I don't even know how I can express why I had so much fun watching Hitoribocchi because all of it stems from other CGDCT shows I have seen: everything about it screams festive sugary fun. Is it because the voice acting is what put it over the edge in giving the show its enjoyable energy? The relatable story involving the main girl's social anxiety refusing to let her freely make friends in her new junior high school? The adorable art design is complete eye candy? How about all of the above.
The fact that the main character, Bocchi Hitori, is played by a seiyuu's debut leading role shocked me. Chisaki Morishita is perfect in this role. Her hilarious and cute voice inflections she puts on Hitori are so much fun to listen to and see how the animation plays it off. All of the other seiyuus do amazing jobs as well. Minami Tanaka as Nako sells it as the more stoic girl of the main cast. Akari Kito is also hilarious as Aru in her role as a serious senpai who is just as clumsy and forgetful as our main heroine. And Yuuko Kurose does a splendid job as the foreign exchange student Sotoka Rakita. These four main seiyuus made for a fantastic cast that could be the best of the year thus far.
Now I won't mince words here. The characters in this show do come across as if they were copy-and-pasted from another slice of life high school anime. You have the foreign exchange blonde girl, the class representative senpai that plays a facade of being dignified, the shy girl, and the unemotional girl. We have been conditioned to see these things so many times that it's not even worth trying to form a critique about for those of us that still watch these and haven't given up on them. If they do not give you any feelings of charm, then that is a sign the girls did not work. With Hitoribocchi, I found all of them to have their unique appeal, whether from their cute and hilarious personalities or whatever antics they do in each episode.
I found Hitori's story an excellent selling point for the show. Her eagerness to try to make friends in her new school to make up for her lack of doing so in her previous school felt relatable. I would not say that it significantly succeeds, as it does seem like they leave that off to the side to focus on other character arcs. But for what those arcs are, I didn't mind them. I thought Aru's arc was the most hilarious out of all of the supporting casts'. While I did feel that Hitori's story could have had more meat to it, it does not necessarily bog down the show too much.
We all expect moe shows and CGDCT to have an adorable art style, and Hitoribocchi is no exception. I adored Hitori's design to her hairstyle with that lovely hairpin. Everyone else has a similar look or quirk that fits well and makes them distinctive and memorable. I can't say that for a lot of recent CGDCT anime as of late, that's for sure.
Do not be ashamed if you feel giddiness in your body when you see cute girls doing cute things. It is a normal reaction if you have a sensible outlook on the preciousness of life. Although I do not think Hitoribocchi is the cutest CGDCT anime of all time, it certainly is this year I've seen thus far. If you're feeling down and want to see cute girls feel cheerful or maybe see a relatable story of trying to make friends despite your social awkwardness, I can't think of a better anime in recent seasons that can alleviate those feelings.
Grade: A-
