Bismuth (Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 20) - 'Toon Reviews 23

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Bismuth

You get a good feeling that this cartoon will be huge when you notice it’s longer than usual.  This proves true, as what we see shakes up this show’s aesthetic. 

For starters, inside of Lion’s mane, there’s been a single bubbled Gem.  Steven accidentally lets it loose, and it turns out to be an original Crystal Gem, Bismuth.  The mere idea of seeing an original Crystal Gem is incredibly welcome, giving a glimpse of what the team's like beyond just Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.  What we get from this newly introduced Gem really lives up to the promise.  From Bismuth’s interactions with the Crystal Gems she knows and those new to her, her status and group devotion is clear.  A bigger example of this is when she learns what became of the other Crystal Gems.  She’s enraged that Homeworld wiped them out, and vows to avenge them upon hearing that Gems from Homeworld keep coming back to Earth. 

In the process, we learn Bismuth’s background as she takes everyone to her forge.  It was where she built towers for Homeworld elites, but Rose Quartz inspired her to make weapons for rebels there.  It shows how prized artifacts like Rose’s famed sword came to be and demonstrates Bismuth’s great talents.  Bismuth is also good for emotional support.  When Steven explains how he’s constantly trying to be like Rose, Bismuth gives the most meaningful advice he needs about how he should be his own Gem. 

Bismuth has a lot of appeal from her established traits, but what makes her truly great is her moral compass.  At one point, Amethyst tells Steven how it’s weird that Garnet and Pearl didn’t know that Bismuth was bubbled in Lion’s mane all along.  In addition, Rose never told Amethyst about Bismuth, suggesting something’s up about her.  These points prove true after Bismuth’s talk with Steven. 

Since Steven can be his own Gem, Bismuth believes he’ll want to use a weapon Rose disapproved of.  Her idea of settling Earth’s conflict with Homeworld is with violence via her own invention, the Breaking Point.  It’s designed to shatter Gems with a single blow which Rose’s sword can’t do, and Bismuth’s original plan was to use it on the Gem leaders, the Diamonds.  Bismuth is well-intended to avenge her friends and planet while believing that only violence can resolve, meaning for all her charm, she’s still deeply misguided.

Now, since shattering a Gem basically means killing a Gem, good-natured Steven is horrified by this idea and understandably doesn't want to succumb to the dire practices of the enemy.  Refusing the Breaking Point like Rose did, Bismuth is enraged that Steven may be just like Rose after all.  As she attacks him aggressively, she calls Steven a liar, believing he’s Rose lying about her “new form” just as she lied to the others about what she did with her.  This battle is investing for how Bismuth speaks from the heart of how hurt she is by Rose’s lies as she fights.  It makes her one of the show’s most emotionally-gripping characters.  

All throughout, Steven tries to settle the matter with pacifism with a good point that no matter should be settled with violence.  This plan doesn't stick though when Steven ends up poofing her with Rose’s sword, by accident yes, but it leaves an impact since he got it out on his own accord. Before Bismuth disappears though, only a promise that he’ll tell the other Gems what happened lets her know that Steven is different from Rose after all.  While this is pretty emotional, it's also fascinating that this is all she needs for relief.  The last scene where everyone decides to put Bismuth with the other bubbled Gems brings a somber tone with the truth of who seemed like a great Gem now known.  Their stance on this decision would change in time though, especially with the fact that Rose’s morals were questionable becoming more apparent from here. 

As a longer cartoon, this is very outstanding and thought-provoking.  Through the usual strong play on emotions and reveals of complexities for characters old and new, it’s a deep, poignant, greatly-staged animated work.

