I watched the first season of Bojack, and then thought "Man that was pretty good, how much longer is it?" and was stunned to see there were FIVE more seasons. I thought that was a serious turnoff, how much content could they possibly squeeze out of this neurotic Horseman?
I don't know, I'm just not enjoying things very much recently. Maybe I'm getting depressed, maybe it's Choice Paralysis, maybe it's ADHD-like symptoms from the constant stimulation of media, maybe I'm just getting old and curmudgeony and can't help but see the flaws in everything. Whatever it is, it makes me really dread my own free time; atleast when I'm working I can singlemindedly focus on my task; when I'm not obligated to do anything, I just want to turn into inert sludge and stop thinking. That's not the way to claw my way out of unhappiness, but I guess I'm at peace with the fact that I'll just be unhappy forever.
Season 2 of Bojack is when the show really begins in my opinion and the events that happen in it are what the rest of the story end up revolving around. It genuinely does turn into a masterpiece of animated storytelling near the end. It amazes me that people were allowed to make a show like this.
If you feel like you need encouragement, just watch the first episode of season 2. It starts off strong. I feel like you in particular would like it.
Also the first season was done as a bit of a joke, I read. Make it seem like a standard kooky adult show then transition into the more serious, hard-hitting-but-still-comedic show it actually is. And they regretted running the joke for so many episodes.
It also gives us this:
"Has the concept of women having choices gone too far? We've arranged this diverse panel of white men in bow ties to discuss. Gentlemen?"
I finally finished watching Bojack Horseman, and yeah, I can see why it's a "masterpiece of animated storytelling". It's one of those shows where it really tries to write the characters as just people (or... animal-people); they're not heroes, or villains, they're just flawed individuals each with their own history and carrying around their own baggage. Except for White Whale, he's a villain, all the way through. But what I'm trying to say is, no character seems bound to any narratively coherent arc, they're just people each trying to make the best out of their own situation. That makes the show consistently surprising, because people are often surprising, while narrative tropes often aren't.
I do wind up feeling a little robbed at the end, because while the narrative tropes aren't constraining the characters, it also means that there's no big climaxes, or satisfying closure for many of the show's characters and side-stories. The best you'll get is that the characters at the end of the show, compared to the beginning of the show, have grown just a little, or advanced towards their self-actualization just a little. Not a lot, just a little. That's all you get. it's very bittersweet, and a little hopeful.
I do really love how the show loves its continuity, it's referencing things from the first season all the way in the last season, but you can tell near the end that the writers are getting picky about what things to leave in (because they contribute to the story) and what to leave out (because they were broader criticisms on capitalism or American culture, and they can't contribute to the story without getting their own show. Sorry Becca.)
As far as comedy goes, it actually scored some laughs out of me. "American-style Adult Animation" usually smacks of poor taste and poorer writing, but not Bojack. Sometimes it's just one joke in an episode that gets me, but it'll be a
really good joke. Most shows can't manage even one good joke.
I don't want to write at length about the message of the show, but I do really appreciate how the social commentary of the show takes a backseat to the interpersonal drama of the characters. Aggretsuko, or Hello Kitty's take on an 'adult cartoon', fucks up the balance between 'social commentary' and 'interpersonal drama', and the later seasons suffer badly because the show wants so badly to be a social commentary that the characters and the drama take a backseat to it. The writers finally have a soapbox to stand on and they can't resist the temptation scream at the audience about their grievances with Japanese society; at the cost of the show's main draw: the characters and their drama. Bojack doesn't fuck that up though, it'll gladly burn an episode to watch a character literally monologue about their feelings for the episode's entire length.
So yeah, thanks for turning me back onto the show. It was a good ride. You can tell the people making it really took it seriously: they had a story to tell, and they told it.
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Topic: Things that made you sad today thread. (Read 10107202 times)