Reviews

Dec 24, 2022
Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be present within character analysis. You have been warned.

Based on a popular manga series of the same name Bocchi the Rock alternatively called Bocchi Za Rokku is a comedy, slice of life and music-based anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if a schoolgirl long troubled by social anxiety and yet possessing excellent skills at playing the guitar were to take it upon herself in her desire to break out of her gloomy shell join a rock band and overcome her anxiety by embracing her inner desire to become a rock star. And in doing so show the world not just the weight of her determination to forge a life for herself but also forge the very first friendships with those that would not only not look down upon her but would stand side by side with her as you work together to achieve a mutual dream and doing so change her destiny forever.

While outwardly the combo of music, slice of life and comedy is not one that’s unknown in the anime medium with K-On! being the most notable of that combination what made Bocchi the Rock stand out from among its peers was its inclusion of an element that is relatively unknown within the medium in the form of mental health and self-improvement and how this is tied to the continued success of both the band and the bonds that are forged between the lead character and her band mates and first ever friends. Given the usual target audience of these types of manga, its inclusion of such adult themes that reflect on the kind of hidden struggles that people could suffer unknowingly within society I felt was one that had great merit and being one that I could easily relate to made it a no brainer for me to watch as part of this season’s anime and I have to say I was really impressed by it.

Hitori Gotoh

Hitori Gotoh is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of its overall narrative. A freshman that attends the nearby Shuka high school Hitori in her initial appearances was shown to be someone that can be said to have perhaps the most unfortunate psychological conditions that a teenager can suffer from in the form of being an extreme shut-in. A quiet and introverted girl and someone that was noted to be slow to react to common social interactions such as conversing with classmates and teachers what served to further compound her was the social anxiety and stuttering that only served to shatter what little self-confidence she had and ensure that she had few if any opportunities to make friends her age. Indeed, it can be seen that even within her own class she was someone that lacked a presence within it and was someone that her classmates actively avoided interacting with daily. As a result of these struggles, it’s perhaps not surprising to find that Hitori was someone that feared greatly any kind of social interaction with others whether it school related or in the form of clubs and annual festivals like the culture festival because in her eyes they would be hell. However, despite her unfortunate condition, she was someone that was shown to crave a place within society where she can show her true self and explore activities that she was both compatible with and have a passion towards which ultimately led her to become interested in not only learning to play the guitar but also a desire to join others that have a similar passion for music and creating fun songs together as part of a band. Though at the start of the series it was only a dream that Hitori doubted that she could ever achieve as the series progressed it become a new reality that while shocking her proved to be the one spark of inspiration that she needed in order to create a new future for herself and begin a new journey of not only self-improvement but also reintegration of herself back into society by doing something that she never thought she could do.

As the series progresses and Hitori embarks on her journey of self-improvement and reintegrate herself back into society by doing the one thing that she never could have dreamed of which is joining a rock band her personality begins to gradually change. While her long years of practicing with the guitar that she has determined to be the best instrument for her have allowed her to gain an impressive amount of skill in playing it her social anxiety and lack of social skills that most girls her age would have cultivated as part of their time in middle school made her first days within Kessoku band a difficult experience. Indeed, while her overly polite nature was per the social norms her uptight nature when dealing with new people and situations as well as her almost subconscious desire to hide herself when flustered made it difficult for people to get to know her. While her inner monologues and innate sense of negativity provided some great insight into the kind of trauma that she suffered from as a result of such situations it also served to showcase how high of a wall that she had created around her heart that had to be surmounted by her bandmates before they can befriend and bond with her.

However, though her first days in the band were a difficult experience for her by playing with them and learning not only what makes a band but also the kind of joy that comes from making friends with people that share her passion slowly but surely Hitori’s view on her idea of joining a band becomes less negative. While she still viewed every practice session and every social outing with her bandmates with a degree of fear by interacting with them in even the most common of interactions such as visiting local shrines, enjoying meals out and having them visit her house and getting the chance to not only interact with them but also observe how normal people do so Hitori was able to realize not only how fun it was to be able to hang out with likeminded people but also the kind of power that comes from doing something that they all share a passion for and from them develop a desire to see where it leads them. More than anything this sense of unity and purpose that was developed as a result was to become a solid new foundation for Hitori that imbued within her not only a new sense of self-confidence that motivated her to do everything that she can to help the band but also repay her friends for the aid that they provided her in allowing her to break out of her shell with Nijika being the one that she seems to value the most in wanting to repay as she was the one that provided the opportunity to join her dream. The development of this new sense of confidence which within the narrative was accomplished through not only her inner monologue that reflected the growing bonds that she has forged with her new friends, her desire to physically interact with her friends and her increasingly impressive performance within the band’s performances I felt was not only well thought out and natural but also reflected well on her newfound desire to pursue their shared dream together. While her nickname of Bocchi was coined by her friend and bandmate Ryo as a means to allow her and the band to form better bonds with her this name over the course of the narrative was to become a source of strength for Hitori as she began to see herself as not only a part of the band as its guitarist but also as one of its foundations in the form of Bocchi the shield which is a role that by the end of the series is one that everyone within the band acknowledges thanks to the contributions that she made to the band’s success via her antics. One’s that inspires them to greater heights something that I felt really showed not only on how much Hitori had developed as a person over the course of the narrative but also the effect that it had on those around her.

