As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Season 1
- Haida's explanation for why he would want Retsuko to keep working if they ever got married: On top of not making enough to provide her with what he thinks she deserves, working together would help motivate both of them when going to work is the last thing they want to do.
- This is also unfortunate as Retsuko is asking this question expressly because she has come to the conclusion at this point that the only way she can escape the job is by marriage, so rather than appreciating this response, she instead concludes that she needs to aim for a man with more money.
- It does not take long for Haida to think of his response, either. Either he's been thinking about it for a while, or Retsuko's question is just serious enough he's trying to think as logically as he can.
- Gori and Washimi are basically walking, talking Crowning Moments of Heartwarming:
- Gori is clearly eager to make friends with Retsuko as soon as she finds out they're in the same yoga class and goes out of her way to be super friendly right from the get-go.
- Washimi going to bat for Retsuko to the company president and using her influence to have Ton chewed out.
- When they find out about Retsuko's secret love of death metal, far from being judgmental, Washimi and Gori accept it immediately. What's more, they can be seen dancing in the background as Retsuko sings and afterwards there's a scene of them trying to copy Retsuko's singing voice and marveling at how she's able to pull it off. Washimi and Gori don't just accept the true Retsuko, they like the real her and want her come out more often!
- With everyone drunk except Retsuko, the entire accounting department seems to be into the rap battle. Fenneko even notes that Ton said some things that may actually be true about Retsuko's performance at work. Everyone is cheering for Ton to win... except for Haida and Fenneko.Japanese Drunk!Haida: Retsuko! Retsuko! Are you gonna let him say that?!
English Drunk!Haida: Retsuko! Retsuko! Are you gonna let him get away with that!? - After Retsuko reams out Ton for being a Mean Boss to the entire accounting department, the one retort he can manage before collapsing is that in 20 years, she'll find out what it's like to be the boss everyone hates. Ton's an asshole who keeps reminding Retsuko that he'll fire her the first chance he gets, but it's a tacit admission that she's good enough to replace him one day.
- Even before that, before it all goes to crap anyway, Ton has what seems to be a genuine (if not tipsy) heart to heart with Retsuko over why he acts the way he does. Even without being a woman in his department like Retsuko is, Ton was treated like utter crap by his superiors as a low level grunt. And unlike present day, there was no talking to HR or any way of making it easier besides working hard and kissing up when you could, never able to argue or even complain. Just having to deal with it. By the time he'd managed to climb the ranks and get to a position where he was finally the one in power, he found he had become the hated boss himself, yet knew no other way besides the one he knew. He's a product of a soon to be bygone era who found himself exactly the kind of person he was tormented by. And comes to the realization that maybe it's about time he tried changing himself as someone who once sat where employees like her did... Until he realized it was Retsuko who blew the whistle on him and he got pissed, anyway.
- There's also some Fridge Heartwarming in the fact that Retsuko would definitely have employees who like her should she replace Ton because unlike him, she knows what it's like to be mistreated because of something stupid like your gender and would go out of her way to be as fair as possible. Sure some people wouldn't like the fact that they couldn't get special favors anymore but most of her employees would appreciate her.
- Depending on how you view Ton's response when Retsuko tried to apologize about the night before, it could be interpreted that Ton DOES remember how Retsuko tore into him the night prior in their rap battle, but he decided either it wasn't worth tearing into her... or that he didn't want to. Even if he may still not like her, exactly, he might have gained some modicum of respect for her.
- Fenneko promises Haida that she'll protect Retsuko in the singles party they'll be attending.
- Retsuko having a silent conversation with Resasuke by texting at a meeting is surprisingly sweet, considering the others are drunk.
- It's a small moment, but Manumaru is honestly worried about Resasuke's lack of social skills (and outright says it even though he's embarrassed by it) and goes out of his way to try and get Resasuke with Retsuko.
