My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Forgotten Friendship

This special, while not perfect does feel worthy of a story on its own. Sunset Shimmer's character feels like its come full circle. However the third act falls short compared to the first and second act. As a whole, the premise doesn't scream originality, but it makes up for it when put in context of Sunset's journey and how it affects her emotionally. Also, Wallflower doesn't seem to communicate a strong motivation upon first watch, and that should have been delievered better. But overall the story went far and beyond in some places and with a few narrative tweeks, it could have been a great way to end the Equestria Girls franchise as a whole.

The Equestria Girls are back with their newest special, and their longest one yet up to date. We're back into the perspective of Sunset Shimmer and her everyday life with the rest of the equestria girls, all of whom have now adapted to their new magic abilities given to them from the previous film of Legend Of Everfree. However, magic is still on the loose in the world of humans and now something is happening to all of Sunset's friends, when one day they suddenly don't remember any of her good deeds or even their own friendship with her.

I did feel like the other equestria girls had more of a minor role than they usually would, but I really like the character development used in this story for the theme of memories. For instance, there are certain characters introduced along the way in which many people can actually relate to today, and further more about how new memories with others by your side can start at anytime. As for Sunset's case, we begin to see her as someone who is willing to stand up for everyone's cause if it means getting back to how things should be.

There were many exciting things to be seen all throughout this special, and even some heartfelt, challenging and needed moments to come across for certain characters. It was well paced, nicely scripted, strong animation for both designing and camera shots, great voicing and singing, and there were rarely any scenes that made you feel like it wasn't necessary to the storyline.

All in all, it was definitely an enjoyable worth-watching special that may even come to the likings of fans within the My Little Pony franchise who have yet to see much of the world of Equestria Girls.

"...maybe you have to be nice."

Granted, any Equestria Girls adventure is just a they're-people-in-a-people-world version of My Little Pony, so there's not really much new in terms of writing, music, jokes, or animation style. What I did appreciate about this adventure was the idea that we can't always control someone else's concept of who we are and that ignoring someone can be just as upsetting as antagonizing them.

Pros: Trixie gets some development as a character, which is a relief after her being something of a background joke most of the time. She delivers the opening quote (the central theme) while declaring herself The Wise and Moralizing Trixie. Wallflower Blush's disarmingly relatable song "Invisible" is one of the better songs to come out of the franchise.

Cons: Not enough time to really make the mystery plot mysterious. Sunset Shimmer is the focal character at the expense of the other characters. Sunset Shimmer returning to Equestria to face Princess Celestia could have been its own movie, but here it's glossed over in service to the main plot.

Overall: surprisingly good for a 45-minute Equestria Girls adventure and worth a watch with the kids.

This was a TV special about Sunset Shimmer's friends suddenly forgetting she was her friend and everyone only remembering when she was a bully. A simple story in theory but this turned out to be stronger, both emotionally and plotwise, than expected.

Now don't get me wrong, this is a show for young girls and not Shakespeare. But like most of the MLP:FiM universe, far more effort is put in writing-wise than most girl shows. This special utilizes the history of the characters and deals with Sunshet Shimmer dealing with past mistakes she made at Canterlot High and in Equestria. It also deals a lot with Sunset as a character and her regrets and sorrow at losing the friendships she has built. It is this backstory and characterization that makes the special more compelling that it has any right to be and ending in a touching conclusion.

On the downside, most of the main characters in this series are sidelined as Sunset is left alone for the majority of the special. On the plus, the spotlight is shown on the egotistical showwoman Trixie. She is a hoot and has the best lines.

Overall, a nice little special.

I can definitely start by saying that this special is, in every way, worth a look. Everything about it is absolutely wonderful.

Nick Confalone's writing for this special proved to be one of the best he's done for MLP by far. The comedy aspect of the story was nicely done and funny, of course. But not only that, he did a brilliant job at extending himself by incorporating excellently dramatic and impactful moments. I like that he also incorporated an emotional resonance and heart, such as when Sunset reunites with Princess Celestia and the two call it water under the bridge.

The direction by Ishi Rudell and Katrina Hadley, along with their army of animators, likewise put great effort into this episode. They helped translate precisely what Confalone was putting into writing it, and they did it so beautifully. So beautifully, that you can't help but find your emotions getting gently tugged every step of the way.

The music that was composed by William Anderson, as well as the songs "We've Come So Far" and "Invisible", also gave a significant boost for the vision the special was aiming for. Like the writing and direction, they too had a heart and emotional resonance that gave the special a soul.

The voice acting from the ensemble, as well as the characters and character development, were terrific as always.

The addition of Wallflower Blush was quite a nice touch. Admittedly, as a villain, she certainly wasn't the most original, and neither were the outcomes involving her. However, she has an incredibly tremendous depth about her that makes her one of the most relatable characters yet. She's someone who felt neglected, unnoticed, and forgotten among others, and that's something that can cause someone to become hardened. She wanted to connect with others, but she found herself too shy and overlooked to do so, and only through the kindness and friendship of others could she truly be free and happy. As someone who often spent much of his time alone in his public school years, often very shy and invisible from less-than-friendly fellow students, I can totally relate to Wallflower. Wallflower's voice actress, Shannon Chan-Kent, likewise did a wonderful job voicing the character.

Trixie's development in the episode, from being an arrogant show off to a compassionate friend of Sunset Shimmer, was also nicely done. Unexpecting too, because for a while I thought that she was going to be the villain considering how mad she was at Sunset for not including her in the yearbook.

I'd furthermore like to add that Tara Strong's performance as Princess Twilight was amazing. So many moments with her character were really funny and cute, and I loved how Strong was able to push herself emotionally for those moments.

Sunset Shimmer was definitely the best character in this special, though. Next to her appearances in "Rainbow Rocks" and "Friendship Games", this was one of the best installments focused on her, especially because of how well it depicted her coming a long way from being a villain. Her character development throughout, such as her courage to speak to Princess Celestia and her newfound friendship with Trixie, was brilliant! Rebecca Shoichet likewise voiced her character marvelously, putting stupendous feeling into her character.

Now if I have to call out one mishap concerning the special, it would be that some moments with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash may have been slightly cringy. But that's okay, they're fairly passable.

In the end, "Forgotten Friendship" is a real winner for the Equestria Girls series, with a huge thanks going towards the amount of feeling and heart put into it.