Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu

Whenever I'm picking out something to watch each season, a safe bet is usually the "Cute Girls Do Cute Things" subgenre of slice of life. These typically involve the same character archetypes done to the death and with the same general feeling and structure to them. Bocchi is no different in this regard. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or redefine what it means to be CGDCT any more than Wataten or Kiniro Mosaic.

In spite of this, Bocchi is still an enjoyable show. Like the titular character, it does what it needs to accomplish decently competently and you can't help but love it. It's an ... absolutely adorable show that's just relaxing and fun to follow. Nothing special or extraordinary, but a good way to wind down after work and spend an evening to.

While Katsuwo's other work, Mitsuboshi Colors had the themes of innocent childhood and nostalgia going for it, Bocchi's setting and tone is less relatable on a personal level. Bocchi's show doesn't quite stand out amongst many other similar shows. Nor are the character designs, the music, the interactions or anything else really. The show doesn't falter in any aspect but I struggle to think of anything exceptional to it. The Sotoka-Bocchi interactions were really cute, but it's really nothing special.

And it hasn't been easy writing this review. If a show is bad or really good, then I'd have plenty of material to work with. But with Bocchi, all I can say is what I could have said for the hundred other CGDCT shows that fall into the category of "pretty good, but nothing special". It's the definition of a safe bet, it's riskless, it's easy, it's comforting, but it doesn't challenge the viewer with though-provoking questions or ask the viewer to guess if the main character's arm will grow back in the following week. It's a good show, of consistent quality, to look forward to each week. And perhaps, shows like these are what we need. To contrast against other, more colorful shows that may vary wildly in quality each week.

And because of this, I will always seek to watch the many other CGDCT shows that will come after this. There were hundreds of shows like this in the past and there will no doubt be hundreds more to come.

7/10

Anxiety.

One could look up the meaning of the word in Google, probably in Urban Dictionary website. Very easy to look up. Here’s one of the first result that came up if you’re too lazy to search: “a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.”

Often, however, this particular word is one affiliated with, by most people, cowardice.

Many a normal person would always shake their heads, wondering what anxiety actually means. Some said it’s just a term to associate people who “run away from things”, others said it would be anything close to the word “delusions of panic”. Those who’d ... never experienced it – usually people who’d always claim to be winning in everything, even including life itself, and have encountered little to no amount of failures – created the former answer, while those who did but denied it ever existed in their lives created the latter answer.

On the other hand, there’s also a side willing to help. It’d argue that one doesn’t need to be a psychologist – or any formal degree that a supposedly smart and bright individual would be correlated to – to know how such mental illness works in those affected. Another part of them also exist, who would counter that argument all the while calling names to those who even mentioned just the word “anxiety” alone, like “hypocrites” or “know-it-all”, treating those who are well-intended with utmost disrespect because to bring up the topic with the purpose of giving any help to each others needed are to be stood accused as seeking for unnecessary attention as if they want to profit from a hardship instead.

Yet at the same time, they’re just another part of the same side: those who want to help. Both aren’t much different apart from their ideals. One has the idea to give all they can to help others, no matter how little or insignificant it looks. The other one sees everything in a wide, cynical perceptive, in which they concurred that nothing in our lives matters any values. Just like how insignificant this world is and everything in it, along with everything we do, we don’t matter because we’re like a speck of dust compared to the vastness of universe. Nothing is made specifically on purpose and everything is as it is because we only made it so.

I think there are many things needed to be said about this, especially with what’s happening right now. Of course, I can’t actually speak more about it. Because this is an anime review, and it just so happened that this is actually a very good anime I’ve been enjoying with so much passion since episode one. I love this so much and still it has something to say that really hit me in a perfect time and a perfect place.

ATTENTION: For that part above, you can go to my TL;DR down below. If you don’t want to, just skip to the Overall paragraph. In the meantime, let’s move on to this review.

So what is this anime about? Fortunately, it’s a very wholesome and joyful anime, about my favorite girl of the season (probably forever!), Hitori Bocchi.

This anime, the “Hitori Bocchi’s ○○ Life” (ひとりぼっちの○○生活, read: Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), doesn’t have a third party that would argue about anxiety like those who oppose it. However, this is an anime worth to watch when you want to know what inside the mind of a person with social anxiety roughly is like. Hitori Bocchi is one character that I’d relate to anxiety the most, specifically social anxiety. Even the character herself is named after the one thing socially anxious people usually resembled: “solitary” or “lonely”.

There isn’t much to say about the plot, because it’s just about a girl being left out by her elementary friend so that she can befriend everyone in her class once she’s in middle school. The focus here is that she has an uncontrollable social anxiety. It’s a decent storytelling fuel at best. What makes it better is the characters around her and how she interacts with them and everything around her.

Obviously the obnoxious Cute-Girls-Doing-Cute-Things (shorten to CGDCT) in this anime also shows, but it’s really just as far as that in terms of being slightly annoying. In a sense, if you’re used to that kind of thing, like me, you’ll enjoy it very much. It’s been quite a long time honestly that I fell in love with a Slice-of-Life (shorten to SoL as well) anime with a light-hearted atmosphere since Azumanga Daioh. Even if this anime brings up a topic of social anxiety, it absolutely does not look like that at all. It’s so subtle in a way that a SoL anime always is. It’s relaxing, it’s heart-warming, and there’s not a slight hint of it being heavy despite the MC constantly showing her social anxiety in every episode.

