The Absurd Adaptation of Bocchi The Rock 

So the author made a lighthearted fun and cute story and the animators loved it so much they went absolute bananas and balls to the walls while adapting it

Bocchi is truely a showing of what happens when the animation studio is actually a fan of the manga. I just wish it happened more often.

bocchi's VA is doing an amazing job making bocchi's reaction more human like

I usually dislike an outgoing extrovert generic cute girl anime character. But Kita is different. The production team is really good in conveying Kita. Even without her 'visual aura', she really always has this vibrant aura among her band members. Her clothing is also pretty and so much differ than those other three. There are also some scenes that really convey her personality. Like one scene when they ate ice cream, Kita took a selfie. It is such a brief action that isn't needed for the plot, but the production team did it anyway. She is really supportive towards bocchi despite both of them being in different type (extrovert vs introvert). During the failed performance, she sang in trembling voice just like how she trembled when introducing the first song. Holy i love Kita

So many people seem to get this wrong - Bocchi isn't introverted - she has social anxiety. The bassist (I forget her name) is an introvert probably as she seems to be a loner by choice, she prefers spending time alone. Bocchi spends time alone but it's not by choice, it her anxiety stopping her from socializing (as seen in the last episode where she can't bring herself to phone her friends)

When Nijika said “Bocchi the rock” I jump out of my seat and cheered.

i think from what it seems for a lot of animators now, adapting a 4-koma manga is essentially a license to really let loose and break out the story from its rigid structure. the closest thing to bocchi is nichijou, also a 4-koma that radically expanded the format into wildly creative directions, and I'd say this goes even beyond it, they really went hard to treat the whole thing like a music video

There is something really beautiful about how her friends handle Bocchi's meltdowns as the show goes on. It starts with the sort of "no no no, everything is okay" kind of reaction to rather beautiful "she's on an anxiety tangent, once we get her to the beach safely, she'll be okay". Watching this show, I've laughed myself into tears and cried myself into laughter and that's rare for ANY piece of media, much less a cute girls doing cute things adaptation.

Bocchi getting getting Thanos-snapped the moment her friend moved her bangs off her face was absolute gold.

Bocchi the Rock is such a passion project. You can truly feel the love bleeding into and shaping the final product.

My favorite thing is Kita slowly starting to understand the other band members. She started out only caring about Ryo, then she slowly begins to vibe more with Nijika, slowly getting to see what Ryo's actually like, and in the whole process becomes someone who understands Bocchi the best. Her knowing about and picking up the band event submission sheet was multilayered and yet felt so natural. It's not just her being thoughtless, she knows that Bocchi was struggling with the decision and that, ultimately, going in would be a positive for her and she has faith that Bocchi has grown to the point where she can perform in front of the school. They all just vibe so well and it's showing its impact on each others. Character interaction and growth is what I enjoy the most in any story, and even without the funny medium-breaking sequences, this adaptation has a solid emotional core and fun cast to be the backbone of it. I dunno what is with Japanese stories about bands, but they just have a knack for sneaking up on you with good character and emotional core, and I'm here for it.

I'm a musician, among many other things... and I truly love this series. The moment when Bocchi was playing outside with this stranger, who was riffing on short read of the songs structure, I knew from the first two bars: "That woman is god damn legit professional!"... The people who decided to make her playing into exactly that, sounds like riffing on the spot, but there's this something that another musician can instantly recognize as decades of experience and professionalism. That's dedication to make these moments stand out and amazing. The love for music and musicianship just oozes out of these moments and i'm so glad they have people in the production team to make these things as they should! I've had very similar moments in my life when I was just a fledgling musician... and I felt that. Bocchi is going to grow so much more with help of these people around her, just like I did! I wouldn't be here without those people around me.

Production team really read a cute girls 4-koma gag manga and decided to create anime of the year lmao Also don't forget the voice actors especially Bocchi's. She managed to show how social anxiety sounds like instead of "cute girl voice with social anxiety teehee~"

The fact that she changes from social anxiety incarnate to and OP GODLIKE guitarist and remains an interesting and relatable character is just insanely masterfully done. If this isnt anime of the year, I'm getting a job.

