Bocchi the Rock!

Bocchi the Rock is a masterpiece. I was raving to my friend about this show and begging him to watch it and he said he wasn't sure because he's not a Japenese teenage girl. I told him that didn't matter because anxiety and music are universal.

This show has one of the most relatable and realistic depictions of social anxiety I've ever seen in any show. There were many small, specific instances where Bocchi expressed anxiety in situations that I have personally experienced. Not just that, but it handles anxiety in a realistic way while also managing to be absolutely hilarious. In real life, anxiety is anything but funny. It can be crippling and debilitating. In Bocchi the Rock, anxiety is shown with respect and understanding while managing to make it laugh out loud funny. A very hard feat to achieve for a piece of fiction.

The music in this show is also very well done. The songs within the context of the show are excellent. The lyrics and sound almost perfectly reflect the characters who created them. Again, the artists struggle is very well done and covers a lot of very relatable and universal situations dealing with feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, and the vulnerability that comes with releasing a piece of art for public scrutiny. But it goes even farther and manages to deliver an incredibly uplifting and inspirational story from a very grounded perspective of a fledgling and insecure artist.

The writing alone would be enough to elevate this show to exceptional status but the animation and production is also extremely well done and exactly on point. There's a lot of very creative animated scenes that I've never seen in an anime before. There's occasional cuts to live action, CG animation, claymation, and many other mediums. These unusual pieces of animation are extremely creative and it's not self indulgent. Every one of these scenes was done in a specific style for effect and they all land perfectly. Most of the show is animated as a traditional anime but I loved that they experimented with completely original mediums.

Bocchi the rock made me tear up in almost every episode while also making me laugh out loud in every episode. Personally, I rate pieces of fiction based on how strong of an emotional reaction I have. That's why I'm giving Bocchi the Rock a 10/10 rating. I don't give many pieces of fiction a perfect score but I truly believe this is a perfect show.

After it finished, I could only wish for more. More seasons are coming, I only wish they would come sooner. Very few shows have made me feel Bocchi the Rock's unique combination of cute, wholesome, touching, funny, and inspirational.

"Society is scary!!!" I get you Bocchi, you have no idea how much I get you. This anime takes the idea of "humour based on my pain" to another level. This anime takes a very satirical approach on social anxiety. It's somehow just so relatable and so hilarious at the same time. This is the most I've laughed watching an anime in a long time, ever since I saw KonoSuba or SaikiK. I'm a huge overthinker myself. So this anime just hits different for me. It's a very exaggerated approach on overthinking and anxiety but that's exactly why it works. There are scenes where Bocchi goes on this long path of thoughts while overthinking and ends up getting scared of something very unrealistic. And it's hilarious yes, but then I look back at times when I get anxious of something very irrational and I just don't notice it at that time. So the writers got it exactly right.

The studio Cloverworks has outdone itself. I'm not a fan of their work because they tend to pick up stories with great potential, and they utilize like half of that potential (Horimiya, Balance Unlimited, Shadows House). But they have completely proved me wrong here. The animation is absolutely gorgeous. The character designs are downright hilarious. The direction and editing is so funny, it's unbelievable. And the source material wasn't even that famous. Not many knew about Bocchi The Rock when it started. And now its one of the highest rated animes on MAL. So they've created this almost from scratch. Almost every episode is hilarious. And the band performance scenes gave me goosebumps because I really cared about the character Bocchi, and knowing her struggles, I wanted her to succeed. The side characters and the camaraderie between them is great too.

First off, let's just get this out of the way: this show is comedy gold. Each episode has me laughing often - mostly thanks to the ridiculous antics of the show's lovably reclusive protagonist, Hitori. As the audience follows her experience trying to form a band, despite having absolutely no social skills, we meet a variety of enjoyable characters, and the interactions between these characters are always consistently funny.

As for the production, it's easy to say that Studio Cloverworks nailed the animation - the characters move very naturally and fluidly, and the color palette and compositing makes the show feel alive and beautiful. When matched with great music and voice acting, the show is clearly very well produced.

Bocchi the Rock is a slice-of-life anime depicting the story of young rocker Hitori Goto, her artistic and musical journey, and most importantly, her difficulty in dealing with deep social anxiety. What makes the anime so special are primarily the handling of comic timing and the incredible use of animation to depict the protagonist's inner states. Script and creativity match perfectly in the realization of a multifaceted, entertaining show with whom to empathize. Good is also the handling of the entire cast of characters and their relationships, and excellent the handling of the theme at hand.

Super recommended, as this is an anime that many people will manage to find very relatable as well as inspirational.

At first I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started watching this anime. But wow, Bocchi the Rock absolutely amazed me! I feel like it accomplished everything it was meant to be. From Bocchi being a relatable character to the details of her music career being done in such a nice paced and detailed way. Something that I enjoyed was that the funny moments actually gave me some good laughs! I have seen so many funny moments in animes that are way too unfunny. But Bocchi the Rock changed that for me. I never thought I would become such a fan of this anime. I rarely give anything 10 stars. But Bocchi the Rock got me to the point in which I feel like it deserves 10 stars. This anime is a must watch!