Ever since being picked up by Netflix, Sanrio's Aggetsuko has hit a level of massive worldwide appeal, in part due to its cute art style and equally adorable characters as Sanrio is known for, but it's also gained so much popularity because of just how relatable a lot of its themes are in many areas including work, romance and what living a satisfying life means to the individual.
Many of their episodes are incredibly highly regarded, but of course, even the greatest shows have a handful of episodes that simply don't strike as much of a chord with the audience.
10 Worst: Double Moratorium (Season 2, Episode 3) - 7.4 / 10
Double Moratorium is the third episode of the second season, which further establishes the tensions between Retsuko and the new hire in the office, Anai. She is pushed to the brink by having to train someone who's so openly against receiving any form of criticism, and she ends up having to spend a good amount of time in her trusty karaoke booth before she can handle things again. She does get some advice from Gori and Washimi that Anai is most likely just scared of becoming an adult, and that she should try to foster his confidence.
It isn't a bad episode by any means, simply one of the more uneventful ones, which is why it ranks so low.
9 Best: She's Dreaming (Season 2, Episode 9): 7.9 / 10
This episode starts off cute enough, gets bad, and ends even worse- not in terms of quality, but in how heart-wrenching the story gets, and Retsuko and Tadano have such a realistic differing of views that it still breaks fans' hearts today.
Their relationship starts getting out to the public, and Retsuko starts to deflate from all the hate comments until she sees one about the two getting married. She's overjoyed seeing this until Tadano states that he views marriage as a pointless construct with no meaning, which goes against Retsuko's biggest dreams- and leads up to an absolutely crushing finale which ranks even higher on this list.
8 Worst: A Good, Hard-Working Girl (Season 1, Episode 2) - 7.4 / 10
In the second episode of the first season, we meet Puko, a childhood friend of Retsuko's who seems to be much more of a drifting free-spirit when compared to Retsuko's more serious nature. It's great to see them play off of each other, with Puko encouraging Retsuko to quit her job if it's making her as unhappy as she seems, and offers her a job at a start-up company she was working on establishing. Retsuko jumps at the chance and starts dreaming of what her future holds.
Again, not a bad episode by any means, but it can't compare to how good the show gets when the plot really picks up.
7 Best: The Duel (Season 1, Episode 7) - 8.0 / 10
The Duel is the seventh episode of the first season of the series, and it's easy to see why it's so highly-rated. Retsuko goes out drinking with her co-workers, and her boss ends up roasting her pretty hard in an open-mic contest, where he directly challenges her and chastises her for sticking with her job despite seeming to hate it so much. With some encouragement from her friends and enough to drink, Retsuko is able to shut him down, at least for the night.
She's incredibly lucky that he drank too much and remembered none of their exchange the following day, or she might have been fired on the spot.
6 Worst: Short-Timer (Season 1, Episode 3) - 7.4 / 10
In the third episode of the first season, we really get a taste of how much pent-up hatred Retsuko truly has for her boss. She gets interviewed on her way to work about terrible bosses, and ends up swiping the microphone away just to get more time to vent her frustrations. Though they tried to blur her face to protect her identity, it was of little use, and she's quickly made an even bigger target of Ton's at the workplace.
Like the others, it isn't a bad episode, but merely lacks what makes some of the best so compelling.
5 Best: United Front (Season 2, Episode 5) - 8.0 / 10
After about half a season of Anai proving to be nothing but stubborn and unwilling to help Retsuko in her time of need, she's put in a situation where he's the only one who can help- and it makes for a pretty entertaining episode, all things considered. The fifth episode of the second season takes the third-best spot, only being trumped by the very best that the show has to offer. We learn about a nicer side of Anai and he gets an incredibly catchy rap number, and we always leave this episode with an undeniable craving for yakisoba.
4 Worst: Walking Down The Aisle (Season 1, Episode 4) - 7.4 / 10
Most of the worst episodes land in their spot simply because they're episodes that build up to the grander things to come, making them 'worse' in comparison. Retsuko struggles with others close to her getting married, and what's worse is a couple that she had to save several paychecks to afford their gift for divorced within the week, making her bitter and envious. She couldn't understand why she was forced to work a job she loathed while eating bread and mayonnaise for lunch when others her age were already getting hitched, even if it didn't work out for them.
Gori and Washimi finally interact with Retsuko this episode as well, and we get to witness the beginning of their friendship blooming, which is a nice touch to an otherwise standard episode.
3 Best: The Dream Ends (Season 1, Episode 10) - 8.1 / 10
Retsuko and Resasuke were never really meant to be, and even though the show did a great job of dropping hints at this inevitability from the beginning, it still hurts when it finally does end. Retsuko opens up about her inner world to Resasuke, belting out a heartfelt death metal number about the person she really was, and asked Resasuke for acceptance. There was none to be found, however- Resasuke's response proved that he was unable to share the world that Retsuko loved so much, and that's okay, and a wonderful message to show fans.
They didn't work out simply because they weren't compatible people- and that can sting severely in real life, so the realistic message the show gives us is dearly beloved by fans.
2 Worst: A Day In The Life Of Retsuko (Season 1, Episode 1) - 7.3 / 10
Pilots aren't always a shows strongest point, and often are unable to fully convey how in-depth and truly wonderful a show can be as the story develops. This isn't a bad thing, by any means- it's great that Aggretsuko starts simple, showing us day-to-day office life and introducing viewers to the colorful cast they'll be spending their time getting to know even further, but it doesn't make for anything overly interesting, so it's unable to hold its own compared to what comes after.
It also gives off a bit of a vibe that the show might simply be gag humor, as most of the episode focuses on Retsuko wearing the wrong shoes and her coworker making fun of her for doing so, but thankfully this isn't true as the series goes on.
1 Best: Wonderful Life (Season 2, Episode 10) - 8.4 / 10
It really speaks volumes that the two highest-rated episodes happen to be the two season finales, lending proof to the fact that they're some of the most well-written, hard-hitting and utterly heartbreaking episodes of the entire series. Like with Resasuke, Retsuko has finally realized what she needs out of life, and that her current partner Tadano is simply unable to give her that despite both of them still loving each other dearly.
Retsuko can't be in love without a family, including marriage and kids, two things that don't matter to Tadano- so, with both of them incredibly pained, they decide to split up. Simply writing about it still hurts, and it more than deserves its crowning spot as the best Aggretsuko episode.