More from the Aggretsuko series:
Set-Up
If you haven’t, I encourage you to read my impressions of Aggretsuko’s first and second seasons 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 discuss 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 3.
Impressions
At the time of this post going live (April 2021), Netflix has announced Aggretsuko Season 4 but has yet to give a release date. Whenever that might be, I think a proper, full-length review will finally be in order. If this season and its two predecessors have taught me anything, it’s that this series has a lot more to it than what otherwise should be expected.
On that note, having now made it through Aggretsuko Season 3, season one feels like it was a hundred years ago. So much has changed. Or, to put it more accurately, so much has grown.
Of the lot, this installment is my favorite.
Admittedly, once I realized Season 3 would introduce idols, I grew a tad nervous. It came out of nowhere and was a massive leap from what the show had done previously. Even now, this turn certainly stands out.
But god damn it, if this season didn’t pull any punches.
Although Season 3 had all the same jokes and silliness that have defined the Aggretsuko series, there was more to it than that. Retsuko might be an adorably timid little red panda on the surface, but that could not be more superficial.
Retsuko is a character who struggles with anxiety, the kind of anxiety that can be debilitating, as well as both physically and mentally damaging. Anything she did, Retsuko believed, was an unwanted burden on others. She let people push her around and didn’t stand up for herself, not out of shyness but because she did not see herself as having any worth.
Season 3 brought this mindset of hers to a head.
This installment began with Retsuko in the middle of a downward spiral. It might have been framed in a comical light (Retsuko spent all her money on video game micro-transactions), but this was a severe issue. Her self-destructive behavior put her in a dangerous position – financially, at least. When you throw in her lack of self-confidence, how she found herself as the pro-bono accountant of an underground idol group (the OTM Girls) isn’t that surprising.
Fortunately, though it required a bit of arm twisting, Retsuko successfully broke out of this vicious cycle and started to make lemonade out of the lemons she was given.
It turns out Retusko is not only an extremely skilled and competent accountant (she had yet been given a chance to showcase this talent), but she is also incredibly business savvy. She managed to produce a profit for the OTM Girls, who had never known a time outside the red. Not only that, Retsuko found her work both fulfilling and enjoyable, something she couldn’t even pretend she got out of her primary job.
Then, as fate would have it, Retsuko found herself on stage, singing her death metal to a crowd of cheering fans. Granted, how the OTM Girls got her up there was incredibly manipulative and drastic, but that was where Retsuko was. If nothing forced her hand, she would never have done what she really wanted to do. So while I disapprove of the group’s method, it was effective.
And if that wasn’t enough, the entire Haida storyline was an unexpected treat.
For this entire series, I have been rooting for Haida to get his act together and finally confess to Retsuko. (By the way, I am aware that that actually happened in the Christmas special, which I have yet failed to watch.) Then suddenly, incomes the overwhelming likable Inui, and she and Haida were a fantastic match. Haida even realized this but was still torn over his lingering feelings for Retsuko.
Between seasons two and three, Aggretsuko should not be discounted as a legitimately good romance anime.
With all this going on – Retsuko discovering her inner strength and Haida possibly finding “the one” – IMAGINE MY SHOCK WHEN AGGRESTUKO SEASON 3 WENT FULL PERFECT BLUE ON US!
Where in the ever-loving Christ did this come from? There wasn’t an ounce of humor in this section. It was dark, scary, and disturbing. If you thought Anai was something back in season two, trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet.
It is because of what happened in season three that made me decide to actually review season four when it comes out. Now, I’m legitimately curious:
Where in the hell can this series go next?
Final Thoughts
Yeah, this season took a turn. And though I can say it was drastic, I can also say it was incredible.
This series has been filled with nothing but unexpectedly wonderful surprises. It might look and act like this cute little show, but once it hooks you in, be prepared to get hit hard.
That’s why I don’t take this next statement lightly lightly:
Aggretsuko Season 3 was easily the best of the series thus far.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? What were your impressions of Aggrestusko Season 3? 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
