Hitori Gotou, “Bocchi-chan,” is a girl who’s so introverted and shy around people that she’d always
start her conversations with “Ah...”
During her middle school years, she started playing the guitar, wanting to join a band because she
thought it could be an opportunity for even someone shy like her to also shine. But because she had no
friends, she ended up practicing guitar for six hours every day all by herself. After becoming a
skilled guitar player, she uploaded videos of herself playing the guitar to the internet under the
name “Guitar Hero” and fantasized about performing at her school’s cultural festival concert. But not
only could she not find any bandmates, before she knew it, she was in high school and still wasn’t
able to make a single friend!
She was really close to becoming a shut-in, but one day, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band,
reached out to her. And because of that, her everyday life started to change little by little...
(Source: Crunchyroll)
I think at the core of Bocchi the Rock! is the many instances of growth, lessons, and emotional maturation of Hitori, or Bocchi as she goes by in the show, that she undergoes is what made this show work. In all of its light-hearted comedic moments and spectacular visual usage in its presentation, it is all done so in the cause of facilitating the human characterizations of Bocchi to the viewers with relatability and charisma. Without this core theme as the pillar of the entire show, I don’t think it would’ve worked as effectively as it did. The simple story of Bocchi the Rock! quickly unravels as we learn that Bocchi has had social anxiety for as long as she knew her existence. As it’s shown at the very beginning of the series, Bocchi spent all of her middle school struggling to make friendships, share hobbies, and do what her heart desires. Her anxiety stems from her uncanny disorder of being unable to speak and project confidently in front of people. When in face of one-on-one conversations, it’s shown in her body language as she often darts her eyes left and right, cowers her body as to run or away, and speaks in stuttered ways under the spotlight. The attention to portraying an introvert with social anxiety in this obvious yet subtle way is what makes the show work. Additionally, the show takes steps to make a distinction between an introvert with social anxiety and a frequent normal introvert. This element of contrast is plainly shown between Ryou Yamada and Bocchi. Ryou, one of the four members of the Kessoku band and one of the main leads of the show, likes being alone as opposed to Bocchi, who desperately seeks connections and friendships despite her social endeavors. Ryou is very much different from Bocchi. Despite that both of them can be categorized as introverts, it’s the ways of their behavior and conduct that separate them. Such as in ways while Bocchi struggles under the spotlight and in social situations, Ryou is absolutely indifferent to social interactions; she speaks when she wants to and when she likes to without any of the traits that Bocchi has. I admit that even though this part of the presentation is not prominent in the show, it’s subtle enough for me to appreciate it and it’s an add-on that makes the show work. Outside of its characters, the director of Bocchi the Rock! often uses clever and profound visual imagery to convey Bocchi’s inner workings of the mind. Many moments where I found myself surprisingly chuckling or laughing out loud arose from those scenes. Be it the display of pouring water from a pipeline in a non-animation format or an actual sketch drawing animation sequence that was meant to represent the chaotic space of Bocchi’s mind when she goes under social panic attacks; nonetheless, I found this style of directing to be really fun to watch and it serves its purpose to the characters and by extension, the show. Thus, making it really reminiscent of something such as The Tatami Galaxy and the like. While I haven’t read its source material, I have no doubt that this anime adaptation has significantly enhanced the manga that an animation form can and truly produce in extravagant ways. As I aforementioned at the beginning of this writing, the core of Bocchi the Rock! is the journey of growth, lessons, and emotional maturity in Bocchi throughout the show. In the many instances since Bocchi’s decision to join a band as she has always dreamed of, the show takes notable moments to present the momentous occasions in which she’s in the process of changing and growing. And the scenes comprised of those moments are always dealt with heart and passion from the director, animators, and storyboarders. This is evident in the way how this project is presented in every episode. Every scene of every episode in this show goes the extra mile and a half more than the previous ones and its efforts certainly stand out among the masses. In turn, for the viewers, making it really endearing to watch. At the same time, it’s not easy for Bocchi. This is why we see Bocchi often reverting back to her old self—crumbling under social situations, panicking and overthinking, or stuttering all the same. But the change is still there and we, the viewers, can see it. The same can be said for the rest of the band as well. For all of its members: Ryou, Nijika, and Ikuyo get their moment of reflection as a collective. Which in turn, cultivates their bond as a group, a band, and friends, leading to some of the best and my favorite moments and performances in the show. This is all due to the fact that it’s presented in entertaining ways as well as with heart and passion that’s communicated to the audience. Bocchi the Rock! is one of those shows that permeate happiness, adrenaline, and excitement, as well as meaningful heartfelt moments in every single episode of its run. The usage of its visuals as a storytelling tool is beyond the limitations and confinements of the usual animation form as it’s utilized in an uncanny fashion that’s filled with flair and mastery directing to produce results. Combined with the absolute devotion and enthusiasm from the staff, their passion and love for the series constantly seep through the show. And that’s what makes Bocchi the Rock! work. It’s more than just your run-of-the-mill Cute Girls Doing Cute Things type of show as some quickly label it as. What makes Bocchi the Rock! a such delightful watch in its entirety is that the show goes beyond its initial genre impression and shall be held above all of its comparisons and the shows alike.
# ~~~__BOCCHI THE ROCK, SYMBOL OF PASSION AND PEAK OF CREATIVITY__~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~A full season like few before, featuring a large number of top titles like Mob Psycho, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, Bleach and more. Yet in the midst of this mass of shonen, to take (personally) the throne of the season and probably of the year was a musical comedy of girls playing in a band. Bocchi the Rock started out going unnoticed but managed to deservedly conquer its space with a story and a production of very fine workmanship. One could talk for hours about the qualities of this series so I'll try not to be too verbose. But first of all…~~~ ~~~img1000(https://imgur.com/OURvaYy.png)~~~ _____ ~~~__PLOT__~~~ ~~~Bocchi the Rock tells the stories of Hitori Gotou, a young girl in her first year of high school who has been battling her social anxiety disorder for years. Hitori discovers that she can become popular with music and she takes up the guitar, becoming a talented musician. Nijika Ijichi bumps into her in a park, begging her to join her band. From here Hitori (who will be nicknamed Bocchi due to her introverted nature) will begin a growth path to overcome her social anxiety.~~~ ~~~webm(https://imgur.com/3MetraT.mp4)~~~ ~~~Bocchi the Rock proves to be an anime particularly focused on comedy; many scenes are in fact centered on a comic representation of Bocchi's anxiety. However, this does not prevent the show from becoming serious and coherent in the appropriate moments. The first quality of this series is in fact the extraordinary ability to alternate comic scenes, serious scenes, important character developments and musical performances very well. Specifically, the development of Bocchi is one of the many strengths; her growth is realistic, perfectly paced so as not to be rushed or static and has allowed so many viewers to relate to her. Hitori embodies (with due comedic proportions) a very relatable social situation, especially for me and this has allowed me to become very attached to her personality. Apart from the serious side, Bocchi the Rock has certainly managed to increase its popularity due to its incredible quality comedy. The way in which the series manages the funny moments is very impactful, amusing but above all the laughs that flow from its jokes are due in large part to the monstrous technical quality and directorial creativity with which the same gags are shown (but I prefer talk about it in the section reserved for animations).~~~ ~~~webm(https://imgur.com/C6HiP4L.mp4)~~~ ________ ~~~__CHARACTERS__~~~ ~~~The cast certainly represents one of the most solid aspects of the show. Bocchi turns out to be a funny, likeable but above all superbly realistic character. Although her situation is greatly exaggerated for a comic matter, this does not prevent the viewer from seeing himself very much in her and in her difficulties. To support Bocchi are above all her 3 bandmates: -Nijika Ijichi (Leader and drummer): Nijika, also commonly called MVP, is the leader of the Kessoku Band and the musical and character guide of the group. She is a very sunny girl, responsible but above all of great support for all the members. In addition to fighting to make her dreams come true, Nijika never disdains to help Bocchi overcome her problems by putting her in front of ever more difficult challenges to help her grow. She is also credited with bringing the passion for music back into Ryo's life and continuously supporting Kita in her progress as a guitarist. Nijika is a girl who is surprisingly easy to get attached to because of her positivity and selflessness. -Ryo Yamada (bassist): Ryo is definitely the most peculiar and detached member of the group. She too, like Hitori, is a loner but, unlike the protagonist, she is loner by choice. Ryo is a lazy person, not used to talking to others, except when she has to get some money. At the same time, however, she appears to be a person of great principles, especially as regards music, and an excellent senpai for Bocchi who leans on her to be able to give the maximum possible contribution to the band. Ryo's apathy makes her a very easy and fun character to play comedy with. -Kita Ikuyo (singer and guitarist): Kita is the merriest and most sociable member. She never fails to engage the entire group and keeps it cohesive with her friendliness. Kita, in addition to being Bocchi's pupil as regards the guitar, provides Bocchi herself with considerable moral support to help her socialize and not be seized by fear when she is in the presence of many people. Hidden by her aura of love and hope, Kita is actually a musically insecure person and Nijika never fails to give her input. She also has a crush on Ryo after hearing her busking.~~~ ~~~img1000(https://imgur.com/PMkP3RA.png)~~~ ~~~A note of merit should also be given to Kikuri, a drunken bass player and Bocchi's mentor, very eccentric and unconventional but when she enters serious mode she manages to make a great contribution to Bocchi as regards her ability to play in front of many people. The maximum value that this series assumes from the point of view of the characters is the great ability to manage their interactions. Each member of the group is equally important both musically and narratively. Their characterization is perfect and this allows for a cast of realistic, human and indispensable characters within the work. All the girls give the impression of having a life of their own and do not fall into one of the most classic (non-serious) "errors" of the genre: being dependent on the protagonist, living only for the protagonist as if one did not have a life beyond that person.~~~ ~~~img1000(https://imgur.com/7r5MiUS.png)~~~ _________________ ~~~__ART/ANIMATION__~~~ ~~~Passion and creativity are the key words to define the perfect job done by the CloverWorks staff. The series relies first of all on beautiful character designs and use of colors, which reveal all the cuteness and sympathy of the characters. The entire show is a feast for the eye with smooth animation and superb character acting. The latter helps to increase the expressiveness of the characters and it's an aspect that is far too underestimated. I think that excelling in this field is now more important than ever, all anime desperately needs this element.~~~ ~~~webm(https://imgur.com/j0IjSt3.mp4)~~~ ~~~In this other clip the character acting shows (even if there were no voices) that it is possible to represent the difference between the personalities of Bocchi and Nijika in this way. Nijika walks upright, moves confidently, and stretches her arms to show things. On the other hand, Bocchi walks with her back hunched over, her arms close to his body in a defensive position and she trembles.~~~ ~~~webm(https://imgur.com/i5D2Rnp.mp4)~~~ ~~~However, the thing that is absolutely the excellence of Bocchi the Rock is its direction. The creativity of this anime is born in this element. Any comic scene is elevated to the nth degree by the infinity of ideas that are put into play to represent those gags: the LSD scenes, the use of clay animation, real videos and photos, the 3D animations, the many style changes. A crazy anime in which the simple touch of Nijika on Bocchi's forehead triggers a tear-jerking scene with very sad music in which Bocchi turns into ash that poisons and causes depression to those who breathe it, or Bocchi's fear of the sports festival represented in 4:3 with a completely different style in which the protagonist is condemned to the stake for not having contributed to the festival.~~~ ~~~img300(https://imgur.com/ISNsLWl.png) img300(https://imgur.com/TkhrUE5.png) img300(https://imgur.com/Pzpk6HN.png) img300(https://imgur.com/T80rMrT.png)~~~ ~~~The technical side also enhances all musical scenes. The end result is a series of hilarious and always innovative jokes, the anime never gets boring for all the episodes, any slice-of-life scene is very colorful and transmits positivity, any serious moment is improved by the characters' expressiveness. Bocchi the Rock is a technical masterpiece and in an anime that depends so much on this element, this translates into an emotional masterpiece for many different reactions, laughter, reflections, relaxation, etc.~~~ ~~~webm(https://imgur.com/OcLoNz9.mp4)~~~ ___________________ ~~~__MUSIC__~~~ ~~~The musical aspect of the anime is obviously another flawless element. I don't want to limit myself to judge the band's songs individually (all bangers) but I would like to focus on 2 elements in particular. The first is the use of inserts in comedy scenes, just to add an element that only improves the gags. The insert song during the LSD scenes and the one when Bocchi turns into ashes are the most striking example of this element. The second is the incredible technique and study it takes to pull off a wrong performance like the one in episode 8. The song is flagrantly wrong even to the untrained ear, especially in Nijika's rhythm and Kita's intonation. However, this doesn't seem forced into an unlistenable song as if the whole group has suddenly forgotten how to play, but it actually seems like a situation due to stress and inexperience. I think this is an effect that can be achieved with great difficulty so I wanted to emphasize this too.~~~ ~~~img300(https://imgur.com/bdsOXEA.png) img300(https://imgur.com/YzX7V3v.png)~~~ _______________ ~~~__CONCLUSION__~~~ ~~~Bocchi arrived under the radar in a jam-packed season at the end of the year, it started out to be a slice-of-life like many others but all the passion and creativity of the people who worked on it have deservedly allowed it to carve out the place that it belongs. I really feel like recommending this series to anyone but especially to those who, like me, are always interested in seeing innovative, original anime that know how to detach themselves from the enormous amount of photocopied anime thanks to a well-studied project but above all managed by those who really love animes and love the anime they are producing. Kudos to CloverWorks for creating this artwork, I hope they announce a second season soon, but most of all I hope they continue to work this way from now on (even if already with My Dress-Up Darling and Akebi's Sailor Uniform have demonstrated great organization and ideas this year).~~~ ~~~_P.S. I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes_~~~ ~~~img1000(https://imgur.com/xyK9CFY.png)~~~
At the end of the first episode of *Bocchi the Rock!*, Kessoku Band has more or less bombed their first performance. Bocchi (née Gotou Hitori), who had been ready to announce her presence to the world as Kessoku Band’s last-minute fill-in guitarist, anxiously retreated into a mango box, hidden within it as the band lurches and stumbles their way through their music. But in the aftermath as her bandmates Nijika and Ryou remark on the atrociousness they just played, Bocchi throws the box off herself and stumbles her way down frame in a fish-eye lens style camera shot. She stands before the two and declares that she’ll muster the courage to talk to her classmates, which Nijika smiles at…and then Bocchi immediately heads out since she’s drained her socially anxious battery for the day, but still resolving to improve herself for their sakes. webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/70f05176e914312b1bd19a9070e5f451.mp4) If any scene could encapsulate what makes *Bocchi the Rock!* such a creatively-rich series, it’s this. This whole sequence is but the tip of the show’s iceberg. There is a chaotic beauty in the show’s reckless abandon, able to radically swing between whatever style it chooses to adopt at any given moment. And within it all, anxiety is presented as both comedic fuel and as a sincere obstacle towards one’s sense of personal development. But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s step back for a minute: headed by Saitou Keiichirou in the director’s chair, he was afforded the rare opportunity to more or less have any ideas that came to him be given the green light to work their way into the material itself. From a certain perspective, he was the perfect mind to entrust with such freedoms – with small involvement on *Heike Monogatari* and *Wonder Egg Priority* as a key animator, along with several larger credits for *Sonny Boy,* his 2021 was spent with some of the medium’s most artistically-interesting properties. Though each had its own distinctly visual-acoustic identity, the one thread that unifies all these projects is risk. Considering *Bocchi the Rock!’s* origin as a four-panel manga, he must have realized that great risks would need to be taken to make this project work in anime format. And it starts with taking the generally-understood limitations of anime and throwing them away, both from the actual animation and the storyboarding standpoint. The show has visual styles aplenty, including the incorporation of live-action sequences, photographs, and deliberately-bad CGI. Evidently, the animators were given such a sandbox to play in that Christmas seemed to come a few months early. The impact of such an idea is that it creates a sense of unpredictability, that the series could reach into a metaphorical bag of tricks to pull out something new, seemingly at random. Whether it rest in stark colors or allowing the camera to step back and allow the depth of space to fill the frame, the off-kilter presentation itself becomes a feature of the viewing experience. webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/c4b99fa8fafec12e76ed52808ab85bd1.mp4) But a chaotic presentation is simply directionless and eye-candy without something to properly anchor it all. In *Bocchi the Rock!,* there is no greater person to serve that purpose that the titular Bocchi herself, as we’re brought into the lonelier world she resides in. Even if it can be said that she goes to class and spends a little time with her family, her realm is a small space in the corner of her house, a dark closet home only to her and the small recording equipment and software she has for her YouTube audience under the “guitarhero” moniker. All her aspirations to make friends and become more popular through her guitar playing have hit the impregnable wall of social anxiety she shoulders. As she takes her first steps into the larger world and she dwells on her anxious flights, many are tinged with an underlying dark comedy that punctuates itself with the visual styling. Stark colors, postcard memories-esque stillshots (Dezaki would be proud), and highly-expressive deliveries from Bocchi’s seiyuu Aoyama Yoshino make these moments land with hilarity, be they disbelieving shrieks or quiet laconicism. ~~~img550(https://i.imgur.com/lhbYhfY.png)~~~ Let us not kid ourselves, though; on the immediate surface, this treatment of anxiety appears distasteful. Anxiety is indeed a real problem for some people that, even now, we