Comic Review: Aggretsuko: Meet Her World #2

Overview:

The company has been doing great, and rewards are going around to all the employees. 

Retsuko and the other girls in the office are excited to get a bonding ‘paint and sip’ night until they discover that none of the boys are coming. When they find out the men have their own party on a private yacht, the women decide to crash the party. Unfortunately, confronting the men about their blatant sexism does not seem to have much impact until lines get crossed.

Our Take:

There is no argument that Aggretsuko comic books can be hit or miss. Especially with this new mini-series, Meet Her World, and its predecessor, Meet Her Friends. But, disappointingly, some of the stories we have seen thus far lack much depth – or even plot, for that matter. Thankfully, this latest edition comes in with something to say and manages to deliver it in an authentic way to the source material.

This issue is centred around systemic sexism in office environments. Not only does the foremost plot showcase toxic masculinity, but there are also opportunities for some of the other female characters to speak their truth.

Kabea shares her time in the early days of the company when there were just two women working in the office. Her honesty shows Retsuko how far things have come for women. But the rest of the issue shows just how far there is to go. 

One of the best parts of the book is how the women of the story come together. The higher-ups mingle openly with the rest of the women during their paint night, and when they discover what the men are up to, they all bind together to confront the issue.  

Unfortunately, as the book concludes, it does not offer a solution to sexism as much as brushing the issue under the rug. Instead of the men understanding what is wrong with what they have done, everyone becomes distracted. The only person that seems to learn any lesson in the story is Haida, who shared more of a bond with the women to begin with and is forced to recognize his mistake for his friends.

Admittedly, I have not read a load of Aggretsuko comic books. But because of that, it makes it easy to state that this is the best one that I have come across by far. Adaptation comic books can be bland replicants of their source material and rest on the laurels of someone else’s success. Instead, the strong ones take the opportunity to tell their own stories and get their own messages across while utilizing the established characters and settings. This book managed to do so in a very humble and recognizable way. And I would happily pick up more of this title if they could be as effective as this issue.