Bee and PuppyCat is an animated series created by Natasha Allegri in 2013, chronicling the tale of a robotic woman named Bee and a pet companion of ambiguous species and origin. The two complete jobs with one other in the fictional setting of temp space, meeting all sorts of unique creatures in comical situations. Pilot episodes were created for Youtube in 2013, and a full series was created in 2014. The series was picked up by Netflix and Bee and Puppycat: Lazy in Space released in 2022 after numerous delays. 

First-time watchers will immediately be sucked in by the lighthearted tone in every aspect of the show. The art style uses very soft lines and colors that rest easy on the viewer’s eyes, but still includes a lot of interesting details the viewers will notice if they choose to look further. This echoes the rest of the show which follows a similar pattern. The show is very digestible and simple on the surface but has a lot of fascinating complexities if you choose to look deeper into it. 

The music in the show creates a nice blanket of sound that perfectly complements what is going on at any given moment. The show is great early on in establishing a set identity. It all feels very connected, keeping a consistent trend of spacey, soft and cheery elements in every aspect of its design. One of the most interesting factors of the show is how soft the dialogue feels, even in what would normally be an intense situation. The characters don’t take everything overly seriously, but they also don’t completely disregard things throughout the show which creates a very comforting environment. It is akin to Adventure Time in both animation and tone which is explained by the fact that some writers of Adventure time had a hand in the creation of the show. 

The way Bee and Puppycat touches on mental health and character difficulties is very interesting and is done in a way I can’t remember ever seeing before. Most characters in the media struggling with mental health tend to be entirely consumed by whatever is afflicting them. Either that or their issues are entirely undervalued and misrepresented. Bee and Puppycat finds a really good middle ground between the two, where the characters are affected, but it is not the main arc of their stories. Instead of it being a story about someone overcoming mental health or other struggles, it is a person who is affected by struggles but still has a fully fleshed out personality complete with goals and aspirations unrelated to the aforementioned issues. It helps add to the comforting environment that the show facilitates, destigmatizing mental health as an all-encompassing aspect of someone’s character. 

Overall, Bee and Puppycat is a fantastic show. It creates a soft, inviting tone, but has a lot more of a story behind it if you really look into it. There are plenty of interesting characters hidden behind a simple facade, but the surface story the show tells you is still enjoyable if you don’t care to read too much into it. This show gets a 4.5 star rating from me, as it has a consistent theme, and it blends its elements perfectly.