Story 9 - Aggretsuko is about Retsuko, an overly hard working office girl who seems to carry the weight of the whole office on her shoulders. Her boss named Tone is a nightmare to her and many others in spite of how hard she works. The abusiveness of this boss is shown in a rather subtle way however, so it avoids being a story where there is excessive sorrow. Retsuko also has the power of death metal to vent her frustrations.
Retsuko's venting death metal seems like it could be something that could turn viewers off. It seems really stupid because the lyrics are pretty trash and the musical parts are short too.... But the way the music is presented feels like it only does the production favors, when you think about it. Retsuko should not be a fully sorrowful character and this venting is actually pretty funny with how simple and silly it is, although it is also helpful for character development increasingly throughout the story. It adds a lot of charm when it feels like it could ruin the show (and perhaps it does for some intolerant people).
The third piece to this story is perhaps my favorite. This story feels like it really is speaking to the modern generation perfectly. It gives some smart tips on how to live life, although less mature people would probably not respect these tips too much. It also shows us that the seemingly perfect people in life have to work hard to find the goodness in life and that those who are at the top can be important to those who are oppressed at the bottom rung.
Art 9 - This is a pretty well animated show and it looks really cute with both animations and character designs. Most of the character designs are pretty impressive. The personality of each character is very well expressed and it is one of the few cases where I feel like the animation added to a show outside of combat. I might only subtract a point because I don't like how the death metal form of Retsuko looks.
Sound 9 - The music, although really short, is pretty strong metal. There is also no annoying music that I remember, except for a song on the second to last episode sadly, but retrospect, that probably was meant to add depth in how music is about expression first here, rather than making a song sound nice.
However, I must point out that the English voice acting was really great. In addition to how the animations added to characters, the voice actors also did an exceptional job in raising the bar.
Character 10 - This story was mostly built for the characters and while Retsuko delivers better than I expected, the other characters in this story are also really heartfelt. Most of the characters in the show get important development in clever ways and I also really liked Retsuko's non-work friend. Character dynamics are everywhere and feel very realistic and meaningful. No character really feels wasted, except maybe the jar lady.
Enjoyment 10 - This show is great enjoyment for those who deal with a lot of stress in life. It is also great for those who are feeling lost. It works well for a cute story as well. I often feel the need for shows that address those themes. Additionally, each episode is a great idea or a setup for a great idea. And even though the episodes are half length, I felt like the show was very fulfilling and I watched in three sittings because of how deep and valuable each episode felt. The metal songs were actually a fun part on most episodes that I was anticipating. I also loved every character so there was always something to look forward to.
