Post by signsofrain on May 27, 2014 10:13:54 GMT -5
Let me start by saying that these reviews will be biased. Steven Universe has aired 19 episodes of its first season and I've been watching with avid interest. Therefore, as I work my way through each episode don't be surprised if I tend to be forgiving of the show's flaws and generous with my praise. Steven, the Crytal Gems and all the occupants of Beach City occupy a soft spot in my heart (not Frybo though, he's creepy), and if I do my job right, they'll occupy a place in yours by the time we're through. So, without further dithering, let's dive in!
Episode 1 - Gem Glow
The first two eleven minute episodes of Steven Universe are a deft introduction to the world of this unique show. The two episodes complement each other, showing us in turn how show creator Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the creative team at Cartoon Network Studios are going to treat us to adventure and fun as well as explore family relationships and even love and loss. The titular character Steven is a happy, chubby boy, living in a cliffside beach house (all the backdrops lovingly rendered by series artist Steven Sugar) with an adopted family of sorts, the Crystal Gems. The Gems are immortal superheroes from another world who care for Steven and try to teach him how to harness the powers of the gem nestled in his belly.
Our first episode opens on our hero Steven engaging in some unheroic behavior, namely moping around the donut shop despairing over the discontinuation of his favourite ice cream treat, the Cookie Cat. Steven's spirits are lifted when Sadie the store clerk gives him the empty cookie cat freezer to take home, which is where we get our first look at the crystal gems.
Garnet: The stoic leader. Of few words and when she does speak it's blunt. Weilds indestructible Gem Gauntlets. Seems to know things the others don't.
Pearl: The lithe, graceful spear and swordfighter generally acts motherlike towards Steven and tries to help him better himself as a gem. She's also something of a worrier and acts as the group's conscience.
Amethyst: Her weapon is a multi-tailed whip. Her Gem power is shape changing and her personality is boisterous big sister type. She also seems to be the Gem who's embraced the human world the most, being the only one shown eating and being the one most frequently shown hanging out with Steven.
Our first episode introduces us to Steven and the Gems, establishes they fight evil as a matter of course, (when Steven gets home with the Cookie Cat freezer and is immediately attacked by cyclopean insect creatures, he shows no particular concern after the Gems come to his aid) and doesn't explain Steven's strange family situation at all. Why is a little boy living with otherworldly monster-fighters in a beach house? Where are his parents? We're given not a hint at this over the course of a straight-up monster of the week type of epsiode.
The gems, having killed the insectoids (Pearl calls them centipeedles), realize something else is going on. "These things don't have gems" says Amethyst, "That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby" Garnet replies.
Cleaning up after the monsters' rampage, Steven realizes that the Gems have bought up all the remaining Cookie Cats in town for him. His pure pleasure and satisfaction when he bites into one cause his gem to glow. This excites Steven and the Gems, and they encourage him to summon his weapon. When Steven feels the pressure to perform, the gem glow fades.
The next sequence exemplifies many of the admirable qualities of the show. Each of the Gems tries to teach Steven how to summon his weapon. Each scene has its own backdrop, score, and quippy dialog. Pearl, in a lovingly animated and beautifully scored scene, tries to teach Steven to perform 'his own dance' like the falling petals of a tree in bloom (backdrop: Tree on a hilltop). Amethyst preaches not even trying. "Whenever I NEED to summon my weapon, it just happens!" (Backdrop: Next to the dumpster by the donut shop, which Amethyst promptly destroys as a demonstration) and Garnet tells him to "Channel the collective power of the universe through your gem!" (backdrop: atop the Gems' cliff) Steven has his own ideas as well and tries to recreate the glow by arranging the Gems in the kitchen identically to the last time. It doesn't work immediately, but when the glow is again triggered by biting into a Cookie Cat, Steven's belly-gem projects an energy shield, not unlike Captain America's. When Steven shouts his glee the shield goes ricocheting around the room, coming to rest embedded in a television set.
Cut to the mother-monster (like the previous insects only the size of a house) attacking. Observant viewers will notice Steven's shield wink out the second he's seen to be nervous. In battle, the Gems get pinned down behind a stone on the beach while the monster attacks with acid spit, and Steven rushes in to save the day. Failing to produce another glow by gobbling Cookie Cats, Steven improvises by swinging the freezer (still plugged in via extension cords) into the monster, electrocuting it and giving the gems a chance to regroup, attack and finish the beast.
So Steven is a hero, even if he can't yet control his gem powers, and we've had an adventure, seen some lovely animation, heard a rap about a spacefaring cat (Cookie Cat! He left his family behind!) and now we're left with some questions... why are the gems here on earth? What's with the statue in the cliff? Where are Steven's parents? At least one of these is answered in Episode 2, where I hope you will join me in a week or so.
Stray observations
I love how Pearl casually breaks a centipeedle's neck while calmly telling Steven he can't go on missions yet
The soundscaping on this show is luscious. Every scene pulses to a jazzy beat, whether it's smooth piano or dubsteppy 8-bit jams the action onscreen directly informs the music's mood and tempo. Fans of game music will find nods to classic games mixed into these intruiging synth solos, and music fans of all stripes will appreciate the soundtrack's creativity and style.
HE LEFT HIS FAMILY BEHIND!
