'Toon Reviews 23: Steven Universe Season 3 Episode 1: Super Watermelon Island

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I just can’t stay away from this Gem of an animated series for long, so today we’re starting a coverage of one of its biggest seasons yet:

Steven Universe (Season 3)

Artwork by yours truly

Basic Premise

The time: summer of 2016.  This was an era of much rejoicing if you happened to be a fan of the amazing Cartoon Network series Steven Universe. Practically every night of that summer featured a new cartoon to look forward to, much of Season 3 and some of Season 4 to be exact. This would bring a full experience of what the series had to offer.  Speaking from personal recounts, I had been a Steven Universe fan for about a year at that point and was blown away from nearly everything I saw of it.  To live through a period where there would be an event covering a whole season for the entire summer sounded so surreal.  Yet such a thing great for anyone into the show came to fruition.  This event would especially stick out because the following years would put the series through one long hiatus after another for a variety of reasons.  For now though, we’ll be exploring just how big the event was with an analysis of all the cartoons making up the more prominently featured season, the third season.

This particular season had a lot going for it, especially with the previous one being so big with Gem lore and history.  What went on was so big, other seasons had to be relied on to resolve some of its major plot points.  They include stopping a Homeworld geo-weapon called the Cluster and finding out what became of the fusion Malachite.  The major characters had a lot of great moments to live up to as well.  It wasn’t just Steven and the main Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, but also the enemy-turned loyal comrade Peridot.  With this change in dynamic along with continuations of almost literal Earth-shattering plot points, there’s already a lot of greatness to look forward to in Season 3.  This season also has potential to impress with its own surprises from interesting character development to even more big reveals about Gem history.  Basically, Season 3 has a lot to look forward to and I’m excited to discuss how well its cartoons turn out.  Let’s now journey back in time to what was known as the Summer of Steven, starting where we left off with the Cluster arc:

Now on with the reviews:

Super Watermelon Island

One big thing this cartoon has going for it is that it follows up on various plot points one of which going way back to Season 1.  It involves what happened to the Watermelon Stevens, sentient watermelons shaped like him.  They’ve created their own community on Mask Island with homes, families, and even agriculture.  This is very interesting coming from little watermelons who can’t speak and don’t have powers.  Speaking of not being able to speak, there are shots of the Watermelon Stevens living their lives with no dialog but their soothing theme tune playing all throughout.  It brings out the purity of these creatures’ lives. 

It’s during this opening where one Watermelon Steven appears surprised to wake up as one and to find a community of other Watermelon Stevens.  He’s chosen for what appears to be as sacrifice to a sea creature when he’s led to stand on a cliff, and that creature is Malachite, rising out of the sea ready for a fight.  The shock is followed by a reaction of Steven at the barn as he wakes up, revealing the opening as an expansion of his dream powers.  Apparently, this means when he dreams, he can take the form of other beings such as that one Watermelon Steven.  With what he saw revealed to the rest of the team just as the Cluster seems close to emerging via a series of earthquakes, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl leave to face Malachite.

Being empathetic and much quicker to get his powers than before, Steven dreams to possess a Watermelon Steven again while staying put at the barn like he was told.  From there, the cartoon becomes an all-out battle against Malachite and the main Crystal Gems fused as Alexandrite.  This show has always had action, but most battles have been subdued with only a few quick monster battles and truly big fights being rare.  This fight being a rare occurrences makes what unfolds stand out more.  When Alexandrite is formed and the Jasper part of Malachite breaks from the water chains formed by the Lapis part of the fusion, the fight slowly turns into one of the show's biggest. 

Alexandrite really puts up a good fight since unlike her first appearance, there’s a much bigger display of her powers.  Said powers bring all three of the Crystal Gems’ weapons together with the added benefit of fire breath.  However, Lapis and Jasper’s powers are clearly superior, so they keep winning, and their hold on Alexandrite gets brutal.  In the process, we see how the Jasper part of Malachite has broadened her view on fusion as she sees all its benefits. 

As for Steven, as a Watermelon Steven, he gets the community to do what they can to contribute to the battle.  They’re just little hits Malachite brushes off, but they’re all Alexandrite needs to and break Malachite back into Lapis and Jasper with one last epic blow.  It makes the whole battle kind of sad that if the Watermelon Stevens didn’t intervene, the Crystal Gems would have been destroyed on the spot.  Nevertheless, such an awesome battle gets a fitting heartwarming moment just as the Crystal Gems save Lapis but lose Jasper to another earthquake.  It’s of the final moment of the Crystal Gems motherly telling Steven that they trust him enough to drill down to stop the Cluster with Peridot since they can’t warp back. 

