Bocchi The Rock

After all these years, we never got a third season of K-ON! Yeah, feeling pretty old now after realizing it came out back in 2009 and the sequel in 2010! Though, the movie in the following year which I didn’t watch probably ended the whole series. Ah yes, such nostalgia. Many years down the road, we now have something similar to K-ON! Though, I wouldn’t say Bocchi The Rock isn’t another blatant copycat with a talented guitarist joining a small band and slowly making their impact in the local music scene AKA cute girls doing cute things music version. Initially I was having second thoughts about watching this series since these days my tastes in music genre animes have completely dwindled. I mean, after stints with BanG Dream, Show By Rock and even idol series especially the Love Live one, I thought I was pretty much done with this genre. At least, not on my priority list. But after reading lots of comments and reviews how funny this show was and my thoughts of wanting to compare this to K-ON!, might as well give this rock a try and see what they’ve to offer.

Episode 1
Hitori Gotou as introduced has no friends. Not that she likes this kind of lonely lifestyle. It doesn’t help when she has social anxiety. But one day while watching TV, an interview with a rock band member who claims he too was an introvert, just like that, Hitori gets inspiration to borrow dad’s guitar in hopes of changing her social life. 3 years later, she’s still jamming all solo. So what happened to all those grand dreams of playing at her cultural festival or graduation? Nothing. At this rate, she’s going to finish high school without playing in a band! Though, she is quite popular online under the moniker Guitarhero. Online support gives her some cheer but it won’t be long before she has haunting memories of her lonely middle school life. In order to get people to notice her, she brings her guitar to school. And nobody notices her! Lamenting her lonely fate at the park, suddenly Nijika Ijichi runs up to her and needs her to come play in her band. Their guitarist has run away and she needs a guitarist replacement since their show is tonight. Oh Hitori, this is you big break so why are you feeling so nervous and full of doubt? She is brought to the live house where she meets the other band member, Ryou Yamada the bassist. Somehow Hitori feels this place is at home because it is gloomy and dark! Then they start their practice run. At the end, they find Hitori sucks! OMG! WHY?! It seems because she is so nervous, her coordination with her band mates is all over the place. There is no sync. Hitori feels like she wants to die and that’s the end of the show! Just kidding! Traumatized Hitori holes up in a bin and thinks of doing hara-kiri with her guitar?! They try to motivate her but it’s not working. Ironically they think Hitori should find some inspiration in Guitarhero. She’s right under your noses… Eventually Hitori thinks she can’t let go of her dream that easily and will continue to perform. But since she is still scared to face the crowd, Ryou suggests playing underneath this cardboard box! OMG! Really?! Since she doesn’t want to use her real name, Ryou suggests this moniker of Bocchi as in hitoribocchi (alone). Hey, the band’s name is already a bad pun itself, Kessoku Band! A cable tie?! That night they play their gig. Wow, Bocchi actually playing from the cardboard box?! How the heck can she play her guitar???!!! Yeah, feels like the lowest point in her life. Their show bombed big time. Nijika thinks of throwing a welcome party for Bocchi but she claims she is tired from all this social interaction and goes home. Maybe next time she’ll bring out her full Guitarhero power, eh? Uh huh. This band has no ties… Forgive the bad pun…

Episode 2
Kessoku Band meeting. Unsure what to talk about? Nijika has a die to decide what topic. Too bad Bocchi only has bad memories from it all. Yeah, 2 hours to commute to a school whom she has no friends so that they don’t know her past?! She thought Ryou is a loner like her but to her dismay, Ryou actually likes being alone! Then they talk about the workings of this live house especially the quota the band and the studio must meet and split the proceeds and costs. If that quota fails to be achieved, the band comes out with that money from their own pocket. So until you get famous, this is going to a financial struggle. Of course the solution is to do work but that itself scares the sh*t out of Bocchi! NO WORK FOR ME! She is even willing to break her piggy bank her mom saved for her wedding as contribution! WTF Bocchi fears she will be charged for failing to give proper customer service and sentenced to death! Oh Bocchi! Since Bocchi has to give her first work a try, she goes home and tries to get sick by bathing in cold water! Too bad she is still healthy as f*ck next day. Damn, can’t skip work. She makes her way to the live house and meets Seika who is the manager of the place. She finds her a nice lady until she learns she is Nijika’s older sister. Well, she already told her including how they live above this place but I guess Bocchi was too nervous to hear all that. Yeah, her heartbeat was too loud! Nijika shows Bocchi the ropes of this place especially how to serve drinks and where the stuffs are. Bocchi already a pessimist she can’t do this. She has to do it anyway and although could use some more polishing, I say she’s handling it pretty well. Sort of. The girls can breathe easier when the performance of another band begins. Let’s hope Nijika’s motivation of why she is doing all this, to see the happy faces of people and to have a fun experience, maybe Bocchi can grow to like this band and place too. Work for the day is done as Bocchi happily runs home. She made it through the day! What an achievement! Oh, what’s this? Now she gets fever and is sick. Damn… Meanwhile Nijika contemplates in getting a vocalist for the band.