sometimes do not do the best job of properly navigating as either a conceptual issue or something being experienced in real-time. It’s by far the material’s greatest gamble, and a fumbling at any point may catastrophically collapse the entirety. However, Keiichirou takes great underlying care in how these moments are portrayed. Bocchi is always presented in a sympathetic light; when we laugh at an episode’s joke at her expense or see her wild catastrophizing, there always is a proper counter to any possible maliciousness or sleight, which ironically makes laughter one of the show’s primary vehicles for forming sympathy. The intended path for every gag or event that takes place throughout the series has always been to allow Bocchi’s world to gradually get bigger and more confident, even if her social tendencies or way of seeing doesn’t get remedied right away. But remedy herself she gradually does, and with the show’s brand of delightfully-chaotic tone, it should come as no surprise that the people who help her on her personal journey are themselves part of a motley crew. Roped into performing at Starry Club with the exaggerative Ryou and the cheerful Nijika, and eventually joined by the bubbly and highly-encouraging Kita, Bocchi is thrust into the deep end of social interaction. She got her wish to be in a band and interact more, but she’s now part of an active group that all have a prior history. Bocchi is the oddball out, especially given that the other three girls have their own personal histories with one another. Yet it doesn’t matter whether their reasons for being in Kessoku Band are, be they for sentimentality or for pettiness. By every weird measure, the reality is that they came together in the here-and-now, and Bocchi is among them. Each member realizes in their own way that Bocchi needs encouragement of some sort, and all are given an appropriate spotlight to show not only how much Bocchi’s presence in the band is valued, but also that Bocchi herself can overcome the various worries that a band must wrestle with, even under the veneer of comedy. The apprehensions are in and of themselves perfectly understandable and relatable. The fear of performing poorly and having everyone watch you, having your band members replace you, needing to sell tickets for a gig, and the like are all thoughts that most people who have been in or teach the arts (particularly music) inherently wrestle with on a consistent basis. Especially since Bocchi has been within the shell of herself and her own anxieties for so long, it makes the triumphs all the more worth striving for and to see pay off in the end. And nowhere else is this captured more eloquently than in the performances. When the moments arrive for Bocchi to step on that stage and play the first chord, we see how, even in the incremental ways she has changed, this is not the same Bocchi that we witnessed initially. Similarly, this is not the same Kessoku Band that we first saw that played so poorly. Bocchi has grown, and this is a band that has also grown. Both in and outside of practice, they worked and bonded in tandem. Each has evolved beyond the confines of what they once were, even if the gradual changes undergone don’t completely rewrite who they are now. But with these changes nevertheless visible, one cannot help but smile and want to stand in the crowd with the others, bouncing along or turning the gaze upward to the girl who has started to come into her own. Beneath all its style, verve, comedy, anxiety-laden dread, and rockin’ music, *Bocchi the Rock!* is ultimately sweet. Life-affirming and charming, it demonstrates the ability for a skilled director to walk the fine line between having anxiety as a comedic device while also showing that how human it is as well. Rock on, Bocchi! You won’t be lonely with your guitar on that blue planet forever! ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDk1RA4g8CA)~~~
Before the Fall season started, I knew how packed Saturdays were going to be. From Spy X Family to Blue Lock and many more that I watched, I honestly did not plan on watching Bocchi the Rock, but given how CloverWorks has been doing some very impressive work this year, with Sono Bisque Doll, Akebi-chan, and Spy X Family, I decided to watch this too, and I am truly glad I experienced this masterpiece of an anime. It’s not the most ambitious or high budget work out there, but it is, by far, the most fun I’ve had watching something this decade. This show has been nothing short of spectacular, with creativity just oozing out every episode, with many animation styles such as claymation, and just flat out 3DCG which was hilarious, plus excellent comedic timing and visual gags that made me laugh every episode. Truly a work that is brimming with passion for the craft, and one of, if not the best anime to come out in 2022 for me personally. STORY: The story isn’t the most creative, and it isn’t the thing that stands out the most. We follow the socially anxious Hitori Gotou, also known as Bocchi, through her arduous journey of life and her yearning to join a band. She devotes her time in playing the guitar, and posts her works online for people to enjoy. One day, she decides to bring her guitar to school, in hopes someone would find it cool and talk to her. Turns out, no one approached her, and that’s the thing I like from this show, that it is grounded in realism. In reality, most people have their own problems to deal with, and mind their own business, so it’s not the easiest for socially awkward people like Bocchi to communicate in this world. I’ll expand on Bocchi’s character in the “Characters” section of this review. The gist of the story is just Bocchi trying to integrate herself into society as she joins Kessoku Band, and slowly, but surely, turning into someone she herself can be proud of. ART: What a job well done the animation was. The many types of visual comedy was wonderful to see, and these gags occur mostly during Bocchi’s monologues, which just made it even more funny. You’ve surely seen many of these gags online, and it’s the creativity that really put this show on the map in the first place. MUSIC: As this is a music show to some extent, the music is indeed, very solid. The OP was already very good, and if you read the lyrics to that, and to basically all the songs from Kessoku Band, you know that Bocchi wrote the lyrics, and they hit deep on a personal level. Of course, they also sound amazing, and I’ve had many of the songs from the show on my playlist, and listen to them all the time. Truly mesmerizing music. CHARACTERS: This show has one of the best casts through this entire year, if not the best. Each girl from Kessoku Band is unique, and each have their respective complexities, which was fun to watch. First, I’ll talk about Bocchi, who is, my favourite character from this year of anime, and one of my favourites, ever, because she’s very relatable to me personally. I, like Bocchi, am quite socially awkward and anxious. I struggle to keep conversations going, I don’t have much motivation to talk to others, and I don’t have the highest self-esteem. However, being socially anxious, does not mean that she is necessarily an introvert, which many people describe her as. I have been described as an introvert all my life, but there’s a fine line between introversion and social anxiety, which brings me to yet another fantastic character from this show, Ryou Yamada. She’s described as an introvert, by choice. You can see that’s she totally fine when she’s talking to others, but she keeps them short and sweet. That’s because introversion is all about social energy, the need to recharge your batteries after being at huge social events, or having a long conversation with someone, whereas socially anxious people probably want to talk with others more, but just can’t bring themselves to do so. You can clearly tell how different she is from Bocchi because of that. Now back to Bocchi. She’s relatable to all of us to some extent, I’m sure, because both introverts and extroverts can experience social anxiety. Everyone, I’m sure, was deathly afraid of public speaking or performing at some point in our lives. Some may relate to her more, some may relate to her less. For me personally, I see a lot of myself in her. I find myself avoiding social interaction a lot, which is more or less what Bocchi does. The great part of this show is that it is quite realistic, although exaggerated a lot through the visual gags. Bocchi tries to improve, but it isn’t easy. Social anxiety, if you’re born with it, will likely stick with you in some form for a good chunk of your life, but small steps can be made. When people acknowledge her talents, she breaks out into this happy, goofy look, because she’s brimming with happiness. That’s because socially anxious people are desperate for some acknowledgement of their talents, and when they get it, it might be a push in the right direction for them, to get them to continue doing what they’re good at. Even the character designs are very interesting, in that the two non-social butterfly people, their bangs cover their forehead and eyes to some extent, and that’s quite noticeable to me too, since my bangs also cover my forehead and eyes a little bit. Little things like that make it all the more enjoyable to me. The other two characters, Nijika and Kita, are the very outgoing people, but still very entertaining to watch. Kita, especially, is the social butterfly who’s seemingly ready to conquer the world with her aura, but underneath, there’s something there too, perhaps some social anxiety of her own, just in a different form. Maybe she just doesn’t show it openly. Nijika is probably the least entertaining character out of these four, but her interactions with Bocchi and the rest of the cast are still very nice to watch, and she has her emotional moments too. ENJOYMENT: Every single episode was awesome, because of the oozing creativity. Never a dull moment with this show. THEMATIC EXECUTION: The themes are executed to perfection. The themes of different types of personalities was handled very well, and very realistically, which really hits home. It even gets the musician themes well, with the toughness of the music industry, and how it’s so difficult to rise up the ranks and be noticed by others in a positive light, in a world filled with music and sound all around. OVERALL: Need I say more? This was by far my favourite show of the season and perhaps the year. It was definitely the most fun I had watching something this year, with the awesome and insane comedy, the music, and the relatable characters. It’s quite the easy watch too, and even if you aren’t socially inept, there’s most definitely something to relate to, whether it’s the characters, the aspiring musicians, or even the alcoholic spirals. You made me proud, CloverWorks, and you too Kessoku Band. This show is just so rock, and I’ll miss it dearly.
>So keep showing us more and more, of Bocchi-chan's rock. Bocchi the Rock! Amidst one of the most competitive seasons filled with hyped sequels and new releases, an adaptation of a 4-koma cute girls band manga nobody’s heard of has managed to rise to the top of the anime charts. _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ is an absolutely stellar adaptation fueled by passion, creativity, and a story that speaks to everyone who watches it. And within the past few months, it has become not just one of my favorite shows of this year, but one of my favorites of all time. img(https://i.imgur.com/r3J0hxZ.png) The visuals are stunning. This show features some of the most creative and experimental animation I’ve seen, easily switching styles and even mediums. Stop motion, claymation, even live action, this show has it all, and the result is a hilarious but realistic look into Bocchi’s twisted headspace. And in contrast, the performance scenes are riveting. Modeled after real-life performers, the slightest movements are beautifully animated and make it feel like a true concert. CloverWorks truly brought their A-game this season, and it’s a sight to behold. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/hy1xjh.webm) This show is absolutely hilarious. Bocchi is a walking punchline, anything she does is stupid funny. Each of the four members of Kessoku Band brings something unique to their interactions. Bocchi’s social anxiety meltdowns, Ryou the cool sadistic loner, Kita-chan the shining outgoing popular girl, and Nijika the glue that keeps the band in check. You can tell the staff had so much fun creating Bocchi’s many wonderful deforming facial expressions. The line between reality and imagination becomes blurred, and the show only becomes funnier when the other members start to get roped into Bocchi’s absurd fantasies. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/jy0q5f.webm) I haven’t even talked about the music yet. I’m no expert, but I can tell you that I’ve been playing Kessoku Band’s discography on loop for weeks now. The OST perfectly complements the comedy too. You won’t be disappointed. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/l9u0bo.webm) But underneath the surreal comedy and flashy performances, lies a truly inspiring and heartwarming story. Whether you have social anxiety or not, I feel like we can all see ourselves in Bocchi one way or another. And seeing her begin to change, begin to meet new people, and take the first step toward her dreams, just might make you want to do the same. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/qfrvg2.mp4) In the end, these are just my incoherent attempts to encapsulate how good this show is. I really wasn't able to get all my thoughts down, so I highly recommend you give this show a chance and see for yourself. Even if you aren't a slice of life or CGDCT fan, I'm sure you'll find something to love here. Congratulations, Bocchi. You truly rocked this season.
~~~ #__The Ramblings and Thoughts of a Dude Who Loves Bocchi the Rock__ ~~~ *** Bocchi the Rock is what makes anime and animation as a medium special. Many of the people who will talk about this show, leave reviews, or try and persuade their friends to watch it will focus on the story and characters within the show. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that mind you, I will get to those eventually too within this review as they are some of my personal all-time favorite characters with some of the best chemistry with one another out there, as well as a story with fantastic themes and a wonderful overarching throughline. But that is not what I would like to focus on here today. The key hook that caught my attention and the attention of so many others immediately from episode one, even if it may have been subconscious for many, was that this is truly an anime where everyone behind it loves their work, and they are absolutely having some of the most fun out there by any studio. ~~~img420(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/474/327/604.gif)~~~ I think animation is one of the most important art forms that we, as a species, have created. When done well you can do things in animation that are impossible in a live action production. When the imagination of the animators is on full display you can tell any kind of story, limited only by budget, time, sometimes limited only by willpower. It is here that I fully believe Bocchi the Rock fully and truly encapsulates what makes animation special and unique among other art forms. Every single scene throughout the entirety of this 12-episode stretch is just chockfull of creativity, passion, and imagination from the people behind it on the CloverWorks team. ~~~img420(https://64.media.tumblr.com/592491fbcf63934e116a974ce6d6680f/dd02cb2224fd2b35-52/s540x810/0bd642cbe946bf5dcba5c6b13121296bf4a38651.gif)~~~ The sheer number of different styles of animation demonstrated throughout the show is unlike any other show I have ever seen. You get every style of anime and art form all rolled into one cohesive package. A strange anxiety inspired Claymation scene? Done! The representation of what it feels like to imagine what others think about you through paper cutouts glued to popsicle sticks? You got it! A now infamous cyberpunk-esque glitch out animation due to being asked to make an Instagram account? You know it. Creativity is such a beautiful thing. It allows the animators and directors on this project to convey every emotion that we have all experienced within our lives in both a way that is unique in concept and design, but also captures and expresses the mindsets we ourselves and the characters were in during each of these scenes. ~~~img420(https://i.imgur.com/1VAlt2p.png)~~~ None of the heart and love that went into this show is just limited to the varied use of animation styles. You can clearly tell that everyone on this team has a deep love for anime and has seen a wide array of shows across a myriad of genres. There are so many references to other shows and movies that range from obvious ones, like the Evangelion unfamiliar ceiling reference, to more niche ones, like Bocchi running down the hall identically to Haruko from FLCL. There’s a little something there for everyone, and if you have seen enough anime, you’ll get even more out of the all the tiny references made throughout it. ~~~img420(https://media.tenor.com/QM1n9y-ALIkAAAAC/bocchi-the-rock-nijika-ijichi.gif)~~~ One of the strongest points of direction that tends to come with the CloverWorks brand is that they just know the secret recipe for the perfect emotional beats and heavy scenes. The lighting and composition, the pacing, the music, or lack thereof, all of it goes hand in hand to make you feel it when you’re supposed to. This is where the magic of Bocchi the Rock’s team really shines through. We can talk on and on about how wonderfully creative and lovingly crafted all fun scenes are, but when the moment is right, CloverWorks can make you feel something in a single instance that some shows will never make you feel in 200 episodes. It takes a lot of talent to be able to pull off what is essentially purposefully emotional whiplash. Many authors, mangaka, and studios try, and a lot tend to fail to make the emotional moment land when it needs to by just undercutting it with a joke. Look at the complaints a lot of people have about the current MCU. Many people talk about how nothing feels serious anymore and that there really aren’t any stakes because every single character is just constantly cracking jokes no matter what the circumstances are. Inherently, you would think that Bocchi the Rock would fall into this same boat. It’s a show that is almost always silly, cracking jokes, and making fun of the situations going on, but can intertwine that beautifully into the emotional heartbeat of the show. It knows just when to flip the switch and it can really do it in two different methods. CloverWorks’ projects love to use the sudden jump from a more simplistic and cartoony look of a character right into their normal appearance. They will then cut the music entirely, bottlenecking the viewers entire focus onto the next line that is about to said, typically the initial start to what will be a moving or powerful speech or moment, and then slowly bring in the music back and showcase the surrounding characters with stunning background visuals and lightning. It’s a showcase of that studio’s direction and style and works every time for me personally. Another favorite of theirs is to start a new scene and never go into a more cartoony style or mindset. As a viewer you typically wouldn’t notice at first, but the longer the scene continues to go on without being funny or goofy, you can tell it is building up to something. In the case of Bocchi, this style is most evident in all the concert scenes. We’ll get a little monologue by Bocchi of how she is feeling at that moment and acknowledging how far she has come and how far she still must go. It’s a slow and steady buildup with the band’s music as the undertone, and it all culminates when you get to that guitar solo and chorus, and THAT is when the Bocchi magic hits you and get you goosebumps and chills sent down your spine. You get fully engrossed in the sway of the music and heartfelt speech Bocchi gives and then that payoff is just so extremely satisfying. It never missed the mark, and it showed that this show can be more than just a funny little slice of life with cute girls doing cute things. And this brings me to my next point of greatness within this show, the music. ~~~img420(https://media.tenor.com/uDVl2mD3ZI8AAAAC/bocchi-the-rock.gif)~~~ I’m going to be completely honest…THE MUSIC IN THIS SHOW KICKS ASS!! It is so good, unbelievably good, I can’t even fathom it. The background music is perfect for setting the tone of any setting, but the real star of the show is Kessoku Band themselves. Personally, even with how much J-rock I tend to listen to as a big fan, a lot of them that come from anime shows, opening, endings, and movies kind of feel and sound like they’re from anime. They don’t really sound like most other music, even within the J-rock genre. They kind of all have the same beats and you can tell when a song is from an anime’s opening. And that’s not a bad thing (I love my openings as much as the next person), but the Kessoku Band songs ALL feel like real studio production songs from a real band. It helps that a lot of the music from the show that the band plays is