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

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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 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 8: Rebirth

Rebirth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exciting tone of the last episode continues into this one when the Voltron Paladins are roped into fighting another Robeast which isn’t as easy to defeat as the first one was.  Much of their fight with the beast takes up a vast majority of the episode, and is big on a lot of engaging factors.  The biggest one involves the tensions raised when the team has to fight it without forming a clear idea for an attack strategy.  They have to retreat the first time they face it, and then return to try and beat it by weakening it, but it isn’t long before they decide that destroying the robeast is the only chance they have which really does seem impossible to do given its constant laser-shooting.  They only gain the advantage when a bayard plugged into a Voltron lion once again plays a role in battle which is a solid payoff for all the difficulties faced prior.  So not to make the battle too heavy on drama, the mood is also lightened by some of the team’s comments on what they’re facing, especially Hunk in his own cautious ways, including the part where his bayard is plugged into his lion.  However, there’s one character who really stands out to help make this episode a highlight of this season, and that’s Allura.  This is where everything strong about her character amounts to something incredibly heartwarming.  She’s willing to go down herself to the scene of battle despite the dangers to help the Balmerans who are put in danger by its moans of pain due to so many people taking from it and not giving anything back.  They’ve all given up hope and feel so guilty for their planets state that they want to stay on their planet as it’s destroyed.  However, Allura, through all her determination and hope, encourages the Balmerans to keep up hope and that she will not let anything happen to their home while also sympathizing with them through knowing what it’s like to lose a home planet to the Galra Empire.  It’s her determined spirit that reveals that she, like others of her kind, has the power to heal Balmeras which in turn ties into a follow-up on a statement of healing ceremonies in the last episode.  We learn that Alteans used to perform ceremonies to heal Balmeras when their crystals were harvested, and Allura is willing to perform one herself with her castle ship amplifying her healing powers.  What’s especially impactful of Allura’s willingness is that she’s doing something that could destroy her due to how powerful it is.  She successfully heals the Balmera which in turn finishes off the robeast by imprisoning it in crystals, and she lives anyway, despite needing to rest off the strain of the ordeal in the following episode.  Plus, her willingness to save innocent creatures isn’t made any less impactful and is a clear demonstration of her being a great asset to the series.  Ultimately, the thrill of the Paladin’s fight and Allura’s great appeal as a character elevate this to one of this season’s best episodes. 10/10

The Ranking

1.      Rebirth

2.      The Rise of Voltron

3.      The Fall of the Castle of Lions

4.      Return of the Gladiator

5.      Return to the Balmera

6.      Tears of the Balmera

7.      Some Assembly Required

8.      Taking Flight

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Paladins' castle ship is infected with "Crystal Venom" that cause havoc for everyone.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 27

House Guest

Newcomers to this show might be led to wonder why Greg doesn’t live with Steven even though he loves his son so much.  The answer for that mostly relates to how the Crystal Gems don’t want mere humans like him to get involved in potentially dangerous magic business.  This cartoon even shows that Greg wants to be with his son more than anything and, in a great bit of continuity from the last few cartoons, gets a chance to move in with Steven due to a broken leg from the stolen ocean incident.  Steven does attempt to heal Greg’s leg with his healing spit, but it apparently doesn’t work and that completely opens up the possibility for Greg to move in.  For a moment, we get a big display of family love that shows the great strength of Steven and Greg’s father-son relationship with many moments of them having fun together all set against a nice, upbeat song called “Dear Old Dad” which also works in this show’s talent for music.  It’s all you need to get a good understanding of Greg’s actions for the rest of the cartoon.  That said, it can still get overbearing with how Greg pines for his son’s attention.  He constantly calls him from important Gem-related missions for the most frivolous of things which prevents Steven from doing anything productive.  It’s an even bigger deal that Steven getting the idea that his healing spit didn’t work to heal his dad’s leg is preventing him from using it to mend a crack in a huge structure called a geode.  Then comes the big reveal that Greg was faking his injury the whole time, and hiding the fact that Steven’s healing spit did cure it.  It’s certainly concerning that someone like Greg would go too far with the wrong thing like this.  Surely he should’ve known that hiding important information like this would cause a lot of problems.  I will give him credit though that it was all for the sake of spending time with his son who he rarely gets to see.  Plus, Greg goes on to redeem himself by the end of the cartoon.  The geode gets way out of control, and even though he knows that his healing spit worked all along, Steven still doesn’t believe in them enough to patch it up, so they don’t work, and it’s a repercussion that doesn’t get resolved until much later in the series making for a believable angle in the situation by not resolving everything right away.  As for Greg, he ultimately saves the day by patching the geode with duct tape of all things, and later on, while he and his son part ways again, it’s still nice that things are all good between them.  While his actions of hiding the truth from his own son and messing up his powers bring the appeal down and the story is less entertaining than much of what we’ve gotten, the amount of family love here is enough to make it a good watch. 8/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode filled with a lot of development for Pearl in "Space Race."

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 26

Ocean Gem

After a cartoon where Lapis Lazuli left such an impactful first appearance, we get a cartoon of the results of Steven setting her free from the mirror she was trapped in for 1000s of years, and it really delivers.  What exactly Lapis does is steal all the water from the ocean, and just as before, the Crystal Gems sense that her act is for bad purposes.  As for Steven, since he feels guilty for the ocean disappearing, he feels he should fix the mess showing how responsible he’s become. It’s a major step in him owning up to his Crystal Gem role.  Plus, Steven’s voyage to retrieve the ocean makes for a great use of characters with the Crystal Gems, and even Lion, Greg, and Connie, all of whom he’s closest to, coming along to support him.  They all have their fair share of memorable moments, including giving more to the Crystal Gems’ role of protecting humanity.  We learn that the monsters they fought used to be humanoid Gems like them, but they all got their gems corrupted/damaged, not unlike what happened with Amethyst in “An Indirect Kiss,” which made them monstrous.  The heart of the issue is that the Crystal Gems intend to help heal them, but all they can do is contain them in bubbles to protect Earth.  It really adds a layer to the monster fights we’ve seen. Instead of painting them as one-dimensional creatures of destruction, they’re helpless beings feeling harsh pains.  It’s honestly quite tragic, and this information later applies to Lapis.  Before we see that, we get a further glimpse at her water powers as she fights back against the entire group in a battle filled with great moments from each of Steven’s allies.  As for Steven himself, he settles it all by stopping the fight with the aid of his shield, summoned for the first time since the premiere.  Even more proving of Steven’s capability is him taking the initiative to talk to Lapis atop her mountain of water.  In this beautifully animated space scene with gentile, sympathetic music to back it up, we see how she fits in with all those helpless, damaged Gems as she explains to Steven that she’s using the ocean to get back to her home planet because her gem is cracked, preventing her from going back herself.  This moment further fleshes out Lapis by showing that even if she’s in the wrong for stealing the ocean’s water, she has a sensible reason.  What’s great about it is that Steven gets her feelings, and in a great turn of events that “An Indirect Kiss” was two cartoons ago, he uses his healing spit to fix the crack in Lapis’ gem allowing her to sprout water wings and fly away home and leave Earth and return its ocean in peace.  Then everything is capped off perfectly with all of Beach City praising Steven and the others while the Crystal Gems wonder what’s to come of Lapis getting off the planet leaving signs of more things to happen in the future.  As you can tell, this cartoon packs in a lot of greatness with character development, memorable moments, and further looks into the background of Gems.  For that, this is easily a high point for the series. 10/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode that explores what Greg gets up to following his leg getting broken during this adventure in "House Guest."

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