Aggretsuko

Retsuko is a 25-year old and single anthropomorphic red panda, working in the accounting department of a Japanese trading firm, 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.[4][5] 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 naïveté causes her to get into far more trouble than she expects, sometimes in life-threatening ways.

Retsuko (烈子)

Voiced by: Kaolip, Rarecho (vocals) (Japanese); Erica Mendez, Jamison Boaz (vocals) (English)[6]

A 25-year-old red panda in her company's accounting department who lets out frustrations over her job by singing death metal at a karaoke bar. She's an amiable introvert who suffers from social anxiety, and is prone to unrealistic dreams to the point where it negatively impacts her and those around her. After bad-mouthing her boss Ton on TV, Ton granted her the nickname "Short-timer" (JP dub) or "Calendar" (ENG dub), implying her job was on the line. When confronted with a new problem, personal or otherwise, she quickly retreats to a corner and tries to resolve the issue alone if she doesn't outright surrenders. As such, her emotional maturity is lacking and is reluctant to confide in others. However, she slowly grows into a healthier emotional state with help from her friends and, ironically, the co-workers she often can't stand.

Director Ton (トン)

Voiced by: Souta Arai (Japanese); Josh Petersdorf (English)[6]

The domestic pig director of the accounting department, who constantly gives Retsuko a hard time through blatant sexism or overwork. He spends most of his time practicing golf instead of working, though it is shown that he is an incredibly skilled and speedy accountant despite being unable to use modern technology. Though he regularly belittles Retsuko, it is implied that he actually greatly respects her for her diligence and reliability. He has more than once stepped into her personal life with timely wisdom to save her from situations that are actually causing her grief.

Fenneko (フェネ子, Feneko)

Voiced by: Rina Inoue (Japanese); Katelyn Gault (English)[6]

Retsuko's fennec fox co-worker and closest friend in the office. Highly perceptive and insightful, she is able to deduce anyone's mental state through mere observation of their habits and deviations from them, namely from scrutinizing others' social media. Cynical by nature, she often openly criticizes something only to later enjoy it, sometimes to an obsessive degree. She has a highly distinctive and monotonous laugh.

Haida (ハイ田)

Voiced by: Shingo Kato (Japanese); Ben Diskin (English)[6]

Retsuko's mild-mannered spotted hyena co-worker, who develops a crush on Retsuko after five years together as friends. His roundabout approach to confessing his feelings puts him in many comical situations, and in many ways shares the same social anxiety problems as Retsuko, resulting in poor communication with her. Despite being rejected already, he struggles to move on and continues to pine for her, often reacting badly whenever she goes out with someone; however, he does his best to give Retsuko space to keep himself in check. At the same time, Haida genuinely cares for Retsuko's well-being and happiness, indicating that his affection for her is far from shallow or selfish. Haida is an avid punk rock fan and also plays bass guitar. He has an under-bite with three fangs always protruding from his mouth.

Director Gori (ゴリ)

Voiced by: Maki Tsuruta (Japanese); G. K. Bowes (English)[6]

A gorilla lady who works as director of marketing at Retsuko's company. Along with Washimi, she does yoga with Retsuko and eventually joins her in karaoke. Despite her serious nature at work, she is highly excitable and takes great interest in bonding with Retsuko. A running gag with Gori is her over-the-top mourning over failed relationships, usually romantic ones. Despite being 40 years old and incredibly career driven, she has high hopes to still get married someday and continues to make bold attempts to find "the one".

Ms. Washimi (鷲美)

Voiced by: Komegumi Koiwasaki (Japanese); Tara Platt (English)[6]

A secretary bird who works as the secretary to the company's president, and arguably the company's de facto president due to the actual president's incompetence. Strong-willed and confident, she's very wise and gives Retsuko a lot of sage advice when she's not busy keeping Gori's excitability in check. She sometimes ax kicks to intimidate those who frustrate her (mostly her boss), embodying the classic hunting behavior of her animal. Though very level-headed, she loses significant composure when the topic of marriage comes up, having gone through a bitter divorce after a four-month long marriage in her past, becoming almost hostile.

Tsunoda (角田)

Voiced by: Rina Inoue (Japanese); G. K. Bowes (English)[6]

A perky gazelle coworker of Retsuko who frequently sucks up to Ton in order to remain in a favorable position and to lighten her own workload. Her shameless approach to office politics and social media stardom, earns her the ire of many. However, she is highly self-aware and more genuine than her personality lets on. Like Fenneko, she's an expert on discerning the emotional states of those around her.

Komiya (小宮)

Voiced by: Sota Arai (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)[6]

Ton's meerkat right-hand subordinate. Like Tsunoda, Komiya sucks up to Ton, but he appears to be motivated by genuine admiration for Ton while Tsunoda only does so for her own calculated benefits. In Season 3, it is revealed that he runs a popular blog on JPop idols and becomes a big fan of Retsuko after seeing her sing on-stage.

Tsubone (坪根)

Voiced by: Maki Tsuruta (Japanese); Debra Cardona (English)[6]

A Komodo dragon who is a senior to Retsuko in the accounting department. She is highly condescending and is implied to enjoy watching others fail, usually by giving them one of her many air-tight snack jars to open. Much like Ton, she frequently uses her seniority to push her extra work onto Retsuko.

Kabae (カバ恵)

Voiced by: Yuki Takahashi (Japanese); Misty Lee (English)[6]

Retsuko's hippo chatty coworker. Kabae is a middle-aged woman who frequently runs her mouth as the company's rumor mill. She is easily excited by new gossip but claims to never spread anything malicious. She's happily married to her husband and has three kids at home. Her motherly personality, when applied at work, has polarizing results on the younger workers at the office.