inspired by big J-rock bands like Asian Kung-fu Generation and The Peggies, including being produced and worked on by some of the members from those bands, but it all just has the feel as if a real band wrote and played these songs. Like a real band, multiple members get “their” song where they get to stand out. That can be the cute Nijika song that was used as an ending to the show, to the very bass heavy _Karakara_ where Ryo gets to stand out, all the way to _That Band_ where we get the incredible Bocchi guitar solo. I have listened to all these songs on Spotify way more times than I would want to admit. They’re just great songs, I don’t really know what else to say. And it’s not just me who thinks that. The music video for _Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet_ garnered over 3 million views on YouTube in a couple of days after being uploaded. The music in this show is so good, it got me to pick up and learn the bass (also because I just love Ryo) and I’ve seen so many others on the Bocchi subreddit ask about how to start getting into learning an instrument. It’s amazing that a show like this can inspire and spread the joy of music to everyone who watches. Even if you don’t like J-rock or music anime, trust me, you can and will get something out of these songs. They will get your head bopping in no time. ~~~img420(https://leosigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bocchi-the-Rock.jpg)~~~ Ok, enough gushing over how much I love this show as an anime, let’s get to why I also love this show as a story, starting with the characters. The characters are absolutely the standout point from the story. It’s part of the reason so many people fell in love with this show. Look online and see how many of those “She’s just like me, frfr” memes you can find relating to Bocchi. Each of the band members are incredibly flushed out and well-realized characters, even with the short amount of time we have been with them. Each of the band members can, and have been, someone’s favorite from the show. I’ve seen all of them in at least one person’s favorite list on this site, and sometimes multiple at a time (myself included). The chemistry between all of them is some of the best I have seen in recent media. You can give me any combination of these 4 girls together in some situation and I could tell you exactly how they would all react and behave with one another. In such a short time, we get their motivations, insecurities, and what the band means to them. I want to go quickly through the members of Kessoku Band just give them each their own solo. Firstly, we have our singer of the band… ~~~ #__KITA__ img420(https://media.tenor.com/Hy7s8ShbGhgAAAAC/bocchi-bocchi-the-rock.gif)~~~ Kita feels like the weakest of the band members when viewed through a solo lens, BUT it is when she bounces off the other band members where she really shines (pun intended). The power of the Kita Aura is in full effect. She is perfect as the lead singer and the face of the band given her personality. She is spunky, full of life, and is always looking on the positive side of life while looking out for her friends. She is honest and sweet down to her core. She knows exactly how to pick up and motivate Bocchi when she needs to hear it the most, and her relationship and idolization of Ryo is not just funny, but very cute and feels genuine, not just done for the sake of laughs. It feels like there is something more to her character that can be revealed or built up to in the future with some tiny hints they drop here and there, and I can’t wait to see how Aki Hamaji flushes her out. She is always able to bring a smile out of her band members and the viewers as well. ~~~ #__RYO__ img420(https://media.tenor.com/o-0LaJK3qWcAAAAC/yamada-ryou-yamada-ryo.gif)~~~ Oh, Ryo. Where do I even begin? She’s probably my favorite character of the bunch (she’s even my current discord profile picture) despite me thinking that she’s not the best of the band members. Everything she does is just so funny. She made me laugh harder than almost any other character this year. She had me rolling in certain scenes, such as when she spent all her money to buy Kita’s bass and was left to eat weeds. She’s calm, cool, and collected, very much like the bass she plays. Her very dry line delivery makes every joke she says stand out that much more compared to all the over-the-top zany antics of the rest of the show. She’s also able to give very sound advice for someone who has a brain so small you can hear it rattle around in her skull (of course that advice comes with a food fee). She can bring out the best in Bocchi when she is struggling with writing their first song to perform in front of Seika. She’s always willing to help her bandmates musically as well such as filling in to teach guitar to Kita. She just has so many great quirks too for a character with such dry line delivery. I love how she always looking at how to capitalize on anything to make a quick buck, how she likes to pretend she’s a music snob but gets caught up in the moment of it just like everyone else, how she can clap back with a snarky remark when Nijika starts with her. She is just the pure definition of fun, and I can never get enough of her when she’s on screen. ~~~ #__NIJIKA__ img420(https://media.tenor.com/DMqYFtgoiMQAAAAC/bocchi-the-rock-nijika-ijichi.gif)~~~ Much like the drums she plays, Nijika is the heart of the band. She is an incredible character and by far and away the most well rounded of the group. She can collect this group of wacky and over-the-top characters and somehow get them to all come together in sweet harmony. She has honest intentions on why she wants to start a band, has THE BEST heartfelt moment in the entire show, can be snarky with Ryo, have fun with Kita, uplifting towards Bocchi. There are seriously no flaws in her character. She absolutely feels like the most real out of all of them. This may also be the hottest take in this whole review, but I think she has the most expressive faces and body language throughout the whole show. She, to an even further extent than the others, has the capability to go from funny to so heartwarmingly genuine in the blink of an eye without missing a beat (but I guess that’s to be expected from our drummer). It’s very evident from the Bocchi community that she tends to be one of people’s favorite characters in the show, regardless of if she is your number 1 or not. I have not seen a single person who doesn’t like her. Her relationship with her sister, but through flashback storytelling, as well as through what we see with them working at Starry, is so incredibly wholesome. They have a fantastic sibling dynamic. She also has a little Dorito chip on her head which is unintentionally hilarious. I can keep going, but I will be here even longer than I already am. She is the character I connected to the most, and I am so excited and giddy to see where her story unfolds to. ~~~ #__BOCCHI__ img420(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/479/079/508.gif)~~~ Last, and certainly not least, we have our main character and namesake for the show, the one and only Hitori Gotou, also known as Guitarhero, or better known as Bocchi. I think there’s not much justice or more I can say about this character that you either didn’t know already from the countless memes, clips, and discussions that arose over the internet while this show was airing or from just watching the show yourself. She represents social anxiety better than I may have ever seen. Those “She’s just like me” memes really didn’t appear out of thin air. It may not be completely 1:1 with your experiences, but I 100% believe that anyone can find a little of themselves within Bocchi. We’ve all shared at least one of her experiences internally or out in public. A lot of anime fans like to point to Komi as being the definitive example of what social anxiety and communication disorders genuinely feel like, and I’m not here to insult Komi or its story. I love Komi as well, but I always personally found that story more as a collection of cute and comedic slice of life moments with a sprinkling of social anxiety. Sure, it has its heavier moments, but it really was never trying to make a hearty statement. It’s representation for sure, but it always focused more on the different characters and comedic elements of it. Bocchi on the other hand, takes that comedic element, pairs it with the insane animation choices, and makes it the focal point of the show. The main core of this show is bettering yourself and maturing into the person you are most comfortable with, and it is exemplified perfectly through the embodiment of Bocchi as a main character. Forget about all the memes for one second, and when you just sit down and watch this show, you can’t help yourself but go, “Damn, I can relate this,” or “Wow, that’s exactly how I felt when I went through this.” It is awe inspiring how well she captures the essence of that social anxiety we all at one point have been through at some point during our adolescence and early adulthood. I’m really struggling to put it into words, it really is insane just how well Aki Hamaji was able to capture this part of human psychology. ~~~img420(https://64.media.tumblr.com/9b6239db2ae305cd17c4dc7fa56dd7bf/c518edfa3f2ef56a-5d/s640x960/9bf8a225cba881f8ebad958626f2b8bcdd68cb56.gif)~~~ I can go on indefinitely talking about everything I love about this show. I didn’t even get to everything, like how I think Hiroi is one of the best big sister/mentor characters and is the perfect complement to Bocchi, or how the framing of all the concert scenes perfectly captures what it feels like to be at a concert. It’s insane how much I fell in love with it. When this season of anime started, I never even heard of it. I was excited for Mob and Bleach and Chainsaw Man much like everyone else, but I threw on episode 1 on a sheer whim, and I never looked back once. This is without a doubt my favorite anime of the season, it wasn’t even close for me, and it is easily in my short list of all time favorite shows. Is it a perfect show? Absolutely not. No show is. But as you can tell from the ridiculous length of this review, I fell in love with this show, unlike I ever have before with a seasonal. It took one episode to hook me, three to know it’s something special, and by the time we got to that first concert, I knew I had a special connection to this and that this was going to stick with me for the rest of my life. I will never forget the joy of watching this weekly. And those Kessoku Band songs will be listened to on repeat within my playlists for years to come. I apologize for how long this review is, but I just really wanted to put my thoughts out there. This is probably a very messy review, and it’s honestly more of a rambling love letter to the show than an actual review, but I really hope my love of this show comes through clearly. If you haven’t given Bocchi the Rock a chance, please do! Trust me, you will be missing out if you don’t give it a shot. I firmly believe that if you are a fan of anime and animation as a medium, this is must watch material. ~~~__Thank you CloverWorks and thank you Aki Hamaji for bringing this into my life.__~~~
Bocchi the Rock! is a silly anime about a quirky girl with anxiety that becomes the centerpiece of a band filled with cute girls who all contrast each other in various comical ways. From the start you could certainly sell this series on that premise alone- but Bocchi The Rock! manages to be more than a typical slice of life, much, much more. Bocchi The Rock is a slice of life CGCDT anime by all means in my eyes, though tossed in with that tried and true formula is a bit more dramatic flair and characters that gives it a much different flavor from other sorts of shows in a similar vein (I will avoid comparisons for my sake). Bocchi the Rock! (which I will now condense as BTR), boasts some fresh depth and heartfelt emotion that is absolutely central to its identity. Characters and the general flow of the plot in BTR manage to maintain an interesting amount of layers while definitely not being too complex. After all, I think overcomplicating the plot or characters would be a detriment to a show such as this. I think having the characters and their relationships be intertwined but relatively simple in nature keeps it super accessible to general audiences, especially ones that want to just unwind while watching. With how the show handles itself, I truly think everyone will manage to resonate with at least some aspect of the show, because BTR just manages to be a great example of an incredibly balanced series that manages to go in many different directions while still maintaining proper tone and direction established (which is something I think is consistent this season to my joy). Not only that, everything from the humor, the character interactions, and the plot beats- to the art, animation and music, everything in this show lands, and lands REALLY well to boot, and if you happen to be in the target audience for the show, only hit that much closer to home. **WRITING** We're always focusing on Hitori growing a person and slowly coming out of her shell, and while it may not always be at the forefront of the mind and the fact a lot of the humor is based on her anxiety, I think we never lose sight of what the end goal is- no matter what is happening, I think it always ties back to her end goal. Of course, when we truly see Bocchi-chan shine and make visible strides, it's really touching and emotional to see, along with the girls at her side. Bocchi's massively exaggerated anxiety, while excessive at points (to few's disdain from what I have observed), is something many of the viewer base found endearing. The way anxiety is portrayed in BTR I think conveys it well to a non-understanding audience with the nature it takes, but I know for sure it found many people who relate to the major social anxiety and made them feel a bit more seen, like Bocchi herself throughout the show. ...I used to have anxiety after all, and I think her overblown reactions are hilarious, more so considering my brain would react in similar irrational manners. For being the face of the series, she truly lives up to it, regardless of if she was trying to (hehe). It's very hard to go through BTR and not love her dearly. Now the rest of Kessoku… Well, suffice to say, I love them a whole lot as well. Ryo is probably the least developed of the four in my opinion (for now), but I know she caught many’s favor with her additions to the show’s humor by being a huge contrast to the other three in general while bringing her no-nonsense, unfiltered nature to the table and humbling Bocchi in areas. Nijika is the founder of Kessoku Band with a lot of ambition- who people slept on for the first half of the show only to be captivated by her charisma in the second half. Lastly, Kita on the other hand, stands out by being a mega-extraverted girl who joins at first for shallow personal reasons that you see grow attached to the group and Bocchi. I find her overbearing attitude totally endearing, and her cuteness transcends reality (maybe), she’s my favorite. ~!Her feelings for the other girls are one of her driving characteristics, and while her crush on Ryo is cute and used for a lot of comic relief, but she truly shines in her motives derived from her friendship with Bocchi driving her to improve to the point she can cover for her and though maybe a bit more minor, even the first name basis she moved to by the end just felt very powerful during the watch. I love Kita so much, it's difficult to overstate, and I honestly think she's more relatable for me- knowing her motivation is sparked by the love and camaraderie she shares.!~ All of the Kessoku girls shine often in the series but even in the short time most of the supporting characters show up, I think they leave lasting impressions. Seika and Kikuri get a lot of screen time and are well loved, though the characters such as Futari and PA-san that are less spotlighted get their moments through their different approaches. **ART AND ANIMATION** BTR has an amazing quality of animation that I think many wouldn't expect coming into a seasonal like this: the animation manages to not only look great in almost all instances, but the show uses the medium to land jokes it wouldn't be able to otherwise- ~!whether it's the gritty style change when panning away during the afterparty in episode 8, the quirky real-life shots of Bocchi in the form of clay, felt, even freaking popsicle stick puppets, to even the incident of gradually devolving into the low-poly t-pose Bocchi before clipping through walls and smashing into a stack of blocks,!~ we see so many cases of BTR using the TV anime medium to defy expectations of humor in ways that genuinely left me on the floor at times. Humor aside though, you can see that the whole show is a work driven by everyone's passion being given the room and freedom to flourish, with HUGE emphasis on how much effort was put into the actual band performances as well, these being done with major respect to that medium. To an observant viewer, one can spot super subtle details present in the performances, demonstrated through times such as Nijika and Ryo's wordless communication throughout much of the Kessoku performances, along with the problem-riddled concert in episode 8 just to name some examples. Watch some of them and see for yourself just how much care was put into the production of this show down to even the most minute parts, which I pray don't go unnoticed by most of the watchers. THERE ARE points where BTR uses 3D animation, but I actually didn't even notice until it was pointed out to me. Of course, the girls are also cute- and obviously to me, Kita especially. I just wanna talk about the scene with Kita doing her omurice spell in episode 11, it's enough to kill me, good god it's so adorable. youtube(https://youtu.be/d8QWZj0IfdY ) You love to see it, I certainly do :) **MUSIC** Being a music-centric work, to little surprise the music is catchy as hell- and at times genuinely emotion-filled in addition, with respect to the plot context regarding Bocchi-chan’s somber songwriting. The show’s music and performances still continue to leave a strong, lasting effect on me even on my countless subsequent listens, in many instances the lyrics for the songs feel like the characters themselves are crying out especially when sung during their performances in eps 8 and 12. Hell, they said it themselves in the show itself that Bocchi-chan’s writing would really connect with the right crowd after all..! (I am also a crybaby that has sobbed in public listening to a few of the tracks, I can't lie). They've done an outstanding job of giving us so much to enjoy, with the voice cast collaborating with artists from the peggies, Kana-Boon, and more to bring us the wonderful endings and inserts. Kessoku Band itself is a tribute to the band ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, which has always been one of my favorite JP artists. In fact, every girl is named after one of the members of the band while sharing their instrument choice as well, and in addition, the anime chooses to name every episode after an ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION song. ~!The final episode's ending even sees Bocchi collaborate with the very band Kessoku is modeled after, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, for a cover song that formed the namesake of the first and last episodes- which I nearly exploded over when I watched the final credits roll.~ ...There's just a lot on offer for fans of the familiar artists, and to the general audience who may not be as close to these artists who grace the anime scene time and time again. **CLOSING** Thanks for taking your time to read my tangent on this lovely work, let me share my final thoughts before this too, draws to a close. img220(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkwwxAgaMAEBRHY.jpg) I think episode 8 would have been a possibly better ending point for S1, but I don't have gripes with it going to episode 12, given how high the quality of the anime was. I'm happy we get to leave off on a powerful moment for Bocchi and Kita's friendship, which is one of my personal investments. Anyhow, with our short but sweet 12 episode long concert journey now at its' end, I genuinely cannot bring myself to rate this charming anime with anything that isn't a perfect score, so I will be giving it one, as expected! I got so, so much out of watching this show, everything I've wanted to experience while watching an anime, both in the watching experience itself, and outside in the community. It's done a unique job keeping me grounded throughout my manic episodes over the last few months, too- thinking about this anime has given me a lot to talk about, and a lot to think about that isn't anxiety, ironically. BTR will likely be cementing itself as one of my favorite anime of all time for a while to come even with the quality of the Fall ‘22 season. Honestly, I'm just really happy I decided to give this anime that resonated with me on many, many levels a try- it left me laughing and crying, and even both at the same time. I don't want to let go, I will be praying on my knees for future seasons which are hopefully announced by the time the new year rolls in, if we're lucky... But what else can I say, except that we want an encore.
