Strawberry Loft

Finding a passion happens naturally as you experience life. It all starts with finding something that brings you joy and inspires you. That’s how I found blogging, it just occurred to me one day that I liked reading blogs why not write one. Passions become hobbies that you keep to yourself on a quiet Sunday afternoon, or now with the power of the internet you can share with others on social media. Some people have even turned their passions into a dream career. Sharing your hobby on the internet tends to attract others on the same wavelength. Small comments here and there may becomes messaging and suddenly a friendship has blossomed and it was easy. Easier than meeting and talking to people in real life, especially if you’re riddled with social anxieties. Some people use hobbies to attempt to get out of their bubble of anxiety, Bocchi expected playing the guitar to fix her social anxiety. It sort of works for her.

Bocchi the Rock starts with Hitori Gotoh, and a dream born out the desire to be noticed and admired. Gotoh, later lovingly nicknamed Bocchi by her bandmates, decided it was time to pick up guitar. Specifically, her father’s old one. She was on the road to her dream to play in a band, never needing a stressful normal job and to be adored by fans. Being so nervous around people Bocchi had no other choice than to start teaching herself guitar, which is an admirable story on its own. I feel like it takes discipline to learn an instrument and even more to learn it on your own. Bocchi pours her passion into learning starting in middle school, and then the anime skips to her first year of high school Bocchi has a thriving YouTube channel where she uploads covers. She’s praised by internet strangers under the name guitarhero. She thrives off her anonymous account and the praise she receives. Bocchi is really good at guitar, it hasn’t made her any friends though no matter how often she takes her guitar to school.

I’m an anxious girlie who thinks too much about the way the outside world perceives me. Watching Bocchi carry her guitar around school waiting for others to come up to her and tell her how cool it was she could play felt too real. I’ve for sure tried to look cool nonchalantly hoping someone would notice me. Actually, if you’ve never had a moment like that, I think you’re lying. It does pay off for Bocchi as carrying her guitar to the park results in her being recruited by Nijika Ijichi the drummer of the indie band Kessoku Band. In that moment Bocchi was a gift from the universe to Nijika. Kessoku Band was about to perform at a small bar venue called Starry and their guitarist ran away the day they were supposed to take the stage. Bocchi agrees to play, and it’s less out of excitement to suddenly have a band to play with, and more because Bocchi could barely speak to the stranger begging to have Bocchi in her band. Nijika even mentions guitarhero on the way to Starry and Bocchi is glowing eating up the compliments Nijika didn’t know she was giving.

At Starry Bocchi meets the bassist of Kessoku Band Ryo Yamada and her dreams can finally start coming true. Unfortunately joining a band isn’t all stars, rainbows, and easy streets like Bocchi imagined. Playing with a band is different than playing solo and Bocchi doesn’t have any experience with watching band members and keeping time with them. She’s an incredible solo player but has to learn the techniques for playing with others. I liked that Bocchi wasn’t a guitar prodigy that everyone praised on her first try, as much as she wanted to be. She has things to learn and has to learn them on the fly with strangers, which is her nightmare. It’s a test not only of her guitar skills, but also of her nonexistent people skills. Kessoku Band is the start of Bocchi’s journey to no longer be as much of an anxious mess.

Bocchi is such a relatable character, especially with her anxiety that runs the show dictating each of her actions and mindset. She’s the main character but resigns herself to side character status as someone who struggles to function in the world unless it’s digitally. Seeing the impact Kessoku Band has on Bocchi and her growth is slow, but persistent and she won’t admit it, but she’s happier. She learns how to become a really good friend. Bocchi wanted to be in a band to avoid working any normal jobs that would turn her into a stressed-out puddle. Nijika gets Bocchi a job at Starry running the concession stand to watch bands and learn more about playing. Bocchi decides she’d rather fall through the floor and disappear than sell drinks. Nijika begs and it helps them pay for their own performance tickets at Starry paving the way to her dream. Eventually  Bocchi relents and works on eye contact with customers. Bocchi thinks she’s going to be able to quit at one point, and at that time she becomes one of the best employees at Starry. I’ve felt exactly like that at the end of my time with a job, unlike Bocchi though I’m not too nervous to follow through with the act of quitting. Ikuyo Kita is the runaway guitarist that in a twist of events couldn’t play guitar at all. During a sweet scene where Bocchi is burned and Kita offers her a handkerchief Bocchi feels the callouses on Kitas fingers. She knows before anyone that Kita tried for the band, and even if it puts Bocchi’s position as the guitarist at risk Bocchi tells Kita to keep learning guitar. Kita in turn asks Bocchi to be her teacher to which Bocchi’s anxiety kicks in and she refuses. It’s so funny how quickly Bocchi’s friends realize how easy it is to coax Bocchi into doing things. Kita gushes about how amazing Bocchi is at guitar and for a moment the air in her big compliment filled head squashes the voice of her anxiety and she agrees to teach Kita. It’s one of my favorite bits because it’s another relatable Bocchi mannerism. If someone praises me for something I think I’m good at I for a moment my confidence skyrockets like I’m the best. As for Ryo Bocchi’s giving heart is enough. By that I mean Ryo never has any money and Bocchi always pays for her treats and meals. Even if Bocchi didn’t know she was paying, she never refuses to though, mostly from anxiety. Making a scene in public spaces about money is overwhelming.