Episode 3
So Bocchi thinks she has grown now that she is in a band, huh? Well, too bad her school life still sucks. Still a loner and eating lunch alone in some dark corner underneath the stairs! Remembering Nijika’s aim to find another band member, she thought Ikuyo Kita would be a fitting one. Too bad she looks so perfect that it is scaring the sh*t out of Bocchi. Even singing an elegy about her own self! Kita heard how good she is and talks to her, making Bocchi even more nervous. Bocchi tries to recruit her although Kita admits she can’t play a guitar and once lied that she could and eventually ran away. Hmm… Sounds familiar? Because Kita sounds so enthusiastic in joining Bocchi in her job after school, Bocchi panics and sends a message to Nijika and Ryou to bring lots of energy drinks and have the EDM blare like hell. Trying to give off that party girl image?! So as Bocchi leads Kita to her workplace, once Kita realizes where this is going, she tries to ditch. Too bad Nijika and Ryou spot her. Ah, that runaway guitarist! Awkward! So as Kita apologizes about her lie, she makes it up by working here as a maid. Well, since she is a social butterfly, you bet she is good in her job. Bocchi getting demotivated and fear of losing her identity, she hides in a bin?! Yeah, there’s an elegy to go with that too. Bocchi and Kita talk about stuffs. Like how Kita admires Ryou a lot and views her as cool in playing her bass. However Kita thinks she doesn’t deserve to join this band since she has lied and ran away once. Bocchi stops her. She too was like that. However she noticed the callouses on her fingers and believes she is trying. The rest invite her to join and although Kita is still hesitant, I bet she will have no more doubts when she realizes she could be part of Ryou’s quota. Although Kita can’t play the guitar, she is willing to learn. However she is stumped she still can’t play a guitar despite having practised one for so long. Turns out she got a bass guitar. Does she not know some bass guitars have 6 strings?! Oh dear. Oh my. Kita wanting to quit so fast despite Bocchi giving her some guitar lessons? Better think twice since Ryou bought her bass and lent her this real guitar. Now she’ll be eating weeds! Don’t give up!

Episode 4
Kita finds it hard to sing and play the guitar at the same time. But if she just sings, it’ll be awkward during solo parts. She thinks of Bocchi singing with her. Damn, look at Bocchi furiously shaking her head to not want that! Kessoku Band then has a meeting to do band-like things. Nijika starts off with selling their merchandise! Maybe this cable ties will make a good profit. Even more with autograph! With Ryou writing songs, Bocchi remembers her task to write the lyrics. So back home, she puts on her thinking cap in trying to find the lyrics needed. Too bad she comes up with nothing. Then the band meets again in town. Sorry Bocchi, this isn’t to punish you for failure to come up with the lyrics. It’s to go around and take promotional photos of their band. So as they go around and finally find a spot they want to take, WTF Bocchi starting to go into seizure?! Well, she always has this emotionless look in her photos. So when she tries to smile… Ah well, you can see what happens. Worse, she thinks if she manages to do so, she’ll be accused to be an attention whore! WTF?! Eventually they get the photo they want. Well, don’t mind Bocchi looking sullen… Later Bocchi meets up with Ryou since she wants to see the lyrics she has written. After taking a look, she asks if this is what Bocchi wants to write. This has Ryou telling her she was also in a band before this. Their lyrics were awkward but at least it was honest. However when they started to bend towards commercialization, that’s when Ryou called it quits. Only until Nijika invited her to join again because she loves her bass playing did Ryou started to do so. Hence Ryou advises Bocchi to write what she wants and do not write generic lyrics based on other concerns. Though, writing a social outcast one for a lively person like Kita to sing is still a big mismatch. Eventually Bocchi works hard to get the lyrics done. Yeah, see those bags under her eyes. You could say the lyrics is really somewhat of a downer! But it’s great and they like it since it is so Bocchi-like. Yeah, look at Bocchi’s creepy smile after that praise. Now that she feels motivated, she hopes to stay like this forever. Uhm, Bocchi pasted that group photo all over her entire room walls and ceiling!

