Some offices have stereotypical dynamics: the chauvinistic pig of a boss who never does any real work; the employees whose goal is to suck up to the boss; the ones whose lives seem perfect; and the individuals who have all the actual work pushed onto them. Retsuko the red panda is in the last group, as she stays late most nights to make up the work her coworkers are too lazy to do themselves.
Her relief from the stress of her everyday life comes in the form of singing death metal at a local karaoke club. Night after night, Retsuko channels her grief into a microphone and considers the place to be her own personal sanctuary. But as she moves further away from her comfort zone and the ideas people have of her, she discovers that letting others into her world of death metal may not be such a bad thing.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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DYED
Meeting deadlines and expectations, facing stress and anxiety, enduring unlikable coworkers and tedious tasks ... It's all part of being an adult and a member of society. But when too much has been piling up and you reach your boiling point, you got to know how to let some steam off. This is the story of Retsuko. 25 years old, single, Scorpio, blood type A, just your average positive, kind and uncertain young female employee, who bears a forbidden passion alongside her heart-attack-inducing stressful daily routine. What comes immediately to attention while watching Aggressive Retsuko (or Aggretsuko for the western audience) are the peculiar pacing and overallatmosphere of the show: it almost feels like we're watching the daily struggles of a dear friend we cheer for. The events of the story follow smoothly while the humor, extremely "grounded" (you laugh because you can relate to the situations, which are far from being unusual) but never lazy nor trivial hits the mark almost every time.
It's surely an odd experience (but a welcome one, too) to watch something so rooted in reality yet funny and wholesome, where there are no power-ups, plot twists or deus ex machinas to save the situation, instead we can only count on the strength and the determination of a cast of extremely (and ironically, since they're anthropomorphized animals) human characters.
As expected, it's really hard to review this show without comparing it to its previous incarnation.
We've come a long way since the original Aggressive Retsuko shorts of roughly one minute each. What the franchise gained the most from this change in format to a more commonly used 20 minutes run time is surely the character development: again, it sounds ironic and cheesy, but it is surprising to see a cast of 2D, Flash animated characters with minimal design being so well characterised; it's almost like they're people from your same office department. Sure, just like in the previous version of AR they all fall into their respective archetypes (the doormat-to-his-superiors, the old creepy superiors, the unlikable rookies, the distracted/incompetent guys, the "senpais" you perceive as gods etc.), but they're also full of little quirks that define who they are and what part they have in Retsuko's story, giving them much more layer.
To add a note about the art, it's undebatable that it has improved. It's Flash, so you can't expect much, but it sure was in capable hands, and apart from a couple of little tweaks and animation errors here and there the show goes really smoothly with its adorable, iconic art style and concept designs, really simple and polygon-based but also really pleasant, almost comfy.
As of any other show, however, Aggressive Retsuko is not exempt from mistakes or poor direction choices. If you come for the original death metal songs the show won't match your expectations: it's really a pity that despite the longer run time and much more valuable sponsor (the big Netflixeroni maccheroni guys) they weren't able to fully develop the "death metal chants" parts of the episodes in something more unique or "advanced", remaining just really loud rants accompanied by generic death metal stock music. Even the original songs that appear in the second half of the show are really "meh", and I won't hide that I skipped over them with immeasurable violence.
In conclusion, Aggressive Retsuko is a cozy, relaxing and light-hearted ONA about a red panda dealing with daily struggles such as love, stress, social awkwardness, uncomfortable work settings and the pursuit of her own dreams. Not a masterpiece, but surely a recommended on my list.
Final vote: 8/10
CatSoul
On the surface, the Aggressive Retsuko/Aggretsuko franchise might seem like nothing more than a humorous extension of a marketing ploy. Sanrio's official website sells T-shirts, plushies, water bottles, notebooks, sticky notes, blankets, pen cases, coasters, tote bags, phone cases, and coin pouches of the adorable character and her friends. However, with the help of a solid production team, Netflix's Aggretsuko goes above and beyond, becoming my favorite anime that I've seen so far this year. Let me start out by saying that I've never even worked in an office before, yet much like kids who somehow enjoy the American/UK live-action series "The Office", I understood thestrong dynamics and relationships between these characters and the stereotypes some of them were meant to represent. There were a few characters I was a little put off by in the first episode, but I grew to warm up to every single one of them. Even if I didn't necessarily like all of them, they all played strong roles in the comedy and had established, "hey I know someone like that" personalities and traits.
Of course, it helps that the animation is so cute. Sanrio knows how to draw cute characters, to the point where I'm not really sure if they know how to draw anything else. Even a character whose a literal misogynistic pig has a much more appealing design than any other studio/company/character designer would have given him.
The dialogue itself has a lot of one-liners and quick gags that made me say "Oh, shit" and/or laugh out loud. Netflix has also produced a solid English dub for the series, with plenty of recognizable voice talent as well as a few faces who haven't gotten their chance in the limelight yet.
