Blog Project I: TV/Streaming
A Quick Preface
There was no fucking way I was doing this project on advertising. Television though I can handle, the problem was that I'm not really watching a lot of television right now (I'm doing a lot of reading though) and what I am watching I don't think would work for this project. I am sure there is someone out there with a better brain who could make this assignment on Trollhunters or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, (two of the shows I currently watch with regularity) but I am not one of them.
Fortunately, there is one show I watch that does work, so welcome back to this class blog:
If that does not work:
Describe
Date Time and Network: Despite its otherwise insane airing schedule new episodes of the show consistently air at 7:30 pm (Pacific Time, it might change for other time zones) on Cartoon Network. Days are harder to pin down because of the shows draconian airing schedule I outlined in a previous blog. Personally I record the show on DVR and watch it after it has recorded.
Episode Watched: I watched the most recent episode "Reunited". A basic rundown of the episodes story is that a wedding between two of the show's central characters is interrupted by the arrival of the series main antagonists. The main cast of Steven (Zach Callison), Garnet (Estelle) and her components Ruby (Charlyne Yi) and Sapphire (Erica Luttrel), Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall) and Amethyst (Michaela Dietz) are all present for the episode as are supporting cast members Greg (Steven's father voiced by Tom Scharpling), Connie (Grace Rolek), Lapis Lazuli (Jennifer Paz) and Paridot (Shelby Rabara). The episode also guest stars Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) as Bismuth, Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond and Patti LuPone (any number of stage musicals) as Yellow Diamond.
I personally don't think any of the cast is typecast, but then again, I am probably the wrong person to be asked that question.
Research: Steven Universe first started airing in November of 2013. It was created by Rebecca Sugar who is both the first woman and first non-binary person (though she did not come out as such until recently) to create a show for Cartoon Network. Sugar first worked as a storyboard artist for Adventure Time before departing to work full time on Steven Universe. One of the shows story board artists, Ian Jones-Quartey, is the grandson of the designer of the Flag of Ghana and based one of the shows characters on her. Since its release (and especially as it has progressed) the show has enjoyed success and a cult following.
I need to move on but more in formation about the show and its creator can be found in this radio interview.
ADs: I skip them, so I'm not covering them.
Analyze
Attitude/Style: While it is technically set on an Earth with an alternate timeline (the Delmarva peninsula is a full on state here), it is other wise set in the modern day. The characters use modern speech patterns and dress in modern clothing. The show is animated which means they literally have no limits on where things can happen since they don't have to build expensive sets. Now I'm better at analyzing story and characters them filming techniques because I am a writer, so I'm going to have to skip describing the editing and that stuff because I'll have little to no idea what I am talking about.
Similarities: The one main similarity I can find worth mentioning here is that the show is more serialized that it was when it started, which is something a lot of shows have been doing or experimenting with of late. Trollhunters for example has an overarching story line for it's first thirteen episodes, and every Stevenbomb is effectively a serial as all five episodes tend to cover an overarching story.
Differences: A major difference the show has is that, despite having a male main character, there is still a large female presence in the main cast. In fact Steven is the only male main character (on a nominal level, Gems technically have no gender but project female forms and have female voices). Not to mention said male main character, while still the Hero, does not do much of the traditional hero things: he is not the leader (that's Garnet), and he does not do much sword swinging (usually but that's a whole other story). Instead he has more traditionally feminine powers, particularly healing, is a pacifist (until he's got no choice) and is rather emotional.
Further, the show takes advantage of the fact that Gems technically have no gender but appear female to discuss LGBTQ related themes; in fact that wedding mentioned above is between Ruby and Sapphire; it is presumably the first on screen same-sex marriage in an animated series aimed at children.
Interpret
Why can't I just have someone smarter and more qualified do this? Fine...
