Incredibly funny and a real easy watch. The animation plays with multiple genres extremely well.
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9
Some time last year I logged onto Netflix and saw an advert for Bojack Horseman. It looked awful. An original animated series following the life of Bojack, an ex-sitcom star who spends his days drinking in his Malibu penthouse and struggling to write his autobiography. Oh, but did I mention he is literally a horse-man? In fact the whole world is full of anthropomorphised animals running through Hollywood, along with the regular humans and celebrities. The reason behind that choice? I’m going to spoil it now, there is none.
So how exactly did it turn out to be one of my favourite shows?
Simply put, it is one of the most thoughtful comedies that I have seen. A series simultaneously hailed as both hilarious, and one of the most accurate depictions of depression in television. Much like the mix of animal and human characters, the integration of both comedy and drama is done with brilliant seamlessness; so much so that at times it is hard to tell what genre you’re watching.
It’s refreshing to see an animated show that doesn’t rely entirely on humour or story, but with a blend of the two. Even these singular aspects are combinations of previously seen styles. The comedy switches from light to dark sometimes within the same line, from stupid animal puns one second, to jokes about drugs and suicide the next, in a good way! Honest! The drama ranges from typical sitcom style plots to pivotal personal moments in the characters’ lives, moments sometimes so moving or heartfelt that you have to step back and tell yourself that you’re really just watching a cartoon horse.
When people talk of the recent string of great Netflix Originals they jump to Orange is the New Black or House of Cards, which are all brilliant in their own right but I truly believe that Bojack Horseman is in the same ranks, if not greater. While the episodes are not entirely consistent in quality throughout the series, the moments where it shines make it very much worth it. I would strongly recommend that you at least watch the first few episodes which, hopefully, should be enough to get you hooked.
Bojack Horseman has just been announced for a second season, arriving in its entirety on Netflix, July 17th