Nijika Ijichi

Nijika Ijichi is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Kessoku band serving as its drummer and overall leader. A second-year high school student that attends the nearby Shimokitazawa high school noted for its high entrance requirements Nijika from her initial appearances was shown to someone that didn’t quite match the image of girls who usually attend such schools being a someone that was friendly, positive and polite to all she met regardless of their social status. A kind, caring and perceptive person by nature these traits when combined with her quick thinking, understanding and sense of self-confidence made her someone that was both easy to befriend and yet sensible enough to leave important decisions to decide over when it became necessary a role that is best shown in her role as the band’s overall leader. While allowing her to contrast well with her fellow band member Ryo whose laid-back nature as well as her desire to do the most random of things often tested her nerves this combination of traits also allowed her to bond readily with people that may struggle to show their true selves such as Hitori.

While Nijika was shown to be an excellent people person that allowed her to bond easily with others and make friends with even the most unusual of people what made her stand out among her bandmates was her ability to not only focus on the immediate needs of her friends but also think on the larger picture that is the band’s ability to perform and the kind of work that is needed to make them successful. In this, I felt that Nijika’s base traits and her ever-positive nature really synergized well with each other as they allowed her to not only serve as an excellent leader that can bring the band swiftly back to focus on their immediate task but also allow her to deal with any of her band mates whose confidence may be flagging and help them back on their feet as not only their leader but also their friend as well.

Overall, as a character, I felt that Nijika was both well designed and developed with her base traits allowing her to be both be an effective manager that while admittedly being helped at times by her sister was nonetheless an effective one that helped ensure that the band while formed of some rather unusual characters nonetheless was able to give excellent performances in their appearances and an equally good friend to those that she manages. This last aspect is best shown within the narrative in the strong bond that she forges with Hitori as she with the exception of Kita were the only one that were able to understand Hitori and deal with the common meltdowns that she goes through within the narrative something that takes not only kindness but a degree of patience and understanding as well for if not handled delicately Hitori would likely have left the band. More than anything as a manager one of Nijika’s roles was to watch over her bandmates and make sure that they are doing the best that they can and while she like the rest was shown to have serious doubts to her ability I believe that it was actually Nijika that was both the most surprised and yet relieved that the person that she had picked as her main guitarist while possessing unique problems that needed ironing out nonetheless had proved to be the one catalyst that the band needed to start making a name for themselves and in doing so begin the journey on attaining one of Nijika’s most cherished dreams.

Ikuyo Kita

Ikuyo Kita is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Kessoku band where she serves as both its main vocalist and one of the band’s guitarists. A high school freshman that attends the same school as our protagonist though in separate classes Kita from her initial appearances was shown to be someone that was the polar opposite of her in almost all regards. For unlike Bocchi Kita was someone that was popular, outgoing and was a social butterfly that while having no shortage of friends was someone that was quite capable of making friends with anyone. While a popular girl she was also someone that was kind, caring and gentle that when combined with her understanding and perceptive nature made it easy for her to get used to new environments and people quite readily as shown in how quickly she adapted in class and in the relationship that she forges with her bandmates.