The thing that resonated with me most about this show is just how relatable Bocchi is when it comes to social anxiety. While the presentation of those fears are exaggerated, the feeling is there. Nothing I've read or watched has come close to encapsulating those feelings. And I know "She's just like me, fr fr" has been said so many times now but as someones who's felt genuine fear just from hearing a teacher say "group assignment" or "pick a partner", its comforting to see.

i love the part when the animator says "it's animating time" and then they made the best anime i watched recently. This anime is gold

I read the manga like 2 years ago, when it first appeared in online manga site. I do enjoy the 4 koma story because it is easy to digest and I did see a great potential in the story for chill comedy slice of life anime. But holy, the anime adaptation that it got is a masterpiece in a sense of conveying characters emotion. Didn’t expect to get such a banger adaptation. Glad the staff put great work and they really enjoy the project

If this show doesn't win best animation in the next CR awards, then the judges are going to stub thier pinky toe every 30 mins for the rest of thier life

My favourite thing about bocchi is that you get to see her adjusting to first being around the band instead of her just automatically opening up. Also, it's nice to see her attempt to talk, because a lot of the time socially anxious people are portrayed as being dead silent but then suddenly gain the ability to flawlessly socialise ( albeit in small chunks ) as their development, which isn't that accurate. Basically as painful as her mumbling and stuttering was to watch it was nice to see her overcome the hurdle in real time 😭 And the fact that no one actually bullied Bocchi was a pretty realistic touch too. Most people assume that if someone doesn't approach others, they don't want to be approached either, so it makes sense that bocchis classmates don't hold her any ill will while also not talking to her ( which tbh they could've attempted before ).

Knowing the crippling social anxiety Bocchi has and then watching the scene where she gathers every bit of energy in her body to stand at the counter prepare the drink and present it to the customer AND making eye contact with her while doing it, in that moment it hit me. This story is not about a character forever trapped in it's trope to amuse the audience with laughs, she is going to improve inch by inch everyday as she follows her dream, and that's not only entertaining but also memorable. I can tell people are not going to forget Bocchi so fast at the end of the season, because this character feels genuine.

Also, notice how they had two recordings of their first song, one for the audition and one with mistakes for the live performance. If you play them together, you can hear it even better.

This anime is -funny -great diverse animation -interesting lovable characters -catchy music This anime is an A tier for me -

I came into this series expecting "Haha funny introvert playing guitar", and then i didn't expect that their first audition brought tears to my eyes. From that point i jokingly said to myself that this is Bang Dream meets experimental art, then i watch the hard hitting episode 8 and convinced that this really is Bang Dream. The way they blend solid comedy with solid emotional moments are so awesome!

Once you start observing the performances closely, there's a shitton of detail you can see in them. Tons of japanese watchers pointed things out like in the sequence just before bocchi drops her slide solo in ep12 ryo turning to Nijika and nodding, signalling her to repeat the solo part that Kita just filled in so bocchi can shine. Honestly it's amazing how much love they poured into the show

For me, the moment that solidify its position as the best of the season is how they make the failed first song so realistic, even going as far to have the VA to sing and record without much preparation at the same day they recorded the scene, just to make the act feel live.

Can we talk about how Clover Works redeemed themselves? After their disaster TPN S2, they have created an absolute banger of animations; Spy x Family, My Dress-Up Darling, Akebi Sailor, Shadows House, and Bocchi the Rock. Edit: Honorable mentions are: Horimiya and Wonder Egg Priority but these 2 also came out the same season as TPN S2.

I love how relatable it is to my own experience with apocalyptic anxiety. People always mischaracterize it as “just being shy” or “being a little introverted” when really, no, I’m dead terrified of hanging out with you. It’s like having 1000 nightmare scenarios for socializing run through your head every time you make plans with someone. I mean fuck I had to force myself to go to a concert that my friends and I had been planning on going to for months! Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to go, but the concept of being in a room with a ton of people scared the crap out of me! Even going with my friends I’ve known since we were kids scared the shit out of me! Bocchi has it way worse than I do, I can at least fake my way through a work day (for the most part) but bocchi absolutely cannot. It’s fucking hysterical because when bocchi has a panic attack (when she starts hyperventilating, stammering, making herself smaller etc.) it’s pretty much just a funny charicature of when my own fight or flight kicks into overdrive and I love it.

