Carol et la fin du monde

Easily one of my favourite animated shows of 2023, Carol and The End of the World is a very pensive and surprisingly mature show compared to the usual adult comedy cartoon schlock.

If you are looking for the next Family Guy, or Big Mouth, best let this show be and go check out other things because this show isn't got you, but if you are looking for a relaxed and pleasantly animated experience with a dash of humour and a lot of heart, this is the show.

Not every episode is perfect, and it does occasionally dive a little deeper into cringe comedy territory than I would usually recommend, but the show is at it's best when it lets the characters simply interact with each other in emotional and genuine ways--sometimes with complete sincerity and sometimes with a bit of comedy.

The show also looks very nice. It manages to take the usual adult animated comedy style and inject it with a whole lot of visual flair through unique character design, impeccable colour/lighting, and some beautiful animation.

Overall, it's a moody, pensive viewing experience that experiments a lot with the the structure of storytelling and uses the animated medium to it's advantage. It won't be for everyone, and it makes no attempt to appeal to a general audience, but unlike so many adult animated comedies that are driven by derision and hate, this one is driven by love and compassion. And in the face of a world ending apocalypse, that's what is truly important.

The world is going to end in 6 months due to a small planet crashing into earth. How to proceed? Most people start living every day as if it's their last; they travel the world, run around naked, skydive and learn French, eat whatever they like and screw whoever they want. Meanwhile Carol is trying to pay off her debt with a bank that's not even in business anymore. She doesn't know what to do. We follow Carol as she tries to cope with the lack of meaning in her life.

The show is episodic, mysterious, dry, sarcastic, humorous, emotional. It reminded me of Bojack Horseman in the surreal depiction of real life problems like depression and coping mechanisms.

Maybe it's me. Like Carol, I'm 42, single, childless and don't know how to find the meaning in life or how to enjoy it, while it so often feels that the apocalypse is around the corner. Not a planet about to crash into earth, but climate change, wars, pandemics. So needless to say, I found Carol & The End of the World very relatable.

I'm certain the show is not for everyone. This is not really a review. Rather the void I'm filling after binge watching the whole show. Watch it, don't watch it. I'm sure some will stop after 1 or 2 episodes and some, like me, will enjoy it while crying at least once every episode. I'm sure it will find it's audience. 9/10.

This has everything a good show needs, such a delightful surprise at the end of the year. The pace of the series is wonderfully slow, this has sadly become a rare thing in modern productions. The voice actors do a great job. Carol is relatable for anyone who is at least at times, on a deep journey to find out what makes them happy. I love how the show highlights the extraordinary in the ordinary.

I also really enjoyed how the show reveals more and more gradually what drives the other characters. I really recommend it. Watching it felt like an odd meditation and if you let the message in, it really gets you thinking about your own life and what matters to you.

In my estimation, there can only be a 1 or 10 rating for this show. I've never seen anything like it - so boring, yet so gripping and provocative. My rating was a 1, and a 1, but I somehow made it to episode 3 or 4, and somehow it became a 10.

What's provocative about it? It evokes feelings in me like ... am I Carol (a male version)? Episode 9 is fabulous (more on that in a second), but episode 10 is brilliant. I may say I have a bucket list, but like Carol, I really just want a sense of purpose and to be with nice people. How the creators of this show put this together - i.e., the mundane alongside the apocalypse - is beyond me and brilliant.

Do I understand episode 9? Maybe, maybe not. Was Carol dreaming or was it reality? I suspect dreaming, but who knows (or cares). It was beautiful - the animation, the vibrant and sometimes odd colors, the story. And Carol's story was beautifully intertwined with an enjoyable story about her parents throuple (another amazingly odd yet beautiful storyline), as well as the sweet (but complex) story of her one-night stand and his son.

The show should win an award but it won't. It would be very hard for me to recommend this show to someone because they might easily rate it a 1 and move on to more typical fare. And finally, I don't know if I truly understand the story and its implications. I'd like to watch it again, but I honestly don't know if I can make it through it again.

Again, congratulations to the creators for creating something so unique and thoughtful - for those that want to think a bit. And if you hate it, I don't blame you.

I haven't finished the season yet, but from what I've seen so far, this show keeps you interested in what happens next even if the main character, Carol is very flat emotionally.

Carol is introverted and a bit withdrawn. She struggles with opening up about her feelings to friends or family. I feel if she were honest, maybe she could work through her issues better.

Carol just wants things to be like they used to be. She also wants to be productive and have a sense of purpose regardless of the dire situation the planet is in. She doesn't want to just live in the moment, party, travel or participate in risk taking activities like everyone else she knows.

When eventually does come across people that are like her and have the same interest, she finds that's they are even more withdrawn than she is. She desperately wants to make a friend that she can relate to. But her social awkwardness and quiet demeanor make that even more difficult.

The show also realistically addresses how things might be if we were to face an end of the world situation like having the military work at the grocery stores so that people don't loot or hoard food. This is a level of forethought that I appreciate that makes the show more immersive and engaging. This show also makes you wonder what you would do if faced with a similar situation.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of the show has to offer.