We’ve all had those days at work where nothing seems to go right, and the first thing we want to do once our hours are done is decompress, to find some sort of release for our pent-up frustrations. One of the most unlikely representations of this comes from Japanese merchandising company Sanrio, famous the world over for their Hello Kitty character and its sweet, cute theming.
Their new workplace comedy Aggretsuko certainly doesn’t shy away from showcasing animal characters that kids would easily find appealing at first glance, but its lead character and the situations she finds herself in are anything but the company’s usual fare. Rather, she’s intended to be a stand-in for a variety of things- the pressures millennials have to deal with, a satire on specific aspects and expectations within Japanese society how women are treated and perceived on the job, and much more.
Retsuko (Kaolip in the sub, Erica Mendez in English, Rarecho for original metal vocals with Jamison Boaz in English) is a red panda account in her mid 20’s, who’s bogged down by overwork and general unappreciation in her company. Hippo co-workers are constantly distracting her with mindless gossip, and others thoughtlessly dump their work on her desk.
She gets either orders for tea and backhanded insults from her slacking, chauvinistic pig boss Ton (Souta Arai, Josh Petersdorf in English) on good days, and open contempt on bad days while he stays “busy” practicing golf swings.
Outside of the support of her co-worker friends- the analytical fennec fox Fenneko (Rina Inoue, Katelyn Gault in English) and a bashful hyena named Haida (Shingo Kato, Ben Diskin in English)- she finds a degree of relief in performing death metal songs in a local karaoke bar on her way home.
These are marked by a visual transformation in which her usual childlike face is replaced by a KISS-style snarl and corpse paint, with lyrics detailing whatever situation that’s got her stressed that day- sometimes on the unfairness of her superiors, overpriced wedding gifts and her desire to get married so she can quit her crummy job to be a housewife, or plans to resign and join her friend’s fledgling business.
More than anything, what Retsuko really wants is a stress-free daily routine, but that becomes more difficult when she sparks up a friendship with two upper management workers, the elegant bird Washimi (Komegumi Koiwasaki, Tara Platt in English) and a classy gorilla named Gori (Maki Tsuruta, G.K. Bowes in English).
Initially, Retsuko is too star-struck and nervous to approach them, remarking about how they must have their stuff together. When the tension increases between Retsuko, Ton, and his suck-up meerkat sidekick Komiya, they eventually become a couple of her closest allies- as the confidence she gains from her performances begins to impact the culture of her workplace.
On top of providing Retsuko’s death growl, Rarecho also serives as writer and director for the series, and she crafts some fun and surprisingly insightful stories within condensed fifteen-minute episodes. Retsuko’s trials are only slightly exaggerated and are overall easy for most people to identify with.
Yet this show, while subversive and sharp, never resorts to being excessively cruel to its characters, and there’s always a degree of warmth to how the cast interacts. In fact, some characters that you might not expect are given surprisingly strong development.
While this certainly is a musical show in many ways, most of the emphasis is on Retsuko and her co-stars’ character development than it is on death metal as a whole. The styles of music are a bit more varied than advertised, including a funny egotistical rap number from Ton during a company party where things really come to a head. While she’s a metal queen deep down, at one point Retsuko sings a sweeter ballad while taking a red panda boy to the park, which results in an unexpectedly poignant and intelligent look at romance- and our ideas of what it should be.
Some of the species choices for certain characters are reflective of their personalities (Ton as a literal pig being the obvious example, but overall I get the sense a big reason anthropomorphic characters were used here was for aesthetic purposes. The deceptively simple art style allows for a wide range of expressions. For example, can we point out how cute Haida acts around Retsuko, as well as in general? His constant blushing whenever she compliments him is hilarious and extremely charming.
When people talk about “cartoons for adults” usually it’s hyper-crude shows like Family Guy or South Park that come to mind. While these shows, alongside newer series like Rick and Morty often combine their crudeness with clever writing, it’s rare to see a TV-MA animated series that’s unabashedly irreverent, but also has a decidedly satirical and adult sensibility without relying on shocking their audiences too much. Aggretsuko is a great example of this in action, and also proof that the term “kawaii” doesn’t have to be associated with something that’s bland or cloying. Easily recommended, it’s a fun mix of subversive softness and cathartic fury.