The rage-filled catharsis continues.

Season 3 of Aggretsuko released on Aug. 27 and did not disappoint. Netflix’s original series usually suffer at the hands of an identity crisis (or lack of direction) during respective season 3s (as pointed out via fourth wall in Dear White People‘s season 3). However, this was not the case for Aggretsuko.

Check out the official Aggretsuko season 3 trailer!

Read our Aggretsuko season 3 review:

Only minor spoilers ahead!

Summary

https://tenor.com/embed.js

In season 3, our favorite relatable red panda Retsuko finds herself in utter debt. When she accidentally hits a parked car in a parking lot of a restaurant, Retsuko must pay for the damages to Mr. Hyodo, an at-first shady-looking and menacing leopard character. Mr. Hyodo turns out to be a manager for the new idol group OTM Girls. To pay back her debt, he recruits Retsuko as his accounting manager.

Commentary

Shifting focus away from office dynamics

https://tenor.com/embed.js

After two seasons of dealing with office life and dynamics, it was time to move out of that. Season 3 offered a fresh direction to the underground idol scene. But we weren’t completely deprived of office life. Retsuko still needs her full-time job to live on. We got to see how our supporting characters were doing, primarily Haida who gets a new love interest (see next section).

New characters to love

• Mr. Hyodo is the new character we love because he’s very reserved and keeps to himself but yet manages to pour his heart out for the OTM Girls. He always wears a suit and never talks about his personal life or even mentions his day job. He is the anchor that pulls Retsuko into the underground idol scene. His character provides the added pressure we see in Retsuko’s life.

• The OTM Girls comprise of Manaka (lead vocalist mouse), Hidarin (guinea pig), and Migi (guinea pig). Manaka makes a great foil for Retsuko. Manaka is pushy, bossy, and unafraid to express her thoughts. But despite their differences and (temporary) rivalry in season 3, Manaka and Retsuko become very good acquaintances, not not friends.

• General Affairs colleague Unui is a kind and beautiful love interest for Haida. She’s a cute dog character who doesn’t get a lot of screen time but makes an impact on Haida.

Exploring the Japanese idol culture

https://tenor.com/embed.js

Of course, Retsuko is flabbergasted when she discovers that Hyodo is a manager for an idol group. She gets pushed into this rabbit hole that is the underground idol scene. And it is incredible to see how she reacts to it and digests it. She can’t push it away due to her debt. But her situation allows the show to explore the Japanese idol culture and we learn about the understandable struggles musicians go through when trying to break into the music scene. Retsuko gets to develop side hustle skills too and in addition, her confidence in herself also grows. She realizes that when needed, she is quite resourceful for her team.

Conclusion

https://tenor.com/embed.js

Aggretsuko season 3 deserves 9 out of 10 stars. The main plot drove the season to a fresh direction. And Retsuko faced a new challenge in her life that helped her grow more as a person (or animal…). That ending was bittersweet but ultimately realistic and Retsuko make the decision that was best for her.

What did you think of the third season of Aggretsuko? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @geekgalsco.

Read more of ChinLin’s articles.

Sign up to get news, announcements, and other fun stuff straight to your inbox.

Featured image credit: Netflix, Sanrio