The Aggretsuko Finale Cop-Out
WARNING! This post contains spoilers. If you have yet to watch the second season of Aggretsuko, then read at your own discretion.
Aggretsuko, a Netflix original series about an anxious red panda who secretly screams death metal songs about her frustrations, has concluded its second season. As a recap for those who have been keeping up with the show, Retsuko had a whirlwind romance with an aloof tech mogul named Tadano. As soon as she found out that he had no desire to get married or have children, she broke it off with him in the most metal way possible, of course.
Retsuko has been through quite a journey of self-discovery this season. While she occasionally dabbled with the idea of romance and marriage in the first season, it wasn't until the second season that it became more urgent to resolve her feelings about these issues.
Retsuko is 25 years old and you know how kids in their early and mid-20's are. Due to the whole Erikson "Isolation vs. Intimacy" stage, they're often in a hurry to seal the deal on who they will mate with for life. And with a job that barely keeps her above the water, as well as one failed romance under her belt, that urgency to find a life partner is compounded.
Then her mother comes to add fuel to that fire by bringing around photos of suitable bachelors like a cart of fancy desserts. (Even if she did tell Retsuko not to treat them like selections on a sushi conveyor belt, that's exactly what she ended up doing herself.)
It also definitely doesn't help that she had a chance to see another side to Kabae; the side of her that is a happy, loving wife and mother.
On top of that, watching Gori and Washimi argue over their stances on marriage and seeing how lonely they were once their friendship was on the rocks made her even more afraid to value her friendships instead of chasing romantic relationships.
Obviously, all of these factors influenced Retsuko's ultimate stance on marriage. Yes, she struggled to find herself and to know herself before. That's why she was so afraid to consider anything more serious with Shirota, one of the desirable prospects her mother picked out for her. But once she realized what an asset a family can be in this cold, dark, lonely world, she finally set her heart on what she truly wanted out of life.
Yes, all the clues were there to lead her down this path of character development. In the end, her surly boss gives her some tough love and reminds her that she's making a huge mistake by quitting her job to rely on Tadano. He reminds her that marriage and family are important, that they're the backbone of a person's interpersonal network and that he wouldn't trade his for anything in the world.
And of course, the moral is that hard work and a simple life is better than a life of lofty aspirations and personal glory.
That's cute and warm and fuzzy and all...
except that I think it sucks.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not bitter and hateful. I'm not a cold-hearted, jaded cynic who's deeply grounded in reality. I'm actually quite the romantic and quite the dreamer. That's why I think this ending sucked. Confused? Allow me to explain...
Tadano is actually quite the catch for Retsuko. She's so grounded in numbers, facts and responsibilities that Tadano serves as her complement. He's goofy. He's humble enough to take her tongue-lashings without taking them personally. (A surprising quality that is probably lacking in a lot of real-life tech moguls.) He concocts fresh ideas to make the world run more smoothly. He's compassionate. (Remember how he said he'd continue to pay his decoy driver after he learned how to drive his limo himself?)
But none of those qualities should clash with Retsuko's personality because Tadano has backed his dreams with action. He has his own empire and his own assets, so he'd never have to rely on Retsuko.
Yet, for some reason, he's played off as this dreamer who could never fully love Retsuko because he didn't want to marry her.
Personally, I find that to be a harmful message to perpetuate. Marriage can represent a wonderful union. But it can also be a draconian tool of the patriarchy. Men and women are forced into certain roles, kids are brought forth to perpetuate the need for those roles and everyone involved is silenced and repressed in order to keep that fragile system from crumbling.
Don't get me wrong. I have dreams of getting married and having children someday. I hope I get to have a big fancy wedding someday. I hope I get to grow old with my boyfriend and to bask in the love of the family we'll create together...
But I won't wither away if none of that happens. If he decides that marriage isn't for him, that's okay. I don't need a dress, a ring and a piece of paper to solidify that. (I was planning on keeping my last name, anyways!) If he decides that children aren't for him, that's okay. I'm infertile anyways. I made peace with the fact that it may just be him and I forever.
To clarify, I love the idea of sharing a life with someone and creating a family with them. But I hate the idea of making that special bond into government property. I hate the idea of placing that particular bond above all others. And I hate the idea of feeling empty or meaningless without that bond.
