'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 38

The Test

For much of this season, Steven has been a little too laid back about developing as a member of the Crystal Gems, hardly taking anything Gem-related seriously.  The great thing about this is that this portrayal ends up leading to him really maturing and taking things way more seriously than before as many of the current cartoons have shown.  Here, Steven’s role as a Gem become an especially big concern when he finds the statue that was supposed to restore the Lunar Sea Spire back in “Cheeseburger Backpack.”  The Crystal Gems indirectly say that the mission back then was a test to see if Steven was ready to regularly join them on missions.  Showing concern that the outcome of that previous mission meant he failed the test, Steven has them give him another test to really prove his worth.  The test itself that makes up most of the cartoon has a lot of interesting elements to it in the form of obstacles Steven runs into as he tries to escape a customized dungeon.  There’s a room with a boulder closing in on Steven with an added challenge of swinging over a gap, a room with floor tiles playing a tune that creates a staircase with a pendulum that swings as Steven climbs it, and a room with a magma floor under a bridge where fire shoots over the tiles.  There’s a lot of imagination in the test as well as intensity, at least in conception.  You see, Steven doesn’t just make his way through the test’s challenges.  He’s also conscious of the difficulty.  He actually investigates the obstacles closely and discovers that the Crystal Gems rigged everything to make him succeed no matter what he did.  This is a problematic moment that gives the impression that the Gems don’t have faith in Steven’s capabilities and that he can’t deal with serious missions, making it easy to sympathize with his frustration.  However, the reveal is followed up by Steven listening on the Crystal Gems conversing about how they know that Steven has advanced a lot as a Gem and just want him to be confident in himself.  This conversation actually adds a layer to the Gems’ relationship with Steven.  They really are aware of his growth and even if it is a cheap move to make the test way too easy for Steven, they have their genuine, understanding, and loving reasons for their actions.  Because of this, it’s great that Steven responds by getting through the whole test by simply walking through each obstacle, and when the Crystal Gems congratulate him, he responds with great enthusiasm about the “intensity” of what he encountered and that it was just what he needed.  It may not be completely true, but it’s heartwarming that he shows that they really do believe in him.  Certain characters’ actions may be questionable, but the heart of the present relationships and imaginative bits add appeal to this cartoon. 9/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where we're introduced to another one of Garnet's unique powers, "Future Vision."

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 4: The Loud House Season 1 Episode 3

Driving Miss Hazy

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we have another great cartoon to talk about, and one that has some decent character development, especially for Leni.  As a dumb blond, she’s part of a character archetype who can either be grating and a complete nuisance to everyone around her, or cute, funny and always trying to do what’s right.  Thankfully, Leni falls into the second category and is a great character for the story to center around.  She becomes convinced to try and earn her driver’s license when Lincoln and the others become fed up with doing favors for Lori, the only Loud sibling who has a license, in exchange for being driven around.  At first, you may think that watching a dumb character being taught something is just as frustrating as it is to those who are teaching her.  When watching the cartoon, Leni brings out a lot of enjoyment through her limited intelligence.  Her misunderstandings of what Lincoln and the others tell her lead to a lot of funny interpretations, which add an innocence and charm to the whole experience, even when Leni’s not being taught how to drive.  The cartoon also demonstrates how everyone has their own way of learning when Lincoln finds a way to teach Leni how to drive by using terms she’s well acquainted with, speaking “Leni” as he calls it, which by the way makes her think there’s a country named after her.  All this teaching does seem to lead to nothing when towards the end of the cartoon, Lori ends up sabotaging Leni’s driving test by having her listen to bad driving advice the night before even though Lori should know this advice could end up killing Leni.  However, several aspects lessen the impact of what could’ve destroyed the cartoon such as Lori regretting her actions when called out and expressing a desire to be needed, Leni, despite her stupidity, feeling bad for failing her driving test for the 14^th time for her family's sake, and Lori agreeing to do what she can to prepare Leni for her next test.  Hopefully, things will turn out differently for Leni if we ever get a follow-up to this cartoon.  On the whole, with great character moments and development, cute humor, relatable situations, and Leni proving herself as one of the best dumb cartoon characters, this cartoon is a fine example of how great this show can be. 9.5/10

No Guts No Glori

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the better cartoons that show off the good side of Lori’s character.  It starts off by presenting her in a bad light when Mom and Dad go out, she’s left in charge, and she comes off as incredibly bossy by preventing the rest of the Loud siblings from doing anything remotely fun when all they want to do is enjoy their Friday night.  It’s very fitting that Lori is portrayed as a drill sergeant when displaying this authority.  These moments certainly don’t paint Lori in a good light, but as the cartoon goes on, we see that she truly does have the best intentions at heart.  When the rest of the siblings finally have enough of Lori bossing them around, they take her hostage and have Lincoln be in charge of them.  It doesn’t take long for the issue of Lori not taking charge to come into play.  With so many energetic siblings who are very passionate about the things they like getting the chance to do whatever they want, things easily get out of balance and life in the Loud House becomes more chaotic than usual.  It’s here where Lincoln, as well as the audience, learn how much of a necessary evil Lori being in charge is.  When the parents are out, it’s Lori’s strict authority as the oldest Loud sibling that can keep everything in check.  In other words, Lori may not be the most enjoyable character on the show, but the way she’s characterized is a way of showing how much she truly loves her family.  Not only that, but after an awesome sequence where Lori leads everyone in cleaning up the mess in so little time, she herself goes on to learn that there are times where you don’t have to be so strict with laying down the rules as the cartoon ends with her and Lincoln playing a video game.  There’s a lot of enjoyment to be found here through the storytelling, the humor, the message, and the examples of how every character, no matter how you may feel about them, has a lot of good to them. 9/10

 

The Ranking

1.      Driving Miss Hazy

2.      Left in the Dark

3.      No Guts No Glori

4.      Heavy Meddle

5.      Get the Message

6.      Making the Case

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode of this season containing the first sibling fight-centered cartoon "The Sweet Spot," and the charming escapades of Lincoln acting like a grownup in "A Tale of Two Tables."