Comic Review: Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends #3

 

 

Overview:

At a company fundraiser, Mr. Ton has insisted that Retsuko put in some extra work. He stations her at the silent auction to assure that his bid wins for a lesson with a golf pro. Unfortunately, she bid on the wrong professional and now Mr. Ton has two lessons one with a great male golfer, and one with a pro-woman.

Mr. Ton makes a deal with Retsuko that she doesn’t have to pay him back if she can take the lesson with the female golfer and beat him in a round.

Thankfully, Retsuko has a thoughtful teacher. Meanwhile, Mr. Ton is surprised at how arrogant and chauvinistic his golf idol is. It only takes a few holes for Ton to see how damaging toxic masculinity can be. And soon the bet with Retsuko is not so valuable to him.

 

Our Take:

The new mini-series, Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends, has delivered three extremely unique issues. The title is the only thing that these comics share. Each issue has been written and illustrated by a different team. Even more, the stories take their own journeys exploring an alternate cavity of Retsuko’s life.

Where the first issue tackled the mysterious yoga instructor, and the second constructed an elaborate heist, this comic is nothing like you would expect. The third edition to the series features a golf game that tackles sexism head-on.

Of course, the goal of this spin-off mini-series is to get some extra time with some of those close to Retsuko. This issue focuses on her delicate relationship with her boss, Mr. Ton, and how he cares in his own unique ways.

Mr. Ton is an easily unlikable character. He is constantly putting an exhaustive workload on Retsuko and company. He hardly ever shows and decency or respect for his employees. And he has a tendency to be chauvinistic. Though, the truth of the matter is Mr. Ton has a lot of heart, specifically when it comes to his twin teenage daughters.

This comic takes the approach of showing Ton’s soft side, by placing him beside a much worse version of himself. Unfortunately, the villain dropped into this story is the worst of the worst. The arrogant, bigoted, and plain old terrible person, Vin, says things that should have been phased out of existence decades ago. Yet, this is a good chance to remember that there are people out there like this still, and how difficult they make it for women.

The best part of dragging us through this awful bad guy’s dialogue is the satisfying moment when Mr. Ton stands up to him. There is an entire splash page with Ton rapping his disagreement with the villain’s approach to women. And thankfully, he learns a great deal himself.

Obviously, this comic will have no difference in how Mr. Ton behaves moving forward in any iteration of Aggretsuko. However, this was a great opportunity to see him from a lighter perspective and see what makes him tick. And once again, Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends showcases another side character while maintaining the same humour and style that we love.