“Bocchi the Rock!” is an anime in the slice of life genre that is popular in 2022. This anime about a group of teenagers who join a band was also named Anime of the Year at the 9th Anime Trending Awards in early March 2023.

“Bocchi the Rock!” anime based on the manga coma (four-panel comic) by Aki Hamaji. Just like several anime lifted from other commas such as “Azumanga Daioh”, “Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun”, and the most similar to this latest anime, “K-On!”.

Hitori Gotou is an introverted teenage girl who has had no friends since childhood. Until finally when he was in junior high school he started to be motivated to learn guitar so he could form a band and have friends. In the end, Hitori is really good at playing the guitar, but he is still alone and doesn’t have any friends. Until one day he meets Nijika, a cheerful drummer who invites him to join his band as a guitarist. “Bocchi the Rock!” now available to binge on Netflix.

Bocchi the Rock! Season 1 Reviews

Hitori Arc Introvert with Gradual and Memorable Development
We often find introverted protagonists who are relatable to anime fans in this entertainment scene. May begin to cause boredom and disgust for some people. However, the introverted Hitori arc has interesting developments and even inspirational for teenage audiences. At first glance, the premise of Hitori wanting to make new friends through music is corny. Until finally we allow ourselves to see the simple story of Hitori’s journey, which finally made friends for the first time.

Although in the end Hitori will still be a clumsy introverted teenage character, Hitori is not an introverted character who is stubborn and really doesn’t want to change. We will be shown all of Hitori’s own dreams and expectations if she dares to get out of her own comfort zone. That even though he likes to be alone, he also has dreams of shining on stage, becoming famous, or just having a party with his new friends. This duality in Hitori’s character also makes for hilarious comedic material.

Every time Hitori succeeds in fighting the introverted side of himself, we will also be touched and proud of this character. Even if it wasn’t a big move, every moment of Hitori’s initiative to change would leave an impression on the audience.

Bocchi the Rock! Season 1 Reviews

Similar to K-On! But More Colorful and Lively
Many compare “Bocchi the Rock!” with a similar anime classic, “K-On!” popular in the late 2000s. The anime also tells the story of a group of teenagers who have a band and is lifted from a coma manga as well. For those who like music anime like “K-On!” guaranteed to like “Bocchi the Rock!”. However, this latest anime presents more colorful visuals when compared to the anime. There are many variations of visual assets that are applied in this anime. Either for music visualization such as video clips, or most often is for visualizing Hitori’s imagination and feelings with his wild thoughts.

If an anime like “K-On!” and “Hibike! Euphonium” is set in the school’s only club, “Bocchi the Rock!” is a band formed outside of school. Hitori’s story with Ikuyo and Nijika and Saku is a pair of school friends from different schools. Nijika forms the Kessoku Band to perform at a gig venue called STARRY which is managed by her brother, Seika. To fulfill the quota to be able to appear at STARRY, Hitori and his bandmates also work part time after school at the venue.

If being set in a school club feels like a comfort zone, Kessoku Band has a journey that is more or less a portrait of a young band who are starting their career. Starting from looking for gig opportunities, performing for the first time with an audience that can still be counted on the fingers, to creating the first original song. Even though everything is only at the surface level, the background of “Bocchi the Rock” feels wider.

Also Read: Spy x Family Season 1 Review

 

Why Bocchi the Rock! Super Popular?
The popularity of “Bocchi the Rock!” could be one of the most surprising in 2022 yesterday in the anime scene. For anime fans who haven’t watched this anime, surely since last fall you have heard how this anime is discussed everywhere. So, what exactly is so special about “Bocchi the Rock!”?

For those who are curious about this anime, the genre is actually not new; ‘cute girls doing cute things’ anime, the time setting of the four seasons in Japan, summer holidays, to school festivals. Even the pacing of the episodes is also standard, and just entered the hype around episode 6.

What makes this anime popular seems to be because it’s been quite a while since an anime with the theme of cute girls in band was released. So fans of anime with this niche are attacked with feelings of nostalgia. Rather than technically quality, “Bocchi the Rock!”more sentimental. Starting from the protagonist, the music, to the comedy material. Sometimes even a simple anime can have a big impact on the community.

Actually there are much better anime in the fall of 2023, but “Bocchi the Rock!” indeed deserves to be recognized as one of the popular anime that has stolen the hearts of many viewers.
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