The whole fight with Washimi and Gori was a slap in the face to true friendships. I don't know how anyone else interpreted the end of that season, but I perceived the fight as not being quite over yet. It seems that that particular plot point was placed there to show Retsuko how lonely she'd be if she fought with her best friends and had no husband or children to lean back on.
If that narrative wasn't so prevalent in season two, I feel like Tadano could've ended up being "the one" for Retsuko. Instead, she listened to a boss who hates her and constantly picks on her. She believed him when he insinuated that she has no gifts that she could share with the world other than being an accountant for a big corporation. I call bull on that. Tadano was right. She does have a gift, something creative that she could share with the world. I mean, hello? The whole series centers around her having a secret life as a badass metal singer. You know how hard it is to do a metal scream? Sure, there are many women who capable of doing it. But I'd sell my soul to be able to scream like that without losing my voice.
Unfortuantely, the series chooses to treat Retsuko's interest in death metal as some kind of running gag instead of as a valuable contribution she could make to the world. If she had the courage to shake off the conventions of creating a nuclear family, if she had the courage to quit her dead-end job that's taking a toll on her mental health, if she had the courage to create music for quiet, anxious girls like her, that would've been a truly empowering end to that season.
But of course, that's not what any of this is about. It's not about empowering Retsuko. It's not about giving her room to grow as a character. It's about how funny it is to be a girl with no backbone who suppresses her anger. And like I said, the framework was all laid for her to develop towards that end.
But, who knows? Maybe Retsuko will make it as the lead singer of a metal band, even without Tadano's financial and emotional support. Maybe Netflix is just building the tension so that she'll end up with Haida. I can certainly appreciate an ending like that. I did enjoy the idea of them ending up together. But it was cruel to tease the dream romance with Tadano for a few episodes just to have it end for something so boring and conventional.
Of course, that's how every comedy show operates. You can only provide a conventional ending for your audience. You can only dangle a dream life in front your characters for a short while before you have their version of reality come crashing down on them. It's George Carlin's "kiss of death" concept. You're allowed to think for your audience by giving them a pre-fabricated moral to chew on. But for God's sake, don't allow them to think for themselves at any point.
Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this post.
Check out my social media links and make sure to follow me!
Aggretsuko, a Netflix original series about an anxious red panda who secretly screams death metal songs about her frustrations, has concluded its second season. As a recap for those who have been keeping up with the show, Retsuko had a whirlwind romance with an aloof tech mogul named Tadano. As soon as she found out that he had no desire to get married or have children, she broke it off with him in the most metal way possible, of course.
Retsuko has been through quite a journey of self-discovery this season. While she occasionally dabbled with the idea of romance and marriage in the first season, it wasn't until the second season that it became more urgent to resolve her feelings about these issues.
Retsuko is 25 years old and you know how kids in their early and mid-20's are. Due to the whole Erikson "Isolation vs. Intimacy" stage, they're often in a hurry to seal the deal on who they will mate with for life. And with a job that barely keeps her above the water, as well as one failed romance under her belt, that urgency to find a life partner is compounded.
Then her mother comes to add fuel to that fire by bringing around photos of suitable bachelors like a cart of fancy desserts. (Even if she did tell Retsuko not to treat them like selections on a sushi conveyor belt, that's exactly what she ended up doing herself.)
It also definitely doesn't help that she had a chance to see another side to Kabae; the side of her that is a happy, loving wife and mother.
On top of that, watching Gori and Washimi argue over their stances on marriage and seeing how lonely they were once their friendship was on the rocks made her even more afraid to value her friendships instead of chasing romantic relationships.
Obviously, all of these factors influenced Retsuko's ultimate stance on marriage. Yes, she struggled to find herself and to know herself before. That's why she was so afraid to consider anything more serious with Shirota, one of the desirable prospects her mother picked out for her. But once she realized what an asset a family can be in this cold, dark, lonely world, she finally set her heart on what she truly wanted out of life.
Yes, all the clues were there to lead her down this path of character development. In the end, her surly boss gives her some tough love and reminds her that she's making a huge mistake by quitting her job to rely on Tadano. He reminds her that marriage and family are important, that they're the backbone of a person's interpersonal network and that he wouldn't trade his for anything in the world.
And of course, the moral is that hard work and a simple life is better than a life of lofty aspirations and personal glory.
