The Magic of ‘Disenchantment’
One of my all-time favourite animations on Netflix
Disclaimer: This piece will contain spoilers about the animation Disenchantment, available on Netflix. However, I firmly believe that instead of ruining the experience, spoilers help pique my interest in a show. It’s kind of like a teaser, trailer, or appetizer!
It’s been quite a while since I’ve watched an animation, possibly since I last watched Food Wars, an anime. Diving back into this genre, Disenchantment doesn’t disappoint.
It has a hilarious storyline that’s engaging to follow. With three complete seasons that my partner basically watched in one go, this was a show that was worth binge-watching. Situated in a magical land, the main protagonist Princess Tiabeanie (Bean) goes on several adventures in a “coming of age” way.
And by coming-of-age, I mean making a serious of incredibly dumb mistakes and perpetually trying to fix the previous one.
It Breaks Common Tropes
The first thing I want to acknowledge about this show is how it breaks common tropes in a way that I value.
For example, I spent too much of my life between 0 to 20 consuming narratives about princesses in their journey to find their prince. While these stories have familiarity and have their place while promoting other lessons, I’d grown tired of this common kind of narrative. I’m spending 20+ trying to find stories that don’t center around romance, especially unrealistic expectations of what relationships truly are. This show fit the bill, bringing me on adventures with a female protag that was very much needed.
(I’ve been stuck inside for far too long!)
There’s another set of common tropes that is broken surrounding the side characters. I won’t name exactly which characters they are, but instead describe exactly why I liked that these tropes were broken.
There’s one relationship that is commonly seen as nurturing and loving regardless of how horrendous the person truly is to the other in the dyad and the plot unravels that she is truly an evil person.
There’s another relationship where someone is automatically demonized as a result of their relationship, and that’s debunked. They turn out to be an amazing mentor to Bean and an empowering character to follow.
It’ll be up to you to watch the show to figure out who I meant!
It Also Follows Classic Tropes That Adds to the Humour
Broken tropes aside, there is a time and place for familiar tropes. This show also has a mixture of that, particularly in constructing Princess Bean’s side kicks. She has two, so there’s almost an id, ego and superego theme to it.
Crash course:
- id — most primal desires
- superego — values, ethics, morality
- ego — the scale that balances between the two
In ego’s place we have Bean, who balances the wisdom and suggestions of her two trusty sidekicks to guide her journey.
In superego’s place is Elfo, an elf, who is optimistic and likes candy. He’s the classic description of a happy-go-lucky elf, with a character twist that leads him to have an ironic, unconvincing bad boy image. I find that juxtaposition hilarious to watch.
In id’s place is a literal demon, Luci (short for Lucifer, I believe). He becomes Bean’s personal demon as he haunts her, but as he stays with her, they foster a budding friendship. Out of this friendship bud comes unexpected altruistic moments that redeem Luci, who does seem to show a soft spot. That contrast is just as hilarious to watch, with a bit of an “aw” factor. Maybe he can be a reformed, loyal demon, after all.
The juxtapositions between trope guidelines and behaviours that break those guidelines ever so slightly is what makes these characters both hilarious and endearing to relate to.
Side Characters to Note
Finally, I wanted to mention a character that has no impact on the plotline at all, that most people seldom think about or remember.
There’s this guy in the background of a number of scenes who sits naked in a barrel of water and sells “me-flavoured water”, which is just beyond absurd and hilarious precisely for its absurdity.
My challenge to you is to monitor and remember exactly what price he tries to sell “me-flavoured water”. Belle Delphine sold her bathwater for $30 a jar, so you can begin to have some guesses about this inconsequential side character’s market.
Wrap-Up
I hope the review of my favourite characters in this show has wet your appetite for this show! It was enjoyable to watch and actually kind of impossible to not watch it all in one go. Each episode is roughly 20 to 25 minutes, with only 10 episode per season. If you don’t take any breaks, that’s 3 episodes per hour, and only 3 hours and 20 minutes to finish one season! Easily doable in the span of a weekend.
This show was also created by the producer of The Simpson and Futurama, which explains the similarities! I didn’t pinpoint it outright, but given this context it makes so much sense. Which reminds me, I truly should add Futurama to my list!
If you get a chance to watch it, or have already seen it, let me know what you think!
Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I’m actively trying to reflect on the TV shows I’m watching so it doesn’t become this passive exercise where I zone out for hours. If you have any TV show recommendations, do share it with me! I keep track of all of them here:
Hop down the rabbit hole? 🐰🕳
