Season 5 of Aggretsuko just released, and I wanted to share my mixed opinions on it, as well as how this reflects on Aggretsuko as a whole. Be warned there are spoilers but if you’re reading this I think you’d already know.
Thank you to @1billionangles (on instagram and twitter) for the amazing thumbnail commission, as well as the background paintings and font that I use.
Feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok @colby2D I post funny clips I don’t always mention in the videos there, as well as other random stuff like my dog.
Let me know what you think! Likes, comments, and subscribes are appreciated more than you’d think!
37 Comments
I've just made a new video where I rank and quickly discuss all Aggretsuko seasons! https://youtu.be/u8sqnVJ6Tbo and the Christmas Special is included here :] Thanks for watching!
My biggest problem was the issue with the truck. Jiro says he wasn't involved with the truck, but Haida hadn't really talked about getting attacked before with anyone. So, it came out of left field, and I kept thinking that Jiro was behind it all just because of how suspicious it was and how the truck had been timed so perfectly after Jiro was backed into a corner. Nothing became of that incident, and no one was ever caught or gotten into trouble for the attempted murder. I know the justice system is garbage over there (from what I've heard from a lot of Japanese residents online), but it still would have been nice to at least have had some inclination that it had NOT been Jiro, like the introduction of a different candidate, discourse with a different party, etc. It just felt like it came to inspire Retsuko, and that was it.
I love this. I'm so glad you're channel showed up on my page.
Wait, this was the series finale of Aggretsuko?! SINCE WHEN???!!!
Wasn’t retsuko rejecting Haida in that Christmas special between season 1 and 2
Suffering for 4 seasons just to get 0 cute scenes between Retsuko and Haida. We had so much screentime about her past relationships, and when it finally came time for Haida there was no chemistry.
Also, Fenneko was one of my fav characters, she always contributed to the plot with her cleverness, and they gave her no justice. No character development (as long as we know she still has a video game and social media addiction). In season 4, she also mentioned knowing how it feels to not be loved back, suggesting she may like Haida. I shipped her with Tsunoda but I'm pretending too much at this point
The politician was the only character I hated in the entire show. Everyone, good or bad, had their story, motivation, and development, but this guy seemed more like a "funny" caricature than a tridimensional being.
The worst part of the show was Retsuko accepting the politician role. For the first half of the season, she pushed Haida to find a job without even asking him once if he would be happy working as an accountant, completely missing the point of Haida's decisions last season. And now, just because she got pushed, she accepts to quit her job (or at least as I understood, since the politician said to her she should have quit her full-time to participate, but then we saw her at the office, ssso yeah big plot hole), when having a job was the most important thing in the world since the last episode, just because she still is, as season 1 episode 1, a people pleaser. Not only she didn't redeem herself by her good girl mask, but for me, it's even worse, because now she is pushed by others to do something she loves as performing, probably making her hate the only thing she saw as her safe space.
I was satisfied enough I guess (honestly idk, i just watched it, and might be in the coping phase) , but like most of the season, I think the final episode was too short, and felt a bit rushed.
I agree on the election story arc. I just didn't care much about it. I could have done without that
Seeing as this was the final season, It would have been nice to get a better send off to most of the characters. Like come on, at least let us see Haida put that ring on her finger!
The thing that made me just wanna press my finger on both their foreheads out of disgusted annoyance that they don’t hold hands!! Or at least one little peck kiss on the cheek.
And they got married just like that.
Well…now for the ova. It’s gonna happen. Ova on their wedding 💒
This show really turned sour for me around the end of season 4 leading into season 5 because of the strange implication the show believes that retsuko needs to be forced into things she does, even when she says no. there's something inherently icky to me about so many characters insisting that Retsuko "actually secretly enjoys" things she is protesting or uncomfortable with. In a different show, whatever, it's japan. it's a sketchy but relatively common trope. but this is a show that decided to depict a violent assault and then had a character tell a traumatized Retsuko to essentially "suck it up, buttercup, you're bumming everyone out with your PTSD". I actually actively started hating Haida's character after that part, so season 5 was already a slog for me. and after 5 seasons, shouldn't we expect Retsuko to be heard when she tells people "no" by now? It feels tired. we've been going through this for 5 seasons. enough.
