[Spoilers] Bocchi The Rock Let’s Rock Rewatch (2024) — Episode 1

Hello, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the Bocchi The Rock Rewatch.

I presume the ones that don’t participate are introverts like Bocchi 😛

What really can be said about this show? It’s hard really to put into words. For what amounts to a music show, it really is a breath of fresh air. Why? Because unlike a lot of other music shows, it’s less about the music and more about the characters and the comedy.

When it originally came out, I wasn’t planning on watching it. It kinda flew under the radar at first, probably because I like a lot of people thought it was your generic show in a similar vein as Love Live or Show By Rock. But then clips started to circulate of the show and I said to myself “Alright. I’m gonna have to check it out.”

One of the best decisions I made in the year 2022.

I’m really excited to host this rewatch because I think it’s going to get a lot of engagement. People look back fondly on this show, and I think there’s good reason why. It should be noted that I’m coming off the heels of the Spice and Wolf rewatch which is renowned for its dialogue and how clever it is. Bocchi I kinda view in a similar light, and as we’ll soon see it can be just as infectious.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the sub, by the way.

Saw the original Twister in 4DX today. I think Twisters is the better movie and has the better story, but Twister had the better action sequences. It was really cool to watch it in a packed theater.

Starting off with a flashback

Child Bocchi is cute

Aww, but she’s all alone 🙁

At least her teacher is a real one.

Years later, and not much has changed.

Hitori Goto, first-year in middle school.

She thinks she should change the way she is.

And yet, she feels being an introvert fits her best.

She’s just like me fr fr

All of a sudden, as she’s watching TV, a member of a boy band says bands are where introverts shine.

This seems to give Bocchi an idea.

I really like Bocchi’s little sister, by the way. She is precious.

Bocchi with a guitar now

And here I thought it was Bocchi The Rock, not Bocchi The Guitar.

Gonna learn how to play guitar and then form a band.

Well, it’s a work in progress

3 years later, and she’s gotten pretty good.

Ganbare, Hitori! Be a good guitar player worthy of being in a band!

I like the intro. It’s catchy, and fits the vibe for this type of show. I especially like the visuals and how stylized it is. Doing this I feel lets you know that this is going to be somewhat different from your normal musical show.

Bocchi singing more

More unique visuals

“I gotta form a band or die trying!”

This was me but with writing a story involving tsunderes.

Hitori uploading videos now

Username guitarhero

This is easily the most amount of publicity Harmonix has gotten in about 2 decades.

Things seem to be looking up Bocchi.

“The internet is filled with socially anxious introverts just like me!”

And here I thought it was filled with dogs.

Bocchi still has not formed a band, unfortunately.

More unique artstyle change

Bocchi surprisingly into death metal.

Oh, Bocchi. You’re a nut and I love it.

Suddenly, Bocchi has an idea based off of reading a comment.

Bocchi changing her appearance up

And no one says anything. Oof.

This is so awkward

Bocchi now thinking she made herself unapproachable.

Bocchi’s heart practically leaping out of her chest, which is the first time the shoe uses exaggerated humor.

A red haired girl

Kita-chan

Bocchi now on the swings

Guy on the bench was unfortunately only waiting on his wife and child.

At least Bocchi has 30,000 subscribers

I have over 10,000 and yet it’s like I only have 5 based on engagement [](#urbansmile)

Bocchi believes the online world is where she belongs.

But before that can be expanded upon, a blonde.

And she has a chip for an ahoge

Bocchi is taken aback by this sudden barrage in talking.

Blonde is named Nijika Ijichi, by the way.

Already onto first names. She pulls no punches, eh?

“Please, will you play second guitar for my band for today?!”

So, she already has a band. Interesting.

And a concert is already on deck

And she just accepts it without Bocchi saying anything.

Nijika is an introvert’s worst nightmare.

Heading to the club now

I wonder if there’s bottle full of bub’.

Bocchi thinks that Nijika has a rocker-chick vibe.

Meanwhile, Bocchi thinks she smell like mold.

“I spend so much time in the closet…”

Don’t worry, so did Tom Cruise

Bocchi, you shouldn’t sniff your friends. Not that I would know considering I don’t have any.

The way Nijika and Bocchi’s legs are animated gives me Joel Haver vibes.

Bocchi is panicking quite a bit

At least she has delusions of grandeur to quail her nerves.

Nijika, meanwhile, is having second thoughts about choosing Bocchi.

The dark lands, Bocchi calls the club.

At least it’s better than the back rooms.

This place looks very dingy

But Bocchi finds it soothing, which is really all that matters.

Suddenly, video game music is playing.

Bocchi has found her people

Or maybe not lol

Blue-haired girl

Ryo. That’s her name.

Ryo gives me Sara Gilbert vibes

Manager apparently upset about Nijika.

