Bocchi the Rock

 The break-out hit of last winter season, I must say this wasn't on my MAL planned to watch list.

But Noshi wanted to see the series after it showing in one of the "best of 2022" videos on YouTube, and of course, being unable to resist anime of any kind, I sat down along to have a look at this series about an introvert guitar player.

Hitori is an introvert who one day is gifted a guitar.  For years she practices, becoming a social media celebrity under the alias of guitarhero, but what she really wants is to one day play at the cultural festival at school and be cheered upon.

However, her social anxiety stands in the way, yet she decides to join a band, getting to play in a club for their first performance.  To fight her anxiety, she does this covered under boxes, and had a lot of fun.  As a result, she vows to try and overcome her problems together with the other girls of the group, and even takes a job at the club to help raise funds for a next performance, while searching a vocalist as well.

 

 

She finds one in Kita, a girl from her class, but who turns out to actually have been the previous leadsinger of their band and left.  But she agrees to rejoin the group, as Bocchi writes the lyrics for their first song.  But the club's manager, who is the elder sister of their drummer and founder Nijika, wants that they audition first.

 

During their audition, Bocchi gives a first glimpse of her true skill, and the band passes the audition, meaning they now need to sell 20 tickets to their performance in order to break even.   She meets a heavy drinking bass player who helps her out with the tickets as they perform on the street, getting Bocchi even her first two fans.  But on concert day, a typhoon hits.  Yet, audience shows up and while they start of slowly and not on top form, it is Bocchi who doesn`t want the band to fail and takes centre stage with her guitar skills.  This leads at the afterparty of Nijika figuring out that Bocchi is actually "guitarhero".

 

 

They go to see Hiroi's band (the drunken bassist) and Bocchi sees how to act in front of an audience, gaining more confidence for her school performance.  But at the culture festival, she seems to be missing, hiding to avoid working in the maid cafe her class set up.  She survives the ordeal thanks to her friends and then the moment has come: they take the stage amd the performance goes well.  But moments before her solo, a string breaks and she starts panicking.  But Kita add-lips so she can recover, doing a trick playing with a glass and enwildering the crowd.

 

So all ends well in this fun, though perhaps not over the top funny, story of a social anxiety girl that joins a musci band.  I liked the series, but to be honest didn't feel hyped as many out there, but would still recommend it for a fun viewing experience.