Tear Along the Dotted Line (2021) User Reviews

Best animated story of 2021

[keikoyoshikawa · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

I had no idea where this story was heading until the very last episode. And that's a really good thing.

No spoilers. So all I can say is that the film-maker is brilliant. Beats most recent anime hands down (and I love anime).

And I think choosing the animated format was the only way to go - makes the story all that much more impactful.

A very meaningful series

[tommypezmaster · 10/10 · 21 December 2021]

The show has relatable commentary on life and view it in a realistic manor. Plus a beautiful finale to end off season 1. Deserves another season & I would love to see what they'll talk about next.

Difficult to explain without spoiler but wow.

[daisyisabaker · 9/10 · 25 November 2021]

I nearly cried like 5 times. One of the best things I've watched in recent years.

It's like the narrator's brain is a tiny glimpse into the sort of stuff that goes on inside my head too.

It's like paranoia, anxiety & depression in a cartoon. There was a few weird moments but pretty much all of it was relatable.

I could easily watch it over and over again. I've just finished watching it dubbed in English, but I will be watching it in Italian from now onwards.

Did not expect it to be so thought provoking.

Soundtrack was perfect too.

There's only 6 episodes, so it's easy to watch.

not only a refreshing comedy, but a game-changer for adult animation.

[theoneandonlymeeple · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

Straight up, this show was a random find on netflix for me. The concept sounded interesting, so I wasn't sure what to expect...and thank god for that.

Going in blind for this show is honestly an amazing experience because to be honest? There isn't really many adult cartoons, or animated shows in general that flow the way this one does. Think of quite literally watching animated prose; it's not gonna be for everyone, but it does what does well and uses it to the fullest extent. That fact that most of the show is voiced by the same individual as well makes it more enticing to watch as well, and drew me in more than I'd expected. The show in general has a lot of charm and it's quite witty not just in its comedy-but what it discusses as well.

It's comedic, yet it also balances this sort of humanity with us, touching upon topics that are quite heavy, and the show has this lingering philosophy that's quite thoughtful as well. There we're even a few scenes, particularly one in the final episode, that had me tearing up; even had to take a minute and pause at one point simply because of it's impact (if you're curious, I watched the original Italian with English subtitles).

It's a strange, yet delightful mix of Bojack Horseman and the Midnight Gospel and it's spectacular. If you're someone who's constantly pondering about your purpose in life, or struggle with some form of anxiety disorder or mental illness like me, this show is gonna hut you in ways you don't expect. It's funny, and delightfully, painfully real. Don't sleep on this one, I'M BEGGING Y'ALL.

Uneasy adulthood

[bjacob · 9/10 · 17 November 2021]

A bittersweet portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, steeped in the difficulties of becoming an adult in a stultifying Southern Europe society, where the past matters more than the future -- a society that has little use for its young. However, the discourse of Tear along the dotted line is way more personal than political, and it's full of straight-faced humour and wild imagination, fast paced and with almost no sentimental excesses. After watching it, you'll want to read all the comic books.

Brilliant

[biba_yu · 9/10 · 24 November 2021]

I admit, due to language and very fast narrative, it's not easy to follow and you will want to hear everything, because it's great! To make matters even harder, every scene is filled up with so many interesting details and you want to see them all. It's a bit too fast, hence 9 stars, but I guess on second or third viewing or at maybe half a speed it would work.

Other than that, I loved it! It has so many details, every sentence is important, it's very funny, but at the same time quite touching. I am not millenial but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Emotional rollercoaster

[Southkaos · 10/10 · 21 November 2021]

Loved this short series, it makes you laugh, it makes you remember some feelings you had while growing up and it makes you cry in the end. The duration of the episodes and the series is perfect.

Makes you laugh for its irony and for the criticism of an acute intelligence!

[pinocchietto · 8/10 · 18 November 2021]

Mini cartoon series that takes you and makes you laugh for its irony and for the criticism of an acute intelligence of the protagonist. The Roman accent is fun. The series suggests many things, especially the feelings of a typical asocial teenager. TV series to watch all in one breath, recommended!

A triumph.

[maximumkate · 10/10 · 24 January 2022]

What a delight this is. A slice-of-life memoir of sorts about a neurotic (yet normal and recognizable) artist, it fires on all cylinders. Its central metaphor is clever and compelling.

As fast as the dialog is here -- and it is really fast (I watched the British dub), it will occasionally pause to take a breath, lingering for a moment on an illustration of an alleyway, a cityscape, a dripping faucet, or a night sky. All of the tricks cartoonists have are deployed here to wonderful effect - big exaggerated facial expressions, hilarious fantasies which can only really happen in animation, but more than this, there is so much beauty throughout.