At least Hitori is remaining cautiously optimistic.

A band of three. Seems kinda sparse, no?

Bocchi, you’re not supposedly good at guitar. You are good at guitar.

Ryo, meanwhile, thinks Bocchi reminds her of a gorilla.

I’m just saying, I’ve never seen Bocchi and Chitoge in the same room.

Oh nos. The performance went bad.

[](#nobully)

As a social act, she’s great, but in a band, she’s sub-water-flea.

She is the reverse Ringo Star.

Oh fuck I forgot we got the the end credits in the very first episode. What an iconic moment of the series.

I like that Hitori gets credited as Water Flea.

But who’s Guitar Man? [](#rengethink)

This to me is when I knew this series was going to be special. It’s one thing to do the fake credits gag, but to do it in the very first episode? I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before. It also perfectly highlights Bocchi’s mindset after being told she sucks.

**Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.**

Hello, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the Bocchi The Rock Rewatch.

I presume the ones that don’t participate are introverts like Bocchi 😛

What really can be said about this show? It’s hard really to put into words. For what amounts to a music show, it really is a breath of fresh air. Why? Because unlike a lot of other music shows, it’s less about the music and more about the characters and the comedy.

When it originally came out, I wasn’t planning on watching it. It kinda flew under the radar at first, probably because I like a lot of people thought it was your generic show in a similar vein as Love Live or Show By Rock. But then clips started to circulate of the show and I said to myself “Alright. I’m gonna have to check it out.”

One of the best decisions I made in the year 2022.

I’m really excited to host this rewatch because I think it’s going to get a lot of engagement. People look back fondly on this show, and I think there’s good reason why. It should be noted that I’m coming off the heels of the Spice and Wolf rewatch which is renowned for its dialogue and how clever it is. Bocchi I kinda view in a similar light, and as we’ll soon see it can be just as infectious.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the sub, by the way.

Saw the original Twister in 4DX today. I think Twisters is the better movie and has the better story, but Twister had the better action sequences. It was really cool to watch it in a packed theater.

Starting off with a flashback

Child Bocchi is cute

Aww, but she’s all alone 🙁

At least her teacher is a real one.

Years later, and not much has changed.

Hitori Goto, first-year in middle school.

She thinks she should change the way she is.

And yet, she feels being an introvert fits her best.

She’s just like me fr fr

All of a sudden, as she’s watching TV, a member of a boy band says bands are where introverts shine.

This seems to give Bocchi an idea.

I really like Bocchi’s little sister, by the way. She is precious.

Bocchi with a guitar now

And here I thought it was Bocchi The Rock, not Bocchi The Guitar.

Gonna learn how to play guitar and then form a band.

Well, it’s a work in progress

3 years later, and she’s gotten pretty good.

Ganbare, Hitori! Be a good guitar player worthy of being in a band!

I like the intro. It’s catchy, and fits the vibe for this type of show. I especially like the visuals and how stylized it is. Doing this I feel lets you know that this is going to be somewhat different from your normal musical show.

Bocchi singing more

More unique visuals

“I gotta form a band or die trying!”

This was me but with writing a story involving tsunderes.

Hitori uploading videos now

Username guitarhero

This is easily the most amount of publicity Harmonix has gotten in about 2 decades.

Things seem to be looking up Bocchi.

“The internet is filled with socially anxious introverts just like me!”

And here I thought it was filled with dogs.

Bocchi still has not formed a band, unfortunately.

More unique artstyle change

Bocchi surprisingly into death metal.

Oh, Bocchi. You’re a nut and I love it.

Suddenly, Bocchi has an idea based off of reading a comment.

Bocchi changing her appearance up

And no one says anything. Oof.

This is so awkward

Bocchi now thinking she made herself unapproachable.

Bocchi’s heart practically leaping out of her chest, which is the first time the shoe uses exaggerated humor.

A red haired girl

Kita-chan

Bocchi now on the swings

Guy on the bench was unfortunately only waiting on his wife and child.

At least Bocchi has 30,000 subscribers

I have over 10,000 and yet it’s like I only have 5 based on engagement [](#urbansmile)

Bocchi believes the online world is where she belongs.

But before that can be expanded upon, a blonde.

And she has a chip for an ahoge

Bocchi is taken aback by this sudden barrage in talking.

Blonde is named Nijika Ijichi, by the way.

Already onto first names. She pulls no punches, eh?

“Please, will you play second guitar for my band for today?!”

So, she already has a band. Interesting.

And a concert is already on deck

And she just accepts it without Bocchi saying anything.

Nijika is an introvert’s worst nightmare.

Heading to the club now

I wonder if there’s bottle full of bub’.

Bocchi thinks that Nijika has a rocker-chick vibe.

Meanwhile, Bocchi thinks she smell like mold.

