Aggressive Retsuko (ONA) 3rd Season

The first two seasons of Aggretsuko are, to put it shortly, excellent. It's amazing the amount of effort that was put into making what could've easily just been a marketing vehicle into a funny, relatable anime with characters who are so much more than merchandise bait (though, trust me, they're all keychain-worthy). Of course I was excited for this third season, though there was this nagging feeling in the back of my brain about some of the stranger elements of the trailer I'd seen. An idol group subplot joining the story of a workplace comedy seems like the type of thing that a show that's ... "jumping the shark" turns to.

I've never been so happy to be so wrong.

This season of Aggretsuko incorporates music much more seriously into the plot - and I mean that both in terms of literal music, AND some characters having to "face the music." A chance encounter gives Retsuko the opportunity to explore and really think about what she's meant to be doing in life in her mid-20s. Meanwhile, Fenneko firmly tells Haida that it's time for him to "grow a pair" in the first episode of this season, and a cute new coworker forces him to take action beyond crushing on Retsuko from afar and decide if he wants to continue pursuing her - and if so, why?

The idol storyline is handled exceptionally well. It touches upon the highs and lows of the idol industry, including the unfortunate seedy parts that a lot of idol anime wouldn't dare to touch upon. It is incredibly impressive how this comedy not only decided to take on these issues, but handles them in such a mature way. (The last few episodes of this season take a surprisingly dark turn, though not in an overbearingly grim way.)

As per usual, the only thing I can really complain about with Aggretsuko is that it's so good yet so short. I watched the whole third season in one sitting, as I've done with the previous two. And, seeing what the writers and production team were capable of this season, I would hate for it to be the last. As such, I'm very likely to purchase Aggretsuko merchandise in order to show my support.

Perhaps Aggretsuko is really a giant marketing vehicle; but, if it is, it's the smartest one I've ever seen.

In the middle of watching Season 3, I started to wonder why this season wasn't hitting me quite as well as the other ones had. It's still good, don't get me wrong. It's just that, like, Retsuko is more consistently fulfilled and successful than me in this season, and I found it more alienating than reassuring. Resolving to become an idol singer was a great direction for her, personally, but it strays far from the workplace fare of the earlier seasons, and so it's less accessible. Pretty much, the same is true for Haida, who encounters a romantic foil other than Retsuko. He has no ... reason to ignore her, and yet the man remains a simp, and it's clear he will from the beginning. It's not relatable.

And then, in the end, they soft reset to keep the show going. Unlike with the other seasons, this was kind of infuriating. Retsuko and Haida have so many opportunities for growth, they take up some of them, and then they end up pretty much where they were. It's like the theme for this season was "find your dreams, acknowledge to yourself what they are, and then choose the path that you were already walking." Very strange.

I really enjoy Aggretsuko, and this season is no different. There are so many great little moments that make it a joy to breeze through in an afternoon. But, next time, I hope they commit better to the directions they want to take the characters.

TLDR: Another unexpected good season of Aggretsuko. A short anime series with a good story and message with its typical art style. But more importantly, it's more Aggretsuko fun!

[S1 + S2, but not S3 Spoilers Ahead]

Ah yes, once again, Netflix is bringing us more of our favorite red panda Retsuko in an all-new season of Aggretsuko! I was excited about Aggretsuko S3 going in, but I had my doubts. After such a good ending, how could Fanworks produce another season of this? Shouldn't they have run out of ideas at this point?

And oh boy, was I wrong.

Story: (7/10) This part of the anime was ... where I was pleasantly surprised, but at the same time, pretty standard for Aggretsuko. Each season of Aggretsuko has a message, the first one of how "love makes you blind" and the second season of how "love is something that makes both parties happy." Based on these past two messages, I thought the main plot of Aggretsuko S3 would be about romance, but instead, Haida gets his chance to shine with his romantic quarrels.

As for Aggretsuko S3, Retsuko's conflict is encircled by the message "everyone has their talent or quirk, but it's up to you how you choose to use it." Retsuko is essentially her "passive office lady" persona again, and all her choices are made because of someone else and not her own decisions. Overall, Fanworks does a great job building this core message throughout the entire story as they have with their past two projects.

