If you had told me years ago, that the piece of media that would impact me the most as
a person would be one that has a morally corrupt horse as the main character- yes, a
literal animal- I would have probably laughed at your face.
“Bojack Horseman” is an adult, dark comedy, cartoon drama created by Raphael
Bob-Waksberg. It tells the story of Bojack Horseman, a horse; once the promising star of
a successful 90’s sitcom, now a one-hit wonder and not-so-shining star. Bojack is
embittered with life and stuck in a cycle of self-destruction due to his inability to confront
his own inner demons. Sounds a little bit dark for a cartoon revolving around animals
right?
Truth is, most people start watching Bojack Horseman without having the idea of the
heavy, possibly triggering, topics it deals with. To be clearer, no one is prepared for the
rollercoaster of emotions the show will bring you. First of all, the characters are all
incredibly written and each portrays real, different human emotions and behaviors
stemming from childhood trauma. Although there is a range of characters I could use to
prove to you how fascinating this series actually is, I have to stick with the main
character. What makes Bojack Horseman so interesting to me is his character
development as the show progresses. Instead of self-actualizing, winning the battle with
depression, or whatever optimistic media likes to sell nowadays, Bojack shows the
reality of a traumatized and deeply flawed person. I remember the first time watching the
show, being excited to see every season finale, just to see the character I had grown to
love disappoint me even more. Although at first what I thought to be his “character
regression” made me very uncomfortable, now it’s the aspect of the show I appreciate
the most.
What makes a viewer most uncomfortable when watching this show, is that it does not
tackle depression in the usual “finding happiness”, or “self-growth” way. It shows you the
ugly side of depression, what a self-loathing person with unhealed past trauma, involved
in a toxic environment, can do to himself and to others. The show tackles the real
complexity of learning and growing from your bad decisions and the struggle of taking
accountability and truly changing when one’s biggest fear is to face who they actually
might be. Self-improvement will not happen in a single “eureka” moment, it is a
never-ending task. But as cruel as life might be, you keep living.
Bojack Horseman will always be my favorite show. I could watch it countless times and
take something valuable from it again and again. So, if you want to try something new,
open your mind to a new perspective on mental health issues, or maybe you just want
to have a good laugh, watch this show. Maybe you will love it, or hate it. But you will definitely not regret it.