English Story

愤怒熊猫成日本职场女性新宠

It's a situation that most stressed office workers can all relate to: Long commutes, odd co-workers and a never-ending task list.
 
这是大多数压力重重的白领所面临的现状:长途通勤、性情古怪的同事和永远做不完的工作。
 
But on this occasion, it's not your average city dweller who's confronting the harsher aspects of adult life.
 
Meet Aggretsuko or Aggressive Retsuko, a 25-year-old cartoon red panda that slogs away in a mundane office job in Japan.
 
She might be a slick professional at work, but her cute exterior hides a darker reality: After hours, she bashes out her pent-up rage through some serious beer-swilling and heavy metal karaoke and dreams of one day leaving her dead-end job.
 
She's also Japanese company Sanrio's -- better known for Hello Kitty -- latest creation.
 
"My target was working people or people who want to vent their frustration. I think (Retsuko) is a character that these people can empathize with," Yeti, Aggretsuko's designer said.
 
Pointing to the changing nature of 'kawaii' or cute culture, Yeti, who only wanted to be identified by her nickname, told CNN that traditional forms of cute from the Hello Kitty era were no longer making the cut.
 
"People are interested in seeing more dynamic and newer characters," said Yeti.