Featured TV on DVD Review: Steven Universe: Season Two
April 15, 2019
Steven Universe: Season Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The second season of Steven Universe comes out this week. I previously reviewed the first season and loved it. Is the second season as strong? Or was the first season a fluke?
To recap the setup. Steven Universe stars a 13-year old boy called Steven Universe, who is the son of Greg, a former rock star, and Rose Quartz, who is an alien from a race of Crystal Gems. She was on Earth with three others, Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, to protect the Earth from threats. She died before the show starts, so now Steven has to learn to control his powers in order to to help the Crystal Gems save the day.
The DVD says this is the complete second season, but they mean it is the second batch of episodes as they were released. If you look at the Wiki page, then you will notice they are not in episode order or even production order, but release date. This includes Say Uncle, a crossover episode with Uncle Grandpa. Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa have a very different tone and let’s just say I vastly prefer Steven Universe. This episode is not a good way to start the DVD.
The show picks up right after that with Story for Steven, in which Steven learns more about how his mother and father met. It is these stories where the show shines the most. While there is action in the cartoon, it is the characters that make the show shine. Every character has some growth in this season, including secondary characters, like Connie. She’s best friends with Steven and early on learns to swordfight from Pearl, so that she can better help Steven. We learn more about Garnet, which is arguably the biggest reveal in the season. There is also a recurring villain, Peridot, and while trying to capture her, the team suffers a loss, but not a loss in battle, but a loss of trust. It is this focus on characters rather than violence that makes this show stand out.
The only extras on the DVD are animatics for seven episodes. However, the DVD comes with a plush keychain. I think given the target audience, it will be hooked up on a school backpack instead.
I didn’t get into the second season of Steven Universe as much as the first one; however, I’m in the minority here, as this season did earn better reviews for the most part. That said, it is undeniable that the extras are weaker, so keep that in mind.
The Show
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Zach Callison, Estelle