'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 30

Island Adventure

Once again, we have a cartoon about Lars and Sadie’s troubled relationship.  Like in “Joking Victim,” we’re shown that they’re both constantly at odds with each other, yet still feel the need to be with each other which is especially problematic for Sadie.  Yes, Lars can do good things, but they hardly mean anything because he’s bad to her most of the time though this story does show a possible reason for Lars’ behavior.  Steven notices Lars and Sadie’s tension and decides to take them on a vacation to a magical island called Mask Island by working the warp pad all by himself for the first time.  Then the warp pad, their only way off the island, goes missing, and the three of them have to live with each other until help arrives.  Lars and Sadie actually seem to work well together while stuck on the island which includes them unlocking certain talents within them, mainly Sadie’s hunting strengths and Lars’ talent for cooking, which is especially relevant in the most recent seasons.  We even get more moments of bonding during a montage of their time on an island set to a song Steven plays that matches the beauty of the serene island, “Be Wherever You Are” which I could hum in any natural spot like an island.  Even so, Lars is constantly worrying about getting off the island and is frantic that he can’t get a phone signal for help making him vulnerable and sympathetic.  His fears lead to Sadie comforting him and he admits that he feels alone, even around people, which presents a reason for his jerkiness and it makes sense regarding his judgmental attitude around others in his previous roles.  The power of this moment is especially clear when it leads to him and Sadie making out.  It honestly feels that this relationship is worth getting behind after all.  Sadly, it becomes problematic again when an invisible Gem monster attacks the trio causing Sadie to reveal that she stranded them all on the island by hiding the warp pad.  She explains that she did it to help Lars get what he needed from the vacation, but there’s a lot of messed up implications with this reveal.  She kept innocent bystanders trapped on an island against their will and ignored Lars real desire to go home for her own selfishness and their kiss only made her bad moves work.  That’s a bad sign if a couple feels they need to change the other person involved instead of letting the good inside him/her grow in time.  At least the reveal leads to Sadie saving everyone by defeating the Gem monster with her new hunting skills, so I guess that makes her actions less bad than they could’ve been.  Still, even with the support of Lars and Sadie’s majorly unhealthy relationship, this is a nice little cartoon with good atmosphere, a moving song, and character-building moments. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Ocean Gem
2. Coach Steven
3. Mirror Gem
4. An Indirect Kiss
5. Space Race
6. So Many Birthdays
7. Steven the Sword Fighter
8. Lion 2: The Movie
9. Bubble Buddies
10. Monster Buddies
11. Laser Light Cannon
12. Giant Woman
13. Lars and the Cool Kids
14. Steven’s Lion
15. Gem Glow
16. Steven and the Stevens
17. Island Adventure
18. Rose’s Room
19. Cheeseburger Backpack
20. Secret Team
21. House Guest
22. Serious Steven
23. Joking Victim
24. Beach Party
25. Cat Fingers
26. Tiger Millionaire
27. Together Breakfast
28. Frybo
29. Onion Trade
30. Arcade Mania

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where we finally get a starring role for what many call their least-liked member in the cast.  If you want to guess who the character is, here's a hint: he's got a blog called "Keep Beach City Weird."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 23