This is simply a pleasure to look at: generous, lush color, and the artist's eye for amplifying the essence of things. When I watch it again, I will pause it a lot. There's so much to look at here. Although the style is different, I kept thinking of those New York City montages in Fritz the Cat linking the scenes together. I really appreciate it when animators think to do that.

Funny as this is, there's so much heart to go along with its intelligence and verisimilitude. I sympathize so much with the protagonist, and I suspect a lot of people will, too. I had to rewind during the pizza selection conundrum sequence because I was laughing so hard: I've been there.

All of this is tied together by an excellent, thoughtfully selected soundtrack. I'm taking notes and will have to hunt down a few of these for my mix.

Outstanding.

Well this is great

[venturimarco99 · 9/10 · 17 November 2021]

It's definitely not easy to talk about this show without many spoilers about the main twists of the last two episodes but I'll try anyway, because I don't want to ruin the experience. This show was made by Zerocalcare (if you were wondering, his real name is Michele Rech) , an italian comic book writer with a pretty peculiar style. His narratives are autobiographical but surreal streams of consciousness full of irony, cyinism and self-pity, but also handling some very serious issues at times in a very deep and personal way. This show is exactly what you would imagine a show based on his comics would look like. It's funny, clever and full of detours that don't add anything to the plot but they get so hilarious you can let that slide. Zero dubs almost every character and that may sound ridiculous, but don't worry, it will make sense in the end. And then, in the last two episodes, you break down crying, when some great plot twists make you realize what Zero is really talking about. I won't get specific, but this is a story of regret, sense of guilt and of being scared of the future. Also trigger warning: there is talking of depression and suicide, so be warned if that disturbs you. I hope for the success of this show and that it could actually revitalize the almost dead industry of italian animation.

The Only Italian Adult Cartoon: Disappointment

[accauntmillesimo · 1/10 · 30 June 2023]

"The Only Italian Adult Cartoon" is a work that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Although the animation may have a certain visual beauty, everything else seems to have gone off track. The main flaw of this cartoon is its lack of identity and coherence.

On one hand, the animation is carefully and skillfully done. The colors are vibrant, the details are accurate, and the use of animation techniques is impressive. However, this positive aspect is completely lost amidst a series of conceptual mistakes.

The most evident problem is the attempt to insert an emotionally moving plot into an adult cartoon. The story gets lost in a sea of dramas, personal conflicts, and sad moments, which seem out of place in an animated context intended for a mature audience. This indecisive and confusing approach makes it difficult to establish who this cartoon is actually aimed at.

Furthermore, the overall tone of the cartoon is inconsistent. It abruptly shifts from serious and melancholic moments to grotesque and vulgar situations, creating an annoying discontinuity. The humor is weak and forced, and the "adult" scenes are childish jokes with swear words. However, without a solid comedic foundation, everything comes across as naive and insipid.

The end result is that "The Only Italian Adult Cartoon" feels more like a confused television series than an adult cartoon. The lack of a coherent narrative and a clear artistic direction prevents the cartoon from making a significant impact. It's as if the creators couldn't decide whether to make a TV series or an animated cartoon and ended up with a mishmash of genres that doesn't work in either way.

In conclusion, "The Only Italian Adult Cartoon" fails to hit the mark. Despite good animation, the lack of coherence in the story and the mix of contrasting tones make it an unsatisfying experience. It would have been better if the creators had made a clear decision on the genre and focused on a well-defined vision.

Fantastic Millennial Rant

[mardie-cannov · 9/10 · 21 November 2021]

I am a 37 year old Mexican woman and I just felt this series as a biopic of my life if I was an Italian man. It is so wonderful.. funny, relatable, fast paced and anxiety inducing.. as life itself. I highly recommend it. Loved it.

Oldschool cool, Inside the mind of a INTP.

[jtikey · 10/10 · 19 November 2021]

Nice animation, millennial references, lots of personality, self-aware humor, great English dub.

Animation is very distinct, with a bit of anime influence.

Great references to internet, anime, millennial culture.

Interesting to view the world of a INTP. Lost of overthinking, hard time dealing with people and the environment. Felt very personal.

Damn, episode 4 was too relatable. Oh no , what is happening at the end of episode 5!!!!

I was not saw this coming... No one was crying at the last episode in show, but I was.

I'm speechless. The story was build so well. It seems to be a real experience. The author processed it and grew up.

That tape recording at the end just broke me. This show is a masterpiece.

Best show Netflix ever produced till now

[georgiaasimoglou · 10/10 · 21 November 2021]

The best show Netflix ever produced...I was amazed with this small diamond, couldnt believe how good it is...I couldnt stop laughing and crying at the same time..Bravo..... so deep and profound.

not only a refreshing comedy, but a game-changer for adult animation as well.

