Series Review: Bee and Puppycat
By Isabelle Kwon
With the teaser for the newest season Lazy in Space out and circulating the internet, it seems fitting to review this beloved animation now more than ever. Here’s my take on the series:
The cartoon Bee and Puppycat consists of a single season at the moment. The television series centers around a young woman, Bee, and her companion Puppycat. Just as his name implies, Puppycat is part puppy and part cat. He magically fell onto Bee the day she was dismissed from her job. For Bee, he was a god-sent gift. Not only did he serve as her new best friend, but with a tap of the bell on his collar Puppycat would be teleported to another dimension, one with a floating cube-like entity named Temp-bot. Temp-bot sends Bee and Puppycat on missions to other planets where the pair could make money. Every episode follows a relatively simple plot in which Bee and Puppycat are faced with a problem which they choose to resolve by taking a job from Temp-cot; however, it’s the details and the different situations that make the show so exciting to watch.
Although the cartoon is kid-friendly due to its lack of explicit language and a relatively simple storyline that any kid could follow, it delves deeper with its characters, exploring mature themes. Deckhard, one of Bee’s few friends, struggles with depression. The Bee’s landlord is suffering personal loss with his mother in a coma. Even Bee herself seems to be a social reject of some sort with her inability to keep a job. All these diverse characters with real-world problems merge in Bee and Puppycat’s world with hints of their own personal problems shown throughout the series.
Overall, the series is well-developed. Its use of pastel colors and calming music makes the series aesthetically pleasing and relaxing. You can binge-watch the first season on Youtube and if that isn’t enough for you, they have also released several comic books on the pair.