A friend told me about a seemingly silly show entitled "Steven Universe." I admit, I did scoff at the idea of watching cartoons (being the grown-up adult that am of course) but, ego aside, this show is excellent.

For one...

Rebecca Sugar, songwriter and creator of "Steven Universe" on Cartoon Network, is the first woman to create a show for Cartoon Network. So yeah, that's pretty awesome in and of itself. Personally, this is not something I ever gave much thought (women creators for Cartoon Network). I never imagined that women weren't that present in the Cartoon network creator scene, so it is definitely a pleasant surprise to see that changing.

Two,

While this show serves as a bit of an escape from reality, it's not your typical cartoon. Just looking at this picture from the opening of the show, it's clear that all the characters have a unique body shape, which is pretty cool. To my knowledge, many of the Cartoon Network shows predominately display one body type and usually, the thin characters are seen as the nice or pretty ones. This show is not like that. Sugar's excellent artistic eye makes every character, regardless of their body type look beautiful and, as a viewer, I appreciate that.

Lastly...

FUSION! Just like the physics term, it involves two things coming together to form something new. Whether fusion is a metaphor for sex or something else entirely, there is no denying that fusion is meant to represent choosing to be close and unite with another and this is a beautiful thing.

Again, unlike many shows where there is only one "right way" to be intimate with someone, in this show, fusion can happen between any gems or even between humans and gems. Essentially, this show makes it cool to be close with and love anyone. Whether that be a kind of friend love or something more.

So, while this show is technically a kid show, it tackles a surprisingly wide range of issues that many "adult" shows wouldn't dare touch. Perhaps being young at heart really is best.