Where Steven Universe Went Wrong

[@SuperBronySparkle97]

You forgot the important rule of the crewniverse... Nobody develops if Steven is not there.

[@ShinyHydreigonMaster]

I enjoyed the moment this was sorta called out in Steven Universe Future with Lars and Sadie breaking up Steven: But when did this happen!? I didn't see any of this! Sadie: that's because it was private!

[@thegreatmajora5089]

@@ShinyHydreigonMaster Yeah, but calling something out just to call it out and be like "see y'all, we know" but then not changing anything is... frustrating.

[@ShinyHydreigonMaster]

@@thegreatmajora5089 Well yeah it doesn't justify it. I know the whole concept didn't work at all for the show, it was annoying. Just thought it was funny is all.

[@mikalicious.]

except when they fell like it

[@ferrallezz5246]

The Great Majora But that was literally in a 20 episode epilogue. They had to focus on other things. A character can’t change that fast.

[@puppyhowler]

the crewniverse: fusion is not a metaphor for sex, it's a metaphor for relationships also the crewniverse: peridot is asexual so she won't fuse which is it crewniverse?

[@notfrank6586]

crewiverse: yes

[@hamonilla]

that’s wasn’t even the crewniverse as a whole, it was a noisy storyboard artist who said so lmao

[@therealmrmago9077]

who cares i always thought fusion as a concept was kinky even in dragon ball cause we all know Rebecca sugar got the idea from that show and theirs nothing wrong with using an idea from some other source if you put your own spin which Steven universe did

[@joaobernardo1278]

She's not into fusion at all. She represents the ace/aro comunity and what is the best way to show that? By not making her fuse with someone.

[@fabiocandelori9163]

@@joaobernardo1278 But, as is being already discussed into another thread, doesn't representing aro/ace as not wanting to fuse undermine the whole point of fusion being all kind of relationships? I mean, if not being in sexual or romantic relationship is shown as not wanting to fuse, then it is reasonable to assume that romantic love or sex are the only kind of bond represented by fusion, isn't it? Otherwise being aro/ace would have no influence on wanting or not to fuse.

[@marissalibre]

The crewniverse: peridot is asexual, so no fusion for her! Also the crewniverse: STEG

[@jesuis6068]

I totally forgot about that, I already had issues with Steg but now... Raaah, Crewniverse, what do you want fusion to be ?!

[@nikkyonthemoon7719]

Fusion has multiple contexts depending on the relationship of the people fusing, for instance obsidian, the fusion of Steven garnet pearl and amythest is a sign of how strong their family bond is In short Fusion does not always equal romantic it's just a sign of how strong a bond is That's why malachite was so unstable because Jasper and lapis had to force a bond even if neither of them wanted to

[@fabiocandelori9163]

@@nikkyonthemoon7719 I think the point they are trying to make is that, by saying that peridot is asexual and doesn't get a fusion, the crewniverse has created a relation between fusion and a sexual relationship, and so both contradicted the claim that fusion can be different kind of bonds, and made the existence of Steg a lot more creepy. If abything, saying that peridot is asexual and aromantic should have been a stronger reason to have her fuse, as it would have strengthened the claim that fusion can also just be a strong bond of friendship, family, or something else.

[@magma1264]

@nikky on the moon "Fusion has multiple contexts depending on the relationship of the people fusing" So why can't Peridot fuse

[@djpointer2525]

@@fabiocandelori9163 Exactly! I've heard people claim that Steg looks the way he does to represent the the flair and showiness of being a music star, but they could have done that without making him look so...suggestive, considering who he's a fusion of. The Crewniverse wanted to have their cake and eat it too when it came to the implications of fusion, but look what happened.

[@Greg56_]

finally, I thought I was the only one who thought Peridot became a joke after she joined the gems.

[@DeathnoteBB]

gamermaster56 Oh everyone though so. All the gremlin Peridot memes...

[@jesuis6068]

You're definitely not the only one. And it really frustrated me because at her best, Peridot is by far one of the best characters of the show, and yet, she's been reduced to a walking joke during half of season 3 and the entirety of season 4, and then again at the end of season 5 and in the movie. In season 3 and 4, it's been more or less explained by the fact that she was hiding things from Lapis and in season 5 and the movie, it was because she wasn't the focus, but her focus episodes are so great, it's too bad there wasn't more of them. At least In Dreams did her justice... It's been a while since I felt like I was truly looking at the character I came to love (the last time was in Back to the Kindergarten).

[@Rashy225]

Peri with the limb enhancers was the best. She was still good without them but then they made her into a zany neon gremlin.

[@dakurifanart8386]

Your not

[@Jdudec367]

honestly while I think she may have been a bit to goofy....I still enjoyed gremlin peridot honestly still felt kinda in character(well her goofy side that is). wouldn't say she was just a jok honestly actually though I will say they could have had a better mix of her being serious and goofy though

[@sephiriza]

"Because she became a joke." Damn, this sentence about Peridot is so perfect there's nothing to add. She's just... a joke now. That's all.

[@LemonnNote]

She went from a nice character and stuff, to a character who's so short atoms are a couple inches taller, oh yeah, I think she's only there for memes

[@mothergothelisagirlboss5735]

@@LemonnNote they ruined her potential, she had the most interesting powers.

[@DeathKitta]

I loved the Peridot that we were introduced to. I was okay with the Peridot that stayed.

[@sunkqz]

@@mothergothelisagirlboss5735 I so wish they kept her original costume instead of getting rid of it

[@lixeiradokuro]

Imagine having 7 seasons and still doing all the development offscreen

[@kirbyboycoolness6734]

7? I thought it only had 5?

[@stardustcrusader8890]

@@kirbyboycoolness6734 there was 6

[@mr.crystalflake]

No there are actually 5 Steven Universe Future is just an epilogue series but I guess it can still be considered season 6

[@robindiazserena19]

@@mr.crystalflake Well... First season was twice as long as the others and should have started the story sooner

[@thegreatmajora5089]

SUF was called an epilogue, but substance wise it really was just a new season with a timeskip

[@ThatJPGamer]

They kinda shot themselves in the foot with the diamonds. They made the diamonds so evil just to raise the stakes and intrigue the audience, but then pretend like it’s just some bad family dynamic that can be fixed with words. Most of us don’t have family members responsible for genocide/war/pillaging, so how is it suddenly supposed to be relatable?

[@notfrank6586]

they redeemed space Hitler(s)with tears prove me wrong.

[@ThatJPGamer]

Not frank I love how after a whole ass war there isn’t even consequences like yellow alone is enough to heal dead people apparently

[@notfrank6586]

@@ThatJPGamer and PTSD of being brutally murdered and be awake for mutilation , and clearly no attempt to get the big super monster in the earth

[@montiigo]

I feel like everyone forgets that Steven was cut SEASONS short due to the Sapphire and Ruby wedding. I feel like all of this development would've happened in the missing seasons. This goes for pretty much any comment under any video criticizing the development of the characters.

[@animeonepiecelife1663]

@@montiigo I blame Cartoon Network (for messing them up), and the Crewniverse (for wasting their time with filler and not adding more to the episodes).

[@marcuslarry4180]

My biggest issue with this show is definitely the fact that it all had to be in steven's perspective.

[@adampkalb]

Exactly. I know that the title of the series Steven Universe is literally his name, but even Spongebob Squarepants has episodes like Plankton's Army, Enemy In-Law or Mall Girl Pearl where Spongebob has some lines but the main plot is through the perspective of another character. April 22, 2020, 3:05am

[@lakeishapatton7862]

your comment makes it seems like every episode is in steven perspective but it isnt. There are a lot of episodes where steven's not in.

[@adampkalb]

@@lakeishapatton7862 There are not any episodes where Steven's not in, you just mean there are episodes that are not Steven's perspective. June 4, 2020, 11:20am

[@irisaferg2524]

@@adampkalb Why are you labelling the time and date that all of your comments were posted? Not trying to be rude, just curious.

[@adampkalb]

@@irisaferg2524 I want to remember the exact minute just like KZbin. August 6, 2020, 9:44pm

[@sakurabiskuit]

Hot take: As much as the writers wanted to push that the show is about Steven, it really isn't. Steven is just there to fix everyone else's mess. And the fact that not everything is properly fixed is what causes this feeling of insatisfaction about the ending.

[@jesuis6068]

I think things not being properly fixed is kinda on purpose, as the movie's message was that people will keep changing and growing forever and there's nothing that will remain "fixed", which is a good and interesting message but I'll admit that it was handled pretty badly in terms of narration in Future. It's hard to know how we're supposed to feel about each arc's "closure". Also, Steven being there to fix everyone else's mess is actually what has been pointed out in Future. It doesn't make his character arc in the original show much better (well, I like it, but it definitely has issues), but at least they tried to do something about that.

[@jesuis6068]

@Nicholas Marashio The writing does have issues but let's be honest here : many shows feature a teenager having to fix everything. The whole point of Future is actually to show what happens once that teenager has nothing else to fix and why him having to fix everything has always been an issue.

