wow i just realized something after looking at this post
The animation in SU (which has declined significantly despite what some fans think) is EXTREMELY static and boring. Just look at how flat (literally) steven and amethyst are. there isn’t any balance or composition to the shot, it’s the most basic static pose that you’d find from any high schooler.
Just look at the difference between these shots:
Granted, it’s not the exact some angle and the first is a wide shot but thats the best I’ve got
Notice how Garnet and Amethyst are in a basic pose, but the shot still holds visual interest because of the difference in height and general colour contrast. In the other screenshot all the characters are the same height, and steven and amethyst’s poses literally look like they were copy pasted and edited slightly. The only colour contrast is Peridot, who honestly doesnt even look like she’s in the same shot as the other two.
This turned into a long ass post so more under the cut!
The recent seasons are also missing a lot of emotion, and I don’t mean storewise or general tones, but the characters themselves have become almost emotionless. Look at these screenshots pre-SE4:
Now compare it to some of the “emotional” scenes from S4
Which of the two conveys the most emotion? In SE4, it almost feels as if the crying is all the same. All the same doe-eyed, ghibli tears and there’s little to no movement outside of “one or both hands near face”. The show doesn’t take risks anymore with facial expression and body movement. The only time they actually go off model isn’t intentional like they did in the first few seasons. Scenes don’t hold weight anymore, and considering we haven’t had any real consequences for any character it makes sense that the audience wouldn’t feel any the emotions the scene is trying to convey. I still cry to this day at bubble buddies and on the run and so others, but not once in season 4 have I cried or felt any real emotional pull towards the show.
TLDR; The animation in SU hasn’t only gone down in quality, but fails to convey the emotions that captured so many audiences back in older seasons. The crewniverse is staying in a very safe bubble animation wise, and thus the recent seasons feel static and boring.
Honestly… I’ve almost completely lost interest in Steven universe. The main storyline is wack tbh. Every major plot point is forgotten or comes to a boring conclusion. The villains aren’t threatening, the leads under-developed. There’s too much time between episodes which then spend too much time on unimportant plot points. [A long rant now that my frustration with su has been revived]
I made a post a long time ago saying that I was holding onto what steven universe could be rather then what it is, but it’s so predictable now. Every “development” is meaningless as it ends up at the start: peaceful, boring beach city.
The big black geode thing that got cracked? Forgotten. The cluster? Bubbled. The diamonds? Indistinguishable from any other homeworld gem in terms of impact.
Does it even matter whether or not Rose shattered pink diamond? No, because no one’s opinion of her will change. They’ve all accepted that Rose had to do what she did for the greater good, and if she didn’t shatter pink, all the better. They’ll go on worshipping her.
It’s great that every character (for the most part) has shown good and bad traits but they all come around to share the same beliefs. Why does every character get “redeemed”? Why can’t the be a character whose core values remain unchanged because having a different view isn’t inherently bad?
It’s a small detail, but wtf happened to Lars? Where did this “I’m a charismatic and efficient captain” thing come from? He was a selfish, insecure ladder climber with a hidden cooking skill, who died and woke up a different character.
Like the majority of the main characters have become caricatures of themselves or have become unrecognisable overnight.
Its not a bad thing that side characters get development, but they get so much screen time and have no lasting impact on the story.
I just feel like the show is going round in circles and throwing the occasional curve ball at us for no reason. I don’t see any really significant progression happening in the story or its characters. There’s going to be a confrontation between the diamonds and the crystal gems, they’ll sing some songs, the diamonds/homeworld will see the error of their ways thanks to Steven’s empathy, and everything will go back to normal.
Of course all of this would be fine if Steven Universe never set itself up to be a complex show. If it were just a simple show with simple topics, it’d be fine, but they set the bar too high.
The only thing that interests me now is the rare world building, and the times the writers remember garnet and amethyst are characters.
gayfeline 