A Disconnected World

**A Disconnected World** is the ninth episode in Season 5 of the Netflix series *Aggretsuko*.

## Netflix Synopsis

"Running for office isn't for the faint hearted — or the empty pocketed. They need to come up with a 3 million yen deposit fast."

## Summary

With Juzo's offer now dead, Ikari keeps teaching Retsuko and Haida about what is needed for the upcoming campaign. He explains they will provide some financial assistance and wonders how are things at Retsuko's job. Retsuko then explains that they made a booster club to support her. Ikari is happy to hear that. However, he explains there is one problem remaining. In order to prevent large numbers of bad candidates, certain amount is needed as deposit. If the candidate reach certain threshold of votes, the deposit will be returned. Ikari hopes that Retsuko will be able to cover that as they don't have the money. However both Haida and Retsuko rage after hearing the sum its 3 million yen.

Retsuko returns home and Haida asks her how it went with her parent. Retsuko then explains that her mother was against she running for the post and her father kept saying they don't have money. Haida wonders if she mentioned that they will get the money back, and Retsuko confirms that she explained that if she gets 10% of the votes, the deposit will be returned, but her parents told her it would be a miracle if she even gets 5%. Haida suggest they can start collecting donations. The two then realize that if they knew about this, they wouldn't have returned the money from Haida's father.

They start preparing for the campaign and make posters, one with Retsuko looking normal and one with her raging. Haida and Retsuko like the normal looking one, but Ikari, Hyoudou and the OTMgirls like the other one. They also start looking for a campaign headquarters, but when they mention its for a campaign, people decline as they are not interested in renting it for a short period of time. Morita then wonders if Haida knows someone wealthy and Haida recalls that Tadano brought the net cafe. He gives Tadano a phone call and Tadano explains he is enjoying the net cafe only for himself and invites Haida and Retsuko to come some day. Haida then asks if they can come for a month. Tadano agrees and they turn the net cafe into a campaign headquarters. The donations are going nowhere as they only got 27,000 yen and Retsuko guesses she should try with her parents again.

Haida collects his last paycheck from the grocery store. The women show up quickly, wondering if he was going to quit without saying anything, but Haida states he didn't want to disturb them. They heard that Retsuko is running for office and wish him good luck. Then they give him a final present, more persimmons. While heading home, Haida finally gets a reply from Shikabane, who states she will take the persimmons.

Haida goes to meet Shikabane and is glad that she replied, but states he send that message a month ago. Shikabane then checks and confirms its true. However as he brought persimmons, she wonders if he always have them, but Haida doesn't want to talk about it. Haida buys her dinner and Shikabane explains that she heard Dokachin got hurt, but she doesn't know what happened with him after that. Haida hopes that he had some money saved, but Shikabane doubts it and explains that he gambles a lot, but states that child-support payments are draining him. Haida suggest that Shikabane turns her life back to normal, but she wonders what is the point, explaining that she can do everything he can do, except she is doing it form a net cafe and doesn't need to fake a smile.

At the campaign headquarters, Haida and Retsuko are fixing some misprinted posters and Haida tells Retsuko about Shikabane, but states he didn't had a good answer to her statement. Retsuko gets a message from Gori, who wants to come and see their new office with Washimi. As the two come, they ask Haida to leave them, so they can have a girl talk. As they talk how much Retsuko had changed, Retsuko asks them why they even started talking and going out with her in the first place. Gori and Washimi state that the other was worried about Retsuko, but in the end reveal that they thought she is neat and wanted to be her friend. The two apologize for being that pushy and hand Retsuko envelopes with money, stating that the voters should get to know her.

The next day, Retsuko deposits the 3 million yen and celebrates with Haida. Ton and Fenneko are putting posters for the campaign before going to work, although Ton complains that Shachou told him to do it. As they are about to leave, Ton sees a guy putting a poster for Jiro Haida. Meanwhile, Jiro speaks in front of potential voters and explains that while he doesn't have much experience himself, he has always been close to his father and had learned a lot from Juzo Haida.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Masuo Ikari
* Retsuko
* Haida
* Komiya (flashback)
* Anai (flashback)
* Fenneko
* Ton
* Shachou (flashback)
* Kabae (flashback)
* Tsunoda (flashback)
* Tsubone (flashback)
* Ookami (flashback)
* Retsuko's Mother
* Retsuko's Father
* Puko
* Morita
* Hyoudou
* Manaka
* Migi
* Hidarin
* Tadano
* Shikabane
* Gori
* Washimi
* Jiro Haida