Comic Review: Aggretsuko: Out of Office #2

 

 

Overview:

Retsuko is trying to enjoy some much-needed time off. Unfortunately, the spa vacation that Puko promised her is quickly turning into a nightmare. Agreeing to put in some work in exchange for her accommodations, Retsuko has barely had a chance to sit down. And since she destroyed an ancient protective monument, she must take on more duties to pay it off.

Meanwhile, Retsuko’s friends have been curious about her mysterious trip. Tsunoda is the first to show up at the spa resort. She has entrapped Retsuko into being her personal servant by threatening to spill the beans about her extra job. Additionally, Gori, Fenneko, and Haida have also decided to hunt down Retsuko’s vacation spot, that is, if they can find it.

 

Our Take:

Aggretsuko has finally returned to Netflix with a fourth season earlier this month. For fans, the wait was long and painful. Thankfully, the anguish has been subsidized with the release of multiple comic book adaptations. Aggretsuko: Out of Office is the latest in an ever-growing collection of miniseries’ featuring the red panda and all her friends.

The first issue of this new story kicked things off by doing something different, taking this workplace drama out of the office. With everyone enjoying a week off work, Retsuko set off on a secret vacation with her good friend Puko. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the ideal break that the red panda hoped for. Spending the week at Puko’s family resort, the girls have been put to work, and Retsuko has taken the brunt of the duties.

Surprisingly, this follow-up issue did not go in the direction implanted in the premiere comic. Much of that first book set up an ancient evil demon that has been entrapped under the resort for hundreds of years. And the final moments of that issue saw Retsuko incidentally destroying the artefacts that kept the beast at bay. Unfortunately, this second issue hardly touches on the topic at all. No demon. No danger.

Anyone who had read that first comic would have expected this series to go in a very different direction. Arguably the set-up insinuated that Retsuko would be facing down an ancient beast in an epic battle. However, the concept would be out-of-the-ordinary for the franchise, so no one is complaining. Regardless, this comic series is telling two different stories, perhaps three, and it should be interesting how it all comes together.

Unfortunately, that means that this issue was lacklustre in content. For these short collections, one can accept a slow first book as the stage is set. However, two complete issues used for establishing make for an unsatisfying read. Hopefully, things will pick up as the series continues because anything else would be disappointing.

At this point, it is difficult to tell which way this series will go. And understandably, Aggretsuko comics are not packed full of content and typically move at a slower pace. However, it would be great for these books to break free from the mould and do something exciting with these characters. Already, the literature struggles to add the complexity and layers of drama that the animated series offers.