Aggretsuko Season 3 is almost here and while fans wait, Netflix has dropped the first trailer for the new season. As always, Retsuko will be dealing with new challenges in work and life. She'll also meet some new characters including a pop idol group and a unicorn named Seiya.
Starring the beloved Sanrio character, Aggretsuko follows a single, 25-year-old red panda named Retsuko who works in accounting. In order to cope with her thankless job and other frustrations in life, she belts out death metal songs in a private karaoke room after work. So far, she's faced workplace harassment, existential crises and the daunting world of dating, each time learning something new about herself. Now that the trailer is out, here's what Season 3 has in store for Retsuko and her friends.
First, Retsuko is going to get a new job as the accounting director for a pop idol group. While this may sound like an exciting opportunity for her, it doesn't look like she'll be doing it by choice. Instead, it's to pay for damages after getting into a car accident. And, of course, she'll have to do it all on top of her day job, which is sure to lead to even more stress and exhaustion. Retsuko complains that the group treats her like their gofer and the lead singer even tells her off, saying she's "not woman enough to stand up for [her] dreams." Fitting as, at the end of Season 2, Retsuko had to face the fact that she didn't know what else to do with her life. She knew that she wanted to settle down and start a family but perhaps this season will see her reevaluate her path in life.
Despite the physical and mental toll, this new job could give Retsuko a taste of something new. Near the end of the trailer, Retsuko is seen on stage performing with the idol group. She's even wearing their costume when she goes into rage mode at the beginning. Although this could be one of her fantasy dream sequences, there's still a possibility that Retsuko could actually try her hand at performing in front of an audience. Since she's working for an idol pop group, she might even experiment with a new genre of music. At the same time, music has always been an integral part of Retsuko and she's incredibly selective about who she shares that part of herself with. Still, it would be interesting to see her explore music as more than just a coping mechanism.
Next, Gori is starting a marriage counseling business. This seems odd considering Gori's never been married before but she does appear to have Washimi's support in the venture. She is also shown talking to Tadano and Haida, who both have feelings for Retsuko. Last season, Retsuko broke up with Tadano because she wanted to get married and he didn't. He knows that Gori is Retsuko's friend so it would make sense for him to go to her for advice about marriage. Maybe Tadano will have a change of heart about the institution and try to win Retsuko back. Likewise, Haida has carried a torch for Retsuko since Season 1 and may also be seeking Gori's advice about her. Alternatively, they could just be there to talk business, considering Tadano's company is working with their firm. Whatever brings them together, it's hard to imagine that Retsuko wouldn't come up in conversation when they were all there for her and Tadano's break up.
Speaking of Haida, it seems like he may have a bigger role this season. He has multiple voice-over lines and one of the first shots in the trailer features him sitting next to a girl and playing guitar. Despite his crush on Retsuko, Haida's already been rejected once and might be trying to move on. On the other hand, he clearly still cares about her as evidenced by his willingness to help her confront Tadano last season. In the trailer, Retsuko chooses not to tell them about her second job, but both can tell that something is up. Fenneko understands that Retsuko sees them as her work friends, not necessarily her close friends, but Haida still wonders why she doesn't confide in either of them. He wants to be there for her, but he doesn't know how to.
The trailer notably ends with a surprised Haida sitting on a couch with an electronic device in one hand and a microphone in the other. The shot hearkens back to previous seasons when Retsuko revealed her death metal persona to Resasuke and Tadano. Up until now, Retsuko has only sung in front of Haida once at a company party. To her relief, everyone was too drunk to remember what had happened, including Haida. Regardless of whether their relationship becomes romantic or remains platonic, her choosing to sing in front of Haida must mean that the two will grow closer.
Written and directed by Rarecho, Sanrio's Aggretsuko returns for its third season on Netflix on Aug. 27.