Post by goldensandslash on Sept 7, 2016 7:50:18 GMT
I'm a very big television watcher. It's practically where I get all of my entertainment from. In fact, if I had to choose between cable television and internet access, I'd probably choose to keep the former. At least internet is widely available at Starbuck's Café.
And I largely stick to American animation. Why? Because that was what I was raised on. It's familiar to me, and so I consume it, just as you consume your favorite childhood foods because they are familiar to you. I've tried live-action and I've tried Japanese animation, and while I have found a few that I like, for the most part, it's not my thing.
So I am very knowledgeable about the world of cartoons. My friends joke that you can name literally ANY cartoon in all of American history and I've seen at least one episode of it. While it's not quite that extreme, it is pretty damn close to that. TL;DR: I know what I'm talking about.
So, without further ado, let's talk about the show that forever changed the way I think about my place in life.
Let's talk about a cartoon with a talking horse.
My Little Pony, My Little Pony...
NO.
We are not talking about that piece of garbage here.
I am here to talk to you about Bojack Horseman, a Netflix original series.
(From Left to Right: Diane Nguyen, Todd Chavez, BoJack Horseman, Princess Carolyn, Mr. Peanutbutter)
This show... I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. Look, I consume a lot of television, so I know a hit when I see it. And I'm not exaggerating when I say THIS IS MY FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW OF ALL TIME RIGHT NOW.
Now, I know what you're thinking, just off of that image up above: it looks pretty terrible. That looks like a man wearing a horse mask, what's the big deal? And yeah, that's fair enough. I thought that when I saw the promotional material for this show, until I actually sat down and watched it.
Here's a spoiler-free version of how my viewing of the 37 episodes really went:
(Note that some artistic liberty was taken.)
Episode 1: Oh, okay, so this is just a random South Park ripoff. Cause the animation industry really needed another one of those. I mean, it's okay, but nothing to write home about. I will say that the animation is pretty bad, and Bojack is a terrible character. He's a complete asshole. Totally unrelatable!
Episode 4: Woah. Okay. Yeah. Didn't expect that. But, of course, everything is gonna reset and go back to normal by the start of the next episode, right? (No, no it didn't.)
Episode 8: Wow. Now I really like this show. There's no way they'll top that episode!
Episode 11: THEY TOPPED THAT EPISODE!? So THAT'S how they make Bojack relatable. WHAT THE FUCK. This show is making me loathe myself.
Episode 23: WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK. SERIOUSLY, WHAT WAS WITH THE ENDING OF THAT EPISODE!?
Episode 35: God damn it! This show just made me cry! :'(
Episode 36: Okay, now I need to go and rethink my entire life. Fuck this show, it's too good.
Okay, now let's talk about this in more detail (still no spoilers).
Bojack Horseman is a show that will change your perspective on life. I really need to talk about it. So that's why I'm writing this. And I don't really have anywhere else to post it, so WyvernIRC works better than anything.
This show is very... realistic. Now I know what you're thinking. The main character is a horse. How is that realistic? Well, most human characters on television don't act human. They act like, well, characters. Even the best-written characters from cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Samurai Jack still face this problem to a very small degree. But when I see a character on Bojack Horseman, they feel very much like a real-life person, even if they are an anthropomorphic animal. This show feels more real to me than any other show that I've ever watched. Period.
Okay, so what's the plot?
Well, Bojack is a character who was in a really famous TV show back in the '90s. This show takes place in modern time, about 20 years later. He has done nothing of note since the '90s, however. And now he's just a rich, washed-up asshole. Mr. Peanutbutter is another actor who is now starring in a modern-day ripoff of Bojack's old show, and he's getting a lot of glamor for that. Princess Carolyn is Bojack's on-again/off-again girlfriend as well as his agent. Diane is a writer who is trying to ghost-write Bojack's memoir. Todd is a fan that showed up five years ago at a party that Bojack threw and he never left. The show is about these characters getting into crazy situations.
BUT THERE'S A TWIST.
Unlike typical adult cartoons, there are consequences. Here's what I mean.
The adult animation industry in America, for all intents and purposes, is on life support. Until I saw Bojack Horseman, I was actually willing to call it dead. Here's what I mean. What's an adult supposed to do for entertainment?
