Sometimes the best comics don’t come from a pull list or a new release wall, they come from digging through a dollar box at your local shop and getting genuinely lucky. That’s exactly how I found Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends, and I just finished reading this three-issue mini-series that brings all the fun, chaos, and charm you’d expect from our favorite red panda.
Aggretsuko: Meet her Friends
Publisher: Oni Press
Writers: Cat Farris (Issue 1), Arielle Jovellanos (Issue 2), James Asmus (Issue 3)
Covers & Interior Art: Lisa DuBois (Issue 1), Diigii Daguna (Issue 2), Megan Huang (Issue 3)
Colorist: Leonardo Ito
Release Dates: November 2020 – January 2021
The writers and artists behind this series did a great job of capturing the spirit of Aggretsuko. It’s actually a spin-off of the 6-issue Aggretsuko comic series from 2020, which we didn’t even know about until we found these issues in a $2 box at our local comic book store. What a find!
For Anyone Who Hasn’t Met Retsuko Yet
If you’re not already familiar, Aggretsuko started life in Japan as a series of one-minute animated shorts created by Sanrio, the same company behind Hello Kitty, airing on TBS from 2016 to 2018. Netflix picked it up and expanded it into a full series in 2018, and it ran for five seasons before wrapping up in February 2023. The show follows Retsuko, a 25-year-old red panda working a thankless accounting job at a Japanese trading company, dealing with a sexist boss, exhausting coworkers, and the kind of soul-crushing office politics that feel universal no matter where you work. Her outlet is death metal karaoke, and watching a soft-spoken office worker completely transform into a screaming metal vocalist the second she steps up to a mic is one of the most purely satisfying gags in modern animation. We love Aggretsuko. All five seasons were amazing, fun, and even surprisingly deep, tackling real workplace frustration, gender dynamics, and burnout underneath all the cute character designs. If you haven’t watched it yet, go fix that right now.
What Is Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends About?
The story consists of three standalone adventures featuring Retsuko’s quirky group of friends and coworkers. The first issue has her hanging out at karaoke with Gori and Washimi, hilariously making up crazy theories about a mysterious yoga teacher. The second issue takes things to the workplace, where Retsuko accidentally goes viral and gets blackmailed by a coworker. And in the final issue, Retsuko spends a day with her boss Ton for a fun golfing adventure that’s both ridiculous and surprisingly heartwarming.
Lost Episodes, Brought to the Page
Honestly, I had a blast reading this series. It totally nails the humor and style of the Netflix show, and it feels like lost episodes brought to life. Each story has its own artist, and it’s genuinely fun seeing three different takes on the cast while the tone stays completely consistent throughout. The second issue’s blackmail storyline was my favorite of the three, mostly because of how classic Aggretsuko it is, that mix of Retsuko spiraling and her friends immediately rallying to help her fix things is exactly the kind of chaos I go to this franchise for. The art across all three issues is on point, the stories are funny and charming, and it just left me wanting more.
If you can’t find the issues, the whole series is available as a collected edition. And seriously, if you’re an Aggretsuko fan, you’ll want this one.
More Fresh Comics From Oni Press
Oni Press has been putting out some genuinely different, exciting comics lately, and if you’re looking for more from them, we’ve covered a few worth checking out. Toxic Summer is a fun, campy beach horror comic about two best friends whose lifeguard summer gets derailed by a toxic spill and the monsters it creates. Spirit of the Shadows is a much moodier read, a superhero-horror series following a musician’s soul trapped in a surreal afterlife after his sudden death. And Yuletide digs into the darker folklore roots hiding underneath a small town’s obsession with Christmas.
FAQ
Is Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends worth reading? Yes, especially if you’re already a fan of the Netflix show and want more time with Retsuko’s friends and coworkers.
Do you need to watch the show before reading this? It helps a lot, since the humor leans on knowing the characters already, but it’s a fun standalone read either way.
Who created Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends? Cat Farris, Arielle Jovellanos, and James Asmus each wrote one issue, with art by Lisa DuBois, Diigii Daguna, and Megan Huang respectively, and colors by Leonardo Ito.
Is this an ongoing series? No, it’s a three-issue mini-series, and a spin-off of the original 6-issue Aggretsuko comic series from 2020.
Is Aggretsuko: Meet Her Friends available in a collected edition? Yes, it’s available as a hardcover collection if you can’t find the single issues.