Before Kessoku Band’s second performance Bocchi is struggling to sell her ticket quota because she doesn’t have any friends. It’s kind of sad seeing anxiety affect her that way. Her support system is her parents and little sister, but her little sister can’t go because Bocchi is playing at a bar. This shakes Bocchi and she spirals thinking she’ll be kicked from the band for being unable to sell her share of tickets. It’s scary for her to think the life she’s been building could disappear so easily. Bocchi is still getting used to having friends not realizing how strong the bond between the band actually is, especially from Nijika who wants to be part of a band as much as Bocchi maybe even more, and for more pure reasons. During her panic Bocchi is approached by Kikuri Hiori a bassist from a different band. Hiori convinces Bocchi to play a street show to create buzz about the upcoming Kessoku Band performance. Bocchi is petrified but gets advice from the seasoned bassist to try playing with her eyes closed to drown out the crowd. It feels like sage wisdom coming from a senior player and when Bocchi tries it she finds herself less tense and anxious. Seeing Bocchi take advice from a senior player about handling anxious situations shows it’s not just her, she just needs to find a way to deal with it that suits her. Meeting Hiori also jump starts Bocchi’s journey of music appreciation. Bocchi is invited to one of Hiori’s shows and sees a different side to the goofy drunk bassist she met. Standing on stage is a confident woman who plays a fusion of funk and rock Bocchi hadn’t heard before. The music in the scene isn’t my favorite, but to Bocchi it’s mind blowing to experience. As much as Bocchi says she hates popular pop music she secretly appreciates all kinds of music.

A lot of Bocchi’s growth can be seen in the beach episode, which was my favorite episode. Bocchi did the very real thing of clearing her summer schedule so when her new friends asked her to hang out, she would be free. Unfortunately, she never reaches out to her band mates, being used to them reaching out to her to do things. I don’t think people often assume they’re someone’s only friend or lifeline outside of maybe family. The girls don’t realize they’re Bocchi’s only friends and she’s too nervous to be the one to ask to experience the summer adventure she’s never had. Bocchi is a good, but severely disappointed sport waiting until the girls notice they neglected Bocchi and it’s the last day of summer. It’s really cute how to make up for their mistake Kessoku Band tries to give Bocchi the best day ever. They go to the beach and hike up a mountain. It exhausts Bocchi, but at that moment I think she realizes how much they care about her and want her to feel like more than just their amazing guitarist, she’s their friend.

Being an anime about a band Bocchi the Rock has some really good music and there is an actual album out by Kessoku Band that was released in 2022. I like all the music it has an indie rock feel which is the perfect sound for Kessoku Band. Guitar, Loneliness, and Blue Planet is on the album and was played in the anime. It’s such a memorable moment where the band starts so nervous playing for a small crowd that doesn’t seem that interested. The moment Bochci comes out of her shell and really plays the guitar I could feel the fire from her heart in my heart. I felt like I was at a concert, and it really hooked me into binging the rest of the show. All of the concert scenes have a little bit of a 3D effect on them, but I don’t hate it, and I actually think it enhanced the scenes. The shows at Starry felt like real small rock shows.

There’s nothing more fun than chasing your passions and dreams with friends and Bocchi the Rock perfectly encapsulates that. It’s more than an anime about a band it’s about finding courage through music. Bocchi is able to grow because she joined a band that forced her out of her shell. She became a part of a group that appreciated her and was so patient with her as she found her courage. The most important thing is at the end of this all Bocchi made friends for life something she was certain she could never do. If you’re anxious this anime is incredibly relatable and hilarious, it also shows you’re always going to meet the right people to enjoy life with. For a moment you might even find your anxiety slips away. I strongly recommend watching Bocchi the Rock and then listening to the album.