*Disclaimer: This is a thematic analysis rather than a classical review, so it may contain **SPOILERS**, although I have tried to keep them to a minimum. Thanks to @G0dzill2 and especially @ZNote for helping me with parts of this first review of mine!* While social anxiety is a disorder which affects many millions around the world, there are surprisingly few anime which extensively thematize it. Fortunately, *Bocchi the Rock!* is an exception to that: not only does it feature a character who is deeply troubled by their social anxiety, but it also does a fantastic job at outlining her everyday troubles with some of the most exaggerated and funniest humor I have ever seen in anime. img(https://i.imgur.com/JP1bjH8.png) Meet Gotoh Hitori, commonly being referred to as Bocchi, a young high school freshman suffering from social anxiety. Because communicating is very challenging for her, she never had any friends during her adolescence, making her withdraw into her own world. However, it’s not like she wants to be alone: as a middle school freshman, she picked up the guitar to become more popular and socialize. Three years later, she has become incredibly good at the guitar and getting very positive feedback from guitar videos she has been uploading online, but hasn’t managed to make any friends in school. Instead, her exercising the guitar alone caused her to retreat further into her own shell, still being completely inexperienced in social interactions and increasingly scared by past attempts to socialize. As a result of her not being able to react adequately in unfamiliar situations, she avoids them and instead expects others to approach her first. However, despite putting in some effort to be noticed and approached by others, no one does. *But what if someone did?* By pure coincidence, Ijichi Nijika, a student from a different high school, finds Bocchi with her guitar, and asks her to fill in as a supporting guitarist in Nijika’s band. Bocchi, caught completely off guard by this request, agrees, despite being scared by this new challenge. Subsequently, they perform in a live house with the band’s bassist, Yamada Ryo, with whom Nijika is very close with. Although Bocchi is too scared to play her guitar in front of a crowd and can’t play very well due to lack of experience playing in a band, she enjoys this experience and decides to join the band. Kessoku Band, as it’s called, is the perfect opportunity for Bocchi to grow as a person, even though it certainly won’t be easy for her. As it turns out, Ryo is not only highly skilled at playing the bass, but also very introverted, with Nijika being her only friend. However, unlike Bocchi, she enjoys being alone and doesn’t have trouble interacting with people – even though she tends to be a sadist with an above-it-all attitude. Aside from the last part, she is a great example of how one doesn’t have to be very sociable to become happy, and therefore represents a person Bocchi could strive to become similar to. Even though Ryo has some unique quirks like her unhealthy spending habits or exaggerative nature, she is, as the backbone of the band, a free spirit never fazed by anything, someone both Bocchi and Nijika can rely on, hence why she’s playing the bass. After a short while, the band gains another member thanks to Bocchi’s efforts: the extremely extroverted Ikuyo Kita from Bocchi’s school, who is keen to join the band to get closer to Ryo. Being a very popular and outgoing person, she’s the polar opposite of Bocchi, but she has one shortcoming – she can’t play her instrument of choice, the guitar. However, she’s a hard worker, and therefore tries to get closer to the skill level of her fellow band members with the help of Bocchi and Ryo. Not only is she the first person who acknowledges Bocchi’s talent, with her praise greatly boosting Bocchi’s morale, but she is also her first student as well as a beacon of positivity for the entire band who never fails to motivate the other members. However, the band doesn’t simply come into existence, it takes time to establish their identity, for the members to grow closer and practice together. Even though covering existing songs is easier for a new band, Kessoku Band decides quickly that they want to write original songs which aren’t produced to be marketable and don’t just affirm the status quo. Instead, they offer a deep insight into the mind of the lyricist Bocchi, with the lyrics not resonating with many, but potentially deeply touching those with whom they do. Kessoku Band aims to bring together a wide variety of individuals into one sound, from the introverted guitarist Bocchi to the calm bassist Ryo and the outgoing vocalist Kita. This massive variety is part of what makes Kessoku Band work, with each of the members supporting the others and elevating the others to new heights. As the band gets immersed in life house culture and starts preparing for their first concert, Bocchi happens to meet drunkard Hiroi Kikuri, who is a bassist in her own indie band, SICK HACK. Despite Kikuri’s unhealthy drinking habits, she has some valuable experience from playing in a band as well as her own past as an introvert, and uses that knowledge to support Bocchi to the best of her abilities. Moreover, she exposes the members of Kessoku Band to her band’s music, boosting the friends' motivation to improve and play music together. In turn, instead of being scared by whoever is willing to listen to her music, Bocchi learns to appreciate the audience, resulting in Bocchi being more self-confident on stage, something which has been holding her back this whole time. The impact of the band members and Kikuri can hardly be understated: As the band members grow closer, start writing original songs, and experience live houses, Bocchi’s social anxiety slowly but surely lessens. However, losing social anxiety is not an easy task: Bocchi still has to occasionally withdraw from social interactions and has trouble getting mentally and physically close to her fellow band members. Progress is slow, but she starts to enjoy longer social interactions and to dream of her becoming popular as a musician in the future. But even her dream slowly shifts from Bocchi imagining her success to her wishing for Kessoku Band’s success, resulting in the band members growing closer to each other than ever before as the common goal unites them. But how did Bocchi arrive here just now? Why wasn’t her family able to support her during her childhood? Fortunately, the anime gives us some insight into this. Futari, Bocchi’s five-year old sister, is the polar opposite of her. Outgoing and popular, Futari often cannot understand the troubles and quirks of Bocchi, while her misguided attempts to help often cause her big sister to further retreat into her own world. Meanwhile, their parents, while trying to be supportive, seem to be unsure how to handle Bocchi. Additionally, the fact that Bocchi isn’t very talkative in her household complicates communication between the family members, resulting in mistrust. This spiral is very hard to break from within, so it only makes sense for someone from outside – the band – to improve Bocchi’s situation. webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/a7e2dd9869941dab5e884c30621f4d47.mp4) While I mainly discussed the more serious parts of *Bocchi the Rock!* so far, a massive part of what makes the anime work is undoubtedly its original experiments regarding the visuals. Whether it’s the use of real life footage, highly stylized and abstract cuts, or just stunning sakuga, every second of it is either absolutely hilarious, adds to the dramatic effect, or emotional impact of the respective scene. However, unlike in other anime, these kinds of cuts appear regularly, with each episode being a new feast for the eyes. But the animators are not the only ones worth praising: the overall visual direction is stunning, elevating both comedy, music performances, and regular Slice of Life scenes to new heights. The background artists, taking inspiration from numerous real life locations, managed to capture the atmosphere of the places incredibly well. Despite the character designs being rather simple, the character designers took the original character designs to a new level, adjusting the designs to better fit the tone of the show while giving each of the characters personality. Even if a joke in this show doesn’t hit like it’s supposed to, which inevitably happens in a comedy, the visual presentation of Bocchi the Rock is sure to make more than up for it. Ultimately, *Bocchi the Rock!* does a fantastic job at treating social anxiety as a device for both comedy and introspection, while offering an intricate insight into Japanese live house culture and the life’s of the four characters. As the band grows together, Bocchi as a character becomes increasingly less introverted, being a prime example of someone who manages to overcome their social anxiety by putting in effort and in turn motivating anime fans who find themselves in a similar position. I can't possibly understate how gracious I am for the series. So yeah, this anime is pretty rock.
__Overview:__ Bocchi the Rock skillfully captures the essence of the obstacles and anxieties encountered by bedroom musicians, albeit with a touch of exaggeration. It portrays the genuine difficulties that arise when transitioning from solitary practice to performing alongside a band, as well as the immense pressure of meeting audience expectations as a gigging ensemble. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/845111870221582377/1056269559792926782/bocchelini.png) __The Production:__ The production of this show is impressive and features many references to classic anime such as FLCL, Ashita no Joe, and Evangelion. The art direction is particularly noteworthy and is one of the most visually diverse anime I have ever seen. It is not afraid to completely change its style, whether it be a bleak post-apocalyptic 90s anime or a low-poly physics simulation sandbox (this bit was hilarious). This anime was truly a pleasure to watch. In a season of anime that featured so many other great anime (Chainsaw Man, Bleach TYBW, Mob Psycho 100 III, and a new Gundam), it is beyond impressive to say that Bocchi The Rock may have had the best production of them all (in my opinion of course). Its identity is closely tied to its absurd and amazing production, and it is clear that the team behind this show had a passion for bringing the 4-Koma series to life. The animation during concerts and jam sessions was also impressive, with guitar playing that is accurately animated. It may be easy to think that with the show's visual identity, which catered heavily toward gag comedy, that it would not have much of an interesting story, but that is not the case by any means. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/845111870221582377/1056269560883445820/goodfunny.gif) __The Story and its Themes:__ In addition to its realistic portrayal of the challenges faced by bedroom musicians, Bocchi the Rock also explores deeper emotional themes and handles character development in a subtle but effective way. The main character, Bocchi, struggles with social anxiety, and the show does a great job of showing how she gradually improves and grows with the support of those around her. She has anxiety, and while that may likely never go away, this show does a great job of showing the small improvements that come from putting yourself out there. Bocchi's anxiety is often used as a source of comedy in the show, but it is handled with sensitivity and never feels like a mockery of said anxiety. While the show is primarily a comedy, there is an underlying seriousness to the way it portrays Bocchi's struggles and the comedic situations are always grounded in a sense of authenticity and empathy. Bocchi the Rock is a well-balanced show that excels both as a comedy and as a nuanced portrayal of the challenges faced by musicians, particularly those who struggle with anxiety. It handles both of these elements effectively and seamlessly integrates them into the narrative. While Bocchi the Rock is often compared to K-on due to their shared focus on music, the two shows tackle different themes and have their own unique approaches. In my opinion, the show that Bocchi the Rock shares more in common with is "A Place Further than the Universe", as both explore themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the power of small groups of individuals to achieve great things. While the two shows present these themes in different ways, they both succeed in delivering powerful and impactful messages. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/845111870221582377/1056269560162046022/bocchi4.jpg) __Bocchi Herself:__ It's easy to fall into the mindset of Bocchi being a fairly one-dimensional character whose biggest trait is simply just having anxiety, but thanks again to this story's nuances, this is not the case. Bocchi is a person who has anxiety, but Bocchi is also a person who wants attention, and she doesn't give up when faced with adversity. At times when the people around her (bandmates and audiences) are ready to give up, she refuses to stop. She wants attention, and while she may not be the best at actually getting it, she occasionally manages to pull out that "it factor". She will nervously rip out a solo in an attempt to save a botched concert performance, and she will do an impromptu street performance with a stranger she just met (just after a whole bunch of convincing). Bocchi can easily come off as an "omg she's just like me" character due to her anxiousness, but this isn't exactly the case. Bocchi is strong, Bocchi is anxious, and Bocchi wants some damn attention. img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/845111870221582377/1056269560426274866/bocchidies.gif) __Summary and Conclusion:__ I was initially intrigued by Bocchi the Rock when it was announced over a year ago as a musician who could relate to the struggles depicted in the show, but it turned out to be much more than just the regular, possibly mundane, slice-of-life series that I expected it to be. The show features visually impressive animation, clever comedy, and a plot that manages to deliver unexpected emotional punches. Bocchi the Rock exceeded my expectations and proved to be a well-crafted work of art.
Like Lycoris Recoil, Bocchi The Rock! became the next big anime of it's season, among a few others. Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to either of them. They felt decent, but not the masterpieces that people who don't watch much anime or who only watch seasonal anime claim them to be. I looked at the discussions for this, which annoyingly seemed to be mostly fighting over Bocchi's breast size vs the manga. No matter where you went, this anime was being haunted by K'on!. Yes, they do different things, but are similar enough to be comparable. As for myself, K'on! is an easy 10/10. Tragically, Bocchi The Rock! doesn't come anywhere near it. K'on! is all around better in the things it does similarly to Bocchi The Rock! which is unfortunate for this anime for those who are aware about both. That's not to say this is bad, but average. In fact, if I wasn't planning to review this anime, I would have dropped it half way into episode 4. At least, once the awkward scream rang out at the end, I felt something great was about to happen. Consequently, episodes 5-8, ending with that decent band performance, became the best parts of the anime for me, while the other episodes brought it down. Yes, all the references that this anime makes are amusing. Still, it doesn't make the anime any better. I am looking for more than that. The finale was so disappointing in that it felt like one of the plainly regular episodes, and not grandiose or climactic. It's bad enough this reminded me too much of Komi Can't Communicate, which annoyed me and ran it's joke into the ground long ago. Many find this anime relatable. However, I am not socially awkward. Thus, Bocchi's character has very little appeal to me in that sense because the appeal and writing of her character hollowly revolves around that. I appreciate the surreal and twisted animation throughout that further expresses her anxiety, but this joke got old really fast for me early on. As someone who used to be in a backyard band, I could at least relate to the main cast's growth as a band. As someone who loves good background art in anime, it offended me that the staff kept using the same shot of the moon over and over again. It's lazy. The character dynamics and development in this are very simplistic and felt weak to me. This has nowhere near the resolve or explosive character dynamics of the main cast in K'On! I heard claims that this became the best music anime. It's clear to me that there is a lack understanding and awareness of good music driven anime here. Macross 7, in my opinion, is the best music driven anime to me. On-Gaku: Our Sound and K'On! are also better examples that stomp this out. On the other hand, it has an amusing soundtrack throughout, and some good band songs. Unfortunately, the band songs in the last episode were disappointing. The comedy works decently though sometimes it can get tiring and somewhat awkwardly awful. The creativity in animation is consistent and imaginative, but I am looking for more than simple fascinations in an anime. I couldn't connect with Bocchi's passion, and felt it wasn't handled or developed that well. Her being too socially awkward, and the way that was handled, ruined that part of her character as it became too much of the focus too much of the time.
img(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X2oeNmslUck/maxresdefault.jpg) ~~~Peak fiction~~~ This may not surprise you, but I suffer from some social anxiety. I have gotten better in communicating as I grow older, but the pain in my chest constantly worrying about doing something wrong never goes away. I am far from the only one who suffers from this, and _some_ anime have noticed that too. Hitori Bocchi and Watamote come to mind. While the former is a cute comedy and the latter is... a comedy, in terms of a good representation of social anxiety is and feels like, anime hasn't quite reached that yet... until Bocchi The Rock. >"Society is too scary!" - Bocchi Bocchi follows a social anxiety ridden girl who learned guitar to join a band and become famous, but when the time comes that she actually joins a band she quickly realises that it ain't easy being a social anxiety ridden girl in a band. We then follow the story of the Kessoku Band in their quest to become popular. Most of this specific what you expect from a high school band trying to get big, which is why this is only a part of the anime. Yes, Bocchi The Rock isn't really about the Rock: It is about Bocchi. __Bocchi is the show__. We follow her POV most of the time, the comedy is mostly centered around her, it is her story, and she is amazing. She is incredibly socially anxious and constantly monologues in her own head as a coping mechanism. What makes a difference between Bocchi from Bocchi The Rock and other socially anxious protagonists from other anime like Hitori Bocchi and Watamote is that Bocchi is 1. she is hilarious (we will get to that) and 2. she is genuine about her dreams and thus you really empathise with her. While her instincts constantly want her to run away, there is always a sliver of wanting to change herself, even if she overexagerates that sliver in her head. It isn't just that the circumstances around her got her into where she is, but she pushes with the little will she has to do what she knows is right. She learns to talk to people, to look them in the eyes, to ask others to hang out. The character development she gets in this season is subtle but means so much following her story. img(https://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/d90ff80e64b545d88f1bab8e798f087f1670123606_main.jpg) And she is only able to get that development with __the rest of the cast__, which is equally amazing as her. What makes the main four so compelling is that each does so well the represent different character types that you would realistically find in real life. The yellow haired Nijka is the most dependable of the group. She takes the initiative to really get the band going, and she basically acts as the balancer of all the different personalities in the group (even if that means to tease others). She is just a bowl of sunshine in which we really see how deep her passion and dreams are. The blue haired Ryou is the quiet loner of the group, by choice that is. She loves doing things by herself, and thus has little interest in other people. She is still able to deliver great comedy, with how she tries to hide how truly incompetent she is in certain life aspects by her cool exterior (especially in money). Even if she feels like a distant figure sometimes, you really come to like her for also her deep rooted passion and just goofiness. Then we have red haired Ikuyo, the trendy lesbian (like seriously over half her jokes are about how she is down bad for Ryou). Out of the three, she has the most layers as even though she acts as a trendy extrovert with lots of friends, the social anxiety beneath it all slips through. She is still a very genuine character, wanting to support Bocchi not just because she admires her but because she wants Bocchi to succeed too. The side characters are also amazing, with each of them bringing something unique to the table. Seika, Nijka's big sister, is the adult of the anime, being really blunt but still compassionate. Kikuri is the alcoholic bassplayer who I might relate a little too much with at times. The entire family of Bocchi is are also so eccentric, especially Futari, Bocchi's little sister. I _love_ Futari for being such a bringer of chaos but always doing that out of a childish love for her sister. Her antics are some of the highlights of the show I swear. img(https://media.tenor.com/qkPV6_DL-NAAAAAd/bocchi-the-rock-bocchi.gif) Now let's get to the thing you have all been waiting for: the comedy and production. Much of the humor of this show revolves around Bocchi's extreme social anxiety and the scenarios she makes up in her head. It is the classic staple of taking something small and overexagerating it to ridiculous proportions, and the way they over exagerate here is to __create some of the best animated scenes of the year, holy crap.__ It is quite amazing how they are able to have a joke like "Bocchi is scared about making a social media account" and animate it into Bocchi having a panic attack on the ground with her glitching in reality which cuts to a Junji Ito-esque animation showing why she is scared to make a social media account. This is only one example of how wild Bocchi's imagination gets visualised. The best part about this is that they don't just get creative of how they represent Bocchi's imaginations, but also creative in what animation medium they present it in. It is close to Pop Team Epic how multi-mixed media they get in this show, and it creates some of the most visually impressive and funniest scenes of the year. But these visuals wouldn't work if the jokes weren't there to back them up, and they _back them up_. Despite most of the jokes surrounding Bocchi and her antics (which small critique can feel samey), they make them hopelessly relatable and develop them over the course of the anime. It is funny how the cast barely recognise Bocchi's anxious state in the beginning and gradually start to acknowledge and accept it until they get sucked into her anxious state too. Instead of constantly one-upping themselves, I always feel like the comedy in this anime gradually develops with the story and is able to branch out into other characters humor. img(https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bocchi-Guitar-Perspective-%E2%80%93-Bocchi-The-ROCK-Episode-5.jpg) One thing I feel like is nearly not enough talked about is the sound of this anime. Holy fuck does this anime sound good, and that isn't just in the music. Firstly, the voice acting is amazing. You really feel like the characters are talking to each other. Bocchi's voice actress Yoshino Aoyama is especially amazing, doing some incredibly impressive and funny screams of anxiety. But the real star of the show is the sound design during the musical performances. Okay, the music? Really good, the tracks are pretty catchy and fun to listen to, but when the band performs them the sound design elevates their performances to god tier status'. Instead of just playing the song in full, the production went out of their way to make special performances of the songs. This way they can tell the story not just with the characters lines, not just seeing them visually perform them, but also listening to the mix of the songs. The way that their earlier performances sound sloppy with the intrustements being a bit off key but still hearing that glimmer of something special. Then comes episode 8. Going full into spoiler territory here, ~!but when their hyped up public performances comes around in episode 8, and that with their first song you just here how off key and off tempo the band is, it really gives such an uneasy and uncomfortable experience that highlights the low point of the band. So when before the second song Bocchi drops into a solo that makes the whole room silent, and that solo dropping into the song while during the song you hear how good Bocchi's guitar is.. oh my god it gives me feelings I have never felt before during anime watching.!~ This attention to detail in the sound design elevates scenes to a higher plane. Some of the best scenes I have ever seen and heard in anime. img(https://media.tenor.com/9QRQfZpR5UAAAAAd/bocchi-bocchi-the-rock.gif) Bocchi The Rock feels like the planets alligned to make this show. An extremely tallented team who were enormous fans of the source material coming together to share their crazy creative ideas to elevate the anime into something funny, memorable and special. I freaking love this anime. I can talk about the little nitpicks I have like the pacing of certain episodes or not all of the comedy hitting, but I don't care it is absolutely perfect. It is perfect enough for me. This may not surprise you, but I highly recommend you to watch this show. I am sure you will love it too.
