Bismuth (Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 20) - '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:

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.

Steven vs Amethyst (Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 19) - '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:

Steven vs Amethyst

This cartoon shows what a huge defeat can do to someone.  Following the events of “Crack the Whip,” Amethyst no longer lets the fight moves she knows just come to her.  In fact, Jasper taking her down makes Amethyst questions if she really is a good being herself.  It’s a bold direction where instead of doing her own thing, Amethyst reflects on her faults and tries to improve.  Some might argue that she tries too hard. 

She decides to join Steven’s battle training from Pearl and what happens plays to an interesting concept. Amethyst’s self-doubt interferes with her performance.  It’s as if thinking too much about fighting well is preventing her from doing that.  As for Steven, since he currently isn’t hung up on anything, his fight training is much more impressive.  It’s a visual indicator that he’s become much more capable now than he was in the early days of the show.  On a side note, these training sessions have a layer of cuteness from Pearl’s motherly nature during the fight exercises.  She even includes points for prizes, which Steven obviously has more of. 

While Steven puts up a great performance, he still notices Amethyst feeling disappointed in herself.  He tries to make her feel better by giving her a victory, even if it means taking a dive in a video game.  This instance brings something good from Amethyst overthinking her capabilities.  She sees that Steven let her win the game, and opens up about how she now sees herself as the worst Crystal Gem.  From there, tensions build between her and Steven who lists all the cool things Amethyst can do that he can’t.  However, Amethyst insists he’s better, though there are some concerning implications that she used to think Steven really was the worst. 

The two tensely pointing out how they’re worse than the other leads to an interesting way to settle the matter.  They have a battle to prove which Gem is the worst.  It’s not every day there’s a battle where the winner is the loser to say the least.  There’s a fair share of action in this fight where Steven and Amethyst use all their powers to see which one fails to leave a mark.  It allows Amethyst to show her strengths even if she takes no notice of them, and Steven to unlock new powers throughout the chaos.  In addition to getting a stronger handle on his floating, his bubble grows spikes and he keeps fighting even after Amethyst slams him into the ground from the sky.  The battle is certainly fun and unpredictable, but is hardly one of the best since apart from settling this conflict, nothing of substance is to be gained from all this. 

However, the end to it is appropriate when Steven and Amethyst slip up on a punch attempt and realize how stupid they’ve been to try to lose.  It’s only when they civilly talk about their anxieties when things get resolved and show them they have a lot in common.  Amethyst lamenting how she may never beat Gems like Jasper is a lot like how Steven feels he constantly needs to live up to Rose Quartz.  As they find the good to come from all their efforts, the two nicely become closer than ever before.  It’s especially pleasing given the events of a following cartoon, but that’s for another post. 

Most of this cartoon isn’t the show at its most interesting, but there’s valuable development for how the titular characters come together through similar anxieties.

A

The Ranking

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

The next Steven Universe review is on its first full half-hour episode that introduces one of the original Crystal Gems called Bismuth.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a review of a full half-hour Rocko's Modern Life cartoon, "Cruisin'".

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

Gem Hunt (Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 17) - '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:

Gem Hunt

For this routine Gem mission, a few things make it stand out as a charming milestone.  For one thing, with the depths of corrupted Gems now known, Steven has a whole new understanding. Inside every mindless monster is a helpless Gem hurt by the Diamonds during the Gem War. 

It also brings to light a nice dynamic from those who join him.  The reason this mission is such a milestone is that it’s Connie’s first one.  Her involvement plays to her training with Pearl from last season, so it’s a benefit to see its results.  In fact, Pearl comes along partially to ensure that Connie has remembered what she’s learned.  There’s an interesting setting for the action too in the Great North, a vast snowy environment which is wholesome and nice change of pace from the show’s usual beach setting. 

The one thing that shines the most during the search for the corrupted Gems is Connie’s determination to be a valuable team player.  It’s huge because for the longest time, the Gems have been very hesitant to get humans involved with serious magic business which can get destructive to their well-being.  Now with Connie learning sword fighting, the Gems are slowly entrusting humans to help in missions, and Connie actually wanting to help fits this concept.  Her chance to prove herself comes when the two corrupted Gems split up with Pearl going after one while Steven and Connie go after the other. 

From there, the main focus is on Connie taking charge with everything she knows, all playing to her primary character traits of being knowledgeable and statistical.  It’s not just with sword-fighting, but also with basic wilderness survival featuring believable skills relevant to the mission.  She tracks footprints in the snow, finds shelter, and makes nourishment out of any good plants in the area when a blizzard comes. Connie's also really prepared by bringing the appropriate supplies and alternate energy sources should civilization collapse.  It’s nerdy stuff for sure, but when stating her knowledge, Connie approaches everything with a youthful tone and upbeat attitude, making for a nice character to follow.  In addition, her role is enhanced by her comrades. Steven follows her survival techniques in his own way while also applying what he now knows about corruption, and Pearl gives motherly guidance through a walkie-talkie. 

For all of Connie’s training and smart survival skills though, it leads to an unexpected conclusion. They find the corrupted Gem, but the situation is too intense for her to remember her training and take it out.  It’s only when Jasper suddenly appears and brutally rips out the gemstone of the corrupted Gem when the beast is defeated. All Connie can do is simply contact Pearl for help like she was instructed to do.  There’s genuine sympathy for Connie since she failed to play as big a role as she planned, but it’s very appropriate that Pearl praises her involvement anyway.  As for Jasper, her menacingly showing those gemstones to “Rose” (Steven) brings a great show of promise for what she has in store for cartoons to come.

Ultimately, this cartoon is one of the best put together works of the season. It succeeds with a wholesome snowy setting, great follow-ups to recent reveals, and character moments bringing charm and likability to a serious mission.

A+

The Ranking

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

The next Steven Universe review is on Amethyst offering an interesting lackadaisical training approach that works for Steven and Connie, but not herself.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Down the Hatch" and "Road Rash" from Rocko's Modern Life.

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.