After watching Aggretsuko season 5, my thoughts were that it felt incomplete as if there was supposed to be another series to conclude the story. Hypothetically, if the studio decided to conclude the story of Aggretsuko, they would have to turn it into a movie. It would be titled, "Aggretsuko: The Final Rage" the movie.
Haida got rejected in the Christmas special
It was an amazing program but I don't agree with the final ending!!
I know they won't but they should do one more temporary episode! Like what they did for a Christmas special!!
Like what has now officially happened after the results! Of course we know what happens!
I'm not going to give out spoilers but still it shouldn't have concluded like that!!
i know this isn’t the final season it just can’t be 😭 come on Sanrio give us want we want please even if it’s in a couple of years
Am I the only one who feels Innui had way better chemistry with Haida than Retsuko? I don't know after season 1 the pairing kinda fell into this amorphus blob of something that didn't really have any definitive form. I'unno it was weird.
I hope they make a special like the Christmas one, except it’s like, the wedding or something between Retsuko and Haida, and then silly shit happens but it’s like serious/heartwarming at the end.
Yea it would feel not as epic because it wouldn’t be it’s open episode in the main series, but you know, just something, a mini episode or long one about it.
👌
It feels as if the season was rushed
Honestly, I went into this season without realizing it was the last season. And then when it got to the political plot I was just like, “this feels out of place and boring”. Finished off the season thinking it was kinda dull with a lot of missed potential and thought maybe the next season will be better. You know your finale is bad when a viewer doesn’t even realize it’s the finale. Imagine my disappointment to find it was.
you kids, you always need big displays to feel you achieve something so sad Americans. you got to see there married life, they where living together for like the whole season, run a campsin together sure there was no ceremony , but you saw there marriage. and they dont git heck I don't even know what people see on that red panda she is more trouble that she is worth.
I wish Fenneko got an arc
Your take regarding Tadano’s further involvement especially with respect to AI and how it can revolutionize tedious tasks in the workplace at the expense of controversial and ethical issues is so interesting. I think you worded it really nicely and I do agree entirely that the last season could’ve also focused on a more transparent discussion of these workplace issues that Retsuko deals with on a deep level, as her character was primarily made to inspire young salarymen and women in her position. It was hard for me to understand what motivated Retsuko to run a political campaign that didn’t clearly define any of these issues. Finally, I really hate that they glossed over her entire relationship with Haida, didn’t show real growth, romance or chemistry, at least not nearly close to the love they showed Retsuko had for Tadano. It didn’t seem to me at all that Retsuko ever had any feelings for Haida beyond care and respect.
Haida and Retsuko got married on paper, which honestly, felt like a disservice to plotline of her wanting marriage, because she always made it out to be a big thing for her. But with Haida, it was a few seconds thing that felt like a blink and you would miss it, if you just stopped paying attention for a few seconds that is. But the real issue in general was how Retsuko and Haida's relationship was depicted in Season 5, for all that build up, it didn't feel like it was worth it, especially when you have to have Haida's characterization just be ruined like it was throughout the seasons.
Also Retsuko and Haida had better chemistry with other characters than each other. Which really made me push for Haida x Tadano ending than anything. Both of them radiated bisexual energy so much.
I loved Aggretsuko so much in the initial seasons because it felt so damn relatable. It wasn't OVER THE TOP UNREALISTIC ANIME, which is fine sometimes, but that wasn't why I watched Aggretsuko. But then they had her randomly forced into this Political position and I was SO PISSED OFF. Like, it made ZERO sense for her to be literally forced into trying this out, I was begging for it to end. 🙁
In all honesty I actually really liked this season 😀
The main decision I disagreed with was having Retsuko be the one to sing with Shikobane, as the scene would've been more impactful if it'd been Haida talking to her.