- Episode 9 has Retsuko going out on a date with Resasuke at an amusement park (resembling Sanrio's outdoor theme park
Harmonyland) and throughout the episode, for once Retsuko is actually having a great time with Resasuke. She and Resasuke even have their own song together that is heard in the middle of the episode. Not to mention the credits music also plays this song instead of the Heavy Metal music and Retsuko's Rage face doesn't show up.- Retsuko being love struck by Resasuke, as disastrous as it is later on, is very sweet and adorable in its own right.
- In Episode 10 even Boss Ton of all characters manages one of these in the midst of Retsuko's shut-down, he comes into the tea-room to tell her in accounting terms that she's giving more than she's getting back, and eventually she may have nothing left to give. This is enough to snap Retsuko out of her shut-down state as she cries and tells him he's a good person after all.note
- While Haida's moments after finding out about Retsuko and Resasuke's relationship border on Tear Jerker because he becomes depressed and gets pneumonia because of it, how he handles it all really showcases how much he genuinely likes Retsuko. He isn't a one-note Nice Guy who feels obligated to her feelings, but just a man in love who Cannot Spit It Out. When Fenneko confirms Retsuko is dating someone, Haida admits it was his fault because he didn't act sooner and is happy for her (though he still wants to punch Resasuke.) And even in the end of Season 1, where he might have a chance to date Retsuko, Haida admits to her that he's realized he doesn't actually know the "real" Retsuko but very much wants to. It's a very sweet and mature take on a typical Love Triangle.
- Fenneko, throughout the series, is stalkerish, manipulative, and a bit of a troll. She might be around for Retsuko and Haida to support them, but the way she does it comes off as deliberately malicious, or at least badly thought out. Then, in the Resasuke arc, she really comes around for them, promising Haida that she'll "protect" Retsuko at the singles party, actually threatening a guy that starts to come onto her, pretty obviously giving Haida the chance to talk about his feelings with Retsuko when they're visiting Haida in the hospital, and that sheds a whole new light on some of the more questionable things she did before. She doesn't give Haida a speech about Retsuko committing suicide just to be morbid, she does it to manipulate him into finding her and being more proactive with their relationship.
- When Retsuko shows Resasuke her Death Metal side, he applauds her performance and tells her she's a great singer. Though this leads to their break-up, it was pretty sweet of him.
- Haida gets another one in the final episode when he admits to Retsuko that not only he likes her but that he wants to know her better, something that Retsuko seems to reciprocate.
- Heartwarming for two reasons. One, it's Haida being his usual sweetheart self. Two, Haida has been spending the rest of the episode and some of the previous mad that Resasuke "beat" him to Retsuko. His confession to Retsuko is preceded by him admitting he was wrong to think that way, and why it was a terrible thing to do so. This makes Haida one of the few characters to actually admit his jealousy in a relationship, and be able to set it aside peacefully and humbly before actually attempting to ask Retsuko out.
Netflix Special: A Very Metal Christmas
- Fenneko loves to whine about him, but she really is Haida's wingman. She's shown listening at the door when Retsuko turns him down and advises him against pushing it, not for Retsuko's sake, but to spare himself any more heartache. The two of them are frequently shown at bars together and it's implied they hang out after work quite a bit.
- Retsuko finally getting the Christmas dinner she wanted... by going to a ramen bar with Washimi and Gori, both of whom get out of their foundering dates to spend time with their best friend. After all the complaining about not being able to spend Christmas with someone, being stuck in the office with extra work, and Tsunoda's pressure about social media, Retsuko realizes that just enjoying herself with friends, as opposed to some high-end place to get more ideal Instagram photos, is all she needs.
- Haida and Retsuko walking to the train station together, enjoying one another's company. After he sees her off, Haida does a victorious little fist pump (implying that either Retsuko finally said yes to a date or he thinks their friendship is progressing to a point that she eventually will), which is too cute for words.
Season 2
- One of the reasons that Retsuko's mother is calling is because she heard there was a break in in an apartment near Retsuko's. She just wants to make sure that her daughter is safe.
- Retsuko cannot find a reason to hate Shirota, even as she's breaking up with him. In a series where most males are deeply flawed or otherwise have one persistent thing that prevents them from being suitable partners, Retsuko's and Shirota's relationship is nothing but nice. Gives the poor girl a break for once for how unlucky she is.
