{"id":548,"date":"2018-09-13T21:30:16","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T12:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=548"},"modified":"2018-09-13T21:34:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-13T12:34:34","slug":"netflixs-disenchantment-is-aptly-titled-for-better-and-for-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/13\/netflixs-disenchantment-is-aptly-titled-for-better-and-for-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s Disenchantment<\/i> is Aptly Titled, For Better and For Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone. Before we get started, I just wanted to give out a big thanks to Joshua Ott for sponsoring this review with his <\/span>Patreon<\/span><\/a> donation. (At the $60 a month tier, you are allowed to pick one 13ish episode series to be reviewed\u2013which is released in addition to the one article a week I normally put out here on BiggestinJapan.com.) This time around he chose a non-anime, the new Netflix cartoon <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i>. So let\u2019s get down to the review!<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Disenchantment<\/span><\/i>, Netflix latest original animated series aimed at adults, has had a lot of buzz surrounding it–and that\u2019s to be expected. After all, this is the latest animated work from the creator of <\/span>Futurama<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>The Simpsons<\/span><\/i>. But while the art and humor fits well with its brethren, <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> often feels more different than similar.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gp_RnJcb8Ig<\/p>\n

Why this is begins with the premise. <\/span>The Simpsons<\/span><\/i> is about the wacky struggles of a working class family and the town they live in. \u00a0<\/span>Futurama<\/span><\/i> is about the workers of an interplanetary delivery company in the far future and the adventures they have along the way. <\/span>Disenchantment,<\/span><\/i> however, is about the princess of a fantasy kingdom who wants more out of life than being married off in a royal alliance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Springfield is a town where something new and strange is always happening–and how each character interacts with what is going on is the setup for much of the shows humor. <\/span>Futurama<\/span><\/i>\u2019s future has an entire universe to play with–not to mention time and other dimensions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But in <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i>, the Kingdom of Dreamland–i.e., where the majority of the show is set–is the most boring part. Now, let\u2019s be clear, the greater world itself is exceptionally fun to explore. From ancient cities and wise gurus to Hansel and Gretel reimagined as cannibalistic serial killers, the pure insanity of the fantasy world is limited only by the imagination of its creators.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dreamland itself, however, is nothing more than a medieval castle city. It’s got pubs and opium dens, starvation and the plague. But when it comes to the magic that permeates the rest of the world, there\u2019s little of it to see beyond the fairy prostitutes who lurk in the back alleys. Even the kingdom\u2019s salamander Queen and three-eyed chancellor act like any human character with the exception of a few humorous quirks. In the Kingdom of Dreamland, the fantastic is made normal. \u201cDisenchantment\u201d indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In fact, the kingdom only gets interesting when things from the outside come in and mess up the status quo–be that an exorcist, a wedding delegation, or an army of Vikings. And that is the point. Despite the incredible world of fantasy surrounding us, we\u2019re trapped in this boring kingdom–just like the protagonist, Bean.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike <\/span>The Simpsons<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Futurama<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> is focused on the life of a single protagonist, Bean. The aforementioned princess, she hates her life in the Kingdom of Dreamland. Bean longs to be free of her cage, to travel the world, fall in love, and have adventures–or maybe just get really drunk in as many crazy places as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ever since the death of her mother, her purpose in the kingdom has been horribly clear: marry a prince to secure an alliance for Dreamland. But the problem with this is the fact that anyone with a functioning pair of ovaries could fill this role. It has to do with who she was born as not who she is as a person.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as much as she has convinced herself that she is trapped in her role, it isn\u2019t her father who has trapped her there, it is herself. If she really wanted to, she could leave at any time–and she wouldn\u2019t be alone; her friends Elfo and Luci would join her without a thought. Moreover, while the world is dangerous, she is far from helpless and can even go toe-to-toe in a sword fight with experienced warriors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There really is nothing stopping her from going out on adventures–and she does so several times throughout the first season. However, when she heads out into the greater world, it\u2019s always because she is driven to leave–usually in order to save her friends. What\u2019s stopping her from escaping her princessly life isn\u2019t physical, it\u2019s mental.<\/span><\/p>\n

When left alone, Bean will get drunk or high rather than go on an adventure. After all, what\u2019s easier, going down to the pub while railing at the world for being unfair or making an effort and hitting the road? <\/span><\/p>\n

At her core, Bean is selfish and entitled. She likes her comfort and doesn\u2019t what to give it up. And that\u2019s understandable. She is a princess after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing about Bean, the problem she\u2019s having isn\u2019t the problem she thinks she\u2019s having: What she really wants isn\u2019t freedom, its a purpose–a purpose beyond marrying a random prince.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bean is at her happiest when she has something to do: be that a quest to find a pendant or planning a killer party while her father is out of town. In fact, the high point for her is when her father makes her an ambassador. In this episode, we see Bean as she could be–smart, decisive, and able to rise to the challenges before her. In fact, it\u2019s only the direct interference of her personal demon, Luci, that makes everything fall apart spectacularly. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This need to have a meaning to her life is likewise why Bean chooses to leave with her resurrected mother in the season finale. Bean\u2019s mother tells her that she has a great destiny and, of course, this is exactly what Bean wants to hear. She doesn\u2019t have to do the hard work of hunting for a meaning to her life or even give up her creature comforts to find it. All she has to do is go off with her mother. And given that her mother\u2019s death is the event that left her disenchanted (pun intended) with her fate as a princess, it\u2019s no wonder she accepted so easily. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beans arc is far from finished by the end of the first season. She\u2019s been led astray by the very words she wanted to hear from the very mouth of the person she wanted to hear those words from. But, who’s to say that the grand destiny her mother has planned is any better than the one her father had planned?<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes down to it, Bean simply wants what all of us want, to find something we love to do. And no matter the planning or scheming, that\u2019s something no parent can force. <\/span><\/p>\n

This singular thematic focus is what makes <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> work dramatically–even as it\u2019s often overshadowed by witty wordplay and shocking visual humor. It\u2019s also what sets it apart from <\/span>The Simpsons<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Futurama<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Though, that\u2019s not to say that <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> doesn\u2019t stumble in other areas. A lot of what plagues this first season is confusion about the status quo. At first, it seems like <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i>\u2019s the story of a princess running away from home with two odd companions. But all too soon, she\u2019s back in the castle having much more mundane adventures. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u2019s hard to get a grasp on the rules of what you\u2019re watching. Is continuity a thing or do things reset each week? Are the characters static (like Homer, Bart, etc.) or will they change and grow based on their experiences? It\u2019s not really until the end of the season that you really see what kind of show it is–a show that\u2019s episodic but that does have an overall arc in which the characters grow and change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, due to the comedic nature of the series it\u2019s hard to tell what is truly dangerous and what isn\u2019t–a problem when trying to build tension for the more dramatic scenes. While people die all the time in the show (usually as a gruesome punchline), it\u2019s unclear what can actually harm our main characters and what can\u2019t. Water from a well with a dead horse in it gives only a stomach ache. However, a single arrow proves lethal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But the good news is that by the end of the first season, what <\/span>Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> is and what it\u2019s trying to be is much more clear. On the episodic level, it\u2019s a sarcastic, often shocking comedy full of grim humor and witty dialogue. On the seasonal level, it is a drama about trying to find your place in the world–and how the only person who really gets in the way of finding it is you.<\/span><\/p>\n

So while the first season was a bit rocky, I am certainly excited to check out season 2 whenever it arrives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disenchantment<\/span><\/i> can be seen on Netflix. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Top Image Source: Netflix US<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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