Friendships are the core of most television series, even animation shows like Mating Season, only available on Netflix. Friends help each other deal with things, but with a twist, since this show deals with animal sexual behaviours. Like Penelope the Fox (Sabrina Jalees) and Ray the Racoon (Nick Kroll, also one of the show’s co-creators). They’re there to support Josh the Bear (Zach Woods), teaching him how to fight his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Sometimes, they compete with each other, like Penelope’s jealousy that Fawn (June Diane Raphael) is getting attention from lesbians. At other times, they let their urges win, like Josh and Ray trying to score at an animal wedding.

The animation that we cover in this outlet is pretty diverse stylistically – we do anime and Western animation. Viewers may probably take a show like this for granted because even I’m not above anti-Netflix animation prejudice. What sets this show apart is the way this comedy designs the core four’s romantic partners, as expected. Without getting too gross, the supporting characters here are going to awaken things in adult viewers watching this. But at other times, the animation captures the non sexual aspects of characters who more than just have sex. Mating Season shows the sex, sure, but they also fight, because, as a reminder, sex and competition intertwine.

Mating Season‘s aesthetics, despite seeming surface level, is pretty versatile with how it depicts depth of field. When Penelope and Ray train Josh, two of those characters disappear and the show focuses on Josh’s animal brutality. When a lesbian boar flirts with Fawn, it shows Penelope seething in the background because she wants that lesbian action. The fact that these characters are presumably in their twenties or thirties means that the metaphor is pretty obvious here. People who are young or young at heart act like animals and vice versa and have their jealous phases. But then again, I, as someone who is in my version of the dating scene, see myself in these characters. I can be codependent like Josh or jealous like Penelope, and whoever is watching this can pick their favourites too.

Writing wise, Mating Season is also capable in exploring the core four’s group dynamics as it partners its characters up. At times, Fawn goes off on her own while the other three help each other when someone’s having a crisis. Mostly though, the story lines divide the characters by gender, the women doing activities while the guys look for mates. Many of the jokes are obviously going to be raunchy, like supporting characters voicing their desires of blown backs. Other jokes seem to be attempts at levels, but jokes about unstable partners is not going to be for everyone. Personally, and as a Canadian, I’m happy to see Sabrina Jalees sharing top billing in a show on this platform.

Once again. Mating Season is only available to stream on Netflix.