Carol and the End of the World is exactly what I’ve been begging for in western adult animation. Both here and Netflix label this as a comedy, and I take issue with that. It is consistently funny, but so is Breaking Bad, and I’ve never seen anyone call that a comedy. It defies genres, I wouldn’t really classify it as anything. If I had to describe it in one word, it’d be “poignant.” The show is equally sad and uplifting, I was on the verge of tears almost every episodes for different reasons each time. Each episode has such good small character details that subtly tell you everything you need to know about the whole cast. You don’t see every aspect of the characters’ lives, and that’s intentional. It subtly implies what’s going on and leaves it up to the audience to interpret. From an art-style it’s very bold. I wouldn’t call it breathtaking in the same way a lot of anime is, but it’s definitely a step up from a good majority of its peers over here. Each character is visually distinct, and you get the gist of their personality through how they’re drawn. I’m obsessed with the way they draw Carol’s eyes specifically. The backgrounds are also beautiful and really bring the scenes together. Having the planet that’s going to destroy the Earth visible as a constantly reminder of the inevitability of the ending is such a great detail. I’m almost certain it’s inspired from the moon in Majora’s Mask, as it’s presented in a near identical way and there are enough references to Nintendo that I can assume the staff were fans. On a first viewing, I’m not really sure how I feel about the ending, and it’s the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating at this point. It’s not at all what I was expecting. There’s a lot I like about but it’s not as immediately satisfying as I assumed it would be. I feel like that’s intentional, that the point of the show isn’t destination but the journey. I’m leaning towards liking it but I’ll have to see it again to be sure. And rest assured, I will be rewatching this show constantly. As much as I hate Netflix as a company, I’m glad they’re still funding projects like this. Carol and the End of the World is one of the best meditations of what it means to be alive I’ve ever seen. It’s a beautiful piece of art, and if Netflix has to green light 5 seasons of some awful slop like Big Mouth to get one gem like this, I think it’s worth it. I doubt I’ll keep my Netflix subscription active for much longer, but I’m glad I kept it long enough to support this. This is something that’s sure to stick with me for the rest of my life and I’m looking forward to whatever the crew is going to do next.