[theoneandonlymeeple · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

(there are two pages for this show on IMDb for some reason. This is my same review from the English page!)

straight up, this show was a random find on netflix for me. The concept sounded interesting, so I wasn't sure what to expect...and thank god for that.

Going in blind for this show is honestly an amazing experience because to be honest? There isn't really many adult cartoons, or animated shows in general that flow the way this one does. Think of quite literally watching animated prose; it's not gonna be for everyone, but it does what does well and uses it to the fullest extent. That fact that most of the show is voiced by the same individual as well makes it more enticing to watch as well, and drew me in more than I'd expected. The show in general has a lot of charm and it's quite witty not just in its comedy-but what it discusses as well.

It's comedic, yet it also balances this sort of humanity with us, touching upon topics that are quite heavy, and the show has this lingering philosophy that's quite thoughtful as well. There we're even a few scenes, particularly one in the final episode, that had me tearing up; even had to take a minute and pause at one point simply because of it's impact (if you're curious, I watched the original Italian with English subtitles).

It's a strange, yet delightful mix of Bojack Horseman and the Midnight Gospel and it's spectacular. If you're someone who's constantly pondering about your purpose in life, or struggle with some form of anxiety disorder or mental illness like me, this show is gonna hut you in ways you don't expect. It's funny, and delightfully, painfully real. Don't sleep on this one, I'M BEGGING Y'ALL.

One of my personal favorites.......

[ViewingBoch · 9/10 · 24 January 2022]

Now, I have to give credit to IMDb for recommending this to me because I had no idea this show even existed until a month after it released.

This show is based off of the shy graphic novelist Zerocalcare who is the main character in the show AND the books, his name in English is 'zero limescale" and it was based off of an italian commercial for a descaler product because he quickly had to come up with a name to join the discussion online. He was a protester in the Genoa G8 Summit, so that's why if you watch the show you'll see references to a protest and even references it in some of his books.

But the plot is about Zero explaining his relationship with someone named Alice whom he met in his teens and them traveling outside of the city, it really isn't until the last episode until we find out what's going on but, I won't spoil it here.

But, I'll probably talk a little bit about the characters obviously the first person is Zero: This show tackles anxiety in a very painfully realistic light, and I wasn't really expecting that. Zero may come off as self-absorbing and neurotic and...that's the point, he narrates every single character in this show except one character which I will talk about soon. Because he's basically retelling what happened EXCEPT for the end.

The next character is a bit of a strange one, it's Zero's conscience which is an armadillo which is basically him inside his head. I didn't think I would enjoy him as much as I did because he comes off as a dick sometimes but he sometimes comes off as source of reason (not always though).

Sarah is one of Zero's best friends and she is usually a voice of reason for him but a lot more than the Armadillo. I kinda felt like sometimes she was a bit of a Mary Sue but it didn't really bother me that much.

Secco is another one of Zero's friends who plays online poker and constantly ask people if they want to get ice cream, didn't think I'd like him as much as I did too.

And Alice, oh Alice.... I won't really talk about her because she's sort of the entire plot for this series.

I might as well talk about one of my favorite moments in this show, I think it was in episode one or two.

It's where Zero is sitting on the couch and is trying to find something on Netflix (Yes, a character in a Netflix show tries to find something on Netflix which the show is ON Netflix) and he complains how there's ever 8,000 movies and there's nothing good on, then the armadillo appears and says "Don't say that you won't get anymore work!". That moment genuinely made me laugh and that leads me to my next topic: The Humor.

Now, it painfully combines humor and drama into realistic notes.

I won't really spoil the punchlines or it's drama because they're funny and sadly realistic, but just trust me.

One more thing, I usually watch every single show watch with my mother who is around 52 years old and she ends up really enjoying some of the strangest shows I've ever seen like Harvey Birdman, Everybody Hates Chris, Duncanville and many others.

But, I realised that she didn't really click with this show along with a couple of other people I've mentioned to, which brings me into my next point: This show is not for everyone. Because usually because the style of humor and themes come off as a little off-beat and maybe the weird humor of Calcare might be ridiculous to some, but my mom said she enjoyed it but it wasn't the style of humor she was interested in and that she "Wasn't mad that she watched it but it was okay".

But, yeah give this show a shot.

You'd be glad you did....

An emotional and realistic adult animated series!

[ericeguia · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

Never heard of Zerocalcare's work until the trailer for this series came out. Its only 6 episodes long but the emotions displayed is intense since it's an autobiography of his life. Looking forward to see more of his work.

Wow! A punch in the stomach while you're laughing.

[renatopetean-33591 · 10/10 · 28 November 2021]

I usually don't write reviews, but I really related to this series.

