Yet another instance of cartoon network finding a strong personality again, and giving us more laid-back, imaginative shows. This is also their first show with a female creator. The show was made by Rebecca Sugar, who was a former writer and musician for Adventure Time, and an all-around likable person. This is all evident within the series. There seems to be an idea going around that this show is "Adventure Time Lite", and while I understand that there are similarities between the two, they are still more different from one another than most non-serious cartoons are. By that logic, "The Fairly Oddparents", "Johnny Bravo", "My Life as a Teenage Robot", "Samurai Jack", and "The Powerpuff Girls" are all "Dexter's Lab Lite". Anyway, this is a great show with good subtle moral lessons and unique characters. Honestly, this is yet another sign that some cartoonists actually have a solid understanding and implementation of what makes this generation of entertainment good, rather than what makes it bad.
Visuals: I really like the style of this show, probably more than any other cartoon network show at the moment. The background designs by Kevin Dart follow a really unique, dreamy, immersing style that's a joy to look at. Much like Samurai Jack or Adventure Time, this show finds a style that looks really good without needing a huge budget for each episode. In addition, the character designs are really strong here. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, and none of them feel as though they were designed to look perfect or super-appealing. The character movements here are similar to what you might see in "Adventure Time" or "Clarence", but they can be a bit more sophisticated sometimes, such as when Pearl duels her holographic counterpart in "Steven the Sword-Fighter".
Characters: I'm really fond of the characters in this show. Not only are they all fairly realistic, but they all have very distinct personalities without ever feeling like anything close to a stereotype. Steven, for instance, is a kid who can be annoying at times, but only for realistic reasons. There is more to him than that, and his relationship with the adults is downright heartwarming. Every character here has both positive and negative traits, and that is what separates good characters from bad ones. You can be annoyed with them sometimes, and other times, they will make you smile. This show takes an interesting turn on the usual main-team structure. The main character is a young boy, but the rest of the team are women.
Storytelling: The plots in this show aren't anything complex or crazy, but they are tasteful and delivered well enough. I feel that the show draws influence from fantasy-games and RPGs. The tone is relaxing, calming, and atmospheric. You might expect this show to be in the vein of "Xiaolin Showdown", where the characters constantly have to fight villains and go on quests, but it's surprisingly more subdued than that. There are very few "villains" to speak of. The show has touching moments, but I haven't seen a moment where they hit it out of the park with one yet. I also like how the stories are very organic, and don't use overly-predictable cartoon formulas. They don't go as far with the experimentation as Adventure Time, but it's present. The humor here, though not usually laugh-out-loud funny, is quirky and interesting.
Audio: The music in this show really stands out. Not only are the musical numbers and theme song done in the classic Rebecca-Sugar style that we know and love, but the background music is really enjoyable, adding a lot to the atmosphere. The theme music that plays when Pearl goes into action is akin to something you might here in a JRPG. The voice acting also does the trick, characterizing everyone pretty well. I am glad that they were able to find Steven a child voice-actor who actually sounds really distinct.
In conclusion, this is a great show for families. I think that children need shows like this here and there, and this series does not have as many dirty themes as Adventure Time, so I can mostly recommend it to all ages. It's just a lovable bite of candy. I also like how this show, in a very subtle way, contains messages about friendship, and the imperfection of the world we live in. "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs", as they remind us in the premier episode. This show really surprised me, as I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it turned out. It let me know that CN is really learning, and "Adventure Time" and "Regular Show" were not flukes.
Visuals: I really like the style of this show, probably more than any other cartoon network show at the moment. The background designs by Kevin Dart follow a really unique, dreamy, immersing style that's a joy to look at. Much like Samurai Jack or Adventure Time, this show finds a style that looks really good without needing a huge budget for each episode. In addition, the character designs are really strong here. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, and none of them feel as though they were designed to look perfect or super-appealing. The character movements here are similar to what you might see in "Adventure Time" or "Clarence", but they can be a bit more sophisticated sometimes, such as when Pearl duels her holographic counterpart in "Steven the Sword-Fighter".
Characters: I'm really fond of the characters in this show. Not only are they all fairly realistic, but they all have very distinct personalities without ever feeling like anything close to a stereotype. Steven, for instance, is a kid who can be annoying at times, but only for realistic reasons. There is more to him than that, and his relationship with the adults is downright heartwarming. Every character here has both positive and negative traits, and that is what separates good characters from bad ones. You can be annoyed with them sometimes, and other times, they will make you smile. This show takes an interesting turn on the usual main-team structure. The main character is a young boy, but the rest of the team are women.
Storytelling: The plots in this show aren't anything complex or crazy, but they are tasteful and delivered well enough. I feel that the show draws influence from fantasy-games and RPGs. The tone is relaxing, calming, and atmospheric. You might expect this show to be in the vein of "Xiaolin Showdown", where the characters constantly have to fight villains and go on quests, but it's surprisingly more subdued than that. There are very few "villains" to speak of. The show has touching moments, but I haven't seen a moment where they hit it out of the park with one yet. I also like how the stories are very organic, and don't use overly-predictable cartoon formulas. They don't go as far with the experimentation as Adventure Time, but it's present. The humor here, though not usually laugh-out-loud funny, is quirky and interesting.
Audio: The music in this show really stands out. Not only are the musical numbers and theme song done in the classic Rebecca-Sugar style that we know and love, but the background music is really enjoyable, adding a lot to the atmosphere. The theme music that plays when Pearl goes into action is akin to something you might here in a JRPG. The voice acting also does the trick, characterizing everyone pretty well. I am glad that they were able to find Steven a child voice-actor who actually sounds really distinct.
In conclusion, this is a great show for families. I think that children need shows like this here and there, and this series does not have as many dirty themes as Adventure Time, so I can mostly recommend it to all ages. It's just a lovable bite of candy. I also like how this show, in a very subtle way, contains messages about friendship, and the imperfection of the world we live in. "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs", as they remind us in the premier episode. This show really surprised me, as I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it turned out. It let me know that CN is really learning, and "Adventure Time" and "Regular Show" were not flukes.