"Steven Universe" is a wonderful cartoon on Cartoon Network. The main crew on the show consists of a boy named Steven Universe and three living gemstones from space (the neurotic Pearl, the messy, fun-loving Amethyst, and the mysterious and responsible Garnet.) They make up the Crystal Gems and fight to save the Earth and humanity from other gems. But the gems from Gem Homeworld aren't so sympathetic and caring towards humans and seek to harvest the Earth for their own benefit. There's so much more to it than that, though. The entire cartoon would speak better for itself, but here are some of the best aspects of "Steven Universe:"
1. The music is amazing.
Rebecca Sugar, the show's creator, has also written most of the music for the show, mostly showcasing ukulele. The show's catchy title song is a perfect example. (If it sounds familiar, it might be because you're reminded of "Adventure Time," another show Rebecca Sugar has worked on.)
There are also other types of music, however, if ukulele isn't your thing. The closing song, "Love Like You," is a beautiful piano ballad with incredibly heartfelt lyrics. Also, many characters have their own musical moments. Garnet and Pearl each use song to express their emotions, and Steven often plays music randomly throughout episodes.
2. One of the show's most predominant underlying themes is to love the world around you.
All of the gems see the beauty in Earth even though they aren't "organic" as Pearl would say. Nonetheless, they stargaze, marvel at sunsets, and frolic through Earth's nature happily. The character who saw beauty in absolutely everything was Steven's mother, Rose Quartz. The gems say that Steven is just like her in that way.
3. Steven struggles to discover his place in the world and within his family.
Steven is half-human and half-gem as his mother, Rose Quartz, fell in love with his human father, Greg. Steven has never met his mom because she had to give up her physical form in order for him to be born. Imagine knowing for your entire life that your mom purposely gave herself up so that you could be made. (Yeah, this show's pretty deep for a cartoon on Cartoon Network, right?)
And although his family is magical, Steven's problems are surprisingly easy to relate with. Sometimes the other gems don't think he fully knows or understands what he's talking about, but somewhat often, he's right regarding subjects like the relationship between two gems, how to take on obstacles, and other random tasks. It's adorable to watch how proud they all are of Steven when he takes after his mother's qualities. Did I mention that Steven is only 13 when the show begins, and he's 14 now? That's a lot to handle for someone that young.
4. The concept of fusion is a fantastic way to comment on the nature of relationships.
Fusion is a gem ability that allows two or more gems to fuse their forms together to create a massive gem that changes its name if more than one type of gem is involved. The audience gets to see many different characters fuse into interesting gems throughout the series. Some work well while others fail miserably trying to work together.
I don't want to add too many spoilers in here, but Garnet is my favorite fusion. While most gems only fuse for strength in battle or in dire situations, Garnet is constantly a fusion made from the gems Ruby and Sapphire because of the love they have for one another. Yes, you read that right: Garnet is a lesbian couple. I could honestly write an entire piece about Garnet because I love her so much, but I'll stop myself here: Garnet should be everyone's #relationshipgoals.
5. Lion is the best animal sidekick of all time.
Who doesn't love animal sidekicks? They're adorable, help our heroes when all else fails, and sometimes completely steal the spotlight. Lion is a pink lion that Steven found while on a gem mission. Lion is pretty independent and sassy, but he and Steven are now best friends. But lion isn't just there to be cute; many fans believe that he holds many keys to the show's intricately planned plot. He's like Gretchen Weiners: his hair is so big because it's full of secrets.
6. You can tell that the creators care very deeply for the artwork.
Every detail of the screen in every shot of every scene is simply stunning. From the detail of gems, character detail, scenery, and color palette this show is absolutely beautiful. You really need to see an episode to experience it.
7. Even less major characters are super entertaining.
The town of Beach City has a multitude of zany people. Aside from Steven's family, there's Mayor Dewey who drives an ice cream style truck that alerts his name over a speaker as he drives, a silent, sinister yet sweet boy around Steven's age named Onion, Onion's older, cool brother Sour Cream, Lars and Sadie who are Steven's friends from his favorite donut shop, Steven's best friend Connie, and a few other families who live in the small town of Beach City.
8. Episodes are only 11 minutes long!
I'm not lying. Including the title sequence, the episodes are 12 and a half minutes long, yet since there is so much detail to both the art and the story, a lot is learned in each segment. It honestly doesn't feel that short when you watch an episode. It's a very easy show to binge watch.
9. "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs!"
This is a saying that Greg taught Steven, and Steven spits it back in the most perfect moments. Essentially it means that not everything is going to be perfect, and that's ok because even some of the most hairy situations can be great too.
10. Summer of Steven is about to happen!
Starting July 18th at 7 pm EST, there will be a new episode of "Steven Universe" every week night! There is so much that could happen, and fans are going crazy! A new character has been released in spoilers, events with homeworld are growing more tense, and an entirely musical episode has been confirmed. We're not entirely sure what will happen, but there's definitely reason to get excited!
If you haven't gotten hooked yet, I definitely recommend "Steven Universe" as a series to watch this summer!