Admittedly as great as the battle is, it probably would’ve been better if it happened long before or even immediately after stopping the Cluster.  There is a legit reason from an earlier cartoon why it couldn’t happen sooner with it being impossible to find Malachite and Lapis stubbornly refusing to say the location to Steven.  Still, having it happen when the Cluster's a huge priority disturbs the flow of events.  It would have been better if Malachite was brought up a few times in the second half of Season 2 with something like Steven frequently checking on Lapis in his dreams.  This way it would be fine that Malachite emerged at this point in the show. 

Even with that, this cartoon is great for its atmosphere and action capped off with genuine heart. It's a grand way to solve the Malachite issue and make the Watermelon Stevens relevant.  For that, I say it starts Season 3 off greatly.

A

While we did take a bit of a detour from stopping the Cluster, the next review covers just that as a heartfelt adventure with Steven and Peridot.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is Animaniacs Episode 31.

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 22: Animaniacs Vol 2 Part 5: Hot Bothered and Bedeviled/Moon Over Minerva/Skullhead Boneyhands

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:

Episode 30

Hot Bothered and Bedeviled

One of the most frightening things people can think about is what happens after life.  Specifically, the frightening part is on what could happen if someone sins enough to end up in the bad place, Hell Hades.  It’s typically perceived as a fiery underworld with anything bad and demonic imaginable ruled by Satan.  However, since no one alive can know for sure what Hades is really like, it’s open for any interpretation. 

For this cartoon, it opens the second consecutive Halloween episode with an interpretation that makes for a masterpiece of rapid-fire comedy.  Hades itself mostly looks the way you’d expect, fiery red and crawling with demons and Satan ruling over everything.  However, there’s plenty of light-hearted elements to this bad place, making it stand out from other depictions.  There’s a showy atmosphere to much of Hades as it’s introduced with a lively song and dance number.  Some of the scream-inducing torments are, in all honesty, very tame such as being forced to watch bad TV shows or listen to whiny protest songs.  Even Satan himself, despite appearing threatening a lot, has a softer side to him as he takes pleasure in Hades’ entertainment and at times hams things up with his own act. 

As you’d imagine, the comedy portion really comes into effect when the Warners show up, getting lost on their way to Six Flags over Flushing.  Considering this isn’t the first time they’ve crossed into the afterlife, you’d expect them to ever full of bullseye striking antics when dealing with Satan.  Well, you’d be right, and everything they do comes off as the kind of comedic antics cartoons were generally made for.  Instead of cowering in fear at the sight of where they are like most people would be, they approach this situation nonchalantly, yet clearly know how to handle matters. 

While they partake in the same antics at times like wiggling together instead of in agony and peeping when Satan tells them not to, each Warner has their own comedic bit.  This move makes the gags we get much more distinctive and stronger for allowing each character to stand as their own.  Dot greets herself to Satan in a flamboyany way that could rival his power and instantly goes back to looking cute, and scares Satan’s pet Cerberus with her own pet.  Wakko gets up to more physical gags like stretching his neck to trick Satan into getting his horns stuck, and taking the “snowball’s chance in Hell Hades” statement literally.  As for Yakko, considering how his siblings can easily stand on their own on a comedic level, his jokes are seen mostly through leadership.  Yakko brings on all the group gags as well as turn the scenario into something different.  A memorable example is of praising Satan suddenly appearing in front of them and turning the encounter into a standup routine featuring the Prince of Darkness. 

In the end, Yakko gets the big antic that sets all the Warners free.  When he finds out his siblings have nothing to beat Satan back Star Trek style, he suddenly gives a literal take on the word “freeze frame” using a remote to freeze all of Hades.  This is the gag that puts Satan at the end of his limit as he finally kicks the Warners out of his domain while he laments how long it will take to get the pilot lit.  The final scene places the Warners with St. Peter at Heaven’s gate, implying similar antics to happen here.  It’s a clever way to show that whether you view them as good or bad, the Warners will always have great animated antics in store for all moralities. 

Genius gags and comedy routines set against a creative take on the land of darkness make this cartoon one of the show’s absolute high points.

A+

Moon Over Minerva

When you watch the theme song, you’ll often notice a character way in the back of the crowd shot near the end.  Her name is Minerva Mink, a supporting character who doesn’t have much material on this show.  This is because her major shtick is showing off how attractive she is, causing any male present to go crazy.  In terms of her design, it shows that the crew went all out in making her convincingly attractive to warrant such reactions.  However, for all the times this show has gotten away with risqué material, Minerva’s premise was too much for the censors.  This is why in the entire series, she only has two starring roles and mostly appears in cameos, including one in a prior episode.  Her official debut as a main character aired second obviously so this one, combining her main traits with horror elements, could air close to Halloween.  The material is fun and enjoyable, though it suffers through some unfortunate implications. 

