Steven Universe
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 6:41 pm
Anyone else seen this? I love this show so much!
I can't get really specific about exactly why it's so awesome without spoilering one thing or another - I enjoyed the unexpected developments unspoilered and I wouldn't want to wreck that for someone else. But broadly, I love how it seems to start with some common premises and almost stereotypical roles - the title character is a cheeky, loveable little boy, looked after by several women, with a bumbling but well-meaning dad - and then makes them so real and fleshed-out and relateable and puts twists on them. I love its representation of women's relationships, how complex and deep they are, how it's incisive and sympathetic at the same time. The show handles all kinds of issues about exploring and discovering who you are and how you present, about growing up (Steven's strand of it is really a coming-of-age story, I think), your place in the world, learning about other people, relating to other people, popularity dynamics, gender dynamics, friendships, love. I like how some things don't seem all that much at first but then they come back some episodes later and it's like of course. And I think the character development and the slow exploration of the plot are superb.
I like my entertainment best with a bit of comfy warmth and weirdness and thoughtfulness, and I can't stand saccharine, so this show suits me in that way too. It seemed a bit weird and not all that striking in the first few episodes, but it is totally worth watching through them.
I seriously can't think of much other media which covers these things in such a well-rounded, smart and compassionate way, and I love so much that this is also a kid's cartoon. Oh and it is frequently laugh-out-loud funny.
I can't get really specific about exactly why it's so awesome without spoilering one thing or another - I enjoyed the unexpected developments unspoilered and I wouldn't want to wreck that for someone else. But broadly, I love how it seems to start with some common premises and almost stereotypical roles - the title character is a cheeky, loveable little boy, looked after by several women, with a bumbling but well-meaning dad - and then makes them so real and fleshed-out and relateable and puts twists on them. I love its representation of women's relationships, how complex and deep they are, how it's incisive and sympathetic at the same time. The show handles all kinds of issues about exploring and discovering who you are and how you present, about growing up (Steven's strand of it is really a coming-of-age story, I think), your place in the world, learning about other people, relating to other people, popularity dynamics, gender dynamics, friendships, love. I like how some things don't seem all that much at first but then they come back some episodes later and it's like of course. And I think the character development and the slow exploration of the plot are superb.
I like my entertainment best with a bit of comfy warmth and weirdness and thoughtfulness, and I can't stand saccharine, so this show suits me in that way too. It seemed a bit weird and not all that striking in the first few episodes, but it is totally worth watching through them.
I seriously can't think of much other media which covers these things in such a well-rounded, smart and compassionate way, and I love so much that this is also a kid's cartoon. Oh and it is frequently laugh-out-loud funny.