Art: (5/10) Pretty much the standard art style we've seen in the past two Aggretsuko seasons. It's not bad in any means, the character animation and the structures serve its purpose for the story. I'm still miffed that the voice acting doesn't fit with the character animation sometimes (which is why the rating is a mediocre five instead of a standard six). Still, I guess that comes at the cost using chibi art for the character animations. So if you're searching for anime with good art, you've come to the wrong place.

Sound: (5/10) Same as the art, the sound production for Aggretsuko was nothing special compared to the rest of the two seasons. I'm glad they used the same OP sound sequence and SCREECH theme for the show since it just adds to the same comedic tension that is Aggretsuko. The only thing that I thought was wasted potential was that they could have added more music variety with the addition of her new lifestyle outside the office, but the story was more focused on Retsuko's life so that it couldn't be helped.

Characters: (8/10): Aggretsuko is a perfect example of an ideal mixture of a human drama with a slice of a comedic sitcom. The best way to bring out these two genres to life is through its characters.

Most of the characters reintroduced into S3 all have some plot relevance, whether its to exemplify how bad Retsuko's situation is or drive Retusko's conflict itself. The introduced characters are all developed in some way to bring Aggretsuko's human drama shine or to make the comedic moments even funnier.

But can I talk about Aggretsuko S3's characters without talking about Haida? In the past two seasons and OVA, I haven't seen Haida as much as a character and more of a "one-sided love interest" for Retsuko. However, this season is where he shines. Watching him grow throughout the ten-episode season made me realize that love is stupid. Even if someone else comes in the way that seems too perfect to be real, we will always love someone else for some bizarre reason, and that's how love manifests. All I'm saying is, CAN HAIDA WIN CRUNCHYROLL AWARDS 2020 FOR BEST BOY??? He has some stiff competition like Ishigami (Kaguya-sama) and Hachiman (Oregairu Kan), but I know my boy can do it!

Overall, the characters fit the mold of the story that is Aggretsuko. Nothing extraordinary to the point I would call it "great", but for a chibi-style slice-of-life office anime, Fanworks goes above and beyond expectations!

Enjoyment: (7/10): Disregarding all the character arcs, production value, and story elements, Aggretsuko was just so much fun. I doubted before going in if I would like this, but it definitely did. I laughed hysterically at many moments throughout the anime and the everyday mistakes and small dilemmas made me go, "Oh god, I felt that."

Aggretsuko S3 brought another season of greatness that brings us the realism of our lives in a fun, cartoony style all "children ages 20 and up"can enjoy. I will be looking forward to another season (if it ever happens) of our favorite red panda very soon.

Overall: (7/10)

Aggretsuko Season 3 - ‘Screw you capitalism!’

That’s Retsuko’s first song lyric. You heard that right! Retsuko is in an idol group this time around after being with her and co. for three seasons and seeing their growing pains and friendships. You just become so fond of them and it is a pleasure to see them continue to bloom and develop in their adventures and relationships.

Every time and sit down to watch an episode, I end up binging the season in a day. It's just a pleasure to watch this anime. These are believable characters, not just with the crazy situations they find themselves in but ... their chemistry with other characters. Just seeing Retsuko go in a spending craze over her Virtual Boyfriend, to a point where it bankrupts her, then leading her to join an idol group was just an unexpected fun twist. I’m glad Retsuko is not the central focus this time around. Haida and Fenneko get some character growth and subplots alongside with her. Haida is finally leaving the nest and venturing out of his comfort zone with giving a possible relationship a chance. Fenneko is being a true friend, always pushing others into giving in and trying new things, while being ruthless and sassy when they in a terrible situation.

This anime is a mixture between internet persona and fans with a modern day approach. You can see the connections it ties in with real world like between a ‘Simp’ and ‘Idol girl’. Just seeing these characters come together feels so natural and heart-warming. You are always hoping they succeed and their dreams become reality. You want them to succeed in their relationships, careers, or side hobbies. I hope Aggretusko continues to add charm to the anime genre, it is just so much fun to watch.Type a message

[DISCLAIMER: This review is written on the assumption that you've already watched "Aggretsuko (ONA)", "Aggretsuko (ONA) 2nd Season" and "Aggretsuko: We Wish You A Metal Christmas"]

{ My goal is to write reviews that don't take much time to read, yet get the point across, as well as being as spoiler-free as possible. Please be assured that you will learn nothing you can't already read in the synopsis unless mentioned priorly }


After watching the Aggretsuko ONA's I was, unsurprisingly, very excited to watch it. Only to be met with sadness and disappointment.

