Aggretsuko’sfourth season is out, and fans have been sharing their thoughts online. Out of everything there is to discuss, Haida and Retsuko’s relationship stands out in social media conversations. Haida’s crush onthe protagonisthas been constant since the beginning, and the fourth season shows the two of them finally in a relationship. However, the fourth season showed that the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the two characters is far from reaching its conclusion.
Fans have a lot to say about Haida and Retsuko after this season and before. Some claim Haida is toxic while others believe the fandom is too harsh on him. Some have mentioned that every season keeps a status quo, not allowing character development, while others have provided many holes in the argument. Basically, fans are confused, and no one can blame them after all that occurred in the recent season.
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The Issues With Haida
The previous season already left a bad taste in the mouths of some fans when they saw that Haida would not leave Retsuko alone even though she told him she was not interested in him. Despite him being a well-loved character in season one, Haida has fallen from the graces of fans with each story arc. As of season four, his crush on Retsuko has gone on for five years with each development somehow falling back to square one. Some fans felt that Haida’s crush was getting a little more creepy and controlling rather than cute and caring, especially in season three.
This recent season drove the bad taste further, with Haida buckling down on insecurities and alarming justifications. OneReddit user wrotethat Haida’s comment “I don’t want to be just another face in the crowd to you” felt like incel behavior and that him using Retsuko to try to justify white-collar crime was toxic. Another wrote that though they like Haida, this season was just painful to watch in terms of his character.
What was painful for Haida fans to watch was that he became asort of villainin this recent season. Those that still cheered him on after he become more controversial in season three now have even less ground to sand on. There are a rare few that felt this new look into Haida was refreshing, showing that his obsession with Retsuko may stem from insecurities about himself. However, it appears that the show is far from having Haida let go of Retsuko just yet. As one fanon Reddit wrotein the conclusion of their thoughts on the fourth season, “If I have to watch Haida pine over Retsuko one more time, I’m going to lose it.”
An Odd Season Overall
There were other elements to the season that many fans also did not know how to digest. Haida suddenly arm wrestling people came out of nowhere and Retsuko did shoot a laser from her mouth and almost kill some people (including Haida himself). Compulsive lying also happened a lot in the season with characters such as Retsuko, Haida, Fenneko, and Ton with the most honesty happening between Retsuko and Tadano, further confusing fans as to if Retsuko is truly over him or not.
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While fans are not calling the season terrible, there appears to be a near consensus on social media boards that it has been the least-liked one so far. Many found the strongest parts of the season to be with the side characters such as Ton and how he grips with employment issues, which brings the character to some pretty dark places. That moment in itself also goes on the list for what made the season odd, as it may have been one of the darkest parts of thiscomedy series.
Will They Or Won’t They
Conversations about Haida and Retsuko after season four are less of an echo chamber and more of a cacophony of uncertainty and split opinions. The first two seasons ofAggretsukowere more down to earth and the recent seasons have rocked the boat more in terms of tone, characters, and story. The question “will they or won’t they” for Retsuko and Haida that has come from the fandom since season one has mutated into the unsatisfied social media threads of fans. The Reddit comment with the most upvotes in the official season four discussion thread on Reddit’sAggretsuko’stag is just one that says “I’m like super conflicted . . . So confused.”
The season ended with the words “Aggretsukowill return,” which fans are happy about despite theirmixed feelings about the recent season. Fans are holding onto the hope that the next season will not fall back to the status quo of Haida pining over Retsuko or either of them losing their confidence gained from previous experiences. After all, season four did show how both of these usually passive characters can fight back when push comes to shove.