Episode 5
Bocchi is happy she finally gets paid. She thinks her band story will take off from now until she hears the rest talking about the costs and all. That’s right. This means more money needed and yes, the dreaded word: Need to work! Oh no! Bocchi would rather loan her guitar and sell her liver just to avoid work!!! After Ryou lets them listen to the song she wrote, Nijika feels confident they can make it this time. She talks to Seika about wanting to do a live performance. Instantly shot down. Seems she deems them not good enough to play. Remember the last time they flopped? Yeah. That. She only allowed it once so she could have some experience. This makes Nijika mad as she storms out. Oh dear. How? Seika tells Bocchi to relay this message to her. If they want to perform, first they must pass an audition in which she and her assistant, PA-san will be the judge. Kessoku Band continue to put in the effort to practice. Later Nijika talks to Bocchi and never got to know her dream of playing in a band since she dragged her into this. Obviously Bocchi can’t tell her it’s to get people go crazy for her! As for Nijika, it seems her dreams are bigger than just playing at the Budoukan. She can’t tell her right now. Audition night is here as Kessoku Band plays before Seika and PA-san. In the end, Seika trolls the girls. I mean, with that unimpressed look as well as telling them their flaws, her ambiguous misleading words make the girls fear for the worst until of course PA-san ‘translates’ that they passed. Girls so happy especially Bocchi that she throws up like water gushing out from a dam?! Seika notes Bocchi has talent but needs support as she lacks self-confidence. Because Seika notes she will be watching her, this gives the wrong signal to Bocchi of course that she is mad or something. Later PA-san talks to Seika that she actually intended to let them perform as she is always keeping a window open for their schedule. Seika being a tsundere claims she is doing this so that Nijika and her band could grow. PA-san further teases her for having sister complex. As Kessoku Band revs up for their next performance, they set a quota of 5 tickets per member. Oh Bocchi, counting who could come? Dad, mom, sister, dog… Are dogs allowed?! Even so, just 1 more… Just 1 more!!! WHO?! Oh man, it’s really over this time…

Episode 6
Yes, Bocchi is actually agonizing who to sell the tickets. Well, mom can invite some of her friends but when her sister teases she doesn’t have her own friends, Bocchi lies and claims she has tons of them! Okay. Good luck. Now she has dug her own grave and wondering where to get those people. Even piling on the pressure as her band mates have texted her they have sold out their tickets! Oh my! How?! Till this drunk woman, Kikuri Hiroi pleads her help to sober her up. Can a scared Bocchi refuse? After that, Bocchi tries to get away from this crazy woman but too late. She notices he guitar. Ah, Kikuri is a rocker too. After hearing Bocchi’s story, as thanks for helping her, Kikuri will help perform. It’s the best way to attract potential audience. What? Right here? Right now? YES! Street concert! Kikuri is a bassist and she’ll support Bocchi as the main guitarist. Nervous at first, Kikuri tells her to close her eyes. But when Bocchi starts to play, she becomes all natural as she starts jamming and Kikuri observing this is the kind of style she plays. At the end of the performance, a few girls are interested and would like to buy her tickets. Kikuri then buys her final ticket. Quota complete. Oh, Kikuri has no money for her train home so she borrows from Bocchi. Rockers are always poor… Late Bocchi texts an apology to her band mates for failing to show up at today’s concert. She also notes she has sold her quota but it seems they think she is lying and feel bad for pressuring her.

