Back to hawawa675's Profile hawawa675's Profile

The previous season of Aggretsuko was an underwhelming continuation off of some of the most exciting parts of the series thus far. Going into season 5 it wouldn’t be difficult to assume we’ve peaked. The beauty of season 4 however, was despite its many shortcomings, it felt self contained enough, that a new season could easily forget about most of it and carry on the magic that makes this show great. Does the final season of the show do this?

…it’s complicated


THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS


While season 5 of aggretsuko is more enjoyable then season 4, it continues to abandon many of the ... shows core roots that made it so fresh and charming.

The biggest issue with season 4 was Haida, who took the main lead in all the worst ways. A melodramatic story with an assassination of his character. Season 5 seems aware of this and as a result makes the only logical choice…double down.
The first half of season 5 makes it no secret that this is now Haidas show. Unemployed after the events of season 4 we get an awkward and yet relatable depiction of how the effects of unemployment can affect an individual and how difficult it can be to find new work, in a sea of rejected and ignored resumes. In the beginning I feared the show planned to continue making us dislike Haida when his employment puts his new relationship on the outs, all the whole ghosting his girlfriend and taking all the burdens on his own, but unlike the last season, this arc is much shorter and better serves to illustrate a realistic depiction of unemployed members of society.


Ultimately after this Arc, it doesn’t take long for Haida to be what everyone was hoping for him to be at the end of season 3. A boyfriend. For better and for worse. Season 5 doesn’t get lost in a “will they won’t they” storyline. It’s painfully aware of how long it took to get here and rather then drag it out any further, immediately starts by having him and Retsuko in a relationship. They move in together, they bicker, they share meals, they meet each others parents and it’s all perfectly…fine. The show doesn’t dress up their relationship as anything bigger then it is and to a lot of people that’s going to be disappointing. At times it feels like there’s no chemistry at all and why Retusko even wants to be with Haida feels like a mystery. However the lack of a honeymoon phase also lets the show have a normal realistic relationship which is par for the series themes. It could be more but if you stopped caring in season 4, season 5 will at the very least let you imagine Haida as the character he could have been after season 3. A better depiction then the previous season but perhaps not enough to erase the guy he was one season ago.


To circle back to the shows section on unemployment, season 5 touches on this theme through a relatable new character named Shikabane, who, while not everything she could be, serves to represent those who are tired playing societies game of “work yourself to death”, choosing instead to live a quiet independent life playing MMOs in a cafe. The show tries to present both sides to this character as both, someone who has given up but simultaneously someone who intelligently sees the world for what it is. Season 5 asks us to look at the current state of society and get angry. If we get angry, we can do something for the people who have given up.

I touch upon this theme to transition into the second half of season 5…Retsuko the politician…it’s fine, take a moment to make sure you read me correctly.

As the poster girl for anger, the final part of season 5 passes the protagonist torch back to Retsuko to allow her to represent the anger the show asks us to feel towards the boomer, and elderly generation by running for office…at least I THINK that’s what they’re going for. What season 5 actually is trying to say with this portion of the show feels a little muddy as time goes on, perhaps creating a scale too big for what the confines of this show started out to be, a slice of life office anime with everyday problems, like a lousy boss, a toxic coworker or trying to get a drivers license…that being said while I was against this at first, part of me does feel like the wackiness of Retsuko running for government is the next kooky step after being a death metal pop idol. It’s…not as good…but it’s serviceable and gives a chance for Retsuko to once again belt out the death voice (even though once again karaoke is incredibly limited this season) leading to a pretty satisfying final musical number.

Still…This is easily going to be the most controversial part of season 5. As the final part of the final season, if you’re hoping for closure and payoff for the journey you took to get here…you’re really not gonna find it. The show barely remembers it took place in an office but just barely finds enough room to remember the “Aggressive” in aggressive Retsuko. Past characters remain incredibly underutilized, only showing up to offer support and an occasional bit of humor. Tadano, Tsunoda, Arai, Fenneko? Blink and you’ll miss them. The most closure I got from all of this was a nice little moment from Gori and Washimi as they reflect on the relationship they’ve had with Retsuko over the 5 season journey. It’s rather sweet, even if like everyone else, they’re barely here.

If season 5 wasn’t the last season of Aggressive Retsuko it could probably be easier to look past its shortcomings. It’s better than season 4 and could serve to represent slowly crawling it’s way back up to the height of the show…and then it’s all over. In the future we’ll look back on this season and I imagine respect it’s deeper exploration into unemployment and our right to anger…but for right now it’s just a barely passable ending to what was otherwise a great slice of life/workplace anime.