Notes
This is the first review I've ever written, so it's probably rough. It was a lot harder to write this than I imagined it would be! I hope future reviews will explore more ideas and maybe be a bit longer! It's a challenge I'm happy to have, however, and I hope we can have some great conversations about this under-appreciated show. I'd love to be able to explore your ideas as part of the ongoing review process, so post away! Thanks very much for reading.
Episode 1 - Gem Glow
The first two eleven minute episodes of Steven Universe are a deft introduction to the world of this unique show. The two episodes complement each other, showing us in turn how show creator Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the creative team at Cartoon Network Studios are going to treat us to adventure and fun as well as explore family relationships and even love and loss. The titular character Steven is a happy, chubby boy, living in a cliffside beach house (all the backdrops lovingly rendered by series artist Steven Sugar) with an adopted family of sorts, the Crystal Gems. The Gems are immortal superheroes from another world who care for Steven and try to teach him how to harness the powers of the gem nestled in his belly.
I'll get more into the series' superior art and music in later reviews
Our first episode opens on our hero Steven engaging in some unheroic behavior, namely moping around the donut shop despairing over the discontinuation of his favourite ice cream treat, the Cookie Cat. Steven's spirits are lifted when Sadie the store clerk gives him the empty cookie cat freezer to take home, which is where we get our first look at the crystal gems.
Garnet: The stoic leader. Of few words and when she does speak it's blunt. Weilds indestructible Gem Gauntlets. Seems to know things the others don't.
Pearl: The lithe, graceful spear and swordfighter generally acts motherlike towards Steven and tries to help him better himself as a gem. She's also something of a worrier and acts as the group's conscience.
Amethyst: Her weapon is a multi-tailed whip. Her Gem power is shape changing and her personality is boisterous big sister type. She also seems to be the Gem who's embraced the human world the most, being the only one shown eating and being the one most frequently shown hanging out with Steven.
Our first episode introduces us to Steven and the Gems, establishes they fight evil as a matter of course, (when Steven gets home with the Cookie Cat freezer and is immediately attacked by cyclopean insect creatures, he shows no particular concern after the Gems come to his aid) and doesn't explain Steven's strange family situation at all. Why is a little boy living with otherworldly monster-fighters in a beach house? Where are his parents? We're given not a hint at this over the course of a straight-up monster of the week type of epsiode.
The gems, having killed the insectoids (Pearl calls them centipeedles), realize something else is going on. "These things don't have gems" says Amethyst, "That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby" Garnet replies.
Cleaning up after the monsters' rampage, Steven realizes that the Gems have bought up all the remaining Cookie Cats in town for him. His pure pleasure and satisfaction when he bites into one cause his gem to glow. This excites Steven and the Gems, and they encourage him to summon his weapon. When Steven feels the pressure to perform, the gem glow fades.
The next sequence exemplifies many of the admirable qualities of the show. Each of the Gems tries to teach Steven how to summon his weapon. Each scene has its own backdrop, score, and quippy dialog. Pearl, in a lovingly animated and beautifully scored scene, tries to teach Steven to perform 'his own dance' like the falling petals of a tree in bloom (backdrop: Tree on a hilltop). Amethyst preaches not even trying. "Whenever I NEED to summon my weapon, it just happens!" (Backdrop: Next to the dumpster by the donut shop, which Amethyst promptly destroys as a demonstration) and Garnet tells him to "Channel the collective power of the universe through your gem!" (backdrop: atop the Gems' cliff) Steven has his own ideas as well and tries to recreate the glow by arranging the Gems in the kitchen identically to the last time. It doesn't work immediately, but when the glow is again triggered by biting into a Cookie Cat, Steven's belly-gem projects an energy shield, not unlike Captain America's. When Steven shouts his glee the shield goes ricocheting around the room, coming to rest embedded in a television set.
Cut to the mother-monster (like the previous insects only the size of a house) attacking. Observant viewers will notice Steven's shield wink out the second he's seen to be nervous. In battle, the Gems get pinned down behind a stone on the beach while the monster attacks with acid spit, and Steven rushes in to save the day. Failing to produce another glow by gobbling Cookie Cats, Steven improvises by swinging the freezer (still plugged in via extension cords) into the monster, electrocuting it and giving the gems a chance to regroup, attack and finish the beast.
So Steven is a hero, even if he can't yet control his gem powers, and we've had an adventure, seen some lovely animation, heard a rap about a spacefaring cat (Cookie Cat! He left his family behind!) and now we're left with some questions... why are the gems here on earth? What's with the statue in the cliff? Where are Steven's parents? At least one of these is answered in Episode 2, where I hope you will join me in a week or so.
Stray observations
I love how Pearl casually breaks a centipeedle's neck while calmly telling Steven he can't go on missions yet
The soundscaping on this show is luscious. Every scene pulses to a jazzy beat, whether it's smooth piano or dubsteppy 8-bit jams the action onscreen directly informs the music's mood and tempo. Fans of game music will find nods to classic games mixed into these intruiging synth solos, and music fans of all stripes will appreciate the soundtrack's creativity and style.
HE LEFT HIS FAMILY BEHIND!
Notes
This is the first review I've ever written, so it's probably rough. It was a lot harder to write this than I imagined it would be! I hope future reviews will explore more ideas and maybe be a bit longer! It's a challenge I'm happy to have, however, and I hope we can have some great conversations about this under-appreciated show. I'd love to be able to explore your ideas as part of the ongoing review process, so post away! Thanks very much for reading.
