Wow, just, wow. I have no idea why I have dismissed this show for so long. After watching the entire series up to this point, I have to say that this is my favorite show. I'm not sure if I can explain this show in a way that will do it justice, but I will try my best...
-Let's get the big thing out of the way first: the characters. In my opinion, the characters in this show are the most realistic-feeling, relatable, lovable, layered, and imperfect characters in all of television. If you asked me to pick a favorite character, I wouldn't be able to. Almost the entire cast is so good! Even the characters I don't like have their great moments, and they are well-written, so I can't say I hate them. Even the villains are likable, because I understand their intentions and because they are well-written and vastly humanized. Almost every character is given extensive development throughout the series. For example, lets look at the title character, Steven. After the first few episodes, I would say that Steven was a kind-hearted, naive, and, to be honest, annoying kid that was struggling to control his powers, but was enthusiastic and wanting to help anyways. Now, I would say that he is a mature young teen (though still a kid at heart sometimes) that knows bad things are happening, and even though he doesn't always understand them he is willing to fight for the greater good, though he would rather use violence as a last resort. Not only that, but no character is perfect, or a "Mary Sue", in any way, shape or form. The character's imperfections are what make them more realistic, layered and likable, and it shows that nobody is perfect, but we can still try to improve. I've rambled on for a while now, so let's talk about another aspect.
-The animation is wonderful. While it is a little ugly during some early episodes, it grows to become more consistent and good. Now, I would say that the animation ranges from simple and cute, to absolutely stunning. Just look at the backgrounds in most episodes! They're beautiful! The movements are realistic-looking and, just, the animation is all around great. Though, one of the bigger problems with the series is that it sometimes goes off-model, but that isn't a deal breaker for me at all.
-The voice acting is exceptionally good. The VA's seriously have a lot of emotional range. Many of the VA's are singers or Broadway stars, so they have a lot of musical talent as well. Speaking of music...
-THE MUSIC IN THIS SHOW IS AMAZING. The background music ranges from catchy chiptune style music, to intense battle themes, to absolutely beautiful piano arrangements. There are also many lyrical songs in the series, and I love them all. Some songs are awesome and/or insanely catchy, some songs are sweet, and some songs are tear-jerkingly emotional.
-The plot is intriguing, exiting, immensely original and creative, and for the most part, well paced. During major story arcs I am always on the edge of my seat, exited for what's to come. There is rarely any tropes either. This show instead takes tropes, flips them on their heads, and builds skyscrapers of development and plot off of them. It also tends to keep many things mysterious and secretive, and it likes to foreshadow many things in advance, so expect to be theorizing many things. This show does have a lot of quote-on-quote "filler", but a) They still deal with character development, world building, and minor issues almost every time, and b) I have never minded most filler episodes of shows anyways. That's where the second of the shows biggest issues comes in. As the stakes get higher, these "filler" episodes feel more and more out of place, though not by a very large margin IMO. This would barely be an issue, IF CARTOON NETWORK ACTUALLY AIRED MORE THEN 2 NEW EPISODES EVERY 3 MONTHS! If you can deal with that, then you'll be perfectly fine.
-It's one of the most progressive shows of this generation. Yeah there's the obvious stuff, like Steven's non-nuclear "family", the wide range of body types represented, the abundance of strong female characters, and even many openly gay characters. Steven Universe has even more up it's sleeve though. It deals with issues and problems such as loosing a loved one, dealing with anxiety and PTSD, abusive relationships, asking for consent, and many, MANY others. Cartoons from just 10 years ago wouldn't touch things like this with a 20 ft. pole, much less integrate them into the plot in such clever, respectable, and mature ways.
-Finally, Steven Universe spans over many different genres and themes. It can be a very lighthearted and comedic cartoon at times. Episodes like this are cute and give me a chance to escape reality, even if only for eleven minutes. Some episodes are plot-heavy and exiting, and as stated earlier, always have me on the edge of my seat. Some episodes are very dark and disturbing. Yes, this is a very lighthearted show, but when it wants to get dark, it gets darker than some adult shows I have seen. No matter how dark the series gets, though, it still manages to go back to being lighthearted. Lastly, some episodes may be intriguing, deep, and heartbreakingly emotional. Don't be surprised if you find yourself shedding a tear or two. I'm not a very emotional person and I am unashamed to admit that I cried multiple times while watching this show.
If you read my wall of text up until this point, then congratulations! You are almost done! Now for the third of the biggest things wrong with the series: the beginning is a little weak, slow moving, and childish. I didn't mind the beginning at all, but I can see that it is definitely NOT everybody's cup of tea. If you can make it to about episode 25, then trust me, you will love it. The episodes are only 11 minutes each, so it's easy to watch like, two a night until you get to the really good stuff.
All in all, this series is a masterpiece. It is not flawless, but it's flaws are almost nonexistent when compared to everything Steven Universe does right. It isn't as consistently good as something like Gravity Falls, but it very often reaches high points that are even higher than Gravity Falls' high points (in my opinion, of course). If you take the time to stick with it, then I promise you will NOT regret it. If you want a good episode to watch before the rest of the series, to see if it's right for you, then I suggest Sworn to the Sword.