[@edoardom3677]

That's the whole point of Steven Universe Future... A child shouldn't fix everyone's problems that's the whole point...

[@mlpangelz]

Lady Etihw no show ends off with everything being fixed That’s just not how it works

[@jesuis6068]

@Nicholas Marashio To be fair SU has the "excuse" of having the majority of the cast being full of aliens who seem to behave like humans but are actually far from being like them and consequently need an actual human to help them understand emotions better, while at the same time having someone who can understand them to some extent. Of course at the end Steven was the only candidate because he is half-human half-gem, that's the point. I'll admit that having him be the center of everything to the point of practically becoming a god was too much though. Also, many characters actually tried to work on themselves without him being involved (he was just the starting point), but since the show is from his point of view, the development happened off-screen, which shows that the real issue from a narrative point isn't that the characters always rely on Steven, but that the show is always from his point of view and he cannot be everywhere at once.

[@Banchoking]

My personal beef is that SU's setting and powers are perfect for an action series but the show insists on being a slice of life series. It's like one long anticlimax.

[@christopherbennett5858]

Doesn't help that the stakes seem to get lower and lower

[@Lucas66393]

I remember people making fanarts near to the end of S1 to the beggining of S2 about action moments that people are predicted in that time and that never happend. Plus the full opening when the Yellow Diamond appears with Jasper holding Lapis and Peridot doing a bad face makes all get hyped, with everybody think thats could get a big war in the next but nah, Peridot turns out in a gag character, Japer bubbled after a little fight and thats all

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@Lucas66393 Yeah, I get that the show wants a whole conflict resolution narrative which I respect. However, on top of forgiving the biggest galactic threat, not only did it pave the way for any future threats having the same treatment but it also makes any other decision against any weaker enemy to be somewhat hypocritical.

[@adampkalb]

That doesn't sound much different from Friendship is Magic and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, does it? April 22, 2020, 3:02am

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@adampkalb It does share the skeezy nature that MLP redemptions became. E.g. Season 8 has the radical nationalist who influenced the country's education practices and helped a demonic child into power get away scott free. However, said child is thrown into prison.

[@Peridot5xg]

*[It didn't had enough Peridot episodes, that's why!]*

[@tomhill3248]

You're not wrong. More Peridot would have solved the problem. I would have very much enjoyed an episode of "peridot universe". Which we kinda got when the new gem crew tried to replace the crystal gems for a bit, but, not quite what I had in mind.

[@Kirill-Ivanov2002]

Yeah.

[@YourLosingDog]

Yes. She had amazing character development

[@thecommentguy9380]

Spitting straight facts

[@sackboy8185]

You' re right clod

[@SamsonArtChannel]

Rebecca, Why is everything happening off screen? Lord forbid the focus shift from Steven for more than 5 seconds to let other characters have screen time. Having a Steven only perspective is the thing that killed my interest in this show.

[@SamsonArtChannel]

@Otneimica Doesn't that make him a Gary Stu?

[@nightshade4683]

@Otneimica actually not everybody liked him. Lars at the beginning didn't like him at all. He wasn't always a happy fun loving guy either. He didn't have all these powers off the bat and had to learn to control them over time, unlike a gary/mary stu who magically have powers and already know how to use them properly.

[@InternetNonsense]

@Otneimica Yep, I can totally see that. Imagine the show if he wasn't just born a magical alien royalty with having a potential for diamond level powers? Or being so optimistically and impossibly hellbent on seeing the best in people no matter what, and that just happening to work out in all cases? How would he convince the diamonds if he was just a simple lowborn yet hardworking guy? I appreciate that in the Steven Universe Future he finally starts acting more human at least, traumatic events actually affect his psyche, because this "lalala let's sing a song and a murderous alien will change their mind and everything will be okay" shtick was starting to annoy and bore me to no end. "Yeah, this person just wanted to kill me or my friends, or actually did it, but it's okay, we're friends now!", love everyone unconditionally, even genocidal tyrants, and forget their bad deeds and consequences of them without any real growth or incentive towards redemption. Yep, at the end Steven managed to get EVERYONE in the universe to be on his side, love and obsess about him unconditionally (except two joke gems that pose no real threat, Aquamarine and Eyeball), and if that's not Gary Stu, I don't know what is.

[@ferrallezz5246]

Nightshade 46 Finally, someone who’s making sense. I totally agree.

[@nightshade4683]

@@ferrallezz5246 thanks. For some reason people don't know what is a gary/mary sue. And steven ain't one of them i can tell you that

[@djpointer2525]

About Pink Pearl, I still have a grudge against the Crewniverse for calling her frickin' "Volleyball". As if she wasn't done dirty enough.

[@XelginArpex]

Volleyball is the dumbest name ever. I would have called Pink Pearl “Swirl” instead. Why? Because a, her hairstyle has swirls and b, her name rhymes with Pearl. Boom new name.

[@djpointer2525]

@@XelginArpex Heck I wouldn't have minded if they went all the way with a reference and called her Leia! Then again, Star Wars isn't an anime.

[@XelginArpex]

This is going to sound strange from me, but say if SU was never created and instead there was a story with a similar concept with rebel Gems and a half gem but, the only difference being that this story would have a cohesive narrative. It would be called: Kameron and the Rainbow Gems.

[@djpointer2525]

@@XelginArpex that alone would be a breathe of fresh air

[@XelginArpex]

But wait, there’s more! Kameron and the Rainbow Gems would be on adult swim since the story would focus on certain topics, but still retain some lighthearted moments like SU. Anyway, the Story would center around our protagonist, Kameron Evans, a Fifteen-year-old half gem who struggles to balance out his human life with his gem life. (Yes, unlike Steven, Kameron would go to school and live an everyday life while helping his family with gem activities) Kameron is the son of a former gem ruler named Green Diamond who would act as a Master Splinter-esque character (think 2012 splinter from TMNT) the rest of Kam’s family consists of his human mother, Christy Evans who is a bit strict but also carries some wit and a strong motherly feel (much like that of Katara). The remaining family members would the other Rainbows: Charoite Evans: a kind compassionate gem who looks kind of sexy but acts as a strategic ninja who gets shit done. Lepidolite: A small hyperactive gem who was a former entertainer on her homeworld. She is an expert on all kinds of love and often tries to encourage Kameron into getting a girlfriend. Pyrope: A tough hotheaded go getter who pushes Kameron to be strong during training while using his anger as motivation. These three gems would have a sibling type relationship with Kameron while Green and Christy would act like Parental figures to them.

[@diamo2672]

I really like the fact that you don’t flat out HATE on the show in a cynical way and instead make really good points about the show’s flaws, keep it up!

[@ferrallezz5246]

Purple Emerald Supersonic1014?

[@leonishikino6873]

It's better than being a channel that constantly praises it

[@diamo2672]

My Dad Left For Cigarettes dude people can like stuff even if you don’t just calm down

[@icecreamhero2375]

I liked it ok when I was younger but as I got older I realized it was just boring, schmultzy, crawls at a snails pace, and is excessively cutsey. Certianly not for me.

[@sormly500]

@Purple Emerald burn down the fence we need to kill all centrist centricide now

[@shoxy-the-pinecone6113]

Rebecca wrote her characters too seriously but never had the guts to go through with it. Like jasper started out as like basically a lower tier dbz villain but nope she’s an abuser now and then suddenly she’s a veteran and now she’s a sex addict and now she’s dead and it’s like it never happened. Now imagine instead of jasper that’s like idk Nappa, how fucking confusing would that be. Like I think that she was supposed to be redeemed after the first season like Uryu from bleach but then someone else wanted an abuse subplot and then it all unravels from there

[@sydneeblueford3754]

Remember The writing team have limitations by the network such as how many episodes were given, how serialized the series could be and other factors. Beimg the creator doesnt equal complete control

[@sarabaravati5856]

@@sydneeblueford3754 ‌Literallt all series are limited. SU had enough seasons but Rebecca has no idea what to do about serious problems and situations. She just wants to force a happy ending without even knowing the solution.

[@sydneeblueford3754]

@@sarabaravati5856 I think she knows what she is doing. Otherwise I dont thibk shr would have become Executive producer in the first place. Im not saying the show doesnt have its flaws. Rebecca Sugar may just like to write saccharine endings. Some people dig this shit! I do. Any may other fans have found that charming about the show

[@sydneeblueford3754]

@@sarabaravati5856 And if she didnt know how to write serious situations , I dont think many fans or casual viewers would respond with such acceptance to their issues being represented on screen.

[@sydneeblueford3754]

@@sarabaravati5856 Plus, I respect your opinion anyways☺

[@MinecraftPony155]

I liked the story until Diamond Days. Everything went way too fast for the shows standards and it just felt so rushed.

[@mr.crystalflake]

★Breezy Blue★ well it was rushed because they didn’t have enough time left

[@garywilkinson2583]

I think Steven universe future was rushed and the 1 season of Steven universe was useless well some of it

[@palerider9952]

Mr. CrystalFlake They probably should have cut down on the townie episodes if they knew that they wouldn't have much time.

