History Anime / AggressiveRetsuko

* ArtStyleDissonance: The show is full of {{Ridiculously Cute Critter}}s, but mainly explores a surprisingly dark themes that the art style goes completely at adds at, such as work life issues, such as workplace sexism, bullying
co-workers (or being on the receiving end of it), and general life expectations. Retsuko often screams her inner frustrations out either in her head or at the Karaoke booth, and isn't above getting wasted on alcohol too. there is also a copius amounts of swearing in the Netflix series, which ''really'' doesn't fit the age rating.

* ArtStyleDissonance: The show is full of {{Ridiculously Cute Critter}}s, but mainly explores women's life issues, namely workplace sexism, bullying and life expectations. The titular character often screams her inner frustrations and isn't above getting wasted on alcohol too.

** "At the count of 10, I will _______." Said by Retsuko to herself while she's privately decompressing her stress and anger. The blank is usually her assuming a desirable facade like "be a model employee" or "go back to being a happy girlfriend". Could also be a MadLibsCatchPhrase.
** "Time for the truth about Retsuko!" Only said in the season finales, but they hammer down her CharacterDevelopment through the season. Not only does she realize what she ''really'' wants in life, but also to stop lying to herself.[[note]]In the 1st season she insisted on being Resasuke's girlfriend to her own detriment, and in the 2nd season she parroted Tadano's belief that marriage is unimportant.[[/note]]

* ArcWords: "At the count of 10, I will _______." Said by Retsuko to herself while she's privately decompressing her stress and anger. The blank is usually her assuming a desirable facade like "be a model employee" or "go back to being a happy girlfriend". Could also be a MadLibsCatchPhrase.

A ChristmasSpecial titled ''"We Wish You a Metal Christmas"'' was released on December 20, 2018, [[ImmediateSequel and takes place right after season 1.]] A second season for the TBS x Netflix series was released on June 14, 2019. A third season was announced in August 2019.

A ChristmasSpecial titled ''"We Wish You a Metal Christmas"'' was released on December 20, 2018, [[ImmediateSequel and takes place right after season 1.]] A second season for the TBS x Netflix series was released on June 14, 2019.

* FurryReminder: Washimi, a [[{{Pun}} secretarybird]], demonstrates her dominance by stomping on things with her powerful feet, just as real secretarybirds do.

* CensorBox: Used to cover Retsuko's eyes in Series 2 when an article is released about her and Tadano. Like last time she was censored to "conceal" her identity in Series 1, almost everyone that knows her ''immediately'' recognises her due to the even lazier job the photographer did at concealing Retsuko's identity.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: As much as Ton dislikes Retsuko, he has some moral standards, and does often give her genuinely meaningful life advice. Ton also keeps Retsuko and [[spoiler: Tadano's relationship a secret after he learns of it at a corporate golf retreat/ meeting, as even he wouldn't sink as low as to ruin her love life and publicly out her and Tadano's dating life.]]

* FreudianExcuse: Ton tells Retsuko that his own bosses abused their power and ground him down when he was starting out, and he also implies that he has never been in a romantic relationship, though it's not clear if that contributed to his asshole behavior or was a result of it.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: As much as Ton dislikes Retsuko, he has some moral standards, and does often give her genuinely meaningful life advice. Ton also keeps Retsuko and [[spoiler: Tadano's relationship a secret after he learns of it at a corporate golf retreat/ meeting, as even he won't sink that low.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: As much as Ton dislikes Retsuko, he has some moral standards, and does often give her genuinely meaningful life advice. Ton also keeps Retsuko and [[spoiler: Tadano's relationship a secret after he learns of it at a corporate golf retreat/ meeting.]]

* OnlyOneName: Every named character is only known by one name, whether it's [[FirstNameBasis their given name]] or [[LastNameBasis their family name]].

* SeldomSeenSpecies: The show has quite a lot of animals that are obscure or uncommonly seen in animation. These animals include red panda, fennec fox, spotted hyena, maned wolf, Komodo dragon, secretary bird, caracal, Pallas's cat, capybara, axolotl, and mandrill.

* BookEnds: The season starts with Retsuko starting her new job with high expectations and optimism. She jumps down a short flight of stairs but misses the landing and sprains her ankle. In the last episode her expectations are more grounded in reality and reasonably optimistic. When she makes the same jump, she lands it.

** Even minor comic-relief characters are subject to this. [[GossipyHens Kabae]], for example, is absent for much of the final episode of series 1, on account of being arrested for espionage, of all things (the show never specifies much else about it). In series 2, [[spoiler:her motherly side to her personality, and dealing with three unruly children becomes how she's able to calm Anai down, after even big bad boss Ton had cowed to Anai.]]

* AdultFear: For all the FunnyAnimals and humor that makes it look like a kids show, the terror of someone like Retsuko losing their job is played depressingly straight.

This is where it gets a bit interesting. There are two series with the ''Aggressive Retsuko'' name; one is made by the Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem, and the second is a collaborative effort between [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] and Creator/{{Netflix}}, but both have similar premises.

The [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] series was a series of 100 self-contained one-minute episodes (except the first episode, which was 30 seconds longer) that was broadcast as a segment of the variety show ''Ō-sama no Brunch'', starting in 2016 and ending in March 2018. The shorts focused more on the frustrations of random situations that Retsuko ended up in, such as being asked to pick up the bill at a friend meet up.

