYM and TYT and read the comics to get the full story of what it is going on. However there is also contradiction and miscommunication that means the continuity is screwed up. Therefore making the storytelling not make sense. I don't know who is in charge of making the decisions about mlp g5 but clearly they do not know what they are doing. This feels very much like they were trying to trade of the success of g4 by keeping it in the same universe only set 1000 years in the future from that. But also going back to the g3 audience mentality. Forgetting about the fact that the success of g4 came about because of the surprising rise of the brony community during that time. Thus making my little pony a show that is for everyone, not just young girls.

[@thomasrdiehl]

Tell your tale: Eh, a minor flubb, I allow it. It is very clear from the special this is not the first time they used the lantern that way (Zip and Izzy clearly knew the lantern would do that), just the naming part is off. And Sunny being there the first time. Just a continuity hiccup. But the overall structure: Yeah, it is now clear to me this show is done as a complete kids show as if the wider appeal of FiM never happened. This is disappointing because both Netflix (She-Ra, Carmen Sandiego) and Hasbro (well, FiM) have shown they know how to do a show for a broader age range.

[@nullius_ov]

I do agree with plenty of your thoughts Strike, and the plot is a little tipsy a lot of the time, but I still enjoyed watching it. Though personally I liked the Ch. 2 episodes better than Winter Wishday because there was more time for character development. Winter Wishday is good for bringing back movie characters like Alphabittle, Gloomy Sonnet (Onyx), Thunder, and Zoom, so I did like that.

[@chloenieuwsma4846]

I saw sprout to!

[@reggielacey2235]

Don't care for character development Soni liked it

[@PatchworkRose567]

Why couldn’t they have all split up and done their own things to get rid of the annoying plot point of Sunny rushing everyone so she can do her celebration. You could have the conflict be about how while old traditions are important, creating new ones with friends and family is just as important and that holidays happen every year so missing out on something one year just means you can celebrate it next time.

[@thetruthpony]

I am sorry but I disagree that is a terrible idea! I dont like the idea of splitting up the characters. I think its good that every pony is spending the holiday together. I thought Hearth's Warming is about every pony coming together now you want every pony to be separated again?

[@thetruthpony]

Here's a better idea instead of separating the Mane 5 and giving them seperate plots I think what would have been better is if Sunny invited the Mane 5 and their family to Maretime bay that way they can all enjoy the holiday together.

[@DefineObsessed]

​@@thetruthpony Why not split them up then at the end everyone joins together?

[@user-xt6eh7dn5m]

Nice review, kind of what I thought as well. I also don't enjoy the occasional "crazy face" Izzy makes throughout this special... it makes me sad how the lovely character she was in the movie has been downgraded like this 😔

[@kaisertrinityt.m.i.s1607]

hey look at it positive. it might be not bad, but the problems and suffers from others might bring some other partys stronger together. now beeing here, we all mostly agree about the difficult story of this episode and how much we adore The best Gift ever from G4 that brought us together. so lets take the suffer and come tighter together and enjoy the upcoming holidays and christmas

[@leaftail_7635]

I appreciate your tone and speed of talking, i trough out the whole video felt no need to put it on 1.25 or higher speed and you sound really enthusiastic so i keep up whit what you are saying easily, good job my guy and thank you🙏🙏🙏

[@Star_Strike]

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! I appreciate it!

[@willowallen4688]

It makes me sad the writers think kids are so stupid that they literally need to dumb everything down to this low a level

[@BaloraSilviana_PrincessRuby]

Hitch And Sunny Is So Cute How They Little Pony Kids

[@angelaspears4457]

Grandma Figgy was read lore about Unicorns and Pegasi when she was a foal. How did that happen when most of the ponies are negative towards the other groups while this book had positive depictions? Were her parents sympathizers? She spent time with Argyle and had no problem accepting that the other pony races just showed up at her house-including royalty. There is a lot more beneath the surface of Grandma Figgy.