Thanks for the memories Aggretsuko. Protein

Final Score


7(ish)/10

The Term "Character Assassinations'" was recently introduced to me as a friend of mine relayed his feelings towards a movie he has seen. He explained to me that it was difficult to enjoy the content when the main character kept making bad decisions. After watching Season 4 of Aggretsuko, those words popped into my head.

While Not Outright Attempting to ruin the experience I must Mention that

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

The Ending of Season 3 of Aggretsuko put a lot of the shows best cards on the table, which made me and i'm sure many others really be excited for the potential of another season. ... Retsukos secret is known to the world, she's made some level of peace with her mundane job, and the chances for love seem to be implied to be right around the corner. Seeing how Season 4 plays with the past as a result can vary from, acceptable to indifferent to frustrating.

Season 4 has two main plot threads, the chance of a relationship for Haida and Retsuko, and the bold business decisions of new acting company President Himuro.

On the one hand, the first thread is something the show has played with from the very beginning and its potential was always one that I'm sure many people who were active Haida X Retsuko shippers were waiting for. On the other hand... this is a very hard relationship to root for after a certain point. How much time we must spend playing will they or won't is certainly a problem but ultimately...

The problem is Haida. No longer just a guy pining after his co-worker he's essentially this seasons lead character. Unfortunately this is where those two little words I opened this review with rear their head.

To put it simply, Haida makes bad decision after bad decision this season. From spending half the season with cold feet in love making it impossible to progress the relationship at all, to his new found place in the company, and the choices he's ready to make for approval. It lasts all the way up to the point that you think the show is ready to abandon any chance of liking the character anymore all the way up to the shows final few minutes. This wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal if he wasn't so much of the focus this season, and as a result the core stories being offered here feel less then stellar to say the least of seasons past. It's great that the show gave us a chance to let us understand him better as a person, something Retsuko says in regards to him several times this season. It's just that what's here feels rather weak and less like something you'd expect from the character but more of a way to create a 10 episode season that may very well could have been resolved in...I don't know 3? 4? It's definitely possible

Director Ton also gets more time in the spotlight then usual, and I'm mixed about this. On the one hand, it's nice to see a more human side to him, seeing a side of him that values his job and his employees...but on the other hand this chance for empathy feels like it was missed a long time ago with the amount of times he's harassed employees and made sexist comments. It feels like the show wants to say he should get a clean pass, there are greater evils, and I'm not sure I agree...still he brings some of the more humorous scenes you'll find this season...for as many as you can find anyways.

And then there's Retsuko herself. She's here...she's certainly here, but other than playing her part in just a constant lack of communication between herself and Haida which slows the show down a lot, it often feels like she's just a side character, doing what i'm sure was plenty but still not much in comparison to the larger portions of this season.

Even the namesake of the show, her death metal Karaoke feels incredibly underutilized as Retsuko spends far more time drinking Coffee/Tea with her friends at a restaurant instead of belting out lyrics at the Karaoke. It's especially frustrating since now that all of her friends and Co-Workers know her secret, you'd think that more time would be spent here. But nobody has any questions, rarely does anyone have any desire to sing (not to say that there aren't moments) and the death voice seems more utilized as a platform to aid Ton during the Business part of this story. (Still nice to see how popular she is)

There are good things about this season. Characters like Fenneko and Tsunoda as the love police are constantly entertaining. Anais frustration from trying to be better about NOT yelling at company heads is pretty funny, and Kaba's personal struggles in the company and her passion for her children are all entertaining moments...it's just a shame that these moments feel like savory treats in what is otherwise a bit of a messy story. If there were more of these i'm sure my overall enjoyment rating would've been higher.

It sucks to say all this because i'm actively a big fan of this anime. I rewatch old seasons every time a new one drops and I enjoy them just as much on rewatch...the problem is Season 4 of Aggretsuko feels far more disconnected from anything that the show has done before than rather than feel like it's the natural stepping point going forward, it's a completely different, somewhat entertaining but just not as good story. I did see that Retsuko will return though, so given the way this season ended, there's still a lot of potential for season 5 to differentiate itself from this season and perhaps focus a little more on Retsuko.

If you love this Anime, you'll have a fair amount of fun with season 4 but you may also finish the season questioning whether or not they made their first less than exceptional season. I'm still glad I watched it though, I still had fun, and if you feel like giving it a watch, I hope you will too!

Overall I rate mostly on enjoyment and the story brought that down for me so...

Final Score 6.5 (ish)/ 10