Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: pl.go-ga.me/fhr9zcmh and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion ⚡Drake⚡ Available only for new players 🎃 Take part in the Halloween event and get your gift at raidyard.plarium.com 👻 Thanks for watching! I appreciate all your support!
Hey dude, just wanted you to know that I am really glad you exist. I am glad that some mad man had the passion to create so many videos about persona 4 and other topics that i can enjoy
Many of us on the spectrum embrace that idea wholesale, and without embarrassment. I will still watch things from my early childhood once in a while, just to feel a little better.
Was originally watching part one and heard the common about the prelude and already loving this. Looking forward to about the next three hours of contact. Looking forward to parts you already.
In my view, I can watch whatever the hell I want without self judgement because anything less than that would be me allowing others to encroach on my personal experience. Something I find absolutely unacceptable. To not do so, especially as an aspiring creator, is reductive and damaging.
@@Messier__yeah, even without a need for comfort. I sometimes dislike media for adults be made around sex, drugs, depressing topics etc.. all the time, it’s so reductive and boring. Kids are allowed to expand their personalities, be inventive, be expressive. That’s why this shows get fans outside the target demographic
Your series of videos rebutting so many of the bad faith, and oftentimes bigoted arguments against this show has given me such immense catharsis. I’m so thankful for everything you’ve done so far, and really excited for what you’ll continue to do in regards to furthering introspective and productive conversations revolving around Steven Universe.
After learning about Social Engineering done at Dreamworks by Andrew Young. The very artists whose hearts broke at realizing that their art, in this case Peabody and Sherman was a propaganda tool. 🤨
Exactly. Those abysmal online critics acts like Steven Universe obliterated their family, damage their crops, and poison their water supplies. Their reeks of bigotry that diguise itself as "criticism" doesn't help either.
A lot of the problems in SU fandom definitely came from people refusing to see the story as anything but a revolution narrative, where the only acceptible outcome was for the Diamonds to fall off a cliff or something. I can't imagine how someone ends up in a situation where they watch Steven Universe and expect it to end with Steven punching White Diamond in the forehead so hard she dies.
Yeah, especially considering there's literally a Future episode where Steven almost does something like that, and it literally explains why doing that would be antithetical to the themes of the franchise.
@@GiThePipis Exactly. Future also did a good job of showing that even though Steven created a connection with the Diamonds that made things better for BOTH sides of his family, he also never fully forgave them for the things they did. It wasn't like he let them off the hook. The relationship was still strained, just as it would be in a non-allegorical sense.
@@KittyQuixotic That part especially is why I still don't understand people saying the Diamonds were just instantly forgiven, especially when people bring up the Future episode I just mentioned and call it "inconsistent writing". That "inconsistency" is just moral nuance.
Yeah. Toxic fandom is one thing that deserves to get called out, but the anti-fandoms really outlive their usefulness for not addressing the problems, but rather having an excuse of tainting the reputation of the show and the community as well.
@@poweroffriendship2.0 Exactly. It comes off like they WANT the show to fail artistically, and they're mad that it's not worse than it is. I couldn't possibly imagine why.
You are healing a generation who had to witness all the "SU IS BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL AWFUL FOR LIKING IT" stuff that's been going around since 2016 and I thank you so much for that
So precisely though. I was someone who had this show as my hardcore special interest as a little autistic middle schooler and only really stopper ⌚ and let it fade because I started getting embarrassed by all that crap coming out and like sometimes I remember classmates even spouting some pretty... Yikes shit when I started taking about SU. So great to hear a normal fucking adult just watch the show and talk about it earnestly
Your section on Bismuth got me really thinking on something I didn't notice even as a long time fan of the show. This show is really effective at going against the "perfect victim" idea that society has when it comes to various types of trauma and abuse. Pretty much every character in this show has some kind of trauma, which is SO real to life even if we don't like to talk about it, and that trauma makes them act out in really unhealthy ways at time. Yet, the show still gives them sympathy, still gives them love and care, still tells the audience that they didn't deserve the hurt they are dealing with. That it's ok to criticize someone's actions while still acknowledging what they have been through. It also shows that healing is not a quick nor linear process, which I think is also a really important idea that gets ignored by society at large. Your videos on SU have been amazing. It's really nice to see the perspective of someone who unlike me, got to watch it all together as intended without all of the active drama and shit.
YES!!! This is what I love about the show. As someone who was mistreated in the past and didn’t handle it in a great way, watching this show made it easier to forgive myself and move forward. It’s an incredible message to put in a show, and helps the relationships in the show feel all that much more real
I feel like this is simultaneously what makes SU such a mature show *and* what makes some people immediately see red when they critique it. SU is not a show with generic "good guy" and "bad guy" boxes. It understands what moral nuance is and shows us a situation too complicated for you to put the characters in those boxes. And yet people can't help but try to force them into those boxes anyways because "I wanna punch the bad guy!". If anything, the only boxes it really puts characters into is "protagonist" or "antagonist", and even then characters will switch between boxes sometimes (*cough* Peridot).
exactly!! it annoys me so much especially when ppl complain about steven in su!f and talk about how they "made him an asshole". he wasn't an asshole, he's a representation of someone who has repressed their trauma so much, leading them to have some resentment towards the people they love, and it eventually it all builds up and explodes in their and everyone's faces. yes it's messy, no i don't think the crystal gems or greg were necessarily wrong but they def did play into parts of his trauma. i think su!f is one of the most realistic representation of trauma there is and it's really telling people are criticizing how steven acted because he wasn't an uwu poor baby victim but like, actually showed the more ugly parts of it
It’s humorous, Lily recently released a video going back over SU and trying to explain her points better. At the end of the video, she asks for someone who loves SU to join her in a podcast to discuss what makes it great. I am 100% positive that if you tried to get yourself on that podcast, she would turn you down immediately. It’s clear your analysis is just on another level, and she doesn’t want to appear misinformed by comparison.
Lily did not change and was just 'trying' to explain herself better. She didn't, although it's more accurate to say that there was no need to explain herself better - everyone understood her and everyone dislikes her for it. There is no misconception about Lily
@@chargoal_gamesthat’s how I took it, might as well had titled the vid “double down” Lily was not sincere on actually wanting to have a discussion with an opposing opinion. And Ik for fact she come across HID’s vids, he would’ve been a great contender to have a discussion about the show🫤😞😞
She literally told someone who was calling her out for poisoning a section of the steven universe fanbase to "Grow up" This woman wipes her hands clean of every problem and blames the people for listening
It's wholesome to see people actually take the time to not only take down the horrible bad faith claims against the show, but also build it back up! keep it up!
Thank you in being apart of the “Lay off SU” community. I’ve been seeing this happen recently, that people are starting to rethink the show in its entirety and realizing how malicious a lot of the criticisms actually were. It makes me happy this show is being given a second chance. I’ve also seen the show getting a lot more attention, reaction channels still watching it after years. It’s wholesome.
This is the series that gave me an inkling that I was queer as a young teen, and then it helped me deal with my generalized anxiety disorder and loneliness more than anyone in my life. It was helpful to see characters like Peridot as an autistic kid going through life. Thank you for this lovingly made reflection on the show, and for your defense of childhood innocence and tender way of approaching it. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate this video a lot
Is everyone talking about how great this show is online an adult nostalgic for something they used to be into as a kid and not an adult fan of the show? I'm a little worried about how embarrasing my love of this show as someone who refused to watch it as a kid and only got into it this year is
I'm not even a fan of SU, but I'm glad this video exists. The show, just like any other form of media, deserves criticism, but the blatant hate it's been getting over the years is so blown out of proportion. It's refreshing to see someone talk about the good sides of the show, the things it's teaching kids, the representation it groundbreakingly provides. I love how you break the series down to its core, proving that, behind all the accusations of lazyness and bad writing, it's something that had a lot of thought and care put into it by its creators.
Thissss. I was never big on SU, but seeing this series has drawn some parallels to my favorite comic, More Than Meets the Eye, and even if SU still doesn't hit me where the feels hurt, I am now more than willing to try it out again.
It’s so nice to see media criticism shift into a more positive place. I’m glad most people’s mindsets now are along the lines of “like what you like, who cares” instead of the cringe hatred of the older videos you already discussed. Very nice, especially seeing love for a show so unfairly hated.
Watching the rebuttal to Lily Orchard's video and this analysis has been incredibly cathartic. Yesterday after I watched the Lily response video I tried to imagine what it would actually look like if Steven DID kill the diamonds (and also if Aang killed Ozai) and I couldn't imagine it without it completely ruining the show or requiring an additional season to deal with the emotional fallout of that decision. Both Steven and Aang are characterised as fairly realistic children. They may be powerful and have had important roles forced on them, but at their core they are just normal kids, not badass superheroes that kill their enemies without a second thought. Both of them agonise over the idea of potentially having to KILL A PERSON and are given a way out of that situation because having them actually kill would be majorly fucked up. Like, imagine it. Actually imagine Steven shattering the diamonds. You wouldn't be able to end the show there because it would be such a huge deal for his character that you would need at least one more season to come to a place where he's okay enough to have any sort of ending. Yes, I would have liked it if the ending was longer and had more time to come to the conclusion it did. But however much time they had, they had to come to the ending they came to, because that's the only ending that thematically made sense.
I don't think that the people who wanted the show to end after Steven shattered the Diamonds ever bothered to think about the ramifications of their "ideal ending". Knowing what kind of show Steven Universe was, it's possible that after Steven and the Crystal Gems shattered the Diamonds, they'd come to realize shattering of Homeworld's rulers without an actual plan put in place afterwards has disastrous consequences for everyone involved, and that their actions will not come with a magical happy ending attached. Instead Steven and the Crystal Gems would have to accept that the Diamonds being shattered brought freedom, with the great cost being the creation of a power vacuum that would lead to a second Gem War between Homeworld gems seeking newfound freedom, Great Diamond Authority loyalists who want to retain Era 2 and it's customs, and independent gems who wish to take over Homeworld for themselves or are simply taking advantage of the power vacuum to forge their own territories. In addition, the remaining forces of Homeworld won't stop fighting just because their rulers had been shattered. Steven and the Crystal Gems would be lucky if they managed to survive long enough to return home, and not end up caught and publicly executed for all of Homeworld to see. Even after all that, Steven will have to live with the guilt of having to take the lives of the Diamonds, and end blaming himself for the resulting fallout on top of having to watch his back for the rest of his life for enemy gems out to assassinate him for their own agendas. And honestly? I'd expect those same people who think the Diamonds being shattered by Steven would've been the better ending, and who also couldn't come up with a better ending to start complaining about how they feel cheated out a happy ending, how they've been left with more questions than answers, or that it was needlessly dark and depressing.
How the individual characters would respond is also something I feel those who wanted a "shatter the diamonds" ending did really think about. Bismuth is the first one I think about; something that won her over was Steven sticking to his guns about not shattering the Diamonds as she wanted to. How would she respond to him going back on that? I don't think she would take that well considering her previous actions Similarly, Lapis would probably freak out about the idea of fighting at such a grand scale again, since a revolution would be much closer to the war that got her trapped in the mirror; she may even leave again like she did in Can't Go Back
@@king2.0smods17EXACTLY EXACTLY!!!! THIS IS THE EXACT REASON WHY I HATED THE “Steven should’ve just shattered the diamonds” RHETORIC! Not only would it defeat everything that story built up but also cause more problems than good!
@@klamacz47 how exactly is it the Crewniverse's fault that Cartoon Network is homophobic? Maybe, if they weren't, then the show wouldn't have needed to be rushed. That's not Rebecca or anyone who worked on the show's fault. It's Cartoon Network's. So "maybe they shouldn't have wasted time" is a stupid comment.
Yeah. I bet that Steven's saliva would heal the show after struggling of being wounded by bad faith "critics" with the likes of Lily Orchard, EZPZ, and E;R.
The Open Book episode is so relevant to the topic it's almost tragically funny how everyone either forgot or missed the point of it. At the end of the day the show has always been about character growth first. (That and WD reminded me of my mom, so Steven making her fix her mistakes and distancing himself from her afterwards was a better conclusion to me than killing her off lol)
Its kinda funny how there was at least two episodes that were directly(ish) addressed to fans with That Sort of mentality. Open Book was one, but I'd also argue that Now We're Only Falling Apart was the other one for people who misinterpreted all of Pink/Rose's actions after A Single Pale Rose (with Sapphire being the stand-in for the those sorts of fans). And even *THEN* people like Lily Orchard still didn't get it.
Something I really enjoy about this channel is the unapologetic passion you have for things that aren’t necessarily “current” or topical. I started with the Persona 4 Analysis and it was an amazing passion project, so seeing that energy return for these SU videos is a real treat. Really looking forward to watching the video in full! Keep doing your thing Hiding, I’ll be here for whatever you put out.