Retsuko's death metal scenes are great, even if they are quick. The death metal aspect of her character is elaborated on and really made apart of her. Without spoiling anything, at one point we see Retsuko in a completely different state of mind in which she isn't interested in doing death metal at all, and it just simply...isn't her.
I'm not traditionally a binge watcher (which is why my number of watched days on here is so subpar), but this show got me hook. line, and sinker. I'd probably be watching even more episodes right now instead of writing this review if we'd gotten more than ten. (I really hope we get a season 2.) And I've gotta admit, I want some of that overpriced merchandise now as well.
park_
Despite the styling of the series, Aggrettsuko or Aggressive Retsuko, the Netflix series, is a serious workplace drama. After already having watched every show that I thought would impress me with a 10/10, I was very happy to find a new one that could convince me that there are more gems out there. This show is sneaky, in the sense that its style is that of a children's television show, but the subject matter is very mature and is not mindless in the slightest bit. The thing I like the most about it is that the show is not stupid, and doesn't talk about anything stupid.Viewers should have some experience with being overworked or looked down upon in order to enjoy the show. Being a very passive person, I feel with Retsuko because she gives and gives to everybody and can't very well find it in her to stand up for herself at work. One of the first scenes we are thrown into is one where her coworkers are being either pretentious or talking behind each other's backs. It was an interesting thing to see because this exists everywhere, obviously, and we see how Retsuko deals with it... she tries her best not to intervene when her coworkers are being fake to each other. It was an interesting and fun character interaction, but respects the viewer's attention span by making it a background element rather than the focus of the episode. We have Retsuko to worry about anyway.
There are so many relatable issues in this show: 1) Teenage/social drama, not because the characters are teenagers, but because teenagers can relate to the conversation and social awkwardness. 2) Having people around you that take advantage of your kindness, because lots of people have been there at some point, and this show makes the best mood for the viewer by making Retsuko one who almost never talks back and only bottles everything up, constantly taking deep breaths and counting to ten. Because of this, viewers will feel bad for her, and constantly cheer her on. 3) Quitting your day job to change your life in an ideal way. We've all had to make tough decisions for ourselves at some point, and we usually make the wrong mistake the first time around with fortune against us. You'll see what happens in the show. 4) Escape from the grind. We all have our own ways, and Retsuko really depends on death metal to vent.
As for the art, I like the cartoonish and childish style, but it might wear off on some people. The setting definitely doesn't match the subject matters, but I guess this series is all about contrast, juxtaposing calm atmospheres with heated screaming ones. For the sound, I really liked the background music when the characters are working. It reminds me of the songs from Real Rob, another Netflix series. Another very enjoyable thing about this show is Retsuko's voice performance. I really really love it! it's hard to explain, because her tone is usually lukewarm at best, but there's something soothing about it. I don't know who the voice actress is, but her performance is stellar. It's cute, but she doesn't go too far on the cuteness or get full of it. it's very natural, and her reactions matched up with the voice when Retsuko is in trouble is always the best.
Anyway, if you're a hard worker, or if you're pressured in life, if you hate the grind, or if you like Sanrio, you should definitely watch Aggrettsuko. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a new series filled to the brim with emotion, personality, and life lessons.
Karhu
Aggressive Retsuko is an anime about this chibi-styled red panda, whom I will refer to as raccoon because she is not nearly as cute as red pandas are. She lives the typical work-lady lifestyle, working from 9 to 5 like any other young-adult raccoon. From her personality, she seems to be the kind-hearted-friends-with-everyone type of girl. At night, however, she goes to karaoke and lets out the most grotesque and vulgar death metal beats known to raccoonkind, giving no mercy for her coworkers, work-life-slavery nor anything else for that matter. The series is rather similar to Detroit Metal City. There a personality-lacking weakling who prefers teaceremonies and Swedish slow-paced pop songs has a role in the world's most grotesque metal band. He is referred as the true King of Hell as he traveled to Hell and took it from Satan, making him his bitch, and hence appearing as the icon of badassery. Retsuko differs from Kraiser (DMC main character) mainly because she never thought of hiding her identity when she goes to sing a song about raping her coworkers, instead the series is about her, slowly, accepting herself and learning to show the other side of her to others. The actual humor heavily relies on side characters. For example, there is a gym-monster in the series who seems to be only capable of speaking one word and that's "protein". Similarly over the top characters are ever-present in her life.
The songs presented usually last for something around 10 seconds until they end, and present her thoughts with few one-liners. These are not very funny nor witty, rather remind casually written yet angry-toned shitposting. So basically, normal shitposting. The series does good job on capturing the atmosphere of Retsuko's "normal" daily-life in pretty much every aspect. The voice acting and BGM capture the inner (weeb word incoming) nichijou. The actual badassery and the whole other side of her life, unfortunately, pretty much fail to deliver. Simply because the songs are so short, and the most rewarding and hilarious parts of the series end way too quickly when they should be pushed further instead.
