Bocchi the Rock! Review

Bocchi the Rock is a slice-of-life comedic music anime based on a manga by Aki Hamaji. It is directed by Keiichirō Saitō and written by Erika Yoshida. It is produced by CloverWorks, a seven-year-old Japanese studio known for series such as Slow Start, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, The Promised Neverland, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, and Spy × Family.

This review will have spoilers.

The show’s plot centers around a socially awkward girl named Hitori Goto (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama) who struggles making friends at school and anywhere else. She plays cover songs under the name “guitarhero”. She is pulled into a group at an underground bar named STARRY by a girl named Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), and meets Ryo Yamada (voiced by Saku Mizuno), who plays bass. The fellow members of the Kessoku Band dub her “Bocchi”, saying they are fans of her “guitarhero” channel.

The series follows the development of Kessoku Band, which expands to four members after Bocchi convinces guitarist Ikuyo Kita (voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa) to join. Over the series, Bocchi becomes more comfortable with other people, effectively coming out of her shell. This makes the series different from the popular 23-episode anime, Komi Can’t Communicate, which centers on a quiet beautiful girl named Shoko Komi, who is also very socially awkward.

Instead, Bocchi the Rock! has more similarities to Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, which also features a socially awkward and anxious protagonist. At the same time, Bocchi is, arguably, not as physically attractive in the same way as Komi.

Furthermore, her expressions, words, and actions make her more relatable than any other character with similar characteristics, especially when she imagines a dark, depressing future for herself several times throughout the series. For those who are socially awkward, the tendency to hide away from the world and ignore others makes her someone that they can connect to, more than other characters.

This anime is unique because it is one of the only recent music anime series, which are not centered on idols. That distinguishes it from Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Shine Post, and Love Live! Superstar!! which aired this year. It also sets it apart from relatively recent non-idol music series such as Healer Girl and Lost Song, neither of which feature rock bands.

Each of the characters in Bocchi the Rock! stand out in their own way, contributing uniquely to the show’s comedy. However, Bocchi has the most comedic moments in the series, in comparison to the other characters.

The animation and background art of Bocchi the Rock! is simpler than other series, like Do It Yourself!!. Even so, the art style stands out, especially when paired with Bocchi. For instance, when she is listening to the psychedelic rock band, Sick Hack, she is shown in a mix of psychedelic colors. After all, the animation and background art can be very dynamic, as it is in the series opening.

The series’ music is informed by realism more than other series, in terms of chords and the sound of the songs. For example when the band isn’t coordinated, the songs sound discordant. When they have more confidence, the songs sound stronger.

This is enhanced by emphasizing the reality of playing in a band. It also couples with mature themes. One example of this is the talented vocalist, and bassist, of Sick Hack, Kikuri Hiroi (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi), who is an alcoholic. She spends most of what she earns on booze. She is almost as drunk as the character, Shorty, is throughout the Tangled animated series.

Even so, she encourages Bocchi, as does STARRY manager, Seika Ijichi (voiced by Maaya Uchida), the older sister of Nijika. This support, and friendly disposition of her fellow band members, allows Bocchi to grow as a person. That is part of what makes the show enjoyable.

Although Bocchi is very anti-social, she does not go on an adventure to leave society behind, in effect, as the protagonists of the amazing 2018 adventure anime A Place Further Than the Universe do. Instead, she expresses her social awkwardness through her actions and her music, while continuing to attend school. In this way, she fits within existing social norms, while remaining anti-social.

The voice acting of Aoyama, Suzushiro, Mizuno, Hasegawa, Senbongi, and Uchida in Bocchi the Rock! shines through and grounds the show itself, especially during songs. The same can be said for those voicing Hiroi’s fellow band members, Eliza Shimizu and Shima Iwashita, or those voicing Hitori’s mother, father, sister, and dog.

Many of the voice actors in the series are recognizable due to their voice performances in previous anime. This includes their voice overs for characters in well-known series such as Princess Tutu, Non Non Biyori, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Bloom Into You, and The Promised Neverland.

Others have voiced characters in My Master Has No Tail, Love After World Domination, The Demon Girl Next Door, and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. This seasoned voice talent makes Bocchi the Rock! a much stronger series than anime which have newer voice actors.

The series has Bocchi at its core, its heart. Bocchi drives the series forward. Unlike series such as Wednesday, where Wednesday Addams holds the series up to such an extent that without her it would collapse, other characters serve as supporting pillars.

Bocchi’s moodiness, emotion, and social awkwardness often all combine together, even causing her disappear or turn into nothingness, especially when she is experiencing too much social interaction or stimulation. While this is not necessarily realistic, it is relatable.

As such, she is more relatable than the aforementioned Komi or Hitori, in their respective series, or even the protagonists of Aharen-san wa Hakarenai and Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. However, her character is not unique, as there are various shy, timid, and socially awkward characters across anime, something which is more common than ever.

Bocchi the Rock! centers on a socially awkward protagonist, with a focus on what friendship means, and balancing one’s social abilities with possible social exhaustion. This sets her apart from other characters with similar characteristics.

If there is anywhere the story falls down or falls short, it is the fact that it focuses primarily on Bocchi and not as much on other characters. None of the parents or guardians of the other protagonists are shown in the series. However, this is not as extreme as the hyper-focus on Steven in Steven Universe Future to the detriment of additional characters. In this series, viewers can still see some depth of others characters apart from Bocchi.

Some fans have argued that Bocchi the Rock! has yuri subtext. One prominent yuri news site, Yuri Anime News, even listed it on their website, without detailing how this subtext is manifested in the series itself. These arguments are sound. Ikuko seems to have some feelings for Ryo, despite the fact that Ryo does not mean to attract people to her, and looks relatively androgynous.

This is one area the series could be stronger: going beyond yuri subtext. Even other series airing this fall, such as Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit and Management of a Novice Alchemist, have more prominent yuri undertones. The latter even has a textual yuri relationship between two supporting characters which is occasionally shown on screen.

Despite these criticisms, Bocchi the Rock! still stands out, especially among recent music anime series, not falling into the usual set-up of such series. The focus of the series on social awkwardness and music is the reason I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Bocchi the Rock! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.