Episode 7
Nijika and Kita are going to Bocchi’s house to design their uniform. Well, you can’t miss her house. This huge banner that welcomes the Kessoku Band members! What a welcoming reception as Bocchi in a weird getup pops the party popper to welcome them! WTF?! That’s not all. Look at her room. Damn, is this disco night or what?! As she goes to get drinks, they stumble into a pile of that same group photo. What the heck there are sealed seals on the walls?! Little sister Futari comes in to explain how Bocchi had this all over the walls until mom told her to take it down because it was hurting her eyes! When Bocchi returns, she sees her friends having lots of fun with Futari and doggie! Futari insists on hang out until Bocchi bribes her to play somewhere else. Then they get down to business in designing their t-shirt. Lame! WTF this dystopian future imagination of Bocchi being persecuted and burnt at the stake for not being a team player! No cooperation, no life! Bocchi’s parents come to check on her friends and are delighted! They’re happy they aren’t imaginary friends this time! This calls for a celebration! They dine together as the parents talk about embarrassing stuffs for Bocchi. Ah well, Bocchi acts like this at home too so it’s no different. They also mention how Bocchi spent days planning the room layout and even tried Twister in case they were going to play it! Yeah, the friends having so much fun with the family that Bocchi feels alienated and can’t join in! Eventually they get back to the t-shirt designing. Bocchi’s idea also sucks. This has the friends wonder they have never seen Bocchi in anything else than a tracksuit. So they force upon her a cute dress. Kawaii! They might feel ecstatic about it but the stress got to Bocchi as she turns into dust and dies! WTF?! So much so it also affects them because they breathe in the dust and become pessimistic and lethargic like Bocchi! HOLY SH*T! The parents think some sort of exorcism is needed! Eventually, the design comes out as a simple plain black t-shirt with their band’s name on it. Yeah, should’ve just gone for this from the start. Bocchi suggests to make teruterubouzu to help ward off bad weather on their concert day. Yeah, let’s make tons of it. On that day, a big typhoon blows in. Teruterubouzu is crying…

Episode 8
The typhoon is really having an impact on the attendance as well. Nobody is coming. Or so it seems. Until Kikuri shows up first and it seems she is Seika’s junior at college. Slowly, others coming strolling in. Especially fans of Bocchi. Bocchi making that ungodly face after being praised, making the rest think they’re talking to the wrong person! Even with this few people, Kessoku Band still has to play. They play their first gig. Bocchi notices everybody is all over the place. This is a far cry from their perfection during practice. Heck, when you see some of the audience staring at their phones and some even leaving, you know something is wrong. All isn’t well by the time they finished their first song. As they are about to start the second to the unimpressed crowd, Bocchi suddenly starts jamming her solo. This attracts the crowd’s intention as soon the rest of the band pick it up from there. Safe to say, this is what they’re waiting for. We don’t get to see the final song but we know it’s a success since everyone is celebrating this at the restaurant. Bocchi getting that tired feeling from all the social anxiety. Worse, she hears a couple of adults drowning their sorrows in the next table and starts to stray in her mind. Yeah, some horrible future awaiting her, eh? We also hear Kita doesn’t like her first name because it sounds a lot like a pun. Kikuri also explains that Seika was once in a famous band but quit suddenly. She claims she is sick of it but why is she running a live house then? This is news to Bocchi as she has never heard it from Nijika. Later she talks to her about this but Nijika can tell she is Guitarhero from that solo. No use hiding it now. This has Nijika telling about her real dreams. You see, mom died when she was young and dad was never at home. Since she didn’t like being alone, she pestered Seika to bring her to her performances when she was in a band. It brightened her day. Nijika is the reason Seika quit her band and started his live house. Hence her dream is to make a band popular enough and make the live house even more famous. Each time Nijika thought the band was through, it was Bocchi who pulled them through. Everyone here has their hopes invested in the band. Good time for Bocchi to adjust her dreams to make Kessoku Band into the best band ever. Since having Bocchi around makes their dreams closer to realization, she hopes Bocchi can show them more. More of Bocchi’s rock. Roll credits!