Minerva’s most appealing traits come at the beginning where she effortlessly flaunts her beauty while all the male forest animals going crazy over her.  She doesn’t even take notice of their fuss and goes about her business.  The actual business is the driving force of the plot which isn’t the funniest or most interesting.  Minerva writes about how she herself longs to find a handsome man to pair up with, showing that for how men are weak around her, she’s really no different.  In fact, she’s basically a love-struck teenage girl archetype, and a judgmental one at that.  She’s frequently courted by a nerdy wolf named Wilford and she’s always quick to deny his requests for a date.  At first these seem fair, chalking up to her clearly not being interested in Wilford who never gets the hint.  Plus, the way Minerva seductively plays to Wilford’s desires before snapping at him with rejection is kind of funny. 

Then comes the horror element of the cartoon, which honestly isn’t very frightening at all.  When a full moon rises, Wilford transforms, revealing to be a handsome werewolf.  It’s a clever twist to the werewolf concept and all, but it doesn’t really work in Minerva’s favor.  As long as Wilford looks handsome, Minerva is totally in love with him, and whenever he turns back to normal when the moon fades, she rejects him again.  This makes Minerva very shallow and opinionated, only liking men for their appearance.  That can’t be seen as a healthy worldview.  I mean what if a good-looking guy turns out to be really dangerous?  Granted that’s not the case with Wilford, but it’s not a good standard to set in today’s more cautious society or anyone with a mature mindset. 

Yet, this cartoon is still enjoyable.  Minerva is a lot of fun to watch as she suddenly breaks from her calm, self-contained state when she sees the transformed Wilford.  The way she fawns over his appearance, her confusion when he returns to normal, and her frantic searches for the hunk bring a lot of energy and charm from her.  Plus, the moment at the end when she learns the truth about Wilford and plans a date at the next full moon is cutely staged.  It would all stand stronger if it wasn’t a result of such shallowness. 

This cartoon goes to show that Minerva has some charm and enjoyment, but is far from the best character in the cast. It stands out more here with so much emphasis on her fixation on the outside instead of the inside.  As for her other starring role, that’s for another day.

B

Skullhead Boneyhands

 

Mr. Skullhead has some interesting background.  He first appeared on Tiny Toon Adventures as the main character of a show pitched by Elmyra.  Since then, he found new life on Animaniacs mostly as the main character of short in-between sketches, the Good Idea Bad Ideas.  Those sketches often showcase humor for the wacky dangerous alternatives to everyday tasks.  They especially work when the featured character is a walking pile of bones one can do anything to with little consequence.  This cartoon is the only time in the entire series where Mr. Skullhead is the center of an actual story. 

From its title, it’s a parody of Edward Scissorhands though since I’ve never seen that movie, I won’t be able to say how close the cartoon follows it.  For what the cartoon is by itself though, it’s not the strongest work of the show, but has solid entertainment nonetheless.  It pulls you in with plays on the atmosphere starting with a suggestion of something threatening as a cosmetics saleswoman arrives at a haunted castle.  It even lasts as she walks past humorous bone structures.  However, it’s that visual cue that allows for the sudden tone shift to make sense. 

Mr. Skullhead suddenly appears out of the shadows at the saleswoman, and anything threatening turns comedic.  The idea of a living skeleton going after an average woman sounds scary, but being non-threatening, Mr. Skullhead’s appearance makes the scenario kind of funny.  Even more amusing is that the saleswoman treats him like a normal guy despite knowing that he’s an unresponsive, emotionless skeleton.  It’s the equivalent of talking to any inanimate object, making for an absurd concept brought to life.  What’s more, it’s made appealing by the saleswoman’s friendly attitude as she takes him home, attempts to give him a makeover, and even invites him to dinner. 

All this is wholesome and all, but at times, it feels like this setup is being taken too seriously like talks about Mr. Skullhead needing to make his own living.  Stuff like that doesn’t really fit with something so ridiculous.  Thankfully, this is lessened somewhat when the fact that Mr. Skullhead is just a pile of bones remains relevant.  There are a few visual gags to show this like how cosmetics look on him, milk spilling through his ribs as he drinks, and the family dog tearing his bones apart.  The latter gag is where the cartoon ends with Mr. Skullhead’s bones getting buried which is commonly expected to happen when dogs are involved.  It’s capped off by a mix of feels where after treating him so well, you expect the family to be saddened by the end of this mysterious figure.  Instead, they’re all nonchalant about it considering at the end of the day, bones are bones, even if the daughter was apparently going to marry him. 

It’s surprising how much amusement is mined out of people talking to a character like Mr. Skullhead.  It’s not the show at its best, but I personally wouldn’t have minded if he got more starring roles like this.

