I must confess that growing up, I heard about this series quite a lot, primarily from my sister. And to be perfectly honest, the first video I actually watched when I finally gave it a try ("The Evilness of Eggman(?)") was the very same episode I stopped watching exactly 35 seconds into it. I genuinely hated it, mainly because of the fact they changed every character's personality from the ones I loved and cherished up until that point. Many years later (when I was 19 years old, to be exact), a different episode popped up in my Youtube application's Recommended section ("We are number one but it's a Waluigi parody"), and I decided to give the show another go. And I was not disappointed whatsoever! It wasn't until a few days later that I found out that this was the same person who had made the video that drove me away from the series in the first instance. But even after finding this out, I was still intrigued, and began watching every episode of SMG4 after this occurred.
Now, I must point out that i wish other people obsessed with the past please just shut up about this show not being good today. It has, in my opinion at least, had a few repeated jokes and episodes, sure, but that's also more or less the whole point of it. Also, 2011-2013 WAS TERRIBLE. All those so-called "jokes" about gay people, racist comments, and otherwise poorly-delivered poop jokes have absolutely no need to be in this show. This is another reason why modern day SMG4 is better than classic, as the characters are slowly but surely learning from the mistakes they made in the past.
One example of this is Luigi in one of the newest episodes at the time of this being written. In "The Weegee Uprising", Luigi recognizes the same beings from "The Luigi Labyrinth" when he tried to take over the world using Weegee dolls. He even says this line in the new episode: "No...Not again! They're back?!" This shows he regrets his actions from back then.
Another example is Meggy in the episode, "There's Something Up with Meggy", where Meggy is trying to cope with having to watch Desti (her former rival-turned-friend) get murdered right in front of her while she could do nothing but watch (which still makes me cry every time i see it). By the end of the episode, Meggy's motivation to fulfill Desti's dying wish is reawakened thanks to Mario, Luigi, and Tari.
My last example I will give (but certainly not the last one to be seen in the show, just look closely and you'll probably notice even more of these examples) is, of course, Super Mario. I legitimately love the fact that even though he spends almost all of his time on screen either eating or making love to spaghetti (or both), Mario has definitely improved his attitude towards his friends and family over the years. A prime example of this is pretty much, at least in my opinion, almost anything involving him and Meggy or him and Luigi (Especially in the case of the latter character). Meggy and Mario definitely got off on the wrong foot in the episode titled, "If Mario Was in...Splatoon". Seriously, that first ever scene with them together where Mario opens the paint can and unwittingly sets Meggy free in the process was a really great way to start off that episode and their overall relationship, especially considering that Mario becomes determined to win Splatfest with Meggy throughout that same episode (and indeed, the rest of the series thus far). And then of course, there's Luigi, Mario's famous younger brother, the second half of the Mario Brothers...and likely the most cowardly human to ever exist in fiction. But all of that aside, Mario actually begins treating Luigi with respect rather than...well, disrespect, especially in more recent years. I honestly cannot STAND the fact that back when I first started binge-watching the show as a whole, Luigi being made fun of by the other characters, even (if not especially) Mario, just because he was "gay" was such a terrible comedy shtick. In my honest opinion, it shouldn't even really be considered a "comedy show" when calling people gay is the goto "joke" of every single episode, as I stated above. However, over time, the creator(s) seemed to realize this fact (whether due to more people entering the creation of the show behind the scenes, or perhaps just that they realized these "jokes" had long overstayed their welcome), and Luigi eventually became much more of an accepted character by the rest of the cast in the series. One thing I especially love is the fact that despite everything Luigi has gone through over the years, ranging anywhere from rejection to cowardice, he definitely redeems himself these days due to brotherly love for his older sibling serving as the basis for the more...insane things he tries. I mean, just watch or even re-watch Mario SAW if you don't believe me.
Now, I must point out that i wish other people obsessed with the past please just shut up about this show not being good today. It has, in my opinion at least, had a few repeated jokes and episodes, sure, but that's also more or less the whole point of it. Also, 2011-2013 WAS TERRIBLE. All those so-called "jokes" about gay people, racist comments, and otherwise poorly-delivered poop jokes have absolutely no need to be in this show. This is another reason why modern day SMG4 is better than classic, as the characters are slowly but surely learning from the mistakes they made in the past.
One example of this is Luigi in one of the newest episodes at the time of this being written. In "The Weegee Uprising", Luigi recognizes the same beings from "The Luigi Labyrinth" when he tried to take over the world using Weegee dolls. He even says this line in the new episode: "No...Not again! They're back?!" This shows he regrets his actions from back then.
Another example is Meggy in the episode, "There's Something Up with Meggy", where Meggy is trying to cope with having to watch Desti (her former rival-turned-friend) get murdered right in front of her while she could do nothing but watch (which still makes me cry every time i see it). By the end of the episode, Meggy's motivation to fulfill Desti's dying wish is reawakened thanks to Mario, Luigi, and Tari.
My last example I will give (but certainly not the last one to be seen in the show, just look closely and you'll probably notice even more of these examples) is, of course, Super Mario. I legitimately love the fact that even though he spends almost all of his time on screen either eating or making love to spaghetti (or both), Mario has definitely improved his attitude towards his friends and family over the years. A prime example of this is pretty much, at least in my opinion, almost anything involving him and Meggy or him and Luigi (Especially in the case of the latter character). Meggy and Mario definitely got off on the wrong foot in the episode titled, "If Mario Was in...Splatoon". Seriously, that first ever scene with them together where Mario opens the paint can and unwittingly sets Meggy free in the process was a really great way to start off that episode and their overall relationship, especially considering that Mario becomes determined to win Splatfest with Meggy throughout that same episode (and indeed, the rest of the series thus far). And then of course, there's Luigi, Mario's famous younger brother, the second half of the Mario Brothers...and likely the most cowardly human to ever exist in fiction. But all of that aside, Mario actually begins treating Luigi with respect rather than...well, disrespect, especially in more recent years. I honestly cannot STAND the fact that back when I first started binge-watching the show as a whole, Luigi being made fun of by the other characters, even (if not especially) Mario, just because he was "gay" was such a terrible comedy shtick. In my honest opinion, it shouldn't even really be considered a "comedy show" when calling people gay is the goto "joke" of every single episode, as I stated above. However, over time, the creator(s) seemed to realize this fact (whether due to more people entering the creation of the show behind the scenes, or perhaps just that they realized these "jokes" had long overstayed their welcome), and Luigi eventually became much more of an accepted character by the rest of the cast in the series. One thing I especially love is the fact that despite everything Luigi has gone through over the years, ranging anywhere from rejection to cowardice, he definitely redeems himself these days due to brotherly love for his older sibling serving as the basis for the more...insane things he tries. I mean, just watch or even re-watch Mario SAW if you don't believe me.