On Friday, April 20, 2018 Netflix announced their new original series called Aggretsuko (Aggressive Retsuko) which is made in collaboration with Sanrio. This animated show that follows a red panda named Retsuko may be one of the most relatable shows when it comes to “company culture” ,and (unfortunately) how life is for some people at their first job.
Retsuko is an accountant at her workplace. Like most people she was excited to start her first day and her brand new job ,but 5 years later she was not feeling the same way. Quitting her job isn’t a option either. She has loans to pay ,and this is the only way she can do it.
First of all her boss is literally a sexist pig
One of this first things he says is that it’s a woman’s job to make tea for him (really?). Unfortunately, this hits close to home where women are actually treated this way in the workplace. It was even mentioned that it was no use reporting their boss because he would get away with everything.
Next, Retsuko is given more work than all of her other co-workers
In fact, Retsuko is constantly bullied by the higher ups in her department. Realistically there is nothing she can do if she wants to keep her job. This is the case for hundreds of people in the workforce at this very moment. Stuck in jobs they don’t like because there is no way out.
And if you think that a woman higher up in the department would understand Retsuko’s problems…think again.
When it’s not the boss bullying Retsuko you can count on this snake to make her day miserable (okay she’s a lizard not a snake but it sounds better, right?)
So what helps her keep calm in her out-of- control life?
Well….
Karaoke!
Death Metal Karaoke that is. Where she can release all of her inner rage that comes with being at a job she totally despises. Which I think is a pretty cool way to let some steam off. Some people like meditation, drawing ,or journaling,but screaming into a microphone is 10,000x better in my opinion.
Of course, Retsuko does have a couple of friends to help her with her day to day life ,but karaoke is the best.
There’s even more characters that make Retsuko’s life hard like a gossiping hippo ,and a flirtatious gazaale that kisses up to the boss! I would say that you might want to watch this show to get some tips on how to deal with the workspace. You never know, it could really help you one day.