- Retsuko's Mother approves of her daughter getting her driver's license and even offers to pay for half of the cost.
- Ton’s overall behavior in Season 2. He’s still a jerk to Retsuko, but there’re more moments from him.
- He somehow agreed to be the nuclear option in dealing with Anai. He unfortunately failed and Anai somehow hurt him even worse than Retsuko did, but it's the thought that counts.
- During the family weekend, he proudly presents his twin daughters and his wife, who all look (and sound) exactly like him.
- His whole attitude regarding Retsuko and Tadano’s relationship. Not only is he agreeing to keep it a secret, but looks genuinely worried when paparazzi catch them. He later rejects Retsuko’s resignation letter, because he knows that she is only doing it to please Tadano, once again giving her a heartfelt advice about how to run her own life. Ton has made his family the main reason for him to continue working, and if Retsuko can’t decide what makes HER happy, then she isn’t ready to mature.
- Kabae being the one who is able to get Anai to relax and calm his ways. Anai has the whole team cowed and working instead of him, but all Kabae needs to do is a gentle glance and word of encouragement for Anai to step in, and she further reinforces the good behavior with praise of his (EXTREMELY good) yakisoba. It makes it better that by episode six, he's all on good terms with everyone!
- He first demonstrates that he's changed when he offers to help Retsuko with some work the day after the festival.
- Kabae interacting with her husband and children during the festival, especially when comforting one of her kids who accidentally hurt their head. They're genuinely a close and loving family, showing Retsuko a prime example of what she hopes to one day have as well.
- After a failed attempt at finding the right guy via speed dating, Gori reassures Retsuko that she'll find the right guy and have a family someday.
- Kabae telling Retsuko the story about how she met her husband and encouraging her that even if Retsuko doesn’t think of herself as ‘marriage material,’ someone will see her that way.
- How Kabae eventually met her husband is nothing short of adorable. Kabae, having annoyed everyone around her away with her blabbering, decided to shut her mouth for three weeks, but nearly suffocates when she goes overboard by taping her mouth shut. When she's at the hospital, she vented all her pent-up blabbering at the doctor. Instead of being overwhelmed, he instead fell in love, and the two married not long after.
- Retsuko and Tadano's relationship. All of it. In comparison to Resasuke, who was oblivious to love, Tadano genuinely loves Retsuko, and she also falls in love with him too. The implication that they remain on good terms after breaking up shows how much they genuinely care for one another.
- Gori and Washimi get into a big fight over their views of marriage, even if this is an issue of Both Sides Have a Pointnote , to the point Retsuko can't hang out with them anymore. They decide to call a truce so both can be there for Retsuko when the news about her relationship with Tadano are made public. They both were capable of putting aside their own stubbornness for the sake of their friend.
Season 3
- The first episode of Season 3 has Retsuko's mother invite Retsuko for a day at a spa (Her father was originally supposed to go with her, but had to attend a funeral), and the two seem to have a great time. After the trip, her mother gives Retsuko a good amount of money to cover for the trip, along with a small note of encouragement. Despite all of her faults as a mother, she really does care about her daughter.
- Anai has grown a LOT since Season 2, doing well at work while publishing a cookbook on the side. He even has a girlfriend with whom he appears to have a loving and supportive relationship and whom he trusts enough to let her edit his cookbook while he's at work or entertaining his superiors.
- Washimi offering Retsuko a loan without her even asking.Washimi: Just write me up an IOU.
Retsuko: Washimi, you're great. - Haida becoming friends with Tadano. Despite Haida's past jealousy, he ends up bonding with Tadano because of their feelings for Retsuko, to the point Tadano even roots for Haida. They start to hang out frequently, later including Gori.
- Gori and Washimi have buried enough of the hatchet from their fight in Season 2 that not only are they hanging out with Retsuko and each other again, they're even willing to discuss going on another road trip together when vacation time comes around again.
- Hyodo letting Retsuko keep her first pay working for the group instead of paying him back.
