Steven Universe Future Review

Steven Universe Future is an impressive addition to one of the most prominent cartoons in western animation history. With an already great original series and equally great film that establishes a time skip, SU Future acts as an epilogue to the series that contains more dark, psychological, and slow paced execution. Rebecca Sugar uses this time frame to do a character retrospect and analysis on Steven who is finally dealing with all of the pain and trauma he experienced from seasons 1-5. This is brilliant as it sort of recontextualizes and challenges the resilient and heroic understanding that we have come to know and expect from Steven. Now that the world and people he fought for is bright, peaceful, and together, this positivity opens newfound personal regression as he navigates a cornucopia of battles with the most focal one being the world moving on without him. This has him enter emotional episodes and plights that tackle: lack of identity, unable to control and channel anger, self destruction, isolation, his loved one’s moving on and leaving which aligns with his lack of no true goal or purpose, and finally having to uncover the bones from under the rug that was once seen as him being composed and mature.

As someone who has also been in eerie similar self development growth and has gone through the emotional turmoil of myself, my past, and the world around me, SU Future not only resonated with me but has become one of the best depictions of how heavy and consumed one can get in the medium. I understood exactly what Steven was going through alongside the beautifully tragic metaphors and situations. To place him in a position where he must figure out these spontaneous and harmful thoughts and experiences at the same time he is dealing with it perfectly encapsulates what one goes through dealing with severe mental bombardment. With thought provoking dialogue between side characters and the cast, the ever expanding nation of gems and humans, the typical incredible soundtrack lifting and adding quality to the episodes, few weaker episodes, and a finale that pulls all of this together in one of the most fitting send offs, Steven Universe Future was engaging and cathartic nearly every step of the way. Not just for me but for what this series has bloomed into. Perhaps this is my psychology degree leaking out but, I prefer Future over the original series. I can only make that claim because of the experience and commitment I put into it. 9/10

Thank you for the memories, both Steven Universe and Future