I'm just one year younger than the creator, and I feel that's a series that managed to capture a lot of the mental state of my generation as well as our self doubts, worries, existential dilemmas.

The short stories intertwined with the main plot scenes have a reason to be there... and you get that by the end.

The ending is far from predictable, but I got so connected to the series and the characters that at episode 4 I realized what was about to happen in the final episode.

To laugh and cry.

Beautiful.

[alanghatprashant · 10/10 · 17 November 2021]

One word just about sums it up. Everything from the dia(mono)logues, through the art, to the music is beautiful. I was hooked by the trailer, and watched it the day it was released, and couldn't stop till I had watched the whole of season one. Kudos to the team, and also the British English dub team. I don't speak Italian, but if the writing is anywhere as good as the English, it must be pretty damn good. Cathartic.

hard to follow up if you are not a native

[RuiBilhardas · 22 November 2021]

Hard to follow up if you are not a native,

the guy keeps talking and really really fast, if understand italian you would be fine, if you need to read the subtitles you will miss half of it.

Dead end wokeness.

[jonfmac · 4/10 · 18 November 2021]

This is the storey of a woke thirty seven year old who reminisces about the wrong life paths that he has chased, Ignored, followed or failed at in life while going out of town to attend the funeral of a lifelong friend, always a potential lover but never pursued, who killed herself. It's really only a story about himself. The story is done in a narrative styling and he even talks for the other characters. Some will see this as the bold, stunning and brave telling of a personal journey and how personal feelings have lead to this moment in life. Others will see this as an expose on borderline personality disorders or mental illness. Either way, the story is about the journey. Don't look for entertainment. That's not what this is about. The drama is short lived and always dismissed out of hand afterwards. There is no grand expose for the story logic and no eye opening ending. In fact, it's a dismal approach to living life from beginning to with nothing learned. The whole thing is nothing but a chain of thought and a rambling of conscience. I honestly did not know what to expect but this certainly wasn't what I expected. If you hate your life and what you've done with it then you might find some level of catharsis in viewing this series. There are no spoilers here. They don't exist. The ending is just another thing in the main character's life journey that will be forgotten about, just as every other interpersonal interaction has been dismissed by him. I recommend giving this a pass unless you find yourself experiencing a similar journey.

Made me laugh and made me cry

[Personalthoughts · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

Without spoilers, its a very good show and really relatable to me. The animation was so creative and lovely.

I think the ending really captured the struggles of growing up and the expectations we all have for ourselves. The way we view our lives in the eyes of others. I wasn't expecting to be so emotional at the end due to the mood and comedy of the previous episodes but it was done really well.

Overall a great show.

Like a punch in the gut... in a good way

[leychkis · 10/10 · 27 November 2021]

This Italian gem was an unexpected delight. I started watching it thinking it was just another silly cartoon series for grown ups, and for the first few episodes it seemed like a demented stream of consciousness by a neurotic millennial. But there was something magnetic about it, an almost imperceptible promise of greatness to come if you just stick with it. And boy, does it deliver in the latter half of the series! It hits you like a bag of bricks with its sudden depth and subtlety and relatability. It leaves you stunned and emotionally exhausted, but also grateful for witnessing something so brilliant. One of the very best shows of 2021.

I made an IMDb account just for this

[davecroes-98348 · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

I have watched many a movies and lots of times I find movies that are generally seen as bad enjoyable, and movies that are seen as good mediocre. Often I have found myself disagreeing with IMDb ratings but egh, filling in your details to write a review was *just* a little too much effort. Now I am sitting here, slightly teared-eyes, writing a review about an Italian animated series of 6 episodes of 20 minutes each.

Holy moly this series is a ride. It probably has the highest joke-density I have seen in any animated series (including "actual" Japanese anime). The visuals are not only stunning (which is already a big plus), they are so, *so* creative. They jump from point A to B with only the loosest of connections and still they make absolute sense. This style of comedy should be the golden standard for adult animated series.

For reasons I can't get into to keep this review spoiler-free, I heavily relate to the main character which may make me kind of biased, but I absolutely adore this series. If you are still on the fence... It's like 110 minutes long. That's a semi-long movie. What do you have to risk? Go watch this!!!

This hits close to home

[michaeljlschmidt · 10/10 · 19 November 2021]

Never expected, how this series is going to hit me. I enjoy humorous and cynical comic series, so i just clicked on the title without watching a trailer or anything. But Tear Along the Dotted Line is far more than a cynical and narcissistic comedy, it has more depth than expected at first glance.

I watched it with the english dub. And it's very well made. I couldn't find out how did the talking, but it sounded very familiar to the voice of Zagreus in the "Hades" Video game.

I'm rewatching it now the second time, just to process everything again. Just be aware, if you're already depressed, this series doesn't put you in a better mood...