If anything, honesty and being able to show one’s true self to those that you can trust are the bywords that Kita lives by and is what define her as a person. When this is combined with her diligent nature, sense of responsibility and ever-positive nature this served to ensure that Kita was someone that wore her heart on her sleeves and was someone that always did the best in everything that she did while remaining as positive as a maiden about to embark on her first date. While this combination of traits does a great job of ensuring that Kita is both an excellent friend and an excellent staff member whether as a band member or in any future career that she hopes to take up the sense of responsibility is something that I felt was something that was akin to a doubled edged sword as when used in combo with her diligent nature it ensured that while she would always do her best in all tasks and roles that she takes on anything but the best outcome would be seen as a failure by her. Though Kita’s ever-present positive aura affectionately referred to as the Kita aura by her friends and bandmates ensures that she doesn’t show this on the surface she nonetheless is not immune to feeling despair that could cause her to take actions that surprise others as shown in her initial departure from the band. Though Kita on an individual level was someone that was above average in her skill at social interaction and making friends when compared to her bandmates these traits were also ones that also allowed her to not only bond readily with her bandmates but also help them overcome the struggles that were unique to them. While her hero worship of her fellow bandmate Ryo was something that was always comical to see these moments also served as an excellent vehicle to showcase one of Kita’s most prominent traits which is the strong fascination that she has with the kind of bonds that is forged between band members that she views interestingly as akin to a second family. This sense of belief I felt while unusual as most people would have a clear line on whats workmates, friends and family nonetheless were one that Kita believed in strongly and was one that I felt fitted her quite well and when used in conjunction with her perceptive nature allowed her to bond with even the most unusual of people such as Hitori.

Within the band, while Nijika was the one that was seen to have the strongest bond with Hitori the sense of chemistry that existed between Kita and Hitori was also something that I really liked that stemmed not only from Kita’s innate nature but also the shared desire of both to do their very best to not only help each other improve but in wanting to pay back the band for everything that the band had done for them. This chemistry within the narrative I felt was shown best in the way that Kita seems to be able to understand intuitively the kind of thoughts that goes through Hitori’s mind and arrive at exactly where she is trying to secrete herself a fearsome skill for sure but one that can be most useful at times like for example when she goes MIA when she’s most needed.

Overall, as a character Kita, I felt was an interesting character that was both well-designed and developed. While her base nature as the ever popular and positive freshman were qualities that brought out the best in her and allowed her to befriend her peers easily and enjoy what most would consider normal everyday life this nature, I felt was also one that allowed her to contrast well with the likes of Ryo and Hitori who lacked the sense of positivity that Kita seemed to possess in spades. This contrast when used in conjunction with her views on bonds between band members and the sense of unity that she believes that it gives their performances allowed her to not only fulfil the role of a guitarist and vocalist but also as a sort of roving mood maker that while less effective than Nijika in dealing with trouble still made her handy backup due to her ability to bond readily with people and see what's really going through their mind.

Ryo Yamada

Ryo Yamada is one of the main characters of the series and is a member of the Kessoku band where she serves as the band’s bassist. A second-year student that attends the nearby Shimokitazawa high school with Nijika whom she has known for a long time Ryo in her initial appearances was shown to be someone that fitted the image of a typical rocker quite well due to both her physical appearance and her base nature. In her initial appearances Ryo was someone that was shown to be a quiet and intelligent girl but one that was not very expressive and indeed was someone that seemed to prefer to remain on the sidelines by maintaining a very aloof attitude when with others. However, despite her preference for avoiding the spotlight she was also someone that possessed a cool demeanor which when combined with her strong sense of confidence allowed her to amusingly draw attention to herself unintentionally and allowing her to not only gain many fans who see her as a dreamy rock star but at the same time intimidate any troublemakers who dare cause trouble with them as shown during Hitori’s culture festival arc.

Beneath her quiet and cool nature, however, Ryo was someone that was shown to match the eccentric profile that most people imagine when they think of rockers. For while quiet Ryo was someone that possessed a surprisingly mischievous nature too her being capable of not only playing pranks on others readily but also a unique talent for creating bad puns whenever she gets the opportunity. This was bolstered by her tendency to come up with perhaps the weirdest ideas I ever seen a high school girl come up with in the form of them subscribing to the classic image of rockers which is to say one’s that smoke, drink and dally with women which would be inappropriate for them to say the least. However, despite her nature, Ryo was someone that cared deeply about her friends and her bandmates and her ideas while constantly driving Nijika wild did well to showcase not only the contrast that they have within the band but also the chemistry that ties them together for without either the band as a whole wouldn’t likely exist. Overall, as a character, Ryo was one that I felt was well designed if not well-developed one. While Nijika and Kita had very clear roles within the band as its leader and its roving mood maker that functioned as the band’s ever-positive foundation that kept them going, I felt that Ryo as a character was present only as a comedic asset. While her ability to make us laugh through her antics was undeniable, I wished that she had more of an obvious role in developing Hitori as a character.

AMV

Animation wise I really liked the animation style that was used within the series that while providing excellent details to the characters also served well to enhance their emotional effects as well which is shown best when Hitori is being praised and when she’s going through a meltdown through the usage of both the Hitori avatar and the cute facial expressions that she makes use off when going through the positive emotional motions. At the same time, I was also impressed by the usage of Hitori’s imagination as a way to showcase not only her core desires but also reflect on the many stages of development that she goes through within the narrative as her bond with her bandmates and friends increase something that I felt was both heartwarming and amusing to see depending on the content that was shown.

