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Steven Universe - Short Review
10 years ago
WARNING: This post will most likely contain spoilers, subjective analysis, and lack of professionality. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!
Once I was done with Rick and Morty, Steven Universe soon followed. For those of you unaware, Steven Universe is a cartoon show created by Rebecca Sugar, a former and prominent Adventure Time staff member, and just like that show, each episode is divided into 11 minutes. Other elements such as art direction, pension for random singing, and tackling the entire imagination spectrum via a cutesy-looking adventure show, are also prevalent.
Steven Universe follows the titular character, a young boy, and his family/guardians, the Crystal Gems, aliens with magical powers (yes, I get the contradiction), as Steven strives to live up to his half-Gem side, like his mother, the former leader of the Gems. Wackyness, lore and some feelz ensue.
THE GOOD:
-While the art direction of Steven Universe is akin to AT's, it has less of a random color palette, and focuses on mostly warm, soft colors, especially with the characters. While at first you might end up seeing only pink and red-orange colors, it does pay off as the more alien entities generally have darker and colder colors, as well as usually having more dark contrasts. The animation is simple but solid, as it is expected, since the art style allows for different animation teams to just pick up the show whenever. Sugar's anime influences also show, as the fighting sequences and over-the-top action moments are very animanga-esque (though slightly more contained, due to the smoother art direction);
-Most of the elements of the show are top-notch: the pacing in each individual episode is phenomenal, especially given that each is only 11 minutes long; the soundtrack, while not repetitive enough to be memorable, fits the mood of each scene very well, and given that it's a video series, I'd say that it makes the experience of connecting audio and visuals a success;
-The lore in Steven Universe is also fantastic, and how you are introduced to it, bit by bit, feels genuine to the narrative of the show. You don't feel spoon-fed the information, but you are also not left in the dark (unlike AT), so you'll definitely want to know more about the Crystal Gems and their Homeworld, as well as the back-story to these millenial characters. If like me, you are a fan of over-the-top elements in anime, as well as well-built fantasy story, you'll definitely appreciate it in this show. However...
THE BAD:
-Remember how I said that the pacing for each individual episode is phenomenal? Well, the same cannot be said for the pacing of the series as a whole. The Crystal Gems' lore is the most interesting aspect of this cartoon show, and during the first season, we don't get enough of it, and we get it sprinkled in with far too much in between. The "filler" episodes are everywhere, and for someone who currently enjoys numerous slice-of-life stories, it had to work pretty hard for me to dislike it so heavily. Granted, in the first season it's used to establish the setting, the secondary cast, and the world... but most of it is just boring and uninteresting for me. Mostly, I categorize the secondary cast as the same in soaps on my country's channels: are just there to extend the story unecessarily, by moving away from the main focus, to extend the episode quota and fill the time-slot;
-Steven, the protagonist, is boring. He's a very weak character, in terms of investment, which is odd, because he's meant to be the main character, and the one the audience is meant to project onto so that the story can be carried through his perspective. And while that's done, I guess, we spend far too much time on Steven's shoulder in the first season of the show, when the real stars are the Crystal Gems, and to a FAR lesser degree, Steven's father Greg (mostly due to the vagueness of Steven's mother, and her actions prior to the start of the show). I will give it to the show's crew, that at least we get a sense of progression for Steven in terms of skill and ability, and that he's been less prevalent and less of the focus during the second season, but he still takes far too much time away from the show. And if you don't like him... well, you're kind of screwed in that aspect;
-I know that Adventure Time has a bunch of random music, but in Steven Universe it happens almost every other episode: a flurry of songs that are just there to pass the time, and just like in AT, they're just random bits of music, not catchy enough to even add to a playlist, unlike in MLP, for example. I'm the kind of person that enjoys having silly bits of music on my MP3 player, but SU's music really doesn't do it for me.
... Okay, I will admit that I am not made of stone (get it?), and that I really enjoy the song in the first season's finale. But that's mostly due to the fact that I am a softie for moments in cartoons where the focus is on family and/or friends. Hits close to home. GG, Garnet.
FINAL THOUGHTS & SHOULD YOU WATCH:
Steven Universe finds itself in a bit of a weird spot, vibe-wise, between Adventure Time and Gravity Fall's more mysterious plot development (obviously, not even close, but it's to help make a general view of the subject). It's definitely a good show, but it's such a drag to go through the first season. I was able to watch all of the second season's episodes in a day, and it was BY FAR better than the first one; and it is possible that, if you're watching on a weekly basis, you'll be less inclined to feel flooded with unecessary filler content. I'll have to wait and see, starting this week.
Should you watch it? If you're like me, or you have even more of an aversion to non-anime slice-of-life, then I'd suggest you muscle up, ignore the chance for minor spoilers, and find a list that tells you which episodes actually progress the main plot during the first season, so you can either ignore or leave the filler content for some other time. Otherwise, if you think you're up for it, go nuts.
P.S: I must warn you, that there seems to be some animosity and vitriol on a part of the SU fandom, as they are incredibly averse to newcomers, or fan-made content that does not meet their personal (ludicrous) standards. These people have been called out on their actions by the show's staff already, so you know it's serious. If you want to discuss Steven Universe with other fans, I'd suggest the subreddit dedicated to it, or groups in more creation-directed platforms.
Once I was done with Rick and Morty, Steven Universe soon followed. For those of you unaware, Steven Universe is a cartoon show created by Rebecca Sugar, a former and prominent Adventure Time staff member, and just like that show, each episode is divided into 11 minutes. Other elements such as art direction, pension for random singing, and tackling the entire imagination spectrum via a cutesy-looking adventure show, are also prevalent.
