Carol & The End of the World

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.

Carol & the end of the world is yet another entry into the quiet, mature sci-fi animated menagerie of 2013 alongside Fired on Mars and Scavengers Reign. It is a bit more comedic than both, but still relatively down to earth and not as extravagant, since it deals with very real problems like depression, introversion and impostor syndrome.

The character designs are rather unique for an adult animated series, with Carol herself having this tear drop shaped eyes that quite encapsulate her character.

As someone dealing with depression and a life crisis, Carol is very relatable to me, seeing her struggle to find something to do as everyone is having their bucklists fulfilled.

Overall a very solid cartoon.

As soon as I watched the first episode, I was certain that this series reflects our current situation, lost amidst the many news, the many choices, and amidst the words of influencers and big, famous figures in this world. Carol represents every person who suffers From not belonging anywhere, Carol sums up how cruel the world can be even when it's coming to an end. In fact, and to be neutral, this work contains a huge amount of feelings and feelings represented by the events that bring us to the truth that our societies are not as perfect as we think and need a lot of reforms. To sum up what I said, Carol is me, she's you, and she's every other miserable person in this world...

I really loved this series and it's refreshingly original take on an apocalypse scenario. The art is beautiful, the story made me laugh and cry, and once it was over it stayed in my head for a long time and gave me a lot to think about. I saw a lot of myself in a lot of characters but ultimately I am Carol. She resonated with me so deeply it surprised me.

If the whole planet was going to die in seven months, I don't think I'd go off on an adventure to hit bucket list items and see the world. I think I'd keep doing what I'm doing now- try to find community and connection, make friends, and stave off the general existential dread of everyday life. Find the things that makes me happy and content, and do it every day till there were no more days. This show was like a warm blanket, a favorite depression meal, and (now officially) a comfort show all rolled into one. If you don't get the show, that's okay. If you're the type that would try and see all the wonders of the world if you found out everyone was going to die soon, that's okay too.

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.