According to the interview, the author actually attended every single script writing process and meetings That is just insane amount of effort from both sides

This show is definitely my surprise hit of the season. I am enjoying it way more then I expected to.

Bocchi's character is also one that resonates with many people. People who can't express themselves socially often choose something else as their outlet just as bocchi choose guitar and internet. Some of the scene's capture the feeling of anxiety perfectly and I think that many others can agree on that. Other main cast does it's job of elevating Bocchi's character while simultaneously standing next to her and not being just another side character. Great example would be how the drunk bass girl despite being active in one episode left a substantial mark on bocchi and viewers alike. My favorite character is Kita. She's a great representation of an extrovert. Being outgoing simultaneously being considerate of everyone and putting extra effort so everyone can enjoy. Her thoughtfulness when she left the band as she thought, she was slowing down the band because she wasn't good enough also breaks the stereotype of extroverts being ignorant of others. My fav character design is PA-san. Girl who works with Nijika's sister

I was teary-eyed when I finished episode 8. I remember my high school band experience. My friends and I built a band to join an inter-school band contest. I've been playing the guitar for at least two years before that (I suck at it tho). Two of our band mates will be playing for the first time (just for the competition). My brother took the drums, he's skilled and can sing while playing too. We've practiced and spent many time to be in sync. It felt okay during our practice. The day of the contest has finally come, and when we started playing, it all felt unpleasant. The pressure standing in front of many people is just different, especially with our two band mates who will be performing for the first time. My amplifier stopped working midway for whatever reason, but it was fixed after a few minutes (it felt awkward). Thankfully were able to finish our set. Despite the rough performance, it was a wonderful and life changing experience. That was the first and last band competition I had which I cherished deeply. Props to this anime, it was able to depict a very realistic setting in a very impactful way. Hoping to see more of Kessoku band's performances in the future!

Bocchi the Rock is like the first season of One Punch Man. It's so full of love and passion from the animators and that will surely make you more immersed to the story. If something is made out of love, it'll show.

As an introverted musician the subtle things in the show are what mattered more to me, from every piece of equipment being identifiable immediately to the insecurities expressed by bocchi

Damn, when Fall started I didn't try this series because it felt too slice of life for me, but after watching the passion and creativity presented in the video might give it a try

When I watched Mob Psycho, I felt the love the animators, producers, and VA's put into the show for all 3 seasons. I really get the same feeling when I watch this show, Bocchi The Rock. They love this show to death with so many clever shots, gags, heartfelt scenes, crisp yet unique animations, and of course the music. Wish more people would watch!

AGREEEE!!! especially bocchi's VA, the tone of the voice, expression, feelings is just perfect!

Another testament to the adaptation as well, along with the points already made about how they've punched up and drawn out and presented the essence of the story in such an elastic way, is how they've been sparing no excess to rush beyond the material. As in, from the time of this comment, they've adapted a grand total, in 9 episodes, of, 1 volume (and 1 chapter of volume 2). By the time the show finishes, it'll be maybe half of volume 2. Most adaptations, even of 4-koma's might at this point already be 2-3 volumes in. This of course varies a lot, but to see them take their time and really extenuate the material and making sure every moment lands so closely that some episodes would just be material from 1 chapter, which, again since it is 4-koma is a relatively lighter and more quickly paced reading experience, just says a lot about the love being poured into the show.

"That adaptation of yours is absurd" - Adam Levine

Damn, just watching the background scenes during the video made me smile so many times. You can easily imagine the love and work that was put into the making of such expressive animation.

The cut at 9:22 lining up you saying bocchi and the performance where they also say hitori is incredible attention to detail. That’s a sub from me 🤟

Bocchi the rock reminds me of the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei anime both took a good manga and went next level with everything and in both you can just feels the love and creativity pouring on every scene. Both used experimental animation too.

Wow, you really summed up everything that makes Bocchi the Rock! so extraordinary, and you did it in a fantastically edited video to boot!

As Mothersbasement once said: "Gag Manga have done more to bring anime production forward than any other genre" Stuff like Kaguya-sama, SpyXFamily, Pantys&Stockings with Garterbelt, Nichijou, Chunibyo, urusei yatsura etc. have all pushed the boundarys of what anime is/can be when they first came out. Only very few action anime can come close to the genius some comedy producers put into their, framing, cinematography, or just sheer creativity. I'm sure Bocci the Rock will also have some lasting impacts on anime production as a whole.

