Now that summer break is here, I finally had time to binge watch a Netflix show, and discovered Aggretsuko, an anime series based on a Sanrio character. Retsuko is a cute little red panda, and while she is a sweet, compliant, 25-year old accountant by day, she is a death-metal karaoke singer by night. She feels the daily grind of the 9 to 5 day job, with a chauvinistic boss, and difficult coworkers. Because she is hard-working and a people-pleaser, she often has to work long hours as she tries to finish the immense workloads that her boss and other coworkers give her. To deal with the stress of her workplace, she brings a microphone in her purse, and either sings in the restroom or after work at a karaoke bar. Alone with her microphone, she has the ability to vent her frustrations. As she continues to work, she also finds friends at her company and yoga class, to help her cope with the daily grind.
The reason why I and many other people enjoy this show so much, is because her story is so relatable. This BBC article discusses how Japanese women are expected to be kawaii, or cute, and polite, and unable to express their true emotions in public, which is why they often have a darker side, like Aggretsuko, in private. This duality of personality causes the explosion of the aggressive and negative emotions. In some ways, Aggretsuko gives women permission to have these negative emotions in a culture where it is often stuffed inside and hidden.
I can also relate to Retsuko, working a 9 to 5 office job, dealing with the many frustrations of everyday work life. While I don’t listen to metal as much these days (turning 30 and marriage really has changed me), I used to listen to metal and hardcore music and attend many metal and hardcore shows in my teens-early 20s. When I told people I listened to metal/hardcore, they were usually quite surprised since I was a nice, quiet Asian girl. It was also difficult for me to express negative emotions, as the masaya, or happy, Filipino culture also doesn’t really allow for negative emotions to be expressed. One of the reasons why I started listening to hardcore/metal in high school is because it was one of the avenues to be able to vent out some of my teenage angst. So when I saw the preview on Netflix, I was instantly drawn to Aggretsuko.
It also amazed me to see how so many people could relate to her story, as I talked with friends about Aggretsuko, and how much they also felt like Aggretsuko was the anime version of themselves. It made me see that I am not alone in my experience, and that it is a widespread phenomenon. I’m grateful that Sanrio has created a character, which can relate to many people and give hope to others that they are not alone in their experience, and even give them a reason to laugh and smile at the cute little red panda who rocks out and screams, “RAGEEEEEEE!”
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