Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine

Aggretsuko (Collected Editions) #4

by Brenda Hickey

Aggrestuko in her first original graphic novel!

The office queen of karaoke meets her match when Retsuko's favorite band reunites for a special concert. The Brides of Resonance return, but why do they want to take over the karaoke bar? Retsuko and friends have to fight for their right to party in a METAL vs METAL vocal battle that pits Retsuko against a shadowy enemy. Will Gori survive a night of metal and moshing? Is Haida truly in love? Find out in Little Rei of Sunshine !

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor, Animals

80 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2021

About the author

Brenda Hickey was born and raised in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Since there was nothing much to do out in the country, she quickly learned to amuse herself (and keep out of trouble) by drawing pictures and creating stories with her sisters. By 3rd grade she'd decided that she'd dedicate her life to comics and art.
As an adult nothing much changed, and she enrolled in the graphic design program at Holland College to further her skills. After graduating, she was taken in by Trapeze animation/Mugisha Ent., and created web graphics and background illustration for animation. On the side, she continued her personal comic, In the Air. Currently, she is picking up freelance work here and there, and is still plugging away on her comic on the side.

Reviews

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Aggretsuko graphic novel that I've read and it was phenomenal. This graphic novel had everything that I love about the show - humor, relatable events, karaoke, and cute animals. I also really appreciated how this book dealt with problematic celebrities. It's such a relevant topic in this day and age so it was nice to see that being incorporated into Aggretsuko's story. I really need to get my hands on the other Aggretsuko graphic novels soon. :)

[Belinda]

I received a digital arc from the publisher.

In the first couple pages you meet Retsuko who is badgered by her mother to get married and come visit, working a job she doesn’t love, and just generally dealing with life stress. I felt like those conversations with her mom were pulled from my life. This whole story was filled with relatable moments from seeing your favorite band reunite to dealing with conceited people to becoming stressed and depressed. The color was vibrant and the panels were laid out to keep the story flowing. The lettering was spot on focusing you on specific lyrics and feelings. I am definitely interested to continue reading about Retsuko’s story and will be recommending this to everyone!

[Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

!!spoilers for season three of aggretsuko!!

this book would’ve made a brilliant season of aggretsuko and i would love to have seen it animated, but i understand that this would’ve been too similar to season three and wouldn’t make sense to have happened after retsuko got popular with idol group fans and metal fans, still it would’ve been amazing to have happened though.

aside from that this was a brilliant book and i definitely recommend this to any aggretsuko fans who haven’t branched out into the comics yet!

[Lagoonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute 😻 I need more 😼

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished Canadian-born comic creator Brenda Hickey’s 2021 comic book, Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine. I have read Brenda Hickey’s 2021 Aggretsuko: Out of Office, Volume 1. Brenda Hickey’s comic books are based on the Japanese aminated comedy from the mid-2010s. It is worth noting that according to the author page for Brenda Hickey at the end of the comic Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine, Hickey “has been known to enjoy a good metal band from time to time.” At the end of the comic book, Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine, there are bonus materials showing character designs and four process pages. In Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine, Retsuko is excited that her favorite heavy metal band from her teenage years, the Brides of Resonance is having a comeback tour. Rei is the former Japanese popular singer who is the new leading vocalist for the Brides of Resonance and also a rabbit. Retsuko’s boss Department Director Ton schedules mandatory attendance at a trade conference. Retsuko also discovers there is more to Rei than meets the eye. Aggretsuko: Little Rei of Sunshine is a fun comic book. I enjoyed the references to Japanese culture such as Retsuko and her friend, Gori sleeping on a traditional Japanese bed (37). I look forward to reading more adventures of Retsuko.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an eARC courtesy of Oni Press in exchange for my honest review.

An entertaining and charming story featuring death metal.

For libraries: some mild swearing and drinking, but nothing too much for a YA collection.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brenda Hickey really gets what's great about Aggretsuko, and what's great about metal. (And it's not being a jerk.)

Loved it.

[botanicalnoel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a real letdown. It was a chore to read through and it wasn’t funny or cute at all, which are the two reasons I watched Aggretsuko.

[Sarah Morgan Sandquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the beat one yet.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Larry Kad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yippee! So much fun and I absolutely love the artwork. More Fenneko pls <3