Even better, this anime and its creator managed to use that as a comedic relief in a very subtle and convenient way for the audience. Bocchi’s social anxiety literally became the only thing that made him a center of plot development and, affectionately, something that we like about her. I love her struggles for going through these “hurdles” like mentioned in some episode, solely because she has an objective; a mission, at best: to befriend everyone in her class. There doesn’t seem to be any pressure showing in her giving her all to do so while we’re watching how she’s doing it. It’s because the sincerity that Bocchi has in what she does, which probably some of us at some times rarely give off. There isn’t anything bleak, miraculously, in watching a person doing her best to be socially active, wanting to participate in a social activity, and just radiating a very positive intention through and through. It just makes you smile.

You can completely lay back while watching this with a little smile on your face. This anime has something to speak about without pressing on the matter too much and making it too serious. Instead, it gives us laughs while at the same time rooting for Hitori Bocchi’s success as a main character in her own stories. I love everything she does, from start to finish, from the tiniest thing to the biggest thing, to the point that I couldn’t stop watching in the middle. I waited every single episode to come out, and then watch it right through like a weeb I am. Which is exactly why I found Hitori Bocchi to be incredibly special, in comparison to other anime from this season like Senko-san or Senryuu Shoujo. I’m sorry, Senko-san. I’m sorry, Nanako-san.

I do seem to agree that it’s really fucking cruel for her only friend in elementary, Yawara Kai, to just leave her in middle school without any communications, let alone supports, like a mother bird throwing her children out of the nest. Sure thing, it looks like it’s working a little bit for Bocchi. However, it’s seriously, seriously not the most recommendable approach someone should’ve tried to do in order to endorse others for overcoming their issues: just leave them be and see how things work out. Lots of apocalyptic disasters in the past history of mankind like Chernobyl would’ve been solved so easily with little to no sweat at all if so. I don’t care if she has the same voice of one of my top favorite girls, Kasumi from Asobi Asobase. Okay, maybe a little bit, but seriously. What were you thinking, girl? That wasn’t very……..“YAWARAKAI” (lit: やわらか, meaning: “soft” or “gentle”) of you.

There are also a few episodes focusing on other essential characters. We have the Unfortunate Aru with her very supportive actions for Bocchi and her laughable bad fortunes. It’s good to see that the VA, Akari Kito, is voicing in 3 consecutive seasons: this, WATATEN and Kimetsu no Yaiba; which is also good for me because I can hear Noa from WATATEN again. We also have energetic Sotoka (or Sotca – full name: Sotca Luckythar; read: Sotoka Rakita – which somehow if you put her name like that into Google, the search result will bring you to either this character or some Mahindra off-road car) who also seems to be struggling with her environment as a transfer student from abroad – including working her way out to befriend Bocchi, instead of all the master-disciple relationship nonsenses – and maybe Kurai and Ojousa. Also maybe the teacher, Oshie Teruyo (lit. meaning: “I’ll teach you), because in terms of VA career, Minami Takahashi is definitely a senior.

Goes without saying that I like Nako the most. She’s an honest person in a lot of times. She knows Bocchi’s conditions and is always honest to her and, ultimately, Nako’s own self. I think that’s also important. You can also be supportive like Nako, to someone with issues like Bocchi, without looking too much like you’re taking the person’s side. We must all, not only be aware that someone we’re trying to help needs our support the most, but also be aware at all times not to be too careless about others’ feelings and not to see things so personally and fully biased. We may not be able to save every single person on the planet, but at least we can be honest about what we and other people feel. Nako is very impressive in it that it doesn’t look like there’s anything impressive about her. She is so perfect in many imperfected and honest-to-God manners. Even her name, Sunao Nako (lit: 砂尾 なこ), literally means: “honest child” (lit: 素直な子). How good is that? Also, what are the odds that the VA who voiced Lily from Zombieland Saga also voiced this character, Minami Tanaka? Life’s a goddamn trip.

The animation style is so simple yet refreshing. Just the ideal CGDCT animation that I’d always love to see. I’d be wondering if it was made by Trigger who’s known for Little Witch Academia, but I did get a bit surprised when I found out just later on that this was made by the same studio which made WorldEnd, Studio C2C Co.. The soundtrack is, again, like all the SoL anime with CGDCT, especially like Azumanga Daioh or Hidamari Sketch, so laid-back in each and every single one of all tracks.

In terms of enjoyment? I think this is it. This is the thing. This is what I enjoy the most for a long time. Maybe I’ll make other wholesome reviews for other anime from this season like Senko-san or Senryuu Shoujo, but this has one particular thing that others usually don’t seem to have: the subtle bringing of a pressing issue at hand.

The closest I could think of, when it comes to a CGDCT SoL anime with a certain matter as a center of attention for the plot without it being look like too challenging or dramatically pressuring, would be partially Hidamari Sketch and Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. If we look at the most similar example, it’d be Girls’ Last Tour. I doubt, however, that Hitori Bocchi is remotely close to that, not to mention that Girls’ Last Tour have the background plot of a post-apocalyptic environment.

This anime also proved that, like many things, anxiety is not an act of cowardice, but doing nothing is. People with anxiety have a struggle to go through and, as far as we know, efforts cannot be blamed, no matter what. That is to say, some of us still contradict with that point of view, or even despised it and failed ourselves so.


TL;DR.

A relatable case just happened recently, and the culprit was anxiety.

Around the end of June, it began with my Twitter account showing many tweets in Trending section. At first, I was just in Twitter for having fun. When I was reading them, they were all mentioning about the loss of someone. It was a person who struck to me, and probably to many, as a good man. He’s known for being a very cheerful internet personality.

