I love cartoons. From child-appropriate ones like Steven Universe to more mature content like Archer, I love them all. Anime is also something I’m very fond of. So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw the trailer for a new show called Disenchantment. It had a female lead, a medieval theme, and The Simpsons’ Matt Groening created it. Needless to say, I had very high expectations for this series and I waited patiently for the premiere date.
It’s hard for me to say this, but Disenchantment was off to a disappointing start. I caught myself constantly asking “what?” and not in a good way. I felt like the jokes were poorly delivered and didn’t land well. There also seemed to be off transitions in an otherwise beautifully animated show.
After watching the first episode, I’ll admit, it was difficult for me to watch another but I did. I wanted to give it another chance. But, again, something just felt off-kilter about the show. Trust me, I wanted to enjoy this series so badly.
Halfway through the episodes, it started to pick up. The plot started to make more sense and I was a little more intrigued. However, I found that I wasn’t as engrossed as I usually am with other cartoons like BoJack Horseman. It was a challenge but I got to the end.
The Verge recently put out a review as well echoing the same sentiment. “Groening could stand to learn from his fellow Netflix animators and find the courage to edge further out into untested territory. Otherwise, the series will continue to feel stuck in the past and not nearly magical enough.”
I do appreciate that they try to show the lead character Bean trying to forge her own path but she is lacking some oomph. There are also recurring jokes that weren’t funny to begin with, like how they repeatedly call the demon a talking cat or the recalls of guy who got stabbed in the head in the first episode.
All of these problems aside, Disenchantment does have one good thing going and that is their theme. With its focus being on the medieval times with a touch of fairytale tropes, it keep it interesting enough for viewers to want to keep watching. However, this may not last. I feel like there is so much more they can do with that in terms of the plot and character development. At the end of the season, we are left with many cliffhangers like where are Bean and Queen Dagmar going? Is Elfo still alive? What’s going to happen to Dreamland? By the looks of it, there will probably be a second season and I do hope that they kick it up a few notches for the next episodes.
If you’ve watched season 1, let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Art by Marian Hukom
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