Steven Universe follows the titular character, a young boy, and his family/guardians, the Crystal Gems, aliens with magical powers (yes, I get the contradiction), as Steven strives to live up to his half-Gem side, like his mother, the former leader of the Gems. Wackyness, lore and some feelz ensue.
THE GOOD:
-While the art direction of Steven Universe is akin to AT's, it has less of a random color palette, and focuses on mostly warm, soft colors, especially with the characters. While at first you might end up seeing only pink and red-orange colors, it does pay off as the more alien entities generally have darker and colder colors, as well as usually having more dark contrasts. The animation is simple but solid, as it is expected, since the art style allows for different animation teams to just pick up the show whenever. Sugar's anime influences also show, as the fighting sequences and over-the-top action moments are very animanga-esque (though slightly more contained, due to the smoother art direction);
-Most of the elements of the show are top-notch: the pacing in each individual episode is phenomenal, especially given that each is only 11 minutes long; the soundtrack, while not repetitive enough to be memorable, fits the mood of each scene very well, and given that it's a video series, I'd say that it makes the experience of connecting audio and visuals a success;
-The lore in Steven Universe is also fantastic, and how you are introduced to it, bit by bit, feels genuine to the narrative of the show. You don't feel spoon-fed the information, but you are also not left in the dark (unlike AT), so you'll definitely want to know more about the Crystal Gems and their Homeworld, as well as the back-story to these millenial characters. If like me, you are a fan of over-the-top elements in anime, as well as well-built fantasy story, you'll definitely appreciate it in this show. However...
THE BAD:
-Remember how I said that the pacing for each individual episode is phenomenal? Well, the same cannot be said for the pacing of the series as a whole. The Crystal Gems' lore is the most interesting aspect of this cartoon show, and during the first season, we don't get enough of it, and we get it sprinkled in with far too much in between. The "filler" episodes are everywhere, and for someone who currently enjoys numerous slice-of-life stories, it had to work pretty hard for me to dislike it so heavily. Granted, in the first season it's used to establish the setting, the secondary cast, and the world... but most of it is just boring and uninteresting for me. Mostly, I categorize the secondary cast as the same in soaps on my country's channels: are just there to extend the story unecessarily, by moving away from the main focus, to extend the episode quota and fill the time-slot;
-Steven, the protagonist, is boring. He's a very weak character, in terms of investment, which is odd, because he's meant to be the main character, and the one the audience is meant to project onto so that the story can be carried through his perspective. And while that's done, I guess, we spend far too much time on Steven's shoulder in the first season of the show, when the real stars are the Crystal Gems, and to a FAR lesser degree, Steven's father Greg (mostly due to the vagueness of Steven's mother, and her actions prior to the start of the show). I will give it to the show's crew, that at least we get a sense of progression for Steven in terms of skill and ability, and that he's been less prevalent and less of the focus during the second season, but he still takes far too much time away from the show. And if you don't like him... well, you're kind of screwed in that aspect;
-I know that Adventure Time has a bunch of random music, but in Steven Universe it happens almost every other episode: a flurry of songs that are just there to pass the time, and just like in AT, they're just random bits of music, not catchy enough to even add to a playlist, unlike in MLP, for example. I'm the kind of person that enjoys having silly bits of music on my MP3 player, but SU's music really doesn't do it for me.
... Okay, I will admit that I am not made of stone (get it?), and that I really enjoy the song in the first season's finale. But that's mostly due to the fact that I am a softie for moments in cartoons where the focus is on family and/or friends. Hits close to home. GG, Garnet.
FINAL THOUGHTS & SHOULD YOU WATCH:
Steven Universe finds itself in a bit of a weird spot, vibe-wise, between Adventure Time and Gravity Fall's more mysterious plot development (obviously, not even close, but it's to help make a general view of the subject). It's definitely a good show, but it's such a drag to go through the first season. I was able to watch all of the second season's episodes in a day, and it was BY FAR better than the first one; and it is possible that, if you're watching on a weekly basis, you'll be less inclined to feel flooded with unecessary filler content. I'll have to wait and see, starting this week.
Should you watch it? If you're like me, or you have even more of an aversion to non-anime slice-of-life, then I'd suggest you muscle up, ignore the chance for minor spoilers, and find a list that tells you which episodes actually progress the main plot during the first season, so you can either ignore or leave the filler content for some other time. Otherwise, if you think you're up for it, go nuts.
P.S: I must warn you, that there seems to be some animosity and vitriol on a part of the SU fandom, as they are incredibly averse to newcomers, or fan-made content that does not meet their personal (ludicrous) standards. These people have been called out on their actions by the show's staff already, so you know it's serious. If you want to discuss Steven Universe with other fans, I'd suggest the subreddit dedicated to it, or groups in more creation-directed platforms.
These people have driven a writer from the show away from Tumblr; they've attacked people who've made drawings or cosplayed the characters in a manner they deem "innapropriate", by ridiculous reasons such as "You didn't use the EXACT palette for the character's skin tone"; they've harassed and attacked a real-life motel, just because it shares a name with one that appeared on the show, thinking it funny to ruin their business: they've harassed and attacked fans of that Uncle Grandpa show, as well as the show staff itself, because of the crossover episode; and they are incredibly insistent that their headcanons are canon, and are law of the show.
Why, I can't say, but it's happening, and it's sad that it is.
Thankfully, even people who don't watch the show call them out while trying to help the regular fans, because they know that it's awful for a fandom to be defined by their bad apples, regardless if they are a loud minority or not.