Regarding the "It's a Kids Show" segment, I actually get reminded of My friendly Neighborhood, a game that released earlier this year. That exact theorem of someone criticizing a moral is brought up as an angry letter from a parent, an episode having taught you should you should help your friends qnd the parent mentioning "What if the thing to help with could put them in danger or set them on a dark path?" Ricky posits that the real reason the show was canceled wasn't because the show was teaching bad morals to kids. Rather that the Adults of the world didn't want to hear these optimistic ideals. That they've letthemselves get beaten by a dark cruel world and that they believe the only way to survive is to be cruel back. I think deep down that's what happened with the morals of Steven Universe.
thank you SO MUCH for course-correcting the bad-faith "criticisms" of the show. I watched it as a kid, but stopped around Lars' Head and sorta forgot about it until I saw Lily Orchard's (frankly terrible) takes a couple years ago and let them sour my opinions on the show. luckily, I realized Lily was pretty much talking out of her ass and came back to the show earlier this year... and I fell in love with it all over again. I still admit that there are flaws with this show (after all, no show is truly perfect), but for me, the good outweighs the bad, and it's always great to see people talking about the good for a change
I *did* watch the series as it came out and waited for Steven bombs and all that, and you're absolutely correct. There were so many bad faith criticisms and personal attacks that just weren't okay. It's nice to have a rational voice.
There were but I also think there are some notes to take here so we don't use this to bash "good faith but not 'smart'" reviewers; 1. Yes, there's a lot of thematic elements for SU and if should never be deemed "lazy" but at the same time I think it's understandable if casual viewers have issues with some "smaller" elements. Size is another part of nature and having the proportions of characters change from scene to scene can be distracting. In the very same way it's subtly pleasing to have the right color theory intact. Sizing is something SU uses to it's effect often, so seeing it go awry in "not important" scenes can take away from the impact when needed 2. "it's just a kids show" was a very interesting argument that resonated with me strongly. But at the same time it's an argument made because many shows don't seem to care. Likely lacking the budget to get that polish that elevates the greats. We SHOULD very much put a higher quality bar on what kids consume but as reality is now most networks use that as an excuse to lower quality. The point isn't to teach lessons but sell toys and I hate it.
Sarah Z brought up this idea in relation to the backlash against High Guardian Spice. There are many reactionary people who will dog on and attempt to tarnish the reputation of any queer or diverse media they find. When a show is exceptional it can sometimes beat past this general perception (the new She-Ra for example). But other times, this perception can blend into otherwise unrelated voices, and magnify or warp those bad faith criticisms. It creates a situation where queer and diverse media is inherently more scrutinized and has a higher bar of quality to pass compared to non-queer non-diverse media. The show has haters by default and it forces progressives into a defensive or analytical position, which they might not always be equipped for (especially when criticisms veil themselves as progressive like in Lily Orchard's video). And sometimes queer media does have real problems! But the standard that it's held to ends up being way higher than other shows.
holy shet the backlash that happened against high guardian spice was unreal. i know very little about the show, i'm sure it's not "high art" or w/e but it just seems like a simple fantasy story with some trans characters. it might not be "good" but the level of public backlash it got was crazy! so much attention and vitriol poured onto an unassuming, mediocre show.
@@EeveeFlipnoteStudiosThis backlash was because they used money anime fans thought were going to Japan to instead make a western Tumblurfic. All other Crunchyroll originals before then at least _were_ or pretended enough to be anime. A show being mediocre does not absolve it from being hated. Context matters. And that show deserved all of the hate it received (even though I liked some aspects like Snap and Amaryllis).
@@JamesP7 I vaguely remember something to this effect. I don't claim to know the objective truth of what happened-- this kind of emotional situation can lead to skewed or misleading information on the internet. But even IF Crunchyroll did intentionally mislead their core donors in the way you described, your conclusion and logic is off. The hate should not go to the creators of HGS or the show itself, and the show does not "deserve" the hate it got. Crunchyroll is the one that was in charge of advertising/promoting their campaign, the one that handled the money. The anger should be directed at Crunchyroll for mishandling/misleading their audience, the ones who ACTUALLY put up the promotional material on their platforms. It seems like a huge stretch to think the HGS team were responsible for the promotional material on Crunchyroll's domain, or that the show was created with malicious intent to take money. If anything, hating on the show for that reason is taking the situation out of context. Publishing an animated series is a highly involved process, with many parties and people partaking in different stages of its publication. Assuming the show itself is the root problem is leaping to conclusions, rather than seeing where communication actually broke down. It's the same kind of fallacy that leads people to berate the customer service rep for their late delivery, when the customer service rep wasn't involved in the delivery at all. Your explanation isn't very convincing and instead paints a questionable picture of the rationale for the wave of hate.
@@EeveeFlipnoteStudios You are WAAAAAY off the mark. The show is objectively flawed. I’ve watched enough multi-hour video essays that corroborate and logically explain this fact. The debacle with the money scam is only a partial reason as to why the show was rightfully detested.
Even as someone who hasn't watched SU that much (I went through it only twice, currently in the middle of a third rewatch), your rebuttals against a lot of these criticisms are so relieving. I've seen some of those criticisms repackaged as generalized writing advice, and it's messed with my head a lot as someone trying to write my own fantasy setting. I can't count how many times in my own writing I've gone "oh god, I don't want my metaphors to imply this", or "what if someone misinterprets this as [insert really really fucked up thing here]", or even "are my themes obvious enough?". Genuinely, thank you so much. These SU shitpieces have dealt horrible damage to every writing community on the internet, and you're helping undo huge amounts of it.
Holy Fiddlesticks I relate to this so hard, I often get way to caught up in the "Oh but what will my audience think this means, what if they think I'm condoning something horrible." Too, it's sometimes even prevented me from writing what I want to write. I'm glad that this video is a strong step foward in deconstructing that.
Holy shit someone actually talking about the use of color in this show what a breath of freash air i hope you also talk about how the music is used to tell you about the characters keep up the good work
Thank you for consistently releasing amazing videos defending SU. I remember being in high school and watching those videos and being so discouraged by the bigotry and hatred, and especially discouraged by how popular those videos got. Its really nice to have someone actually analyze the show in good faith.
Honestly I got mad at the videos' bigotry against the creators back then, while also believing some those critics about Steven Universe not being well written. It was a combination of frustration with waiting on Steven bombs, not liking season four, and listening to their criticisms that led me to stop watching. I dismissed it as a poorly written but well-meaning show. Now, I'm reconsidering picking it up again.
I just did pretty much what you did, binge watched the shows/movie for the first time in about a week and a half. I went in blind, all I knew was that Steven Universe popped up quite a bit in recommended animated shows, and thought I would give it a go. I really enjoyed it. It took about 10 or so episodes for me to get fully invested, but after that I was hooked. The themes of family and trauma really made it stand out as well as its optimism, and I loved how it was all told from Steven's perspective (which took me about half of the first season to notice). After I finished, I did what I always do: I went to RUclips to find some deep dive videos about the series, because it was obvious how much had gone into it. I've never had any problems with this before; Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall and other things I've watched are full of analysis videos, but for some reason, when I searched for the same with SU it was all hate. It took me completely by surprise, because I thought this show was pretty universally liked. I'm glad I found your video, because it was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for in the first place.
I just don't understand why SU has taken the brunt of criticism. Sure it's progressive, with morally gray characters and marches to its own drum, but even accounting for that the hate it gets is blown out of proportion.
The stevenbombs had a huge impact on how people perceived and criticized the show. They would go long periods of time without episodes only to get more episodic stories instead of the Big Plotline This time inbetween groups of episodes made people very restless, which gave rise to people poisoning the well. There were minor controversies that either got blown out of proportion or people just being outright nasty and making it very serious (the zamiiz one comes to mind). With these controversies, people started to see the show as not perfect and thus the fandom and bad faith critics began to foster a very negative view of it It just sucks because this show may have had its flaws, but what show doesnt? Literally i hear about the rep in toh being so good when just about every poc are reduced to a white characters support, but i never hear this kind of critique aside from a few people i talk to personally. I cant really say the same for su, but literally one of the valid-turned-to-bad-faith critique of it is how its poc are treated or designed a certain way so thats why i bring up this example
I think its because people think their criticisms can get thru to the creators. Marginalized people qre used to not being heard, but because Sugar is also marginalized their audience feels that she'll listen to them, and then takes it overboard
I mean, it came out at the "right" time. 2015. By the time S1 ended it was well into the political turmoil of 2016, and SU was just one of the many victims. Also doesn't help that there just wasn't a lot of other cartoons in the 2010's. Nick was (and still is) stuck in the SpongeBob high and it's only new IP was Loud House. CN had the trifecta of Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Gumball before this and they were all doing their own thing before the supposed "cal arts style" of cartoon went into full gear. And Disney... Well. I think by 2015 Gravity Falls was over.
@@raze2012_ Yeah. I remember the time when the "Cal-Arts art style" made everyone on the Internet outrageous that Steven Universe was responsible for that trend, despite the fact that Rebecca Sugar isn't a Cal-Arts graduate (she graduated at School of Visual Arts in New York City). I can understand that people want art styles in animation to be diverse, but planning to threat a Cal-Arts school over an art style is just hitting the new low at that point.
I just wanna say thank you for doing this. It is so wonderful to see a show, that is so dear to me being defended, and seen in a more reasonable critical eye. Instead of just this show bad, because I say so.
i feel like a lot of people didn't GET SU. i basically did exactly the same as you. started watching when there were already 4 seasons out with season 5 well on it's way. i honestly just really really enjoyed every bit of it. it's honestly some of the most creative children's scifi i've ever seen. it's just a very warm and emotional show with great characters. i dont need everything to be perfect like some people seem to.
It honestly feels like we've been through a media criticism draught and we are suddenly getting a taste of fresh water once again. I missed a media analysis that was actually competent and not completely driven by shallow hot takes and smug disinterest.
Steven universe can honestly be pointed to as my largest inspiration in my journey to become an animator, with a side of Gravity Falls. The 2010s era of animation had so many bangers and underappreciated titles, primarily because it was the first wave of millennial creators bringing a fresh outlook and energy to the field. 80s and 90s babies who were impacted and shaped by the intense politicization of the core aspects of humanity started creating art that reflects the struggles of not only themselves as individuals, but also their entire family history. It led to art that reflects stories they heard growing up of great grandpa fighting in ww2, or of the hardships of their enslaved ancestors. Creating stories deepens the understanding of our ancestral history by helping us explore those situations, and that's something millennials got really good at to cope with the ever worsening conditions of the world around us. And that's truly what any form of art has always been about: displaying an abstraction of the self, to elicit the same feelings to others so they can better understand you as a person. Even if that's not the intent, that's the function. That's what happens. However, media literacy is not something that is extensively taught, so many people who are adults that pay taxes view the show in the same childish black-and-white way that you mention, just with adult issues. So, while a child might take the "Killing is generally Bad" message from Bismuth, an adult with the same level of media literacy will scoff at the narrative for "dismissing the acts of space nazis because Feelings or something". When that happens, the intent is lost in translation. A kid's show with the core message of "everybody is capable of growth with love and understanding" becomes "Forgive Fascists if they're family," and that leads to unfair and blatantly incorrect criticism. Pay attention in your English and literature classes, kids. Please, for the love of god, don't become adults incapable of understanding authorial intent. Your voices will matter, and they will hurt somebody if used incorrectly. TL;DR: Art is a reflection of the self, and poor media literacy is the main cause of bad-faith analysis.
I think the bit at the end about happy endings should also be used more in adult media. I'm so sick of people dying and having depressing "realistic" endings being treated as the standard and best version of adult media. I also find it very pessimistic and dismal. I think more stories should be inspiring and courageous in their themes. Like, I've seen people treat good endings as completely unrealistic because they can't fathom that things wouldn't go horribly. We're so conditioned to accept misery and misfortune as the norm, as the "real world," but it's not normal at all. It's just familiar. More happy ending in adult media!!!!!!! Edit: oh also, I think shows and books should stop treating violence and death so frivolously
It's like the Batman comics where it ended on the dark or even depressing note, but there are adaptations of Batman stories that gives Bruce Wayne and the Bat Family a happy ending, and that's why LEGO Batman did achieved this by giving him a better ending he needed (not deserved). It's ironic that happy endings are a cliche in most lighthearted stories, but when it applied to dark stories, it feels like a breath of fresh air.
only a few minutes into the video, but i recently watched a video of someone critiquing an entirely different show and it STILL had remnants of the bad faith hate that SU got whenever SU was mentioned in passing. its insane to me how far and wide that shit spread. thank you so much for your videos about SU, it got me to rewatch the series with my boyfriend and now hes a big fan of it too. keep up the good vids :]
You are the saving grace of Steven universe analysis. I’ve been with this show since I was 14 years old watching the pilot and waiting through hiatus, controversies, theory’s and just the community in general and for years this show was dragged through the WRINGER. Is it perfect? No. But it’s always been there for me and I believe it was instrumental to my growth as a person. I don’t normally make long comments like this but from the bottom of my heart…..thank you. Thank you so much for this video.
