I’ve wanted
to talk about Steven Universe for a while. I did a small section in an
editorial about it but I didn’t do it justice. I like Steven Universe, a lot.
But it handles it gem characters better than most of its human ones. With some
exceptions, of course, human characters come off as one-note, which is
understandable given that there’s already a sizeable cast of characters, the
problem is when episodes focus on these characters, where the conflicts seem
forced at best.
The other
problem with the show as it stood is with how they treated the main villains.
And I’m just gonna put up the spoiler banner for not just this movie but whole
main plot of Steven Universe.
The
Diamonds, who created an empire of mass genocide and destruction, valuing only
their own creation over the lives of everyone else are pacified by the end of
Steven Universe. It’s got all the markings of a rushed redemption arc, and with
Steven Universe future being half way done and barely touching on the diamonds,
I don’t see much changing. And the question becomes whether you should redeem
someone who’s responsible for mass genocide.
Good
redemptions: Peridot, Zuko
Bad
redemptions: The Diamonds, Kylo Ren (we will be getting to that – although
Vader also counts here), Kuvira
The
difference, the ones that are good take time, the ones that aren’t are
generally rushed and tend to ignore the magnitude of their actions (for the purposes of this, I'm ignoring the comic Korra book that helps elaborate on Kuvira)
So, now that
the wars are over, what’s next for Steven Universe? Here’s my take on Steven
Universe: The Movie.
