Coronating Star vs. the Forces of Evil into the Top Tier of American Animation
By: Dylan Hysen
Welcome to the top, Star vs. the Forces of Evil! By the power vested in me as one of the only animation specialty critics online, I promote you to the top tier of American animation. You join Steven Universe, Rick and Morty, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Bojack Horseman, and Adventure Time as the shows with the highest level of critical quality, consisting of great storytelling, excellent characterization, high levels of production-values, and a high level of consistency. And if you’re wondering what your “must-watch” list for animation, this is it, and Star is now must-watch.
Around the middle of Star’s 2nd season that just concluded, it turned the corner from “good show with a lot of potential” to “great show with special storytelling”. The show doubled-down on its excellent characterization towards the end of this season, focusing on an arc involving Star herself and her emotional turbulence. It was great and was a great vehicle for exploring the vastly different plots and types of episodes this show is capable of, while still seeming focused.
The best thing I can say about Star for those who don’t watch is that it’s the “kid-friendly” version of Rick and Morty. Both shows don’t have a focused, continuous narrative (yet), but explore a lot of different plots and thematics through different types of episodes facilitated by their sprawling mythologies. They’re both incredibly fun, very funny, and oh yeah dimensional scissors = portal gun.
The highlights of Star have always been and continue to be Star herself, and the dynamic between Star and Marco, which is in my opinion the best two-character dynamic on TV. Every interaction of theirs is incredibly genuine, interesting, and engaging. The show will continue to thrive as long as the Star-Marco dynamic continues to be wonderful. (And oh yeah, there’s a bunch of other great elements to the show as well.)
Star is now truly here and I look forward to what it can bring in its 3rd season this Summer.
Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
3 Comments
I agree, Star is really in a good place right now. And I am enjoying it more than Steven Universe at the moment.
Weather it is romantic or not, the Star / Marco dynamic it is so fun to watch, and the show has a very ironic name, since I think all of the villains are really complex. There is no someone who just plan evil like Vatuu.
This article completely summarizes my feelings towards the series. It is an absolute gem in the world of Western animation, and I am excited to hear that we won’t have to wait long for season 3 to air. Not to mention that season 4 has just been confirmed! If this doesn’t say how great a series it is, I don’t know what does.
Your podcasts are amazing by the way. I listen to them on my way to and from school and also while at the gym. As someone who loves animation, it’s great to know that there are people out there who take animation even more seriously than I do!
Thanks so much Julianna!