[@JLacay]

@@mr.crystalflake I call BS to not having enough. If they just get rid of the townie and focus on major characters like Lars in space, Lapis Lazuli, the off colors, Jasper, corrupted gems and Centipeetle, the story would've flown better. Also, 11 minutes isn't such a big issue like they wrap-up and squeeze major stories before like "Mirror Gem", "Ocean Gem", "The Return" and "Jailbreak". So it's pretty much their fault for not properly plan the story

[@luguidubiela1654]

they had to cancel the show after Ruby and Sapphire got married. They've lost a lot of sponsorship that came from conservative countries and had no choice but to rush the story. It's pretty sad, though. SU would probably have had at least more two seasons, and that just didnt happen.

[@jaromswenson7541]

the writers of SU have said the "offscreen" stuff is because the series is focused from steven's pov. the reasoning behind the "only stuff from steven's view" makes sense logically(we as humans know we ourselves can only experience life from our own pov), but is a horrific way of handling actual storytelling in media. any person is justified who riffs against "offscreen" character development in any other piece of media, but many in the fandum, and the creators themselves, just use it as an excuse to not have to go through the effort of giving payoff to the things they themselves built up. its lazy writing and the whole fandum and the crewniverse needs to realize this. imagine if during "Avatar the last airbender" we only got character interaction specifically around the avatar, heck, the shows name is a direct reference to aang, and thus by SU logic we dont have to cover any character interactions that dont involve aang. this would mean we dont ever see zuko's or iroh's or even azula's character ark. just one day he's chasing down the avatar and then a few episodes later he's like "i was once bad, but now im good". that would be utter trite and would get called out, but because the series developed the villains and gave them separate screen time from the main protagonist we received a great show. SU and future is about 42.5 hours worth of content, while avatar had 30.5 hours. there was plenty of filler in avatar, but they actually handled the story well, but SU was so obsessed with filler,so obsessed with giving us yet another "towny" episode that doesn't have anything to do with the over arching plot. if avatar can accomplish more overall character development then steven universe while being 10 hrs shorter then this just goes to show the inexperience of the crewniverse. dont tell me this was because of "cartoon networK meddling", they were able to get away with so much risque stuff on steven universe thats its hard to imagine the network had any influence over the show (except over the release schedule of course)!

[@Jdudec367]

i'd argue in terms of certain time restrictions like in future CN may have been involved

[@tigerstone8385]

I believe your correct. Most shows don't have such extreme focus on its main character. This comes from Steven Universe weird idea in combining elements from episodic storytelling and serialization. Secondly, I feel its reasonable to believe that the hiatises are cartoon network's doing.....steven bombs...cough...cough. Still many would argue the Crewniverse should have worked around that.

[@brubru2724]

This. This is the perfect summary of my thoughts.

[@ferrallezz5246]

In defense of the crewniverse this IS the first show they have ever written and made. So they’ll get better in the future.

[@jaromswenson7541]

@@ferrallezz5246 that's fair, but often people try to pass off inexperience with "trying to be different ". If they and others acknowledge their faults then they can get better, if they don't then they will only get worse in "self absorbed artistic delusions ".

[@Claymenageries]

I hate when the fans look at like, small little things that Rebecca probably just forgot and their like "omg Rebecca is just so smart she planned everything omg she is a briliant writer" is just, NO

[@hindsunup6777]

PREACH

[@Bulbz124]

@NIklaus MKLSON there is no way she planned the entire show from the start, otherwise she wouldn't redeem the space nazis and retcon Rose as the Emperor Palpatine of this show

[@re1010]

@@Bulbz124 she never intended Rose as a villain. At no point is Rose portrayed as malevolent.

[@brendonslife4584]

thats literally every peice of media tho

[@brendonslife4584]

@@Bulbz124 can we stop calling them space nazis because thats not what they were... the whole point is that they DIDNT CARE ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE PLANETS they just used them for resources.

[@juanpablorobayo9891]

Crewniverse: "Guys Peridot doesn't fuse because she's asexual" Crewniverse: "Guys look, Steven and Greg are fusing. Get your mind out of the gutter though! It's a simple father and son relationship! Nothing sexual at all." Crewniverse: **Draws Steg as a hunky guy with a midriff, sweaty abs, a hairy boob window, a torn shirt, booty shorts, and sexy faces** Me: ?????????????

[@theshockinglyeloquentdog9945]

oh yes i HAAAATED that

[@juanpablorobayo9891]

@@theshockinglyeloquentdog9945 Like, I get that rockers are very free and very jubilant people and that's a mood. But if the internet's first reaction to a bond between a father and son is "God he's SO hot", you might've made the sexiness too high

[@theshockinglyeloquentdog9945]

@@juanpablorobayo9891 not to mention there was no good reason for that...neither Greg or Steven have abs, neither of them act like that...there's so many non sexualized, acurate ways to make them but, no they did.....that

[@christopherbennett5858]

@JournaloftheWiccan Yeah, fusion is handled weirdly. At least we're not looking at the fusions' coding issues.

[@sarafontanini7051]

its like they forgot the nuance of fusion just so they could avoid having peridot being shipped with anyone and ALSO go for woke points at the same time!

[@misamisa3579]

I like to think of PD as the character that i love to hate, but honestly I would have loved to see flashbacks where she's shown in a more redeemable and kind light (before she turned into Rose) cuz after the reveal, the story almost treated her like a monster who did tons of horrible things

[@GabyGeorge1996]

Heart Eyed Racoon I never understood that. The other diamonds did far worse , if anything THEY should be hated.

[@dumbdumbforreal]

_I don’t know why I’m hated so much, I tried to change and honestly, I did in the end. And hey, at least I didn’t kill gems!_

[@StarlightUmbra]

We saw her development backwards

[@bananatim178]

@@StarlightUmbra Exactly what people seem to forget

[@theshockinglyeloquentdog9945]

@@StarlightUmbra yea and then she was thrown in the trash. Steven never made peace with her memory, the last thing we ever hear of her is how she inexplicably abused her pearl apparently

[@Pacenectar]

I can't unhear metal Sadie as female Kermit now 😭

[@rxtcha2394]

her voice is the most annoying thing i've ever heard.

[@cloudieskye5130]

@@rxtcha2394 off topic but ameythst is kinda annoying and she looks so stupid at 13:14

[@xempororhxppyx]

@@cloudieskye5130 😂🤣

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

How about we start with demonizing the least horrible Diamond and forgiving her genocidal evil sisters?

[@Silexium]

That shit SERIOUSLY grinds my gears.

[@KazuhaEien]

That triggers me so much. Not only that, but Rebecca is Jewish, and the most infamous genocide in history went after Jews... let that sink in...

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

Let's Go! Spirit In Motion Studio if there’s one thing this show fucks up, it’s priorities. Let’s treat a common redeemable party douchebag and a misguided but good natured Diamond (Pink) like demons but say that the warlord, depressed banshee, and eldritch horror are just “misunderstood”, no, PINK is misunderstood, they aren’t.

[@RedMoonSolitary]

I'm a little disturbed by Rebecca Sugar's bizarre fixation with victimizing abusers and generally overusing the idea of apologism.

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

Andrea Morgan the Music Owl I like to think all of these unfortunate implications are an accident, but you never know for sure.

[@clodcollecting51]

White diamond: kills millions of lifeforms, mentally/ physically abuses her family, attempts to murder Steven, is a fascist. Also White Diamond: blushes Steven: ok you’re redeemed now

[@ineedausername9617]

She's a literal space Nazi and everyone is like "Aww Stevens grandma so cuteee!"

[@nicke.8622]

You put an image of hitler blushing in my head now and i HATE IT

[@clodcollecting51]

Ok then, pretend it’s the South Park version of Saddam Hussein blushing.

[@nicke.8622]

@@clodcollecting51 thanks for that lol

[@theguywithsomething8634]

I don't believe her blushing was when she was redeemed. I believe that was simply when she realised the fundamental flaw with her way of thinking. See, White Diamond believed everything she was, said and did was perfect. As such, all those beneath her must try to be perfect too (and would inevitably fail, since they are not her), and to aid this they must do their assigned roles perfectly - hence why off-colours are hated, and why everyone is born with a set task. That whole business with "where's pink," "getting cigarettes," was when she discovered she was entirely wrong about what she said. And then she was embarrassed, accidentally changing the colour of her form; making her imperfect as she's no longer impeccable. So if she can be wrong, and if she isn't perfect, and if what she's created can be and is in fact deeply flawed, what is she to do? Which is where Steven comes in; because she has undeniable proof that her way of thinking was false, Steven is able to step in and introduce her to a new way of thinking. That isn't redemption - she hadn't made up for the bad she had done - that was (as the arc is called) changing her mind. In the movie, she still hasn't completely abandoned her old ways, but she's learning to accept this new era in her life. In Future, I think she finally succeeded in becoming a better person as she made the proactive decision to use her previously oppressive tools to better help her fellow gem, placing great trust in them by letting them control her body. I don't know if any of that counts as redemption (and clearly Steven didn't forgive her if the third last episode is anything to go by - he's just willing to focus on better things), but she definitely isn't someone I can look at and say "she's a bad person." It's like if Hitler suddenly realised that he didn't hate Jews, and decided to take up a simple life of farming. Yeah, I COULD kill him for the atrocities he committed, but he clearly regrets that and has changed his point of view, and isn't that the whole point of punishment? To change people and make them better? What need do I have to go further, except to fuel my own desire to hurt him? That's how I see it anyway.

