I didn’t get as much time as I would have liked to play games last night, but I did get to watch a few episodes of Steven Universe that were sitting on my DVR. I started watching the show a bit late, and I admit I was pretty baffled by the outspoken love for this show on my social media radar. The show is about a young boy named Steven and his alien gem friends/caretakers who protect the planet earth. It is a fairly normal-sounding premise for a generic kids cartoon, but luckily the delivery is anything but generic.
Steven Universe does so many amazing things I wish I had seen on TV when I was a kid. Almost all of the main characters are women and girls. It has perfect beautiful normal flawed queer relationships. I realize it is 2016 and I should be taking things like this for granted by now, but it is still amazing to me for a cartoon to step forward and say “these people love each other” without being either so subtle about it that it could be overlooked or so awkward that it is meant to be a lesson not a relationship. Likewise, the show covers some pretty grown-up sounding themes like consent in a straightforward honest way without ever having to mention sex, and without sounding like an after-school special. To top it off it packages it in a cheerful fun art style and some of the most amazing catchy music I’ve ever heard on television.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I really recommend you give it a try. Start from the beginning if you can, because the series is definitely telling a story. The most recent episodes pack a real emotional punch for fans, but might just be 15 minutes of confusion for someone new to the show. I was hooked within the first 5 or 6 episodes, and if you make it to episode 12 (Giant Woman) and aren’t completely sold then I think you can probably walk away safely. At this point the show has become enough of a cultural touchstone among my social circles that I couldn’t imagine being without it.
Moonshine Mansion 
This is one of those shows that I entirely overlooked when it came out, I think assuming that it was as entirely childish as it looked on the surface. I should know by now to expect more from Cartoon Network these days. Every episode I’ve caught at random has been fantastic and hilarious, and I really need to sit down and watch from the beginning.
Yes! It is totally worth watching them in order. There’s a ton of episodes now but they’re so short I’m always wishing there were more.
It’s such a charming show! I started off a bit skeptical about it but got hooked in a hurry. A lot of episodes are fun, hilarious or exciting (Hit The Diamond is a personal favorite of mine!) but there’s also a lot of emotional depth and heart that just stays with you. It’s the perfect blend of an excellent voice cast, art direction and music.
I give them so much credit too, because I’m not just emotionally invested in Steven and the Gems, but also in all of the townsfolk and supporting characters.
Such an amazingly enjoyable, and joyful show. Haven’t watched the recent season as I’m waiting to binge it all at once but OH GOD is it tempting haha
I was so happy that they had them on every night for a while. Binging is great and they’re so short you can get through them pretty quick. Waiting for new ones is painful!