God tier show. I don't know if I've ever felt more proud of a fictional character than bocchi in episode 8. Makes my eyes water just thinking about it. It strikes such a wonderful balance of CGDCT with actual progression and more intense situations that it ends up getting the best of both worlds. it's comforting and exciting and it's pretty hard to hit that balance IMO. In some ways it reminds me of how the monogatari anime made a story that is 95% dialogue interesting and exciting using really creative animation and directing. The animation in these gags makes it transcend one of the major weaknesses of these slice of life comedies and IMO does it even better than nichijou which might serve as a blueprint for doing that.

I haven’t seen a single trailer of Bocchi when this season began. I was most anticipating Bleach coming back and other series like Iruma-kun and SpyxFamily. But I seen Bocchi the Rock on my page and it caught my eyes immediately the day it came out after I finished every other series I waited on. After watching the first episode, I instantly fell in love with the series. This gags are absolutely great and outside the box. Fall season is my favorite just because of Bleach and Bocchi.

Truly the Dark Horse of this season, never think this Anime would be the most I'm anticipating each week. It truly remind me some anime that used Improvisation (many Anime-only scene) Some of that anime ruined the manga, but for Bocchi the Rock, many fascinating animation and presentation, it's made the Bocchi the Rock truly enjoyable Many Music Manga need an Anime to bring the Music, Many Thanks to All Production of Manga and Anime to create this cool anime for this season

This is what anime is all about. Those few, but fantastic times, when the anime adaptation elevates above the source material. Thanks for this video!

Bocchi has been the best anime of the season by far, & this is coming from a guy that has a gigantic Chainsaw Man tattoo (yes, I love the tattoo)

Bocchi became popular like how K-ON do imo - manga was a 4 koma - have a same genre, Music and School - it cames from the same publisher, Manga Time Kirara - gets a pack of banger musics made from high level musician also Bocchi doing it slowly, i was like having low expectation on this anime like.. "it's just a slice of life anime that full of girls, it wouldn't be as good as K-ON or some anime that airing this season like CSM or any other" but then get hooked after watching one or two episode, i even know it from memes that came out of this anime.

That anime is like the vision you have of a manga when you try to summirize it to a friend but mistakenly remember scenes as 100 times more epic as they were... Except the whole production team was in this state of mind and rolls with it! xD

Dude heck yeah. I’m glad someone covered it and I loved how you brought just how much passion is pouring into the anime. Subscribed.

The editing, the literal representations of what is being said on screen is phenomenal in this video. Well done!

the best part about the band while performing (especially bocchi) is that you can fell how she is shy at first until she is in "the zone" and shows what she is really capable of as a guitarist I think most guitarist who ever played in front of other people can relate

Something that i love about this anime is how bocchi's anxiety is shown, it is relatable because your mind actually thinks in that way. Any experience that may scare you makes you think a lot of possible situations where everything goes wrong and it will be the worst day of your life. And these thoughts always affect you even if you know they are just product of your imagination All of this is made in a comedic way that can make you laugh lol

It's peak show. I was seeing some short clips around of her "glitching" and turning to ashes but did I ever expect having this much fun watching it. Especially the 8th episode was so god damn good. I just hope they got more stuff to offer that's as good as the 8th episode.

As a writer I see animation and production in anime similar to prose in written fiction. You can still make an interesting story without having expert use of figures of speech, word choice, or effective expression, you can still write the greatest classics in 1st grade level prose afterall, but its effect to the audience would be very different from one that is well crafted so I'm glad that you emphasized this in your review.

Bocchi the rock is so uniquely made its crazy. especially with some many insane shows coming out this season, I love the way bocchi the rock isnt afraid to do new things that have never been done before. a true sleeper pick

As an introverted person with social anxiety I can relate so much to bocchi (along with the weirdness/randomness/sense of humor as Ryo)

This anime is what happens when an animation studio thoroughly enjoys what they’re making. Nowhere else besides Pop Team Epic would I see an anime unironically use Blender for a random 5 second gag

That intro is so well put together it took me like 5 minutes to get through it I kept replaying it over and over

it’s trying to outdo k-on! in the most nichijou way possible. genius! just like how kyoto animation literally licensed the fifa theme and invested the time and resources to completely 3d animate an entire room with mio, mai, yuuko just to have mai flick a coin 😭

The anime does SUCH a good job referencing other anime, some niche some legendary. It’s a masterpiece, every episode is gold I think.especially the ones where Bocchi plays.

dude the way this video was made is so masterfully made, it is so damn enjoyable, the background music changing depending according to the video, and even the buildup of your lines in the video, its amazing.

