日本经典动漫形象Hello Kitty已经在全球风行了几十年，它已成为日本“可爱文化”的形象大使。不过最近一只愤怒熊猫横空出世，她打破了凯蒂猫的传统形象——粉妆玉琢、温婉柔顺。她外表可爱，内心却很刚烈，对压抑的工作环境怒火中烧。由于真实代言了日本职场女性的心声，这只愤怒熊猫已成后者“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.
但这一次，正在面对成年人生的种种残酷的这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.
来认识一下这只25岁的卡通红熊猫，她的名字叫“冲吧烈子”，是日本的一名疲于奔命的平凡小白领。

 

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.
她也许在工作上是个老手，但是她可爱的外表下隐藏着黑暗的灵魂：几个小时之后，她就会狂喝啤酒、在卡拉OK唱重金属摇滚歌曲来发泄内心郁积的怒火，梦想着有一天能摆脱这份没有前途的工作。

 

She's also Japanese company Sanrio's -- better known for Hello Kitty -- latest creation.
她和家喻户晓的Hello Kitty一样同属于日本三丽鸥公司，是该公司的最新成员。

 

"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.
冲吧烈子的设计师Yeti说：“我的目标是职场人士或者想发泄挫败感的人群。我认为烈子是能让这些人产生认同感的角色。”

 

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.
只愿透露昵称的Yeti告诉CNN说，卡哇伊文化的内涵已经发生改变，Hello Kitty时代的传统可爱形象已经不能征服市场。

 

"People are interested in seeing more dynamic and newer characters," said Yeti.
Yeti说：“人们有兴趣看到更有活力的新角色出现。”

 

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.
伦敦大学亚非学院当代日本文化的高级讲师Griseldis Kirsh对CNN说，因为每代人都有各自不同的需求，浪漫、女孩子气、粉嫩的Hello Kitty已经无法再让幻想破灭的白领产生共鸣。

 

"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解释道：“另一个更黑暗的、自我意识更强的、更男孩子气的角色，虽然可能比较接近人们的真实状态，但是依然够萌够可爱，可以打开新市场，吸引那些认为自己不像Kitty而更像烈子的目标群体。”

 

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岁的日本销售助理Kazumi告诉CNN说，Hello Kitty生活在梦幻世界中，而烈子却反映出日本典型职场女孩的生活状态。

 

"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说：“我们在职场会经常遭遇烈子经历的事情。这是发生在日本男女尤其是日本女性身上的典型文化现象，因为我们不能对上司和同事说‘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，当三丽鸥的第二个“冲吧烈子”英文视频发到网上时，国内外粉丝很快就对这个卡通人物的遭遇产生了共鸣，许多人将这只红熊猫称作自己的“灵兽”。

 

"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.
一位住在旧金山的平面设计师Helen Tseng告诉CNN说：“我敢打赌大多数做入门级工作的年轻女白领都能对烈子产生共鸣。”

 

"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补充说：“尽管烈子很可能是三丽鸥最女权主义的角色，但是我有一些男性朋友对她的遭遇（还有她对啤酒和重金属K歌的爱好）同样感同身受。”