Aggretsuko

Aggretsuko, also known by its Japanese title Aggressive Retsuko, is a Japanese anime comedy television series based on the eponymous character created by "Yeti" for the mascot company Sanrio. The character first appeared in a series of animated shorts by Fanworks which aired on TBS Television between April 2016 and March 2018.
An original net animation anime series adaptation was launched worldwide on Netflix in April 2018, followed by a second season in June 2019, a third season in August 2020 and a fourth season in December 2021. A fifth and final season debuted in February 2023.
A comic book series adaptation by Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirkland was launched by Oni Press. The first issue was released on February 5, 2020.
A mobile game, Aggretsuko: The Short Timer Strikes Back, was released by Hive for Android and iOS in July 2020. The game, which is available worldwide, includes the full 100 short episode series, which need to be unlocked individually via normal gameplay. Whilst subtitled, the short episodes were not dubbed into other languages. The main character Retsuko was included in Hello Kitty Island Adventure on Apple Arcade in June 2023 as a major character.

Plot

Retsuko is a 25-year-old and single anthropomorphic red panda, working in the accounting department of a Japanese trading firm called Carrier Man Trading Co., Ltd, trying her best to navigate through the typical problems encountered by young adults in 21st century Japan. Facing constant frustration every day from pushy superiors and co-workers, Retsuko lets out her emotions by going to a karaoke bar every night and singing death metal. After five years of working the daily grind, Retsuko's misery causes her to undergo a series of events that puts her job in jeopardy, forcing her to shift her relationships with her co-workers and ends up changing her life in unexpected ways. After this, she continues to come up with ways to find happiness, and eventually comes to the conclusion that she would one day like to get married and raise a family. Unfortunately, her social anxiety combined with her timidity often causes her to get involved in more situations than she expects while pursuing her dreams.
In Season 4, the show focused less on Retsuko as the protagonist and more on her colleagues at the office, each with their own unique set of problems.
In Season 5, the show mainly focuses on Retsuko being involved with the Japanese government with her running for a seat on the National Diet, along with Haida's life after quitting his office job and being evicted from his parents' apartment, with him meeting Shikabane, a 21-year-old gamer who has given up on life and is a net cafe refugee.

Characters

; Retsuko
; Director Ton
; Fenneko
; Haida
; Director Gori
; Ms. Washimi
; Tsunoda
; Komiya
; Tsubone
; Kabae
; Resasuke
; Anai
; Tadano
; Retsuko's Mother
; Hyodo
; Manaka
; Inui
; Himuro
;Jiro Haida
;Shikabane

Media

TV anime

A series of 100 one-minute anime shorts directed by Rarecho by Fanworks aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television between April 2, 2016, and March 31, 2018, as part of the Ō-sama Brunch television program. It also aired on Astro Xiao Tai Yang in Malaysia. Pony Canyon began releasing the shorts on DVD from January 18, 2017.

Mobile game

In July 2020, a mobile game, Aggretsuko: The Short Timer Strikes Back, was released by Hive for Android and iOS devices. The game is a tile-matching puzzle game with the premise that Aggretsuko should begin working to build the furniture on the new company building, similar to games like Gardenscapes. For every ten levels completed, the user can download and see the episodes of the original one minute length TV Anime shorts.

Netflix series

A Netflix original series was announced in December 2017, with Rarecho returning as director and writer at Fanworks. The first season, consisting of ten episodes, was released worldwide on April 20, 2018, with a second season which was released on June 14, 2019. A third season premiered on August 27, 2020. A fourth season premiered on December 16, 2021. A fifth and final season was released on February 16, 2023.
A Christmas special was released on December 20, 2018.

Series overview

Season 1 (2018)

Special (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2020)

Season 4 (2021)

Season 5 (2023)

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

The first season of the Netflix series holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews, with the sites critic consensus reading, "Uniquely bleak for a Sanrio property, Aggretsuko balances biting corporate satire with adorable characters and absurdist comedy to create a surprising, insightful addition to the world of animation." The season has been praised for its satirical portrayal of Japan's workplace culture, and of the pressures facing Millennial women in the workforce. IndieWire gave the season a B+, and noted the distinctly Japanese stylistic elements of the animation that made it stand out from American productions. The A.V. Club praised Aggretsuko for dealing with mature themes like misogyny and workplace anxiety, but criticized the season's romantic subplot, calling it "aggressively lousy".

Christmas Special

Aiden Strawhun of IGN stated that the special "takes the fun of the first season and spinkles in a smidge of holiday flair" and complimented the special for its commentary on social media addiction, but says it was diminished by "feel like more of the same" as the preceding season. Polygon writer Allegra Frank called the special "heartwarming" and said that it "deserves to be a holiday classic." Allegra commented on Haida and his infatuation for Retsuko, calling him "the pinnacle of an adorable love interest."

Season 2

The second season holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews. Caitlin Moore of The Daily Dot wrote that the second season was "less satisfying" than the first, noting how the season focused more on Retsuko's "personal journey", thereby making it less relatable to a general audience, but called the season "fun in the moment." Charlie Ceates of Cultured Vultures said the season has "much of the same charm as its predecessor" but pointed out that the plot progression closely mirrored that of the first season and how the show "may stagnate and get boring" if future seasons did the same.

Season 3

The third season holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews. Karen Han from Polygon praised the season for tackling "more specific and modern issues", such as parasocial relationships between fans and celebrities on social media, but criticized the season taking a "straight thriller" turn along with the status quo ending for hurting the show's relatability. Jacob Oller from The Spool wrote that the season was "all sorts of fun" and that "Aggretsuko continues to resonate, echoing through the skulls of rage-filled office workers everywhere," while praising the relatability of the anti-capitalist attitude possessed by Retsuko.

Season 4

IGN writer Britteny Vincent wrote that Season 4 "brings the absurdity and laughs to the reality of a manipulative workplace" but criticized the dynamic between Retsuko and Haida, referring to them as two of the show's "most frustrating characters", for diluting the overall experience. Petrena Radulovic of Polygon wrote that the fourth season "should inspire everyone to unionize their workplace", and praised the show's ability to balance "wild scenarios with more specific and relatable situations."

Season 5

The fifth season holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews.

Awards

Aggretsuko was nominated for an Ursa Major Award in the Best Dramatic Series category. The Ursa Major awards are given in the field of furry fandom works and are the main awards in the field of anthropomorphism.