If you are unfamiliar with the title of this cartoon it is currently a Cartoon Network animated series that brings comedy, great music, drama and diversity into the lives of not only the children of this generation, but also the young adults of today.
This show focuses on characters named after precious gems Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet and alongside them is the protagonist of this story who is a half gem and is also half human Steven Universe. Together they create the Crystal Gems and they protect the Earth from their gem counterparts who wishes the colonization and destruction of the Earth. When experiencing this show. not only do you admire the character's physical abilities, but you begin to admire them on a personal level. Each character brings in a special kind of energy that is much needed for the show even Steven’s dad, Greg Universe and his mother Rose Quartz.
GARNET
She is the successor of the Crystal Gems, after Rose, and she is first perceived as an emotionless robot, but as the series progresses, we see her as a character filled with multiple personalities. She is self-confident and is a natural leader. What makes this character more relatable as the series continues is that she is not perfect. She is not trying to be perfect necessarily, but she is simply trying to be a good leader. There is a moment in the show where she shows herself panicking about becoming a leader and all she wants to do is be as good of a leader as Rose was. Her biggest fear is failure.
As we watch, we see Garnet as a leader that can do no wrong, but at times, she can make honest mistakes either because she’s not from this planet or because she didn’t make good judgments. She’s not human, but she’s also not perfect which, us as humans, have to remember that we are not perfect as well. Due to our imperfections/insecurities we dread every day to not make a mistake, but tough. We’re human and we make mistakes it does not define us and that’s what Garnet has realized. We have to keep going and continue to show how strong we really are.
PEARL
Pearl is a knowledgeable perfectionist that can be quite OCD at times. She was a loyal follower to the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz, as they battled against the gems who wanted to bring destruction onto the Earth, Homeworld. With her personality, it was surprising to see she was a trained swordsman, but it didn't surprise me because a swordsman needs to be precise and accurate which she is clearly qualified. Through all of her best efforts to keep this persona of a gem who has everything together, she still suffers from low self-esteem.
She admits that a Pearl gem is normally a servant, or to be frank a slave. When she left Homeworld to join the rebellion she needed someone to rely on her which turned out to be Rose. She felt valued when she was with Rose, so when Rose was no longer around, she began to feel useless. She is a dependent character and she wants to be dependent on as well.
Even though Pearl can be a character that can really irk me at times because of her willingness to control every little thing in everyone’s lives, she is a relatable character that just wants to be loved. And, really, who doesn't want that? She just wants everyone to rely on her so she can feel secure in herself. When she doesn’t feel this way, she wants to just run away and hide in a corner. She even tried to run away into space to avoid all the feelings of hopelessness that she had about herself when she didn’t feel like she belonged on Earth. I know I personally have these feelings of wanting to run away from all of my problems, and I also know I’m not alone on that.
Amethyst
Amethyst is a hot headed impulsive gem that reacts before thinking. Pearl can have these same impulses, but Amethyst is the extreme of the two. Amethyst is a Crystal Gem that was not one of the original members of the rebellion such as Pearl and Garnet. She was manufactured on Earth in what Homeworld called a “kindergarten” while Pearl and Garnet are from Homeworld, so she is seen as the little sister of the group. She does have the opportunity to fight alongside Rose, but for the shortest amount of time. She is the smallest member of the Crystal gems, averaging 5ft tall, which is abnormal for a quartz gem to be that size. Quartz gems typically range from 9 to 10ft tall and Amethyst is half that size, and the reason for this significant difference in height would have to be the extra 500 years she had to spend within the ground.
What makes this character relatable is through her big smile and laughter, she still contains a large amount of self-loathing due to her appearance like any other person. She is constantly comparing herself to Garnet and Pearl when it comes to their power and ability to have their lives more organized than her. She begins to feel out of place within the Crystal Gems and overcompensates in everything she does instead of sitting down and crying about it. She overworks herself to prove how powerful she is, and looks for the approval of Garnet and Steven. She doesn’t want them to look at her less for her “disability,” and continue to look at her as a strong asset to the team. Another way she looks for their approval and overcompensates for her appearance is changing her appearance.
We, as the audience, has deduced that all gems have the ability to shapeshift, but Amethyst does it more often than others. She alters her appearance from something as small as a soccer ball to as big as a dinosaur. There is a time where she alters her appearance so much just so she can sarcastically point out to Steven and Garnet how “perfect” she is. This just shows them how much she needs their approval and acceptance for who she is. She is a free-spirited character that can be loud and abrupt at times and she deals with identity issues, but despite her chaotic lifestyle, she is still a loveable character due to her good-hearted characteristics and ability to tell it like it is.
Last but not least,
STEVEN UNIVERSE
He is the main protagonist of this animated series who is the son of Greg Universe and Rose Quartz. He is half human and half gem that has powers that surpass a normal human and a normal gem. As he continues to grow he goes from being an apprentice level gem to an equal to the other gems. With his good heart, he amounts to being the well-beloved hero he was meant to be.
Steven is a carefree, optimistic and kind hearted boy who is greatly appreciated by the citizens of Beach City which it is his birthplace. He has the ability to be very appealing when it comes being there for his friends and keeping the peace wherever he is. Pearl believes his kind heart and mindset is something he definitely inherited from his mother Rose and since Steven is also musically talented and plays his ukulele, he inherited that talent from his father who was a rock star when he was younger. Steven is sheltered in a manner of speaking as well, and what I mean by that is he has always known his life to be a gem so he never attended school or even a hospital. This can make him come across as naive and oblivious to some of the things that are going on around him.
Steven is a relatable character because he held under a certain standard and he wants to be what everyone expects him to be. Rose was such a fantastic warrior due to her strength and leadership skills, so Steven feels like he has to keep her legacy alive through him. In the full version of the theme song he mentions: “I will fight to be everything that everybody wants me to be when I’m grown!” He does not want to disappoint anyone so he works hard to prove that he is truly Rose’s son which is why he is so brilliant and strong. I know there is someone out there who is under a lot of pressure and wants to live up to the standards that people has set for them, just like Steven.
Steven Universe is a show that has characters that are going through the things any normal human being of this day and age is going through. There are people who have a fear of failure, the fear of being abandoned, the fear of not being good enough and the fear of not living up to everyone’s standards. I know I identify with some of these attributes, so when I watch this show and see how these characters are overpowering these doubts it inspires me to keep going and to not give up. If you need a little inspiration then this is the show for you.
