Although it's commonly known that Aggretsuko has taken one of its newest Sanrio characters and turned her into one of the most relatable anime protagonists of all time for adult fans.

Aggretsuko is a parody anime based on the Sanrio character, Retsuko, and follows a working young adult red panda who escapes from her tedious everyday life by singing death metal in karaoke. Unfortunately, despite the recent rise of anime on Netflix with global hits like Devil May Cry or My Happy Marriage, upon its release, Aggretsuko flew under the radar of many viewers who mistakenly believed that it was targeting a younger demographic when it is actually one of the funniest and most endearing anime for adults.

Aggretsuko is a Sanrio-Inspired Anime That Appeals to Adult Fans

Mature Audiences Can Equally Enjoy Aggretsuko’s Deep Themes and Wholesome Characters

Unlike most Sanrio-inspired anime, like Onegai My Melody, Jewlepet, Mewkledreamy, or Sanrio Boys, whose demographic is set towards children, teenagers, or young women and features cute characters with simpler stories that often won't appeal to a wider public, Aggretsuko has managed to integrate the Sanrio aesthetic with a great narrative for mature audiences, gaining critical acclaim as the series currently sits on a rank of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.0 on IMDb. This is a remarkable feat that even another imaginative Sanrio anime, Show By Rock!!, couldn't achieve, receiving a 6.7 rating on IMDb.

Aggretsuko showcases a compelling perspective and criticism of modern society, presenting realistic characters and the struggles that some people experience in their working adult life, like authoritative bosses, job dissatisfaction, and how to handle stressful situations. Yet, Aggretsuko is still a lighthearted series, using comedy as a medium to move the story and many wholesome situations that make viewers forget about their problems, to instead just laugh about Retsuko's sorrows and singing. Additionally, Aggretsuko has managed to captivate even the male audiences that have given the series a chance, thanks to its dark parody and solid story that is easy to binge-watch.

Aggretsuko Still Doesn’t Have the Recognition it Deserves

Aggretsuko Isn't as Well-Known as Other Sanrio Characters

Aggretsuko has been overlooked mainly due to its minimalist animation and for showcasing anthropomorphic characters, as this type of anime is often unappealing to adults. However, just like other criminally underrated anime with anthropomorphic characters like Beastars or Odd Taxi, Aggretsuko has a lot of expressiveness and personal conflicts, and existentialism is the focus of the story. This way, every viewer can relate somehow to Retsuko’s problems or even her love life, and the amusing look into adult life makes it a great series to watch and disconnect from reality.

The series was completed on Netflix in 2023, but sadly, Aggretsuko remains one of the most underrated comedy anime, having fewer on anime ranking platforms than other similar titles like Detroit Metal City. Even in the Sanrio universe, due to being a recent character created in 2016, Retsuko is still fairly unknown to the public, only making it to the Sanrio Character Ranking 2025. Nevertheless, Aggretsuko is a must-watch anime not only for Sanrio fans but also for those who enjoy slow-paced stories with tridimensional and wholesome characters.

Source: Sanrio Character Ranking