Retsuko is comparable to Detroit Metal City, Cromartie or Metalocalypse for the manly and bro badassery, and to Shirokuma Cafe as a comedy series starred by animal-characters. I will especially recommend Ritsuko for the fans of these mentioned series and vice versa. And also to those who are browsing Netflix in hopes of finding something light for casual viewing as that's where Retsuko shines.
CodeBlazeFate
The real world is a tumultuous place. The life of a worker can be rather stressful in the wrong situations. The people in your life can be unbearable little shitstains that make you wanna beat them until they beg for mercy. The days are long and arduous sometimes, and the work can just keep piling on until you back breaks. It becomes such a blessing we always have resources to help keep our sanity at bay. We all have hobbies; we all have friends. We all have a reason to keep going with the cycle of days that make up the majority of our lives. AggressiveRetsuko is a commendable achievement. Its characters are so fully realized, fleshed out, and relatable that they are more human than most animated shows can even dream of. Their situations are as classic as they are comically relatable, and the way the show tells them is as genuine and endearing as it can get. Everyone except for that fucker Komiya gets some time to impress, even those whom we and Retsuko all saw as mind-numbing caricatures that embody everything we hate about peers and coworkers. Fenneko, Haida, Washimi, and so many others are a blast to watch, both in terms of seeing them interacting with each other and in witnessing their hobbies. Even if some moments are more out-there and convenient, what we are presented with is both entertaining, charming, and most of all, beneficial. Having such a fun cast to work with only seals the deal on making this uproarious piece of edutainment work.
More people need to see this show. As discouraging as it can be for someone to see what a pain the work life is, it's more than worth it for them to see what kind of wonderful environments, relationships, and hobbies await everyone. It also serves as surprising reassurance that everyone is just a person dealing with things their own way, and that we just have to find those who connect with us to make our daily lives worth it all. The best part is that the show does this without constantly spelling out what it’s teaching. Honestly, even with the coarse language and booze, this show should be fun for the whole family. The Sanryo merchandising and style that Fanworks worked with so expressively, adds a layer of accessibility to the show. The dub being a real treat extends that reach even further.
We watched The Simpsons and Transformers as children, so there is no excuse to not see this at any TV-consuming age.
ktulu007
Aggressive Retsuko is a Fanworks ONA, you may remember them from their work on Ankoku Cat, created as a Netflix original. Sort of like that really shit Godzilla film I reviewed. It's a slice of life comedy based off of Sanrio characters. I could review the hundred episode version, where each episode is around a minute long, but the ONA was specifically requested. So, let's take a look. Story: The titular Retsuko is a red panda who works in the accounting department of a large company. This results in her suffering in relative silence and her only reprieve is to privately belt out some death metal. The biggestissue with this series is a fairly simple one. It's not particularly funny. Yes, it's a comedy that's not all that funny. It's not like some of the comedies I've reviewed where it's just terrible to watch due to how horrendous the jokes are, but it's also not liable to make you laugh very much. And it's not just that the same jokes crop up throughout IE: Retsuko goes into metal mode in contrast with the art style and the usual impression she gives. It's that those jokes aren't really all that humorous to begin with. They're just very bland japes that might elicit a chuckle once or twice but, mostly, aren't going to accomplish much.
To exacerbate things, this is a comedy about working in an office. Which has been done a billion times. Sometimes really well, like BBC's The Office & sometimes really badly, like the American The Office. And in this over-saturated market the only things that stand out about it are the visual aesthetic and the short bursts of metal. And those aren't exactly elements that are going to carry a series particularly well or contribute to comedy.
That being said, the jokes aren't bad nor is the series painful in any way. It's completely watchable. It's just sort of like the comedic equivalent of grinding levels in an RPG. Very monotonous and not compelling. Except with an RPG you'll eventually get some pay off for the time you put in and you can do it while watching cartoons or Krinxtv playlists. Whereas this doesn't have any real pay off and you have to actually pay attention to it to watch it properly.
Characters
The cast is pretty typical of Sanrio's characters. Highly sterile, basic archetypes. About the most complex you're going to get is Retsuko putting on a happy façade while secretly hating her job and lazy bosses who seemingly do nothing. Or her boss, Ton, proving himself somewhat capable, actually. Which isn't much. It's just a small amount of contrast betwixt what you see of the character at a glance and what they're actually like.
Now, if the comedy in this were spot on that would be more than enough from the characters. If those characters had strong comedic interactions, that would be more than enough. But what you get there is, like the comedy in general, not really funny.
Art:
The art style is what you'd expect from a Sanrio property. Very basic but quite charming. With chibified animal characters, plain backgrounds and animation that's a bit slow most of the time but works given what they need it to do.