[@Suujisushi]

YES! You just nailed the "somethings missing here" feeling the show was giving me. Lack of proper development on screen and important issues never being brought up again. Just nailed it!

[@christopherbennett5858]

Would have been nice to see Steven go to therapy instead of having this solution be done offscreen.

[@Nicu-vy3gm]

The problem is that they hire to many famous celebrities to voice characters like bismuth they never use her to much because her voice actor is expensive in the future finale they hired a new voice actor for her

[@rima4867]

I thought they hired another VA is because busmith's original VA had things to do

[@adampkalb]

@@rima4867 Well, that is also a possibility. Two years after her first episode in Season 3, Uzo was able to make a short time commitment for the end of Season 5 and the movie, and one episode of Steven Universe Future before the four-part finale. Maybe she had scheduling conflicts with Miss Virginia before the end of Steven Universe Future, and that is why she needed Miriam Hyman to replace her. April 22, 2020, 3:03am

[@CJCroen1393]

For an even better example, Sugilite never talked again after her first episode because Cartoon Network and the Crewniverse can't fork over the cash to get Nicki Minaj to come back.

[@adampkalb]

@@CJCroen1393 (as Swiper) Oh, me-an! April 25, 2020, 3:35pm

[@Nicu-vy3gm]

@@CJCroen1393 cartoon network has a lot of shows do you think they gave all the budget to steven universe

[@pondersprocket2274]

One thing that I'd like to make note of with regards to Peridot; she may not have revered Jasper's rank the same way she revered what she believed to be Amethyst's rank based on what she knew about Gem ranks, because Jasper technically wasn't the highest rank. Perdiot and Jasper were sent directly to Earth by Yellow Diamond and since Peridot was a part of Yellow Diamond's court, Yellow Diamond would be top rank. However, when Peridot defected after angry-facing Yellow, she was then a part of the Earth rebellion, a completely different faction. In the Earth rebellion (The Crystal Gems), the quartz Amethyst would be the highest ranked Gem. (One could argue that Sapphire would actually be the highest rank, I can't be sure, but Peridot could have also ignored her because she existed as a part of a fusion and we know how Homeworld viewed the fusion of different gems.) It also arguably makes sense for Peridot to hyper-fixate on Amethyst like this and to justify it because she's trying to fill in the space left after defecting from her diamond. She's basically looking for someone new to act as someone she can obsess over and please. Also, I fully support all of these reasons for Peridot, Jasper and Lapis to get their closure and get to fuse~ And your idea of how the series should have ended is great! Myself and a friend had originally theorized that White might have *been* Homeworld itself (like it was a giant diamond planet) but I also like the idea that she just couldn't leave the planet. Plus it gives way for her to be able to leave after the series, which works out awesome. Hecking awesome vid~

[@odysseylotus4]

Hey Octomama!

[@hase2705]

ok I wasn't expecting to see you here Octomama!!!

[@scorchinganimationstudios3204]

Octamommy!!!!! I didn't really expect you to be here welcome to chaos also known as the Steven Universe writing.

[@angelsdevil4100]

I don't think Jasper necessarily NEEDS a redemption arc, especially with all the gem characters, but I do like some of your points. Learning to appreciate her diamond's world for what she saw in it, and giving us backstory of their relationship would be great. I don't think she needs to be a crystal gem, but maybe just learning to tolerate them since it was what her diamond ended up wanting. That Pink was gone now, and she could have freedom to pursue her own life from here on as she never had that ability before.

[@ferrallezz5246]

Exactly.

[@陳逸文-r8e]

Yeah. She doesn't need to be redeemed, but I still think the crewniverse could have handle her arc better.

[@fruitcxkes9932]

I actually agree. One thing I don't get; A lot of people complain that every character including the bad ones get redeemed. So why would they complain that Jasper wasn't redeemed when they complain that every antagonist gets redeemed?

[@cloudieskye5130]

@@fruitcxkes9932 she would've been done more dirty if she had attacked Steven imagine what the diamonds would do to her,since in change your mind the diamonds are just starting to become good or at least that's what they said '-'

[@awwgrassyass9857]

The Diamonds: cruel, ruthless, abusive murderers who slaughtered thousands Crewniverse: Aww but they're so sad! Let's redeem them! Jasper: confused, loyal to Pink, revenge-seeker who was in a mutually abusive relationship (Certainly flawed, but not evil) Crewniverse: wow what an irredeemable character. Ehh, let's just bubble her.

[@catswork]

Using Lars as a way to explore homeworld could have been a very fun and interesting way to flesh out the world and have an arc for lars. Too bad no-one in this show can do anything important without steven being there

[@selvenaeexisting9516]

Yeah, that’s kinda what I was thinking. Either Lars or just a new character that lives on homeworld.

[@baraxor]

If Rebecca Sugar et al wanted to expand on Lars's experiences, they could have dedicated an episode where he relates a flashback in Steven's presence. They did not, so the mere fact that Lars and the Off-Colors had possession of the Sun Incinerator, along with Emerald's very brief summary, was as much as they were willing to relate. If that's a fault so be it, although that would have nothing to do with the well-established format of the show taking place exclusively from Steven's perspective.

[@sandi539]

I think the absolute biggest problem is that Steven started out as a kinda goofy simpleton kid, that hanged out with three cool ladies that fought monsters, and gradually become what is basically Jesus (he is both him and his mother, a gem and a human at the same time, healing others, godlike powers), a paragon of goodness and morality and can do no wrong. He can forgive even the worst of villians for the bad stuff that they did to others and not him, is constantly praised and loved by everyone in the show, and in the end, he resolves every conflict in the story by talking the enemies down and creating utopic society in the gem world. All the other characters slowly went out of focus as the story went by and had no story arcs of their own, always revolving around Steven. What also does not help is that he is based on Rebecca Sugar's little brother.

[@Jdudec367]

he isn't a gary stu he's screwed up and made things worse like with navy by trusting her and originally he was like the weakest gem

[@sandi539]

@@Jdudec367 The "screwed up part" wasn't brought up until Future. He trusted Navy not by stupidity, but rather because of his all-loving nature and willingness to redeem anyone, a trait that a part of his messianic image. And the fact that he went fom the weakest gem to the most powerful one, proves that the writers didn't have the plot of the show completely written at the start of the series and the Pink Diamond twist wasn't planned when first season came out.

[@Jdudec367]

@@sandi539 exactly and him trusting navy proved he shouldn't just completely trust strangers first let them prove themselves of his trust first. I don't see how steven going from weakest to strongest gem means they didn't plan anything out

[@gwendolynstata3775]

And THEN they thought that Gem Jesus being SAD and DOUBTING HIMSELF and having LOW SELF ESTEEM was a compelling character "flaw" as if every teenager on Fanfiction.net didn't pull this exact shit with their OCs because they were afraid of giving them an "unattractive" flaw. "See, Steven CAN'T be a Gary-Stu! He DOESN'T THINK he's PERFECT, he has CRIPPLING DEPRESSION from being TOO GOOD AT EVERYTHING!"

[@Jdudec367]

@@gwendolynstata3775 except Steven was actually into a downward spiral into insanity not the same. even before in the original series he was flawed. also if he was a gary stu would he ACCIDENTALLY shatter someone? no he wouldn't

[@ResidentTarantino]

I was laughing WAY too many times during the finale. Like, the plot was finally getting interesting in the last few episodes leading up to the final three episodes... and then it turned into this over-saturated mental health PSA that can basically be chalked up by that one meme where Katy Perry says _"you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine but you just can't get into it because they would never understand."_ I gotta say, I love the characters and their character dynamics, but the plot needed an Adderall prescription because there were too many times where nothing was going on. There's nothing wrong with having slice-of-life moments/episodes, but there needs to be pacing to where the overarching plot doesn't feel like an afterthought. Like, whenever new episodes were announced, all I thought was "are we gonna address the plot or are we getting more _Dragonball_ filler?" In retrospect, this series had an identity crisis between being either episodic or serialized. Stuff like that is why I felt like _Steven Universe Future_ was like 80% air and 20% meat; a "meat balloon" if I may call it that

[@danielscalera6057]

And then when it gets to serialized episodes they just leave more hanging plot threads

[@tigerstone8385]

Not to mention episodes are normally 11 minutes long. And they made us care too much about the characters. People say kids won't care about this but the show is targeted towards children ages 10 and 12, who would care about the characters and emphasize with them as they do with people in reallife.