I knew nothing of the guy. I’d only seen him a few times on Youtube reaction videos and surprisingly enjoyed every of them despite him being a Twitch live-streamer and I’m not fond of many reaction videos. What many people didn’t know is the fact that he also struggled with severe mental health issues, including anxiety. It was shown a lot of times like in his tweets or him being in other social media. The last time everyone saw him was a few days after he posted his last video on Youtube. Later, there’s a news reporting about a found dead body near a river. Police confirmed his death as suicide.

I know what you think. People die, and the odds are very likely every single day. However, there’s more to it than that.

It was only a few moments later then that I was a bit shocked. Many people on the internet – just like a huge amount of people on the internet – laughed at his death and his conditions. Nevermind memes, some even made monetized Youtube vids and putting so many mid-roll ads in the middle, literally profitting off his death. Their excuses? Providing that “he’s also a scumbag exploiting from the consumerist behavior of society”, “he’s a suicidal coward who used to profitting off people’s meaningless and unproductive demands”, and the worst of the worsts, which I quoted from this guy who literally made a Twitter account just to say this, goes to “he’s just some dead n***** found in the street.” That last quote just now was made by someone who also spoke in threads after threads in Twitter while showing off his brain cells, claiming he’s not trying to justify anything, but merely because he wanted to provide a good argument

This is revoltingly psychopathic.

The stunning lack of empathy some people had had me wondering whether they’re actually joking or just that emotionally dead. There was once an argument saying these are all the result of competitiveness we oftentimes applied or experienced in our daily lives, mainly at working environments where people are demanded to commit fully, regardless of their own opinions and their individual subjects of emotion. There’s a point of view those people hold and I don’t blame that kind of point of view. I can’t possibly deny it also. We can’t possibly deny it. We know many things, we know how things work and how our contributions are still tiny compared to other bigger things.

What surprised me, however, is how it’s best for them to ridicule people’s issues because it’s irrelevant to them instead of helping those people. Compared to anime, it seems that, in reality, some of us laughed and even mocked those who are not like them, treating them like a lowly being lacking of something that some of us do have, because it’s more convenient that way, because we don’t feel like we have to feel other people’s pain yet also trampling on others’ struggles of life. How are we supposed to disregard the fact that, no matter how little it looks to anyone else, one of those struggles also happen to include something as insignificant as fighting one’s own anxiety?

One line that really struck me the most is how we, collectively as a group of human beings, somehow can relate to this still: “All you can do is do nothing and all you did was shouting at people doing absolutely nothing. You had nothing to offer, nothing to do, and so you’re calling out everyone that everyone did nothing. The irony is, you did nothing.”

We did absolutely nothing to give consolation to. Ironically, in that statement, it’s also safe to say that I’m also doing nothing. Nevertheless, even if everyone agreed that we shouldn’t do anything and instead should make fun of people who actually did something, I wouldn’t give in. It doesn’t matter what we think our reasons are, but if ignoring people’s cry for help is in the norm and everyone is happily living their lives in their ignorance, not even I want to live in a world like that. Why should we always seek for a life without pain when remarkably, in fact, we’re not actually living in a blissful ignorance but merely pretending that we’re living in one? Doing absolutely nothing when there’s a problem right in front of us is an act of cowardice.

It pains me a lot that there are still some people in this world with this objective mindset that is similar to: “everyone suffers, so don’t be so naïve as to feeling like you’re special and anything that you do is important”. What is naivety? Is it not naïve to believe in just one thing as if it’s the truth? Even if the things we believe in are all lies, does that mean we don’t learn anything from it? We’re humans. We don’t stop learning. We keep discovering and rediscovering.

Reality is not as simple, but this anime, Hitori Bocchi, is at core a perfect example of a person conquering, with all might and heart, her own hardships. It’s not frequent that I wrote a dedicating article like this in the middle of a review. With that being said, I wish everyone with the same case of mental health issues a good luck in overcoming their hurdles. To the dead man, I prayed you rest in peace. Thank you so much for bringing joy and happiness with many of us and I’m sorry you had to end up like this. You deserved better. We all deserved better.


Overall:

The score? It has to be in the category of overall 11. Don’t know why MAL gotta do Hitori Bocchi dirty with 7.7 like that tho. Don’t believe that score, believe me. You see, I’m loyal to Hitori Bocchi like that. It’s how much I love this anime and not, according to my friends when we were in an otaku con, because I’m so attached to 2D and just broke up with my gf. They’re just jealous, alright? Don’t listen to it. I don’t. I believe in myself because Lord believe in me…

No, for real, jokes aside, this is a good SoL anime. I am aware that I’m exaggerating, but in all honesty, this looks like a magnificent SoL anime to me. In reality, both the helpers and the needed are deemed to be in a very hopeless position at times. In this case, however, anime couldn’t be truer, because Bocchi’s seemingly ridiculous struggles look like something I could always appreciate everytime.

This anime has all the things you can enjoy to. The comedy is there, the cuteness is there, the atmosphere is there, the characters are there, and the story development is there. Everything is working very well. I think there are many VAs making their debut in this anime and the studio in charge of this isn’t very well-known, also the OST might not have quite memorable song worth to mention, but in terms of making a very good anime overall, this deserves a very good score. And I meant, a score of |7.8|.

So, here’s a recap:
a. Plot: |7.5|
b. Character: |7.75|
c. OST: |7.5|
d. Art: |8|
e. Enjoyment: }8.25|
f. Overall: |7.8|

In the first 4 episodes aired which was in April, it took me at least only 3 days to make a review about this anime. Its last episode was aired in June 22.

