BOCCHI THE ROCK!

## Season 1

For context, I rewatched this on 06-06-2026

### Soundtrack

From start to finish, I'm confident in saying that the soundtrack of Bocchi The Rock! clears any other anime's soundtrack. kessoku band's debut album really is that great and has so many good songs. I think the best part about the soundtrack is how intertwined they are with the message of the show. It really shows how much effort was put into making this anime a reality. Phenomenal. It's so hard to pick a single best song from the album, but I will say that the anime really picked the best ones for the opening and EDs. They're all so good.

### Thoughts

After watching Bocchi The Rock! S1 for a second time, it's so clear to me how excellently produced this anime is. Everything flows together into one, the plot points, characters, funny moments, you name it. This is a show that kept me so engaged the entire time, with plot points being resolved and created at the same time. Even more than that, the amount love and soul poured into the making this anime is just insane. Even when you discount the soundtrack (you really can't), BTR S1 just doesn't make it fair to compare it with other animes.

The entire of BTR S1 follows Bocchi and kessoku band as they try to make it big as a band together. It's such a simple story, but Bocchi herself, which I will talk about more later, just elevates every single aspect of the story you could ever think of. I really found every single scene to be so endearing. I loved seeing the band hang out together, practice, and perform. It's really what makes or breaks this anime, so it's no surprise it was executed perfectly.

I found the characters to be really interesting, even if their backstories weren't really developed. The first one that Bocchi meets, Nijika, is definitely my favorite whimsy drummer of all time. She just exudes so much whimsy aura that it's no surprise she's the band's de facto leader. She's definitely the one that "moves" the band forward by getting them gigs, taking them out to take promotional photos, and organizing hangouts. Other than that, I also really liked the pacing of her development. It was nice to keep the early tease of her backstory of starting a band at the start to pay it off near the end when the band really picks up the tempo.

Let's talk about the bassist of kessoku band, Ryo Yamada. She's an introverted character who enjoys being by herself and doesn't really yearn for social connection as much as a "traditional" introvert, which is uniquely interesting. From my reading, I can also see that she's definitely the main comic relief character. I think that's for good reason, too, seeing how good and different the dynamics are between her and the other band members. Maybe she's the least developed main character, but I'm going to cope and say that her being less developed really adds to the enigmatic charisma that she has. What a wonderful character.

There's also Ikuyo Kita, the rhythm guitarist of kessoku band. Seeing how she's such a flamboyantly optimistic character, I fully expected to see a "white knight" trope being executed where she pulls Bocchi from the depths of loneliness. Thankfully, there is nothing of that sort. To me, Kita is really the "glue guy" of the band. It's so clear from the start that she cares so much for the band as a whole that she almost refuses to rejoin the band after she betrayed their trust. Other than that, I'll also say that she completes the band's combined personalities as a whole by acting as the model modern extrovert. I think that aspect of her character just adds so much to the dynamic of kessoku band as a whole and even makes for some funny moments.

Lastly, there's Bocchi herself. In my opinion, Hitori "Bocchi" Gotoh's character as a whole is the best whimsical portrayal of a introvert I've ever seen in any piece of media. Bocchi is so awkard, it's like seeing an introvert's thoughts turned into actions without any filter. That, on its own, makes this anime so relatable. Most of the things she does, like hosting a fake comedy show, lying and shaking on the ground, et cetera, are things that wouldn't really happen in real life. Yet, as an introvert myself, I find it so relatable because those things really are stuff that I'd think of doing IRL. It's also what makes her character so endearing, especially when you account her dream of becoming a famous guitarist. I even think that it's because of, not despite her shortcomings that she went the distance this season. I think it's because of her uniquely introverted personality that she learned to become so good her guitar. Her character arc as a whole is so good.

I'll take a moment to talk about the animation. Everything is animated and drawn really well, which is expected from an anime about music. As it is in standard Cloverworks fashion, every frame could be a desktop wallpaper. I also really enjoyed the band scenes. I don't know enough aboout music to know whether they're accurate or not, but they looked fluid and clearly showed the on-stage dynamic between the band members. The whimsical moments in this anime are also animated really properly. There are so many of them, like Bocchi-zilla, Bocchi Tsuchinoko (the slug-thing), Kit-aura, etc. It's hard to pick one. To cap it all off, I will also say that the usage of the chibi versions of the characters is done really well. They're used in the best moments, and the sprites themselves are so cute.

Honestly, Bocchi The Rock! S1 should be the standard for a 10/10 anime. It executed about everything you could ever think of from just expanding upon the synopsis. The characters are amazing, the animation is phenomenal, and the music is superb. Even if I hate using this "method", I have to admit that this is a 10/10 Gem-Gem anime just by "averaging" out all of those factors and more. If you haven't watched this already, GO WATCH IT, especially if you've ever been an introvert.