Overview (Spoilers Below):
After a week of relationship drama and office battles, Feride and Pinar wrap it up with a family visit.
Our Take:
HBO Max has dropped a pretty late Christmas gift for us animation fans, and it’s from Turkey. The gist of this newest adult animated series is essentially like any other animated sitcoms we’ve seen over the years, in which the protagonist faces life’s daily struggles. It’s also not without a social commentary or two to reflect what we ourselves have gone through as well, even if they’re played for laughs. This is evident in the show’s first episode, where a fiercely independent woman named Feride undergoes several dilemmas in a multi-story format. This includes breaking up with her boyfriend, competing in a paintball match with her coworkers, and visiting her family.
With the usual sitcom elements at play, Feride vs. the World does have the potential of being another enjoyable addition to the animation catalog. Unfortunately, its first episode didn’t quite take full advantage of what it’s given. It offers several moments that could’ve worked within its narrative, including its message of loving oneself in “Duel” and Feride’s connection with her family in “The Shirt”. However, it didn’t give itself time to develop these elements further, substituting them for tame, boring adult humor and underdeveloped narratives. It also didn’t help that the animation and the decision to have series creator Emir Saglam voice Feride, a woman, were off-putting enough to be mistaken for a YouTube fan video. I wouldn’t say it’s the worst show I’ve seen from HBO Max this year, but judging by the first episode, it doesn’t leave me eager to see what Feride would encounter next in her daily life.