Sound:
The acting is, like so much of the series, mundane. The actors aren't bad. They accomplish exactly what they need to with their performances. But they also aren't performances you're going to remember as having been really good. In terms of music, the best aspect is the crazy death metal songs. And those become a bit trite pretty quickly.
Ho-yay:
There's maybe one scene where Retsuko's admiration for Ms Gori & Ms Washimi comes across like a bit of a schoolgirl's crush. But it's very slight and it's not a reoccurring thing. Especially with the series making sure that we all know at least two of those characters are straight.
Final Thoughts:
Aggressive Retsuko isn't a bad series by any measure. Unfortunately, it's also not a good one. It's overly monotonous, a bit dull and just lacking in comedic content. If watching Sanrio characters work in an office sounds like it would appeal to you, maybe watch a couple episodes. Otherwise, in the absolute plethora of office comedies, this one's just mediocre. And I rate it at a 5/10.
Mike_McFly
Aggressive Retsuko is a very interesting anime that combines Sanrio's cute looking animal character designs with a more or less adult themed story about adulthood and corporate office working life. The series is super short, but handles all aspects sufficiently in that span of time. I think the 15 minute format works so much better than the previous 3 minutes. It gives the show enough time to develop a consistent plotline per episode, but also prevents it from becoming too repetitive. Aggressive Retsuko also manages to develop most of the characters, both main and secondary. This is a great accomplishment considering plenty of longer series failat this.
Definitely recommended.
EvenWeirder
This will cover all 5 seasons without spoilers. A sweet, extremely relatable dramedy about office drama and common social issues with endearing characters. Each character reflects a common coworker personality almost everyone has and puts them into zany yet grounded life office issues. The main draw is how close to home the scenarios these characters are in, and how it looks at the situations under an optimistic and realistic lens. You will feel all the emotions the characters are feeling: stress, despair, hopeful, confident, etc. The show does its best to keep things fresh and moving to avoid being boring and repetitive. The show is constantly introducingnew characters and developing the preexisting characters by giving them new dynamics to the main character. The show balances between goofiness and drama perfectly.
That is, until the 4th season. I recommend leaving the show at the end of the 3rd season. At that point, the main arcs of the characters have mostly been completed and leaves the characters on a high note where you can gauge where their lives are heading. The last two season lost a lot of what made the show special, and I struggled to finish them. Watch them at your own risk.
I overlooked this show due to the animation and assumed it was a generic comedy. Mistake.
Mxxxstation
"Don't judge a book by it's cover" I am actually shocked with how this show, with the most childish art and animation style, is one of the greatest anime I had seen which tackles mature and relatable to adult struggles and in an office in particular. We see how the main character, Retsuko, a red panda who is frustrated with how her life turned out to be and how it is like in an office where she is fed up and looks for ways to avoid that alongside stereotypical office people you will end up meeting. I am shocked Sanrio approved this and it is probably theirbest move since Hello Kitty, I will explain why and as short as possible.
This wonderful anime has all characters which one can relate to, and we haven't seen an anime like this in a long time and its charm hooked viewers like me who wouldn't even give this a shot just by looking at it, but I just happened to see this in Netflix.
The musical number towards the end and the overall love for heavy metal is just amazing and symbolic plus memorable and this anime is on my mind after completing this, I love it so much. It also helps us, the viewers, get to understand how adult life is going to be and how much we are going to struggle when you reach that point in life. For me, I am glad it stick to this sort of art since it helped me understand that it is okay, and not everyone is a jerk, there are nice people there who are considerate like Mr. Tone and we see his nice side.
The romance between Haida and Retsuko is amazing, I like how pure Haida
and it is just beautiful at how he is the most mature anime protagonist you will see in a long time, plus Fenneko who is Retsuko's friend is also looking after them both with a nice romance with no drama or complications, just simple, mature adult love romance which is something pretty fresh into anime now.
Overall, this is one of my favorites, it is short and charming yet beautiful and had left a strong impact on me, I love that bird and gorilla so much and glad they got a lot of screen time. I will watch this again, it also has a strong re-watch value. Praying for a second season.
Moomochi
Out of 100 Nobles watching... 97 were impressed! 3 loved the sound design but not the repetition. Aggressive Retsuko or Aggretsuko is a 10 episode net animated series mostly adapted from the 100 episode short series both of which were written and directed by Rarecho and produced by Fanworks. The story is centered around a red panda named Retsuko 烈子 (which hilariously means "angry kid") and her stressful daily life as a Japanese office worker. Retsuko spends her day dealing with busybody coworkers, unappreciative superiors, and struggling to pay the bills. When things build up too much she lets off steam by taking a trip to the localkaraoke bar to revel in her true passion. Death Metal.
