[SPOILERS ABOUND]
I'm not totally into it, but it's so interesting how the writers subvert gender roles.
Like -- instead of one female character in an all-male fighting team, Steven is the only male in an all-female group. And he's the most passive; he doesn't fight at all, he only heals and protects the women. The women, meanwhile, are aggressive fighters.
- Steven's love interest -- a little girl -- is becoming a knight to protect him.
- Steven is generally more emotional, sentimental, and empathetic than the others characters.
- He's the one who wants to talk, make peace, ect. He holds the others back.
- He admires his mother and aspires to be like her.
- When Steven can't cry, he becomes afraid something is wrong with him.
And the writers are really pushing the envelope when it comes to gay relationships. It's really clear that (
Pearl) has romantic feelings for (
Rose), and (
Ruby and Sapphire) are in a relationship.
Of course... technically those characters aren't female, they're genderless asexual aliens. And technically they never lock lips on-screen. So technically, when those characters say they're in a relationship, they could mean they're platonic best friends forever. I think that's how the writers get away with it. It's not like the characters are really in a same-sex relationship, it's just heavily implied.
