With the announcement of Bocchi the Rock! Season 2 I wanted to revisit season 1 and show why it got so popular.
Bocchi the Rock! is an adaptation by CloverWorks of a manga of the same name. Aki Hamazaki is the writer and illustrator of the manga. The anime aired in Fall 2022, and it was a favourite of many anime fans for that season.
It was probably my favourite for that Fall 2022 anime season. Bocchi the Rock! Season 1 is hilarious. With the recent announcement of season 2 and the original director stepping down, I hope season 2 will be just as good.
Bocchi The Rock Season 1 Review
Animation
CloverWorks really went above and beyond for some of the scenes in Bocchi the Rock Season 1. I have not read the Bocchi the Rock manga, so I can’t say if the scenes are similar or completely different.
Some of the scenes were just out of left field when it came to animation. I hope that even though Bocchi the Rock Season 2 will have a different director most of the stylistic choices will be similar. Here are some of the best animated scenes from Bocchi the Rock Season 1, spoiler alert.
Story & Characters
The premise is nothing new, an introvert bordering NEET trying to make friends. What I think separates it from other manga and anime with the same premise is the characters.
Bocchi the Rock Characters:
- Gotou Hitori (Bocchi)
- Nijika Ichiji
- Ryo Yamada
- Ikuyo Kita
Bocchi is one of the funniest characters I can remember in recent times. If you’ve ever felt alone or have been lonely, you can understand Bocchi’s reactions to some things. She has some social anxiety as well as being an introvert. That might be the worst combination possible in real life, but it makes for funny scenes in anime.
Her bandmates are hilarious as well. The band has different personalities, and they’re on the opposite sides of the personality spectrum. Nijika Ichiji and Ikuyo Kita are the extroverts while Ryo Yamada and Bocchi are the introverts.
My personal favourite character is Kita, she was hilarious in all her scenes right from when she was introduced. There were some trending memes of her on TikTok and Instagram. The rest of the characters were also clipped for memes. I’m sure you’ve seen them.
The different personalities create a funny dynamic between them all. Here is a compilation I found on YouTube with the funniest moments, obvious spoilers if you haven’t watched the show already.
Soundtrack & Music
To be honest with you I wasn’t a huge fan of the music. I did like their covers of other songs though, mainly the Erased OP.
I loved the show because of the comedy and the characters. It wasn’t like Girls Band Cry where I was a fan of the music and soundtrack.
The Kessoku Band does have official songs on YouTube and Spotify you can check out, maybe you’ll like their music.
Do I Recommend You Watch Bocchi the Rock Season 1?
If you have watched the recent Girls Band Cry and liked the comedy aspect I recommend you watch this. The two anime are similar only in that they both focus on bands. However, as someone who has seen both I think you may enjoy it as well.
If you like the music genre in anime or manga I recommend the new manga Star of Beethoven. Another anime coming soon is Wandance, a dance and music genre. I think Wandance will be a big hit if the animation is done well like Bocchi the Rock.
You can watch Bocchi the Rock Season 1 on Crunchyroll!
About Bocchi the Rock Season 2
A couple of days ago, they announced that production for Season 2 has already started. As mentioned before there will be a new director for this season. Yuusuke Yamamoto, an assistant director in the first season, will take over as the main director for the brand new season.
Director Keiichiro Saito stepped down because he wasn’t planning for there to be a second season. He said the second season would be more focused on music and stage performances and that would be better suited for another director.
Synopsis
Hitori Gotou, aka “Bocchi-chan,” is so shy that she often starts conversations with “Ah…”. In middle school, she picked up the guitar, hoping it would help her shine, even though she was too shy to make friends.
After getting good at guitar, she posted videos online under the name “Guitar Hero” and dreamed of performing at her school’s festival. But she still couldn’t find bandmates, and by high school, she hadn’t made a single friend.
Just as Hitori was about to become a shut-in, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band, suddenly contacted her. That moment slowly began to change her life.
