I went into this anime thinking it was going to be another CGDCT anime with narrative themes similar to K-ON! and Hitori Bocchi. It turned out to be that and more, having good animation, music, humor and a good lead with character development.

Despite being a SoL CGDCT anime, Bocchi the Rock’s animation goes a step beyond simply adding colour and movement to the source 4-koma. It goes a step beyond, with backgrounds which set its locations apart from the usual classroom/ clubrooms and a mixture of unique and dynamic framings. The characters movements also give them a sense of life, from the way they sway while playing their instruments to the small things like how Bocchi lifts her left as a result of her centre of mass moving when setting aside her guitar. There have also been pretty unique cuts where a different style entirely is used to great comedic effect.

On that note, the humor in Bocchi the Rock is also really enjoyable and actually funny. Despite using the same gags in similar anime with a loner protagonist like Hitori Bocchi and WataMote, Bocchi’s over the top antics are still feel fresh and funny. The humor ranges from slapstick with Bocchi glitching out or breaking down when forced out of her comfort zone, self-deprecating humor to subtle jokes like how Bocchi plastered her room with the their bands promo picture which remained till the next episode and how they never showed her right eye when she managed to face the audience head on because it was still closed. Perhaps its the pacing and variation in the comedy that makes it work.

The music is clearly an emphasis of the show, with lots of insert pieces being used from the little songs that Bocchi plays to express how she feels to the actual songs played in their performances. Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to discern if Bocchi’s playing actually changes during the performance when she manages to make progress but it would be really cool if it did.

Bocchi is a great lead because shes relatable and has a strong character. Bocchi is really relatable in her motivations for learning to play the guitar and also the struggles she faces in actually achieving her goal. I speak for myself when I say that I picked up the guitar with impure motivations because I was easily influenced. The K-On! anime had just released when I was in secondary school and I wanted to learn the electric guitar to gain some popularity, plus I loved the show. There was also some influence from Angel Beats which encouraged me to pick up a second hand guitar but that’s another story. Similar to her, I didn’t have an opportunity to join a band until 3 years later. However, where we differ is that unlike her, I didn’t spend 6 hours a day practicing it. Instead, I only picked it up now and then and didn’t quite have the skill to join a band when the opportunity finally did come around. While I don’t regret my choices, I think its inspirational that she preserved despite not having a immediate goal, even if she is a fictional character. As a result, her struggles as a character are not about putting in the practice to get better at the guitar, but instead to conquer her own unique weaknesses so that she can bring out her full potential for the band. Her having these strengths and weaknesses, clear motivations and reasons for having them make me think that she’s has a very strong character.

The cherry on top of the animation, music and likeability of Bocchi as a character which keeps me watching is Bocchi’s growth each episode, and her progress to becoming guitarhero in real life. Bocchi recognizes the futility of waiting for life to bring her what she wants, and actively steps out of her comfort zone to achieve her goals. While she is also blessed with good luck and friends who support her, it was ultimately up to her to make the most of the opportunity. As mentioned before, even though she didn’t manage to join a band in middle school, she piled on the effort to practice her guitar and learn popular songs she’d likely need to play, setting the foundation to actually play in a band. When struck with stage fright, she acknowledged that she couldn’t let the chance that finally came knocking go and overcame it to play on stage, albeit while hiding in a cardboard box. That said, it was quite a believable step, because it would have been a huge jump for her to somehow play on stage no problem. She then makes further efforts to come out of her shell, facing customers in the eye and seeking out a new guitarist to help out the band. It was a highlight when she realized that would willingly be her audience were those that actually wanted to, leading her to being able to play in front of a live audience with one eye open.

I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the season for the entertainment value, performances and to see if she manages to bring out her guitarhero powers.