Now i know why i liked this anime so much (apart from being a social-awkward guitarist myself): it has a soul. They like the product they're making and that is the most important thing in every branch of art form. That's why it's so good

I would also like to appreciate the background art like GODDAMN it's so good😫

Fantastic video, really did an amazing job of conveying what makes the show so incredibly charming and hilarious. Episode 8 was probably my favorite so far and I cannot wait to see the remaining few episodes to cap the season. It’s insane how good this show is

K-ON's succes was also heavily influenced by the director of the anime. Whole series is just much more "alive" adaptation of the manga. Its amazing to see Bochi the Rock is not only similiar in the genre, but also in the creation process.

I wanted to watch it forthe Asian Kung-fu Generation references alone, but now its a must

I love how the animation doesn't just translate the original manga but expand upon it without diluting the core message.

Your intro has ensured I watch this anime. I am also a fan of animation, I love seeing how it ties into things, how stylization feeds into narrative. I'm a big fan really of _all_ aspects of story telling which I've been on a rapid discovery and push to learn from over the past few years after realizing the core of my passion as an adult. I'm going to pause at the 2 minute mark and come back when I binge it soon enough. I have come back. This is one of the best I've ever seen. So much passion in all of it. It is something of love. It deserves love in return.

I'd like to throw another compliment towards this Kami tier show, as everyone is already lauding the animation, story, and characters. The MUSIC is exceptionally well done. Everything from the OP and EDs to the actual music they play in the show itself is genuinely great and very fun to listen to. And when the band is awkwardly playing and the characters are all kind of cringing you can actually tell that the playing is off if your someone who can pick up on those things. Just... absolutely stellar. I've been loving this show so much.

So this where that character's from. Sounds good. Thanks for putting the anime on my radar!

man this video was so well put together, everything i love about this anime you've put into words!!

this anime was great in so many ways, the music was some of the best out of every music anime I've watched and the jokes are absolutely funny. The interesting joke segways really reminded me of "God troubles me"s ending. The story and development are really just incredible and makes me really want to watch a second season immediately. It really hit me early on to the anime with the introversy and social axiety and it was just like a fever dream with each panic attack Hitori gets. It was aa great experience and it really shook me watching the end similar to Revue Starlight, that shock where the character is reborn anew similar to Hitori's achievements throughout the anime and at the end, when she gets her own guitar was just incredible, it really just goes to show how much impact on our lives and insight to lives that we don't have that anime, show, or moviees that we come by. The different interpretations that each person can get from watching a show like this whether it be concepts or relations to either yourself or other people is just incredible. I watched it because it was a music anime, and just like all the others, I stayed for the adventur and the interpretations I make that can shape my life.

Dang even the flashback class photo sequence at 10:23 is a case of a well done visual metaphor of Bocchi getting more more socially enclosed; represented both by the her eyes and by the framing of the picture including less and less of her classmates until her final picture is solely of Bocchi.

I don't know, maybe I relate to Bocchi to a huge degree, but every time I hear people talk about this show, her character, her development and everything of the sort, my eyes well-up a bit. This series to me is something special that in my book, it deserves a 10/10

I loved the video. It's well documented, it's really easy to understand each point you make, the edit behind was on point, I had a strong interest watching the edit while listening, I appreciate your time and I enjoyed a lot the anime and this video is making justice representing the anime.