The story went so downhill. Up until now I really digged the show but now ... I'm honestly so let down it hurts. I know the story could've been done so much better in terms of the events and essentially what happens in general. I don't intend to spoil, so I do hope that you understand where I'm coming from if you decide to watch it even after reading my thoughts on it.

The art was as cute and simple as ever, and the sound is as (especially Aggretsuko's rapping voice actor) good as ever.

The characters made such bad decisions, there are new characters introduced, one of which is an absolute sweetheart, who acts maturely. The things that happen with their ark made me very upset. I expected more smh.

Because of the previously mentioned points, it was absolutely dreadful to watch. I wouldn't recommend watching it, but if you really wanna continue the series then go ahead.

This show was good, or it used to be. Im not sure why, but I disliked Retsuko after the second season. This season did not make it any better. Retsuko seems to be too oblivious and is just highly annoying to me. She depends on others too much. Because she's the MC, she makes me not want to watch the show, however the pacing and story was fun.

I enjoyed every other character except Retsuko in each season. I tried liking her, I really did, since she's the heroine, but I can't help but feel irritated at her. If you can mind her while watching ... this, then this will be a really great show to watch. However, if you get irritated as damsels in distress characters, this will not be a good watch as she constantly fails to realize herself. Besides her, all the other characters are great.

I'm so conflicted about this one!

Season 3 continues to have great writing, touching on mature themes and elements of adult life in a way that effortlessly blends comedy and commentary. The move away from the office setting for most of this season isn't a negative in my eyes - it was about time Retsuko had a real stab at self actualisation, trying to find a more fulfilling life than her job allows, without it being more or less a single episode affair. Idol media is absolutely not for me but the usual bubblegum and innocence is replaced with a far more emotionally complex display of ... the challenges of success in a creative industry, aiming for security vs. passion in life, and the issues that come with popularity.

The problem with this season is something we can now assume is a permanent part of the series - the status quo must be returned to at all costs. This manifests in multiple ways that I won't get into for the sake of spoilers, but this season creates a lot of very obvious opportunities for permanent character development with multiple characters, builds them up, and totally trashes them so that the next season starts the same as the first and second did. This was true for the first two seasons as well, but this time I feel the writers have really shown their hand. For once I'm not really looking forward to the next season, because if I know nothing is going to change, what is there to be invested in?

Moment-to-moment the season is still excellent. It's a super bingeable show, and one that always impresses me with the places it goes that most media doesn't. If you liked the first two seasons I'm sure you will like at least 75% of this one. But at the same time, you could probably skip this entire season when the inevitable fourth one comes out, and you'd miss nothing, which I find really sad.

First 2 seasons were fun and a nice watch, but season 3 really kicked up the drama. This series really hits home emotionally for me, and it's a fresh breath of air after a stressful night at work. The characters are interesting and fun, but they surprisingly feel human, too.

Also, can I just say that the level of maturity in this series flat out shocked me? Because it did. There's lots of places you think this series might go but gives a different take (such as, how many times do we see breakups in any show where the people involved are still good people and ... don't necessarily become volatile towards eachother?)

It's a great show if you want some laughs and feels, with a great English dub (always love to mention when a show has a great dub due to the reputation of dubs).

TLDR; season kicked it up a notch and still remains wholesome

A lot of fan's least favorite season. But I think it's the best one so far, as long as the isn't taken at face value. The message is not very uplifting or evocative. I don't think it translates well for westerners at a surface level (compare western slice-of-life to Japanese slice-of-life; easily forgivable for being a Japanese show) but, nonetheless, is a realistic one that I feel many who find themselves coming out of self-imposed ruts accept as they continue through life. On a side note, Inui did nothing wrong and is better than Retsuko. Screw Haida the simp. He is a realistic simp, I'll ... give him that.

I can't believe I have to give this a 10, but this season is objectively better than the preceding two & they were solid 9's to begin with.

