After reading a fairly well-written review by KANLen09-san, browsing related memes and listening to the Seishun Complex (without knowing it is an opening song), I have decided to let the hype flow through me... and what a huge mistake that was.
I won't waste my time to rewrite things mentioned in the synopsis, so... Bocchi the Rock is a show about a teenage girl named Hitori Gotou. Apparently, she has been all alone her entire life. She has never had friends until the beginning of the plot. She has social anxiety. Being a wonderful guitarist, she is quite gifted, although this talent of her is only known and appreciated online. Many introvert viewers might find these character stats incredibly relatable. But... Is this girl really hapless? Sorry to disappoint you, but Hitori Gotou is no more than a comic relief of a main character. Her personality is in the pun which is her name. She is nothing like you. Her life is not considered miserable by real-life standards. She has both parents who love her, a sister; her family is not poor; she is popular on YouTube; she is not bullied; she gets a job; she joins a band; she gets friends; she is not considered unattractive (unlike, for example, Tomoko Kuroki). Her social anxiety is over the top and neither funny nor relatable. Also, it is unrealistic. I mention it because Bocchi the Rock tries to be serious, even though it is a comedy.
Other characters are pretty generic. There are Ryo the loner-by-choice, Kita the yuri bait who can't play, and Nijika the extravert who can do drums. They all have the same goal, the same dream. Secondary characters are plainly unfunny and uncharismatic. There is a drunkard woman, a member of an indie band, and the jokes regarding her are all predictably related to the alcohol. That's... pretty much it, and the fact of such flat characterisation is sad.
On top of that, Bocchi the Rock is supposed to be motivational, because its focus is personal growth and reaching success. As I mentioned before, it tries to be deep, although it's extremely difficult to take it seriously. The problem is, this show offers basic problems and occasionally throws 'deep' lines that magically help characters (especially Gotou) overcome obstacles they run into. Yes, words do matter a lot in real life, but don't exaggerate their impact to that extent. However, with mediocre character development, the anime's deepness factor is questionable. Bocchi the Rock has nearly no substance. It doesn't have much to offer, and what it offers is repetitive things which are not unique to it. Trying into realism, Bocchi fails to demonstrate how to properly grow as a functioning member of society.
Of course, this anime is not a piece of garbage. Even though characters are generic, they are not loathsome and their designs are cute and well-made. Besides, the anime is animated on a decent level. Also, the voice acting and the soundtrack ROCK (lol). Opening song is simply outstanding. But that's there the advantages end.
Bocchi the Rock is a typical show which has been produced on the anime factory of CloverWorks. Its comedy is boring. There are plenty CGDCT shows which are funnier, even across those related to music. Its deepness is paradoxically low. There are shows in which themes like social anxiety and others are held much better, with responsibility and with soul.
Unfortunately, I have failed to see why this anime deserves praise. I don't hate it, but sometimes it's depressing to see how plastic the industry has become. That is why CloverWorks is not a studio. It is a factory.
Plot: 2 (incredibly uninspired)
Characters: 3 (were made for the sake of cuteness, but are a bit charming)
Animation: 7 (objectively good yet not impressive)
Sound: 8 (catchy soundtrack and top-notch voice acting)
Enjoyment: 4 (disappointing)
Overall: 3. Thank you for reading my review!
