Steven Universe: Garnets Universe
A
What Garnet Did Today As Told By Steven
I bet the show has wanted to do a Garnet themed episode for a while. However, part of the appeal of this stoic gem is that there is some sort of mystery that surrounds her. I think the writers know this and wanted to find an alternative route for this problem. How can the show make a Garnet filled episode without ruining Garnets hidden secrets? Let Steven imagine the day! A clever way to not only involve the crystal gem leader but also a great excuse to experiment with animation to which it succeeds enormously.
I am very impressed with the creativity that was put into this episode. The entire episode is basically told in the inner workings of Steven's mind and every detail never forgets this. Go back and listen to the dialogue again or remember the names of the characters of the alternative dimension. The signature of Steven is all over it which of course make it all the more funny. The animation is probably my favorite thing about this episode. The video game landscape works really well with a basic plot of finding a gem. It pays homage to all the times when we RPG and had to team with other party member to retrieve the treasure. The animation also can be more evidence to how a 12 year old might imagine their ideal world might be. Not only that but it is so visually appealing to watch and adore. I would totally be okay if the series wanted to do more this.
Even though this episode is told from the episode of Steven ,it is still very true to its characters. Garnets actions in the fantasy are no more different from her choices from reality. Because of that and the open endedness of the story, you can make the argument that Stevens imaging is not that far from the truth. Steven Universe continues to impress me with stories like this and I cannot wait to explore more about Garnet even if it is just told through the eyes of Steven.
Cool Things Noticed
- So many feelings line of the night: Who is that “My most favorite person in the whole world”
- I am really interested in what other people think of this episode. How much do you think was extracted by fact?
- Also, I have missed some episodes so can people tell me some things that have been revealed about Garnet?
This episode was like a 12 car pileup of every shonen anime imaginable, and it was glorious. The Dragon Ball Z references were inevitable of course, but there were plenty of others. Hopper strongly resembles Usagi Yojimbo (there are only so many samurai bunnies out there), and Garnet's finisher against Ultimate Ringo was straight out of Gurren Lagann. I didn't even notice until the second watching that Hoppy and Hopper were voiced by the same VAs as Pearl and Amythest, respectively. Pearl's VA changed up her voice a lot for Hoppy, but Amythest's VA sounded almost unrecognizable just because of the lines she was given.
ReplyDelete"Hoppy!..I mean, Hopper!"
ReplyDeleteI agree - this is a great way to do a Garnet episode and still preserve her mystique (there really hasn't been much revealed about her specifically - all I can think of is that she's the only one of the Crystal Gems that can swim through lava and she has three eyes). And I just love her interacting with Steven. Prompting him to imagine for himself what she did seemed like such a sweet, parental move to me - stoking the young'un's creativity and all that. And I was genuinely surprised when Ringo was revealed to be the baddie. Kudos, SU writers!
Also, speaking of anime tropes, is sitting under a waterfall during training a popular motif? I've seen it on Samurai Jack as well.
I wanted to bring up the anime angle in my review but I have very little experience watching anime tv so I did not feel confident to write about that. So I appreciate you bringing this up and some great references!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Samurai Jack I am still waiting for that movie that promised.
ReplyDeleteThis show is almost constantly referencing anime, this episode in particular just used a lot of common shonen tropes. From what I understand, the series proper is rife with references to Revolutionary Girl Utena and Future Boy Conan. I'm not really familiar with either of them, so those references go straight over my head as well. Sailor Moon references are fairly common as well.
ReplyDeleteMeditating under a waterfall is an actual practice called Misogi. And yes, it is very common in anime.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI know i'm late but this was a beautiful episode and i also enjoyed your review. I feel like this show needs to involve more butt-kicking...everyone loves butt-kicking.
ReplyDelete