Who is Hitori Gotou? img1220(https://media.tenor.com/__qIkzuvZAkAAAAd/bocchi-bocchitherock.gif) An aspiring "rockstar", dreaming of fame and glory - but also a secluded introvert that's having trouble interacting with people, let alone playing the guitar in front of a bigger audience. People in her class barely notice her, so she decided to learn how to play the guitar just so she could bring it to school hoping someone would ask her about it. She's actually _really_ good at guitar, so she also made an anonymous Youtube channel to share her skill with the world. And while she's very appreciated online, she's always dreamed of playing in a band. The luck seems to be on her side, as her future friend Nijika sees her in a park with a guitar and pleads her to be a replacement for their missing band member for a gig that's happening that very evening. Hitori, being the way she is hesitant about it but gets dragged in anyway and manages to perform later that evening... with a box covering her entire body, doing her best Solid Snake impression. Still, she manages to play and makes some progress toward being a functional human being. She also joins the band on a permanent basis and gets the nickname "Bocchi" which perfectly represents her secluded nature. With Nijika, another bandmate Ryou and later the returning runaway guitarist/lead singer Ikuyo they form Kessoku Band. img1220(https://leosigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bocchi-the-Rock.jpg) The show is incredibly creative, using surreal slapstick comedy to show the scope of Hitori's emotions while switching between various different animation styles, even using stop motion and real-world imagery. Animation switching is not the surreal part though, the situations Hitori finds herself in can be quite bizarre - she can turn into various shapes and forms while occasionally referencing various art and pop culture imagery. It's hard to describe properly just how hilarious it can get, if you haven't already you should really see it for yourself. Even without the great coming-of-age story, Bocchi the Rock is worth the watch just for the comedy alone. img1220(https://animecorner.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Fj2uh82akAMYnSa.jpeg?ezimgfmt=ng%3Awebp%2Fngcb21%2Frs%3Adevice%2Frscb21-1) The other band members are also all great, each with their unique and funny perks that make them so special and more than anything - human. Ryou is an introvert like Hitori but has no problem interacting with people. Instead, she gets too excited about what she likes, that being music and more than anything - guitars. So she spends all her money on her hobbies and is left begging the other group members for food money. She's also very slick and cool about it which makes other people rarely berate her for her actions. She's also the band's songwriter and often a voice of reason. img1220(https://animecorner.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/bocchi-the-rock-nijika-ijichi-trailer.jpg) Nijika is an extrovert with a very noble goal - doing all the activities that her sister missed out on and making it big as a band. She's the head of the group and their first and second gig were both played at her sister's venue. Out of the four members, I feel like she's the least explored one. But I don't think that's a bad thing because she aims for a bigger objective and her payoff will surely come in the later seasons. img1220(https://leosigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Ikuyo-Kita-in-Bocchi-the-Rock.jpg) Last but not least, Ikuyo is an extrovert that truly shines like a sun among the group, but also other people around her. She's also got social anxiety just like Hitori, but being an extrovert she's handling it in a very different way. She's afraid of not realising people's expectations of her, but she always tries her best. Her aura is very charming which is why, unlike Hitori, she's the popular girl in her school. The supporting cast is also great, every character has a lot of personality and make each episode a joy to watch with how they interact with the main cast. My favorite supporting character would be Hitori's little sister, whose personality is a direct opposite to Hitori. Often you could even question who's the more adult out of them. With all these great aspects, you could even forget that this is actually a music show. But it is! And the music is great! Kessoku band plays various different and original songs. Like them or not, seeing the band on stage performing them should put a big smile on anyone's face. In conclusion, the show is great and it's hard to find any noticeable faults with it. The payoffs are still not that amazing, but this being the first season - it is expected for the bigger ones to come later. The best episodes are those in which Hitori manages to overcome yet another of her obstacles. Overall it is a very chill and family-friendly show, not the most exciting one but definitely oozing with charm and I can hardly wait for the continuation of Hitori's journey of becoming a true __rockstar__ .
BOCCHI THE ROCK! is a rare existence. Coincidences set in the right place and in the right time created an adaptation that went way beyond what's considered normal. An electrifying experience from Cloverworks that became as involved as the staff's passion for the source material. In its entirety the show represents what makes anime as a medium special for viewers like myself. The prevalent expressive energy from the talented animators themselves brought forth an appealing aspect profoundly showcasing the characteristic charm of actual soul. They are having the time of their lives, with collaborative efforts cluing one in on how breathtaking an endeavor this production turned out to be. The imaginative boards and direction is front and center, bursting with wildly innovative and inventive animation techniques.The story and the characters on their own merits can just as much appeal to a widespread audience. The titular character Hitori "Bocchi" Gotoh captivated viewers with her brazenly sloven disposition tooling together every single trait of social anxiety you could ever fathom. A variety of significant attributes are straightforward in inducing a degree of relatability from her due to the dire and funny situations she puts herself in as a result of her wildly extravagant delusions. Every style of animation is reserved for these impressive set pieces. The utter perplexity showcased through many disparate sequences range from inspired claymation scenes, paper cutouts integrated with 2D layouts, live action materials and real life camera footage. The list goes on and on and no one would have it any other way. It's astonishing. The undying heart remains not just adhered to the usual drawings but an expansive range of influences across genres. It's an obvious indicator that everyone comes from a place of dedication, as tongue in cheek references from niche media makes the show equally engaging. Cloverworks and by extension Producer Umehara as well as Kerorira, Keiichirou Saitou's direction and Yusuke Kawakami's live band performances and even more well-known hands enthusiastic enough to exceed their limits within a finite budget enriched this show into a one of a kind. The original property by Aki Hamaji exhibited genuine warmth and contrastingly dark humor at Bocchi's expense and this adaptation more than held up to the task in stretching that area of concentration with impressive sense of atmosphere and layouts immersed in undertones. The unique personalities that consist of the eventual motley crew Kessoku Band and others came with each one's own temperament that bounces off Bocchi's perspective viewpoint. With every one of these exchanges she gains valuable teaching moments further advancing her self-esteem. The angular approach in focusing on the introverted and extroverted lifestyles in equivalent variances makes it worth sticking around for. Differences in peculiarity is apparent with this quartet's signature closeness of intimate friendships and relationships. Properties of the concerts come with a more than involved emphasis on staging and lighting. Music choreography is off the charts, teeming with amazing vocals from the cast themselves and experienced know-how of the instruments tailor-made to impede upon an exhilarating rush. Creativity and the art of music illustrate just how beautiful chance encounters can thrive on succinct growth, a mature outlook on personal connections. The human affection laid bare in Kessoku Band's performances and character interactions elicits profoundly endearing catharsis. A beloved cast imparting grief and positive outlooks when paired in tandem with an appreciation for music as a form of closely held ties, or bonds if you will. The comedic mood of hilariously exaggerated reaction faces and illustrious manifestations of angst works wonders. BOCCHI is a master-class tooling together participants not more than willing but eager and impassioned about the thematic message this show is trying to tell. Its gradation of events smoothly embraces the touching nature a story like this can grasp for everyone involved. It lifts your spirits up exponentially. Subtle nuances are intensified with unique individuals elevating the tension and exciting the senses at a constant rate. It's a definitive mosaic of performative arts in all its brevity. Most assuredly an Anime of the Year for good measure.
This is my first anime review, on AniList at least. Bocchi The Rock was a show that I had my eyes on as soon as it was first announced. Being a K-ON! fan, I was interested to check out another band-oriented anime, and boy, this show did not disappoint at all. __Note: Some spoilers may be in this review, so view at your own risk.__ Bocchi the Rock revolves around Hitori Gotou, a pink-haired teenage girl who deals with heavy social anxiety. When things get desperate, Hitori can turn to ash, melt into a puddle, and break all the laws of physics because why not! She's approached by Nijika ijichi, who is in need of bandmates, after one of their members ran out on them. The runaway bandmate turns out to be Ikuyo Kita, a very bright and energetic girl who goes to the same school as Hitori, nicknamed Bocchi by her bandmates. We also meet Ryo Yamada, a much quieter and introverted person. Overall, all the characters are written great, but I'd have to say that Kita is my favorite of the bunch. The band aspires to grow over time, and plays several times thru the series' run. I really loved all these performances, they're really lovely, and of course the songs themselves are great, too. In general, the music and soundtrack of this series is amazing. The third ED themes was one of my favorites. I can't review this show without addressing the comedy. This might be one of the funniest shows that I've watched to date. The humor in Bocchi the Rock is immaculate. They really knew their target audience. Every episode had some kind of downright hilarious gag, from Bocchi glitching out when a suggestion to post on social media was made, to the 3D render of Bocchi being flung into a bunch of white cubes. I never thought I would call some shitpost out of Blender or whatever "top tier animation" or "top tier comedy," but here we are. Every episode of Bocchi was amazing, though I'll be honest, the last two felt a bit weaker than the rest of this otherwise amazing show. In Episode 11, Bocchi's school holds a culture festival. Bocchi fills a form to have Kessoku Band perform at the festival, then tries to throw away the form, anxious about the situation. The other girls assure Bocchi that they would love to participate, and so they prepare for the big day. Before the performance, though, the girls help out at a maid cafe, which may be why I wasn't too fond of this episode, I've already seen quite a fair share of maid cafes, but this episode wasn't bad or anything. As usual, the comedy was top notch, and it was still a fun episode. The final episode also felt a bit dull compared to the rest of the series. The high point was the actual performance of course, which was amazing. Bocchi embarrassingly decides to leap off the stage like a rockstar, but it doesn't really end all that well for her. That was embarrassing, but hilarious. Because her guitar went through some problems during the performance, the girls went to a music store to find a new guitar for Bocchi. It was pretty funny how she was so anxious and eager to leave the store that she ran out, nearly forgetting to take her newly purchased instrument with her. Those last two episodes weren't as funny or enjoyable as the rest, but that's not to say they were bad or anything. I and a lot of other people didn't expect Bocchi the Rock to do as successfully as it has to this point, and I'll be waiting eagerly for a second season, which I'll be surprised if it doesn't happen. This was an amazing show that I absolutely reccomend, especially if you liked K-ON!
