First Impressions | Aggrestuko

Hello loves~ I apologize. It’s been an awful week and I’ve been hella out of it this week. I didn’t even realize it was time for me to write my post. So I apologize for a simple (and hella slacking) post today. Last week I talked about the Stardew Valley Multiplayer (Beta) game. I gave my first impressions on it, or as Nick called it “LOOK AT ALL THE BROKEN!”. Maybe I’ll start a Minty: LOOK AT ALL THE BROKEN series… This week I’ll be giving my first impressions of the Aggretsuko (アグレッシブ烈子, or “Aggressive Retsuko”) anime series~ We all know I’m a hella basic Asian girl who loves Sanrio.  This post will be based on the first 2-3 episodes (mostly because I’m garbage that hasn’t had time to catch up…)

 

The character debuted in 2016 (I believe). There was a short TV anime series from April 2016-March 2018. Netflix just released the net animation series in April 2018.

Me: What everyone sees

Retsuko is a red panda character from the Sanrio franchise. She’s basically an OL (office lady) who works in the accounting department. She’s an amiable introvert who has trouble standing up for herself and is prone to unrealistic dreams. She’s often stressed out and has pent up frustration, mainly because of work. To release that stress and frustration, she secretly karaokes to heavy metal. Hence, Aggressive Retsuko (Aggretsuko).

But really: Me inside

There are alot of different characters on the show too. They all have different personalities and effects on Aggrestuko. Perhaps you can see similar character types in your own lives.

The show is seemingly cute and funny. I really did enjoy it so far. It’s a great short watch since each episode is about 15 minutes long. However, it’s not just interesting because it’s seemingly cute and funny. The show is quite relatable. You can also see it as a commentary or as bringing awareness to different societal issues.

This chauvinistic pig can go screw himself

Retsuko basically works hard and is just doing her best to live. However, her bosses at work are assholes. Especially her male boss who is a literal chauvinistic pig.

Girl…I feel ya…

She clearly does not like her job. She’s not quite sure what to do either, but she sometimes has these dreams and hopes that make her want to just quit. Sure it’s easy to say, “Follow your dreams and screw everyone else!” But there’s that cruel sense of reality and risk that not everything can work out.

MFW asshole customers yell at me for things not in my control or not my fault at all…

I’m actually pretty impressed with this social commentary. Especially since these address alot of different societal issues and pressures that people (especially young people) face. Especially with Japan. Japan is an amazing country. However, it’s also known to have alot of societal pressures and expectations. Japan’s work environment is notorious. I’d say it’s pretty similar in some other countries like South Korea and China. Due to the heavy pressures and expectations, there’s a high number of suicides.

I really am enjoying this show so far. Not just because it’s cute, funny, and that it brings societal issues and pressures to light. I relate to this on a personal level. I’m basically Retsuko. Except I don’t karaoke heavy metal. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from this series~ Hope y’all are having a better week than me. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday fam~