“I spend so much time in the closet…”

Don’t worry, so did Tom Cruise

Bocchi, you shouldn’t sniff your friends. Not that I would know considering I don’t have any.

The way Nijika and Bocchi’s legs are animated gives me Joel Haver vibes.

Bocchi is panicking quite a bit

At least she has delusions of grandeur to quail her nerves.

Nijika, meanwhile, is having second thoughts about choosing Bocchi.

The dark lands, Bocchi calls the club.

At least it’s better than the back rooms.

This place looks very dingy

But Bocchi finds it soothing, which is really all that matters.

Suddenly, video game music is playing.

Bocchi has found her people

Or maybe not lol

Blue-haired girl

Ryo. That’s her name.

Ryo gives me Sara Gilbert vibes

Manager apparently upset about Nijika.

At least Hitori is remaining cautiously optimistic.

A band of three. Seems kinda sparse, no?

Bocchi, you’re not supposedly good at guitar. You are good at guitar.

Ryo, meanwhile, thinks Bocchi reminds her of a gorilla.

I’m just saying, I’ve never seen Bocchi and Chitoge in the same room.

Oh nos. The performance went bad.

[](#nobully)

As a social act, she’s great, but in a band, she’s sub-water-flea.

She is the reverse Ringo Star.

Oh fuck I forgot we got the the end credits in the very first episode. What an iconic moment of the series.

I like that Hitori gets credited as Water Flea.

But who’s Guitar Man? [](#rengethink)

This to me is when I knew this series was going to be special. It’s one thing to do the fake credits gag, but to do it in the very first episode? I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before. It also perfectly highlights Bocchi’s mindset after being told she sucks.

**Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.**

Just to let everyone know, me and my mom are going to attend the Gold Over America Tour that’s in town tonight. That means there might be a delay between me asking questions and me providing a response to your answers. I will make sure to respond to your replies, though, because I absolutely love a good back and forth.

**First Timer**

I don’t think there’s a dub for this one? Crunchyroll says sub-only, at least. Anyway! Bocchi has a very reputation and I’ve been meaning to give it a try, so here we go!

(Three simultaneous re-watches. Why did I do this to myself. Why.)

> Yeah. A band is a place where even introverts can shine.

*Huh*. Well, some of the things I’ve heard about this show are already beginning to make sense. And then…THREE YEARS LATER. xD So much for the cultural festival? And her entire time at middle school.

I’m so sorry for laughing Bocchi, you’re being *really funny* right now. Poor girl.

Hm, her voice isn’t what I expected either. Much less cutesy than, say, K-On. Much more…scratchy? Growly? At least when she gets stressed.

(She’s an introvert trying to attract attention, she’s *always* stressed.)

And suddenly she’s been kidnapped by a surprise extrovert! Then the band practice and *water flea* and I am laughing way too hard at this poor girl’s suffering.

Then we have a sudden left swerve into *feels* territory. Is this whole series going to be an emotional rollercoaster? And now the *box*…

I’m really looking forward to the next episode now. And the day when Bocchi has the confidence to perform in front of a crowd!

For the question…not really. I mean, I *tried* when I was younger and got a pointed reminder in exactly why it was outside my comfort zone. 

Rewatcher! Episode 1 Lonely Rolling Bocchi

Can’t believe it’s been 2 years since CloverWorks dropped this modern masterpiece. Back in 2022 I would have never expected a comedy about a socially anxious guiterist to be my anime of year packed with crazy sequels like AoT the Final Season Part 2, Made in Abyss S2, and MHA S6, highly anticipated new shows like Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man, along with great originals like Lycoris Recoil and GWitch. Bocchi the Rock is just that absurdly good in my humble opinion.

BTR does a quick and efficient job of introducing our protagonist Hitori Gotou has a kid who has trouble connecting with her peers but still desiring that connection. To me this is the most important distinction of Hitori’s character, she doesn’t want to be alone from the start of the series which means the story doesn’t have to focus on the importance to wanting to connect with people. Instead it can focus on how learning a skill, in this case the guitar, can help bridge that connection with people when you’re not the most socially skilled person. It’s that very reason why Hitori was so moved into action by the interview she watched of a musician who used to be socially inept like her unless he got into music. She immediately asks to borrow her dad’s guitar and keeps at it for three long years, eventually being good enough to post cover songs under the alias of guitarhero on Youtube.

Yet despite working so hard on the guitar she still couldn’t attract any other band members let alone friends throughout middle school. In high school she vows to try harder to make connections by even bringing her guitar to school, feeling she looks like a real cool rocker chick. The shot of her entering the classroom all the way in the back is the perfect visual cue of no one else really noticing her or paying her much attention. To them she’s just that quiet pink haired girl who never tries to talk to them. Hitori feels dejected after class and we see a quick glimpse of a certain red haired girl from the opening. You know if you have a primary hair color you’re a main character.