22:57 - okay I took a character design mini course in july of 2023 and let me tell you, my teacher would bring up steven universe as exemplary character design every chance he got. 110% accurate here lmao
I really love your explanation on the difference between “It’s just a kids show” and “It’s a kids show” and pointing out how allegories and metaphors aren’t going to 100% be a perfect recreation of what they’re supposed to be about. Due to the ending of the original show, maybe always interpreted it as “Steven forgave Gem Hitler” due to White Diamond being a dictator who most likely has caused a lot of damage on innocent gems. And even before I ever fully got into the show, it always just seemed so farfetched and wild to make such an extreme comparison of this fictional and absurd/comical character from a kids show to one of the world’s worst humans to have ever lived in real life, just because the character is a textbook definition of a dictator: someone who controls a whole civilization and solely wants power on everyone. Like you mention in the video, many seem to forget the fact this show, even if it dives into more mature topics, is still made for children to be able to watch and to a degree understand what’s going on. To have looked back on all these bad faith arguments; so many people taking this show’s innocent overall theme about trying to be empathetic and understanding to one another, again for kids watching to learn, and spin it into massive strawmans like “erm, is this show saying you should forgive people who want to kill you? Is this Rebecca Sugar, a Jewish person, being a nazi apologist????”, it’s disgusting looking back on and seeing the blatant bigotry from some during these “critiques” on full display. I pride myself that I never fell for the massive bandwagoning of blindly hating Steven Universe, I thank a lot to my friends who were into it and helped me still have a positive outlook on the show even if I wasn’t watching it with them or involved as much with it, but I still can’t help but feel really bad for the many people who might have succumbed to the mob mentality against the show years back, contributing to the blind hate towards it and people behind the show, and probably nowadays feel regretful for it. But hey, the best one can do even when messing up like this is keep pushing forward and be a better person as they grow more. Just like what the show always wanted many to do, learn from mistakes, grow, and be kinder in the future.
@TenthFourteenthDoctor allegories to stuff like fascism can exist in kids shows, the issue though comes from treating what happens in said show as a 1 to 1 equivalent of whatever happened in real life, and trying to make this straw man argument that the show is trying to spread horrendous propaganda about a certain political belief or something wild. And plus, even then just because another show may have presented alleged genocide among a group of characters in a show doesn’t necessarily mean it could have been good writing or something many would agree with. I mean, many felt the finale of Star Vs. where Star wiped and resetted the whole world just to be with Marco being portrayed as a good thing to actually be really horrible and ruining so many things that the show was building up to
I think a good word that applies to the use of 'allegory' in series like Steven Universe and Beastars is applicability. Allegory is most commonly considered as a one to one to what it represents, whereas applicability is much more loose and more immediately universal. Another good example is how LoTR, written by a man who served in WWI, was never written as allegory for the experience of being a soldier, but provides a fantastical tale that is applicable to anyone who served in a time of war or live in a world filled with large scale conflict.
The video in general is beautiful and I'm excited for the other parts, but my favorite part of this whole project has been being able to revisit SU vicariously through you. So many memorable moments and scenes. I don't think I'll ever be able to see that scene in Change Your Mind where Steven keeps flashing between Pink, Rose, and himself in maddening succession without getting a little misty from how potent of imagery it is
I remember when certain ex-friends online who were fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would try to tear this show down for one thing, but praise MLP for trying to do the same thing, it is a double standard I grew to *DESPISE*, and as someone who was a fan of both shows when they were airing, it came off like jealousy over the fact that a show suddenly became more popular than the thing they liked. Then again, my experiences with the Brony community and FiM as a show has been tainted throughout the past 5 years whilst I have personally had no issues with any Steven Universe fan outside of the occasional "tearing down a different show to make theirs look better" (Seriously internet, stop doing that).
One of the most engaging long-form western cartoon shows to come out in a decade, wholly character-driven and with superb voice acting and great animation when it counts? Jeeze, I hope it stays uncontroversial!
It's so damn refreshing to see someone actually taking the time to engage with this show in good faith. Thank you for taking a reasonable approach instead of getting swept up in discourse and clickbait, thank you for paying attention to the small but important details like gem color, thank you for this video. I'm really looking forward to this as someone who started watching SU when Cat Fingers was the most recent episode and who loved it the entire time despite the waves of hate ❤
"there's nothing wrong with letting a kid dream" Well said @hidinginprivate and if I may add, as Optimus Prime once said "hold onto your dreams, the future is built on dreams, hold on"
"Good, dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever!" - Superman (Superman vs. the Elite)
I've always found the statement that the Diamonds should have died/been skilled baffling. Even putting aside the lore reasons why that wasn't possible, it seemed to be just a complete misunderstanding of what they represented thematically. Steven is an allegorically queer child living with his progressive family far away from the conservative home they grew up in. This was immediately felt by me, as that's more or less a description of me and my brother's childhood, & I'd expect Rebecca & Steven's as well. So the Diamonds obviously represent that conservative family, with things like The Kindergarten and HOMEworld alluding to this parent/child relationship. I think lots of the queer adults who've watched the show are like Rose. They got away, they're free, they want to believe they can leave that past behind. However, no matter the distance the Gems put between them, it's nearly impossible to get rid of them completely. Especially once you have a kid. My parents moved across the country to get away from their family, then they had me, & realized they needed to move back. You can't raise two kids with no support, & Steven couldn't have understood what he was if he didn't meet the diamonds. God this is rambley... I've got to many thoughts on this to leave in a youtube comment. Maybe I'll make my own Steven Universe video.
LOOVE your analysis. It's always so refreshing to see nuanced discussion of this show, because it helps me see themes even I miss as a pretty loyal and analytical fan. The reference to the Open Book episode was especially eye-opening, and it really goes to show how far ahead the team knew what their story was about despite all the whining over a "botched" ending. The one thing I draw from the parallel that is sad however, is that SU had to suffer for its schmaltz. The Homeworld arc would have benefited greatly from a longer exploration of the Diamonds and Homeworld, but the showrunners sacrificed that to have that wedding. A wedding that is just as impactful (if not moreso for its boundary breaking) than the "anti-authoritarian" ending itself. Sometimes love is anti-authoritarian! A major theme of this show. Also in the spirit of Open Book's message I wanna add my own side of the Bismuth thing, because I agree with the fact that in the context of a kid's show it is no where near as harmful as people made it out to be, but it still has issues. It's not like the connection to violent revolutionaries is as bad faith as someone bringing up predators in a fable about sharing, the show explicitly dresses itself in the narrative of revolution, and then went further in explicitly coding Bismuth as black. Though the last part I don't expect kids to see the whole implication of, I can totally see a child who is starting to be taught about history of say the civil rights movement and the differences between peaceful and violent resistance to internalize the idea of the inherent goodness of peaceful protest and apply it to that history, on top of the whitewashing often done in schools. Something which in a broad sense is good for kids to understand, but can and will taint their ability to process the nuance of politics as they grow up to see history repeat. In the context of the show I feel like the messages balances out and that in reality it gives a very sympathetic view to Bismuth and her ideology, but I think the discussion of what it's getting across politically is valid for it as a kid's show.
This series has been great. Steven universe is my favorite show... im so grateful to it for existing. I just had a baby and i cant wait to show it to him... talk about our feelings and his childhood and my childhood. I think the honesty and beauty of su scares people. Thank you for making this series defending it!
"Allegory is not going to be a perfect one for one of our world, Metaphor is not meant to be a 100% accurate thing and every detail is not suppose to mimic our world accurately" this. so much this. not even just steven universe but like so many shows and movies people seem incapable of understanding its not literal 1 to 1 with what its portraying and thus people are apparently incapable of absorbing the actual messaging and its like bro...its an exaggeration of reality made to serve the purpose of a specific message or idea...thats the point...lol
I think you said something really important in this video. it's not a moral failing on the creators creators part to be indifferently optimistic. As someone who dislikes the ending of both series, this has always frustrated me. seeing bigots and liers next to me shouting at the queers has always hurt. I don't think the writers went out of the way to hurt people. i think they tried to make a fun adventure kids show and made decisions that muddy the allegory. Personally i think the happy ending should be the gem "family" going NC with white. show kids its not only ok but worthwhile to cut toxic people out of your life.
in fact about our pearl, and the others, it was revealed by the creator that ALL pearls have in their essence a part of the white diamond, which is why they are so obedient and perfectionist, not to mention that pearls can be reprogrammed in terms of personality , appearance and main color. However, our pearl is of standard configuration, that is, it is made purely of white light, which is why it has all the colors of diamonds. It is a standard model for pearls if they are not specifically modified by their owners, and our pearl is of this way, because the pink diamond needed someone more similar to the white one than to herself
I love your points here. It made so much more sense once you said you're a double major in philosophy and psychology. Connecting SU to these topics is an amazing mix of serious topics and childlike escapism which hits the sweet spot for me over and over again. I can't wait for the next one.
23:24 "They are bold, precise, experimental." I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE! Haha, love it Amazing Analysis, loved the section about Media Literacy and how many people these days lack it in painful ways
Since my other comment was a bit long I wanted to separate this off and just say, I really like how you deal with children's experience and children's literature/art here. Taking kids seriously as an audience without type casting them is something I think a lot of media analysis struggles with and I think you do a really good job. The optimism you're describing for believing there's a happy ending seems to be Hadden's Ring which might be worth checking if you haven't come across it as it's suspected to be a major part of the appeal of children's media even to adults. Also I know there's a couple of academic essays that sort of dig into Steven Universe and children's media well. Moore's 'Future Vision: Queer Utopia in Steven Universe' is accessible online and there's also the book Representation in Steven Universe which has some interesting essays on disability, queer theory and race in regards to the show (though obviously you might have already come across these)
You're like one of three video essay guys I've seen that has anything positive to say about this wonderful series. It means so much to hear someone talk about all the good things I see in this show that really shaped who I am as an adult. Keep up the good work.
I find it fascinating how people can view a show so differently when watching it spoiler-free after it's all out. I also watched Steven Universe that way (though I watched it a lot slower). I kind of enjoyed watching Lapis and Peridots "mother-daughter" relationship and thinking about how I related to that. Then after I finished the show I found out Lapidot existed and I was very confused and honestly a little disgusted. I had to do a lot of introspective thinking and looking at other people's thought processes to see how the dynamic between these two characters got interpreted so differently.
While I loved this show growing up, I think these videos you've made would be so much more meaningful to my friend, who was so so passionate about SU and upon becoming friends we watched the last seasons together through the hiatuses, the frustrations and the multiple videos berating it. We shared a connection through it and he shared what a deep connection this had on him in learning about himself. I appreciate the series through it's flaws not just because it was influential for me and learning about my sexuality and finding solace in something other than straight love but because it brought together me and my friend, someone who I don't know how I would've made through the recent years without.
I'm only 20 minutes in but i can tell this series of videos will be special. I've been around Steven Universe since late Season 2 and witnessed both the praise and unfair criticism thrown at the series. I love how you're looking at the symbolic aspects of the series as it feels so spiritual and unique to this show. I especially love how you describe the Diamonds colours symbolise how characters act. Jasper embodies a toxic change (Pink) and a logical authoritativeness (Yellow) and is weak to Lapis, someone who uses extreme emotions (Blue) Superb stuff!
This is so inspiring and refreshing to see. I've long since known that what SU did is so very important to not just kids but teenagers and young adults that, as you said, want the posibility of a happy ending. Anyway, I'm looking forward to these next parts!
When you put out your initial video about this show a month ago, it actually got me to go rewatch all of it. Something I hadn’t done before and I had only watched the show as it aired. Needless to say you’ve really warmed me up to this show and I forgot how cool it is!
okay now ive watched the video and i just have to say, only in the prelude you cover s o much of the thematic and storytelling aspects of the show in such a detailed, clear, constructive and effective way that i think i never couldve put together myself (one part due to it being three years since ive seen the show, but also not having the skills of connecing all the dots of peoples lack of media literacy-overarching story-the psychology of the diamonds etc etc in such a neat package). i really feel like this isnt just an onlook, respone or retrospection, this is i think the first real attempt at analysing the show for what it actually is, from someone who actually has the credentials or at least the intellect to understand the behind the studio and how storytelling works. i'm very happy that you took on this topic cause i dont think anyone else couldve constructed all the points that needed to come up in this way and im excited to see you talk about the rest of the show cause it's only gonna get messier from here, mostly Pink diamonds character and the whole being a war criminal thing/the diamonds. i think theres definetly critiques to be made about the show, but it feels so far beyond the point of decent clear-headed critique that i just want to see someone tackle this topic in a way thats n ot a critique. thank u
Thank you for all the nice words. I'm getting closer to completion on the season 1 video. This prelude was primarily to give context for the rest of the analysis. Consider the coming parts "proof" of things I present here. Hope you enjoy!
I was outside of the demographic when this show started airing. I was 18, and graduating high school. I started watching just after jailbreak aired. This was a really intense point of my life, moving away from home from the first time, going to college, figuring out how to be an adult. It was helpful even for me since I was so unsure of what I needed to do, who I needed to be. This show helped me remember that I should walk through life with empathy and patience, even if everything feels so overwhelming. Even all this time later, Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows of all time.
