Steven Universe is a new Cartoon Network animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar, former storyboard artist, writer, and composer for Adventure Time. This will be the very first original series on Cartoon Network to have a female creator and showrunner.
The show is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Steven, a chubby and happy-go-lucky boy and the youngest member of an intergalactic team of warriors called the Crystal Gems. Together, the Crystal Gems fight and protect the Universe, while Steven strums up a cheesy tune on his ukulele.
Why yes, I DID just rip that director from Wikipedia. It's a decent description. Here's more of an inside look from the creator herself:
So yeah, the series premiere just happened Monday November 4 at 8:00 PM. Here were my personal thoughts on the two episodes that premiered then:
I REALLY liked it! I thought it was a solid first two episodes, setting up things to come later on. The biggest appeal of this show that I like is how cute and sweet it can be. Sometimes it feels a bit TOO sweet, but then again, when the creator's last name is "Sugar", I think that was to be expected.
Hard for me to get into what I really liked, I just really liked the whole thing. There were moments I really enjoyed but going into them when there are so many of them... I just don't have to brain juice for that right now.
I'll say this, though, the premise and set-up is what has me intrigued the most. These Crystal Gems seems to be this group of defenders, though the episodes don't explain WHY they're defenders or how they came to be. They're seeds planted, and I intend to see them grow, and show bit by bit how we've reached this point. All we know is that each of the members have gems on their body, and Steven's mother seems to be connected to them somehow. Also, apparently, there are monsters and when they kill/defeat them, they get their cores or something. It all has me so intrigued and yearning for more!
Another thing I like is how the other Crystal Gems treat Steven, in that even though Steven doesn't help fight (at least not yet), they know he'll be of great help eventually and are supportive in their own unique way... Though I get the feeling this is more out of respect for his mother, but then again, we'll have to watch more and see if that's the case. Not to mention, I just like their characters right off the bat. Each one is clearly defined and none of them have any obvious "vices". Steven is endearing without being annoying, Pearl is dedicated and serious without being a stick-in-the-mud or stern, Amethyst is fun-loving but isn't as naive as Steven and knows when to be serious, and Garnet... Well, Garnet's just a badass leader. Steven's dad, Greg, is also really cool. He seems like kind of a loser dad who live sin his van and doesn't seem to have much of a successful day job, but hearing about how he and Steven's mother met, and getting to know him through his interactions with Steven, he just seems like a really cool, possibly sensitive guy, rather then the big doof the other Crystal Gems make him out to be.
If there's one thing I don't like about the series so far, it's this one character called Lars. He seems to poke fun at Steven a lot, which I guess makes sense, but he also makes fun of the Crystal Gems as a whole, despite the Crystal Gems literally saving the town every other day! What kind of an ungrateful douche is this guy?!
But yeah, overall a really solid start, and somehow each episode manages to end on a heartfelt, sweet note... I wonder if this will be the trend in every episode? Because if so... well, I dunno, I hope it doesn't become a pattern. Sweet endings like that work, and I enjoy seeing them if only because TV shows are getting so cynical and mean-spirited these days, but I think having a contrast ever once in a while would be good... Again, the series just started so I wouldn't know one way or the other, that's just what I hope.
Hard for me to get into what I really liked, I just really liked the whole thing. There were moments I really enjoyed but going into them when there are so many of them... I just don't have to brain juice for that right now.
I'll say this, though, the premise and set-up is what has me intrigued the most. These Crystal Gems seems to be this group of defenders, though the episodes don't explain WHY they're defenders or how they came to be. They're seeds planted, and I intend to see them grow, and show bit by bit how we've reached this point. All we know is that each of the members have gems on their body, and Steven's mother seems to be connected to them somehow. Also, apparently, there are monsters and when they kill/defeat them, they get their cores or something. It all has me so intrigued and yearning for more!
Another thing I like is how the other Crystal Gems treat Steven, in that even though Steven doesn't help fight (at least not yet), they know he'll be of great help eventually and are supportive in their own unique way... Though I get the feeling this is more out of respect for his mother, but then again, we'll have to watch more and see if that's the case. Not to mention, I just like their characters right off the bat. Each one is clearly defined and none of them have any obvious "vices". Steven is endearing without being annoying, Pearl is dedicated and serious without being a stick-in-the-mud or stern, Amethyst is fun-loving but isn't as naive as Steven and knows when to be serious, and Garnet... Well, Garnet's just a badass leader. Steven's dad, Greg, is also really cool. He seems like kind of a loser dad who live sin his van and doesn't seem to have much of a successful day job, but hearing about how he and Steven's mother met, and getting to know him through his interactions with Steven, he just seems like a really cool, possibly sensitive guy, rather then the big doof the other Crystal Gems make him out to be.
If there's one thing I don't like about the series so far, it's this one character called Lars. He seems to poke fun at Steven a lot, which I guess makes sense, but he also makes fun of the Crystal Gems as a whole, despite the Crystal Gems literally saving the town every other day! What kind of an ungrateful douche is this guy?!
But yeah, overall a really solid start, and somehow each episode manages to end on a heartfelt, sweet note... I wonder if this will be the trend in every episode? Because if so... well, I dunno, I hope it doesn't become a pattern. Sweet endings like that work, and I enjoy seeing them if only because TV shows are getting so cynical and mean-spirited these days, but I think having a contrast ever once in a while would be good... Again, the series just started so I wouldn't know one way or the other, that's just what I hope.
Yeah, awesome show. Got another show I'll be watching on a regular basis!
BTW, I managed to catch part of the original pilot on YouTube, but I don't know where to watch the whole thing... Would anyone mind, you know, pointing me in the right direction?
