'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 41

Horror Club

Plots that involve haunted houses and supernatural occurrences typically promise a lot of creativity and intensity, and this one is no exception.  It even offers some interesting info on two of Beach City’s most unlikable residents.  All this is starts of in a simple, manner with Steven, Lars, and Sadie going to a monster movie party hosted by Ronaldo.  We all know how in-your-face and unhealthy Ronaldo can be with his hobby of supernatural conspiracy theories, but here, since for the most part he’s confining his interests to a party related to the subject, this cartoon is one of his better appearances.  His interests even help him to bond with Sadie in a few scenes throughout the cartoon.  Then the story is ready shows off the supernatural elements to build up the creativity and intensity of the dark setting.  They include things around the lighthouse the party’s taking place in flying around, an army of scarecrows blocking the entrance, and most interesting of all, part of the basement wall with Lars’ name carved into it pumping like a heart.  Speaking of Lars, it should be noted that he and Ronaldo are constantly at odds with each other here.  Lars is quick to berate Ronaldo for being weird as the group inspects the supernatural events, and Ronaldo actually blames Lars for everything and even wants to sacrifice him to whoever’s haunting the house at one point, meaning that he’s not totally alien from his unhealthy ways here.  Ultimately, everything comes together when it’s discovered that the strange things that happened came from a Gem that was trapped in the lighthouse walls and using it for a body.  The Gem also reveals its reasons for attacking by showing that Lars hurt it with the carving he made when he was younger.  We also see what his relationship with Ronaldo was like.  They used to be best friends who had their own club, but they were driven apart when their separate feelings clashed when Lars’ carving caused the Gem to fight back by hitting him with a board. Ronaldo took a picture of it wanting to share this “paranormal discovery” with the world while Lars ripped it up to avoid humiliation.  It’s hard to say if both sides are worth getting behind since neither are shown to have an understanding for each other’s feelings when they lashed out at each other and the photo doesn’t seem like anything Ronaldo should’ve gushed over in the first place.  At least both Lars and Ronaldo show some understanding in the present, even if they are just throwaway lines near the end.  We’ve yet to see more of Lars and Ronaldo’s relationship after this, but maybe someday it will get some closure.  Still, the fact that they both have some likability and all the creative supernatural stuff and elements of Gem lore make this cartoon solid horror-related entertainment. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Ocean Gem
2. Lion 3: Straight to Video
3. Alone Together
4. Coach Steven
5. On the Run
6. Mirror Gem
7. An Indirect Kiss
8. Space Race
9. So Many Birthdays
10. Steven the Sword Fighter
11. Lion 2: The Movie
12. Bubble Buddies
13. Monster Buddies
14. Laser Light Cannon
15. Giant Woman
16. Lars and the Cool Kids
17. The Test
18. Steven’s Lion
19. Horror Club
20. Watermelon Steven
21. Gem Glow
22. Steven and the Stevens
23. Warp Tour
24. Island Adventure
25. Rose’s Room
26. Cheeseburger Backpack
27. Future Vision
28. Secret Team
29. House Guest
30. Serious Steven
31. Joking Victim
32. Beach Party
33. Cat Fingers
34. Tiger Millionaire
35. Together Breakfast
36. Fusion Cuisine
37. Frybo
38. Onion Trade
39. Arcade Mania
40. Garnet’s Universe
41. Keep Beach City Weird
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which presents the ever lovable Steven and Connie dynamic in a winter setting in "Winter Forecast."

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 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 21