It's a silly show with a silly premise but the execution here absolutely blew me away. The show follows a semi-arcing narrative with a general plot or reoccurring characters that establish continuity, but generally spaces it's 15 minute episode block with short scene comedy. The short blocking was certainly a good choice for the show as it by no means overstayed its welcome and left me dying for more by the end of episode 10.
The art design is chibi, cute, and simple owing to Retsuko's origins as a character from Sanrio (a mascot company). All of the characters are animals and it gives the world a very Zootopia vibe that appeals to degenerates like myself.
Character designs were great here. Every character served their purpose and most characters given more than a few minutes of run-time proved themselves much more complex than one-note gags. This coupled with the incredible sound design and musical ques unified to make a real addictive experience.
I CONSUMED this show. I watched the whole thing on a whim with a friend and we both loved it. Unfortunately because of that and because I watched Perfect Blue almost immediately after this show I forgot to write a review until recently. Aggressive Retsuko is a concise and enjoyable experience and by being so compact even if it's not totally your jam like it was for me you are doing yourself a disservice by not having viewed it.
GlassPufferfish
This anime contains various scenes that will induce seizures! If you have epilepsy there is a lot of flashing imagery that will trigger seizures! When it comes to Netflix's original content, it can be a real hit or miss situation (Though it can often land deep into the miss category and more often that not it does). I avoided Aggretsuko thinking, their hit was Violet Evergarden, there's no way this won't suck. Then when browsing late earlier this evening with a cup of tea, bored out of my mind, Aggretsuko appeared. "Well, I'm bored and if it's trash I'll have some wine and read some manga,"I thought to myself, clicking on the anime.
What proceeded was a binge session I enjoyed every moment of. I know many people will find Aggretsuko as their first foray into the world of anime. That's great, the comedy throughout is refreshing when most comedy these days seems bland, repetitive and leaves me stone faced. Of course not all jokes will land well, but that's comedy isn't it? It won't always be tailor made to the individual. I'm going to go over the most important aspects.
Story-
The story follows down trodden worker, Retsuko, stressed by her rubbish boss and her coworkers. She wonders whether she should quit her job whilst finding solace in death metal karaoke and new friends. Each episode is a delightful package, containing long standing gags alongside quick jokes that produce a chuckle. The tale of being in a job you hate with a s**tty boss is one most of us can relate to, made enjoyable by the ridiculous levels of escalation. Retsuko goes through a lovely arc of self-discovery, finding her self-worth as she struggles through life. Overall a charming narrative that frames itself well.
Art-
The art grows on you, you can't approach thinking it looks tacky then stay unwilling to adapt. The simple character designs work well and the change from cute Retsuko to Rage Retsuko makes me giggle everytime.
Sound-
The death metal in this death metal anime is pretty decent, not amazing but if it went too hardcore I believe it would have scared away casual viewers. I honestly appreciated the character voice, the voice actors did brilliant jobs with getting characters personalities through.
Character-
Haiba is best boi, I will fight anyone who disagrees to the death.
Enjoyment-
I binged the whole thing but kept wanting to watch the next- this isn't something I tend to do when wathing anime, especially comedy.
I'm glad I gave this anime a shot, I found it a fun watch and will probably watch it again in smaller chunks to appreciate it better next time!
Lucibunny
Aggretsuko is a slice of life anime. It's following our main heroine Retsuko, an accountant for a large company. Retsuko is like many of us really. Going to a job she doesn't really like, over worked and under appreciated. She's the kinda of person who's so responsible she'll buy a pair of socks after browsing around in a store so that she doesn't feel bad. She's also very reliable, so much so that her workplace naturally puts a large work load on her desk. I've had a few people mention that this show is a bit too real at times. One difference about Retsuko thoughis how she lets off steam. She does it via death metal karaoke! The show will even have her sing out her frustrations while at work in private locations. Overall it's a fun show with a nice progression. We see her think about ways she can finally get out of there and quit for example. One idea was to get a rich husband, which lead her to taking yoga, which then lead her to befriending two higher ups at her workplace. A pair of interesting girls who try to help her with work and life advice. Be more social. You can't just marry out of working. It's sad each episode is not your standard length, but a little short. Could be neat to see other advises on how to adult. God knows we need it sometimes.
