Sanrio has an impressive stable of recognizable characters that have remained popular over the years—Hello Kitty, My Melody, Badtz Maru. They’re all delightfully cute, but their histories aren’t as developed as recent characters. Newer Sanrio additions have been given interesting backstories that make them more endearing on an emotional level. Who can’t identify with Gudetama, the self-proclaimed lazy egg who doesn’t want to get out of bed? Or Kirimichan, the salmon filet with arms and legs? Okay, maybe you can’t identify with Kirimichan, so let’s move on to the most relatable character of all: Aggretsuko.
Retsuko is a red panda who works in a typical Tokyo office and deals with the trials and tribulations (mostly the latter) of daily life. Dealing with annoying coworkers and a demanding boss can all be a bit too much. Aggretsuko—a portmanteau of aggressive and Retsuko—lives up to her name by becoming aggro when faced with an irritating situation. I’ve been there, girl. When Retsuko completely loses it and goes into rage mode, she relieves her aggression by singing death metal karaoke as her form of guided meditation.
Netflix, sensing the relatability of this sad panda’s life, gave the go ahead for an original animated series about Aggretsuko and it’s debuting next week. While her story is uniquely Japanese, her frustrations are universal.
The episodes are funny, but there’s an overlay of darkness to them, where you feel for Aggretsuko but also worry for her state of mind. There were times during the episodes I laughed—no, loudly cackled—at scenes that seemed directly lifted from my own office experiences.
We all know types like her co-workers: the overbearing boss, the perpetual brown-noser, the person who seems to get away with everything in the workplace. Why, it’s simply enough to make you want to bust open a fury storm of rage screaming…albeit adorably.
The Netflix Original series consists of ten 15 minute episodes that follow Retsuko’s ups, downs, and yearning for a healthy work/life balance. Watch Aggretsuko when it debuts on Netflix on April 20.
Aggretsuko is my true spirit animal. Let us know what you think about the series in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on Twitter to show us your best death metal karaoke!
Images: Sanrio
More from the world of Sanrio!
- Hello Kitty makes cameos in iconic Universal movies.
- Meet the pooping, vomiting egg yolk named Gudetama.
- Adorable Sanrio character donuts.