- Once Hyodo reveals that someone new will be the lead vocal for OTMGirls' new song, Retsuko defends Manaka, saying that Manaka's been working hard and shouldn't be dropped as the lead singer all of a sudden.
- Komiya writes the OTMGirls blog. He finds out that Retsuko is the new lead singer. After his Squee reaction, he tells Retsuko that her secret is safe with him. Friendly reminder that this is the guy who, until now, was not known to have any personality traits that weren't kissing Ton's ass; that he has any life outside of work is a genuine surprise, but a welcome one!
- Manaka telling Retsuko that even though she’s mad that Retsuko was given lead vocals instead of her, she encourages Retsuko to do what makes her happy, even if that means that others won’t get what they want.
- Upon hearing that Haida is thinking of giving Inui a chance, Fenneko tells Haida that he needs to be sure that he's ready to give up on Retsuko before doing that.Fenneko: I've been your wingman on the Retsuko crush for five whole years now. If you're giving up, you need to be sure.
- While getting drinks with Fenneko, Haida explains the reason that he first fell in love with Retsuko: his first impressions of Retsuko described her as cute, but vanilla, until he saw her after work hours and decided to tail her. He caught her in the act of filling her water bottles with water from the water machine to take home later, and he found it charming and a display of proof that outside of her nice girl attitude, Retsuko could be just as stingy, dishonest, and overall flawed as him and the next person and that resonated with him. What makes this especially heartwarming is the fact that, despite his earlier claims and worries of only Loving a Shadow with Retsuko, this proved that the feelings he had for her were, at least on some small part, based off of her real, true self instead of just her "nice girl" from work attitude- especially since he lovingly describes the incident as Retsuko living a “secret double life” as a water thief.
- Retsuko's visit to Haida's place for guitar lessons is made of this trope. Showed how comfortable they were with each other's company despite how Haida was so awkward before with her. Not to mention Haida's reaction montage whenever Retsuko hit the dreaded F chord perfectly.
- And then right after the visit, she genuinely called him a "friend," just as when he thought he could move on from her because he thought that he and Fenneko were nothing more than coworkers to her. It hit him so hard he couldn't even control himself from fist pumping.
- Ton's daughters are shown to be huge fans of Retsuko and her death voice talents both on her channel and with the OTMGirls. Even trying to be like her and learning how to do her death voice by having a little contest in their room and then cheerfully fangirling about her to their father.
- They even attend Retsuko's final performance and are very enthusiastically cheering for her and yelling that they love her.
- Ton offers to give Retsuko a loan to pay back Hyodo, telling her she can just pay him back when she can. While he does try to get her out of the idol business in his typically grouchy demeanor, he does so thinking she's being coerced.
- Manaka can be flippant but she shows genuine concern for Retsuko's safety when she has a stalker, even prepared to defend her with a baseball bat.
- The rest of OTMGirls all show great concern when this happens, Hyodo escorting Retsuko to her apartment with Manaka and agreeing to pick her up from work.
- Despite their initial encounter being so hostile, Hyodo eventually becomes a genuine friend to Retsuko and legitimately becomes simultaneously sad and proud of her final performance with the group. It's hard to imagine that he's the same character who terrified Retsuko for days on end because of a fender bender, especially when he and Manaka went out of their way to protect her during the stalker incident.
- Haida saves Retsuko's life when her stalker attempts to murder her with a boxcutter. He yells at the other bystanders to help and call the cops. Inui comes and calms a panicking Haida down; she dials an ambulance and points out the blood on Retsuko belongs to Haida. Then she admits that it hurts knowing who he chose, but she understands why.
- Haida resolves to help Retsuko on hearing that if she doesn't return to work soon, she'll lose her job or be forced to resign. Washimi and Gori, who have made up, advise him that it's out of their hands, given how traumatic an attempted murder is. He doesn't listen.
- The final exchange in the karaoke battle scene turned everything upside down when Retsuko finally let out her biggest frustration for Haida to hear after ripping him to shreds about his intentions, but despite this he promptly held her hand and assured her that You Are Not Alone, snapping her out of her Metal Scream.Retsuko: I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY OF THIS! IT'S ME AGAINST THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD, AND THEY PUNCHED FIRST!