It took me at least 2 weeks after this anime had finished airing to complete and submit this review as a whole, in which I did because there were more things I needed to add and more thoughts I needed to gather.

I don’t blame moderators if they take this down. I think at some point they wouldn’t like this whole 6 pages article I wrote. Probably for “misusing review platform” or something, maybe exactly that. In fact, I think they’re laughing at this. I highly doubt I’d rewrite this down and resubmit it if they did so, and I’m certainly not going to post this anywhere else like in Facebook or Twitter.

There are a lot of things I wanted, but it’d be rounded into 4 things when it comes to this in general: a remake of Sousei no Onmyoji anime, watch and give a MAL review for every single anime from the past 30 years, a sequel for each and every CGDCT SoL anime, and last but not least, everyone to appreciate any and all life struggles others make. Finally, one last thing I can say is that there’s absolutely nothing in this world that I wanted more right now…

...than “not Sousei no Onmyoji anime.”

...And a sequel of Hitori Bocchi.
Peace on earth. Good night.

HitoriBocchi is an anime that brings a creative and interesting idea about a girl who has social anxiety and needs to make friends with all the students in her new classroom to befriend Yawara Kai, her childhood friend.

The anime has fun and charismatic characters, they provide funny and relaxing scenes, especially Hitori, of course.

Among all the bad animes of this spring season of 2019, HitoriBocchi was one of the few good animes of this season, even being slice of life, a genre that I do not like much.

Overall, HitoriBocchi is a relaxing anime that has good comedy and great characters.

short review- from a story telling point, this anime is certainly watchable but you really have no real reason to watch this show other than to look at cute anime girls.

little bit longer review- if you like cute girls in an anime, then you are going to like this anime as the story is far from terrible but not that great either, still watchable though. animation isnt great but that is to be expected from a slice of life anime that is from a studio other than kyoto animations. characters are pretty bland and unoriginal but still cute so there's that and very wholesome. ... Now if you are trying to watch a show that actually tries to have some good story behind it, then dont watch this. At the time of writing this review, I have not finished the series so take everything with a grain of salt

Japan and his obsession with unhealthy and toxic relationships is astonishing.

Once more another school life anime setting devolves into a toxic display of null character development and kids being complete irredeemable assholes.

Yes im talking about Bocchi's best friend and the plot of the story.
A monster of the week about making friends? Doesnt sound that bad does it?
Well the only reason Bocchi gives a damn about making friends is to please her sexual overlord Kai. Bocchi only exists to please Kai stupid wishes.
Sure she can learn to give a damn about her friends but ultimately the only reason she ever seeks friendship from them is for ... Kai.
At first i tought it was a playful plot or something you didnt had to take seriously. But by episode 7 the anime says "This is dead serious, there was no exageration".
Don't give me the "Kids are dumb and make mistakes" bullshit. The anime tries to make us give a damn about a dumb kid just because its crying (even though she just made her supposed friend cry).
There was never a scene that remotely tries to redeem Kai's shitty behaviour.
Also the whole scene lacks interactions. You would think that while Bocchi throws a tantrum one of her new friends would step up to defend her or point how absurd the whole premise of the show is, more speficially Nako who is supposed to be Bocchi's true best friend and is the one that is always looking up for her. Or even Toka because they are hurting her master or some shit like that.
The studio behind the anime definitely did their best in adaptating this shitty story and that's admirable. Ep 6 ending proves it.

The overall plot also trips with itself since Bocchi's circle will never expand further than her 4 first friends, its already stated that the others wont have jackshit of screen time (altough this would be more of a meta rant about it). Making an anime about a kid making a ton of friends and after their appearance those friends will be relegated to negative screentime... Nice writing.

Ep 12 is the final nail in the coffin. Bocchi shows 0 character development whatsoever by chasing like a dumb dog the image of her shitty overlord Kai because Bocchi has no purpose in life if it isnt to serve Kai.
Ep 12 ends by repeating the first minutes of Ep 1 showing that Bocchi had no character development whatsoever.
Well someone who faints after their phone says something... what was i expecting from her.

Comedy is fine but a lot of moments lack a punchline.
If Ep "My life has no meaning without Kai" and Ep 12 hadnt existed this show would be tons of times better.

I really enjoyed this anime!! The main character was relatable, really brought me back to my high school days and the anxieties I struggled with then.

The characters were unique and loveable, my favourites were Nako and Sotoka. I liked that they all had their flaws and eccentricities. I particularly enjoyed the focus on the rest of Bocchi's class as characters, how the background characters all had interesting aspects that I wanted to see more of. It was refreshing from the usual unanimous crowds featured in most school-based anime.

The character design was interesting, I wanted to know more about characters without them needing to say a ... word simply because of their design, and I liked how each character had a different way of walking and interacting with the world, eg. the way they carried their bags. The music, too, was unique and fun. I'm a serial skipper of opening/endings but I watched these ones all the way through every time!

I am simply delighted with this anime!

Extremely fun, enjoyable, and great for moments when you just want to relax...

I loved Bocchi's character; honestly, I have a tendency to connect with "shy" and "socially challenged" characters, so seeing Bocchi "almost" overcome her challenges and successfully make new friends made me very happy.

The way Bocchi is funny, shy, and extremely innocent is phenomenal, not to mention the character's voice actor who did an excellent job dubbing her.

There's not much to say about this anime adapted from a 4-koma, a story about a lonely girl struggling to make friends in a new school with the goal of becoming ... friends with all her classmates.

Could anything be better than this?