A+

The Ranking

1. Mr. Greg
2. Bismuth
3. Monster Reunion
4. Crack the Whip
5. Gem Hunt
6. Greg the Babysitter
7. Alone at Sea
8. Gem Drill
9. Super Watermelon Island
10. Too Short to Ride
11. Beach City Drift
12. Steven vs Amethyst
13. Barn Mates
14. Hit the Diamond
15. Same Old World
16. Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service
17. Steven Floats
18. Restaurant Wars
19. The New Lars
20. Drop Beat Dad

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode that mostly exists to just introduce Lapis and Peridot's general life together as well as Jasper's origin place, the Beta Kindergarten.

If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

Monster Reunion (Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 14) - 'Toon Reviews 23

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Monster Reunion

At first, it may seem jarring that we go from light-hearted fun cartoons to cartoons all about Gem lore filled with promise for things to come.  However, the way the tone shifts is ingenious and the lore that follows is great expansion on everything we know. 

We start with Steven doing playing with his favorite bear toy, MC Bear-Bear.  Then, his simple gesture of noticing the bear has a tear and kissing it while promising to fix it, magically heals the tear. A big moment of lore that shapes events to come for the season has come from a simple moment fitting for the current stretch of light-hearted cartoons.   In other words, Steven has regained his special healing spit lost way back under the influence of his dad’s lie.  Some could say that this happening now is convenient, but Steven’s powers have always worked when he showed genuine love for people and things in life. Him caring for his toy bringing this power continues the trend. 

Because of the return of his healing powers, Steven convinces the Crystal Gems to have him try to heal the Gems turned into monsters during the Gem War.  The chosen monster is the first one ever seen in the series and the only one so far Steven has some sort of connection with, Centipeetle.  While Steven’s healing spit does help Centipeetle regain her arms and legs, it doesn’t completely work as she still has a monster-like face and can’t talk.  This leads to huge insights on what’s up with the monsters.  It was mentioned before that the monsters used to be humanoid Gems who became “corrupted and broken.”  At the time, it felt like they meant the same thing even though they were different words.  However, the meaning of the description turned out to be purposefully vague so Steven could get a clearer meaning based on his attempt.  Broken Gems are those with a crack on their gemstones such as those he’s previously healed.  Corrupted Gems are much different.  Their minds became damaged by the Diamonds during the Gem War. 

The reveal of the fascinating information continues when Steven decides to take Centipeetle in since his healing worked part of the way.  She doesn’t seem to remember him, but charming interactions get her to realize her bond from Steven humming the jingle of her favorite chips to communicating with crayon drawings. 

Actually, the use of crayons turns out to be a great and unique way to explain heavy Gem history.  Simple stick figures reveal Centipeetle’s background such as how she was a commander with her own army. She also makes for an effective use out of her simple drawings which depict the Gem War.  Crew members getting crossed out represent those killed in battle.  Ripping a drawing of her and her crew represents how she got separated.  Finally, a big white scribble represents the flashing light that corrupted her and many other Gems who were left behind.  The light was seen in full form in an earlier cartoon, but while these are mere crayon drawings, it’s put into context better here.  It’s a move so primitive revealing huge information, yet it still brings an emotional response. 

While you’re taking in the details of the Gem War’s effects, emotions still ride high as the memory causes Centipeetle to turn back into a monster as she tries to find her old crew.  The reverting goes so fast that it’s a mad dash to get to her old ship.  They eventually make it just as Centipeetle completely reverts, so she ultimately remains a monster and forgets her identity. It’s at least heartwarming that she’s reunited with her crew who are also monsters. 

Through a simple moment of leisure, Gem lore is greatly welcomed back to the forefront in this cartoon. Here though, it stands out for the interesting expansions on what’s known, creative ways of showing it, and especially stronger endearment for the monster characters.

A+

The Ranking

1. Mr. Greg
2. Monster Reunion
3. Gem Drill
4. Super Watermelon Island
5. Too Short to Ride
6. Beach City Drift
7. Barn Mates
8. Hit the Diamond
9. Same Old World
10. Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service
11. Steven Floats
12. Restaurant Wars
13. The New Lars
14. Drop Beat Dad

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where another big Gem lore element is set up for expansion in the rest of the season as Steven and Greg take Lapis for a boat ride.