I really liked the previous two seasons however this season is kicks it up a gear in that some characters have to get more introspective on what they really want from life. As well as their place in the world & who you want/wish to spend your precious life hours with (more so even than last season).

It gets real & complicated in a way that the other two didn't & feels more like a lived in ... world, when one gets caught in a cycle that's difficult to escape in and around rock bottom. As well as highlighting the consequences for poorly defined boundaries & the problems that arise from not setting out what one really wants.

Mild spoilers below:

(of course I am talking about the issues Retusuko has surrounding VR lol)

I read somewhere that this series is much more popular with adults than most other animations & I can see why. As someone who has done my fair share of time in the salt mines of soul crushing office work all this rings true, with the occasional nagging thought 'is this it? will things ever get better? what if this is as good as it gets?'.

I want to thank whoever wrote the dubbed script & included critiques of capitalism & exploitative working because not many do (as most media organizations don't like their flaws pointed out as netflix found out when they posted the 'screw capitalism' song on twitter) & sometimes honesty can really take the load off of the day to day malaise, so thank you for that.

One thing that I do think that perhaps should have been explored more in depth this season (& wasn't delved into perhaps to make a salient point) was aggressive gate keeping fan culture. As this season has been quite controversial with Haidas actions regarding choices, less screen/story time for some other fan fave side characters & what some say is a rushed ending (I don't think so personally).

I see similar posting of how it should of gone or be done, which makes me appreciate the show a little bit more & how something that can give you joy can be twisted into an obsession & hate if you let it. The last few episodes are tense in a way that I wasn't expecting & also scary to me in how real it got.

I really liked Retuskos development this season, the new characters introduced & where this could go, also kudos to whomever came up with the idol song as it slaps hard & is currently stuck in my head for the last week & expect it to be there forevermore!!!

Now, I'm a fan of this anime. I love how relatable this show is about life, relationships, the struggles that go with dating, and the heavy metal death voices are always entertaining to watch. I genuinely enjoy each of these seasons and still get excited to watch the anime when a new season is released.

Negative:
Luckily there is only one with this anime. In S2, Washimi, and Gori had a fight that wasn't fully resolved during the S3. I personally wanted to see how they figured out their differences. I enjoy their character dynamic and friendship, so I was disappointed not to see their fight ... resolved. What else did I not like about this series? Hmmm, I guess that is it.

Positive:
The animation is very clean and admirable that has a cutesy feel to it. It reminds me of hello kitty but more enjoyable, in my opinion. I found it interesting how Aggrestusko explored idol groups and having a side job to make more money. The show does have a point about how students are given a bill for their student loans. When you think about it, people do have bills to deal with at a certain point in their lives. Now, the idol group was a smart idea to help have Retsuko grow more as a person and show her talent for singing death metal. The songs were catchy and still to this day, I want to buy the CD. WHERE THE HELL IS THE CD FOR THIS SHOW!!!??? I WILL BUY IT NETFLIX! PLEASE!!! What was I talking about again? Oh, now, I remember. OTM girls were fun to watch and see the writers spend more time with creative songs rather than just death metal. Now, I'm not a k-pop or idols fan, but I do know about this fun fact. Well, I wouldn't call it fun. There are people called sasaeng, which are people that are fans obsessed with idol groups or artists. This show has that which made it take a darker turn. The season finale was cleaver with the ending and how intense it got. I was surprised and made me enjoy the season even more. The jokes were hilarious, and I laughed quite a bit while watching the series. All in all, I recommend this show! It's relatable, funny, well-written, serious at times, and enjoyable animation to watch!

By the end of the season, I wondered why I didn't give this a chance when it aired. The first two season were solid, but I wasn't exactly compelled to put Aggretsuko at the top of my priorities. I realized it was because I always thought it was just like a seasonal (episodic in nature but season's length) concept that talks about everything adult life. Which it does remarkably, even in this season. But how it did this season... a mainly "idol group" arc OF ALL THINGS!

I am absolutely shocked at how solid the arc feels, both as a standalone season and as an overarching ... theme, with an engaging loop of character interactions that also revolves with what the story could actually focus on based from the title itself of Aggretsuko.