This is such an awesome fucking video. Genuinely one of my favorite videos covering a tv show of any kind, ever: you consider every element of this show so gracefully and sincerely, and every point you make about the show's messaging, metaphors, and design theory is beautifully communicated from beginning to end. My favorite section is definitely "forethought and examples"; such a fascinating read on a crucial element of character design that the SU crew clearly put a lot of thought into, and yet I've never heard anyone so much as bring it up- even on some of the more positive reviews of SU that I've watched! Again, what a gorgeous video, thanks so much for making it. Your vid on season one also went equally as hard :)
i literally cannot put into words how much i appreciate the entirety of what youre doing, but especially this video. im both someone whos loved this show since it began when i was just a child, but also someone who is so, _so_ awful at pulling my thoughts together and putting them into words. its been one of the most frustrating things for this franchise to be one of my favorite things of all time, but people treat it like a joke and like itll cause the collapse of civilization itself. im just so glad that someone who is much better with words is out here talking about it and trying to say just how good its always been, and say things that i literally have never heard anyone say before that are _great_ points, like what you said about bismuth and the diamonds! no one ever looks at these shows and goes at it from the perspective of how kids will see it, they dont bother to even consider that at all, and i think that says a lot more about the people who make these "criticisms" than it ever did about the show itself.
Thank you for the bit about allegory because that's a common criticism for a lot of media that I see but you really nailed it. People get so hung up on a mixed metaphor and it not being a perfect one to one of the issue it's supposedly tackling, but if it actually was a perfect one to one you might as well just do the story literally. If you want a beastars or zootopia-esque story that perfectly replicates racism then just make a story about actual racial minorities, if you want it to perfectly replicate sexism then just make a story about men and women, if you want it to perfectly replicate LGBT issues then just make a story about LGBT issues explicitly. The whole point of doing things through allegory is to abstract things and allow us to engage with and think about things in a way we normally wouldn't. One of the best thing about Beastars in particular as an example of this is I've seen people take lessons on all those issues from Beastars alone even though it's not a perfect racial, gender, or queer metaphor. Also I can't help but think the disproportionate level of hate comes from either people who watched the show earlier and something early in the show really hit them and resonated with them and so they had this incredibly overinflated view of the show and also got all sorts of preconceived ideas of how the show was going to go rather than accepting the show for what it is and let it tell its own story, and when this brushes up against their other feeling about how revolutionary and amazing and inspiring the show is it makes them want to lash out because they feel sort of betrayed and so they go all in on calling the show trash. Or it's a response to people who were calling it the best show ever made or whatever, or a combination of both. Some haters just wanted to hate on a popular thing, and some haters are ex fans whose level of hate is pretty much proportional to how positive they thought of the show while they were fans.
It drove me insane that people were genuinely surprised and actively disappointed that white diamond was left alive. Like.... why were you watching The Pacifism Show for violence??? If a kids show has established to me that it is about saving everyone, yes everyone, i assume everyone is going to be saved. I don't care if you politically disagree with pacifism, the kids show is not about your opinions about real life political strategy
Extremely good video series! I got into SU some time shortly after Garnet's "Stronger Than You" music clip went viral on youtube, and it immediately became my favorite show. That opinion still hasn't changed, the amount of character work and emotional range crammed into each 12 minute episode feels like creative wizardry, few shows can match it.
You've completely reframed my understanding of this show. you went really deep with your analysis already and it made me appreciate this show and the symbolism in it in a way i never have before. Can't wait to see the rest of this series💞
That was beautifully written and your a genuinely great writer. I also understand that Rebecca Sugar admitted that this complex metaphor was her intention so your not reading too much into it if the shows creator sees it as a metaphor. But none of the young children in the shows target audience are gonna pick up on this. I get that the minority of adult fans will but none of the people this show w as originally made for
Great start! I was there through all the Steven Bombs and long hiatuses, and it was fun to theorize about stuff but yeah, you definitely experienced the show in it's purest form, uncorrupted by months of speculation. I'm so excited to watch your upcoming videos!
21:46 Pearl’s design is stated to be the standard design for a Pearl during the su movie. This may imply that pink just didn’t put effort into pearl’s design, probably because of her being upset for having to give up her first Pearl. But that’s just a theory, a GEM THEORY! Aaannnnddd cut.
In the end of open book connie hears what steven has to say.... She hears his perspective but it's not like her is changed...... She respect his perspective but she still believes in her own perspective....... The ending of steven universe will always be controversial and seems like the writers knew it i mean it's not like they are idiots.... They chose this ending .. ❤
Wow. I’ve watched your whole series on SU and I love that you gave it a chance and saw it as it was: a step towards a better world. I’m so excited to see your season by season analysis. I’m gonna head over to your Kofi right now! Also please keep singing your outros, I love your singing voice so much 💕😭
Not sure I agree with the Diamonds representing Emotion and Logic, but the Color Theory stuff is absolutely on-point. That just makes complete sense. I don't think it's even a reach, it's just a super straightforward read of the plot. Also, good catch on the Book thing. I think a lot of people forget about it because of how long it was since Season 1, but yeah, what Connie says comes true. They can't break the establishment, they can ultimately only make it a better system. And while that's not a perfect solution, I think it is more of a realistic one than people think it is? Like... Okay... say Steven kills the Diamonds and destroys their chain of command....... Then what........? There are tons of people who rely on their authority, Diamond loyalists, people running the military and keeping plans going. Wouldn't that just lead to a big power-grab for the throne or something? You could write a story where that works out, but it's pretty clear that fighting is never really the answer, empathy is. So it's weird when people are surprised that that's how the series ends as well. We're not watching a shonen anime, we're watching a show about a kid who has to understand who he is so he can get other people to understand him as well. I have mixed thoughts on making it THAT easy, but it makes sense. This was never going to end with Steven winning with a show of force, and that idea has been consistent throughout the series. Power always just exists for either beating literal monsters or for making people stop fighting long enough to listen. Every other use of force just isn't effective. EVER.
Your videos defending SU made me finally get around to watching the show honestly. I never really watched it (other than a couple of early episodes) when it first came out despite being the target demographic at the time, and I didn't watch it when it finished because of a mix of there being a lot I would have to watch, and the fact that I heard from many people on the internet that SU wasn't a good show, so I assumed that I wouldn't miss out on much if I didn't watch it. I'm now in my own pace watching the show (I'm not super far yet because I don't have a ton of free time at the moment). I'm really enjoying it so far, and I slightly regret not watching this sooner because I know for a fact that younger me would've been such a big fan! So I guess I just wanna say thank you for inadvertently causing me to finally give this show a watch :]
I kinda want to rewatch the series in the light of how much Pink, the drives of the various characters, and fusion can be seen as acting through the Deleuze-Guattarian concept of desire, the most basic motivating human force. At its heart its about this whole world unprepared to house within itself free flowing desire, the "strange flows" that are by default revolutionary
It's kind of wild seeing all these retrospective defenses of SU pop up now that it's no longer The Cool Thing to Hate(tm) but you have no idea how elated I am to see a newcomer defend Reunited. When it first aired, I immediately realized the galaxy brain move Rebecca Sugar pulled with it, but it felt like everyone else was lambasting it as "a gay wedding that spirals into forgiving space Nazis." Obviously SU wasn't perfect, but it was nowhere near the pedophilic fascist propaganda that people like Lily painted it as. Plus a lot of the show's issues were results of Sugar having to fight the network tooth and nail at every step.
Excellent video! My only argument (same argument I'd give to the haters as well) is that Steven Universe *doesn't* have a real happy ending, and Steven had to sacrifice a *lot* to get the best outcome for everyone. Any other option ended in humans and gems being at risk; without reaching a truce with the diamonds, healing corrupted gems or spreading peace to gems across the universe wouldn't be possible. He could have done what was best for "the movement," but it would be a pyrrhic victory since it would require borader sacrifices from everybody and it would cost them a lot of the goals they hoped to achieve. He was out of his depth emotionally, but still picked the best diplomatic option even though he was still very uncomfortable around the Diamonds and avoided them a lot more than is characteristic of him when meeting/helping new gems. The message of "the fighting will never stop until we can stop seeking vengeance/closure when peace is on the table - *especially when we would be completely justified and validated in doing so* " is a difficult but important pill to swallow. After all, what can your worst enemy offer you to overcome the senseless destruction of their actions? They will never come to the negotiation table with enough to offer because they can't reverse their actions or remove your trauma. But if peace is an option, it's the best *realistic* option one can hope to achieve; you will never achieve closure for the past, but you've succeeded in clearing a path for a better future. Steven Universe: Future shows that Steven wasn't satisfied with the resolution that was reached because he had to sacrifice his own catharisis/closure for the greater good. In choosing a better future, he accepted that he would have to carry the baggage of the past, and that he had to keep that pain in check lest *he* become the villain and end the hard-won era of peace he fought to achieve. And it respectfully showed that it's a difficult road that requires a lot of maintenance and reassurance from past instigators that they validate their suffering and that they are no longer a threat but an ally for peace.The series doesn't end with closure, it ends with an open door, Steven finding his place in the new world he helped bring about, seeing a therapist to work on his past traumas, and we're not given a clear idea of whether he will ever be truly at peace about the past because the point is that he is making his first steps towards *actually* achieving that for himself (and that this is the path gems like Bismuth, Jasper, Lapis, and more have already or will have to follow as well for a chance at internal peace) which is a far cry from where the original series left off. If you've seen She-Ra: Princesses of Power, I'd love to hear your take on it as well since I found it similarly intentional, impactful, and absolutely not "just a kid's show" despite the TV-Y7 rating, especially in regards to the type of war taking place throughout the series and how the show chooses to portray that to younger audiences. Similarly made with a lot of love, and arguably more challenging than Steven Universe at times because it's often less abstract. And there's not enough commentary about it on RUclips and it absolutely deserves critical analysis!
My son and I are huge fans of the show. We rewatched not long ago and we laughed so much at the episode about the book's ending because it summarizes both of our perspectives on things. I love romance and happy endings, my son hates romance and can rewatch Texas Chainsaw Massacre non stop 😂 But we always find middle ground in everything we watch because we try to see the best parts of the art we share together. So although he hates normally romance, he deeply admires the bravery it took to create the wedding episode in SU. And although I don't like slasher movies that much, I saw a lot of allegories about our treatment of animals in TCM and I love it for it. You don't have to love everything you watch, but try to be fair with the artists that create the art you consume. Everyone will win for it.
Im so happy a video like this exists (all of your videos really) i grew up with this show sharing the same age as Steven, 13 at the start and around 17/18 when it finished and it's such a special thing for me, not just as a show, i love it and it helped me a lot, coming from a really broken family and drawing paralels from the show at my irl issues, that i even tend to think about now that i'm an adult (kinda). As a kid a had to face a lot of ppl telling me how the show that basically gave me life was the worst thing on earth and how i was a bad person if i loved it, they still do and it still frustrates me, so i am so glad people are finally defending it.
This is so beautiful!!!! I can't wait for more. Among my friend group, I was the only one to make the trans allegory with Steven being referred to as Pink and being dismissed by his diamond parent allegories and hearing you talk about that is super validating! This show is just super relatable when you look at it from your nostalgic childhood minds. It's perfect!
Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: pl.go-ga.me/fhr9zcmh and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion ⚡Drake⚡ Available only for new players
🎃 Take part in the Halloween event and get your gift at raidyard.plarium.com 👻
Thanks for watching! I appreciate all your support!
Hope you got paid shadow legends
Hey dude, just wanted you to know that I am really glad you exist. I am glad that some mad man had the passion to create so many videos about persona 4 and other topics that i can enjoy
why do you hate onion gang it's good stop with the hate
Just curious, what's the song at the very start? (Also, great video, 10/10, am currently watching again)
@@ParsureArts It's a piano instrumental of the song Familiar, from Season 5 of Steven Universe.
Honestly, even as adults there's nothing wrong with having a comfort show or game that allows us to breathe and have fun.
That's true
Many of us on the spectrum embrace that idea wholesale, and without embarrassment. I will still watch things from my early childhood once in a while, just to feel a little better.
Was originally watching part one and heard the common about the prelude and already loving this. Looking forward to about the next three hours of contact. Looking forward to parts you already.
In my view, I can watch whatever the hell I want without self judgement because anything less than that would be me allowing others to encroach on my personal experience. Something I find absolutely unacceptable.
To not do so, especially as an aspiring creator, is reductive and damaging.
@@Messier__yeah, even without a need for comfort. I sometimes dislike media for adults be made around sex, drugs, depressing topics etc.. all the time, it’s so reductive and boring. Kids are allowed to expand their personalities, be inventive, be expressive. That’s why this shows get fans outside the target demographic
Your series of videos rebutting so many of the bad faith, and oftentimes bigoted arguments against this show has given me such immense catharsis. I’m so thankful for everything you’ve done so far, and really excited for what you’ll continue to do in regards to furthering introspective and productive conversations revolving around Steven Universe.
Thanks! I think I bring to light a lot of interesting stuff people haven't really covered in videos before here. Hope you enjoy
After learning about Social Engineering done at Dreamworks by Andrew Young. The very artists whose hearts broke at realizing that their art, in this case Peabody and Sherman was a propaganda tool. 🤨
@@fatcat5817dang really? Could you summarize how it was a propaganda tool?
