The newest season of director Rarecho’s “Aggretsuko” takes a different approach to main character Retsuko’s story by not focusing on her love life like in previous seasons.

Originally debuting in 2018, “Aggretsuko” found its fan base due to its surprisingly relatable slice-of-life tone, despite taking place in a world of anthropomorphic animals.

The show follows Retsuko, a 25-year-old red panda, as she aspires to get married so she can quit her dead-end accounting job.

Season three branches from the somewhat repetitive story line of Retsuko finding a love interest, the failure of the relationship and then the cliffhanger at the end of each season, which teases the next possible future boyfriend.

This most recent season mainly focuses on how Retsuko’s secret hobby of singing death metal escalates into her moonlighting in a pop idol group. Additional changes include the more intense focus on minor characters, such as Retsuko’s friends Haida, Gori and Washimi, as well as Tadano, one of Retsuko’s former love interests.

The series’ signature style of animation is as clean as ever in season three. The minimalist and thick-lined art style gives the audience just enough of the characters’ emotions and expressions to be able to connect with them.

What is arguably the most prominent form of a love-interest story in this season is the background antics of Haida, Retsuko’s friend and admirer since season one. Similarly to the 2018 Christmas special “We Wish You a Metal Christmas,” Haida feels torn in whether or not to express his true feelings to Retsuko, a feeling that is further complicated by the addition of his own separate love interest this season.

The most recent season of “Aggretsuko” follows the same formulaic pattern as previous seasons in terms of character traits and motivations but differs enough to be refreshing to its returning audiences.