First of all, you should know that Steven Universe is not a formulaic or traditional cartoon. It's more like a "day in the life" sort of thing, with Steven (obviously) as the central character.
Steven is half-human and half-crystal gem (they explain what that means in the show.) He doesn't go to school, lives with three crystal gem women who were friends with his mom, and spends time with his dad who works at a car wash. As a crystal gem, he's supposed to learn his powers and how to use/control them, but he still needs a lot of training.
The characters are great! None of them are annoying (except maybe Steven and Amathyst, but YMMV). Steven is a happy kid that enjoys the simple things in life; video games, cookie cat ice cream, and going on adventures with the crystal gems. The crystal gems are Pearl, the "motherly" one (although not actually his mom); Amathyst, who is more like a big sister that focuses more on fun than responsibilities and can be immature at times; and Garnet, who is silent and mysterious, but when she does talk it's obvious she cares about Steven and can also be motherly towards him. Even with three adult women watching over him, Steven is kind of a Free Range Kid. He often goes off by himself, but the town seems pretty safe (when it's not being attacked by monsters, that is).
What I love most about Steven Universe is the atmosphere. They don't try to fill the whole episode with nonstop jokes, nor do they focus on an overused moral. Instead, they tell a simple story, and sometimes there are morals but they have more to do with social things than typical cartoon morals. You have to pay attention to find them, and even if you don't the episode itself is enough to entertain and bring up your spirits.
If you expect something fast-paced and pee-your-pants hilarious, you're in the wrong place. The humor isn't always laugh-out-loud funny, but even at it's worst it's not bad or insulting. The pacing is similar to Miyazaki works (Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro), as opposed to something like Fairly Odd Parents. You're more likely to get bored with the episode than you are to have no idea what's going on, but if you have patience (or you're watching the show while you do something else, like folding laundry) then this is perfect.
A nice, calm show. With some fighting of course.
First of all, you should know that Steven Universe is not a formulaic or traditional cartoon. It's more like a "day in the life" sort of thing, with Steven (obviously) as the central character.
Steven is half-human and half-crystal gem (they explain what that means in the show.) He doesn't go to school, lives with three crystal gem women who were friends with his mom, and spends time with his dad who works at a car wash. As a crystal gem, he's supposed to learn his powers and how to use/control them, but he still needs a lot of training.
The characters are great! None of them are annoying (except maybe Steven and Amathyst, but YMMV). Steven is a happy kid that enjoys the simple things in life; video games, cookie cat ice cream, and going on adventures with the crystal gems. The crystal gems are Pearl, the "motherly" one (although not actually his mom); Amathyst, who is more like a big sister that focuses more on fun than responsibilities and can be immature at times; and Garnet, who is silent and mysterious, but when she does talk it's obvious she cares about Steven and can also be motherly towards him. Even with three adult women watching over him, Steven is kind of a Free Range Kid. He often goes off by himself, but the town seems pretty safe (when it's not being attacked by monsters, that is).
What I love most about Steven Universe is the atmosphere. They don't try to fill the whole episode with nonstop jokes, nor do they focus on an overused moral. Instead, they tell a simple story, and sometimes there are morals but they have more to do with social things than typical cartoon morals. You have to pay attention to find them, and even if you don't the episode itself is enough to entertain and bring up your spirits.
If you expect something fast-paced and pee-your-pants hilarious, you're in the wrong place. The humor isn't always laugh-out-loud funny, but even at it's worst it's not bad or insulting. The pacing is similar to Miyazaki works (Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro), as opposed to something like Fairly Odd Parents. You're more likely to get bored with the episode than you are to have no idea what's going on, but if you have patience (or you're watching the show while you do something else, like folding laundry) then this is perfect.