[@kellingc]

I couldn't help but compare this to all the Hart's Sarming stories, but I still wish this would have delivered something on the scale of "Best Gift Ever." I even now look at Flury TELEPORTONG herself out of her mother's arms, simultaneously teleworking a sack of flour in her place and laughing. Laughing yhat Cadance would be so unaware that her daughter poofs out and can't tell that a sack of flour is a different shape...well getting off topic. I do laugh at that, realizing the joke. PUDDING. I still love that special, and it came out nowhere. Now, I'm going to need to go watch it, too. The thing I really noticed (other than the lantern becoming a lazy plot device), Sunny hadn't used her alicorn form in some time. Something else would have been her telling a Harth's Warming Tale from Twilight's time. I'm thinking of the one where Starlight was put into the role of Not Scrooge. One last thing - gee, I wonder who the sixth place was for? And speaking of the dastardly duo, a nice tie-in would have been Misty trying to give ol' mop hair a gift, and Opaline rejecting it or just tossing it aside. Oh well, the tenucal aspects are looking better, and Izzy's hair is looking a lot more like it did in the movie. I still think Izzy set herself up to lose to Alphabittle as a way for him to "win" the ornament and just made me lover all the more.

[@URLoveable224]

Thank you so much for putting my thoughts into words-- This, all of this, was exactly how I felt watching the special. No real plot, no character exploration, world building, anything really. Not even a hint of drama. Everything that could have been a problem is magically solved in less than a minute without anyone even DOING anything. It has some cute moments and I honestly think it's quite visually pleasing, but that's really all it has going for it. On the bright side, awesome review!

[@Star_Strike]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@JustAMonty]

The unreal amount of plot conveniences in the episode is a testimony to the writers approach to solving problems lol. Also great video I don’t know how you r so efficient!

[@Star_Strike]

Star Strike's guide to efficiency: Step 1. Don't sleep Step 2. Don't eat Step 3. Try not to die

[@frankiefanatic8862]

Times that wish was said : (if you count the wish time clips played from the song it’s 20) only if star strike said it 16

[@Star_Strike]

Congratulations! I didn't prepare any sort of prize for you so- uh, have a cookie! 🍪

[@Pawz06212]

Honestly when they were gonna go around to the other places to celebrate each of the different holidays I was hoping to have an interesting history on each of them in a way bit I didn't really enjoy the short all that much. I also was all confused with the Marestream in short and tell your tale I was like "wait- wait a minute no that's not how it was what??"

[@Lambdefeatuber]

So basically there are a LOT of Dues Ex Machinas!

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

To be fair.. the lantern finding the RV is not that farfetched. There is a spot on the console for it to fit in. So yeah. That one kinna sorta gets a pass because my brain is numbed and dumbed by all the other stupid sh!t that happens in this.

[@Kittyboi.]

I wish Zipp and Pipp´s performance had more lirycs cause it just felt like they sang the same song on loop which annoyed me. Also the pacing in the special was way to fast we barley got any time with the different celebrations.

[@DawnSkyStudios]

10:44 This was combination of Izzy’s magic and the power of rainbow lamp. Twilight Sparkle did it same. Well, they both have same color of their magical aura. 💜 11:58 The scene with the empty boxes is a reference to H. C. Andersen's fairy tale "The King's New Clothes," in which swindlers fooled the king into making him a new dress out of the finest fabric.

[@quinnhouk5369]

I haven’t seen it yet. I’m saving it for Christmas

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

5:45 Izzy was all like, "You know what this flying friendship RV needs? Guns. Big ole canons on the wings that will obliterate anypony MUHAHAHAHAH!" I can see why they cut that scene from this special. LOL

[@joesaotome7572]

This is the kind of animation you load onto a tablet and hand over to your kid to watch to keep them occupied while driving. All distractions and no substance.

