Bocchi the Rock
Everyone is grieving over the typhoon because they feel no one will arrive at Kessoku Band’s concert. PA-san’s upset, while Seika says it’s natural for bands to get into rough spots. Seika hopes Nijika and her friends can make it through this situation as the girls discuss what to do next.
Nijika and Bocchi are both excited to continue their performance, even though their audience won’t be as massive as they hoped. Hiroi enters the club and we learn that he used to be Seika’s junior in college. Hiroi tells Bocchi that he would miss her performance since he is her fan. Suddenly, the two girls Bocchi wowed at her street performance arrive, shocking Bocchi. They tell her that they wouldn’t miss her performance since they are her fans.
Bocchi is filled with harmonious energy after realizing that she has real-world fans now. Kita notifies the others that the weather is getting worse, and Ryo proposes streaming their performance and deeming it as a no-audience concert. Nijika refuses since people have already shown up to watch them perform. Bocchi agrees and says it’ll be okay since they have people waiting for them to perform. ..
Nijika and the others are bewildered that Bocchi is wearing a cardboard box to cover her appearance. Before they perform, Kessoku Band notice their lack of fans. However, Nijika spots fans of other bands and argues that they can try to persuade them to listen to their performance. Meanwhile, Kessoku Band overhears two girls gossiping poorly about them.
Nijika, the lead singer of the band, says that people are saying harsh things about them because they don’t know them yet. The girls set up their equipment and Kita introduces the band to the audience. At the same time, Bocchi grows a little concerned and wants to wear her box. Kita announces that they will be playing their original song “Guitar, Solitude, and the Blue Planet” to the crowd. ..
The band begins their performance. As they play, Bocchi recognizes everyone’s making simple mistakes, from being out of sync or playing slowly. Besides their invited guests and friends, everyone ignores them. When they finish their first song, the girls overhear the same people saying that their performance was a waste of time. Nijika tells Kita to announce their next song.
As the band plays their second song, Kita starts to feel a bit more at ease. She can see that the others are determined and are trying their best. However, she still feels nervous as Bocchi starts playing her guitar with pizzazz. The other members of the band start to join in and play their songs with more passion. This makes Kita feel a bit better, knowing that they are all working together for the betterment of the group.
The mean-spirited guests argue that it’s half bad. Kita announces that they’ll be playing one more hit-as we get a glimpse of the outdoors that are free from horrid weather. Later, the girls, Seika, PA-san, and Hiroi, attend a restaurant called Kaomise to celebrate Kessoku Band’s stellar performance. Seika promises to pay for their drinks, except for Hiroi’s.
Hiroi introduces herself to the others and says she loves bass and is a genius bassist. Ryo tells Hiroi that she’s been to many of her concerts and notes Hiroi’s drunken behavior on stage. Hiroi sprays her audience with booze and gives people the finger causing her audience to throw stuff at her. At the concert, Ryo remembers Hiroi stepping on her face.
Kita and Hiroi say they feel like rookies when compared to Nijika and Bocchi, but the girls tell the group they don’t have to adopt all of Nijika’s quirks. Nijika tells them the ten guests at their performance walked away entertained. Seika tells the girls they’ll pick up more fans if they continue putting in effort and to pay their quota fee. Seika informs Bocchi she should be proud of her effort today, but the gang’s bewildered by her husk-like state.
Kita takes photos of her drink for Isstagram, and Seika asks her why she’s obsessed with that platform. Kita argues it’s like sharing your fun with the world. Nijika eggs her on because she wants Kita to purge her sister’s twisted spirit. Kita grabs a menu and announces what meal she’ll order. Bocchi’s flabbergasted by Kita’s complicated yet elegant energy.
Seika wonders how Kita would request things in Starbucks. Bocchi asks Seika what she wants, and Seika vows to change it up and make a trendy choice like Kita. It doesn’t work out, so she asks for fries. Later, the gang receives their orders and dig in. In thought, Bocchi’s happy that her first experience inside a restaurant like Kaomise was with them. She wonders if it’ll be more fun when she’s old enough to drink. ..
