Baman Piderman

"I'm Baman.

I'm Piderman. 

I come over da house. 

We're best friends!"

It's absurdist meets animation, in a strangely realistic series called Baman Piderman. No, that was not a typo. Animated and written by Lindsay Small and Alex Butera, the cartoon is hosted via Mondo Media's Youtube account. And to be fair, it's hard to get past the bizarre nature of this series at first glance but, as with any series, you have to give it the five episode rule (five episodes to get past the symptoms of pilot-itis). And trust me, as with many of Mondo's shows, you're gonna have to give yourself a few chances with this.

Living in a minimalistic sort of world, Baman and Piderman are best-friends who adopt a similar visage to their mainstream, comic-book counterparts but lack the stereotypical physicality of said namesakes. Joined by their friend Tuba (who unsurprisingly is an actual tuba), an anthropomorphic pumpkin, and a hissing mass of tentacles, the duo sets out to deal with the life they live.

It's quirky, it's weird, it's ridiculous, and it doesn't make any sense. Yet, as it continues you could argue that it has one of the most entertaining and well-written plot lines out there. The characters grow and take on personalities of their own: even those that you wouldn't even believe could have one. You come to realize that while their speech is different and their actions are silly, they represent a whimsical sort of reality of ourselves. 

It's odd, watching the series progress because who you might've scoffed at turns into someone you can root for and sympathize with. It's actually hard to explain how complex this series can be. As I mentioned, at first glance, the episodes don't seem to make too much sense. But as you keep watching it and as you fall deeper and deeper into their world, you realize that a linear plot line exist while not existing. It's kind of symbolic on the nature of life itself: that it's a bunch of episodic events strung together, connected by the common factor of every individual. 

It's cool to see that play out here. That, at its essence, the series is about two best friends living life. And while their adventures might not be grand or logical, at least they did it together. It's a bit cliche, but it's an aspect of the show that has kept me watching. And as it continues, we have the honor of seeing the characters hone in on who they are as people and what they wish to do or become.

The animation has definitely developed from where it started off as, as I'm sure you'll note throughout "da marathon." And I can honestly say I'm a fan of early-Baman Piderman and present-Baman Piderman. I think they're hand-drawn style brings stilted sort of authenticity that connects the viewers than deters them. The more "sloppy" it is, the easier it is to watch because it only adds to the overall irregularity of the look: something that steps beyond the standard in-line drawings of present day animators. It's creative and unorthodox, and it only succeeds in pulling me in farther. 

It makes me want to know what exactly I'm watching and what will happen next. 

Baman Piderman has grown into a little cult classic: garnering a loyal fanbase of followers for both its 

vision and its artistic license. It's a show that I can sit down and not have to worry about it being overly complicated, action-oriented, gruesome, etc. It holds a sort of realist charm, in that sense, by forgoing tragedy in place of set-back and adversity.

Despite it's non-sensical plot, it's a story that will keep you entertained and wanting more: from its characters and onwards. So give it a try, and then another, and one more time after that.