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.
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.
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.
Sonicsupa99
*Spoiler Free* Amidst all of the the monotony of our daily lives what is it that pushes us forward towards the new day? Is it worth to smile and express joy despite everything life throws at us? Aggressive Retsuko does a stellar job of answering the above questons. Retsuko, as in the description, is about a red panda who goes about her daily life with friends and deals with various hardships by coping with them in her own unique way. This series will put you in a spin of joy, tears, and cheer as you root for this protagonist who displays her emotions vividly in the way she lives (althoughnot all the time) and how she grows her relationships with others. With her friends Haida and Fenneko and various others, she goes on to progress through her difficult work life and growing social life as she grows as a person.
I cannot recommend this show enough. This show of anthropomorphic animals displays human strife and is more relatable than a lot of shows out there today. All the characters are well thought out and carry their own lives, opinions, and feelings. The side characters get great spotlight and show how they relate to their own situations as well as retsuko's. Aggressive Retsuko humanizes just about everyone, and never leaves it to a clear black and white, good and evil dogma, as such is our real day to day life. I'm sad the show ended this year, but I am very thankful for the masterful display of slice of life this show has given me. Rock on and push on.
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!
Kemious
Aggretsuko is very much an anime that is far more than it seems. Its bright color, simple flash style animation and concept of its main character comedically transforming into a heavy metal singer every time she reaches her breaking all point towards it being a fairly simple and basic comedy used to sell Sanrio merchandising. However while that is the premise the first episode teases, that is not what the show becomes. Its a rather thoughtful and relatable story about life that anyone can relate and appreciate. Its a series that deals with a whole range of heavy issues from work, life balance, friendships, terriblebosses, relationships and money all while never dipping into heavy territory and keeping the series light and fun.
It would have been easy for the series to keep its characters static and 2 dimensional. Being nothing more than the Caricatures they initially appear to be. But again that's not the case, each characters surprisingly fleshed, evolved and dynamic. Changes in characters are well carried out and portrayed realistically rather than as cliche heel turning moments.
This is an anime that anyone no matter what their situation is can enjoy
Mrmonkeymasta
This is a great anime to watch if you don't wanna spend an assload of time watching anime, like if you want to get some anime in but you want to try to be productive as well. With its 10 fifteen minute episodes i feel it's fair to call this sort of a "snack anime", that's how i watched it anyway. Aside from it's refreshingly quick pace, it's just generally a funny, light hearted show with a cute artstyle, (thick lines and bright colors make me nut) and judging by my girlfriend's work rants, a pretty good representation of life as a young woman workinga low position at a company.
(I rated the sound a 7 because while i had no complaints about the music or anything, and think it fit well with the show, i couldn't really think of any super iconic tracks or anything. I mean it's a comedy show. 7 is "good")
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
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.
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.
AnimeBear422
**spoilers I feel that because I watched the English translation and did not watch the original, which may have contained more memes and references to the stereotypical Japanese office life, I didn't get the full experience. The show is probably a notch or two better than I really think it is for Japanese people watching the Japanese version, so take this review with a grain of salt. But anyway. Aggretsuko is a series that manages to blend a few flavors of humor together into a great little office comedy. It's very light hearted, and doesn't really explore any dark themes, but that's okay. There are quite a fewmoments that show shockingly deep insight into the depressing reality that is the adult world, and I as fellow member of that same corporate lifestyle related to it A LOT. That is what kept me going through the series despite a number of slow/lame moments that detracted from the experience.
I didn't know how to rate the story of the show, because there isn't really a story. Aggretsuko is I guess what you would call a slice of life, and what made it interesting was the characters. Retsuko herself was a particularly good character not because of her special traits, but because of how average she was. There was something very realistic about her laziness and lack of direction in life that made her seem like a regular person. I also felt this way about Haida, who almost seems like he could represent just about anyone who lacks the guts to go for what he wants. Instead of drinking for stress relief, like most other people, she screams death metal at a karaoke bar every night. That was a nice touch, but didn't really have anything to do with the show's main themes.
Other characters, like Fenneko and Resasuko were great representations/parodies of other weird traits you see quite often in people -- social media induced psychopathy and "braindeadedness", respectively. The way that the writers brought these weird phenomena into the show was spot-on, and really brought a smile to my face.