While the number of locations that were shown within the narrative were relatively few, I felt that the ones that were featured in the form of Starry which is the club that acts as both the band’s Homebase and one that is run by Nijika’s elder sister, Hitori’s family home and the school that Hitori and Kita attend these locations I felt made good usage of the concept of dual nature. In the form of Starry for example to Hitori, it was initially a location that represented an unknown and potentially scary place for her to visit where everything that was there was alien to her due to her limited interaction with society. But over time this sense of fear was replaced by her view of Starry as not only the home for the band but also a place where she was able to enjoy many heartwarming moments with her friends and discover what the true power of bonds means to her and from there awake the catalyst that she needs to rewrite her destiny forever. Though limited somewhat by the fact that this series is only a half season I would have loved to see how other bands fare within the sector as well and while the series did feature one other band in the form of Sick Hack that was fronted by the character of Kikuri Hiroi complete with their own club that they were based at it wasn’t used well enough in my eyes.

Music wise the series made use of one opening and three ending themes which were Seishun Complex, Distortion, KaraKara and Nani ga Warui which while performed by the members of Kessoku band rotated through each of their members as to allow each the opportunity to show their worth as vocalists with Distortion being performed by Ikuyo Kita, KaraKara by Ryo and Nani ga Warui that was performed by Nijika. Seishun complex and its accompanying visuals I felt while an excellent song also did well to reflect on the kind of isolation, anxiety and fear that Hitori had to contend with prior to meeting Nijika and joining her band and the kind of spark that was awaken within her heart as a result of this new opportunity that allowed her to finally take her first steps in breaking out of the grim grey world that she had been imprisoned in for so long. The series ending theme Distortion on the other hand while an equally cheerful song was also one that reflected well on the fact that while each of the individual members may be lacking in some way when they combine their talents they’ll able to create songs that reflect on all of the hard work that they put into their constant practice and show their desire to create the most unique songs possible something that I felt matches well with the series core theme of self-improvement by embracing their shared passions really well. Of course, it’s not a music-based anime without having excellent insert songs of which there were a total of two songs which were Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi (Guitar, Loneliness and Blue planet) and Ano Band (That band). While both were excellent songs, I have to say that my favorite song was Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi due to how it symbolized Bocchi’s newfound determination to devote herself to the band and pay back Nijika for the opportunity that she has provided her by allowing her to join the band.

Voice acting wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or supporting characters within its overall narrative. However, I have to say that I was really impressed by Sayumi Suzushiro and Ikumi Hasegawa’s portrayal of their assigned characters of Nijika and Ikuyo Kita and felt that their vocal talents really served to bring their characters to life. While I wasn’t too familiar with the work of Yoshino Aoyama who portrays the character of Hitori due to this being her first role to me I really liked her portrayal of Hitori and the way in which she gradually changed her voice to reflect on Hitori’s ever-growing sense of confidence as she learned the value of friendships and the sense of enjoyment that came from enjoying one’s shared passion together.

Overall conclusion

In overall Bocchi the Rock I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strengths its unique premise, a strong story that balanced out heartwarming bonding moments with excellent music, characters, voice acting and its insight into a topic that is relatively rare within the anime medium in the form of mental health as well as what goes on in the background of managing a rock band. No matter which country you live in, what social status you have and how much money you have in your bank account mental health is something that would affect the best of us and that is especially so for people that suffer anxiety of any kind. For those that have the misfortune of suffering from it even doing simple things such as interacting with others can be a challenge and all too often most would simply withdraw into their own safe spaces so as to protect themselves.

In this, I felt that the premise of the series that centered on our beloved Bocchi’s desire to break out of her shell by embarking on a journey of self-improvement and reintegrating herself back into society by discovering the kind of joy that comes from forging bonds with likeminded people and having fun with an activity that they all enjoy was especially well done as while providing us with excellent songs to enjoy it also allowed us to see that even in a society that treats those that have mental problems as problematic individuals if one has the will to change their life then there would always be people out there who would be willing to help them achieve their goals. Something that I felt is especially relevant in our current world where such individuals are treated so poorly by the people that are supposed to protect them.

Overall as a final overall score, I would say that Bocchi the Rock easily deserves a final score of 9/10 with the only demerit coming from characters that I felt could have been further expanded upon to improve their effectiveness within the narrative.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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