[@Jdudec367]

to me SUF didnt have much filler it felt like it all was building up to the climax and it felt like it was great for some episodes to focus on the other gems

[@spleenky]

I do think the finale could’ve been done better, like a lot of other things in the show, but regarding your point about mental health, I think covering mental health was a great choice, since I personally have pretty bad mental health, which keeps worsening

[@mint7442]

I’m sorry but the mental heath thing was really good. I felt that I could understand why he was struggling and that it related to how I felt in my life. I feel like anyone who has ever had or does have depression or anxiety or ptsd or anything like that could relate to something about Steven. For me I really liked that he mentioned he had gotten a therapist. Not everything was better but he was taking those steps to a happier life and that was important for me

[@dcscruz2970]

That happens when you don't have a proper story writter. Cause the story board artists all are different and sadly will care more of how it looks that if it makes sense

[@dcscruz2970]

@Julie Walker I know it sounds very mean but honestly is hard to make a cohesive story if there's too many people involved. That's why there's a team of writers who work solely on the story as to not lose focus

[@SonicBadass]

@Julie Walker I guess having writers is really important.

[@dcscruz2970]

@@SonicBadass Is important since it means less multitasking. Like the writers make the jokes and focus on the sense of it all and the storyboards push the jokes or emphasize what the writers want to say. That's why most successful shows have a distinguish between the two. For one off episodes is fine but a lore and full on story that's not all that good

[@dcscruz2970]

@Phương Nguyễn But they had stuff planned in a cohesive way. Since it was about mystery a plotline makes sense. For star and Steven it seems that the writers focus more on what will be meme-able or fun than a series. Which that's why it reminds me of why there's a separation of writers and storyboard artists

[@redblueberg]

I think that's an issue. Everything's done off screen because it's called "Steven Universe" and everything needs to revolve around him....I'm not agreeing with it but it's most logical thing I can say as to why it's done. Heck, SUF even referenced why Steven never knew about Larz and Sadey's not being together. I get why it's done, but just because I get it doesn't mean I agree. When the main character is there to fix every problem even when they're not directly doing it, makes the other characters seem as if they can't handle issues themselves and at times it feels questionable.

[@captain_hashtag6428]

Red Blueberg I mean, they kind couldn’t tho Maximum Capacity, Rose’s Scabbard, Same Old World, Future Boy Zoltron, The Question The gems have been dealing with these issues for literally THOUSANDS of years and never truly seemed to moved passed them until Steven came along. That’s his role, he’s the HEALER; he fixes other people’s problems up to the point where he seems as that’s his sole purpose. THAT’S THE ENTIRETY OF THE EPILOGUE, finally coping with the fact that he’s actually capable of having problems of his own instead of easily being able to routinely fix someone else’s. It’s sad when you try ink about it...

[@random_name_was_already_taken]

They choose to center the story around Steven and they remained coherent, I respect their personal kind of narration, but I agree that it has limits.

[@redblueberg]

​@@random_name_was_already_taken That's just it, it could and can be done, but because of how the series is structured it feels like the whole story needs Steven, when in fact a lot of problems and situations could have been handled or solved with other characters alone. Also, I agree; Lapis was imprisoned by the crystal gems, there should have been more resentment and apologies and Lapis shouldn't have become a crystal gem because the diamonds have arrived.

[@danielscalera6057]

@@redblueberg They are supposed to be fighting for gem freedom but find a gem homeworld imprisoned and just leave Lapis in the mirror till Steven lets get out. Some sort of inconsistent writing there

[@ferrallezz5246]

Captain_Hashtag 64 Finally. Glad some people are making some sense.

[@Vavalry]

Not to sound contrarian but I personally hate this show. Don’t get me wrong the show is technically good but that episode where amethyst shapeshifted into rose quartz so she could get her way with Steven’s dad just...put a taste in my mouth that no future episode could wash out. Every time I saw amethyst I kept thinking back to that scene, and the fact that there were no long term consequences that made Steven’s and amethyst’s relationship rocky in any meaningful way kinda made me lose respect for the show writers, plus the show had a messed up release schedule so I gave up on the show shortly after that, even though that was more teen titans fault than SU’s fault.

[@vahkiel1042]

I'm curious, even knowing you dropped the show early, did you watch this entire video?

[@CJCroen1393]

"amethyst shapeshifted into rose quartz so she could get her way with Steven’s dad" I wouldn't say that she did it for _that_ reason, but I do see your point.

[@Vavalry]

TheKiel I did, and while she had some good points, they weren’t enough for me to want to get back in.

[@vahkiel1042]

​@@Vavalry Well, I'm pretty sure you're not considering anymore BUT... I love the show and I think it's great (with flaws), but I don't recommend you to watch it not even another episode, you'll probably find more of these "amethyst cases" in other gems and even in steven, and even knowing that there are really good episodes, they're worth of nothing if you don't actually like the characters. Have a good life.

[@Vavalry]

TheKiel well...this was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for actually being decent towards me for having a different opinion! You have a good day ok?

[@xanderg.1070]

It’s sad that future never touch upon these ideas with those characters, I know it was supposed to focus on Steven and mental health, but since future is the last thing out of the SU franchise it’s kinda disappointing that Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, and even Bismuth got their proper closure. I mean there was an episode in future where Steven, Connie, Pearl, and Bismuth and in that episode it’s revealed that Bismuth has a crush on Pearl and then after that it’s never touch upon again.

[@sweetch3rrycola]

there are easter eggs if you looked for them though.

[@adampkalb]

You're telling me! Runawaysiren240 made a whole video on why Steven Universe Future should not have existed and ruined Steven's and Greg's characters. Cartoonshi told me why Steven Universe Future was a very bad representation of mental health problems. April 22, 2020, 3:11am

[@Jdudec367]

well it's a interesting idea for bismuth some things just are left to wonder. Im not surprised not everything was tied up but it did a good job at giving characters closure

[@Jdudec367]

@@adampkalb who is runawaysiren240? can't find them....oh nevermind...name is actually runawaysiren 940. already say cartoonshi's video and responded to it....doubt that youtuber would be any different

[@phlpcockrell]

As a mirror, lapis was aware of everything going on. She could have been idly watching them for thousands of years. Amethyst pretending to be lapis would be more of a stretch. Though besides "moody" Lapis doesn't have a lot of personality. Plus they had a whole episode about where lapis could live and she chose the barn. She didn't want to be near the gems since she hated them, so living with steven was out. cities were too bustling and loud. The barn is quiet, steven-adjacent and has an ex-homeworld gem she can relate to. Why wouldn't she want to stay there? And even though she called herself a crystal gem and adopted the star, she still never hangs with the gems. Implying she tolerates the 3 main gems for Steven's sake and even believes in their cause, but isnt their friend.

[@hawklegs6940]

I completely agree with you, and I thought it was a bit harsh she criticized the show for not making them buddies. I mean, would YOU want to be good friends with people who knowingly left you imprisoned?

[@Jdudec367]

i'd say lapis does have a personality jus more of a dead pan one she can be chill tense or just edgy and sometimes just plain weird

[@vahkiel1042]

@@hawklegs6940 well, the show is about redemption, even when talking about white so...

[@fightingmedialounge519]

That'not really a personality jayden.

[@sondrasue1855]

Tales of Ba Sing Sae has more character development for the characters in 1 episode then Steven Universe did for Lapis in an entire season. Yes, put filler, but give them canon character development *in* the filler.

[@vicenteisaaclopezvaldez2450]

If you notice all characters that start out smart stop being smart eventually, white, Connie, pearl, garnet, peridot, even demantoid, they all gave in to the show's infectious emotionality and became less and less serious, their various ways of intelligence slowly becoming emotional intelligence, like a fungi, all left being *implications* of other types of intelligence, like a husk of their former selves. The smartest character in the universe is demantoid, and that because of one line "you really didn't know?" One thing that hurt me in this show was to accept that thought-driven doesn't necessarily mean "smart", that we'll never get a mind-blowing plan, that we'll never get a professor Layton-esque moment, all because Steven has one braincell bouncing on his head like a screen-saver, and the only time he experiences a thought is when it hits a corner. I know I shouldn't expect a show to be a certain way and that all pieces of art are different, but it hurts me that I wasted 8 years of my life -my teenage years- waiting... For this.

[@eatatjoes6751]

I wasted since the pilot getting pumped up for this show.

[@Spinelsofficalwife]

Yeah they all acted like in SUF like they were on something like they got so dumb

[@swiggityswooty2720]

Unpopular opinion: lapis didn't seem to have much character development.

[@robinmissouri7514]

She didnt have any character development imo. Or atleast it wasnt done well.

[@cartoonking1789]

Her “personality” is tortured soul that inexplicably becomes a moody teen.

[@ellierainy412]

I still cant believe they did Jasper sooooooo dirty while white diamond is chilling there like nothing

[@awkwardorangedrawz5914]

I think it would obviously be better if it wasn't restrained to 11 minutes and if it used different perspectives.

[@awormnamedscoobis3419]

Awkward OrangeDrawz yes. Unfortunately cartoon network the fucking retards say ‘lol only 11 minutes bc you dont have good views lOL!

[@Rashy225]

Agreed!

[@TheLugiaSong]

And if they got more time to develop episodes. Not only were stories rushed within those 11 minutes, but the planning of them felt rushed too in a lot of cases.

