Much to the dismay of my Millenial, tech-y coworkers, I have a sort of blanket policy against going out of my way to watch animated movies or shows, even the ones that are made for adults. Sure, I love The Simpsons, which I started watching it as a tween, but even by the time I was in college I found all my friends’ obsession with South Park perplexing (do NOT get me started on Family Guy—evidently my views on that show are alienating). All of this is to say, I’ve never jumped on the BoJack Horseman bandwagon, even though everything I know about that show makes me think I’d like it, but for the fact that it’s animated. Fans all seem to agree that it is very funny, but also dark and improbably nuanced in its exploration of themes like addiction, depression, and loneliness. The show, a satire about a TV celebrity/ anthropomorphized horse whose star is fading, just ended after six seasons and amid a flurry of glowing reviews, and I’m thinking my stubborn streak has steered me wrong yet again. Animated or not, entertainment that is honest and thoughtful and complex is worth my time, and certainly worth my Monday evening, which would likely otherwise be spent poking around Twitter.
