Steven Universe. The first handful of episodes, Steven is just a child (and a borderline annoying one at that). Always yelling, running around, goofing off, and even making childish mistakes that his guardians, the Crystal Gems, need to step in and fix.
But as the show continues, Steven matures mentally (and a little bit physically, if you watch the movie and the short sequel series, Steven Universe Future), and by the end of the series, pretty much everyone is turning to him for wisdom and advice, even his own guardians.
The Crystal Gems see an enemy and their instinct is to fight. Steven sees a misunderstood living person and wants to communicate. Throughout the whole series, he shows that it’s better to talk out your problems instead of engaging in battle. His summoned magical weapon is a shield and he uses it to protect friends - and foes - as he tries to resolve problems his own unique way.
And the lesson isn’t crammed down your throat either; it’s subtle in how it’s introduced. At first, you just see Steven as young and naive. Choosing friendship and kindness because he doesn’t understand the serious threat. But over time, you start to realize he’s actually onto something, and his methods actually have merit.
There’s also some deep lore hidden in the show that slowly presents itself as the series goes on. The plot sounds simple at first, but then you learn of a great war that took place between Gems that isolated the Crystal Gems on Earth. And Steven’s mother had a crucial role to play, with her own hidden past that Steven pursues in order to better understand himself.
Steven is also constantly at war with his own ideals, as everyone else just wants to fight and encourages him to do the same. He has to struggle with his own moral code and decide if violence can ever truly be an answer.
My wife and I just thought it was a cute kids show and idly watched it during a quiet evening. But we got hooked, and by the end of the series, we were crying. It was a very emotional and dramatic (and fun) series that taught good communication and respect for others.
when he first got captured by Peridot and taken on the ship. It opened up the story of a silly boy in a silly town in a silly world to an ongoing threat with past traumas and future looming with danger, and an empire that wasn’t just an enemy of the past. And Steven turned into a member of the team with power of his own, not just a child to be watched.
I also found it interesting that as Steven grew, matured, and became more loveable,
Tap for spoiler
his mom became worse and worse the more you learn of her, despite so many people that loved her, and Steven is the one who has to suffer for it. The movie just hammers the point in unequivocally.
Tried using spoiler tag for those that haven’t watched.
I just rewatched a bit of SU yesterday! God I forgot how much I loved that show.
As a tangentially related story, I went to Beach City Con a few years ago. We had just gotten out of a Q&A panel with DeeDee Magno Hall (voice of Pearl) and my friends and I joined up with this little group of people who were singing songs from the show along with a trio of guitar and ukulele players. As we went on, more and more people joined in with this impromptu singalong and we were just having a blast.
After finishing up some autographs at the panel, DeeDee comes out and joins right in with us. She was supposed to be going to another event, but she stuck around just long enough to sing “Here We Are in the Future” with us. Really magical moment, she’s such a genuinely kind and funny person.
Steven Universe. The first handful of episodes, Steven is just a child (and a borderline annoying one at that). Always yelling, running around, goofing off, and even making childish mistakes that his guardians, the Crystal Gems, need to step in and fix.
But as the show continues, Steven matures mentally (and a little bit physically, if you watch the movie and the short sequel series, Steven Universe Future), and by the end of the series, pretty much everyone is turning to him for wisdom and advice, even his own guardians.
The Crystal Gems see an enemy and their instinct is to fight. Steven sees a misunderstood living person and wants to communicate. Throughout the whole series, he shows that it’s better to talk out your problems instead of engaging in battle. His summoned magical weapon is a shield and he uses it to protect friends - and foes - as he tries to resolve problems his own unique way.
And the lesson isn’t crammed down your throat either; it’s subtle in how it’s introduced. At first, you just see Steven as young and naive. Choosing friendship and kindness because he doesn’t understand the serious threat. But over time, you start to realize he’s actually onto something, and his methods actually have merit.
There’s also some deep lore hidden in the show that slowly presents itself as the series goes on. The plot sounds simple at first, but then you learn of a great war that took place between Gems that isolated the Crystal Gems on Earth. And Steven’s mother had a crucial role to play, with her own hidden past that Steven pursues in order to better understand himself.
Steven is also constantly at war with his own ideals, as everyone else just wants to fight and encourages him to do the same. He has to struggle with his own moral code and decide if violence can ever truly be an answer.
My wife and I just thought it was a cute kids show and idly watched it during a quiet evening. But we got hooked, and by the end of the series, we were crying. It was a very emotional and dramatic (and fun) series that taught good communication and respect for others.
I feel like a major turning point was
Tap for spoiler
when he first got captured by Peridot and taken on the ship. It opened up the story of a silly boy in a silly town in a silly world to an ongoing threat with past traumas and future looming with danger, and an empire that wasn’t just an enemy of the past. And Steven turned into a member of the team with power of his own, not just a child to be watched.
I also found it interesting that as Steven grew, matured, and became more loveable,
Tap for spoiler
his mom became worse and worse the more you learn of her, despite so many people that loved her, and Steven is the one who has to suffer for it. The movie just hammers the point in unequivocally.
Tried using spoiler tag for those that haven’t watched.
I just rewatched a bit of SU yesterday! God I forgot how much I loved that show.
As a tangentially related story, I went to Beach City Con a few years ago. We had just gotten out of a Q&A panel with DeeDee Magno Hall (voice of Pearl) and my friends and I joined up with this little group of people who were singing songs from the show along with a trio of guitar and ukulele players. As we went on, more and more people joined in with this impromptu singalong and we were just having a blast.
After finishing up some autographs at the panel, DeeDee comes out and joins right in with us. She was supposed to be going to another event, but she stuck around just long enough to sing “Here We Are in the Future” with us. Really magical moment, she’s such a genuinely kind and funny person.