-Let's get the big thing out of the way first: the characters. In my opinion, the characters in this show are the most realistic-feeling, relatable, lovable, layered, and imperfect characters in all of television. If you asked me to pick a favorite character, I wouldn't be able to. Almost the entire cast is so good! Even the characters I don't like have their great moments, and they are well-written, so I can't say I hate them. Even the villains are likable, because I understand their intentions and because they are well-written and vastly humanized. Almost every character is given extensive development throughout the series. For example, lets look at the title character, Steven. After the first few episodes, I would say that Steven was a kind-hearted, naive, and, to be honest, annoying kid that was struggling to control his powers, but was enthusiastic and wanting to help anyways. Now, I would say that he is a mature young teen (though still a kid at heart sometimes) that knows bad things are happening, and even though he doesn't always understand them he is willing to fight for the greater good, though he would rather use violence as a last resort. Not only that, but no character is perfect, or a "Mary Sue", in any way, shape or form. The character's imperfections are what make them more realistic, layered and likable, and it shows that nobody is perfect, but we can still try to improve. I've rambled on for a while now, so let's talk about another aspect.
-The animation is wonderful. While it is a little ugly during some early episodes, it grows to become more consistent and good. Now, I would say that the animation ranges from simple and cute, to absolutely stunning. Just look at the backgrounds in most episodes! They're beautiful! The movements are realistic-looking and, just, the animation is all around great. Though, one of the bigger problems with the series is that it sometimes goes off-model, but that isn't a deal breaker for me at all.
-The voice acting is exceptionally good. The VA's seriously have a lot of emotional range. Many of the VA's are singers or Broadway stars, so they have a lot of musical talent as well. Speaking of music...
-THE MUSIC IN THIS SHOW IS AMAZING. The background music ranges from catchy chiptune style music, to intense battle themes, to absolutely beautiful piano arrangements. There are also many lyrical songs in the series, and I love them all. Some songs are awesome and/or insanely catchy, some songs are sweet, and some songs are tear-jerkingly emotional.
-The plot is intriguing, exiting, immensely original and creative, and for the most part, well paced. During major story arcs I am always on the edge of my seat, exited for what's to come. There is rarely any tropes either. This show instead takes tropes, flips them on their heads, and builds skyscrapers of development and plot off of them. It also tends to keep many things mysterious and secretive, and it likes to foreshadow many things in advance, so expect to be theorizing many things. This show does have a lot of quote-on-quote "filler", but a) They still deal with character development, world building, and minor issues almost every time, and b) I have never minded most filler episodes of shows anyways. That's where the second of the shows biggest issues comes in. As the stakes get higher, these "filler" episodes feel more and more out of place, though not by a very large margin IMO. This would barely be an issue, IF CARTOON NETWORK ACTUALLY AIRED MORE THEN 2 NEW EPISODES EVERY 3 MONTHS! If you can deal with that, then you'll be perfectly fine.
-It's one of the most progressive shows of this generation. Yeah there's the obvious stuff, like Steven's non-nuclear "family", the wide range of body types represented, the abundance of strong female characters, and even many openly gay characters. Steven Universe has even more up it's sleeve though. It deals with issues and problems such as loosing a loved one, dealing with anxiety and PTSD, abusive relationships, asking for consent, and many, MANY others. Cartoons from just 10 years ago wouldn't touch things like this with a 20 ft. pole, much less integrate them into the plot in such clever, respectable, and mature ways.
-Finally, Steven Universe spans over many different genres and themes. It can be a very lighthearted and comedic cartoon at times. Episodes like this are cute and give me a chance to escape reality, even if only for eleven minutes. Some episodes are plot-heavy and exiting, and as stated earlier, always have me on the edge of my seat. Some episodes are very dark and disturbing. Yes, this is a very lighthearted show, but when it wants to get dark, it gets darker than some adult shows I have seen. No matter how dark the series gets, though, it still manages to go back to being lighthearted. Lastly, some episodes may be intriguing, deep, and heartbreakingly emotional. Don't be surprised if you find yourself shedding a tear or two. I'm not a very emotional person and I am unashamed to admit that I cried multiple times while watching this show.
If you read my wall of text up until this point, then congratulations! You are almost done! Now for the third of the biggest things wrong with the series: the beginning is a little weak, slow moving, and childish. I didn't mind the beginning at all, but I can see that it is definitely NOT everybody's cup of tea. If you can make it to about episode 25, then trust me, you will love it. The episodes are only 11 minutes each, so it's easy to watch like, two a night until you get to the really good stuff.
All in all, this series is a masterpiece. It is not flawless, but it's flaws are almost nonexistent when compared to everything Steven Universe does right. It isn't as consistently good as something like Gravity Falls, but it very often reaches high points that are even higher than Gravity Falls' high points (in my opinion, of course). If you take the time to stick with it, then I promise you will NOT regret it. If you want a good episode to watch before the rest of the series, to see if it's right for you, then I suggest Sworn to the Sword.