[@aurawry]

The REAL problem with Steven Universe... WHAT HAPPENED TO JAMIE?

[@barbiewire]

I KNOW RIGHT LMAO

[@natashatides7548]

Aurora Frappe he dipped

[@CJCroen1393]

Jamie deserved more love.

[@angelosumugat6653]

Probably in hollywood being a mailman

[@madrpsurreal7553]

his house caught on fire and he crawled on the floor until his lungs filled with smoke and he died.

[@settheshallow8913]

As slice of Otaku said, Barn syndrome is a serious problem with this show.

[@1992holycrap]

People laughed at Slice for voicing his issues with SU, but it turns out he was more right than we all thought.

[@settheshallow8913]

@@1992holycrap I would've loved to see more sugilite, but Minaj eats up budget like nobodies business. I went along with it, but I was never a fan of Lapis being low-key forced to befriend one of her abusers. I don't even remember peri apologizing to her terrible treatment of Lapis. Terrible example. Slice is amazing, haven't watched him in a minute though.

[@highvibe6081]

I’m glad this show is done. They can’t seem to do good story telling

[@KazuhaEien]

I wish I could rewrite it duh

[@cloudieskye5130]

@@KazuhaEien KZbin won't make me type more so yeah that's what I have so far 😂I don't know the name yet but I'll figure it out,I think I'm not that good at naming things ;-;

[@stevenuniverselover128]

says you.

[@MintyRainbow]

The writing started out good then it slowly just developed into something that sounded like it was written by a 13 year old on tumblr...a lot of unnecessary angst, and future pretended like Steven never confronted his own emotions before

[@thegreatmajora5089]

One thing I really don't understand is why Lapis was even kept in the mirror in the first place. She says that she was put in there because Homeworld mistook her for a Crystal Gem, which, to me, implies that this happened for other CGs. Knowing that, I don't see why they decided to keep her in there. Not even mentioning how Pearl is the one who found her, who should be the most opposed to gem objectification.

[@kylepope7850]

@The Great Majora "One thing I really don't understand is why Lapis was even kept in the mirror in the first place." Gems can be used as a power source for their technology. Attaching Lapis' gem to the mirror enabled the use of that mirror as an observation device.

[@thegreatmajora5089]

@@kylepope7850 No, I know why she was put there, I don't get why she was kept there by the Crystal Gems.

[@kylepope7850]

@The Great Majora Neither does Lapis.

[@sephiriza]

@@kylepope7850 well, would crystal gems like to explain this then? This thing was lingering in my mind since her introduction, I still don't get why the fact that cg still held her in that mirror is never ever addressed.

[@kylepope7850]

@SephiZ That's why Lapis was angry. The Crystal Gems never explained why they kept her in the mirror and never apologized for it after she was freed.

[@a.dennis4835]

Personally, my main issue with Pink's arc is how the show demonizes her yet wants us to sympathize the Diamond Authority. Yes Pink did some horrible stuff, but she actually tried to change as a person and stop, you know, genocide being performed by the other Diamonds.

[@trustno173]

To be fair to the Tallest, Zim is the bane of the Irken race and one unmade episode would have revealed that Zim was responsible for several disasters and the deaths of two of the previous Tallest. They have a pretty good reason to despise him.

[@RUDE7643]

Hearing what you said about the diamonds needing to change in a way that’s permanent gave me an idea. What if while they’re singing their song and healing HomeWorld and the other things affected by them, they slowly start to become smaller and less powerful. Ultimately shrinking down to the same size that pink was. They would literally give away the power they accumulated to help fix the world that they destroyed. It would also give an excellent explanation as to why pink was so much smaller than them. So when they’re helping people in their Depowered state, it feels more genuine.

[@joshbuoy8661]

That is an excellent idea! Overlooked comment here.

[@cedricgiyo9666]

The biggest issue is Steven Universe is being a 10-minute show instead of a 30 minute show. Plus all the things you said.

[@CJCroen1393]

THIS. I still love the show, but the Crewniverse _really_ needed to fight for a better timeslot. It worked back when the show was more episodic, but it stopped working when they went into the more lore and character heavy episodes--it became painfully obvious, even to me, that they had to cram a whole bunch of character development and exposition into a ten minute episode. "Now We're Only Falling Apart" is a particularly good (bad?) example.

[@ShyBolt]

This show needed at least 2 more seasons to flesh out everything they needed to and seriously have to get rid of the Steven only perspective. I liked Steven Universe Future but it only explained some things and I’m still left wondering about a whole lot... I just had so much expectations every episode, it drove me crazy 😓

[@hueyfreeman6262]

Exactly and the fact that the show was gonna end at change your mind pisses me off they couldnt have made a season 6 and 7 and or 8 like even the fans are better at story writing than the actual creators rebecca wtf happened

[@gwendolynstata3775]

"they needed two more seasons!" You and I BOTH KNOW that they'd just do more slice of life/filler episodes until the last five episodes that they'd cram and rush an entire season's worth of plot into.

[@raunjisto2925]

I still want to know who made the diamonds and what was in Rose’s chest.

[@hueyfreeman6262]

@@raunjisto2925 sadly we will never know

[@ShyBolt]

Raun Jisto same here

[@WarmLillie]

Steven Universe the show that who beauty was in its flaw and more. The show was pretty good but as Peridot said... “It could have been great” The series has so much raw potential with stories and connection. It fast forward and skip so many things. Forgetting to set up thing properly but still having a massive pay-off. Wasting potential and more. But for the story it told it was okay. Also my birthstone is actually a Garnet.

[@yokusai593]

If anything, it just made it more disappointing for me.

[@yogibear8683]

Oh Star Vs. and Steven Universe, you two were so young back then but ever since Steven's Traumas and the Starco Shippings truly screwed the both of you over It's like I can't watch you 2 the same way ever again. Oh well; at least I still got DC Super Hero Girls, The Owl House, Ducktales (2017), and little bit of The Loud House left.

[@lana__2492]

And I think we have Spongebob Squarepants? I don't remember! ;-;

[@yogibear8683]

@@lana__2492 Honestly don't mind Spongebob but still looking forward to Amphibia Season 2 and tomorrow episode with Harley Quinn Season 2.

[@timidalchemist8475]

I'm glad we got owl house, ducktales (2017), amphibia, dragon prince and hilda.

[@ZyroShadowPony]

dc super hero girls? am i out of the loop with what the young people are into?

[@sergiomendoza5165]

And the Casagrandes?

[@rhondahoward8025]

Oh ho, if you're mad about Jasper's treatment in the main series, SUF is gonna make you have an aneurysm.

[@awesomegaymer5786]

this was made after future

[@austinsnyder8743]

Kind of mistakes on the show is what happens when Rebecca sugar is in charge and has a team that doesn’t know about good storytelling nor completing story arcs of particular characters

[@ZyroShadowPony]

i was super disappointed that steven didnt wear shoes with those jeans. Thats when the show really fell!

[@emilyrose9854]

Lapis wasn't imprisoned by the Crystal Gems she was imprisoned by Homeworld gem that thought she was an ally or a spy for the Crystal Gems when she was found cracked by pearl that's what things turn interesting because none of the other gems question about the mirror when it's introduced in its episode they don't show that they know what it is or really in any interest at all until it becomes a problem with Steven Pearl acts like she doesn't know what's actually powering the gem or she wouldn't have let Steve hold it amethyst of course wouldn't know anything about it given that she's never seen any other gem besides the main three and the only one who seemed really concerned was garnet because either she saw what was going to happen or Sapphire in her home World days new what was actually in that mirror and we saw throughout the show that weapons transportation and other Technologies are powered by gems but the show never addressed if these were underdeveloped gems that are only used for a power source or something similar to the walls in legs from here to Homeworld and if they were made that way or if it's some sort of prison for gems who act out of line but it was clear to see that none of the gems really care for anything to do with home world or Homeworld gems

[@sailor6842]

i loved the series until diamond days, season 4’s townie episodes were also kinda a mess.. and i also didn’t like the townie arc after wanted. but other than that, i loved like 80% of the series. i dont want to acknowledge su future..

[@lyzzamendozaramos4364]

I feel like the Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond reveal should’ve happened earlier in the series so we could get more time to explore her backstory and relationships

[@ToxicMonster5]

So this may just be me, and I can understand if it would just add even more unnecessary characters to the story, however I can't help but want to see Steven deal with an Alien that isn't a Gem or a Human, an Alien that's looking for Retribution, for Revenge because the Gems destroyed his home centuries ago and has had to live on different planets separated from most of his people or most of them are dead and because Steven IS half Gem, this Alien has difficulties trusting Steven. On top of that because Steven is half Gem it makes it even more difficult for him to connect with this Alien because he's half of what this Alien has come to fear and hate. "I'm Steven Universe, I saved the galaxy and brought peace to it two years ago" "Peace? What peace? do you know how many civilizations have been turned to ruin because of the Gems? Do you even understand how much blood is on the Gems hands?! They should all be shattered!"

