fluffbowl

The characterization is where Burnout Syndrome shines, because the series depicts various degrees of assholery masterfully. Ko, the entitled man-child AI capitalist whose tragic backstory is just a flimsy excuse to ruin countless lives with his business ventures, makes me want to punch my fist through a wall. Jira, though he is more relatable because of the economic pressure that shapes his actions, is absolutely infuriating in his lack of integrity and his artistic tunnel vision. What do you mean, the only time you're inspired by Pheem is after he told you how much you hurt him? Speaking of whom, Pheem is truly something too, and I'm glad he doesn't have more of a backbone because you know that, in an alternate reality, this man would resort to domestic violence. And don't even get me started on Mawin and Ing and their enabler tendencies.

Overall, the show is psychologically fascinating with genuinely flawed characters whose actions are frustrating precisely because they make so much sense in the context of the characters' selfishness and their need for validation from the wrong people. The show prioritizes realism (or fatalism?) to its own detriment, though. Not even everyone's acting skills and their great chemistry (Mawin and Pheem are a stellar duo) make up for the total lack of escapist qualities. As a result, I had to force myself through the last episodes. The AI conversation also doesn't go where I want it to, but it admittedly has more to offer than I expected, so I won't fault Burnout Syndrome too much for that.