If you're into film, you might try The Godfather or Saving Private Ryan. If you're into literature, you might try 1984 or To Kill A Mockingbird. If you're into video games, you might try Silent Hill 2 or Shadow of the Colossus. But if you're into animation, you are stuck with only South Park, Family Guy, and other crap like that.
Here's the thing: adult animation, for the most part, just tries to tell the story of a deadbeat dad living with his family as they show the grossest stuff possible and constantly talk about drugs and sex, while being racist and offensive and edgy.
To me, that's not adult. That's childish. Until Rick & Morty came along, I thought that there could never be a single good adult cartoon ever in America. After Rick and Morty, people started stepping up and we got some good stuff like Bob's Burgers, and Archer. And, of course, Bojack Horseman.
But here's the thing about Bojack: it acts like another South Park ripoff at first. Until you learn what it really does: IT HAS CONSEQUENCES. If a character like Peter Griffin from Family Guy existed in real life, they would be a complete jerk and everyone would hate them. The reason it works in television is that everyone will forgive the character once half-an-hour goes by and the next episode starts up, because now it's a new episode, so we've hit the reset button. In real life, there would be no forgiveness. And the character would have to try and redeem themselves against impossible odds, and most likely fail.
Because, yeah, this show has continuity. A LOT OF IT. That's why I can't really give spoilers. If I were to talk about any episode past the first, then I have to first explain all of the episodes that came before it. And I don't think the series really gets that great until episode 8. And I know what you're thinking: Oh, well, continuity isn't that big of a deal, is it?
In this show, yes. This show makes Avatar: The Last Airbender look episodic. For example, in one episode, someone steals the "D" from the Hollywood Sign. For the rest of the series, anytime you see the Hollywood Sign, INCLUDING IN THE THEME SONG OF EVERY EPISODE, it is missing the "D", and in fact, characters refer to the location as "Hollywoo". If some object on the shelf gets broken, it'll stay broken for future episodes. And if someone gets hurt, either physically or emotionally, they will stay hurt.
So, yeah, it's an adult cartoon, but it's real. Like, if a character does a lot of drugs, guess what? They overdose and die. If a character has a lot of sex? Unplanned pregnancy.
This is a thing that happens in this show. This is adult. Other "adult" cartoons are cartoons that I consider to be childish. Well, meet the show that I think the animation industry has needed for a long time: an adult cartoon that actually acts adult.
This show even talks about things that children would have NO WAY OF COMPREHENDING. Like, what's it like to live in the past during your glory days? What's it like to contemplate your existence? THIS SHOW TALKS ABOUT THAT.
Here's the basic premise of the series: Bojack worked on a sitcom for nine years. Because of that, he's delusioned enough to think that his life is a sitcom. Everyone's problems will go away in half-an-hour with no complexities, no matter how big the problem was. But then reality comes along and Bojack is forced to deal with the fact that this isn't how it works.
For example, there's one episode where Bojack is making a movie. The director does some things that Bojack disagrees with, so Bojack goes behind the director's back and films his own version to show how good the movie could be if they did it his way. In a television show? The director would see the artist's viewpoint immediately and concede that they were wrong. In the real world? The artist is fired for illegal use of filming equipment and insubordination. Guess which happens here?
Yeah, this is not a happy show. There's very little optimism or joy to be experienced when watching. And that makes this even more powerful. It's very common for an episode to end with a complete tragic death or something. And then it just cuts to the credits. In Bojack Horseman, happy endings do not exist. Ever. Did I mention that this show is incredibly fucked up? Because this show is incredibly fucked up.
Here's an example of how fucked up this show gets (from Episode 8):
Herb: So, you're apologizing?
Bojack: Yes. I'm sorry.
Herb: Okay. I don't forgive you.
Bojack: Herb, I said "I'm sorry."
Herb: Yeah, and I do not forgive you.
Bojack: Uh... Not sure you get what's happening here. This could be the last time that-
Herb: No. I'm not going to give you closure. You don't get that. You have to live with the shitty thing you did for the rest of your life. You have to know that it's never, ever, going to be okay.
(a bunch of spoiler stuff happens here that I can't talk about)
Bojack: It's not my fault you got fired.