[@gwendolynstata3775]

The Crewniverse couldn't even handle a black-coded gem wanting to kill off a genocidal dictator, they'd fuck up before they even got to the STARTING LINE of survivors of colonialism demanding reparations on their own terms.

[@ToxicMonster5]

@@gwendolynstata3775 yeah that is true sadly.

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@gwendolynstata3775 Couldn't say it better. THis is also the crew that accidentally made their abuse victim (Lapis) The abuser and, when looking at Human Zoos, used it to draw a Utopia and hot people when this was based on actual Human Zoos in the colonial times.

[@yahavlivni3002]

you said "fusion is a form of love" and I think this specific phrasing is perfect. Because love can be both platonic, sexual, and/or toxic. This fits all three homeworld gems exactly and shows each of them the concept of love in a healthy form that fits them. fantastic job with the video, it is really good criticism showing both specifically what's wrong and offering alternatives to fix it.

[@thecanadiandane7262]

Peridot and Lapis: *Have character development* Lars: *Has character development* Jasper: *Has backstory* Crewniverse: Steven plays baseball in the pizza shop or something

[@someoneandsomeone3251]

The part were Sadie wasn't a *really* great singer, i think it was meant to happen since she just a girl who doesn't have any experience in singing with some potential, and *since* steven universe future takes place a few months after the movie (2 years after Steven Universe), she already was better with singing, because i'm 90% sure she did take some courses/practice. i know the whole "picked a whole new genre" but still... (sorry for my terrible english)

[@cwanimations]

I agree on the Lapis thing, seriously I want an episode of Lapis talking to the crystal gems and ends up with Garnet talking about fusion!

[@nr5k1]

yes, let’s just redeem Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini while you’re at it

[@angelosumugat6653]

Lmao

[@VideosGalacticos]

Nør 5k1 lol

[@Silexium]

And let's demonize one of the victims (Pink) and have her never get redeemed.

[@originaluseername]

*you're

[@nr5k1]

KATELYN SHELLOS thanks

[@kingalex105x7]

Centipeedle was done dirty so annoyed how we got none of her in future DESPITE being in the intro, she was basically sidelined for the diamonds from Legs form here to Homeworld and Change Your Mind.

[@ValenArtsAnimation]

Yeah she has Soo much potential but the Crewniverse left her behind

[@EmptyEnnui]

Ngl calling one of the best shows that was on CartoonNetwork is like a megajump in assumptions. CN has had the nearly pantheon of greatest cartoons in modern history; The entire DC Animated Series ranging from Batman to Justice League/Justice League Ultimate is kinda where you see stuff like SU drop in it's story. The DCAU has made careers and set standards for cartoons of its ilk, something that I cant see in SU's history. I so feel you on Jasper's story arc tho such catharsis to hear it aloud from someone else

[@Jdudec367]

true I'd still say even though the very latterpart of the story start getting rushed overall mostly it was a good and interesting plot I may say it's one of the best or atleast close to somethinglike samurai jack despite the animation issues it had some amazing visuals characters story and the music which is probably unmatched by any other cartoon network show or maybe any cartoon i've watched expect for a cartoon theme song as it's debatable which is the best cartoon theme song

[@Henryduckfan63]

Sol Despite its flaws Steven Universe was objectively one of Cartoon Network’s biggest shows ever and it’s impact on western TV animation as a whole will be felt for years.

[@tijanaself897]

@@Henryduckfan63 Biggest? yes, sure. Best? ABSOLUTELY NOT

[@kavyasundar7240]

What about Clone Wars or KnD or the old PPG

[@Pewiling-]

The Future gives the feeling of Crewniverse couldn’t be able to find a proper way to make Steven deal with his problems so they blamed PD for literally everything

[@chickenflippers]

I don't think I've ever seen someone feel the same way I've felt about Lapis's weird treatment post-malachite. I guess I'll rely on fanart and fanfics to sate my desire to simply see her interact with anyone besides Steven in meaningful ways, bah.

[@callofhaloinfinite6336]

I just realized something. Why didn't Blue and Yellow Diamond explained to Steven that talking to Pink Pearl is just as good as talking to White Diamond herself? When she is controlling somebody it seems like they become an extension of her being. So there wouldn't be much difference.

[@afonso.d.v.rodrigues]

The reason every character besides the main crystal gems had their development off-screen is because Steven Universe always goes with Steven's Perspective, so we could only see that if he was with that particular character, which I also think is really flawed writing. By the way, Peridot is my Birthstone and I find her really similar to me ( being smart, but sorta goofy ). She is my favorite character too, and I would've liked a fusion between her and Steven.

[@hezureviews]

Steven could have visited peridot and lapis more often! Steven could visit Lars more often and should have done so out of concern for him. Even done in Steven's perspective, it doesn't mean things needed to happen offscreen!

[@afonso.d.v.rodrigues]

@@hezureviews I agree Hezu! Instead of a bunch of filler episodes I think Steven visiting other characters to see their progression would have been great!

[@xanderg.1070]

V4R3LA YT Or just have episodes that doesn’t have to relay on Steven being in it. Cuz One of problems in the show is that it has to evolve around Steven’s POV, robbing us seeing any important characters development like Lars and Lapis,or going into more depth into story arcs like the diamonds/homeworld arc. It wasn’t a problem in my opinion in the first 3 seasons, but in the last 2 seasons and even future, it was really big problem as having he show being in Steven’s POV was starting to get forced

[@afonso.d.v.rodrigues]

@@xanderg.1070 That also is one thing I think could have been solved

[@danielscalera6057]

@@xanderg.1070 It almost comes across like the crewniverse is promoting a toxic narcissism. Steven: if it isn't about me it doesn't matter. If it causes some difficulty or even gives me responsibilities I didn't ask for it is bad They evidently succeeded in sowing toxicity with the behavior of most the fandom. Take Rose/Pink for example: Rose was a mother that loved her child so much that she with full intent sacrificed her own existence so he could be born, but in this fandom people take that as a reason to hate the character. They say she gave birth to Steven just to so she could run away from her responsibilities and find it hateful that, besides the cool powers he gets, the son also inherits responsibilities from the mother. Something like "it's not fair that he needs to deal with his mother's problems" which denies any material connection between child and parent like a prince should not be king one day or a child should never inherit the farm, shop, house etc. Even Pink LITERALLY SAVING ORGANIC LIFE ON EARTH is seen as a problem in this fandom. "She started a war that killed so many people, emotionally scarred others and left Steven to deal with the consequences" except there is a concept of a just war... and preserving life on an entire planet just might qualify as a just war. White had no qualms with mind controlling even another diamond if they stepped out of line so simply talking to White to let Pink stop colonizing the Earth logically should not have worked. There is even the possibility Pink did exhaust all other possibilities before starting a war... But we don't know that because it wouldn't be Steven focused

[@superior2096]

"Steven Universe is Cartoon Network 's best show." Me: Laughs in original Ben Ten.

[@Doc-randomplay]

I feel like regular show or adventure time were both the best but that was a good show too.

[@superior2096]

@@Doc-randomplay yeah those were easily some of the best as well.

[@soniuigi43]

Me: Laughs in Gumball

[@rynemcgriffin1752]

Too Superior 2.0 Laughs in Regular Show, Teen Titans and Adventure Time

[@sergiomendoza5165]

Street football is really underrated cartoon.

[@PedroLucas-sw6xc]

I thought i was the only one who noticed the relation between the off color's design and the characters from alice in Wonderland!!!

[@MaryC861]

From what I remember the crewnivers said about the chest was it's supposed to be a mystery and it was really more symbolism on what Steven has learned about his mother. Like how the chest is closed "before" we find out the truth of Rose/Pink; but then we see it open "after" we find out the truth about her.

[@christophergirardi8145]

I was so excited for Future what I wanted most was ONE scene with Lapis, Jasper, and maybe Peridot talking about their past thoughts on each other and maybe even helping Jasper get over her obsession with fusion (yeah, that was a thing) and what could eventually turn into a friendship. But no, not only didn't we get any of that, all three had basically no screen time, almost like they weren't important enough for Steven's reactive arc.

[@belladiaz7183]

Honestly! They could’ve been super creative with everyone else’s backgrounds and character development. The show actually could’ve gone on for maybe one or more years dedicated to the character development! Even though it was an awesome show...it made no sense...

[@spacechip6261]

The biggest problems I have with steven universe are the insistence on forgiveness and neglect of their best characters also the racism like idk how that even got in there

[@a_stranger1250]

Hezuneutral: *Posts "Where Steven Universe went wrong"* Me: OH, HELLLLL NO Me: *watches the video* Me: oh, that's a good point

[@happybalint]

I mean fans have the right to rant on the show but if it was someone who only watched 1 ep, I'd be angry too

[@CJCroen1393]

@@happybalint Or if it was like most of the people who criticize the show by being all like "So anyway, here's why Steven Universe is the single most Neo-Nazi Alt-Right Pedophilic Rape Apologist Abuse Aplogist garbage on the face of the earth. Most of my points involve talking for the next three hours about how evil and/or stupid I think Rebecca Sugar is."

[@liddolmenace]

@@CJCroen1393 A Lily Orchard roast. Nice.