If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 25: Message Received

Message Received

At this point, Peridot’s loyalties are a complete mystery, and after the events of the last cartoon, others are questioning her trust.  She seems to have warmed up to the protagonists, but her mad admiration for the Diamonds is not a welcome sign. 

This ignites betrayal in Steven, who typically believes in the good in others, and he demands to know Peridot’s connection to the Diamonds.  She’s believes they’re perfect and  admits that most of her loyalties are for them.  Given the Diamonds’ attempts to destroy Earth, her statement’s truth begs many questions.  This and Steven’s feelings are first to put Peridot’s moral compass to the test when he takes what she brought back from the moon base, which is a communicator to contact the Diamonds. 

Like the last cartoon, Peridot’s actions and behavior can go either way.  When she’s distressed about being locked away after her and Steven seemingly becoming friends, she could be lying, but her emotions sound genuine.  However, she still makes herself look bad when she breaks free with the robot she built to snatch the communicator, making for a fast-paced scramble for the Crystal Gems to stop her from using it all built on the rage from what looks like her betrayal.  In fact, this moment alone shows that you do NOT want to betray Steven Universe’s trust.  Their attempts fail, but lead to a lot of world-building in the form of the first official look at the Diamonds not counting stylized flashbacks, specifically, Yellow Diamond.

 

From the view of the communicator and various shots of her base on Homeworld, we see that the Diamonds are gargantuan beings that tower over every Gem we’ve seen up to this point.  From Yellow Diamond’s first moments alone, we get the impression that the Diamonds are cold and calculating with certain operations, and use their own Pearls to deal with anyone wanting an audience. 

Now, Yellow Diamond herself is very menacing as she interrogates Peridot on details of her original assignment, the scene itself becoming very intense with eerie music and Yellow Diamond’s authority clashing with Peridot’s reasoning and feeble tone.  This is also where things start working in Peridot’s favor.  When questioned about what happened to her ship, she could easily say the Crystal Gems destroyed it, but doesn’t, proving that she does have loyalty for them after all.  As for the Cluster, Peridot further shows some devotion to Earth when she tells Yellow Diamond, one of its masterminds, that it should be terminated, and Earth can be of good use to her without wiping out the  organic life. 

Then, Yellow Diamond comes off as a heartless tyrant just wanting the planet destroyed, and the more Peridot objects, the more monstrous she becomes as she demands Peridot to leave the Cluster to grow and refuses to listen to “the puny thoughts of a Peridot.”  Future seasons do show deep reasons for Yellow Diamond being bent on destroying Earth showing she’s not totally heartless, but her consistent ambition is fitting for the impression the scene here is meant to paint for her. 

Finally, after being so put down, Peridot snaps, refuses to follow the order, vouches for protection of Earth’s life, and to top it all, calls Yellow Diamond a clod.  This tense conversation makes this cartoon amazing with a small Gem talking to a big threatening Diamond with an appropriate mood all throughout, ending with the little guy coming out on top while her development comes full circle, for her actions officially make Peridot a Crystal Gem.  With all her growing appeal lately, it’s fully welcoming for Peridot to now be one of the good guys. 

Best of all, it took scenes with perfectly reasonable doubt and an awesome confrontation to bring about this change in this memorable powerful work. 10/10

The Ranking

1. The Answer
2. Sworn to the Sword
3. Message Received
4. Keystone Motel
5. When it Rains
6. Too Far
7. Friend Ship
8. Nightmare Hospital
9. Chille Tid
10. Cry for Help
11. Keeping it Together
12. Full Disclosure
13. It Could’ve Been Great
14. Catch and Release
15. Back to the Barn
16. Steven’s Birthday
17. We Need to Talk
18. Reformed
19. Historical Friction
20. Joy Ride
21. Say Uncle
22. Onion Friend
23. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
24. Sadie’s Song
25. Love Letters