Meanwhile, a married couple is discussing their lives and goals next to a friend. The conversation delves into topics like regret, suicidal tendencies, and poor drinking habits. Flustered, Bocchi wonders if her adult life will be as unrelenting as the gentleman’s. Bocchi spacing out alarms the others who think she’s going through another one of her episodes.
Ryo tries to fix up with Bocchi, but it leads to Bocchi having a doll-like creepy face. Later, Ryo acknowledges Kita’s stellar guitar playing, saying she should be proud by her performance despite practicing for only three months. Kita spaces out like Bocchi because Ryo calls her by her other name. She feels its embarrassing while the others disagree. Ryo said she wouldn’t understand since her name means “song of the stars.”
Kita withdraws into her shell, causing Ryo to laugh. Hiroi approaches Bocchi since she overheard her mumbling about supporting herself with the guitar and becoming a NEET. Hiroi tells Bocchi to relax and have fun. PA-san jumps in and tells Bocchi that if you put your success on your shoulders all the time, you’ll make yourself miserable. Seika adds that it’s important to enjoy your dream-aspiring progress. ..
Hiroi asks Seika why she gave up on playing music, shocking Bocchi. Hiroi argues that Seika’s band was popular–while Bocchi’s astounded Nijika never brought it up and realizes Nijika hasn’t returned to the table for time. Bocchi excuses herself to look for Nijika. She exits Kaomise and finds Nijika staring at the sky. Before Bocchi asks about Seika’s band history, Nijika asks Bocchi if she’s guitarhero, the Oh!Tube content creator. ..
Bocchi was flabbergasted when she saw that Nijika was able to play the guitar just like guitarhero. Bocchi admitted that she was guitarhero, but wanted to tell the others herself when she fixed herself. Bocchi asked if Nijiika was upset, but Nijika said it made her even happier to have her in her band. Nijika revealed that her mother had died when she was little, and her father never came home. ..
Seika was the only family she had. Nijika hated being alone when Seika started the band, so Seika brought her to their clubs all the time. Nijika revealed she was Seika’s inspiration to quit the band and start Starry Club. Nijika knows Seika called it Starry Club because of Nijika’s wishes but knows she won’t admit it. Nijika reveals that her other dream is to make a band popular enough for her and Seika and to make Starry famous. ..
Nijika feels even though there were times when her dreams were out of reach, Bocchi would always break those barricades for them. Nijika reveals the others’ missions. Ryo wants to use the band to play music from her heart and assumes Kita aims to help them succeed. Nijika asks Bocchi what her plans are for the band. Bocchi tells Nijika she wants to make Kessoku Band the best it can be.
Nijika wishes Bocchi could play the way she does in her videos. The episode concludes with Bocchi promising to give it her all as Nijika tells her to keep showing her more of Bocchi-chan’s rock.
The Episode Review
This week’s episode of Bocchi The Rock was a real treat for fans of the anime. It was packed with great animation, beautiful visuals, stupendous character progression, and emotional and hilarious interactions. This chapter went beyond the call of duty and included unexpectedly pure scenarios.
The girls performed despite their missed opportunities and the obstacles that came with it. This performance pushed them to their limits and introduced some realistic and painful obstacles to their plans.
The concert was great, but I felt a bit let down by the way the audience treated Kessoku Band members. Despite losing touch in their first song, Bocchi’s heroism shone forth in the second song, leading to a satisfyingly gorgeous rock-inducing spectacle. It was nice to have our girls relax and converse during the restaurant segment, although some may think it was a bit long.
Nijika’s relationship with her former bandmates has been a topic of speculation for some time now. Receiving more intel about the situation would’ve been great, as it would’ve given fans a better understanding of the dynamics between the two. While quitting for Nijika’s sake is admirable, many fans may have wanted to see her bandmate’s reaction to the news. Otherwise, the conversation between Nijika and Bocchi provided much depth and warmth to keep fans glued to their screens.
This was an amazing episode that left a lasting impression. With the concert concluded, I wonder what other obstacles lie ahead for them. Whether it be competing with other popular bands at the culture festival or settling a dispute between themselves, I can’t wait to see what this anime has in store for fans.
