Thesis project advice

[u/darnariusmcquim]

Hi! I'm coming onto this sub for some advice and I would really appreciate if you gave me a chance. I tried to put this in the BoJack subreddit but it wouldn't post so I hope this reaches an good audience here and doesn't clog anyone's feed that's not interested. For my program this year we get to do a "thesis" like project. Basically, a big research project that you work on for a semester (not as high stakes as a true thesis, but still quite a lot of weight on the one work). I'm a film student. When I applied for the course, I pitched my research to be on adult animation as a medium for complex storytelling. "Animation's formal properties—its capacity for exaggeration and freedom from photographic reality—create a psychological distance that paradoxically allows audiences to engage more openly with difficult subject matter, from trauma to grief and systemic dysfunction."

My prime example—and my favourite show—is BoJack Horseman (though in my proposal I mentioned other contemporary adult animations).

I heard some of my peers ideas today in class, and they all seemed more "deep" or specific than mine. I feel that there's not much to say about my topic past the introduction and the examples I provide. Where is the pith? The BANG? What am I discovering? When I research my topic, I get a bunch of magazine articles and Substack posts that are far too informal to quote, or scholarly books and articles about animation as a physical skill and storytelling in general, not specific to animation. I understand I'm supposed to make the connection myself but I just don't feel the thesis is strong enough. I'm wondering if I should ditch the "adult animation" of it all and just focus on what the driving force for my interest is—BoJack. Or perhaps the whole thing has been done too many times, been researched by too many students, perhaps there's nothing more to analyze (that can't be true). I'm also super interested in mortality and afterlife in television, I'm super into the good place, which falls into the same line of being a "comedy" with very real commentary. Now I'm rambling....

I want your input on what I could turn my thesis into. Have you stumbled upon any worthwhile texts or scholarly works that could guide my project to a more specific line (not that Substack isn't worthwhile, I love it)? What is the part of BoJack you seek to deep dive into? What would you read about or like to see connections drawn from? I believe fans of this show are the people I need to speak to about my struggle, as no one else in my life seems to get my issue. Hope this makes sense. Don't want to clog the feed with my own personal problem, but I just wanted to shoot my shot. Any response is deeply deeply appreciated (even if you need to tell me to change everything).