Review: Netflix's Aggretsuko

Netflix's Official Aggretsuko Poster

Netflix has been diving deep into creating exclusive anime content recently, with a substantial portion it's $8 billion budget for 2018 going to create 30 original new shows. The best of these so far have been dark- with the six episode fantasy-horror adaptation of video game series Castlevania grabbing fans attention, and the shockingly graphic Devilman Crybaby becoming the most talked-about anime of the winter season.

Netflix's Devilman Crybaby is horrifying in every sense of the word.

However, the darkness has been shed in everywhere but Retsuko's soul in Neflix's most recent anime hit Aggretsuko, featuring an adorable red panda who works as a mild-mannered accountant at a large company by day and screams out her rage at her shitty boss by night at death metal karaoke.

Inner Resuko's rage mode

Retsuko is a character by Sanrio, a company known for wildly popular but mild-mannered kawaii mascots like Hello Kitty and My Melody. While the style of Aggretsuko's animation is instantly recognizable, the show itself is an abrubt departure from the sanitized cuteness of Sanrio's past characters. In fact, Retsuko's transition from a feminine, soft-spoken, obedient office girl into a foul-mouthed ball of anger after-hours often feels like a self-aware parody of Sanrio's supremely inoffensive brand.

Sanrio's more typical lineup of cheerful, inoffensive mascots.

A Quick Summary: 

We start the series with Retsuko, fresh-faced and straight out of school, getting a new job with a major corporation and being praised at an orientation ceremony for "joining society" and the workforce. She is surrounded by sakura blossoms and has completed the personal and cultural milestone of finding a productive place within Japanese society. Triumphant she jumps into the air... and lands at a weird angle, breaking both her ankle and any illusion of her inner peace.

The moment Retsuko's facade of contentment is shattered.

Three years later she is stuck in a low-level accountant position with a misogynist pig (literally) of a boss, overbearing and annoying coworkers, a couple good friends, some unaddressed potential alcohol over-consumption issues, and a hidden rage at the world that threatens to well over at any point. The plot revolves around her realizing that she realize could her truest desire - leaving the workforce forever - by getting married and becoming a housewife.

Retsuko's heavy metal fantasy about getting married.

Retsuko meets and befriends two put-together women (a crane and a gorilla) who are in executive positions at her company, and they encourage her to express herself more, helping her confront her pig of a boss. As she gains confidence in herself and her conviction that corporate life isn't for her, she meets a fellow red panda named Resasuke, aka the office "space cadet." Despite his plain looks and vacant personality, she becomes infatuated with him and they begin dating, much to the despair of her executive friends and Haida, her hyena pal who has a longstanding crush on her.

Retsuko with Resasuke, her "space cadet" boyfriend.

Both the series and the lull of the "honeymoon phase" come to a quick end, with the bliss of dating dissolving back into simmering rage as Retsuko realizes that Resasuke both can't fix all the problems she has with her life and is also not a great companion for her. She returns to her normal self, gets back on track at work, reunites with her friends, and resumes screaming heavy metal every night, and sparks a potential romance with Haida.

Retsuko's boss looks on as her rage simmers in the final episode.

What I thought: 

The series is only ten episodes of fifteen minutes a piece, making it only slightly longer than the average movie.This made it very convenient to watch- I could finish it in a single sitting, and rewatch it with friends easily. Because of this I watched the show around two and a half times.

This is an excellent show for anyone who has experienced working- particularly younger folks, like millennials. I am 21 years old and just started working in a corporate environment a year ago, and I already relate with so much of Retsuko's pain. Anyone who has gotten up in the morning and felt rage at how shitty life is, at how they have to go to work with people they'd rather not work with, at how their life is boring and they feel trapped- Resuko is your new champion.

Part of what made the show interesting to me was that it was so accessible to someone like me- a young working woman - yet it was clearly made for a Japanese audience in mind. I am American, and was intrigued by the idea of an office party where the entire department goes out to get stone-cold drunk, or a ceremony when starting a new job congratulating you on "becoming a member of society" and being a good citizen by fulfilling that duty.

Social and cultural roles play into what Resuko considers her options a lot. She has a boss- Director Ton, embodied by a literal pig- who is from an older generation and thus a different working culture, and feels free to be as sexist towards women and abusive of his power as the people he likely worked under when he began his career did. Instead of reporting his overt sexism (at one point Ton mocks Retsuko openly, saying that she is useless but that useless women are better than those who are competent) Retsuko endures it and instead dreams of quitting.

She later justifies not reporting him to her corporate friends- the company president's secretary Washimi, an elegant crane, and the company's director of marketing Gori, a stylish gorilla- by saying that nothing would likely be done against him. It would be her word against his, and she'd risk him taking revenge on her, or worse, getting fired. That a person experiencing harassment in the workplace for fear of repercussions isn't uncommon- studies find that 75% of people who report they are being harassed in their work face some sort of retribution. Her situation is exacerbated in Japan, where the culture continues to be more male-dominated, and loyalty to institutions while not going to intensely against the status quo is highly valued.

Resuko also doesn't think too strongly about merely switching jobs, or even careers. In Japan workers are expected to be loyal to their companies, and to do the job that HR assigns them to rather than what their personality or preference would have. There is also a much lower rate of "job hopping" than in America- Japanese workers don't switch around as often when they merely get bored or tired of their career. Of course, Retsuko also simply wants to leave the workforce as she feels she hates working entirely, and to her that "out" is through marriage to a man who can support her on his salary. Aiming to get married, she begins to exercise to slim down, as she is hinted as a somewhat "chubby" girl. Once again, social and cultural expectations shape her thoughts of what is an option for her future and what is required to get there.

Beyond how the cultural differences and gender roles play out in Aggretsuko, the show has much to offer. Characters are three dimensional- the annoying deer Tsunoda is an annoying, fake girl who is disliked for how two-faced she is and for how she kisses up shamelessly to Director Ton, but she is also portrayed as a clever character who is methodical in her actions and isn't necessarily a bad person. Retsuko is soft-spoken, loyal, and a hard worker who dreams of freedom, but she is also a hard drinker who is secretly very angry and has extremely strong emotions about her job that she sometimes expresses. Haida is a goodnatured, somewhat awkward guy from around the office, but he's also a punk who plays electric guitar in his spare time. Resasuke is as spaced out and boring as they come, but he cares for a house full of beautiful plants. Even Director Ton, who is introduced right off the bat as a rude and sexist person who abuses his power and buys into shameless flattery, is shown as someone who is able to apologize, admit his faults, and even care about his workers. This nuance makes the characters more interesting to watch and interact- they aren't just caricatures of office workers, they're closer to real people.

Final Verdict

Netflix's Aggretsuko is a fun, energetic kawaii-metal combo romp that deadpan comments on the struggles of young workers. It has characters who - for being anthropomorphic Japanese animals- are surprisingly universal yet complex. The plot is hilarious and fresh, and it's a quick watch (that left me a little dissatisfied with how short it was) that I'd definitely say is worth the while.

I give it a 8/10.

Do you agree with this review? What did you think of Aggretsuko? Comment below, and watch the trailer!