#
What could be a genuinely depressing wallow into some of the funniest anime of the year? I have to admit. Bocchi the Rock may not be a masterpiece, but it is excellent in portraying its themes regarding social anxiety and lack of self-confidence. Back in 2021, there was an anime titled, “Komi-san Can’t Communicate”. It tells about the social anxiety of the female heroine and how she deals with it. Portraying such things can be so hard because it has to be relatable and realistic. Did Komi successfully portray its theme? Heck, no. It’s more of a joke and offensive to me. I think it’s the same for everybody. Then we had titles like 3-gatsu no Lion, Honey, and Clover, Uramichi Oni-san, Kara no Kyoukai, Colorful, Welcome to NHK, and the like. They successfully portrayed its themes from their own story. Finding a way out of that darkness is hard and it’s a challenge to get other people to understand what it’s like, much less help you through your tough times. Fortunately, there is much anime about social anxiety and others. No matter if you’re struggling through yourself or if you want to be able to better relate to something, sometimes these kinds of animes are great places to start. Bocchi the Rock! is the new musical anime that came out after so many years. It talks about a girl who has social anxiety, yearning to have friends, and reaching a dream of creating a band. This might be the spiritual successor to K-On, which was released a decade ago. I’ve read some reviews that it’s somewhat similar to K-On and “better than K-On” or something. However, I shouldn’t compare this to other band music animes, especially to K-On. Yeah, they are the same genre/band/whatever, but they are different. K-On is a fun school slice of a live music band and their daily lives while Bocchi is the same, but the show is portraying different themes such as social anxiety and doubtfulness. Bocchi the Rock has obvious flaws but that doesn’t mean you can compare it to K-On. I’m saying all of this as a massive K-On fan. It is still a fun and enjoyable anime, filled with colorful animation and likable characters. I will discuss the things I’ve liked and the things that aren’t or are insufficient for this show. The show has the same formula as a live music band. The only difference is the approach. It’s like they used the “what if” situation. The main characters from music animes are mostly optimistic. The main character in Starmyu, Love Live!, K-On, and many more. They all had the same dream to show their talents and reach their dreams. But Bocchi the Rock is different. Instead of using an optimistic main character, the main character there is the opposite. Bocchi, the main character of the show, is having social anxiety and panic attacks. She yearns to have a friend, and a band to play with and to reach the hearts of many people with her voice and songs. But the problem is, she’s lacking self-confidence and succumbed to the depths of despair. That’s what I like about this show. The titular character is not optimistic, brave, perfect, or confident, but she’s a fun and relatable girl for everyone. The story is solid and fun to understand. It’s like “the daily life of being an introvert” but in a musical way. This show has one of the best interpretations of social anxiety and being a person who lacks confidence as I said before. As studying in BS Psychology and am an introvert/social anxiety expert, I’m so related to the titular character and her daily antics. The portrayal of its theme is solid and so realistic. It would make you convince that Bocchi’s situation and mental health can be relatable for other people. When it comes to having delusions, panic attacks, overthinking, and the like, Bocchi the Rock nailed it. However, the exaggeration of its portrayal can be somewhat annoying. It’s like when Bocchi is having such little problems and she suddenly panics and started to overthink, it’s somewhat started turning to become pretentious. Yeah, it’s normal for that kind of person but little problems can be solved in no time so there’s no need to panic that much. The comedy in this show is a hit or miss for me. Some jokes are entertaining to watch, especially Bocchi’s reactions. It’s like I’m seeing myself in the situations she’s in. But some of them aren’t executed well or just fell flat. The punchlines are way too simple and stretched for too long. The interactions, especially in making or talking to her friends are nicely done. It would make you feel that you’re in the show. It’s nothing too complex or needs to be masterpiece-written. It's a solid, fun, enjoyable, and relatable kind of story that will make you entertain. Bocchi the Rock is a pitch-perfect story. However, Bocchi the Rock isn’t perfect. There are obvious that I’ve seen from the show. As much as I hate to mention this one, it needs to be mentioned. The problem with that is from episode 1. We noticed how Bocchi became an introvert and had social anxiety. I’m not convinced enough about how she became like that. Her backstory is that she locked herself in her room for her love of playing guitars and that because of that she simply never learned to socialize. Again, SHE NEVER LEARNED TO SOCIALIZE. There’s no specific reason why she became like that in the first place. Didn’t her parents teach her how to make friends or something? Engage in some kind of social activities or some sort of? Typically, people who completely isolate themselves from the world due to a hobby usually have an unhealthy relationship, sometimes even an addiction, to it. A normal person would do it, but really? It’s like Gojo Wakana all over again, where they suddenly both slapped the “social anxiety” label on their asses. And one more problem, I didn’t get the feeling that she wanted to play the guitar will all of her heart. She just saw a popular band member who said that being in a band is where introverts belong or some shit. It’s not she wanted to play the guitar because she wanted to play like she was inspired to do that. The characters are more or less interesting. We got a confident introvert with blue hair, a confident extrovert with blonde hair, and an unconfident extrovert with red hair. The characters have mixed-up personalities which is interesting. Her friends developed realistic viewings and lessons that the audience might relate to. The comedy between them is still a hit or miss for me, but Ryou Yamada is the funniest one from the group aside from Bocchi. I like those kinds of characters, which can be blunt yet sarcastic. Her hilarious dialogues about introversion teach the contrast between being an introvert to social anxiety. Nijika enlightens others about extroverts or outgoing people, their struggles, and their resolves. Kita views the other point of view of social anxiety which is inexperience for Bocchi. Their dynamics are somewhat entertaining because their personalities contrast with each other. It’s a solid nostalgia for many people because this is what exactly of having a conversation with a circle of friends. The character development is solid too but sometimes I’m annoyed at Bocchi’s development. Some parts from a certain episode develop but after an episode, she suddenly reverted from who she was. It’s tripping all over again at some point. The animation and art style are so beautiful. I hate CloverWokes when it comes to their animes because the story and animation aren’t balanced. But this is the first time this studio gave me a really good impression of how these two elements can balanced with each other. The art style is really beautiful and cute at the same time. The animation sequences are pretty amazing especially when they play together as a band. You can see the amazing lighting, background images, and camera panning. What I like about the show is when they use different kinds of art. They aren’t just using traditional hand-drawn animation, but they also used toys, clays, real-life arts, and absurdity art styles when Bocchi loses her mind and goes into Cyberpsychosis mode. It’s so unique and majestic at the same time. It reminds me of the OP of Honey and Clover, and some scenes from 3-gatsu no Lion. They took the advantage of the other forms of art, except the traditional chibi or comic relief of hand-drawn animations. Even the meme faces of Anya couldn’t possibly be superior to this. The music is fantastically well written too as a musician and a sound producer. It gives me a chillax vibe of every character and their daily antics. The songs that were played when they are performing on stage are catchy and can make you feel rock-n-roll at the same time. However, there’s this one problem. It isn’t sound live enough. I mean, they are performing live on stage, but it doesn’t sound like they are making a live concert at some point. It’s like they recorded themselves and they lip-synced the songs. Take a comparison from Bocchi’s live performance to K-On’s. You will see the comparison because, in K-On, the voice, the music, and the whole performance sound like you’re in a live concert. Even the concert part in the third season of Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai is sound like a live performance. This is the only problem that needs to be addressed for this show. The seiyuus are amazing, especially Bocchi’s. Her voice makes me entertain every scene and laugh at the same time, especially when she’s having hypertension. The OP and the EDs are great enough, even though I listened to it once. I admit, the songs from this show aren’t solid and iconic like from K-On, but it’s still pretty good. I have a solid blast while watching this show to the point that I consider this as one of the great animes that released these years. It’s a show overflowing with love and care, and CloverWorks did a solid one into this. To top it off with great sound quality, and reactions, to make everything not only mesh super well but also make it believable too. Some shows try so hard to get these two right, and this show has done it plenty, and it can only grow from here on, to be a real stand-out. It is quite possibly the best adaptation of a 4-Koma manga, aside from K-On. It is a fun-to-watch show, with lively characters and colorful animation, and most importantly a great portrayal of social anxiety. I’m glad I followed this train, a train fused with anxiety, absurdity, and excitement. ___Story: 9/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 9/10 Sound: 9/10 Entertainment factor: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10___
~~~img(https://sucodemanga.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Bocchi-the-Rock-pg-thumb.jpg)
Storyline
BOCCHI THE ROCK!, we start the story meeting Bocchi, an introverted girl with social phobia, her dream
is to make friends, so she decides to join a band. Years pass, Bocchi meets Nijika, a girl whose
sister has a music club, invites Bocchi to go there and audition to join the band. Bocchi arrives at
the club and is so befitting of character, she is terrified, she performs terribly training with the
girls, and at the same time is so much fun to watch. Bocchi is an anime of overcoming, with a comedy
in the middle that gives an incredible touch to the work. We have scenes of Bocchi working, music
scenes, scenes at school, they didn't skimp on the sets, it's not exhausting, each episode takes place
in different places. What makes Bocchi's story work is how well things fit together, we don't have
unnecessary episodes, this makes for a good narrative development.
img(https://www.animatedimages.org/data/media/562/animated-line-image-0222.gif)
Characters
Undoubtedly the best part of the work. Bocchi, Nijika, Ryou, Ikuyo. Each character so unique and
befitting, it's interesting to see how all humans and have their problems, Ryou came out of a band
that for her changed the style just for money. Nijika dreams of having a famous band to make her
sister proud. Ikujo is in love with Ryou, has a great development, she realizes over time how
important the girls are to her and that the band goes beyond a love for someone, she feels like making
a real effort to please the public and of course Bocchi , trying to overcome his social phobia and
maybe follow in his father's footsteps as a guitarist. Kikuri, undoubtedly one of the most important
characters in the work, a reflection of Bocchi, an introverted woman who teaches Bocchi how to improve
this feeling of not belonging, is present in practically every anime and is very relevant. The
interesting thing about Bocchi The Rock is how all the characters introduced have density and a great
participation in the script, no character is out of place, everyone has their due development at the
right time, this makes the work curious and fun.
img(https://www.animatedimages.org/data/media/562/animated-line-image-0222.gif)
Design, Animation
As usual CloverWorks putting on a show, no matter what genre of anime they take the animation is
always impeccable, the character designs are also unique. The camera angle is simply sensational, we
alternate from various perspectives in the shows, such as showing the guitar, solo and a distant
angle, giving a clear sense of depth.
img(https://www.animatedimages.org/data/media/562/animated-line-image-0222.gif)
Genres
The genres fulfill each other well, we have a very good and functional comedy, complementary jokes, a
clear way to alleviate Bocchi's social phobia disease, very intelligent. We have an excellent
overcoming drama and, of course, this is due to the good development of the characters, which makes us
empathize with the characters.
img(https://www.animatedimages.org/data/media/562/animated-line-image-0222.gif)
Conclusion
Bocchi The Rock is an unmissable anime. The direction and production are at an absurd level, the
characters are captivating, the story is good and functional, the genres connect without overheating.
I hope it wins the Anime Awards in the categories it competes in, it would be well deserved, I
recommend it.~~~
Bocchi the Rock is probably one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 anime. It came out of nowhere and is now one of the most well-rated animes of all time. But does that grade suits the anime? Definitely yes. This anime was a fantastic experience, and here I'll share with you a few reasons why this anime is so good. Bocchi the rock is a comedy, slice of life, CGDCT, and musical anime, and because of that, you might think that it won't have a good story or proper character development right? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. Actually, I couldn't have been more wrong. At first, I didn't have much hope in this anime, the only reason I started to watch this anime was because of the studio and because I wanted a comedy anime to watch in the season. Thankfully my decision, despite the reasons that lead me to it, was very good, and this anime became one of my all-time favorites. Before we start, english is not my main language, so I apologize if there are any errors in the text. Also, this is a spoiler-free review. ------------ STORY AND CHARACTERS Bocchi the Rock is an anime about Gotou Hitori, a girl that has social anxiety and decides to start playing the guitar to enter a band and become an extrovert and popular person. However, years have passed and she still hasn't entered a band. That's when our other girls appear and ask her if she can join their band for a presentation they have. From that, the anime starts the story and the character development in a very consistent way that doesn't leave at any point the comedy aside and was able to deliver a few very dramatic and beautiful scenes. ~!"That's why you should keep showing us. Showing us Bocchi-chan's rock. Bocchi the Rock!"!~img220(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KF6ZAWeUsYs/maxresdefault.jpg) When it comes down to the characters, all of them were very amusing. All of them were fun in their own way, and a nice thing to notice is that all of them help Bocchi's (Gotou Hitori) character to evolve in a way that suits them. For example, one of the side characters that we get to meet is Kikuri Hiroi, a drunk bass player that is completely crazy and has a lot of confidence, so because of that, the way that she helps Bocchi is completely crazy, and it works, from that insane situation that she put Bocchi in Bocchi learn new thinks and her character gets developed. That is done with all the characters and is a nice thing because in that way the character development doesn't see something forced and that happens because the script needed it to happen. img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/000675dfc6d4325f97212c9c66e1d2b6/2de0bbaef0341005-ec/s640x960/543374c8186658a115822243fa04ea7cfc63c00a.gifv) ---- COMEDY AND ANIMATION Well, it may see od that I'm talking about two completely different things in the same place. But the most fun parts of the anime were the moments of the visual comedy, so that's the reason why I'll talk about it together. CloverWorks did a MASTERPIECE when it comes to animation, and that alongside a super creative director gave us one of the best visual comedy to be seen so far. You will laugh, no matter how old you are, or what is your type of humor, you will simply laugh and behold the infinite creativity that was necessary to make all those iconic scenes. img220(https://media.tenor.com/qkPV6_DL-NAAAAAd/bocchi-the-rock-bocchi.gif) The comedy time is perfect, and I truly believe that it fits every comedy type you enjoy the most. The characters are extremely fun, and you will sympathize with at least one of them, also, each character brings with them a different type of comedy, based on the personality they have, which makes the show very diversified. The most fun character is our mc, and all of her comedy will happen because of her social anxiety. Here you might think "won't this get boring with time?" No! Like I said, the creativity of the director is something out of this world, so every scene will be different and will take the joke already told to a whole different level. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUSIC So, this is a music anime, so music it's something I have to talk about. And being honest, I like all of the songs. ALL OF THEM. Every song it's just amazing and I love to listen to them on my Spotify (I do it every day). The lyrics are very related to the anime, and it's very coherent with our mc, the character who writes the lyrics. The musical performances are also something that I need to talk about. I'm a fan of CloverWorks since Bunny Girl, and I do believe that they are the best studio for slice of life type of anime. But this is a different thing, realism is something necessary, so I had no idea how they would handle it. And well, the performances are just magnificent. They look gorgeous and very real, to be honest. The final performance of the anime has a scene that focuses on the drums, and it was VERY real. It really felt like I was watching a drum being played. The guitars and the base scenes were also very realistic for me. That combined with incredible songs and a fantastic sound direction made the music being played seen live. There were a few parts where the song in the anime is different from the one that is on the streaming, and that is because of the things that happen on a stage when you are making a presentation, sometimes things go wrong, and they were capable to show us that with not only the visual part but the audio as well. img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/3ab8272429130488328fbf1767819d98/0bf9f34343f74a6c-88/s540x810/2c2dbbadcf463baf71abe2febdd17766fa4734f0.gifv) img220(https://media.tenor.com/uDVl2mD3ZI8AAAAC/bocchi-the-rock.gif) ----------------- Conclusion So you have a very funny anime, with gorgeous animation, a lot of good songs, with plot and character development. I mean, that could sound like a lot to ask, but well, Bocchi the Rock manages to deliver all of that and more somehow. I became a massive fan of the show, its characters, and it's songs, and I can say that this is the best Fall 2022 anime, if not the best 2022 anime. So trust me, watch it, you won't regret it.