For the last review for Steven Universe Season 2, we'll explore exactly how Peridot came to care for Earth's organic life among other things as told by her tape recordings.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews from Hey Arnold, it's "Helga's Show" and "The Flood."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 24: It Could've Been Great

It Could’ve Been Great

We’re back focusing on the Cluster after two cartoons that deviated on unrelated, yet interesting matters.  In the process, there's development to the Crystal Gems’ relationship with Peridot.  They’ve gone from rivals to reluctant allies, but allies nonetheless.  Still, it’s not clear if Peridot is really warming up, or if she’s just putting on a façade to help herself get back to Homeworld, and the events of this cartoon address this ambiguity. 

At the start, they get along fine as they put all the fun they had previously to good use when it helps them complete building the drill. 

It’s set to a happy upbeat song Steven performs that aids in Peridot’s growing understandings towards Earth when she joins in, which is especially great since it’s already pleasing to listen to.  It feels like she is a genuine friend to the main protagonists. 

Then things get interesting when they set off to get the coordinates of the Cluster for the drill to follow from a base on the moon.  The additions of the moon base demonstrate the vastness of this world shown in little moments like Steven being the only one to bounce higher since the Gems, being alien rocks, adjust easily to the gravity, as they can with any planet.  The bigger things, are first discovered when attention is brought to murals along the moon base.  They’re of beings called the Diamonds, the most powerful of all Gems others live to serve, which we’ve already gotten a look at from the sight of the Gems following Blue Diamond back in “The Answer.”  The Diamonds’ menace is felt when Peridot starts going crazy just from murals of them, especially over one of the Diamond she serves, Yellow Diamond, who was only name dropped once before.  This implies that maybe Peridot wasn’t really opening up to the Crystal Gems after all, and her loyalties are all for Homeworld. 

The feelings grow even more after they finally access the coordinates of the Cluster from a file and send them to the drill.  In that same file are plans for Earth as a Gem colony, and Peridot shows what the colony would’ve looked like.  There’s a reveal that the Gem structures on Earth seen throughout the series were part of the original colonization.  The whole colonization features even more structures across the planet, and the planet all hollowed out to allow the creations of even more Gems (Thanks Ronaldo!).  The sight of what could’ve happened to the planet they’re devoted to is frightening for the Crystal Gems, but Peridot is ecstatic, delighting in its benefits for Gems despite it wiping out all organic Earth life if it came to be.  After big objections from the Crystal Gems, Peridot fights back by saying that Earth would’ve been safer without the rebellion against Earth being a colony causing the Diamonds to create the Cluster.  This mere insult raises major tensions between the Crystal Gems and Peridot, which is a sorry sight after it seeming like they were finally on good terms. 

It does make for an interesting conflict though.  Peridot holds onto her claims that the Gem War didn’t resolve any issues, and while Earth’s life is fine and well, since Homeworld Gems keep invading and the planet's been in danger of the Cluster this whole time, maybe her statement is more valid than it sounds.  So when she leaves with a communication device from the moon base, you’re guessing if this is good or bad. It does, however, successfully get you excited for what’s to come regarding that matter.  Along with new, interesting, world-building locations, and nice uses of character, this is a great cartoon to leave you guessing things. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. The Answer
2. Sworn to the Sword
3. Keystone Motel
4. When it Rains
5. Too Far
6. Friend Ship
7. Nightmare Hospital
8. Chille Tid
9. Cry for Help
10. Keeping it Together
11. Full Disclosure
12. It Could’ve Been Great
13. Catch and Release
14. Back to the Barn
15. Steven’s Birthday
16. We Need to Talk
17. Reformed
18. Historical Friction
19. Joy Ride
20. Say Uncle
21. Onion Friend
22. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
23. Sadie’s Song
24. Love Letters

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Peridot's morality is proven once and for all when she contacts Yellow Diamond.

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.