My taste in TV shows and movies is as varied and strange to me as it is to my friends, who are often at least a little annoyed that I’m as picky as I am. Usually they will watch show after show, bingeing aggressively on everything from Friends to Stranger Things to Supernatural. They seem to have fun as well as bond over these shows, but while I may have an appreciation for them, I usually don’t join in. I can’t explain why, but I just know that some shows aren’t for me. So when my roomie told me about Aggretsuko, I was pleasantly disinterested. An anime about a mild-mannered red panda with a penchant for letting out the frustrations of office life through death metal karaoke? Sounds a little too crazy to work, or so I thought.
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I started the anime purely out of random curiosity and boredom, and I have not regretted one minute! Here are just a few reasons why:
1. It’s all too relatable
The titular character of Aggretsuko is Retsuko, the world’s most adorable red panda with the world’s most annoying office job. She’s in her early twenties, works in accounting, and has no friends outside of work, no real hobbies, and a horribly chauvinistic (literal) pig of a boss. Basically, what we all fear we will be after graduation. Thankfully, the series goes a long way in helping Retsuko gain confidence, friends, and mentors, which in turn provides a lot of hope for the rest of us too.
2. There’s actually great advice
Speaking of mentors, Retsuko runs into two incredible older career women, Washimi and Gori, who give her excellent advice. Both women have dealt with the crap that Retsuko, and many other young career women, have, and they have excellent advice that translates well to real life situations. If you’re a young business woman and you don’t already have a mentor, I sincerely recommend sitting at the feet of these wacky but wise characters.
3. The episodes are short and sweet
Especially considering that it is finals time, few of us can afford to get sucked into any show with long episodes, intense plotlines, and cliffhanger endings. Thankfully, each episode of Aggretsuko is roughly fifteen minutes long and, though they are all connected, there is not such a tense storyline that you can’t stop after each episode. This makes Aggretsuko a great choice for a quick study break during even this stressful time.
4. The characters are actually pretty complex
This is an anime, one with very short episodes, so of course characters are a bit archetypal and larger than life. Yet somehow, the show still manages to give even the office gossip monger a bit more to her. In fact, (bit of a spoiler here) even one of the most annoying characters gains a cool new dimension fairly early on in the season. The show does a great job of showing that though people are often seen in one way, and in a certain context, that does not mean they aren’t so much more.
5. The whole show is just cute as heck
Honestly though, this is just a really cute show. Not only are the character designs adorable, but the friendships, romances, and just general story progressions are super sweet and uplifting. I must warn you that you’ll probably end the show wanting all the Aggretsuko merch you can’t find, but I can also say that you’ll probably end the show with a smile on your face.