Stereotypes: There aren't really any. Steven (as outlined above) is anything but your usual sci-fi or fantasy hero character, Ruby and Sapphire's relationship has bumps in it (but so does every relationship) but is otherwise perfectly happy, Pearl is something of a neurotic perfectionist with a complicated relationship with almost everyone, Amethyst is laid back and more relaxed and no supporting characters rely on stereotypes for there character. They are all characters; as a writer I can say with confidence that a stereotype is not a character. Even some of what would be considered "stereotypes" are used advantageously. Connie, who is of (India) Indian descent, has somewhat controlling parents, but one of her major character arcs is resisting them and telling them it is unnecessary.
Demographics: While the show is perfectly okay for children, it seems to be aimed at families for the most part. Family is actually a major theme in the series since Steven is a Gem/human hybrid and thus has two families, even if his human family only accounts for his father Greg. Again I don't watch the commercials, but the glimpses I do get are pretty much the ads Cartoon Network always runs, toys and products aimed mostly at children.
I cannot say exactly what kind of cultural picture of the U.S. I would paint if I were a visitor from another country. It would probably be rather jarring compared to the news about the U.S. that circles the globe these days.
Evaluate
Strengths and Weaknesses: This article can go into the shows strengths better than I can:
Moving on.
I've already gone into detail about the shows insane airing schedule, but as this article explains there is method to the madness; in short, it is because of modern viewing habits like binge watching.
It's one potential weakness that I can see is a common weakness in children's television and movies that I see all the time. It can sometimes struggle to simplify a much more complicated subject. Now to be fair it does a better job of it because of clever writing, especially in regards to Gem fusion and its metaphors for everything revolving around relationships and sex, but for other topics like the rebellion that took place in the shows backstory it can be hard to compromise between an inherently complicated subject (rebellions usually are) and simplifying it for children. Although to get around that, the show focus on the simpler emotional causes and results as opposed to the complicated political ones.
What do I like about the show? Simple. I like it's story and writing (the latter is best exemplified here WARNING: THERE BE MAJOR SPOILERS THERE), I like it's characters and the way they bounce off each other, and I love it's art style. It is one of the most unique looking shows out there right now.
Me vs. the Critics: There is a slight problem for this area. Most of the "critical" reviews of the show come from Gizmodo or the A.V. Club, which I'm not 100% sure counts as "professional". The likely explanation for this is that animation (be it TV or film) does not get much respect in the art world so more "important" critics probably ignore them. At any rate, the guys and gals from Gizmodo and the A.V. Club seem to be in agreement that that shows strengths are its writing, characters and artwork. The show has also been nominated for a few Annie Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, though it has not won any of them.
Engagement
I do watch the show on a semi-regular basis. Binge watching the show is practically the only to watch new episodes when they come out, and I usually watch the show with my sister who is herself a more die hard fan of the show than I am. (I primary watch it with her because she has the best reacts to the repeated use of cliffhangers at the end of each Stevenbomb).
Alas the show does not have a dedicated website like others do. It does have a Facebook page, but as we have already established that I am not one for social media, I don't visit it.
How the Show Uses Social Media: It doesn't. As I outlined in a previous blog for this class the show does not really use social media for much. It's Facebook page is mostly links to either YouTube videos of clips and songs from the series instead of more useful information like air dates. As for what people say about the show on social media... well... here's a link. It can explain better than me. (I would like to clarify that is not meant to imply it has a shitty reputation, I just cannot condense it so it is easier to show then tell).
Conclusions
After spending the the last four hours straight typing and editing this, I can say my conclusion is that I bet on the right horse. I learned a few things more about the shows writing from those A.V. Club articles and I learned about the logic behind the draconian airing schedule the show has*.
I cannot say much surprised me about the show as I went deeper down the rabbit hole. As I have mention about 345 before in this and maybe other blogs I want to be a writer, and that means that very few writing tricks can surprise me anymore. What I was instead was even more appreciative of the show and what it does to be different from others, and how much it has influenced me in what I want to write.
*Just because I understand it though, does not mean I don't hate it. I still do.
I enjoy reading your blog because it has so much personality! My fiancé is obsessed with all things cartoon network. I think it speaks to the effectiveness of a show like this for its audience where you talk about having a specific desire to watch this with your sister because of her reactions alone. Forget all the analysis for a moment, that's what the show creators want from the very beginning right there.
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