日本經典動漫形象Hello Kitty已經在全球風行了幾十年，它已成為日本“可愛文化”的形象大使。不過最近一只憤怒熊貓橫空出世，她打破了凱蒂貓的傳統形象——粉妝玉琢、溫婉柔順。她外表可愛，內心卻很剛烈，對壓抑的工作環境怒火中燒。由于真實代言了日本職場女性的心聲，這只憤怒熊貓已成后者“新寵”。

It's a situation that most stressed office workers can all relate to: Long commutes, odd co-workers and a never-ending task list.
這是大多數壓力重重的白領所面臨的現狀：長途通勤、性情古怪的同事和永遠做不完的工作。

But on this occasion, it's not your average city dweller who's confronting the harsher aspects of adult life.
但這一次，正在面對成年人生的種種殘酷的這位并不是普通的城市居民。

Meet Aggretsuko or Aggressive Retsuko, a 25-year-old cartoon red panda that slogs away in a mundane office job in Japan.
來認識一下這只25歲的卡通紅熊貓，她的名字叫“沖吧烈子”，是日本的一名疲于奔命的平凡小白領。

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.
她也許在工作上是個老手，但是她可愛的外表下隱藏著黑暗的靈魂：幾個小時之后，她就會狂喝啤酒、在卡拉OK唱重金屬搖滾歌曲來發泄內心郁積的怒火，夢想著有一天能擺脫這份沒有前途的工作。

She's also Japanese company Sanrio's -- better known for Hello Kitty -- latest creation.
她和家喻戶曉的Hello Kitty一樣同屬于日本三麗鷗公司，是該公司的最新成員。

"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.
沖吧烈子的設計師Yeti說：“我的目標是職場人士或者想發泄挫敗感的人群。我認為烈子是能讓這些人產生認同感的角色。”

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.
只愿透露昵稱的Yeti告訴CNN說，卡哇伊文化的內涵已經發生改變，Hello Kitty時代的傳統可愛形象已經不能征服市場。

"People are interested in seeing more dynamic and newer characters," said Yeti.
Yeti說：“人們有興趣看到更有活力的新角色出現。”

As different generations have different needs, it's unlikely that a disillusioned office worker would identify any longer with a romantic, girly, pink Hello Kitty, Griseldis Kirsh, a senior lecturer in contemporary Japanese culture at SOAS University of London, told CNN.
倫敦大學亞非學院當代日本文化的高級講師Griseldis Kirsh對CNN說，因為每代人都有各自不同的需求，浪漫、女孩子氣、粉嫩的Hello Kitty已經無法再讓幻想破滅的白領產生共鳴。

"Another, slightly darker, more self-aware and tomboyish character -- which is perhaps a bit closer to people's reality, but still likeable and cute enough, opens up new markets, targeting those who would not see themselves to be like Kitty, but more like Aggretsuko," explained Kirsh.
Kirsh解釋道：“另一個更黑暗的、自我意識更強的、更男孩子氣的角色，雖然可能比較接近人們的真實狀態，但是依然夠萌夠可愛，可以打開新市場，吸引那些認為自己不像Kitty而更像烈子的目標群體。”

Japanese sales assistant Kazumi, 30, told CNN that while Hello Kitty lived in "dreamland," Retsuko reflected a typical working girl's life in Japan.
30歲的日本銷售助理Kazumi告訴CNN說，Hello Kitty生活在夢幻世界中，而烈子卻反映出日本典型職場女孩的生活狀態。

"We face situations that Retsuko experiences a lot at our office. It's a typical Japanese culture trend, for both gender but especially girls, as we can't say "no" to boss and to our colleagues," said Kazumi.
Kazumi說：“我們在職場會經常遭遇烈子經歷的事情。這是發生在日本男女尤其是日本女性身上的典型文化現象，因為我們不能對上司和同事說‘不’。”

In January 2017, when Sanrio's second English-language Aggretsuko video hit the internet, international fans were quick to relate to the cartoon's plight with many referring to the red panda as their "spirit animal."
2017年1月，當三麗鷗的第二個“沖吧烈子”英文視頻發到網上時，國內外粉絲很快就對這個卡通人物的遭遇產生了共鳴，許多人將這只紅熊貓稱作自己的“靈獸”。

"I'd wager that most young women who have worked an entry-level office job would be able to relate (to Aggretsuko)," Helen Tseng, a San-Francisco-based graphic designer, told CNN.
一位住在舊金山的平面設計師Helen Tseng告訴CNN說：“我敢打賭大多數做入門級工作的年輕女白領都能對烈子產生共鳴。”

"And while Aggretsuko is probably Sanrio's most feminist character yet, I have male friends who relate just as deeply to her plight (and love of alcohol and metal karaoke)," added Tseng.
Tseng補充說：“盡管烈子很可能是三麗鷗最女權主義的角色，但是我有一些男性朋友對她的遭遇（還有她對啤酒和重金屬K歌的愛好）同樣感同身受。”

點此看沖吧烈子視頻

英文來源：CNN
翻譯&編輯：丹妮