*WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS TO STEVEN UNIVERSE*
I could go on for hours about Steven Universe and why I love it with all of my heart and always will. If you aren’t familiar with Steven Universe, let me give you the run-down.
Steven Universe is a show about a boy named Steven who lives on planet Earth with three magical gem women and his father in a town called Beach City. Steven is a half-human half-gem child born of his mother, Rose Quartz, who is also a magical gem woman, and his father, Greg Universe. Steven’s mother gave up her physical form as a gem to create Steven, and her gem is placed on his stomach, where his bellybutton would be. Steven and the three gem women are a team called The Crystal Gems. The three gem ladies are named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The Crystal Gems travel around the world using gem warp pads and clean up leftover corrupted gems from “the gem war” which is currently still very vague and unexplained to the watchers. The show has been mostly about Steven expanding the knowledge of his powers and saving the Earth from gems who want to destroy it. So now that I’ve given you the basic rundown, let me explain the reasons I love it so much.
Steven Universe blatantly shows lesbian relationships
Most of the time they’re in the background. In a couple episodes it’s just been two women and a child, which people could interpret any way they wanted, but, the character Garnet is the most prominent lesbian figure in the show. This is due to the fact that she is a fusion made up of two gems named Ruby and Sapphire, the two stay constantly fused together as Garnet because they love one another. In multiple episodes when they’ve un-fused, they have kissed and flirted, so trust that I’m not overreaching when I say she truly is the biggest lesbian. Another lesbian character is the graceful and forever thirsty Pearl, who was in love with Rose Quarts for thousands of years before The Crystal Gems met Greg Universe. In many episodes she talks about her love for Rose, her loyalty, etc. Pearl is the overprotective mother figure and she is one of my absolute favorites.
The fact that all the gems take female forms
Honestly, it’s just really nice to see these gem ladies taking charge and beating the crap out of stereotypes. That’s about it for this one.
The gems love for Steven pulling through even in the worst of times
No matter what he does, the gems know they can help. They have his back and they know how to help him, and if they don’t know how to help him, they consult someone who does. Whatever happens, the gems know they have to keep Steven safe, since that’s what Rose would’ve wanted. However, they also know when it’s time to let him take the reins because they know he can handle himself. In a recent episode called “Steven Floats,” Steven gets stuck floating very slowly down to Beach City and the gems keep him company during that time until he lands. Even though Amethyst has her own issues, Garnet probably has other things that need attending to, and Pearl is probably just freaking out about Steven’s safety-- they still keep him company. It doesn’t matter if the gems sometimes get angry with Rose for leaving them behind; because they understand that even though Steven has Rose’s gem, it doesn’t mean he is her.
The songs
Well written, creative, emotional, witty. These songs have it all and the actors all have the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard in my life. A personal favorite of mine is “It’s Over Isn’t It?” Sung by the voice actor for Pearl, Deedee Magno.
They show the difference between love and abuse.
In an episode of Steven universe that aired recently called, “Alone at Sea” they really hit a hard point between love and abuse. The two characters named Jasper and Lapis Lazuli had been fused as a gem called Malachite at the bottom of the sea for months, before being forcefully unfused by The Crystal Gems. Lapis was rescued by The Crystal Gems and Jasper fell back into the bottom of the ocean. After Lapis woke up she had a lot of emotional damage from fighting Jasper for control of their fusion, she didn’t even like the sight of water. However, in the episode “Alone at Sea,” Steven attempted to bring Lapis on a boat with him and his dad. On the boat, Lapis explained that she hated how she felt with Jasper, but also missed her. Jasper then proceeded to show up and beg Lapis to fuse with her again. She tried to make the claim that she understood fusion and that they were more powerful together. There was a moment where Lapis hesitated before telling her no. I felt like this was a powerful metaphor showing that abusive relationships don’t always have to be physical, but most people don’t recognize it as abuse until it’s too late. Along with this, it made clear that if someone makes you feel badly in a relationship, staying with them will only hurt you more.
Steven Universe is an inclusive show with great messages and lessons at the end of each episode. It brings perspective to things that most people refuse to talk to kids about, saying that they aren’t ready for it yet or some kind of other garbage excuse. Honestly I wish everyone would watch it. Kids, adults, elders, anyone and everyone. I feel like it’s a really open minded show and breaks boundaries that most kid's show writers wouldn’t dare to touch with a ten-foot pole. And I give props to its writer, Rebecca Sugar, for the creativity, hard work, and love she puts into this show.
