'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 12

Giant Woman

Now, this is a cartoon that introduces us to an interesting part of Gem culture, fusion.  Fusion is when two or more Gems combine their physical and mental attributes through a dance and fuse into a larger stronger Gem.  Over the course of this show, several Gem fusions have brought about appealingly designed characters with interesting abilities, showcasing how much the people behind the series know how to mine the animation medium for creativity.  In this cartoon that starts the whole business on fusion, Steven learns that Pearl and Amethyst fused together makes an entirely new being called Opal.  He’s so intrigued by the idea of them fusing together that when they’re all assigned a mission to retrieve an important beetle from a floating structure called the Sky Spire, he sees it as a perfect opportunity for Opal’s creation.  At times, he can get a bit overbearing with his questions about fusion and constantly insisting that Pearl and Amethyst fuse even when it isn’t necessary for that, but the point of him wanting to witness fusion does appropriately build anticipation for the moment of potential creativity to happen which makes it work.  It even comes with a song with an everlasting melody playing in the head.  Regarding Pearl and Amethyst, at this point in the show, it’s been a common trend for them to get into arguments based around their different personalities with Pearl getting annoyed by Amethyst’s erratic and reckless ways and Amethyst getting annoyed by Pearl’s attention to all precise details.  All those fights connect to this cartoon’s conflict where they not only can’t get along during the mission, but are also unable to perform the dance needed to form Opal.  It makes their animosity a relatable challenge to get through, and they do in a pretty believable manner.  It relates to their shared love for Steven after he’s eaten by a giant bird and finds the special beetle in its stomach.  When he’s in trouble, that’s when they successfully work together and form Opal.  As a fusion, Opal gets the idea of it down perfectly with her appearance borrowing from both Pearl and Amethyst and her bow and arrow weapon being made from Pearl’s spear and Amethyst’s whip.  She also proves to be a great fighter in how she swiftly moves along the Sky Spire and takes out the bird and all the Gem shards that make it up making all of Steven’s questions and desires to see fusion completely worth it.  The anticipation even continues to the end when we get a tease that Steven himself can do fusion, but that’s a topic for another post.  For this cartoon though, it’s a great introduction to a creative addition to the show’s lore with great dynamics, development, and moments from the characters involved. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Bubble Buddies
2. Laser Light Cannon
3. Giant Woman
4. Steven’s Lion
5. Gem Glow
6. Cheeseburger Backpack
7. Serious Steven
8. Cat Fingers
9. Tiger Millionaire
10. Together Breakfast
11. Frybo
12. Arcade Mania

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the show starts mastering its sense of emotion with "So Many Birthdays."

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