Bocchi the Rock!

Music has been called "the universal language." It is the ultimate manifestation of one's innermost thoughts, emotions, and desires. Those who share a passion for music are more likely to remain close friends throughout the years. They have a long and storied past. Show business and being a star are worlds apart. Within the same narrative, both points of view are presented in this anime.

Bocchi the Superstar! (! Bocchi za Rokku!) is an anime production of the same-named manga. CloverWorks produced it, and Keiichirō Saitō directed it, with Yūsuke Yamamoto as an assistant director, Erika Yoshida authoring the screenplay, Kerorira creating the characters, and Tomoki Kikuya providing the soundtrack. From October 9 to December 25, 2022, the series aired on Tokyo MX and other networks. Kessoku Band performed both the "Seishun Complex" opening theme and the "Distortion!!" ending theme.

Outside of Asia, Crunchyroll has licensed the series. Plus Media Networks Asia bought the Southeast Asian rights to the show and put it on Aniplus Asia and Bilibili. Many of the anime's episode names are based on songs by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, such as "After Dark" and "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu," with the last episode finishing with a cover of the latter by the Kessoku Band.

This anime aired from October 2022 to December 2022, with each episode lasting 23 minutes. It belonged to the comedy genre, and its themes were CGDCT and music. It was rated PG-13 for teens aged 13 and up. Bocchi the Rock! (Bocchi za Rokku!), sometimes known as BTR! (Bozaro), is a Japanese manga series written by Aki Hamazi that has been serialized in Manga Time Kirara MAX since the February 2018 edition. The anthology comic for the series was shown off in August 2022, and it will come out in October 2022.

Shortly after the first episode of the anime came out, the main characters from this series were added to Kirara Fantasia, a mobile RPG game made by Manga Time Kirara. All of the characters are portrayed by anime voice actresses.

Hitori "Bocchi" Gotou is lonely and shy around other people, so she spends her time playing the guitar to make friends and join a band. On a sad day, Bocchi meets Nijika Ijichi, a drummer who is leaving. He invites her to join the Kessoku Band after Ikuyo Kita, the band's guitarist, leaves before their first show. Bocchi soon meets her last bandmate, the stylish bassist Ryou Yamada. Even though this is their first performance as a group, the girls feel strong because they all love music, and Kita soon joins them. While they were still in high school, Bocchi and the other members of her band, who all shared a passion for playing music, put in a lot of effort to improve their skills.

This anime, like any slice-of-life or CGDCT anime, has a simple but likable plot. It's simply about an introverted girl who uses Rock to try to break out of her shell and overcome her social anxiety on a daily basis. Although there is less music than planned (just three episodes), it is still present. This moment encapsulates what makes "Bocchi the Rock!" such a wonderfully rich series. Shows like this are only the tip of the iceberg. The show's wild recklessness has a beautiful chaos to it, and it can switch dramatically between any style it wants to at any time. Concern is portrayed as a paradoxical driving force and a serious impediment to development.

Because slice-of-life shows rarely have intricate narratives, their characters are the key to their success, and they are incredibly interesting in this program. Hitori, or Bocchi, is the sort of character that may become irritating if the author takes her social anxiety too far, but the author manages it rather well and makes light of her problems without being nasty to those types, and people can genuinely connect to her and her troubles.

Kita is another sort of character that may be incredibly obnoxious if her enthusiasm goes too far, but the author manages it effectively again. Ryou is an oddball with some amusing quips, and Nijika is very pleasant (she is the normal one in the band). They appear normal at first glance, but their connection and how one of them is in sync with the other (particularly Bocchi) is what shines.

Even though slice-of-life animation doesn't have to be high-quality, that didn't stop CloverWorks. The animation is clean and well-executed; there are some fantastic comic strip templates here; and the instrument animation is accurate, at least according to those who play those instruments. The show uses different kinds of visuals, such as live-action scenes, pictures, and CGI that is made to look bad on purpose.

Because it's a musical show, there are certain to be some catchy tunes. Not only are there musical performances, but there are also some impromptu ones. The opening theme of the anime series is "Seishun Complex" by Ikuyo Kita (Ikumi Hasegawa), and the anime has four ending themes: "Distortion!! ", also by Ikumi Hasegawa, played from episodes 1-3; "Karakara" sung by Ryo Yamada (Saku Mizuno) from episodes 4-7, "Nani ga Warui" by Nijika Ijichi (Sayumi Suzushiro) from episodes 8-11, and "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu" in episode 12, a cover of the Asian Kung-Fu Generation song by Hitori Gotoh (Yoshino Aoyama).

The show also had a few insert songs, such as "Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi" in episode 5, "Ano Bando" in episode 8, "Watashi Dake Yuurei" in episode 10, and "Wasurete Yaranai" and "Seiza ni Naretara" in episode 12. Except for "Watashi Dake Yuurei," which is sung by Kikuri Hiroi, each of these insert songs was also performed by Ikumi Hasegawa. Kessoku Band's whole album, Kessoku Band, was also published online on December 25, 2022, and physically on December 28, 2022.

It has 14 songs by the Kessoku Band. Nine of them are used in the anime as opening, closing, and insert songs. The rest are either original songs that are only on the album or songs that weren't used in the main series, like "Hitoribocchi Tokyo" and "Flashbacker," which were used in the teaser video and the post-premiere PV, respectively. The original soundtracks for the anime are published in two volumes. The first two volumes came out on December 28, 2022, and January 25, 2023.

Underneath all of Bocchi the Rock's flash, energy, humor, anxiety-filled dread, and rockin' music, it is a beautiful story. It's funny and makes you feel good about life, and it shows how a great director can walk the thin line between making fun of fear and showing how real it is. Keep it up, Bocchi! You won't be alone with your guitar forever in that beautiful world! Truly recommended!