i still like it! it's still good.
it's rougher and messier than Steven Universe Proper, i think, but like... i think that's a combination of "that's how production shook out" and "that's kind of the point". steven's spent so long being the focal point of Everything, being around for Everyone, that he forgot to leave room for him inside himself and for them outside his world. and a lot of this feels kind of heavy-handed? like there's a lot more Directly Saying It than proper su. but also... this is some more complex shit that all kind of clicks together with itself and completely flips the rest of the series on its head, and when youve only got 16 15-minute chunks of time to explore all of it, and the first half of it has to kind of ramp you in, you gotta lay it out clear-like. this is still a show for people that are watching the cartoon network, after all.
also secretly im a little freak that enjoys seeing Steven crushed by the burdens and the horrors. there is something satisfying about seeing the other side of the Kid Hero's lot in life once the Well of Things to be A Hero About has dried up