Episode 9
Bocchi in despair! Yeah, summer vacation is going to end soon! What has she done? Nothing! Except playing her guitar, what else has she got? Nothing! Even her band mates can tell she is acting weird. You know it has gone overboard when she starts making cicada graves in front of the live house! Oh sh*t! Then everyone realizes that because of their own busy schedules, nobody invited her out to do anything. They try to salvage this as Kita invites the band to head to Enoshima. You know, the beach! Not that Bocchi is impressed anyway. Yeah, WTF this tropical love trauma? She almost died… Anyway the band heads there and Bocchi is still half dead. Like as though she doesn’t want to be here. At the beach, they almost got hit by some hot guys and WTF Bocchi explodes?! Yeah, it zapped all her energy. So when she finally warms up, is it the end of her summer? It’s only getting started! Apparently Kita is the only athletic one as the indoor trio tire easily as they climb up the stairs to the shrine. Yeah, taking the escalator is tempting. Need money, though… Yeah, the stairs are free… Ryou trying to sell her bass for the tickets! At the observation deck, Kita tries to make things lively but the rest aren’t interested and unmotivated. Just enjoying the air-cond and not the scenery. Then as they rest, Bocchi’s food gets stolen by a bird! WTF even the birds target her?! Thank goodness she didn’t die. After praying at the shrine, they take a train home. Bocchi admits she had fun today and this gives her motivation for the new school term until the next break. Sorry, she still won’t want to hang out EVERY DAY to make memories with you, Kita. That’s just so tiring. On the morning of the first day of school, Bocchi isn’t feeling so good and wants to stay at home. The family thinks she is lying to just avoid school but in fact her muscles are sore and can’t even move. Then Futari touches her. Hell begins…

Episode 10
You know it is too good to be true as we see the hysterical crowd chanting Bocchi’s name on stage. Wake up, girl! Time to get back to reality because her class is trying to decide what to do for the cultural festival. Yeah, time to make that dream come true of playing at a cultural festival. Suddenly a lapse of memories as Bocchi doesn’t remember how she got in front of the student council office and having a form suggesting to play at the festival. She doesn’t even remember she wrote it! Too much for her to handle, she collapses! Later she tries to ask Seika and PA-san for advice but apparently they’re the wrong people. Seika doesn’t care and PA-san quit high school. Nijika and Ryou heard about this and they like the idea of Kessoku Band playing there since it will help advertise their band. As Bocchi frets about it and even has her usual episode of pessimism (WTF the school disciplines her for gloomy lyrics?!), she decides to throw the form away. Only, Kita picked it up and submitted it! Yeah, Bocchi dead in a coffin. Then Kikuri hears about this and invites them to come over to hear her band play. No need to buy tickets. On the house. Sorry if they have a poor rocker perception on her because yeah, Bocchi still lamenting she hasn’t paid back that train fare! Oh sh*t! Seika forces her to do it (as well as Ryou too for borrowing money from Bocchi during the Enoshima trip). Kikuri brings Kessoku Band to her live house and let’s meet the weirdoes. Don’t be alarmed that the manager of the place is an effeminate guy. The rest of Kikuri’s Sick Hack band consists of the polite Shima Iwashita as well as foreigner who loves anime (but of course) Eliza Shimizu. The band plays psychedelic rock so Bocchi could feel the psychedelic waves hitting her and becomes awed with their music. After that, Kessoku Band then plan on how to go about their festival’s performance. Later Kita apologizes to Bocchi for the submission since it was against her wishes but Bocchi now thanks her because she’s looking forward to it. Kita vows to work hard but too bad Bocchi can’t be teaching her since she has to attend remedial classes! On the day of the festival, Bocchi is missing! Cold feet?

