Binge Watching and Bojack Horseman

Previously in history, people would binge watch in the form of marathons on TVs, DVDs or video tapes, but now with easy access to the internet, the modern age of binge watching is upon us. These days, streaming video on demand services are becoming very popular, with Netflix leading the charge along with Hulu, HBO and Comedy Central among others (FYI, Netflix is the only one that available in Australia). Streaming services have taken over the use of DVDs or regular programming on TV due to its quick and easy use. You can do anything in just one sitting as there’s no such thing as changing the CDs, waiting for the new episode in a week, or having to sit through ads. Netflix is not just a streaming video on demand service that provides TV shows, movies, and documentaries, but also create their own shows through "Netflix Originals." Out of the many Netflix Originals, my favourite show would undoubtedly be Bojack Horseman by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. The show is simply incredible, from the animation, the humor, and the relatable characters that got me hooked to binge watch the show in the first place.

2015 was the year when I moved to Australia and my apartment did not have TV, so I started my subscription for Netflix. The genre of Bojack Horseman is an adult animated sitcom; which is the same style as The Simpsons, Family Guy, cartoons from Adult Swim, and so on. In my opinion, this show is not just a pointless animated comedy show. It is the most life-relatable show, especially for people that battling with mental health and addiction. This show is made for adults as it contains violence and strong language. Even though the dialogue is uncensored, there something interesting that I notice in the show which was the way they use the "f" word. It is only dropped once during the most serious moment of each season. The writers use of the "f" word allows it to have a heavy, chilling effect on the audience since it is rarely used.

The show is about a washed up celebrity (Bojack Horseman) that used to be very popular back in the 90's. As a struggling stand-up comedian, he is discovered by another stand-up comedian and aspiring TV producer (Herb Kazaaz) to be the main star of his show in the 90s. Years after Bojack's show is over, he still recovering from the hype that he used to have, and is now an alcoholic. He gets an offer from a publisher to make a book about his life journey, which gives him pressure because he still feels useless. To make his job easier, his agent (Princess Caroline) gives him a piece of advice to recruit a ghost-writer (Diane Nguyen). Bojack lives with a guy in his 20's (Todd Chavez) that at first crashed at Bojack's for a temporary stay but ended up living there. With all of the chaos happening in the first season, he managed to finish his book, and it changes his life in unexpected ways, which each season relating to Bojack's next chapter in his career.

The time period used on the show is based in the modern day (2014 - present), with some flashbacks to the 70's of Bojack’s childhood. This is why everything is up-to-date from the people, to the current trending topics that they make the spoof of. Along with that, the world of Bojack Horseman is different to other shows in that it is populated by characters, both human, and animal, with human qualities. For example in season one, episode ten, when Bojack Horseman is shooting for a romantic movie, directed by Quentin Tarantulino. The famous filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is showcasing the examples of the spoof style they use in Bojack Horseman. Both is a joke on the filmmaker’s name, changing it and his human character to a tarantula spider to reflect his name in real life.

Quentin Tarantulino

Despite all of the technologies that they use, the structure and techniques are the same with the traditional way of making an animated film. The creative team still uses hand drawing but what sets them apart is that they draw on the computer. The designer of the show is Lisa Hanawalt, with the art style originating from her personal work that involves animal heads on human bodies, with her artwork having a hand drawn look. Lisa Hanawalt wants the animation to look detailed and attractive, so she mixes the colors with patterns and textures. The main texture that Lisa Hanawalt use in this show is watercolor texture. She is designing everything with Photoshop, which is the reason why it still looks handmade and not fully computerized.

The opening theme song of Bojack Horseman is created by Patrick Carney who is one of the blues-rock duo of The Black Keys with a collaboration with his uncle, Ralph Carney. The opening scene is Bojack getting up and getting ready for his routine, which changes in each following season, though always ends up with him partying, resulting to previous habits and feeling faded away. The initial closing theme song is made by the American indie rock band called "Grouplove", though depending on the theme that the episode ends on, different songs may play to reflect the mood.

This is why I love this show (along with being binge worthy), is how relatable it is people. The amount of work that goes into this program is visible, as the detail is reflected in every episode, from the writing, humor, animation, acting and music. It is easy to rave about this show for hours, but it is better to watch it yourself to find out.

So find a lazy afternoon, kick your legs up and enjoy.