That's cute and warm and fuzzy and all...
except that I think it sucks.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not bitter and hateful. I'm not a cold-hearted, jaded cynic who's deeply grounded in reality. I'm actually quite the romantic and quite the dreamer. That's why I think this ending sucked. Confused? Allow me to explain...
Tadano is actually quite the catch for Retsuko. She's so grounded in numbers, facts and responsibilities that Tadano serves as her complement. He's goofy. He's humble enough to take her tongue-lashings without taking them personally. (A surprising quality that is probably lacking in a lot of real-life tech moguls.) He concocts fresh ideas to make the world run more smoothly. He's compassionate. (Remember how he said he'd continue to pay his decoy driver after he learned how to drive his limo himself?)
But none of those qualities should clash with Retsuko's personality because Tadano has backed his dreams with action. He has his own empire and his own assets, so he'd never have to rely on Retsuko.
Yet, for some reason, he's played off as this dreamer who could never fully love Retsuko because he didn't want to marry her.
Personally, I find that to be a harmful message to perpetuate. Marriage can represent a wonderful union. But it can also be a draconian tool of the patriarchy. Men and women are forced into certain roles, kids are brought forth to perpetuate the need for those roles and everyone involved is silenced and repressed in order to keep that fragile system from crumbling.
Don't get me wrong. I have dreams of getting married and having children someday. I hope I get to have a big fancy wedding someday. I hope I get to grow old with my boyfriend and to bask in the love of the family we'll create together...
But I won't wither away if none of that happens. If he decides that marriage isn't for him, that's okay. I don't need a dress, a ring and a piece of paper to solidify that. (I was planning on keeping my last name, anyways!) If he decides that children aren't for him, that's okay. I'm infertile anyways. I made peace with the fact that it may just be him and I forever.
To clarify, I love the idea of sharing a life with someone and creating a family with them. But I hate the idea of making that special bond into government property. I hate the idea of placing that particular bond above all others. And I hate the idea of feeling empty or meaningless without that bond.
The whole fight with Washimi and Gori was a slap in the face to true friendships. I don't know how anyone else interpreted the end of that season, but I perceived the fight as not being quite over yet. It seems that that particular plot point was placed there to show Retsuko how lonely she'd be if she fought with her best friends and had no husband or children to lean back on.
If that narrative wasn't so prevalent in season two, I feel like Tadano could've ended up being "the one" for Retsuko. Instead, she listened to a boss who hates her and constantly picks on her. She believed him when he insinuated that she has no gifts that she could share with the world other than being an accountant for a big corporation. I call bull on that. Tadano was right. She does have a gift, something creative that she could share with the world. I mean, hello? The whole series centers around her having a secret life as a badass metal singer. You know how hard it is to do a metal scream? Sure, there are many women who capable of doing it. But I'd sell my soul to be able to scream like that without losing my voice.
Unfortuantely, the series chooses to treat Retsuko's interest in death metal as some kind of running gag instead of as a valuable contribution she could make to the world. If she had the courage to shake off the conventions of creating a nuclear family, if she had the courage to quit her dead-end job that's taking a toll on her mental health, if she had the courage to create music for quiet, anxious girls like her, that would've been a truly empowering end to that season.
But of course, that's not what any of this is about. It's not about empowering Retsuko. It's not about giving her room to grow as a character. It's about how funny it is to be a girl with no backbone who suppresses her anger. And like I said, the framework was all laid for her to develop towards that end.
But, who knows? Maybe Retsuko will make it as the lead singer of a metal band, even without Tadano's financial and emotional support. Maybe Netflix is just building the tension so that she'll end up with Haida. I can certainly appreciate an ending like that. I did enjoy the idea of them ending up together. But it was cruel to tease the dream romance with Tadano for a few episodes just to have it end for something so boring and conventional.
Of course, that's how every comedy show operates. You can only provide a conventional ending for your audience. You can only dangle a dream life in front your characters for a short while before you have their version of reality come crashing down on them. It's George Carlin's "kiss of death" concept. You're allowed to think for your audience by giving them a pre-fabricated moral to chew on. But for God's sake, don't allow them to think for themselves at any point.
Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this post.
Check out my social media links and make sure to follow me!
Facebook 👍🏼: Savannah K. Salazar
Twitter 🐦: @authorsksalazar
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