Episode 11
Well, Bocchi’s class is doing a maid café. Looks like she got scared thinking her band mates would see her in this maid dress so she ran off and never came back. Time to go look for her. As Bocchi laments this fate, there is another problem cropping up. She checks back on her online video and sees comments of people thinking Guitarhero is dead! Yeah, haven’t uploaded a video in a long time! But her band mates found her so it’s back to the maid café. But first, they have fun going round the festival. I bet Bocchi would’ve been the scariest thing in the haunted house. Back to work, Bocchi’s dead face is even scaring the toughest of delinquents! At least she keeps the order. She doesn’t even put the moe kyun-kyun in the omelette rice and Kita shows how it is done. Her band mates then decide to help out and dress up as maids. I APPROVE! Yeah, they’re bringing in more customers compared to Bocchi and making it even livelier. Bocchi has a feeling it’s like a preview of tomorrow’s concert. Kessoku Band takes a look at the stage they will be playing before proceeding to do their usual practice. On the day of the performance, as usual, Bocchi having fantasies that the band will be scouted and they’ll be famous! But right before Kessoku Band’s turn, Bocchi gets nervous. You can tell because her heartbeat is louder than the drums! It’s their turn on stage and Bocchi as expected notes how the crowd is more into Kita. However, Bocchi’s family is also here as they cheer on her. Not only her family, but those street fans too and uhm, Kikuri. Yeah, she’s all drunk. Regret inviting her? Time to get their gig started.

Episode 12
Their first song revs everyone up. When they are in the midst of singing their second, Bocchi feels something wrong. A guitar string sounds out of tune. And then the peg breaks! Oh dear. Her solo is coming up. Don’t worry. Kita improvises and covers for her. Even Bocchi improvises and uses a bottle to play! Then before they play their last song, Kita wants Bocchi to say something to the crowd. REALLY?! Bocchi panics and as she thinks of saying something funny, suddenly she decides to do mosh! She dives into the crowd! Nobody catches her! OMG! Splat! This has got to be the funniest and most embarrassing moment! Did I hear Futari apologizing on her behalf? Wow. Bocchi rocks, huh?! Bocchi is fine as she recuperates in the infirmary. Bocchi noting Kita has improved a lot in such a short time. She thinks she can’t be like her in attracting the crowd. Kita believes she still has room for improvement and hopes Bocchi can continue teaching her. Back home, Bocchi grovels before dad to apologize for breaking his guitar! He isn’t mad and thinks it is a good time for her to buy a new one. He has the money. Of course it’s not from shady dealings! You see, Bocchi uses her family account for her Guitarhero. Hence the family knows about it and has been secretly monetizing it from all the views and ads. They hope she can get even better at her guitar. Like how she does in her online lying! Oh my! With so much money, Bocchi calculates she can actually quit her job and do nothing for 2 years! Such motivation has her confront Seika but looks like she chickens out and claims she’ll work hard instead. Her band accompanies her to the guitar shop to buy a new one. Bocchi so nervous that the staffs think she is some head banging metal rocker! A few more shenanigans before Bocchi settles on this one. The girls then plan on what to do on their next concert. Bocchi feels good holding her new guitar. At the same time can’t help feel guilty and apologizes to her old broken one! It’s not like she’s forgotten about you! This isn’t cheating! Then she heads off to her job. Wow, did she stop being lazy?

Between A (Bocchi) Rock And A Hard (Social) Place
Well guys, what else more can I say? Life goes on. The ending may not be anything much but I guess for a series like this, it is very much expected. Oh, you don’t expect the girls to suddenly become famous overnight and then become international stars by next week, RIGHT?! They’ll then churn out hits that would shove Taylor Swift down into memory lane and overtake The Beatles as one of the most legendary bands in the world and history! Oh wow. My delusions are as great as Bocchi! But so sorry folks (or rather sorry to me), it is not that kind of anime in the first place.

While I do admit that this series is quite funny in its own right, one main reason is because many of the jokes rely and plays on Bocchi’s social anxiety. In every episode, it never fails to amuse and make viewers laugh at all the ‘funny moments’ that Bocchi has to go through. Each moment is a torture for her but a riot for us. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be laughing my ass off at her even though if that is the intention because I’m the same as her when it comes to being socially awkward! Oh my. It’s easy to type all this, laugh and criticize behind the keyboard but when I imagine myself in Bocchi’s shoes, perhaps I’ll be the same as her! I mean, some of those baseless delusions that Bocchi has, I do from time to time have such thoughts! So yeah, sometimes it hits close to home. Ouch. Damn, to think that Bocchi and me could actually be good friends! Only, if social anxiety didn’t get in our way! Oh damn.