Also I see a lot of people saying that they didn't realize or forgot that Haida and Retsuko were dating, but tbh I don't get it? I think as a whole people aren't used to seeing an actual realistic relationship on screen, and tend to forget that things like PDA all that are actually a sign of much newer relationships usually built more on lust than love. It was actually really refreshing to me to see a pretty realistic and healthy relationship portrayed on screen, especially in an anime! The only real difference between a romantic and platonic relationship is intention, and Aggretsuko perfectly showcases that! Their dynamic hasn't actually changed all that much, but there's just something more that wasn't there before.
I know the marriage was rushed but I thought it was kind of sweet that Haida's speech (I guess you could say it was his proposal) made Retsuko want to marry him there and then and how they both went to the after-hour marriage registration together to make it official. It was the first confession between Retsuko and Haida that felt genuine and not the usual dialogue we get like Haida's "the app says we're 100% compatible so let me be there for you." I feel like the progression of their relationship was finally shown on screen and, to me at least, after binge-watching each season as a first-time viewer, it felt more satisfying than anything that happened beforehand (I honestly didn't even know they were dating until Retsuko told him in S4 that they were trying too hard).
Honestly the whole political plot was just… not good
I would like to strongly disagree with the political turn on Aggretsuko.
Aggretsuko has secretly always been about the conditions of the Japanese working class. Retsuko being our avatar for anger, suggests the Party of Rage is a Pro-Worker’s Left Leaning Party. It’s not like Punk and Metal had never been protest/rebellious genres.
The season managed to create the right thesis for the whole show. Not to just start dating and forget about the material problems of your class. But to find power in the collective rage of the working class through comradery.
Plus, fuck Tadano. Dude is built on money but couldn’t help any of the protagonists through the show? A clear example of “not all capitalists are bad.” Like then do something dude, don’t just sit on the back. Hell, he designs AI, the product that takes the job of other workers. If anything, he’s secretly an antagonist.
I was a hundred percent expecting the whole netcafe arc to lead to some kind of purpose regarding the election. Like a goal to make sure that people who end up in those situation can get the help they need.
I felt confused by Tadano buying out the Internet cafe and letting Retsuko use it as a campaign office from a writing standpoint. Didn’t we establish in the first half of the season that a lot of down on their luck people need those spaces to survive from day to day?
Final season??? Hold on? This is it?
I mostly adore this show because of the messages. Sure, sometimes they aren't really interpreted properly, but a lot have hit close to home and have actually helped me. Narratively the show is okay, but there are a lot of damn good banger lines.
If you read the manga, Akumetsu or played any of the Yakuza/Ryu Go Kuze games; season 5 of Aggrestuko make a little sense.
As for how I feel about season 5; it is what it is. I don't hate it, but it's not very impressionable. There are better ways to convey social and workplace issues
If i am completly honest with myself, a disappointing anticlimatic conclusion to the series, thought not satisfying, is what seems the most on brand for me. I think that retsko learns through the whole series that plans are disappointing and thins never work out the way we want in adulthood. That being said, the political campaign felt kind of cheap, as it give Heida last second character development while simultaniously just uppping there "look how crazy popular retsko can be" factor.
i honestly wish they took a more realistic route, like still address the political issues, but give it that season 1-3 flare. I feel like they should've honed in on the musical aspect of aggretsuko and had retsuko and haida become a political metal/punk duo. Work drones by day, politcal activist band by night type of deal. They could've had tadano running instead, and have him push the duos music career into the limelight to help shine light on the issues the speak on in their songs. That way it's not retsuko being drilled and programmed into being some random parties mascot, and instead have her speak her own truth about the state of the world using her death voice.
I love aggretsuko but I didn't like season 5 :/ feels like it needs a movie or another season to wrapped everything up
I think the marriage works, rather then a sugary sweet ceremony, it was framed as a act of defiance. like dudes hit them with a truck and instead breaking their spirt , guys went and tied the knot. screw you , we married now, ball in your court .
怒り(Ikari) Means “Anger” in Japanese. Which also Happens to be the name of the Politician in question, it is literally his party.