I couldn't bring myself to give BoJack Horseman a number grade, because that would be comparing it to other shows. Someone might get the idea that if I rate the show a 10, I think it's better than other shows I or IMDb might have ranked, and that's simply not how I feel about the show.
On paper, BoJack Horseman seems pretty run-of-the-mill. A cynical, washed-up movie star and his kooky adventures with his wacky friends. But, if you stick with the show, it quickly becomes so much more than that.
Before I go any further, this show has some glaring negatives. The flash animation is highly unappealing for any avid fans of animation. Some of the voice acting is highly disappointing. Sometimes the show feels disjointed. I was disappointed with the portrayal of dementia in season 4, though it wasn't to the point of offensiveness, per se. And lastly, this show is not for everyone.
BoJack Horseman ultimately deals with self-loathing and confronting one's own self. Though many themes are layered on top of this, including nihilism, self-destructiveness, a search for meaning, etc., at the end of the day, the show confronts head-on what it's like to be disappointed in who you yourself are and the life you lead. And this is one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever seen tackle this.
If you don't feel out of place in the universe, this show is probably not for you. You may sympathize with BoJack and be dismayed at his choices, but they may not move you in any way. BoJack Horseman was crafted specifically to curtail to the thousands of young and middle- aged people who face themselves and their lives and are disappointed. The show asks if a person can ever change, and what a person's deeds are actually worth. In a time of irreligion, these are questions that plague the minds of many, many people. For them, BoJack Horseman becomes a companion, a recognition of the problem that they confront (or perhaps are running away from) every day.
The characters and situations feel organic. To some degree, the show is a deconstruction of modern adult cartoons. Mistakes have lasting impacts, and "the status quo is not God". Careful attention to continuity was given. There is a surprising lack of jokes. This is much more a drama than a comedy. A lot of jokes are animal-based puns that don't exactly gel well with the rest of the show. For instance, a guy walks into a bar, orders a grasshopper, and there's a grasshopper- person at the bar. The joke didn't connect at all to the rest of the scene. I wasn't sure if the show was legitimately trying to be funny, if it was trying to lighten the mood or set the tone for the scene, or if it was trying to give a cheesy joke to give the show some charm or endearment.
Back to the topic at hand. BoJack himself is very reminiscent of Bill Murray's character, Phil, from the movie Groundhog Day. The reason that movie has staying power is not just because it's associated with a holiday, not just because it has some good comedy, but also because of the depth and struggles of Phil. Phil is cocky and kind of jerk, but really, he's self-loathing. He can't find any meaning in his life. The movie is ultimately about Phil learning what has meaning, and he learns to appreciate the day-to-day. BoJack Horseman is very similar in that it's a self-loathing character and his search for meaning, but BoJack doesn't find any easy answers, and we're along for the ride. Though Groundhog Day may have been an allegory for someone feeling that every day is the same in their boring town, we go every day with BoJack, and every day is a new, different adventure that ultimately ends the same: with BoJack failing to see value in himself or in his life.
This show is certainly a unique experience. For some people, it will take them on a ride to, like BoJack, seek for meaning in their life. For them, this show is a must-watch that will literally ask them to look at life in a new way. For some people who are fully satisfied with their life and place in the universe, this show may just seem a depressing spiral of one man, told against the backdrop of some cheap animation and some grating voice acting. But for those who feel this show speaks to them, it was all worth it.
On paper, BoJack Horseman seems pretty run-of-the-mill. A cynical, washed-up movie star and his kooky adventures with his wacky friends. But, if you stick with the show, it quickly becomes so much more than that.
Before I go any further, this show has some glaring negatives. The flash animation is highly unappealing for any avid fans of animation. Some of the voice acting is highly disappointing. Sometimes the show feels disjointed. I was disappointed with the portrayal of dementia in season 4, though it wasn't to the point of offensiveness, per se. And lastly, this show is not for everyone.
BoJack Horseman ultimately deals with self-loathing and confronting one's own self. Though many themes are layered on top of this, including nihilism, self-destructiveness, a search for meaning, etc., at the end of the day, the show confronts head-on what it's like to be disappointed in who you yourself are and the life you lead. And this is one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever seen tackle this.
If you don't feel out of place in the universe, this show is probably not for you. You may sympathize with BoJack and be dismayed at his choices, but they may not move you in any way. BoJack Horseman was crafted specifically to curtail to the thousands of young and middle- aged people who face themselves and their lives and are disappointed. The show asks if a person can ever change, and what a person's deeds are actually worth. In a time of irreligion, these are questions that plague the minds of many, many people. For them, BoJack Horseman becomes a companion, a recognition of the problem that they confront (or perhaps are running away from) every day.
The characters and situations feel organic. To some degree, the show is a deconstruction of modern adult cartoons. Mistakes have lasting impacts, and "the status quo is not God". Careful attention to continuity was given. There is a surprising lack of jokes. This is much more a drama than a comedy. A lot of jokes are animal-based puns that don't exactly gel well with the rest of the show. For instance, a guy walks into a bar, orders a grasshopper, and there's a grasshopper- person at the bar. The joke didn't connect at all to the rest of the scene. I wasn't sure if the show was legitimately trying to be funny, if it was trying to lighten the mood or set the tone for the scene, or if it was trying to give a cheesy joke to give the show some charm or endearment.
Back to the topic at hand. BoJack himself is very reminiscent of Bill Murray's character, Phil, from the movie Groundhog Day. The reason that movie has staying power is not just because it's associated with a holiday, not just because it has some good comedy, but also because of the depth and struggles of Phil. Phil is cocky and kind of jerk, but really, he's self-loathing. He can't find any meaning in his life. The movie is ultimately about Phil learning what has meaning, and he learns to appreciate the day-to-day. BoJack Horseman is very similar in that it's a self-loathing character and his search for meaning, but BoJack doesn't find any easy answers, and we're along for the ride. Though Groundhog Day may have been an allegory for someone feeling that every day is the same in their boring town, we go every day with BoJack, and every day is a new, different adventure that ultimately ends the same: with BoJack failing to see value in himself or in his life.
This show is certainly a unique experience. For some people, it will take them on a ride to, like BoJack, seek for meaning in their life. For them, this show is a must-watch that will literally ask them to look at life in a new way. For some people who are fully satisfied with their life and place in the universe, this show may just seem a depressing spiral of one man, told against the backdrop of some cheap animation and some grating voice acting. But for those who feel this show speaks to them, it was all worth it.