Fangirl Moment: Steven Universe

TGIF! Here we are again with another Fangirl Friday! This week I’m covering an American cartoon series, Steven Universe. I absolutely adored this series from the first episode and every episode since then reminds me just how awesome of a series this is! If you haven’t heard about Steven Universe, you are missing out! This show has it all, and it is refreshingly progressive for a children’s show covering a wide range of topics such as; grief, same sex relationships, and death to name a few.

The show was created by Rebecca Sugar, the former storyboard artist another Cartoon Network animated series, Adventure Time. She was also the storyboard artist 2012 computer animated feature film, Hotel Transylvania. On top of all of that she also produces the songs for the  show…which are awesome!!!

Steven Universe, follows a young boy who lives out his days in the fictional town of Beach City with his father and three alien warriors called the Crystal Gems. At the beginning of the show there were only four Gems; Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and the deceased leader Rose Quartz. These warriors are immortal beings that use their core gemstones to project humanoid forms and protect the Earth from various threats.

The Crystal Gems are rebels warriors from an alien race that have defended the Earth from destruction by their home word, thousands of years ago. After many casualties on both sides, the Gems were victorious, but because of their transgressions they could no longer go home, instead making Earth their new home. They lived apart from humans, protecting them from different threats from the shadows.

This all changed when Rose Quartz met Greg Universe, eventually falling in love with him and conceiving a child.  Upon her death the Gems raised Steven as their own while teaching him ancient Gem secrets. The series usually follows the day to day lives of the Gems and Steven as he learns to control his Gem powers. However, this has changed in the later episodes as Steven and the Gems have had to defend the Earth against some interstellar opposition.

So why I like the series… Well despite dealing with some heavy topics the show still manages to stay upbeat and hopeful, much like Steven. The overall mood of the show really centers around Steven and his beliefs and feeling, so no matter how dark things get it still manages to stay uplifting. Then there are the Gems, each one has their own quirks and personalities.

Pearl is the elegant mother hen, always graceful and poised. Then there’s Amethyst the messy, outrageous gem, she and Steven act like siblings despite her being thousands of years old. Garnet (my favorite) is the stoic leader of the group, she’s both brains and brawn. Then there’s the mysterious Rose Quartz, former leader of the rebellion, who even in death holds the respect of all who knew her. We only really learn about her through flashbacks and offhand remarks, as most of the characters are still grieving her death.

While the show has many mystical aspects, alot of the focus is on Steven’s attempts to balance his human and Gem heritage. Be it him learning to use his powers for the first time or him interacting with the various human residents of Beach City, Steven is the link between the Gems and the human world. At the end of the day this is a bit of a coming of age story that just happens to have a little magic thrown into the mix. I feel like there is so much I’m leaving out, but I could go on forever about this show, but for now…. I highly recommend this show, it has it all; romance, comedy, slice of life, Sci-Fi, music, drama, suspense, and so much more! If you haven already I suggest watching it, you won’t be disappointed! 

So what do you think? Have you seen this show? What do you think about it? I know I left out fusions, but that’s a whole post in and of itself! Who’s your favorite Gem? Favorite Beach City resident? Favorite song from the show? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts! I love this show and I look forward to hearing from fellow fans both old and new!