While I'm usually not bothered by the points you brought up to the point of stopping me from enjoying the series, I can't help but agree with all of them, especially the first one.
While by no means I don't hate or dislike them, I really wouldn't care much if Lars and Sadie, the cool kids or Mayor Dewey never appeared again, and I usually groan when I heard that an upcoming episode is going to focus on a human that's not Connie or Greg. Strangely enough these characters seems to be quite popular with the rest of the fans as well. Until I read this, I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
I must say it's a pity you can't enjoy this show, especially since you are aware of all its strong points. Maybe your opinion will change in the future.
As a person who tried (and failed) to watch Utena, I need to mention that "Chew on this horrible thing long enough, and you will start liking it" mentality is optimistic, severely depressing and looking like alcoholism/drug addiction, all at the same time.
Good thing that you already got to the plot points that you like.
You gave it a fair shot, and that's more than enough for a review.
The inverse has become true for me to an extent. I'm spoiled on ten-minute episodes, so I find 24-minute stuff like FIM to be indulgent and slow-paced at times, because I've grown accustomed to a trim the fat approach.
I really do like the side cast, but I get why many don't.
"No will to break."
Don't feel too bad. What you've listed tend to be the most common criticisms about the show, and even fans sometimes feel the same way you do.
I can definitely sympathize on the second point. I've sometimes found myself impatient with the slice-of-life episodes, wanting to get on with the plot.
Fanfiction I hate.
@Happy: It's not that I don't enjoy it; I do. It's just that I feel like they could get so much more out of it if they would focus on the Myth Arc and character building and trim . A good analogy would be going to a burger joint and getting a slider with a patty the size of a 50-cent piece with a gigantic pile of fries. The burger might be awesome, but it's not a satisfying meal, and the fries aren't exactly a substitute. There are a lot of really good episodes that I like a lot, but the problem is that they tend to be spaced out between episodes I don't find as interesting.
Like when "Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem" had a bunch of reveals ( other gems exist, they're from space, the monsters are actually corrupted gems, etc., I thought it was awesome, only for most of those reveals to play a minuscule role in the subsequent episodes. Lapis Lazuli was a good example: there's a ton of potential in a character who's a gem that's not fully aligned with either the Crystal Gems or Homeworld, is one of the most powerful gems we've seen, and has a lot of trust issues embedded in her relationships with pretty much everyone. But for some reason she doesn't show up again for over a dozen episodes, and I have to sit through stuff like "Keep Beach City Weird" and "Horror Club" in the meantime.
Granted, that's largely a personal taste thing, and I have no doubt that some people liked the episodes that I'd probably skip during a rewatch.
@Dark: I can understand that. Part of the reason I like FIM is because it indulges in the character relationships a bit more, and because I find the characters interesting enough that I don't mind the focus. I just wish that SU would focus more on the character relationships, especially between the gems.
That said, in general, in season 2 it definitely takes a step up, what with the Myth Arc taking greater prominence. Hopefully it'll keep up that trend.
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I really want to love this show, but...
SU is a frustrating show for me. On paper, it has all the things I want out of an animated show: strong continuity, a well-developed cast with complex relationships, an interesting cosmology and backstory, and a willingness to tackle mature subject matter. And it does have all of these things. But for some reason, whenever I actually sit down to watch some episodes, more often than not, I come away feeling underwhelmed. Maybe it's just Hype Backlash (I've seen too many "BEST SHOW ON TV" for it to live up to the hype), but after thinking about it, I nailed down a few reasons why I could never really get into it:
I can't say that SU is a bad show by any means. It's not. It's too complex and nuanced for that. But for me at least, the format really hampers it by keeping the show from making the most of what it has to offer. I know a lot of people aren't nearly as bothered by that as I am, but it's something that keeps me from enjoying the show as much as I could.