As a HUGE fan of both this show AND Teen Titans, (though admittedly with a sliight preference for Young Justice) I feel like it should also be noted that unlike something like the two versions of FMA, these two shows are completely different, and watching one doesn't spoil ANYTHING for the other. They share a few of the same characters, but with such different takes on them and in such different universes that both can be enjoyed entirely separately.

(I know this seems like a given, seeing as they are two different continuities, but I thought it should be said just in case, because I love this show and really want to see Mark give it a chance.)

Wander Over Yonder, a hilarious and feel-good cartoon with the sense of humour of a loony-tunes show but with a gooey center of kindness and empathy.

Haikyuu!

So, this is a sports anime? And I am really, really not into sports, but this show just has such a great cast full of likeable characters, and manages to get me passionate about things because they are that passionate and their enthusiasm is contagious.

Mob Psycho 100.

Despite the potential badness in the name, this show is SO GOOD. It's inventive, beautifully animated, and has an endlessly endearing main character. It's by the same author as One Punch Man, which I previously suggested, but I actually think this show is much better, and definitely worth a watch.

Edit: to explain a bit about the potential name badness, it is my (admittedly limited) understanding that both words in the title have different connotations in Japanese than in English, and when the show addresses mental health, it tends to do so very well.

3-Gatsu no Lion / March Comes in Like a Lion

A slice-of-life anime about a teenage pro Shogi player, it nearly made me cry by the second episode (which is no small feat). It's beautiful, has some fantastic characters (and fantastic female ones).

The show deals with some heavy issues, but mostly deals with them with respect and finesse.

Garnet putting off her stress and fear in order to genuinely thank Greg for his help is such an important moment, and I respect her so much for it. I would not blame anyone for getting wrapped up in the contents of the message (as Pearl and Amethyst do), but Garnet recognizes that Greg had a point when he said that he was the only person that they give up on, and that he deserves thanks and recognition for this moment without being brushed aside.

Also, Lapis :(
You sound so scared and upset, and you are just trying to help the only friend you've had in possibly centuries. On that note, I love that Steven defends her to his father. While I think Greg and others have a right to feel upset about what she did, Steven is such an empathetic person that he can completely understand where she is coming from and her reasons for acting the way she did- and that empathy is what paid off here, because without it, Lapis wouldn't have sent them this warning, and they wouldn't know what was coming at all.

STEVONNIE IS A GIFT.

I am back! I have had a lot of trouble writing lately and missed some great episodes, but I cannot CANNOT miss commenting on the introduction of my absolute favourite character on SU. Lapis Lazuli, you blow me away, Peridot, you completely change the game, BUT STEVONNIE IS AMAZING. I'm pretty sure that in FMA:B, when they are talking about man and woman coming together to form the perfect being, they are referring to Stevonnie.

They are just so beautiful. I could gush over their GORGEOUS design for EVER (look at how they look during that running scene! It's weird to say, but I love how it really feels like they have muscle and weight to them? I dunno, a lot of cartoons don't even try to go for that, so I just really love how Stevonnie is animated). And I love that Both Lars and Sadie are attracted to Stevonnie and it's not portrayed as a joke on their potential sexualities, and I absolutely adore how both Steven and Connie seem to feel like Stevonnie's gender is a non-issue, and never once is it portrayed as something to make fun of, or something to be called gross, it is entirely treated as a beautiful and uplifting experience.

Other things to love: Steven and Connie checking in with each other and reconfirming consent while still Stevonnie, which is a great lesson to teach kids early, that you should be able to say no at any time during an experience and that is okay and should be respected. The way that Kevin being a creep and aggressively hitting on Stevonnie is completely portrayed as deeply uncomfortable and absolutely not okay. Also special mention for Sour Cream being a genuinely good guy and not being a creep about asking someone to a dance, and when he finds out the mysterious beauty is two kids, immediately throwing out glowsticks for them to enjoy and continue having fun. I dunno, I just thought that that was really cute.

I feel Stevonnie's anxiety so, so much. I don't think there's one particular character in Steven Universe that I am completely like, though I see my reflection in different parts of all of the characters. I can really identify with Stevonnie and their growing social anxiety and them dealing with how they perceive everyone looking at them and judging them. Honestly I am not sure I would be able to handle that situation with the grace that they do. But all in all, this felt like an amazing representation of what anxiety can feel like.