[@kaisertrinityt.m.i.s1607]

kind of funny. in the comments from star strikes last video "Winter Wishday Trailer Breakdown and Analysis" i wrote: remember, from time to time the show suffered with their budget by leaving one thing more to the side, either it was "quality of story and plot" or "quality of animation, settings and environment". now after seeing the budget went really far on the animation, which is good, no doupt, if there wasnt enough time for story it could have been enough to make it simple, for example thinking about how maybe the writer themself spend christmas and use it as a base to make a little different and fitting story. kind of sad that i predicted it, that the story and plot will suffer... but i dont have much success these times, so, at least something

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

11:14 That is most certainly a "Lets think happy thoughts and hope we don't die!" face. Even Pinkie would not hav... (sighs) /)_-

[@AmicaSecret]

Did someone notice sparky Is starting to make noises? Like in my dub he has said a word, so they actually want him to talk someday, like when they decide to make him grow. Also did you notice sprout? Nice how background ponies get more screentime than him (I'm sarcastic)

[@RediteTheGemBoy]

I felt bad for queen haven :

[@Star_Strike]

I felt bad for both Queen Haven and Figgy. Sunny's just kinda ripping their family away from them during the holiday.

[@sakurasarchive]

Nitpick of the nitpick: Alphabittle didnt challenge Izzy, she randomly challenged him

[@Star_Strike]

Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. Whoops.

[@sakurasarchive]

@@Star_Strike Yeah just a smalll thing. Great video as always though! Love your content

[@EgonDaLatz]

You nailed it in everything you just said. I agree that this special is way out of its league - at least compared to Best Gift Ever - but it's a vast improvement over the first special and the series. A few laughs, some major stupid elements, but harmless overall. However, I'm afraid that Tell Your Tale IS canon; just wait until Chapter 4 airs...

[@turtletum]

The difficulty of watching the special was very intense. As a writer, I keep in mind how much I embrace storytelling and take it pretty seriously. G5 clearly does not know how to do that ever since Day 1; I kept having to stop and vent to the point where it took me 4 hours just to watch this 45 minute disappointment. The fact that there’s no plot and the continuity errors just keep growing. Hell, I’m not even looking for perfection, but just a decent story I can follow for once. The credit I’ll give to A New Generation is them having a plot for the movie, but THIS?? What is even happening? I was so confused whether or not TYT was canonical and/or accurate, but now I see the answer.

[@Star_Strike]

I truly believe that the people who worked on the movie understood good writing. They knew how to create arcs, multi-layered characters and have some sense of plot. The film had a ton of problems. I'd even say it had far more than this special, but it made up for it by doing several other things really well. I got the feeling that even if it wasn't perfect, the team at least tried their best to create a faithful sequel. Here... it just doesn't feel like they are trying. The writers don't seem to think of this show as anymore than a kids show, so they don't have to try too hard.

[@mylittlemusical6168]

The holiday special next year will be the same plot but instead of extreme cold it’s extreme heat and for some reason the fire department is actually used

[@sudesh.khatri]

You are legit the Mlp version of Matpat

[@pinkbunnypeepsyall8251]

i feel like they had a whole story planned w the purpose of the holiday being a celebration of this magic star that makes wishes come true. which would boost magic and explain all their random “i wish” ex machinas. it could’ve been so interesting to tie in some remnant of magic from g4 that appears midwinter, that each tribe celebrates differently because of their division. it’s unfortunate that instead of anything like hat we just have “generic winter holiday special YAY”

[@scring.e]

…you sound so much Chris McLain… Like actually I was sitting here like “I know that voice. Who tf ARE YOU?” YOU ARE CHRIS MCLAIN

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

You know.. I hate to say it, but the ice on the wings incident would have been exactly the time you get a dragon to defrost them, but Hell if I know where we would find oneahthose! The one time Sparky could have been useful and it make sense and they blow it with Izzy suggesting they close their eyes and hope to not bucking d!e. (slow claps) Brilliant. I'm sure many children in a tense or lifeanddeath situation will be very successful just closing their eyes and wishing they were at home playing X-Bone or PS8 or whatever kids console on these days.

[@Star_Strike]

The one time Sparky's abilities wouldn't have been a deus ex machina device, AND he would have actually contributed something to the story!

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

@@Star_Strike There was only ONE other time and that was in TYT where he melted the snow and started a fire so he and Posey could get out of the snow. It's the one time the little sh(yay) was helpful without literally farting magic on everything.

[@ImBusenlolXD]

I say it. G5 was a mistake. where did they get these writers? this is going back to the G1-G3 standarts. G4 was no way near perfect, but man, what happend.

