More from the Aggretsuko series:
The Set-Up
If you haven’t, I encourage you to read my impressions of Aggretsuko’s first season before continuing. This post will focus more on what was added to this series and less on what type of show it is.
Additionally, it would help a great deal for you to sit down and watch Aggretsuko yourself so that you may compare your thoughts and opinions with mine.
As always, this is not a review post. Although I will talk about whether or not I enjoyed this season, please do not expect a proper breakdown of its positive or negative points.
With that said, here are my impressions of Aggretsuko Season 2.
Impressions
Right at the start, there was plenty of new content in this installment. Therefore, it was not a mere rehash of season one. Considering the brisk nature of this series, not only is that a good thing, it’s quite impressive. Sure, many elements made their return – a stressed-out Retsuko, a toxic work environment, death metal, etc. But overall, this was a progression. Aggretsuko 1, in a few areas, was relatively tame when compared to Aggretsuko 2.
First, there was Retsuko’s mother. Upon meeting this character, it is no longer any surprise that Retsuko’s emotional state is unhealthy.
I can’t deny that Retsuko’s mother cared for her daughter. Everything she did was done with Retsuko’s wellbeing in mind. Still, saying something is for their child’s best interest doesn’t give a parent the right to do whatever the hell they want.
If you wondered how Retsuko could put on a brave face when her boss went into a power harassment tirade, it’s because she had to grow up with her mother. Retsuko’s mother was obsessively manipulative, openly hypocritical, and refused to consider any opinion that went against hers.
At least with Retsuko’s boss, there were (albeit only a few) outlets for Retsuko to push back. Too bad she was defenseless against her mother.
We can sit here all day and say how Retsuko needs to stand up for herself; she shouldn’t let other people push her around. Except, if we do that, we might as well ask a child to file taxes. Retsuko has never been given a chance to mature emotionally. Expecting her to hit back at the people with the power to fire her is asking way too much.
Things then really came to a head once Anai joined Retsuko’s accounting department.
Let’s be honest. The company Retsuko works for is a lawsuit magnet. The amount of harassment that goes on within it is insane. It’s a little shocking that Retsuko hasn’t had a total mental breakdown yet; it’s that bad. Fortunately, with the support of her friends, Retsuko has managed to find outlets to stabilize herself.
Anai was an entirely different matter.
To be as blunt as I can, Anai’s behavior should have triggered a police response. His derangement was not okay, and I didn’t like how this show simply shrugged it off as him being a troublesome coworker. I know Aggretsuko is a comedy series, and I didn’t really believe things would get violent. Nevertheless, I found it troubling that such a possibility, regardless of how absurd it was, crept into my head.
And no. How this season resolved this issue was not in the least bit satisfying. If anything, Anai got off the hook, and everyone simply laughed it off.
I won’t say I had a bad time with Aggretsuko during these episodes. Be that as it may, the anxiety I felt far exceeded what I thought I would get out of this show.
Consequently, I then couldn’t believe it when Aggretsuko 2 recovered from this.
I should have brought this up a season ago, but Retsuko is adorable when she is in love. And knowing everything she goes through, you want her to find happiness. And where Aggretsuko 1’s Resasuke was a puppy-dog crush, Aggretsuko 2’s Tadano was the real thing. This show delivered a solid romance story.
Retsuko and Tadano were cute together. I wholeheartedly believe they had mutual feelings for one another, which turned out to be both sweet and heartbreaking. For a show about a stressed-out red panda who sings death metal karaoke, it did not need to hit this level of quality. But that’s what happened, and I am grateful.
From the initial wooing to the secret dating to the fallout from everyone discovering what was happening between Retusko and Tadano, it was all fantastic. The ending, in particular, was phenomenally well-done.
By this point in the series, we have seen Retsuko burst into tears many times. However, it was at the end of season two where we first saw her cry.
To wrap things up, Aggretsuko 2 was a mixed bag.
Although it was never bad, it was, at times, unsatisfying; parts of this season were poorly balanced. That said, this installment also struck absolute gold, transforming this show from an enjoyable Netflix series into something worth checking out.
This leaves me to wonder:
What the heck is season three going to give us?
Final Thoughts
Part of me wonders if I should have done a proper review of this series. It has given me a lot more to work with than what I had initially given it credit for.
And from what I have seen, this show doesn’t display any signs of stopping.
The next season, I can only imagine, will bring even more surprises.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? What were your impressions of Aggrestusko Season 2? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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More From the Aggretsuko Series
