'Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas' Argues for Pursuing What Is Meaningful over What Will Earn Affirmations

In April, Sanrio released Aggretsuko (short for Aggressive Retsuko) in Netflix, which surprisingly turned out being one of the most brilliant anime of 2018.  A few months later, a season two is announced for a 2019 release.  However, fans like me apparently don’t need to wait that long to see a new episode as Sanrio dropped a special for the Christmas season titled Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas.

In it, Retsuko has been starting to obsess on a new hobby: Instagram.  The likes she receives from her photos have become her fix, and thus, she’s constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity to take and share a perfect Instagram photo.  Mentoring her in her Instagram game is her suck-up officemate Tsunoda, who is apparently a social media expert.  But as the Christmas Eve draws near, Retsuko realizes that she hasn’t made any plans for it, and she begins to panic that she won’t be able to show the world an Instagram-worthy photo of her celebrating such important time of the year.  Making it worse, her boss, the chauvinist pig Ton (whom I would like to point out – because it’s one of my most favorite details about this show – is a literal pig) drops a ton of work on her, making it improbable that she can get out in time to go somewhere during Christmas Eve.  Meanwhile, Haida wants to invite Retsuko to hang out during Christmas Eve, but is wary of doing so for the fear of getting rejected.

A huge reason why Aggretsuko was such a hit is because of its relatable commentaries on our generation’s daily lives, specifically the grind of the workplace.  And this time around, in this Christmas special, it once again hits close to home with its tackling of something extremely relevant to us: social media.

The special’s clever storyline pulls no punches in exposing the absurd shallowness of earning digital validation – something that many in this culture have terrifyingly bought into.  This is seen in how Retsuko, in her craving for receiving affirmation from strangers’ likes, spends the episode focusing too much in meticulously crafting the appearance of having enjoyable experiences, that it ironically makes her miss out of actually experiencing enjoyable experiences.  In one scene, she buys a costly dessert since it looks good as an Instagram post, but it actually tastes bad.  It’s hilarious, but it’s reflectively sobering as well.

Nevertheless, the special isn’t completely being cynical.  It’s not necessarily demonizing social media, but it’s arguing that social media affirmation should not dictate how one proceeds to use it.  When Retsuko scrolls over a photo that she primarily posted because it’s from an experience that has genuinely cheered her, her happiness proves to be derived from the memory of the experience rather than the likes she got from it.  It also somewhat shows that social media helps Retsuko connect with the people that cares for her and vice versa.

Moreover, it doesn’t neglect the comedy.  The message of its main storyline is weighty, but the delivery remains satirical and light-hearted.  It also has several noteworthy laugh-inducing visuals and gags on the side.  My personal favorites are Ton wearing a Santa costume and giving Retsuko a pile of work as “presents”, and the whole bit on Kabae hiding the Christmas present from her kids.

In the end, Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas is just reminding its audiences in its usual adorable and humorous fashion to go look for what’s meaningful this Christmas season – and in life, for that matter – rather than fleeting, superficial affirmations.