This anime provided me with numerous laughs and a lot of happiness.

--------------------

Pt/Br

Estou simplesmente encantado com esse anime!

Extremamente divertido, agradável e ótimo para momentos em que você quer apenas relaxar...

Eu amei a personagem da Bocchi, sinceramente, tenho uma tendencia a me conectar com personagens "tímidos" e com "dificuldades sociais" então ver a Bocchi conseguir "quase" vencer, mas conseguir fazer novas amizades me deixou muito feliz

A maneira como a Bocchi é engraçada, tímida e extremamente inocente é fenomenal, fora a Seyuu da personagem que fez um papel excelente dublando-a

Não tem muito o que falar desse anime adaptado de um 4-koma, uma história de uma garota solitária com dificuldades de fazer amizades indo para uma nova escola e com o objetivo de se tornar amiga de todos os colegas de sua classe.

Poderia algo ser melhor que isso?

Esse anime me garantiu diversas risadas e muita felicidade

So another CGDCT anime joins the ranks of a genre that isn't exactly wanting for lack of titles.

Hitori Bocchi is the girl that joins middle school after separating from her only best friend who declares, that she must befriend everyone in her class before she graduates... not easy for a girl with almost crippling social anxiety.

Slowly but surely she overcomes her nerves and low self-esteem and does in fact, find out that she is liked by many more people than she thought when she started.

Art, voice acting, music and characters all good - no complaints really. It very much is a case of superfluff ... for making you feel warm inside as is expected of this sort of show. For the same reason I'll be seeking out the manga!

There are many cute, comedic Slice Of Life shows, and while I enjoy them for their pleasant light-hearted nature, there always seems to be something I find irritating, be it an obnoxious character, meandering dialogue, or the seemingly inescapable trend of Moe.

So given that the cuteness saturation is near critical in Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, I did not expect much. I mean, even the teacher gets the full Kawaii treatment, both in visual design AND behaviour.

So I was very surprised how much I enjoyed the show, and how little I found tedious.

Yes, the characters all are excessively cute, but in an innocent endearing way, staying ... well clear of Moe territory. They even managed the obligatory swimming pool episode without being creepy about it.

And yes the story is not very deep or complex, but Hitori's struggle to talk to people immediately draws my empathy, maybe seeing a bit of myself in her character. The fact that there even is an overarching plot throughout the episodes is quite unusual for Slice Of Life, so it's simplicity is perfectly appropriate.

I'd say the strongest point though would be the comedy. Of course this is highly subjective, but I found the constant little gags quite entertaining. Some of them are a bit drawn out or are repeated a few too often, but I never found them tiresome.


In conclusion, Hitoribocchi is light-hearted, cute, and ultimately empty, but it is an excellent execution of the kind of show it wants to be and a enjoyable and rather refreshing addition to the usually quite repetitive Slice Of Life genre.

Honestly, I know I am giving this anime a 10 on everything, but it truly was adorable to watch! It made me wish that I had had this great of friends growing up! I loved how cute everything was and it was adorable how shy Bocchi was throughout the entire show.

Music: The introduction was absolutely adorable and when I looked up the lyrics, I loved it even more! The outro music was nice too! The sounds were accurate and the voice acting was great!

Characters: I loved how special each personality was, and how they all interested with each other. It was perfect how they ... all clicked in their own ways, and watching their daily adventures of helping Bocchi acquire more friends was cute and fun!

Story: The only thing I have to say is that I feel bad for Bocchi, feeling kinda forced to make new friends. I know and understand her best friend's reason for doing it, as Bocchi definitely needed to find more friends, but it was still kinda sad to see her have to be pushed so hard. But it is truly for her best interests.

Overall, I loved this anime. It was cute, innocent, had no romantic aspects, and was just so perfectly innocent!

Maybe it's just me, but i was really hyped for this show, thought it be a very hilarious and comical ride...no i was extremely annoyed of the main. I get it, she's extremely shy, clueless and an air head, but like most other anime characters that have this, passes. Not for her, no the way she expresses herself and tries so damn hard, just no.
I get it, it's the theme of the show, overcome ones shyness and open up, but it did more harm to the viewer then good. Again probably just me, i do hate these types, which is why its on hold for ... me, i usually drop these but might come back to it.

Hitori Bocchi has entered her first year in middle school, and she is on a mission to befriend everyone in her classroom! In actuality, Bocchi is actually an incredibly shy girl who suffers from extreme social anxiety, to the point of vomiting in fear or passing out in excitement. So why is she trying to befriend everyone you ask? Well her only friend before middle school, Yawara Kai, ended up attending a different middle school. Not before telling Bocchi that if she didn't befriend everyone in her class by the end of middle school, that she would stop being her friend. (Sounds extreme, I know.) ... Bocchi now is giving it her all to become everyone's best friend, so that she may not lose another.

Fun fact: In Japanese, "hitori bocchi" (ひとりぼっち), means "lonely" or "solitary". Now you know why my review title is what it is.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu Seikatsu is one of many anime this 2019 Spring season that gave me a big dumb grin, feeling giddy about each week's fun filled episode. As a cute girls doing cute things slice of life comedy, (god that's a mouthful) it passes with flying colors! All the girls in question are cute and full of charm, Bocchi herself at times can be very predictable and unpredictable. This is put on full display when she is with Nako Sunao, with a straight man like comedic act that is on point, pretty much all the jokes stuck the landing. Which is then contrasted very well when Aru Honshou and Sotca Luckythar take a more supportive role for Bocchi. With Aru doing her best to be a good role model (sometimes failing), while Sotca plays a role in building Bocchi's confidence. There's also a plethora of smaller characters that help Bocchi grow, but for the most part our focus is funneled towards those four. Altogether they make what could have been a throw away cute girls doing cute things anime, into a very sincere and genuinely hilarious comedy. It's a very pleasant anime, one that I can highly recommend to people who want a little more wholesomeness in their comedic slice of life anime.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu is the prime example of a series that's perfectly comfortable in its own skin.

