To put it simply, I do not believe there is a better show in existence for young children in the current day and age as Steven Universe.

Simply by turning it on, and watching any of the numerous episodes, one can learn so much about how the world should work. Let’s start with the main cast. The focal point of the series is the adventures of Steven Quartz Universe and his three mentors/senior teammates, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. From the first moment, these three female leads are among some of the best.

All of their voices stand out, from the heavily accented Garnet, voiced by singer/songwriter/producer Estelle Fanta Swaray who traces her roots back to Grenada, to the Raspy and energetic voice of Amethyst, Michaela Dietz, a Korean-American singer and voice actress by trade, to the haughty and motherly voice of Pearl from Deedee Lynn Magno Hall, a Filipina-American voice actress who is best known as Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin Broadway production.

No two characters sound alike. Although relatives tend to have similar voices, all show an insane degree of personality. From the Pizza family, who are immigrants from the country of Ghana, the father, Kofi Pizza, and the grandmother Nanefua Pizza, to his daughters, Jenny and Kiki Pizza. The latter two were clearly raised in America. The entire show brings a realistic representation of life in America. If you lived in another country for years, you will have an accent. And then, in this show, that accent is never grounds for a joke. It’s merely a factor of these character’s lives and personality. Ethnicity is never a point of contention, neither is gender. Characters can be weak, strong, light-hearted, serious, but it’s all based around who they are, not what they are.