Exactly. Those abysmal online critics acts like Steven Universe obliterated their family, damage their crops, and poison their water supplies. Their reeks of bigotry that diguise itself as "criticism" doesn't help either.
What the fuck is going on in this comment thread
A lot of the problems in SU fandom definitely came from people refusing to see the story as anything but a revolution narrative, where the only acceptible outcome was for the Diamonds to fall off a cliff or something. I can't imagine how someone ends up in a situation where they watch Steven Universe and expect it to end with Steven punching White Diamond in the forehead so hard she dies.
Yeah, especially considering there's literally a Future episode where Steven almost does something like that, and it literally explains why doing that would be antithetical to the themes of the franchise.
@@GiThePipis Exactly. Future also did a good job of showing that even though Steven created a connection with the Diamonds that made things better for BOTH sides of his family, he also never fully forgave them for the things they did. It wasn't like he let them off the hook. The relationship was still strained, just as it would be in a non-allegorical sense.
@@KittyQuixotic That part especially is why I still don't understand people saying the Diamonds were just instantly forgiven, especially when people bring up the Future episode I just mentioned and call it "inconsistent writing".
That "inconsistency" is just moral nuance.
Yeah. Toxic fandom is one thing that deserves to get called out, but the anti-fandoms really outlive their usefulness for not addressing the problems, but rather having an excuse of tainting the reputation of the show and the community as well.
@@poweroffriendship2.0 Exactly. It comes off like they WANT the show to fail artistically, and they're mad that it's not worse than it is. I couldn't possibly imagine why.
You are healing a generation who had to witness all the "SU IS BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL AWFUL FOR LIKING IT" stuff that's been going around since 2016 and I thank you so much for that
So precisely though. I was someone who had this show as my hardcore special interest as a little autistic middle schooler and only really stopper ⌚ and let it fade because I started getting embarrassed by all that crap coming out and like sometimes I remember classmates even spouting some pretty... Yikes shit when I started taking about SU. So great to hear a normal fucking adult just watch the show and talk about it earnestly
that quoting of "it's over isn't it" in the color theory section won't go unnoticed...
I'm glad
I was searching for this comment 🙂
Your section on Bismuth got me really thinking on something I didn't notice even as a long time fan of the show. This show is really effective at going against the "perfect victim" idea that society has when it comes to various types of trauma and abuse. Pretty much every character in this show has some kind of trauma, which is SO real to life even if we don't like to talk about it, and that trauma makes them act out in really unhealthy ways at time. Yet, the show still gives them sympathy, still gives them love and care, still tells the audience that they didn't deserve the hurt they are dealing with. That it's ok to criticize someone's actions while still acknowledging what they have been through. It also shows that healing is not a quick nor linear process, which I think is also a really important idea that gets ignored by society at large.
Your videos on SU have been amazing. It's really nice to see the perspective of someone who unlike me, got to watch it all together as intended without all of the active drama and shit.
YES!!! This is what I love about the show. As someone who was mistreated in the past and didn’t handle it in a great way, watching this show made it easier to forgive myself and move forward. It’s an incredible message to put in a show, and helps the relationships in the show feel all that much more real
I feel like this is simultaneously what makes SU such a mature show *and* what makes some people immediately see red when they critique it. SU is not a show with generic "good guy" and "bad guy" boxes. It understands what moral nuance is and shows us a situation too complicated for you to put the characters in those boxes. And yet people can't help but try to force them into those boxes anyways because "I wanna punch the bad guy!".
If anything, the only boxes it really puts characters into is "protagonist" or "antagonist", and even then characters will switch between boxes sometimes (*cough* Peridot).
This is why I hate when people demonize Lapis for not fitting into that "perfect victim" box.
exactly!! it annoys me so much especially when ppl complain about steven in su!f and talk about how they "made him an asshole". he wasn't an asshole, he's a representation of someone who has repressed their trauma so much, leading them to have some resentment towards the people they love, and it eventually it all builds up and explodes in their and everyone's faces. yes it's messy, no i don't think the crystal gems or greg were necessarily wrong but they def did play into parts of his trauma. i think su!f is one of the most realistic representation of trauma there is and it's really telling people are criticizing how steven acted because he wasn't an uwu poor baby victim but like, actually showed the more ugly parts of it
It’s humorous, Lily recently released a video going back over SU and trying to explain her points better. At the end of the video, she asks for someone who loves SU to join her in a podcast to discuss what makes it great.
I am 100% positive that if you tried to get yourself on that podcast, she would turn you down immediately. It’s clear your analysis is just on another level, and she doesn’t want to appear misinformed by comparison.
Lily did not change and was just 'trying' to explain herself better. She didn't, although it's more accurate to say that there was no need to explain herself better - everyone understood her and everyone dislikes her for it. There is no misconception about Lily
@@chargoal_gamesthat’s how I took it, might as well had titled the vid “double down”
Lily was not sincere on actually wanting to have a discussion with an opposing opinion. And Ik for fact she come across HID’s vids, he would’ve been a great contender to have a discussion about the show🫤😞😞
She literally told someone who was calling her out for poisoning a section of the steven universe fanbase to "Grow up" This woman wipes her hands clean of every problem and blames the people for listening
It's wholesome to see people actually take the time to not only take down the horrible bad faith claims against the show, but also build it back up! keep it up!
Thank you in being apart of the “Lay off SU” community. I’ve been seeing this happen recently, that people are starting to rethink the show in its entirety and realizing how malicious a lot of the criticisms actually were.
It makes me happy this show is being given a second chance. I’ve also seen the show getting a lot more attention, reaction channels still watching it after years. It’s wholesome.
I never considered Jasper being yellow AND pink. I like that connection.
This is the series that gave me an inkling that I was queer as a young teen, and then it helped me deal with my generalized anxiety disorder and loneliness more than anyone in my life. It was helpful to see characters like Peridot as an autistic kid going through life. Thank you for this lovingly made reflection on the show, and for your defense of childhood innocence and tender way of approaching it. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate this video a lot
Is everyone talking about how great this show is online an adult nostalgic for something they used to be into as a kid and not an adult fan of the show? I'm a little worried about how embarrasing my love of this show as someone who refused to watch it as a kid and only got into it this year is
I'm not even a fan of SU, but I'm glad this video exists. The show, just like any other form of media, deserves criticism, but the blatant hate it's been getting over the years is so blown out of proportion. It's refreshing to see someone talk about the good sides of the show, the things it's teaching kids, the representation it groundbreakingly provides. I love how you break the series down to its core, proving that, behind all the accusations of lazyness and bad writing, it's something that had a lot of thought and care put into it by its creators.
Thissss. I was never big on SU, but seeing this series has drawn some parallels to my favorite comic, More Than Meets the Eye, and even if SU still doesn't hit me where the feels hurt, I am now more than willing to try it out again.
It’s so nice to see media criticism shift into a more positive place. I’m glad most people’s mindsets now are along the lines of “like what you like, who cares” instead of the cringe hatred of the older videos you already discussed. Very nice, especially seeing love for a show so unfairly hated.
Watching the rebuttal to Lily Orchard's video and this analysis has been incredibly cathartic. Yesterday after I watched the Lily response video I tried to imagine what it would actually look like if Steven DID kill the diamonds (and also if Aang killed Ozai) and I couldn't imagine it without it completely ruining the show or requiring an additional season to deal with the emotional fallout of that decision. Both Steven and Aang are characterised as fairly realistic children. They may be powerful and have had important roles forced on them, but at their core they are just normal kids, not badass superheroes that kill their enemies without a second thought. Both of them agonise over the idea of potentially having to KILL A PERSON and are given a way out of that situation because having them actually kill would be majorly fucked up. Like, imagine it. Actually imagine Steven shattering the diamonds. You wouldn't be able to end the show there because it would be such a huge deal for his character that you would need at least one more season to come to a place where he's okay enough to have any sort of ending. Yes, I would have liked it if the ending was longer and had more time to come to the conclusion it did. But however much time they had, they had to come to the ending they came to, because that's the only ending that thematically made sense.
I don't think that the people who wanted the show to end after Steven shattered the Diamonds ever bothered to think about the ramifications of their "ideal ending". Knowing what kind of show Steven Universe was, it's possible that after Steven and the Crystal Gems shattered the Diamonds, they'd come to realize shattering of Homeworld's rulers without an actual plan put in place afterwards has disastrous consequences for everyone involved, and that their actions will not come with a magical happy ending attached.
Instead Steven and the Crystal Gems would have to accept that the Diamonds being shattered brought freedom, with the great cost being the creation of a power vacuum that would lead to a second Gem War between Homeworld gems seeking newfound freedom, Great Diamond Authority loyalists who want to retain Era 2 and it's customs, and independent gems who wish to take over Homeworld for themselves or are simply taking advantage of the power vacuum to forge their own territories.
In addition, the remaining forces of Homeworld won't stop fighting just because their rulers had been shattered. Steven and the Crystal Gems would be lucky if they managed to survive long enough to return home, and not end up caught and publicly executed for all of Homeworld to see. Even after all that, Steven will have to live with the guilt of having to take the lives of the Diamonds, and end blaming himself for the resulting fallout on top of having to watch his back for the rest of his life for enemy gems out to assassinate him for their own agendas.
And honestly? I'd expect those same people who think the Diamonds being shattered by Steven would've been the better ending, and who also couldn't come up with a better ending to start complaining about how they feel cheated out a happy ending, how they've been left with more questions than answers, or that it was needlessly dark and depressing.
How the individual characters would respond is also something I feel those who wanted a "shatter the diamonds" ending did really think about.
Bismuth is the first one I think about; something that won her over was Steven sticking to his guns about not shattering the Diamonds as she wanted to. How would she respond to him going back on that? I don't think she would take that well considering her previous actions
Similarly, Lapis would probably freak out about the idea of fighting at such a grand scale again, since a revolution would be much closer to the war that got her trapped in the mirror; she may even leave again like she did in Can't Go Back
@@king2.0smods17EXACTLY EXACTLY!!!! THIS IS THE EXACT REASON WHY I HATED THE “Steven should’ve just shattered the diamonds” RHETORIC! Not only would it defeat everything that story built up but also cause more problems than good!
The truth is that they wasted a lot of time, doing unnecessary things
@@klamacz47 how exactly is it the Crewniverse's fault that Cartoon Network is homophobic? Maybe, if they weren't, then the show wouldn't have needed to be rushed. That's not Rebecca or anyone who worked on the show's fault. It's Cartoon Network's. So "maybe they shouldn't have wasted time" is a stupid comment.
You are healing something that was left broken years ago, you cant even begin to understand a fraction of how much this videos mean to us. Thank you🙇
Yeah. I bet that Steven's saliva would heal the show after struggling of being wounded by bad faith "critics" with the likes of Lily Orchard, EZPZ, and E;R.
@@poweroffriendship2.0I first found your comment gross but then remembered Steven's healing abilities and find it adorable and uplifting instead now!
The Open Book episode is so relevant to the topic it's almost tragically funny how everyone either forgot or missed the point of it.
At the end of the day the show has always been about character growth first. (That and WD reminded me of my mom, so Steven making her fix her mistakes and distancing himself from her afterwards was a better conclusion to me than killing her off lol)
Its kinda funny how there was at least two episodes that were directly(ish) addressed to fans with That Sort of mentality.
Open Book was one, but I'd also argue that Now We're Only Falling Apart was the other one for people who misinterpreted all of Pink/Rose's actions after A Single Pale Rose (with Sapphire being the stand-in for the those sorts of fans).
And even *THEN* people like Lily Orchard still didn't get it.
Something I really enjoy about this channel is the unapologetic passion you have for things that aren’t necessarily “current” or topical. I started with the Persona 4 Analysis and it was an amazing passion project, so seeing that energy return for these SU videos is a real treat. Really looking forward to watching the video in full!
Keep doing your thing Hiding, I’ll be here for whatever you put out.
Thanks! I'll always try to make stuff I find valuable or interesting. I appreciate the support
Honestly I'm planning to play P4 just so I can watch the analysis lol
@@TheQuashingoftheTub based
Regarding the "It's a Kids Show" segment, I actually get reminded of My friendly Neighborhood, a game that released earlier this year.
That exact theorem of someone criticizing a moral is brought up as an angry letter from a parent, an episode having taught you should you should help your friends qnd the parent mentioning "What if the thing to help with could put them in danger or set them on a dark path?"
Ricky posits that the real reason the show was canceled wasn't because the show was teaching bad morals to kids. Rather that the Adults of the world didn't want to hear these optimistic ideals. That they've letthemselves get beaten by a dark cruel world and that they believe the only way to survive is to be cruel back.
I think deep down that's what happened with the morals of Steven Universe.
thank you SO MUCH for course-correcting the bad-faith "criticisms" of the show. I watched it as a kid, but stopped around Lars' Head and sorta forgot about it until I saw Lily Orchard's (frankly terrible) takes a couple years ago and let them sour my opinions on the show. luckily, I realized Lily was pretty much talking out of her ass and came back to the show earlier this year...
and I fell in love with it all over again. I still admit that there are flaws with this show (after all, no show is truly perfect), but for me, the good outweighs the bad, and it's always great to see people talking about the good for a change
I *did* watch the series as it came out and waited for Steven bombs and all that, and you're absolutely correct. There were so many bad faith criticisms and personal attacks that just weren't okay. It's nice to have a rational voice.
