shuckablep
No one has been mentioning that practically nothing happens in this show and the plot always feels like it's going nowhere. And the rare times when it does, it is interrupted with the absolutely atrocious beach city episodes. I used to enjoy this show, but as I got older, the more grating it was to watch. One thing I will give it is that he music is passable (probably because they casted singers instead of voice actors and that's why the voice acting is horrendous...). Also, they are constantly pushing women as the heroes and men as incompetent fools. I couldn't care less about the LGBT community (all power to them, I'm just not involved) but when they shoved that sexuality down your throat, that is when it becomes a problem. However at the same time with this show, it is more of an underlying thing that FEELS like it's being shoved down your throat. Steven is the only competent male on the show and that's because he's basically being pushed as a transgender (or just an extremely feminine boy). Finally, a small detail that may mean a whole lot to some, did you know that Rebecca Sugar has a past of writing pedophillic fanfic of Invader Zim? Have fun knowing that I guess...
loua94
It's been nice seeing shows such as Adventure Time cause a resurgence in quality original CN programming. Steven Universe is a direct result of this resurgence, and is one of the most daring shows to come out of it.There is an overarching plot, but the main focus is in the characters and the way in which they deal with their own personal issues. And it becomes incredibly intriguing to see how "real" these issues can get. Amethyst deals with confidence in her own capability despite having birth circumstances that make her feel doomed to be objectively inferior. Pearl has attachment issues to a lost-love, with whom she already had an unhealthy obsession to that caused her to be self-destructive. Steven is pretty self-confident and surprisingly inspirational to the rest of the much more capable gems, but also has identity issues and issues with his mother who is a big mystery through most of the show. Garnet is pretty composed mostly, but she's just a joy to watch overall regardless. And a few other characters, whom I'm not going to spoil as mainstays, have easily my favorite arcs in the series.The show, thus, tackles the broad topic of "self-love" and pulls it off magnificently by approaching it from many angles at once for different characters. Which is mad impressive.The show also pulls other things off magnificently. I've never seen a better depiction of nerd culture on TV. Big Bang Theory may star nerd characters, but it completely misunderstands the passion behind what makes it so iconic. SU gets it, and as a result is endearing when it pokes fun at it too.The attention to music in the show is particularly phenomenal. Many of the songs are unpolished and sloppy, but they're like that because they're in the context of people singing on the spot, and different songwriters of different styles (the characters themselves) too. So Pearl might have an elegant musical theater song about heartbreak backed by piano, while Steven is rhyming stupid words with stupid phrases with elementary chords on a ukelele, while Garnet is singing along to hip-hop/pop bangers. The music is intentionally not perfect, and that's what makes it human.The show also manages to tackle some major complex social issues in surprisingly admirable and respectable ways. No one is the "token diversity character". No one is the "token LGBTQ character". These things exist, but the show never DWELLS on it. Instead, it moves the show along by presenting a semi-utopian society where these things are simply THE NORM. No one bats an eye and no one makes a big deal over these things, and that's what makes them handled well. The show therefore never substitutes good plot for these things--instead, they're a layer on top of everything else, which is why they work without being "preachy".That being said, the show has its faultsPacing is wildly inconsistent. Sometimes, it's fantastic, even during the filler. At the show's best, it knows how to transition between filler episodes and main arc episodes seamlessly while keeping both sides equally enjoyable (Seasons 2-4). At its worst, main arc episodes are super interesting while filler episodes are both uninteresting and cut away from main arc right when it's getting good (First half of Season 1, Season 5). Season 5 hit enough rough points in pacing where it started to make me slightly sour on the rest of the show.On the note of pacing, the show takes a LONG time to get really good. Like, 20 episodes (half-length but still a major barrier). It's still OK before that, but not great. Once you've made it past there though, the show gets mad interesting.Despite these issues, it's an awesome show that does things that simply no other show gets quite as right. Definitely worth a watch.
another-53165
This show is highly loved and for many good reasons, but it has a lot of problems as wellThe fan base can be a bit insane sometimes which of you like discussing tv online and with friends can make the experience a little less goodSecond, this show has some seriously great episodes, like Bismuth, the trial, and jailbreak, but it also has a lot of filler, like more than half of the episodes. I get the importance of building character, but it makes it hard to follow the show when there's such a difference in quality between the filler and plot driven episodes. The story is great, but a good portion of it is forgettableFinally, the scheduling for the show is terrible. It's so hard to watch the show when it only airs a few episodes overly couple of months. If this show was more concise with its storytelling and more consistent with its scheduling (perhaps just taking bigger breaks in between seasons to air the seasons as a whole), it would make it better, even though I know a lot of that has to do with the channel not the shows creatorsThere's also a lot to like about the show, and when it has good episodes, they're really, really good
I know there are a lot of people who like this show, and I can see why, but it's not a personal favorite of mine
tabbybriscoe
Very well thought out and visually appealing cartoon. Walks the line of very real issues. Very wholesome and entertaining