Bring Her Back!

cartoon rant + analysis blog. mostly for su and probably just reblogs.

[bismuthspartnerincrime]

on a scale from “The Ember Island Players” from ATLA to “The Return of Slade” from Teen Titans go, how well does your show handle criticism?

[appleb18]

The Many Flaws of Steven Universe

Steven Universe is the show that been praised for all sort of things like LGBT, diversity, women role, and being created by a bisexual woman, Rebecca Sugar, who also worked on Adventure Time before. Having a huge fanbase and called the “best cartoon show ever”. All that sounds great if it only it was true. This show has many problems that only a few people discuss. So here’s a list of the many flaws of Steven Universe.

1) The Action Scene

There isn’t many in the show but when they do show it, they’re okay. The environment are plain and boring, the pacing can be either too slow or too fast but they’re entertaining to watch.

Also for some odd reason, the crew have the tendency to nerf the characters. Like did the characters forgot they could end the fight quick using other abilities. They have to explain why they couldn’t use the abilities. They can’t leave it in the dark.

Look at Lapis Lazuli

In “Mirror Gem” and “Ocean Gem”, Lapis fight off the Crystal Gems easily

Control the entire ocean while support a broken gem

But in “Jailbreak” she couldn’t defend herself from Jasper and they’re next to the water

And then she was able to defeat her in “Alone at Sea”. How does that make any sense!?

That’s not all

Pearl can summon Holo-Pearls for training. Why can’t she use them in a fight? She summon them in beach volleyball but not a fight?

Garnet’s future vision. That whole Greg being taken by Blue Diamond could have been avoided if she just lend Steven her ability. She gave him to before and they were pretty pointless

She lend him it to rethink his actions in “Winter Forecast”

She lend him it to help Frowney in “Future Boy Zoltron”

They aren’t being consistent in their ability at all. Speaking of consistency

2) The Crewniverse are Inconsistent

I would’ve fine if it only happens once but it’s everywhere   

I know that Rebecca is letting her staff to have the freedom to draw they’re own art style but oh my goodness it’s their job to be on model of the characters and they’re not doing what it’s required to do. It’s lazy and unprofessional like they can’t even get their height right!

3) Steven Perspective

I know Steven is the main protagonist and it’s called Steven Universe for a reason but that doesn’t give them excuse to keep reusing ideas for every episode

1. Steven and one of the Crystal Gem members have fun but then rush into emotional development

2. Just chilling at Beach City with his friends

Steven is an angel of the show and all but come on, it’s been four seasons and can’t we see other characters beside him. Even when they try something new, he has to be in the background

Look at other modern shows

“Varmints” - Adventure Time

“Ricklantis Mix” - Rick and Morty

“The Extras” - The Amazing World of Gumball

What makes those episode great because they take a step back from the major cast and let other characters take the spotlight.

What’s even worse about this is rush development. We don’t get to see how the characters change and why did they change. They have to show it on screen not off screen! 

Lars turn into a space pirate for some odd reason. Wish they explain on how get those really fancy cloths and a ship, they probably but for only like two minutes 

Lapis accept becoming friends with Peridot. That’s cute but that takes time to form a bond with the one that took you as captive. Lauren Zuke herself said herself that she wants them to be a romantic couple and even sneaked in Lapidot moments which means that this was a rush relationship

So if Steven isn’t there, we don’t get much lore huh?

5) The Villains do NOTHING

Villains are the one further the plot, being the obstacle that keeping away the protagonist goal. However Steven Universe does not. I know there’s Yellow Diamond but she barely makes any appearance or do anything at all. Rebecca herself said that there’s no villain… boring

6) Nothing Happens

Nothing anything happens in the show, you expect that something big happens but nope nothing. When there something does happen in the show, it only last like one or two episodes. We get to see two gems come to the party, Lapis and Peridot but they don’t contribute to the story at all!

Again, look at other shows that has done it

TMNT 2012 season 4 starts off the turtles going to space for half of season

Star vs The Forces of Evil season 3 starts off Star going back to Mewni to finish Toffee once and for all. Moon backstory and introduce upcoming villain for the season. What makes things better is a new intro and outro and also it was a two hour long special. Amazing

What did Steven Universe do? Oh we get to see Gem Homeworld? Finally after four years of waiting we to see what it likes!

That’s it? That’s all we get to see homeworld, Steven get’s to go home early. How disappointing

Conclusion

You might think I hate this show but to be honest, I don’t. Steven Universe used be one of my personal favorite and that’s why a few people are so critical to the show. It has potential but the Rebecca and the crew need to get there shit together. All I hope is season 5 will be worth watching. 

Reference 

@robobuddies

[robobuddies]

stev boy

–

TheMilanTooner

Outtro Song

–

Patreon DeviantART YouTube Twitter Neopets PayPal Discord

[bismuthspartnerincrime]

I’ve been watching some of it and I’m already loving it. This person brings up some great points plus some wonderful examples and visuals to make it very easy to follow.

It’s almost an hour long but it’s totally worth your time!

[the-spirit-morph-saga-critical]

we all love a good meme

[demoncism-deactivated20180118]

(x) Matt Burnett liked an interesting tweet about Bismuth. It’s great that the crewniverse are finally showing guilt over this episode and its message.

