Bocchi the Rock! | Very entertaining!

Anime which tackle topics like social anxiety are always interesting ones to watch. Especially when they’re in an art form that allows for varying degrees of creativity and over exaggeration. Is there a bit of an over exaggeration to the first couple of episodes of Bocchi the Rock? Yes. However, the way the address the topic of social anxiety in the context of an anime; feels weirdly appropriate and very relatable.

Here are my thoughts on Bocchi the Rock!

Yearning to make friends and perform live with a band, lonely and socially anxious Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou devotes her time to playing the guitar. On a fateful day, Bocchi meets the outgoing drummer Nijika Ijichi, who invites her to join Kessoku Band when their guitarist, Ikuyo Kita, flees before their first show. Soon after, Bocchi meets her final bandmate—the cool bassist Ryou Yamada.

Although their first performance together is subpar, the girls feel empowered by their shared love for music, and they are soon rejoined by Kita. Finding happiness in performing, Bocchi and her bandmates put their hearts into improving as musicians while making the most of their fleeting high school days.

Bocchi the Rock!, MyAnimeList

Bocchi the Rock! has been an anime I’ve been wanting to watch for awhile. I’ve seen many good things said about the anime and I’ve also seen many memes come out of this anime due to how its animated. I must say, Bocchi the Rock! has been fun to watch, the first three episodes have been a real joy to watch.

As expected, the biggest thing that stood out to me was how the anime is animated. It’s weird, it’s almost like a hybrid of sorts. We have the anime version, but scattered throughout, we have like real-world-esk video. Which is really weird to see and is what makes it unique. In recent memory, I cannot think of an another anime that does a similar thing.

Right off the bat, I can see why people found this anime very relatable. Not only for the memes, which I thought were great but also because Bocchi (Hitori Gotou) is very relatable as a person. She’s socially awkward and gets anxious around people. Which I think is relatable to everyone, everywhere. Seeing her going through the motions of wanting to make friends and to be out there only for your social anxiety to take hold and convince you otherwise was definitely something I enjoyed watching.

Keeping in mind however, Bocchi the Rock! does feel very comedic. While the topic itself is something very relatable and is relevant in today’s world, the anime has done an excellent job at making light of the situation presented to us. The three episodes I’ve watched up until this point has struck a nice balance.

I didn’t find the episodes to be too overwhelming or too empty. Each episode always had something going, which speaks volumes to the characters because each one of them are very interesting and unique in their own way. Which is cool, especially when you have multiple protagonists.

I’m very happy that I finally found the time to start watching Bocchi the Rock!. It’s been on my list of anime to watch for a long time and so far I’ve been loving every moment of it. I think it’s safe to say that my first impressions of the show have been great. I’m, looking forward to seeing how the story and all our characters progress in the coming episodes.