There were but I also think there are some notes to take here so we don't use this to bash "good faith but not 'smart'" reviewers;
1. Yes, there's a lot of thematic elements for SU and if should never be deemed "lazy" but at the same time I think it's understandable if casual viewers have issues with some "smaller" elements. Size is another part of nature and having the proportions of characters change from scene to scene can be distracting. In the very same way it's subtly pleasing to have the right color theory intact. Sizing is something SU uses to it's effect often, so seeing it go awry in "not important" scenes can take away from the impact when needed
2. "it's just a kids show" was a very interesting argument that resonated with me strongly. But at the same time it's an argument made because many shows don't seem to care. Likely lacking the budget to get that polish that elevates the greats. We SHOULD very much put a higher quality bar on what kids consume but as reality is now most networks use that as an excuse to lower quality. The point isn't to teach lessons but sell toys and I hate it.
Sarah Z brought up this idea in relation to the backlash against High Guardian Spice. There are many reactionary people who will dog on and attempt to tarnish the reputation of any queer or diverse media they find. When a show is exceptional it can sometimes beat past this general perception (the new She-Ra for example). But other times, this perception can blend into otherwise unrelated voices, and magnify or warp those bad faith criticisms. It creates a situation where queer and diverse media is inherently more scrutinized and has a higher bar of quality to pass compared to non-queer non-diverse media. The show has haters by default and it forces progressives into a defensive or analytical position, which they might not always be equipped for (especially when criticisms veil themselves as progressive like in Lily Orchard's video). And sometimes queer media does have real problems! But the standard that it's held to ends up being way higher than other shows.
holy shet the backlash that happened against high guardian spice was unreal. i know very little about the show, i'm sure it's not "high art" or w/e but it just seems like a simple fantasy story with some trans characters. it might not be "good" but the level of public backlash it got was crazy! so much attention and vitriol poured onto an unassuming, mediocre show.
Yeah. The show itself isn't really that great, but the harassment against the creators feels unnecessary.
@@EeveeFlipnoteStudiosThis backlash was because they used money anime fans thought were going to Japan to instead make a western Tumblurfic.
All other Crunchyroll originals before then at least _were_ or pretended enough to be anime.
A show being mediocre does not absolve it from being hated. Context matters. And that show deserved all of the hate it received (even though I liked some aspects like Snap and Amaryllis).
@@JamesP7 I vaguely remember something to this effect. I don't claim to know the objective truth of what happened-- this kind of emotional situation can lead to skewed or misleading information on the internet. But even IF Crunchyroll did intentionally mislead their core donors in the way you described, your conclusion and logic is off.
The hate should not go to the creators of HGS or the show itself, and the show does not "deserve" the hate it got. Crunchyroll is the one that was in charge of advertising/promoting their campaign, the one that handled the money. The anger should be directed at Crunchyroll for mishandling/misleading their audience, the ones who ACTUALLY put up the promotional material on their platforms. It seems like a huge stretch to think the HGS team were responsible for the promotional material on Crunchyroll's domain, or that the show was created with malicious intent to take money. If anything, hating on the show for that reason is taking the situation out of context. Publishing an animated series is a highly involved process, with many parties and people partaking in different stages of its publication.
Assuming the show itself is the root problem is leaping to conclusions, rather than seeing where communication actually broke down. It's the same kind of fallacy that leads people to berate the customer service rep for their late delivery, when the customer service rep wasn't involved in the delivery at all. Your explanation isn't very convincing and instead paints a questionable picture of the rationale for the wave of hate.
@@EeveeFlipnoteStudios You are WAAAAAY off the mark.
The show is objectively flawed. I’ve watched enough multi-hour video essays that corroborate and logically explain this fact. The debacle with the money scam is only a partial reason as to why the show was rightfully detested.
Even as someone who hasn't watched SU that much (I went through it only twice, currently in the middle of a third rewatch), your rebuttals against a lot of these criticisms are so relieving. I've seen some of those criticisms repackaged as generalized writing advice, and it's messed with my head a lot as someone trying to write my own fantasy setting. I can't count how many times in my own writing I've gone "oh god, I don't want my metaphors to imply this", or "what if someone misinterprets this as [insert really really fucked up thing here]", or even "are my themes obvious enough?".
Genuinely, thank you so much. These SU shitpieces have dealt horrible damage to every writing community on the internet, and you're helping undo huge amounts of it.
Holy Fiddlesticks I relate to this so hard, I often get way to caught up in the "Oh but what will my audience think this means, what if they think I'm condoning something horrible." Too, it's sometimes even prevented me from writing what I want to write. I'm glad that this video is a strong step foward in deconstructing that.
Holy shit someone actually talking about the use of color in this show what a breath of freash air i hope you also talk about how the music is used to tell you about the characters keep up the good work
Thank you for consistently releasing amazing videos defending SU. I remember being in high school and watching those videos and being so discouraged by the bigotry and hatred, and especially discouraged by how popular those videos got. Its really nice to have someone actually analyze the show in good faith.
Honestly I got mad at the videos' bigotry against the creators back then, while also believing some those critics about Steven Universe not being well written.
It was a combination of frustration with waiting on Steven bombs, not liking season four, and listening to their criticisms that led me to stop watching. I dismissed it as a poorly written but well-meaning show.
Now, I'm reconsidering picking it up again.
I just did pretty much what you did, binge watched the shows/movie for the first time in about a week and a half.
I went in blind, all I knew was that Steven Universe popped up quite a bit in recommended animated shows, and thought I would give it a go.
I really enjoyed it. It took about 10 or so episodes for me to get fully invested, but after that I was hooked. The themes of family and trauma really made it stand out as well as its optimism, and I loved how it was all told from Steven's perspective (which took me about half of the first season to notice).
After I finished, I did what I always do: I went to RUclips to find some deep dive videos about the series, because it was obvious how much had gone into it. I've never had any problems with this before; Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall and other things I've watched are full of analysis videos, but for some reason, when I searched for the same with SU it was all hate.
It took me completely by surprise, because I thought this show was pretty universally liked. I'm glad I found your video, because it was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for in the first place.
I just don't understand why SU has taken the brunt of criticism. Sure it's progressive, with morally gray characters and marches to its own drum, but even accounting for that the hate it gets is blown out of proportion.
I think it's because of a thing called Gamergate that happened? And everyone was going insane about progressive things on the internet?
The stevenbombs had a huge impact on how people perceived and criticized the show. They would go long periods of time without episodes only to get more episodic stories instead of the Big Plotline
This time inbetween groups of episodes made people very restless, which gave rise to people poisoning the well. There were minor controversies that either got blown out of proportion or people just being outright nasty and making it very serious (the zamiiz one comes to mind). With these controversies, people started to see the show as not perfect and thus the fandom and bad faith critics began to foster a very negative view of it
It just sucks because this show may have had its flaws, but what show doesnt? Literally i hear about the rep in toh being so good when just about every poc are reduced to a white characters support, but i never hear this kind of critique aside from a few people i talk to personally. I cant really say the same for su, but literally one of the valid-turned-to-bad-faith critique of it is how its poc are treated or designed a certain way so thats why i bring up this example
I think its because people think their criticisms can get thru to the creators. Marginalized people qre used to not being heard, but because Sugar is also marginalized their audience feels that she'll listen to them, and then takes it overboard
I mean, it came out at the "right" time. 2015. By the time S1 ended it was well into the political turmoil of 2016, and SU was just one of the many victims.
Also doesn't help that there just wasn't a lot of other cartoons in the 2010's. Nick was (and still is) stuck in the SpongeBob high and it's only new IP was Loud House. CN had the trifecta of Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Gumball before this and they were all doing their own thing before the supposed "cal arts style" of cartoon went into full gear. And Disney... Well. I think by 2015 Gravity Falls was over.
@@raze2012_ Yeah. I remember the time when the "Cal-Arts art style" made everyone on the Internet outrageous that Steven Universe was responsible for that trend, despite the fact that Rebecca Sugar isn't a Cal-Arts graduate (she graduated at School of Visual Arts in New York City).
I can understand that people want art styles in animation to be diverse, but planning to threat a Cal-Arts school over an art style is just hitting the new low at that point.
I just wanna say thank you for doing this. It is so wonderful to see a show, that is so dear to me being defended, and seen in a more reasonable critical eye. Instead of just this show bad, because I say so.
i feel like a lot of people didn't GET SU.
i basically did exactly the same as you. started watching when there were already 4 seasons out with season 5 well on it's way. i honestly just really really enjoyed every bit of it. it's honestly some of the most creative children's scifi i've ever seen. it's just a very warm and emotional show with great characters. i dont need everything to be perfect like some people seem to.
It honestly feels like we've been through a media criticism draught and we are suddenly getting a taste of fresh water once again. I missed a media analysis that was actually competent and not completely driven by shallow hot takes and smug disinterest.
Steven universe can honestly be pointed to as my largest inspiration in my journey to become an animator, with a side of Gravity Falls. The 2010s era of animation had so many bangers and underappreciated titles, primarily because it was the first wave of millennial creators bringing a fresh outlook and energy to the field. 80s and 90s babies who were impacted and shaped by the intense politicization of the core aspects of humanity started creating art that reflects the struggles of not only themselves as individuals, but also their entire family history. It led to art that reflects stories they heard growing up of great grandpa fighting in ww2, or of the hardships of their enslaved ancestors. Creating stories deepens the understanding of our ancestral history by helping us explore those situations, and that's something millennials got really good at to cope with the ever worsening conditions of the world around us.
And that's truly what any form of art has always been about: displaying an abstraction of the self, to elicit the same feelings to others so they can better understand you as a person. Even if that's not the intent, that's the function. That's what happens. However, media literacy is not something that is extensively taught, so many people who are adults that pay taxes view the show in the same childish black-and-white way that you mention, just with adult issues. So, while a child might take the "Killing is generally Bad" message from Bismuth, an adult with the same level of media literacy will scoff at the narrative for "dismissing the acts of space nazis because Feelings or something". When that happens, the intent is lost in translation. A kid's show with the core message of "everybody is capable of growth with love and understanding" becomes "Forgive Fascists if they're family," and that leads to unfair and blatantly incorrect criticism.
Pay attention in your English and literature classes, kids. Please, for the love of god, don't become adults incapable of understanding authorial intent. Your voices will matter, and they will hurt somebody if used incorrectly.
TL;DR: Art is a reflection of the self, and poor media literacy is the main cause of bad-faith analysis.
I think the bit at the end about happy endings should also be used more in adult media. I'm so sick of people dying and having depressing "realistic" endings being treated as the standard and best version of adult media. I also find it very pessimistic and dismal. I think more stories should be inspiring and courageous in their themes. Like, I've seen people treat good endings as completely unrealistic because they can't fathom that things wouldn't go horribly. We're so conditioned to accept misery and misfortune as the norm, as the "real world," but it's not normal at all. It's just familiar.
More happy ending in adult media!!!!!!!
Edit: oh also, I think shows and books should stop treating violence and death so frivolously
I fully agree. There's a reason Smiling Friends and to a lesser extent, Harley Quinn (2019) have gotten dedicated fans.
It's like the Batman comics where it ended on the dark or even depressing note, but there are adaptations of Batman stories that gives Bruce Wayne and the Bat Family a happy ending, and that's why LEGO Batman did achieved this by giving him a better ending he needed (not deserved).
It's ironic that happy endings are a cliche in most lighthearted stories, but when it applied to dark stories, it feels like a breath of fresh air.
only a few minutes into the video, but i recently watched a video of someone critiquing an entirely different show and it STILL had remnants of the bad faith hate that SU got whenever SU was mentioned in passing. its insane to me how far and wide that shit spread. thank you so much for your videos about SU, it got me to rewatch the series with my boyfriend and now hes a big fan of it too. keep up the good vids :]
What show are you referring to?
I wanna know as well 🤔
You are the saving grace of Steven universe analysis. I’ve been with this show since I was 14 years old watching the pilot and waiting through hiatus, controversies, theory’s and just the community in general and for years this show was dragged through the WRINGER.
Is it perfect? No. But it’s always been there for me and I believe it was instrumental to my growth as a person. I don’t normally make long comments like this but from the bottom of my heart…..thank you. Thank you so much for this video.
22:57 - okay I took a character design mini course in july of 2023 and let me tell you, my teacher would bring up steven universe as exemplary character design every chance he got. 110% accurate here lmao
I really love your explanation on the difference between “It’s just a kids show” and “It’s a kids show” and pointing out how allegories and metaphors aren’t going to 100% be a perfect recreation of what they’re supposed to be about.
Due to the ending of the original show, maybe always interpreted it as “Steven forgave Gem Hitler” due to White Diamond being a dictator who most likely has caused a lot of damage on innocent gems. And even before I ever fully got into the show, it always just seemed so farfetched and wild to make such an extreme comparison of this fictional and absurd/comical character from a kids show to one of the world’s worst humans to have ever lived in real life, just because the character is a textbook definition of a dictator: someone who controls a whole civilization and solely wants power on everyone.