[@LTDLetsPlays]

@@CJCroen1393 lily orchard is trashy overall

[@Theetis]

I'd love to hear your thoughts about Connie, and your stance on Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz as well! If you were to make a video about them, I'd gladly watch it. I personally agree with most of the points you brought up, and not only that, but you also made me realize and notice a lot of things that I hadn't before.

[@kelsanggyudzhin2340]

Me venting: An important part of film/television making is that if the viewer didn't see it, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. This gives rise to things like Deus Ex Machina and bad pacing. This idea is a simply a fundamental part of understanding how humans take in media, and thus fundamental to good storytelling. However, some act like the VIEWER is the one with the problem when massive, character-shifting developments happen offscreen. It can be argued that the POINT of Steven Universe was that it was all going to be from Steven's viewpoint, because that's how real life is, and people change without YOU knowing, so the same would happen to Steven. Which is fine, and, good for children to learn and understand, so... Congratulations! Mission accomplished. In the end, Steven Universe became a poorly told story with fantastic life lessons. *single clap* Edit: There are ways to make things happen offscreen to create irony and tension, but that was not done properly here.

[@darkmario720]

video begins at 23:30 and ends at 23:38 I've seen enough, I'm satisfied.

[@TheRoomforImprovement]

Another problem, as noted by overly sarcastic productions, is that no character can truly develop unless Steven is near them, which is very restrictive. CORRECTION: It was sarcastic chorus that made the criticism, not OSP.

[@christopherbennett5858]

It also mean that, quoting a certain Gardevoir fan, the character development is both drawn out and rushed.

[@bluewind4329]

You going over this made so much since that I am officially a susciber. Jasper is definitely don't the worst out of the CG2 trio Bismuth should have never been bubbled after she and Steven's clash to flush her out. I think what hurts the most is that the show is tetherend to Steven and we miss out on character development. Lapis is my favorite but is horribly flushed out too. Jasper is technically the Vegeta of the series and really needed a positive change arc. Thank you for this awesome video.

[@bluewind4329]

Also Emerald only shows up once and never again. Emerald is my birthstone and I felt jipped when she never showed up again. 😢

[@eatatjoes6751]

I was so annoyed because it's mine too.

[@bluewind4329]

Eat At Joe's It's a shame, really, thank you.

[@LemonnNote]

I feel sorry for you man, the character who is my birthstone went from an actually quite terrifying character, to just an annoying ass

[@Kayjoir]

I had an idea while back. What if there was a black diamond? A gem that was white diamonds complete opposite. What if Black Diamond was the designer of the Prototype gems. At some point long before anyone but the diamonds remember white poofed and bubbled black diamond and started cloning the prototypes to create the current existing gem empire. If you want something for white to do to complete her Redemption Arc, maybe she could realize that she was wrong and in poofing and imprisoning her oldest friend

[@herbarium3573]

Diamonds are dictators, who comited genocide. They literally can't go anything to redem themself. Like, imagine this with real dictators, who comited genocide.

[@flask223]

Genocide against who?

[@harnanmylvaganam6311]

*Where Steven Universe Went Wrong* The fandom: so you have chosen... *DEATH!*

[@Princess-Daisy]

1. Please please please do a Connie video!!! 2. I agree everything on Jasper. She’s my absolute favorite gem and it sucks how she was cast aside...she had so much potential and was just...used for an abusive relationship that never got closure and Pink Diamond confirmation. Also finally someone agrees Peridot being used for pure comedy at the end was weird! It was like they saw the memes about Peridot and wanted to make more to keep people watching...

[@frogfrogfrogfrogfrog2555]

i am so mad that all the other characters got arcs and episodes while jasper just got murdered

[@adamisajoker]

We never got a Diamond fusion between White, Yellow, Blue, and Pink. I wanted Black Diamond.

[@helpcryinggato5987]

I hate to be that one person but i hate the diamonds so much lol, the way they treated pink reminds me of my mom when i was a kid/young adult so. i hate them, and i HATE their redemption ugh I don't like the whole "redeem literal dictators" and its like. lol

[@juanluis21monsanto98]

Ah the chest, that unfortunately may not be revealed any time soon, due to it being a "cartoon mystery" like how we never see what's under Double D's hat, or the faces of Ms. Bellum, or Cow&Chicken's parents, the chest could have anything, either actually important, and significant, or some unimportant junk, like an embarrassing photo of SpongeBob at the Christmas party, or just general stuff that she felt attached to that she wouldn't put out in the middle of a desert, could be something that was meant for Steven to see, or just something for herself alone, maybe it was an old treasure chest she found and decided to keep as a souvenir of a pirate adventure, not bothering to actually open it, or she put the key away. Either that, or something awful is in the chest, putting it in Lion's mane so that no one would ever find out, or to keep it safe, maybe some shattered gems she felt responsible for, maybe some of the other crystal gems that followed her, or some gems that were under Pink Diamond that she was closer to that ended up getting destroyed, literally anything could be in the chest, and it can either be pointless, or significant, funny, or very serious.

[@mdrstudios7067]

We did see Miss Bellum's face and Cow and Chicken's parents are sentient legs.

[@thehevandragon]

Technically Double D’s hat is seen as well..... If you win as him the Lunchroom Rumble online game.

[@mdrstudios7067]

@@thehevandragon You mean hair and that game wasn't made by AKA.

[@Marrianno]

I always had problem with who show wanted to redeem and who isn't. Lapis, let's face it, became an abuser herself, she admitted to it, but show and Steven just ignores it. When she and Jasper met at the boat, it was a perfect opportunity for Steven to question his choice of trusting Lapiz. Steven is usually the most sympathetic guy, but here he just deside to not listen to Jasper. And diamond. . .their redemption bring a realy bad lesson. Firstly, they are just space nazi's with disturbing amount of accuracy. Every problem in this show goes from them. And yet Steven forgave them? They literally attempted to kill Garnet, his actual mother figure. They also teach a bad lesson of forgiving your abusive family. If your family is abusive, then you have all rights to leave them. The fact that youre connected with blood doesn't mean that you need to forgive them and find exuve for every of their actions.

[@a.dennis4835]

Meanwhile, Kevin is apparently unredeemable despite just being a bully.

[@pezzottaitemeh8616]

at 17:16 something people often gloss over is that for 2 gems to fuse they must be in a similar emotional and mental state, so jasper was in so much distress that she was in a similar emotional state as what is basically A CONERED WILD ANIMAL. jasper was as much a victim of pink as any of the other characters. it is a TRAVESTY that she never got her chance to heal during the show

[@Birdyboys]

Bismuth and Lapis are friends because apparently they didn’t recognize each other 💀

[@RedMoonSolitary]

And like that's literally the only reason

[@julianmarco4185]

You hit a lot of points on the head. I personally liked Lapis the most and I means the most out of all the gems because she was an interesting character with an interesting background and her voice actor was really good. Really good. The way they just wrote her off after the Malachite arc was like: what the heck are you writers doing? Was this really too hard for you to find something for this cool character to do!? I GUESS IT WAS. Jasper also gets the brunt of this incompetence and I could tell from the very moment they wrote her off that she was one of the best characters and they had no idea what to do with her. If you ask me the crewniverse did three cardinal mistakes when writing the show: the first is they didn't show, they only told the story not shown it. Second is, they kept retconing the show over and over and lastly the teased and built up fake anticipation that essentially blew up in their face. At the end of the show they expected a standing innovation. Instead they got a: "oh, that's it...!?"

[@Subterranean_sebastian]

I agree that things need to be on screen but one of the future episodes was a shown way that we are seeing the stuff Steven sees so we won’t see everything that happened we will see because Steven didn’t witness it

[@0Magicallywild0]

That’s literally just an excuse and a fault on their part for even thinking that was a good choice, really wish the show didn’t center around Stevens point of view.

[@christopherbennett5858]

@Chance It's lampshading that just draws more attention to the problem not being solved

[@christopherbennett5858]

@Chance I get what you mean. However, some people think that by making fun of the issue, you're either working on it or you're charming enough to pull off this nonsense.

[@halfofakitty]

🤯 OMG OMG OMG It bugged me that White didn't know about Pink's temper tantrums. Did she just freak out in her room? If so, no one ever heard her? Were there not frequent repair jobs? And the time travel episode always bugged me on how such a device was used. Luckily both were on my mind today and I just had the epiphany. Pink used it (and took her Pearl with her). It also explains why Steven was the one to immediately find it. Clearly such an item would be reserved for a Diamond. Making it the smallest one there hints at the smallest Diamond. Steven also had diamond eyes when he sang "destroy yourself" at the end of the episode.

[@depressed4893]

The diamonds committed genocide. Just because the crewniverse said "oh look how cute these genocidal assholes are!!" doesn't make them redeemable or good characters. All of them should've been shattered

[@archonofplagues1329]

Fire the Exterminatus upon these filthy xenos! lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJzQqXt9ma6alc0

[@V972]

1:42 the answer is indeed simple: everywhere and it's a shame, SU could have been a great show, but instead it's a giant missed opportunity with good points drowning in bad ones