(Haida grabs her hand)
Haida: Then let's go punch them back! - The final scene of the season implies that after their karaoke match, Retsuko has taken steps to actually get to know Haida. Finally averting the Loving a Shadow problem Haida had throughout the series.
- Something that's never been brought up about this scene, back in Season 1 when Retsuko asked Haida what his plans are should they ever get married, his answer was she would keep on working, not only for financial reasons, but also for them to be able to support each other when work gets too tough for them. Retsuko has went through hell and back, had her dream finale as a member of OTMGirls and fully paid her debt to Hyodo, and now is back to her boring desk job, but it doesn't look that she's dragging herself anymore. The reason? Judging by her last "When I count to 10..." monologue, it is implied to be Haida.
- The idol group all cries as Retsuko pays off her debt. They ask her why she can't stay as their manager, as she's the best one they had. Manaka mentions she'll have to keep her part-time job while teasing Retsuko for being so down-to-earth. She and Retsuko smile at each other.
Season 4
- Tsunoda and Fenneko team up to serve as motivational coaches for Haida. They think it's dumb he chose Retsuko but want to help him follow through, since they're his friends.
- Ton visits the President at the hospital and the two share jokes like old friends.
- Himuro gives Ton an order to cut costs in his department, i.e. start firing people. Ton takes Komiya to karaoke and gives the rundown on everyone in the department, all their negatives, and drawbacks. Komiya actually is honest when defending Kabae and Haida, while admitting that Anai, Retsuko and himself would be the most logical choices for layoffs. He could defend his Professional Butt-Kisser attitude but decides not to do that.
- He also takes a leaf out of Retsuko's book by singing out his frustrations. It may explain why he refused to recommend her for layoffs. That and his daughters would kill him if they found out he fired their favorite singer.
- Once he's finished, he goes to Himuro and... hands him a blank sheet of paper, refusing to cut staff to cut costs. Yes his employees are flawed and some are flakier than others, like Retsuko. They're also part of a whole team, and he compares them to pit crews. Ton knows exactly the person that Himuro is. That night when he goes home, Ton reminds his wife about how in the 80s the company managed to avoid laying off anyone after the Bubble Economy burst, declaring no one will lose their job in the department while he's around.Ton: No one is getting canned on my watch.
- Himuro treats a drunk Retsuko and Fenneko to dinner after he accidentally drenches them in rainwater. Then it leads to a Mood Whiplash when Himuro finds out about the allegations of Ton harassing Retsuko. For what it's worth, he does admit that Ton's behavior is not healthy for the employees and is old-fashioned for the time period.
- After learning the truth of Haida refusing to make a move due to his own insecurities, Retsuko decides she doesn't want to deal with him anymore despite the protests of Fenneko, Tsunoda and Gori. However, Ookami (who Tsunoda brought along as a second base since he's a guy) tells Retsuko that maybe she should tell Haida how she feels in order to boost his self confidence. The next scene afterwards? Retsuko is at Haida's doorstep and tells him (awkwardly mind you..) that while she can't say she likes him, she does want to know him in order to finally go in that direction. That's enough for Haida to immediately rush to her apartment, and go in. He finally is going to begin his relationship with her.
- The next scene afterwards shows Haida and Retsuko going out for a day and just having fun. After four seasons of endless teasing, Haida and Retsuko have finally started their relationship!
- Kabae has to take her son to the hospital and the new director keeps trying to talk her out of leaving work until Retsuko, Haida, and Anai tell him they'll do her work for her.
- Ton’s wife realizes that Ton feels he can depend on Retsuko. Of course Ton denies it, but it’s still there.
- Retsuko makes sure Ton is okay (quietly) and when he's not, she gives him a job that isn't insulting and goes to him for advice. To seal the deal, she gives him the gold abacus that she and Haida meant to give him for his thirtieth anniversary, telling him in Sincerity Mode that she wanted to give it to him. We've come a LONG way since their Season 1 animosity.