Herb: I don't care about the job! I did fine. I had a good life. But what I needed then was a friend. And you abandoned me. And I will never forgive you for that. Now, get the fuck out of my house.
THIS IS ACTUAL DIALOGUE FROM AN ACTUAL EPISODE OF THIS ACTUAL SHOW. It really hits you in the heart hard. Sometimes, yeah, there can be no forgiveness and when you fuck up a relationship, it stays fucked up forever and nothing you do can ever fix it. Lord knows I've done that way too many times over my years.
And regarding the use of the word "fuck" above, no, this is not a show that goes around swearing all the time. That'd be childish. The writers have a self-imposed rule that they can only use the word "fuck" once per season. (Remember, this is on Netflix, not on "real" television, so they can actually swear uncensored.)
Bottom line: This show gets really deep. REALLY, REALLY DEEP. It forces you to examine parts of yourself that you may not have known you had, and probably never wanted to know you had. It does take a while to get to that point though. Still, if you can stomach the first seven episodes, you're in for quite a treat. I can't even describe how this show made me feel. Sad? No. Existential? No. It's just... there's no word for it. I don't want to relate to Bojack, but I do. And I think most viewers will as well.
In Episode 4, it is stated that people can never really change. And Bojack definitely exemplifies this. He's always trying to live in the past and reclaim his glory days. It really made me think: Am I going to be the same person forever? Am I never going to change? The more I think about it now, the more I think, yeah, I probably will be the same forever. And that thought terrifies me.
This show really makes you think. I'm only 23. If I do have "glory days", they probably are right now. And to be honest? I hate where my life is right now. Yet I know, deep down, this is probably going to be the high point of my life overall when I look back on this later as an old man. This show fucked up the way I think.
I'm a complete mess after this show. I never thought a TV Show like this could honestly change my outlook on life, but... it has. I'd like to encourage you WyvernIRC people to try this show out. It's on Netflix. And it will change your life. It's incredible.
----
Back in the '90s...
I was in a very famous TV show.
I'm Bojack the horse! (Bojack!)
Bojack the horse!
Don't act like you don't know...
And I'm trying to hold onto my past.
It's been so long,
I don't think I'm gonna last.
I guess I'll just try
And make you understand...
That I'm more horse than a man.
Or I'm more man than a horse.
Bojack!
And I largely stick to American animation. Why? Because that was what I was raised on. It's familiar to me, and so I consume it, just as you consume your favorite childhood foods because they are familiar to you. I've tried live-action and I've tried Japanese animation, and while I have found a few that I like, for the most part, it's not my thing.
So I am very knowledgeable about the world of cartoons. My friends joke that you can name literally ANY cartoon in all of American history and I've seen at least one episode of it. While it's not quite that extreme, it is pretty damn close to that. TL;DR: I know what I'm talking about.
So, without further ado, let's talk about the show that forever changed the way I think about my place in life.
Let's talk about a cartoon with a talking horse.
My Little Pony, My Little Pony...
NO.
We are not talking about that piece of garbage here.
I am here to talk to you about Bojack Horseman, a Netflix original series.
(From Left to Right: Diane Nguyen, Todd Chavez, BoJack Horseman, Princess Carolyn, Mr. Peanutbutter)
This show... I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. Look, I consume a lot of television, so I know a hit when I see it. And I'm not exaggerating when I say THIS IS MY FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW OF ALL TIME RIGHT NOW.
Now, I know what you're thinking, just off of that image up above: it looks pretty terrible. That looks like a man wearing a horse mask, what's the big deal? And yeah, that's fair enough. I thought that when I saw the promotional material for this show, until I actually sat down and watched it.
Here's a spoiler-free version of how my viewing of the 37 episodes really went:
(Note that some artistic liberty was taken.)
Episode 1: Oh, okay, so this is just a random South Park ripoff. Cause the animation industry really needed another one of those. I mean, it's okay, but nothing to write home about. I will say that the animation is pretty bad, and Bojack is a terrible character. He's a complete asshole. Totally unrelatable!
Episode 4: Woah. Okay. Yeah. Didn't expect that. But, of course, everything is gonna reset and go back to normal by the start of the next episode, right? (No, no it didn't.)
Episode 8: Wow. Now I really like this show. There's no way they'll top that episode!
