BoJack Horseman Review

"BOUND TO STIRRUP LAUGHTER"

I turned on BoJack Horseman, the new, and first (ADULT) animated TV show from Netflix, not expecting much and by the fourth episode I knew I was right to not expect much. I always give a show the four episode trial as most shows tend to get better after a few episodes, but with the lack of anything to watch, I decided to keep on going and watch more episodes of Bojack. It then hit me like a bucking (pun intended) bullet to the head that, well, hey (no pun intended) this show is actually really good.

What sets this show apart from other adult oriented cartoons like Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park, is it isn't so overly offensive, which is a fresh of breath air from a cartoon for adults (don't get me wrong, I love shows that are offensive), or at least it doesn't try so hard to be offensive, *cough* Family Guy *cough*. Also unlike the shows I mentioned, BoJack Horseman actually has a cohesive story, which, I at least didn't realize til around the fourth episode (shows how much I was interested at first).

BoJack Horseman attempts to make you laugh, and it succeeds, but I would be lying if I told you it was non-stop laughter, joke after joke, because it isn't, and that is a good thing for a show like this. It is definitely witty, it is smart, and it is definitely hilarious. It perfectly pokes fun of celebrity culture, and has very clever jokes, and the world of BoJack Horseman is constantly weird, and fun, and based in a world where humans exist, but also animal people (the best I can explain it) which adds some great visual jokes, such as a Giraffe getting into his car, an old lady Armadillo almost getting hit by a car who has an excellent reaction. A lot of the jokes are also continuous throughout the series, a lot like Arrested Development. 

As I said in that last paragraph, I'd be lying if I said it was constantly funny, and that that was a good thing for this show, a show that is an adult animated comedy that isn't constantly funny may sound like the point of the show is ruined, but it isn't because on top of the humor the show has tons of heart, and most the characters are excellently written and emotionally broken. BoJack Horseman, voiced by the always hilarious Will Arnett, is a washed up celebrity from an old 90's family sitcom, who is writing a novel based on his life, and his ghostwriter,  Diane, voiced by Community's Annie, Alison Brie, who follows him around to get a good idea of who BoJack is, a very dark, depressed character, who doesn't really realize that he is afraid to be alone, and just wants to be liked. A really good scene that really stood out to me as showing the great humor, and yet emotionally driven story BoJack has to offer, is in the second to last episode "Downer Ending" where BoJack takes tons, and I mean, TONS of drugs thinking it would help him write his novel. He ends up having a ridiculous trip that not only is hilarious, but dark and actually kind of heartbreaking as he comes to a certain realization.

BoJack Horseman might be a bit hard to swallow at first, and it may even be a bit hard to swallow in general for some. The animation is a bit weird, the characters are weird, and the overall concept is, well, weird. The humor may not offend some as much as most adult cartoons do, but it has the wittiness, and smartness of great shows like Arrested Development,  which also stars Will Arnett, and Community, which also stars Alison Brie. The humor is excellent and witty without trying too hard to offend the audience for shock, and the added character depth and heartwarming and emotionally driven character moments make BoJack Horseman a real fresh of breath air in a genre filled with a lot of overlay offensive material.

BoJack Horseman also stars:

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)

Paul F. Tompkins (Tenacious D)

Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy)

Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens)

Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games)