It doesn't try to set a high bar for itself nor does it try to stand out from the crowd. It finds a goal it's comfortable with achieving and achieves it in its own reasonable pace, that goal being a cute slice of life about a girl trying to make some friends. And you know what? That's perfectly fine.

The characters are charming, the plot is fine and the execution is pretty cute. It doesn't try to up the stakes, it doesn't abuse its own jokes, it doesn't try ... to be better. And while most people see that as a bad thing, I think that's the most reasonable thing for a show of this kind to do. More often than not, shows that try to stand out when they don't know how to end up falling flat on their faces. The jokes dry up, the characters become flat, the writing slowly dies and the next thing you know, it tries to be a serious drama. *cough* Zombieland Saga *cough*

But Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu isn't like that. It does what it does best, being a cute and fun time for everyone, and sticks to that principle to the very end.

And I have to say, I admire that a lot.

Now, not everyone is going to like that kind of show. This show basically runs on a flat line, so if you don't enjoy the first episode, there's no doubt you won't enjoy the rest. And while my score for this thing is a 6, I just needed to write this in admiration for its dedication to sticking to its roots and living them to the bitter end.

And maybe we should try doing that ourselves sometime.

Hitoribocci no Marumaru Seikatsu is a wholesome slice of life school anime with a bit of comedy sprinkled in.

The plot is incredibly straightforward. Bocchi, a socially awkward and anxious girl moves to a new school and promises her old friend that she will befriend everyone in her class. Most of the story revolves around her befriending girls in her class.

The characters are also quite straightforward and simple, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. The writers chose to make every character's name a pun that describes their prominent character trait. These are young middle school girls so expecting tons of character development will ... just leave you disappointed.

The art style is 'clean' and easy on the eyes. The voice acting and sounds are fine.

Despite this anime being somewhat shallow in terms of plot and character development, I still quite enjoyed it. It's a simple, lighthearted and wholesome anime that doesn't have grand aspirations and instead focuses on the fundamentals. I give it a strong 7.

This is a lovely slice-of-life comedy about Hitori Bocchi, a socially anxious but gentle and lovable creature, trying to make friends. I think this also falls close to the moe-blob and/or CGDCTs genre, and anyone who likes SOL comedies in the school setting will enjoy this. I personally loved it. :) I must note that I had already read much of the manga, and enjoyed it, prior to watching the show. Also, while the show does have an overarching plot and progression, it is somewhat episodic (indeed, the source is a 4-koma), which is something I like.

Technicals: the art and character design were great, ... and I loved the music. The opening especially is really nice because it sounds like the characters themselves singing; it is also very catchy.

Plot and characters: I think this idea for a story is simple yet brilliant, and Bocchi is the perfect character to execute it in a way that is both comedic and endearing. She is very silly, naive, and has little understanding of the world, especially how to interact with and interpret what others mean. As a result, she comes up with some (hilariously) absurd plans and misinterpretations of what is going on. But she is sweet and pure at heart - just not very smart, at least socially. I've noticed that her bizarre antics kind of annoy some people, but to me they were just cute and silly. I will admit that it is occasionally cringy (for instance, when she admits that her motivation for seeking out new friends is trying to get her original singular friend back, she doesn't realize it might bother the very people she is trying to befriend - in other words, she is honest to a fault here). However, I rarely felt that way.

Categorically:
- Moe: High
- Comedy: Great
- Drama: minor (from poor Hitori-san :( )
- Action: None
- Romance: None
- Harem: None
- Ecchi: None

I think Bocchi is quite moe, and so are her friends (especially Aru Aru and Sotoka). It is primarily for them that I am willing to consider this a CGDCTs show, despite the presence of an overarching plot, and some level of world progression (as well as personal progression). It's a very adorable group of characters :) and their interactions and personalities carry the show. The other pillar is the comedy: Bocchi's cute antics, misunderstandings, and crazy thoughts are really funny, and comedic in a novel way (compared to most shows). I never really found them repetitive (though I'm usually not the type to be bothered by this sort of issue in general - I don't get tired of things very easily I guess).

I must say, however, that I cannot classify this as a "relaxation" anime, the way Non Non Biyori is, for instance. This is because poor Bocchi is under a great deal of pressure, and you feel terrible for her struggles as she endeavours to make more friends. People who struggle socially may feel her pain more acutely, I suspect, which will either endear you to the character (and thus the show) or make you dislike it (if you were expecting a more pure moe SOL CGDCTs experience). Poor Bocchi ends up either sobbing, anxious and afraid, or simply somewhat depressed quite often - but her bravery and courage keep shining through for me. Most of the time, she is relatively happy (albeit often confused), in large part due to her caring friends helping her.

