Animated
The Best TV Series of 2020
Unlike with movies, there was no shortage of TV shows in 2020. While some shows like the Marvel Disney+ projects got postponed, we also got our fair share of great shows this year. Honorable mentions include Dispatches from Elsewhere, The…
Blood of Zeus is a Violent, Original Take on Greek Mythology With A Lot of Potential (And A Lot of Room for Improvement)
Blood of Zeus uses a familiar conceit- that of greek mythology- and weaves its own narrative with it. The show introduces its story as a ‘lost’ oral story, which allows series creators Charley and Vlas Parlapanides (who also worked on…
Netflix’s Japan Sinks: 2020 is an Ambitious (and Flawed) Effort at Depicting Tragedy on an Enormous Scale
Japan Sinks: 2020 is director Masaaki Yuasa’s second Netflix original, after 2018’s Devilman Crybaby. The only similarity the two share is that there are a lot of deaths involved, but Japan Sinks: 2020 is more focused on the struggles of…
Harley Quinn is Still a Fun Ride in Season Two, Fleshing Out Characters in Longer Storylines
In season two, Harley Quinn gets to set up and explore season long plot threads, taking full advantage of the new status quo set up at the end of the first season. Gotham is in a state of anarchy, with…
Castlevania Finds Life After Dracula, Delivers Strongest Season Yet in Season Three
Castlevania had a hefty task ahead in season 3: take the story in a new direction after the demise of its main antagonist, Dracula. While this new season is short on introspection, it’s still well paced with plenty of inventive…
Harley Quinn Starts off Strong with its First Season, Balancing Comedy and Character Development
A Harley Quinn show could have gone wrong in a lot of ways. Although she’s a very popular character, she often runs the risk of overexposure like Deadpool does. And there’s the problematic aspect of Harley being in a toxic…
Bojack Horseman Ends with a Somber, Heartfelt Look at Bojack’s Past, Hinting at a Hopeful Future
In some ways, Bojack Horseman is one of the last remnants of an earlier era in television: the era of ‘difficult men’. Mad Men ended almost five years ago. Like Don Draper, Bojack Horseman often ends up exercising his power…
The Dragon Prince Makes Confident Strides in Season Three, Bringing Major Storylines to a Head
The Dragon Prince’s third season was overshadowed at its launch by allegations of creating an abusive environment for women against the show’s creator and showrunner Aaron Ehasz. Ehasz’ terse response hasn’t helped matters, and many have abandoned support for the…
Bojack Horseman Season 6 Part One: The Long Road to Recovery (and How it May All Come Crashing Down)
Like Mad Men and Breaking Bad before it, Bojack Horseman has decided to split its final season into two parts. As a result, season 6 part one feels more like a preamble: it’s a roller-coaster slowly climbing to its peak,…
Undone is a Visually-Arresting Narrative about Relationships (and Time Travel)
Undone is a new eight-part animated series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg (Bojack Horseman) and Kate Purdy. The only familiarity it shares with Bojack is the way it deals with mental illnesses. Stylistically, it has more in common with Waking Life…
