With how crazy anime can be, it is a little hard to surprise the hardcore anime fan. My first thought about hearing about Aggretsuko, from the studio of Hello Kitty, was that a new cute character was in the works. Boy was I wrong. While Retsuko is a cute red panda, the way she relieves stress is to go to a karaoke bar and scream out some death metal. This craziness is just the beginning in this funny show.
A Day in the Life of Retsuko
Working in an office, Retsuko has a lot to deal with. Her boss Ton, a pig, lives up to his namesake. Her office co-workers are just that. After work is done, she goes hardcore as she screams out death metal. Things are changing, and her desire to better herself will allow for some crazy adventures and some connections with her fellow workers. How will they react, when they discover her musical tastes?
The death metal aspect is shocking and funny when it first appears, but it is just one aspect of this funny show. Retsuko is not happy and she tries different things in order to make herself happy. One episode deals with her belief that she will be happy if she marries someone who has money. This inspires her to take yoga classes. While her goal becomes out of reach, she still makes a connection, and friends, with a few of her coworkers. Retsuko might be an animal, but her situations are familiar with anyone who feels that being a grownup is a lot harder than being a kid.
A Rosy World
Rare for a comedy, things carry over from episode to episode. When Ton gets a complaint about his behavior, the next episode deals with his changed behavior. This show is funny, but there is some truth about how Retsuko views her life. We go through life accepting things because we don’t see what else we have. Her death metal is the one thing that makes her happy. As the series goes on, she starts to discover other things. Life might not be perfect, but the message seems to be to take the good things when you can.
The Dream Ends
This show is all kinds of awesome. All ten episodes are available on now on Netflix. A few years back, we got 10-minute episodes on TBS. This new version shows that more of the death metal loving red panda is certainly a good thing. And hey, take the good things when you can.