There are two characters in particular I must complain a bit about. The first is Bocchi's childhood friend, who stops being her friend in order to help her gain new friends. I do think this is a noble ambition, and a good thing to do. But, firstly, "make friends with everyone in class" is simply lunacy for anyone, let alone someone of Bocchi's disposition. And secondly (minor spoilers for the remaining paragraph, incidentally), just because you are "no longer her friend" doesn't mean you should be cruel to her! At one point, when Bocchi runs into her, she refuses to even look at her, despite Bocchi's tearful pleading and wavering voice as she attempts to introduce her new friends. I know why she feels the need to do it, and she does break down crying herself afterwards, but still. Only someone with a sick mind could do that to poor Bocchi-chan when she's clearly trying so hard. Is this how you treat everyone who's not your friend?! Nevertheless, even if misguided, at least she is doing for a good reason. The second character, Kako, does *not* have a good reason, yet refuses to be friends with Bocchi. Instead she has an incredibly dumb reason, espousing an all-too-common phrase in anime: "tsuyoku ni naritai". Goddamn it, how many shows spam this phrase? At least in an action-battle show like Fate it makes sense, but as a completely normal middle school student?! Wut. She mentions some gibberish about living alone, but really this is some kind of Chuuni insanity. Despite Bocchi's repeated attempts to befriend her, she chooses to act like a sociopathic maniac and icily rejecting her. I will say there are a few moments from her that could be construed as tsundere (emphasis on the TSUN), but tsunderes need at least some dere too. And there isn't much. Anyway, aside from these two cold-hearted psychos (whose roles aren't huge), the remaining characters are quite lovely! They have their own funny quirks and are really just great characters. Watching them will bring a smile to your face.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. It's definitely rewatchable for me. It goes in my list of moe comedy SOL CGDGTs, and is a great addition there :)

I feel like you can show this anime to anyone and they will have big smile in their face :).

Story is none actually. 10/10

Art, meh it's ok i guess, nice color, nice animation and there is kind of dialog box with their face on it to fit --animation budget-- (manga style)

Sound, honestly their voices is not what i really expected in my mind when reading the manga, but i get used to it. ost is great.

Character is basically the selling point on this anime, you have the unique katsuwo style of character naming convention. basically, the personality of the character is ... their name. All of them are so f*ing funny and ADORABLE. I always look at the character when watching slice of life anime, because who give a f about story amirite.

Enjoyment, to be honest, there is some cringe moment. most of the cringe moment when it's just didn't feel right like the manga do. Also this is my first time reading manga and it's getting anime adaptation. So i'm just vewwy happy. cringe ratio is about 1/10.

Overall, it's very wholesome, watch it - FHero

Not all people can enjoy a story with rather simple premise. Not all people can find joy from CGDCT shows. Perspective is vital in reviewing any form of stories. Trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes is one way to truly comprehend a story, but when you actually have been through similar things, the story hits differently, and it makes your sense of enjoyment of the story to a much more higher level. Rather it be movies,animes,novels or anything, and this show fit in my shoes perfectly. Hitoribocchi may seems like another lame moe anime show about a girl with social anxiety. But ... as i finished this series, i find it to have much more substance than "cute girls doing cute things".4-koma shows are something that i consume regularly but doesn't really have that much to talk about, since most of them are mainly exist to crack a few mediocre jokes without minimal context and effort. But what makes Hitoribocchi different is that it actually has a progressive plot, various approach to crack jokes, and charm.

The story tells you about a socially inept girl with a small circle of friends named Hitori Bocchi who just started middle school. Her only friend from elementary school, Kai Yawara, went to different middle school than Bocchi. Kai parted away from Bocchi and cut ties with Bocchi, unless Bocchi succeed to befriend with all of the kids in her class. This puts Bocchi in a tight spot since she struggles with any human interaction, moreover initiating any conversation with anyone to build any sorts of friendship. Can this adorable little fluffy ball of anxiety muster up the courage to widen her circle of friends to finally get back to her old friend that solely depends on in her childhood? Find out what happens next on Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu.

Story (6/10): To say there's no story in this show at all is plain ignorance. Yeah, this slice-of-life, but if there's a progress for something throughout the show, then there is a story, so the doesn't really seems aimless. Its just plain and simple. But that doesn't mean its bad. The story doesnt really stands out from all of the other shows about "trying to make friends", like Oregairu or Haganai. Compared to those shows, this show doesn't have much scenes or moments that are like too heavy or made a huge impact on certain characters. This show is really only driven by friendship wholesomeness and i love it.

Art (6/10): With this kind of story i dont see why it needs any fancy animation. Studio C2C doesn't have the best art style, but its overwhelmingly decent for this show. Studio C2C haven't picked up that many projects yet, but after seeing their work for this show, i kinda wish they would take more projects from any 4-koma manga series. I wouldn't say its amazing, but its more than enough. Plus, the animation is like a direct upgrade from the manga art style.

Sound (7/10): The sound design in this show is nothing special, but the OSTs in this show is an overkill. It fits perfectly with the nature of the shows. It clearly sounds like the people behind it were actually enjoying their work, it doesn't sound generic or lazy. And the OP is one of my favourite songs from any slice-of-life series, and i never get bored of it. Like seriously, you would never expect a show from a non-popular slice-of-life series, made from an unknown studio, to be this amazing. Huge props to those who handled the OSTs in this show.

Character (7/10): This show suprisingly handled the characters pretty well, giving each and every one of them some unique traits. And they did a pretty good job explaining why they act the way they do. And this gives many jokes and gags that are enough to give you a good laugh. And each and every one of them are so lovable. The one character that i find very special is Kai. People hated Kai for cutting ties with Bocchi and letting her feel miserable. But Kai felt the same amount of attachment towards Bocchi like how Bocchi does to Kai. She felt equally miserable as Bocchi, but it was for the greater good of Bocchi to make more friends.

