Insanely optimistic

>insanely optimistic
>childish
>slightly feminine

They have the exact same character traits, why does it work for Spongebob but not Steven?

Spongebob is primarily a comedy series. Spongebob didn't really start out that way either. He started off more as an everyman sort of person.

he sponge

One is funny

>why does it work for Spongebob but not Steven?

Why did you already decide on that it works on one but not the other? Sounds like you want confirmation and agreement rather than discussion.

One is a cute animal and the other is a fat Jewish boy.

Spongebob has his own home and a job, so whatever his personality is like he's at least marginally respectable.

Steven should have grown to be a selfless and chivalrous person over the course of his show and I hope he still can.

Sea sponges are plants user.

Steven is part of a series that wants to be grounded in reality given the context of the show. Spongebob and other cartoon characters by their very nature are typically absurd so they get much more leeway in people tolerating their behavior both in the show and by audiences.

A major problem is SU is how seriously it wants to be taken with a 'this is how life works' approach and having an insanely optimistic character be always right with little to no consequences in a world that's supposed to mirror our own more than Spongebob's gets on people's nerves.

You can say a similar thing in regards to Steven's absurdly long laundry list of OP powers and other powerful cartoon characters.

I don't want to fuck Steven.

Spongebob is a pretty girl.

>implying it worked in the long run for spongebob

You wouldn't fuck a sponge.

Steven is cuter than spongebob tho fampai.

One is an adult
The other is a child
Simple

Spongebob isn't really much like Steven at all coming from someone who enjoys both shows.

Spongebob himself is kind of neurotic, but hypercompetent at the stuff he likes and can fail and make mistakes. He's not meant to be the joining or binding force like Steven is, he's just an optimistic guy.

Steven is the healer, the counselor, the hierophant. He has his own interests and what not, but the major part of his character is how he interacts with those around him, especially after Season 2

Sponges are animals you fucking idiot

Spongebob is actually funny.

Steven is a huge faggot.

Because spongebob is funny and its used in an comedic light, while steven is such a pathetic cuckold that he cant even find the gems attractive. Plus spongebob had balls and would flipshit sometimes

Sup Forums has shit tastes and is gay, as expected

Silly user, sponges are minerals.
Just like Gems!

Spongebob's femininity was used for occasional gags (flanderization etc etc) while it is core to Steven's being because Rebecca needs to shove her values onto everyone

Spongebob had a pinch of everything nice while Steven had 2 bags of it dumped onto his head

Spongebob was also supposed to be annoying and had characters who would call him out on it or actually be annoyed by him.

spongebob wasnt even that annoying in the beginning. Post S3 they turned the obnoxious laugh up to 11

>one is suppose to be a shounen protagonist

> the other exist is a sitcom protagonist.

Your premise is flawed because SpongeBob hasn't been good since 2002.

But to answer your question his voice is much mess annoying than Steven's

Sponge obviously wins this, what the fuck is Steven going to do that will hurt him?

Steven is written as a hero.
Spongebob is written as an antihero.

The phrase "antihero" is usually used to refer to grimdark heroes who lack the conventional hero traits of optimism, lawfulness and an unwillingness to compromise their morality. However, someone who is cowardly, physically weak, annoying and naive is also an antihero of a sort.

Yes, but he still annoyed squidward to no end and could actually get on Krabbs's nerves

>one is suppose to be a shounen protagonist
How hard did you miss the point of Steven Universe that you thought at any point it was supposed to be a shonen.

their both gaye