Came back to this video after watching final ep.Really impressed how the staffs still be able to shock me even until the end especially in the final song.I was like "huh i kinda already heard this song bocchi sang somewhere before" and then when it reached the special thank part i be like "these madlads people animating these series actually had bocchi to cover the song of the band that the charas referrenced to for one last time".Props to the va too for covering the song the way that people think how bocchi would sing it like how she seems like she out of breath at one part of the song and still trying her best.Im pretty sure that the staffs already planned the cover from the start based on the episode title,but i kinda feel its quite symbolic that they chose korogaru iwa as the cover song since its the first song that asian kungfu band performed live in overseas iirc.Its quite the coincidence that the anime popularity had also grown not just in japan,but also worldwide bit by bit and im kinda happy with it tbh.Im probably one of the people that just started watch the series because of the hype and some random videos of bocchi social anxiety moment and didn't watch other anime at all for a while now,but yeah I'm happy that i watched this series until the end.Also liked the way they ended the season in just mundane way since they sure can just put extra scene that could build up watcher expectation for season 2,but the staff decided to end it in lowkey terms so people would be hyped when the series return again.All in all,I hope that they would let the same people that worked in this season 1 to have chance to show their passion once again in season 2 adaptation since i can feel like they would like to continue showing their love for the series tbh(kinda shown as a certain chara is being animated pretty neat although that's her only appearance in season 1,heck there's even special illustration of her too lmao)

This show hit a little too close to home. It was dragging up memories I buried of my social interactions. Her reactions to stuff was on point. Running away with thoughts or not thinking through what you want to say out of fear of conflict then caving because it's too stressful. I felt that. Turning into scribble art is exactly what anxiety feels like. This show is weird because when I put myself in her position I understand her reaction right away but when I'm just observing, her reactions look wild. That's probably how people who are very social see our reactions, as something dramatic or random because they cannot relate.

We mentioned a lot about the animation but it should be noted that the music is also really good. They got some series hard hitters in the japanese music industry helping compose the music, like kana-boon, number girl, tricot, and ajikan. You can tell sony really wanted this one to work out.

This intro with all the other animes went SO incredibly hard, and then the beat drop with Bochi? Excellent editing

This anime really does feel like a genuine labor of love and I am HERE for the passion that is constantly on-screen! You pretty much hit the nail on the head for why I love this so much, the humor is great but the animation just elevates it even further, the sheer amount of effort that goes into these sequences is incredible. The music is fantastic too, the starting guitar riff in the opening is just SO good I can't even put it into words.

The editing is so good in your videos.

I don't think a lot of people knows this, but the author said they've actually participated in every scriptwriting session for the anime on one of their livestreams

This was the first video of yours that I've seen pop up in my recommendations. Immediately subscribed after watching it due to how much I loved it

This video is the one that sell me to watch more of your videos. Amazing work!

As a writer this video made me weep, I am someone who has constantly hit walls in my comfort zone in terms of writing. The metamorphosis between the manga and the anime struck a chord with me, I feel the inspiration rushing beneath my fingertips. I realize I don't need to start over, rather expand it further. Thank you for this video, I must subscribe.

Great analysis! I love this series so much, I could not stop watching after the first episode, eventually binged it all in one day, and missing it now.

your editing is awesome huge fan of the way you wait until songs end to play clips and even end the video right as that last song finished

Saw the first 2 minutes of this video and now I’m sold on this anime. I’ll finish this vid after I’ve watched the show, be right back!

Bocchi the Rock is that one anime that gives you more goosebumps the more you learn about it. Really hoping for a second season of the same caliber. It's a great anime made by people who enjoyed making it.

Just saw your video from RU-vid recommendations. Immediately won me over with that insane intro. Keep up the good work my guy

Excellent video, bro! Love how this series seems to elevate the original source material. It's kind of what anime is all about in my opinion, and you did such a great job showcasing that.

Not only is it well written and extremely funny. It has sakuga in some unconventional spots such as for comedy or character conversation, not just the performance scenes. S tier anime of the year no doubt. Except maybe for Chainsaw man but that’s it.

I'm so happy to see hibike euphonium included in the opening montage. It's not a popular anime, at least not in the west, but I feel like it's one of the best if not the best anime from Kyoto animation. It really showcases how well kyoani can convey emotions through the most subtle character gesture to the most dramatic scenes

Great review man, I kind of expected this to be a fluff piece but you made some pretty cool observations. Keep up the great work

while I was watching I always found myself almost tearing up whenever I see Hitori does her best, especially when she did the improvised solo and those little by little growth, am so proud.

Yeah. I am a casual fan of the manga, and I have to say I never expected the anime to do anywhere near this well, ahaha. Good for them, I guess!

Amazing analysis and video essay. I hope more people can watch this superbly underrated anime.

Excellent video