More on Steven Universe · 1:12am Nov 13th, 2015
I'm now up to date with Steven Universe, shorts and all. And yeah, I like it a good deal and am pretty impatient for the next episode to come out. As a PG-rated show, it has more space to explore mature themes, and it's fair to say that some of the best (hello, "Keeping It Together") pack a tremendous emotional punch. The gradually unfolding backstory is fascinating, too, and SU has that crucial "heart" that's what really keeps me watching. For what it's worth, my favourite character right now isn't a Gem at all: it's Connie. Since "Sworn to the Sword" in particular, she's been amazing.
So, yes, SU is a show I like a lot. What I don't do is love it in the way I do Pony. I can't, in a month of Sundays, see myself going to a Steven Universe convention (assuming such things exist). Despite the heart I mentioned, MLP still does that better for me: "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" isn't the greatest piece of animated television ever made, or anywhere near it, but even after umpteen viewings it can still really get to me. (For what it's worth, my absolute favourite scene from that episode isn't one of the obvious ones; it's when Apple Bloom says to the other Crusaders that they'd better go and see if Diamond Tiara is okay. There is this show's heart.)
Look at it this way: MLP is like an 8-bit game; SU is like a 16-bit game. You can do all sorts of extra things with a 16-bit title, and you can explore places you simply didn't have room to explore before. But there's a special place in your heart for the amazing things that a skilled creator can do within the tight constraints of an 8-bit world. I think that may be part of why I love Pony so much. But Steven Universe is still great, and I still want to know where the hay Lion came from in the first place. And Peridot. And Onion. And just about everyone else in Beach City. So I guess that's a win.
If you like Steven Universe, you'll probably also like Gravity Falls. I feel like the 22 minute episodes (same as Pony) allow for less rushed story telling.
3538979 I tried a couple of episodes, but it didn't really click. I might give it another go if the S5-S6 hiatus really is as long as is being suggested.