Furthermore, the series does not focus heavily too much on the music side. I mean, when you compare this series to the likes of BanG Dream and Show By Rock, the music focus pales in comparison. Instead, we see mostly the daily lives and shenanigans of Kessoku Band and as already point out, the social anxieties of our titular character. After all, these are just ordinary girls who don’t really harbour such big dreams. I’m saying that I belittle their dream but when you compare theirs to those in the aforementioned anime series, the latter have big dreams of making it big in the music world where their band name would resonate across borders and all. That is why in a way this show feels more like K-ON! as it focuses more on the antics and shenanigans of the characters rather than the music.

Speaking of music, well sad to say that none of the rock music here resonate with me. Uh huh. I have to admit although I do like music but I am not a hardcore fan of it. Especially rock music. Therefore many of the rock pieces here sound almost the same to me. Haters can hate but personally, they just sound rather okay to me. I don’t find them bad, just that it’s not something that I would love to listen to again and again. Thus all the rock music that Kessoku Band sings here are just pretty meh in my books. From the opener, Seishun Complex to the various ending themes, Distortion (first ending theme), Karakara (second), Nani Ga Warui (third) and Korogaru Iwa Kimi Ni Asa Ga Furu (fourth and final episode) are just so-so. Even their insert songs they sing have those kind of average vibes to me. Yes people, I even prefer to hum to the tune of Cagayake Girls, Don’t Say Lazy and No Thank You, classic hits from After School Tea Time.

As for the characters, they have their own charm that makes them lovable. I want to draw some comparisons to K-ON! but too bad I have mostly forgotten about that classic series. Hey, it’s almost 15 years ago!!! But anyway, many would find these cute girls likeable as they are somewhat down to earth (term used very loosely) and as ordinary girls, we normal people can mostly relate to them. Unlike those other rock band animes where you have girls chasing the stars which just feels unrealistic and ungodly. Sure, the music scene has their own upper echelons and the elites but for many of us ordinary people, we’re just, uhm, ordinary. Don’t need all that complex musician stuffs. Need to go back to our own daily lives. These girls don’t even harbour that typical dream of playing at the Budoukan. At least, not that we can see them dreaming so at this point. They need to get their band off the ground first. One step at a time. Slowly but surely.

So what else can I said about Bocchi? Like any other normal human being and a teen, she harbours some big dreams but in reality, it is all a different story. Like as though her real life and mind are 2 different worlds. Yeah, probably it is. Here she is struggling hard trying to cope with her social anxiety and each time she experiences panic attacks from overthinking. It’s amazing that she is still alive and didn’t die of a heart attack. I want to say that Bocchi has changed towards the end of the series but it is such a small and minute change that it is as good as she hasn’t changed at all. Yup, the same Bocchi we always know from the start. Imagine where the fun would be if she grew out of her social anxiety, HUH?! Yeah, we are such sadists. So Bocchi, stay as you are because we love to laugh at you! From hiding into a cramp bin when she gets anxious to her grand delusions anytime and anywhere, oh Bocchi, we love you just the way you are! Never change. Of course her real talents come as she plays the guitar that could be on par with many legendary rockers. In this mode, it’s like she is in a trance as she hammers away and pulls off power slides and riffs that awes all those who hear.

As for the rest of the Kessoku Band members, too bad they do not hog too much of the limelight compared to Bocchi. Yeah, what’s this anime’s title again? So we just know the minimum about them like Nijika’s reasons in wanting to form a band, Ryou’s passion in music as well as Kita being the liveliest of the pack and perhaps the poster girl of the band should the group go places and climb the greater heights. Only a brief mention about their past and nothing more. Nijika trying to keep the band together, Ryou and her deadpan quips and puns, Kita making the greatest improvement because now she can sing and play the guitar simultaneously. I won’t say the quartet’s friendship is tightly knitted but they have flaws that make them imperfect. That’s why I’m thinking they named their band so just to make some puns about their group isn’t totally united or something. How did they even come up with this band name? Not sure. Yeah, we’ve grown so fond of it that it’s a pain to even change it at this point. Then you need the big sister who watches over them AKA Seika. She plays the tsundere role and acts like she doesn’t care but she does a lot. She just doesn’t show it in a typical way. I guess with her around and having a live house, it’s like for convenience that Kessoku Band has a home base to operate.