Taste: I enjoyed the taste, I watched the whole thing in one sitting. As said, some points rang out all too true. The side characters are fun as well, though a couple of them kinda bugged me. The nosey Kabae really missed the mark for me, and I think the show could have done well without her. But Fenneko was just perfect as a coworker, and Ton is given a surprising amount of depth. And I'm sure everyone can relate to Tsunoda. There's a near Sinfeldish quality about the show in that's really not about anything. It finishes how it begins. I'll give it a 9 out of 10
Presentation: This one I've been wracking my brain over honestly. The art style is going for something different and it comes of as something you'd find make on the cheap for kids. From the story and what they do with it though, it pulls off what's going for. The fact is still that I was almost turned off from the show because of this presentation. The music doesn't really stand out either. I'm giving it a 2 out of 5
Originality: This is your usual slice of life at the work place type of anime. The way the story is told can be appreciated though. It's nice to see things from the "I hate this place" sort of mindset. There's a fun over the top quality about things as well. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5
In conclusion Aggretsuko is a fun watch. It certainly makes you think about how things are at your own workplace, or in my case previous ones, and lets you relate or laugh some over it. Which can be cathartic in that sense! I think I'd like to see what they can do with more content, and I would have liked full episodes, give more chances for those side characters to shine. In the end it gets a nice 15 out of 20
Jhale
Aggressive Restsuko (or Aggretsuko, as Netflix has named it) is one of my top 3 favorite animes and it felt like it came out of nowhere. I have a pretty strong distaste for anime and manga that deals with music, no matter how highly it is recommended. However, I had read an article about Retsuko maybe two years ago and it sounded like an amazing move from the company that made Hello Kitty. Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was anything but a character until I saw this on Netflix. Story 9 - Aggretsuko is about Retsuko, an overly hard working office girl who seems to carrythe weight of the whole office on her shoulders. Her boss named Tone is a nightmare to her and many others in spite of how hard she works. The abusiveness of this boss is shown in a rather subtle way however, so it avoids being a story where there is excessive sorrow. Retsuko also has the power of death metal to vent her frustrations.
Retsuko's venting death metal seems like it could be something that could turn viewers off. It seems really stupid because the lyrics are pretty trash and the musical parts are short too.... But the way the music is presented feels like it only does the production favors, when you think about it. Retsuko should not be a fully sorrowful character and this venting is actually pretty funny with how simple and silly it is, although it is also helpful for character development increasingly throughout the story. It adds a lot of charm when it feels like it could ruin the show (and perhaps it does for some intolerant people).
The third piece to this story is perhaps my favorite. This story feels like it really is speaking to the modern generation perfectly. It gives some smart tips on how to live life, although less mature people would probably not respect these tips too much. It also shows us that the seemingly perfect people in life have to work hard to find the goodness in life and that those who are at the top can be important to those who are oppressed at the bottom rung.
Art 9 - This is a pretty well animated show and it looks really cute with both animations and character designs. Most of the character designs are pretty impressive. The personality of each character is very well expressed and it is one of the few cases where I feel like the animation added to a show outside of combat. I might only subtract a point because I don't like how the death metal form of Retsuko looks.
Sound 9 - The music, although really short, is pretty strong metal. There is also no annoying music that I remember, except for a song on the second to last episode sadly, but retrospect, that probably was meant to add depth in how music is about expression first here, rather than making a song sound nice.
However, I must point out that the English voice acting was really great. In addition to how the animations added to characters, the voice actors also did an exceptional job in raising the bar.
Character 10 - This story was mostly built for the characters and while Retsuko delivers better than I expected, the other characters in this story are also really heartfelt. Most of the characters in the show get important development in clever ways and I also really liked Retsuko's non-work friend. Character dynamics are everywhere and feel very realistic and meaningful. No character really feels wasted, except maybe the jar lady.
Enjoyment 10 - This show is great enjoyment for those who deal with a lot of stress in life. It is also great for those who are feeling lost. It works well for a cute story as well. I often feel the need for shows that address those themes. Additionally, each episode is a great idea or a setup for a great idea. And even though the episodes are half length, I felt like the show was very fulfilling and I watched in three sittings because of how deep and valuable each episode felt. The metal songs were actually a fun part on most episodes that I was anticipating. I also loved every character so there was always something to look forward to.
nikiyasha
Story 8: Aggretsuko is a slice of life in the most literal and realistic sense, as it follows the day to day life of Retsuko, the depressed work exhausted red panda as she tries to find a way to escape her hellish workplace. The structure is quite simplistic, with each episode going over a different aspect of adult work/personal life and how our protagonist handles it, yet it is incredibly endearing and captivating. The 15 min episode cycle works like a charm to keep you fully engaged, as it gets straight to the point of its story without beating you over the head with it,leaving the message simply to the audience to sit and think over for a time. Honestly, the show reminds me of old children's educational programs, how each episode expresses a problem, the character deals with said problem, and in turn a moral is expressed....except those problems are abusive bosses, depression, alcoholism, social anxiety, and dating and those morals are complex and actually handled with a strong level of maturity.
Art 8: The art is simplistic in nature, meant to reflect the kids cartoon aesthetic, but it has small details that make the art just really work for me. How character's faces truly reflect both thier mood and their tiredness, and are just so expressive. For instance, Fennek, who is the most monotone vocally, is the most expressive in her eyes, you can tell how she is feeling regardless of how she is speaking, and this is consistent across all characters, and adds an extra level of depth and realism to each character. Even the weasel who is just constantly mooching off Mr.Ton is clearly in a state of constant panic, his face expresses it in a way that his words alone can not, and in turn gives him more depth.