Episode 11: THEY TOPPED THAT EPISODE!? So THAT'S how they make Bojack relatable. WHAT THE FUCK. This show is making me loathe myself.
Episode 23: WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK. SERIOUSLY, WHAT WAS WITH THE ENDING OF THAT EPISODE!?
Episode 35: God damn it! This show just made me cry! :'(
Episode 36: Okay, now I need to go and rethink my entire life. Fuck this show, it's too good.
Okay, now let's talk about this in more detail (still no spoilers).
Bojack Horseman is a show that will change your perspective on life. I really need to talk about it. So that's why I'm writing this. And I don't really have anywhere else to post it, so WyvernIRC works better than anything.
This show is very... realistic. Now I know what you're thinking. The main character is a horse. How is that realistic? Well, most human characters on television don't act human. They act like, well, characters. Even the best-written characters from cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Samurai Jack still face this problem to a very small degree. But when I see a character on Bojack Horseman, they feel very much like a real-life person, even if they are an anthropomorphic animal. This show feels more real to me than any other show that I've ever watched. Period.
Okay, so what's the plot?
Well, Bojack is a character who was in a really famous TV show back in the '90s. This show takes place in modern time, about 20 years later. He has done nothing of note since the '90s, however. And now he's just a rich, washed-up asshole. Mr. Peanutbutter is another actor who is now starring in a modern-day ripoff of Bojack's old show, and he's getting a lot of glamor for that. Princess Carolyn is Bojack's on-again/off-again girlfriend as well as his agent. Diane is a writer who is trying to ghost-write Bojack's memoir. Todd is a fan that showed up five years ago at a party that Bojack threw and he never left. The show is about these characters getting into crazy situations.
BUT THERE'S A TWIST.
Unlike typical adult cartoons, there are consequences. Here's what I mean.
The adult animation industry in America, for all intents and purposes, is on life support. Until I saw Bojack Horseman, I was actually willing to call it dead. Here's what I mean. What's an adult supposed to do for entertainment?
If you're into film, you might try The Godfather or Saving Private Ryan. If you're into literature, you might try 1984 or To Kill A Mockingbird. If you're into video games, you might try Silent Hill 2 or Shadow of the Colossus. But if you're into animation, you are stuck with only South Park, Family Guy, and other crap like that.
Here's the thing: adult animation, for the most part, just tries to tell the story of a deadbeat dad living with his family as they show the grossest stuff possible and constantly talk about drugs and sex, while being racist and offensive and edgy.
To me, that's not adult. That's childish. Until Rick & Morty came along, I thought that there could never be a single good adult cartoon ever in America. After Rick and Morty, people started stepping up and we got some good stuff like Bob's Burgers, and Archer. And, of course, Bojack Horseman.
But here's the thing about Bojack: it acts like another South Park ripoff at first. Until you learn what it really does: IT HAS CONSEQUENCES. If a character like Peter Griffin from Family Guy existed in real life, they would be a complete jerk and everyone would hate them. The reason it works in television is that everyone will forgive the character once half-an-hour goes by and the next episode starts up, because now it's a new episode, so we've hit the reset button. In real life, there would be no forgiveness. And the character would have to try and redeem themselves against impossible odds, and most likely fail.
Because, yeah, this show has continuity. A LOT OF IT. That's why I can't really give spoilers. If I were to talk about any episode past the first, then I have to first explain all of the episodes that came before it. And I don't think the series really gets that great until episode 8. And I know what you're thinking: Oh, well, continuity isn't that big of a deal, is it?
In this show, yes. This show makes Avatar: The Last Airbender look episodic. For example, in one episode, someone steals the "D" from the Hollywood Sign. For the rest of the series, anytime you see the Hollywood Sign, INCLUDING IN THE THEME SONG OF EVERY EPISODE, it is missing the "D", and in fact, characters refer to the location as "Hollywoo". If some object on the shelf gets broken, it'll stay broken for future episodes. And if someone gets hurt, either physically or emotionally, they will stay hurt.
So, yeah, it's an adult cartoon, but it's real. Like, if a character does a lot of drugs, guess what? They overdose and die. If a character has a lot of sex? Unplanned pregnancy.
