See You Tomorrow
Episode 2 of Bocchi The Rock begins with Hitori (Bocchi) taking a cold bath to remove her stress. We transition several days before this incident, where she arrives at the Starry club to speak with Nijika and Ryo about Kessoku’s future. Hitori is a young woman who is under a lot of stress. She visits the Starry club to speak with Nijika and Ryo about Kessoku’s future. ..
Hitori is nervous about the first band meeting. He doesn’t want to cause a scene and Ryo and Nijika arrive and note his awkward behavior. They head inside to start their first band meeting. Ryo pulls out a giant dice with activities listed on it. It rolls on to a discussion about school. Ryo and Nijika confirm they attend Shima High because it’s closest to home.
Hitori confirms that she attends Shuka High. She attends that school because it’s a place where she can be anonymous and avoid any potential confrontations with her past. Hitori says she doesn’t have fond memories to contribute to their discussion, but Nijika tells her not to worry about it. Ryo says she doesn’t have many friends besides Nijika. Bocchi grows fond of Ryo since she also seems like an introverted person, like herself. ..
Nijika and Ryo have different interests, which makes their relationship difficult. Nijika likes punk music while Ryo prefers techno kayo. They discuss their favorite music and Nijika reveals she likes Japanese punk, while Ryo admits she enjoys Saudi Arabia artists occasionally. ..
In an interview with Guitar Man, a band member who goes by the name of “Guitar Man,” Bocchi reveals that she’s not the biggest fan of upbeat songs that focus on personal school experiences. Instead, she prefers songs that are more introspective and explore topics unrelated to her education. Guitar Man confirms this preference, saying that Bocchi enjoys bands who write about the bleakness of their high school experiences.
Nijika is a high school student who discovers the popularity of these bands in her school. She distances herself from their music after some humorous banter, but they switch over to discussing concerts. Nijika wants to have a vocalist on their team before their next performance. She recalls having a vocalist beforehand, but they left the band for undisclosed reasons.
Kessoku’s former guitarist, Ryo, has social anxiety on par with hers. Bocchi asks Ryo if she could carry the vocalist role, but Ryo argues her talent would overwhelm the band and crush it. Nijika concludes that their mission is to secure a new vocalist and have Ryo write the song and for Bocchi to provide the lyrics. Nijika rolls the dice after being asked what she’ll contribute to the team.
Their next discussion revolves around quotas. Nijika explains it in detail to Bocchi. She says the concert they performed at Starry was a “booked concert,” which happens when the club assigns them a ticket quota in hopes enough people attend the event. Anything sold over the ticket quota gets split between the club and the band.
Bands often have to pay the rest of their costs out of pocket if they don’t meet their quota for attendance. This is why getting popular is so important for many bands. Their last performance brought enough people to meet its quota, but they anticipate fewer people will show up because of how terrible things went with that concert.
Nijika suggests they all find jobs to cover the quota and equipment. Hitori grows concerned. She hands Nijika a piggy bank and begs her not to make her work. Nijika and Ryo ask Bocchi to work alongside them at the Starry Club. Bocchi accepts the offer despite her worries. Nijika promises to look after the money because Ryo’s terrible at managing cash.
Ryo comes from a wealthy family and is always given huge allowances. She spends them on instruments, to the point where she’s constantly broke. They send Bocchi home and tell her to prepare for her first day of work. In the present, Bocchi wallows away in her ice-cubed bath. Bocchi hopes the cold bath will help her get cold, so she can miss work. ..
Bocchi, a new part-timer looking to work at the Starry Club, arrives at the club in the morning after her scheme to get sick failed miserably. A yellow-haired girl tells Bocchi that tickets aren’t on sale for the time being and to come back later. Startled, Bocchi explains that she’s a new part-timer looking to work at the club with Ryo and Nijika. ..
The woman reveals that she is the manager of the Starry Club. She recognizes Kessoku Band’s guitarist, Bocchi, as one of the players who played inside a cardboard box. She gives Bocchi a strange name, annoying Nijika and Ryo when they arrive. Nijika reiterates that this female manager is also her sister. However, Nijika’s sister asks Nijika to keep their work and private relationships separate.
While Ryo sweeps, Nijika shows Bocchi the drink booth and explains where all the drinks are located. Overwhelmed, Bocchi pulls out a guitar and plans to play a song to remember everything. While Nijika calms Bocchi down, her sister notices something familiar about how Bocchi plays and sounds. She bonks Nijika’s head and tells her to get to work. Ryo then joins in on the fun, playing his own guitar while they all sing together. ..
Nijika explains the drink service routine to Bocchi and how it’s run like a restaurant. Bocchi’s proud of her effort but gets frightened when Nijika points her attention toward some new customers. We get a montage of Nijika and Bocchi working the drink service station while Ryo works the ticket booth. Bocchi doesn’t give the customer’s eye contact and hands them their drinks while crouched.
Nijika is annoyed with Bocchi, but allows him to relax after Alexandism’s performance. Ryo stops by and tells Nijika that her sister took over the ticket booth to allow Ryo to watch Alexandism’s performance.
Nijika loves the Starry Club and the customers who stop by. Bocchi apologizes for her lackluster effort, but Nijika calms her down. She wants Bocchi to adore the club and have fun working here. However, Nijika hopes Bocchi will find the courage to speak with customers one day. Alexandism performs, Bocchi is amazed by everyone’s harmonious energy.
The woman is upset that customers paid 2,000 yen to see her poor performance. She vows to change for her new bandmates’ sake. A customer asks for orange juice, and Bocchi takes the initiative to make the lady her drink. She hands it to her while making eye contact. Nijika praises Bocchi for her effort and says she took one step forward. Bocchi departs.
At the Starry Club, Ryo and Nijika discuss how proud they are of Bocchi’s actions. Now that they’ve found stable jobs, they must find a vocalist. The episode concludes with Kita singing in a karaoke room with her friends.
The Episode Review
This episode of Bocchi the Rock is a great example of how well-written and powerful character development can be. It features amazing characterization for our side protagonists, and excellent character progression for Bocchi. This chapter sheds light on the music industry, offering some educational value for those who are not aware of how concerts operate and why popularity plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy music career.
As someone who has never been involved in the music industry, it was exciting to learn more about how it works. Seeing our girls discuss ticket quotes and school life felt naturally intriguing. Many will appreciate the staff’s decision to give each girl some time to shine besides Bocchi. That’s not to say Bocchi’s a hindrance, but it’s great to receive more background information about Ryo and Nijika’s characters.
Bocchi’s anxious behavior can feel a bit much at times. While it makes sense given her situation, the anime could’ve toned her mannerisms down a little. Nevertheless, it was exciting to see Bocchi tackle her fears head-on after receiving some encouragement from her friends, Alexandism, and others. This gives fans hope that the show will continue leading Bocchi down a righteous path. ..
This was a great episode of Bocchi The Rock. The characters are developing at a good pace and the conclusions of this episode seem to hint at Kita the new vocalist for Kessoku Band. Based on her curious behavior in episode one, it will be interesting to see how she will impact the narrative and Bocchi’s character after her proper introduction. Let’s hope this anime continues to rock our souls. ..