Sound 7: Ironically the one slightly weak (if you can consider a 7 weak) element is the music. While there is nothing wrong with it, per say, there isnt a whole lot of variety to the soundtrack, featuring the same metal rif each episode. Now, on the other hand that is one damn good rif, and the rap scene with Mr.Ton was excellently put together. While this may be a slightly weaker element of the show, it is still very well put together and competently implemented into the series.
Character 9: By far the strongest element of the show, and the reason you should watch this series, the characters are all well written and relatable. Even Mr.Ton, the most easily hateable character, has a lot of depth and development given to him. And whats more is that each character is meant to reflect a common stereotype that you, yes you, the person reading this, will likely find if they work in an office space or know someone who does work in an office, and then breaks them down to reflect that these people are more than the sterotype that Retsuko, and in turn we the viewer, perceive them to be. And the message of understanding and empathy expressed through this development is the best part of the series.
Enjoyment 9: From the comedy which just cracks you up, to the characters which you cant help but empathize with, this series is a constant joy punch to the gut. There isnt much more to say than that honestly, its just a series that while it has its dark moments, always fills you with hope and a bit of joy, without feeling hollow or shallow in any way.
Overall 9: Let me make this clear, this series is not made for all audiences, and while I love it beyond a shadow of doubt, I am part of the demographic this program is made for. If you are about 14 years old you probably wont like this, because honestly...you cant relate to the characters yet, and thats not to say you cant enjoy it, but it is to say that if you dont thats perfectly ok, and understandable. Same for older viewers, this show inst really going to feel ok to them, because it probably feels mocking to them. But to those viewers in their 20-30s who are in the low rung of their workplace, well...this show is something you need to watch, and for those who are about to start in a new workplace, I IMPLORE YOU, WATCH THIS SHOW, I swear it will change your outlook on your work life for the better.
Certified_Rat
How can you not love this anime! The story was very entertaining. Seeing how Retsuko looks in front of her coworkers to when she's behind closed doors was very enjoyable to watch. Not many non-fantasy anime's I know of have to do with jobs. I do wonder if it really is anime however since the art style is so unique to other animes. The style was really cute though! Most of the characters looked super adorable! Retsuko's voice actor in specific was very good, at least when she wasn't like normal. (I won't say what that means cuz spoilers ;P) The other voice actors were pretty good ingeneral as well.
There was a good variety of characters and a good balance between those characters you hate and the ones you want to stay on screen forever. I found it super easy to relate to Retsuko. I'd say my favourite character would have to be Feneko since she had such a refreshing personality that you don't find in anime often!
I really enjoyed this anime overall, the fact that it wasn't normal manga style makes it stand out from the crowd. I would definitely recommend it, you could probably watch it with a friend or sibling. There was no fanservice so I would say it's family-friendly as well.
TangerineTravels
I have been in a workplace for more than a decade now and this anime obviously do their research exceedingly right! All drama, politics, and stress that one grown-up can felt were well thought in this anime with the addition of entertainment and slice of life's comedy, I find it really amusing because I can really relate to this which I didn't expect I will. The story is the ace of the entire series, it was outstandingly entertaining and I didn't notice that I have already finished it and watching season 2 already because I am full of myself and enjoying Retsuko so much. It wasnot all fur or any, but it really tackles the daily life of a woman who is a newcomer who is awkward in growing up and experience corporate life with struggles, pressure, as well as excitement despite the ordinary but it was a real and great example of a woman's slice of life.
I love all the characters, I am invested in each since the series was able to highlight everyone aside from the lead and gave great individuality which I enjoy. The politics in this anime is real, it might look funny to others but everyone here is a representation of each person you will meet in a work setting.
Sound is also a favorite, I think that is the best part, and I found it really interesting. Since they use it as a stress ball as a unique take to help out releasing someone's emotional turmoil, it is effective to show feeling and help the plot to be more entertaining. I have to say that is a great turn of events.
I am not a fan of the art but it's cute, the animation is just fair but you will not care about it all since the rest are really enjoyable to watch. There is no surprise factor in the entire story but since I can relate to it, it doesn't matter - and would recommend this to my peers! Overall, its enjoyment factor is excellent and everything is well balanced. You would want to complete all seasons while doing your daily tasks and just listening to it. Laugh out load especially if you are at work from home right now (yes, multi-tasking is my thing, don't let this adult matter, just watch it really).