And my goodness, is this episode queer. I'm cisgender, but I definitely identify as queer and fluid (it can be odd not being able to decide whether you are asexual or pansexual, though I mostly identify as the latter), so seeing so much queer content on a children's cartoon handled so respectfully and beautifully is a delight. Rebecca Sugar, the show creator, has recently come out as bisexual, and given how the queer themes in this episode are so tenderly and respectfully handled, it makes a lot of sense that this show comes from someone who identifies as queer herself.

I have now written way too much on this episode, but let me end with just me saying Rebecca Sugar is amazing, Stevonnie is amazing, and Garnet is, as usual, Best Mom.

Tiny Centipeedle is so cute. Also, I can’t say this for sure, but it looks like Centipeedle did the same thing that Steven did- made herself smaller so that she would appear less scary. After all, it looked like she was going to reform into her larger form until she saw that Steven was scared.

One thing I really like about this episode, that I think it does incredibly well, it how it shows how Centipeedle specifically reacts to the Gem’s weapons. I don’t think you can say that any of her actions were ‘good’ or ‘evil’, she just reacted by instinct, and her instinct whenever she saw any of the Gem’s weapons was to panic and defend herself. With out them around however, she can relax and become friends with Steven.

I also really like the growing mythos of this show! We know from this episode that while the Crystal Gems feel like the other gem monsters do have to be contained for the safety of others, they do not see them as evil monsters to be destroyed. They have sympathy for these creatures, especially Rose, who tried to help them back when she was around. But that being said, their need to contain them feels justified here, as the Gem monsters do attack people and are a legitimate danger to humans. There are a lot of shows out there that on the surface have a ‘love and peace’ type message while it’s characters indiscriminately fight and destroy monsters that the audience are just expected to trust are Totes Evil and Irredeemable. Steven Universe gives us a much more complicated narrative, where the main characters do want to help the monsters, but don’t know how, and have a duty to protect others from them.

Nyfb, jbj, Znex tbg n ybg bs fcrphyngvba fcbg ba va guvf erivrj!

I don’t have much to say for this episode, other than it’s hilarious, and seeing Steven trying to fit each of the Stevens into a different boy-band personality type was great. If I try to say much about this episode I feel like I’ll just be saying “this bit was funny, and this bit was also funny”, so instead, I am going to post the lyrics to the three Steven’s angsty song about that time Steven made them feel bad, because it’s hard to hear in the episode and it is a gift to the world:

(content warning though, the song lyrics contain the word ‘fat’, should I censor those?)

1,2,3,4!
Steven's a big fat meanie!
A big fat meanie zucchini!
Let's chop it up, chop-chop it up,
And serve it with Linguine!
Al denteee, al denteee, al denteee, al denteeeeeee!!

Trigger Warning for talk of toxic friendships

This episode is pretty heartbreaking. I’ve seen a lot of people speculate that Lars and Sadie “playing video games together” is kids cartoon code for sleeping together, especially given Sadie’s reaction to Steven saying “that must’ve been a great video game”, but wether or not they were implying that, it’s clear that Sadie attributed an intimacy to that night that Lars didn’t. And so seeing Lars take advantage of Sadie’s kindness and take her for granted is pretty hard to see. Sadie is crushed by his actions here, especially when she feels like he lied to her to go hang out with another girl. Even though I don’t think Lars is necessarily crushing on Jenny, it’s understandable that that’s where Sadie’s mind would go in that moment. And oh, I just feel for Sadie so much.

I’ve never had an experience of this kind of romantic rejection, because I’ve never felt in the right place emotionally to pursue that kind of relationship, but I have had a LOT of toxic friends over the years. Most of my bullies over the years have also been my friends. And that is a really complicated feeling! Because there are those moments where you have a great time together and you like them, and often times they do have legitimate issues of their own that lead you to rationalize their behaviour. And it’s even more complicated because there is no perfect way of dealing with it. Some of those friends I did have to cut myself off from for good, but I’ve managed to create a new and healthier relationship with others.

So how does Sadie deal with a friend who takes her for granted and lies to her, and one who she has romantic feelings for? Well first of all, she wants to get some of her own back. Which, yes, goes as poorly as it possibly can, but it also leads to Sadie actually being able to express her hurt and anger to Lars in person. Which is important! Sadie deserved to have her feelings heard and recognized, even if her romantic feelings aren't reciprocated, her emotions need to be respected. Lars wasn't considering her or her feelings at all, and that is not okay behavior. Afterwards though, Sadie just seems exhausted and empty, and that I can relate to so, so much. Sometimes the things we do to try and heal ourselves don’t work right away. Maybe it’s a start though. Hopefully, because Sadie is a wonderful, kind person and she deserves better.

In the end though, the important thing to take away from this episode is that Harold Smiley’s Donut song is a gift from above.