~~~__If there was an anime show that provided cute high school girls rocking out in a band with appealing visuals, outblown funny, and just a spectacle overall, what would it be?__ _That would be K-ON!_ __I forgot to include that the main lead is an adorable socially-anxious introverted pink-haired girl that, objectively, everyone finds relatable to and also... hides in a box. __ ... _That would be Bocchi The Rock!_ ~~~ ____ With the fall season making up a wide variety of shows, such as the chaotic Chainsaw Man, the final season of Mob Psycho, Blue Lock and the sixth season of MHA, almost nobody expected this season's surprising underdog, dark horse and possible contender of Anime of the Year, that goes to Bocchi The Rock! It swept under the radar for most before receiving a phenomenal amount of popularity and critical praise in the form of episode clips on social media platforms, and that struck my eager past self to watch the unusual buzz and fuzz this show has been getting over the past few weeks. And surprise, surprise, this show completely blew me away. The multi-faceted characters, the slapstick and absurd comedy, and its endearing and charming art style swaying in front of the gorgeous background art reigning continuously to the riveting performance segments of them blasting their instruments and having a great time overall - all constitute a gratifying and emotional journey from start to finish in a span of twelve episodes. Therefore, shall we start this review? # --- PREMISE --- A teenage, socially reclusive, and introverted girl named Hitori Gotoh, who absolutely rocks playing the guitar, known as the renowned "guitarhero" on the internet, tries to jumpstart her boring life by bringing out her guitar one day at school, hoping to garner attention. Unfortunately, her social skills aren't the greatest and ultimately fail to no avail. However, after being invited to Kessoku Band (who later nickname her "Bocchi") as a replacement for their former guitarist, she strives to work hard and appease her bandmates in her journey to conquer her introverted attitude and make her way to the top with a newfound band (finding herself in some hijinks along the way). Viewing the premise does not give strong vibes that this would be an "Anime of the Year" contestant anytime soon. To put it strictly, it's another one of those shows where the main individual (with some sort of issue) gets carried by their newfound friend/s they happened to meet one, coincidental 'special' day helping them fix said issue, right? I think that premise is totally unoriginal, uninnovative and monotonous, right, like hmm, almost like every drama/slice-of-life anime? Right? Yes and no would be my answer. I admit this premise has been utilised before to a variety of directions and paths to follow, Bocchi being one them. With that said, this path slowly starts to diverge from other shows, mashing the CGDCT and music genres altogether alongside a vivid and distinctive cast with their respective intricacies. Just ask yourself why was there even a surge in popularity of Bocchi The Rock casting other top shows of this season out to the window? And that was what separates Bocchi The Rock from the ordinary to the extraordinary. It's unique in its own way, grandiloquent, and it manages to expand from existing archetypes to create a pleasant, fun and fantastic experience throughout. Even though you might encounter problems with Bocchi The Rock!, you cannot deny it did capture or did something special to win the heartstrings of the entire globe. # ---THE CAST--- __Bocchi/Hitori "Pink-Haired" Girl Gotoh__ - Our main character everybody raves for who appears rather amusing in every Bocchi-The Rock! thumbnail you see (whilst also suffering in disguise); she's the main star of the show. Stigmatised with crippling social anxiety (which its portrayal truly feels genuine albeit slightly exaggerated), she tries to rework her personality to better adjust to her new friends and the challenges that pursue her. Self-improvement is heavily apparent in Bocchi The Rock. Although I crave a more thorough fleshed-out development of Bocchi-chan in which she transitions to a more outgoing individual, that would diminish the realism aspect that swiftly in only twelve episodes. Case in point, her character gradually shifts to achieve that change but not abruptly or quickly to keep those Bocchi-targeted gags running; it unquestionably works in the show's context. However, there are some instances where she breaks free from that caricature, and when it does happen, the show nails the job done blazingly. Moreover, I sympathised with her character just from the first episode, which undoubtedly nails the thrust into her deplorable situation; not just me; literally, almost everyone can relate to this. Find another review on Bocchi The Rock!, and the word "relate" would appear every time. Every single time, I cannot stress this enough. In my eyes, this is what made the show "click" to many viewers and how a subconscious attraction commenced bringing forth this aspect of "oh, I can relate to that," to tremendous effect. Let me explain. A little while back, the adaptation of Komi-san similarly dealt with social anxiety. However, Komi-san's great weakness was her inability to express herself because, well, she cannot communicate a single word or line, making her an irritable character from the get-go. Since the show does not deliver that "oh, i can relate to that" aspect, as mentioned earlier, it flopped, flipped and fall because there's nothing more to her character we can resonate with (and there's precisely the reason why I dropped the show, sorry Komi fans). On the flip side of the spectrum, Bocchi expresses herself in multiple monologues ranging from sentimental to out-blown hilarious, fulfilling the aforementioned reliability of tremendous effect. With that effect rolling, the hikikomori Bocchi works stupendously as a main character to lead and, again, fulfil a show of relatability. She might be my favourite character to come out in 2022, and that's saying something. __Ryou "Blue-Haired Girl" (Senpai) Yamada__ - The cool (and wildest) character of the bunch, she fits the word "introvert" of the bunch. Unlike Bocchi, she's more willing to communicate with her peers, and when she does, she exerts a whole lot of one-liners which are a blast to get hold of - she's the living personification of that one stone-faced emoji. Not always, but most of her dialogue is just one-liners, which is not necessarily bad; it fits her qualities well. Her character is reminiscent of mine, unfathomably lazy, brimming with the knowledge to lecture, and as a bonus: has the most deadpan and superficial of remarks to splutter on screen - she's so aberrant, I love it. __Nijika "Yellow-Haired Girl" Ijichi__ - The upbeat and cheerful leader of the band, she's that one girl who motivates everyone at their lowest of lows and is an inspiration to all. And yeah, that's about it. To be frank, I kind of liked her at the start, but it soon got overshadowed by the other characters of the roster. Her character is limited to make people feel motivated over and over again, it honestly feels tedious. Now, I want to disclaim I don't dislike her completely. I suppose looking back, her character does crack a fruitful of jokes and heartfelt lines, and also plays a vital and crucial role in some scenes, but when compared to the rest of the cast suiting various personalities, she feels the most "withdrawn" in that archetype. Everyone's bubbling around in their own way and that what makes them special, but for Nijika, her screentime and characterisation makes the speciality a harsh killing blow - a detriment from the way I see it. __Ikuyo "Red-Haired Girl" Kita__ - The outgoing and sweetheart of the main four, she fits the stereotype of an extrovert so much, it's sometimes overbearing. It isn't a complaint, but as a fellow introvert, her aura was too much to handle and funnily enough, her ginormous social aura complements the jokes and gags. She serves as a complete contrast to Bocchi, a foil to her in every single way. Actually, if you could rank the fellow members from least social to most social, it'd be: Bocchi, Ryou, Nijika and lastly, Ikuyo. Ikuyo, I mean, Kita, well - she has the most friends, has the most-followed Isstagram account, constantly takes group pictures whenever she has the chance, and like Nijika, motivates her bandmates as the hijinks follow. She's that girl, and honestly, she suits the main squad perfectly. I really thought I wouldn't like her at the start, but she surprisingly grew on me, and maybe that's because of her interactions with Bocchi and the gang. But whatever the reason was, it worked. Finally, the rest of the cast follows Bocchi's family: her supportive parents, her sweet sister and the family dog Jimihen (ah, I see what you did there), the manager, the other girl who accompanies the long-haired manager, the other one, the drunken booze lady ... yeah, I forgot their names. Every individual I mentioned has their moments assisting Bocchi, and those range from damn wholesome to out-blown hilarious like you'd expect. # ---VISUALS--- The visuals are nothing more than an eye-pleaser. It's well-polished, capturing the essence and lighting of each scene, and neat as they are, there's a level of careful thought in the production department that makes it the real deal. The output of imagination drawn out and the attention to detail in some of the camera angles and shots are top-notch immaculate, carrying the medley of emotional imagery in the frame. In addition, they compensate and serve the comedy significantly; more on that in a bit. The moeblob character designs look equally as impressive and memorable, too, and I indisputably adore the realistic haircut fringes of the main four. A minor gripe I have with the show would be the performance sequences. Don't get me wrong, they still have that essence of detail exuberating with the aforementioned cinematography dynamics, and they sound great and prosperous in substance; however, there's something about their character models looking stiff and jarring playing their respective instruments. I assume it's the CGI compositing or perhaps even rotoscoping involved, and they brought the immersion a tad down, I'll say. Likewise, it'll be difficult to 2D-animate the absolute precision when playing, so I can see why they went for it. And again, I would like to reiterate that's an acute nitpick of mine. So don’t cancel me Twitter, or should I say in terms of Bocchi’s universe: That Twit Twit App. # ---SOUND--- Firstly, I would like to address that the VA's performances were simply incredible. I can't give enough credit to Bocchi's VA, the real standout, she delivers that withdrawn yet simultaneously seizing the bombastic and crazed voice of Bocchi's. Her vocal range is damn exceptional. The rest also felt and fit their respective personas firmly, Nijika's and Kita's sounding high-pitched and cheery, and the offbeat Ryou, who's sounds so dead inside. Nobody, and I mean nobody, said inferior or out of place, they damn fit their characters (including the side ones) and further exemplify the terrific casting of the seiyuus. When a joke is inbound, their vocal delivery is so immaculate it adds to heightening up the execution greatly of the wacky comedy in this show (again, more on that in a bit). Also, the show's sound director (Akiko Fujita) needs to be more acknowledged, him leading the sound department to produce this level of sound design and mixing, the right timing and the integration of instruments orchestrating - such pristine, how pristine. Speaking on the subject of musical performances, everything makes up perfectly. the band rocking out with riveting instruments at play, the clanging of the drums, the slap of a bass, the fingerpicking of a guitar amped up as the main vocalist sings, blooms an enticing atmosphere encompassing and filling the setting with noise, glowsticks at large, what more can I add? Without a doubt, whoever was behind the instrumentation and the immense prepping in the studio to create this bombastic of a performance needs a gold medal right away. All and all, it's a massive tour de force from Cloverworks. Yet again, during some earlier scenes, when mistakes during the playing were made, (as per intention of the ensuing narrative), it was a stretch barely audible that something felt off as everything all at once felt strung together perfectly which until I increased the volume which now, I can hear. I thought it'll be more noticeable, but unfortunately, I think they were too focused at the prospect of making this sound good to listen to the viewer - maybe that's a me thing, though. Also, I've noticed a ton of individuals complaining from one web/online form to another that these musical numbers sound so generic, but c'mon, what did you expect? You can't receive Radiohead-level songwriting, swooning and melodicoulous vocals and such rich textures to constitute a flavourful musical number/song/performance - they debuted from Pablo Honey, and that's generic enough to make my ears bore. My point is, it had to happen this way. Or you could wait for the psychedelic band spin-off coming out in Nonever, another regular month in the Bocchiverse. On a brighter note, can we all applaud the idea of fictional bands performing the opening, the ending and songs played in a show? It fits suitably within the context of a band-music genre of a show, and was damn meta-inducing: you could say my mind was blown to bits, in a good way of course. I know K-On did that before, but it is a nice nod, nevertheless. ~~~~~~ # --- THE THING EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT: COMEDY --- On the other hand, what about its comedy? Well, dear reader, comedy is a tough egg to crack in my eye, a difficult genre to master, as it requires a balance of timing, delivery, and unexpected twists. It's great to see a show that can achieve this and provide a consistently entertaining and humorous experience for its audience, and that's precisely what Bocchi The Rock captures. Most shows fail to nail a single line; some rely on punchlines and visual, witty gags and references to deliver me only just a slight chuckle. This show cleverly utilises comedy to its highest grandeur standard, with the only thing that can come quite close being Kaguya Sama's slapstick comicness; still, Bocchi manages to elevate that level to even greater heights. Bocchi's The Rock's comedy is stupendously brilliant and widely imaginative in its planning and execution, its significant selling aspect of the widespread buzz and hype in the media. Some could say it's the pinnacle of comedy, a sentiment I surprisingly agree with more or less. The VA's performances capture the range of humour, the work of editing cut at the perfect time to enhance a gag impact and the final block of the lot: the animation and art style cement itself as the icing on the cake, constantly changing to benefit the many jokes. Some jokes and gags are the typical types and straightforward, such as the show's use of facial expressions, a momentary pause from literal excitement to an "eh?", or Bocchi's tidbits of narration in the most outlandish of moments, yes, those are still quirky and fun. However, that does not come close to the "other" comedic bits spread throughout this show. If there were one sentence that can encapsulate those, it would be: you really didn't need to do this, yet you did it anyway. This show's inventive technical competency in producing comedy is its greatest asset, paving the way for the wackiest yet surreal sequences blooming in life. It is a definite over-the-top treat. You could argue these instances feel dragged out and too absurd for conventional anime viewing, but it also gives a nice change of pace to most shows in the comedy genre, leaning more toward the experimental side. I find myself to be neutral on both points: Sometimes, the shift in art style and animation might get too over-excessive, but from a studio perspective, the flame of passion within the production team for adapting the manga and bringing those jokes to life in an animation format instead of disregarding them and bringing lukewarm and lazy half-assed jokes to the table warms my heart enough. It fully captured the heart of its source material and went forward with it. Cloverworks, you mad lad, you have finally done a show justice, more than justice, if I may add. Not to mention, its experimentalism has generated the many compilations and montages you can find on Youtube, Reddit, or other social media applications. Looking back, that is seriously impressive, considering Bocchi was mostly unheard of in the general public - I didn't know this comforting yet bombastic of a show existed before it started appearing on my feed aplenty. Either way, to sum it up, Bocchi's comedy is a gem to behold, nothing else. It's gushing with cleverness, tight-knit with ingenuity in delivering some of the most notable laughjerkers in a while. Nothing can ever be the actual "peak" of comedy, something we can all laugh and chuckle about like a madman. Remember, comedy is subjective. But what it has done is it took one step forward, brimming with creativity, for it solidified as one of the greatest in the artistic medium of animated comedy. That's a bold compliment, yes, but we can all see the same picture here: it's golden. _Edit: About the "too absurd for conventional anime viewing" statement I've written, I've watched FLCL thereafter that, and that's even more wackier than this. Might make a review on that though, but it's quite a chore to get through that one._ #~~~---FINAL THOUGHTS---~~~ After reading all of this, I'm pretty sure you can conclude I very much enjoyed the time together with Bocchi The Rock! The premise may be simplistic in nature, but I definitely won't forget the farcical but unique slapstick comedy, the exaggerated but authentic portrayal of social anxiety, the dear friends we made along the way, genuinely enticing musical numbers and versatile vocal performances, the depressive alcoholic spiral in our mid-30s: this show has it all. This is Cloverworks’ redemption arc starting here all out, I’m calling it. I rarely give out a score around 90-ish, personally. However, this show is an exception; it deserves the high praise and success it's received over the past few weeks. And as a side notice, after this significant explosion in acclaim and popularity, there's been a ton of extra content in marketing in promos, stitched clips, BTS footage and interviews to consume on Youtube. I highly recommend those if you have already checked out the show. ~~~__Anyhow, a round of applause to Kessoku Band, please.__ ~~~ _*Revised on 22/1/2023 and 23/5/24 I want to say upon further reflecting, this show dwindled in terms of impact over time (to me that is), I feel it isn't worthy of a 90 anymore. Sure the comedy is peak, and the characters are practically unforgettable, but there are more shows to me that nails each quality of what a show needs to bring to table than Bocchi. So regrettably, my new score is a rough 85._ ~~~img600(https://tenor.com/view/bocchi-the-rock-bocchi-yay-hype-party-gif-27119015.gif)~~~
Bocchi the Rock! is a seriously cute and enjoyable slice of life anime that follows the story of Hitori, also known as Bocchi, as she navigates the challenges of high school and forms a band with her classmates Nijika, Ryo and Kita . One of the things I loved about this anime is the character development of Bocchi, who starts out as a shy and socially anxious high school student but gradually becomes more confident and outgoing as she becomes a part of the Kessoku Band. It was really satisfying to see her grow and overcome her fears, and I think a lot of viewers will be able to relate to her struggles. The other characters in the band, Nijika, Ryo and Kita, are also really likable and well-developed. Nijika is a bubbly and energetic drummer who is always supportive of Bocchi, Ryo is a more reserved bass player who has her own struggles and insecurities, while Kita is energetic, full of confidence and persistent. I thought the dynamic between the four of them was really well-done and believable, and it was fun to see them bond and support each other as they worked towards their goals. One of the things that really stood out to me about Bocchi the Rock! was the way it explored the challenges and joys of being in a band. From finding a place to perform to completing their lyrics, the Kessoku Band faced a number of obstacles as they tried to make a name for themselves in the music scene. However, despite these challenges, they always stuck together and supported each other, and it was really heartwarming to see them work towards their goals as a team. In addition to the main plot, Bocchi the Rock! also includes a number of comedic and lighthearted moments that kept me smiling throughout the series. Whether it was Bocchi freaking out for her silly insecurities, Ryo being Ryo or the band members reacting to each other's online videos, there were plenty of funny moments that added some levity to the story. Bocchi the Rock! shares some similarities with K-On! in terms of its focus on the joys and challenges of being in a band. Both series explore the relationships and dynamics between band members and the challenges they face as they try to make a name for themselves in the music scene. However, while K-On! focuses more on the high school slice of life aspect and the characters' relationships with each other, Bocchi the Rock! puts a greater emphasis on the individual character development of its protagonist and her struggles with social anxiety. Both series are heartwarming and entertaining, but they have slightly different tones and approaches to their themes. Overall, I would highly recommend Bocchi the Rock! to fans of slice of life anime and music-themed shows. It's a heartwarming and entertaining series that celebrates the power of friendship, self-improvement, and the joys of making music with others. Whether you're a seasoned musician or just a music lover, there's something in this anime for everyone. The characters are likable and well-developed, the story is engaging and heartwarming, and the music is catchy and fun. All in all, Bocchi the Rock! is a must-watch for any fan of the genre.
