Minor spoilers for the third season of “Aggretsuko” follow.
The Netflix animated series “Aggretsuko” has always positioned music as an escape from everyday drudgery. The titular Retsuko, a red panda in her mid-20s with a soul-crushing office job, blows off steam by screaming out death metal at karaoke.
The series' third season, released on Aug. 27, puts the music industry — specifically, the world of idol pop — in the spotlight. It’s a departure from the anime’s usual focus on the ups and (mostly) downs of being a woman in the workforce, a theme that has helped it connect with viewers worldwide since it was first released in 2018. This shift makes for a choppier plot overall, but also results in an honest take on music or, really, any hobby these days.