Super disappointing. Went from a show about the pains of being a salaried worker in your 20s to wish fulfillment with an absolute mess of themes.
Characters went in a complete circle. Last season, Retsuko started out dreaming of being married and tried settling for some guy that sucked. Ended up realizing she needs to rethink things. This season she suddenly is talked back into the whole marriage thing and ends the season in essentially the same position.
Haida has next to no screen time and essentially has the same arc. Retsuko falls for some guy and he's upset. Fenneko was under-utilized. New intern character and Kabae were probably the best parts of the season, and the spotlight wasn't even on them for half of it.
In general? The wish fulfillment stuff was the worst part. Last season was great, because it echoed a lot of things that working millennials are going through. It didn't handle everything perfectly, but it was nice to see a show tackle the issues. This season just repeated the same concepts from last season, adding elements that only resonate with 0.0001% of people (actually, everyone dates billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, obviously).
If I had to pull anything meaningful that wasn't a carryover from last season out of this mess, it would be that you shouldn't sacrifice your dreams in a relationship. But none of Retsuko's dreams feel concrete, like she's reflected on what she really wants. This season felt like a massive misstep that has me concerned about what's next.
Season one was grand, introducing a truly interesting main character. Season two devolved her into a sexist trope. Season three starts off with an interesting concept - game addiction - but ends up being anti-feminist and angsty; the angst is good bit I can't stand how every female character only strives to get a boyfriend; even if we accept that start concept, the series is marred by the absence of thought.
