In a dreamy void, a takeout container of noodles, a spray paint bottle, and a joint floats as ambient music plays in the background. A hand grabs the joint and as he exhales, the smoke coils through the void to slowly form the title Entergalactic. Suddenly, car horns interrupt the dreamlike ambience, pulling Jabari back to the rooftop of his new apartment. Before the meet-cute, this animated romantic comedy takes audiences inside of Jabari’s expansive interiority, establishing the visual language that reimagines the genre and the representation of Black masculinity.

     Romantic comedies have steadily declined from theatrical release in recent years, facing criticism for outdated gender politics and predictable tropes that fail to connect with contemporary audiences.[1] Black romantic comedies carry an additional layer of critique as some tend to perpetuate colorism and rigid representations of gender and sexuality. In contrast to their white counterparts, Black protagonists are afforded fewer opportunities for emotional complexity and navigate racialized expectations of gender and sexuality. These limitations are particularly notable for Black men where Communications scholar Ronald L. Jackson II argues that the media constructs Black men through narrow frameworks, including being “violent…, sexual…, and exploitable.”[2] These representations restrict Black male characters, reducing them to their physicality and minimizing their emotional complexity.

     The Netflix genre-blending visual album, adult animation, and rom-com, Entergalactic (2022), created by rapper Kid Cudi and Kenya Barris explores a new possibility for Black male characters. Entergalactic follows comic artist Jabari (voiced by Kid Cudi) and the budding romance with his neighbor, photographer Meadow (voiced by Jessica Williams). The colorful animation, filled with vivid warm hues, is used in the film to visualize Jabari's emotions and his dreamy inner world, as well as the intensity of his connection to Meadow. While the story itself follows a simple narrative structure familiar to the genre, its use of colorful animation, music, and surreal space, transform how audiences experience Jabari’s emotional life, creating a “New Mode” of the romantic comedy.[3] As an SVOD platform, Netflix creates a space for hybrid projects like Entergalactic that can deviate from genre expectations as their model does not rely on mass appeal like theatrical releases. I argue that Entergalactic reimagines Black masculinity, producing a dreamy, ethereal softness of Black love and interiority through its blend of colorful animation and emotional, music-driven storytelling. The film’s hybrid form demonstrates how Netflix enables the flexibility of the genre through its emotionally rich and vulnerable characterization of Black masculine identity through Jabari.

     Jabari’s calm inner world is depicted through the earlier described void sequences, while his internal conflict is primarily visualized through his comic character, Mr. Rager, who represents an inner version of Jabari. This is reflected in scenes where Mr. Rager either appears in place of Jabari, or his graffiti art of Mr. Rager comes alive across the city. These animation sequences externalize Jabari’s inner mind, without relying on dialogue. As Rosalind Murphy argues, the film’s “spatial distortions…respond directly to the characters’ inner states” and the immersion demonstrates how animation can “externalize emotion and memory in ways that exceed live-action realism.”[4] Through its visual style, Entergalactic deepens the film's inner emotional depth, portraying the vulnerability and creativity of a Black male character. In doing so, Entergalactic depicts a more holistic representation of Black masculinity, prioritizing his feelings over hypermasculine physical traits that have informed prior portrayals.

     This attention to Jabari’s interiority also shapes the film’s romantic narrative. Traditional romantic comedies rely on familiar beats to drive narrative progression, but in Entergalactic, music anchors the narrative like an album, where events unfold sonically without heavy reliance on dialogue. This is especially evident during Jabari and Meadow’s meet-cute. When Jabari finally sees her, time slows, and the animation visually captures his immediate infatuation. From behind, the shot pans to reveal Meadow surrounded by a pink cloud with bright sparkles, emerging from behind her. As she slowly walks towards Jabari, the pink cloud gradually transforms into Jabari’s interior void space, revealing how he views Meadow. This sequence is paired with the song “Angel” from the film’s album. The song feels as dreamy as the visuals, with its slow tempo, stripped bass, and airy production. Kid Cudi’s delivery of the lyrics reinforces this moment, as he sings each note long and drawn out, as if in a trance, capturing Jabari’s emotional state in real time. As Meadow begins to speak to Jabari, her voice is echoed and slowed, further immersing viewers in his mind. The visual immersion into Jabari’s cosmic-like inner consciousness presents Black masculinity and intimacy as a deep, expressive, and expansive experience.

     Jabari’s romance with Meadow, as Murphy suggests, depicts their “romance as a speculative practice that reimagines Black masculinity, tenderness, and mutual care.”[5] Reflecting on his approach, director Fletcher Moules explains how animation allowed “intergalactic moments of traveling through space and expressing what love looks like in the most picturesque version.”[6] While conventional rom-coms focus on dialogue, particularly monologues, for inner reflection, Entergalactic uses color, animation, surreal space, and music, to capture these emotions. Ultimately, Entergalactic reconfigures the syntax of the romantic comedy beyond familiar conventions.

     At a time when the romantic comedy has become less common in theaters, hybrid projects like Entergalactic are well-positioned on Netflix. Entergalactic demonstrates how SVOD conditions enable the genre to evolve by preserving its recognizable structure while exploring new ways to experience the story through niche and experimental forms. Through its hybrid form, Netflix’s platform affordances have reinvigorated Black romantic comedy, offering a dreamy, visually stunning, and tender representation of Black love and masculinity.