Anime ATM 98 Aggretsuko S2

I watched this on the plane back from Vancouver and I think the girl sitting next to me was judging me. But that's okay! 

{Spoilers}

If you've had a quarter/midlife crisis before, I think that this season really embodies that. I love Aggretsuko episodes because they're on the shorter side, but with the pace and the message behind each episode they really pack a punch and deliver a well-executed story. I mean, if you think about it, in 10 episodes they covered a really overwhelming theme answering the question of "what's my dream?" "what am I doing with my life?" that a lot of us ask ourselves. Is our daily life fulfilling? Are we living every day to the fullest?

This theme of self-doubt and questioning first appears when Retsuko's mom comes for a visit after nagging on the phone. She really wants Retsuko to go for an arranged marriage meeting, but Retsuko is strongly against it. She doesn't think she's ready for marriage. She does go for that first arranged marriage meeting, but she just doesn't know if he was the right guy. So she doesn't pursue that relationship, but when she finds out that he's moved on and found happiness with someone else she's also strangely melancholic. 

This kind of pushy dynamic goes on with her mom with more proposed arranged marriage meetings and even a mingling singles party which doesn't go too well. But, because of one of her fellow coworkers, she realizes that marriage is something that she really does want.

Kind of unrelated, but ya know since Aggretsuko encompasses all of the aspects of life as an office worker, Retsuko has to train a new recruit. And he's terrible. He's also kind of the next generation. He's too sensitive towards other people's innocent comments towards him and is kind of threatening/intimidating. I don't know how she dealt with him being so crazy, but I'm glad that Anai finally found his place in the office as the bento guy. 

Something unexpectedly deep about this season were the driving metaphors. As a ploy to delay anymore marriage meetings, Retsuko tells her mom she's going to get her license. While this in and of itself is a tool to achieve freedom, Retsuko realizes that while she can drive now that there's no real place she wants to go. And I think this is too relatable to the point that it's scary. I think because I just go with the flow a lot of the time, it's scary to get caught up in everything and to eventually realize that you don't know where you're headed anymore. 

At the driving school, Retsuko meets this super cool guy named Tadano. Well, he's just kind of weird. He can't get past the theoretical portion of driving and he always seems sleepy. And for the longest time Retsuko thinks he's unemployed. Actually he's a super forward-thinking AI-developing CEO. And he doesn't want to marry Retsuko per say because he doesn't see the point, but he wants them to stay together forever. And because Retsuko is confused as to what she wants for a while, she blindly follows him and internalizes the thought that marriage isn't necessary. 

Thank goodness she came to her senses and was able to realize what she actually wanted in life. Which meant goodbye to Tadano.

It was a little bittersweet. Especially since I really wanted Retsuko to be happy and you know get married and such. But, not everything in life is about romance. So, Retsuko's life will go on and she'll continue to be the queen she is. 

But! If there's a season 3 you bet I'm rooting for smol boi Haida!

Overall, would definitely recommend. It's a pretty short watch with 10 episodes at around 15 minutes each. It's too relatable if you're going through a life crisis and are trying to find yourself. And it's just a really heartwarming watch. 

Anime ATM 82 Aggretsuko

In the span of a single day, two people recommended this show to me. When the first person did I didn't give it a lot of thought. He didn't go into a whole lot of detail about it and most of what he says, if not all, goes in one ear and out the other. The other person was my dear Canadian. Her opinion meant a lot more so I put it on my list to watch. I didn't mean to binge watch it, but it was all too easy. Midterms? What are those? I don't know them. I mean, the season is only 10 episodes and each one is 15 minutes, less if you skip the OP and the ED. So it's not really that bad, or so I'm trying to persuade myself.

{LOL it's slice of life, you know the drill, no spoilers}

I didn't really want to admit that those people were right when they said I would really enjoy this anime or that the main character reminded them of me...but they were kind of right. Retsuko is truly a relatable protagonist. She's not perfect by any means and she's quirky too. She's just trying to make her way through life without too much disturbance. On the outside, Retsuko looks like your average corporate office worker, a real career woman in the accounting department. The only real notable thing about her is that she's a bit of a pushover. But you soon realize that underneath that sweet and tolerable exterior lies a death metal loving alter ego. She uses this singing and the karaoke place she frequents as her sanctuary from all of the expectations people have of her. In that kind of business setting you're forced to conform and go with the flow, but Retsuko finds this kind of thing unbearable. The show mainly focuses on her and her struggle with her job and love life.

Along the way you can experience her interactions with the people around her and how they all have pretenses that they hide behind. A good example is the women power duo of the company, Washimi and Gori. On the outside they look like total girl bosses, walking around the company always looking like they've got something important to go to. In actuality it's tiring for them to constantly have this image and it's comforting yet disconcerting to know that even these untouchable and super cool people also have to play a role to fit into this office persona. Like Gori is actually a super awkward person, but she can't really show it at work because she's forced to have this professional attitude. Like sure it's work, but it's also kind of sad that you can't be yourself. Honestly I'm really happy that Retsuko found friends in those two. They're like A-1 supporting characters.

Speaking of supporting characters, Retsuko starts off the show with her two friend Fenneko and Haida. Honestly Fenneko is super funny and quirky. She's lowkey me when she doesn't want to go to the mixer, but ends up going and finding out that it's actually super fun. And she's also me when she knows something and makes that really funny and annoying fake laugh. Like Fenneko is lowkey me if I didn't already relate so much to Retsuko. And we already know that Haida is Retsuko's actual soul mate. When he's on the phone with Fenneko and worried about Retsuko being snatched by some other man, he's in his room with his leather jacket on and looks like a total rocker. That's when you know that the man Retsuko would be most compatible is the one right in front of her. I hesitate to say that he's the man that Retsuko needs because I think she's just chillin' at her own pace you know. She's 25 and she's got a stable career and great friends so there's no need for her to rush. Even though she contemplated marriage as just a way to escape from her insufferable job and how Director Ton and honestly everyone in the Accounting department take advantage of her, she still doesn't need a man I think.

There are a lot of quirky little bits and bobs throughout the show that make it really entertaining. Every time she breaks out into a death metal solo it makes me feel a little cathartic as well. It's definitely a very fun and entertaining show that I think a lot of people can relate to. I definitely recommend that you watch it if you're looking for a comedy/slice of life that's aimed, I assume, more for an older audience that is working. Yep.

Alrighty now I'm off to study for my midterms. No screenshots again because it was on Netflix. Sorry y'all!