[@vocaloidotaku8125]

you probably have given the best review on this right next to dr wolf keep up you quality you def gonna be the silver quill of the g5 reviewer/theorist fandom

[@Star_Strike]

Thank you very much!

[@tylermccaw8092]

So basically every “problem” is like this: *Any character:* “Wow, it’s gonna be hard to get to our next plot point.” *Lantern:* “Actually, it’s gonna be super easy, barely an inconvenience.” 😉 Shoutout to anyone who understood that reference.

[@itsnotyourcolour]

ryan george! or technically screenrant depending on if we're being specific haha

[@tylermccaw8092]

@@itsnotyourcolour I mean- they are both the same except of them’s more bigger than the other. Obviously, it’s a Ryan George reference!

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

And no Misty. You would THINK a magic flying RV would be worth being spied upon by a certain spy and reported to a certain evil queen about but NOOOOOOOO!

[@sailorcat]

It was a cute, cozy Christmas special, but yeah, it wasted so much potential. I was so sure there would be a conflict about how they don't have time to do anything, or them rushing through the activities prevents them from having fun. But no, they hardly had any problems at all.

[@YoursTrulyThe1Pony]

My question what happened to Hearthwarming? This is supposed to take place still in the Friendship is Magic universe.

[@Star_Strike]

My guess is that Hearths Warming celebrated the three tribe's unification. Since they were devided, they had no reason to celebrate anymore. Not sure where all these new holidays came from or why they are all so similar to Hearths Warming though.

[@efaristi9737]

My brain disconnect when i watch this show. It's relaxing and really the only reason i watch. 14:55 At this point, i think we can all agree G5 is a sequel to G4 only by name and nothing else.

[@Funnydogtime-e2k]

OK I have to admit it the part over you said I think happy thoughts and let’s hope that we do not die is pretty funny

[@starburst22]

Izzy made new magic. Technically then she should be the alicorn

[@BobHershey]

Izzy with alicorn powers. I don't know if I should be excited or afraid for my life. 😄

[@parycartoons6840]

Hey remember the movie where the characters were actually smart and used their intelligence to get out of problems? Well now only Zipp can do that but only when the plot demands it. Can we just go back to the movie’s writing? I miss the movie’s writing.

[@Mintstar_Oceanpop]

I'm one of those that enjoy this show for what it is. A show with inconsistent plot lines, cute ponies, and occasional catchy songs. That said the Zipp and Pipp performance was disappointing due to the Queen's intro to it. The cutie mark magic thing is getting annoying too. That's something I wish was left out of the plotline of these episodes. Btw what do you think of the canon of glowing cutie marks in g4? I feel like that's where this idea came from.

[@Star_Strike]

Cutie marks in G4 glowed for a variety of reasons, but from what I recall it was always because they were activated by somehow linking to a character's special talent or destiny. So for example in the episode "Magical Mystery Cure," the cutie marks glowed because their destinies were swapped, and upon returning to their rightful owners, the cutie marks would glow, just like they did when they obtained them for the first time as fillies. The way G5 uses cutie marks is: They are magic. Magic = "Do Anything Button." There's no longer any internal consistency when it comes to magic in G5. Hence why we now have cutie mark magic randomly amplifying sound along with a million other things that make no sense. It's one of the many reasons I personally struggle to get into this show, but hey- if you don't mind it as much as I do and still like the show, more power to you! :D

[@Mintstar_Oceanpop]

@@Star_Strike I do have to suspend disbelief, or turn it off completely, to enjoy this show sometimes. I'll admit I actually like and look forward to the Tell Your Tale series a LOT more than the main series. I do understand your point about consistency though. The show would be a lot more enjoyable and relatable if it had a consistent plot line, set world rules, and intentional character development. When I watch your videos about g5, often I wish the show's writers would take notes and learn something. Thanks a bunch for your reply!