Like you mention in the video, many seem to forget the fact this show, even if it dives into more mature topics, is still made for children to be able to watch and to a degree understand what’s going on. To have looked back on all these bad faith arguments; so many people taking this show’s innocent overall theme about trying to be empathetic and understanding to one another, again for kids watching to learn, and spin it into massive strawmans like “erm, is this show saying you should forgive people who want to kill you? Is this Rebecca Sugar, a Jewish person, being a nazi apologist????”, it’s disgusting looking back on and seeing the blatant bigotry from some during these “critiques” on full display.
I pride myself that I never fell for the massive bandwagoning of blindly hating Steven Universe, I thank a lot to my friends who were into it and helped me still have a positive outlook on the show even if I wasn’t watching it with them or involved as much with it, but I still can’t help but feel really bad for the many people who might have succumbed to the mob mentality against the show years back, contributing to the blind hate towards it and people behind the show, and probably nowadays feel regretful for it. But hey, the best one can do even when messing up like this is keep pushing forward and be a better person as they grow more.
Just like what the show always wanted many to do, learn from mistakes, grow, and be kinder in the future.
@TenthFourteenthDoctor allegories to stuff like fascism can exist in kids shows, the issue though comes from treating what happens in said show as a 1 to 1 equivalent of whatever happened in real life, and trying to make this straw man argument that the show is trying to spread horrendous propaganda about a certain political belief or something wild. And plus, even then just because another show may have presented alleged genocide among a group of characters in a show doesn’t necessarily mean it could have been good writing or something many would agree with.
I mean, many felt the finale of Star Vs. where Star wiped and resetted the whole world just to be with Marco being portrayed as a good thing to actually be really horrible and ruining so many things that the show was building up to
I think a good word that applies to the use of 'allegory' in series like Steven Universe and Beastars is applicability. Allegory is most commonly considered as a one to one to what it represents, whereas applicability is much more loose and more immediately universal. Another good example is how LoTR, written by a man who served in WWI, was never written as allegory for the experience of being a soldier, but provides a fantastical tale that is applicable to anyone who served in a time of war or live in a world filled with large scale conflict.
This show got me through some hard times. I may not turn it on as much these days but I always find myself humming We Are The Crystal Gems
And they'll always save the day
@@airplanes_aren.t_realand if you think they can't, they'll always find a way.
The video in general is beautiful and I'm excited for the other parts, but my favorite part of this whole project has been being able to revisit SU vicariously through you. So many memorable moments and scenes. I don't think I'll ever be able to see that scene in Change Your Mind where Steven keeps flashing between Pink, Rose, and himself in maddening succession without getting a little misty from how potent of imagery it is
I remember when certain ex-friends online who were fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would try to tear this show down for one thing, but praise MLP for trying to do the same thing, it is a double standard I grew to *DESPISE*, and as someone who was a fan of both shows when they were airing, it came off like jealousy over the fact that a show suddenly became more popular than the thing they liked.
Then again, my experiences with the Brony community and FiM as a show has been tainted throughout the past 5 years whilst I have personally had no issues with any Steven Universe fan outside of the occasional "tearing down a different show to make theirs look better" (Seriously internet, stop doing that).
One of the most engaging long-form western cartoon shows to come out in a decade, wholly character-driven and with superb voice acting and great animation when it counts?
Jeeze, I hope it stays uncontroversial!
Stays uncontroversial? This video's all about its controversy. It shouldn't have one, but unfortunately it does.
It's so damn refreshing to see someone actually taking the time to engage with this show in good faith. Thank you for taking a reasonable approach instead of getting swept up in discourse and clickbait, thank you for paying attention to the small but important details like gem color, thank you for this video. I'm really looking forward to this as someone who started watching SU when Cat Fingers was the most recent episode and who loved it the entire time despite the waves of hate ❤
"there's nothing wrong with letting a kid dream"
Well said @hidinginprivate and if I may add, as Optimus Prime once said "hold onto your dreams, the future is built on dreams, hold on"
"Good, dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever!"
- Superman (Superman vs. the Elite)
I've always found the statement that the Diamonds should have died/been skilled baffling. Even putting aside the lore reasons why that wasn't possible, it seemed to be just a complete misunderstanding of what they represented thematically.
Steven is an allegorically queer child living with his progressive family far away from the conservative home they grew up in. This was immediately felt by me, as that's more or less a description of me and my brother's childhood, & I'd expect Rebecca & Steven's as well. So the Diamonds obviously represent that conservative family, with things like The Kindergarten and HOMEworld alluding to this parent/child relationship.
I think lots of the queer adults who've watched the show are like Rose. They got away, they're free, they want to believe they can leave that past behind. However, no matter the distance the Gems put between them, it's nearly impossible to get rid of them completely. Especially once you have a kid. My parents moved across the country to get away from their family, then they had me, & realized they needed to move back. You can't raise two kids with no support, & Steven couldn't have understood what he was if he didn't meet the diamonds.
God this is rambley... I've got to many thoughts on this to leave in a youtube comment. Maybe I'll make my own Steven Universe video.
LOOVE your analysis. It's always so refreshing to see nuanced discussion of this show, because it helps me see themes even I miss as a pretty loyal and analytical fan. The reference to the Open Book episode was especially eye-opening, and it really goes to show how far ahead the team knew what their story was about despite all the whining over a "botched" ending. The one thing I draw from the parallel that is sad however, is that SU had to suffer for its schmaltz. The Homeworld arc would have benefited greatly from a longer exploration of the Diamonds and Homeworld, but the showrunners sacrificed that to have that wedding. A wedding that is just as impactful (if not moreso for its boundary breaking) than the "anti-authoritarian" ending itself. Sometimes love is anti-authoritarian! A major theme of this show.
Also in the spirit of Open Book's message I wanna add my own side of the Bismuth thing, because I agree with the fact that in the context of a kid's show it is no where near as harmful as people made it out to be, but it still has issues.
It's not like the connection to violent revolutionaries is as bad faith as someone bringing up predators in a fable about sharing, the show explicitly dresses itself in the narrative of revolution, and then went further in explicitly coding Bismuth as black. Though the last part I don't expect kids to see the whole implication of, I can totally see a child who is starting to be taught about history of say the civil rights movement and the differences between peaceful and violent resistance to internalize the idea of the inherent goodness of peaceful protest and apply it to that history, on top of the whitewashing often done in schools. Something which in a broad sense is good for kids to understand, but can and will taint their ability to process the nuance of politics as they grow up to see history repeat. In the context of the show I feel like the messages balances out and that in reality it gives a very sympathetic view to Bismuth and her ideology, but I think the discussion of what it's getting across politically is valid for it as a kid's show.
This series has been great. Steven universe is my favorite show... im so grateful to it for existing. I just had a baby and i cant wait to show it to him... talk about our feelings and his childhood and my childhood.
I think the honesty and beauty of su scares people.
Thank you for making this series defending it!
"Allegory is not going to be a perfect one for one of our world, Metaphor is not meant to be a 100% accurate thing and every detail is not suppose to mimic our world accurately" this. so much this. not even just steven universe but like so many shows and movies people seem incapable of understanding its not literal 1 to 1 with what its portraying and thus people are apparently incapable of absorbing the actual messaging and its like bro...its an exaggeration of reality made to serve the purpose of a specific message or idea...thats the point...lol
I think you said something really important in this video. it's not a moral failing on the creators creators part to be indifferently optimistic. As someone who dislikes the ending of both series, this has always frustrated me. seeing bigots and liers next to me shouting at the queers has always hurt. I don't think the writers went out of the way to hurt people. i think they tried to make a fun adventure kids show and made decisions that muddy the allegory. Personally i think the happy ending should be the gem "family" going NC with white. show kids its not only ok but worthwhile to cut toxic people out of your life.
Imagine making a defense this sinister-looking
True
Adachi.png
in fact about our pearl, and the others, it was revealed by the creator that ALL pearls have in their essence a part of the white diamond, which is why they are so obedient and perfectionist, not to mention that pearls can be reprogrammed in terms of personality , appearance and main color. However, our pearl is of standard configuration, that is, it is made purely of white light, which is why it has all the colors of diamonds. It is a standard model for pearls if they are not specifically modified by their owners, and our pearl is of this way, because the pink diamond needed someone more similar to the white one than to herself
I love your points here. It made so much more sense once you said you're a double major in philosophy and psychology. Connecting SU to these topics is an amazing mix of serious topics and childlike escapism which hits the sweet spot for me over and over again. I can't wait for the next one.
23:24 "They are bold, precise, experimental." I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE! Haha, love it
Amazing Analysis, loved the section about Media Literacy and how many people these days lack it in painful ways
Finally… time for a masterpiece
Lol I appreciate the sentiment
Im so excited for your season by season breakdown, i love this show and videos by people who clearly love it just as passionately.
I'm just passionate in general! Haha
Since my other comment was a bit long I wanted to separate this off and just say, I really like how you deal with children's experience and children's literature/art here. Taking kids seriously as an audience without type casting them is something I think a lot of media analysis struggles with and I think you do a really good job.
The optimism you're describing for believing there's a happy ending seems to be Hadden's Ring which might be worth checking if you haven't come across it as it's suspected to be a major part of the appeal of children's media even to adults. Also I know there's a couple of academic essays that sort of dig into Steven Universe and children's media well. Moore's 'Future Vision: Queer Utopia in Steven Universe' is accessible online and there's also the book Representation in Steven Universe which has some interesting essays on disability, queer theory and race in regards to the show (though obviously you might have already come across these)
I've been watching your other SU videos recently. Love to see what you do!
Thanks!
You're like one of three video essay guys I've seen that has anything positive to say about this wonderful series. It means so much to hear someone talk about all the good things I see in this show that really shaped who I am as an adult. Keep up the good work.
Connecting Steven Universe and Romantic poetry? You've unlocked the combination to my heart 😂❤
"[...] they are bold, precise and experimental" You thought we wouldn't notice, but we did.
I would really like it if you did a video about rose, and how she is treated/talked about throughout the series.
"Bold, precise, experimental" (WHO am I NOW in this worrlld without herrr)
"Petty and dull" (with the nerrvve to doubt herrr)
And of course 15 seconds later, visuals from the song are used~
Love these little touches!
"Are you stupid?" I know its small, but I find that line so funny.
I find it fascinating how people can view a show so differently when watching it spoiler-free after it's all out. I also watched Steven Universe that way (though I watched it a lot slower). I kind of enjoyed watching Lapis and Peridots "mother-daughter" relationship and thinking about how I related to that. Then after I finished the show I found out Lapidot existed and I was very confused and honestly a little disgusted. I had to do a lot of introspective thinking and looking at other people's thought processes to see how the dynamic between these two characters got interpreted so differently.
While I loved this show growing up, I think these videos you've made would be so much more meaningful to my friend, who was so so passionate about SU and upon becoming friends we watched the last seasons together through the hiatuses, the frustrations and the multiple videos berating it. We shared a connection through it and he shared what a deep connection this had on him in learning about himself. I appreciate the series through it's flaws not just because it was influential for me and learning about my sexuality and finding solace in something other than straight love but because it brought together me and my friend, someone who I don't know how I would've made through the recent years without.
I'm only 20 minutes in but i can tell this series of videos will be special.
I've been around Steven Universe since late Season 2 and witnessed both the praise and unfair criticism thrown at the series.
I love how you're looking at the symbolic aspects of the series as it feels so spiritual and unique to this show.
I especially love how you describe the Diamonds colours symbolise how characters act. Jasper embodies a toxic change (Pink) and a logical authoritativeness (Yellow) and is weak to Lapis, someone who uses extreme emotions (Blue)
Superb stuff!
This is so inspiring and refreshing to see. I've long since known that what SU did is so very important to not just kids but teenagers and young adults that, as you said, want the posibility of a happy ending. Anyway, I'm looking forward to these next parts!
I just watched SU for the first time this year and I'm now a huge fan so I absolutely get it.
When you put out your initial video about this show a month ago, it actually got me to go rewatch all of it. Something I hadn’t done before and I had only watched the show as it aired. Needless to say you’ve really warmed me up to this show and I forgot how cool it is!
okay now ive watched the video and i just have to say, only in the prelude you cover s o much of the thematic and storytelling aspects of the show in such a detailed, clear, constructive and effective way that i think i never couldve put together myself (one part due to it being three years since ive seen the show, but also not having the skills of connecing all the dots of peoples lack of media literacy-overarching story-the psychology of the diamonds etc etc in such a neat package). i really feel like this isnt just an onlook, respone or retrospection, this is i think the first real attempt at analysing the show for what it actually is, from someone who actually has the credentials or at least the intellect to understand the behind the studio and how storytelling works. i'm very happy that you took on this topic cause i dont think anyone else couldve constructed all the points that needed to come up in this way and im excited to see you talk about the rest of the show cause it's only gonna get messier from here, mostly Pink diamonds character and the whole being a war criminal thing/the diamonds. i think theres definetly critiques to be made about the show, but it feels so far beyond the point of decent clear-headed critique that i just want to see someone tackle this topic in a way thats n ot a critique. thank u
Thank you for all the nice words. I'm getting closer to completion on the season 1 video. This prelude was primarily to give context for the rest of the analysis. Consider the coming parts "proof" of things I present here. Hope you enjoy!