Resasuke (れさすけ)

Voiced by: Shingo Kato (Japanese); Max Mittelman (English)[6]

Retsuko's one-time, oblivious, red panda boyfriend in Season 1 who works in the Sales Department at their trade firm. Nicknamed the "Out of Pocket Prince" (JP dub) or "Space Cadet" (ENG dub), he is constantly zoning out, irresponsible with job duties, soft-spoken, and has zero social awareness. He has a large collection of thriving plants at home, suggesting that his character is a play on the Japanese term "herbivore men".

Anai (穴井)

Voiced by: Sota Arai (Japanese); Billy Kametz (English)[6]

A Japanese badger recent college graduate and a new hire in Retsuko's accounting department beginning in Season 2. He is very happy and eager on the surface, but does not take any kind of feedback lightly, treating it as a personal attack. This causes him to neurotically harass whoever said it via email demanding a written apology and recording all future conversations with the threat of escalation. As such, his professional and social skills are very lackluster, though his brick wall approach to criticism also renders him immune to the office politics others freely exercise in the department. He is, however, receptive to Kabae's motherly approach, and gradually learns to get along with everyone through her, suggesting that his poor behavior is the result of extreme anxiety. He is also an excellent cook and later sells his home-cooked meals to his co-workers. In Season 3, he becomes more emotionally stable, having found a girlfriend and writing a cookbook as a side project.

Tadano (只野)

Voiced by: Chiharu Sasa (Japanese); Griffin Burns (English)[6]

A donkey who is briefly Retsuko's boyfriend in Season 2. Initially shown as a lazy, jobless bum, Tadano is actually the founder of his own AI company that is quickly rising in stock and is both incredibly wealthy and intelligent. Tadano's laziness is attributed to the fact that he quickly loses interest in any task he finds mundane, and is driven to bring his AI program to the masses in hopes of moving society past late-stage capitalism, supporting programs like universal basic income. Retsuko slowly falls for the laid-back but driven Tadano after meeting him in driving class, unaware of his true identity, and starts a genuine, happy relationship with him. However, the relationship ends when Tadano revealed that he is not interested in having kids or getting married. In Season 3, Tadano makes no contact with Retsuko, but befriends Haida and Gori as the latter two struggle with Retsuko's lack of communication with them.

Retsuko's mother

Voiced by: Maki Tsuruta (Japanese); Kaitlyn Robrock (English)[6]

Retsuko's overbearing red panda mother, who is currently unnamed. Beginning in the second season, she regularly visits Retsuko, unannounced, trying to pressure her into marriage with one of many bachelors found via matchmakers. Despite her questionable actions, such as duplicating Retsuko's apartment key without her permission, she genuinely cares about Retsuko's well-being and gives her more opportunities to grow into adulthood by, often under immense emotional pressure, pushing her away from her comfort zone of "work, home, phone, sleep" as well as cooking and cleaning for her when she's over.

Hyodo (豹堂)

Voiced by: Sota Arai (Japanese); SungWon Cho (English)

A leopard who is a window washer at Retsuko's building by day and the manager for the up-and-coming idol group "OTM Girls" (short for Ōtemachi) by night. Retsuko initially meets him when she accidentally crashes into his van, forcing her to take up a second job as the group's accounting manager to pay off her debt. When Hyodo inadvertently discovers her singing death metal at her regular karaoke spot, he decides to move the OTM girls in a pop/metal fusion direction and coerces Retsuko into the center of the group. He is secretive about his day job with the girls, suggesting a sense of shame over it. Though highly aggressive and intimidating, his anger is implied to be a front to cover his feelings about his own failings and incompetence, as he's very poor with finances.

Manaka (マナカ)

Voiced by: SAYUMI (Japanese); Deva Marie Gregory (English)

The chinchilla lead singer of the OTMGirls. In stark contrast to Retsuko's extremely passive personality, Manaka is confident and brash. She often behaves like a diva, but she genuinely cares for those around her, including Retsuko. Her bold personality comes from the fact that she neither desires nor cares for approval from others, and encourages Retsuko to be less afraid of upsetting others, accident or otherwise. When she isn't performing, she works as a store clerk at a local convenience store.

Inui (戌井)

Voiced by: Rina Inoue (Japanese); Abby Trott (English)

A golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix dog who works in the General Affairs department at Retsuko's company. Introduced in Season 3, Inui is a sweet, gentle, and caring woman who tries to pursue a relationship with Haida after a chance encounter. Though they initially get off to a good start due to their shared love for punk rock, with Fenneko and Gori both pressuring Haida to accept her, Haida eventually turns her down after realizing his affection for Retsuko is too great to give Inui the relationship she's looking for. Though obviously hurt, Inui gracefully accepts the rejection.

Aggretsuko was met with critical acclaim in America. 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."[17] The series has been praised for its satirical portrayal of Japan's workplace culture, and of the pressures facing Millennial women in the workforce.[18] IndieWire gave the series a B+, and noted the distinctly Japanese stylistic elements of the animation that made it stand out from American productions.[19] The A.V. Club praised Aggretsuko for dealing with mature themes like misogyny and workplace anxiety, but criticized season 1's romantic subplot, calling the subplot "aggressively lousy".[20] The second season also received generally positive reviews,[21] and holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews.[22] The third season holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[23]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Aggretsuko on Netflix
• Aggressive Retsuko (TV) (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Aggretsuko (Netflix series) (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Aggretsuko at IMDb