Although I didn't give the show a killer rating, I highly recommend checking it out if you want a show that is pleasant and light-hearted but not afraid to take a few jabs at the bleakness of being a low-level employee in the corporate world. It's fun, has an interesting soundtrack, and definitely has its moments.
BrotherMeSoftly
Introduction: Like Retsuko, I too was exhausted. Irritation dragged my fingers across the keyboard; hunched over, hard at work, as I was another spoke on a wheel stuck in a dead-end job. I was just out of college and already I felt like I was lost. I had a nine-to-five office job that operated 1-9 --- during 2nd shift. I was left to my own devices and expected many days to show up around 12 at the latest and encouraged to stay later till 10. Almost always however did I have to stay much, much later. This was my experience and it only makes upa minuscule scratch mark on the hubcap that is the office lifestyle.
What got me through some of this was watching Aggretuko on Netflix. I was originally sold on the death metal loving Retsuko but fell in love with her drive to do so. On top of that, I am enamored with the fact that Retsuko came from the same company that made Hello Kitty. Taking a cute animal character and turning them into a hard working, millennial, office employee who takes out their rage through... karaoke? (Whaah??)
Story: Retsuko is a red panda who works as an accountant and throughout these 10/(or 100) episodes you go through the day-to-day life of her environment. The way I see it, the show is built up like a sitcom, just without the laugh track in the background. You become immersed with her routine and her interactions with her colorfully vexed office workers and her tyrant of a boss.
In Aggretsuko you are not just watching some cute Hello Kitty character get flustered in her swivel chair, you are in a fixed perspective of how mundane this world is for her just to get by and be able to live as comfortable of a life as possible, which is also ironic since she doesn't quite look like she enjoys her work life.
The story overall is a brisk walk in the park and fits perfectly with the cozy, starlit mood that Netflix is attributed with. It's funny because even though there are many, many moments of the scene transitioning to a karaoke bar with a bunch of guttural death growls, the show can be an easy thing to fall asleep to. Perhaps that's just me lulling to Retsuko's cadaverous melodies.
Art: The animation is cute and works well with the show. A show that doesn't rely so heavily with high tech animation techniques has more availability to focus its strengths elsewhere. What's great is the art looks simple but maintains a fluidity that resembles somewhat of those flash animations you would see in modern Arthur or Newgrounds animations.
Sound: Nothing from what I gather strikes me as extraordinary. The background music and even the karaoke bits are admittedly pretty good but nothing stands out. For me to give this section a higher rating would ideally be me getting lost in the sound, not just the show's music, and becoming entranced with my senses. I'd probably need to have a jingle or something pulsating through the corridors of my brain begging to be released or something lol.
Character: I love the characters of this show. I can put a name to a face, someone from my life onto a character in Aggretsuko, and that's just awesome. The love interests and gossiping among the office cast add to the lore and background of every member on staff and not every show gets the chance to do that or even takes advantage of it. Nobody on this show is groundbreaking and can be someone I see as feeling revolutionary enough to influence generations like a Guts, Goku, or an L. Retsuko comes close to this, but can be mistakenly, and argued either way, for being a protagonist that isn't too fleshed out and mostly defined through the few notes that make them standout. Like, Retsuko has more to her personality than just a red panda that likes to scream in her free time, but it's also not that far from the truth and her whole character like the others can only be stretched far enough before it becomes harder and harder to employ your own real life coworkers to the vessels that make up this show.
Enjoyment: Despite it's short length and the seemingly purgatorial state Retsuko is in, I believe this show to be very enjoyable and something most age groups can enjoy for one excuse to another. The show is so binge-worthy and to the point I watched the show's original take, being 10 episodes made up from 100 clips. Without getting too far ahead of myself, I must add that the second season could not have come along sooner than it eventually did.
Overall: A fantastic watch with enough quality to make for a binge-tastic watch through. Its premise is something I can totally get behind and is a show that many people can apply to themselves. Most shows we love generally can be applied to ourselves. That said, this is not one of my favorite shows out there. I've seen plenty others that have caught my attention faster and fuller and not inevitably bench marked as a show to watch when I get sleepy and with no longer working under a corporate contract and being subjected to a cubicle-like space, I unfortunately lost a bit of a connection that is quite as relevant. But it did at one point and those memories still remain lodged somewhere in me. Perhaps you will watch this and be able to apply a similar love for it as I did.
