Comic Review: Aggretsuko: Meet Her World #1

 

 

Overview:

A new committee at work has Retsuko overloaded with extra work. Worse, is that all of her friends are busy in meetings for the team. 

The additional responsibilities take a toll on her relationships as they can never find the time to hang out. Thankfully, the workplace redistribution is only temporary, and good friendships can outlast anything.

 

Our Take:

As we all await the much anticipated fourth season of Aggretsuko on Netflix, Oni-Press has had us covered with plenty of fresh comic books.  Aggretsuko: Meet Her World is the follow-up to the four-part Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends that wrapped up in January this year.  

The premise of the new mini-series continues what the former comic title started by giving us a chance to explore more of the world and characters around Retsuko. Additionally, each issue has featured a different creative team and has offered plenty of up-and-coming artists and writers a chance at a significant franchise. This first edition of the new run features rookie writer Molly Muldoon paired with the more seasoned artist, Kel McDonald.

The story brings us back to the Carrier Man Trading Company and focuses on Retsuko’s relationships with her coworkers. More specifically, how fragile workplace connections can be, and how boring work can be without friends.

The majority of the issue follows the lead character as she goes about her extralong workdays while feeling lonely and bored. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to follow an extremely bored character without making the story boring. And this issue showcases how detrimental it can be when you have panel after panel of nothing happening.

The plot hits all the checkmarks of a story presenting a problem, a beginning, and an end. But without any twists or action, there is not enough depth to carry you through the book. Thankfully, it is a quick read. The absence of dialogue makes this go down like a sip of water, and it’s just as flavourless.

The comic stays true to the source material. It offers realistic characters in relatable situations. There is some acknowledgement of Retsuko’s signature rage and a heartfelt message behind the story. 

At the same time, there is plenty of potential missed. As an example, the book could have explored the bond between Retsuko and Fenneko. The two characters share pages of panels, yet they hardly make conversation, and when they do, it is only about their boredom or unrelated topics.

The book concludes with the only exposition given between the covers. It states that the committee’s hard efforts were ignored, making all the characters sacrifices for nought. The intended humorous ending has an adverse effect on the story by reminding the reader that they also gained nothing for their time.

Thankfully, there is still hope for this new mini-series as the creative reigns get passed on for next month’s issue. If Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends is any indication, there are going to be some great stories. As long as they attempt to do something unique and ambitious with the characters it typically plays out well. There is no way we are going to have a collection of comics about how bored Retsuko can get. Right?