- Tied into that is Tadano giving Retsuko advice about her Metal side job and how to navigate this new space. They may not have been good partners for each other, but they do genuinely care for each other still.
- Ton's daughters also tailed him, realizing he was Not Himself. When they see Retsuko is doing the same thing, they beg her for help because they know she cares about their "Daddy". She hires them as fellow gaffers, and they reassure Ton that they'll be helping him.
- Ton tries to push Retsuko's buttons by dialing her for help with every little thing and accusing her of harassment. She moves past it, and keeps her temper for the most part. Ton drops it when Retsuko tells him that while going to the office to grab her humidifier, she saw Haida doing something with the ledger. They both realize something is really wrong.
- Even though it is framed as an insult to Haida, the fact that one of the easiest things for Haida to remember is a variation of 'RetsukoLove', is a little bit heartwarming.
- Washimi making sure Himuro believes Retsuko is the obedient type during a discussion over dinner, despite knowing that’s not true. It’s clear that Washimi’s focus is protecting Retsuko
- Ton drags Haida to karaoke after getting evidence that he's cooking the books, locking him in with Retsuko so she can finally get Haida to confess. Haida immediately goes into denial, bracing himself for Retsuko to unleash her Metal Scream on him. Instead, Retsuko just slaps him and tells Haida that she thinks he's better than he thinks, and she's not going to stand idle while he ruins his life. This is just the kick Haida needs to shake off Himuro's manipulations and get back to who he was before.
- After everything that happens in the season, with the threat of layoffs and Haida ultimately quitting his job, he and Retsuko are shown to still be going steady. Compared to how they were floundering in the beginning, it's a great step forward for both of them.
- Anai is beside himself when the Accounting Team finds out Kabae has been fired, showing how much influence she's had on him. Though this is really more of a HeartwarmingTearjerker ...
Season 5
- Everyone at the office asking Retusko how Haida is doing, following him leaving at the end of Season 4. Even Tsubone asks about him in a soft, concerned tone. It's clear that everyone misses him.
- When Haida calls Anai, he's overjoyed to hear Haida's voice again, even saying he was afraid they had fallen out. Anai openly refers to Haida as his best friend. Though Haida was only calling him because he needed a place to crash after getting kicked out of his apartment.
- Ton has a picture called "therapy" on his desktop. He double-clicks it to open and it's revealed to be a picture of his kids!
- Retsuko uses tough love to help Haida, saying she won't see him unless he gets a job.
- With the stalker incident that drove Retsuko away still fresh in their minds, both the OTMGirls and their superfans are quick to resort to physical violence threats towards an old man looking for Retsuko wherever he starts acting just a little too creepy about her. To top it off, the very next thing we see them doing is Manaka and the superfans-turned-bouncers going to Retsuko's apartment to make sure she's okay and to give her a heads-up in case there really is another stalker after her.
- When the announcement the Retsuko is running for the Diet made it to her workplace, all of her fellow employees and even the CEO (who is from the same generation as Juzo) gave their support. One of Retsuko's main concerns about her participation was that she wouldn't be able to do her job during the campaign season, worrying that she would get fired because of that. It's a good thing that neither her coworkers, Ton or the CEO had anything against it and let her keep her job during that time.
- Washimi and Gori float Retsuko the buy-in money for her political campaign, which will only be returned if she gets more than 5% of the vote. They do it because she's their friend, and they love and believe in her.
- Then Retsuko asks them why they were so interested in being friends with her despite their obvious status differences. They simply reply that they just knew from the first moment that they wanted to befriend her, but doing it in the office would be considered harassment, so the moment they bonded organically was something they were looking forward ever since.
- Gori and Washimi talk to Tadano about their feelings of Retsuko being now able to stand on her own (shown by how she didn’t need them right there). Tadano talks to them about their jelousy and Washimi and Gori admit Retsuko is their best friend.
- Tadano replied that it’s no secret that they’re best friends.
- After five seasons of back-and-forth, seeing Retsuko and Haida sign their marriage certificate finally puts the matter of their relationship to rest in the best possible way.