[bismuthspartnerincrime]

ive said this a million times but finn is a much better child protagonist, because unlike steven, he grows and develops over time. the writers seem to  acknowledge that the environment that he’s in and the situations he take part in (specifically his desire to have a girlfriend, his father issues and coping with the fact that he’s the only human) affect how he grows up. 

literally the only reason i struggle to see steven as 14 isnt because he looks 8, but because almost nothing about him has changed to show growth. sure he has spouts of anger and gets introspective, but season 1 steven was exactly like that. the writers still want to make him oblivious and dumb and yet also the voice of reason and apparently the smartest character in the show.

steven’s character regression is so baffling because really did start off as a youn kid with a lot of promise but the writers can’t let him… grow up.

i laughed out loud when lars told steven “when did you get so smart” because literally nothing steven said was deep or profound. he basically said what any person with common sense would say, “go do what you love, and if people hate it, that’s their problem”.

i talk about steven a lot on this blog because the writers seem to demand for its older audience to be impressed by the “growth” and “development” steven went through. but every episode that implies steven will slowly change as a character always ends up completely dropping it. 

and yet, because these writers are too incompetent, seemed to have completely given up on making steven heroic and just have characters stand around talking about how great he is.

adventure time never needed to tell us that finn was growing, we could see that. based off of how he reacted, based his own self reflection, self issues, flaws, behavior, etc.

steven changes but only when the narrative wants him to. he says something encouraging to lars and the narrative acts like he really said something eye-opening. he’ll act foolish and immediately trust navy, but then show fear and discomfort when jasper claims that she changed. he’ll suddenly struggle with self doubt and feeling useless, and yet never display this problem in any other area.  steven suddenly decides to sit watch a gem nearly get killed, simply because it was a chance for lars to come to their aid. 

the worst example is how steven and finn react to finding out that they’re characters are the opposite of what they expected

finn being shocked that martin was a shit dad was a straight up punch to the gut. all that praise and build up finn had for his family and he finds out that his father wants nothing to do with him. this doesnt leave him and continues to affect him in later episodes, where he needed support to help vent his problems

steven’s reaction is just… all over the place

he’ll totally be complacent with the gems stating that the CG’s killed homeworld gems and then act surprised that his mother was actually a killer and then accepts that she was in the right and then later calls her out on her hypocrisy and then suddenly decides he desperately wants to be just like her and…… do you see where im going with this?

lars’s 4 episodes of development, despite having a few problems, is miles better than steven’s sad excuse for character development the writers badly want me to praise and acknowledge.

i dont watch steven grow, i watch him get new character traits that the writers slap on to him for the sake of telling a story

its not fun to watch a character flip flop and slowly lose and identity simply because the writers cant give steven flaws, and the only supposed flaws he does have are simply a result of the writers incompetence, which make poor ‘ol steven look lazy, selfish and a huge hypocrite

[raspbiian]

so new meme

[fixitstevenjunior]

[howlongsincebismuthwasbubbled]

day 365. one year. a full year has passed since bismuth’s debut and we have seen neither hair nor hide of her in those 365 days. 32 episodes. two seasons without bismuth. they brought this beautiful revolutionary into our lives, only to deem her too radical. what was the point? why toy with us this way? do we not deserve a revolution? do we not deserve a leader in our revolution?

i fear i may not live long enough to see her glorious return. i fear even deeper for a return that brings with it censorship. a bismuth toned down, a bismuth silenced is no better than a bismuth dead.

happy birthday, my sweet rainbow. you were too good for this world. far too good for the world you were conceived in. i hope youre shattering diamonds in your dreams.

[the-rumbless]

:(

[siobhanblank-deactivated2019011]

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since Steven Universe was an enjoyable show.

[aurous-android]

I’m glad that Lamar and Rebecca apologized n all, but a) that doesn’t mean that black fans/crits were wrong for disliking it; b) no one is obligated to accept any and all apologies; c) apologizing doesn’t mean it’s excusable and people can still dislike it; d) it does more harm than good to hold content creators to a deity-like status where “they did no wrong” and “we should be thanking them instead of criticizing them”

[bismuthspartnerincrime]

Like there’s not a single black coded character treated well.

The Ruby Squad - literally portrayed as stupid, inept and are constantly subjected to really nasty narrative choices and slapstick

CG Ruby - “angry black woman”, portrayed as in the wrong for rightfully being upset that she was violated

Bismuth - violent, an extremist, shouts a lot, massive, bubbled over a misunderstanding and left to rot

Sugilite - even more violent, she did the horrible crime of doing her fucking job, also disappears over a misunderstanding

Garnet - there’s literally nothing to her except that she’s a magical negro

Sapphire is probably the most inoffensive and I can’t think of any issues with her, but again, she’s off to the sidelines + her coding isn’t as blatant as Ruby’s, Bismuth’s or Garnet’s

[conception]

I’m gonna submit a tee shirt design to the SU shirt contest

[conception]

@cartoonnetwork do you like my design

[bismuthspartnerincrime]

I’ve been in this fandom since the start and I can assure you that it has always been incredibly self entitled and obsessed with babying the writers

[stephanos-spaceopera]

what happened to Steven’s ukulele?

[siobhanblank-deactivated2019011]

It fell on his foot once so he bubbled it for being too violent.

[fishnetcarousel]

i fixed cartoon networks shit attempt at being hip with the kids :)

[mirukaiam]

Bismuth was wrong!!!!!

about saying that Steven is better than his mom.

[bitter-bismuth]

garbage begets garbage

[anything-critical]

I’ve just seen these two pictures in a post and asdfghjkl.. look at the differences in height, everyone shrunk

[bitter-bismuth]

everyone got smaller and paler