[@yondaime500]

It's incredible how many subplots in this special go absolutely nowhere. It feels more like a collection of shorts than a single episode, except those shorts don't even have a point by themselves either. By contrast, in A Very Minty Christmas, every scene is relevant to the main plot and gets paid off in some way later on. It feels like G3 already knew how to do good storytelling and characterization, and G4 improved upon it by having more fleshed-out worldbuilding and better dialog, and now G5 is kind of taking a step back on all those fronts.

[@BobHershey]

That is a sad revelation...G3, which is often looked down upon by the fandom, had better storywriting than G5.🤦

[@thomashanson9173]

@@BobHershey watching Peace Petal's reviews made me wonder , was g3 always good? We just misunderstood it due to g4s success and didn't realize how bad bad could be?

[@yondaime500]

@@thomashanson9173 Honestly, G3 isn't as bad as most bronies say it is. Sure, it's hard to understand how its pony society is supposed to function when all they seem to do is organize social gatherings and decorate the town, and there are no male ponies in sight, no money, no politics, no families etc. But it has the heart, it knows how to develop its characters by presenting them with interesting challenges, which is the most important. And it's generally well-made within the art style it uses.

[@thomashanson9173]

@@yondaime500 I think if it had some revisions to give some things like more stallions less filler more worldbuilding and other things it could have been a very enjoyable show.

[@yondaime500]

@@thomashanson9173 Well, that's what Hasbro got Lauren Faust for, and she absolutely delivered, didn't she?

[@gacha_luna1806]

BTW you almost forgot that there are 6 chairs instead of 5 in the mayor stream(I think that is what is called) I think that saying that in the future there would be a 6 member maybe🤔 Misty, you never know.

[@incineroar9933]

I'm absolutely annoyed at this being listed as an episode. It was more boring than any other episode and it really should have been a holiday special.

[@summermelody7942]

I’m excited for chapter 4

[@thesmashbeyonder5127]

The special was okay, and it definitely was fun and enjoyable. But it just doesn't compare to the best gift ever or other hearths warming episodes.

[@HoloTPE]

you’re art style is like tell your tale of mlp g5

[@SandraFoxyt]

I have idea for how they could solve problem with frozen wings of car, they have BABY DRAGON that has DRAGON FIRE, just use dragon, they could tickle him with feather and wooo dragon fire melts ice

[@turbojim6757]

It's not likely, but I still really hope they turn this into a good show

[@TwilightScott-yz8oc]

Tell your tale is probably made by the makers of make your mark

[@theweirrdnerd]

around 5:54 yes and no I always saw tyt as second cannon, meaning it's cannon as long as the main story says otherwise It's actually a really useful tool for stories

[@PonyPlays2014]

I do agree that they really shoehorn a lot of plot convenience, weak explanations, loose storylines and general "friendship is good" into that special but it's not a bad special, very "feel-good" time. It looks really nice and I adore the interactions between the characters but the way they handle magic in g5 is rubbing me the wrong way. I'd give it a 5.5/10

[@sarahmericle8276]

My mindset is to go into holiday specials from cartoon musicals expecting fluff. I don’t know why so little effort is put into writing them, but it does make me yearn for the days of G4 as well

[@please-3889]

Everything literally everything that you stated is how I feel! The disappointment with the potential for zipp and pipp's song lore. How bland the vist with hitchs grandma was. Honest it was probably less boring for me because my grandmother passed and I was sad when I watch it.. Anyway wouldn't recommend if you actually want something super entertaining or want to impress your friends.

[@LittleFox-dc7cc]

There was one part that first came to mind The old unicorn spell... Oh magic is back and that old saying THAT IS AN OLD SPELL THAT MAKES IT SNOW LIKE HECK THEN THEY SAY oh if you say this SPELL THAT I JUST MADE UP THINGS WILL CALM THINGS DOWN.... How does that work exactly

[@dashystar7977]

ok those ponies on the phones should have been paying attention tho. Yeah Zipp should have been more careful but those ponies need to be more attentive of any sky travellers

[@Mintstar_Oceanpop]

I have a theory of why magic works so weird, especially in Sparky: Chaos magic! Hear me out. -Random spells that change weather. Something only pegasi could do before. -Plants growing instantly via crazy earth pony magic. -Weather patterns, the sun and moon functioning on their own with no pony input, (Other than random unicorn spells). -Sparky himself. Random dragon fire effects that can transform random objects, then turn them back. Switch cutie marks during arguments. Other random stuff. He's practically chaos incarnate at this point. Chaos magic being wild in Equestria could account for these! Please let me know your opinion on this, (Either letting me know I'm off the mark, or otherwise).

