Netflix Animations — Is This the Future of Cartoons?

Probably…

I recently talked about how sick I was, and while I’m not going to repeat the subject, it did give me the opportunity to slack off on the couch and browse Netflix for whatever shows there might be in its catalog from 2022. Most of it wasn’t really interesting (to me, anyways), but I did find some shows that I liked… relatively speaking. While I was exploring more of Netflix, I was particularly interested in whatever cartoons there might be, and I did find some that I somewhat enjoyed. But most of all, I was confused about how Netflix appropriately distributes its cartoons so that children don’t accidentally stumble on them… although I have seen adult cartoons only, which is probably why I have this misconception.

While I was sick, I took the time to watch several adult cartoons on Netflix, and there was quite the selection. While I didn’t get to watch most of them (naturally), I came across these 4 cartoons, completely on random, and binged on them ’til my sickness was gone. Now, seeing that all Netflix accounts on my home’s TV are owned by adults, I’m not surprised that I didn’t encounter any kids’ cartoons. Then again, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a cartoon for kids or adults, if that’s the style of contemporary animation. Then again, I don’t have too much hope for what lies in the future. Anyways, those 4 random adult cartoons, which I had never heard of before, and didn’t take the time to look up (must’ve been the fever) are: Chicago Party Aunt, Farzar, Human Resources, Paradise PD.

Now, I don’t know what constitutes animation nowadays, but this type of stuff wasn’t around when I was watching cartoons back in my day as a kid. I mean, sure, there was always that one isolated disgusting cartoon that somehow classified as kid-friendly that nobody ever liked. But today, everything just… how do I put it… takes advantage of the Netflix no censorship policy completely, and by that, I mean that they rely mostly on sexual/toilet humor to move the plot along. But despite how abrasively unattractive these cartoons might seem, some had jokes that were genuinely funny, if not a bit childish, while others had interesting worldbuilding. But… what does that imply about the future of animation?

Just more gross stuff, I guess

I am sick as a pirate after sail (have I said that before?) and bored on the couch with nothing better to do. With a wool blanket and a cup of tea, I grab the remote control and press the designated Netflix button, which leads me to the Netflix catalogue of endless movies and TV shows (apparently, they have that in the future… the button). I browse to simply pass the time and see show after show after show, movie after movie after movie. In this all-out endeavor of countless writers trying to make a name for themselves, I couldn’t quite find anything that’d interest me… So, I settled for whatever was available.

I browse the animations and find a few things that are remotely interesting, in that they seem good enough to binge on until this fever’s over. They all had different premises; one took place in Chicago while the other took place in space, and so forth. In truth, it didn’t matter who the characters were or where the story transpired, as they all felt slightly too similar in formula, despite the occasional good joke here and there. What I mean is that they all seem to base their humor on contemporary demographics, with episode subjects often focusing on adult-related topics, such as sex, drugs, alcohol and all other doohickeys. This happens so much that it sometimes feels like it’s the only appeal that these shows really have. If that’s the case, then the future of animation will probably have even less censorship and even more disgusting topics for the characters to discuss. But I guess that’s just how evolution works.

Despite the toilet humor, these shows were enjoyable enough for me to laugh at, because the situations were nevertheless hilarious, even if it was a bit difficult to overlook the overreliance on childish matters. Overall, I didn’t see too much of a difference in quality between the shows, because they all appeared largely the same to me. Maybe it’s an age thing, but I only came for the laughs — and if they got the job done, then I don’t need to bicker about “quality”.

In Conclusion…

From how things seem to be, future cartoons will contain mostly jokes appealing to adults and interchangeable premises that’ll feel like something you’ve already watched before. Despite this, since most jokes are physical and you can only get them upon sight, they tend to vary in hilarity. If the characters talk too much, then the show is probably not too funny to begin with.

As for the shows I watched, I already forgot what they were. Each of them was funny in its own way, and I’d only recommend them if you’re bored… sort of. The problem is, there’s a whole bunch of Netflix cartoons to pick from and the ones I watched are probably not the best, so I’d be recommending something that could potentially waste your time. So, I’ll just say that if you like cartoons and have run out of options, try looking for one on Netflix.

Anyways, I’m healthy again and need to get back to business… because I haven’t… yet.