More of this! :)
H3lt3rSk3lt3r
Aggretsuko is a very simple and unique anime. The childish cartoony art style is what stands out the most, and the reaction it causes really depends on your personal taste. I actually didn't like it that much and sometimes I even got uncomfortable, but that's just me. Don't get me wrong, this design fits the anime very well, mainly because of the contrast between cuteness and aggressiveness on certain moments, which is the main driven force of the whole show, I'm just saying it doesn't match my taste. When it comes to the story, Aggretsuko is very simple: it depicts the daily life of ayoung woman (portrayed by a fox) as she deals with adult-life problems, such as a boring job, stressful routine, relationship goals, professional life aspirations etc. This is something unexpected about this anime: it approaches mundane situations that are actually very relatable. The whole "workplace scenario" feels very real, witch I wasn't expecting judging by the completely unrealistic cute-furry-animal-like design of the anime. I got me off-guard even more when some heavier themes were depict, such as boss harassment and the delusions of being an adult. Characters are often very exaggerated and aren't explored much, but that doesn't really matter as the anime doesn't pursue a lot besides purely entertaining.
Well, as you might know by the synopsis, the little "secret" of the main protagonist is that she reliefs herself in a karaoke by singing death metal songs. That's the main differential of the anime, but I feel it could have been a little more explored... I mean, all of the scenes which this happen are literally the same (with one or two exceptions), just changing the lyrics, and they're all very short. That's kind of a bumper because it feels like the anime was really trying to make these scenes be the highest point of the episodes, but they actually aren't. Still talking about sound, I missed a bigger variation on the soundtrack. The "ambient soundtrack" is literally the same on all episodes. It is good, but lacks variation. The opening is ok but very simple... it's far from being catchy and memorable and you'll very likely skip most of them on Netflix
Overall, it is a good show and I would recommend it to whoever is into "slice of life", specially if you don't mind the characteristic design. Each episode has 15 minutes so you won't lose too much time if you end up disliking it...
just s tip: if you feel like dropping it after 3 or 4 episodes, just skip to episode 7 as it's by far the best one.
Ambaradan
Aggretsuko is a surprisingly charming show that breaks some barriers in the short comedy genre: every episode has less than 15 minutes of plot but the pacing is good and the jokes are delivered at the right moment. The anime's strongest points are by far the characters, each one's design being unique and non-stereotypical, despite the very simplistic (and often passable at most) animation. The show is made for young adult to mature women and it shows, Retsuko being some sort of charismatic feminist character with issues easy to relate to for the female public, who finds herself in situations which could barely happen outside ofa girls' locker room - however the humour is quite honest and universal.
It is way better than what I could've ever expected from Sanrio - I doubt there would ever canonically be swearing and portrayals of misogyny in Hello Kitty!
siriuswrites
For a cutesy lookin’ anime, this surely is hella realistic. Now I understand the hype. Aggressive Retsuko, or widely known as Aggretsuko, became the talk of the town around last month after its release because of its theme and quite unique art. Definitely if you see this kind of character design you would think this anime is for kids. Uh, nope, definitely not. Its actually for the adults. The themes of this anime focused more on topics where adults could relate, and this contrast is amazing. The story flowed really well. The pacing was consistent and it was enjoyable to watch. The anime starts off with Retsuko,a fresh grad, was so happy to start a new chapter of life, immediately shift to the present day version of her lazily trying to get ready to go to work. Even from those first few minutes, I already get the feeling that this anime is so going to hit me with so deep reality punches, I dunno if I’m ready for it. And it did. From irritating boss to stressful workplace, it was heavy. No wonder she sings her lungs out in the karaoke. Retsuko deserves a break.
The characters in this anime are quite diverse. I really like how realistic the characters are. Aggretsuko wasn’t scared to display really horrible side of the characters. Even though they were horrible to some extent, I understand why they are like that. The anime, as much as possible, tried to give the important supporting characters a spotlight to let us, the viewers, known and understand their POV. You can’t help but not to hate them. Its one of the reasons I like this series.
Now, for the main character. Retsuko is quite relatable. Ah, not just relatable. I have similar traits with her. She’s the type of person who likes to not say anything, just accept everything, and avoid hassle. Those traits made her the target in her work place. I feel sorry for her, but at the same time, I think its her fault why she’s in that position. Even though I say that I’m similar to her, I don’t think I would last in her workplace without going to the HR. Yes, HR. There’s a section in HR that handles employee relations. Sigh. It just shows how different the work culture in Japan is.
I already mentioned above that the art of Aggretsuko looks too much for kids, but its not. This anime was produced by Sanrio, so yeah, for the sake of merchs, I guess. Still, the character design is quite eye-catching. The animation looks so smooth too. It is quite different from the usual that we always see nowadays. I really like it.
Overall, Aggretsuko was a surprise. I didn’t expect this anime would be this good. The anime had a weird premise and yet, intriguing too. I really enjoyed watching this one. Its fun, and relatable too. Getting on the hype train was definitely a good choice. I definitely recommend this to everyone.
Thanks for reading!!