It was sooo fun. I've been berated quite a few times for laughing, too. The usual energy and the charm was there. But it managed to be and feel like something more massive and uplifting. Story and character wise too. It has always been good with dealing with adulting, but this was a surprisingly enjoyable mix of wild, refreshing and realistic approaches that made the anime all the more unique and special to my heart.

A very short watch, but a very fulfilling one. I've always just thought of Aggretsuko as a "good watch" but this season deeply spoke to me in humor, aspirations and wholesomeness. I will count to ten... hey, that's my score!

Story: hitting from last time we get an idol story. Wait? What? Well I was like that at first but it was executed pretty well, to pay off debt was an interesting topic, while showing the darkness of being an idol in the first place. Great premise, was well enjoyed!
7/10

Art: well it's definitely on the more original side for anime, it has a much cartoony look but it's fine since it's execution is great! Animation is like always, a bit hard to adjust but after an episode you are hooked. It's frame rate I think is on like 8, but once hooked into the story ... it adds so much.
8/10

Music: Literally has nothing special to it, besides the ED and the classic yelling song I don't even remember any soundtracks, very lacking but the ed was pretty nice.
6/10

Characters: like always we get introduced to a new cast with the old, we have a new love interest.. But for Haida, definitely alot of tension to his relationships this time, but great nonetheless with the climax. The actual idols are blande besides the one who.. well speaks the most in a arrogant way, and the other two are so forgetabble it aint funny, the guy in charge who lmao at his job, is a good character who is enjoyable to watch, and it's just a great cast, sadly we don't see enough of the old in my opinion tho.
7/10

Overall: 7

So I watched this a few days ago and I wasn't as impressed with this season than I was with the other two. Basically the main reasons why is the fact, I didn't really think Retzuko is best suited to join a idol group just because her "rage" moments are mostly metal, like I personally think if she joined a rock band, it would've been 100% better. I also didn't particularly like the side character's such as the three members of the idol group and the Labrador who Haida has a date with.

So let's start with the idol group. It consists of a rabbit ... (?) who is a pretty chill sort but is constantly looking at her phone non stop and two guinea pigs who are just rather clueless. With the Labrador, she appears friendly but doesn't seem to have that much of a personality at the same time. In my opinion at the end of the day, they are pretty much the dullest characters on the show like I feel they weren't really that needed on the show if they were that necessary.

Don't get me wrong, I watched the whole 10 episodes and enjoyed a wee bit of it but it's just not my cup of the tea this season. Although I will admit, the ending out of all the episodes is the best so totally check it out if you wanna see the big reveal on the last episode!

Season 3 of Aggretsuko is finally here and that also means its finally gone.
I enjoyed the first season a bit more than I thought and the finale of it really helped. Season 2 was overall slightly better having some even stronger moments in the series and this season continues the trend of being the best season yet and also having some crazy moments too!

(SPOILERS)

Story: 8

This season is a lot different compared to the previous two; instead of mainly focusing on Retusko suffering with her office job and trying to find love we get to see her work and sing in an idol group. ... It's very strange seeing the series take such a major turn like this but at the same time it's a new way to experience Retusko suffering and trying to deal with her problems in life. While this is going on, Haida get a lot more to do in this season. A new character, Inui, gets introduced and is trying to get together with Haida.
It's been two years since I've seen the first season and a year since the second but from memory I don't believe there was really any focus on characters besides Retsuko. Having Haida spend time and develop as a character with Inui is an entirely new B plot in this season and this idea sort of represents this season overall; it feels fresh and polished...mostly.
Yeah I really enjoyed a lot of the story here but there's the ending which is really bizarre and confusing, in fact I actually had to look up what happened which I shouldn't have to do. Just like the previous seasons, this season's finale or last few episodes are the best in the season and even series. Haida has to choose whether or not he wants to give up on Retsuko and go for Inui meanwhile Retsuko has to decide if she wants to become an idol full time. It's pretty obvious how it turns out but I still wanted to see Haida and Inui get together and have Retsuko be happy living as an idol, but of course that's not what happens. I'd expect Haida to choose to continue his chances with Retsuko and have the season end like the others similarly but he sort of confuses to her and judging from the last scene it appears as if they are together??? A lot of fans are confused by this cliffhanger if you could call it that. This is either a very rushed ending and not a great one at that, or it's a painful cliffhanger as we wait to see what happens next between the two in the next season which isn't even confirmed yet.
Overall, the ending is weird but only time will tell how I feel about it judging by if we get another season or not.