Monster Buddies

So far this season, in spite of usually finding a way to aid the Crystal Gems in taking out threats to humanity, Steven hasn’t really seemed all that professional at the task.  Here though, he takes on taming a monster in the most competent manner so far, and it’s impressive to see it happen this early in the series.  It all goes down when a dangerous Gem-hunting mission prompts the Crystal Gems to send Steven back to the temple via a bubble.  What follows is a rare and interesting look at what it’s like for bubbled Gems to get sent to the temple after they’re contained.  Anyway, through getting out, Steven accidentally pops one of the many bubbles containing Gems.  In fact it’s Centipeetle, the Gem monster from the premiere cartoon.  This is where the story and Steven’s character moments start strengthening.  Through being nice and friendly, Steven gets Centipeetle to calm down and she never tries to hurt him, and despite the Crystal Gems’ hesitation, he believes he can train her to move past her monstrous ways.  It’s easy to buy Steven as a mature and capable member of the team considering that his method of being friendly with Centipeetle really did work from the start, and it continues to work in other places.  He gets Centipeetle to behave by offering her chips, and even comes up with a way to make good use out of her tendency to spit toxic slime everywhere after an encounter with seagulls.  The latter point is especially shown when he has her do it during a mission in an ice cave.  It’s just great to see Steven actually have a good handle on training such a destructive monster.  It’s a real sign of him actually growing as a valuable member of the team after acting like such a goofball for so many cartoons.  However, just as everyone finds the Gem they need to contain, Centipeetle somehow goes on a monstrous rage again which causes a cave-in.  It really is a major headscratcher of why she’d go savage at that very moment after all that bonding with Steven, but it is nice that at Steven’s urging, she remembers such a bond.  It all leads to a pretty sad end for Centipeetle when immediately after this, she’s struck by a falling rock while saving Steven which makes her poof back to her gem.  It’s especially depressing for something like this to happen to her after all that, but at the same time, it’s refreshing to see how much help Steven was to her, making his efforts stand out as a genuine growth in his character. He's even the one who contains her through bubbling a Gem for the very first time, which he continues to do for the rest of the show.  It goes to show how strong this cartoon is for how it allows a lot of development for Steven, a strong friendship at it center, and a well-crafted play on one’s emotions. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Coach Steven
2. So Many Birthdays
3. Steven the Sword Fighter
4. Lion 2: The Movie
5. Bubble Buddies
6. Monster Buddies
7. Laser Light Cannon
8. Giant Woman
9. Lars and the Cool Kids
10. Steven’s Lion
11. Gem Glow
12. Steven and the Stevens
13. Rose’s Room
14. Cheeseburger Backpack
15. Serious Steven
16. Joking Victim
17. Beach Party
18. Cat Fingers
19. Tiger Millionaire
20. Together Breakfast
21. Frybo
22. Onion Trade
23. Arcade Mania
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tells Connie about his latest adventure and gives her "An Indirect Kiss" in the process."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 7

Bubble Buddies

While most of the side characters aren’t really as interesting as the main ones, there are those who stick out as some of the best in the cast such as Steven’s dad, Greg.  This cartoon introduces another side character who’s worth calling one of the best, and her name is Connie.  Steven’s first interaction with her is a very cute and well-written adventure that lets us know what we’re in for with this relationship, and it blooms naturally in a relatable manner.  When he first notices her, he clearly wants to introduce himself to her, but is too shy to do so.  Then, when he tries again, circumstances convince him to act quickly, leading him to save Connie from a falling rock.  This moment also gives us our first look at one of Steven’s most prominent powers, a magical pink bubble that shields himself and anyone around him from harm, and as is usual for first time skills, he doesn’t know how to properly work it including making the bubble go away.  Adding to this situation is the fact that Steven told the Crystal Gems to stay out of his way while he talked to Connie, meaning that they’re both on their own in finding a way out of the bubble.  Through many wacky schemes Steven arranges to burst the bubble, he and Connie slowly establish a strong bond through their conversations about themselves, Connie showing off her impressive knowledge on certain subjects, and her also serving as a foil to Steven by pointing out the flaws in his ideas.  Their small moments lead up to a big moment where their attempts to pop the bubble send them to the bottom of the ocean.  When Connie laments how Steven doesn’t know what he’s doing and that she’ll disappear without making a single friend, Steven steps in with a moment of genuine caring.  He grants her his friendship and even gives her a bracelet which she dropped and he saved for almost a year (which you can see if you look closely at the shot of his freezer in "Gem Glow").  This works in cheering up Connie who accepts the offer to be Steven’s friend, and this moment is so heartwarming that it’s enough to pop the bubble.  This mutual respect is even put to good use when they both take out a giant worm monster before the Crystal Gems have a chance to come in and help.  This is especially great because all moments between Steven and Connie here, and in many cartoons to come, show they make for a great relationship together.  They’re great at working as a team, they know what to say when they’re in distress, and they basically bring out the best in each other.  The fact that this is the introduction to a great relationship grants it the status of the show’s first of many top-tier cartoons and one that’s sure not to mess with one’s funky flow.  10/10

The Ranking

1. Bubble Buddies
2. Laser Light Cannon
3. Gem Glow
4. Cheeseburger Backpack
5. Cat Fingers
6. Together Breakfast
7. Frybo

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tries to be serious on his first Gem mission with questionable results in "Serious Steven.

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.