Enjoyment (8/10): Even if you dont deal with any social anxiety problems that you can relate with this show, you still can find yourself entertained with the humour and cuteness that this show has to offer. For me, i find myself enjoying much more because i've dealt with social anxiety issues before. I made like 2 friends from my first 3 years of high school, saying i'm related to Bocchi is an understatement.

Overall (7/10): I really love this series. I would really recommend this series for those who enjoy CGDCT. Solid production value, lovable characters, decent humour. Watching 20 minutes of this pure wholesomeness will definitely brighten up your miserable day.

When I started watching Hitoribocchi at Marumaru Seikatsu I thought I would not like this anime very much. That is because this “slice of life” anime genre with cute little girls reminded me of K-ON (although I know there are conceptual differences between them, since K-on is music-themed), an anime I have a little problematic relationship. Luckily, I was wrong and what has been given to me was an enriching experience in terms of entertainment and spiritual and philosophical understanding. Firstly, talking about the environment in which the story unfolds, the anime focus on the interaction of girls living their daily routine. This premise usually ... bothers me, since it excludes men, making it a poor clipping of the reality’s structure. However, by watching this anime I was able to understand a little more about the process of narrative construction and about human nature too. The male gender is associated with conflict and violence. This is a mere consequence of testosterone. Stories that have many male characters usually involve fights for dominance, fights over love relationships, etc. Even in Harem animes, when there is a male protagonist and many female characters, the male character is the epicenter of all the woes of the plot, the center of contention of the girls, the object of desire. To create a slice of life anime, in which the viewer feels constantly comfortable and free of worries, actually removing the presence of men is a good choice. Throughout the anime, even in times of tension and trouble, I still felt confident that everything would work out and be okay. Speaking of the premise of the story, the focus is the struggles that Hitori-san faces to overcome her social phobia, to leave loneliness and to make friends. The comic situations are shown are clearly exaggerated, as it should be in any comedy, but anyone with at least some degree of shyness or social anxiety can feel identified in the situations that the main character lives. The challenge of making friends in a new place, that you do not know anyone, is easily relatable. As Hitori-san's self-development story unfolds, she is able to make friends, and each of them has some sort of social problem too (as one of them is a delinquent, the other is clumsy, another is a foreigner, etc.). All of those characters who interact with Hitori-san watch her struggles and feel inspires by it, also having their own development too. This is not done in a cliché way, with flashbacks, excessive crying and exaggerated dramas, but in a subtle and silenced way that only the attentive spectator can perceive. Another banquet that this anime offers to the experienced viewer, who has a good collection of imaginative figures inside his mind, is the approach concerning the past of the characters. After all, people with social problems have those problems for a reason that are often either sad or tragic. It would not be different in this anime. However, throughout the plot, the past of the characters rarely is the focus, only being approached tangentially. From the few elements that are shown, the good viewer can see how sad it is, or it could be, the lives of the characters. The beauty of the plot of this anime is that the characters refuse to live looking to the past, and always live the present trying to get the best out of all the situations that they live concretely in reality. The fact that the past is ignored by the characters has given a new meaning to the saying "Ignorance is a blessing." Many have this saying as a message that it is better not to know unpleasant things, so that one can have a happy life. This interpretation takes into account only passive ignorance. This anime brings us a teaching about the value of active ignorance, which means choosing to ignore. Life becomes much more beautiful and meaningful when instead of remembering problems of the past and taking any elements of it that we could use as a justification for victimizing ourselves, we ignore it and we choose to live the present, taking the best of each situation to grow. This decision of the characters is what makes this animation a slice of life, not a cheap drama. The theme of the past only appears with more emphasis when it is Hitori-san's. A traumatic situation of her past is constantly remembered, not mainly as a source of sadness, but as a motivation to overcome challenges. We should ignore the things that have already passed that bind us to the past, but we must remember the ones that move us into the future. Hitoribocchi in Marumaru Seikatsu is an anime that teaches us to have a new perspective on life, also bringing with it a subtle wisdom that impresses the hearts that are open to enjoy fully the experience. It shows that we all can make in our daily chaos little moments of slice of life. All we have to do is to seize the day, carpe diem.
Adding to this spiritual experience, there is a generic, tranquil soundtrack, as expected from this anime genre. The art and design are consistent, showing beautiful characters, that although simple in design, are very expressive and done with good style. The backgrounds are also very well done, and the effects of illumination are a spotlight of this series in a technical matter. This show also delivers good laughs, due to a good comic timing. Considering everything that has been said, watching this anime is a highly recommended experience for anyone who likes anime.

This stores simply one of the most wholesome story there is. The characters are wholesome, and it seriously brings such good vibes. Not every may like it since they may not have the best days, but still, people who lack such wholesomeness may grow to like it. The story may seem simple, but the jokes are top notch if anyone looks at the context. If anyone is feeling down, you can count on this anime to lift up your mood, unless you are way too depressed. The character interactions are what friends should be, at least in my opinion, out of all the ways there ... are to be friends. People may find it boring if it's just not their thing, but there is actually nothing really wrong about it.

A very cute anime with both comedic and serious tones(tho mostly comedic honestly).

While the show portraits of a real life problem many people have, it's not really shown in the most realistic way, it mostly appears more goofy than anything else; So I wouldn't take this anime too seriously when it comes to that specific issue.

The characters aside the main one aren't really overly complex when it comes to personality and traits in general, but I suppose that's ok considered that show is literally named after the main character, which is also the focus of the "Action" 90% of the time.

This anime is more enjoyable ... for the moe / cute relaxing aspect, there isn't much more and that's fine with me.