Aggretsuko

This is a delightful and endearing allegory with animals, where you are going to probably end up naming your friends and colleagues after some of the characters, as it is very much "true to life" at times. You are probably even going to see yourself in some of the animals and start thinking that maybe you have unacknowledged issues with work, love, yourself, or maybe with the people around you and that shutting yourself away for a while and screaming at the top of your lungs into a microphone is not actually a bad idea... 9/10. (28.08.2020)

The second season is just as well produced and entertaining as the first, delighting in the addition of more interesting characters and the development of the original characters - for example, I have gotten used to and enjoy Director Ton espousing his words of wisdom throughout, although the main thrust of the entire second season seems to actually be the chatty little bugger Kabae, who shows another distinct and this time endearing part of her character, and this was a pleasant surprise. In other words, it turns out that the animals, like the humans they represent, are not just a bunch of empty stereotypical, cliché, and formulaic characters, they are all much more complex and complicated than we would expect. Likewise, the narrative introduces some new, as well old familiar (from the first season) subject matter, that, once again, too often will leave you feeling this is too much like real life... I am definitely very content and even the second season gets 9/10. (28.08.2020)

Personally, I have one minor problem with the third season of Aggretsuko, and it is affecting my feelings about the show and my final rating. I like whole Aggretsuko a lot, because it shows ordinary everyday life, and, moreover, from a world that is very close to me personally, as I am a person working in admin (read office drone). There is an interesting look at everything from many different perspectives, which I also appreciate, and I really like that most of the characters are quite believable. Well, yeah, the third season has a significant change of setting, so some of the issues that are addressed do not seem that relevant to me. I have never been in debt, so I cannot relate to the main protagonist’s struggle with that particular situation. Plus, how am I supposed to appreciate the Japanese view of the world of showbiz (and the whole Japanese concept of "idols") and the problems surrounding it? I have to confess I do not know much about it personally, so I have never cared much for it to be honest... On the other hand, I understand the point this season is making, again I appreciate how fairly honest they are when dealing with the problems depicted and their ability to see that there is more than one side to the story, which is what actually matters in the end. However, this is the first season where I could hardly see myself, or anyone I know, in any of the situations... The only character who saves this season in my opinion is Haida, who is once again fantastic, and I was far more interested in his romantic troubles and emotional conflicts than anything else. I also ended up really enjoying the very end of this season, which was again a bit far-fetched, yet gave me a chance to feel like I "connect" with everything again before the next season. In addition, even though it was not the right show for me at this time, I cannot say it was not enjoyable, (especially at the end) so I am going to count to ten and knock off two points. 8/10. (28.08.2020)

This season was not exactly Aggressive Recuko, but rather Aggressive Haida. Anyway, that is not a bad thing at all, because at least we got to know a lot more about Haida. This time we got to understand his weaknesses and doubts, and it all took an incredibly interesting turn in this season! Again, I enjoyed all the characters in this show, who are so nicely complex. No one is black and white, good or bad, just smart or stupid, even though the screenwriters have attempted to show that through strong characterizations. They all have their dreams and ambitions and the resulting big problems that then have to be solved somehow. Everyone has their weaknesses and strengths, and it does not matter if it is about Haida, Ton, Retsuko, or Kabae, and the anime's authors succeeded that I, as a viewer, could really feel what they went through. Well, what did I remember? Well, for example, that the road to hell is usually paved with good intentions. I learned that man's greatest enemy is himself. However, I also learned that when you are drinking with the managing director of the company you work for, never talk about work, and when you do, always talk about your work for the company in a positive way. The issues dealt with in this show were very close to my heart; everything felt really strong and moving. However, at the same time, the anime's authors managed to exaggerate, lighten, and create a parody sometimes. Still, everything makes sense to me (and not only because I worked for years in an office, experienced several changes of management and restructuring, dated an accountant, and was interested in how it is to work for a corporation in Japan) and seems so amusingly real. 9/10. (16.12.2021)

Everyone has problems, Japan in particular, and this series satirizes the hell out of them, perhaps even more intensely this season. It's beginning to dawn on me that the majority of all the plots in Retsuko are partially about the characters, but mainly an attempt to portray Japan and what the creator believes is wrong with it. While the previous seasons managed to keep some sort of balance between the problems of the heroes and the problems of Japanese society as a whole, the latest season doesn't bother about that and is primarily about holding a mirror up to Japanese society. The voice of Retsuko becomes a vehicle to communicate dissatisfaction with various Japanese traditions. It is made obvious what the particular social problems are, and when the pictures fail to tell the story, it is simply announced that, for example, "Many young and talented people feel trapped in their tiny cubicles..." For someone who is interested in Japan and is familiar with the issues of Japanese society, traditions, and family, this series will work quite well as an interesting satire, as they will understand most of what's going on and what's being referenced. If you couldn’t care less about Japan, you'll at least be able to relate to Handy and his crisis as many of us (myself included) have been through something like that at some point. However, it will be much harder to relate to the other characters’ problems, and you might find the political conclusion to the series boring, weird, and maybe even far-fetched. Now that the series is over, I think it probably provided the Japanese with a lot to think about, but there’s no major takeaway for me this time... 6.5/10 (17.02.2023)