I’m a huge fan of the anime show, so I definitely wanted to give this a read. I can’t seem to get enough of Retsuko and her daily monotony, so this was the perfect remedy.

Told in four short stories, we are entertained with more office antics and shenanigans, while Retsuko deals with the work life balance that seems to be pushing her over the edge. While this is a light and quick read, this does miss the subtle depth that the show was masterful at pulling off. The show is so relatable it makes you uncomfortable, and it often feels like you’re staring at a mirror image of yourself. This graphic novel misses the nuance of that, which was a big element to what made Aggretsuko so popular to me.

I did find the virus story a bit odd. I mean, the timing couldn’t be better, but maybe it would’ve been funnier if Covid hadn’t killed thousands of people and changed our lives for who knows how long. I get it if the illness was originally meant to be the regular office flu, but all I see is Covid.

The art style isn’t the same. I’m not sure I love it.

This is a fun graphic novel to enjoy for a quick spark of entertainment, but it misses what made the show special. It’s great for a first timer who has yet to experience the anime, and for anyone who relates to the daily grind of office life.

I am a fan of the show and I was so excited when I saw that there is a comic as well. I really liked the 3 short comics. Retsuko is a relatable character in many different ways, trying to find ways to express herself and her problems while remaining a professional employee.
I liked that the comic had a very similar art style to the original show, which made it even more fun to read. The stories were funny and it was surprising to see at first a stereotypical Karen but then to find out she's actually chill and likes metal.

Daniel Barnes and Brenda Hickey share an electrifying and energetic text, bright and vibrant work that is sure to engage readers. Lots of graphic novel fun.

ARC Copy...cute, zany and liking the iconic style of artwork and sometimes...one just need sto scream out aloud at the end of the work day!

Aggretsuko is a show I really enjoy, so seeing that there's a comic, I was excited to read it.
It includes a few side stories, all fun in the same way the show is, and I really liked that. The art style is almost identical with the show, thus it doesn't feel like a rip-off.
I definitely recommend it to fans, while to people who have yet to see Aggretsuko, I think watching at least the first season before starting the comic would give some insight on the setting.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this comic. I love aggretsuko so much and to be able to read a short collection of stories is great. That being said however the art for the characters seemed a little off to me but it's not enough to dissuade me from reading more comics from these illustrators in the future.

Review to come September 30th on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

SO HYPED! I love Aggretsuko series (though I would love Retsuko to be a bit more responsible in many ways) and I was delighted to see the comic series pop up on Netgalley. I already was eager to read it as several of my favourite artists talked about it on Twitter and showed the covers they made.

The book features 3 stories with awesome fitting name and Retsuko's frustration listed as well. I have written a short review per story.

Down With The Sickness: 4.5 stars Monday's suck. Literally in this one as apparently everyone is sick in the office. I had a big laugh at how the sick people looked and acted like zombies and how everything was also kind of handled that way. We get a small group of survivors, glass breaking, lots of running, lots of leaving behinds and more. I had a laugh that the virus was called C-virus, which stands for Carrier-Virus. Which is about people who should stay home because there are sick, but don't because of various reasons mostly to do with their carreers.
It was an exciting story and I loved the ending. Go go Retsuko! Shout out loud! Though poor her in the end, but I am happy with her decision.
The art by D.J. Kirkland was good. I liked seeing the characters in his style.

Mall Madness: 3.5 stars . In this one Retsuko is shopping when she meets Tsunoda. Yep. Our artificial and not always so kind girl. Retsuko kind of agrees to go with her instead of being honest about why she was in the store and getting some cute clothes for herself. And that is how a day with Tsunoda begins. A whirlwind of fashion, expensive clothes, perfume, and lastly a cup of something to drink. There were times I really liked Tsunoda... but there were enough times I wasn't happy. She is not one of my favourite girls, she can be quite mean towards people. The moments I did like is that she never pushed Retsuko to buy anything and when she opened up about her youth and how she got to love fashion and such so much. That was a nice moment.
I do feel for Retsuko, some people don't really care if their clothes are fashionable, they just need to look nice and fit comfortable.
I had a laugh at the ending, let it all out girl. Let it all out. Though next time? Maybe just tell Tsunoda your feelings honestly.
The art by Jarrett Williams was pretty OK. The faces didn't always work for me.

The Visitor: 4 stars. Karen from the sister office appears to make things better in the Japan office. Sorry, I just couldn't stop laughing that the girl was called Karen, the name has definitely been ruined due to the internet. And at points she really was a Karen. :P But I could also see she really wanted to help Retsuko... though she only made it worse for her with her ideas. But she tried, and I can imagine, given what we learn later on that she doesn't want to have Retsuko, and her colleagues to have a horrible job situation. I am glad someone is finally stepping up. Though I am guessing it will take a lot more to get rid of Ton or make him see the errors of his way. And we know he can be a good guy... sometimes.
The ending and that duet, that was just fantastic, I would love to see more of Karen now. Just like Retsuko. I hope that things will change, but for now motivational notes are the start of it.
Fantastic art by Brenda Hickey.

The short story at the end is all about Tsunoda and Retsuko getting a coffee. I felt for both girls. Tsunoda because there are indeed so many options at places, and Retsuko because she wants something easy and get back in time.

I absolutely LOVED the cover gallery with all the variant covers.

All in all, I had so much fun reading this one and I am happy I got to read it. I will definitely be adding this one to my collection, I am sure my hubby (who is a fan of Retsuko just like me) will love this as well. Happy that they finally collected 3 of the 4 comics to a bundle as I just cannot easily get the single issues here in my country.
Recommended to all who love the show!

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel! The characters are so cute, especially Retsuko. I also loved the illustrations, color, and setting of this story. I also liked that there are lessons embedded in this graphic novel such as prioritizing our health first before our work and standing up for ourselves in the office and not letting other people bully us. I hope to read more about this in the future.