Steven Universe | Teen Ink

Steven Universe

February 19, 2016
By BroadwayTheCat BRONZE, Of Thieves, Illinois
BroadwayTheCat BRONZE, Of Thieves, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Existential nihilism is basically an excuse to do whatever the heck you please"


Anybody familiar with Steven Universe is familiar with the terms PC(politically correct) and SJW(social justice warrior). Why, you ask? Because Steven Universe is a show that most, if not all, of the PC and SJWs approve of and are fans of this Cartoon Network hit.

So, what is Steven Universe about? That begs the question- Steven Universe is about a boy named, you guessed it, Steven Universe, and his exploits with his alien "family", the Crystal Gems. Steven, being a gem-human hybrid himself, tags along on the adventures, doing everything from defeating gem-inspired monsters to dealing with family issues back home.

Why is Steven Universe revered in the PC culture? Because it includes a wide variety of characters in a wide variety of, well, variety. In cartoons back then, the cast would average caucasian children plus a token black guy. The Steven Universe cast, both main and secondary, consists of characters of various body types, races, ethnicities, and as one would argue, genders.

 Like I mentioned before, this show deals with family issues. Steven Universe uses "Gem fusion" as an allegory for sex, basing episodes and even entire story lines on the topic and, as others would agree, handles the touchy themes of subjects such as rape and the intense trust that comes with a sexual relationship(in this show's case, Gem fusion). Kids can enjoy these characters interact and fall in love with each other, while older viewers can enjoy the, actually pretty poorly sex metaphors.

Aside from all that, Steven Universe features great sound- beautiful background music, fun musical numbers reminiscent of Disney movies(lyrics written by none other than the creator of the show, Rebecca Sugar), and Gem Fusions voiced by singers, such as Nicki Minaj and Estelle. The show's color palette screams pastel, and is easy on the eyes.

Like any good show, Steven Universe also has some downsides- Steven's voice sounds scratchy, as if he's going through puberty, and even though Steven is at that puberty age, other cartoons have pulled off the "tween boy with unstable voice" thing better- like Dipper Pines of Gravity Falls.

Plus, the show's intense emotional moments are just that- intense emotional moments, like soap operas have.  Despite the melancholy, Steven Universe's characters have great personalities that shine, from machiavellanists to self loathing funballs full of energy and life.

 

In all, Steven Universe is a fun, mostly family friendly adventure that people of all ages can enjoy, whether they believe in PC or not.


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This article has 1 comment.


Foxtail4379 said...
on Nov. 7 2019 at 8:28 am
Foxtail4379, A City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Bruh .