This is a thing that happens in this show. This is adult. Other "adult" cartoons are cartoons that I consider to be childish. Well, meet the show that I think the animation industry has needed for a long time: an adult cartoon that actually acts adult.
This show even talks about things that children would have NO WAY OF COMPREHENDING. Like, what's it like to live in the past during your glory days? What's it like to contemplate your existence? THIS SHOW TALKS ABOUT THAT.
Here's the basic premise of the series: Bojack worked on a sitcom for nine years. Because of that, he's delusioned enough to think that his life is a sitcom. Everyone's problems will go away in half-an-hour with no complexities, no matter how big the problem was. But then reality comes along and Bojack is forced to deal with the fact that this isn't how it works.
For example, there's one episode where Bojack is making a movie. The director does some things that Bojack disagrees with, so Bojack goes behind the director's back and films his own version to show how good the movie could be if they did it his way. In a television show? The director would see the artist's viewpoint immediately and concede that they were wrong. In the real world? The artist is fired for illegal use of filming equipment and insubordination. Guess which happens here?
Yeah, this is not a happy show. There's very little optimism or joy to be experienced when watching. And that makes this even more powerful. It's very common for an episode to end with a complete tragic death or something. And then it just cuts to the credits. In Bojack Horseman, happy endings do not exist. Ever. Did I mention that this show is incredibly fucked up? Because this show is incredibly fucked up.
Here's an example of how fucked up this show gets (from Episode 8):
Herb: So, you're apologizing?
Bojack: Yes. I'm sorry.
Herb: Okay. I don't forgive you.
Bojack: Herb, I said "I'm sorry."
Herb: Yeah, and I do not forgive you.
Bojack: Uh... Not sure you get what's happening here. This could be the last time that-
Herb: No. I'm not going to give you closure. You don't get that. You have to live with the shitty thing you did for the rest of your life. You have to know that it's never, ever, going to be okay.
(a bunch of spoiler stuff happens here that I can't talk about)
Bojack: It's not my fault you got fired.
Herb: I don't care about the job! I did fine. I had a good life. But what I needed then was a friend. And you abandoned me. And I will never forgive you for that. Now, get the fuck out of my house.
THIS IS ACTUAL DIALOGUE FROM AN ACTUAL EPISODE OF THIS ACTUAL SHOW. It really hits you in the heart hard. Sometimes, yeah, there can be no forgiveness and when you fuck up a relationship, it stays fucked up forever and nothing you do can ever fix it. Lord knows I've done that way too many times over my years.
And regarding the use of the word "fuck" above, no, this is not a show that goes around swearing all the time. That'd be childish. The writers have a self-imposed rule that they can only use the word "fuck" once per season. (Remember, this is on Netflix, not on "real" television, so they can actually swear uncensored.)
Bottom line: This show gets really deep. REALLY, REALLY DEEP. It forces you to examine parts of yourself that you may not have known you had, and probably never wanted to know you had. It does take a while to get to that point though. Still, if you can stomach the first seven episodes, you're in for quite a treat. I can't even describe how this show made me feel. Sad? No. Existential? No. It's just... there's no word for it. I don't want to relate to Bojack, but I do. And I think most viewers will as well.
In Episode 4, it is stated that people can never really change. And Bojack definitely exemplifies this. He's always trying to live in the past and reclaim his glory days. It really made me think: Am I going to be the same person forever? Am I never going to change? The more I think about it now, the more I think, yeah, I probably will be the same forever. And that thought terrifies me.
This show really makes you think. I'm only 23. If I do have "glory days", they probably are right now. And to be honest? I hate where my life is right now. Yet I know, deep down, this is probably going to be the high point of my life overall when I look back on this later as an old man. This show fucked up the way I think.
I'm a complete mess after this show. I never thought a TV Show like this could honestly change my outlook on life, but... it has. I'd like to encourage you WyvernIRC people to try this show out. It's on Netflix. And it will change your life. It's incredible.
----
Back in the '90s...
I was in a very famous TV show.
I'm Bojack the horse! (Bojack!)
Bojack the horse!
Don't act like you don't know...
And I'm trying to hold onto my past.
It's been so long,
I don't think I'm gonna last.
I guess I'll just try
And make you understand...
That I'm more horse than a man.
Or I'm more man than a horse.
Bojack!