Joking Victim

The Big Donut teens, Lars and Sadie, are an interesting pairing to talk about.  That’s not to say that they make the best one though.  It’s already established that Lars, despite having his moments, is a major unfriendly jerk.  As for Sadie, she’s an average teen girl who puts herself up with Lar’s jerky and occasionally slacking ways, yet as this cartoon shows, she somehow feels the need to be there for him.  It all unfolds when Steven rushes into The Big Donut for something to drink after Amethyst pranks him into eating burning hot fire salt.  He makes a mess in the process, and when Lars slips on it, he claims his back is broken and gets off of work.  Much time is spent on charming moments of Sadie having Steven work in Lars’ place, consisting of pleasant interactions from Steven and Sadie as she teaches him what to do, and Steven referring to an informative music video about The Big Donut as he works.  For how problematic Steven’s childish ways have been so far this season, there’s an undeniable likability to them as they show his dedication to the good things in his life, keeping me watching his antics.  Then when Steven gets the idea of firing Lars so he can keep the job he loves, Sadie’s reasons she puts up with Lars are revealed.  She believes he’s actually a good person because of one time where he treated her to a nice intimate night at his house where he let her be his “player 2” after she bought a video game for him which may be mean more than one may think.  The thing is, even if Lars was nice that one time, he’s still a total jerk most of the time, and Sadie knows it.  From her story, she seems to like him a little too much which really isn’t healthy given that she’s choosing to think nothing of Lars’ jerky side.  By the way, it’s really demonstrated when, to the surprise of no one watching, it turns out Lars was faking being injured so he could loaf about at home and hang with the Cool Kids, which includes another girl.  So hurt by his betrayal, Sadie fights back by using Steven’s fire salt to make a really hot donut for Lars.  His reaction to getting majorly burned is fun to watch, as is the havoc he causes as he runs through Beach City setting fire everywhere while Sadie and Steven maturely know they went too far and try to help Lars instead of watching him suffer.  Basically, this climax is very exciting.  Then when Lars is finally saved from the donut, even after Sadie shows how hurt by Lars faking his injuries and to an extent cheating on her, Lars actually has a genuine good moment, offering to help clean up the mess.  Sadie responds to Lars’ offer with kindness, but you really have to wonder if it’s ok that she’s forgiving him this easily.  It’s not exactly convincing that he won’t act like a jerk again in his next major appearance (which he does just so you know).  Well, despite the negative implications of Lars and Sadie’s relationship, there’s plenty of fun moments and the appealing side of Steven’s persona at the center to make it enjoyable for what it is. 8/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring the musical stylings of "Steven and the Stevens."

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 14

Lars and the Cool Kids

This is yet another cartoon focusing on the residents of Beach City, but it’s still a great one.  Now, small scenes in prior cartoons had Steven hang out at The Big Donut where he would frequently interact with the two teens who run it.  One of them is Lars who acts selfish and constantly gives edgy remarks.  While some may not like him, I’m personally fine with this character since his jerky moments don't last long enough to detract from any strong points present, and there are times where he shows that he does have good inside him, such as in this cartoon.  Steven notices Lars wanting to impress a group of teenagers called the Cool Kids consisting of Sour Cream, an aspiring DJ, Jenny Pizza, one of the daughters of the owner of Fish Stew Pizza, and Buck Dewey, son of the mayor of Beach City, Mayor Dewey.  Lars feels that the only way to befriend the Cool Kids is to lay low and let them come to him, but when Steven greets them as his chipper self, they’re all very accepting of him and his friend.  That’s the great thing about the Cool Kids.  On the surface, they may seem like typical shallow teenage archetypes, but unlike other teens who act so high and mighty that they come off highly judgmental, they’re open to accept anyone no matter what they’re like, and their bond with Steven is a nice one.  As for what their time with the Cool Kids does for Lars’ character, it occurs when they break into an area known as Dead Man’s Mouth to swim in a pond of magical moss planted by Steven’s mom, Rose Quartz.  Since the Crystal Gems warned him of the moss’ dangers earlier, Steven is hesitant to go in.  He stops Lars from going in, but it soon consumes the Cool Kids.  Lars is led to snap at Steven by blaming his mom for what happened.  Then Steven, who’s usually unmoved by Lars’ attitude, lashes out at Lars for insulting his mom, especially since he himself never knew her either.  Not only does this outburst show Steven’s depth for having a conflict about his own mother amidst his friendly good nature, but it gets Lars to actually feel sorry for making that insult earlier.  He follows Steven’s lead to save the Cool Kids, and they frantically drive up a hill where the moss is meant to go, and we get a beautiful scene where the moss blooms into rose petals that descend onto Beach City, setting the Cool Kids free.  Plus, as everyone takes in the view, Lars even gives a subtle hint that deep down he likes Steven as a friend.  Now, Lars is still mostly a jerk following this cartoon, but there are more good moments to come from him.  For containing the first moment of goodness, as well as great moments from the other characters involved, this Beach City resident cartoon is a great one for the series. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. So Many Birthdays
2. Bubble Buddies
3. Laser Light Cannon
4. Giant Woman
5. Lars and the Cool Kids
6. Steven’s Lion
7. Gem Glow
8. Cheeseburger Backpack
9. Serious Steven
10. Cat Fingers
11. Tiger Millionaire
12. Together Breakfast
13. Frybo
14. Arcade Mania

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which is a Beach City resident story that isn't quite as good as this one, "Onion Trade."

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