Then there is Kikuri because we all need that crazy drunk character. Thank goodness we don’t know whether she’ll go into some ranting depression about not having a boyfriend! With Sick Hack making a very short cameo, this makes me remember that the other factor that this series doesn’t feel like a music heavy focused one is because of the lack of rivals. Can you name a rival band for Kessoku Band? I don’t think Sick Hack can be considered as one. Not to mention they never even consider it so. So unlike Poppin’ Party has with Roselia and Raise A Suilen, Plasmagica with Criticrista and Tsurezurenaru Ayatsuri Mugenan, the biggest rival Kessoku Band faces is probably themselves. Yeah, can’t even get their own members to be in sync how to have their own music rivals? Plus, we only see them really perform only twice: Their first gig with audiences less than the number of fingers on your hands that almost bombed and at the cultural festival. Not exactly making waves or ground shattering effects if you ask me.

The animation and art style are a mixed. Basically, the characters are simplistic and lacks lot of detail. You can say they look almost cartoonish. It’s only so since this series originated from a yonkoma panel so it’s not surprising to see such visuals similar to other series of the same type like Lucky Star and Azumanga Daioh. However, the backgrounds and sceneries are ironically gorgeous. Sometimes if you pay attention away from the band’s shenanigans to notice the backgrounds, I would say they are quite breath-taking and high quality. Sometimes you think they may have taken real photos of that backdrop instead. Maybe. I can’t really tell either. Once you realize both of these, you might feel how jarring the blend of both types of visuals.

Of course the curious and fascinating one goes to Bocchi in terms of the different types of visual art styles she goes through whenever she experiences her panic attacks. Yes, whenever that happens, most of the time you could see her face literally melting! Thanks to her grandeur delusions too, this is where the various art styles come into play. In addition to the various types of 2D visuals, we have from 3D CGI graphics to even live action visuals, these are all short. As for the character designs, in my years of watching so many animes, I want to say I have seen them from somewhere like Bocchi reminds me of a discount Super Sonico and less curvy and thicc. Yeah. And doesn’t Nijika look like a chirpier version of Yami from To Love-Ru while Kita like Itsuki from Go-toubun No Hanayome? The rest I can’t think of it right now but they sure look familiar… On a trivial note, when I first saw Bocchi’s parents, damn I thought they were her siblings! OMFG they look so young! This anime is done by Cloverworks who did Sono Bisque Doll Wa Koi Wo Suru, Yakusoku No Neverland, Spy x Family and Seishun Buta Yarou Wa Bunny Girl Senpai No Yume Wo Minai.

The voice acting is okay. Didn’t recognize anybody in particular and crazy conspiracy theory is that they can’t use established ones in case they have to commit to their characters and suddenly become a rock group in real life. Oh you know, how some idol series have their seiyuus turn into real life idol units too. I’m sure they can do this with unknown ones and perhaps they can establish it from there. Anyway, Yoshino Aoyama as Bocchi (Yoshino from Wake Up Girls) probably takes the cake since she gives Bocchi her character with her zany form of social anxiety. Can’t laugh too much. Could sound like me too! The rest of the casts are Sayumi Suzushiro as Nijika (Kei in Kaguya-sama Wa Kokurasetai), Saku Mizuno as Ryou (Rena in Selection Project), Ikumi Hasegawa as Kita (Desumi in Koi Wa Sekai Seifuku No Ato De), Maaya Uchida as Seika (Rikka in Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai), Sayaka Senbongi as Kikuri (Shuna in Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken) and Kotori Koiwai as PA-san (Renge in Non Non Biyori).

Overall, this anime is funny and has its own cute charm. It is no wonder that many are calling it as an underrated gem of the season and some as far as one of the contenders to be the anime of the year. The best cute girls doing cute doings series ever? Enough to dethrone even old veterans like K-ON?! Oh I don’t know. If only nostalgia didn’t get in the way. The irony that Bocchi who is so scared of mixing in with the crowd, stands out the most and entertained us all with her extreme social anxiety disorder. You would think an introvert would be one helluva boring person but when you go through the thoughts of such, it could be an even more interesting place than the most extroverted and charismatic character out there. Remember, still waters run deep. Bocchi’s one most definitely has a crazy riptide undercurrent underneath it! What else more can I say for these girls? Just continue to rock on! In no time, Bocchi and co will bring the house down!