Art: 7

The art isn't necessarily impressive per say but it's still not bad at all. I really like the simplistic art style and I think its fits the series very well. Character designs are simple and clean, backgrounds are nice, really no complaints here.


Sound: 7

Similarly to sound, I don't have much to say here; the English dub is above average, the background music is typically good, the OP is fun, etc.

Characters: 7.5

Some side characters from previous seasons don't get too much screen tie here but I don't really mind that. Here we get to see a lot of great moments from both Retsuko and Haida as well as the new characters introduced. Retsuko is able to embrace her metal self in front of others, and Haida questions and doubts himself for a majority of the season wondering what to do with his love life. Inui might be my new favorite character in the series and the idol group are also nice additions.

Enjoyment: 7.5

This season was fun just like the last two as I've been saying and the last few episodes are a big reason of that. This time I feel that the season overall is more solid despite the last few episodes still being the best. The episodes are only 15 minutes long besides the last and honestly I wish these were normal length episodes. The series has always been on the short side being only 15 minutes long and only 10 episodes per season. I binged this all in one sitting which is pretty easy considering its a bit less than 2.5 hours.
This only shows how much I want to see more of this series small little series and see what happens next. This season had some balls to the walls moments, I jumped out of my seat a few times and of course cringed during some of the Haida scenes.

Overall: 7.5

This is the best (and hopefully not last) season of Aggretsuko! It might be only a bit better than the last one but that's nothing to complain about. This season is fresh and filled with new and interesting ideas that haven't really been in the series before.
All I can say is that waiting for the hopefully coming and confirmed season 4 is going to be rough with that ending we got so let's all be excited and patient!

Honestly what do we expect from our favorite world of animals?
It’s amazing. Extraordinary. But some of us, AKA ME, might have felt annoyed by the end because of what Retsuko said to Someone. Overall this season is on how fame isn’t always as it seems. Yes it’s fine to pursue a dream but with every dream there’s also consequences. And if when there are consequences don’t lose your life, don’t back down. Aggretsuko to me is full of morals. Both good and bad. Storyline was this season was amazing. SUGOI! Art sound blah was good. Character EVERYTHING IS GOOD.

Overall 10/10

SUMMARY: It changes the formula and makes more enjoyable.
The last season was pised off cause it results like a copy paste of the first one, so what did they response? Changing the formula, its not more retsuko finding a boyfriend while she suffer of laboral mistreatment, this season brings a lot of character development and starts to give focus to haida, its absolutely fascinating how this show can change and keep holding the tone of the show, it feels like a proper envolving to the show.

Resumen:Cambia la fórmula y se hace más divertido.
La temporada anterior fue pisoteada porque parecía un copia y pega de la ... primera, ¿Cómo respondieron? Cambiando la fórmula, ya no es más retsuko buscando un novio y sufriendo de maltrato laboral, esta temporada trae mucho desarrollo de personaje y le empieza a dar más momentos a haida, es aboslutamente fascinante como el show puede cambiar sin perder el tono, se siente como una evolución apropiada.
PD:Háganse un favor y mírenla con doblaje latino no se arrepentirán.

Ok, ok, honestly if you didn't like the previous season because you felt the same as the first... This season will not disappoint you, change the plot, change characters, change the atmosphere and you can see how there is a fairly marked character evolution

The music is very good (as usual) the characters of this season are unbelievably good, the plot... God the plot IS BEAUTIFUL, Honestly, this is what I consider to be the best season, only being matched by the last season.

I love how they treat idols and their fans this season

ESP: ok... Sinceramente, si no te gusto la anterior temporada debido a que ... sentiste que era un copy paste de la primera... Esta temporada no te va a defraudar en ningun aspecto, personajes nuevos, cambio de ambiente y una muy buena evolucion de personaje

Con una musica increible, los personajes de esta temporada son increiblemente buenos y la trama... UFF LA TRAMA

Esta es la que considero la mejor temporada solamente igualada por la ultima

Amo como tratan a las idols y los fans en la temporada

Amo la temporada