Steven Universe
"Believe in Steven."
A young boy takes his mother's place in a group of gemstone-based beings, and must learn to control his powers.
A young boy takes his mother's place in a group of gemstone-based beings, and must learn to control his powers.
The PPG reboot opened up my frustration over the current state of Cartoon Network Studios, and overtime my enjoyment of We Bare Bears and Steven Universe has sunk not just because of spoilers, but because they represent the state of their production studio in this age - diverse in every aspect but style. Ever since hipster 20-somethings with a passion for memes and existentialism took control, I felt like the only one who could feel his childhood slowly starting to melt, and not realise it until one of these shows got spoiled more than possibly any show that’s ever buzzed in front of me.
Steven would be a perfectly good watch if it was placed alongside livelier, more timeless shows that didn’t have any subject matter that would fly over childrens’ heads but could entertain adults in equal measures, but it represents the best and worst of present-day Cartoon Network; characters with defined personalities, strong she-leads, smart writing and complex, human storytelling, but also humour that sees its web popularity as no coincidence, melodrama prominent to the point of becoming forced, more reliance on internet culture than any other network and diversity so broad that it becomes a tad overbearing. I’m all for progressiveness, but the problem is that these so-called cartoons are designed, written and created by the average Tumblr/Twitter user, these being the (un)safe havens for Japan-inspired nerds and crazy social justice warriors. This is exactly why I had doubts about the Powerpuffs being rebooted from the moment they announced that they’d do it.
Yes, I’m the kind of person who looks for mature stories surrounding real situations and characters with depth, and animation has provided and should provide more mature stories than so many American movie studios think it can. Animation should be treated like the kind of art it is. But animation can’t just have one single personality. As proven with all its original programming from Steven to PPG 2016, no matter how good, Cartoon Network is just too real now to even be considered 'Cartoon' Network. That doesn't mean to say that this new version of Cartoon Network shouldn't embrace influence or teach acceptance, especially in this age of a president with a desire to barricade his people against any "terrorists" who aren't white or cisgendered, but to do so without pandering would require subtlety, something the Crewniverse fails to recognise.
Opinions on this show are respectable, but this fandom has grown to be a clustercuss that in many cases fills in for bronies; almost everyone I know has Peridot or a gem’s meme-y face as their icon and will spoil an episode for what feels like an eternity after its premiere. Some fans will even look past the show’s morals about acceptance no matter what size, gender, sexuality, mental issue or whatnot and trash each other to the brink of suicide. I’m losing enjoyment of this show even during its best episodes not just because it isn’t as effective as, say, Wander Over Yonder or BoJack Horseman, but the thoughts of this fandom and the slow death of comedy at the CN Studios invade my brain constantly and make me feel like a bitter old man trapped in the body of guy in his early 20′s. And during this experience, Lauren Zuke Joss Whedon’d her Twitter because of fans crying like the characters in this show over their ships.
But what do I know? I prefer Uncle Grandpa.