The collaborative [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] x Creator/{{Netflix}} series, which began with a ten-episode season that was released in 2018, is different from the shorts as it focuses more on Retsuko pushing through bigger societal problems, such as dealing with horrible bosses, and the problems of falling straight into love. The episodes are also longer (around 15 minutes) and follow a new continuity compared to the original series. Adaptation tropes do apply to this series.

A ChristmasSpecial titled ''"We Wish You a Metal Christmas"'' was released on December 20, 2018, [[ImmediateSequel and takes place right after season 1.]] A second season for the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] x Creator/{{Netflix}} series was released on June 14, 2019.

A ChristmasSpecial titled ''"We Wish You a Metal Christmas"'' was released on December 20, 2018, [[ImmediateSequel and takes place right after season 1.]] The official Aggretsuko twitter page confirmed a second season for the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] x Creator/{{Netflix}} series, which was released on June 14, 2019.

The collaborative [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] x Creator/{{Netflix}} series, a ten-episode season that released in 2018, is different from the shorts as it focuses more on Retsuko pushing through bigger societal problems, such as dealing with horrible bosses, and the problems of falling straight into love. The episodes are also longer (around 15 minutes) and follow a new continuity compared to the original series. Adaptation tropes do apply to this series.

** The manly yoga instructor only appeared in one episode of the TBS shorts, but in the Netflix plays an important roll in the plot of the series by helping Retsuko become friends with Washimi and Gori.
* AstralProjection: [[spoiler: Yes, really! The yoga instructor is capable of doing this to implant the number of the karaoke song that will cause Retsuko to open up in Gori's head, as a result of "special training in India".]]

* BeneathTheMask: A major theme of the series. Retsuko puts on a mask at work, and yet is oblivious to the fact that literally everyone else at work is doing the exact same thing. Washimi and Gori's major role in the series is to help Retsuko feel more comfortable about revealing her true self to others, particularly her coworkers - while simultaneously also putting on a mask at work that makes her less of a target of abuse. Gori is a particularly good example of this, never showing weakness at work while being very vivacious and convivial outside of it. Washimi, conversely, is much more subtle in her variations, and is the one who seems to be most in control of her own life and most able to be her own (apparently very controlled) self in general.
* BigWhat: In Season 2, Episode 7, Retsuko and Gori do it when Washimi reveals that [[spoiler:she divorced four months into her marriage]].

* CensorBox: Used to cover Retsuko's eyes in Series 2 when an article is released about her and Tedanno. Like last time she was censored to "conceal" her identity in Series 1, almost everyone that knows her ''immediately'' recognises her due to the even lazier job the photographer did at concealing Retsuko's identity.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: As much as Ton dislikes Retsuko, he has some standards, and does often give her genuinely meaningful life advice to Retsuko. Ton also keeps Retsuko and [[spoiler: Tedanno's relationship a secret after he learns of it at a golf retreat/ meeting.]]

** Gori is seen many departments as a glamorous, high-ranking woman who has complete control of her life. Despite this, she nonetheless possesses deep insecurities about how other people see her.
** The yoga instructor, despite seeming like DumbMuscle, is actually quite perceptive of people. To wit, [[spoiler: she notices Retsuko's difficulty in opening up to Gori and Washimi and helps the latter two by giving them the number to the song needed to break the ice between them.]]
** Even minor comic-relief characters are subject to this. [[GossipyHens Kabae]], for example, is absent for much of the final episode on account of being [[spoiler:arrested for espionage of all things.]] [[spoiler:Then her motherly side and dealing with three unruly children becomes how she's able to calm Anai down after he'd even cowed Director Ton.]]
** Resasuke could be interpreted as a deconstruction of this trope. Out of the main cast, he’s the character who (unwittingly) presents his inner self the most outwardly…and is regarded as an eccentric BlackSheep by the office for it.
*** Even he has his own HiddenDepths. Despite being good-natured he’s self-centered to a fault, [[spoiler:which is part of what ultimately ends his relationship with Retsuko.]] On the other side of the coin, he also [[spoiler:appreciates and enjoys Retsuko’s death metal singing when she finally reveals her penchant for it to him, rather than regarding it as unusual.]]
** The penultimate scene of the season discusses this trope: [[spoiler:Haida admits that he’s probably not attracted to Retsuko herself so much as who he perceives Retsuko to be, and in dating her wants to learn who she really is.]]
** Tedanno appears on the surface as a lazy drop out college kid when we see him take his driving test (and fail multiple times), but he's actually [[spoiler: an entrepreneur who, not only can he fly a plane on his own, has seemingly infinite amounts of money at hand, he's also reliant on his own [=AI=], which also drives for him.]]
** Anai in season 2. [[spoiler:He is the complete opposite of everyone else in this department, being a chipper and eager employee straight out of college much like Retsuko was implied to be, but becomes a BitchInSheepsClothing who aggressively bullies Retsuko and the rest of the department into doing his work for him. When this manages to extend to Tsunoda and Director Ton, he even becomes TheDreaded because no one can stand him.]]

* SherlockScan: Fenneko has an unerring ability to do this with social media posts, as she demonstrates several times, and usually explains how she knows this. The ''"We Wish You A Metal Christmas"'' special has her briefly [[LampshadeHanging sport a deerstalker cap]] too. Series 2 has Fenneko do this when trying to find out why Retsuko is away from the office, and for the first time in the series, she barely explains how she comes to the conclusion of how Retsuko flew from Tokyo to Hokkaido in a single day.