23:00 “bold percise experimental-“ “petty and dull-“ ITS OVER ISNT IT-
Literally such a beautiful analysis of this show, all parts of it. I don’t think I’ve heard it better all on one place.
I used to be a person that hated SU, but not anymore. And as somebody who loves the arts, this show is amazing and I love it.
23:30 the lyrics from "its over isnt it" are here "bold, precise, experimental ... petty and dull"
I was outside of the demographic when this show started airing. I was 18, and graduating high school. I started watching just after jailbreak aired. This was a really intense point of my life, moving away from home from the first time, going to college, figuring out how to be an adult. It was helpful even for me since I was so unsure of what I needed to do, who I needed to be. This show helped me remember that I should walk through life with empathy and patience, even if everything feels so overwhelming. Even all this time later, Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows of all time.
This is such an awesome fucking video. Genuinely one of my favorite videos covering a tv show of any kind, ever: you consider every element of this show so gracefully and sincerely, and every point you make about the show's messaging, metaphors, and design theory is beautifully communicated from beginning to end. My favorite section is definitely "forethought and examples"; such a fascinating read on a crucial element of character design that the SU crew clearly put a lot of thought into, and yet I've never heard anyone so much as bring it up- even on some of the more positive reviews of SU that I've watched! Again, what a gorgeous video, thanks so much for making it. Your vid on season one also went equally as hard :)
i literally cannot put into words how much i appreciate the entirety of what youre doing, but especially this video. im both someone whos loved this show since it began when i was just a child, but also someone who is so, _so_ awful at pulling my thoughts together and putting them into words. its been one of the most frustrating things for this franchise to be one of my favorite things of all time, but people treat it like a joke and like itll cause the collapse of civilization itself.
im just so glad that someone who is much better with words is out here talking about it and trying to say just how good its always been, and say things that i literally have never heard anyone say before that are _great_ points, like what you said about bismuth and the diamonds! no one ever looks at these shows and goes at it from the perspective of how kids will see it, they dont bother to even consider that at all, and i think that says a lot more about the people who make these "criticisms" than it ever did about the show itself.
Thank you for the bit about allegory because that's a common criticism for a lot of media that I see but you really nailed it. People get so hung up on a mixed metaphor and it not being a perfect one to one of the issue it's supposedly tackling, but if it actually was a perfect one to one you might as well just do the story literally. If you want a beastars or zootopia-esque story that perfectly replicates racism then just make a story about actual racial minorities, if you want it to perfectly replicate sexism then just make a story about men and women, if you want it to perfectly replicate LGBT issues then just make a story about LGBT issues explicitly. The whole point of doing things through allegory is to abstract things and allow us to engage with and think about things in a way we normally wouldn't. One of the best thing about Beastars in particular as an example of this is I've seen people take lessons on all those issues from Beastars alone even though it's not a perfect racial, gender, or queer metaphor.
Also I can't help but think the disproportionate level of hate comes from either people who watched the show earlier and something early in the show really hit them and resonated with them and so they had this incredibly overinflated view of the show and also got all sorts of preconceived ideas of how the show was going to go rather than accepting the show for what it is and let it tell its own story, and when this brushes up against their other feeling about how revolutionary and amazing and inspiring the show is it makes them want to lash out because they feel sort of betrayed and so they go all in on calling the show trash. Or it's a response to people who were calling it the best show ever made or whatever, or a combination of both. Some haters just wanted to hate on a popular thing, and some haters are ex fans whose level of hate is pretty much proportional to how positive they thought of the show while they were fans.
It drove me insane that people were genuinely surprised and actively disappointed that white diamond was left alive. Like.... why were you watching The Pacifism Show for violence??? If a kids show has established to me that it is about saving everyone, yes everyone, i assume everyone is going to be saved. I don't care if you politically disagree with pacifism, the kids show is not about your opinions about real life political strategy
Extremely good video series! I got into SU some time shortly after Garnet's "Stronger Than You" music clip went viral on youtube, and it immediately became my favorite show. That opinion still hasn't changed, the amount of character work and emotional range crammed into each 12 minute episode feels like creative wizardry, few shows can match it.
I am so excited for this series. I adore your SU videos so I cant wait to see what you do!
Thanks! I hope you'll enjoy them as well
Finally. I HATE how the su bad faith arguments got so popular when this show is so amazing. loved the vid!
You've completely reframed my understanding of this show. you went really deep with your analysis already and it made me appreciate this show and the symbolism in it in a way i never have before. Can't wait to see the rest of this series💞
This should have gone crazy viral wtf
That was beautifully written and your a genuinely great writer. I also understand that Rebecca Sugar admitted that this complex metaphor was her intention so your not reading too much into it if the shows creator sees it as a metaphor. But none of the young children in the shows target audience are gonna pick up on this. I get that the minority of adult fans will but none of the people this show w as originally made for
Great start! I was there through all the Steven Bombs and long hiatuses, and it was fun to theorize about stuff but yeah, you definitely experienced the show in it's purest form, uncorrupted by months of speculation. I'm so excited to watch your upcoming videos!
Because of you I decided to rewatch the show. Thank you so much, it made me re-visit a wonderful piece of art and love.
21:46 Pearl’s design is stated to be the standard design for a Pearl during the su movie. This may imply that pink just didn’t put effort into pearl’s design, probably because of her being upset for having to give up her first Pearl. But that’s just a theory, a GEM THEORY! Aaannnnddd cut.
In the end of open book connie hears what steven has to say....
She hears his perspective but it's not like her is changed......
She respect his perspective but she still believes in her own perspective.......
The ending of steven universe will always be controversial and seems like the writers knew it i mean it's not like they are idiots....
They chose this ending .. ❤
Wow. I’ve watched your whole series on SU and I love that you gave it a chance and saw it as it was: a step towards a better world. I’m so excited to see your season by season analysis. I’m gonna head over to your Kofi right now! Also please keep singing your outros, I love your singing voice so much 💕😭
oh this is gonna be so worth watching and im not even 30 seconds in
Hope you enjoy
@@HidinginPrivate I did! :D
Not sure I agree with the Diamonds representing Emotion and Logic, but the Color Theory stuff is absolutely on-point. That just makes complete sense. I don't think it's even a reach, it's just a super straightforward read of the plot.
Also, good catch on the Book thing. I think a lot of people forget about it because of how long it was since Season 1, but yeah, what Connie says comes true. They can't break the establishment, they can ultimately only make it a better system. And while that's not a perfect solution, I think it is more of a realistic one than people think it is?
Like... Okay... say Steven kills the Diamonds and destroys their chain of command....... Then what........? There are tons of people who rely on their authority, Diamond loyalists, people running the military and keeping plans going. Wouldn't that just lead to a big power-grab for the throne or something? You could write a story where that works out, but it's pretty clear that fighting is never really the answer, empathy is. So it's weird when people are surprised that that's how the series ends as well. We're not watching a shonen anime, we're watching a show about a kid who has to understand who he is so he can get other people to understand him as well.
I have mixed thoughts on making it THAT easy, but it makes sense. This was never going to end with Steven winning with a show of force, and that idea has been consistent throughout the series. Power always just exists for either beating literal monsters or for making people stop fighting long enough to listen. Every other use of force just isn't effective. EVER.
Literally the most important video on youtube right now. This has been needed for YEARS. Far too long honestly.
Your videos defending SU made me finally get around to watching the show honestly. I never really watched it (other than a couple of early episodes) when it first came out despite being the target demographic at the time, and I didn't watch it when it finished because of a mix of there being a lot I would have to watch, and the fact that I heard from many people on the internet that SU wasn't a good show, so I assumed that I wouldn't miss out on much if I didn't watch it. I'm now in my own pace watching the show (I'm not super far yet because I don't have a ton of free time at the moment). I'm really enjoying it so far, and I slightly regret not watching this sooner because I know for a fact that younger me would've been such a big fan! So I guess I just wanna say thank you for inadvertently causing me to finally give this show a watch :]
I kinda want to rewatch the series in the light of how much Pink, the drives of the various characters, and fusion can be seen as acting through the Deleuze-Guattarian concept of desire, the most basic motivating human force. At its heart its about this whole world unprepared to house within itself free flowing desire, the "strange flows" that are by default revolutionary
It's kind of wild seeing all these retrospective defenses of SU pop up now that it's no longer The Cool Thing to Hate(tm) but you have no idea how elated I am to see a newcomer defend Reunited. When it first aired, I immediately realized the galaxy brain move Rebecca Sugar pulled with it, but it felt like everyone else was lambasting it as "a gay wedding that spirals into forgiving space Nazis."
Obviously SU wasn't perfect, but it was nowhere near the pedophilic fascist propaganda that people like Lily painted it as. Plus a lot of the show's issues were results of Sugar having to fight the network tooth and nail at every step.
You, sir, are a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed these Steven Universe videos immensely and you were very informative throughout.
Excellent video! My only argument (same argument I'd give to the haters as well) is that Steven Universe *doesn't* have a real happy ending, and Steven had to sacrifice a *lot* to get the best outcome for everyone. Any other option ended in humans and gems being at risk; without reaching a truce with the diamonds, healing corrupted gems or spreading peace to gems across the universe wouldn't be possible. He could have done what was best for "the movement," but it would be a pyrrhic victory since it would require borader sacrifices from everybody and it would cost them a lot of the goals they hoped to achieve. He was out of his depth emotionally, but still picked the best diplomatic option even though he was still very uncomfortable around the Diamonds and avoided them a lot more than is characteristic of him when meeting/helping new gems.
The message of "the fighting will never stop until we can stop seeking vengeance/closure when peace is on the table - *especially when we would be completely justified and validated in doing so* " is a difficult but important pill to swallow. After all, what can your worst enemy offer you to overcome the senseless destruction of their actions? They will never come to the negotiation table with enough to offer because they can't reverse their actions or remove your trauma. But if peace is an option, it's the best *realistic* option one can hope to achieve; you will never achieve closure for the past, but you've succeeded in clearing a path for a better future.
Steven Universe: Future shows that Steven wasn't satisfied with the resolution that was reached because he had to sacrifice his own catharisis/closure for the greater good. In choosing a better future, he accepted that he would have to carry the baggage of the past, and that he had to keep that pain in check lest *he* become the villain and end the hard-won era of peace he fought to achieve. And it respectfully showed that it's a difficult road that requires a lot of maintenance and reassurance from past instigators that they validate their suffering and that they are no longer a threat but an ally for peace.The series doesn't end with closure, it ends with an open door, Steven finding his place in the new world he helped bring about, seeing a therapist to work on his past traumas, and we're not given a clear idea of whether he will ever be truly at peace about the past because the point is that he is making his first steps towards *actually* achieving that for himself (and that this is the path gems like Bismuth, Jasper, Lapis, and more have already or will have to follow as well for a chance at internal peace) which is a far cry from where the original series left off.
If you've seen She-Ra: Princesses of Power, I'd love to hear your take on it as well since I found it similarly intentional, impactful, and absolutely not "just a kid's show" despite the TV-Y7 rating, especially in regards to the type of war taking place throughout the series and how the show chooses to portray that to younger audiences. Similarly made with a lot of love, and arguably more challenging than Steven Universe at times because it's often less abstract. And there's not enough commentary about it on RUclips and it absolutely deserves critical analysis!
As an old grizzled Steven fan
This dose put a smile to my face
Im happy people get to watch the show straight through instead how I had to watch it
My son and I are huge fans of the show. We rewatched not long ago and we laughed so much at the episode about the book's ending because it summarizes both of our perspectives on things. I love romance and happy endings, my son hates romance and can rewatch Texas Chainsaw Massacre non stop 😂 But we always find middle ground in everything we watch because we try to see the best parts of the art we share together. So although he hates normally romance, he deeply admires the bravery it took to create the wedding episode in SU. And although I don't like slasher movies that much, I saw a lot of allegories about our treatment of animals in TCM and I love it for it.
You don't have to love everything you watch, but try to be fair with the artists that create the art you consume. Everyone will win for it.
Im so happy a video like this exists (all of your videos really) i grew up with this show sharing the same age as Steven, 13 at the start and around 17/18 when it finished and it's such a special thing for me, not just as a show, i love it and it helped me a lot, coming from a really broken family and drawing paralels from the show at my irl issues, that i even tend to think about now that i'm an adult (kinda). As a kid a had to face a lot of ppl telling me how the show that basically gave me life was the worst thing on earth and how i was a bad person if i loved it, they still do and it still frustrates me, so i am so glad people are finally defending it.
This is so beautiful!!!! I can't wait for more. Among my friend group, I was the only one to make the trans allegory with Steven being referred to as Pink and being dismissed by his diamond parent allegories and hearing you talk about that is super validating! This show is just super relatable when you look at it from your nostalgic childhood minds. It's perfect!