B+

Cartoon Ranking

1. Hot Bothered and Bedeviled
2. Phranken-Runt
3. Jockey For Position
4. Sir Yaksalot
5. Potty Emergency
6. Draculee Draculaa
7. Babblin’ Bijou
8. I Got Yer Can
9. Moby or Not Moby
10. Skullhead Boneyhands
11. The Good, the Boo, and the Ugly
12. Moon Over Minerva
13. Mesozoic Mindy

Miscellaneous Ranking

1. Testimonials
2. You Risk Your Life

That’s it for the first disc.  Next time we'll start on the second as the Warners deal with a jerky opera singer, Rita and Runt star in a more emotional than average cartoon set in World War II, and a Great Wakkorotti concert that's almost exactly the same as the last one.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the start of a new set of reviews for Steven Universe.

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

'Toon Revies 19: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Season 1 Episode 35: Plazalympics

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:

Plazalympics

A harsh truth to K.O.’s quest to become a hero is that he’s not as strong, big, or powerful as the ones he looks up to.  His Pow card level is phenomenally low, and the only times he’s all powerful are when he loses his true self.  It’s a huge challenge for him, but this cartoon softens the setback in ways that could work for anyone with certain insecurities. 

There's an event called the Plazalympics where heroes compete in physical challenges for the key to Lakewood Plaza Turbo.  The event has a lot of potential for fun, but when getting to the theme, there’s more to it.  K.O. disappears as Mr. Gar goes through the tradition of picking the teams at random. Instead of being teamed with Rad and Enid, K.O.’s joined by much weaker heroes, Potato the rabbit and Colewort the living broccoli.  Among this group, K.O. gets much more appreciation for his powers considering that they’re weaker than him and don’t seem to have powers of their own.  It puts his shortcomings in a new light in a way. 

This idea is especially present during the actual challenges.  The have creative setups like throwing the heaviest teammate, punching big rocks, and a relay race, all energetically commentated by news anchor Dynamite Watkins.  More importantly, there’s an interesting way of showing how K.O. is not as weak a hero as he seems.  When Colewort and Potato try using physical strength, they don’t come close to what the stronger heroes accomplish.  However, when K.O. competes, he actually gives an exceptional performance, showing how far he’s come with his powers. Now they're strong enough to punch a boulder to pieces.  The challenges make it clear that K.O.’s powers really aren’t anything to scoff at, especially with Colewort and Potato feeling inferior.  Actually, Potato is far more accepting of paling in comparison to K.O. while Colewort is outright ashamed of his shortcomings.  It’s nice that K.O. still has faith in his team and never talks down to the two. 

It’s during the final relay race when the Boxmore robots crash the Plazalympics when K.O.’s team shows how strong they really are as the only ones in good enough shape to compete.  As expected, K.O. is the fastest of the three, but out of the lamenting over their shortcomings from his mates, comes a shining payoff.  As the one most put down by not being as cool as K.O. or his friends, Colewort ends up doing something about his earlier moment of getting steamed up when he’s upset.  Through carrying on, Colewort’s steam propels him enough to win the race, even beating the fastest Boxmore robot, Raymond.  This act is a fitting end for the plights of the weaker heroes and shows that no one is truly worthless. 

That said, it is uncalled for to have Colewort act full of himself because of this one accomplishment, turning down an offer to hang out with K.O.  In fact, there’s a surprising amount of apathy from many characters throughout the cartoon.  This really becomes an issue with how unmoved the guys who are friendly with K.O., including Rad and Enid, are about how the efforts of this kid and his teammates paid off.  Why couldn’t they act more proud of them?  At least a montage of K.O. and Potato hanging out together is a cute enough end to the cartoon. 

Still, we’re left with a fun story of a sporting event with creative staging of challenges and fresh new perspectives on characters.

A-

The Ranking

1. Face Your Fears
2. You Have to Care
3. T.K.O.
4. No More Pow Cards
5. Glory Days
6. Legends of Mr. Gar
7. We’ve Got Pests
8. I Am Dendy
9. Let’s Have a Stakeout
10. You Get Me
11. Let’s Be Heroes
12. You’re Everybody’s Sidekick
13. K.O.’s Video Channel
14. Jethro’s All Yours
15. Know Your Mom
16. Everybody Likes Rad?
17. A Hero’s Fate
18. Plaza Prom
19. We’re Captured
20. My Dad Can Beat up Your Dad
21. Let’s Be Friends
22. We Messed Up
23. Plazalympics
24. Presenting Joe Cuppa
25. Sibling Rivalry
26. Second First Date
27. Stop Attacking the Plaza
28. Just Be a Pebble
29. The Power is Yours
30. Do You Have Any More in the Back?
31. You’re Level 100
32. We’ve Got Fleas
33. You Are Rad
34. Rad Likes Robots
35. One Last Score

The next OK K.O. review takes things in a spooky direction with an interesting reveal about Enid's family.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is Animaniacs Episode 30.

If you would like to check out other OK K.O.! reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.