__~~~BOCCHI THE ROCK! : The Unheard Contender~~~__ Honestly, I don’t really think I can verbalize how much I love [ _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_](https://anilist.co/anime/130003/Bocchi-the-Rock/) and what made me love it so much. Well, I will try my best on it. With that being said, here we go, a quick review of my Anime of the Season, _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ # __Overview__ Adapting a [_YonKoma_ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonkoma)manga from [_Manga Time Kirara_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga_Time_Kirara) with [the same title](https://anilist.co/manga/111258/Bocchi-the-Rock/) by Aki Hamaji, _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ is a story about [Hitori (Bocchi) Gotoh](https://anilist.co/character/257562/Hitori-Gotou), a lonely pink-haired girl who has some social anxiety which kind of inhibits her from interacting with other people and socialize with her classmates. In this given situation, when she felt impossible to say hi and started a convo with her classmates, what do you think she would do? Yes, waiting for someone to start a convo with her. But, to actually have a good convo, it’s ideal to have the same interest in a particular topic to talk about. Like hobbies, idols, films, or anything. Fortunately, Bocchi is inspired to become a guitarist after seeing an interview on TV with a guitarist of a band saying that he used to be the guy who pretends to read in the corner of the classroom and had no friends, but, even introverts have a chance to shine in a band. Electrifies with a sort of relation to him, Bocchi took an interest to became a guitarist herself. Then, someone would start a convo with her when she shows that she loves rock bands you think? Nope. She spent all her mid-school days without someone even bothering to talk to her even when she brought A LOT of rock band goods and even his dad’s guitar. That’s all and all, until a certain yellow-haired -topped with a Doritos- girl, invites her to replace a guitarist in her band who happens to be a runaway. And the rest is history … # __Bocchi and those who relates to her__ Finding a fragment of oneself in a media grew some kind of relations, connections, sort of shootouts, and validations, that what actually one felt, experienced, and thought, is actually real. That one is not the only one. That one is not alone. Hence why, when it comes to media/works that actually one finds relates to them, it’ll hit different. That is what _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ is all about. The social anxiety gestures, traits, and behaviors that this anime shows maybe sometimes were kinda over-the-top and exaggerated. But most of it, maybe not on that dramatic level, is actually related as f*ck, and felt like a personal attack. The way Bocchi walks back and forth in front of Starry, the way she overthinks what she should say when came to a restaurant on how to open the door and how to order, the way she procrastinates laying in her room with smartphones, the way she overthinks inside her head when interacting with someone, the way she reacts and thinks on social media. Most of them so felt like ‘she’s just like me fr fr’. Little details, small acts, that often overlooked by the majority of the community, but when it is felt by those who actually do the same, it hits different. #__How _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ manages to stand out__ Fall 2022 is a packed season of anime. A lot of great anime airing this season, like you mention it, the long-awaited _[BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War](https://anilist.co/anime/116674/BLEACH-Sennen-Kessenhen/)_, [_Chainsaw Man_](https://anilist.co/anime/127230/Chainsaw-Man/) whose fans had hyped it like crazy when it was announced, [_My Hero Academia_](https://anilist.co/anime/139630/Boku-no-Hero-Academia-6/) reaching its climax, the popular [_Spy X Family_](https://anilist.co/anime/142838/SPYFAMILY-Part-2/) having its second cour, the final arc of [_Mob Psycho 100_](https://anilist.co/anime/140439/Mob-Psycho-100-III/), [_Blue Lock_](https://anilist.co/anime/137822/Blue-Lock/), etc etc. And are you telling me that an unknown anime called _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ finds its way to be one of those anime that stands on top this season according to many anime rating media on the internet? Why the heck is this happening? >[Bocchi the Rock! is now the highest rated non-sequel anime of Fall 2022, passing Chainsaw Man! ?](https://twitter.com/myanimelist/status/1604189821756313600?s=20&t=Mj80-oJtIXq6iRnU-SzJcw) Like we’ve seen many many many Kirara adaptations. This year, we have [_Slow Loop_](https://anilist.co/anime/127549/Slow-Loop/), [_Machikado Mazoku 2-choume_](https://anilist.co/anime/123330/Machikado-Mazoku-2Choume/), and [_RPG Fodousan_](https://anilist.co/anime/130319/RPG-Fudousan/). But they never actually climb their way up in the community to be talked about here and there. The last thing we have is [_K-On!_](https://anilist.co/anime/5680/KON/) many many years ago. What on the earth makes _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ so special? The thing is its production value. You see, this anime is slapping you week in and week out this season with full of creativity and stunning stuff in all production aspects. Like, you name it, smooth animation, distinct art style, photo-realistic background, astonishing camerawork, bold directions, stop motions, background music, sound directions, and many more. Enhancing and elevating emotions, feelings, thoughts, gags, convos, and the storytelling itself into the next dimension. Generally, [I tweeted about this each week on my Twitter](https://twitter.com/ln_amaru/status/1578805865104433152), check on them if you’re interested. Thus, I won’t talk about that in detail, especially what actually happened in the production kitchen. Well, let’s leave that part for sakubuta bros to handle. All of that while also having reference-rich details as the cherry on top. Like you see, all of Kessoku Band members are actually named after [Asian Kung-Fu Generations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Kung-Fu_Generation) (Ajikan) members. The same as 12 episodes of _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_. All of them are named after Ajikan song titles except for episode #08. And if you see it properly and you are well-known about Japanese Rock, most of the band posters on the wall in this anime reference something, like [Kana-Boon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kana-Boon), [Radwimps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radwimps), Ajikan, and many more. Furthermore, they did some anime and real-life TV shows references. What I find exceptional about these diverse directional quirks is the balance and rhythm to harmonize them. You see, when it comes to gags and overthink Bocchi, they went wild with the art style and direction, like using stop motions with dolls, popping a real-life ballon, psychedelic visualization, and much more. But then it’s grounded when it comes to serious tone scenes like serious convos. Especially when it comes down to the live performance. They took it so realistically and did exceptionally well to convey the main cast’s rhythm, feelings, and nervousness through small animation gestures and gazes. Not to mention the sound direction in their lives, _emuacchh_. Also, they use the BGM actually became a switch to change a tone, you will hear a distinct rhythmic BGM when they switch the tone of the show. #__Breaking the Internet__ With anime becoming more and more popular nowadays, we’ve seen many anime going to become a kind of trend on the internet. Remember earlier this year we’ve seen how [Marin Kitagawa](https://anilist.co/character/133676/Marin-Kitagawa) becoming everyone’s waifu, how [Anya Forger](https://anilist.co/character/138100/Anya-Forger) and family finding their way to gain popularity across mainstream fans, how people hyping _Chainsaw Man_ adaptation and endlessly barking along the way, also how [_Lycoris Recoil_](https://anilist.co/anime/143270/Lycoris-Recoil/) is having one of the most iconic lesbian couples of all time while having an absurd amount of fanart throughout the internet, not to mention its ending song was so iconic that [it’s becoming a meme](https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3ed) itself. Picking up the baton, _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ finds its own way to break the internet. The memes, fanarts, and what I find it impressive is the trend with [#BTRbandparody](https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/btrbandparody) where album covers of many bands are getting parodies with Bocchi-themed fanarts. This trend actually was following a lot of JRocks references that _Aki Hamaji_ has done in the manga. #__Afterwords__ Well, that’s all that I can talk about _BOCCHI THE ROCK!_ Kinda happy that many people enjoy anime from my niche which rarely anyone enjoying them as much as I did. With all the experience and enjoyment that I got from this show, personally, I would give a solid 10/10. __that’s all, folks.__
A nice spin on the "high school girls doing things after school" genre, the best way to tackle the theme of social anxiety in a light way and some great artistic choices, may make this anime of the season for many people. The plot is very simple (it is a slice of life after all) but it achieves what it sets out to do beautifully: a terribly introvert girl has a hobby that’s usually for extrovert people, so she has to fight against her social anxiety to finally share her passion with someone else. How it’s told, though, is beautiful, showing a slow and steady growth for the main character, sure, but also showing a lot of failure and huge setbacks, some of which can’t even be overcome, yet this allows the characters to have a happy ending that’s different from what they imagined, but that’s good nonetheless. The characters are what makes you love this anime, as they walk the thin line between overused stereotype and great writing, two of them especially: Hitori (better known as Bocchi) and Kita. Kita seems like the usual “so cool she actually shines” type, and she kinda is, but the show makes her great by giving her flaws (the fact she ghosted her band little before a show, the fact she can’t really play as she told everyone, the mundane reason she has for joining the band in the first place), and by making her assume that everyone is just as good as hera t everything, which leads to shenanigans along the way. For Bocchi, she may look like the typical shut-in introvert (and she is at first), but the fact that she actually wants change and fights herself to achieve it makes every setback very realistic and relatable. When she fails it’s not for lack of trying, the way she reacts to situations she is stuck in is always the best someone very creative could do if they were in her situation (leading to modern classics like the mango box). We also see that Bocchi does indeed change along the way, but not really, and this is what makes her great: she overcomes her fears, not by not being afraid anymore, but by coping with them and being inventive when problems that only she can solve arise (what happens at the beginning of the final episode for example). In one word, she is relatable, especially to everyone who suffers, or has suffered, from her same issues. The art style and artistic choices in general are great, especially for representing Bocchi’s feelings: when she is drowning in her misery the style usually completely changes, which is not only hilarious for the viewer, but it also opens up chances to break the fourth wall, as usually the other character acknowledge what’s happening (“Bocchi exploded!”). Also, these moments usually reference other much more famous anime, by replicating some scenes almost exactly at the most unexpected times. I don’t need to talk much about sound, it’s great (what did you expect from a music anime?) not only during performances, but also the opening and endings and the soundtrack in general. To wrap this up, this is an interesting watch for many people: anyone who played an instrument in their teenage years, introverts, slice of life lovers, music anime lovers, people who enjoy a different art style every once in a while, and among more action focused options and other animes in the same genre which I think slightly missed the mark, Bocchi The Rock is probably your best bet if you’re looking for something laid back and fun this season!
ستوديو (كلوفر ووركس) قدم سنة عظيمة ، ثلث اعمال (آكيبي ، دريس آب دارلينق ، بوتشي زا روك ) مو فقط بمستوى انتاجي عظيم بل حتى كأقتباس فلو ترجع للمصادر الرئيسية لهذي الاعمال رح تلاحظ انها (يون كوما) بالنسبة لبوتشي و مانغا مغمورة بالنسبة لأكيبي مجهود عظيم بالانميشن و التعديل على النصوص الاصلية كنت متفائل جدا بالمستوى الانتاجي اللي رح يظهر عليه بوتشي من ساعة اعلنوا عن الستوديو المنتج وكان عند حسن ظني ، حافظ على مستوى الانميشن ل اثنا عشر حلقة و السرد ضل متماسك طوال الموسم ، رسام المانغا ذاته "اكي هاماجي" كان مشارك في فريق الانتاج و كان يقدم افكاره للستاف سواء بما يتعلق برسومات الفريمز او حتى تقديم افكار جديدة لان كما معلوم اكو اختلاف بين نسخة المانغا و الانمي. بالحديث عن الاقتباس اكو سمة مميزة للعمل انه ما مقيد بقوانين الانمي الشائعة خصوصا اللي من نوع "البنات الكيوت" ، واقصد نوعية الكوميديا اللي فيه , تحسه مخزن ميمز لا نهائي ، الانميشن كان موظف بشكل عبقري بمشاهد عديدة بحيث يخلي المشهد بهذي المتعة والاهو يكون عادي بالمخطط الاولي ، الانميشن يعطيه البوتنشل و الامكانية اذا فهمتوا قصدي ، وايضا المؤلفة تحب تستخدم رفرنسز سواء لاعمال او فنانين او فرق موسيقية ما اقدر اتكلم بتفصيل عن الانميشن لاني افتقر للمعرفة بهذا المجال بس بالاقل اعرف ان الانميشن كان فيه تركيز على الحركة الجسدية للشخصيات ، فلما تذكر ان العمل هذا فيه انميشن جيد سيكون الانصاف قليل بحقه لانه اهتم بالتفاصيل ، رح اخذ مثال من حلقة حتى اوضح النقطة اكثر ، حركة بوتشي بحلقة 3 على ما اذكر ، كان فيها تفاصيل بكل فريم تتوقف عنده ، كذلك بحلقة 5 ، بوتشي غيرت ايقاع الفرقة وعدلت تناغمها بعد مونولوغ سريع وخطوة ثقيلة ودوس على ارضية المنصة وارتفاع تدريجي للصوت ، كان تمهيد للمرحلة الثانية من الاغنية مع تغيير كامل للمزاج العام بذاك المشهد ، ووصل مشاعر بوتشي النا كمشاهدين انها ما تهتم لاجتياز الاختبار بقدر اهتمامها نقل شعورها بذاك الوقت بالاضافة ان الشخصيات تتفاعل مع المحيط و تتصرف بطبعية هذا يضيفلها سمات انسانية و يصور الشخصيات بشكل امثل ويشكل جو جميل للعمل ويعطي واقعية اكثر ، هذا سبب يخليني اتعلق بكاست الشخصيات مو بس لانهم مجموعة بنات ثانوية يجتمعن تحت سقف واحد ، لا بل لان الانمي يقدم نفسه بشكل انساني و يضيف سمات لشخصياته ، وهذا يذكرني ب كي اون الى حد بعيد لنفس الاسباب. بأول دقائق من الحلقة الاولى من العمل و كذلك اخر حلقة تركّز الحوار على نقطة قامت عليها احداث الانمي وهي فكرة جعل الموسيقى وسيلة للتعبير عنك كشخص ، بدل من التواصل البشري الطبيعي ، وهذي بالتأكيد احد ثيمات العمل ، ما نشوف فقط بتوشي اللي تعتمد هذا المبدأ بل حتى ريو ، لما شافت ان بوتشي تكتب كلمات تجاري بيها ما هو شائع او محبب عند الجمهور (ماين ستريم) اعترضت عليها و نصحتها بتعديل الكلمات لانها تخالف شخصيتها ، "تموت الفرقة عندما تفقد هويتها" كما قالت و ايضا كلامها عن فرقتها السابقة وانها انسحبت و قبلت طلب نيجيكا بالانضمام لفرقتها لاحقا. وبالحديث عنها قد تبدو للمشاهد انها متقبلة لكونها وحيدة ، ذكرت انها لا تحتاج الى اكثر من صديق واحد ف بداية العمل الا ان هذا لا يغير مفهوم الوحدة من وجهة نظر الاخرين لكن من وجهة نظرها ان تكون على طبيعتها هو اسلوب حياتها وهذا يفسر سلوكياتها الغريبة ، تصرفاتها الناضجة في احيان و الطفولية في احيان اخرى ، تصرفات خارج المعايير الطبيعية ، فبالرغم من مظهرها لا تبدو لك الشخصية ذاتها من الداخل ، شخصية صعبة الفهم يكفيك ان اقرب الاشخاص لا يستطيع فهم وتفسير كلامها او تصرفاتها. مع ذلك مو كل الشخصيات تطبق هذا المفهوم في حياتها ، او "تختلف طبيعتها الحقيقية عن منظور المجتمع لها" فشخصية مثل كيتا ما تخفي طبيعتها و دائما صادقة مع نفسها لذلك من السهل ان تُخدع بالمظاهر (ريو) مفهوم الوحدة دائما ما يُساء تفسيره ، دائما ما صنف الناس الوحيدين على ان لديهم قدرمحدود من التواصل وحب الانعزال ، على الرغم من انه مختلف تماما عن مفهوم الوحدة الفعلي. وفقا لتعريف المصطلح على ويكيبيديا "يمكن ان تصيب الوحدة الأشخاص المتزوجين إلى جانب المنخرطين في علاقاتٍ متينة وأصحابِ الحيوات المهنية الناجحة. يعيش معظم الناس الوحدة في مرحلة ما من حيواتهم، ويشعرُ بها البعض في غالب الأوقات. باعتبارها شعورًا قصير المدى" ليس للوحدة لوائح او قوانين ثابتة ، كيتا مثلا شخصية منفتحة اجتماعيا مع اصدقائها ومحبيها الا ان يمكن تصنيفها كشخصية وحيدة بحكم عدم انخراطها بصداقات حقيقية عميقة ، لكن طبيعة علاقتها تختلف مع اعضاء الفرقة ، تطور مهارتها في القيتار رغم عدم اتقانها التام له و تقبل الفرقة لها رغم نقوصها يبني علاقة حقيقية مع بقية اعضاءها يمكن تلخيص حالة كيتا بأن "الانخراط بعلاقات سطحية بحد ذاته وحدة" اما في حالة هيتوري غوتو او (بوتشي) فهي تعتبر المثال الابرز للشخصية الوحيدة ، فهي تعاني من الرهاب الاجتماعي وتحافظ دائما على مسافة امنة مع باقي الناس تلجأ لمكان امن للهروب منهم ، يمكن القول انها محبوسة جسديا و ذهنيا بخوفٍ وقلق مستمرين ولديها ميل للبقاء في الاماكن الرطبة و المغلقة حيث تستطيع ان تتجنب الناس لذلك وجودها في مكان مظلم او منعزل لا يختلف عن وجودها في مكان داخلي تستشعر السكينة فيه ، فلقاء كيتا كان العلاقة الحقيقية الاولى للاثنين ، وسنشاهد في المستقبل التطور التصاعدي للعلاقة بين الاثنين كيتا اصبحت عازفة افضل بسبب تعليم بوتشي لكن علاقتهما بدأت لانها تحدثت اليها و دخلت "مكانها المظلم" ، ساعدها ذلك على تطوير مهاراتها في الغيتار اولا ثم تطوير قدرتها في الحكم و النظر الى الاشياء بعمق فنلاحظ مع تقدم الحلقات انها تفهم بتوشي اكثر من غيرها ، ربما بسبب معرفتها لطبيعة بوتشي و حبها للانعزال كونها زميلة لها بنفس المدرسة لكنها لا تزال لا تفهمها تماما ف "وحدتهما" مختلفة الشخص الذي يعاني من رهاب يرفض قطعاً التواصل الجسدي ، هذا ما متعارف عليه ، تأخذنا الحلقة 9 الى تغيير تدريجي في هذه الايدولوجية فنرى كيتا تتقرب منها مع وعي بوتشي التام لافعالها ، هذا يعني انها بدأت توسع من ذلك المكان الداخلي و بدأت تسمح للاخرين بالولوج لعالمها ، نهاية الحلقة اعطت احساس عميق بهذه الفكرة. علاقة بوتشي وكيتا خاصة بالنسبة لي لان تعامل كيتا مع بوتشي خاص و مميز و مناسب ، لانها تعامل بخصوصية وتعرف ما يثير اضطرابها ، وفي الحلقة الاخيرة تصل علاقتهما الى مرحلة متقدمة ويختتم بمناداتها اياها باسمها الاول ( اليابانيين حيل معقدين ومنغلقين متنلام بوتشي لان عندها رهاب ). نيجيكا نالت قدر من الكبير من التطور مع تقدم الحلقات الا انه غير ملحوظ من قبل الكثير لان طباع الشخصية بقيت ذاتها من البداية وهذا لا يتعارض مع اي تطور تحصل عليه الشخصية ، شخصية عانت من وحدة هي الاخرى بوفاة والدتها / اضطرارها لأداء دور الام في البيت والقيام بمعظم الاعمال رغم انها الاخت الصغيرة بذلك هي لا تختلف كثيرا عن كل من ريو ،بوتشي و كيتا ،و كان عندها هاجس وحلم منذ الطفولة بتشكيل فرقة والذي لم تشاركه مع احد ، لكن لقاءها مع بقية الاعضاء جعل حلمها يتحول لواقع تدريجيا ، مشاهدة جميع هذه الشخصيات المختلفة تلتقي و تنمو و تتفاعل مع بعضها شعور مرضي جدا. (كتبت المراجعة كلها بالعربي لان الموقع ما يدعم انجليزي فلما اكتب مكس عربي انجليزي يختل ترتيب الجملة)
#__Scattered Thoughts__: Bocchi the Rock! (Mostly spoiler-free, significant spoilers are marked.) #__Should you watch?__ Do you like any semblance of slice of life? Do you have crippling social anxiety? Have you ever wanted to be recognized, to be acknowledged by people? If you answered yes to any of these questions, watch _Bocchi the Rock!_. Otherwise, read on, then go watch _Bocchi the Rock!_.