Later while sulking in the park she has a chance encounter with a girl in desperate need for a guitarist. She seems outgoing and friendly immediately using Hitori’s first name and begging for help. Without Hitori really entering Nijika whisks her away to the club Starry. While initially hesitant I love how Hitori dreams of one day selling out the Budokan while Nijika is questioning her choice after starting to see how peculiar this girl is. They make it to the club, and we meet the bassist Ryo who seems a bit strange herself. I like how Ryo feels proud of being different when Nijika calls her weird.

Before the manager comes back the trio rush into the studio to practice, and Hitori hypes herself up with the fact she just crossed 30K subs. Despite that though Nijika quickly has her realize that playing alone and with a band are two completely different skill sets. Hitori in her own words now has to start from sub-water flea level. I remember when I first watched this episode I thought it legit ended when the fake end credits rolls. That combined with Nijika trying to cheer Hitori up by saying she’s not too good either just to be interrupted by Ryo saying she’s very good had me rolling. Ryo’s overflowing confidence honestly reminds me a lot of Ram’s from ReZero. After a few more jokes Hitori lets Nijika and Ryo know that she’s actually really happy Nijika reached out to her. Hitori saying how she always wanted to be in a band, and just couldn’t make the connections just pierced my heart. This is the first example of how I love that BTR so seamlessly blends its comedy with its honest heartfelt moments.

Nijika and Ryo both recognize and praise guitarhero, not knowing she’s right in front of them, which gives a push of confidence she needs to go through with the performance. Yet you don’t just conquer your anxieties in one conversation. I love how Hitori mentions she knows this is such an amazing opportunity, but that doesn’t just take all the fear away. That’s so realistic and relatable it hurts.

That’s when Ryo offers the silly solution of playing in a cardboard box which Hitori jumps at. Hitori feels a lot more at home now despite how depressing that might sound and Nijika asks how she wants to be introduced. She doesn’t wanna use her real name and her only other nicknames were “Hey” and “You there,” so Ryo makes a pun from her name Hitoribocchi (all alone) to call her Bocchi. Nijika feels it’s a bit rude but Hitori immediately takes to the name. Thus Bocchi is born and can start her climb from sub-water flea to human.

Excellent introduction, and when I was first watched BTR it hooked me from the very beginning because of amazing scene

**Socially anxious rewatcher!**

Bocchi is a show that has a deep personal significance to me.

Bocchi herself is so relatable, and a shining star in portraying social anxiety. I’m way more used to introverted characters in shows being more like Ryo, who are all cool and distant because they want to be. But for many of us, we really want to socialize and hang out with other people, but we’re too scared to approach first.

My current friend group only came about because of someone like Nijika — an extrovert that came over and adopted me while I was doing my best impression of a potted plant. And now we’ve all been friends for almost a decade.

If you’re an extrovert, give love to the quiet person in the corner. It might not be easy, (for you or them,) but if you can prove yourself trustworthy to them, you’ll have a friend for life. Be someone’s Nijika. (But, like, not *too* much. We need to sleep a lot to recharge from exhausting social interactions, lol)

And if you’re a Bocchi, I hope you find your Nijika. But you can talk to the scary people having fun in the middle of the room. Believe in the me that believes in you!

Rewatcher Here

Watched this three times as it was airing, once by myself, and two separate times with two different friends.

Humor of this show is just so relatable and still holds up in my opinion even after being two years older.

Her whole middle school flies by without accomplishing anything. Starting high school and she still didnt make any friends. At least she has a nice channel going for her.

Poor man just waiting for his wife and kid, being empathized with by Bocchi (jk)

NIjika kidnaps Bocchi since she needs a guitarist after her current one split.

Ryo is there with some nice deadpan deliveries to contrast with Bocchis frantic internal dialogue and Nijika’s extroversion.

Practice session with the band being completely honest with Bocchi sends her into a spiral with Gotoh curled up on the floor.

Fake out ending and an offer to commit harakiri to at least give the audience something to remember the band.

Bocchi was really happy to be invited to play and then they talk about guitarhero infront of her, cringe name and all.

Bocchi leaves the trash and goes into the box. Thus gives birth to Bocchi-chan. It’s a how new low for her on stage with what should be a major point of self improvement. Baby steps.

She make a declaration that before her next performance, she’ll be brave enough to say hello to her classmates. Too relatable.

Her social battery drained after such an exhausting day and wants to go home as soon as possible.

Still great after all these years and I’m happy to rewatch this through another time, first time through one of these reddit rewatches, kinda fitting it’s Bocchi.

QotD Not sure how much it counts but shortly before this aired is when I started going to conventions and started meeting up with online friends even though they were states away and we’re still great friends to this day. High school me wouldn’t have ever thought about going that far into anime fandom instead of continuing to watch it by myself and not interacting with it further.