Retsuko the red panda has made great progress over the years. In addition to channeling her anger at the daily inconveniences of Japan’s millennial office workers into epic karaoke screaming sessions, she’s also having a relationship with a budding tech bro billionaire as a successful YouTuber. An influencer and underground venture sidelines a pop icon and saves the company she works for from financial ruin at the hands of a scheming new executive. Now that she and Haida have resolved their years of romantic tension and are finally dating, however, Retsuko will have to face her biggest challenge yet: telling her parents about her unemployed lazy boyfriend that possible
Unmarried cohabitation. And if that wasn’t enough, Haida is brewing his own family drama again, which will once again turn Retsuko’s prospects upside down in a way no one could have predicted… |
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195339206 2020hard to believe |
has been running strong for five full years, not to mention it has finally come to an end. It’s been a bumpy ride, especially when the series is going through some growing pains once it runs out of basic office work scenes for Reiko to death metal screams and starts involving our heroine in increasingly bizarre and unbelievably unfortunate events. I think going back to Retsuko’s routine last season was a solid return to form, even if Haida’s quasi-heel turn was a thing for some
Very
Frustrating character development along the way. But this year, Haida was completely unemployed. While Retsuko has been committed to becoming Haida’s girlfriend, the majority of the season has focused on the development of their relationship and Haida’s efforts to finally pull himself together. In view of of As romantic as a melodrama attempt might be, my biggest concern going into the series’ final season is whether it will be able to make our final adventure with these lovable and perpetually exhausting characters feel satisfying and entertaining. 2020
I’m happy to report that the show was a success, at least for the most part! Haida may still be a bit of an idiot, but his idiocy feels more grounded and relatable this year, and it’s hard not to sympathize with someone who has at least valid reasons to be cynical and defeatist about re-entering the Japanese workforce. As Retsuko herself fully admits, most people can’t stand their jobs. Nevertheless, in what we call 206s. As Hedda wrestles with the threat of homelessness, the utter apathy and frustrating job application process, and the general struggle of trying to figure out what he even wants his adult life to be
Yes
, I find myself like going back to season 1 It’s a very refreshing place to be compared to last year. 2020
You may have noticed that Retsuko’s story surprisingly took a backseat in the first half of season 5, given all the attention I’ve paid to Haida’s character arc. This makes sense, at least in part, since one of so many of the first four seasons is about her getting on with her life. Now a relatively well-adjusted thirty-something, she’s been helping Haida catch up for most of the season. To be honest, my western sensibilities have always made me wish there was a more romantic and “dramatic” version of the Retsuko/Haida love story. Honestly, though, I’ve come to appreciate a more understated (and very Japanese) depiction of the pair’s growth this season. We need more rom-coms where adults understand what it means really
Share your life with someone, including All the boring little details like how to deal with your partner’s gross hygiene habits.
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gave me that kind of love story in the last season and I can’t complain too much about that. 2020
I can
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Complaint is that the second third or so of the season still feels rushed despite even having double-length The ending, which is something the series has struggled with. One particular turn of events ends up pushing Retsuko to the forefront of her show again, but it’s crazy and takes more time to get it right than the show has to deal with. At least, Retsuko’s final career turn does a good job of tying together many threads from past seasons (OTMGirs and Hyoudou are back!), not to mention plenty of social commentary on Japan’s current political climate,
and
It somehow manages to make Ton the season’s MVP cast member in all roles. The show had to make some pretty big leaps to get us to its (admittedly cute and cozy) ending, though, and I’m not sure it’s all good enough to justify the frantic scramble. Hell, perhaps the most important development in Retsuko’s life comes and goes so quickly in the montage that if you blink at the wrong moment, you might miss it. 2020
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The final season was the best of the series, giving us an insight into life in modern Japan for a human (or a panda for that matter) ) just trying to get by with the daily grind. It’s just as chaotic and inconsistent in places as past seasons, but I think it brings a (mostly) satisfying conclusion to the stories of Retsuko, Haida, and a few other characters. I do hope we at least get a holiday special or two with these lovable mutts sometime down the road. Still, if this is indeed the last time we board the morning train to work with Retsuko and crew, then I will miss these critters terribly and I wish them all the best for the adventures of their lives ahead. 2020 |
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