Aggretsuko: Why Some Shows Grow Darker With Time

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Warning: This will contain spoilers for season 3 of Aggretsuko.

Shows that continue on longer than many thought they might often run into the problem of viewer drop-off. The repetition of themes, resolution of arcs, and many other factors can lead to shows needing to find new ways to retain viewers. While some do this by endlessly introducing new characters, many of even the lightest shows turn dark with time, and Aggretsuko is just one example of this. While there have always been some more serious moments, often leading to Retsuko metal-thrashing out her anger, the show starts off rather light and happy. Before too long, however, the show begins taking a darker turn and some later seasons have incredibly mature and dark storylines. How and why does a show that starts so light get so dark with time?

Aggretsuko stars Retsuko, a young, fresh-faced office worker excited to start her new adult life. However, things don’t always go as planned, and Retsuko often encounters things in her day-to-day life that makes her angrier and angrier. She is able to maintain a smiling, happy face even though these struggles by nightly going to a karaoke bar and screaming out death metal music.

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Retsuko’s early days in the office are met with the expected struggles of freshlyentering the corporate world, ranging from angry bosses to work rivals. These struggles get to Retsuko, but overall are nothing that she isn’t able to simply work through with some time and death metal. Many of these even have lighter resolutions, as the boss actually has a caring heart and the work rival isn’t just out to get Retsuko.

This beginning of the show helps viewers get invested with the characters, as the viewers get to see how these