[@Harpycross]

I love this special so much, the songs were great, it made me happy that I’ve ever been and I really don’t care if people saying it’s badly written or disappointing etc. Anyway I respect your opinion and also try not go hard on Sparky please.

[@BobHershey]

Sparky: *"Wow".*

[@charliepappas-rr3rv]

6:28 and further) its like driving a car, almost hitting a dude walking on the pavement talking to someone else there, and then blaming them not watching the road?? like bro, CARS ARENT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE- lmao

[@Oak_Eggar]

6:57 as a *best pony* appreciator I do not appreciate what *best pony* just did and shall be blaming the writing team

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

What are your thoughts on Tony Fleecs - who IIRC did art for the IDW Friendship is Magic comics - joining the writing staff of Make Your Mark? Possible speculation on the impact of the quality of the writing that this could potentially have?

[@Star_Strike]

I haven't actually read much of the comics, but I hear a lot of good things about his work! However, I'm not sure if the quality will improve because I think it's possible the writers are being forced by the studio to make something they know is not of good quality. The reason I think this is because G.M. Berrow is a good writer who worked on G4 and even wrote my favorite episode (stranger than fanfiction), but was also the person who wrote MYM Chapter 1 which was complete garbage. She is a good writer, and yet the episode still wasn't good. That's why I'm not convinced Tony Fleecs will be able to turn things around. It's possible, but I find it unlikely. Plus he is just one guy and there is a LOT to fix in G5.

[@moxxiedemongamer3019]

Well this Special of Winter Wishday was alright But it's Nowhere Near as Great as Best Gift Ever from Friendship is Magic

[@soybean7843]

14:08 I know what you were trying to say but this is what I heard and it made me laugh "NO, CUZ WE HAVE DAN SEX LANTERN!"

[@humanperson2480]

Honestly the animation still annoys me. They look way more plastic-y than g5. I just don’t think that the pony designs were meant to translate into 3D

[@PonyPlays2014]

16:17 This had me laughing for minutes

[@supersmashproductions9890]

I just wonder what they're gonna do in the gang in I guess chapter 4

[@garbagecrow9886]

I think my biggest problem with the special is just the continued problem I have in general with MLP g5 so far which is how it handles the mysteries in the show. They repeatedly have Zipp thinking something’s up with the snow but it ends up feeling pushed to the background as they show nothing about her investigating the book until practically the very end with the reveal of the snow increasing being because of the spell.

[@nhansen197]

OK, the glasses is telekinesis. Pegasi have telekinesis, it's canon now. LOL

[@foxeslovecake]

It's almost as if the shows are just there to make money. Instead of appealing to old and new fans. Usually no one agrees with me when I say that these people are only aiming to make money and not actual story building. They'll occasionally throw in a few things that you would think is lore and then continuously contradict what it has said before. And the fact that we haven't seen twilight appear anywhere else in this series besides the hologram means they only did this to say, "ok we did what you wanted" but really did nothing It's a whole lot of something with nothing to contribute to an actual story.

[@almfreak]

Lol, this is a fantastic review. I watched the episode first so I'd know what Star Strike was talking about here, but honestly, THIS video is more interesting and entertaining than Winter Wishday.

[@foxywilliams5374]

I think it's okay I just wish we got some more explanation for the story

[@Powerfantasyforever]

Ugh great now the Cannon is broken what's next? Sparky learns how to talk?

[@Star_Strike]

He actually did say the word "Wow" in this special and as a hard-core Sparky hater... it was legitimately funny! Shocking, I know!

[@Chopper7272]

I wish they stuck with the Tell Your Tail animation. Would of been easier for everyone

[@WhiteFireTheDragon]

How do I watch Best Gift Ever?