I've watched all 52 episodes of the first season of this show, and i'm finally ready to reveal my thoughts of this beloved show.
Note: I will be spoiling alot of the show, so if you don't want to be spoiled for the first season...leave the review now, go watch all 52 episodes and then come back and read the review.
Everybody good...good. :)
Disclaimer: Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network...Good job guys. 'thumbs up.'
As i've just mentioned, i'm reviewing the first season of Steven Universe and, once the second season is over, i shall review that aswell.
Its a 2D animated show that started in 2013 and is still continuing at the time this review goes up.
So, without further ado, lets jump right into the review, and see if this critically acclaimed show is as good as everybody says it is.
The Story
The show takes place in the ocean surrounded city known as Beach City.
We follow the adventures of the Crystal Gems: Pearl, Anythest and Garnet, along with the young boy: Steven Universe as they protect the city from incoming threats, both on planet and off.
Each episode tells of them going on an adveture, with some episodes connecting together at times. It has epic, funny, emotional and intense moments in every episode you go into and you come out with some impact from it.
In the end, the story is fantastic as we see these characters interact with each other and kick ass to protect both their home and, the planet itself.
The Characters (Note: I'll only be talking about the characters that appear at the beginning of the show.)
Steven (Voiced by Zach Callison) - He's a young boy, who is the son of a human and a gem. He lives with the Crystal Gems and throughout the first season, he learns how to use his abilities, how to deal with mature situations and see new things and new people.
For a main kid character, he is one of the best ones i've seen in years. Steven isn't annoying, but he can be a little dumb at first, not to such a high level as some out there and he does become better as the show goes on and its only for lols and not to annoy.
Steven definetly deserves the role of main character.
Pearl (Voiced by Deedee Magno) - A short-tempered, precise, and intellectual strategist, Pearl is the mental powerhouse of the Gems. She used to work with Rose Quartz with the other gems in the war and was basically a second in command to Rose. She wields a spear as her weapon and fights with shear grace and elegance...like a literal ballerina.
By the end of the season, i honestly felt bad for her, just like the other members of the Crystal Gems, she misses her planet, but she doesn't like her planet anymore after what happened.
In the end, she is a likeable character and it was great to see how her story played out and to see her accept Earth as her new home.
Amythest (Voiced by Michaela Dietz) - The impulsive and passionate "wild child" of the Gems. She wields an energy whip as her weapon, using her shape shifting abilities many times in the show and fights very joyous and carefree both in, and out of battle.
Just like the others, she has a tragic back story. There was a place known as The Kindergarden, many gems were manufactured on Earth by the forces of the Gem Homeworld, against whom the other Crystal Gems were rebelling... Amythest was one of them and thus has a some self-worth issues that make her clash heads with her fellow gems.
At first she was kinda of irritable, but after finding out about what had happened to her in the past, she shifted into becoming a fun character to watch kick ass and have a few laughs along the way.
Garnet (Voiced by Estelle) - A physically imposing, disciplined warrior, Garnet is the current leader of the Crystal Gems (in Rose Quartz's absence). She wields a pair of large red-colored gauntlets in battle and also possesses the ability of future vision to see outcomes of future events. She is by far the strongest gem in the team and is very caring to Steven, but is still serious when the time calls for it.
By the end of the season, we don't really know much about her backstory and what happened before the war, but we do know that, unlike Pearl and Amythest, she is actually the fusion of two other gems: Ruby and Sapphire, who are madly in love and will search out for the other if they get seperated...so yeah, there love for each other is so great, that they can remain in fusion for basically ever with no trouble. Damn!
In the end, she is my favourite character in the show so far, being both cool and calm* in battle and out of it, Garnet deserves both the title of the Crystal Gem's leader and my favourite gem.
Greg (Voiced by Tom Scharpling) - The father of Steven and the husband of Rose Quartz, Gregory is a unique character with being friends with the Crystal Gems, but only rarely joins them for missions and sticks to the side to motivate his son and the gems.
He was formerly a one-man rock band with a short-lived music career before the show began and now currently lives in his van and runs a car wash. He also has a fair amount of technical skill with audio equipment as shown in the episode: The Message.
Not much else to say, he's just a great father figure and is alot of fun to both watch and listen to his stories of the past, filled with love and rock 'n' roll.
Connie (Voiced by Grace Rolek) - A girl around Steven's age. She is usually seen with a book in hand and appears to be intelligent, yet introverted and lonely. She moves frequently so she is unable to build lasting friendships and is also Steven's friend and love interest.
Connie is a brilliant female character, aswell as one of the best showings of a love interest in kids shows i ever seen. In the end, she's a lovely character, that i hope will become even better throughout season 2.
The Side Characters (A quick mention)
The City Folk - The citizens of Beach City are all very likeable and well written, making the city feel alot more alive in the episodes where we get to see their lives, jobs and relationships with other characters.
My favourite character in that area would have to be Lars, for his development throughout the first season. My least liked is definetly Onion, for his annoyances in some of the episodes when he causes trouble.
The Other Gems - Throughout the show, we meet new gems from the homeworld that cause trouble for the Crystal Gems and the planet itself. There very well written and animated.
My favourite of the new gems is between Ruby and Sapphire, and Lapis Lazuli for being being interesting and relatible characters in their own right. My least favourite gem is Jasper, simply for the things this gem does to our heroes, what a basterd.
The Good
*The characters in this season, even the side characters, are interesting and very well written. Also, the voice acting is beautifully done and fits the characters perfectly.
*The animation of this show is fantastic to look at and very colourful...enough said!
*Its one of the most creative shows i've ever seen with lots of fun ideas played out brilliantly.
*Theres a lot in this show for both kids, and adults too, to keep people entertained and have you coming back to see what you missed in the future.
*The music is some of the catchiest i've ever heard in my life, both acoustic and lyrical tunes throughout the season that suit the moments there given to beautifully.
The Bad...?
Okay everyone, i'm gonna be honest with you for just a moment. I've scanned the ENTIRE show, for any big problems, not nitpicks, i could find throughout the first season's running time, but nope, not a single problem was found.
So yeah, all the people who kept telling me that this is one of the best shows out there now, if your reading this...you win.
Final Verdict
The first season of Steven Universe is such a fantastic start to the show, introducing us to such a beloved cast of characters and stories, laughs and tears.
I give this little masterpiece: A 10/10.
Thanks for reading the review, i hope you enjoyed.
Also, just to let you all know, once the second season is concluded and i've watched every episode of it, i shall review that too.
Thanks reader and i'll see you, and everybody else who reads this, next time.
BYE! BYE!