Original designs for Steven and the Crystal Gems. [via Examiner]

Warning: Some spoilers for Season 1 of Steven Universe ahead!

Children’s programming seems to be experiencing another defining generation at the moment, with many cartoons on various networks tackling complex issues and appealing to kids and adults alike with their sophisticated and fun storytelling. Adventure Time has been one such show, and now writer and artist Rebecca Sugar is adding her own brainchild, Steven Universe, to the list.

I had seen the pilot of Steven Universe as well as some concept art before the show came to air and thought it looked cute and interesting, but when it finally debuted it took me a few weeks to actually sit down and watch it. Since the episodes are only about 10 minutes long and air two at a time, I had a bit of catching up to do, but that proved to be an easy task, as I fell in love with the series right away and became absolutely ravenous for new episodes.

Something I immediately picked up on was the unapologetic, ubiquitous presence of women in Steven Universe. Steven is the star of the show, but his family, his biggest supporters and best friends are the Crystal Gems, who (despite essentially being genderless rocks) are all coded as female. Steven’s masculinity is therefore often expressed in a more traditionally feminine way. He is a powerful and important member of the Crystal Gems, but his strength is in uniting and protecting the ones he loves. Steven sees the good in everything and often urges the Crystal Gems to give an enemy a second chance, rather than simply attacking them. As a half human/half Gem, Steven has some special powers, including summoning a weapon like the rest of the Gems can. Garnet has huge gauntlets, Amethyst has a spiked whip, and Pearl has a spear. But Steven’s weapon is a defensive one, a shield. The Gems are also much more aggressive and destructive than Steven, especially in the beginning of the series. The result of this characterization is a breakdown of traditional gender roles, with no real negative consequences. In other words, by allowing Steven and the Gems to go beyond the roles their genders usually pre-ordain for them, Steven Universe normalizes a kind of gender fluidity and undermines a strict adherence to the gender binary. This becomes especially apparent when we meet Stevonnie, the fusion of Steven and Connie who Garnet summarizes as “an experience.” Being a combination of male and female, Stevonnie is a kind of androgynous non-binary character who fascinates everyone around them, and they embody the love and joy that characterizes Steven and Connie’s friendship.

Stevonnie is born [via ceresmon]

This subversiveness goes even further when it comes to relationships and sexuality, as Steven Universe includes at least one canon lesbian relationship (Ruby and Sapphire, who are usually fused as Garnet, because they prefer to always be together), hints at another (Pearl and Rose Quartz; though the true nature of their relationship is still vague, it seems clear that Pearl has harbored strong feelings for Rose and believes they were reciprocated), and even its depiction of hetero relationships is less than traditional. Steven’s parents Greg Universe and Rose Quartz were in an unprecedented inter-species relationship and since Rose gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven, Greg is essentially a single father who co-parents Steven with the help of the Crystal Gems. This unusual arrangement causes some tension (Connie worries that her straight-laced parents will find the situation “weird” and forbid her from spending time with Steven so she initially lies and tells them Steven has a nuclear family) but is ultimately accepted as the best situation for someone like Steven. These moments in the series communicate an important message to young viewers: love and family can come in many different forms and all of them are valid.

Ruby and Sapphire: Two Rocks in Luv [via Steven Universe Wiki]

Finally, aside from all the wonderfully progressive thematic content of Steven Universe, I’m also obsessed with another more common element of the show: the music. Greg Universe is a musician who has clearly passed his love of music and performance to his son. The show’s theme song is a snippet of the song that Steven makes up about the Crystal Gems in the pilot episode. Steven often breaks out a guitar to sing impromptu songs about his friends, feelings, and experiences. The songs themselves are reminiscent of musical theatre numbers, explaining a character’s emotional state (such as “Strong in the Real Way” from “Coach Steven” or “Full Disclosure” from the episode of the same name in season 2) or serving as the narrative climax (such as “Stronger than You” from Jail Break). And all of them are earworms! After I spent a few days catching up on the first season of Steven Universe, I followed the composers on SoundCloud (Aivi Tran and Steven “Surasshu” Velema, aka aivisura), looked up YouTube playlists, and memorized as many lyrics as I could because I simply could not get them out of my head. The melodies are fresh and lovely, the chiptune influence is infectiously fun, and the spirit reminds me of my favorite musicals.

As far as I’m concerned, Steven Universe truly has it all, and I’m excited to see how the show develops and grows; not only for myself, but for the audience of kids watching as well.