‘Aggretusko Season 5’ Review: Retsuko and Haida Go Through the Hurdles of a Real Relationship
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Daily life is really tough. There are so many factors that need to be taken care of in a modern society that we sometimes hoped for simpler times to return to. There are so many distractions and responsibilities that life can sometimes feel severely chaotic. On top of that, many people have the choice of having a partner, someone they can rely on, have fun with, and fall in love with. How can you handle all these things at the same time? Aggretsuko Season 5, now available on Netflix, fantastically explores all these topics.
Aggretsuko is a character created by Yeti for the Sanrio company, the same company behind other smash characters such as Hello Kitty. Aggretsuko began appearing in digital shorts until it received its own TV series on Netflix starting in 2018. Now Season 5 is at hand, and it seems like this might be the show’s final season. Season 5 brings many of the stories to a climax, especially the one involving Retsuko and Haida as a couple. After losing his job in the previous season, Haida has found himself unemployed for a while, and this starts wearing on his relationship with Retsuko.
Being in a relationship is a hard job. Many things are said, and many promises are made, but very few of them actually come true. In this season, the exploration of how a couple can overcome such a tough situation is fascinating. Of course, because it is an animated TV series, some events and the conclusions to those events feel way easier than they would be in real life, but the core of the matter still feels real and relevant. This might be one of the show’s best seasons, if only because it really goes out of its way to feel real.
Haida becomes our focus character this season. Retsuko is still our main character; her name is in the title; but Haida’s storyline receives the most screen time because it is definitely the most interesting of them all. Haida is a fascinating character because he only has good intentions. And yet, he is piled on by a series of unfortunate events, and he doesn’t have the tools to solve these issues that have appeared in front of him. For all his good intentions, his ability to deal with all these issues is truly lacking.
Thankfully, Haida has some excellent friends and a very good girlfriend that will try to get him back in good shape. He is even lucky that some new acquaintances are good enough to try to help him out of a situation they also find themselves in. Being in a relationship is hard, and even the ever-uplifting Retsuko will come crashing down when the reality of sharing her life with another person hits her in the face. Of course, she always trusts Death Voice to release all those issues in a devastating wave of death metal sound.
The writing is excellent. Most of the jokes hit hard and sharp. You can feel that the writers have a very good grasp of these topics and share a few of their experiences in these episodes. One of the most interesting bits is the exploration of the issue of homelessness in Japan. You would think it would be easier to get out of that situation in a country like Japan. However, it is anything but, especially with the presence of Net Cafés all over the city, where the people who don’t have a home have the chance to stay in a safe place almost every single day.
In terms of animation, the series continues to master the flash animation style that was made so famous in shows such as South Park. It all looks cute, and the city really comes to life. You would think there are not many details because the series uses this animation style, but you would be wrong. You can see that the animators have stepped up their game, especially regarding the backgrounds. It all sits in this weird space between being minimalist and having great detail.
In the end, Aggretsuko Season 5 realizes all the show’s potential. It culminates many of the storylines in a very satisfying way, and it also manages to slip some social commentary and some truly amazing character moments that you would never have thought you could see in a show like this. In the end, this could be one of essential explorations of corporate and modern life in any streaming service, and it is all hidden behind the face of a really cute and sometimes very aggressive red panda.
