a5c7b9f00b A team of intergalactic warriors fights to protect the universe, but the combination of three highly trained beings and one quirky young boy leaves the team struggling to overcome the dangerous scenarios that are put in front of them. This series is set in the fictional Beach City, where ageless alien warriors, the Crystal Gems, live in an ancient beachside temple, protecting the world from evil. They project female humanoid forms from magical gemstones that are the core of their being. The Crystal Gems are Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven, a young half-human, half-Gem boy who inherited his gemstone from his mother, the Gems' former leader Rose Quartz. As Steven tries to figure out his powers, he spends his days with his human father Greg, his friend Connie, other people in Beach City, or the other Gems, whether to help them save the world or just to hang out. He explores the abilities passed down to him by his mother, which include fusion (the ability of Gems to merge their identities and bodies to form a new and more powerful personality). This is by far the best non-anime cartoon I have ever seen. Yes, I think it's even better than the original TMNT series and Adventure Time.<br/><br/>There's just so much to love here. The animation quality and production values are good. The music and sound cues are great. The characters are interesting and very likable. The story and writing are done very well and are actually cohesive!<br/><br/>One of my biggest turn offs for any show, including animated shows, is when the story, lore, and writing are all over the place. This is why I'm no longer interested in Adventure Time. That show has its good moments, but at the end of the day there's no cohesion or context to the chaos. That's perfectly fine for a lot of people, but I appreciate consistency and contextual writing in shows, even cartoons. I just don't care to watch something I can't get immersed in.<br/><br/>Steven Universe still has the quirky humor and silliness associated with Cartoon Network esque animated shows (and does it with class - it's not annoying), but the story and writing are much better done than in Adventure Time. I'm 28, and I enjoy this show's writing and story much more than most other adult oriented shows today.<br/><br/>Steven Universe does a good job of making you care about all of the characters, even the minor ones. Each of them has been given valuable screen time attention, and none of the characters feel forced, unimportant, or annoying, which says quite a lot for a CN show. <br/><br/>Music plays a big part in the show, both in background and foreground. As I've said the music and sound cues are well done, but there are several times throughout the show when one of the characters will sing or play a song. It's a delightful treat when it does happen (not at all annoying or out of place), because not only are the songs done well, but they almost always have significance related to whatever is going on in the show at the time. I would definitely describe this show as emotional, and the music plays its part well.<br/><br/>My only complaint is that it DOES have its filler (unnecessary) episodes/moments from time to time, but even the filler stuff is usually entertaining and only happens occasionally. Since each episode is only about 15 minutes it's mostly a negligible complaint and is a drop in the bucket compared to the show's overall great experience. I rarely watch children's cartoons, but my little brother suggested that I might like this one. At first I was dreading it, expecting it to be akin to that godawful 'My Little Pony' cr*p or something, but I was shocked by not only its depth and love underlying beneath its adventure, but also its celebration for the nostalgia of 1990's cartoons such as 'Sailor Moon' and 'The Powerpuff Girls'. The characters are anything but typical, and it was nice to see that the main character wasn't portrayed as a crass, lazy jerk. Unfortunately too many shows, in an attempt to be politically correct, keep making male characters out to be jackasses (Homer Simpson's now a victim of this trend), and it was also great to see female characters who weren't all just oversexed, anorexic-looking, pink-wearing bimbos. Gender aside though, the best of this show is how much all the characters truly love and care for each other. I don't mean to sound preachy, but I think it's nice to see a show celebrating friendship and decency and kindness, instead of crude humour, nihilism, psychopathy and sadism. The soundtrack is beautiful, the animation is dazzling and impossible to look away from, and the comedic instances, when they occur, are hilariously unforgettable, EG Pearl's nightmare of Steven's dad vomiting up a slice of pizza in her dream of being with Rose. 'Steven Universe' is quite an odd show and at first I thought it was too juvenile, but it's the type of cartoon that really grows on you, and that both children and adults alike can enjoy, making it also a great selection for parents tired of having to sit through Dora the Explorer and Teletubbies reruns with their kids.
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