That’s not a sad ending. That’s the happiest, healthiest ending a show about trauma could possibly have. Steven Universe Future is not comfort food. It is emotionally exhausting. If you watched the original show for the pastel aesthetics and the bops, this sequel will feel like a punch to the gut.
It is, without a doubt, one of the most honest portrayals of recovery from childhood trauma ever put to animation. steven universe future
Having the final "boss fight" of the entire franchise end not with a punch, but with a hug (from his dad, Greg) is a genius subversion. You can’t defeat trauma. You have to hold space for it. The most important scene in the entire Steven Universe canon isn't a fusion dance or a song. It’s in the penultimate episode, "I Am My Monster." That’s not a sad ending